Oh maaan….where to start??
Last year’s jaunt had been a hoot, Jimbo had kept the KLR ticking over from time to time and organized a new battery…..his DR650, which had done marvelously in Goodie’s hands , was going to be under his bum this time around and we’d agreed to a half-share in a DRZ400 he wanted to add to the stable….and for Goodie to ride this time around.
He found the right bike only 6 weeks before our arrival….a 2008 model which had barely lost its virginity @ 1250 miles on the clock…and a true recession-victim at only US$3400.
Yes, things are damn tough in many parts of the US,….more about that later.:???:
Unlike last time, the plans were calling for a big loop of 2.5 weeks +….instead of the multiple short trips of the year before.
Jimbo decked out the DRZ with all sorts of, mainly, useful farkles while we added an Airhawk and the big RJays bag, which doubled as airline luggage.
The KLR got a fresh set of hoops (Shinko 705s), an oil + filter change and a fresh tank of juice….the rest remained as we left it last year.
The decision to, this time, jet it with Air NZ with a stop in Auckland before the long-stretch to SFO was a good one! ….while the total flight time came to roughly the same as last year’s Virgin-to-LA stint, the 1hr break in NZ was welcome. The “bus” was an old 747, but leg-room was better that in the newer Virgin 777.
Crowdpuller…and by Gosh, what a sight!!!....the brandnew Lufthansa A380 Airbus Doubledecker in SanFran. Just check the “Baby” 35 seater Turboprop next to it. Looks like part of the litter…
2 blocks of flats taking flight….
United stuck us onto the standby-list for the hop to Medford in southern Oregon, with guaranteed seats for a later flight, and it worked !!…which turned out our last bit of good luck for the next few days when it came to anything “transport”-related.
Familiar surrounds at Chateaux-Jimbo…