This is Germany calling...
Volker Bartheld
No, I didn't forget you. Neither did I forget ISF 2010 (how could I - it
was one of the most memorable and unfortunately also one of the most
exhausting offroad events I ever attended) or my duty to write a detailed
ride report and a summarization of our 4-week roadtrip through the Wild
Wild West of the States.
But I've been quite busy so far, so a short writeup will have to do until
the 2000+ pictures have been postprocessed...
As you might know, our journey started in Salt Lake City, lead us to
Sawtooth National forest and the famous ISF hot tub (I owe you a
speeding-ticket-and-cop-story with happy end here), we saw Yellowstone,
Arches, Natural Bridges, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Josemite etc. and
continued on route 66 via Flagstaff towards Las Vegas.
Sure we didn't miss Death Valley (Anja, the little redhead almost collapsed
at temperatures exceeding 110°F and we decided NOT to do the photo with
the tent and the camping chair right in the middle of the salty flats of
Death Valley) too much when we drove HWY No. 1 along the coast with stops
at San Francisco (insert parking citation and breakdance story here) and
Los Angeles which allowed for some in-depth investigation of some rural
and no-go areas.
Plus me getting lost near the airport
- without a clue of where I came from,
- no GPS,
- no mobile phone or other contact address either
- on a supermotardized GasGas 250 EC
borrowed from Jeff for a little "break in ride". =;-)
And it should be mentioned that Anja looks pretty cute in a tight
Stars'n'Stripes-bikini (that we bought in Hollywood) as she sprawls in the
pool (add pictures here).
Ummm, yeah, and there is a "Volker gets Infested by Herpies Aliens of
Hell"-Story and its eagerly awaited successor "What to do if your lip
liquifies, your eye reddens like that of an albino rabbit and you're
somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Utah with no hospital or even doctor
nearby".
This is, however, rated "R" for some violence, nuditity, 4-letter-words and
gore.
The (nonstop this time!) flight home was a littly bumpy (some turbulences)
and Lufthansa's video selection sparse (Etihad and Emirates who took me to
Tokio and Australia had more eyecandy but much less legroom), but the fact
that those German stewardesses left the alcoholic beverages unattended
pretty often made for a decent equivalent to a handful of sleeping pills.
After about 10hrs of flight we landed in Munich, right on time and
literally suffered a cultural shock. It's all so small, crowded, suburban
and square minded. Thank god the last thing we saw in the USA was not the
Wild Wild West and Idaho's spectacular backcountry but LA so it didn't
hurt that much seeing all the people, (microscopic, in comparison!) cars,
traffic jams and prohibition signs.
Yesterday, I watched a documentation about the "boss" of a German allot
settlement who told other gardeners what plants to grow and what weed to
cut. GEEZE! GET A LIVE! I felt tempted paying a visit to them and leave a
bunch of knobby tire marks on this sucker's lawn...
Sheet, imagine you're not even allowed to BYOG (b_ring y_our o_wn g_un)
into our MacDonald's over here. THAT SUCKS!
And I'll miss the rocks, the sidehills, the river crossings, the steep
descents, the gorgeous rides, the wide open land, Iron Mountain,
President's trail, your delicious foodfest contributions, the potato
gunning, the bear^W...pardon...BEER, the river floating and your
incredible hospitality.
Thanks for making this ONE HELL OF A VACATION! And also many thanks for
loaning us your bikes - I hope Anja (who now has perfectly broken in
Enduro pants, with the mandatory brown stripe in the underwear) and me
didn't dent them too much... At least I _TRIED_ to treat Mike's KTM like a
baby even when it was turning to a beast from time to time (paste story
about stuck throttle and on-trail-repair here)... Uuuups, that reminds me
of the exchaust repair and Jim's anti-vibration dampener that I didn't pay
him for... *sigh*
As a compensation for the pretty shitty weather in Germany that were facing
at our arrival, we right away left for Italy (no motorcycle riding
involved) again where we attended the marriage of a friend of mine near
Lago di Garda. Our way lead us to Kaltern (Austria) and also filled the
trunk with 300EUR worth of delicious red wine (paste story of Audi A3
exhaust rattling loose, scuffed brake hose and a broken rear spring here).
Yummy!
But this weekend - after investing about $1000 in car repairs - I'm going
to do some motocross, that's for sure. Riding buddy Lutz (works for some
BMW OEM) got access to a 745d and the best thing about that fat pile of
crap is tank volume (good for about 600mls), that he doesn't have to pay
for gas, and, *tadah* it sports a trailer hitch! So this will be the hot
ticket for a cheap, plush, swift, airconditioned and
ABS/ASR/ESP/...-controlled ride to the track.
Hell, that Knight Rider vehicle even has infrared night vision!
So, please be patient and stay tuned for more information. Many thanks
again to all who made ISF 2010 such a cool event. It will be pretty hard
to rival that if that's possible at all.
Cheers,
Volker
P.S.: Sorry to hear about Jeffs RV-mishap [Rumours has it that meanwhile,
he got himself a new toy even sporting some kind of fancy anti-swing hitch
but managed to hit his head hard when trying to take out a tree on his
Labour Day Snyder Creek ride... And rumours also has it, that there might
be a MARRIAGE in a not too distant future... :-) ] and Baxter crashing his
bones resulting in alien material floating around.
Good luck for surgery (if necessary) and a timely healing!
On a sidenote I have to state, that my left elbow also sports a few bone
particles that shouldn't be in there. Fortunately, they seem to be out of
vital areas so they don't bug me too much. And as my doctor liked to put
it: You'll know early enough when it's time for cutting it open... 8-}
--
@: I N F O at B A R T H E L D dot N E T
3W: www.bartheld.net
PlowBoy
reads Usenet anymore, LOL. sounds too funny.
Sounds neat as heck, Volker. And might I say that, I find it inspiring to
hear of your out of home country exploits to our country to do what I also
love to do, RIDE. wish I had the Balls to try the same, but somehow I do
NOT think the same conditions exist for US citizens to goto some more less
progressive countries, but I don't know that maybe it is equal, minus taxes
and Monetary Exchange Rates?
"Volker Bartheld" <dr_ve...@freenet.de> wrote in message
news:8mewpsdgzypb$.dlg@news.bartheld.net...
Dennis Kennedy
a pleasure meeting you and Anja.
Dennis Kennedy
Spodely
However...
I will be back home (#2) in Romania on/about 20 October. We may visit
friends in Vienna soon after that day. And... I've been drooling at
the KTM shop every time I make it back there. I keep saying I want to
ride, but never find anyone with a bike or who knows a riding area.
We need to get together. Fall riding would be PERFECT.
John
Dean H
> Yet another story to remind me how much I HATE I couldn't make it.
ditto.
Volker, it sounds like you had a good taste of what's good here (well,
there... it's a big country - here is very far from there).
It's a pretty good view from Iron Mountain, isn't it? ... worth a trip
from anywhere.
Most people will never see that.
Volker Bartheld
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:22:55 -0500, PlowBoy wrote:
> Really, you need to fill in the r-rated stuff, hell this is Usenet,
> nobody reads Usenet anymore, LOL. sounds too funny.
Patience, patience...
There'll sure be more stories, I promise. But these should be backed with
imagery. And >1800 shots is no piece of cake to select from and post
process.
> Sounds neat as heck, Volker. And might I say that, I find it inspiring to
> hear of your out of home country exploits to our country to do what I also
> love to do, RIDE.
Yeah! It was a perfect excuse (hell, you can also call it "kick in my lazy
ass" if you like) to finally do this roadtrip through the States even if
it was probably covering just 5% of what would have been possible. But
unfortunately, that's the same with Australia... and even Munich. You have
to decide and you have to focus. But I'm pretty sure, there'll be a next
time so there might be more sightseeing and, even better, more riding in a
not too distant future.
> wish I had the Balls to try the same, but somehow I do NOT think the same
> conditions exist for US citizens to goto some more less progressive
> countries, but I don't know that maybe it is equal, minus taxes and
> Monetary Exchange Rates?
I'd say a trip to Europe wouldn't financially ruin you. There are more
expensive spots (Munich being one of them) and there are cheaper spots but
if you know somebody over there, things (like booking hotels or other
accomodations or even renting bikes) get easier. If you're intending some
real offroad riding, Munich (and other big cities) might not be the
perfect decision.
I can still show you a number of spots where you can do MX and pretty
technical Enduro riding but some of them are ...ummmm... "semi legal" and
you have to be quite fast if the authorities show up. In contrast to the
US, they normally don't shoot you right away ;-) but a friend of mine took
a few shotgun grains from a stupid f*ck that was the official hunter in
that spot and tried to play God.
So it might be better to go to the eastern part of Germany where population
is not as dense as here. But, if you would rent i. e. a KTM 950 Adventure
or even Duke R or Superduke (expect about 80EUR per day), there are plenty
of options for "going fast around corners" and riding at high(er) altitude
with great view.
So, moral is: Don't expect Sawtooth. Don't expect Pismo Beach. But DO
expect plenty of options for seeing sights, peeping into ancient culture
AND options to go riding!
Cheers,
Volker
IdaSpode
<dr_ve...@freenet.de> wrote:
>Hi folks!
>
>No, I didn't forget you. Neither did I forget ISF 2010 (how could I - it
>was one of the most memorable and unfortunately also one of the most
>exhausting offroad events I ever attended) or my duty to write a detailed
>ride report and a summarization of our 4-week roadtrip through the Wild
>Wild West of the States.
Glad you two had a good time, drop by again anytime you're in the
neighborhhod!
David
HellSickle
> P.S.: Sorry to hear about Jeffs RV-mishap [Rumours has it that meanwhile,
> he got himself a new toy even sporting some kind of fancy anti-swing hitch
> but managed to hit his head hard when trying to take out a tree on his
> Labour Day Snyder Creek ride... And rumours also has it, that there might
> be a MARRIAGE in a not too distant future... :-) ] and Baxter crashing his
> bones resulting in alien material floating around.
Not sure if I mentioned that here, but I am currently on the injured-
reserve list. Launched headfirst into a tree. Helmet is toast.
Nearly blacked out. Neck is messed up. Essentially a bad case of
whiplash. Ice is my friend for a few more week. A Leatt brace & new
helmet are on order.
Marriage date: tentatively Aug 6th of next year.
-Jeff-
I am Tosk
@q18g2000vbm.googlegroups.com>, jde...@comcast.net says...
Glad you got a "warning shot" for the Leatt before it's too late. I
can't tell you folks enough to just try one. I have never known one
person that didn't say "after the first lap, I didn't even know it was
there. I am gonna' get one for sure".. Just sayin'.
Not so glad you are hurt. I went over the side in a corner, hit head
first, and just smashed my helmet up last week, but of course have no
back or neck symptoms in my opinion because of the leatt. I just see no
reason to ride without one.
Anybody local who wants one btw, I know there is a guy selling his
medium for 225. It's the Leatt MotoGPX ($400) model...
--
OH, I could do the 105 footer, but I would hate to waste the last few
seconds of my life with my eyes closed, screaming like a little
girl...;)
scrape
Check out the competition before you settle on the Leatt. There are
pros and cons and like that.
>Marriage date: tentatively Aug 6th of next year.
At what point does the stone become etched?
The Real Bev
> Hi!
>
> On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:22:55 -0500, PlowBoy wrote:
>> Really, you need to fill in the r-rated stuff, hell this is Usenet,
>> nobody reads Usenet anymore, LOL. sounds too funny.
Feh. Bite your tongue. Repeatedly.
> Patience, patience...
>
> There'll sure be more stories, I promise. But these should be backed with
> imagery. And>1800 shots is no piece of cake to select from and post
> process.
ASAP, please.
> Yeah! It was a perfect excuse (hell, you can also call it "kick in my lazy
> ass" if you like) to finally do this roadtrip through the States even if
> it was probably covering just 5% of what would have been possible.
Easterners might disagree, but I think you hit the high points. I'd add
Craters of the Moon in Idaho (walking only, at night under a full moon
if possible) and Moab (dirtbike heaven, but I've never been there;
still, EVERYTHING in Utah is good). Did you hit the Grand Canyon?
That's on the must-see list too, but unless you want to really work
there's not much you can actually do there. Maybe a little more in LA
-- it's slick to recognize the local stuff in movies and TV. DC has a
lot of great museums and other interesting stuff, but it's just
civilization like New York. You go to cities to stock up on stuff
you've broken or run out of :-)
You can walk on the rocks (Vasquez Rocks) where Kirk and The Lizard Man
had the fight and Kirk invented gunpowder, but it costs money now :-)
--
Cheers, Bev
************************************************
Horn broken. Watch for finger.
Volker Bartheld
> On Sep 16, 4:49 am, Volker Bartheld <dr_vers...@freenet.de> wrote:
>> P.S.: Sorry to hear about Jeffs RV-mishap [Rumours has it that meanwhile,
>> he got himself a new toy even sporting some kind of fancy anti-swing hitch
>> but managed to hit his head hard when trying to take out a tree on his
>> Labour Day Snyder Creek ride... And rumours also has it, that there might
>> be a MARRIAGE in a not too distant future... :-) ] [...]
On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 09:38:53 -0700 (PDT), HellSickle wrote:
> Not sure if I mentioned that here, but I am currently on the injured-
> reserve list. Launched headfirst into a tree. Helmet is toast.
> Nearly blacked out. Neck is messed up.
HOLY CRAP! Hell, as it seems, Jeff is nobody who is satisfied with 50% in
whatever he does... ;-)
> Essentially a bad case of whiplash. Ice is my friend for a few more
> week. A Leatt brace & new helmet are on order.
Excellent plan! I'm wearing the brace for quite some time now and be it
VooDoo or whatever, my neck has been untamed so far. *knock on wood*
> Marriage date: tentatively Aug 6th of next year.
German school holidays again. So I'll have close to no excuse when Anja is
telling me to buy tickets... ;-)
Cheers,
Volker
Volker Bartheld
>> Yeah! It was a perfect excuse (hell, you can also call it "kick in my lazy
>> ass" if you like) to finally do this roadtrip through the States even if
>> it was probably covering just 5% of what would have been possible.
> Easterners might disagree, but I think you hit the high points. I'd add
> Craters of the Moon in Idaho (walking only, at night under a full moon
> if possible)
Yeah, we visitied Craters during our stay in Baumgartner. And, true, the
full moon recommendation might really have added that extra little bit. I
didn't think of that option. But OTOH, driving that winding dirtroad back
to the camp in the middle of the night...
But after all, it's just a rental car, isn't it? Do the put some kind of
tracking device in them nowadays? That guy a the airport just scanned the
barcode behind the front windshield and miraculously also knew the mileage
without having looked at the ODO... Hmmmm...
> Did you hit the Grand Canyon?
Sure we did! And 1000 other sights that only Anja can remember (-> the
"Herpies Infection of Hell", me taking antiviral pills that "may impair
your ability to drive", etc.) but there are photographs on my cam's memory
chip...
> That's on the must-see list too, but unless you want to really work
> there's not much you can actually do there.
True. We decided against Josemite's "Half Dome" (as the ranger said: you
don't wanna bore yourself up there with a million of other tourists) and
climbed Lambert Dome instead. Awesome!
> Maybe a little more in LA
We actually had 2+ days there, could have been more, of course but then I
would have missed the chance to eat Jeff's DE LI CI OUS spare ribs, see the
motorcycle shop with all those antique bikes in there *AND* ride his
GasGas. And there also was the hot tub.
> -- it's slick to recognize the local stuff in movies and TV. DC has a
> lot of great museums and other interesting stuff, but it's just
> civilization like New York. You go to cities to stock up on stuff
> you've broken or run out of :-)>
> You can walk on the rocks (Vasquez Rocks) where Kirk and The Lizard Man
> had the fight and Kirk invented gunpowder, but it costs money now :-)
*sigh* That's basically how it is everywhere. You can spend any amount of
days from 0 to a lifetime, depending on the detail you want to dig into. I
think, Anja and me did a pretty good job for first-timers. And - who says
that this was the last time we came to the States...?
Cheers,
Volker,
counting the days to next ISF... ;-)
mxphlipper
> Marriage date: tentatively Aug 6th of next year.
>
> -Jeff-
ISF 2011?????
Rowdy
> Not sure if I mentioned that here, but I am currently on the injured-
> reserve list. Launched headfirst into a tree. Helmet is toast.
> Nearly blacked out. Neck is messed up. Essentially a bad case of
> helmet are on order.
Amazing. Doesn't that Suz of yours sport a fancy aluminum frame?
Should help a lot against these dreaded magnetic trees.
Did you try to negotiate a hot turn in Baxter style?
> Marriage date: tentatively Aug 6th of next year.
*ducking*
Funny pair of statements you put into the same posting.
Rowdy