New video

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!



It has been a cold and very very wet day. Spent the entire day trying to stay warm. It appears my Cozumel blood is too thin for the Yukon.
Keep seeing lots of motorcycle going the other way. Not one headed my direction yet. Not a good sign. Did meet a nice guy named Joe from Calgary today at a gas station. He had just come back from Prudhoe bay and said it was treacherous. I should use extreme caution and go slow. he said one guy crashed his KLR up there and turned back without making it all the way. He was really nice and gave me his extra fuel can. I was going to buy one in Fairbanks before I head up as the gas stops are 250 miles in between. I hope I can find someone to donate it to when I get back for the Haul road.

Here is a little video I put together yesterday. I hope you like it. I have not heard much feedback from anyone so if there is something you would like to see different please let me know.

Where is Scubatony now?

Road warriors

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!

Woke to a chilly 36 degrees this morning in Saska river campground. It was a nice night but if it gets much colder I may start to get uncomfortable. Funny how those sleeping bags are always rated for -5 or -20 but you never seem to stay comfortable once the temp gets to freezing point.





Feeling a little like Mad Max today. Just long empty stretches of road as far as you can see. At points I didn’t see another car or bike coming or going for half an hour or more. Now this is an empty road. Did see a fair bit of construction going on. Seems like every bridge had a crew doing some patch work on it. It would be really easy to disappear from the world up here. I’m not up for that but just in case you were considering it?



As promised Laird hot springs was a big highlight today. It is one of the most scenic natural places you could imagine. If only they didn’t put up all the hand rails and buildings to protect the tourists. Luckily there were not a lot of them so it was quite nice to get in and take a bath (which of course I desperately needed as it has been too chilly even for a sponge bath the last few days). At the mouth of the spring you can’t really get to close as it will burn the crap out of you but if you mix the hot water on top with the cooler water below you can make a nice temp just about where ever you are. I found an area up towards the source where nobody would go. Had to really be careful as there was some scorcher places. At the end there was a small opening and when I went under for a little free dive I could tell that it was the opening to a cavern. I had no idea if it went anywhere or how big it was but if I had a mask and some fins you know I would have checked it out. I wonder if anyone has? Ill have to bring my cave gear next time. Hum.. How can I get that on a motorcycle?



A few miles down the road I found out what all the signs were talking about. I think the pictures explain it pretty well eh? I would have loved to say it was a cell phone distraction that caused this but there was no cell service for 300 miles today so I don’t think that was it. However if you look at the scene there were no obstructions to visibility and a full grown buffalo is hard to miss out here so there may have been some distraction involved. Looks to have happened within the last day or two. I wonder if they leave the remains there as a shocking reminder as to why they have so many caution signs on the road?












I got a BnB tonight as a little treat to myself. I will get up early tomorrow and save some time packing and get a good long day of it. Most people make it to Whitehorse from here but I may try and put a few more miles on than that. Like to make it to Fairbanks with time to change my rear tire before I head up the Dalton for the arctic.





And the ride continues!!!!

Where is Scubatony now?

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride! Bike Maintenance







Now we be rollin! Actually made some good miles today. 348 to be more accurate. I would have done the same yesterday but I had a little chain problem.
I am not sure why but the original chain was wearing out really fast. It was an Oring type chain which means it should last 15-20 thousand miles. This one had less then 6k on it and it was in sorry shape. I think it would have lasted another 1 or 2k but I am headed into the land of few betweens and finding a chain to fit my bike is not likely in most of Northern British Columbia. There are really only a couple major highways up here and only small towns of 5-10 thousand people.





So at my last major town of Grande Prairie I stopped at Country side motorsports and bought a chain and sprocket. I was going to have them do the job and I would be on my way quickly but their motorcycle mechanic was off on Monday. That means it was up to me with limited tools and only a parking lot to do the job in. They said they didn’t mind so I found an out of the way place with some shade and got it done. Ron was nice enough to help me cut my old chain off and even gave me an extra master link for free just in case. It went fine but took me almost 3 hours to do. Those were 3 hours I really needed to put miles on because I had woke up late.



Last night was a wet one. It rained most of the night. I stayed warm and dry in my tent and slept really well but everything was wet in the morning. I left some stuff tied to the outside of the bike to dry as I rode down the highway. I must have looked like a vagabond biker.
The ride was nice all day. The temperature was 50 most of the day but because of the moist air I had a hard time staying warm. I was never freezing but just uncomfortable most of the day. I have to admit I was hesitant to use the electric vest much after my Jasper dead battery scene.
Looking like I am a bit behind schedule ride wise. I was hoping to make it to Prudhoe bay by the end of the month. It looks like Fairbanks is about 4 days away from here (near Fort Nelson). Then the Dalton Hwy would take me at least 2 days. So that buts me there about 3 days into the month. Not bad really considering the problems with the bike that have sucked a lot of ride time.


Feeling really zen right now. It is really quiet and I can hear the river and little else. The dark is so peaceful up here. All the mosquitoes seem to run away when night falls. It is 9:30 and the last hits of light are fading. It will not be nearly as rainy tonight which relaxes me even more. Strange how my thoughts have grown simple. I worry only of the basics. What is the weather and temperature going to be like? How is the bike running? How far till my next destination? I have a clear mind which I have not felt in a long long time. After 8 days on the road I am still enjoying every moment of the ride. Except for the stiff neck and sore butt I get at the end of each riding day I feel great!




Headed for the Yukon soon!
Let the adventure continue!

Where is Scubatony now?

National Parks Canada style

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!

Riding going well. The scenery is pretty consistent. Lots of rolling hills and forest. Lots of forest! Seeing more wildlife although it remains elusive to the camera. Hope I don't hit a moose. That could ruin my day. I bet the moose would hate it too.
I lost a lot of time the other day when I had to change my chain and sprockets. The old chain was wearing out way too fast and the sprocket had gotten pretty chewed up so I decided better change it now before things get ugly out in the boonies.
HEre is a little video I crunched from a couple days back. I hope you like it.

Where is Scubatony now?

Getting colder and Norther

What a breathtaking ride today. Banff and Jasper National parks were wonderful! Every corner I came around presented me with another amazing vista that I had to stop and take a picture of. It was truly beyond words. These pictures do not do it justice.







Last night I actually treated myself to a real room and bed. I paid $25 Canadian for a hostel in Canmore. I wanted to make sure I was up on time and had a good cell connection for the radio interview this morning (which went well by the way, if you have it on tape I would love to hear it). I had a real hot bath and washed my laundry. I did find one bit of gear I was lacking however. I am carrying such a limited amount of cloths that I did not have anything to wear while I was washing. I ended up washing my bicycle shorts in the bath with me and drying them off as best as possible so I could wear them while I did the laundry. It was a hostel so everyone was wearing weird cloths. So I was going to stop at a thrift store or something to buy a pair of cheap shorts. Well I guess good Karma once again prevails and guess what I found lying on the side of the road?


They are not my color but they fit and will get the job done next time I need to do the laundry.









Definitely getting colder. Had a fair bit of rain today and got way too much use out of my electric vest. In fact I got so much use out of it I sucked my battery down to zero. When I got to Jasper I was stranded with no juice. Luckily there was a hill nearby and I was able to push start it down the hill. Felt like a dork though. Everyone pointing and laughing! Silly American.




So Canadian National Parks and US National parks are much the same but differ in many ways. First off it was only $9.80 Canadian to get in so that is less than half. I guess they don’t teach the deer not to crap in campsites. Second and probably most impressive for me is there are way fewer people. Still more than just out on the regular road but way fewer and thus easier to navigate around. There are still the luxury mobile mini mansions that take up way to much space but there are just fewer of them. The other odd thing is there are way more Japanese tourists than there were at Yellowstone. Lake Louise was packed with them. They must have just unloaded a bus! I took the mandatory pictures at Lake Louise and got my cold butt outta there fast. Tourists make me jumpy. Especially when I am one. Yikes!













Oh and just so you know. In Canadian National parks Elk on the side of the road also means mandatory driving rules and protocol are no longer valid and stopping swerving and other irresponsible driver behavior are standard.




Different large grazing mammal, same idiots behind the wheel. Now ya know.

Where is Scubatony now?

I love Canadians

The boarder crossing was relatively painless today.



Just before the port of entry I came across a stranded biker named Orville.



He was on one knee looking at his wounded mount when I arrived. He seemed happy to see me and when I asked what was wrong he said his brake caliper had come loose and the missing bolt was somewhere down the road behind us. Good luck finding the thing.






Luckily Lyle had made me take some spart nuts and bolts. Just random ones mind you but a few odds and ends. Sure enough there was a bolt that was exactly what Orville needed in that bag.


I even had some red locktite to ensure such maladies do not befall the new bolt. It was his lucky day an of course with a captive audience I preached the gospel of not driving while using a cell phone. I hope he heard that part.



Not a ton to see in this part of the continent but I did run across some nice Canadian folks at the city camp site in Champion Alberta. Jeff was a safety officer of some sort and Todd was a fireman and salesman of some sort. I guess I should have got more detail.

Turns out Jeff owned an KLR a few years ago and was really excited about my ride and scuba diving. Once again I preached the gospel and they all agreed with me. They liked my rant so much they invited me to there mega mobile land cruisers for a beer and some camp fire cheer. I stayed just long enough to almost wear out my welcome and then came back to my side of the campground to do my vid and write a little.


Gonna try and adjust my carburetor a little tomorrow if I get a chance. Or maybe I should wait until Calgary just incase I mess something up. Pretty good idea that. I’m glad I thought of it.

Hope you like this little video. Still trying to figure out the sound. Youtube seems to mess with it when after I post it. My version sounds really well balanced. Maybe I should change the music?


Hope you like this


Let the adventure continue!

Where is Scubatony now?

National Park blues

We are indeed fortunate in this country to have such wonderful national parks. Yosemite, Glacier, Yellowstone are all amazing places. The trouble is in the late summer everyone and their accountant wants to visit.
Now I am in the tourism biz and I understand how important these places are to the U.S. but there is something strangely unnatural about these natural places. I have a few questions I think need answering:



Why do they need to charge you $20 just to get in and drive around? Sure they tell you it is a 7 day pass but who is really going to stay in Yellowstone for a whole week? Once you see old faithful do its’ thing and you got the picture it is pretty much a done deal. Personally I could not wait to get out of the place. Which brings me to question #2.





Why if you are going to be one with nature must the American tourist bring his entire house with him? I saw camper trailers so big you could house a football team in luxury. I saw signs that said “No trailers over 50 ft beyond this point”. Now common folks! There is something wrong with that. Which leads to #3.





Why does it cost $18 just to have a camp space for the night? It’s not Disneyland. You don’t have a staff of thousands that you have to make payroll for. Your electricity bill is not driving the national parks to the poor house. What gives? What kind of expenses do they really have? Or is it just another way to tax the snot out of us and disguise it as a Natural wonder? Which of course leads to #4




Where is it written that a buffalo on the side of the road means you no longer have to follow safe and normal driving protocol? I could have been killed when ma and pa motorhommers slammed on the brakes and almost jackknifed the Suzuki samurai they were towing behind the over the length limit Mondo motor mansion. They of course had no idea that 1 mile down the road there are more buffalo than you could ever want to take a picture of and the beasts are actually rubbing up against the parked cars to get that special smell off um.



I had to get away from all the tourists. They make me jumpy. But unfortunately there are no fast exit roads to get out of Yellowstone and the quickest way out is actually blocked this time of year due to bridge construction. I should have went for it. I am sure I could have got the little mule around the mess and made a bee line for the border to freedom but I opted to be the conformist today. Cost me the whole mornings ride to get out of there.

So the ride was good the rest of the day. I found a national forest (not to be mistaken for national park) campground tonight and it only cost me $7. Of course a white tale deer just walked through and took a crap in my campsite. I guess they train them not to do that in Yellowstone. Which may actually drive up overhead substantially for a National Park.


The ride is getting good now. Hope to be in Canada tomorrow night.

Where is Scubatony now?

We be Rollin!

Great day today! It was just peaceful and nice the whole day.
The evening was great. The lows were in the high 50s last night and clear skies so I didn’t bother with the tent. I was on the road before 8.
The roads were still not super exciting but there were a lot of antelope around so it made it more scenic. There were also lots of bloody spots where antelope once were but no carcasses to be scene. Do you think Wyoming has a cleanup crew that swoops them up early each day?
I did have a little gas incident thanks to the little town of Jefferson being a little rundown. I was planning on gas there but the pumps seemed a little less than useful. The next stop was 55 miles to Lander (they had a great public library by the way with free WiFi). I didn’t think it would be a problem until 10 miles out of Jefferson I hit reserve on my tank. That was about 20 miles before I thought I would. So now I am in a bad place. 40 miles from the last stop and 55 miles to the next stop. I think on a good day I should safely get 35 miles out of my reserve. That leaves me 20 miles short of what I need to get to Lander. But there is a junction 9 miles before that and most of the junctions I have seen have gas too. So I press on.

I decide in order to conserve gas I should go slower. I bring the speed down to 55 in hopes of coaxing a few extra miles. I also know a little KLR trick I read on the net. So sure enough 3 miles from the junction and turn off to Lander she runs bone dry on reserve. I pull to the side of the road and hope the internet trick works. You see the shape of the KLR gas tank actually hangs down a bit on both sides and the gas drain (petcock) is only on the left. That means that usually some gas gets trapped on the right side. No telling how much but usually some. So if you lean the bike over on the left side and shake it a bit up and down some of that trapped gas spills over on the left side of the tank. And it worked! I started it back up and I was off the last 3 miles to the junction.

Of course when I get to the junction there is no gas. So I have 9.5 miles to Lander and I already have the first gas station programmed in to the GPS. Now I figure I must save even more gas so 45 is my max speed and I coast at every down hill I get. This pisses traffic off a bit but I am small and easy to get around. So of course 2.5 miles from Lander I go bone dry again and this time on splash reserve. Dead on the side of the road. At least I know it is only 2.5 miles and I could walk if I have to but luckily my camp stove burns unleaded gas. So I siphon the little 2 cup stove into the KLR and I am off again. Wouldn’t you know it the first gas station in Lander is closed down and long abandoned. Geez!!! But I made the next one no problem.
It was a great day.
Got to Grand Teton national park. I forgot how expensive national parks are. Like the Disneyland of the outdoors. 20 bucks to get in the park and 18 to camp. Damn could have got a motel for that price but it would not have had as nice a view.
Montana Manana! Woohoo!




Oh and here is a little video I made last night showing a few highlights from the road less traveled.

Where is Scubatony now?

On the road at last

I left Denver at 8 am this morning. Sandy and Lyle were wonderful as usual and gave me a nice send off.
My only goal for the day was to make it to Cheyanne Wyoming to do another media event by 11 am. When I arrived I met Mike Caltagirone who is in charge there at the National Safety Council chapter. He introduced me around and we chatted until the cameras started showing up.
The media conference was very different today. There were 4 different news crews there and a couple of radio folks. Unlike yesterday where there were many very experienced public speakers each taking turns, today it was all me. At first I was at a bit of a loss. I was not sure how they wanted me to proceed so when they were all ready I just started talking. I made it through the stats on cell phone driving well and made a fair presentation about the trip and my motivation for doing it. I felt I did a good job but I don’t really have a lot to compare it to so I hope it looks good when they broadcast it.
It only took about 2 hours out of my day total so I got back on the road as soon as everyone left. Eastern Wyoming I have to say is not the most exciting state. But the weather was great and the roads were clear. I thought I had a big electrical problem 75 miles east of Casper but it turned out I had a headwind most of the day and I went through my tank a little faster than I expected. I was only getting 43 mpg from that tank which was odd because I had got 51 out of the previous one. Besides that the bike is performing flawlessly. I am having a great time.
I found a little camp ground on a lake about 25 miles outside of Casper. I cost me 7 dollars and it has a roof so I didn’t need to set up the tent. I ate top ramon noodles and had some tea with sugar for dinner. It is very peaceful here. The night is warm and the bugs are not too bad. I saw a beautiful great horned owl at dusk but he would not let me get close enough for a picture. I am going to get to sleep early tonight and get up early to ride on towards the grand Teton mountains on the Western part of Wyoming.
All of my systems are working great so far. It appears all the modifications to the bike and the planning were well thought out. I sure hope they were not too well thought out. I would hate to have too easy a time during this trip. Hopefully I will have better pix for to post tomorrow.
I got up early this morning, packed up and hit the road. As I was packing a guy in a boat yelled over to me that he saw me on the news last night. He said channel 2 news in Casper had covered the story. 2 other people also stopped me today and said they had seen it. I should make it a point to do these events first thing when I get to a new state. Very cool stuff


Ride on ride on!!!

Where is Scubatony now?

Media kickoff

I was a little nervous today. It was finally the day when I would begin my ride but worse for me was that I was the center of a media event for the first time. Before I was always on the sidelines watching it. I was Particularly nervous after the chief of the state police and the congresswoman Levy from Colorado were the ones I had to follow.







Then Dave Teater got up there and did such a great job and led me into the podium it all came together. With cameras in my face and rapidly getting sunburn I said my 6 min worth and felt much better. Then the chief called me back up and made me an honorary trooper and gave me a couple of awards that will go with me to Alaska and beyond. It was a great success and I hope there will be many more like it. The local press did show up and there have been a couple of stories and articles already released.










Here are some pix of the day.

Where is Scubatony now?

Believe this video

A friend posted this video produced in England. It is pretty powerful but I believe honest. Remember it is not just texting that is dangerous. Talking on the phone is just as bad and usually distracts you for a longer period of time. Sometimes an entire drive can be spent while talking on the phone. Distraction only takes a second which you are about to see.

Where is Scubatony now?

Testing the Little Mule

It is the day of departure for my long awaited journey. The Ride of Americas officially begins today. I have spent much of the last year planning and working out the logistics of the trip. What to ride? When to go? How to take care of home stuff? How do I pay for it? How long will it last? What should I take? These were all major questions to be answered. For the most part all of these things have been sorted out in one way or another and nothing is holding me back now. I will be on the road very soon.
Now in the early morning of my departure I am restless. I can't sleep and my stomach is in knots. I am both excited and nervous. I am worried of what may go wrong and hoping that everything goes wrong at the same time. I am seeking adventure. Adventure is something we don't often truly experience. I have to put myself into places and circumstances where it is more likely to occur. It can not be planned. It can not be bought. Adventure comes as it will without intervention. Like hurricane Wilma a few years ago. These are the stories that are most worth telling. I want these adversities and want to tell the stories. These stories may one day make me an interesting old person. These stories fill my head now. I hope that in sharing these stories with you they will become more meaningful and memorable to me. This is why I write these blogs and I sincerely hope you enjoy them and I leave you wanting more.
So here we go.
Adventure 101
It all begins with a plan. Lyle helped me with a lot of the work on the bike. He thought it would be a good idea to give it a test ride and see if all systems are truly "GO" for throttle up. It would really suck to have a false start and have to return to base right away.
So I took a little ride down to Buena Vista Colorado. It is about 150 miles off the beaten path from Denver and it just so happens there was a dual sport rally happening there this weekend.
Of course the bike performed flawlessly and I had a great time testing the Little Mule. I purposely rode it hard on some very challenging dirt roads and trails. The gear was also under test for this trip. It also did everything it needed to and I even got about 30 min of heavy rain on the new suit.
Here is a little video I made of the trip to show you a little taste of what you might see during the Ride of Americas.



Remember you can track my progress anytime at the link below.

Let the Adventure begin!
Tony

Where is Scubatony now?

link reborn

Actually this is what the link should look like!

Where is Scubatony now?

Trackable

It's official! I am now track able. The link at the bottom is the address to my page for SPOT devices. Clicking it should give you a live update of my current location. The map you see is a google type map with a little bubble that shows where I am at that time. I will most likely turn the device off while sleeping to save battery life but it will remain active at all times while I am traveling. If you click on the satellite or Hybrid views on the upper right of the map you will get a more detailed view of my location and of course you can zoom and scroll around like any google map as well.
Big thanks to Dave Teater for sponsoring the unit. It also offers me a little security as it has a 911 button that I can push in case of emergency and a checkin button so I can send an OKEY DOKEY to friends and family. Mostly I think it will help to keep a more current bit of data to my upcoming ride.

Lets hope I never need the 911 button.
the countdown is official.

visit www.ridetheamericas.com to see the timer and the website.

let the adventure continue!
Tony


http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=00cXRLik9Y2DPVbYh5UBktLKoH0Jb6lOs

Rebirth of the Chiquilla Bonita

We spent 5 days in the hot Cozumel sun. Carlos, Dennis and I worked 12 hour days to get her done. That is nothing compared to all the hard work, expense and expertise that Lyle put into making the coolest and most impressive bimini in Cozumel. It was long in the planning but well worth the wait. I can't thank you enough for all your hard work and effort! It is amazing!

And now without further ado I present to you the Rebirth of the Chiquilla Bonita

New Boat take 2

This is the second video that Encarna produced. It is actually posted on Youtube and I am attempting to link that video without uploading it separately to Tony's Follies. Hopefully this will work the best for the upcoming Ride the Americas updates.

Hope this works

New boat

Well it is not exactly new but after 5 14 hour days working in very hot Cozumel sun Dennis and I got the boat finished and back in the water. We did several normal maintenance things like new bottom paint and new colors. We also added a radio/mp3 player and speakers and reinforced some fiberglass in high stress areas. But the most amazing improvement is the replacement of the old roof (bimini) with the new and improved masterpiece that Lyle custom fabricated in Denver.