DAY 8
We got up to the alarm at 6:30 AM. Chuck got out first and headed to our Motors and when I arrived, he had already cleaned the windshields and the fairings. What a guy! We walked over to the breakfast area and had a cup of coffee. We met some very nice people who travel from Canada and tour different parts of the United States. They were touring Arizona this time. We finished our coffee and went to our Motors. We left at 7:45 AM and headed for the Retiree's Breakfast at the Golden Corral in Prescott.
Chuck was leading and after a very long ride, 8 miles, :) we arrived at the Golden Corral. This was a first! Of all of the times that we have gone to the Retiree's Breakfast, this is the first time that we were on time! We arrived at 7:57 AM, it starts at 8:00 AM. We went in and had breakfast. While we were there, some old friends and some very old friends arrived. We had time to talk with them and talk about our journeys. Jan and Lee arrived and sat with us. It was good to see them again. Jan was telling us that he was reading the blog and was sorry that he didn't go with us. After the breakfast, we said goodbye to the remaining friends. We left at 9:45 AM, headed back to Phoenix.
Chuck led to Mayer, AZ. where we stopped at 10:11 AM after 25 miles of riding. Remember, we had breakfast and several cups of coffee. I commend us for lasting for 25 miles! We made a pit stop and, for the last time, gassed up our Motors. We left at 10:30 AM.
We took off our jackets and packed them away. I was in the lead and we headed southbound. We got into Phoenix and I'm am glad that we put our jackets away. It was 90 degrees when we got to Deer Valley Road. We continued and just before getting to Dunlap Ave., Chuck said his goodbyes to me on the CB. He got off at Dunlap and headed westbound for home. I continued southbound and got off at Jefferson and then east to 12 Street to the Phoenix Fire Department Headquarters where Laura was working a "Wills for Heroes" for the 100 Club. I arrived at 11:39 AM after riding for 77 miles. Laura came out and greeted me...:) and looked over the new Motor. She gave me her approval and I was happy! I left at 11:55 AM and headed for home. I rode for 23 miles and at 12:23 PM, I arrived home where my daughter, Jennifer, and her boyfriend, Charlie, were waiting outside for me. It was good to be home!
On this trip where Chuck and I took J.B. home to Kansas City, MO. and then following up to Litchfield, IL. to get my new Motor and then back home, we travel a total of 3,561 miles. It sure makes it pleasant to ride when you are traveling with good friends!
Next year, THE PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY! Please tune in...
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
May 9, 2008
DAY 7
I got up late today. It was 6:30 AM when my alarm sounded. I got up, got dressed quietly, so that Rip Van Winkle wouldn't wake up, and went out to the Motors to get them ready for the ride. After cleaning the Motors, I returned to the room and Rip was up and moving. Chuck was ready soon and we went down to the lobby for breakfast. After a quick breakfast and scanning the paper, we returned to the room and got the rest of our stuff. We left at 8:12 AM.
I was in the lead this morning. For those who are concerned about my new Motor, it is running great! Chuck told me that when J.B. checked the battery yesterday, one of the terminals was NOT tight, therefore not holding a good charge. It is fine now. The temperature was in the mid to upper 40's. After we were on the road, it warmed up to 54 degrees. We rode for 117 miles and at 8:34 AM we stopped in Tucumcari, NM. When we crossed into New Mexico, we gained 1 hour. It was after breakfast, after coffee, it was cold...guess what? It was time for a pit stop. We took care of business and, again, reloaded our bladders with coffee. We gassed up the Motors and we were off again at 9:02 AM.
Chuck was now in the lead. We rode for 61 miles before we took another pit stop and short break at 9:49 AM in Santa Rosa, NM. We left at 10:12 AM.
We continued for another 85 miles and stopped, yes, for another pit stop and gas at 11:16 AM in Moriarty, NM. Aren't the names of these cities sounding familiar? I know that we stopped in these cities before! We left at 11:32 AM.
I was in the lead now. Chuck had suggested that we stop later at a Wendy's because he felt like eating a salad. With every little town that we passed, I looked for signs of a Wendy's. After riding for 115 miles, we stopped at 1:04 PM in Grants, NM. at a...Subway. We still couldn't find a Wendy's and we were hungry. Chuck made the mistake of going to the restroom before ordering. I got in line and a lady came behind me. She was in front of Chuck and she ordered three sandwiches and took forever to place the order and order all of the fixins for it. By the time Chuck got his meal and sat with me, I was almost finished with mine. We left at 1:43 PM.
We continued for another 39 miles and stopped at 2:15 PM in Continental Divide, NM. We went into the shop because I needed to get something and we decided to gas up here. We gassed up and left at 2:27 PM.
Chuck was now leading again. We entered Arizona and gained another hour. We rode for 122 miles and stopped in Holbrook, AZ for a pit stop. Since we entered New Mexico and Arizona, we were battling the winds. Some of the gusts were very strong! We were riding on the left side of the lane and with some of the gusts, we were pushed to the right side. That was nasty! After the pit stop, we gassed up and continued.
It was my turn to lead...as if you didn't guess! We rode for 93 miles and at 4:34 PM, we arrived at the Best Western in Flagstaff, AZ. Time to park the Motors and get our room. No such luck! N.A.U. is having their graduation this weekend and the Best Western, as well as most of the other motels in town were all booked. We rode down the street and checked on a Day's Inn. They had rooms available, however, only suites, and they wanted an arm and a leg. We didn't want to BUY the room, just rent it for the night. We left at 4:44 PM.
We decided to ride south to Cottonwood, AZ. where there was a Best Western. We rode 14 miles and stopped at 5:05 PM in south Flagstaff, AZ. to gas up. The wind was reeking havoc with our gas mileage. We left at 5:45 PM.
Southbound we rode with Chuck leading. We rode for 38 miles and stopped at 5:38 PM at a roadside rest area in McGuireville, AZ. Chuck needed a pit stop. When he was done, we talked about not going to Cottonwood and, instead, going to Prescott Valley, AZ. We were off.At 5:21 PM after riding for 41 miles, we were in Prescott Valley heading westbound and Chuck was staring at a Denny's on the south side of the street. I called Chuck on the CB and told him about the Day's Inn, on the same side and across the street from Denny's. Chuck turned into the Day's Inn and told me that he had not seen the Day's Inn. He was concentrating too much on the Denny's. I'm glad I'm with him. Somebody has to take care of him! We checked into the Day's Inn, unloaded our Motors and tucked them in for the night. We went into the room, changed into our swim suits and went into the hot tub. That was nice. We then returned to the room, changed and went across the street to Denny's for dinner and then back to the room.
These were two long days of riding. Yesterday we rode for 651 miles and today we rode for 725 miles. Tomorrow is the retiree's breakfast at the Golden Corral in Prescott. We are so close. We will get up late, ride for 10 minutes and we will be there for breakfast. Of course, we will have horsey dervies at the Day's Inn at their continental breakfast. After the retiree's breakfast at the Golden Corral, we will head for home. More later...
I got up late today. It was 6:30 AM when my alarm sounded. I got up, got dressed quietly, so that Rip Van Winkle wouldn't wake up, and went out to the Motors to get them ready for the ride. After cleaning the Motors, I returned to the room and Rip was up and moving. Chuck was ready soon and we went down to the lobby for breakfast. After a quick breakfast and scanning the paper, we returned to the room and got the rest of our stuff. We left at 8:12 AM.
I was in the lead this morning. For those who are concerned about my new Motor, it is running great! Chuck told me that when J.B. checked the battery yesterday, one of the terminals was NOT tight, therefore not holding a good charge. It is fine now. The temperature was in the mid to upper 40's. After we were on the road, it warmed up to 54 degrees. We rode for 117 miles and at 8:34 AM we stopped in Tucumcari, NM. When we crossed into New Mexico, we gained 1 hour. It was after breakfast, after coffee, it was cold...guess what? It was time for a pit stop. We took care of business and, again, reloaded our bladders with coffee. We gassed up the Motors and we were off again at 9:02 AM.
Chuck was now in the lead. We rode for 61 miles before we took another pit stop and short break at 9:49 AM in Santa Rosa, NM. We left at 10:12 AM.
We continued for another 85 miles and stopped, yes, for another pit stop and gas at 11:16 AM in Moriarty, NM. Aren't the names of these cities sounding familiar? I know that we stopped in these cities before! We left at 11:32 AM.
I was in the lead now. Chuck had suggested that we stop later at a Wendy's because he felt like eating a salad. With every little town that we passed, I looked for signs of a Wendy's. After riding for 115 miles, we stopped at 1:04 PM in Grants, NM. at a...Subway. We still couldn't find a Wendy's and we were hungry. Chuck made the mistake of going to the restroom before ordering. I got in line and a lady came behind me. She was in front of Chuck and she ordered three sandwiches and took forever to place the order and order all of the fixins for it. By the time Chuck got his meal and sat with me, I was almost finished with mine. We left at 1:43 PM.
We continued for another 39 miles and stopped at 2:15 PM in Continental Divide, NM. We went into the shop because I needed to get something and we decided to gas up here. We gassed up and left at 2:27 PM.
Chuck was now leading again. We entered Arizona and gained another hour. We rode for 122 miles and stopped in Holbrook, AZ for a pit stop. Since we entered New Mexico and Arizona, we were battling the winds. Some of the gusts were very strong! We were riding on the left side of the lane and with some of the gusts, we were pushed to the right side. That was nasty! After the pit stop, we gassed up and continued.
It was my turn to lead...as if you didn't guess! We rode for 93 miles and at 4:34 PM, we arrived at the Best Western in Flagstaff, AZ. Time to park the Motors and get our room. No such luck! N.A.U. is having their graduation this weekend and the Best Western, as well as most of the other motels in town were all booked. We rode down the street and checked on a Day's Inn. They had rooms available, however, only suites, and they wanted an arm and a leg. We didn't want to BUY the room, just rent it for the night. We left at 4:44 PM.
We decided to ride south to Cottonwood, AZ. where there was a Best Western. We rode 14 miles and stopped at 5:05 PM in south Flagstaff, AZ. to gas up. The wind was reeking havoc with our gas mileage. We left at 5:45 PM.
Southbound we rode with Chuck leading. We rode for 38 miles and stopped at 5:38 PM at a roadside rest area in McGuireville, AZ. Chuck needed a pit stop. When he was done, we talked about not going to Cottonwood and, instead, going to Prescott Valley, AZ. We were off.At 5:21 PM after riding for 41 miles, we were in Prescott Valley heading westbound and Chuck was staring at a Denny's on the south side of the street. I called Chuck on the CB and told him about the Day's Inn, on the same side and across the street from Denny's. Chuck turned into the Day's Inn and told me that he had not seen the Day's Inn. He was concentrating too much on the Denny's. I'm glad I'm with him. Somebody has to take care of him! We checked into the Day's Inn, unloaded our Motors and tucked them in for the night. We went into the room, changed into our swim suits and went into the hot tub. That was nice. We then returned to the room, changed and went across the street to Denny's for dinner and then back to the room.
These were two long days of riding. Yesterday we rode for 651 miles and today we rode for 725 miles. Tomorrow is the retiree's breakfast at the Golden Corral in Prescott. We are so close. We will get up late, ride for 10 minutes and we will be there for breakfast. Of course, we will have horsey dervies at the Day's Inn at their continental breakfast. After the retiree's breakfast at the Golden Corral, we will head for home. More later...
Thursday, May 8, 2008
May 8, 2008
DAY 6
We had a good nights sleep and had a light breakfast. We sat around until the morning rush was about over when we packed up our Motors and prepared to leave. We said our goodbyes to Susie and Aaron. We left at 9:08 AM with J.B. leading us out of the city. We rode about 1 mile and stopped for gas at a QT. After gassing up, we made a pit stop. We all got ready to leave but I wasn't going anywhere. There was a problem with my Motor and its battery. We jump started it with J.B.'s Motor. J.B. knew of a Honda Dealership close by and we went there so that they could check the problem. When we arrived at 9:45 AM, 5 miles away, they took my Motor right away. We waited inside, looking at the Motorcycles, ATVs, Rhinos and stuff. They checked the battery and the tests showed that it was OK. We were ready to go. We left at 10:46 AM.
J.B. led us to the entrance of I-35. As he left us, we waved to him. He motioned to Chuck to call him and Chuck blew him a kiss. There was a man in a vehicle that saw Chucks action and he almost ran off the road in front of J.B.
I was leading and 95 miles later, we stopped at 12:09 PM in Beto Jct., KS. for lunch. We stopped at Subway. We didn't take very long there. We ordered, ate and left by 12:30 PM.
We entered the Turnpike of I-35 and stopped after 61 miles in Cassody, KS. at 1:30 PM. It was time for a pit stop, coffee to reload our bladders and to gas up. We left at 1:56 PM.
It was a cloudy day and very nice to be riding the Motors. Chuck was leading now and we rode for 111 miles and stopped at a road side rest area in Blackwell, OK. at 3:23 PM. It was time for a pit stop. Remember I told you that at the last stop we reloaded our bladders? We left at3:32 PM.
Chuck continued to lead and stopped after another 40 miles in Perry, OK. at 4:04 PM for gas. We didn't stay long as we left at 4:12 PM.
I was leading this time and we rode for 146 miles. We stopped in Clinton, OK. at 6:10 PM. We needed a pit stop an while we were there, we gassed up our Motors. We left at 6:38 PM.
Chuck took over the lead. We crossed the Texas boarder at 7:30 PM and stopped after 140 miles in Groom, TX. at 8:24 PM. It was still daylight and we made a pit stop. We spoke with the clerk in the store who told us that it had rained hard all day yesterday in Groom. She told us that the rain was covering the entire panhandle of Texas. The rain went through the panhandle and circled around and hit it again. We were so glad to hear that, knowing that we had decided to stay at J.B.'s house because of the rain that hit Gladstone. This rain in the Texas panhandle would have been miserable riding! We gassed up and left at 8:37 PM.
I was my turn to lead. It was starting to get dark and I told Chuck that when it got dark, to ride even with me and our headlights could light up the entire roadway so that we could watch for "critters" crossing our path. We didn't have much more to travel to get to Amarillo, TX. after a short time, Chuck rode up next to me and we lit up the roadway. It wasn't that dark yet and we could see the shoulders of the roadway very well. By the time it got dark, we were close to Amarillo and there were plenty of street lights, businesses, street sign and stuff like that that lit up the roadway. Chuck back away an we continued westbound. We arrived in Amarillo, TX. and the Best Western at 9:18 PM. We checked in, unloaded our Motors and walked behind the motel to a restaurant. We we walked inside of the restaurant, we were told that the kitchen was closed and they couldn't serve us. We went back to our motel room, got our jackets and helmets and rode about 3 miles to an I.H.O.P. We had dinner and then returned to the motel to secure for the night. We tucked our Motors in for the night and went to our room.
Even though we started late, we still managed to ride 651 miles. This is going to be better for us for tomorrow. We will be riding less miles. We plan to get to Flagstaff tomorrow. We will be able to wake up later and leave later and still get to Flagstaff early enough to make it an early night. More tomorrow...
We had a good nights sleep and had a light breakfast. We sat around until the morning rush was about over when we packed up our Motors and prepared to leave. We said our goodbyes to Susie and Aaron. We left at 9:08 AM with J.B. leading us out of the city. We rode about 1 mile and stopped for gas at a QT. After gassing up, we made a pit stop. We all got ready to leave but I wasn't going anywhere. There was a problem with my Motor and its battery. We jump started it with J.B.'s Motor. J.B. knew of a Honda Dealership close by and we went there so that they could check the problem. When we arrived at 9:45 AM, 5 miles away, they took my Motor right away. We waited inside, looking at the Motorcycles, ATVs, Rhinos and stuff. They checked the battery and the tests showed that it was OK. We were ready to go. We left at 10:46 AM.
J.B. led us to the entrance of I-35. As he left us, we waved to him. He motioned to Chuck to call him and Chuck blew him a kiss. There was a man in a vehicle that saw Chucks action and he almost ran off the road in front of J.B.
I was leading and 95 miles later, we stopped at 12:09 PM in Beto Jct., KS. for lunch. We stopped at Subway. We didn't take very long there. We ordered, ate and left by 12:30 PM.
We entered the Turnpike of I-35 and stopped after 61 miles in Cassody, KS. at 1:30 PM. It was time for a pit stop, coffee to reload our bladders and to gas up. We left at 1:56 PM.
It was a cloudy day and very nice to be riding the Motors. Chuck was leading now and we rode for 111 miles and stopped at a road side rest area in Blackwell, OK. at 3:23 PM. It was time for a pit stop. Remember I told you that at the last stop we reloaded our bladders? We left at3:32 PM.
Chuck continued to lead and stopped after another 40 miles in Perry, OK. at 4:04 PM for gas. We didn't stay long as we left at 4:12 PM.
I was leading this time and we rode for 146 miles. We stopped in Clinton, OK. at 6:10 PM. We needed a pit stop an while we were there, we gassed up our Motors. We left at 6:38 PM.
Chuck took over the lead. We crossed the Texas boarder at 7:30 PM and stopped after 140 miles in Groom, TX. at 8:24 PM. It was still daylight and we made a pit stop. We spoke with the clerk in the store who told us that it had rained hard all day yesterday in Groom. She told us that the rain was covering the entire panhandle of Texas. The rain went through the panhandle and circled around and hit it again. We were so glad to hear that, knowing that we had decided to stay at J.B.'s house because of the rain that hit Gladstone. This rain in the Texas panhandle would have been miserable riding! We gassed up and left at 8:37 PM.
I was my turn to lead. It was starting to get dark and I told Chuck that when it got dark, to ride even with me and our headlights could light up the entire roadway so that we could watch for "critters" crossing our path. We didn't have much more to travel to get to Amarillo, TX. after a short time, Chuck rode up next to me and we lit up the roadway. It wasn't that dark yet and we could see the shoulders of the roadway very well. By the time it got dark, we were close to Amarillo and there were plenty of street lights, businesses, street sign and stuff like that that lit up the roadway. Chuck back away an we continued westbound. We arrived in Amarillo, TX. and the Best Western at 9:18 PM. We checked in, unloaded our Motors and walked behind the motel to a restaurant. We we walked inside of the restaurant, we were told that the kitchen was closed and they couldn't serve us. We went back to our motel room, got our jackets and helmets and rode about 3 miles to an I.H.O.P. We had dinner and then returned to the motel to secure for the night. We tucked our Motors in for the night and went to our room.
Even though we started late, we still managed to ride 651 miles. This is going to be better for us for tomorrow. We will be riding less miles. We plan to get to Flagstaff tomorrow. We will be able to wake up later and leave later and still get to Flagstaff early enough to make it an early night. More tomorrow...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
May 7, 2008
DAY 5
Like I told you yesterday, the weatherman stated that it was supposed to rain today until 7 PM. When we woke up about 6:30 AM, it had rained. After a while, Chuck and J.B. rode their Harley's to the Harley Dealership to check on Chuck's Motor. For some reason, the cruise control was not working. Something not working on a Harley, I can't believe it! About an hour and a half later, they returned. The problem was fixed and the cruise control was working again. It was overcast and we opted not to leave today. We all got in the car and went out for lunch at a restaurant named, "Mama's Restaurant." It was good food and it was in downtown Kansas City, MO. After lunch, J.B. and Susie took us on a tour of Kansas City. We saw a nice part, a ghetto part and a "rich" part. It was interesting. We were taken to the area that was patterned after Seville, Spain. It was an area about two blocks on and 2 to 3 blocks wide. There were plenty of shops. Chuck and I knew that Krys and Laura would love this place. While we were driving, it sprinkled on us. We soon returned home.
After we were back at J.B.'s home, we decided to take a walk to the nearby park and lake. J.B. took both of his dogs. While we were by the lake, it started to sprinkle again. We decided to get back to the house. As we were walking back, it started to rain harder. We were almost at a run. We returned to the house and Susie was waiting at the back door with a towel. I was about to get the towel from her when she bent over and started to dry off Clancy! (one of the dogs). I walked in and grabbed a Scot towel. I'm glad we didn't ride in that!
The rest of the day was spent in the house and working on our Motors, you know...wiping them down, playing with this, playing with that, adjusting this and adjusting that. J.B. worked on his Motor and taking the "touring" stuff off of it. Chuck sat on the Honda and played with the Navigation System. Krys, he looked good on the Gold Wing! I got a picture of it.
Later, Susie and Aaron cooked dinner for us. It was very good...and healthy. We had salmon, green beans and baked sweet potato. Yum!
Tomorrow, we will leave and head back to Phoenix. We hope to get to Amarillo, TX. by tomorrow evening and Flagstaff, AZ. by Friday evening. On Saturday, we hope to leave early and get to the Prescott breakfast by 8AM. That is our plan. We'll see...
Like I told you yesterday, the weatherman stated that it was supposed to rain today until 7 PM. When we woke up about 6:30 AM, it had rained. After a while, Chuck and J.B. rode their Harley's to the Harley Dealership to check on Chuck's Motor. For some reason, the cruise control was not working. Something not working on a Harley, I can't believe it! About an hour and a half later, they returned. The problem was fixed and the cruise control was working again. It was overcast and we opted not to leave today. We all got in the car and went out for lunch at a restaurant named, "Mama's Restaurant." It was good food and it was in downtown Kansas City, MO. After lunch, J.B. and Susie took us on a tour of Kansas City. We saw a nice part, a ghetto part and a "rich" part. It was interesting. We were taken to the area that was patterned after Seville, Spain. It was an area about two blocks on and 2 to 3 blocks wide. There were plenty of shops. Chuck and I knew that Krys and Laura would love this place. While we were driving, it sprinkled on us. We soon returned home.
After we were back at J.B.'s home, we decided to take a walk to the nearby park and lake. J.B. took both of his dogs. While we were by the lake, it started to sprinkle again. We decided to get back to the house. As we were walking back, it started to rain harder. We were almost at a run. We returned to the house and Susie was waiting at the back door with a towel. I was about to get the towel from her when she bent over and started to dry off Clancy! (one of the dogs). I walked in and grabbed a Scot towel. I'm glad we didn't ride in that!
The rest of the day was spent in the house and working on our Motors, you know...wiping them down, playing with this, playing with that, adjusting this and adjusting that. J.B. worked on his Motor and taking the "touring" stuff off of it. Chuck sat on the Honda and played with the Navigation System. Krys, he looked good on the Gold Wing! I got a picture of it.
Later, Susie and Aaron cooked dinner for us. It was very good...and healthy. We had salmon, green beans and baked sweet potato. Yum!
Tomorrow, we will leave and head back to Phoenix. We hope to get to Amarillo, TX. by tomorrow evening and Flagstaff, AZ. by Friday evening. On Saturday, we hope to leave early and get to the Prescott breakfast by 8AM. That is our plan. We'll see...
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
May 6, 2008
DAY 4
We got up this morning later than normal. We didn't have to get up very early because we had all day to get back to J.B.'s home. I got up at 6:30 AM and Chuck got up soon after. We got dressed and packed our bags. J.B. had called and told Chuck that he and Susie were going to the restaurant for breakfast. We joined them and had a full, hot breakfast. We stayed a while and had a few cups of coffee also. We checked out of the motel, returned to our rooms and grabbed our stuff. We packed up our Motors and left at 9:20 AM. I still couldn't believe what I was riding!
Chuck was still leading. We rode on the rural, two-laned roads. They were lined with farmland, green landscaping and, at time, beautiful homes. We stopped after riding 13 miles in the town of Carlinville, IL. at 9:35 AM. We gassed up and left at 9:45 AM.
J.B. took over the lead. We continued riding on the two-laned, country road and stopped 36 miles later in Jerseyville, IL. at 10:42 AM. We initially stopped to check the map and then Chuck started the group off. He went into the mini-mart to use the facilities. I followed Chuck and then J.B. We left at 10:42 AM.
J.B. led us through some winding roads and then along the Mississippi River. We followed that road for a while. We went through a cute little town named, "Grafton, IL." We noticed that the River had risen and some of the properties were partially submerged. We saw the tops of some street lights sticking out of the water. We stopped after 46 miles in Alton, IL. at 11:39 AM for a pit stop. When we stopped, J.B. looked across the street and there was a Subway. It was tempting, but it was too early for lunch. We left at 11:50 AM.
We crossed the Mississippi River over the Clark Bridge. It was a kind of bridge that I have never seen before. I guess I can't say that anymore! We continued and stopped 64 miles later in Warrenton, MO. at 12:48 PM for lunch. We stopped at an Applebee's. Since we were not in any hurry, we took our time and had a good and restful lunch. We left at 1:56 PM.
I continued for another 24 miles and stopped at 2:16 PM in Danville, MO. to gas up. We left at 2:41 PM.
It was my turn to lead and we rode for another 69 miles and stopped at 3:54 PM in Boonville, MO. It was time for a break, pit stop and to reload our bladders with coffee. We did all of that and J.B. suggested to "top off" our gas tanks so that we (the Harley's) didn't have to stop and gas up again. I joined in with a "sympathy" top off. Since we just "topped off," I continued to lead. We didn't have much farther to ride to get to J.B.'s home. When we got to about 15 miles to J.B.'s home, he took over the lead. There were just too many freeway switched to make. Neither Chuck nor I knew how to get to his house. We did pass the Kansas city Royals/Kansas City Chiefs Stadium. I took a couple of pictures as we rode by. We arrived at J.B.'s home after riding 116 miles and at 6:07 PM. It was good to get off of the Motors and especially off of the freeways at rush hour.
We unloaded our Motors and tucked them in the garage for the night. We rode for a total of 368 miles today. Since we missed our Mexican Dinner for Cinco de Mayo, we went to Manny's Mexican Food Restaurant for dinner. It was good. We returned to J.B.'s house and watched TV. While watching the news and weather, the weatherman reported that a big thunderstorm would hit us tomorrow. Well, tomorrow was the day that Chuck and I were supposed to head back to Phoenix. I'm not sure that we are leaving tomorrow. We will just have to wait. Laura...Krys...we want to ride safely. Until tomorrow...
We got up this morning later than normal. We didn't have to get up very early because we had all day to get back to J.B.'s home. I got up at 6:30 AM and Chuck got up soon after. We got dressed and packed our bags. J.B. had called and told Chuck that he and Susie were going to the restaurant for breakfast. We joined them and had a full, hot breakfast. We stayed a while and had a few cups of coffee also. We checked out of the motel, returned to our rooms and grabbed our stuff. We packed up our Motors and left at 9:20 AM. I still couldn't believe what I was riding!
Chuck was still leading. We rode on the rural, two-laned roads. They were lined with farmland, green landscaping and, at time, beautiful homes. We stopped after riding 13 miles in the town of Carlinville, IL. at 9:35 AM. We gassed up and left at 9:45 AM.
J.B. took over the lead. We continued riding on the two-laned, country road and stopped 36 miles later in Jerseyville, IL. at 10:42 AM. We initially stopped to check the map and then Chuck started the group off. He went into the mini-mart to use the facilities. I followed Chuck and then J.B. We left at 10:42 AM.
J.B. led us through some winding roads and then along the Mississippi River. We followed that road for a while. We went through a cute little town named, "Grafton, IL." We noticed that the River had risen and some of the properties were partially submerged. We saw the tops of some street lights sticking out of the water. We stopped after 46 miles in Alton, IL. at 11:39 AM for a pit stop. When we stopped, J.B. looked across the street and there was a Subway. It was tempting, but it was too early for lunch. We left at 11:50 AM.
We crossed the Mississippi River over the Clark Bridge. It was a kind of bridge that I have never seen before. I guess I can't say that anymore! We continued and stopped 64 miles later in Warrenton, MO. at 12:48 PM for lunch. We stopped at an Applebee's. Since we were not in any hurry, we took our time and had a good and restful lunch. We left at 1:56 PM.
I continued for another 24 miles and stopped at 2:16 PM in Danville, MO. to gas up. We left at 2:41 PM.
It was my turn to lead and we rode for another 69 miles and stopped at 3:54 PM in Boonville, MO. It was time for a break, pit stop and to reload our bladders with coffee. We did all of that and J.B. suggested to "top off" our gas tanks so that we (the Harley's) didn't have to stop and gas up again. I joined in with a "sympathy" top off. Since we just "topped off," I continued to lead. We didn't have much farther to ride to get to J.B.'s home. When we got to about 15 miles to J.B.'s home, he took over the lead. There were just too many freeway switched to make. Neither Chuck nor I knew how to get to his house. We did pass the Kansas city Royals/Kansas City Chiefs Stadium. I took a couple of pictures as we rode by. We arrived at J.B.'s home after riding 116 miles and at 6:07 PM. It was good to get off of the Motors and especially off of the freeways at rush hour.
We unloaded our Motors and tucked them in the garage for the night. We rode for a total of 368 miles today. Since we missed our Mexican Dinner for Cinco de Mayo, we went to Manny's Mexican Food Restaurant for dinner. It was good. We returned to J.B.'s house and watched TV. While watching the news and weather, the weatherman reported that a big thunderstorm would hit us tomorrow. Well, tomorrow was the day that Chuck and I were supposed to head back to Phoenix. I'm not sure that we are leaving tomorrow. We will just have to wait. Laura...Krys...we want to ride safely. Until tomorrow...
Monday, May 5, 2008
Cinco de Mayo (May 5, 2008)
DAY 3
We got up later than normal today because we got in so late last night. After we got in, we had to shower and later talk about the day's ride. Chuck and J.B. rode to the nearest Harley Davidson Dealer and had their Motor's oil changed. Since they were gone, I caught up on the blog from the day before. They soon came back and opted to skip the wash that was offered. We needed to leave. We have places to go and things to do. We packed up and left the house. J.B. was leading with Susie riding with him. J.B. took us to a short tour of the area hardest hit by the recent tornado. There were 7 houses hit that were bulldozed and a total of 20 housed scheduled to be bulldozed. We didn't get to see much of the devastation, but we did see some. We left Gladstone, MO. at 10:50 AM.
We headed eastbound and stopped 34 miles later in Blue Springs, MO. at 11:20 AM to gas up our Motors. We left at 11:29 AM and I was up next to lead. As we rode eastbound, there was point where I looked to the south and saw (and pointed at) a Stealth Bomber flying slowly, it appeared. I looked to the north and saw a billboard advertising the Missouri National Guard. There must have been a Base close by. The Stealth looked as if it was just hanging in the sky.
We continued eastbound and rode 82 miles to Boonville, MO. when we stopped at 12:34 PM for lunch and a break. We stopped at a Love's Truck Stop and there was a Hardee's Restaurant. We had a good lunch and then left at 1:19 PM.
After lunch, it started to get warm. We still had our jackets on and we were getting very tired and sleepy. J.B. told me later that Susie fell asleep riding behind him. Chuck and I both feel like we slept while riding. We stopped after 74 miles in New Florence, MO. at 2:16 PM. While we were having a much needed coffee break and waking up, a semi-marked police car with two uniformed cops stopped and asked J.B. as to who was having more fun: the Honda rider or the Harley riders. The cops were very friendly and J.B. gave him a PPD patch. J.B., Chuck and I were standing by the driver's door talking with the driver and Chuck walked away to his Motor to get a business card. As he was away, J.B. and I had fun with Chuck at Chuck's expense. The driver stated, "You guys sound like f**king cops!" The driver introduced himself as the Sheriff of the local county. He told us that if we needed anything to just call him. He gave J.B. his card. We make friends everywhere! We gassed up and left at 2:43 PM.
It was Chuck's turn to lead. After we gave him the directions on which interstates to take, we continued. We had rested, drank coffee, took off our jackets and woke up. The weather was overcast and it was very nice to ride. Chuck led up for another 123 miles and we stopped at 4:27 PM in Litchfield, IL., which was our destination. Why do you ask? Two weeks ago, today, when we were on our Route 66 ride, we stopped in Litchfield, IL. at the Niehaus Cycle Sales so that an old change can be done on my Motor. While we were there, we looked at all of the Motors in the showroom. I saw a new Motor, which was a dark metallic red (black cherry), that I really liked. The guys were trying to convince me to trade my Motor for the new one. This was very heavy peer pressure! The salesman told me that he would give me a great price for my Motor and offer the new one at a great price. What he told me was true. I didn't trade my Motor in that day. When we returned home, I spoke with Laura, my wife, and she told me to "go for it." I returned with J.B. and Chuck with intentions of making the trade and getting my new Motor. Today was the day! While J.B., Susie and Chuck rode to a nearby Denny's, I remained and filled out the paperwork, made the deal and loaded the new Motor with my stuff from my old Motor. I rode and met the others at Denny's. I HAVE A NEW TOY! What a great ride. Jan, you're next. When do we go and get your Honda ST1300? We left at 6:50 PM.
Chuck led us northbound about 8 miles and we stopped at 6:58 PM in Colinville, IL. where we checked in to a Best Western. This Best Western looked small from the street, however, when we entered and checked in, it was huge and nice! This was, indeed, an oasis in a desert. You would not know that this place existed by just driving by. We parked our Motors, unloaded them and tucked them in for the night. I kept my Motor cover and it fit perfectly! We enjoyed dinner on the property. Dinner was very good and was not expensive. Chuck and I later got in the hot tub and then a short trip to the bar. We had to celebrate CINCO DE MAYO! We returned to our room and secured for the night.
Today we rode for a total of 324 miles and I got a new toy!
Tomorrow, we plan to get up later and take our time back to J.B.'s home. We are not in any hurry. Who knows, we may see some of the Route 66 sights that we missed two weeks ago. We'll see...
We got up later than normal today because we got in so late last night. After we got in, we had to shower and later talk about the day's ride. Chuck and J.B. rode to the nearest Harley Davidson Dealer and had their Motor's oil changed. Since they were gone, I caught up on the blog from the day before. They soon came back and opted to skip the wash that was offered. We needed to leave. We have places to go and things to do. We packed up and left the house. J.B. was leading with Susie riding with him. J.B. took us to a short tour of the area hardest hit by the recent tornado. There were 7 houses hit that were bulldozed and a total of 20 housed scheduled to be bulldozed. We didn't get to see much of the devastation, but we did see some. We left Gladstone, MO. at 10:50 AM.
We headed eastbound and stopped 34 miles later in Blue Springs, MO. at 11:20 AM to gas up our Motors. We left at 11:29 AM and I was up next to lead. As we rode eastbound, there was point where I looked to the south and saw (and pointed at) a Stealth Bomber flying slowly, it appeared. I looked to the north and saw a billboard advertising the Missouri National Guard. There must have been a Base close by. The Stealth looked as if it was just hanging in the sky.
We continued eastbound and rode 82 miles to Boonville, MO. when we stopped at 12:34 PM for lunch and a break. We stopped at a Love's Truck Stop and there was a Hardee's Restaurant. We had a good lunch and then left at 1:19 PM.
After lunch, it started to get warm. We still had our jackets on and we were getting very tired and sleepy. J.B. told me later that Susie fell asleep riding behind him. Chuck and I both feel like we slept while riding. We stopped after 74 miles in New Florence, MO. at 2:16 PM. While we were having a much needed coffee break and waking up, a semi-marked police car with two uniformed cops stopped and asked J.B. as to who was having more fun: the Honda rider or the Harley riders. The cops were very friendly and J.B. gave him a PPD patch. J.B., Chuck and I were standing by the driver's door talking with the driver and Chuck walked away to his Motor to get a business card. As he was away, J.B. and I had fun with Chuck at Chuck's expense. The driver stated, "You guys sound like f**king cops!" The driver introduced himself as the Sheriff of the local county. He told us that if we needed anything to just call him. He gave J.B. his card. We make friends everywhere! We gassed up and left at 2:43 PM.
It was Chuck's turn to lead. After we gave him the directions on which interstates to take, we continued. We had rested, drank coffee, took off our jackets and woke up. The weather was overcast and it was very nice to ride. Chuck led up for another 123 miles and we stopped at 4:27 PM in Litchfield, IL., which was our destination. Why do you ask? Two weeks ago, today, when we were on our Route 66 ride, we stopped in Litchfield, IL. at the Niehaus Cycle Sales so that an old change can be done on my Motor. While we were there, we looked at all of the Motors in the showroom. I saw a new Motor, which was a dark metallic red (black cherry), that I really liked. The guys were trying to convince me to trade my Motor for the new one. This was very heavy peer pressure! The salesman told me that he would give me a great price for my Motor and offer the new one at a great price. What he told me was true. I didn't trade my Motor in that day. When we returned home, I spoke with Laura, my wife, and she told me to "go for it." I returned with J.B. and Chuck with intentions of making the trade and getting my new Motor. Today was the day! While J.B., Susie and Chuck rode to a nearby Denny's, I remained and filled out the paperwork, made the deal and loaded the new Motor with my stuff from my old Motor. I rode and met the others at Denny's. I HAVE A NEW TOY! What a great ride. Jan, you're next. When do we go and get your Honda ST1300? We left at 6:50 PM.
Chuck led us northbound about 8 miles and we stopped at 6:58 PM in Colinville, IL. where we checked in to a Best Western. This Best Western looked small from the street, however, when we entered and checked in, it was huge and nice! This was, indeed, an oasis in a desert. You would not know that this place existed by just driving by. We parked our Motors, unloaded them and tucked them in for the night. I kept my Motor cover and it fit perfectly! We enjoyed dinner on the property. Dinner was very good and was not expensive. Chuck and I later got in the hot tub and then a short trip to the bar. We had to celebrate CINCO DE MAYO! We returned to our room and secured for the night.
Today we rode for a total of 324 miles and I got a new toy!
Tomorrow, we plan to get up later and take our time back to J.B.'s home. We are not in any hurry. Who knows, we may see some of the Route 66 sights that we missed two weeks ago. We'll see...
May 4, 2008
DAY 2
Genna, because you asked for it, this is for you!
I woke up to my cell phone alarm at 6 AM. I immediately got up and put the TV on the weather channel. I went to the bathroom, took care of business and then washed up including a shave...my head. I put my clothes on and packed up my bags. By 6:20 AM I was ready to go. I went outside to my Motor, removed the cover and said, "good morning," including a hug. :) I had a wet cloth and cleaned the windshield of all of the bug juice and wiped down the Motor. While I was at it, I cleaned the windshields of J.B. and Chuck's Motors. It was cold. According to the weather channel, it was about 41 degrees. At 6:30 AM, J.B. popped out of the "queen room" to see me working on the Motors. After the "queens" were dressed, we walked over to the lobby for breakfast. I don't remember exactly what time it was but I had oatmeal, coffee (1 cup) and two hard boiled eggs. J.B. called them "fart pills." Chuck brought has laptop with him and after breakfast, J.B. checked his e-mail. After he was done, J.B. returned to his room to "take the Browns to the Super Bowl." (make caca) Chuck checked his e-mail and I checked out of my room. After we were done, we returned and packed our Motors for the ride. Genna, is that enough details for you? We left at 7:47 AM and I was still leading. By the way, HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY GENNA!
We rode for 61 miles and stopped in Tucumcari, NM for a pit stop (too much coffee) and to get some gas. Hey Jan, I filled with 2.5 gallons! J.B. and Chuck restocked their bladders with more coffee. We left at 9:00 AM with Chuck in the lead.
We continued eastbound at at about 9:30 AM, we crossed into Texas, losing an hour to Central Standard Time. It was 10:30 AM. We rode for 106 miles and stopped in Amarillo, TX for, you guessed it, a pit stop. We left at 11:30 AM.
We left and rode another 47 miles and stopped in Groom, TX. at 12:13 PM. We needed gas and Jan, I filled with 2.5 gallons again! Groom,TX. is the home of the world largest cross. I was huge!
J.B.'s turn to lead. We rode for 73 miles and at 1:13 PM, we stopped in Erick, OK. Chuck had mentioned earlier that we need to stop for lunch and have something different other that Subway. We went through Shamrock, TX. and could have stopped at a couple of places, but J.B. knew that Chuck wouldn't be satisfied. We stopped at Subway in Erick, OK. We left at 1:54 PM.
We continued on the road and it was getting warm. We rode for 77 miles and at 2:54 PM, we stopped in Weathersford, OK. We were all tired and sleepy. It seem as if we rode the last 20 miles in our sleep. We stopped and all of us had some coffee! We needed to wake up. We had some snacks also. We got ready to leave and gassed up our Motors. Jan, I fill up with 2.5 gallons again! We left at 3:27 PM.
It was my turn to lead. We set a new record for our group for distance travelled at one time. We rode for 154 miles and at 5:26 PM we stopped in Tonkawa, OK. for a pit stop and gas. Jan, can you guess how much gas I filled with? Just prior to stopping in Tonkawa, we rode past a herd of Buffalo. We left at 6:07 PM.
It was now Chuck's turn to lead. We entered a toll road and rode for 131 miles. We stopped at 7:42 PM in Casseday, KS. for a pit stop and since we were averaging 85 mph, we needed to stop and take a break to kill some time. If we got to the end of the toll road by a certain time, (the toll road tickets were time stamped), we could be charged more. When we got to the end in Emporia, KS. we paid the minimum charge. We rode for 32 miles and stopped in Emporia, KS. at 8:27 PM. It was still daylight. We stopped at an Applebee's for dinner. We finished dinner and rode across the street to gas up before leaving again. We left at 9:27 PM.
It was J.B.'s turn to lead. It was dark and cold. As we rode northbound on I-35, we were all nervous about the wildlife that may cross our path. After 47 miles of leading, J.B. stopped at a road side rest area in ST. John, KS. at 10:08 PM. J.B. stated that he needed to stop because he felt far too tense because of keeping an eye out for deer. While at the rest stop, we made a pit stop. We continued northbound. J.B. was leading and I was behind. I rode up next to J.B. so we were riding side by side in the left lane. We both had our high beam headlights on and then Chuck came up along side of us in the left lane. He also had on his high beams. We had the entire roadway lit up, including the shoulders of the road. This worked great for us until a car came up from behind in the right lane. Chuck dropped back behind us. We continued and we got to about 20 miles from Kansas City, KS. when we reached street lights, businesses and more lights. I backed off and J.B. led us the rest of the way. We reached Gladstone, MO. after 74 miles of riding at 11:19 PM, J.B.'s house. The garage door was open and we rode right in. Susie was waiting. The power had been restored today about 5:15 PM. We unloaded the Motors and tucked them in for the night. Tomorrow, Chuck and J.B. are going to a nearby Harley Dealership to get their oil changed on the Motors. After they return, we are going to Litchfield, IL. and Susie will accompany us.
We set another record for our group today. We rode for a total of 792 miles. Not bad! We travelled 1,360 miles in 2 days. We need a rest!
Genna, because you asked for it, this is for you!
I woke up to my cell phone alarm at 6 AM. I immediately got up and put the TV on the weather channel. I went to the bathroom, took care of business and then washed up including a shave...my head. I put my clothes on and packed up my bags. By 6:20 AM I was ready to go. I went outside to my Motor, removed the cover and said, "good morning," including a hug. :) I had a wet cloth and cleaned the windshield of all of the bug juice and wiped down the Motor. While I was at it, I cleaned the windshields of J.B. and Chuck's Motors. It was cold. According to the weather channel, it was about 41 degrees. At 6:30 AM, J.B. popped out of the "queen room" to see me working on the Motors. After the "queens" were dressed, we walked over to the lobby for breakfast. I don't remember exactly what time it was but I had oatmeal, coffee (1 cup) and two hard boiled eggs. J.B. called them "fart pills." Chuck brought has laptop with him and after breakfast, J.B. checked his e-mail. After he was done, J.B. returned to his room to "take the Browns to the Super Bowl." (make caca) Chuck checked his e-mail and I checked out of my room. After we were done, we returned and packed our Motors for the ride. Genna, is that enough details for you? We left at 7:47 AM and I was still leading. By the way, HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY GENNA!
We rode for 61 miles and stopped in Tucumcari, NM for a pit stop (too much coffee) and to get some gas. Hey Jan, I filled with 2.5 gallons! J.B. and Chuck restocked their bladders with more coffee. We left at 9:00 AM with Chuck in the lead.
We continued eastbound at at about 9:30 AM, we crossed into Texas, losing an hour to Central Standard Time. It was 10:30 AM. We rode for 106 miles and stopped in Amarillo, TX for, you guessed it, a pit stop. We left at 11:30 AM.
We left and rode another 47 miles and stopped in Groom, TX. at 12:13 PM. We needed gas and Jan, I filled with 2.5 gallons again! Groom,TX. is the home of the world largest cross. I was huge!
J.B.'s turn to lead. We rode for 73 miles and at 1:13 PM, we stopped in Erick, OK. Chuck had mentioned earlier that we need to stop for lunch and have something different other that Subway. We went through Shamrock, TX. and could have stopped at a couple of places, but J.B. knew that Chuck wouldn't be satisfied. We stopped at Subway in Erick, OK. We left at 1:54 PM.
We continued on the road and it was getting warm. We rode for 77 miles and at 2:54 PM, we stopped in Weathersford, OK. We were all tired and sleepy. It seem as if we rode the last 20 miles in our sleep. We stopped and all of us had some coffee! We needed to wake up. We had some snacks also. We got ready to leave and gassed up our Motors. Jan, I fill up with 2.5 gallons again! We left at 3:27 PM.
It was my turn to lead. We set a new record for our group for distance travelled at one time. We rode for 154 miles and at 5:26 PM we stopped in Tonkawa, OK. for a pit stop and gas. Jan, can you guess how much gas I filled with? Just prior to stopping in Tonkawa, we rode past a herd of Buffalo. We left at 6:07 PM.
It was now Chuck's turn to lead. We entered a toll road and rode for 131 miles. We stopped at 7:42 PM in Casseday, KS. for a pit stop and since we were averaging 85 mph, we needed to stop and take a break to kill some time. If we got to the end of the toll road by a certain time, (the toll road tickets were time stamped), we could be charged more. When we got to the end in Emporia, KS. we paid the minimum charge. We rode for 32 miles and stopped in Emporia, KS. at 8:27 PM. It was still daylight. We stopped at an Applebee's for dinner. We finished dinner and rode across the street to gas up before leaving again. We left at 9:27 PM.
It was J.B.'s turn to lead. It was dark and cold. As we rode northbound on I-35, we were all nervous about the wildlife that may cross our path. After 47 miles of leading, J.B. stopped at a road side rest area in ST. John, KS. at 10:08 PM. J.B. stated that he needed to stop because he felt far too tense because of keeping an eye out for deer. While at the rest stop, we made a pit stop. We continued northbound. J.B. was leading and I was behind. I rode up next to J.B. so we were riding side by side in the left lane. We both had our high beam headlights on and then Chuck came up along side of us in the left lane. He also had on his high beams. We had the entire roadway lit up, including the shoulders of the road. This worked great for us until a car came up from behind in the right lane. Chuck dropped back behind us. We continued and we got to about 20 miles from Kansas City, KS. when we reached street lights, businesses and more lights. I backed off and J.B. led us the rest of the way. We reached Gladstone, MO. after 74 miles of riding at 11:19 PM, J.B.'s house. The garage door was open and we rode right in. Susie was waiting. The power had been restored today about 5:15 PM. We unloaded the Motors and tucked them in for the night. Tomorrow, Chuck and J.B. are going to a nearby Harley Dealership to get their oil changed on the Motors. After they return, we are going to Litchfield, IL. and Susie will accompany us.
We set another record for our group today. We rode for a total of 792 miles. Not bad! We travelled 1,360 miles in 2 days. We need a rest!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
May 3, 2008
DAY 1
Here we go again! When last I wrote, we had finished our Route 66 ride and J.B. was still with us. He stayed a few days in Phoenix to visit some friends before returning to Susie and Gladstone, MO. So that J.B. would not return home by himself, Chuck accompanied J.B. So that Chuck would not return to Phoenix by himself, I went along. Somebody has to take care of Chuck! We met at Cracker Barrel at I-17 and Deer Valley at 7 AM for breakfast. Barney Dierks and Bruce Stallman met us there and had breakfast with us. J.B., Chuck and I plan to get to Gladstone, MO. in a hurry and hopefully get there in two days. I start this blog with my odometer reading of 45833. We left at 8:27 AM and I was in the lead. When we were at Sunset Point, traffic started to slow because of a grass fire just north. There were two guys trying to put the fire out. One guy was stomping the fire while the other was emptying his "Evian" bottled water on the fire. At least they were trying. Prior to getting to Munds Park, we had to slow down again because of traffic. We came up to a van that was burnt. Police and Fire were present taking care of the situation.
After riding for 46 miles, we stopped in Cordes Junction, AZ. at 9:08 AM. We all DRANK TOO MUCH COFFEE at breakfast! This was a welcomed pit stop. Since there are only three of us, we didn't take long to "take care of business." We continued on at 9:15 AM.
We rode for another 81 miles and at 10:32 AM, we stopped in Flagstaff, AZ. for ANOTHER pit stop. WE DRANK TOO MUCH COFFEE at breakfast! Wouldn't you know it, J.B. and Chuck had another cup of coffee. I didn't dare. I know that if I did, we would be stopping 10 minutes later. We decided to gas up and hopefully get through Arizona with this fill up.
Chuck was up next to lead. We continued eastbound on I-40. We rode for another 69 miles and stopped in Holbrook, AZ. at 12:04 PM for another pit stop. I warned them not to drink that cup of coffee, but NOOOOOO, they didn't listen. We didn't stop for very long and left at 12:17 PM.
Chuck continued to lead us. We continued eastbound and crossing into New Mexico, losing an hour. We rode for 90 miles and stopped in Gallup, NM. at 2:28 PM where we stopped for lunch at Subway. We took our time and enjoyed the stop. We broke another record! We rode for a total of 179 miles on one fill up. When the group was together, we had ridden for 177 miles on one fill up. We left at 3:21 PM with J.B. in the lead.
J.B. took us eastbound on I-40 and at about milepost 78, we came up to another problem. There was a long line of traffic tying up both lanes of travel. We were stop and go for about 3 miles. We finally passed the problem. There was an 18 wheeler that had rolled over in the median, spilling its load. It was clear sailing after that. We were able to speed up for about 10 miles when we had to stop for traffic again! We had to go slow because of construction. We finally got through that and after 56 miles, we stopped in Moriarty, NM. at 7:18 PM for a pit stop and gas. We broke another record for miles between fill ups. We traveled 181 miles. It was still daylight, so we decided to continue on and hopefully get to Tucumcari, NM.
It was my turn again to lead. As we rode eastbound, the sun was setting and it was getting colder. As we headed eastbound, I saw a group of deer grazing by the side of the road to our right. We were in the curb lane. I pointed at the deer to Chuck and J.B. and quickly moved to the left lane. As we rode, I saw another group of deer grazing by the side of the road on the right side. We didn't feel very comfortable riding in the dark with deer in the area. We were riding and looking for deer in the area. We kept looking side to side. It was not a comfortable feeling! Not only were we looking for deer and other critters, but it was getting colder. Chuck said that he thought that a bat flew and struck him on the right leg. I thought, "better a bat than a moose!" (cow). I then remembered that I had forgotten my "cold weather" gloves at home. We were all wearing our thin gloves at the time. We rode up to Santa Rosa, NM and arrived at 8:32 PM after riding 81 miles. I pulled into a Best Western and both, Chuck and J.B., were happy that I did. It was time! We didn't make it to Tucumcari, but it's OK. We'll be there tomorrow. We checked in, unloaded our Motors and rode about 1 mile away to a Denny's for dinner. We went into the Denny's and they had a decorated Christmas tree inside. The waitress called it a "Holiday tree." It was decorated for Mother's Day. We returned to the Best Western where I had a room with a King bed and Chuck and J.B. had a room with 2 "queens." HMMMMM? We parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night. Tomorrow we will get to Gladstone, MO. and see Susie. A tornado hit Gladstone a couple nights ago and Susie is still without electricity. Susie and the pups are OK. Susie is left doing crosswords by candlelight. Hopefully the electricity will be turned on soon. More tomorrow...
Here we go again! When last I wrote, we had finished our Route 66 ride and J.B. was still with us. He stayed a few days in Phoenix to visit some friends before returning to Susie and Gladstone, MO. So that J.B. would not return home by himself, Chuck accompanied J.B. So that Chuck would not return to Phoenix by himself, I went along. Somebody has to take care of Chuck! We met at Cracker Barrel at I-17 and Deer Valley at 7 AM for breakfast. Barney Dierks and Bruce Stallman met us there and had breakfast with us. J.B., Chuck and I plan to get to Gladstone, MO. in a hurry and hopefully get there in two days. I start this blog with my odometer reading of 45833. We left at 8:27 AM and I was in the lead. When we were at Sunset Point, traffic started to slow because of a grass fire just north. There were two guys trying to put the fire out. One guy was stomping the fire while the other was emptying his "Evian" bottled water on the fire. At least they were trying. Prior to getting to Munds Park, we had to slow down again because of traffic. We came up to a van that was burnt. Police and Fire were present taking care of the situation.
After riding for 46 miles, we stopped in Cordes Junction, AZ. at 9:08 AM. We all DRANK TOO MUCH COFFEE at breakfast! This was a welcomed pit stop. Since there are only three of us, we didn't take long to "take care of business." We continued on at 9:15 AM.
We rode for another 81 miles and at 10:32 AM, we stopped in Flagstaff, AZ. for ANOTHER pit stop. WE DRANK TOO MUCH COFFEE at breakfast! Wouldn't you know it, J.B. and Chuck had another cup of coffee. I didn't dare. I know that if I did, we would be stopping 10 minutes later. We decided to gas up and hopefully get through Arizona with this fill up.
Chuck was up next to lead. We continued eastbound on I-40. We rode for another 69 miles and stopped in Holbrook, AZ. at 12:04 PM for another pit stop. I warned them not to drink that cup of coffee, but NOOOOOO, they didn't listen. We didn't stop for very long and left at 12:17 PM.
Chuck continued to lead us. We continued eastbound and crossing into New Mexico, losing an hour. We rode for 90 miles and stopped in Gallup, NM. at 2:28 PM where we stopped for lunch at Subway. We took our time and enjoyed the stop. We broke another record! We rode for a total of 179 miles on one fill up. When the group was together, we had ridden for 177 miles on one fill up. We left at 3:21 PM with J.B. in the lead.
J.B. took us eastbound on I-40 and at about milepost 78, we came up to another problem. There was a long line of traffic tying up both lanes of travel. We were stop and go for about 3 miles. We finally passed the problem. There was an 18 wheeler that had rolled over in the median, spilling its load. It was clear sailing after that. We were able to speed up for about 10 miles when we had to stop for traffic again! We had to go slow because of construction. We finally got through that and after 56 miles, we stopped in Moriarty, NM. at 7:18 PM for a pit stop and gas. We broke another record for miles between fill ups. We traveled 181 miles. It was still daylight, so we decided to continue on and hopefully get to Tucumcari, NM.
It was my turn again to lead. As we rode eastbound, the sun was setting and it was getting colder. As we headed eastbound, I saw a group of deer grazing by the side of the road to our right. We were in the curb lane. I pointed at the deer to Chuck and J.B. and quickly moved to the left lane. As we rode, I saw another group of deer grazing by the side of the road on the right side. We didn't feel very comfortable riding in the dark with deer in the area. We were riding and looking for deer in the area. We kept looking side to side. It was not a comfortable feeling! Not only were we looking for deer and other critters, but it was getting colder. Chuck said that he thought that a bat flew and struck him on the right leg. I thought, "better a bat than a moose!" (cow). I then remembered that I had forgotten my "cold weather" gloves at home. We were all wearing our thin gloves at the time. We rode up to Santa Rosa, NM and arrived at 8:32 PM after riding 81 miles. I pulled into a Best Western and both, Chuck and J.B., were happy that I did. It was time! We didn't make it to Tucumcari, but it's OK. We'll be there tomorrow. We checked in, unloaded our Motors and rode about 1 mile away to a Denny's for dinner. We went into the Denny's and they had a decorated Christmas tree inside. The waitress called it a "Holiday tree." It was decorated for Mother's Day. We returned to the Best Western where I had a room with a King bed and Chuck and J.B. had a room with 2 "queens." HMMMMM? We parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night. Tomorrow we will get to Gladstone, MO. and see Susie. A tornado hit Gladstone a couple nights ago and Susie is still without electricity. Susie and the pups are OK. Susie is left doing crosswords by candlelight. Hopefully the electricity will be turned on soon. More tomorrow...
Monday, April 28, 2008
DAY 15
We all got up slowly this morning. It was cool and clear. After discussing the trip last night, we all woke to a realization that the journey would end today. We had agreed to leave by 7:30 AM but we all moved slowly. We packed our Motors and cleaned the windshields and lights from all of yesterday's splattered bugs. We rode next door to gas up and then left at 8:00 AM with Chuck leading.
We soon left California and entered Arizona on I-40. We got off at Exit 1 and headed to 66. We rode for a ways and didn't see any Route 66 signs. We stopped at an ARCO on Highway 95 in Mohave Valley, AZ. at 8:32 AM after riding for 31 miles. We stopped to check the map to see where we were. Chuck realized that we had passed the turnoff. We left at 8:40 AM and rode back 11 miles and made the proper turn and headed northbound on 66.
We arrived in the old town of Oatman, AZ. at 9:19 AM after riding 31 miles. There were a couple of wild burros that ran away from us when, I'm sure, they heard the Motors. I had never been in this town and it looked like a scene from an old western, except for the cars, trucks and motorcycles. As we rode down Main Street, there was a dog laying in the middle of the road. I thought for a second that it was dead, however, when Chuck passed it, the dog raised its head and looked at us. Nothing else moved. We all passed the dog and made a u-turn. We rode a few more yards and made another u-turn and parked along side of the street. There weren't very many Motors in town at this time. We walked across the street to a restaurant and had breakfast. As we were eating, more people started coming in. We all thought that we had come in at the right time. When we were done eating, we went outside and saw that the street was lined with a lot of Motorcycles. We walked up and down the street and walked into the shops. There was an open wooden coffin standing in front of one of the stores. Jan was standing next to it and I asked him to get in for a photo. He did. After we did some shopping, we left at 10:41 AM.
We followed 66 and stopped at 10:52 AM after riding 5 miles. These last 5 miles was a winding, mountainous road, like riding up to South Mountain Lookout Point. We stopped at Sitgreaves Pass, an elevation of approximately 3500 feet. We parked our Motors and looked at the magnificent view. We took several pictures. We left at 11:06 AM.
We continued with Chuck leading the group and stopped at 12:08 PM after 52 miles in a small town of Hackberry, AZ. We stopped at a small store that used to be a gas station. The old pumps were still there, however, they were not working. There was a nice looking 1956 Ford T-Bird convertible parked on the property. We took a pit stop and had some refreshments. We were there for a while and toured the property. There was an old garage in the back of the property and several old cars. We left at 1:06 PM.
We rode on another 60 miles and stopped at 1:56 PM in Seligman, AZ. We needed gas and we had lunch at the "Road Kill Restaurant." We took our time eating and left at 3:36 PM.
Jan was up next to lead. We were thinking back, during lunch, of the journey that we are about to finish. We were sad, but yet happy, to get home. It was luck that it was Jan's turn to lead and we were close to his house and he would leave us first. Jan led us to Paulden, AZ. where we stopped at 4:23 PM after riding 52 miles. While at the gas station/quick mart, J.B. presented all of us with Route 66 wings and a ride patch. We were all happy to receive them. We said our goodbyes to Jan and we left at 4:54 PM. Jan led us to Chino Valley and at the south end of the city, Jan turned right and headed home. We all continued on.
J.B. was third in line and when Jan broke off, J.B. took over the lead. We stopped in Mayer, AZ. at 5:43 PM after riding 46 miles. We stopped at a Circle K because Bruce "needed to go!" While we were there, we took our last bread, had some drinks and gassed up our Motors one last time. We left at 6:10 PM.
Just before we left the Circle K, Chuck asked all of us if he could have the privilege of leading us back home on the final leg. We all agreed that it would be prudent for him to lead us home. We all said our goodbyes to each other, got on our Motors and continued. As we entered Phoenix, Bruce broke away from the group and exited at Happy Valley Road. We all continued until we arrived at the exit for the 101. J.B. and I exited and headed eastbound, while Chuck, Jim and Kathleen continued southbound on I-17 to their homes. J.B. and I exited at the 7 Street exit and J.B. turned southbound and I continued eastbound to 16 Street, then northbound to my home. Laura was waiting for me outside on the driveway. It felt good to be home!
For the final day of our journey, we traveled 337 miles. We traveled more miles on Route 66 in Arizona than in any other State. During the 15 days that we took to complete this fantastic and memorable journey, we traveled through 14 states and a total of 4,921 miles. Next year...The Pacific Coast Highway. We can hardly wait. Thank you all for following us through our journey. It was, indeed, my pleasure to tell you about it. Until next time...
We all got up slowly this morning. It was cool and clear. After discussing the trip last night, we all woke to a realization that the journey would end today. We had agreed to leave by 7:30 AM but we all moved slowly. We packed our Motors and cleaned the windshields and lights from all of yesterday's splattered bugs. We rode next door to gas up and then left at 8:00 AM with Chuck leading.
We soon left California and entered Arizona on I-40. We got off at Exit 1 and headed to 66. We rode for a ways and didn't see any Route 66 signs. We stopped at an ARCO on Highway 95 in Mohave Valley, AZ. at 8:32 AM after riding for 31 miles. We stopped to check the map to see where we were. Chuck realized that we had passed the turnoff. We left at 8:40 AM and rode back 11 miles and made the proper turn and headed northbound on 66.
We arrived in the old town of Oatman, AZ. at 9:19 AM after riding 31 miles. There were a couple of wild burros that ran away from us when, I'm sure, they heard the Motors. I had never been in this town and it looked like a scene from an old western, except for the cars, trucks and motorcycles. As we rode down Main Street, there was a dog laying in the middle of the road. I thought for a second that it was dead, however, when Chuck passed it, the dog raised its head and looked at us. Nothing else moved. We all passed the dog and made a u-turn. We rode a few more yards and made another u-turn and parked along side of the street. There weren't very many Motors in town at this time. We walked across the street to a restaurant and had breakfast. As we were eating, more people started coming in. We all thought that we had come in at the right time. When we were done eating, we went outside and saw that the street was lined with a lot of Motorcycles. We walked up and down the street and walked into the shops. There was an open wooden coffin standing in front of one of the stores. Jan was standing next to it and I asked him to get in for a photo. He did. After we did some shopping, we left at 10:41 AM.
We followed 66 and stopped at 10:52 AM after riding 5 miles. These last 5 miles was a winding, mountainous road, like riding up to South Mountain Lookout Point. We stopped at Sitgreaves Pass, an elevation of approximately 3500 feet. We parked our Motors and looked at the magnificent view. We took several pictures. We left at 11:06 AM.
We continued with Chuck leading the group and stopped at 12:08 PM after 52 miles in a small town of Hackberry, AZ. We stopped at a small store that used to be a gas station. The old pumps were still there, however, they were not working. There was a nice looking 1956 Ford T-Bird convertible parked on the property. We took a pit stop and had some refreshments. We were there for a while and toured the property. There was an old garage in the back of the property and several old cars. We left at 1:06 PM.
We rode on another 60 miles and stopped at 1:56 PM in Seligman, AZ. We needed gas and we had lunch at the "Road Kill Restaurant." We took our time eating and left at 3:36 PM.
Jan was up next to lead. We were thinking back, during lunch, of the journey that we are about to finish. We were sad, but yet happy, to get home. It was luck that it was Jan's turn to lead and we were close to his house and he would leave us first. Jan led us to Paulden, AZ. where we stopped at 4:23 PM after riding 52 miles. While at the gas station/quick mart, J.B. presented all of us with Route 66 wings and a ride patch. We were all happy to receive them. We said our goodbyes to Jan and we left at 4:54 PM. Jan led us to Chino Valley and at the south end of the city, Jan turned right and headed home. We all continued on.
J.B. was third in line and when Jan broke off, J.B. took over the lead. We stopped in Mayer, AZ. at 5:43 PM after riding 46 miles. We stopped at a Circle K because Bruce "needed to go!" While we were there, we took our last bread, had some drinks and gassed up our Motors one last time. We left at 6:10 PM.
Just before we left the Circle K, Chuck asked all of us if he could have the privilege of leading us back home on the final leg. We all agreed that it would be prudent for him to lead us home. We all said our goodbyes to each other, got on our Motors and continued. As we entered Phoenix, Bruce broke away from the group and exited at Happy Valley Road. We all continued until we arrived at the exit for the 101. J.B. and I exited and headed eastbound, while Chuck, Jim and Kathleen continued southbound on I-17 to their homes. J.B. and I exited at the 7 Street exit and J.B. turned southbound and I continued eastbound to 16 Street, then northbound to my home. Laura was waiting for me outside on the driveway. It felt good to be home!
For the final day of our journey, we traveled 337 miles. We traveled more miles on Route 66 in Arizona than in any other State. During the 15 days that we took to complete this fantastic and memorable journey, we traveled through 14 states and a total of 4,921 miles. Next year...The Pacific Coast Highway. We can hardly wait. Thank you all for following us through our journey. It was, indeed, my pleasure to tell you about it. Until next time...
Sunday, April 27, 2008
DAY 14
We got up in Barstow, CA. at the Best Western. I went downstairs and got my Motor ready for travel. I looked around and the other Motors were still tucked away. Just as I was finishing, Jim cam down and started on his Motor. I went to the lobby for breakfast. I looked around and couldn't find the continental breakfast. I asked the lady at the front desk and she pointed to the room next door and said that it was in there. I went is and, sure enough, it was there. I served myself breakfast and sat at a table in the corner. As I ate, I watched Jim and Kathleen walk past the breakfast area and into the lobby. Soon after they came inside. J.B. and Bruce were next to come to breakfast. They walked past the breakfast area and into the lobby. Soon after they came inside. Jan was next. We were betting that he would do the same. He did. He walked past and into the lobby. He walked in soon after. Bruce, J.B. and I applauded Jan as he walked in. Bruce called his a "D.A." (dumb ass) for doing as he did. We also told Jan that we all were D.A.'s because we did the same thing also. Chuck was the last to arrive. We were betting that he would also be a D.A. ...he was. He missed the room. We all had a laugh about it. We finished our breakfast and packed our Motors. It was a very nice day for riding. None of us had to wear a jacket. Jim led us a few blocks away where we gassed up our Motors. We left at 8:40 AM.
I took over the lead and we rode southbound en route to Santa Monica. We were very close and it saddened us that we were almost at the end of our journey. I was happy to lead this leg because we were going to an area that I am very familiar with since my family and I have made many trips to the L.A. area, including Santa Monica. We stopped after riding 97 miles and at 10:03 AM in West Covina for a pit stop and to drink. It was warm after coming down the hill. We left at 10:28 AM and continued.
We had no problems maneuvering the L.A. freeways. When we passed L.A. and were closing in on Santa Monica, there were two collisions. The freeway became backed up and we had some waiting to do. We got through it and at 11:20 AM after riding 38 miles, we arrived at Santa Monica, CA. at the pier. We found a parking lot close to the Pier. Jan, J.B. and I waited with the Motors while the rest went sight seeing. We didn't want to leave the Motors alone with a lot of our gear packed on our Motors and exposed. Chuck and the rest later returned and told us that they found the 'Marker" indicating the end of Route 66. They took photos there and at other places. The view of the beach, Santa Monica Pier with the carnival atmosphere, the distant mountains and the ocean was breathtaking. Chuck and the rest returned and it was our turn to explore. Jan, J.B. and I walked to the "marker" and also took pictures. As we walked back to the parking lot, we stopped at the entrance of Santa Monica Pier and spoke with the attendant. We asked if we could bring our 6 Motors, position them in the lane under the Santa Monica Pier sign and take a picture. The attendant said that it would be OK to do it...so we did. We returned to the parking lot and told the rest. We rode our Motors to the entrance, entered and made a u-turn all in single file. It was impressive to watch. It must have been. Most of the people in the area stopped to watch us make the u-turn and position our Motors for the picture. The attendant was kind enough to take my camera and take the picture. It came out pretty good. Especially the green Goldwing with the Bald guy! :) We made this photo op a quick pose because we didn't want to get the attendant in trouble. We left and got back on I-10 eastbound. We were trying to get out of the L.A. area as soon as possible.
As I stated earlier, Chuck had forgotten his gas cap in Needles, CA. when we stopped for gas. This trip has been his trip for losing things, such as his rain coat and swimsuit. Luckily Bruce had spares and Chuck has been borrowing them. Hopefully Chuck won't loose his underwear! Anyway...as we rode eastbound on I-10 we stopped at 12:55 PM after riding for 53 miles in Montclair, CA. at a Harley Davidson Store. Well, we almost made a trip without going to one the those! :) This was a good break because it was warm, the Store was air conditioned and they gave free iced water. We looked at the new Harleys and the Harley guys were trying to convince Bruce and me to trade our Goldwings in for Harleys. We left the Harley Dealership at 2:37 PM.
We rode a few blocks north to a restaurant called, "The Hat." It was in Upland, CA. We arrived at 2:40 PM and 1 mile later. It was very good food and they served very large portions. We could have shared a small order of fries among the 7 of us. After lunch we rode next door and gassed up our Motors. We left at 3:42 PM.
Bruce was up to lead now. Bruce took us northbound toward Barstow, CA. After going northbound on I-15, we turned off and got onto 66. We followed it for approximately 29 miles and at approximately 1 mile from the Lenwood/Barstow city limits, we stopped by a large "Route 66" sign painted in the middle of our lane. We took pictures standing next to the sign when there weren't any cars coming. We posed with our Motors on the road and even lying on the street. We were in front of a house and the homeowner came out and questioned what we were doing. We told him that we were all right and that we were tourists! He went back in his home. We left at 5:11 PM.
We rode for another 3 miles and at 5:55 PM we were eastbound on Main Street of Barstow, CA. Bruce was leading with Chuck behind him. We got to the intersection of Main Street and Avenue H and the traffic light changed to red. Guess what? We all stopped for the red light...except Chuck. He rode right through it! The light changed to green and we pulled into a parking lot about a block away. The first think Bruce asked Chuck was, "Why did you go through the red light?" I was going to verify it with Bruce before I ribbed Chuck about it. Too late! Everyone starting in on Chuck. We took some pictures in the area and Jim and Kathleen rode nearby to a Train Museum and took pictures. We were done at 5:50 PM. At 5:55 PM we stopped 3 miles away for gas. We decided to top off our tanks and continue to Needles, CA. where we intended to secure for the night. We left at 6:18 PM.
Even though we gassed up our Motors, Bruce still led us. We headed for Needles. It soon became dark and we all had to secure our sunglasses. Some of us didn't have a place to put them so they went down our shirts. At 7:44 PM after riding 107 miles, we stopped at a rest area in Fenner, CA. We took a pit stop and put on our jackets. It was getting cold. We left at 8:01 PM.
So now we arrive in Needles. When we were at the rest area, Chuck had called the Best Western in Needles to make sure that there were rooms available for us. He was told that there were and there are 2 Best Westerns in Needles. They are about 2 blocks apart. Chuck knew which exit to use to get to the Best Western of our choice. Chuck was now leading because Bruce asked him to lead. Chuck exited I-40 at a different exit. He made a turn, then another turn, and then another, and then another...I was toward the rear of the pack and we were taking a tour of somewhere in Needles. I know that we passed a car wash twice and a high school once. Nonetheless, we found the Best Western. It wasn't the Best Western that Chuck had called. It was the other one. We still got a good rate and there as a good restaurant next door. We arrived at the Best Western at 8:10 PM after riding 39 miles. We checked in and unloaded our Motors. We then tucked our Motors in for the night.
We went to the restaurant for dinner. Kathleen stayed in the room. While at dinner, we all, except Jim, ordered a celebratory cold, draft beer. We toasted our journey, as is our tradition, and now await our next ride. Next year we are going to ride the Pacific Coast Highway starting in San Diego, going up to the Van Couver area and then southbound passing through Yellowstone Park. Well, that is our plan so far. It could change. Well see...
We rode 426 miles today, which wasn't bad, considering that we spent a lot of time in Santa Monica and at the Harley Store. Tomorrow we will enter Arizona and ride the Oatman area of Route 66. This is the area that we skipped because of "Bike Week" in Laughlin, NV and all of the bikers in the area. We have plenty of time to do this and to take our time. Our journey will end tomorrow as we will return to Phoenix and our Loved ones. This journey will have lasted only 15 days as opposed to 36 days last year. Since we will finish tomorrow, it will be in time for our weekly "COFFEE TIME" (or as my family calls it, our TEA TIME) at Denny's on Tuesday. I can hardly wait! :) More blog later...
We got up in Barstow, CA. at the Best Western. I went downstairs and got my Motor ready for travel. I looked around and the other Motors were still tucked away. Just as I was finishing, Jim cam down and started on his Motor. I went to the lobby for breakfast. I looked around and couldn't find the continental breakfast. I asked the lady at the front desk and she pointed to the room next door and said that it was in there. I went is and, sure enough, it was there. I served myself breakfast and sat at a table in the corner. As I ate, I watched Jim and Kathleen walk past the breakfast area and into the lobby. Soon after they came inside. J.B. and Bruce were next to come to breakfast. They walked past the breakfast area and into the lobby. Soon after they came inside. Jan was next. We were betting that he would do the same. He did. He walked past and into the lobby. He walked in soon after. Bruce, J.B. and I applauded Jan as he walked in. Bruce called his a "D.A." (dumb ass) for doing as he did. We also told Jan that we all were D.A.'s because we did the same thing also. Chuck was the last to arrive. We were betting that he would also be a D.A. ...he was. He missed the room. We all had a laugh about it. We finished our breakfast and packed our Motors. It was a very nice day for riding. None of us had to wear a jacket. Jim led us a few blocks away where we gassed up our Motors. We left at 8:40 AM.
I took over the lead and we rode southbound en route to Santa Monica. We were very close and it saddened us that we were almost at the end of our journey. I was happy to lead this leg because we were going to an area that I am very familiar with since my family and I have made many trips to the L.A. area, including Santa Monica. We stopped after riding 97 miles and at 10:03 AM in West Covina for a pit stop and to drink. It was warm after coming down the hill. We left at 10:28 AM and continued.
We had no problems maneuvering the L.A. freeways. When we passed L.A. and were closing in on Santa Monica, there were two collisions. The freeway became backed up and we had some waiting to do. We got through it and at 11:20 AM after riding 38 miles, we arrived at Santa Monica, CA. at the pier. We found a parking lot close to the Pier. Jan, J.B. and I waited with the Motors while the rest went sight seeing. We didn't want to leave the Motors alone with a lot of our gear packed on our Motors and exposed. Chuck and the rest later returned and told us that they found the 'Marker" indicating the end of Route 66. They took photos there and at other places. The view of the beach, Santa Monica Pier with the carnival atmosphere, the distant mountains and the ocean was breathtaking. Chuck and the rest returned and it was our turn to explore. Jan, J.B. and I walked to the "marker" and also took pictures. As we walked back to the parking lot, we stopped at the entrance of Santa Monica Pier and spoke with the attendant. We asked if we could bring our 6 Motors, position them in the lane under the Santa Monica Pier sign and take a picture. The attendant said that it would be OK to do it...so we did. We returned to the parking lot and told the rest. We rode our Motors to the entrance, entered and made a u-turn all in single file. It was impressive to watch. It must have been. Most of the people in the area stopped to watch us make the u-turn and position our Motors for the picture. The attendant was kind enough to take my camera and take the picture. It came out pretty good. Especially the green Goldwing with the Bald guy! :) We made this photo op a quick pose because we didn't want to get the attendant in trouble. We left and got back on I-10 eastbound. We were trying to get out of the L.A. area as soon as possible.
As I stated earlier, Chuck had forgotten his gas cap in Needles, CA. when we stopped for gas. This trip has been his trip for losing things, such as his rain coat and swimsuit. Luckily Bruce had spares and Chuck has been borrowing them. Hopefully Chuck won't loose his underwear! Anyway...as we rode eastbound on I-10 we stopped at 12:55 PM after riding for 53 miles in Montclair, CA. at a Harley Davidson Store. Well, we almost made a trip without going to one the those! :) This was a good break because it was warm, the Store was air conditioned and they gave free iced water. We looked at the new Harleys and the Harley guys were trying to convince Bruce and me to trade our Goldwings in for Harleys. We left the Harley Dealership at 2:37 PM.
We rode a few blocks north to a restaurant called, "The Hat." It was in Upland, CA. We arrived at 2:40 PM and 1 mile later. It was very good food and they served very large portions. We could have shared a small order of fries among the 7 of us. After lunch we rode next door and gassed up our Motors. We left at 3:42 PM.
Bruce was up to lead now. Bruce took us northbound toward Barstow, CA. After going northbound on I-15, we turned off and got onto 66. We followed it for approximately 29 miles and at approximately 1 mile from the Lenwood/Barstow city limits, we stopped by a large "Route 66" sign painted in the middle of our lane. We took pictures standing next to the sign when there weren't any cars coming. We posed with our Motors on the road and even lying on the street. We were in front of a house and the homeowner came out and questioned what we were doing. We told him that we were all right and that we were tourists! He went back in his home. We left at 5:11 PM.
We rode for another 3 miles and at 5:55 PM we were eastbound on Main Street of Barstow, CA. Bruce was leading with Chuck behind him. We got to the intersection of Main Street and Avenue H and the traffic light changed to red. Guess what? We all stopped for the red light...except Chuck. He rode right through it! The light changed to green and we pulled into a parking lot about a block away. The first think Bruce asked Chuck was, "Why did you go through the red light?" I was going to verify it with Bruce before I ribbed Chuck about it. Too late! Everyone starting in on Chuck. We took some pictures in the area and Jim and Kathleen rode nearby to a Train Museum and took pictures. We were done at 5:50 PM. At 5:55 PM we stopped 3 miles away for gas. We decided to top off our tanks and continue to Needles, CA. where we intended to secure for the night. We left at 6:18 PM.
Even though we gassed up our Motors, Bruce still led us. We headed for Needles. It soon became dark and we all had to secure our sunglasses. Some of us didn't have a place to put them so they went down our shirts. At 7:44 PM after riding 107 miles, we stopped at a rest area in Fenner, CA. We took a pit stop and put on our jackets. It was getting cold. We left at 8:01 PM.
So now we arrive in Needles. When we were at the rest area, Chuck had called the Best Western in Needles to make sure that there were rooms available for us. He was told that there were and there are 2 Best Westerns in Needles. They are about 2 blocks apart. Chuck knew which exit to use to get to the Best Western of our choice. Chuck was now leading because Bruce asked him to lead. Chuck exited I-40 at a different exit. He made a turn, then another turn, and then another, and then another...I was toward the rear of the pack and we were taking a tour of somewhere in Needles. I know that we passed a car wash twice and a high school once. Nonetheless, we found the Best Western. It wasn't the Best Western that Chuck had called. It was the other one. We still got a good rate and there as a good restaurant next door. We arrived at the Best Western at 8:10 PM after riding 39 miles. We checked in and unloaded our Motors. We then tucked our Motors in for the night.
We went to the restaurant for dinner. Kathleen stayed in the room. While at dinner, we all, except Jim, ordered a celebratory cold, draft beer. We toasted our journey, as is our tradition, and now await our next ride. Next year we are going to ride the Pacific Coast Highway starting in San Diego, going up to the Van Couver area and then southbound passing through Yellowstone Park. Well, that is our plan so far. It could change. Well see...
We rode 426 miles today, which wasn't bad, considering that we spent a lot of time in Santa Monica and at the Harley Store. Tomorrow we will enter Arizona and ride the Oatman area of Route 66. This is the area that we skipped because of "Bike Week" in Laughlin, NV and all of the bikers in the area. We have plenty of time to do this and to take our time. Our journey will end tomorrow as we will return to Phoenix and our Loved ones. This journey will have lasted only 15 days as opposed to 36 days last year. Since we will finish tomorrow, it will be in time for our weekly "COFFEE TIME" (or as my family calls it, our TEA TIME) at Denny's on Tuesday. I can hardly wait! :) More blog later...
Saturday, April 26, 2008
DAY 13
J.B. and I got up this morning, got dressed and went to have breakfast in the lobby. Jim and Kathleen joined us soon after. Jim told us that according to the weather channel, it was 19 degrees outside. We were NOT prepared for this. After breakfast, we checked with the others and them of the outside temperature. J.B. and I returned to our room and put on our long handles. I went out to load the Motor and it was indeed cold! Chuck came out of his room and we told him of the temperature. We all had a huddle and it was unanimous to wait until it warmed. We waited and it warmed to 41 degrees by 9:16 AM so we left with Chuck in the lead.
We rode for 96 miles and at 9:38 AM we stopped in Holbrook for a pit stop. Three cups of coffee, 41 degrees and 96 miles on a Motor, I was dying! We took a little break and at 10:13 AM we left.
We didn't go very far. We rode for only 3 miles and stopped at 9:38 AM at the Wigwam Hotel. This an old hotel with several teepee's instead of cabins. There are also several old cars parked in from of the teepee's. We took pictures of the teepee's and old cars. One of the teepee's was open so we took pictures of that also. We then left at 10:30 AM.
Chuck led us for another 32 miles and at 10:53 AM, we stopped in Winslow, AZ. We stopped in a park with the "Welcome to Winslow" sign. We took pictures again. We then rode a few blocks to a corner with a parking lot, parked the Motors and walked eastbound for 1 block to the area from the song, "Standing in a corner in Winslow, AZ." We took pictures and shopped in a couple of stores. We walked back to the Motors and then rode to a nearby gas station.
It was Jan's turn to lead. Jan led us to Flagstaff, AZ. where we stopped at Wendy's at 1:04 PM after riding 60 miles. We left at 2:10 PM. and headed west.
Jan took us to Williams, AZ. where we stopped at 2:47 PM an riding for 35 miles for a pit stop and Jim topped off his gas tank. We left at 3:00 PM. As we were riding on 66 in Williams, Jan stopped and spoke with Chuck. They both got off of their Motors and came to us. Chuck stated that Jan was thinking and suggested that because Laughlin, NV. is packed with bikers and rooms anywhere in the area are price at approximately $140 per night with a 3 night minimum, we ride straight to Barstow, CA. and spend the night. We can continue the next day to Santa Monica, take pictures and make a quick turn around and head back. When we get back into Arizona, we can continue the 66 tour and hit what we missed today. By the time we return on Monday, the Laughlin bikers would have already gone. That was a great idea! We all agreed.
Jan continued to lead us into Seligman, AZ. where we stopped at 3:34 PM and after riding 39 miles. We gassed our Motors and soon after left at 3:50 PM. After Chuck gassed his Motor, he changed his routine and placed his gas cap on the gas pump. After he finished filling his tank, he forgot to get his gas cap. It was left at the gas station.
J.B. took over the lead and we rode for 100 miles before we stopped at a roadside rest area at 5:07 PM just south of Yucca, AZ. We stopped to stretch our legs and take a pit stop. We left at 5:25 PM.
We continued and crossed the Arizona/California border and rode into Needles, CA. at 5:53 PM after riding 35 miles. In Needles, we stopped for gas. We left at 6:15 PM.
Jim led us now. It was getting dark. At 7:32 PM after riding for 93 miles, we stopped in Ludlow, CA. for a pit stop. As we were at the gas station/Circle K, there were several motorcycles pulling in and out. We left at 7:56 PM, destined for Barstow, CA.
We rode for another 50 miles and at 8:40 PM we arrived in Barstow and checked in at a Best Western. We unloaded our Motors and took our stuff to the rooms. Jim took his stuff and Kathleen to their room. We then rode a mile away, leaving Kathleen in the room, to Coco's restaurant for dinner. When we finished dinner, we returned to the Best Western, parked the Motors and tucked them in for the night. We were all tired. We rode a total of 545 miles today. Tomorrow we will ride to Santa Monica and finish the last leg of our journey. After we stop in Santa Monica, we will take picture, maybe shop a little and do a little sight seeing. We plan to get out of Los Angeles quickly and head back toward Needles and continue the 66 tour in the Arizona side. We'll see what is in store for us tomorrow.
J.B. and I got up this morning, got dressed and went to have breakfast in the lobby. Jim and Kathleen joined us soon after. Jim told us that according to the weather channel, it was 19 degrees outside. We were NOT prepared for this. After breakfast, we checked with the others and them of the outside temperature. J.B. and I returned to our room and put on our long handles. I went out to load the Motor and it was indeed cold! Chuck came out of his room and we told him of the temperature. We all had a huddle and it was unanimous to wait until it warmed. We waited and it warmed to 41 degrees by 9:16 AM so we left with Chuck in the lead.
We rode for 96 miles and at 9:38 AM we stopped in Holbrook for a pit stop. Three cups of coffee, 41 degrees and 96 miles on a Motor, I was dying! We took a little break and at 10:13 AM we left.
We didn't go very far. We rode for only 3 miles and stopped at 9:38 AM at the Wigwam Hotel. This an old hotel with several teepee's instead of cabins. There are also several old cars parked in from of the teepee's. We took pictures of the teepee's and old cars. One of the teepee's was open so we took pictures of that also. We then left at 10:30 AM.
Chuck led us for another 32 miles and at 10:53 AM, we stopped in Winslow, AZ. We stopped in a park with the "Welcome to Winslow" sign. We took pictures again. We then rode a few blocks to a corner with a parking lot, parked the Motors and walked eastbound for 1 block to the area from the song, "Standing in a corner in Winslow, AZ." We took pictures and shopped in a couple of stores. We walked back to the Motors and then rode to a nearby gas station.
It was Jan's turn to lead. Jan led us to Flagstaff, AZ. where we stopped at Wendy's at 1:04 PM after riding 60 miles. We left at 2:10 PM. and headed west.
Jan took us to Williams, AZ. where we stopped at 2:47 PM an riding for 35 miles for a pit stop and Jim topped off his gas tank. We left at 3:00 PM. As we were riding on 66 in Williams, Jan stopped and spoke with Chuck. They both got off of their Motors and came to us. Chuck stated that Jan was thinking and suggested that because Laughlin, NV. is packed with bikers and rooms anywhere in the area are price at approximately $140 per night with a 3 night minimum, we ride straight to Barstow, CA. and spend the night. We can continue the next day to Santa Monica, take pictures and make a quick turn around and head back. When we get back into Arizona, we can continue the 66 tour and hit what we missed today. By the time we return on Monday, the Laughlin bikers would have already gone. That was a great idea! We all agreed.
Jan continued to lead us into Seligman, AZ. where we stopped at 3:34 PM and after riding 39 miles. We gassed our Motors and soon after left at 3:50 PM. After Chuck gassed his Motor, he changed his routine and placed his gas cap on the gas pump. After he finished filling his tank, he forgot to get his gas cap. It was left at the gas station.
J.B. took over the lead and we rode for 100 miles before we stopped at a roadside rest area at 5:07 PM just south of Yucca, AZ. We stopped to stretch our legs and take a pit stop. We left at 5:25 PM.
We continued and crossed the Arizona/California border and rode into Needles, CA. at 5:53 PM after riding 35 miles. In Needles, we stopped for gas. We left at 6:15 PM.
Jim led us now. It was getting dark. At 7:32 PM after riding for 93 miles, we stopped in Ludlow, CA. for a pit stop. As we were at the gas station/Circle K, there were several motorcycles pulling in and out. We left at 7:56 PM, destined for Barstow, CA.
We rode for another 50 miles and at 8:40 PM we arrived in Barstow and checked in at a Best Western. We unloaded our Motors and took our stuff to the rooms. Jim took his stuff and Kathleen to their room. We then rode a mile away, leaving Kathleen in the room, to Coco's restaurant for dinner. When we finished dinner, we returned to the Best Western, parked the Motors and tucked them in for the night. We were all tired. We rode a total of 545 miles today. Tomorrow we will ride to Santa Monica and finish the last leg of our journey. After we stop in Santa Monica, we will take picture, maybe shop a little and do a little sight seeing. We plan to get out of Los Angeles quickly and head back toward Needles and continue the 66 tour in the Arizona side. We'll see what is in store for us tomorrow.
Friday, April 25, 2008
DAY 12
We got up this morning and, again, the weather was nice. I went for a little walk and then Bill, the owner of the Blue Swallow, popped out of the office door and told me that he had fresh coffee available. That was all it took. I went inside and served me a cup. J.B. was not far behind and came in also. We enjoyed a "few" cups of coffee with Bill and he told us some stories of some of the people, both famous and not, who have stayed at the motel. He told me that at one time, Billy Bob Thornton stayed in the same room that J.C. and I stayed last night. Speaking of J.C., he also came in and had some coffee with us. When we were done having coffee, we returned to our rooms and packed up our Motors and got ready to leave. We said our goodbye's to J.C. and he left eastbound before we left westbound. We had a nice visit for a couple of days with J.C., but now that he is gone, we will do what we normally do...we will talk about him. We will also talk about the "vinyl jacket." :) We decided to ride for a bit and have breakfast later. We wanted to get in some miles. We left at 7:51 AM.
Jim was still up as the leader. We rode for 59 miles and stopped in Santa Rosa, NM. at 8:45 AM. We stopped for breakfast at a restaurant that you would never guess that it had. It had a lot of Route 66 memorabilia! What else would it have? After breakfast, we stopped and gassed up. We left at 10:02 AM.
I was up to lead next. We rode on and headed west on I-40 and then north on Highway 84. As we were going northbound, I saw three antelope to the west of us. We continued northbound and eventually stopped in Romeroville, NM at 10:54 AM and after riding 60 miles. This was a much needed pit stop for J.B. and me! I guess we all needed the pit stop because we all went. Just before we left, J.B. told us that he needed to go and "take the Browns to the Super Bowl." After putting that thought in my mind, the power of suggest came to me and I needed to go too. I went into the stall next to J.B. As I was in the stall, I checked in my jacket pocket, which had Velcro and a snap, for something. J.B. heard the snap and Velcro and figured that it was one of the group. He asked me if I could "spare a square" of paper, as there was none in his stall. I gladly passed him some and asked him, "Didn't your mama ever teach you to check before you sit down?" He told me that he had been sitting for a while and was about to use his cell phone and call Jan to tell the clerks in the Circle K to bring in some paper. It was very hard to hold in the laughter! I didn't. We discussed this incident again later and all of us couldn't stop laughing. What would we do without J.B.? Probably talk about him, what else! We got back on our Motors and left at 11:32 AM.
We continued with me in the lead. We arrived in Santa Fe, NM. after 70 miles and at 1:04 PM. We were lost and hungry. We stopped along side of Rodeo Street and looked at the map. We didn't know where we were. We decided that we would just go and eventually we would find the interstate or a Subway for lunch. About two blocks later, I spotted one and we pulled in for lunch. We left at 1:51 PM.
We continued and then stopped in Santo Domingo, NM. after riding for 23 miles and stopped at a gas station at 2:18 PM. We gassed up and now it was Bruce's turn to lead. We left at 2:37 PM.
We rode on I-25 and passed through Albuquerque, NM. and stopped in Los Lunas, NM. at 3:28 PM after riding 57 miles. This was a good time for a break because some of us were getting sleepy and some tired. We all got some snacks and Chuck, J.B. and I got some coffee. We left at 4:00 PM and we were wide awake. That makes Motorcycle riding safer!
Chuck and Bruce discussed the route and they decided that we would take Highway 6, which was a stretch of road that was once the Historic Route 66. This stretch was 33 miles long and connected with I-40. Approximately one mile before getting to I-40, we made a stop by the side of the road for a photo op with a Route 66 New Mexico sign at 4:30 PM and after riding 32 miles. We took several photos and left at 4:49 PM.
Bruce continued to lead and we rode for another 81 miles and stopped at 5:56 PM to gas up at Continental Divide, NM. There was also a large gift shop and guess what? We bought some stuff. We left at 6:18 PM.
Chuck started to lead but tried and failed to weasel out of it. It was his turn and no one else wanted to lead. Chuck led and 23 miles later at 6:39 PM, we arrived in Gallup, NM. We checked into the Best Western, parked our Motors and unloaded them. Chuck, Jan and Bruce went for a swim in the indoor, heated pool. Kathleen was complaining of a sore hip so Jim ordered pizza for them and he did a load of laundry. J.B. and I stayed in our room recapping today's ride. When the guys came back from their swim, we rode about two miles away for dinner at Earl's Restaurant. We were seated right away. While we were waiting for and eating our dinner, we were approached 12 times by people trying to sell us stuff like jewelry, trinkets, Indian pottery, etc. We told them, "no." After dinner we rode back to the Best Western where we parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night. Jan and Bruce had an adjoining room with J.B. and me. We had the door open so we could visit. Chuck complained because he was alone in his room. Boo Hoo! It was his turn to be solo.
We had a great day for riding today. As we got closer to Gallup, NM. it became colder. At the Continental Divide, it has an elevation of more then 7,200 feet above sea level. We rode 409 miles today. What a great day! Tomorrow, we hope to ride through Arizona. We'll see...
We got up this morning and, again, the weather was nice. I went for a little walk and then Bill, the owner of the Blue Swallow, popped out of the office door and told me that he had fresh coffee available. That was all it took. I went inside and served me a cup. J.B. was not far behind and came in also. We enjoyed a "few" cups of coffee with Bill and he told us some stories of some of the people, both famous and not, who have stayed at the motel. He told me that at one time, Billy Bob Thornton stayed in the same room that J.C. and I stayed last night. Speaking of J.C., he also came in and had some coffee with us. When we were done having coffee, we returned to our rooms and packed up our Motors and got ready to leave. We said our goodbye's to J.C. and he left eastbound before we left westbound. We had a nice visit for a couple of days with J.C., but now that he is gone, we will do what we normally do...we will talk about him. We will also talk about the "vinyl jacket." :) We decided to ride for a bit and have breakfast later. We wanted to get in some miles. We left at 7:51 AM.
Jim was still up as the leader. We rode for 59 miles and stopped in Santa Rosa, NM. at 8:45 AM. We stopped for breakfast at a restaurant that you would never guess that it had. It had a lot of Route 66 memorabilia! What else would it have? After breakfast, we stopped and gassed up. We left at 10:02 AM.
I was up to lead next. We rode on and headed west on I-40 and then north on Highway 84. As we were going northbound, I saw three antelope to the west of us. We continued northbound and eventually stopped in Romeroville, NM at 10:54 AM and after riding 60 miles. This was a much needed pit stop for J.B. and me! I guess we all needed the pit stop because we all went. Just before we left, J.B. told us that he needed to go and "take the Browns to the Super Bowl." After putting that thought in my mind, the power of suggest came to me and I needed to go too. I went into the stall next to J.B. As I was in the stall, I checked in my jacket pocket, which had Velcro and a snap, for something. J.B. heard the snap and Velcro and figured that it was one of the group. He asked me if I could "spare a square" of paper, as there was none in his stall. I gladly passed him some and asked him, "Didn't your mama ever teach you to check before you sit down?" He told me that he had been sitting for a while and was about to use his cell phone and call Jan to tell the clerks in the Circle K to bring in some paper. It was very hard to hold in the laughter! I didn't. We discussed this incident again later and all of us couldn't stop laughing. What would we do without J.B.? Probably talk about him, what else! We got back on our Motors and left at 11:32 AM.
We continued with me in the lead. We arrived in Santa Fe, NM. after 70 miles and at 1:04 PM. We were lost and hungry. We stopped along side of Rodeo Street and looked at the map. We didn't know where we were. We decided that we would just go and eventually we would find the interstate or a Subway for lunch. About two blocks later, I spotted one and we pulled in for lunch. We left at 1:51 PM.
We continued and then stopped in Santo Domingo, NM. after riding for 23 miles and stopped at a gas station at 2:18 PM. We gassed up and now it was Bruce's turn to lead. We left at 2:37 PM.
We rode on I-25 and passed through Albuquerque, NM. and stopped in Los Lunas, NM. at 3:28 PM after riding 57 miles. This was a good time for a break because some of us were getting sleepy and some tired. We all got some snacks and Chuck, J.B. and I got some coffee. We left at 4:00 PM and we were wide awake. That makes Motorcycle riding safer!
Chuck and Bruce discussed the route and they decided that we would take Highway 6, which was a stretch of road that was once the Historic Route 66. This stretch was 33 miles long and connected with I-40. Approximately one mile before getting to I-40, we made a stop by the side of the road for a photo op with a Route 66 New Mexico sign at 4:30 PM and after riding 32 miles. We took several photos and left at 4:49 PM.
Bruce continued to lead and we rode for another 81 miles and stopped at 5:56 PM to gas up at Continental Divide, NM. There was also a large gift shop and guess what? We bought some stuff. We left at 6:18 PM.
Chuck started to lead but tried and failed to weasel out of it. It was his turn and no one else wanted to lead. Chuck led and 23 miles later at 6:39 PM, we arrived in Gallup, NM. We checked into the Best Western, parked our Motors and unloaded them. Chuck, Jan and Bruce went for a swim in the indoor, heated pool. Kathleen was complaining of a sore hip so Jim ordered pizza for them and he did a load of laundry. J.B. and I stayed in our room recapping today's ride. When the guys came back from their swim, we rode about two miles away for dinner at Earl's Restaurant. We were seated right away. While we were waiting for and eating our dinner, we were approached 12 times by people trying to sell us stuff like jewelry, trinkets, Indian pottery, etc. We told them, "no." After dinner we rode back to the Best Western where we parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night. Jan and Bruce had an adjoining room with J.B. and me. We had the door open so we could visit. Chuck complained because he was alone in his room. Boo Hoo! It was his turn to be solo.
We had a great day for riding today. As we got closer to Gallup, NM. it became colder. At the Continental Divide, it has an elevation of more then 7,200 feet above sea level. We rode 409 miles today. What a great day! Tomorrow, we hope to ride through Arizona. We'll see...
Thursday, April 24, 2008
DAY11
When we got up this morning we went outside to check on the weather. NO! I know what you're thinking. We didn't go outside in our skivvies. We got dressed first! Can I finish now? The sky was clear and it was cool. We started to pack up our Motors to get ready to leave. After last nights rain, the Motors were very dirty. We went to the lobby area and had breakfast. After breakfast, we had a little time to spare so we cleaned up the Motors a little. After we were done, we got on our Motors and rode down the street and gassed them up. J.C. was still with us. We left at 8:28 AM and it started to get cloudy again.
Jan started to lead us westbound. We followed 66 and it was a two lane road with farmland on both sides of the road. There were cows, baby cows, horses, baby horses and even "low rider horses." (Donkeys for those who don't know.) As we rode, Jan was leading, Jim was next, Chuck was third and I was next. That may not seem important, however, as we rode, there were several cows next to the roadway, on the other side of the fence. As Jan and Chuck passed them, because of their LOUD PIPES, it scared several of the baby cows. Damn those Harley's for scaring the poor little, baby cows! It was cloudy but the more we went westbound, the better the sky became. It started to clear up and we actually saw and felt the sun.
At 9:28 AM and 59 miles later, we stopped in a town named Clinton, OK. We stopped at a Route 66 Oklahoma sign to take pictures. We continued and stopped about a mile away at the Route 66 Museum. When we stopped at the Museum, the sky started to get cloudy again. We went in and spent some time going through the museum and remembering the "good ole times." After the tour, we walked into the gift shop. Who would have guessed? Yes, we bought some stuff. We left at 11:10 AM. If it was lunch time we would have been lucky because there was a Subway across the street. It wasn't lunch time so we continued westbound. As we were on 66, traffic was very light and at one point, we could see down the road for about 2 miles. I was behind Jan on the right side of the lane. I moved to the left side behind Jan and scooted up behind him. I was riding about 1 foot behind Jan's Motor "drafting" him. I had my camera out and took a picture. It was cool! Jan told me later that he was wondering what I was doing behind him. He saw me in his rear view mirror and was puzzled. That is one of the fun things to do when one gets bored. :)
Jan led us westbound and we stopped for lunch at 12:30 PM after riding 85 miles. We enjoyed a good lunch and relaxed for a while. We rode next door and gassed up. We left at 1:50 PM with J.B. leading. We got on I-40, which ran next to 66. J.B. stopped at Vega, TX. 128 miles later, where we gassed the Motors and had a pit stop. We left at 3:57 PM.
Jim led us and our next stop was going to be at Adrian, TX. Adrian is the midpoint between Santa Monica and Chicago. We stopped at the Midpoint Cafe. We learned that as we were riding westbound on 66, there was a school bus eastbound. The bus driver was also the waitress at the Cafe. She got on her cell phone and called the owner of the Cafe, Fran, and told her that 6 Motorcycles were headed her way and not to close the Cafe. Fran has already turned the "closed" sign on and locked the door. She unlocked the door and turned the "open" sign on and waited for us. At that point, we rode into her parking lot at 4:10 PM after 14 miles. We lined our Motors in front of the Cafe and took pictures. There was a sign across the street and we took pictures in front of it also. We all lined up in front the the sign across the street while Jim set up his camera in front of the Cafe. Jim joined us in front of the sign while Jan started the timer of the camera and ran to the sign. Jan ran at full speed for about 50 yards and got to the sign with about 1 to 2 seconds to spare! Of course you realize that Jan is the oldest of the group and in the best shape. It was windy and Chuck and Jan both had hats that blew away from them. As they tried to chase after them, we yelled, "Run Forest, Run!" You had to be there. We went into the Cafe and were greeted by Fran. She is a very nice and personable lady. She is the owner of the Cafe. One half of the Cafe is a gift shop. We thanked her for reopening the Cafe for us and we insured her that we would make it worth her time. We all had apple pie ala mode and bought stuff from the gift shop. She told us that we "made her month on sales." She had an old Ford PU parked outside covered in writing from visitors. She gives visitors paint pencils to "sign" her truck. We also wrote on the truck. After taking more pictures, we stayed a while and spoke with her. We told her what we were doing and where we were going. She suggested that we stop at the "Blue Swallow" Motel in Tucumcari, NM. Her good friend, Bill, owns it. J.C. called the motel, spoke with Bill and made reservations. Bill was able to call his friend at the Pow Wow Restaurant to make reservation for us for dinner. We were set.
Jim led us to Tucumcari and we arrived at 5:30 PM after riding another 43 miles. When we crossed the Texas/New Mexico State line, we gained an hour. We arrived at the Blue Swallow Motel, an early 50's deco motel. The lobby was a separate building from the rooms. There were 12 rooms and most of them had their private garage. As we pulled into the front parking lot, Bill met us at the door. He told us that he had the rooms ready and told us also that not more that 10 minutes after J.C. reserved the rooms, a group of bikers from Brazil had arrived at the motel and tried to get rooms. Bill told them that the rooms were already reserved for us. Bill told us that he had called his friend at the restaurant and the General Manager would come and pick us up at 7:45 PM and take us to the restaurant. After we eat, the General Manager would bring us back. How is that for service? We parked our Motors in our garages, unloaded them and tucked them in for the night. We later went to dinner, enjoyed it and returned to the motel. J.C. was kind enough to, again, pick up the tab for our dinners. We like J.C. What a guy! Tomorrow morning, J.C. will leave eastbound, back to the Dallas, TX. area and we will leave westbound. The weather is supposed to be clear for the rest of the week as we continue on our journey to Santa Monica and back to Phoenix. Until tomorrow...
When we got up this morning we went outside to check on the weather. NO! I know what you're thinking. We didn't go outside in our skivvies. We got dressed first! Can I finish now? The sky was clear and it was cool. We started to pack up our Motors to get ready to leave. After last nights rain, the Motors were very dirty. We went to the lobby area and had breakfast. After breakfast, we had a little time to spare so we cleaned up the Motors a little. After we were done, we got on our Motors and rode down the street and gassed them up. J.C. was still with us. We left at 8:28 AM and it started to get cloudy again.
Jan started to lead us westbound. We followed 66 and it was a two lane road with farmland on both sides of the road. There were cows, baby cows, horses, baby horses and even "low rider horses." (Donkeys for those who don't know.) As we rode, Jan was leading, Jim was next, Chuck was third and I was next. That may not seem important, however, as we rode, there were several cows next to the roadway, on the other side of the fence. As Jan and Chuck passed them, because of their LOUD PIPES, it scared several of the baby cows. Damn those Harley's for scaring the poor little, baby cows! It was cloudy but the more we went westbound, the better the sky became. It started to clear up and we actually saw and felt the sun.
At 9:28 AM and 59 miles later, we stopped in a town named Clinton, OK. We stopped at a Route 66 Oklahoma sign to take pictures. We continued and stopped about a mile away at the Route 66 Museum. When we stopped at the Museum, the sky started to get cloudy again. We went in and spent some time going through the museum and remembering the "good ole times." After the tour, we walked into the gift shop. Who would have guessed? Yes, we bought some stuff. We left at 11:10 AM. If it was lunch time we would have been lucky because there was a Subway across the street. It wasn't lunch time so we continued westbound. As we were on 66, traffic was very light and at one point, we could see down the road for about 2 miles. I was behind Jan on the right side of the lane. I moved to the left side behind Jan and scooted up behind him. I was riding about 1 foot behind Jan's Motor "drafting" him. I had my camera out and took a picture. It was cool! Jan told me later that he was wondering what I was doing behind him. He saw me in his rear view mirror and was puzzled. That is one of the fun things to do when one gets bored. :)
Jan led us westbound and we stopped for lunch at 12:30 PM after riding 85 miles. We enjoyed a good lunch and relaxed for a while. We rode next door and gassed up. We left at 1:50 PM with J.B. leading. We got on I-40, which ran next to 66. J.B. stopped at Vega, TX. 128 miles later, where we gassed the Motors and had a pit stop. We left at 3:57 PM.
Jim led us and our next stop was going to be at Adrian, TX. Adrian is the midpoint between Santa Monica and Chicago. We stopped at the Midpoint Cafe. We learned that as we were riding westbound on 66, there was a school bus eastbound. The bus driver was also the waitress at the Cafe. She got on her cell phone and called the owner of the Cafe, Fran, and told her that 6 Motorcycles were headed her way and not to close the Cafe. Fran has already turned the "closed" sign on and locked the door. She unlocked the door and turned the "open" sign on and waited for us. At that point, we rode into her parking lot at 4:10 PM after 14 miles. We lined our Motors in front of the Cafe and took pictures. There was a sign across the street and we took pictures in front of it also. We all lined up in front the the sign across the street while Jim set up his camera in front of the Cafe. Jim joined us in front of the sign while Jan started the timer of the camera and ran to the sign. Jan ran at full speed for about 50 yards and got to the sign with about 1 to 2 seconds to spare! Of course you realize that Jan is the oldest of the group and in the best shape. It was windy and Chuck and Jan both had hats that blew away from them. As they tried to chase after them, we yelled, "Run Forest, Run!" You had to be there. We went into the Cafe and were greeted by Fran. She is a very nice and personable lady. She is the owner of the Cafe. One half of the Cafe is a gift shop. We thanked her for reopening the Cafe for us and we insured her that we would make it worth her time. We all had apple pie ala mode and bought stuff from the gift shop. She told us that we "made her month on sales." She had an old Ford PU parked outside covered in writing from visitors. She gives visitors paint pencils to "sign" her truck. We also wrote on the truck. After taking more pictures, we stayed a while and spoke with her. We told her what we were doing and where we were going. She suggested that we stop at the "Blue Swallow" Motel in Tucumcari, NM. Her good friend, Bill, owns it. J.C. called the motel, spoke with Bill and made reservations. Bill was able to call his friend at the Pow Wow Restaurant to make reservation for us for dinner. We were set.
Jim led us to Tucumcari and we arrived at 5:30 PM after riding another 43 miles. When we crossed the Texas/New Mexico State line, we gained an hour. We arrived at the Blue Swallow Motel, an early 50's deco motel. The lobby was a separate building from the rooms. There were 12 rooms and most of them had their private garage. As we pulled into the front parking lot, Bill met us at the door. He told us that he had the rooms ready and told us also that not more that 10 minutes after J.C. reserved the rooms, a group of bikers from Brazil had arrived at the motel and tried to get rooms. Bill told them that the rooms were already reserved for us. Bill told us that he had called his friend at the restaurant and the General Manager would come and pick us up at 7:45 PM and take us to the restaurant. After we eat, the General Manager would bring us back. How is that for service? We parked our Motors in our garages, unloaded them and tucked them in for the night. We later went to dinner, enjoyed it and returned to the motel. J.C. was kind enough to, again, pick up the tab for our dinners. We like J.C. What a guy! Tomorrow morning, J.C. will leave eastbound, back to the Dallas, TX. area and we will leave westbound. The weather is supposed to be clear for the rest of the week as we continue on our journey to Santa Monica and back to Phoenix. Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
DAY 10
We got up this morning and went to our Motors to prepare them for today's ride. The sky was clear and the temperature was cool. What a great day for riding. We all packed up our Motors and then went to breakfast by the lobby. After breakfast, we all got on our Motors and rode next door to gas up at the "KUM N GO" gas station...the what??! THAT is the name of the gas station. I'm not making it up. We left at 8:00 AM and headed back to 66 with Bruce leading.
We weren't very far from the State line and at 8:19 AM and 11 miles, we were in Galena, KS. This was a great photo op location. There was a business at the corner named, "Four Women on the Route." In the parking lot was an old tow truck which anyone would recognize if they saw the movie, "Cars." The lady at the store told us that the tow truck was the model for the "Cars" tow truck, "Mater." This town was the model for part of the movie, "Cars." We took several pictures of each other with signs, walls, tow truck, and the street. We left at 8:50 AM.
Prior to arriving in Baxter Springs and only 8 miles from Galena, we came upon an old bridge at 8:19 AM. We stopped and took several photos on the bridge. We also took a group photo. We left at 8:50 AM.
We continued on 66 and soon rode into the town of Commerce, OK. Commerce is the boyhood home of the New York Yankees #7, Mickie Mantle. There were banners throughout the town.
The next town that we rode into was named Miami, OK. We rode through this town and it had the typical murals on the walls, old time single traffic lights and old buildings. We followed the signs of 66 and were in an area with a 45 mph zone and the the pavement ended. We found ourselves on 66 and it was a gravel road. There was also the original narrow, paved road complete with pot holes. We continued on the gravel and dirt for 2 miles. We finally reached paved road. The ride in the gravel road seemed like it was more that 2 miles. As we continued on the paved roadway, we all felt better and safer. We also saw a tortoise in the emergency lane. By the look of his expression, it looked as if it was waiting for us to pass so that it could dart across the street. :) A few miles further, we saw it's brother (or sister), we were going too fast to look closely and tell the difference, in the middle of our travel lane. We didn't hit it! We were very careful. This one had a scared look on its face. :)
We continued for another 52 miles from the Bridge and at 10:35 AM, we stopped for a much needed pit stop at a gas station in Vanita, OK. We all "took care of business" and bought some snacks and sat on "non vibrating seats." We left at 11:13 AM. Bruce was still leading us.
As I wrote yesterday, I had been in contact with an old friend, J.C. Allen. He had been texting me throughout the morning trying to set up a meeting place. Like I'm going to return his texting as I ride my Motor...NOT! I don't know how to text. I waited for the text that told me that he was in a town called, "Sapulpa," and would wait for us. We rode through Tulsa, OK. and then arrived in Sapulpa at 12:45 PM after going 76 miles. J.C. had texted me that he was at, "Al's Route 66 Cafe." He also texted saying that he would treat all of us for lunch. What a great place to have lunch and what a great name for a cafe! It couldn't have been better. We met J.C. at the cafe and again he told us that he would treat us to lunch. He also thanks each and every one of us for allowing him to ride with us. We thanked him for the gesture of paying for our lunch, but that we had decided that he would pick up the tab anyway! We had a very good lunch. the food was very good and plentiful. J.C. also bought me a coffee mug from the cafe with the logo of "Al's route 66 Cafe." The cup also had a brief history of Route 66 on the back of the cup. J.C. joined our group and we rode down the street for 1 mile and we all gassed up our Motors. We left at 2:17 PM.
It was Chuck's turn again to lead. We rode for 30 miles and it started raining at 2:50 PM. We were very lucky because no sooner that it started raining that we came upon the small town of Depew, OK. and it had one gas station with cover. We stopped and put our rain gear on. While we were there, we also made a pit stop. You know how hard it is to "take care of business" with rain gear on? Chuck and I looked at the map and it was decided that we would continue on 66 until we came to State Route 177, turn southbound for I-40 and then eastbound, going through Oklahoma City. Soon after leaving Depew, guess what? It stopped raining.
We rode with our rain gear and no rain for 112 miles and at 5:06 PM, we arrived at the Best Western in El Reno, OK. We checked in, got our rooms and rode our Motors to our rooms. We unloaded our Motors, put our stuff in our rooms and tucked our Motors in for the night. No sooner that we did that, we heard loud claps of thunder and the rain came down. The rain continued heavily for about 2 hours. After the rain, we walked next door to Denny's for dinner. After dinner, we returned to our rooms and secured for the night.
This was not a bad day of riding. we rode for 290 miles and got out of Missouri, Kansas and into Oklahoma. Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, we should get to Amarillo, TX. tomorrow. We started to see Armadillo road kill after entering Oklahoma. Armadillo road kill is also known as, "Texas Speed bumps." We will see what tomorrow brings. Until tomorrow...
We got up this morning and went to our Motors to prepare them for today's ride. The sky was clear and the temperature was cool. What a great day for riding. We all packed up our Motors and then went to breakfast by the lobby. After breakfast, we all got on our Motors and rode next door to gas up at the "KUM N GO" gas station...the what??! THAT is the name of the gas station. I'm not making it up. We left at 8:00 AM and headed back to 66 with Bruce leading.
We weren't very far from the State line and at 8:19 AM and 11 miles, we were in Galena, KS. This was a great photo op location. There was a business at the corner named, "Four Women on the Route." In the parking lot was an old tow truck which anyone would recognize if they saw the movie, "Cars." The lady at the store told us that the tow truck was the model for the "Cars" tow truck, "Mater." This town was the model for part of the movie, "Cars." We took several pictures of each other with signs, walls, tow truck, and the street. We left at 8:50 AM.
Prior to arriving in Baxter Springs and only 8 miles from Galena, we came upon an old bridge at 8:19 AM. We stopped and took several photos on the bridge. We also took a group photo. We left at 8:50 AM.
We continued on 66 and soon rode into the town of Commerce, OK. Commerce is the boyhood home of the New York Yankees #7, Mickie Mantle. There were banners throughout the town.
The next town that we rode into was named Miami, OK. We rode through this town and it had the typical murals on the walls, old time single traffic lights and old buildings. We followed the signs of 66 and were in an area with a 45 mph zone and the the pavement ended. We found ourselves on 66 and it was a gravel road. There was also the original narrow, paved road complete with pot holes. We continued on the gravel and dirt for 2 miles. We finally reached paved road. The ride in the gravel road seemed like it was more that 2 miles. As we continued on the paved roadway, we all felt better and safer. We also saw a tortoise in the emergency lane. By the look of his expression, it looked as if it was waiting for us to pass so that it could dart across the street. :) A few miles further, we saw it's brother (or sister), we were going too fast to look closely and tell the difference, in the middle of our travel lane. We didn't hit it! We were very careful. This one had a scared look on its face. :)
We continued for another 52 miles from the Bridge and at 10:35 AM, we stopped for a much needed pit stop at a gas station in Vanita, OK. We all "took care of business" and bought some snacks and sat on "non vibrating seats." We left at 11:13 AM. Bruce was still leading us.
As I wrote yesterday, I had been in contact with an old friend, J.C. Allen. He had been texting me throughout the morning trying to set up a meeting place. Like I'm going to return his texting as I ride my Motor...NOT! I don't know how to text. I waited for the text that told me that he was in a town called, "Sapulpa," and would wait for us. We rode through Tulsa, OK. and then arrived in Sapulpa at 12:45 PM after going 76 miles. J.C. had texted me that he was at, "Al's Route 66 Cafe." He also texted saying that he would treat all of us for lunch. What a great place to have lunch and what a great name for a cafe! It couldn't have been better. We met J.C. at the cafe and again he told us that he would treat us to lunch. He also thanks each and every one of us for allowing him to ride with us. We thanked him for the gesture of paying for our lunch, but that we had decided that he would pick up the tab anyway! We had a very good lunch. the food was very good and plentiful. J.C. also bought me a coffee mug from the cafe with the logo of "Al's route 66 Cafe." The cup also had a brief history of Route 66 on the back of the cup. J.C. joined our group and we rode down the street for 1 mile and we all gassed up our Motors. We left at 2:17 PM.
It was Chuck's turn again to lead. We rode for 30 miles and it started raining at 2:50 PM. We were very lucky because no sooner that it started raining that we came upon the small town of Depew, OK. and it had one gas station with cover. We stopped and put our rain gear on. While we were there, we also made a pit stop. You know how hard it is to "take care of business" with rain gear on? Chuck and I looked at the map and it was decided that we would continue on 66 until we came to State Route 177, turn southbound for I-40 and then eastbound, going through Oklahoma City. Soon after leaving Depew, guess what? It stopped raining.
We rode with our rain gear and no rain for 112 miles and at 5:06 PM, we arrived at the Best Western in El Reno, OK. We checked in, got our rooms and rode our Motors to our rooms. We unloaded our Motors, put our stuff in our rooms and tucked our Motors in for the night. No sooner that we did that, we heard loud claps of thunder and the rain came down. The rain continued heavily for about 2 hours. After the rain, we walked next door to Denny's for dinner. After dinner, we returned to our rooms and secured for the night.
This was not a bad day of riding. we rode for 290 miles and got out of Missouri, Kansas and into Oklahoma. Hopefully, if the weather cooperates, we should get to Amarillo, TX. tomorrow. We started to see Armadillo road kill after entering Oklahoma. Armadillo road kill is also known as, "Texas Speed bumps." We will see what tomorrow brings. Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
DAY 9
DAY 9
My alarm went off at 6:00 AM as usual. There was thunder, lightning and rain. We put on the Weather Channel on the tube and they were reporting golf ball size hail in the area. It was also reported that there was tennis ball size hail yesterday in Oklahoma. Bruce came to our door and reported this also to us. The Weather Channel stated that in the Lebanon area, this would last until approximately 9:00 AM. Chuck and I got dressed and went to the lobby for our breakfast. We were not in any hurry, so we took our time, read the paper and had breakfast. We visited with each other for the morning and did some cleaning of our Motors, J.B. changed the position of his foot pegs and I added some stuff to my Motor that I bought yesterday at the Honda shop. The weather started to get better so we decided to take a chance and get ready to go. We rode next door to a Phillips 66 and gassed our Motors. We left at 10:55 AM with me in the lead.
The weather was still overcast, but the roads were dry at this time. At 11:36 AM and after riding for 32 miles, we stopped in Marshfield, MO., to put on our rain gear. We were sprinkled on just prior to stopping, however, we had no where to stop for cover. When we stopped, it had stopped raining. After we put on our rain gear, we noticed a "Route 66 Missouri" sign by the road next to the gas station which we were stopped at. We all went over to the sign for a photo op. We then left at 12:10 PM and I was still leading.
We continued on 66 for another 23 miles and at 12:47 PM, we stopped for lunch at a Subway in Springfield, MO. When we stopped and before going inside to eat, we all took off our rain gear. It didn't rain since we put the rain gear on. We enjoyed a nice meal and watched a Police unit make a traffic stop just outside of the Subway. It brought back memories! At 1:43 PM we left.
As I was still leading, we were following the 66 signs. We followed the signs into the Springfield/Branson Airport. We were all puzzled because we were following the signs and it lead us there! We made a tour of the small airport and out we went. We got back on I-44 and soon saw a sign leading us off of the interstate and back on 66. We continued on and at 2:42 PM after riding 52 miles, we stopped in Avilla, MO. for a break and pit stop. We took a short break, however, the gas station didn't have public restrooms. We protested by not buying anything there and we left at 2:51 PM.
It was 3:00 PM and 9 miles later that we stopped in Carthage, MO. for a true break and pit stop. This gas station did have restrooms. We left at 3:32 PM.
As we entered Webb City, MO., it started to sprinkle again. The winds started to kick up and the sky south of us and the direction we were headed, was very black. Chuck pulled up next to me and told me that the Weather Station on his XM Radio was reporting that anyone in the southwest Counties of Missouri should go indoors and avoid being next to windows because of a severe thunderstorm with 60 mph winds heading southeast. We were there! I pulled into a parking lot in Webb City, at 3:52 PM after riding for 13 miles, and we were preparing to put our rain gear on again. We sat there watching the sky and decided to wait out the storm. The storm was supposed to be south of us in Joplin, MO. Some local rode up to us on his Motor and told us that the storm was about 15 miles south of us and that it was clear to the west of us. I looked in my Best Western book for the nearest motel and found that there was one in Joplin, south of us on the same road. We decided to head for the motel and seek shelter under the awning. We left at 4:10 PM.
As we were riding southbound, it started to rain. I started to rain a little harder and i was looking for somewhere to pull into to get shelter from the rain. Chuck pulled up next to me and we decided to continue until we found the Best Western. Chuck stated that when we found the Best Western, he was ready to, "call it a day." I agreed. A few blocks later, there it was! We pulled into the Best Western and under the awning. I was then told that it wasn't the Best Western, but a Baymont Inn & Suites. The BW was next door. We arrived at 4:20 PM and after riding 6 more miles. I rode over to the BW to get a price for the rooms while Bruce went into the Baymont to get prices. I called Chuck on the cell and reported that I got a great price for the rooms and Chuck told me that Bruce go a better price. The Baymont is where we stayed. We checked in, parked our Motors close to our rooms, unloaded and tucked them in for the night.
So far, this day has been the day with the least amount of miles traveled. We only rode for 135 miles, thanks to the rain this morning and the storm in the afternoon. It is supposed to be cloudy tomorrow morning with 50% chance of thunderstorms by noon. We should be gone by then. We plan to leave approximately 7:30 AM provided that the storm doesn't come early.
While were in the hotel, I checked my e-mail and received an e-mail from an old friend of the group, J.C. Allen. He respectfully asked if he could meet up with us between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK. I called him and told him that we would meet with him and have him ride with us until Tucumcari, NM, at his request. J.C., we will see you tomorrow. Soooo, until tomorrow...
My alarm went off at 6:00 AM as usual. There was thunder, lightning and rain. We put on the Weather Channel on the tube and they were reporting golf ball size hail in the area. It was also reported that there was tennis ball size hail yesterday in Oklahoma. Bruce came to our door and reported this also to us. The Weather Channel stated that in the Lebanon area, this would last until approximately 9:00 AM. Chuck and I got dressed and went to the lobby for our breakfast. We were not in any hurry, so we took our time, read the paper and had breakfast. We visited with each other for the morning and did some cleaning of our Motors, J.B. changed the position of his foot pegs and I added some stuff to my Motor that I bought yesterday at the Honda shop. The weather started to get better so we decided to take a chance and get ready to go. We rode next door to a Phillips 66 and gassed our Motors. We left at 10:55 AM with me in the lead.
The weather was still overcast, but the roads were dry at this time. At 11:36 AM and after riding for 32 miles, we stopped in Marshfield, MO., to put on our rain gear. We were sprinkled on just prior to stopping, however, we had no where to stop for cover. When we stopped, it had stopped raining. After we put on our rain gear, we noticed a "Route 66 Missouri" sign by the road next to the gas station which we were stopped at. We all went over to the sign for a photo op. We then left at 12:10 PM and I was still leading.
We continued on 66 for another 23 miles and at 12:47 PM, we stopped for lunch at a Subway in Springfield, MO. When we stopped and before going inside to eat, we all took off our rain gear. It didn't rain since we put the rain gear on. We enjoyed a nice meal and watched a Police unit make a traffic stop just outside of the Subway. It brought back memories! At 1:43 PM we left.
As I was still leading, we were following the 66 signs. We followed the signs into the Springfield/Branson Airport. We were all puzzled because we were following the signs and it lead us there! We made a tour of the small airport and out we went. We got back on I-44 and soon saw a sign leading us off of the interstate and back on 66. We continued on and at 2:42 PM after riding 52 miles, we stopped in Avilla, MO. for a break and pit stop. We took a short break, however, the gas station didn't have public restrooms. We protested by not buying anything there and we left at 2:51 PM.
It was 3:00 PM and 9 miles later that we stopped in Carthage, MO. for a true break and pit stop. This gas station did have restrooms. We left at 3:32 PM.
As we entered Webb City, MO., it started to sprinkle again. The winds started to kick up and the sky south of us and the direction we were headed, was very black. Chuck pulled up next to me and told me that the Weather Station on his XM Radio was reporting that anyone in the southwest Counties of Missouri should go indoors and avoid being next to windows because of a severe thunderstorm with 60 mph winds heading southeast. We were there! I pulled into a parking lot in Webb City, at 3:52 PM after riding for 13 miles, and we were preparing to put our rain gear on again. We sat there watching the sky and decided to wait out the storm. The storm was supposed to be south of us in Joplin, MO. Some local rode up to us on his Motor and told us that the storm was about 15 miles south of us and that it was clear to the west of us. I looked in my Best Western book for the nearest motel and found that there was one in Joplin, south of us on the same road. We decided to head for the motel and seek shelter under the awning. We left at 4:10 PM.
As we were riding southbound, it started to rain. I started to rain a little harder and i was looking for somewhere to pull into to get shelter from the rain. Chuck pulled up next to me and we decided to continue until we found the Best Western. Chuck stated that when we found the Best Western, he was ready to, "call it a day." I agreed. A few blocks later, there it was! We pulled into the Best Western and under the awning. I was then told that it wasn't the Best Western, but a Baymont Inn & Suites. The BW was next door. We arrived at 4:20 PM and after riding 6 more miles. I rode over to the BW to get a price for the rooms while Bruce went into the Baymont to get prices. I called Chuck on the cell and reported that I got a great price for the rooms and Chuck told me that Bruce go a better price. The Baymont is where we stayed. We checked in, parked our Motors close to our rooms, unloaded and tucked them in for the night.
So far, this day has been the day with the least amount of miles traveled. We only rode for 135 miles, thanks to the rain this morning and the storm in the afternoon. It is supposed to be cloudy tomorrow morning with 50% chance of thunderstorms by noon. We should be gone by then. We plan to leave approximately 7:30 AM provided that the storm doesn't come early.
While were in the hotel, I checked my e-mail and received an e-mail from an old friend of the group, J.C. Allen. He respectfully asked if he could meet up with us between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, OK. I called him and told him that we would meet with him and have him ride with us until Tucumcari, NM, at his request. J.C., we will see you tomorrow. Soooo, until tomorrow...
Monday, April 21, 2008
DAY 8
It's me again! This is the start of our second week. It sure doesn't seem like it has been that long. So, we are in Springfield, IL. at a Ramada Inn. We got up and had a continental breakfast. The Ramada Inn served biscuits and gravy. The guys were excited for something different. After having the biscuits and gravy, it was a general consensus of opinion that it wasn't that great! I'm glad that I didn't have it. We were done and so we went to go pack up our Motors. Everyone checked their rooms to make sure that nothing was left behind. As we were all on our Motors and ready to go, J.B. led us out. We left at 8:27 AM.
J.B. led us to the Old Route 66 and we followed it for 54 miles and stopped in Litchfield at 9:35 AM. We stopped at Niehaus Cycle Sales so that I could get an oil change for my Motor. Before we left Phoenix, I still had about 1,000 miles before my Motor was due. Of course this stop was approved by Chuck prior to leaving Phoenix. I took my Motor to the service department and checked my Motor in and was told that it probably would take about 1 1/2 hours. I told them to take my Motor and that I would be in the store "shopping." The place had a lot of Hondas, Honda clothing, Honda parts, coffee, pop, restrooms and everything. This was a giant play land! IT WASN'T A HARLEY DEALERSHIP!!!! :) Jan was also excited about being there. He is interested in the Honda ST 1300. What a sweet looking Motor! Jan asked and took one out for a test ride. Jan came back with stars in his eyes. He talked with J.B. and convinced him to take it on a test ride also. J.B. also liked it. While they were test riding the Motor, I was shopping and bought a few items. I just have to come back. I saw a Goldwing that I fell in love with. A salesman told me that he could have all of the paperwork drawn up in no time and that he would give me a great price for my Goldwing as a trade in. He also quoted me a great price for a new one. It was very tempting. I have to think about it. Maybe when we finish the ride and go back to Kansas City and take J.B. home I might do it. I still have to think about it. Right now, I just can't think of any reason NOT to get it. We ended up staying there for about 3 1/2 hours waiting for my Motor to be finished. All we took it in for was for an oil change. They were very busy with other Motors. They had 6 technicians working. Well, it was finally finished and we left at 1:01 PM in time to ride 1 mile away and get to a Subway for lunch. We left the Subway at 1:37 PM and continued on 66 with J.B. leading.
J.B. lead us through St. Louis, passing the Arch and Busch Stadium. That was the Arch...not the Golden Arches. We stopped in Eureka, MO. at 2:58 PM, after riding 82 miles and gassed up and took a break. While we were taking a break, there was a Eureka Police Officer there and we all struck up a conversation with him. I gave him a PPD patch and he gave me one of his. We then left at 3:37 PM.
It was now Jim's turn to lead. We followed 66 through small towns and 21 miles later at 4:10 PM, we stopped in Wild Wood...where? We were lost again. Missouri doesn't post as many Route 66 signs as Illinois does. We didn't see any signs. I asked an elderly gentleman, who looked as he was about 120 years old as to where we could get Route 66 again. We left at 4:22 PM. He gave me directions and they were good! We found 66 again.
We continued on with Jim leading, again, going through small towns. We stopped in Sullivan at 5:10 PM, after riding 39 miles. We checked the map and found where we needed to go. At 5:20 PM we continued on.
As we were riding 66, Jim was leading and Chuck radioed to Jim to stop ASAP. At 5:47 PM and after riding for only 18 miles, we stopped in Cuba. That is Cuba, MO., NOT Cuba Cuba! Bruce had a large bug hit him on his sunglasses and it splattered in his eye. We took a few minutes for Bruce to clean himself off and recover from the hit. The score is: Bruce 1, bug 0. We continued at 5:58 PM. While we were riding through Cuba, they have the world largest rocking chair. It is about 5 stories tall! It is huge. Anyway, we continued on.
Jim led us on 66 again and Chuck radioed to him telling him that if he wanted to, he could go onto the interstate (I-44) and go straight to St. Robert, MO. where there is a Best Western waiting for us to check in. Jim didn't hesitate one bit. Jim dipped his Motor for a turn and we were quickly on I-44 and off we go to the races! We continued for 46 miles and arrived at 6:48 PM. Bruce went in and found that the Best Western, along with the other 2 motels in the area, were full. There was a week long convention of Cops. You should have seen the faces of the 3 or 4 Cops standing on the balcony when we rode in on our Motors! They were "looking us over" as if they were thinking of us as, "Biker Trash!" How dare them think of us that way. They are right, but how dare them! Bruce was told that there was another Best Western about 35 miles south and a call was made. Bruce had them hold 4 rooms for us.
We all got back on our Motors and Jim led us south. We arrived in Lebanon, MO. NOT Lebanon the middle east country, at the Best Western 34 miles later and at 7:33 PM. Believe it or not, it was still daylight. We checked in and got our rooms. We were lucky and so was the motel. With the 4 rooms that we took, now there were now 6 rooms rented in the entire motel! The clerk at the desk told us that if we were to hear sirens blaring in the middle of the night, we should go into the bathrooms! She then told us that there is a possibility of a tornado hitting this town tonight. That doesn't sound good! She did, however, let us park our Motors on the sidewalk next to the doors of our rooms. At least the Motors are under the second floor walkway and under cover from the rain. We unloaded our Motors and rode to a nearby Applebee's restaurant. As we almost arrived, we passed a grocery store named, get this, "Smitty's." It had the same sign as our old Smitty's stores that used to be in Phoenix. that was a nice bit of nostalgia. We finished dinner and back to the motel. No tornado yet! We parked our Motors next to our doors, tucked them in for the night, talked for a while and then we all went into our rooms. We need to get ready for tomorrow.
This was a very nice day with great weather for riding. We saw beautiful countryside with nice homes. We ended up with 298 miles for the day. We didn't expect to put in that many miles. We will see what tomorrow brings. Soooo, until tomorrow...
It's me again! This is the start of our second week. It sure doesn't seem like it has been that long. So, we are in Springfield, IL. at a Ramada Inn. We got up and had a continental breakfast. The Ramada Inn served biscuits and gravy. The guys were excited for something different. After having the biscuits and gravy, it was a general consensus of opinion that it wasn't that great! I'm glad that I didn't have it. We were done and so we went to go pack up our Motors. Everyone checked their rooms to make sure that nothing was left behind. As we were all on our Motors and ready to go, J.B. led us out. We left at 8:27 AM.
J.B. led us to the Old Route 66 and we followed it for 54 miles and stopped in Litchfield at 9:35 AM. We stopped at Niehaus Cycle Sales so that I could get an oil change for my Motor. Before we left Phoenix, I still had about 1,000 miles before my Motor was due. Of course this stop was approved by Chuck prior to leaving Phoenix. I took my Motor to the service department and checked my Motor in and was told that it probably would take about 1 1/2 hours. I told them to take my Motor and that I would be in the store "shopping." The place had a lot of Hondas, Honda clothing, Honda parts, coffee, pop, restrooms and everything. This was a giant play land! IT WASN'T A HARLEY DEALERSHIP!!!! :) Jan was also excited about being there. He is interested in the Honda ST 1300. What a sweet looking Motor! Jan asked and took one out for a test ride. Jan came back with stars in his eyes. He talked with J.B. and convinced him to take it on a test ride also. J.B. also liked it. While they were test riding the Motor, I was shopping and bought a few items. I just have to come back. I saw a Goldwing that I fell in love with. A salesman told me that he could have all of the paperwork drawn up in no time and that he would give me a great price for my Goldwing as a trade in. He also quoted me a great price for a new one. It was very tempting. I have to think about it. Maybe when we finish the ride and go back to Kansas City and take J.B. home I might do it. I still have to think about it. Right now, I just can't think of any reason NOT to get it. We ended up staying there for about 3 1/2 hours waiting for my Motor to be finished. All we took it in for was for an oil change. They were very busy with other Motors. They had 6 technicians working. Well, it was finally finished and we left at 1:01 PM in time to ride 1 mile away and get to a Subway for lunch. We left the Subway at 1:37 PM and continued on 66 with J.B. leading.
J.B. lead us through St. Louis, passing the Arch and Busch Stadium. That was the Arch...not the Golden Arches. We stopped in Eureka, MO. at 2:58 PM, after riding 82 miles and gassed up and took a break. While we were taking a break, there was a Eureka Police Officer there and we all struck up a conversation with him. I gave him a PPD patch and he gave me one of his. We then left at 3:37 PM.
It was now Jim's turn to lead. We followed 66 through small towns and 21 miles later at 4:10 PM, we stopped in Wild Wood...where? We were lost again. Missouri doesn't post as many Route 66 signs as Illinois does. We didn't see any signs. I asked an elderly gentleman, who looked as he was about 120 years old as to where we could get Route 66 again. We left at 4:22 PM. He gave me directions and they were good! We found 66 again.
We continued on with Jim leading, again, going through small towns. We stopped in Sullivan at 5:10 PM, after riding 39 miles. We checked the map and found where we needed to go. At 5:20 PM we continued on.
As we were riding 66, Jim was leading and Chuck radioed to Jim to stop ASAP. At 5:47 PM and after riding for only 18 miles, we stopped in Cuba. That is Cuba, MO., NOT Cuba Cuba! Bruce had a large bug hit him on his sunglasses and it splattered in his eye. We took a few minutes for Bruce to clean himself off and recover from the hit. The score is: Bruce 1, bug 0. We continued at 5:58 PM. While we were riding through Cuba, they have the world largest rocking chair. It is about 5 stories tall! It is huge. Anyway, we continued on.
Jim led us on 66 again and Chuck radioed to him telling him that if he wanted to, he could go onto the interstate (I-44) and go straight to St. Robert, MO. where there is a Best Western waiting for us to check in. Jim didn't hesitate one bit. Jim dipped his Motor for a turn and we were quickly on I-44 and off we go to the races! We continued for 46 miles and arrived at 6:48 PM. Bruce went in and found that the Best Western, along with the other 2 motels in the area, were full. There was a week long convention of Cops. You should have seen the faces of the 3 or 4 Cops standing on the balcony when we rode in on our Motors! They were "looking us over" as if they were thinking of us as, "Biker Trash!" How dare them think of us that way. They are right, but how dare them! Bruce was told that there was another Best Western about 35 miles south and a call was made. Bruce had them hold 4 rooms for us.
We all got back on our Motors and Jim led us south. We arrived in Lebanon, MO. NOT Lebanon the middle east country, at the Best Western 34 miles later and at 7:33 PM. Believe it or not, it was still daylight. We checked in and got our rooms. We were lucky and so was the motel. With the 4 rooms that we took, now there were now 6 rooms rented in the entire motel! The clerk at the desk told us that if we were to hear sirens blaring in the middle of the night, we should go into the bathrooms! She then told us that there is a possibility of a tornado hitting this town tonight. That doesn't sound good! She did, however, let us park our Motors on the sidewalk next to the doors of our rooms. At least the Motors are under the second floor walkway and under cover from the rain. We unloaded our Motors and rode to a nearby Applebee's restaurant. As we almost arrived, we passed a grocery store named, get this, "Smitty's." It had the same sign as our old Smitty's stores that used to be in Phoenix. that was a nice bit of nostalgia. We finished dinner and back to the motel. No tornado yet! We parked our Motors next to our doors, tucked them in for the night, talked for a while and then we all went into our rooms. We need to get ready for tomorrow.
This was a very nice day with great weather for riding. We saw beautiful countryside with nice homes. We ended up with 298 miles for the day. We didn't expect to put in that many miles. We will see what tomorrow brings. Soooo, until tomorrow...
Sunday, April 20, 2008
DAY 7
We got up and had breakfast and slowly started to load up our Motors. It was a beautiful, clear morning, perfect for riding into Chicago. This is what we had been waiting for for months. We left the motel at 8:40 AM and headed east on the interstate. Chuck was leading us as we came up to a toll booth. Since Chuck was leading, he paid the toll. Lucky for him it was only $.60 per Motor. The toll booth attendant, Kwami, was very helpful with directions on how to get to downtown Chicago and the start of Old Route 66. As we neared downtown Chicago we could see the skyline. We arrived at our starting point, Jackson St. and Michigan Way at 9:20 AM and after 30 miles of riding. The exact area where the sign was posted was under construction so the sign was missing. That was OK, we took pictures of the group, Motors and the area.
After checking our maps and getting our bearings, we decided to go north a few miles along Lake Shore Drive. Chuck was still leading us and as we rode along the shore, we saw hundreds of people jogging, walking, playing and boating along the shoreline and in the water. I was looking at the beach and thought that the ocean was large and beautiful, then I thought, "This isn't the ocean, it's just a lake!" Wow, what a BIG lake! We went a few miles north, made a u-turn and then went back southbound, headed for I-55. We passed "The Drake" hotel, Sears tower, Soldier Field and other landmarks to numerous to mention. We turned at the exit for Highway 53, which is where Old Route 66 starts. Well, we wanted to turn there, however, we got in the wrong lane and exited 1/4 mile to early and headed northbound but exited at the first available exit and ended up in Woodridge, IL. at 10:53 AM after only 45 miles. We took advantage of the error, took a break, pit stop and gassed up.
We checked the map and Jan led us back on track. We got to Highway 53 and the Old Route 66. Illinois did us a great favor by marking Old Route 66 with signs. They were easy to follow. As we follow Old Route 66, it took us into many little towns through their "Main Street." We arrived in Joliet, IL. after only 16 miles and at 12:15 PM we stopped along the road next to a sign to take pictures. We each rode our Motors onto the sidewalk next to the "Old Route 66" sign and had our pictures taken. At this portion of the road, it was a one way southbound. There was a Route 66 museum and souvenir shop one block north of us. We decided to go. Chuck rode his Motor northbound on the southbound, one way street to the Museum. The rest of us didn't want any part of that! Bruce, Jan and I rode northbound on the east sidewalk, while Jim and J.B. rode around the block, legally, and into the Museum parking lot. Kathleen walked. We didn't go through the tour because it lasted 1 1/2 hours. We did go into the souvenir shop and bought a few items and also used the facilities. We left at 12:50 PM.
Jan continued to lead us on 66 and we rode through a couple of towns and at 1:13 PM and 17 miles later, we stopped in Wilmington for lunch at a Subway. We knew that because of 66, we wouldn't be making great time and distance. There is just too much to see! We left at 2:00 PM.
As we traveled Old Route 66, at times the road was next to I-55 or next to the original Route 66. The original was still there in parts and not maintained. There were sign stating, "Road Closed." Just south of Pontiac, IL., Jan stopped onto the original Route 66 and past a barrier. We parked our Motors and stopped to talk about it. We took some pictures and Chuck got on his Motor and rode about 200 yards south, to the end of the section, made a u-turn and returned. Jim, Kathleen and I took video of his short ride. Not only did Chuck take his solo ride, but Bruce, Jim and J.B. all helped "water" the field next to the road. I have pictures of Bruce and Jan. J.B. was sneaky and got past me! Maybe next time. We continued on at 3:15 PM.
We continued onward, following the signs. At one point, we don't know when, we stopped seeing the signs and got on the wrong road. We stopped 47 miles from our last stop at 4:17 PM. We were checking the map, however, we didn't know where we were! We discussed it for a while and Jim took out his GPS and started leading us back to I-55. We left at 4:33 PM.
We ended up in McLean, IL., 10 miles from where we stopped when we realized that we were lost. It's a good thing that Jim had the GPS and that he knew how to operate and read it. We stopped at 4:49 PM at a gas station and made a pit stop, took a break and at 5:09 PM, we continued.
We continued to follow Old Route 66 southbound. About 34 miles later we stopped in Springfield, IL. at 5:50 PM and gassed up. Chuck, Jim and J.B.'s "low fuel" light turned on a few miles back so we stopped. This was a quick stop and after checking the map to see where we would stop for the night in Springfield, J.B. led us to the Best Western. We arrived 13 miles later and at 6:11 PM. Bruce entered and tried to get a good price. The place didn't have very many cars and it appeared that the motel would love to rent out 4 rooms. The female clerk would not give us a good rate and didn't even want to barter with Bruce. She started the price higher that what my Best Western book stated. We told her, "no" and left at 6:30 PM to go look for another motel. At 6:42 PM we found a Ramada Inn just 3 miles away. The clerk gave us a good price, it had WiFi, an indoor pool and a Mexican food restaurant within walking distance. This was it! We checked in, parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night. After unpacking, most everyone, except J.B. and me (the water was not heated), went into the pool. After the pool, we changed and walked to the Xochimilco Mexican Food restaurant. We had a good dinner and returned to the motel to secure for the night.
We rode 259 miles today. It didn't seem like we rode so many miles. Some of us were more tired of getting on and off of the Motors than riding the distance. Oh well, that is the nature of this beast, Old Route 66...I wasn't talking about us. I know what you guys were thinking! Everyone else is in their rooms sleeping, I guess it's my turn. Until tomorrow...
We got up and had breakfast and slowly started to load up our Motors. It was a beautiful, clear morning, perfect for riding into Chicago. This is what we had been waiting for for months. We left the motel at 8:40 AM and headed east on the interstate. Chuck was leading us as we came up to a toll booth. Since Chuck was leading, he paid the toll. Lucky for him it was only $.60 per Motor. The toll booth attendant, Kwami, was very helpful with directions on how to get to downtown Chicago and the start of Old Route 66. As we neared downtown Chicago we could see the skyline. We arrived at our starting point, Jackson St. and Michigan Way at 9:20 AM and after 30 miles of riding. The exact area where the sign was posted was under construction so the sign was missing. That was OK, we took pictures of the group, Motors and the area.
After checking our maps and getting our bearings, we decided to go north a few miles along Lake Shore Drive. Chuck was still leading us and as we rode along the shore, we saw hundreds of people jogging, walking, playing and boating along the shoreline and in the water. I was looking at the beach and thought that the ocean was large and beautiful, then I thought, "This isn't the ocean, it's just a lake!" Wow, what a BIG lake! We went a few miles north, made a u-turn and then went back southbound, headed for I-55. We passed "The Drake" hotel, Sears tower, Soldier Field and other landmarks to numerous to mention. We turned at the exit for Highway 53, which is where Old Route 66 starts. Well, we wanted to turn there, however, we got in the wrong lane and exited 1/4 mile to early and headed northbound but exited at the first available exit and ended up in Woodridge, IL. at 10:53 AM after only 45 miles. We took advantage of the error, took a break, pit stop and gassed up.
We checked the map and Jan led us back on track. We got to Highway 53 and the Old Route 66. Illinois did us a great favor by marking Old Route 66 with signs. They were easy to follow. As we follow Old Route 66, it took us into many little towns through their "Main Street." We arrived in Joliet, IL. after only 16 miles and at 12:15 PM we stopped along the road next to a sign to take pictures. We each rode our Motors onto the sidewalk next to the "Old Route 66" sign and had our pictures taken. At this portion of the road, it was a one way southbound. There was a Route 66 museum and souvenir shop one block north of us. We decided to go. Chuck rode his Motor northbound on the southbound, one way street to the Museum. The rest of us didn't want any part of that! Bruce, Jan and I rode northbound on the east sidewalk, while Jim and J.B. rode around the block, legally, and into the Museum parking lot. Kathleen walked. We didn't go through the tour because it lasted 1 1/2 hours. We did go into the souvenir shop and bought a few items and also used the facilities. We left at 12:50 PM.
Jan continued to lead us on 66 and we rode through a couple of towns and at 1:13 PM and 17 miles later, we stopped in Wilmington for lunch at a Subway. We knew that because of 66, we wouldn't be making great time and distance. There is just too much to see! We left at 2:00 PM.
As we traveled Old Route 66, at times the road was next to I-55 or next to the original Route 66. The original was still there in parts and not maintained. There were sign stating, "Road Closed." Just south of Pontiac, IL., Jan stopped onto the original Route 66 and past a barrier. We parked our Motors and stopped to talk about it. We took some pictures and Chuck got on his Motor and rode about 200 yards south, to the end of the section, made a u-turn and returned. Jim, Kathleen and I took video of his short ride. Not only did Chuck take his solo ride, but Bruce, Jim and J.B. all helped "water" the field next to the road. I have pictures of Bruce and Jan. J.B. was sneaky and got past me! Maybe next time. We continued on at 3:15 PM.
We continued onward, following the signs. At one point, we don't know when, we stopped seeing the signs and got on the wrong road. We stopped 47 miles from our last stop at 4:17 PM. We were checking the map, however, we didn't know where we were! We discussed it for a while and Jim took out his GPS and started leading us back to I-55. We left at 4:33 PM.
We ended up in McLean, IL., 10 miles from where we stopped when we realized that we were lost. It's a good thing that Jim had the GPS and that he knew how to operate and read it. We stopped at 4:49 PM at a gas station and made a pit stop, took a break and at 5:09 PM, we continued.
We continued to follow Old Route 66 southbound. About 34 miles later we stopped in Springfield, IL. at 5:50 PM and gassed up. Chuck, Jim and J.B.'s "low fuel" light turned on a few miles back so we stopped. This was a quick stop and after checking the map to see where we would stop for the night in Springfield, J.B. led us to the Best Western. We arrived 13 miles later and at 6:11 PM. Bruce entered and tried to get a good price. The place didn't have very many cars and it appeared that the motel would love to rent out 4 rooms. The female clerk would not give us a good rate and didn't even want to barter with Bruce. She started the price higher that what my Best Western book stated. We told her, "no" and left at 6:30 PM to go look for another motel. At 6:42 PM we found a Ramada Inn just 3 miles away. The clerk gave us a good price, it had WiFi, an indoor pool and a Mexican food restaurant within walking distance. This was it! We checked in, parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night. After unpacking, most everyone, except J.B. and me (the water was not heated), went into the pool. After the pool, we changed and walked to the Xochimilco Mexican Food restaurant. We had a good dinner and returned to the motel to secure for the night.
We rode 259 miles today. It didn't seem like we rode so many miles. Some of us were more tired of getting on and off of the Motors than riding the distance. Oh well, that is the nature of this beast, Old Route 66...I wasn't talking about us. I know what you guys were thinking! Everyone else is in their rooms sleeping, I guess it's my turn. Until tomorrow...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
DAY 6
We are in Bloomington, IL. at the Best Western. It rained on us yesterday for approximately 5 1/2 hours while we were on the road. We all rested well and some woke up and their boots were still wet. It was overcast and a little cold, but no rain. We are to meet two of Chuck's college roommates in Naperville, IL., which is approximately 21 miles west of downtown Chicago at 2 PM. Not a problem. We put on some of our rain gear because we had heard that there was a possibility of rain and that it was raining in Chicago. It was agreed that if it started raining on us, we would pull over and put on the rest of the rain gear. I led the group northbound on I-55. We left at 10:45 AM. As we were northbound, the sun poked out of the clouds and it looked good! We rode for 85 miles and at 11:54 AM, we stopped in Channahon, IL. for gas. After we gassed up, we took a break and had some snacks. Some of us changed to lighter gloves and put on sunglasses. Chuck and I looked at the map to make sure where we were going to exit and get to the Best Western in Naperville.
Chuck led us northbound and the traffic and weather were cooperating. We arrived at the Joliet exit, it started to rain. It wasn't too bad. It sprinkled off and on for only a few miles. There was, however, a very black cloud over the area that we were headed. We continued on I-55 looking for our exit. We were getting close to Midway Airport when we got off of the interstate to check the map. The exit that we were supposed to get off at was not there! We ended up in a Cicero and then headed west on Highway 34. We "toured" several small towns and dodged a lot of potholes. We finally arrived in Naperville and found the "Famous Dave's" barbecue restaurant, where we were going to meet with Chuck's friends. We arrived at 4:36 PM after riding 62 miles. We went in and found Chuck's friends already inside. We all met them and were seated in a small room all to ourselves. After we were seated, Bruce walked in and graced us with his presence. Bruce had gone straight to the Best Western and found that we had not checked in yet so he went to the restaurant. As he rode to the restaurant, 1 mile away, it began to rain. We enjoyed lunch and the company of Chuck's friends. We finally left at 4:30 PM and rode 1 mile to the Best Western. We arrived at 4:36 PM, checked in, unloaded our Motors and tucked them in for the night.
Later, some of us walked a short distance to a K-Mart for some supplies. Then, some of us walked to a movie theatre and watched, "The Bucket List." Later again, Chuck, Jim, Jan and I walked over to T.G.I. Fridays for a late dinner. Soon after returning to the motel, we secured for the night. Today we only traveled 148 miles. Tomorrow we actually start the Old Route 66 Ride, starting at Grant Park, in the area of Lake Shore Drive and Adams. Tune in tomorrow!
We are in Bloomington, IL. at the Best Western. It rained on us yesterday for approximately 5 1/2 hours while we were on the road. We all rested well and some woke up and their boots were still wet. It was overcast and a little cold, but no rain. We are to meet two of Chuck's college roommates in Naperville, IL., which is approximately 21 miles west of downtown Chicago at 2 PM. Not a problem. We put on some of our rain gear because we had heard that there was a possibility of rain and that it was raining in Chicago. It was agreed that if it started raining on us, we would pull over and put on the rest of the rain gear. I led the group northbound on I-55. We left at 10:45 AM. As we were northbound, the sun poked out of the clouds and it looked good! We rode for 85 miles and at 11:54 AM, we stopped in Channahon, IL. for gas. After we gassed up, we took a break and had some snacks. Some of us changed to lighter gloves and put on sunglasses. Chuck and I looked at the map to make sure where we were going to exit and get to the Best Western in Naperville.
Chuck led us northbound and the traffic and weather were cooperating. We arrived at the Joliet exit, it started to rain. It wasn't too bad. It sprinkled off and on for only a few miles. There was, however, a very black cloud over the area that we were headed. We continued on I-55 looking for our exit. We were getting close to Midway Airport when we got off of the interstate to check the map. The exit that we were supposed to get off at was not there! We ended up in a Cicero and then headed west on Highway 34. We "toured" several small towns and dodged a lot of potholes. We finally arrived in Naperville and found the "Famous Dave's" barbecue restaurant, where we were going to meet with Chuck's friends. We arrived at 4:36 PM after riding 62 miles. We went in and found Chuck's friends already inside. We all met them and were seated in a small room all to ourselves. After we were seated, Bruce walked in and graced us with his presence. Bruce had gone straight to the Best Western and found that we had not checked in yet so he went to the restaurant. As he rode to the restaurant, 1 mile away, it began to rain. We enjoyed lunch and the company of Chuck's friends. We finally left at 4:30 PM and rode 1 mile to the Best Western. We arrived at 4:36 PM, checked in, unloaded our Motors and tucked them in for the night.
Later, some of us walked a short distance to a K-Mart for some supplies. Then, some of us walked to a movie theatre and watched, "The Bucket List." Later again, Chuck, Jim, Jan and I walked over to T.G.I. Fridays for a late dinner. Soon after returning to the motel, we secured for the night. Today we only traveled 148 miles. Tomorrow we actually start the Old Route 66 Ride, starting at Grant Park, in the area of Lake Shore Drive and Adams. Tune in tomorrow!
Friday, April 18, 2008
DAY 5
We all woke up with eager anticipation of leaving and continuing the ride with J.B. We all got up at different times and sat around the dining table talking, drinking coffee and, again, talking about Bruce. :) Eventually we had a quick breakfast of fruit, muffins, juice, coffee and English muffins. We started to pack up our Motors, keeping a watchful eye on the sky. It was overcast and cold, however, it wasn't raining. With J.B. in the lead, we left at 9:15 AM. We headed 1 mile away to gas up. We were only there gassing up for 5 minutes before we left at 9:23 AM.
Knowing the town as he does, J.B. lead us out and we were making good time and distance. I was second in line behind J.B. and then it happened! I needed "to go!" For breakfast, I had three large mugs of coffee before leaving. IT WAS TIME! Chuck was wrong about what he said last week. It wouldn't take me only 20 miles out. It took 49 miles before we stopped in Lexington, MO. at 10:19 AM. I had ridden up next to J.B. and told him to make a quick pit stop ASAP. We arrived at a gas station where I quickly went inside for the restroom, with others following. I later apologized to Chuck for drinking so much coffee before we left. We continued at 10:38 AM.
J.B. was leading us on Highway 24, a two lane road, and we arrived at a junction with Highway 65. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and instead of staying on Highway 24, we went on Highway 65. We had traveled for approximately 40 miles on Highway 65 thinking that we were still on Highway 24. J.B. stopped in Chillicothe, MO. at 11:42 AM after riding for 49 miles to check the map. After looking at the map, we realized that although we made a wrong turn, we were able to get on Highway 36, which was also a 2 lane road and a straight shot to link up with Highway 24 after about 98 miles. After looking at the time and listening to our stomachs growling, we rode to a nearby Subway and had lunch. After lunch, we put our jackets back on as the temperature was in the lower 40's. We left at 12:42 PM.
We continued eastbound on Highway 36 for another 60 miles and at 1:38 PM, we stopped in Macon, MO. for gas. Just as we pulled up to the station, it started to sprinkle. We gassed up and made a pit stop, as it continued to sprinkle harder. We waited a while, hoping for the rain to stop. We decided to put on our rain gear, just in case.
Jim lead us from the gas station and 42 miles later, it started to rain. We were all glad that we put on our rain gear. We stopped 76 miles later at 3:30 PM in West Quincy, MO. for a pit stop. Not only did we stop for a pit stop, but we stayed for a while and had some snacks. As we were there snacking and pit stopping, we were also people watching. Man, there were some strange looking people walking in and out of that mini mart. The most memorable one was a truck driver who had, as Chuck put it, "a world champion mullet." Not only did he have this mullet, but he was wearing black sweat pants and a sleeveless t-shirt, showing off his tatted arms. He should have been wearing long sleeves. His arms weren't that great! Kathleen managed to sneak a picture of Mr. Mullet. We were there for almost an hour and left at 4:21 PM, hoping to get to Peoria, IL.
We continued eastbound for another 74 miles and at 5:51 PM, we stopped in Astoria, IL. for gas. As we were gassing up, customers at the gas station were asking us about our Motors and our journey. We also told them that we were going to Peoria, IL. to stop for the night and then go to Chicago. One gentleman told us that we could go to Bloomington, IL., as it would be a lot safer and closer to Chicago. He gave us directions, we looked at the map and then left at 6:20 PM.
It was my turn to lead and, having looked at the map, led the group eastbound on Highway 36 for about 10 miles and then switched to Highway 136 to I-55 and then north. It was STILL RAINING and we arrived in Bloomington, IL. and the Best Western University Inn at 7:51 PM, after riding in the rain for another 87 miles. We entered the lobby soaking wet and dripping. the male, young clerk was amazed that we were all on Motors riding in the rain. I had asked if there were rooms available and he told me that there were only three rooms left; one with a king bed and two rooms with double beds. We told him that we would take them. We all moved our Motors to the back parking lot, close to our rooms, and unloaded them in the pouring rain. After we unloaded the Motors and tucked them in for the night, we went to our rooms and got ready to walk about a block and a half to a "Steak 'N Shake" restaurant for dinner. As we walked out of the motel, it had STOPPED RAINING! We had a nice dinner and returned to our rooms to retire for the night. Tomorrow we will ride to Naperville, IL., about 21 miles west of Chicago, where Chuck is going to meet two old college roommates for lunch. It is supposed to be colder tomorrow and it is also supposed to rain. We will see... With all of the rain that we rode in today, we logged 412 miles. Most of the miles was in the rain.
Until tomorrow...
We all woke up with eager anticipation of leaving and continuing the ride with J.B. We all got up at different times and sat around the dining table talking, drinking coffee and, again, talking about Bruce. :) Eventually we had a quick breakfast of fruit, muffins, juice, coffee and English muffins. We started to pack up our Motors, keeping a watchful eye on the sky. It was overcast and cold, however, it wasn't raining. With J.B. in the lead, we left at 9:15 AM. We headed 1 mile away to gas up. We were only there gassing up for 5 minutes before we left at 9:23 AM.
Knowing the town as he does, J.B. lead us out and we were making good time and distance. I was second in line behind J.B. and then it happened! I needed "to go!" For breakfast, I had three large mugs of coffee before leaving. IT WAS TIME! Chuck was wrong about what he said last week. It wouldn't take me only 20 miles out. It took 49 miles before we stopped in Lexington, MO. at 10:19 AM. I had ridden up next to J.B. and told him to make a quick pit stop ASAP. We arrived at a gas station where I quickly went inside for the restroom, with others following. I later apologized to Chuck for drinking so much coffee before we left. We continued at 10:38 AM.
J.B. was leading us on Highway 24, a two lane road, and we arrived at a junction with Highway 65. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and instead of staying on Highway 24, we went on Highway 65. We had traveled for approximately 40 miles on Highway 65 thinking that we were still on Highway 24. J.B. stopped in Chillicothe, MO. at 11:42 AM after riding for 49 miles to check the map. After looking at the map, we realized that although we made a wrong turn, we were able to get on Highway 36, which was also a 2 lane road and a straight shot to link up with Highway 24 after about 98 miles. After looking at the time and listening to our stomachs growling, we rode to a nearby Subway and had lunch. After lunch, we put our jackets back on as the temperature was in the lower 40's. We left at 12:42 PM.
We continued eastbound on Highway 36 for another 60 miles and at 1:38 PM, we stopped in Macon, MO. for gas. Just as we pulled up to the station, it started to sprinkle. We gassed up and made a pit stop, as it continued to sprinkle harder. We waited a while, hoping for the rain to stop. We decided to put on our rain gear, just in case.
Jim lead us from the gas station and 42 miles later, it started to rain. We were all glad that we put on our rain gear. We stopped 76 miles later at 3:30 PM in West Quincy, MO. for a pit stop. Not only did we stop for a pit stop, but we stayed for a while and had some snacks. As we were there snacking and pit stopping, we were also people watching. Man, there were some strange looking people walking in and out of that mini mart. The most memorable one was a truck driver who had, as Chuck put it, "a world champion mullet." Not only did he have this mullet, but he was wearing black sweat pants and a sleeveless t-shirt, showing off his tatted arms. He should have been wearing long sleeves. His arms weren't that great! Kathleen managed to sneak a picture of Mr. Mullet. We were there for almost an hour and left at 4:21 PM, hoping to get to Peoria, IL.
We continued eastbound for another 74 miles and at 5:51 PM, we stopped in Astoria, IL. for gas. As we were gassing up, customers at the gas station were asking us about our Motors and our journey. We also told them that we were going to Peoria, IL. to stop for the night and then go to Chicago. One gentleman told us that we could go to Bloomington, IL., as it would be a lot safer and closer to Chicago. He gave us directions, we looked at the map and then left at 6:20 PM.
It was my turn to lead and, having looked at the map, led the group eastbound on Highway 36 for about 10 miles and then switched to Highway 136 to I-55 and then north. It was STILL RAINING and we arrived in Bloomington, IL. and the Best Western University Inn at 7:51 PM, after riding in the rain for another 87 miles. We entered the lobby soaking wet and dripping. the male, young clerk was amazed that we were all on Motors riding in the rain. I had asked if there were rooms available and he told me that there were only three rooms left; one with a king bed and two rooms with double beds. We told him that we would take them. We all moved our Motors to the back parking lot, close to our rooms, and unloaded them in the pouring rain. After we unloaded the Motors and tucked them in for the night, we went to our rooms and got ready to walk about a block and a half to a "Steak 'N Shake" restaurant for dinner. As we walked out of the motel, it had STOPPED RAINING! We had a nice dinner and returned to our rooms to retire for the night. Tomorrow we will ride to Naperville, IL., about 21 miles west of Chicago, where Chuck is going to meet two old college roommates for lunch. It is supposed to be colder tomorrow and it is also supposed to rain. We will see... With all of the rain that we rode in today, we logged 412 miles. Most of the miles was in the rain.
Until tomorrow...
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