Backroads in Oregon
 
Ed built and installed two wheel chocks in the bed of the F-250 and took it for a test drive. Isn't it a beaut?
The F-250 with one bike
 
Yesterday I finished editing, revising, and transferring the riding routes. They are now in both our GPS's. Parts of the routes are highlighted on National Forest Maps and in the Big Map. I wish there was a print function with the Ride with GPS website. But I understand the development team is working on that function, just not in time for me to use it. :(

All the routes thus far can be viewed from the Routes buttons on the navigation bar above.
 
No, it's not pop culture. It is a pop-up camper. Neighbor Brian offered us the use of his older pop-up camper. We checked it out this past weekend and it needs some thorough cleaning, but it will work for us. It's airing out now and I'll give it a final clean up next weekend. It will serve as accommodations on the road and while in Oregon at my daughter's home and for base camp in Central Oregon. Awesome! (Thanks, Brian!)
 
groupTexas has been swamped in triple digit heat for two weeks. We decided not to go camping in it. Instead, we loaded all our gear onto the small bikes in the dark and relative cool of the morning and rode north to meet with a group of riders for breakfast. Breakfast at the Blue Hanger, a small airport north of Fort Worth, is a weekly Saturday morning event: eat breakfast, drink coffee, chat and watch the airplanes. We were treated to a show while a group of six planes practiced their air choreography and I got to visit with fellow riders I haven't seen in quite a long time.

Meanwhile, I forgot to take photos of our bikes packed with all their gear.
 
This coming weekend we will be doing a dry run with all our gear on our bikes. Our plan is to ride as much gravel as possible to a state park that borders a lake and camp overnight. Given the three-digit temps and humidity, I probably will not wear the gear planned for Oregon. I also am excited to try out the new gadget: a Kodak zi8 pocket video camera. It won't do duty as a helmet cam, but capturing some video on our trips will be a fun experiment.
 
We've been planning on doing this since our trip to Big Bend over the winter holidays and finally did it. Yesterday Ed added a 1999 F-250 Super Duty 3/4 truck to replace his F-150. The much coveted 7.3L diesel engine will be an appreciated work horse and the relatively low mileage (73K) means it will be with us a long time. The long bed will accommodate our two little bikes comfortably with some room for gear and supplies. We will christen it on our Oregon trip, hopefully with a borrowed pop-up camper in tow.
 
Last weekend was productive, but also put a dent in my wallet. I picked up some items needed for the trip: folding water bucket, sleeping bag pad, map case, thin summer shorts and shirt for underneath gear, etc. I am not a shopping fan, so I was glad to spend the evening with friends eating BBQ pork, salad, corn on the cob and ice cream. Topping it off with a movie on Bill's Big Screen ('Avatar') ensured an enjoyable day.

The next day  was spent mostly constructing a sling for over the seat of the DR (with an older retired sewing machine that gave me grief). It has two pockets for 1 liter bottles (water or gas) that close with shock cording. I ran out of webbing to finish it, but thus far it appears comfy.
 
Spent last weekend modifying the DR:
  1. Added a support for the right side bag to clear the exhaust (Thanks, Bill!)
  2. Shaved down the ridge in the seat foam.
Next is constructing a sling over the seat to carry two 1-liter bottles and my sore butt bones.
Check out the page on bikes for details.
 
Monday's MRI shows pelvic fractures are healed.
Let the conditioning begin!!!
 
Three little bikes went for a meandering ride in the cool of the morning last Sunday. First time in six months I've ridden. It went well. Excepting the seat. After an hour on the seat, my butt began to ache. Specifically, both sides of the sacrum which were fractured last February. So I need to further modify the seat.
1. Shave down the steep shelf ridge near the back. It is right where I usually sit for cruising rides. Very ouchy.
2. Extend the width of the seat, 1/2 - 2/3rds back. The nose will remain narrow so I can scoot forward and put a foot down when stopping.
3. Remove another 1/2" on the overall height of the seat and overlay a 1/2" of medical foam for a bit softer cushioning.

The former fork seepage has been resolved and the carb seems fine (for now). I hope it stays that way.
The most difficult part of returning to riding is getting on and off the bike. I can't just swing a leg over haphazardly. And my ab muscles REALLY need re-educating! Lots of crunches coming up!