Geoff Mason's Personal Blog

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Rule #1 - Always trust your GPS.
Rule #2 - Never trust your GPS.
After wanting to send me back to Reno, I finally escaped the clutches of Las Vegas, but sadly on an Interstate freeway which frankly although quite efficient, is dreadfully boring on a motorcycle as it's generally flat, straight and boring. There is an option in my GPS to avoid freeways and I had it ticked, hence why the device initially had me going in the wrong direction.

I was headed for Zion National Park in Utah for my test ride to make sure my bike, luggage, camping gear and packing all worked properly before I leave Vegas for the big run north. Zion was recommended by my ADV mate Matt and his recommondation was spot on. With huge towering cliffs on either side of this canyon, this piece of land was cleverly captured as a National Park. Arriving Monday afternoon I was surprised the park was packed and both camping grounds were full (?) The Aussie accent worked and the Park Rangeress squeezed me in, she just wanted to visit downunder and we chatted for 5 minutes.

The park attracts nearly 3 million visitors a year (!) and the park management is very impressive, using a shuttle bus system to ferry visitors up and down the canyon's natural attractions. It was good to get outdoors and do some walking, something I have not done for ages since arriving (apart from traversing shopping malls). The refillable spring water fountains actually tasted how water should, unlike Vegas water (@#$%^).

At days end I needed food and unexpectantly found a Thai restaurant tucked inside the parks 'Imax' theatre, I ordered a Cha-choo chicken and prawn curry with rice and a beer and it was really good, the proprietor was Thai and a nice bloke. Sadly I made the mistake of buying an ice cream walking back to camp and that made my first night under the stars quite restless. As for the camping, well I might avoid big campgrounds in future as there was a lot of noise that night.

Tuesday dawned early and I broke camp and departed the park by the east exit through a great road full of switchbacks and an amazing tunnel cut through the side of a mountain. I decided to head for the Grand Canyon and visit the North Rim which I missed on last visit in 2002. I met a fellow biker Roy from California at the Jacob Lake gas station and we rode south into the park together. Well here it was a few weeks to summer and there is snow everywhere ! The temperature starts to drop and next thing it is 5' with the sun shining - UG ! At the park entrance I flashed my new Annual Pass, great $80 investment and arrived at the Visitor Centre to once again a full carpark. Roy and I stayed for around 90 minutes and took some snaps and everyone wants to chat to bikers, especially the foreign ones !

Too cold to stay here the night so Roy pressed on northward and I turned south towards Flagstaff which is the main town servicing the Grand Canyon. The 'desert' terrain through Vermillion Cliffs and Marble Canyon is really interesting and scenic, just like in the Cowboy Indian movies, I'm now in Arizona. I made Flagstaff by 5pm and have a quick bite at Sizzler, the tastless steak luckily saved by the decent salad bar. The GPS says Vegas is 3 hours away so I hop the interstate and get to Kingman at sunset, a quick refuel and I piggy-back one of the Grand Canyon day tour buses returning to Vegas via the Hoover Dam where security is still in place since 9/11 - they wave me through as the bus gets the once over.

Once again the GPS sends me astray off the expressway and back on to get me home just before 10pm. A long day but a good test of the bike and my riding stamina.

Picked up my boots today from Cycle Gear and Greg the store manager has an Australian flatmate from Blacktown, he looked after me really well and just another strange co-incidence as my journey begins. I met my 'neighbour' yesterday too, she was backing her bike out the garage and after half an hour chatting the next thing we were riding off to dinner at her local sushi restaurant. Kate is a 'food nazi', a rarety in this country, so we hit it off really well, she stocked me up with fruits and some wholesome foods and today she is taking me to Super-Wal-Mart to hold my hand.

The bike is pretty much ready to go apart from a front end wobble which could be a wheel balance problem which I will get looked at, at the first service due in 50 miles time, just need to find a decent BMW dealer.

Tomorrow I will test pack the bike to work out what things fit where, I seem to have a heap of stuff I want to take despite being pretty frugal in my lists of things. I don't plan on taking many clothes as I can buy anything I need as I go. The tent, sleeping bag, air mattress and camp stove take up a fair amount of space and I only want to strap one bag atop the pillion seat, so there could be scarifices made to keep my weight as low as possible.

The Air Hawk seat pad looks like being a godsend which will make the ride far more comfortable and it appears so far a great investment, but the Garmin Zumo 660 motorcycle GPS has to be by far the smartest purchase so far, it's been another godsend and without it I would of been lost forever !

Have not had a lot of internet access so far, so apologies for delay.

Always drink plenty of water on long haul flights... I didn't and suffered from dehydration, jet-lag and Vegas heat which really knocked me around when I arrived. It certainly made me confused as I just wanted to hop on a plane and come home to Sydney. Crook as a goog I flew to Reno on Saturday and picked up the Orange beemer, complete with side panniers and rode straight back to Vegas, the fresh air and a greasy 'ham-burgler' helping my recovery.

Spent Sunday and Monday with friend Billy who was over from North Carolina, we shopped for my camping gear and spent two nights dining at local casinos, food so-so. Today I took bike to 'RTA' for registration and spent 90 minutes waiting, by the time I sat down there was over 100 people in front of me - talk about a Government Department in the dark ages - UNBELIEVABLE ! My transaction only took 10 minutes.... go figure !

So now I have a groovey Las Vegas number plate with an Aussie flag sticker on the back, that might give me some slack with the cops whenever I get pulled over. Met my local contact Matt from ADVrider.com, we did the buffet at The Orleans casino for $18, you'll never starve here.

We chatted all night (mostly Matt !) and he's a great guy and has offered me lots of sensible advise and taken delivery of all my online orders for bike stuff and even dropped off my jacket at the casino on Thursday before I arrived as he was heading off for the weekend. Will catch up with him tomorrow to pick everything up. The panniers on the bike are so handy, bit like a car boot.

Coming up to 1am so I better get some shut-eye.

Well if tomorrow marks the first day I step foot in the USA, that makes today day zero I suppose. I am feeling really weird today, still not excited and mainly a bit sad in a way. Everything is under control so far as I can see. Just waiting for the 24 hour mark so I can print my USA boarding pass from LAX to Vegas - some weird American security feature.

I can only think of three things I might miss while away, thirdly my favourite radio station TripleJ but fortunately I can listen to it on the net when I get access. Secondly, well that has to be my favourite restaurant Asian @ Marrickville where we will eat tonight before heading to the airport and that will be sorely missed !

The most missed person will actually be 'my dog' Chippa who has been my best friend and constant companion for many years, he will of course be kept in good company with his real owner Phil, so before I leave today we will spend some time together and do a few laps of the park and a couple of big cuddles...

As for my human friends and family, they are all computer literate and just a Skype call away, so long distance travel is not so much a big deal these days with the internet and I will be carrying a 'cell' phone.

So this is it for the last Australian written blog, so I will talk to you all on the 'flip side' !

With any luck in around a week's time I will be landing in Las Vegas for the start of "Master Geoff's Excellent Adventure" - a name coined by one of my friends in North Carolina. I have just made the final payment on my motorcycle, bringing the grand total to AU$22,066 I have spent so far in the American economy for this trip.

I set a budget of AU$50K for a year of travel, which included my airfares, bike, accessories, fuel, food, accommodation and expenses. That roughly translates to around AU$75/day left, but taking into account I will be selling the bike before I return I can stretch that to AU$100/day which makes the trip more 'comfortable'.

Although I am taking along a tent, sleeping bag and stove for when I am away from civilisation I am far from roughing it on this journey. I hope to make use of the hospitality of other motorcyclists who offer up accommodation on the ADVrider.com website using a forum called 'Tent Space'. Members list their accommodations they make available, from complete spare bedrooms, lounges to garages and patches of lawn to pitch a tent. A really great way to meet other travellers and to swap information with the locals.

ADV has been a huge resource for my planning and already I have several invitations to chase up, it's going to be a busy holiday !

Making some encouraging progress on the other side of the Pacific. I have finally bought a motorcycle after being stuffed around by the dealer in Las Vegas. A very simple solution, buy somewhere else. So I am now off to Reno atop the state of Nevada to Sierra BMW who have been very helpful. The deposit has been paid and the accessories ordered.

Insurance is all in hand with a very competent broker in Los Wages. I now have to add an extra air leg from Vegas to Reno on 8th May and ride back to Vegas to prepare the bike, something I would of preferred to avoid but seemingly had no option due to the local BMW dealer being 'obstructionist'.

I have had some great advice and assistance from fellow motorcyclist Matt who I met off the ADVrider.com website, he and several other members have provided great feedback for my preparations.

I moved back to Alexandria over the weekend and will tidy up plans for the business while I am absent. My collegue Brad will look after all my customers for the next 12 months and Gus will become the office 'PA'. I am taking along a netbook which will be an important tool in more ways than one.

Aussie dollar looking really good at the moment, so that's one more aspect in my favour.

I now have a date of departure for my epic tour, Thursday 6 May 2010. You can only book an air ticket 300 days ahead, so as I plan on going for around 1 year, I have booked a one way flight with Vaustralia for $685 from SYD-LAX. I also look like moving my bike purchase from Reno to Las Vegas, which will save me $500 on the bike deal plus around $250 for flights and accommodation to Reno, not to mention 2 extra flight legs.

Went to see my GP at Windang yesterday to get a check-up and H1N1 flu shot, but have put that off till the end of the month when the new annual flu vaccine is released, which also has H1N1 cover. Today I had a plasma blood injection in my right elbow to address the tennis elbow problem I have had for nearly a year now since buying my BMW a year ago... and here I am buying the same bike in the USA. This injury due to the BMW ergonomics of their switchgear which is different to Japanese bikes which I have ridden all my life. So the elbow could become a health issue during the trip if this treatment fails.

After researching the USA weather forecasts, I don't plan on staying at my base in Nevada long with average temperatures in Las Vegas 31' in May, although they have low humidity which apparently makes the heat 'comfortable'.

Some other good news today with the AU$ at a 2 month high at US$0.915, so my timing looks good for the months ahead.

Today I was granted a 12 month visa to visit the USA. After 5 years of dreaming and around 1 year in planning my North American adventure is now a reality. I must thank two of my closest friends who helped me see the 'vision' a few years ago and have encouraged me to pull my finger out and take off.

This has come about due to some 'alignment' in my life in the last 2 years, some sad, some happy and some convenient mix of circumstances which have all pointed me to finally go. It may not seem like a big deal to hop on a motorcycle on your own and go touring for a year on a different continent, but when you reach the age of 50, time begins to get precious and you need to have the motivation to plan and carry out the exercise before you REALLY get too old !

I regret not travelling extensively when I was younger, so I plan to make up for a lot of missed time. Friends and collegues question why America, but I have always got on well with them and I have a fascination for their 'lifestyle' and also the varied geography of their country. I will be spending most of my time off the beaten track and not so much in the big cities. Having some friends over there is a big plus... particularly when they are lawyers !

I plan to write about my travels on this blog and I invite my family, friends, work collegues and anyone else who cares to read and follow, to come and say G'day from time to time.