Summer is here.

 Hey everyone.

So the summer heat is here in AZ, so not sure how much I will go ride, but we did complete our ride in the Himalayas of India last month in June.  I will be making a separate blog for that trip and will link it here when done.  I will do a quick highlight though for you.

It took almost 2 days to get to India (when you factor in time zone changes).  A total of about 20 hours of actual flight time and 7 hours sitting at transfer airports between the 2 flight legs.

Got into Delhi very late on Sunday (around 10pm).  Took roughly 2 hours to get out of airport, most of that used up in Immigration.

A car was waiting for me to take me the mile down the road to the hotel, and by time I checked into that it was nearly 1am on Monday.

Next morning I had breakfast and then hung out in the room till it was close to check out time.  Then checked out and went down to lobby where I met another rider who was also staying at this hotel (which by random luck turned out to be the hotel where the group would meet up to start our tour).

We all met up about 1pm and had lunch while the tour was discussed, final payments were made and documentation handled.

The organizers had procured 6 taxis to drive us the approximately 400 miles to Manali.  We departed a little after 3pm.

17 hours later we arrived in Manali!!! 

So a quick nap, then lunch, then we got to check out the bikes, take them for a test ride (and to fuel them up so ready for morning departure the next day) and then dinner and hanging out in the garden area of the hotel.

So now after nearly 4 days of activity, we finally got to start riding the bikes.

Day 1: We rode out of Manali via some back roads into the hillsides, then eventually hit the highway.  Later went up over a small pass (only about 10,000 feet) and then to a campsite in an old farm field on the edge of the forest areas.

Day 2: We rode down to the highway and followed it till we turned off to ride up to Chitkul along a road hanging from the cliffs.  Then we came back down that road a short way and camped that night in a campground.

Day 3: We came back down to highway, then after a short ride went up the mountain side to reach Nakla where we had to get our Inner Line Permits.  We also had lunch here.  Took roughly 3 hours for all that, then was back down to the highway and stayed on that till we reached Nako for our hotel stay. (Tonight one of the riders had some issues and decided to leave the tour).

Day 4: We left Nako and after a permit check we then went off a side road to visit a temple with a preserved mummy, then back to highway and a stop at a monastery.  Then we rode off into the back country at Pin Valley National Park and camped along the river at a camp area deep into the park.

Day 5: Rode back out to the highway and then on to near Kaza where we took a ride up to Komic Village at 15,000 feet.  There we had some tea and sat for awhile, then came back down via another route to see a large Buddha statue, and then back to Kaza to reach our hotel. 

Day 6: Left Kaza and visited the nearby Key Monastery.  Then off along the rough highway over Kunzum pass (just over 15,000 feet).  On the other side we went off on another rough road to reach Chandrataal (Moonlake) where you could hike a mile or so up to the lake (I chose not to do this).  We then stayed at a campground nearby camped at close to 15,000 feet which was our highest camp I believe.

Day 7: Back down to the rough highway for what was probably the most technical riding along a barely visible trail over rocks and dirt (and yes, this is still a highway!).  We eventually reached the paved route of the Manali-Leh Highway and went up the road to Sissu and our hotel.

Day 8: We rode up the Manali-Leh highway to our first pass (Baralancha-La) which was nearly 16,000 feet.  Then back down and across the high mountain route to Sarchu where we camped at a campground for the night.

Day 9: We left for the longest ride we would have (250km) in a single day that would include 3 passes (all between 14,000 and 16,000 feet), each of the 3 slightly higher than the last, plus a long stretch of high plains between pass 2 and 3.  We then came down into the river valley along the better surfaced highway (much of this route was paved, but not in best of shape) and into Leh and our hotel.

Day 10: Today was a rest day with no riding as we had to change the bikes out for new bikes with a different company (regional monopolies and such).  We spent much of the day walking around the shopping/market district in Leh and having some good non-Indian food for once (by this time many of us had grown tired of Indian fare, and for myself, it had not been agreeing with me for much of the trip anyway, even though it tasted amazing!)

Day 11:  Today we made our attempt to go over Khardung-La and into the Nubra Valley.  This was the highest pass on the trip at close to 18,000 feet.  However, it was raining when we left Leh and at higher altitude that meant snow.  The pass was not allowing motorbikes or some cars from going over at the security checkpoint.  After waiting around for 30 minutes, the group came back down out of the cold and most of us decided to return to Leh as it was not looking like we would be able to make it over, or at least not in time to reach the Nubra valley for our camp.  A few decided to go back up to the checkpoint and wait, at least hoping to make the top of the pass (they did, but only after another 3 hours waiting).  Rest of us just enjoyed another afternoon/evening hanging out in Leh.

Day 12:  Since today would have been our return trip from the Nubra Valley, there was no riding planned, so we all decided to make a 2nd attempt at reaching the top of Khardung-La to at least say we did that.  Again the weather up high was not as nice (though much better today) and the security would not let motorbikes go up.  We waited for about 3-4 hours and then many of us decided that was enough.  Weather started to get worse, so we figured it was not going to happen.  A few did stay and about 2 hours later they did get the chance to go up, but I had enough of the cold and had come down with the rest of the group earlier and just spent more time in Leh. (Today 2 of the riders made the decision to leave the tour as they were tired and wore out and decided they had done all they came to do).

Day 13: We rode out of Leh and then up and over Chang-La pass which was around 17,500 feet.  We then came down the other side and reached Pangong Lake, the highest salt water lake in India.  Only 4 of us made the trip to the lake, and a few others had come up the pass, but then returned to Leh.  We camped along the lake in a large camp ground complex that night. (3 of the riders decided to leave this day as well as they were not interested in the last days of the tour).

Day 14: Rode back up and over Chang-La to return to Leh and our hotel.  The group then all proceeded to have dinner together.  Most of us had flights back to Delhi in the morning (except 2 who had opted to spend an extra night in Leh on their own).

The next day I had a noon flight from Leh to Delhi which was mostly smooth, though still an interesting experience.  Arrived in Delhi and took a cab over to the hotel nearby and met up with another of the riders who I had agreed to share a room with till we both departed.  Today was Wednesday and my flight back to the US did not depart till late on Friday and the other guy did not leave till Saturday morning.

After arriving in Delhi and having lunch, much of the rest of the day was spent in the room sleeping or watching TV as we were both wore out at this point.

On Thursday, we both took an excursion from Delhi by train over to Agra and visited (all part of the organized tour for just the 2 of us) the Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort, and a few local shops dealing with local crafts.  This trip included lunch and the guide for all the sites.  Was quite an amazing time and then we took train back to Delhi and had dinner.

The next day the other guy met up with his friend (who had spent an extra day in Leh) and they explored Delhi.  I stayed at hotel, as I was originally going to check out and go to the airport and spend the day waiting there since I was going to do my PCR testing there.  However, since the PCR test requirement was ended while I was in India I decided not to waste my time doing that or sitting at the airport all day, so I extended the hotel stay another night so I could spend day in the room to re-pack my bags and rest some more.  Then after dinner with the other two (the guy who was sharing room with me moved over to the other guys room now) I checked out and left to the airport.  After going through some not too horrible lines there I then waited to board flight which thankfully was only delayed a short bit before we took off just after midnight.

Spent the next 15 hours in flight, then had a 13 hour lay over in Montreal (which became 14 hours), and then a 5 hour flight back to Phoenix.

Once back in AZ I got home and pretty much slept for the next 30 hours!

Over all an amazing experience, and the other blog will have far more detail and photos and video as well.

Already trying to decide on a trip for next year (other than my own riding around AZ and the western states which I will try to start getting more time with as things cool off).

Till next time.

Riding Gear

Hello,

So as I mentioned last time, I was going to do a bit of video of the riding gear. 

So I filmed a few spots and edited them together.  Not the best job, few things I now see I did wrong (like moving camera between takes) and not marking out where I was standing, but then it is just a quick video, nothing too special.

Hopefully I will get a bit better over time and learn the software better as well, some things I think would have made it better, just could not figure it out in the time I had.

But now here is the video going over my riding gear history and where things stand today.

The Riding Gear

For reference as I was unable to figure out how to put the text in the video (without it being annoying).

Old gear: Nolan Helmet, Rocket Gloves.

New gear: Shoei Helmet, Klim Jacket/Pants/Gloves, TourMaster Boots

Enjoy.

General updates

Hey everyone, so been awhile, but wanted to come on and put a few updates here as to what has been going on and some things coming up.

First off, I have not been doing much interesting riding, just trips around town, and over to nearby places to shop or do errands that I can manage on the bike, so getting some miles, just most of it in the city.

I finally did pick up some better riding gear though.

A few weeks back I bought a new helmet, so now I have a good helmet that has all its internal padding in place, so it fits snuggly and comfortably.  Also no longer dealing with cracked visor, and this one also has the built in sun visor as well, so helps with those bright sunny days.  Ended up buying a Shoei helmet as the place was out of the Klim one I wanted to look at and the Shuberth helmets just did not fit quite right.

Also picked up a proper riding jacket and pants that gives me the proper protection to stay safe on the bike.  Better materials, vents, pockets and better weather protection (though not 100% water proof, still need to find an outer layer, either the one the company makes to work in tandem with the stuff I bought, or some thing cheaper that will keep me dry, but not look as fancy).  Also has all the proper pads and such to help with impacts should I go down on the bike.  Went with the Klim Baja jacket and pant set.  Not only was it the one I was looking for as a really good option for all but the wettest/coldest riding, but they actually had the set in stock, in my size and the color I wanted....so took that as a sign I should buy it.  Bit pricy, but my research seems to indicate it was well worth the cost.

To help with layering, I also went and picked up a pair of lightweight convertible pants at REI.  Similar to a pair I had before that finally wore out, these are light material, but durable, can zip off the legs to make shorts, and has adjustable waistline setup to not require a belt.  Light enough to fit on under riding gear, and good to wear around camp sites or hotels after rides.  Lots of pockets as well.  Also picked up a pair of lightweight, durable underwear to try out.  These are supposed to be comfy, odor resistant, strong enough to do the job, but can be washed by hand and air dried in short time frame, so if they work out, will really reduce the amount of under garments needed.  Not yet had a chance to test wear them yet though.

I still need to figure out the outer layer stuff for rain, right now just have a cheap poncho I can slip on if it rains, will help, but not perfect.  Also want to get some longer thermal leggings for cold riding, some light weight t-shirts for base layer on upper body as well.  I have a nice adventure shirt I can use for after riding that is nice looking, durable, quick washable and lots of pockets, and long sleeves that can roll up to short if need.  Had it for years, and with the weight loss it actually fits me again.  So that will work.  Also have the few pull over fleece jackets to use as a middle layer for warmth in cold weather.  Want to pick up a balaclava head piece to use for cold riding to protect neck as well, found one on Amazon, just need to order it yet.

Last item is new gloves.  Ones I have were cheap and wearing out already, so will get a bit more durable set this time, and then hopefully figure out a wet/cold weather outer layer for them if possible?

For the bike, not yet figured out what I want for luggage, and some of the other gear I still need to do some research on, or it is on back order or out of stock, so will just have to wait on it.

I did finally hook up the GPS to the battery, so now it will power off the bike, so that will be nice.  I also am looking into constructing a better mounting setup for the GPS, and perhaps the GoPro that will allow better mounting for not only usability, but will keep it better protected from wind and such while I ride, and free up space to put a mount for cell phone and hopefully some extra power ports for charging stuff while I ride.

I also picked up some extra accessories for the Go Pro. Mostly extra adhesive mounting points and some additional hardware spares.  Battery charging ports, another case for all the spare stuff, some tripods and selfie sticks to better use the gear on and off the bike, and some other mounting options.  Also a water proof case for the Hero 9 to help protect it in really wet riding. 

I then picked up the Max 360 camera to allow 360 video and photos to be taken, some really interesting options for footage with that one, been playing with it last few weeks to see what I can do with it.  

I also sent an old camera I had off to convert it to InfraRed, which will help create some more artistic photos along the way, played a bit with it on a recent road trip (by car) and does pretty good.  Look forward to doing some more experiments.  I will look at putting up some examples in next few weeks.

Lastly I picked up a case to hold memory cards for the cameras, so I do not lose them or risk them breaking.  Just need to buy more cards now.

Still looking into drones.  The one I wanted seems to have come end of sale, so no longer finding it out there, and the new one is just really expensive right now, so probably going to hold off till later this year before I take the drone plunge.  Lots of things to think about with that.

Also looking still at better camp gear options, while what I have works, there are probably a few things I could improve either quality, functionality, and or transportability with.  Some things I do not have at all that while they are not a huge deal right now, will be needed on more remote and longer trips coming in the future.

As for trips, I am going to try and do some extra back country riding hopefully in the next few weeks to try out the bike on dirt roads.

I will also be attending the Overland Expo again this year in Flagstaff.  It is coming up next month in May this year, so will hopefully be less likely to rain like last year.  Will again ride up and camp on site with the bike, so will have another chapter to write about then.

And lastly, it looks like the India trip will be a go this year.  Borders are open, tour operator is running the trip and things are looking good.  I have picked up the airfare, insurance and done all the research for visas and the medical stuff I will need to have ready.  Got my COVID booster this week, and will check into a few other vaccines that are recommended, though not required.  A few things I need to work on as well that relate to the trip, but should be ready to go.  Paid the next installment on the cost, and just need to get a hotel booked for the 1st night, then we will be mostly ready.  Getting close and getting bit nervous, a big trip, hopefully things go well!

That should provide quite a few chapters and updates along with some video and photos.  Of course I will eventually edit together a nice mini film or several episodes about that trip, but that will take time once I return, as I still need to learn how to do that kind of stuff.  Editing software I have is a bit confusing, so will see how it goes.

Not much else for now, but things are starting to move along, so hopefully will start seeing more updates here (and I may soon change the visibility of this page to public, so it can be found easier by people!)

Till next time.

Quick update on the health side.

So last October I posted about the journey I was on to improve my health.

Since then I did manage to lose another 10 pounds, bringing total weight loss to 45 pounds and 6% of body fat.

However, work schedules and some other things did get in the way of riding as much and never did get the mountain bike dusted off.  So since November things have pretty much stayed where they are, I gain and lose in a 5-6 pound range each 7-10 days, mainly due to eating out and still ordering too much food when I do.

I also stopped with the home delivery meals for several reasons: cost increases, quality decreases, missing items and delivery delays that were causing food to get close to spoiling before I got it.  Also was having harder time getting meals cooked with busier schedules at times.  

So have been trying to eat more at home, but sadly moved back to more microwave or quick prep items, so not quite as healthy.

I am still working out at the gym, renewed in February for another 6 months, and also picked up some small things to use at home to work out (now just need to actually use them, been lacking there).

Sadly I have injured myself now a few times, first the elbow, then the knee and now the elbow again, dealt with missing classes due to work and or feeling sick and the last week my allergies have been killing me, and making sleep difficult, so that has impacted everything I do.

Hopefully the rains this past weekend will slow down the allergies (air needed a good washing).  Knee is better, hoping elbow will heal up soon, been slowing down at gym and dropping the size of weights to not over do things.

Going to start trying to work on diet again, need to just remove the restaurants from meals other then maybe a monthly reward of a pizza, perhaps a weekly visit to something not pizza and eat at home more, and try to improve my options there some as well.

So while things have slowed, and stopped forward momentum, not really sliding backwards yet, so still time to get moving forward again.  Did a hike last week (even with the allergies) and moved about 1 ton of rocks from one side of yard to the other, and still quite a bit of work to do there, which is quite a workout!

Will let you know in a few months how things are going again.

Chris

First 2022 Update!

Hello everyone,

So been awhile since I have updated this and a few things to report.

Over the winter I did a few short trips on the bike to visit family in the area, and the usual riding around town, so nothing really new on actual travel, but really got to doing research into gear and seeing what others were doing on their longer travels both in country and overseas.

Following several people on YouTube and Facebook has opened up lots of research topics and lead to some interesting changes in perspective and even choices in gear that I was looking at.

I recently completed most of my home improvement projects I had setup for last year and am now able to start moving funds towards the cycling projects.  Have been saving and setting aside incoming funds from various sources to be spent on this project and this last month I finally started to spend those funds.

I will go into a bit more detail on them in a future post on each, and have photos/video, but have finally acquired a new helmet and proper riding jacket and pants to use.  So now have a complete outer layer.  Also trying out a few options for base layer and mid layer clothing to see what works so I can get some of that purchased.

I also picked up quite a few additions to the GoPro products to enhance my ability to use the GoPro Hero 9 in various capacities.  Some selfie/wide view poles, various types of tripods and mounting points to put on the bike or myself and ability to keep power to the camera and charge batteries, along with more batteries and SD cards.  So should be able to film in lots of different ways using the same camera.  Also picked up waterproof casing so I can use it in hard rains or even dive with it (not a diver, but might be something I pick up along the way lol). 

I then picked up the GoPro Max which will allow 360 degree filming, lots of interesting applications I can see for this based on some usages I have seen from others, will be fun to try it out and learn to use it and the footage in my stories.

I am still researching a drone, but that will probably be a later in the year purchase, lots of things to consider there and some legalities on using them I need to check into first to make sure I will not run afoul of any laws without knowing about them.

I also sent off an old point and shoot camera to convert it into a Infrared camera, seen some footage done by another photographer and it was amazing, so thought that would be something I would like to try and see if it can add another layer to images I take on my future travels.  Hopefully have it back next week.

I also picked up a new helmet mounted camera/comm system that should allow me to film from my helmet viewpoint and I will be able to narrate right into that video what is going on, and save time having to voiceover it later.  Really liked the results I saw from some other riders using it and think it will be a useful tool, and should I ride with other riders at some point, may be able to link them up and stay in communications with them.

Next month I will settle on some of the bike updates like luggage and other storage, some minor enhancements to things on the bike, hooking the GPS up to power (it is mounted now, but not yet connected the power leads to battery).

Will also get some of the crash protections installed, maybe some extra lights...not sure I need them yet or not, and working on some custom mount ideas for things like the GPS, phone and other items that I would like to have easily usable on the front of the bike.  Not sure when I will move on buying them, but will at least get some research done.

In the bigger news, I am pretty sure my big riding trip to India will finally take place this year.  Borders are open, tour leader seems to be positive it will go forward and things are looking clear for the trip, so I booked my airfare today! Worst case I have to change the tickets to something else, but a few other options for trips I could use it for, though not all bike related, but any travel will work.

So hopefully in the next few weeks I will get some good short day trip and maybe even weekend rides in with the new gear and cameras at work and start putting something other than words up here!  Will start working on learning how to edit video as well, got some software today that was recommended by a friend who uses it for doing videos and the results have looked good, so hopefully I can make it work, otherwise, lots of other products out there.  Bigger challenge will be learning the tricks and figuring out how to use the application.

I may try to make the trip to the Overland Expo in Flagstaff again this year, though it is moving back to its normal time frame in May, so might be a bit close to my India trip, so not sure yet, will decide in a few weeks.

So will end this for now, and will try to get a few videos up going over the new gear and discussing some other things in the next month or so, practice fodder for the video editing if anything LOL.

Till then