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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| Well I won the bid on a new cargo trailer to tow behind the Vision a few days back and the Mrs is going to ride along this year for my longish trip so it was right on time. I bought one of those America's Best aluminum models with all the extra's. The plan is Yellowstone and the Black Hills.
So far it looks like we'll travel interstate 80 from PA to Cheyenne Wy and then head north thru Yellowstone and up to Montana where we will be renting a cabin for a week. The entire trip will be around 5k miles and three weeks in duration but we plan to spend around 5-7 of those days right around Yellowstone and catch the Black hills and Rushmore on the way back. I normally don't ride interstate if at all avoidable, but the distance makes it a necessity this time (at least going).
I still need to get the Isolator put on the bike, add a powerlet to the trunk for powering up the Mrs heated jacket, and map out a few routes on the GPS but otherwise I'm ready to go. Now I just need the weather to start cooperating so I can get some saddle time in before the trip.
I plan to do a write-up on the Vision during this trip after I return and I'll likely throw in some info on the trailer. | |
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Central Wisconsin | Sounds like your planning a nice trip. I recently bought a used/like new 2009 Aluminum trailer with a swivel hitch. Haven't had a chance to pull it yet seems like it will ride better loaded then empty.
Also I wired up a isolator/converter. 
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TRAILER WIRING ISOLATOR CONVERTER VEHICLE CIRCUIT SAVER | 
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Isolator/Converter protected with a 25amp inline fuse (orange wire) | 
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Isolator/Converter mounted behind the tail lights | 
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Isolator/Converter wired for trailer lights |
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| Sounds like a nice trip. 80 is a nice route and only gets bad near Chicago.
Have fun. | |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| Thomas, yep that looks like the same trailer except mine has the aluminum wheels and the tool box which sits on the cooler rack. I'm putting on the Bushtec Isolator which only runs around $80 and I'm going to plug it in using the the battery tender lead already connected to the battery so as to reduce additional wires that can cause poor connections.
Redrider, I know what you mean about Chicago. Thats about the only part of the route I'd like to avoid but not worth the diversion south to get around it. We'll probably drop down further south returning hom to Rantoul/Champaign/Urbana. We lived their when we were much younger and it would be interesting to see how it has changed. | |
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Tourer
Posts: 363
Goldsboro, NC | RedRider - 2010-03-07 6:27 AM
Sounds like a nice trip. 80 is a nice route and only gets bad near Chicago.
Have fun.
This will NOT save you any time, but it might be just the thing to avoid traffic and add a "little something" to your trip.
Instead of fighting the traffic between Cleveland and Chi-town, swing north through Michigan and take the Ludington-Manitowoc Ferry. You can beat your way down to I-90 through Fond-du-lac. After that, you can choose to stay on I-90 and avoid big cities altogether, or you can swing a bit further north on I-94 and see Minneapolis. Minneapolis will re-introduce some traffic (not as bad as Chicago, though) but the rest of the trip is more interesting, if a bit longer. I-90 and I-94 rejoin just before Billings, MT just to the NE of Yellowstone.
If you are in such a hurry that you must go hammer-down, then these two option will not be right for you. If you are in for "the ride is as important as the destination", then I think the extra 1 to 1.5 days this takes will enhance your ride significantly.
It could be I feel overly strong on this point because I think IA and NE are about the most boring places on earth to drive through. At least the desert has mountains to look at.
P.S.: If anyone tries to talk you into going out of your way to see the Mitchell Corn Palace in IA, take every opportunity to opt out. It's not worth more than an hour's extra driving. | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 177
Fredonia, WI United States | trailbarge - 2010-03-09 11:24 AM
RedRider - 2010-03-07 6:27 AM
Sounds like a nice trip. 80 is a nice route and only gets bad near Chicago.
Have fun.
This will NOT save you any time, but it might be just the thing to avoid traffic and add a "little something" to your trip.
Instead of fighting the traffic between Cleveland and Chi-town, swing north through Michigan and take the Ludington-Manitowoc Ferry. You can beat your way down to I-90 through Fond-du-lac. After that, you can choose to stay on I-90 and avoid big cities altogether, or you can swing a bit further north on I-94 and see Minneapolis. Minneapolis will re-introduce some traffic (not as bad as Chicago, though) but the rest of the trip is more interesting, if a bit longer. I-90 and I-94 rejoin just before Billings, MT just to the NE of Yellowstone.
If you are in such a hurry that you must go hammer-down, then these two option will not be right for you. If you are in for "the ride is as important as the destination", then I think the extra 1 to 1.5 days this takes will enhance your ride significantly.
It could be I feel overly strong on this point because I think IA and NE are about the most boring places on earth to drive through. At least the desert has mountains to look at.
P.S.: If anyone tries to talk you into going out of your way to see the Mitchell Corn Palace in IA, take every opportunity to opt out. It's not worth more than an hour's extra driving.
And when you get off the boat in Manitowoc, give me a call. I will meet you with my Vision, check yours out, buy you a beer at a local establishment, and then you can be on your way! Or stay a while! | |
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Cruiser
Posts: 62
Des Moines | <grumble grumble> Iowa boring to drive through... <grumble grumble>
Oh wait, dang it, he's right. Better than NE, though. At least we have hills. | |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 40
Bellevue, NE | Might be hard to find the Mitchell Corn Palace in Iowa as it is in Mitchell, South Dakota. Still not worth the few miles from I-90 IMO. | |
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