Trial Run

Well, Rob and I did our first trial run (I know, this should have been number 3 or 4, or at least 2, what can I say) with fully loaded bikes, camping and loads of Kms .... 2600 to be exact, to Duluth, Minnesota (thats from Cambridge not Grand Rapids) and back to visit the Holy Grail of motorcycle apparel, Aerostich.

Yup, that's the famous Aerostich with 2 ominous looking dudes in the foreground on some awesome bikes. :)


Stairs leading to the showroom.


Voila! The showroom.




Lake Michigan looking south along Interstate 2.



Mackinaw Bridge in the background connecting the UP to the rest of Michigan. Thats a half loaf of bread tucked into the spare tire.


Pinconning Campground, Saginaw Bay in the background. What you don't see are the swing sets, teeter totters and merry-go-rounds to the left. Park was full so we were allowed to camp in the kids play area. The hibachi was our fire pit for the night. Worked out well actually.

Conclusion: good trip but need to really refine some packing skills. Constantly rummaging through the gear to find whatever it was we were looking for ... well me anyway. Bikes were very top heavy too. Ya, found that out the hard way .... several times. Also found out it takes two to lift the mules off the ground. :) Had some issues with the headsets ... continually getting disconnected. Tents worked well. Sleeping bags were great! 0 degrees Celcius Sunday night and I was warm. :) Lastly, NEED TO GET RID OF SOME CRAP!!!!! Too much stuff and we thought we were being minimalistic.