THE YEAR IN REVIEW WRAP UP......on with the show.

Arches NP Moab UT Oct 2010

As I looked through my albums of 2010,I tried to put up the images that reflected the places I visited and people that I met,but it`s very hard to condense it down to a few posts.

Plus in places like Death Valley and Utah the vista changes daily,really a beautiful part of the country.Of course,that also depends on the time of year.I think i`ll pass on June-August in DV.100° temps are not my thing.

Arches NP Moab October 2010

Monument Valley UT Oct 2010

Monument Valley UT Oct 2010.

Monument Valley UT.Oct,2010.

S.I.T.S. syndrome(stuck in the sand) Death Valley Sept 2010.This wouldn`t of happened if I had a sidecar rig.

Road to The Salt.Bonneville UT Sept 2010

Mexican Hat UT October 2010

Off in the distance by the Joshua Tree in the middle of the pic is a U2 shrine,which was the question in the "Where Am I" contest I ran in December.Only one person figured it out,which was one more than I thought it would be.It`s not something thats widely known about.Quite a few know of the shrine,but very few know of it`s actual location.

The Mormon Missile was back on the salt this year.

Gopi Shastri at the Mike Cook Shootout in October doing a piece for the Discovery Channel.

Bonneville Salt Flats Sept 2010.

Sweet Guzzi

Drool.....

Double drool.....

Bonneville was a blast in 2010.The only event that I didn`t go to was Speedweek,all the rest I was at,either working as crew with one of the competitors,or working at as event staff.Hopfully I get to make it this year too,but there maybe a different venue looming on the horizon.

TR was a great guy to make friends with.

He works all the Speed Events from August thru October,staying in his Mini-Winne,his `76 Winnabago at the "Bend".Thats where I had set up camp also,at times in between events we were the only two out there by the Salt.

" `Scuse me,ya dropped sumpthin".

One of TR`s jobs is to drive the course daily and look for debris,stuff that`s either fallen off or exploded off the cars and various machines hurtling down the track at speeds in excess of three hundred miles an hour.The man`s got "Hawk Eyes",he can see something as small as a 1/4 inch metal screw driving along in his car.Some of the stuff he`s picked up is unbelievable.There`s the $40 titanium bolt,bits of a magnesium blower,a few oil lines,and this:

At 200  mph on a bike,these`ll ruin your day.

At 300 mph+ in a streamliner,any one of these small pieces of debris could be fatal to a driver.At those speeds tires are extremly hot,it doesn`t take much to pop one.

This troopy was obviously going in for repairs,after having been trashed in Iraq.

Got it?.....riiiight on.

So as another new year starts,many new roads lie ahead to journey on.

At this time i`m not quite sure where that may be,but year two on the bike is a place that I never really though i`d be.

Another place I find myself in,where at the time it was very hard to see past is two years sober on the 17th of this month.Amazing when I think back at all the wonderful things that have happened by quitting drinking that had zero chance of ever being realised while drunk.But at the time,there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel,in fact there was NO tunnel,just a black hole swallowing me up.

I`m not a religious person but I have a lot to be thankful for.

In the next post thanks to Kriega U.S.,contest #2 will have a 1st place prize of a Kriega 10,a $70 value.

I have two of these on my bike attached to the top of the panniers.

They`re 100% waterproof and indestructible.They have a removeable inner liner that can be taken out and washed in case of spills.They`re also modular,so you can piece together a system to suit your own needs or the type of bike you ride.

For more info log on to Kriega U.S.

or call Scott at 480 782 9300.

Murph

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.........Pt 2.

This was crater lake I believe at the end of July last year.I lost track of time a little bit,days flow into weeks which is  flowing seamlessly into year two on the road.But I was thinking on just how much has happened over the last year on this trip,and how much is changing.

It`s been an interesting year,and a very busy week too.

For year two there are some changes coming up,a lot of changes.

For starters,i`m selling this:

...my beloved `76 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40.

Here`s the link on Craigslist if you know anyone in the market for a go anywhere on road/off road FJ40.

I`ve had this rig for a while now,took it to Moab and never rolled it either.BUT,the money will be used to turn my two wheeler motorcycle into this:

...the three wheeled version with a sidecar.

After getting snowed in in Steamboat and not being able to ride,I had to figure out a way to be able to ride all year in all weather,including snow,otherwise i`ll be severly limited to when and where I can travel.

There are a few downsides to a sidecar,like technically it`s not a motorcycle anymore for one,but the upside if you`re going to stay on the road for a few years,which is my intention, is worth it for me.I`ve always had a thing for hacks,nearly every single one seems to have a personality all of it`s own.

Meanwhile I had shipped the panniers from the 1150 down here to Fl in December to do some work on them while visiting with me Mum.I`m adding a 5" pull-out drawer to the bottom of each one,for tools,camping stove and such.

These drawers will give me about 13 litres of extra space per drawer per pannier,in addition tools and oily stuff are out of the food and clothes boxes.

The reason for making all these changes to the bike is twofold.

The first obviously is ergonomic,they are additions that are going to make it more comfortable and safer to travel for extended periods of time,like a few years.

I have always wondered how it would have felt to be standing on the summit of the Matterhorn back in `77,since I only made it to the Hornli Hut.So,either late this year or at the latest the beginning of 2012,a Euro trip will come to fruition.If I have to work at Burger King to finance it,so be it,but like I have mentioned before,sponsorship will play a big part in this.And seeing as i`ll be in Europe,I may as well keep going over to Turkey and Nepal and try to get on a Climbing Expedition to K2.

I get so much mail from all types of riders,weekend warriors,dirt riders,long distance cruisers,guys and gals who would love to be able to do what i`m doing right now,but for whatever their reasons,just can`t.So I feel really privileged that so many people follow me and live a small part of their lives through this blog.It`s great,thank you.

And speaking of blogs,don`t forget that Motorcycle Picture Of The Day blogspot appears to be no longer,thanks to Blogger.I feel terrible for Steve having lost three years of his work,and it seems to be irretrievable.

So,for all who follow Steve also,this is his other blog,and this is the new and improved MPOTD blog.

Meanwhile,some more "Year In Review" pics from the Salt Flats in Wendover UT last year.

Murph