BigBig Ride/ It's Over

[stone43]

Outstanding dude. Very appropriate string for your 1000th Pelican Post!!

I admire and would love to do what you did. The only thing getting in my way is a job, wife and 2.5 year old little kid. Plus I don't know if my P-car is ready for something like that, but what the hell, that is half the fun--the great unknown.

Keep posting lessons learned.

[911jon]

Ron,

You have experienced something few adults achieve; man/911/road/forest/solitude. Some ride. I have a mental picture of all those lanscapes reflecting into an endless blur on the compound surfaces of your car. Jack O will be doing the screenplay before you know it. Make sure you get your cut!

[RoninLB]

got a drift now to do the wild horses...I left NY on April 29 at 1AM to miss traffic..it was rain and light rain..I didn't care, had to get west of Mississippi ASAP..had to head south to scoot under Great Lakes where rain was comming down from Canada..I couldn't stop to see "bell" because of this..I pass where the rain was dumping then head across Nebraska on a tip to try Hy 92..I hit Wyoming and take a deep breath..I'm in the middle of God's country and need a new plan..still drizzle and freezing but I don't give a$hit..my liquid breakfast drink was freezing on the campground table..Snow in N. Wyoming and Montana, can't go there..Rain in Washington and Oregun, can't go there..Lets go south to seek wild horses..Knew that biggest population was in Nevada..A New Yorker looking for wid horses , are you kidding!!..get some tips at gas stops and told where they might be..the forest ranger/BLM shows me a wild horse in a corral, big deal..he expected me to pull out my camera..It's May 6 and 3,419 miles since the start of this ride..The 911 is running great and the new S-03 are just broken in and I'm depressed..I head out to explore more area and find small spots of do do about every 30 feet..good, but not great..I'm still sniffing around and see a dirt road, good enough for the 911..see nothing ..I stop at mid day on a high spot with a view and open a can of salmon on the 911 roof and still watching...

[RoninLB]

I'm getting involved in lunch..then I start shaking..from my right is not a horse but a herd..I feel like a jerk ..got to get my act together to get camera and take pic..they start crossing the rd. and stop when they see me

[RoninLB]

they are like cats..they want no part of humans..I continue arcoss the road and I start looking to make camp close by..to me this is exotic..it ain't no corral, this is the real thing..As I'm searching for a spot another horse walks by, about 20 feet from me..no camera, but I'm siked..I find a spot and go to original sighting at 7PM..on the left side of the dirt rd...I start walking off-road and holy $hit..it's Grand Central Station for horse do do.. horse trails criss crossing all over... I slowly scout the area hidding behind bushes..going from one bush to another..I see other wild horses and get a shot..I know where the wild horses are..I feel great..I'm lucky..I was determined to find them or leave depressed, and the best is I know where to find them anytime..

[bell]

ronnie.........great pics, keep it up

[Brian993]

outstanding!

[bell]

hey ronnie.......i want to hear more about the high speed truckers

[RoninLB]

bell...I flashed on your reply..I have a few responses to make , but yours is easy....1st the background..I'm on day 5..just did 2,850 mi. or average 570 mi. per day..I just did Hy 92 in Nebraska to get a feel of real Neb...The 911 has Welt. bushings, 21/27 springs, turbo tie rods, S-03's, weighs 3,000lbs., and a beat driver..I pass Scottsbluff Neb. still heading to God's country..I want to do southern Wyoming because it's snowing in northern Wy...I want on I-80 and the best way to get there is Hy. 85 in eastern Wy..I make my cut off from Hy. and am waiting at a light behind a semi WITHOUT a trailer..Hy. 85 is an old/beat up 2 lane road in open country..full view ahead with twisties and roller coaster small dips and peaks, maybe 5ft -30ft..The speed limit is 65, but would be 50 in a sane world..65 mph is pushing logical safety...anyway the semi in front of me starts doing 70 as soon as we clear traffic..and I'm following him..this is wild..I need both hands for muscle..this goes on for about 20 miles of this 75 mi. stretch...then he speeds up to 80..I'm still behind him with left foot planted tight and not really sitting..I'm braced up against back part of seat..this is wild..about another 20 mi. at 80 mph and he slows down slowly..I fall back, must be something going on..then about 1 mi. at 55 mph. and I'm still behind him..then he slows to about 40 mph and holds that..WTF. I get the message to pass him..then he comes up 10 ft behind me at 65 mph..I increase to 70 mph..he's still 10 ft. behind..I do 80 mph and he stays behind about 30-40 ft...this goes on for another 20 or so miles. then he slows..I do the same..A car passes from other direction..then he comes up tight again..here we go again, 80 mph till the end of Hy. 85..I get on CB and thank him for the ride...definately the wildest ride the 911 has been on..If I had Bridgestone RE-71's it would not have been possible to do that ride..hills/dips/potholes/twisties, sometimes all happening at the same time on a Hy that should be 50 mph ...other than that the big rig profile was great..when I was on a long leg thru the night I would follow a big rig that was scooting along faster than others..after awhile they know I'm following and may speed up a little..they saved my brain from the unknown road ahead at nite especially after doing 500 miles when I get tired/beat/zoned out..if I saw big rigs all doing the speed limit I know the collection agents were around..when the rigs are limit+, then no bears..watching the rigs and how they drive is important big road info. IMO...and truck stops are great..they have showers, food goodies, and great big meals...overall the big ride is not a race..I follow a program that my brain allows..after waking up I may spend 2 hours w/coffee getting dialed in..If I'm beat I'll follow the big rigs or stay with license plates that are local to the state I'm in..Frank Zappa has an old tune in which he sings, Kansas Kansas Kansas..I suggest pelicanheads find out what he means. I may follow the fastest car..If the V-1 goes off, I slow and the point man gets eaten by the bear..I also feel that my stock 2.7 has better cylinder head temp. between 3.4k and 3.8k so that keeps the momentum up there...If I missed something on this thread, you know what to do...I try to remember that the roads are full of asses......Ron

[carreradpt]

RoninLB, this is just too cool to follow. I took a MC trip around the country years ago. From San Diego to Daytona Bch, Montreal (76 Olympics) back to San Diego, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Life on the road. 6 weeks and thousands of miles, what an adventure. And you're right, fun isn't what it was. Adventure, thrills, nothing like it. Your adventure brings all those feelings back to life. And you describe it wonderfully. Keep up the postings, they are fabulous. AND the pics. Great stories. Would love to see a map of your route. Thanks for sharing all of this.

[RoninLB]

Dan/carreradpt...I'm jumping others to do you.."greatest experience"/no question, but that's another reply ASAP..."fun"/we don't need no stinken fun..."thanks for sharing"/this ride belongs to all those who supported me, no question again..."map"/I don't have a scanner yet, but I have a dig. camera..perhaps I should seek out someone who has one and put something together...the route mostly followed the weather.I left April 29, which is pre-tourist, and wet/cold where I wanted to go. I wanted that because the animals come to valleys from up high to eat fresh buds and the tourists haven't scared them away..I did a few loops from the NorthWest to the deserts to dry out/no kidding..the wildlife was at least 3X more plentyful in early May than late May,IMHO..that's what this NY'er wanted..the previous pic was a perfect example..that pic is of open range wild animals in northern Nevada..85% of Nevada is managed by the BLM, I believe..anyway, that road in northern Nev. was done 2X and the 2nd time around I had to seek out the animals as compared to the 1st pass, when they were a road hazard..I got a pic of an animal road hazard that's scary.that's another story..and Dan, "6 weeks on the road"!!! I slept in a tent for over 6 weeks. I refused any offer to stay indoors..my clothing consisted of very warm clothes and shorts / T-shirts...I live in a concrete jungle and I wanted OUT...but your"6 weeks" is an important statement, IMO..I need at least 2 weeks to cool out and be able to follow the lyrics on a song for more than 10 seconds............Ron
..

[pwd72s]

To think, some people say "BIGFOOT" doesn't exist in the NW forest!

[bell]

sorry ronnie, that's funny

did you sleep with the tent all closed up or were varmits welcome to come and go as they please?

[RoninLB]

Greetings......Targa Dude/Jorge.."more about car". it's only a humble '77..but it has been preped for big rides.I wrote about the suspension/no big deal, but it's important to have the security that your 911 can sidestep the asses on the road with you..the smugglers box is filled w/items that may require replacement on big rides such as spare alternator regulator, pedal cluster pin, mirror sticker, ignition coil and Permatune, etc..I mentioned some of the long list on a reply to someone asking what he should carry on a road trip a short ime ago.check my previous posts for the long list..and I have a full set of cheap/good enough tools that I got from Harbor Freight along w/some speciality tools like valve adjust. feeler ga...I don't need no stinken gas jockey putting a wrench to my 911..the radio is a waste on big rides..I have 6 1/2 door speakers w/75X4 MTX amp..with the roof open at 70mph you want to hear your CDs. I did Rod Birch on audio parts, he knows the 911. I use a sheepskin seat cover that is more comfortable than without it, it removes about 40% of harmonics being transfered to the driver.less harmonics means less fatigue..I do my best to rebuild any weak system on the 911 that may be a problem..my driving lights are big time..I don't use the worthless PIAA bulbs..I rewired the light circut with 12ga for low beam and 10 ga for high beam..I use 2 [should use 4 for safety] 75 amp Bosh relays ..the german bulbs are 130/100watt..the 100w low is doable because the 911 is relatively low to other cars on the road.nobody flashes me.more info on my lights in my archives. I want to be able to see everything at 70 mph. I use a voltage ga. to monitor because a regulator problem may not trigger the red lite on the dash, and overvoltage can cause big problems..a CHT ga I find is important.I can get an instant temp reading when doing big hills/mountains/desert and adjust the rpm or 911 speed if needed, for instance when doing a desert my oil temp went up a little. was it because of the road conditions or the climate?..I saw my Cylinder Head Temp was great so it was the climate and I'm not worrying that the road and my driving is causing higher oil temp..I use the Valentine 1 and CB radio to help w/bears, I'm never the point man in traffic..I follow the fastest car, better it's a SUV[bears seem to love to eat them] and when the V 1 sings I slow and the point man gets eaten..The car is not washed to avoid attention on the road and the wheel center caps are removed to help prevent the 911 from being a target, they are a bear target..of course a good alarm system with a pager to relax with when stopping places..I thing you got a dose of my mentality on this......
...Anyway "pwd72s/Paul" took note that a previous pic on this subject was "surreal"..Paul sees things many times that I can't..There was a place I hit to dry out in Arizona called "Lost Dutchman State Park" the following pic is of Supersistion Mountain, it is close to Phoenix and is a good place to stop..the Dutchman discovered gold, so he said, in the mt. and anyone who went looking for the said gold was found killed ....Ron
..

[RoninLB]

..I just posted a reply to "bell's" subject title "roninlb sent me a gift....guess what it is" .....I have another giant pine cone to offer for a drawing..does anyone not want the giant pine cone?? I think we should figure out who will do the drawing..The entrants will be those that have been involved in the BigBig Ride since the beginning and those that responded to bell's contest thread..I also have a few seeds that came from inside the pine cone..that could be another 2nd place drawing..I think it will grow a tree, don't know.."pwd72s/Paul" should know about a big woody.......

[RoninLB]

"If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14,
Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July
16,1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with
extraterrestrials or their vehicles?".........I don't know anything about Fed Reg. but the next pic..at the southern end of Hy 375, which is offically called the Extraterrestrial Highway is a great sign..I found the pic kind of symbolizes the BigBig Ride ahead..I did the pic after being on the road only 3,611 miles..but before I did this pic. I stopped at a BLM hot springs in Ash Springs..it isn't posted with signs..the hot springs is thru a fenced dirt rd. that goes back about 50 yards to a nice pit stop..there is a table and bench with a real rest room..the fence is about 20 feet east of the Texaco gas station..the pool is nice, it was a comercial springs which could not keep up with the Nevada State regulations then the BLM took it over...there is no signs and the hot springs is FREE........Ron

[pwd72s]

Ron, anybody who takes those seeds would have better luck growing them if they live in a high desert climate. Then to get a tree big enough to produce it's own cones? A human lifetime...a long one. LOVE that pic in front of the lost dutchman...calendar stuff!

[emcon5]

Hey Ron, Is it me or is that cactus giving you the finger?

Tom

[Rich911E]

Ron:

This is a great story and the more I read of your adventure the more Jack Kerouac I hear. I think that your story would make a great novel. Your trip was one that is in many of our dreams but you were lucky enough to have the chance to take it and the guts to do it.

Is living vicariously still living?

Rich

[RoninLB]

Planter/Daryl..you ask "WHY".......well, this is not my 1st cross country ride..been doing it since early 70's..I have also done Kenya, Greece, Mediterrian boat trips, Channel Islands, Central America, and many Carabbean Islands..so I have an idea of what I want...I also love machinery, so the 911 is entertaining...I mentioned on other threads that I'm from another planet..and when I visit other places the culture is what I take in..doing the US with it's many cultures is facinating..and doing it w/a 911 [a great machine] is iceing on the cake..the somewhat 3 month ride can be reduced to simple cave man action..there are no dinner appointments..there are no appointments..The radio antenna is folded down and I don't even look at a newspaper..so the ride is reduced to a simple experience [somewhat]..no people complications..the only thing I have to do is keep my brains together and keep the 911 rolling..the ride is as pure as I can make it...why I wanted to do this is specific to my state of mind..I felt that I needed it..It kind of flushes out the sump..it kind of puts into prespective why and how I lead my life..Who am I? What am I doing here? Where is this going? ..all timeless questions that we all seek answers to..a younger man may do a big ride for other reasons, that's great..but the more complicated a man's life becomes the more he has to sit back and put life in prospective, IMO..and if you want to sit back, then what better place to do it than a 911..when doing Nevada I had to stop at the place where "Beings" from other planets visit..WTF, maybe I'm doing what the others do..but the Alien capitol of the world asks the question "who am I"......Ron