I ran this two weeks ago (5/22-23 2021), forgot to post it here.
I moved my Garmin 595 over to the Pan Am from the Crossbones and figured the best way to test it was on an IBA ToH run (being the only Pan Am on the ToH this year it seemed like the right thing to do). I plotted out the Georgia sites in both Basecamp and the Harley Ride Planner* Saturday night, loaded them into the 595 and set off Sunday morning. The HD tank bag also showed up, which was much better than the backpack I used on my break-in SS1000**.
The ride itself went as planned, over to Ocala then up I-75 to Bainbridge, then a straight shot all the way north to the only limited access site, the Georgia National Cemetery up in Canton. A nice winding road to get there, and a slow ride through a surprising number of headstones to the Interment Pavilion. I was glad I was on my Pan Am and not my Crossbones, the loud pipes of the later would have been inappropriate with the
few scattered families visiting.
I fell a bit behind schedule after leaving – I had counted on Atlanta traffic slowing me down, but hadn’t factored in that I would be going through it twice – rookie mistake.
Next stop was south to Washington, GA, pretty remote and had me checking the 595 to make sure it wasn’t set to “adventure mode”. This one really stood out, the town had an air of the 1950’s in a good way. The memorial to LCPL Scarborough was done right. The note on the ToH page says ”Take the time to read the poem, it's a must-read!”. The poem is a heartfelt description of the town’s reaction to the news of his death in Fallujah, and standing there reading it in the middle of town square made it much more meaningful. An outstanding choice, worth every mile traveled for the experience.
McRae-Helena was another out of the way place, then across to Savannah and down to Brunswick. The final was Folkston, where my 595 managed to route me onto Tar Rd, strange name for a ¼ mile long dirt road that turned into soft sand at the end (if you get routed on to it just drive past 100’, and it will re-route you on pavement). Exciting way to get the adrenaline running in the dark hours of the morning.
After that it was a straight shot home, total mileage covered was 1,245, though I only used 1,110 of it when I submitted it to the IBA.
A great ride, Pan Am ran strong with no issues. And hat’s off to Jeff Allmond who sponsored Georgia – that Washington, GA was an outstanding choice.
Jim in FL (AKA PanAm Jim)
#61852
*I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Harley Ride Planner worked, and the GPX files worked great with the 595. The only downside I’ve found so far is that it absolutely requires internet access to work.
**It fits great, quick install, and doesn’t wiggle around, but I’m a bit disappointed that I have to unsnap the front of it to put gas in. Unfortunately it’s the only option at the moment, and the Pan Am has a rather prominent ridge running down the middle that could make a standard flat bottom bag unstable.
I moved my Garmin 595 over to the Pan Am from the Crossbones and figured the best way to test it was on an IBA ToH run (being the only Pan Am on the ToH this year it seemed like the right thing to do). I plotted out the Georgia sites in both Basecamp and the Harley Ride Planner* Saturday night, loaded them into the 595 and set off Sunday morning. The HD tank bag also showed up, which was much better than the backpack I used on my break-in SS1000**.
The ride itself went as planned, over to Ocala then up I-75 to Bainbridge, then a straight shot all the way north to the only limited access site, the Georgia National Cemetery up in Canton. A nice winding road to get there, and a slow ride through a surprising number of headstones to the Interment Pavilion. I was glad I was on my Pan Am and not my Crossbones, the loud pipes of the later would have been inappropriate with the
few scattered families visiting.I fell a bit behind schedule after leaving – I had counted on Atlanta traffic slowing me down, but hadn’t factored in that I would be going through it twice – rookie mistake.
Next stop was south to Washington, GA, pretty remote and had me checking the 595 to make sure it wasn’t set to “adventure mode”. This one really stood out, the town had an air of the 1950’s in a good way. The memorial to LCPL Scarborough was done right. The note on the ToH page says ”Take the time to read the poem, it's a must-read!”. The poem is a heartfelt description of the town’s reaction to the news of his death in Fallujah, and standing there reading it in the middle of town square made it much more meaningful. An outstanding choice, worth every mile traveled for the experience.
McRae-Helena was another out of the way place, then across to Savannah and down to Brunswick. The final was Folkston, where my 595 managed to route me onto Tar Rd, strange name for a ¼ mile long dirt road that turned into soft sand at the end (if you get routed on to it just drive past 100’, and it will re-route you on pavement). Exciting way to get the adrenaline running in the dark hours of the morning.
After that it was a straight shot home, total mileage covered was 1,245, though I only used 1,110 of it when I submitted it to the IBA.
A great ride, Pan Am ran strong with no issues. And hat’s off to Jeff Allmond who sponsored Georgia – that Washington, GA was an outstanding choice.
Jim in FL (AKA PanAm Jim)
#61852
*I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Harley Ride Planner worked, and the GPX files worked great with the 595. The only downside I’ve found so far is that it absolutely requires internet access to work.
**It fits great, quick install, and doesn’t wiggle around, but I’m a bit disappointed that I have to unsnap the front of it to put gas in. Unfortunately it’s the only option at the moment, and the Pan Am has a rather prominent ridge running down the middle that could make a standard flat bottom bag unstable.