Some final tweaks

Well, we are down to 2 weeks till departure and I guess I will never feel completely ready but I’m starting to get pumped up for the adventure. Lori and I took the Valkyrie and Trailer out for a short test run Friday of about 90 miles and all is good. Lights work, tires all look good and all I have todo is throw a little lube on the suspension joints under the trailer. I got my new headset for my new helmet and it is giving me a few fits, but I’ll figure it out in due time. I also cut almost 5 inches off the top of my windshield so I can see over it during rain and fog sessions that we may encounter on the road. The last time we went on a long trip, this scenario almost caused me to blow through a corner that I did not see coming. I may still take another 1 to 1.5 inches off if I do not like the new height. The cut and finish work turned out remarkably well consider I did the job.

Plan B? What could I possibly mean by this question? Well in my last post I provided a link to the webcams at Crater Lake in Oregon and I’m really starting to get concerned that all that snow will not melt. Look at the cams close and you will see that there is still 20 to 25 feet of snow on the ground and the last snow was a late as just last week. So, once we get half way up the coast of California, if the snow is still there and still falling or forecast, I will stay a extra day in Crescent City, Ca. and then do a beeline to Reno, Nv. and skip Crater Lake.

The only other thing that has me concerned is the drought and fires in Texas. You can click this LINK and see a current map of what is going on there. Worst case that I see is that some roads will be closed and I will have to circumnavigate those spots in my built in or planned routes.

I plan on leaving the Valkyrie parked from this point until departure to save the rubber on the tires for the trip. I’m going to hate the fact that I might have to put a rear tire on the bike for the last legs of this trip. 12,000 miles pulling a trailer on this big bike is asking a lot. I will know if I can make it by the time I hit Colorado, the last week of the trip.