AZ to FL and Back 4,500 Miles

[rob_wilco]

Bought a 2002 Voyager XII from a seller in Phoenix off of Craigslist with about 44,000 miles on it. Redid brakes, rear rotor, new battery, replaced air suspension front and back with Progressives, fixed the speedo, and new tires, fluids, etc. Coming from a KLR650 it took some getting used to, first big bike. This forum has been the biggest lifesaver, I swapped the headlight to an LED, I'm incredibly grateful for the threads which detail the disabling of the Reserve Lighting Unit (removed the ground wire and electrical taped it, LED works fine now without the RLU thinking it's a burned-out incandescent).
Finally took it on the voyage it deserves, and it makes me appreciate Kawasaki engineering even more than I did before.

Distance: a little over 4,500 miles.
Starting point: Tucson, AZ
Destination: Naples, FL

Day 1 - traffic was stopped completely for hours on I-10 right before Deming, NM. Truck drivers and cars alike turned their vehicles off and we made small talk and walked around because it was a complete traffic stand-still. Made my way down south to I-9 to get around it. After Columbus, NM I kept heading east, got to be inside a sandstorm for an hour, OEM air filter was put to the test and it passed!
Quick stop before getting to the blocked section of I-10:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bFQJsWCBsbJF3XVH8
Stopped traffic party:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZY8wisrC3B9vNWr67
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qb2ZHLE8oVZWDLHP9

On the way back through Louisiana I got to stay with the family of my mom's old neighbors from when she used to live in Louisiana, their cats were super sweet and have terrific taste in motorcycles:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nBNQBrfTr6LkUAL26
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1yszBtVw7RUxgukc9

Threaded the needle on the way out of Louisiana, fortunately only caught about 30 minutes of hard rain, weather report showed thunderstorms for the remainder of the week.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gEnSvfVvw5QyvU769
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4Ue7eU5KgBKDn4w9A
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zvXz2oAzjr32ZcJP8

On the way back through El Paso, TX - A 60+ foot tall dust devil came across all lanes and hit me directly in spite of me alternating between slowing down and speeding up to try and avoid it, it turns out the Voyager XII can run out of lean angle before it runs out of traction, the gas tank being located so much lower down on the bike is a neat design decision for the era. Bike handled it like a champ though (sorry, air filter!). Another section of road had my feet off the pegs and my rear out of the seat completely, only hands on the handlebars. Was more fun than scary but it's a good reminder that sometimes things that look fine aren't what they seem! Ventured along the path to Fredericksburg in Texas, and it was fun - hardly any other cars on the road, but it also seemed rather unsettling for some reason. Being alone on the road for hours and seeing what looked to be exotic animals inside the fencing located at the sides of the road, like they don't belong in North America. They had stripes like zebra and horns reminiscent of antelope, they were unusual, almost like Bongo Antelope but different.

All in all, the trip was terrific, would do it again (though I might invest in some even comfier seat covering for the really long days) and it wouldn't have been possible without all the terrific information here in the AVA forums! Maybe I'll find a way to make it up to Minnesota for the rally. Thought about going to rally the year it was in Flagstaff since it's closer to me, but didn't have the bike completely roadworthy at the time.
Thank you!!!