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I just graduated last month and decided that I've been itching to do a long distance touring trip on the CBR. One of my good friends from school is moving out to Folsom, CA and wanted to look for a place to live. So we decided to combine the trips into one adventure. He doesn't know how to ride so he had to ride pillion the entire time. We left on the morning of July 3rd. I'll do a full write-up on my blog and post it. But for now just some pictures and descriptions. Most of the trip was about getting to destinations on time, so I didn't have too much time to take lots of pics.(Plus there were just huge swaths of nothing!)
Here's an approximation of the entire trip. Each marker shows an overnight stop.
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Our first destination was Los Angeles, CA. We needed to get there by Sunday, July 8th before my uncle left.
Day 1
Philly to Indianapolis.
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Starting mileage.
We left a bit late and got stuck in some Philly traffic. Once we were out of the city, our pace picked up and we reached in about 11.5 hours. Used advrider.com to find some tent space there. Camped out in a backyard in my 2 person backpacking tent.
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Classy first night's dinner.
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Who needs a rack when you can just throw things on the bike?
Day 2
Indianapolis to Sand Springs, OK
My friend needed to put in his contacts and we needed some form of toilet/sink so we stopped at the first rest area in Illinois. Found some homeless people there also using the facilities. Got some nice and cold water there as well.
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After that we headed into Missouri and saw the St. Louis Arch. Not really any shoulder to take pictures so we kept going. Stopped at the next gas station to buy some snacks and take a break. While there I noticed a small rip on the undersides of the saddlebags. It looked as if the wheel was rubbing there on occasion because the bags were hanging too low. In order to deal with this, my friend and I took a detour out to a Home Depot to buy a 2 foot PVC pipe to stick in-between the saddlebags. It seemed to work, but I did check up on it now and again. The detour did cost us almost an hour and we reached Oklahoma a bit later than expected.
We were greeted with bizarre toll booths that gave us a 50 cent refund only to have us give it back when we got back onto the tollway.
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Cheapest fuel on the trip!
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Come on Oklahoma Rest Area....why were you closed when I had to go?!
We reached the next spot for the night a bit later than expected but spent the night at another advrider.com house.
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New dog friends!
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Day 3
Headed out in the morning towards New Mexico. Stop for the night not really planned.
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Texas!
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Texas grasshopper.
We ended up in Albuquerque for the night. Grabbed a motel and enjoyed a drink at a local tavern.
Day 4
End destination is Chandler, AZ to visit some family friends. Only a mere 400 miles.
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Headed through the Petrified Wood National Forest in Arizona next.
Here's an approximation of the entire trip. Each marker shows an overnight stop.
Our first destination was Los Angeles, CA. We needed to get there by Sunday, July 8th before my uncle left.
Day 1
Philly to Indianapolis.
Starting mileage.
We left a bit late and got stuck in some Philly traffic. Once we were out of the city, our pace picked up and we reached in about 11.5 hours. Used advrider.com to find some tent space there. Camped out in a backyard in my 2 person backpacking tent.
Classy first night's dinner.
Who needs a rack when you can just throw things on the bike?
Day 2
Indianapolis to Sand Springs, OK
My friend needed to put in his contacts and we needed some form of toilet/sink so we stopped at the first rest area in Illinois. Found some homeless people there also using the facilities. Got some nice and cold water there as well.
After that we headed into Missouri and saw the St. Louis Arch. Not really any shoulder to take pictures so we kept going. Stopped at the next gas station to buy some snacks and take a break. While there I noticed a small rip on the undersides of the saddlebags. It looked as if the wheel was rubbing there on occasion because the bags were hanging too low. In order to deal with this, my friend and I took a detour out to a Home Depot to buy a 2 foot PVC pipe to stick in-between the saddlebags. It seemed to work, but I did check up on it now and again. The detour did cost us almost an hour and we reached Oklahoma a bit later than expected.
We were greeted with bizarre toll booths that gave us a 50 cent refund only to have us give it back when we got back onto the tollway.
Cheapest fuel on the trip!
Come on Oklahoma Rest Area....why were you closed when I had to go?!
We reached the next spot for the night a bit later than expected but spent the night at another advrider.com house.
New dog friends!
Day 3
Headed out in the morning towards New Mexico. Stop for the night not really planned.
Texas!
Texas grasshopper.
We ended up in Albuquerque for the night. Grabbed a motel and enjoyed a drink at a local tavern.
Day 4
End destination is Chandler, AZ to visit some family friends. Only a mere 400 miles
.
Headed through the Petrified Wood National Forest in Arizona next.
