Andrade port of entry..is it safe ?
- Thread starter ironman
- Start date
"HD Street Glide Special" in the sig line...200 miles per tank at PSL? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I dunno....
Yup. If you've never been out that way....there's a whole lot of nothin' out there.
I have it around 115 to 130 miles apart. I could stretch it, but lately the way I feel, this seems a good amount of rest stops for me physically.
Add to that I'm not a big fan of how my twin cam HD rattles you to the core. Have heard new M8's are smoother and much better.
You'll have to stretch it at least once - Wells to Ely is ~140 miles, and if that's at the end of day one, that's gonna be in the dark.
Ely to Alamo is ~150 miles...more darkness for at least some of that ride.
Darkness on a Nevada highway makes the frontier of Mexico look like an amusement park. More than a few of us can attest to that.
You'll have to stretch it at least once - Wells to Ely is ~140 miles, and if that's at the end of day one, that's gonna be in the dark.
Ely to Alamo is ~150 miles...more darkness for at least some of that ride.
Darkness on a Nevada highway makes the frontier of Mexico look like an amusement park. More than a few of us can attest to that.
I’m thinking that’s what I’ll have to do. I really hate riding in dark, even with my Krista/Darla combo lights from Clearwater, I was very uncomfortable riding in dark. I thought they didn’t make that much of a difference.
May be I need to adjust them better. Slightly upwards. I’ll try that.
Wells to Ely will be treacherous ride for me, if I decide to stretch that part. That will save lot of time next day. Or I could stop in Wells and start early next morning, having got some rest.
If you can pick a border crossing that has a bridge they usually charge a couple dollars for the toll and will give you a receipt which is good for the DBR.
Most riders stop when they need fuel. You’ve got a 6 gal tank. Have you done mods that lowered your mpg? If you need to get off the bike because you’re feeling stiff or something is aching, you should be addressing those things so it’s more comfortable for you.
You don’t just ‘sit there, twist that, it’s a dance. Shake and arm out, stretch a leg out or back, move the joints, arch your back or straiten up, rotate your shoulders, and keep doing that every now and then. The movement keeps the circulation going better and prevents some of the stiffness. Some Advil or Tylenol helps too around mid point in the day. Advil is an anti inflammatory med as well as pain med.
I don’t even get off the bike at fuel stops. (my fuel stops were 300+ on Cert rides, 450-500 on non-cert rides). No glove removal, certainly not helmet or other gear. You should be able to get to your gas card(s), camera/phone and pen w/o removing gloves. And use them, of course. Unless I need a bio break, a gas stop is ~5 minutes at the pump and I’m gone.
Not sure why your twin cam “rattles you to the core”. It’s a rubber mount engine. Don’t try a rigid frame, springer fork bike.
@ironman - I’m curious when you plan to start your ride? You show Starbucks at your start point, which opens at 5am. There is a 24 Hr 7-11/Petro Canada close by that which would allow an earlier start DBR. Either with the gas receipt or an ATM receipt. Better to ride in the dark early when you are fresh, than at the end of the day when you are tired. Consider a 4 am start and skipping some of your early gas stops. That easily gives you 2 more hours of daylight on the other end of your day.
I use something similar to THIS for a gas card, credit card and a $20 bill for fuel stops. Kept in an outside pocket I can access with my gloves on. Klim and Aerostich both have sleeve pockets I use this way. On my mesh jacket I use a front lower pocket.
I use something similar to THIS for a gas card, credit card and a $20 bill for fuel stops. Kept in an outside pocket I can access with my gloves on. Klim and Aerostich both have sleeve pockets I use this way. On my mesh jacket I use a front lower pocket.
Most riders stop when they need fuel. You’ve got a 6 gal tank. Have you done mods that lowered your mpg? If you need to get off the bike because you’re feeling stiff or something is aching, you should be addressing those things so it’s more comfortable for you.
You don’t just ‘sit there, twist that, it’s a dance. Shake and arm out, stretch a leg out or back, move the joints, arch your back or straiten up, rotate your shoulders, and keep doing that every now and then. The movement keeps the circulation going better and prevents some of the stiffness. Some Advil or Tylenol helps too around mid point in the day. Advil is an anti inflammatory med as well as pain med.
I don’t even get off the bike at fuel stops. (my fuel stops were 300+ on Cert rides, 450-500 on non-cert rides). No glove removal, certainly not helmet or other gear. You should be able to get to your gas card(s), camera/phone and pen w/o removing gloves. And use them, of course. Unless I need a bio break, a gas stop is ~5 minutes at the pump and I’m gone.
Not sure why your twin cam “rattles you to the core”. It’s a rubber mount engine. Don’t try a rigid frame, springer fork bike.
No mods, bike is still stock and I get around 40 MPG. I get off often because of my shoulders, I've already swapped 2 handlebars and I'm still not comfortable. On my last ride, I used menthol patch+Ibuprofen and that helped some, I'll do the same on this ride.
I have Helibars and I may readjust them every other stop this time. Maybe that will relive some soreness. As far as stretching, I try to do it at gas stops, I'll experiment on bike this time.
Since I'm short, I've modified my seat to gel but it's not like a thick & plush, it's thin and that transfers lot's of road vibrations. Overall the bike is smooth but because of the seat, fatigue sets in quick. I just got BUTTBUFFER seat pad today and I'll try that on this ride along with sheepskin. Maybe alternate it every other stop.
When I had Yamaha 1300 with Ultimate seat that was thick, I could ride for 20+ hrs and didn't feel anything.
Thanks. I had Starbucks just for a quick preview. And That's a good idea to start early, that will help because I'm already familiar with local roads here. So even if I start in dark, I'll be comfortable for first 200 miles in dark.
This is where experience and time management really gets to be perfected.
I *do* take off my gloves, and I *do* get off the bike, but only because at 5' 8", I really don't feel like holding up my 850lb Goldwing with only one leg, while trying to reach over and activate the fuel pump.
That loss of a couple of minutes is where I am stretching and moving, even if it's only to reach into my front pocket to pull out my wallet to get my CC out and things like that. My clipboard is in the trunk, so while fueling is in progress, I'm accessing that and having it ready to go to set up for the photo of odometer and receipt.
Where the time is lost is the doffing and donning of the helmet, and ever since I started wearing hearing protection/IEM's, I've worn my helmet 10+ hours without removal.
But, yeah, that adage is still accurate. "A minute of sitting still means a mile less traveled."
An observation; If I lose a CC, it’s a call to cancel it. If I lose my wallet, that’s a nightmare of items to replace. You can get extra CCs for the same account for free from nearly all providers. I have 4 chevron cards, for example. I never take my wallet out during a cert ride.
Often it’s only one distraction at the wrong time that kills our focused routine and results in a big error. Beautiful Wife once got asked about her bike at Mt Rushmore in the parking lot as she was putting things away and gearing up. She ended up leaving her belly bag/travel purse on top of the spot between the aux cell and top case, which slid off on one of the corners as we left the parking area. By the time we noticed it was long gone. She got the contents back, minus a few hudred dollars in cash, anonymously mailed to our home, arriving a few days after we got back from that trip. Best outcome that could be hoped for, all in all. She had her phone, other CCs and her passport on her person and it didn’t end our trip, just caused more stress and some phone calls to cancel cards.
Often it’s only one distraction at the wrong time that kills our focused routine and results in a big error. Beautiful Wife once got asked about her bike at Mt Rushmore in the parking lot as she was putting things away and gearing up. She ended up leaving her belly bag/travel purse on top of the spot between the aux cell and top case, which slid off on one of the corners as we left the parking area. By the time we noticed it was long gone. She got the contents back, minus a few hudred dollars in cash, anonymously mailed to our home, arriving a few days after we got back from that trip. Best outcome that could be hoped for, all in all. She had her phone, other CCs and her passport on her person and it didn’t end our trip, just caused more stress and some phone calls to cancel cards.
The one time I tried to use the sleeve pocket on my Tourmaster Kilimanjaro jacket to carry a CC, I managed to lose it about four hours into a ride - 2000 miles from home.
Yes, not a big deal these days. Yes, there's also cash and a backup, rarely used CC in another location on the bike. That loss of CC kinda made me go thru the routine of checking the zipped pocket, validating it's there before removal for use. The inverse happens when done; put in pocket, zip it up, then tap on it to make the brain register 'yep, it's there'
I’ve crossed the Andrade Port of Entry (Algodones) a few times, and it feels generally safe, especially if you're just turning around quickly. The area is known for dental offices, so it's pretty busy with tourists. I’d suggest being cautious, especially around the border, but as long as you stick to your plan and don’t linger, it should be fine. As for uploading pictures, try resizing them before uploading, or use a photo editing tool to reduce the file size. Safe travels !
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sergiotony45
Yes i see this
"Smart" devices are not very smart and can be easily fooled into "thinking" they are somewhere they are not. I have since deleted the data, but I once had an in-city SS1k entirely within the boundaries of Moscow (the Russian one, not the Idahoian one). Took about 20 minutes to setup and 19 hours later I had an SS1k documented, complete with fuel stops, but alas... no DBRs.
@Stephen! - It appears that he finally screwed down his courage and crossed the border, wasn't immediately kidnapped or assaulted, and escaped by the narrowest of margins. There's another thread about it.
(And yes, that comment was with tongue planted firmly in cheek.)
I'm just glad that he faced his fears and did it. The whole issue had taken on a mythic stance of Mexico being some kind of hellish land of Mordor.
(And yes, that comment was with tongue planted firmly in cheek.)
I'm just glad that he faced his fears and did it. The whole issue had taken on a mythic stance of Mexico being some kind of hellish land of Mordor.
@Stephen! - It appears that he finally screwed down his courage and crossed the border, wasn't immediately kidnapped or assaulted, and escaped by the narrowest of margins. There's another thread about it.
(And yes, that comment was with tongue planted firmly in cheek.)
I'm just glad that he faced his fears and did it. The whole issue had taken on a mythic stance of Mexico being some kind of hellish land of Mordor.
Excellent...
This is totally off topic, but has anyone been through the border crossing at McAllan, TX/Reynosa? I have to go there for a work trip soon. The company is kind of freaked out by the "Do not travel" warning the US State Department has for Tamaulipas, so we have a bunch of security protocols to follow: drivers, check-ins, curfews, an on-call extraction team (!). I think it's probably overkill; is it really worse than Chicago?