Welcome fellow motorcycle campers and future motorcycle campers!
We have a new look and we are going through some major upgrades and overhauls. Please please please, share your motorcycle camping stories and photos. If you need any help at all, please don't hesitate to contact me using the Contact Us link at the top.
One of my favorite things to do is load up the motorcycle (currently a Yamaha 1300 Tourer) and head out for the weekend or longer for a camping trip.
I had gone on weekend camping trips, but last June 2007 was my first long trip. A couple friends and I headed from Kansas City to Yellowstone for a 2 week journey that I will not soon forget. In fact, I found a new love for something I enjoyed doing... riding my motorcycle and camping. A sort of marriage of hobbies if you will. :)
In 2008, we are headed to the Grand Canyon... a round trip totaling about 3400 miles. I've been looking forward to this trip since I got home from my Yellowstone camping trip.
I learned quite a few things in on the Yellowstone trip, and it helped a ton on my motorcycle camping trip to the Grand Canyon. Still, you never know everything, and everyone has tips and tricks to share.
By day, I am a system administrator in the information technology field. Thus my enthusiasm for building a website where motorcyclists could discuss my new found hobby... in hopes that we all can learn from each other and share stories from the campsite.
To get started, please click Log In above and create your account to start sharing stories, discussing gear, and posting photos of your past trips!
Hulu Plus is a new service due out soon that brings TV content to your iPhone. Hulu remains a free service, but pay ten bucks a month for Hulu Plus and you'll be able to look at TV on iPhones, iPads and Samsung HDTVs and Blu-ray players. To sign up for an invitation to view the Hulu Plus subscription preview, go to hulu.com.
Post resource: Hulu Plus streaming HDTV to your smartphone for ten bucks a month by Personal Money Store
Hulu not replaced by Hulu Plus
On its website, the company said "Hulu Plus is not a replacement for Hulu -- it's something new". Mobile phones or Internet-connected devices like video game consoles, Blu-ray players or even certain HDTVs aren’t at the moment supported by Hulu. Hulu Plus, PC World reports works with PCs and Macs; via an app for Apple's iPad, iPhone (3GS and 4), and iPod Touch (third-generation) platforms; and via the Samsung Apps platform on 2010 Samsung connected devices (including Blu-ray players, Blu-ray Home Theater systems, and TVs.
Expanded streaming content available on Hulu Plus
The standard Hulu that generally allows you to look at just a handful of episodes from a show before it begins pulling them--will probably continue to be available for free. But CNN reports that the $ 10 dollar Hulu Plus subscription lets you watch the entire current season of shows produced by Fox, NBC and NBC. You'll also be able to look at previous season of many hit network shows.
Hulu Plus battles Netflix streaming
Rick Broida at CNET wonders if Hulu Plus will compete with Netflix streaming. He makes the point that Netflix content is already streaming via an iPad app and an app for the iPhone will be ready soon. A Netflix subscription costs nine bucks a month for DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming. Netflix streaming also has a much larger movie library than Hulu Plus, along with a comprehensive TV catalog. Broida says Hulu Plus' only real edge is that it delivers the latest episodes of favored shows. An entire season of a show has to run its course to be accessible on Netflix a couple of months later.
A lot more data accessible at these websites:
pcworld.com
money.cnn.com
news.cnet.com
Eating in a car can make you sick
Unless you're the type of person who obsessively cleans the steering wheel, gear shift, door handles and other surfaces inside your vehicle with antibacterial wipes, eating in a car can place your health at risk. As outlined by the Daily Mail, British accessories company Halfords conducted a study on consumer cars in which they found germs that cause food poisoning, skin infections and par break emission. Bacillus cereus, staphylococcus and other harmful bacteria and lead to such unpleasant maladies.
Source for this article: Eating in a car is a sure ticket to food poisoning
Staph infection - Why eating in a car is not a good idea
The Mail indicates that staphylococcal infections jump from person to person with ease and lead to the skin condition impetigo, not to mention intestinal illness. Bacillus cereus hide in heating vents and on the floor, waiting for warmth to help their spores propagate. Car infestation can occur in no time at all. If there are food particles after eating in a car, bacteria will inevitably grow.
Cleaning interior surfaces is essential
Food poisoning that causes severe nausea, parbreak or diarrhea could be avoided if interior surfaces are cleaned thoroughly. Staph like to congregate where hands go (steering wheel, gear shift, door handles, radio and A/C knobs), while the bacillus cereus sits with the dust and dirt in seats, mats, carpets and vents. Of infected cars Halfords found, 70 percent of the owners admitted to eating in a car. Of all cars surveyed, half said they cleaned the inside of their car less than once a month, says the Daily Mail. In the best of all possible worlds, Halfords recommends at least once per week.
Eating in a car is risky, but cooking is handy
How to Do Things reports that cooking such foods as hot dogs on an engine is safer than you think. Simply use a tight double- or triple-wrap of aluminum foil to protect both food and engine. Pop the hood and place the wrapped hot dog on the part of your engine that generates one of the most warmth, but is safely from any wires and lines. This location will vary by engine and make of car, so a hand test after the engine's warm helps. Be careful not to touch the engine directly, or you'll get a nice burn.
Once you've found the place, secure the food using something that won't melt or burn up. It should be snug, but not to the extent that the engine overheats. Close the automobile's hood and start driving. How long will depend upon car, food and engine. For more info on how to cook hot dogs or a wide variety of other foods, check out the brilliant book "Manifold Destiny".
Citations
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1284632/Eating-wheel-puts-risk...
http://www.howtodothings.com/automotive/how-to-cook-food-on-your-car-engine
http://books.google.com/books?id=tZIFAAAACAAJ&dq=cooking on your car engine&ei=CwYMR7nrDI--ogLO_oTdDg
Being developed for blind drivers is a new Ford Escape
Blind drivers are left out of the equation when it comes to latest automotive innovations. The fact that the phrase "blind drivers" could be uttered at all in The United States might invoke a bad comedy act to some, but the truth is that technology is changing the playing field. The Detroit Bureau blog reports that the National Federation of the Blind is presently developing a special version of the Ford Escape that will, in fact, enable blind drivers to safely and independently use America's roadways.
Source of article: New Ford Escape is being developed for blind drivers by Car Deal Expert
Drivers who are blind can ‘see’ the road
In January 2011, the Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona International Speedway will consist of a specially modified Ford Escape that will enable its blind driver (whose identity has thus far not been revealed) to see and compete, writes The Detroit Bureau. This will occur following the special Ford Escape's debut at the Blind Driver Challenge happening earlier in the month. When it can be a while before such a car becomes accessible to the public view, the day for blind drivers will eventually come.
AirPix gives 'sight' to those who are blind drivers
Developed by technicians that are at Virginia Tech University, AirPix technology uses a non-visual interface that enables blind drivers to know about their surroundings and perform standard driving functions like steering, braking and accelerating. Going beyond blind spot camera technology, AirPix is a viable technology that is going to be making blind drivers actual drivers, rather than just passengers or pedestrians. A small tablet is the AirPix interface. Air currents keep blind drivers informed as to the roadway environment. An additional technology called DriveGrip uses a glove that informs blind drivers of conditions with simple vibrations.
Think of this as science fiction? Rethink it all
Individual elements of the technology the National Federation of the Blind will be displayed soon at the annual convention of the organization. By the time the Blind Driver Challenge gets under way in late January 2011, it is believed that more than one autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle for blind drivers may participate. Blind drivers are the future.
Citations:
The Detroit Bureau
thedetroitbureau.com/2010/07/new-car-could-let-the-blind-drive/
See the car that empowers the blind to drive:
I set up a blog for my trip, I am 3400 miles into it and taking a break with my grand kids in Austin Tx my blog is at http://ronvansickle.blogspot.com/
Ron