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!