Matts garage.

Meeting Woody and his bride in La Grande for coffee.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

The waiting is the hardest part

Many thanks to the Monmouth and Dallas Dutch Bros crews for helping me out today. I suspect I'm worrying too much about my stops; after years of participating in rallies I think I have my stop routine down pretty well. While every photo posted to this blog, not every photo posted to Facebook. This is a bit of a concern since the Dutch Bros Facebook crowd is the main audience for this ride. I suppose there's little I can do about that.
So, I'm ready to ride. 31 days and counting...

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Round and Round

I'll be doing a little training today. Since my stop routine is critical to documenting Dutch Treat, I figure I need some practice. I'm riding between the Dallas and Monmouth stores to get a feel for my routine.

Stops 161 and 162

As we come down to the wire, it looks like there will be at least 162 Dutch Bros locations to visit. I've already mentioned Pasco, Washington. Stores might also be open in Boise as well as Scappoose, Oregon. As you can see from the photo, fresh asphalt is being laid in Scappoose and Facebook intel puts the opening as late May. None of this last minute additions to the itinerary significantly change my schedule, but a new itinerary is up at
http://www.twowheelsfortransition.org/Images/162%20Itinerary.pdf

Eyes on the Ground

I just received a call from the mayor of Pasco, Washington. It seems that the construction of the next Dutch Bros location, at the intersection of Burden Blvd. and Convention Place, is nearing completion. Matt's convinced the store will be open in time for a June 19th visit during Dutch Treat. I can't wait. Hopefully, there'll be at least one city official on hand for a photo op.

A Tale of Two Packages

I just purchased two new helmet visors on Amazon. The visors, one clear and one dark tinted, shipped from two different companies. The packaging of the two gives some insight into how we can approach life.

The package on the right is from Motorcycle Superstore of Louisville, Kentucky. This visor came neatly boxed with Fill-Air inflatable cushions to protect the contents. The visor was still in all of it’s OEM wrapping, clearly indicating it was an authentic Shoei brand product. The box was secured with packing tape embossed with the Motorcycle Superstore name; very professional. A comprehensive invoice thanking me for my order completes the package. The price was $35.99 and $6.99 for shipping

The package on the left is from PGR Motor of La Verne, California. This visor had protective plastic on it, but no Shoei labeling. The visor was placed in a UPS plastic shipping bag, presumably lifted from a local UPS store. That was then placed in a USPS Priority Shipping box, again presumably procured from a local post office at no charge to PGR. The box was then wrapped in plain brown paper to avoid the more costly priority shipping rates. There was no invoice, customer service phone number or any communication of any kind in the package. The price was $36.99 and $7.49 shipping.

I’ll make sure not to give Mr. Kevin Chen of PGR Motor any more of my business. Quite frankly, I don’t see a lot of pride in his work and I spend enough time dealing with that in my 9 to 5 life. Additionally, I believe he’s a thief, stealing from both UPS and the USPS to increase his profit margin. And that bothers me even more.

Documenting Dutch Treat, Part I

Riding to 160 Dutch Bros. Coffee locations in as many hours is no small feat. Even some experienced long distance motorcyclists feel it’s pretty ambitious. Just so there’s no question, I’ve decided to document the ride to Iron Butt Association standards. That means receipts and photographs.

Here’s an example of a photo you’ll see from each Dutch Bros. location. The whiteboard attached to the lid of my top case will be used to list the number of the stop as it correlates to my route. The photos will be taken with my phone and immediately up loaded to this blog and www.facebook.com/shellyshouse Thanks to Sheila and Gracie of the Monmouth Dutch Bros. for serving as my models.

Stop #160

Rumor from a Facebook user is a new Dutch Bros store is under construction in Pasco, Washington. This would be the first in Pasco and the second in the Tri-Cities area. A few weeks ago Ess and I hosted the mayor of Pasco, Matt Watkins, during an Oregon sweep of this years Dam Tour. Matt didn't realize just how many Dutch Bros locations there are and it looks like he's going to have one in his fair city.

If the store opens prior to June 20th, and I assume it will, this would make 160 locations in total for the Dutch Treat ride. Since I'm already visiting Kennewick and Walla Walla, the extra stop should only add about 20 minutes to the days route and doesn't impact the plan significantly.

Happy Ness is a riding partner

Mr. Happy is a puppet marketed by Aerostich, a Minnesota company that makes some of the best motorcycle riding apparel in the world. Mr. Happy went along with me during the inaugural Two Wheels for Transition ride in 2009 and developed a taste for Dutch Bros mochas. When he heard about Dutch Treat, he insisted on coming along. Happy will be in the photos of all the Dutch Bros locations. Look for him.

Dutch Bros 151

The photo posted from my phone earlier today is stop number 151 on Dutch Treat. Today's trip to Grants Pass was necessary prior to my June ride for one reason: I don't know where this Dutch Bros "store" is. Last summer Esther and I were doing a little reconnisence of the Grants Pass/Medford area to make sure my GPS coordinates were accurate. When we got to 151, address 1101 Grants Pass Parkway, all we found was a Fred Meyer. We drove round and round and through the parking lot looking in vain for something similiar to almost every other Dutch Bros. That is, we were looking for a drive through. That was our mistake.

Of all 159 Dutch Bros locations there are only three that require someone to leave their car. One is in a student hall on the OSU campus in Corvallis. Another is in downtown Grants Pass in a store known with the Dutch Bros culture as "The Coffee House". The third is inside the aforementioned Fred Meyer. While Esther and I were driving round and round, it never occurred to me to look inside. Dutch Bros 151 is practically a coffee cart and like no other location. Who knew?

Well, I know now. And I also know it's just inside the west door of the Fred Meyer. So during Dutch Treat when the minutes count I won't be riding around and around wondering where the elusive store 151 is located.

1101 Grants Pass Pkwy DB 151

Simple but not easy.

I’d like you to think of something you do well. I don’t care what, it could be anything. It might be throwing a pass, swinging a bat or cooking a soft boiled egg to perfection. You’re so good at this thing or you do it so often that it’s almost become second nature. Now here’s my question: can you do that same thing 159 times in a row without making a mistake? That’s what I have to do during Dutch Treat.

It’s not enough to ride to every Dutch Bros location in the nation. I need to prove I was there. To do that, I plan on taking a picture and posting it and a SPOT location on Facebook and my blog. But that’s not enough to meet the standard of the Iron Butt Association. For that I need a receipt that shows I was at a certain location at a certain date and time. I need to write the bikes odometer reading on the receipt and then complete a log showing the time, date and odometer reading again. Finally, I need to finish the ride without losing that log or any of the receipts. And I have to do this 159 times in a row without missing a step. As I said, it’s simple but not easy.

To assist, I plan on using a checklist. Checklists are proven tools in helping us humans to remember what to do and what order to do them in. In aviation, where the cost of a mistake is pretty high, the use of checklists is standard operating procedure. I heard recently that the use of checklists in hospitals has reduced patient infection rates dramatically. Here’s my checklist outlining what I need to do at every Dutch Treat stop. Hopefully it will make my simple routine a little easier.

Stop Routine
___ Pull into line
___ Give baristas white board with correct store # on it
___ Take PHOTO with phone. SAVE picture.
___ Make purchase/ RECEIPT in teeth
___ Pull forward out of line.
___ MARK location with SPOT
___ ODO on receipt
___RECORD on Bonus Log
___ SECURE receipt
___ SEND pix to FB and blog
___ “FIND” next location

Jinxed

Three weeks ago I posted about adding a second auto-routing GPS to Moose. The idea is partially for redundancy. In the event one GPS quits working there's a back up right at hand. Who knew I'd need it so soon?
Zumo is dead. She won't power up. Nothing. I tried all the tricks you learn as a zumo owner: I removed and replaced the battery and held down the "plus" and power buttons simultaneously for 30 seconds. No go. An email was sent to Garmin support this morning. Looks like R2D2 (my name for the 2820) will be getting the duty for a couple of weeks.

Good things come to those that wait

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “Perseverance is a great element of success.” Albert Einstein said “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” In the quest to get some assistance from Dutch Bros regarding my upcoming Dutch Treat ride, I had resigned myself to the latter. After months of trying to get some corporate attention, I had all but given up. I had emailed them; hand delivered a proposal and even attempted to enlist the help of my local owner. All to no avail. Thank goodness I have a brother who wasn’t bleeding at the forehead from repeated contact with the proverbial brick wall.

Daryl mentioned the ride to the latest DB franchisee in Kelso, Washington, who apparently took pity on me. Mark forwarded the Dutch Treat information to corporate which made a pin hole in the dam. I received an email from Dutch Bros indicating that while no financial donation was available, logistical help would be considered. Within a few days the flood gates opened and it seems like I’ve got the full faith and backing of the company to include assistance from their public relations firm. Dutch Treat is poised on the edge of a full blown media campaign.

Thanks little brother.

Double Vision

For the last several years I've run two GPS units on Moose. I picked up a Garmin zumo 550 when it was first released and it's my primary navigation tool. A Garmin V also resides on the shelf primarily because it has the best Trip Computer page in the business. During the Run What Ya Brung rally in 2008, the zumo began shutting down intermittently, leading me to believe I might have to finish the rally the old fashion way; with a paper map. Since zumo also provides XM radio and cell phone communications, having it fail mid-rally is a significant event. Having a backup is prudent.

This year a 2820 is replacing the Garmin V. It has all the same capabilities as zumo (navigation, mp3 player, XM ready and bluetooth) in a different form-factor with some enhanced navigational features. And while the Trip Computer page isn't quite as complete as that of the V, it's a compromise I'm making to remain competitive.

A side note about safety and distracted driving. Some question the ability to monitor all this electronic equipment and still pay attention to what's happening on the road. So far I have to say having two GPS on the dash might actually be safer than one. With the 2820 set on the Trip Computer page, I'm actually operating the GPS less, scrolling through less pages than with one GPS.

Music to my ears.

For the last several years, I've been using custom in-the-ear speakers from Bob Weiss at earplugco.com. These little gems provide 25-27 db attenuation while piping sound directly to the ear drum. This makes it possible to listen to music or GPS directions while protecting your hearing from the ravages of hour after hour of wind noise. This is important for a guy who already suffers from tinnitus and has significant loss of hearing in at least a couple of frequency ranges. Recently the left mini-transducer, contained directly in the ear mold, has been intermittently failing. While I've been happy with Challengers, I'd heard from a couple of well-respected LD riders about another custom ear monitor from Al Schibi of Meza, Arizona.

The difference between Al's plugs and the Challengers is the driver location. Al's larger drivers are located in a small box in between the electrical wire and the air tubes connected to the ear mold. Al's design allows for larger drivers that move more air, resulting in deeper base and a significant improvement in sound. At least, that's the company line. Hesitantly, I decided to give them a try. Al was as nice as could be and had a set delivered to my place about two weeks after he got the impressions of my ears.

I'm happy to report the claims are true. Al's plugs produce significantly better bass which means better sound, at least to my ears. While Al's plugs cost about 50% more than the Challengers, the alternative rock of XM's Lithium channel has never sounded so good. Al's a bit old school (no website), but he can be reached at customearplugs@cox.net .

Whoa, baby!

Poor Moose was in pretty bad shape. I've had some serious pulsing coming through the front brake lever since summer and the once sharp handling of my Ohlins/GP Suspension had been been deteriorating. Dave confirmed the problem; the Ohlins had a slight leak and I'd been slowing loosing fluid over the autumn months. No doubt the seal failed on while negotiating boulders on my way to the Spiral Getty during SPANK. George Z finds some pretty pathetic excuses for roads. With the suspension rebuilt and repaired, I took the opportunity to upgrade my front discs to some Braking Wave rotors. Spring is looking good.