Day 2

Post date: May 10, 2010 2:38:27 PM

Route

Continued on 15N to 70E. Tent-camped outside Grand Junction. Total of 400 miles.

Technical

At higher altitudes (4500+ feet,) there is a significant loss of torque. I maxed out at 70mph on the inclines. Return to lower altitudes confirms that it was the altitude. I also seem to burn more gas, perhaps because I have to max the throttle just to reach the speed limit. On a positive note, this netbook was fully charged compliments of the 12 volt outlet I installed on the dash. Oh, and I apparently didn’t take Lesson 1 to heart. I revisited that one today, but this time at night on a mound of gravel at the base of the road I chose to camp on.

Environment

Cold sucks. Snow on a motorcycle really sucks. Your hand is your windshield wiper, but because it’s numb, you have to rely on vision to verify that the visor is clear. And the visor is foggy, so you gotta crack the visor just to see, which exacerbates the cold problem. The mountain pass 30 miles out of Virgin River brought in a flurry that had me hoping I didn’t have a Sarumon of my own conjuring my chilly demise. ; Lord of the Rings F%$ snow. Had to rig up some handwarmers and layer up. Used Smartwool socks, a plastic bag, and my neoprene netbook case, bungied to my wrist, to keep my hands warm and dry. It worked.

Saw lost cows, paranoid antelope, and a friendly lizard today.

Psychoanalytic

(Expletive) I talk a lot to myself.

Social

Contacted Mark, Tam, and Sarah to settle in on some visitation dates. A weathered rest area attendant offered me some common sense and a smile. He appeared accustomed to not rushing the weather. I tried to get a couple semi drivers to tug the horn for me, to no avail. Maybe tomorrow.

The Weird, The Wild

The image of masculinity: At age 30, I’ve quit my job, chosen homelessness, and am living off of independent income and savings. With numb fingers I’m flinging my motorcycle through twisty mountain roads at 85mph, steering with the pinky, ring finger, and palm of my right hand. And laughing at the snow I left behind me.