Ok, bike and gear performance...

- 3160 miles added to the VStrom. Some bikes had more, some had less. 2-up was usually the Strom and the Yellow VFR.

- The VStrom took a dive (while parked) at Bottomless Lakes outside Roswell, but it fell on soft dirt and there was absolutely no damage. Whew!

- The VStrom was used to charge the laptop at the same park that it tipped over in (that's why it was on soft ground to begin with - next to the picnic table) and it wouldn't start. Luckily, we had homemade MC jumper cables with us. When we rolled the yellow VFR beside it to hook them up, the Strom miraculously started on its own. Go figure.

- The right rear tail light on the SVS stopped working at Bottomless Lakes, but the bulb wasn't blown. They guys scraped the contacts on both the bulb and the receptacle, and it was working again.

- The Yellow VFR blew a fuse when Erik tried to scare some goats. He had installed the new LOUDER air horn only a week prior to the trip, and there wasn't time for a relay (or whatever it's called). He blew the fuse again (sacrificed it, really) during Dallas rush hour traffic when someone tried to run over Deb.

- The Yellow VFR had thermostat issues. In cold weather, it had very poor fuel consumption because it was stuck open. On warmer days, it was fine. The red VFR had the same issues before the trip, so Gavin had already replaced his.

- Throttle locks are either friend or foe. Mine worked fine, Gavin's was touch-and-go, Deb stopped using her o-ring at one point because it was getting stuck, and Erik lost his somewhere on the road after he rolled it out of position. Gavin and Erik are both looking at actual cruise control before the next big trip.

- Givi cases are not perfect. My key snapped, but I had a spare. Had I not packed it, I would still be able to open and close the cases with the stub and a pair of pliers, but it wouldn't have been fun. One of my cases stopped closing securely around Plano, but I've had that problem before and I have bungees cris-crossed on them for a reason.

- Erik's tank bag (came with the bike when he bought it) has a poorly-designed map pocket and anything placed in it will eventually blow away. This includes his mega-comfortable bacalava.

- Rubber tie straps that you cut to length and add snap clips to are the coolest invention ever! They are completely customized to avoid lots of flapping extra length, and they hold up great.

- Waterproof compression sack with built-in pirge valve was good, but the closure system on the one we had was tough. It basically required two people to close it properly, one to hold the stuff in the bag down away from the seal and the other to roll it and clip it.

- Adjustable bungee nets are priceless. We had three on the trip, one of which has seen better days (it was like that before we left) but they are great for getting 'just one more thing' onto the bike without having to fit it into an already-stuffed bag.

- We packed too much clothing. Granted, we only did laundry once and most of us ran out of clean clothes, but we could have easily done with losing a third to half of what we thought we'd need. Part of the problem was drastic changes in weather (had to prepare for Texas heat and mountain cold) but we didn't really care about wearing the same stuff over like I thought we would.

- Too many shoes. Knowing that hiking or lots of walking was going to be included, we all added a pair of shoes/sneakers in addition to our riding boots. We used them and our feet were happy for it, but we probably would do without them next time. River shoes (only Deb and I brought them) are a good thing to have, and they pack pretty small. If you ziploc them, you can just stuff them in with all your clothes and they take up less space than a pair of jeans.

- Stove: MSR Whisperlite International. Worked like a charm. The first few times we used it, we were just getting used to it. After a few days, we were pros. Worked well on the Coleman camp fuel that we started with, and just as well (but with a funny smell and a little more soot) with unleaded gas when we refilled it.

- Cookware: GSI Hard Anodized Aluminum with Teflon Coating. 5-piece set (small pot with lid/frypan and large pot with lid/frypan and a handle for all. We used just about all the pieces, and even set up a double-boiler of sorts to attempt to 'bake' in the small pot. It kinda worked. We also used a small grill that was supposed to be used to grill some steaks over open flame (dag nabbit, fire ban the whole time) to elevate the pan off the stove flame to make pancakes without burning them. Worked like a charm.

- Bisquick shake & pour (just add water) pancakes are amazingly easy. The WalMart brand stinks. Spend the extra $ .50 and you’ll see why.

- Tents: North Face Merlin 33 (both of them). Very nice tents. Easy to set up and take down once we got used to them, rain flys kept everything cozy (when they were on) and adequate vestibule space for stuff. Riding gear was stowed inside. A small hole was discovered on Erik's, but it's fairly small and easily patchable. The tent stakes STINK! You'd think that a tent that retails for $329 would have half-decent stakes. They bent no matter what the ground was made of. Both Gavin and Erik are going to buy some titanium stakes before the tents are used again. Stake mallet/puller was added at our first WalMart trip, and was cheap. The puller fell out of the handle the first time it was used, but we glued it back in with epoxy and it's fine now. I carried it on the outside of my right saddlebag, and it was joked about that I could pull it out of the bungee and fling it at a driver if necessary, and nobody would feel bad about the $1.97 we spent on it.

- Sleep Pad: REI 2.5 – I loved it. Packed easily, self-inflating, you can add air if you need, and it made sleeping on the ground very comfy. I also took air out and put the pad in the hammock for a nap in AZ.

- North Face 40 Degree Sleeping Bag. I was cold some nights, but I also didn’t dress properly going to bed on those nights and it got below 40 on a few. The bag will work well for 3-season camping here in Texas, but mountains are not what it’s made for.

- Genmar up & back riders – worked like a charm to put my arms and shoulders in a very comfortable position for high mileage days.