Happy Thanksgiving

["Tom Brown" <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

marc:

Too much coffee and desert after dinner last night has me writing to the 
list at 4AM.

I've been to your area and it's pretty wonderful riding.

I have the distinct pleasure of living in Chicago, the metropolotin 
mega-center of the great plains.   It's a nice place to live, but one has to 
be creative to make fun riding happen.    Around here, a flat road is a good 
road.  Cheaper to build, fewer accidents, able to handle the occasional 
combine or tractor with many plows.  We're a practical lot here in the 
midwest.

Well, most of us anyway.   I'm heading out with 4 friends to Deal's Gap this 
morning.  We'll meet for breakfast and be out riding by 9AM..  It's a little 
over 700 miles to Knoxville from here.  Weather is supposed to be totally 
miserable until Sunday.   We may decide to change our route and go to New 
Orleans instead.  That would be a first for us.   Weather is supposed to be 
slightly better there.    I'm checking weather channel now.

Equipment list:

'04 RT

Oversized winshield....+4" width, +4 or 5" height...can't remember... It's 
big.

Extra electrical outlets for aerostitch heated liner and Gerbings heated 
gloves.

Heated grips...stock on RT

Extra gloves...3 finger Aerostich, summer gloves, Olympia leather winter 
gloves etc.

Thin longies

Heavy polypropylene longies

2 pairs in-between longies.

Leather pants with fresh leather treatment,   Waterproof overpants in system 
case.

Aerostich Darien w/ two long sleeve layers under above mentioned electric 
windstopper full liner.

Glove collection, first aid and maps and rags stay in top case.   Clothes, 
rain gear etc. in side cases along with a quart of oil, portable compressor 
in plastic bag with case removed, some extra tools etc.

I'm using Metzler Z6 for this trip.  I think they'll be very good.   Hope we 
don't hit a lot of snow, though.   Our stratagy is to excercize the credit 
card at a motel with a bar if the weather gets truly nasty...adds to the 
uncertainty...We love this aspect.   This is our 4th year of doing this.  So 
far, we've been able to change our route to avoid bad storms.   This year 
may be a bit more of a challenge.   I'm checking Weather Channel now.

Catch you after our return.

- -TB 

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