4th Annual Winter Bald Eagle Ride, January 18-21, 2013

[ajayhawkfan]

FINAL UPDATE 1/17/13 (I hope)

Meet at 10:00 at the QT located at I435 and Wornall Road. We are heading to Eureka Springs for the evening. Friday night at Best Western Eureka Inn http://www.eurekabw.com/ 101 East VanBuren. (Intersection of Highway 62 and 23).

The plans are to stop for lunch at the Rusty Jug in Eldorado Springs, MO on the way down. I estimate we well get to Rusty Jug around 1:00.

Saturday head toward Hot Springs. Sunday ride NW towards Fayetteville. Monday heading home. Exactly where we stay after Eureka Springs will be determined on the fly.

Find my Spot: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... jE7BvI9uVB

UPDATE 1/16/13
See this post from Troy.

UPDATE 1/15/13
Meeting time changed to 10:30 Friday at 40 and I-470

UPDATE 1/14/13
These plans are tentative. So many things can happen beyond our control that this itinerary should be viewed as a guess. I have made similar plans for for each of the earlier rides and not one was followed fully.

Friday:
12:15 Leave my house (644 West 60th Terrace, KCMO 64113, NE corner of 60th Terrace and Summit, between Ward Parkway and Wornall) If Randy can leave earlier they will be adjusted.
10:30 Meet riders at the QT at Highway 40 and I-470 (South of Independence Event Center)
Ride mostly blacktop aprox 215 miles to Hannibal, MO
Evening at Best Western Plus On The River http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern ... Code=26167 I called and there are plenty of rooms and there is wifi.

Saturday: From Hannibal I decided to go South because of the cold front coming in at beginning of the week (Sunday 20th).
No set schedule. Riding approx. 170 miles much of it gravel. Evening in either Grafton (first choice), Hardin or Jerseyville.

Sunday:
Ride from Grafton to Hermann. Ride aprox 160 miles including Lost Creek Road (hopefully in the daylight this time). We will stay at the Harbor Haus Inn, they have plenty of rooms and they have wifi. http://www.harborhaus.net/

Monday:
This is the coldest day of the trip. We can decide to take the scenic or quick way home.

The riders.
Eddie
The fools that are willing to follow: Troy, Scottie, Ryan, Randy

Troy and Scottie are together (I don't need details of the relationship. I judge not.)
The rest of us will be in individual rooms.

If interested it is still not to late to join the fun.

If anyone is interested you can follow our progress of lack thereof on my spot: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... jE7BvI9uVB



It is not too early to start thinking about this years Winter Bald Eagle Ride. It will be over MLK Weekend again, January 18-21, 2013.

If you have been good this year, you could possibly ask for heating gear for Christmas.

UPDATE 12/17/12 Tentative information:

Friday January, 18th. Start around 12:00, noon. Where we meet will be determined.
The plan is to head east to the Mississippi River, upriver of STL. This is subject to change depending on road conditions.
Friday will be mostly blacktop. Saturday and Sunday will be a mixture of both gravel and blacktop. Monday's route will be a mixture of both with more blacktop if we start running out of daylight. I would expect to be home mid afternoon on Monday.

Ice or snow could change the route or even cancel.

UPDATE 12/21/12 (may not be needed if world ends today.) I will be staying in a motel room, ALONE, each night of the trip. You are welcome to camp if you so choose.

UPDATE 1/7/12

I received a few questions. Here are the answers if others are wondering.

It would be difficult to predict where we will be each night especially this far out from the trip. Where we go is weather sensitive. If you want to join us Friday night I'll post our intended evening location Thursday night.

I can't predict when we will be back on Monday however I hope to be back by 4:00.

If this ride is canceled because of weather I will post Thursday night and/or Friday morning.

[ozarksrider]

My feet get really cold Eddie but if I have some heated gear by Jan, and there isn't measurable snow on the road, I'll probably go.

[troy]

Ditto. Just like years past....if the forecast does not predict ice-covered roads, I'm probably IN.

[ajayhawkfan]

Troy and Ozarkrider will get along great rooming together. They'll be able to warm each other up if their toes get chilly.

[allkidd]

I think that I did this in reverse...I've had heated gear for several years but until now, didn't have a bike that would run the heated gear without the battery going dead. Assuming no snow, ice or arctic blast I should be good to go!

[ajayhawkfan]

My feet get really cold Eddie but if I have some heated gear by Jan, and there isn't measurable snow on the road, I'll probably go.

I know Troy has used these because I saw him purchase them.

I have used them deer hunting in extremely bitter temperatures and they work pretty well.

I have never needed them riding. For me in the winter I use either a top quality wool or synthetic blend socks and I make sure there boots are not too tight. Boots that are tight do not allow for proper blood circulation to your feet and they smash the pile of the socks. That pile is needed to trap warm air. Also NEVER USE COTTON OR A COTTON BLEND. This goes for both my riding and hunting boots.

[Rusty Jug]

Ok, since I see the toastie toe thing, I need more info on this ride!!

[ajayhawkfan]

Ok, since I see the toastie toe thing, I need more info on this ride!!

Nothing set but date and most likely head toward east.

You can read about past trips. http://www.rideforum.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1365 and http://www.rideforum.net/viewtopic.php? ... 6&start=60

[Papasan]

Being new to this forum, I have to ask, where does this ride take us?

[ajayhawkfan]

Being new to this forum, I have to ask, where does this ride take us?

That is always up in the air and depends on the weather. The goal is to go east to the Mississippi River, north of STL.

[clfarren5944]

We saw more than a dozen eagles last winter up at Squaw Creek if it's too cold/icy to go east.

Chris

[ajayhawkfan]

We saw more than a dozen eagles last winter up at Squaw Creek if it's too cold/icy to go east.

Chris

Cold had not changed the ride in the past but fog, ice and snow has changed the destination.

[DirtFarmer]

Boots that are tight do not allow for proper blood circulation to your feet

OK, I get that part, but what I don't understand how does your blood get past that tourniquet you call a belt?

[ozarksrider]

Alright, I'm shopping for a heated jacket liner. Anybody got any feedback on what they are using?

I want the best, as I think it's gonna be cold in Jan.

[troy]

Alright, I'm shopping for a heated jacket liner. Anybody got any feedback on what they are using?

I want the best, as I think it's gonna be cold in Jan.

I'm not an expert in the area, and was a bit overwhelmed with confusing options when shopping for mine. The stuff aint cheap, either.

I got my heated jacket and gloves from Warm & Safe.
http://www.warmnsafe.com/

I am happy with what I got--the quality seems high and they work well.

Some advice I can give--get a heated jacket, not a heated vest. I have a heated vest. It works great but the advantage of the heated jacket (with sleeves) is not only warmer arms but they provide the wiring to connect heated gloves into the jacket. It's a more simple wiring setup than running long wires through your sleeves in order to connect your heated gloves.

Get the dual troller. Do not think twice about this. Do not get a single troller. Repeat. Get the dual controller. This allows you to control the heat level of the jacket and gloves separately. With a single troller, you have to try and find a happy median that makes everything warm enough--good luck with that!

I notice now they have new options not available when I bought mine--like the dual troller has a remote control. That is cool! Assuming it works, I'd definitely get that. Reason is, with my wired one, I have to keep it in my pocket and can be difficult for me to adjust on the go. The remote option would allow you to mount it easily or have it in your tank bag.

Just in case you are thinking to save money by skipping the heated gloves and instead relying on your heated grips...I love my heated grips, but in my experience at least, they can't keep your hands comfortable for long periods at 35 degrees and below. When it's that cold, I turn off the grips and turn on the gloves.

For what it's worth, I have a very nice heated vest that I plan to keep but am willing to loan. So if you only plan to do one cold ride and don't really want to spend all the money for one ride, borrowing my heated vest might be an option.

For the $500 investment I have in heated gear, I've only used them maybe a total of 6 days over 2 years. The good news is this stuff could last my lifetime. The only reason to buy new heated gear will be to take advantage of new technology improvements.

[ajayhawkfan]

I agree with Troy.

I have Gerbing's jacket and gloves. They new models have a microfiber that is suppose to keep you warmer. I have the older model and never had a problem.

A key is to have a jacket that is not loose to the body. That way the heat does right to the skin. On very cold days I wear polypro long underwear, shirt, heated jacket, (sometimes a light fleece jacket) and riding jacket. As the day warms I can peel off layers as needed.

As for gloves. I have their gloves and rarely turn them on they are so well insulated. Having the dual controls is mandatory because of that. If I could do it over I would get the heated liners instead http://gerbing.com/Products/Gloves/liner.php and use my winter gloves. (I purchased from Duluth Trading and a similar to this http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/prod ... or=content.)

I have not used the foot insoles but I have heard good reviews.

[allkidd]

+1 on everything Troy and Eddie have already said. I have the Gerbings liner and gloves and the only thing that I would do different is to get one size smaller on the liner. You need to have the liner so that it is snug to your skin. My liner is a perfect size if it was a coat but because it is somewhat loose I lose a lot of the heat. I purchased my items new but as seconds directly from Gerbings at a big savings:

http://heatedclothingoutlet.com/index.shtml

My only other recommendation is that after you purchase the gear, don't walk into a public building, especially government offices, with all the wires and controls dangling out of your coat...I've been accused of having a bomb!

[ajayhawkfan]

There is still time to sign up for this testosterone filled ride.

[Harpguy]

I can stay warm on most of my body but my head gets cold. Is there a liner or sock for your head? My helmet is a tight fit.

[Bob Morgan]

There is still time to sign up for this testosterone filled ride.

Oh NO! I just paid off my rain gear........... now I have to buy testosterone proof gear too? I'll never get out debt at this rate.