Mikes World Tour: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Living Our Dream Tour (Part IV) – Alyxmoto, Alyxmoto... do you know Alyxmoto?!

I have been very fortunate over the years to have run into a handful of really amazing mechanics. With that said, on an even more rare occasion I have run into – what I call – a “true artisan”. An individual who has found their calling in life and spent their years learning and perfecting their craft. Alyx (of Alyxmoto [www.alyxmoto.com]) is one of these individuals. I met him at the BMW MOA event in Salem, OR. He had teamed up with Remus and Ohlins to install shock and exhaust systems purchased at the rally. After watching him work and speaking with him I could clearly see his passion for working on BMW motorcycles. After I had my new Ohlins installed I struck up a conversation with a rally attendee, Mel, later in the day – he was interested in getting a new suspension system for his 1200GS. Mel indicated that he saw Alyx install the Ohlins on my bike; and, that I was lucky to have him as my mechanic and indicated that Alyx does all the work on his 1200GS. This unsolicited praise brought me back to Alyx to arrange a full service of my and my wife's motorbikes later in the week.

I arrived at Alyx's shop and he went to work immediately. Trained in Germany, you could see the care and efficiency as he went about his task. He allowed me to watch, ask questions, loaned me tools to make some minor adjustments on my own, and made suggestions (no hard sales pitches) on some things I might consider doing to increase performance of my and my wife's motorbike. He also took the time to make some additional fabricated adjustments to make sure my wife's bike operated more efficiently.

I even had the pleasure of meeting his wife, Jenny, and two daughters.

When everything was complete, the bill was more than fair. Watching him work I even threw in a little extra – I felt that good about the time and care he put into his work and felt it was worth every penny.

If you are ever in Western Washington State, or making the Alaska to Ushuaia run, be sure to stop by Alyxmoto and have an 'artist' work on your BMW motorbike. He is completely independent so he does not have heavy overhead costs driving his prices up. He only accepts cash, but no worries, there is a ATM 5 miles from his shop as-well-as a Starbucks Coffee should you wish to take a day and catch up on your correspondence.

Be sure to check him out! Do you know Alyxmoto?!

Please note – be sure to call him before you "drop in" for service as he primarily works on a by appointment basis. Phone: 503-270-7088

ALYXMOTO [www.alyxmoto.com]:

30120 SE Retreat/Kanaskat Rd, Ravensdale WA 98051

GPS Coordinates: N 47.34071 W 121.94122

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Living Our Dream Tour (Part III) – Thick Marine-Layer & National Parks Move Us In-Land

Riding the Northern California Coast is amazing. The roads are fantastic, and the views are spectacular... when you can see them. As we pass through San Francisco, we visit some more friends; but, begin to experience a thick marine-layer and overcast skies. No worries, the interior of Oregon (north of the great Redwood Trees of California) offers us the Oregon Caves National Monument and the Crater Lake National Park (as-well-as some fantastic riding).

After our visit to these amazing National Parks we continue North to Portland, OR, for 2 days in the 'big' city and a break from camping for 'Samurai-Rider'.

Portland's “Keep Portland Weird” motto lives up to its name with fantastic sights, sounds and food. From here we duck south towards Salem, OR, for the BMW MOA International Rally ([url]http://bmwmoa.org/TheRally.aspx[/url]), July 18-21, 2013.

Look for 'Samurai-Rider' (her bike has a little “bling” on the front windscreen”) and say “Hi”!

Ride safe and keep in touch.

-Mike and Jasmine

Our Tracking --

Jasmine's Friend Nanaka –

Golden Gate PMP Warrior ([url]http://www.pmpwarrior.org/[/url]) –

Evan and Joanne 'GearChic' Donn –

Time for a 'Cow' Picture (cows are kawaii) –

The beautiful (yet gloomy) California Coast (part 1) –

The beautiful (yet gloomy) California Coast (part 2) –

Campsite Japanese Curry (part 1) –

Campsite Japanese Curry (part 2) –

'Drive Thru' Redwood –

Redwood National & State Parks –

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox –

Not your average trees (Part 1) –

Not your average trees (Part 2) –

Not your average trees (Part 3) –

Not your average trees (Part 4) –

Smokey The Bear –

A new state under 'Samurai-Rider's' belt –

Oregon Caves National Monument –

The Caves (Part 1) –

The Caves (Part 2) –

The Caves (Part 3) –

The Caves (Part 4) –

Beer... my friend, your friend, everybody's friend –

New State Sticker!! –

Crater Lake National Park –

Enjoying the ride to Crater Lake –

Crater Lake –

Who wants to teach this young lady how to ride? –

Crater Lake area –

Crater Lake snow in July –

The legend of 'Mikes famous campsite spaghetti' continues to grow –

A much deserved break from camping –

Keep Portland Weird, live up to its motto –

Japanese comfort food... curry –

Portland Farmers Market with Salted/Caramel Ice Cream –

Portland Farmers Market –

Voodoo Donuts (Part 1) –

Voodoo Donuts (Part 2) –

Friday, July 5, 2013

Living Our Dream Tour (Part II) – The Power of... “Power"

Living Our Dream Tour (Part II) – The Power of... “Power"

My wife and I are tooling our way up the coast at a nice leisurely pace. Enjoying some of the sights and meeting up with friends and saying our goodbyes.

I have debated and discussed, over and over, with many different people the pros and cons of what 'electronics' I should bring/use on my trip. When I did my first trip around the world I made sure that I had at least one camera that ran on good ol' fashioned AA's. However; with the benefits of increasing technology (camera equipment, communications equipment, computers, tracking devices) the makers of these devices have needed to use prosperity batteries to get longer and longer life from their devices.

I have made it a point to bring some good cameras as-well-as some popular cameras (GoPro) to see how they function. But now I face the need for 'power'. Vast quantities of 'power' every evening to make sure everything is running properly the next day or two.

You can charge a few devices off the auxiliary plug on the motorcycle while running, but I do not fancy the idea of a dead motorbike battery in the morning if I charge everything off the bike while I sleep. Which leads me to making sure I get a campsite with power. Well, that is what I should have done! In an effort to safe a few $$$ the first few evenings we reserved campsites with no power/no water. And now, as I reach for my camera to take a picture that will tell an amazing story I find myself at a loss.

I will make sure to do better in the future with my 'power' usage.

Ride safe and keep in touch.

-Mike and Jasmine

Our Tracking --