Day 21 Friday, May 7, 2010
My alarm went off at 6 AM. to my surprise, Bruce got up also. Not only did he get up, but he stayed up. We got dressed and packed our bags. We got our bags and took them outside to our Motors. A little later, the others started coming out to their Motors and getting them ready. We were all ready so we walked next door to Juicy's River Cafe for breakfast. We had a good breakfast and our waitress had a good sense of humor and a good personality. We talked about our ride and, at times, there was an uncomfortable silence. We all knew that our ride had come to an end. C.E. asked a question: "If you could go back, what part of the ride would you go back and do over?" There were several answers and they were all very memorable. Ken wished he could go back to Roswell and "go inside" the museum and possible pet one of the aliens in the zoo. I stated that I would like to go back to Virginia Beach to buy a t-shirt. Reality set in and it was time to go. We walked back to our rooms to make sure that we didn't leave anything behind. Jan and Bruce left before we did. They headed to Kingman, AZ to go to the Harley store. We would meet them in Kingman. Our Motors were packed, rooms empty and we left at 9:02 AM.
I led the remainder of the Group to Kingman. We were back on I-40 and speeding away. We crossed into Arizona and it felt good. We rode 71.0 miles and we arrived in Kingman, AZ at 10:02 AM. We gassed up and Chuck called Jan on the cell to tell him where we were at. They were at the Harley store and buying their t-shirts. The Harley store was about 1 1/2 miles away. A few minutes went by and Jan and Bruce arrived. We talked for a while. C.E. and I decided that we would leave the group when we got to US 93. Chuck led us out of Phoenix 21 days ago, so it was appropriate for Chuck lead on the final leg. We said our good-byes and we left at 10:23 AM.
Chuck led us eastbound on I-40. A few miles later, C.E. and I turned onto US 93 southbound. The rest of the guys waved at us as they continued eastbound. C.E. and I rode south and 53.7 miles later, we stopped in Wickiup, AZ at 11:07 AM. This was a quick stop. It was 82 degrees and we stopped quick enough to take off our jackets and pack them away. We left at 11:11 AM. I told you it was a quick stop.
We rode south and enjoyed the desert landscape. It sure is a lot different than what were were used to! What happened to all of the green! We rode for another 77.6 miles and rode into Wickenburg, AZ. We even rode through the new by-pass. The new road by-passes downtown. When we completed the by-pass, we were on US 60! Back to US 60 east. We stopped in Wickenburg at 12:16 PM. We made a quick pit stop and then we were off again. We left at 12:21 PM.
We continued on US 60 east and took the Morristown cut off through SR 74. As we rode on SR 74, we eventually got to Lake Pleasant Road. C.E. and I waved to each other and C.E. turned south. I continued on SR 74 headed for I-17. A few miles later, I turned onto I-17 and headed southbound. I felt anxious to get home. Traffic was flowing smoothly. I reached the 101 and headed east. I was getting closer to home and then the sign for the 7 Street exit was in sight. I took the exit and luck was with me. I had the green light at 7 Street. After riding 54.5 miles, I made it home at 1:10 PM. What a ride!
I rode 257 miles today. I am happy to be home with my family. What a ride! We rode a total of 7,088.0 miles. There are many memories. As Jan told me yesterday, Memories may fade, but the Blog lasts forever!
Next year, the ride will be to New Orleans, LA and then north to Wisconsin. We will ride towards Tennessee and do, "Tail of the Dragon." That is what was discussed for next year. We will see. Things may change.
I certainly hope that everyone who read my Blog enjoyed reading about our trip. I did not intend to hurt any ones feelings with what I wrote. If I did, too bad! Write your own blog! Seriously, I wrote what we did and what was said. There was no malice behind my writing. I hope you enjoyed. So, until next year...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Left Behind
Day 20 Thursday, May 6, 2010
My alarm sounded at 6 AM. I got up, got dressed and packed. Bruce didn't wake up. I had finished my blog and transferred pictures and went to bed at about 12:30 AM. I took my lap top to the breakfast room. I was the only one there from our Group. I had breakfast and labeled the pictures. There were 49 of them. As I finished, C.E. and Ken came in. Soon, Chuck and Ken walked in. They were having breakfast when I packed up and returned to the room to pack my bags in my Motor like the others had already done. Bruce was still in the room and was leaving as I walked in. By the time I packed my Motor and was ready, the others returned. We left at 8:47 AM.
Chuck led us onto US 99 southbound. After riding 31.3 miles, we stopped in Merced, CA. at 9:15 AM. We gassed up and took a short break. We left at 9:29 AM with Jan leading.
Before I start with Jan's lead, I have to mention that yesterday, when Bruce was leading, he led us to Harmon Junction, NV. for 110.3 miles. He was excited that he holds the record of leading the longest leg. He was excited, the others cursed him for not stopping to pee! Now back to Jan. Jan took over leading and took us southbound on US 99. We were riding through several cities and 115.2 miles later, we stopped in Tipton, CA. at 11:05 AM. It was early in the day and none of us really had to go. Jan beat Bruce's record. When we stopped, Bruce knew that his record was broken and he went to Jan, laughing, and told him that he knew what Jan was up to. While we were at the gas station/mini-mart, we took a break. We left at 11:30 AM.
Jan continued to lead. It was pretty close to lunch time and we had plans to stop at a Wendy's. No, you got it wrong! We weren't looking for a Subway. Chuck found a Wendy's on his Droid in the north side of Bakersfield. We got off of US 99 and rode to Wendy's for lunch. We had ridden for 57.0 miles and it was 12:20 PM. It was a nice change of pace. Wendy's was very good. Don't worry, we ate healthy. We were done and we left at 1:22 PM.
Jan led us back onto US 99 and we rode onto US 58 towards Needles, CA. We rode for 8.9 miles and stopped at 1:32 PM to get gas. Most of us could have continued for more miles, but like it is said in the group, "A B C - All Bout Chuck!" He needed gas. We were still in Bakersfield. We were done gassing up and left at 1:45 PM with Ken in the lead.
Ken took us on US 58 and we were making some good time. Remember, we just had lunch and we generally stop for a needed break in 20 to 30 miles. Ken led for 58.7 miles and got off on an exit to a small town named Mohave. The exit ramp was circular. We rode the circle half way and Ken pulled off into the dirt. There were two large piles of dirt and rock. We parked our Motors and Ken told us that if we needed to pee, go for it. We thought that Ken was going to stop at a gas station/mini-mart. There was nothing in sight that resembled that. After we were done, Ken apologized and said that he would stop soon where there were facilities. We all told him that we didn't need it because we all "went!" We left at 2:41 PM.
We rode through some pretty country in Tehachapi. We stopped in Tehachapi last year. We woke up to snow on our Motors. We had to wait it out. We also call this town, "Too Hot To Pee." OK, say it fast...TooHotToPee. We rode over the mountain. Awesome! We had ridden for many miles and then we rode into Barstow. We were on US 58 and there was construction. There were two lanes with a double yellow lines in the center. We were behind traffic and a semi. The scenery sucked! It was desert and nothing really worth looking at that would help keep us awake. It was 82 degrees and we were all still wearing our jackets, except for C.E. We were on US 58, then changed to I-15 and then to I-40. These changes helped keep us awake. Ken did a great job going from highway to highway. We didn't get lost, nor did he lose us. We continued to ride, passing a few exits with gas stations/mini-marts which would have been perfect for us to stop, get a drink, take off our jackets and wake up. Nope! Ken didn't stop. We passed the exit for Newberry Springs and about a mile later, Chuck and I noticed that Jan was not behind us. We slowed and Ken, Bruce and C.E. extended the distance between us. We were slowing and Chuck was riding on the shoulder, hoping to get the others attention. The others finally started to slow, and about two miles from the exit, they stopped by the side of the road at 3:59 PM. Chuck and I rode up to them. Ken got off his Motor and walked back to us. Chuck told him that we were missing Jan and that he probably pulled of at the exit we had passed. I asked Ken if he was trying to break Jan's record for longest distance leading. He told me that he wasn't and if anyone needed to stop, they should have told him. We tried to get him on his CB but he ignored us. (Ken doesn't have a CB) As we stayed there waiting for Jan to catch up, I got off my Motor and decided to take off my jacket. It was 82 degrees and uncomfortable. I told Chuck that it was 82 degrees and I was going to take off my jacket. He nodded, agreeing with me. He was standing my his Motor and was about to take off his jacket when he looked up and told us that Jan was coming. We could hear his Motor about a mile away. As I looked in Jan's direction, I hear the other three start their Motors. I was still folding my jacket and putting it in my trunk bag when I heard the others ride off! I looked at them ride eastbound and Chuck and I looked at each other...shocked that they would just leave us. Chuck quickly got on his Motor and I was still standing at the rear of mine. Chuck told me not to worry because we could catch them. I had asked Chuck, "Why in the hell would they just leave us?" Jan rode up and stopped. We told him what had happened. I finished putting my jacket in the bag and prepared to get back on the Motor to leave. We left at 4:05 PM. we caught up to the other guys about a mile away. They had stopped to wait for us. We we stopped behind them, Ken got off his Motor and walked back to us. Chuck told Ken what had happened and I asked Ken if he was trying to beat Jan's leading record. He told me that he wasn't. Ken told us that if anyone wanted to stop and take a break, all they needed to do is tell him. We left eastbound, now that the Group was reunited.
Ken continued to lead us eastbound and got off the interstate in Ludlow, CA. at 4:31 PM after riding 31.7 miles. We stopped at a gas station/mini-mart. We all gassed up and when we finished, we parked our Motors out of the way. We went into the store and bought some drinks and snacks. We all sat on the sidewalk just outside of the door of the store. We ate, drank and watched the people come into the gas station to gas up. We saw a "Vago" biker gang member ride in. I was looking for a Hell's Angel biker to ride in and confront the Vago. Nothing like that happened. We watched people walk into the store and they would talk to us before entering. As we were sitting drinking and snacking, a LOUD anal belch came from my left. I falsely accused Bruce because he was laughing the loudest. I was corrected and told that it was Chuck. I apologized to Bruce. There was a man who was pumping gas into his car that, when Chuck broke the sonic boom with his fart, looked up at the Group. Chuck was lucky that the man's wife was inside the store and didn't hear Chuck. We laughed a little more. We left at 5:06 PM with me in the lead.
I lead the Group back onto I-40 and eastbound. I thought that we were going fast. I had my cruise control set at 78 on a posted 70 zone. There were cars passing us as if we were sitting still. I had my navigation system set for the Best Western Colorado River Inn in Needles, CA. As we got into Needles, the navigation system led us right to the front door. Two years ago when we were on our Route 66 ride, we stayed at the same hotel. Chuck, Bruce and C.E. entered to "make the deal." They did and we checked into the hotel. We rode our Motors to our rooms and were fortunate to be able to park in front of our rooms. We took our bags from our Motors and put them in our rooms. We returned to our Motors and tucked them in for the night, We knew from two years ago that dinner would be next door at, "Juicy's River Cafe." Also, breakfast will be there tomorrow morning. We went to Juicy's for dinner and when we were done, we returned to our rooms. I went to my room and completed today's blog. I clicked to Publish the Post, and unfortunately, lost it. I had to do it again. I did it again and the same thing happened. I lost it again. The third time, I went to the lobby, hoping that I would have a stronger wi-fi signal. This time it worked.
Today, we rode for 489 miles. Jan broke a leading record and Ken tried to do the same. Instead, Ken, Bruce and C.E. left Chuck, Jan and Me by the side of the road. They didn't wait for us to be ready. OK, they are fired. We have three openings available. We have applications available. We are looking for three good riders who are loyal and considerate enough NOT to leave your friends behind.
Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree, we're coming home we've done our time! We will be headed for home tomorrow. Actually, Chuck will be riding to N.A.U. to be with his family as they watch his daughter, Genna, graduate. Congratulations Genna! Jan will be going home to Lee. Bruce and Ken will be riding to Chino Valley and checking into the Day's Inn. They are going to go to the Retiree's breakfast on Saturday. C.E. and I will follow Chuck to Flagstaff and then turn south onto I-17 and heading home. I will be good to be home again with our families. It's been three weeks. It's time! There will be one more day of riding and one more blog. So, until tomorrow...
My alarm sounded at 6 AM. I got up, got dressed and packed. Bruce didn't wake up. I had finished my blog and transferred pictures and went to bed at about 12:30 AM. I took my lap top to the breakfast room. I was the only one there from our Group. I had breakfast and labeled the pictures. There were 49 of them. As I finished, C.E. and Ken came in. Soon, Chuck and Ken walked in. They were having breakfast when I packed up and returned to the room to pack my bags in my Motor like the others had already done. Bruce was still in the room and was leaving as I walked in. By the time I packed my Motor and was ready, the others returned. We left at 8:47 AM.
Chuck led us onto US 99 southbound. After riding 31.3 miles, we stopped in Merced, CA. at 9:15 AM. We gassed up and took a short break. We left at 9:29 AM with Jan leading.
Before I start with Jan's lead, I have to mention that yesterday, when Bruce was leading, he led us to Harmon Junction, NV. for 110.3 miles. He was excited that he holds the record of leading the longest leg. He was excited, the others cursed him for not stopping to pee! Now back to Jan. Jan took over leading and took us southbound on US 99. We were riding through several cities and 115.2 miles later, we stopped in Tipton, CA. at 11:05 AM. It was early in the day and none of us really had to go. Jan beat Bruce's record. When we stopped, Bruce knew that his record was broken and he went to Jan, laughing, and told him that he knew what Jan was up to. While we were at the gas station/mini-mart, we took a break. We left at 11:30 AM.
Jan continued to lead. It was pretty close to lunch time and we had plans to stop at a Wendy's. No, you got it wrong! We weren't looking for a Subway. Chuck found a Wendy's on his Droid in the north side of Bakersfield. We got off of US 99 and rode to Wendy's for lunch. We had ridden for 57.0 miles and it was 12:20 PM. It was a nice change of pace. Wendy's was very good. Don't worry, we ate healthy. We were done and we left at 1:22 PM.
Jan led us back onto US 99 and we rode onto US 58 towards Needles, CA. We rode for 8.9 miles and stopped at 1:32 PM to get gas. Most of us could have continued for more miles, but like it is said in the group, "A B C - All Bout Chuck!" He needed gas. We were still in Bakersfield. We were done gassing up and left at 1:45 PM with Ken in the lead.
Ken took us on US 58 and we were making some good time. Remember, we just had lunch and we generally stop for a needed break in 20 to 30 miles. Ken led for 58.7 miles and got off on an exit to a small town named Mohave. The exit ramp was circular. We rode the circle half way and Ken pulled off into the dirt. There were two large piles of dirt and rock. We parked our Motors and Ken told us that if we needed to pee, go for it. We thought that Ken was going to stop at a gas station/mini-mart. There was nothing in sight that resembled that. After we were done, Ken apologized and said that he would stop soon where there were facilities. We all told him that we didn't need it because we all "went!" We left at 2:41 PM.
We rode through some pretty country in Tehachapi. We stopped in Tehachapi last year. We woke up to snow on our Motors. We had to wait it out. We also call this town, "Too Hot To Pee." OK, say it fast...TooHotToPee. We rode over the mountain. Awesome! We had ridden for many miles and then we rode into Barstow. We were on US 58 and there was construction. There were two lanes with a double yellow lines in the center. We were behind traffic and a semi. The scenery sucked! It was desert and nothing really worth looking at that would help keep us awake. It was 82 degrees and we were all still wearing our jackets, except for C.E. We were on US 58, then changed to I-15 and then to I-40. These changes helped keep us awake. Ken did a great job going from highway to highway. We didn't get lost, nor did he lose us. We continued to ride, passing a few exits with gas stations/mini-marts which would have been perfect for us to stop, get a drink, take off our jackets and wake up. Nope! Ken didn't stop. We passed the exit for Newberry Springs and about a mile later, Chuck and I noticed that Jan was not behind us. We slowed and Ken, Bruce and C.E. extended the distance between us. We were slowing and Chuck was riding on the shoulder, hoping to get the others attention. The others finally started to slow, and about two miles from the exit, they stopped by the side of the road at 3:59 PM. Chuck and I rode up to them. Ken got off his Motor and walked back to us. Chuck told him that we were missing Jan and that he probably pulled of at the exit we had passed. I asked Ken if he was trying to break Jan's record for longest distance leading. He told me that he wasn't and if anyone needed to stop, they should have told him. We tried to get him on his CB but he ignored us. (Ken doesn't have a CB) As we stayed there waiting for Jan to catch up, I got off my Motor and decided to take off my jacket. It was 82 degrees and uncomfortable. I told Chuck that it was 82 degrees and I was going to take off my jacket. He nodded, agreeing with me. He was standing my his Motor and was about to take off his jacket when he looked up and told us that Jan was coming. We could hear his Motor about a mile away. As I looked in Jan's direction, I hear the other three start their Motors. I was still folding my jacket and putting it in my trunk bag when I heard the others ride off! I looked at them ride eastbound and Chuck and I looked at each other...shocked that they would just leave us. Chuck quickly got on his Motor and I was still standing at the rear of mine. Chuck told me not to worry because we could catch them. I had asked Chuck, "Why in the hell would they just leave us?" Jan rode up and stopped. We told him what had happened. I finished putting my jacket in the bag and prepared to get back on the Motor to leave. We left at 4:05 PM. we caught up to the other guys about a mile away. They had stopped to wait for us. We we stopped behind them, Ken got off his Motor and walked back to us. Chuck told Ken what had happened and I asked Ken if he was trying to beat Jan's leading record. He told me that he wasn't. Ken told us that if anyone wanted to stop and take a break, all they needed to do is tell him. We left eastbound, now that the Group was reunited.
Ken continued to lead us eastbound and got off the interstate in Ludlow, CA. at 4:31 PM after riding 31.7 miles. We stopped at a gas station/mini-mart. We all gassed up and when we finished, we parked our Motors out of the way. We went into the store and bought some drinks and snacks. We all sat on the sidewalk just outside of the door of the store. We ate, drank and watched the people come into the gas station to gas up. We saw a "Vago" biker gang member ride in. I was looking for a Hell's Angel biker to ride in and confront the Vago. Nothing like that happened. We watched people walk into the store and they would talk to us before entering. As we were sitting drinking and snacking, a LOUD anal belch came from my left. I falsely accused Bruce because he was laughing the loudest. I was corrected and told that it was Chuck. I apologized to Bruce. There was a man who was pumping gas into his car that, when Chuck broke the sonic boom with his fart, looked up at the Group. Chuck was lucky that the man's wife was inside the store and didn't hear Chuck. We laughed a little more. We left at 5:06 PM with me in the lead.
I lead the Group back onto I-40 and eastbound. I thought that we were going fast. I had my cruise control set at 78 on a posted 70 zone. There were cars passing us as if we were sitting still. I had my navigation system set for the Best Western Colorado River Inn in Needles, CA. As we got into Needles, the navigation system led us right to the front door. Two years ago when we were on our Route 66 ride, we stayed at the same hotel. Chuck, Bruce and C.E. entered to "make the deal." They did and we checked into the hotel. We rode our Motors to our rooms and were fortunate to be able to park in front of our rooms. We took our bags from our Motors and put them in our rooms. We returned to our Motors and tucked them in for the night, We knew from two years ago that dinner would be next door at, "Juicy's River Cafe." Also, breakfast will be there tomorrow morning. We went to Juicy's for dinner and when we were done, we returned to our rooms. I went to my room and completed today's blog. I clicked to Publish the Post, and unfortunately, lost it. I had to do it again. I did it again and the same thing happened. I lost it again. The third time, I went to the lobby, hoping that I would have a stronger wi-fi signal. This time it worked.
Today, we rode for 489 miles. Jan broke a leading record and Ken tried to do the same. Instead, Ken, Bruce and C.E. left Chuck, Jan and Me by the side of the road. They didn't wait for us to be ready. OK, they are fired. We have three openings available. We have applications available. We are looking for three good riders who are loyal and considerate enough NOT to leave your friends behind.
Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree, we're coming home we've done our time! We will be headed for home tomorrow. Actually, Chuck will be riding to N.A.U. to be with his family as they watch his daughter, Genna, graduate. Congratulations Genna! Jan will be going home to Lee. Bruce and Ken will be riding to Chino Valley and checking into the Day's Inn. They are going to go to the Retiree's breakfast on Saturday. C.E. and I will follow Chuck to Flagstaff and then turn south onto I-17 and heading home. I will be good to be home again with our families. It's been three weeks. It's time! There will be one more day of riding and one more blog. So, until tomorrow...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The End of the Road
Day 19 Wednesday, May 5, 2010
This is Cinco de Mayo and I want to wish my Motorcycle a Happy Second Birthday! Two years ago today, Chuck, J.B. and Suzy accompanied me to Neihaus Honda in Litchfield, ILL where I bought and picked up my Gold Wing. J.B. and Suzy, do you remember the trip? It was a blast. Like I told Chuck, when I'm ready to buy a new Gold Wing, I wouldn't hesitate to return to Litchfield, ILL and get a new one.
C.E. and I woke up at 6:30 AM and put on The Weather Channel. They were reporting that it was 30 degrees in Eurica, NV. We got dressed and packed up our bags. We took them out to our Motors and put the bags away. We went into the breakfast area and had breakfast. What did you think I was going to say, we had lunch? We were by ourselves for a long time when, finally, Chuck and Ken joined us. Jan and Bruce came in a little bit later and had breakfast. Chuck told me that he had seen and spoke with Jim Bob and Vicki Penn outside and were walking to a restaurant down the street. After breakfast, we packed up our Motors, checked out of the hotel and rode a block away to gas up the Motors. We left at 8:44 AM with Bruce in the lead.
Bruce led us out of town and back onto US 50 and, "The Loneliest Highway in America." We rode for 72.5 miles and stopped in Austin, NV at 9:45 AM. We had climbed a mountain and rode down the curvy, twistie road and into Austin. We needed our morning pit stop. We also took a break and as we were about to leave, Jim Bob and Vicki Penn came riding in to gas up. We spoke with them for a while and then left at 10:08 AM.
We continued on this Lonely Road, as pretty as it is, and we stopped in Harmon Junction, NV so that Chuck could put in a gallon of gas. We stopped at 11:38 AM after riding 110.3 miles. He couldn't go much further with the amount of gas he had in his gas tank. He knew that a gallon would take him into the next town. We left at 11:40 AM.
We rode another 6.3 miles and at 11:52 AM we stopped in Fallen, NV. We stopped so that we all could gas up our Motors. We then rode down the street to a Subway, with C.E. leading, and had lunch. After we had lunch, Chuck got the map and went over the map with C.E. We were headed to Carson City, NV. We left at 12:51 PM.
C.E. took the lead and after 11 miles, he missed the sign and the turn to go on US 50 to Carson City. Instead, we were on US 50 Alternate. The Alternate would have taken us about 32 miles out of our way. We rode for 2 more miles before we could make a u-turn to head back and make the proper turn. C.E. led us for 50.9 miles and at 1:49 PM, we stopped at a gas station/mini-mart in Dayton, NV. We took a pit stop and we were soon back on our way. We left at 2:03 PM.
We continued and eventually rode through Carson City. As we headed west of Carson City, we rode up a mountain with curves and twisties. There weren't very many cars on the road on the same direction that we were going. We had a very good time with this road. I was taking a video when Chuck left his #5 position, jumped in front of Jan and rode next to me. He told me that he saw me with my camera out and knew that I was making a video and he wanted to be in it. He was! C.E. led us into South Lake Tahoe. What a beautiful city! The lake was awesome. C.E. pulled over to the side of the road just south of Glenbrook. We got off our Motors and took several pictures. The Lake was beautiful. The surrounding mountains were snow-capped. We left at 2:59 PM.
We continued on this great Motorcycle road. We crossed into California. We rode for 41.9 miles and stopped in Silver Fork, CA. at 3:54 PM. We stopped at a small gas station/mini-mart. We took a break, made a pit stop and C.E. "cracked the whip" and told us to saddle up, we were leaving. We left at 4:07 PM.
We continued on US 50. The road was full of curves, twisties and high speed. We rode for 42.5 miles and stopped in Shingle Springs, CA. at 4:50 PM. We were all getting somewhat excited. We knew that the end of the road was near. Actually, it was about 50 miles away. We looked at the maps and set the navigation system with some information that would get up close to our destination. We left at 5:17 PM with Chuck in the lead. It was appropriate for Chuck to lead us on our final leg to get to our destination, the west end of US 50.
Chuck was in the lead and I was right behind. I had the information in my navigation system and I could direct him through the CB. We rode another 34.8 miles and got off of the interstate to where we thought that the end was in West Sacramento. It wasn't. Chuck asked a gentleman for directions and he gave him some. We left at 6:02 PM.
With directions in mind, we got back on the interestate and headed west. We went over a causeway, made a u-turn and went back the same way we came. The directions that the gentleman gave Chuck was correct. We had ridded 18.6 miles and at 6:20 PM stopped at the sign indicating that Ocean City was 3,073 miles. Chuck pulled over to the side of the interstate and we all followed. We parked by the side and saw the sign. One by one, we all stood under the sign and had pictures taken. A tow truck stopped by us and asked if any one of us had broken down. That was a valid question, since I'm sure that he saw 3 Harley's in the group. We told him that we were all ok. He left and we continued taking pictures, including a Group shot. Now that we had reached the end of the westbound trip, we wanted to head towards Needles, CA. It was late and we knew that we wouldn't get very far, however, we still wanted to ride towards Needles and find a hotel in that direction. We left at 6:31 PM.
Chuck rode east on I-80 and then south onto US 99. We rode another 14.4 miles and at 6:46 PM, we stopped at a gas station/mini-mart in Elk Grove, CA. We made a pit stop and talked about our accomplishment. We were all exstatic about it. We looked at the map and decided that we would head for Turlock, CA. at a Best Western. We left at 7:05 PM.
Chuck got us back on US 99 and we headed southbound. The speed limit was 65 and we were going about 78 mph. I believe Chuck was trying to get us to the Best Western before it got dark so that we wouldn't yell at him about making all of us ride in the dark. That is one of our rules: We don't ride in the dark! We rode another 77.4 miles and at 8:11 PM, we stopped at The Best Western Orchard Inn in Turlock, CA. I went in to "make the deal." As everyone entered, the deal was made and we got a good rate. We each got our rooms, rode our Motors to the back of the hotel, parked and got our bags. We put the bags in the rooms and then tucked the Motors in for the night. We later walked next door to the Grizzly Rock Cafe and Grill for dinner. After dinner, we returned to our rooms.
Today, we rode for 504 miles. We completed our destination: The west end of US 50. We then started our route home. We know that we have about 500 miles to get to Needles and then about 300 miles to get back home. We are trying to hurry because Chuck needs to get to his daughter's, Genna, graduation from N.A.U. on Friday at 2 PM. Genna, we will get him there for you. Congratulations! So far this trip, we have traveled 6,341.6 miles. We still need to get home! We will get to Needles tomorrow and spend the night. So, until tomorrow...
This is Cinco de Mayo and I want to wish my Motorcycle a Happy Second Birthday! Two years ago today, Chuck, J.B. and Suzy accompanied me to Neihaus Honda in Litchfield, ILL where I bought and picked up my Gold Wing. J.B. and Suzy, do you remember the trip? It was a blast. Like I told Chuck, when I'm ready to buy a new Gold Wing, I wouldn't hesitate to return to Litchfield, ILL and get a new one.
C.E. and I woke up at 6:30 AM and put on The Weather Channel. They were reporting that it was 30 degrees in Eurica, NV. We got dressed and packed up our bags. We took them out to our Motors and put the bags away. We went into the breakfast area and had breakfast. What did you think I was going to say, we had lunch? We were by ourselves for a long time when, finally, Chuck and Ken joined us. Jan and Bruce came in a little bit later and had breakfast. Chuck told me that he had seen and spoke with Jim Bob and Vicki Penn outside and were walking to a restaurant down the street. After breakfast, we packed up our Motors, checked out of the hotel and rode a block away to gas up the Motors. We left at 8:44 AM with Bruce in the lead.
Bruce led us out of town and back onto US 50 and, "The Loneliest Highway in America." We rode for 72.5 miles and stopped in Austin, NV at 9:45 AM. We had climbed a mountain and rode down the curvy, twistie road and into Austin. We needed our morning pit stop. We also took a break and as we were about to leave, Jim Bob and Vicki Penn came riding in to gas up. We spoke with them for a while and then left at 10:08 AM.
We continued on this Lonely Road, as pretty as it is, and we stopped in Harmon Junction, NV so that Chuck could put in a gallon of gas. We stopped at 11:38 AM after riding 110.3 miles. He couldn't go much further with the amount of gas he had in his gas tank. He knew that a gallon would take him into the next town. We left at 11:40 AM.
We rode another 6.3 miles and at 11:52 AM we stopped in Fallen, NV. We stopped so that we all could gas up our Motors. We then rode down the street to a Subway, with C.E. leading, and had lunch. After we had lunch, Chuck got the map and went over the map with C.E. We were headed to Carson City, NV. We left at 12:51 PM.
C.E. took the lead and after 11 miles, he missed the sign and the turn to go on US 50 to Carson City. Instead, we were on US 50 Alternate. The Alternate would have taken us about 32 miles out of our way. We rode for 2 more miles before we could make a u-turn to head back and make the proper turn. C.E. led us for 50.9 miles and at 1:49 PM, we stopped at a gas station/mini-mart in Dayton, NV. We took a pit stop and we were soon back on our way. We left at 2:03 PM.
We continued and eventually rode through Carson City. As we headed west of Carson City, we rode up a mountain with curves and twisties. There weren't very many cars on the road on the same direction that we were going. We had a very good time with this road. I was taking a video when Chuck left his #5 position, jumped in front of Jan and rode next to me. He told me that he saw me with my camera out and knew that I was making a video and he wanted to be in it. He was! C.E. led us into South Lake Tahoe. What a beautiful city! The lake was awesome. C.E. pulled over to the side of the road just south of Glenbrook. We got off our Motors and took several pictures. The Lake was beautiful. The surrounding mountains were snow-capped. We left at 2:59 PM.
We continued on this great Motorcycle road. We crossed into California. We rode for 41.9 miles and stopped in Silver Fork, CA. at 3:54 PM. We stopped at a small gas station/mini-mart. We took a break, made a pit stop and C.E. "cracked the whip" and told us to saddle up, we were leaving. We left at 4:07 PM.
We continued on US 50. The road was full of curves, twisties and high speed. We rode for 42.5 miles and stopped in Shingle Springs, CA. at 4:50 PM. We were all getting somewhat excited. We knew that the end of the road was near. Actually, it was about 50 miles away. We looked at the maps and set the navigation system with some information that would get up close to our destination. We left at 5:17 PM with Chuck in the lead. It was appropriate for Chuck to lead us on our final leg to get to our destination, the west end of US 50.
Chuck was in the lead and I was right behind. I had the information in my navigation system and I could direct him through the CB. We rode another 34.8 miles and got off of the interstate to where we thought that the end was in West Sacramento. It wasn't. Chuck asked a gentleman for directions and he gave him some. We left at 6:02 PM.
With directions in mind, we got back on the interestate and headed west. We went over a causeway, made a u-turn and went back the same way we came. The directions that the gentleman gave Chuck was correct. We had ridded 18.6 miles and at 6:20 PM stopped at the sign indicating that Ocean City was 3,073 miles. Chuck pulled over to the side of the interstate and we all followed. We parked by the side and saw the sign. One by one, we all stood under the sign and had pictures taken. A tow truck stopped by us and asked if any one of us had broken down. That was a valid question, since I'm sure that he saw 3 Harley's in the group. We told him that we were all ok. He left and we continued taking pictures, including a Group shot. Now that we had reached the end of the westbound trip, we wanted to head towards Needles, CA. It was late and we knew that we wouldn't get very far, however, we still wanted to ride towards Needles and find a hotel in that direction. We left at 6:31 PM.
Chuck rode east on I-80 and then south onto US 99. We rode another 14.4 miles and at 6:46 PM, we stopped at a gas station/mini-mart in Elk Grove, CA. We made a pit stop and talked about our accomplishment. We were all exstatic about it. We looked at the map and decided that we would head for Turlock, CA. at a Best Western. We left at 7:05 PM.
Chuck got us back on US 99 and we headed southbound. The speed limit was 65 and we were going about 78 mph. I believe Chuck was trying to get us to the Best Western before it got dark so that we wouldn't yell at him about making all of us ride in the dark. That is one of our rules: We don't ride in the dark! We rode another 77.4 miles and at 8:11 PM, we stopped at The Best Western Orchard Inn in Turlock, CA. I went in to "make the deal." As everyone entered, the deal was made and we got a good rate. We each got our rooms, rode our Motors to the back of the hotel, parked and got our bags. We put the bags in the rooms and then tucked the Motors in for the night. We later walked next door to the Grizzly Rock Cafe and Grill for dinner. After dinner, we returned to our rooms.
Today, we rode for 504 miles. We completed our destination: The west end of US 50. We then started our route home. We know that we have about 500 miles to get to Needles and then about 300 miles to get back home. We are trying to hurry because Chuck needs to get to his daughter's, Genna, graduation from N.A.U. on Friday at 2 PM. Genna, we will get him there for you. Congratulations! So far this trip, we have traveled 6,341.6 miles. We still need to get home! We will get to Needles tomorrow and spend the night. So, until tomorrow...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Penn's
Day 18 Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Last night after we had checked into the Comfort Inn, a black Harley with a trailer with a male rider and female passenger came riding up to the hotel. Chuck went out and spoke with them. The checked into the Comfort Inn also. We saw them at Ray's Tavern at dinner also. They had introduced themselves as Jim Bob and Vicki Penn from Georgetown, KY. After dinner, we got together with them and talked before returning to the motel.
This morning we saw them at breakfast and spoke with them. We met them time and again as we stopped for gas, break, lunch and in passing.
C.E. and I got up today at 6:15 AM, got dressed and packed. We went outside and uncovered our Motors and put a bag or two in the Motor. Breakfast here we come. We were the only ones in our Group in the breakfast room. There weren't very people there either. We had a quiet breakfast. Before we finished, Chuck and Ken joined us. Jan and Bruce came in a little later. After we had breakfast, we packed our Motors. While we were doing that, there was a carload of people by our Motors. They were tourist, possible from Canada. They only spoke French. The were admiring the Motors. I think that they were looking at the Gold Wings, but Jan made contact with them as they were taking pictures of the Motors. Jan took the old man's camera and motioned to him that he would take a picture of him next to Jan's Harley. He was excited. We didn't understand what he was telling, we think, his wife. There were no subtitles. He was happy to get his picture. I guess they have no farm equipment in Canada. Soon, everyone was packed and ready to go. Jan led us to the gas station not far from the hotel and gassed up. We left at 8:54 AM with Ken in the lead.
Ken led us to I-70 headed for Salina, UT. We were going at a good speed and making great time. The scenery was awesome. Ken pulled over onto Exit 116 and we stopped at Eagle Canyon View Area at 9:31 AM after riding 57.5 miles. We didn't realize how badly we needed this stop until we saw the restrooms. We all had our turns there. We looked at the Canyon and it was great! We took pictures of the Canyon and the Group with the Canyon. Chuck also rode his Motor off of the parking lot and onto a hiking trail and had his picture taken. Bruce told him to hurry and get back on the parking lot because the Ranger was coming. He wasn't, Bruce was just funning. We took a Group picture and we left at 9:51 AM.
We continued westbound on I-70. We rode through some beautiful scenery. The map indicates that this road is dotted, that means that it is a scenic road. It was! Ken led us doing about 80 mph on a road with hills and valleys. Chuck was behind Ken, C.E. was next, then Bruce, then me and then Jan. With Ken going 80, Chuck's Motor couldn't keep up so he was dropping back, making us drop back. Ken later told me that he had to slow down so that the rest of the Group could catch up. As Chuck was dropping back, so was Bruce. Jan had no problem keeping up. At one point, I had considered passing the Group and staying up with Ken. Jan told me later that if I did that, he would have followed me. I don't doubt Jan would have followed. After riding 63.4 miles, we stopped at a gas station/mini-mart in Salina, UT at 10:40 AM. We made a pit stop and took a little break. We had snacks and drinks. C.E. bought something and left his Motor keys on the counter. The clerk was asking everyone if they had left some keys on the counter. Bruce looked at them and noticed that they were Gold Wing keys. Chuck got the keys and asked me if they were mine. I told him that they weren't and he determined that the keys were C.E.'s. Chuck said, "I got him." We went outside and Chuck asked C.E. if his keys could open the trunk with remote control. C.E. said that it could and he reached for his keys in his pocket. He didn't have them and Chuck told C.E. that maybe he could open the truck with the keys he had. C.E. saw that Chuck had his keys. Chuck then gave C.E. his keys and told us that when the clerk put the keys back on the counter, Chuck had laid his wallet next to the keys and walked off, leaving the keys and wallet on the counter. Chuck did go back and picked them both up. After a nice break, we left at 11:09 AM.
Ken led us north on SR 28 into downtown Salina and then west where we got onto I-15 south. We rode I-15 south for 13 miles and then got off onto US 50 again. As we were back on US 50, we were riding and a fellow Gold Wing rider and passenger passed us going the opposite direction. The passenger motioned to us to slow down. We were expecting to see a State Trooper working rader. We didn't see one for a while and then there he was off the side of the road facing eastbound, with his radar. He didn't catch us. Ken had slowed. After riding 93.5 miles, we stopped in Delta, UT at 12:16 PM for gas. The Penn's passed us as we were riding to the gas station. We gassed up and rode down the street, with me leading, to a Subway for lunch. After lunch, we left at 1:25 PM with me in the lead.
I led the Group back on US 50. The weather was great, the scenery was great, the company is so-so, (just kidding) and we were having a great time. There was no place to stop after our customary 20 to 30 after lunch break. The road is long with many a winding turn and no where to stop. I know that I couldn't stop, even if someone needed to make a pit stop. There were no buildings or trees, or even a tall bush to hide behind. We continued until we came up to an oasis in the desert. There was a gas station and a mini-mart on the left side of the road. It was called the Border Inn, Nevada. I pulled into there at 1:45 PM after 93.5 miles. There was a sign across the street indicating, "Welcome to Nevada." We gained an hour. We went into the mini-mart and found that there was an extension which contained a small casino and bar. Yes, we were in Nevada! Chuck and Bruce took the opportunity to throw away some money by gambling. We took a little break and, lo and behold, Jim Bob and Vicki rode in and stopped. We soon left at 2:08 PM.
Chuck told me that he needed to stop in the next city so that he could get some gas. We rode for 60.7 miles and stopped in Ely, NV at 3:02 PM. The Harley boys got some gas while the Gold Wing boys parked the Motors and took a break. We still had about 2 gallons of gas each. When we finished getting gas for the Harley boys, we rode a short distance away and stopped by a US 50 sign. We each took pictures parked next to the sign. We left at 3:31 PM.
Now that the Harley's had gas, I continued to lead the Group. We rode for 82.7 miles and came into the town of Eureka, NV. It was a quiet town. It was 4:43 PM and I think that they rolled up the sidewalks already. We stopped at the Best Western and all of the Group entered, except me, to "make the deal." I stayed with my Motor writing down the information I need for the blog. They came out and we discussed the price. They did make a deal so we checked in. We got our bags out of our Motors and took them to the rooms. After we secured our bags and our rooms, we returned to our Motors and tucked them in for the night. We were in the lobby drinking coffee and hot chocolate and Jim Bob and Vicki walked in. We invited them to join us to dinner. The clerk told us of a Mexican food restaurant about a block away. They went with us. We had a good dinner and a good conversation with the Penns. When we were done with dinner, we returned to the hotel. Chuck, Ken, Jan and Bruce went into the hot tub. C.E. stayed in his room and read. I went to the lobby and started my blog.
Today, we rode for 435 miles. We rode, "The loneliest Road in America." A lot of people and brochures speak and write negatively of this road in Nevada. The same road in Utah is not as good. We have enjoyed this road so far. Tomorrow, we will be riding to Sacramento to the end of US 50. We will take pictures and buy t-shirts. After that, we head back to Phoenix.
Before I close, I want to wish Genna a very happy birthday!
So, until tomorrow...
Last night after we had checked into the Comfort Inn, a black Harley with a trailer with a male rider and female passenger came riding up to the hotel. Chuck went out and spoke with them. The checked into the Comfort Inn also. We saw them at Ray's Tavern at dinner also. They had introduced themselves as Jim Bob and Vicki Penn from Georgetown, KY. After dinner, we got together with them and talked before returning to the motel.
This morning we saw them at breakfast and spoke with them. We met them time and again as we stopped for gas, break, lunch and in passing.
C.E. and I got up today at 6:15 AM, got dressed and packed. We went outside and uncovered our Motors and put a bag or two in the Motor. Breakfast here we come. We were the only ones in our Group in the breakfast room. There weren't very people there either. We had a quiet breakfast. Before we finished, Chuck and Ken joined us. Jan and Bruce came in a little later. After we had breakfast, we packed our Motors. While we were doing that, there was a carload of people by our Motors. They were tourist, possible from Canada. They only spoke French. The were admiring the Motors. I think that they were looking at the Gold Wings, but Jan made contact with them as they were taking pictures of the Motors. Jan took the old man's camera and motioned to him that he would take a picture of him next to Jan's Harley. He was excited. We didn't understand what he was telling, we think, his wife. There were no subtitles. He was happy to get his picture. I guess they have no farm equipment in Canada. Soon, everyone was packed and ready to go. Jan led us to the gas station not far from the hotel and gassed up. We left at 8:54 AM with Ken in the lead.
Ken led us to I-70 headed for Salina, UT. We were going at a good speed and making great time. The scenery was awesome. Ken pulled over onto Exit 116 and we stopped at Eagle Canyon View Area at 9:31 AM after riding 57.5 miles. We didn't realize how badly we needed this stop until we saw the restrooms. We all had our turns there. We looked at the Canyon and it was great! We took pictures of the Canyon and the Group with the Canyon. Chuck also rode his Motor off of the parking lot and onto a hiking trail and had his picture taken. Bruce told him to hurry and get back on the parking lot because the Ranger was coming. He wasn't, Bruce was just funning. We took a Group picture and we left at 9:51 AM.
We continued westbound on I-70. We rode through some beautiful scenery. The map indicates that this road is dotted, that means that it is a scenic road. It was! Ken led us doing about 80 mph on a road with hills and valleys. Chuck was behind Ken, C.E. was next, then Bruce, then me and then Jan. With Ken going 80, Chuck's Motor couldn't keep up so he was dropping back, making us drop back. Ken later told me that he had to slow down so that the rest of the Group could catch up. As Chuck was dropping back, so was Bruce. Jan had no problem keeping up. At one point, I had considered passing the Group and staying up with Ken. Jan told me later that if I did that, he would have followed me. I don't doubt Jan would have followed. After riding 63.4 miles, we stopped at a gas station/mini-mart in Salina, UT at 10:40 AM. We made a pit stop and took a little break. We had snacks and drinks. C.E. bought something and left his Motor keys on the counter. The clerk was asking everyone if they had left some keys on the counter. Bruce looked at them and noticed that they were Gold Wing keys. Chuck got the keys and asked me if they were mine. I told him that they weren't and he determined that the keys were C.E.'s. Chuck said, "I got him." We went outside and Chuck asked C.E. if his keys could open the trunk with remote control. C.E. said that it could and he reached for his keys in his pocket. He didn't have them and Chuck told C.E. that maybe he could open the truck with the keys he had. C.E. saw that Chuck had his keys. Chuck then gave C.E. his keys and told us that when the clerk put the keys back on the counter, Chuck had laid his wallet next to the keys and walked off, leaving the keys and wallet on the counter. Chuck did go back and picked them both up. After a nice break, we left at 11:09 AM.
Ken led us north on SR 28 into downtown Salina and then west where we got onto I-15 south. We rode I-15 south for 13 miles and then got off onto US 50 again. As we were back on US 50, we were riding and a fellow Gold Wing rider and passenger passed us going the opposite direction. The passenger motioned to us to slow down. We were expecting to see a State Trooper working rader. We didn't see one for a while and then there he was off the side of the road facing eastbound, with his radar. He didn't catch us. Ken had slowed. After riding 93.5 miles, we stopped in Delta, UT at 12:16 PM for gas. The Penn's passed us as we were riding to the gas station. We gassed up and rode down the street, with me leading, to a Subway for lunch. After lunch, we left at 1:25 PM with me in the lead.
I led the Group back on US 50. The weather was great, the scenery was great, the company is so-so, (just kidding) and we were having a great time. There was no place to stop after our customary 20 to 30 after lunch break. The road is long with many a winding turn and no where to stop. I know that I couldn't stop, even if someone needed to make a pit stop. There were no buildings or trees, or even a tall bush to hide behind. We continued until we came up to an oasis in the desert. There was a gas station and a mini-mart on the left side of the road. It was called the Border Inn, Nevada. I pulled into there at 1:45 PM after 93.5 miles. There was a sign across the street indicating, "Welcome to Nevada." We gained an hour. We went into the mini-mart and found that there was an extension which contained a small casino and bar. Yes, we were in Nevada! Chuck and Bruce took the opportunity to throw away some money by gambling. We took a little break and, lo and behold, Jim Bob and Vicki rode in and stopped. We soon left at 2:08 PM.
Chuck told me that he needed to stop in the next city so that he could get some gas. We rode for 60.7 miles and stopped in Ely, NV at 3:02 PM. The Harley boys got some gas while the Gold Wing boys parked the Motors and took a break. We still had about 2 gallons of gas each. When we finished getting gas for the Harley boys, we rode a short distance away and stopped by a US 50 sign. We each took pictures parked next to the sign. We left at 3:31 PM.
Now that the Harley's had gas, I continued to lead the Group. We rode for 82.7 miles and came into the town of Eureka, NV. It was a quiet town. It was 4:43 PM and I think that they rolled up the sidewalks already. We stopped at the Best Western and all of the Group entered, except me, to "make the deal." I stayed with my Motor writing down the information I need for the blog. They came out and we discussed the price. They did make a deal so we checked in. We got our bags out of our Motors and took them to the rooms. After we secured our bags and our rooms, we returned to our Motors and tucked them in for the night. We were in the lobby drinking coffee and hot chocolate and Jim Bob and Vicki walked in. We invited them to join us to dinner. The clerk told us of a Mexican food restaurant about a block away. They went with us. We had a good dinner and a good conversation with the Penns. When we were done with dinner, we returned to the hotel. Chuck, Ken, Jan and Bruce went into the hot tub. C.E. stayed in his room and read. I went to the lobby and started my blog.
Today, we rode for 435 miles. We rode, "The loneliest Road in America." A lot of people and brochures speak and write negatively of this road in Nevada. The same road in Utah is not as good. We have enjoyed this road so far. Tomorrow, we will be riding to Sacramento to the end of US 50. We will take pictures and buy t-shirts. After that, we head back to Phoenix.
Before I close, I want to wish Genna a very happy birthday!
So, until tomorrow...
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monarch Pass, CO.
Day 17 Monday, May 3, 2010
First of all I want to wish C.E. and Bev a happy 11th Anniversary! Thanks Bev for letting C.E. come out and play with us. I'm sure that he will make it up to you when he gets back home. If not, let us know. We will take care of him.
Jan and I got up late because we knew that we weren't going to leave early. We were going to wait until Monarch Pass thawed out. When we woke up, the temperature at Monarch Pass was 17 degrees. It was 31 degrees outside at the hotel. We were up at 7 AM, got dressed and packed. We went to the breakfast room and Chuck and C.E. were already having breakfast. Ken and Bruce joined us later. As we were having breakfast, we were discussing the day's plans. We decided that since we were waiting for it to warm up, those of us who needed to could go and do laundry. All of us but Bruce packed our Motors and headed to the laundromat. Chuck was leading and we didn't get two blocks away when a doe (a deer, a female deer...) ran across the street from our right to our left. We were in the middle of downtown! We were pretty close to it when it ran across the street. This is a first for us. We have never had a deer run in front of us in any city that we have been. I'm sorry that I didn't have my camera out and ready. We got to the laundromat without any other incident. As we were doing our laundry, a young female pulled into the parking lot, saw our Motors, and "burned rubber" driving away! What was she trying to tell us? We aren't scary looking. Think about it. Think of C.E., Jan, Ken, Me, Chuck...well, I can understand her leaving quickly, especially if she saw Chuck! We finished our laundry and went back to the hotel. We packed the Motors and checked out. We left at 10:43 AM.
Chuck led us west on US 50. The mountains surrounding the city were snow capped. It was partially cloudy and the scenery was breathtaking. It was 48 degrees. We rode and started up Monarch Pass. We knew that it was going to be very cold so we dressed for it. We all had on warm clothes and some of the guys had on their rain gear to help out with the wind. I could have typed that the rain gear helped break wind, like a wind breaker, but I didn't. Anyway... We rode up the mountain. There were patches of snow at the beginning and then there was snow on both sides of us. The temperature dropped to 28 degrees at the top! The road was dry and some parts had some sand. The wind was gusting and we got dusted with snow. The higher we went, the harder it was for all of us to breathe. A couple of us were getting light-headed because of the altitude. At 11:08 AM we reached the summit after riding 26.8 miles. We parked our Motors next to the sign. We took several pictures and a picture of all of us with the sign. Chuck, Ken and Bruce took the opportunity to attack Jan with snowballs. They were paying him back for what he did to them last night. We were in the hot tub and the water level was low. Someone was complaining about the water level and Jan turned on a nearby hose and squirted them with cold water. Fortunately for me, I was already out. C.E. was in the room. He didn't join us last night. Back to the snow ball attack, Chuck had given me a sign to move so that I would not be collateral damage. Monarch Crest had a small gift shop and restaurant near the Sign. We went in and did a little shopping. We soon left at 11:36 AM.
Chuck led us down the Pass and the lower we got, the warmer it was. As we descended the Pass, the road became better. It was curvy and twistie. We still didn't want to go fast. It was posted at 40 mph and I think that we hit the limit once or twice. We stayed below the limit. It would be a much better ride if it was dry and no sand on the road. We finally hit an area on the road where the speed limit increased to 65 mph. This scenery was awesome. After riding 43.4 miles, we stopped at a Subway in Gunnison, CO. at 12:18 PM. As we were entering the city, there was a small SUV stopped by the side of the road. As we neared the SUV, we realized that it was a Colorado State Trooper. We were a little above the limit and I kept an eye on the Trooper as we passed. After we were all past the Trooper, he pulled out and followed us until we turned into the Subway. He continued on. I don't know whether he was keeping an eye on us or he was done with paperwork and resuming his patrol. It doesn't matter, he didn't stop us. We had a good break and lunch. It was 48 degrees when we arrived at the Subway and all of the guys took off their rain pants and a lot of their warm riding gear. We left at 1:08 PM.
Chuck was still leading, but not for very long. His gas tank was running low and we needed to stop soon. Not only did we need to stop soon to get gas for Chuck, we needed to take a break from lunch soon also, before we started to take naps on the Motors. After riding 66.4 miles, we stopped at a gas station in Montrose, CO at 2:14 PM. Many years ago, soon after God made this world we live in, Ken worked as a Colorado State Trooper and lived in Montrose. We have endured many hours of Ken telling us his war stories of when he was a Trooper. Actually, Ken worked as a Colorado State Trooper for 8 1/2 years before he was hired by Phoenix. The stories that Ken tells, actually, are interesting and sometime funny. We never get tired of listening to them. (Yeah, right!) We left at 2:46 PM with Jan in the lead.
Jan was leading and we were headed to Grand Junction. I had discussed with Chuck and Jan that I wanted to stop at a Batteries, Plus in Grand Junction. I had put the address on my navigation system and told Jan that I would lead when we got into the city. When we got into the city, I took the lead. We needed to make a quick lane change and we all made the lane change and onto the exit except for Bruce. We went a couple of miles when Chuck got a hold of me on the CB. Chuck told me that we needed to find a place to stop because we had lost Bruce. I thought that Chuck liked Bruce, and he waited a couple of miles to tell be to stop? I pulled over and we decided to go on to the Batteries, Plus and hopefully, Bruce would find us there. I made a u-turn and as we were back on the freeway going east, we saw Bruce going west, like a bat out of hell. We saw him, he didn't see us. We pulled over again and Chuck told us that he would wait there for Bruce and we all could go on. I told Chuck that I would go on to Batteries, Plus and wait for them there. Jan and I left. We got to Batteries, Plus and I called Chuck on the cell. Chuck told me that Bruce had called him and told him that he was at the turn off for Batteries, Plus. Chuck and the guys rode to where Bruce was. He was about 1/4 mile away from Jan and me. We went into the store and found that they were out of stock of the battery that I wanted. Jan and I rode to were Bruce was and waited there for the rest of the guys. We all were reunited then we rode a few blocks and stopped at a Wendy's for a break and a Frostie to celebrate the return of Bruce. We left at 4:58 PM.
As we left Wendy's, Jan took us onto I-70/US 50. The posed speed limit was 75 mph. We were doing 80 mph and making good time. We rode for 102.9 miles and finally got into the town of Green River, UT at 6:19 PM. We stopped at the Comfort Inn and I entered to "make the deal." I did and the rest came inside and we all checked in. We unloaded our Motors and put our bags in our rooms. We rode about 1 1/2 miles away to a restaurant that came highly recommended by the hotel clerk and others. The restaurant was, "Ray's Tavern." I is very popular and had great food. We enjoyed the food and drinks. We met some a man who was retired from Fullerton, CA P.D. We talked with him for a while. We also met a couple who were riding a Harley with trailer. They were from Lexington, KY. We spoke with them for a while also. They were also staying at the same place we are staying at. We returned to the Comfort Inn where we parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night.
Today we left later than normal, but we still rode for 311 miles. We almost met a deer up close and personal. We went up Monarch Pass, at 11,312 feet. It was cold and hard to breathe, but it was still fun. Tomorrow we hope to get out of Utah and into Nevada. We shall see. So, until tomorrow...
First of all I want to wish C.E. and Bev a happy 11th Anniversary! Thanks Bev for letting C.E. come out and play with us. I'm sure that he will make it up to you when he gets back home. If not, let us know. We will take care of him.
Jan and I got up late because we knew that we weren't going to leave early. We were going to wait until Monarch Pass thawed out. When we woke up, the temperature at Monarch Pass was 17 degrees. It was 31 degrees outside at the hotel. We were up at 7 AM, got dressed and packed. We went to the breakfast room and Chuck and C.E. were already having breakfast. Ken and Bruce joined us later. As we were having breakfast, we were discussing the day's plans. We decided that since we were waiting for it to warm up, those of us who needed to could go and do laundry. All of us but Bruce packed our Motors and headed to the laundromat. Chuck was leading and we didn't get two blocks away when a doe (a deer, a female deer...) ran across the street from our right to our left. We were in the middle of downtown! We were pretty close to it when it ran across the street. This is a first for us. We have never had a deer run in front of us in any city that we have been. I'm sorry that I didn't have my camera out and ready. We got to the laundromat without any other incident. As we were doing our laundry, a young female pulled into the parking lot, saw our Motors, and "burned rubber" driving away! What was she trying to tell us? We aren't scary looking. Think about it. Think of C.E., Jan, Ken, Me, Chuck...well, I can understand her leaving quickly, especially if she saw Chuck! We finished our laundry and went back to the hotel. We packed the Motors and checked out. We left at 10:43 AM.
Chuck led us west on US 50. The mountains surrounding the city were snow capped. It was partially cloudy and the scenery was breathtaking. It was 48 degrees. We rode and started up Monarch Pass. We knew that it was going to be very cold so we dressed for it. We all had on warm clothes and some of the guys had on their rain gear to help out with the wind. I could have typed that the rain gear helped break wind, like a wind breaker, but I didn't. Anyway... We rode up the mountain. There were patches of snow at the beginning and then there was snow on both sides of us. The temperature dropped to 28 degrees at the top! The road was dry and some parts had some sand. The wind was gusting and we got dusted with snow. The higher we went, the harder it was for all of us to breathe. A couple of us were getting light-headed because of the altitude. At 11:08 AM we reached the summit after riding 26.8 miles. We parked our Motors next to the sign. We took several pictures and a picture of all of us with the sign. Chuck, Ken and Bruce took the opportunity to attack Jan with snowballs. They were paying him back for what he did to them last night. We were in the hot tub and the water level was low. Someone was complaining about the water level and Jan turned on a nearby hose and squirted them with cold water. Fortunately for me, I was already out. C.E. was in the room. He didn't join us last night. Back to the snow ball attack, Chuck had given me a sign to move so that I would not be collateral damage. Monarch Crest had a small gift shop and restaurant near the Sign. We went in and did a little shopping. We soon left at 11:36 AM.
Chuck led us down the Pass and the lower we got, the warmer it was. As we descended the Pass, the road became better. It was curvy and twistie. We still didn't want to go fast. It was posted at 40 mph and I think that we hit the limit once or twice. We stayed below the limit. It would be a much better ride if it was dry and no sand on the road. We finally hit an area on the road where the speed limit increased to 65 mph. This scenery was awesome. After riding 43.4 miles, we stopped at a Subway in Gunnison, CO. at 12:18 PM. As we were entering the city, there was a small SUV stopped by the side of the road. As we neared the SUV, we realized that it was a Colorado State Trooper. We were a little above the limit and I kept an eye on the Trooper as we passed. After we were all past the Trooper, he pulled out and followed us until we turned into the Subway. He continued on. I don't know whether he was keeping an eye on us or he was done with paperwork and resuming his patrol. It doesn't matter, he didn't stop us. We had a good break and lunch. It was 48 degrees when we arrived at the Subway and all of the guys took off their rain pants and a lot of their warm riding gear. We left at 1:08 PM.
Chuck was still leading, but not for very long. His gas tank was running low and we needed to stop soon. Not only did we need to stop soon to get gas for Chuck, we needed to take a break from lunch soon also, before we started to take naps on the Motors. After riding 66.4 miles, we stopped at a gas station in Montrose, CO at 2:14 PM. Many years ago, soon after God made this world we live in, Ken worked as a Colorado State Trooper and lived in Montrose. We have endured many hours of Ken telling us his war stories of when he was a Trooper. Actually, Ken worked as a Colorado State Trooper for 8 1/2 years before he was hired by Phoenix. The stories that Ken tells, actually, are interesting and sometime funny. We never get tired of listening to them. (Yeah, right!) We left at 2:46 PM with Jan in the lead.
Jan was leading and we were headed to Grand Junction. I had discussed with Chuck and Jan that I wanted to stop at a Batteries, Plus in Grand Junction. I had put the address on my navigation system and told Jan that I would lead when we got into the city. When we got into the city, I took the lead. We needed to make a quick lane change and we all made the lane change and onto the exit except for Bruce. We went a couple of miles when Chuck got a hold of me on the CB. Chuck told me that we needed to find a place to stop because we had lost Bruce. I thought that Chuck liked Bruce, and he waited a couple of miles to tell be to stop? I pulled over and we decided to go on to the Batteries, Plus and hopefully, Bruce would find us there. I made a u-turn and as we were back on the freeway going east, we saw Bruce going west, like a bat out of hell. We saw him, he didn't see us. We pulled over again and Chuck told us that he would wait there for Bruce and we all could go on. I told Chuck that I would go on to Batteries, Plus and wait for them there. Jan and I left. We got to Batteries, Plus and I called Chuck on the cell. Chuck told me that Bruce had called him and told him that he was at the turn off for Batteries, Plus. Chuck and the guys rode to where Bruce was. He was about 1/4 mile away from Jan and me. We went into the store and found that they were out of stock of the battery that I wanted. Jan and I rode to were Bruce was and waited there for the rest of the guys. We all were reunited then we rode a few blocks and stopped at a Wendy's for a break and a Frostie to celebrate the return of Bruce. We left at 4:58 PM.
As we left Wendy's, Jan took us onto I-70/US 50. The posed speed limit was 75 mph. We were doing 80 mph and making good time. We rode for 102.9 miles and finally got into the town of Green River, UT at 6:19 PM. We stopped at the Comfort Inn and I entered to "make the deal." I did and the rest came inside and we all checked in. We unloaded our Motors and put our bags in our rooms. We rode about 1 1/2 miles away to a restaurant that came highly recommended by the hotel clerk and others. The restaurant was, "Ray's Tavern." I is very popular and had great food. We enjoyed the food and drinks. We met some a man who was retired from Fullerton, CA P.D. We talked with him for a while. We also met a couple who were riding a Harley with trailer. They were from Lexington, KY. We spoke with them for a while also. They were also staying at the same place we are staying at. We returned to the Comfort Inn where we parked our Motors and tucked them in for the night.
Today we left later than normal, but we still rode for 311 miles. We almost met a deer up close and personal. We went up Monarch Pass, at 11,312 feet. It was cold and hard to breathe, but it was still fun. Tomorrow we hope to get out of Utah and into Nevada. We shall see. So, until tomorrow...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Two Weeks and a Day
Day 16 Sunday, May 2, 2010
I forgot to mention on yesterdays blog that yesterday marked 2 weeks since we started this ride. From our end, it sure doesn't feel like it. Time has flown by!
Jan and I woke up at 6:30 AM. We got dressed and packed. As we walked to the breakfast area, the others came out of their rooms and met us. We took our time to have breakfast. Cold cereal in its plastic container and silverware. We didn't need to get the plastic spoons. Cloth napkins and stemware. How hoity toity! After breakfast we all got our bags from our rooms and loaded our Motors. We rode south to a Valero gas station to fill up. We left at 9:11 AM with C.E. in the lead.
We rode through flat country with mountains in the distance. It was cloudy and when we left the gas station, it was 52 degrees. The scenery changed slightly as we traveled west. After riding 60.4 miles, we stopped in La Junta at 10:10 AM at a Wal Mart Super Store. It was time for a pit stop. We went into the store in shifts because we were parked far from the door. We left at 10:30 AM.
C.E. was still leading us and we went farther west into Colorado. The scenery became nicer to look at. There were more clouds and they were darker. We rode into Pueblo, CO. and C.E. stopped at a Subway at 11:34 AM after riding 65.6 miles. We discussed riding over Monarch Pass, which is at 11,312 feet. Chuck checked his toy, Droid, and found that the temperature in Monarch Pass was 31 degrees and was ice packed and had snow. The last city before climbing up to Monarch Pass is Salida, CO. We discussed maybe stopping in at Salida, early, and spending the night. We could tackle Monarch Pass tomorrow. The Droid said that it would be clear tomorrow. Chuck told C.E. that he needed to stop in about 40 miles so that Chuck could get gas. I thought that we got gas at the Subway! We left at 12:19 PM.
We continued westbound. The landscape was greener, the clouds got darker and it looked as if it was raining at a distance. There were two banks of clouds and a clearing in the center. Luckily, we were headed towards the center. We stopped in Canon City at 12:53 PM after riding 35.7 miles. We stopped at a gas station/mini-mart. We all gassed up and parked at the side of the mini-mart. It was 57 degrees and it was getting colder as we rode west. We all put on our rain gear and warm clothes. We were prepared! We left at 1:21 PM with Chuck leading. C.E. was very happy that he was no longer leading.
Once we passed Canon City, on the map the road is dotted, it was a very scenic road. We passed the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park exit and we were in a canyon following the Arkansas River. As we rode through the canyon, the road had many curves and twisties. Unfortunately, we had several vehicles in front of us so we couldn't go very fast. It sprinkled on us a little and we rode through snow flurries. It wasn't bad. It wasn't enough to make us stop and wait for it to stop. We continued. There were many people in the Arkansas river fishing. Some of the fishermen were standing on the banks of the river while others were wading in the river fishing. Some were even on rubber boats fishing. The speed limit in the canyon was 45 mph and we were actually doing the speed limit, or slower. We finally rode into Salida and stopped at a Holiday Inn Express at 2:29 PM after riding 61.1 miles. Without saying anything, we all decided to stay here for the night. We checked in and got our bags out of our Motors and took them to our rooms. We moved our Motors so that they would be parked by our windows of our rooms. We relaxed, had coffee, hot chocolate and spicy apple cider. The hotel staff baked cookies and gave us some. The staff recommended a steak house named, Quincy's. We will ride there and have dinner. When we return to the hotel, we will park our Motors and tuck them in for the night. The hot tub is operational, as is the pool. This is an early day for us. We WILL rest tonight.
Today, we rode for only 223 miles. We didn't want to continue and rode Monarch Pass with the snow and the ice packed street. We will wait for the snow to thaw. We were told that the road is plowed on a regular basis and sand is placed on the road. If all works out, we should be out of Colorado tomorrow. We will see. So, until tomorrow...
Addendum: I just had to add this. We were getting ready to ride to dinner. As we walked out of the hotel, IT WAS SNOWING! We got to our Motors and the seats had snow on them. We had to dust them off. We rode south for 1 mile and it started to snow harder. I made a video of part of the ride. I hope that the snow shows on the video. We were treated very well in the restaurant. We finished dinner and rode back to the hotel and tucked our Motors in for the night.
I forgot to mention on yesterdays blog that yesterday marked 2 weeks since we started this ride. From our end, it sure doesn't feel like it. Time has flown by!
Jan and I woke up at 6:30 AM. We got dressed and packed. As we walked to the breakfast area, the others came out of their rooms and met us. We took our time to have breakfast. Cold cereal in its plastic container and silverware. We didn't need to get the plastic spoons. Cloth napkins and stemware. How hoity toity! After breakfast we all got our bags from our rooms and loaded our Motors. We rode south to a Valero gas station to fill up. We left at 9:11 AM with C.E. in the lead.
We rode through flat country with mountains in the distance. It was cloudy and when we left the gas station, it was 52 degrees. The scenery changed slightly as we traveled west. After riding 60.4 miles, we stopped in La Junta at 10:10 AM at a Wal Mart Super Store. It was time for a pit stop. We went into the store in shifts because we were parked far from the door. We left at 10:30 AM.
C.E. was still leading us and we went farther west into Colorado. The scenery became nicer to look at. There were more clouds and they were darker. We rode into Pueblo, CO. and C.E. stopped at a Subway at 11:34 AM after riding 65.6 miles. We discussed riding over Monarch Pass, which is at 11,312 feet. Chuck checked his toy, Droid, and found that the temperature in Monarch Pass was 31 degrees and was ice packed and had snow. The last city before climbing up to Monarch Pass is Salida, CO. We discussed maybe stopping in at Salida, early, and spending the night. We could tackle Monarch Pass tomorrow. The Droid said that it would be clear tomorrow. Chuck told C.E. that he needed to stop in about 40 miles so that Chuck could get gas. I thought that we got gas at the Subway! We left at 12:19 PM.
We continued westbound. The landscape was greener, the clouds got darker and it looked as if it was raining at a distance. There were two banks of clouds and a clearing in the center. Luckily, we were headed towards the center. We stopped in Canon City at 12:53 PM after riding 35.7 miles. We stopped at a gas station/mini-mart. We all gassed up and parked at the side of the mini-mart. It was 57 degrees and it was getting colder as we rode west. We all put on our rain gear and warm clothes. We were prepared! We left at 1:21 PM with Chuck leading. C.E. was very happy that he was no longer leading.
Once we passed Canon City, on the map the road is dotted, it was a very scenic road. We passed the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park exit and we were in a canyon following the Arkansas River. As we rode through the canyon, the road had many curves and twisties. Unfortunately, we had several vehicles in front of us so we couldn't go very fast. It sprinkled on us a little and we rode through snow flurries. It wasn't bad. It wasn't enough to make us stop and wait for it to stop. We continued. There were many people in the Arkansas river fishing. Some of the fishermen were standing on the banks of the river while others were wading in the river fishing. Some were even on rubber boats fishing. The speed limit in the canyon was 45 mph and we were actually doing the speed limit, or slower. We finally rode into Salida and stopped at a Holiday Inn Express at 2:29 PM after riding 61.1 miles. Without saying anything, we all decided to stay here for the night. We checked in and got our bags out of our Motors and took them to our rooms. We moved our Motors so that they would be parked by our windows of our rooms. We relaxed, had coffee, hot chocolate and spicy apple cider. The hotel staff baked cookies and gave us some. The staff recommended a steak house named, Quincy's. We will ride there and have dinner. When we return to the hotel, we will park our Motors and tuck them in for the night. The hot tub is operational, as is the pool. This is an early day for us. We WILL rest tonight.
Today, we rode for only 223 miles. We didn't want to continue and rode Monarch Pass with the snow and the ice packed street. We will wait for the snow to thaw. We were told that the road is plowed on a regular basis and sand is placed on the road. If all works out, we should be out of Colorado tomorrow. We will see. So, until tomorrow...
Addendum: I just had to add this. We were getting ready to ride to dinner. As we walked out of the hotel, IT WAS SNOWING! We got to our Motors and the seats had snow on them. We had to dust them off. We rode south for 1 mile and it started to snow harder. I made a video of part of the ride. I hope that the snow shows on the video. We were treated very well in the restaurant. We finished dinner and rode back to the hotel and tucked our Motors in for the night.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Straight and Flat
Day 15 Saturday, May 1, 2010
First of all let me clarify yesterdays post when I wrote that Suzy helped me take off my pants. Those were my "rain pants." What were you people thinking? Anyway...
Chuck and I woke up at 6:30 AM. He always has his alarm set for 7 AM, but when he and I room together, he can't stand staying in bed and sleeping while I am up and moving around. He needs to be with me. He has a better day when he does! We got dressed and packed our bags. We took a couple of bags out to our Motors and uncovered them and put the bags away. Breakfast here we come. We were the only ones in our Group in the breakfast room. After a while, we looked out the window to check on our Motors and saw the rest of the Group preparing their Motors for travel. Soon they joined us. After a while, we all finished and got the rest of our stuff from our rooms and finished packing our Motors. We left at 8:46 AM with Ken in the lead. It was 55 degrees and cloudy.
Ken led for 46.8 miles and at 9:30 AM, we stopped in Florence, KS. We stopped for gas and we took a little break. Bruce took the opportunity to add some oil to his Harley. We soon left at 9:49 AM with me in the lead.
We rode the "flat lands" of Kansas on a two lane street. I told the guys that if we were elevated 100 feet, we probably could see Colorado to the west and Missouri to the east. The weather was good and we were all enjoying the ride. We stopped at 11:18 AM after riding 103.5 miles. I told you we were enjoying the ride...at least I was. We took a break and stretched. We left at 11:56 AM.
We rode west for another 96.9 miles and at 1:23 PM, we stopped in Dodge City. No, we didn't see Marshall Dillon. We gassed up and left quickly because it was time to eat. Bruce asked the female clerk in the gas station where the nearest Subway and she told him that it was east about 2 to 3 blocks. We left at 1:32 PM.
Bruce led us east and we looked 2 to 3 blocks for the Subway. We continued east and found it .9 miles away. We arrived at 1:39 PM. We enjoyed our lunch and Bruce got some information of a combination Honda and Harley Store not too far away. We left at 2:26 PM.
We drove towards this store and passed "Boot Hill." We arrived at 2:32 PM after riding 2.0 miles. Sure enough, the sign said, "Honda Harley Davidson." The Honda sign was on top. We went inside and guess what? It was 90% Harley. There were several Honda Quads. I didn't see any Honda Motorcycles inside. What a rip! Talk about trickery. Chuck and Bruce bought shirts. I told Chuck that those of us who did not buy shirts want to buy shirts with something that has to do with Dodge City. We rode to Boot Hill. We had been at Boot Hill two years ago when we rode Route 66. We left at 3:21 PM.
Bruce continued to lead the Group. After riding 50.9 miles, we arrived in Garden City, KS at 4:11 PM for a pit stop. We stayed for a while and left at 4:30 PM.
As we were riding west approaching the Kansas/Colorado border, the skies were threatening with rain. The clouds were dark with a small clearing in the center in the direction we were going. It did sprinkle a little on us but it was not bad. We crossed into Colorado and gained another hour. We didn't have much farther to go to our destination for the day. We rode for 109.0 miles and arrived in Lamar, CO. at 5:12 PM. We checked into what used to be a Best Western. The price was right and it was clean. We parked our Motors under the awning, took our bags and tucked our Motors in for the night. We took our bags to our rooms and soon after, we walked about 1/2 block to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, Chuck, Jan and Bruce stopped at a mini-mart between the restaurant and the motel and bought a six pack of Corona, for medicinal purposes, of course.
Today, we rode 410 miles. We all agree that it didn't fell like we rode that many miles. Kansas is very flat and the road was straight. There were no curvy, twistie roads to enjoy, just the landscape. Tomorrow, we will get far into Colorado and probably get into Utah, we'll see. So, until tomorrow...
First of all let me clarify yesterdays post when I wrote that Suzy helped me take off my pants. Those were my "rain pants." What were you people thinking? Anyway...
Chuck and I woke up at 6:30 AM. He always has his alarm set for 7 AM, but when he and I room together, he can't stand staying in bed and sleeping while I am up and moving around. He needs to be with me. He has a better day when he does! We got dressed and packed our bags. We took a couple of bags out to our Motors and uncovered them and put the bags away. Breakfast here we come. We were the only ones in our Group in the breakfast room. After a while, we looked out the window to check on our Motors and saw the rest of the Group preparing their Motors for travel. Soon they joined us. After a while, we all finished and got the rest of our stuff from our rooms and finished packing our Motors. We left at 8:46 AM with Ken in the lead. It was 55 degrees and cloudy.
Ken led for 46.8 miles and at 9:30 AM, we stopped in Florence, KS. We stopped for gas and we took a little break. Bruce took the opportunity to add some oil to his Harley. We soon left at 9:49 AM with me in the lead.
We rode the "flat lands" of Kansas on a two lane street. I told the guys that if we were elevated 100 feet, we probably could see Colorado to the west and Missouri to the east. The weather was good and we were all enjoying the ride. We stopped at 11:18 AM after riding 103.5 miles. I told you we were enjoying the ride...at least I was. We took a break and stretched. We left at 11:56 AM.
We rode west for another 96.9 miles and at 1:23 PM, we stopped in Dodge City. No, we didn't see Marshall Dillon. We gassed up and left quickly because it was time to eat. Bruce asked the female clerk in the gas station where the nearest Subway and she told him that it was east about 2 to 3 blocks. We left at 1:32 PM.
Bruce led us east and we looked 2 to 3 blocks for the Subway. We continued east and found it .9 miles away. We arrived at 1:39 PM. We enjoyed our lunch and Bruce got some information of a combination Honda and Harley Store not too far away. We left at 2:26 PM.
We drove towards this store and passed "Boot Hill." We arrived at 2:32 PM after riding 2.0 miles. Sure enough, the sign said, "Honda Harley Davidson." The Honda sign was on top. We went inside and guess what? It was 90% Harley. There were several Honda Quads. I didn't see any Honda Motorcycles inside. What a rip! Talk about trickery. Chuck and Bruce bought shirts. I told Chuck that those of us who did not buy shirts want to buy shirts with something that has to do with Dodge City. We rode to Boot Hill. We had been at Boot Hill two years ago when we rode Route 66. We left at 3:21 PM.
Bruce continued to lead the Group. After riding 50.9 miles, we arrived in Garden City, KS at 4:11 PM for a pit stop. We stayed for a while and left at 4:30 PM.
As we were riding west approaching the Kansas/Colorado border, the skies were threatening with rain. The clouds were dark with a small clearing in the center in the direction we were going. It did sprinkle a little on us but it was not bad. We crossed into Colorado and gained another hour. We didn't have much farther to go to our destination for the day. We rode for 109.0 miles and arrived in Lamar, CO. at 5:12 PM. We checked into what used to be a Best Western. The price was right and it was clean. We parked our Motors under the awning, took our bags and tucked our Motors in for the night. We took our bags to our rooms and soon after, we walked about 1/2 block to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, Chuck, Jan and Bruce stopped at a mini-mart between the restaurant and the motel and bought a six pack of Corona, for medicinal purposes, of course.
Today, we rode 410 miles. We all agree that it didn't fell like we rode that many miles. Kansas is very flat and the road was straight. There were no curvy, twistie roads to enjoy, just the landscape. Tomorrow, we will get far into Colorado and probably get into Utah, we'll see. So, until tomorrow...
Friday, April 30, 2010
Rain
Day 14 Friday, April 30, 2010
Chuck and I almost got us together. I was up first and Chuck got up soon after. We got dressed and packed. We took a couple of bags to our Motors and loaded them. Off to breakfast we went. The other guys soon followed and had breakfast. It was cloudy and we were expecting rain today. The Weather Channel and local radio stations were reporting that we may have tornadoes also. We all finished packing our Motors and we left Cuba at 8:34 AM with Chuck leading.
We rode north on SR 19 from Cuba. It was a two lane road with farms on either side. We came to a town called Owensville at 8:57 AM and Chuck decided to get gas. We had ridden 24.8 miles. It was cool, at 72 degrees. We considered taking our jackets off, however, the threat of rain was there and we didn't want to take the chance. C.E. and Bruce were prepared. When we left the hotel, they had their rain pants on. We left at 9:07 AM with Jan in the lead.
We were headed to Kansas City, MO. We were going to meet Suzy at a BBQ Restaurant for lunch. Jan took the lead and we continued on SR19. We were going north on SR19 and turn onto US 50. I was next in line with Ken, C.E., Chuck and Bruce. We were enjoying the road, I was rocking on my tunes and then Jan started to make a smooth left turn at a "Y" in the road. I saw the ST19 sign that went straight and didn't notice the US 50 sign that indicated the sweeping left turn. Jan was making his turn as I downshifted and braked. I made a left turn as Ken passed me. I accelerated and got behind Ken. I couldn't pass him on the curve. Once the road straightened out, I accelerated and quickly got ahead of Ken and behind Jan. That will teach me not to pay closer attention! We continued on US 50 and, at times, were going 75 mph. We were driving so fast that we ended up in California...MO. The city's name is California, MO. We stopped and made a pit stop. As we were waiting, an elderly man came riding up on his lawn mower to the gas pump. He filled it up with $1.40. What great gas mileage! He was a funny old coot and tried to get Jan to buy his gas. An older lady came up to us and admired our Motors and the old coot tried to get her to go to dinner with him and he would buy. The town was almost as fun as watching cartoons. We looked north at the sky and considered putting on our rain gear. We didn't. We left at 10:51 AM.
We entered the next town and I felt a few drops. I was hoping that Jan would pull over so that we could put on our rain gear. Chuck got me on the CB and asked me if I thought it be a good idea to stop and put our gear on. I agreed and told Jan to pull over. Jan pulled over to a mini-mart. Just as we stopped and got some of our rain gear out, ii started to rain harder. Chuck, Jan, Ken and I rode next door to a Sonic Drive In and got under the awning. We put on our gear and we were ready for what was going to hit us. We left, all bundled up, at 11:51 AM.
Just as we left, the rain came down harder. We were riding through the city and it was pouring! The visibility was poor. It poured for about 10 minutes and then is slowed. We were out of the city by this time. It rained off and on for about an hour. Chuck was low on gas so we were looking for a place for him to get gas. We also had to stop and call Suzy. Chuck had told her that we would call her when we were about an hour away. Just before we arrived in Lee's Summit, Jan pulled over to the side of the road at 12:58 PM and Chuck called Suzy. We had ridden 63.8 miles. Chuck said that he was OK on gas, but to stop at the next town. We left at 1:03 PM.
As I wrote earlier, we were approaching Lee's Summit. We rode into Lee's Summit and found a gas station and stopped at 1:07 PM after riding 3.8 miles. We gassed up and now it was Ken's turn to lead. I told Ken that I would lead for him, since I had a navigation system and I had plugged the address of the restaurant into it. Ken was relieved. We left at 1:26 PM.
I followed the directions of the navigation system and we made this turn and that turn and this turn and finally got to our destination at 1:49 PM after 19.1 miles. The name of the restaurant was B-B's Bar-B-Q. When we were parking our Motors and getting off, a familiar voice greeted us. Suzy was already there waiting for us. She should be, after all she was only coming from Gladstone, MO. and we were coming from Phoenix, AZ. We went inside and had a good meal and good company with Suzy. We all talked for a while and had a picture taken with her in the restaurant. It was good to see her again. It was time to leave so we picked up all of our gear, which we had taken off and set on the stage. The clouds looked friendlier so we packed away our rain gear. I was fortunate to have Suzy help me take off my pants. That was fun! J.B., you need to come back home. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We had to leave. We took a Group photo with Suzy and said our good-byes. We each took turns hugging Suzy. I kissed her good-bye and she told me that it was the best she has had in a long time! J.B., you need to get home! Love you Suzy! We left at 3:36 PM.
Ken wasn't sure how to get back to US 50 so I told him I would get him there. I led him to I-435/US 50. Ken moved in to the lead. We missed an exit that we should have taken and we got off the freeway. I told Ken that I wasn't sure which interstate was also US 50, whether it was I-435 or I-35. We got back on I-435 to get back on I-35 (US 50) and Ken missed the turn and got on I-435 North. I move up ahead and got off of the interstate. I led the Group on a quick adventure and got back onto I-435 South. We eventually got back on I-35 (US 50). We were headed for Emporia, KS. I motioned for Ken to take the lead again. Ken did and we were off on I-35.
Ken stopped in Gardner, KS at 4:24 PM after riding 33.9 miles. That was a good stop because we just had lunch. We had a good break. Ken cracked the whip on us and told us that the break was over. We left at 4:35 PM.
Ken continued leading us on US 50 towards Emporia. We rode and we were all getting tired. We stopped at the Holiday Inn Express at 5:50 PM after riding 83.9 miles. Chuck and Jan went in to "make the deal." They did and we all checked in. We unpacked our bags from our Motors and took them to our rooms. We secured our Motors and tucked them in for the night.
Today, we rode 351 miles. We also rode in the rain with poor visibility. It was fun! We were able to have lunch with a good friend, Suzy. J.B., thanks for letting us use your credit card to pay for lunch. Keep on working and paying the balance. J.B., come back and rejoin our Group! Tomorrow we will continue to go through Kansas and we should get into Colorado. We will see. So, until tomorrow...
Chuck and I almost got us together. I was up first and Chuck got up soon after. We got dressed and packed. We took a couple of bags to our Motors and loaded them. Off to breakfast we went. The other guys soon followed and had breakfast. It was cloudy and we were expecting rain today. The Weather Channel and local radio stations were reporting that we may have tornadoes also. We all finished packing our Motors and we left Cuba at 8:34 AM with Chuck leading.
We rode north on SR 19 from Cuba. It was a two lane road with farms on either side. We came to a town called Owensville at 8:57 AM and Chuck decided to get gas. We had ridden 24.8 miles. It was cool, at 72 degrees. We considered taking our jackets off, however, the threat of rain was there and we didn't want to take the chance. C.E. and Bruce were prepared. When we left the hotel, they had their rain pants on. We left at 9:07 AM with Jan in the lead.
We were headed to Kansas City, MO. We were going to meet Suzy at a BBQ Restaurant for lunch. Jan took the lead and we continued on SR19. We were going north on SR19 and turn onto US 50. I was next in line with Ken, C.E., Chuck and Bruce. We were enjoying the road, I was rocking on my tunes and then Jan started to make a smooth left turn at a "Y" in the road. I saw the ST19 sign that went straight and didn't notice the US 50 sign that indicated the sweeping left turn. Jan was making his turn as I downshifted and braked. I made a left turn as Ken passed me. I accelerated and got behind Ken. I couldn't pass him on the curve. Once the road straightened out, I accelerated and quickly got ahead of Ken and behind Jan. That will teach me not to pay closer attention! We continued on US 50 and, at times, were going 75 mph. We were driving so fast that we ended up in California...MO. The city's name is California, MO. We stopped and made a pit stop. As we were waiting, an elderly man came riding up on his lawn mower to the gas pump. He filled it up with $1.40. What great gas mileage! He was a funny old coot and tried to get Jan to buy his gas. An older lady came up to us and admired our Motors and the old coot tried to get her to go to dinner with him and he would buy. The town was almost as fun as watching cartoons. We looked north at the sky and considered putting on our rain gear. We didn't. We left at 10:51 AM.
We entered the next town and I felt a few drops. I was hoping that Jan would pull over so that we could put on our rain gear. Chuck got me on the CB and asked me if I thought it be a good idea to stop and put our gear on. I agreed and told Jan to pull over. Jan pulled over to a mini-mart. Just as we stopped and got some of our rain gear out, ii started to rain harder. Chuck, Jan, Ken and I rode next door to a Sonic Drive In and got under the awning. We put on our gear and we were ready for what was going to hit us. We left, all bundled up, at 11:51 AM.
Just as we left, the rain came down harder. We were riding through the city and it was pouring! The visibility was poor. It poured for about 10 minutes and then is slowed. We were out of the city by this time. It rained off and on for about an hour. Chuck was low on gas so we were looking for a place for him to get gas. We also had to stop and call Suzy. Chuck had told her that we would call her when we were about an hour away. Just before we arrived in Lee's Summit, Jan pulled over to the side of the road at 12:58 PM and Chuck called Suzy. We had ridden 63.8 miles. Chuck said that he was OK on gas, but to stop at the next town. We left at 1:03 PM.
As I wrote earlier, we were approaching Lee's Summit. We rode into Lee's Summit and found a gas station and stopped at 1:07 PM after riding 3.8 miles. We gassed up and now it was Ken's turn to lead. I told Ken that I would lead for him, since I had a navigation system and I had plugged the address of the restaurant into it. Ken was relieved. We left at 1:26 PM.
I followed the directions of the navigation system and we made this turn and that turn and this turn and finally got to our destination at 1:49 PM after 19.1 miles. The name of the restaurant was B-B's Bar-B-Q. When we were parking our Motors and getting off, a familiar voice greeted us. Suzy was already there waiting for us. She should be, after all she was only coming from Gladstone, MO. and we were coming from Phoenix, AZ. We went inside and had a good meal and good company with Suzy. We all talked for a while and had a picture taken with her in the restaurant. It was good to see her again. It was time to leave so we picked up all of our gear, which we had taken off and set on the stage. The clouds looked friendlier so we packed away our rain gear. I was fortunate to have Suzy help me take off my pants. That was fun! J.B., you need to come back home. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We had to leave. We took a Group photo with Suzy and said our good-byes. We each took turns hugging Suzy. I kissed her good-bye and she told me that it was the best she has had in a long time! J.B., you need to get home! Love you Suzy! We left at 3:36 PM.
Ken wasn't sure how to get back to US 50 so I told him I would get him there. I led him to I-435/US 50. Ken moved in to the lead. We missed an exit that we should have taken and we got off the freeway. I told Ken that I wasn't sure which interstate was also US 50, whether it was I-435 or I-35. We got back on I-435 to get back on I-35 (US 50) and Ken missed the turn and got on I-435 North. I move up ahead and got off of the interstate. I led the Group on a quick adventure and got back onto I-435 South. We eventually got back on I-35 (US 50). We were headed for Emporia, KS. I motioned for Ken to take the lead again. Ken did and we were off on I-35.
Ken stopped in Gardner, KS at 4:24 PM after riding 33.9 miles. That was a good stop because we just had lunch. We had a good break. Ken cracked the whip on us and told us that the break was over. We left at 4:35 PM.
Ken continued leading us on US 50 towards Emporia. We rode and we were all getting tired. We stopped at the Holiday Inn Express at 5:50 PM after riding 83.9 miles. Chuck and Jan went in to "make the deal." They did and we all checked in. We unpacked our bags from our Motors and took them to our rooms. We secured our Motors and tucked them in for the night.
Today, we rode 351 miles. We also rode in the rain with poor visibility. It was fun! We were able to have lunch with a good friend, Suzy. J.B., thanks for letting us use your credit card to pay for lunch. Keep on working and paying the balance. J.B., come back and rejoin our Group! Tomorrow we will continue to go through Kansas and we should get into Colorado. We will see. So, until tomorrow...
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Winds
Day 13 Thursday, April 29, 2010
Ken and I woke up at 6:30 AM. We got dressed, packed and went for breakfast. We were the first ones there from our group. As we were eating, we saw Chuck walk past us with his bag and computer. He went out to his Motor, took off the cover and packed his Motor. Ken and I thought that was very strange. We thought that he was thrown out of his room by his roomy, Bruce. While Chuck was outside, Bruce walked by with his bags. He followed Chuck and did the same thing. Something is wrong here! Chuck never gets up that early and packs his Motor. Chuck then joined us for breakfast. Soon, C.E. and Jan walked by us with their bags and headed to their Motors. I guess Ken and I didn't get the memo. We were all having breakfast and when Ken and I finished, we packed our Motors to catch up with the others. We left at 9:08 AM with Jan in the lead. Bruce was supposed to lead, however, Jan had a mission and was going to an auto parts store and he knew where it was. We arrived at a O'Reilly Auto Parts Store at 9:13 AM after riding just 1.9 miles. Jan bought some stuff to fix his Motor horn. We left at 9:18 AM, this time Bruce was leading.
Bruce led us back on US 50. We rode for 37.3 miles and at 9:59 AM, we stopped in Bedford, IN for gas. While we were gassing up our Motors and going in the mini-mart to buy stuff, Ken fixed his Harley horn. It was working! We left at 10:26 AM with C.E. in the lead.
C.E. led the Group through the town of Bedford. We were in the outskirts and 6 miles from the gas station when we saw a large sign which read, "US 50 1 Mile Right Turn (arrow)." We continued and 1/2 mile later, we saw another large sign which read, "US 50 1/2 Mile Right Turn (arrow)." When we arrived at the intersection, there was a smaller sign which read, "US 50 Right Turn (arrow)." C.E. stopped for the red light in the straight thru lane while the rest of us had ridden into the right turn lane and stopped. Ken honked, I honked, Ken honked and I honked. C.E. looked back as us and then changed lanes into the right turn lane and made the right turn. We all followed. C.E. continued leading us and when we reached a small town of Loogootee, IN, the wind starting blowing at us from left to right. We continued and occasionally had strong gusts of wind making us to dip our Motors to the left side. We continued on fighting the wind and C.E. stopped at a Subway 86.9 miles later and at 11:06 AM at Bridgeport, ILL. We had gained an hour between Bedford, IN and Bridgeport, ILL. After we ate, we sat around outside for a while. It was warmer. It was 70 degrees when we arrived in Bridgeport. Some of us took our jackets off and packed them away. Just as we were all mounted on our Motors, Chuck asked us all if we were all ready to leave. We all told him that we were and then he said that since we were all ready to leave, he was going to check Bruce's saddlebag and make sure that it was secured. We left at 12:09 PM.
C.E. took us west on US 50. In this area of Illinois, it is flat and the road is pretty much straight. C.E. rode for 69.2 miles. Most of us were dying! We were tired, sleepy, needed to pee and sore. C.E. finally stopped at a gas station in Salem, ILL at 1:21 PM. Those of us that needed it went quickly to the restroom. We were tired and sleepy. We finally rested and felt like riding again and we left at 1:47 PM.
We felt a little better after the break and went back to fighting the wind. The wind was still beating us since Loogootee, IN. We travel most of the state of Indiana with the wind hitting us. Now, we were in the state of Illinois and it continued. C.E. stopped at 2:18 PM after riding 23.8 miles in Carlyle, ILL at a gas station. We all gassed up and took a little break. We checked the map to see how far St. Louis would be for us. We were planning to stop and tour the Arch. I put it in the navigation system and we left at 2:37 PM with Chuck in the lead.
I was behind Chuck. I made sure Chuck had his CB on. We had seen the Arch before but didn't know how to get there. We stayed on US 50 and when we got closer to St. Louis, we got onto I-64. The navigation system led us to the steps of the Gateway Arch. We arrived at 3;34 PM after riding 51.6 miles. We all parked across the street in a "No Parking, Tow Away Zone." I'm sure that it was OK to park there. The entire curb had many cars parked there. I know, I know...Two wrongs don't make a right. It was right for us. We didn't get ticketed or towed. C.E. chose to stay with the Motors while the rest of us went to the Arch. We had to go through a security check point and x-ray machine. We went in and there were a lot of people there. There was also a ticket counter, gift shop, museum and a snack shop. We saw that the price was $10 to go into the Arch and ride the little tram to the top. We also saw that it took between 45 minutes to an hour to complete the tour. We opted not to do it because we didn't want to leave C.E. at the Motors alone for that long of a time. We returned to the Motors. I checked the Best Western book to see where the next stop would be. Chuck and I looked at our options and saw that we would go a little out of our way and stop in Cuba, MO. We left at 4:42 PM.
Chuck led us, with the help of my navigation system and CB, out of St. Louis and onto I-44. We were luck that the afternoon rush hour wasn't stop and go traffic. We move along at about 70 mph. We continued on until Chuck stopped at a roadside Rest Stop in Stanton, MO. We had ridden for 59.2 and arrived at 5:39 PM. We made a pit stop and woke up. We left at 6:04 PM.
We arrived in Cuba, MO. at 6:28 PM after riding 29.3 miles. We stopped at the Best Western and saw that there was a Holiday Inn Express across the freeway. Chuck asked Jan and Bruce to ride over and see what their rates were. I went into the Best Western to "make the deal." I spoke with the lady clerk and got the price down to $59.99. The Best Western was a little run down. There was no jacuzzi and the pool was outside and not open yet. There were no other cars in the parking lot. I would be surprised if one room was rented. Bruce called me and told me the rate for the Holiday Inn Express. It was $10 more, however, it was a newer complex and it looked cleaner. We decided that Holiday Inn Express it was! As we were getting on our Motors, the lady clerk came out and asked if we were going to take the rooms. I told her that we were going to the Holiday Inn Express. She countered with a lower offer. She lowered the price by $5.00. I told her. "Thank you, but no. We were going to the Holiday Inn Express." We left. We checked into our rooms, unloaded our Motors and got the directions for a place to eat. We went to Frisco's Grill and Pub. We had dinner and then returned to the hotel. When we returned, we tucked our Motors in for the night.
We rode more miles today than we have in several days. We rode 360 miles. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was great to see and be at. One of these days, we will go inside and go to the top. Tomorrow, we will head to Gladstone, MO. where our good friends, J.B. and Suzy Henderson live. J.B., as I told you earlier in the blog, is doing time in Iraq. Sorry J.B., I couldn't resist! J.B. is assisting the Iraqi Police as a K-9 Instructor to the Supervisors, who can teach their subordinates. Suzy, we are coming to see you!
Ken and I woke up at 6:30 AM. We got dressed, packed and went for breakfast. We were the first ones there from our group. As we were eating, we saw Chuck walk past us with his bag and computer. He went out to his Motor, took off the cover and packed his Motor. Ken and I thought that was very strange. We thought that he was thrown out of his room by his roomy, Bruce. While Chuck was outside, Bruce walked by with his bags. He followed Chuck and did the same thing. Something is wrong here! Chuck never gets up that early and packs his Motor. Chuck then joined us for breakfast. Soon, C.E. and Jan walked by us with their bags and headed to their Motors. I guess Ken and I didn't get the memo. We were all having breakfast and when Ken and I finished, we packed our Motors to catch up with the others. We left at 9:08 AM with Jan in the lead. Bruce was supposed to lead, however, Jan had a mission and was going to an auto parts store and he knew where it was. We arrived at a O'Reilly Auto Parts Store at 9:13 AM after riding just 1.9 miles. Jan bought some stuff to fix his Motor horn. We left at 9:18 AM, this time Bruce was leading.
Bruce led us back on US 50. We rode for 37.3 miles and at 9:59 AM, we stopped in Bedford, IN for gas. While we were gassing up our Motors and going in the mini-mart to buy stuff, Ken fixed his Harley horn. It was working! We left at 10:26 AM with C.E. in the lead.
C.E. led the Group through the town of Bedford. We were in the outskirts and 6 miles from the gas station when we saw a large sign which read, "US 50 1 Mile Right Turn (arrow)." We continued and 1/2 mile later, we saw another large sign which read, "US 50 1/2 Mile Right Turn (arrow)." When we arrived at the intersection, there was a smaller sign which read, "US 50 Right Turn (arrow)." C.E. stopped for the red light in the straight thru lane while the rest of us had ridden into the right turn lane and stopped. Ken honked, I honked, Ken honked and I honked. C.E. looked back as us and then changed lanes into the right turn lane and made the right turn. We all followed. C.E. continued leading us and when we reached a small town of Loogootee, IN, the wind starting blowing at us from left to right. We continued and occasionally had strong gusts of wind making us to dip our Motors to the left side. We continued on fighting the wind and C.E. stopped at a Subway 86.9 miles later and at 11:06 AM at Bridgeport, ILL. We had gained an hour between Bedford, IN and Bridgeport, ILL. After we ate, we sat around outside for a while. It was warmer. It was 70 degrees when we arrived in Bridgeport. Some of us took our jackets off and packed them away. Just as we were all mounted on our Motors, Chuck asked us all if we were all ready to leave. We all told him that we were and then he said that since we were all ready to leave, he was going to check Bruce's saddlebag and make sure that it was secured. We left at 12:09 PM.
C.E. took us west on US 50. In this area of Illinois, it is flat and the road is pretty much straight. C.E. rode for 69.2 miles. Most of us were dying! We were tired, sleepy, needed to pee and sore. C.E. finally stopped at a gas station in Salem, ILL at 1:21 PM. Those of us that needed it went quickly to the restroom. We were tired and sleepy. We finally rested and felt like riding again and we left at 1:47 PM.
We felt a little better after the break and went back to fighting the wind. The wind was still beating us since Loogootee, IN. We travel most of the state of Indiana with the wind hitting us. Now, we were in the state of Illinois and it continued. C.E. stopped at 2:18 PM after riding 23.8 miles in Carlyle, ILL at a gas station. We all gassed up and took a little break. We checked the map to see how far St. Louis would be for us. We were planning to stop and tour the Arch. I put it in the navigation system and we left at 2:37 PM with Chuck in the lead.
I was behind Chuck. I made sure Chuck had his CB on. We had seen the Arch before but didn't know how to get there. We stayed on US 50 and when we got closer to St. Louis, we got onto I-64. The navigation system led us to the steps of the Gateway Arch. We arrived at 3;34 PM after riding 51.6 miles. We all parked across the street in a "No Parking, Tow Away Zone." I'm sure that it was OK to park there. The entire curb had many cars parked there. I know, I know...Two wrongs don't make a right. It was right for us. We didn't get ticketed or towed. C.E. chose to stay with the Motors while the rest of us went to the Arch. We had to go through a security check point and x-ray machine. We went in and there were a lot of people there. There was also a ticket counter, gift shop, museum and a snack shop. We saw that the price was $10 to go into the Arch and ride the little tram to the top. We also saw that it took between 45 minutes to an hour to complete the tour. We opted not to do it because we didn't want to leave C.E. at the Motors alone for that long of a time. We returned to the Motors. I checked the Best Western book to see where the next stop would be. Chuck and I looked at our options and saw that we would go a little out of our way and stop in Cuba, MO. We left at 4:42 PM.
Chuck led us, with the help of my navigation system and CB, out of St. Louis and onto I-44. We were luck that the afternoon rush hour wasn't stop and go traffic. We move along at about 70 mph. We continued on until Chuck stopped at a roadside Rest Stop in Stanton, MO. We had ridden for 59.2 and arrived at 5:39 PM. We made a pit stop and woke up. We left at 6:04 PM.
We arrived in Cuba, MO. at 6:28 PM after riding 29.3 miles. We stopped at the Best Western and saw that there was a Holiday Inn Express across the freeway. Chuck asked Jan and Bruce to ride over and see what their rates were. I went into the Best Western to "make the deal." I spoke with the lady clerk and got the price down to $59.99. The Best Western was a little run down. There was no jacuzzi and the pool was outside and not open yet. There were no other cars in the parking lot. I would be surprised if one room was rented. Bruce called me and told me the rate for the Holiday Inn Express. It was $10 more, however, it was a newer complex and it looked cleaner. We decided that Holiday Inn Express it was! As we were getting on our Motors, the lady clerk came out and asked if we were going to take the rooms. I told her that we were going to the Holiday Inn Express. She countered with a lower offer. She lowered the price by $5.00. I told her. "Thank you, but no. We were going to the Holiday Inn Express." We left. We checked into our rooms, unloaded our Motors and got the directions for a place to eat. We went to Frisco's Grill and Pub. We had dinner and then returned to the hotel. When we returned, we tucked our Motors in for the night.
We rode more miles today than we have in several days. We rode 360 miles. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was great to see and be at. One of these days, we will go inside and go to the top. Tomorrow, we will head to Gladstone, MO. where our good friends, J.B. and Suzy Henderson live. J.B., as I told you earlier in the blog, is doing time in Iraq. Sorry J.B., I couldn't resist! J.B. is assisting the Iraqi Police as a K-9 Instructor to the Supervisors, who can teach their subordinates. Suzy, we are coming to see you!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
U. S. Air Force Museum
Day 12 Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I set my alarm last night for 6:30 AM. I was up until after 1 AM and I thought that I would give myself a treat by sleeping for an extra half an hour. I got up when it sounded, washed up and started to get dressed when Ken got up. We both got dress and he looked out the window at our covered Motors. There was frost on the covers! I put the TV on the Weather Channel and saw that it was 30 degrees outside. We're not going out there until it warms up! We finished dressing and packing. We headed for the breakfast room to see that C.E. and Jan were already there having breakfast. We joined them. Chuck and Bruce soon joined us also. We all had breakfast and really didn't want to go outside. The fog had cleared up and we went out one at a time to uncover our Motors and get them ready for travel. We packed up our Motors and checked out of the hotel. We left at 9:06 AM and I was in the lead.
I led the Group north on US 35 towards Dayton, Ohio. We were all bundled up for the ride. It was 44 degrees when we left. We arrived at the U.S. Air Force Museum at 10:22 AM after riding 80.4 miles. This place is HUGE! We parked our Motors and entered the building. Bruce was the first to enter and quickly went to the restroom. By the time we got to the building, Bruce had finished and was waiting for us. He stood by the front door and was pointing to the restroom. We all went in as we walked inside. After we took care of important business, we found out that there was no charge to tour the facility. There were three huge hangers and a missile silo. One can stay there for a week and really see everything. There was the WWII section, the Korea section, Viet Nam section, the Cold War section, the Training section, the Middle East section and the missile silo with about six missiles. There were also the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Capsules. This was very impressive. With each plane, there was a story. There were over 400 planes displayed. There were also German, Japanese, Russian and British planes. There was also a blimp! It was very overwhelming. I went through all of the sections and lost Jan and Ken. Chuck and Bruce were touring the hangers. C.E. toured solo at his own pace. We had seen enough and at this point, some of our stomachs were growling. It was time for lunch. We left at 1:15 PM.
I had found a close Subway on my navigation system and led the Group to it. We arrived at 1:22 PM. It was only 3.3 miles away. After lunch, we rode to the end of the parking lot to the gas station. While we were having lunch, Jan finished his and had to go and do some minor repairs on his shifter of his Harley. He was back real soon. We all filled up. Chuck was on fumes. We left at 2:25 PM with Bruce in the lead.
We were headed south to Cincinnati and then west into Indiana. We went south on I-675 and before we connected with I-75, we had to stop by the side of the road. Guess what? Bruce's right saddlebag opened. We pulled over and he closed it, and we continued on. Chuck and I were talking on the CB and a suggestion was made that one of us is assigned on a daily basis to make sure that Bruce closes his saddlebag properly before we start riding.
We rode onto I-75 and were southbound when we saw an Ohio State Trooper Motor Officer by the side of the road. He was working radar. As we passed him, he quickly put his radar away and hopped on his Harley and gave chase. I pulled into our lane just ahead of us and pulled over a car two cars ahead of Bruce. We turned onto I-275 westbound to avoid having to go through Cincinnati. We went around to I-275 south and the exit was coming up quick. We needed to get on the exit for US 50. Bruce was leading with C.E. and Ken behind. Chuck, Jan and I were bringing up the rear. The exit came up and Chuck, Jan and I changed lanes for the exit. Bruce, C.E. and Ken stayed in the straight through lane. The finally crossed over the gore point and joined us. We got off and onto US 50. At this point, we were in Indiana. We stopped in Lawrenceburg, IN after riding 74.6 miles and it was 3:36 PM. We stopped at a truck stop and took a little break. We left at 4:04 PM.
Bruce led us further into Indiana. We rode into Versailles, IN and stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, Chuck couldn't move because he couldn't shift his Harley. We quickly pulled into a CVS parking lot on the corner. Chuck checked his shifter and saw that a part of his vent on his left crash bar had broken off and was stuck under the front shifter. He took it out and saw that the plastic thing that held it in place had broken. Chuck put the broken piece in his right saddlebag and told us that he was ready to go. He would try to fix it later or check to see if it was still on warranty. Just as we were about to leave, Jan asked Bruce if his saddlebag was closed. Bruce said that it was and that it was locked. I told Bruce that if he needed, I have some duct tape, in my Harley repair kit, to make sure it doesn't pop open again. We left at 4:52 PM.
We rode for another 35.4 miles and at 5:34 PM we stopped at a gas station in Seymour. We were trying to decide if we wanted to go further or stop here in Seymour. There was a Holiday Inn Express not too far from where we stopped. We all agreed to stay here and make it an early night. We left at 5:40 PM.
Bruce led us 1 mile away and we rode into the Holiday Inn Express at 5:43 PM. Everyone but me entered to either "make the deal" or go to the restroom. I eventually entered and sat on the sofa. The deal was made and we were staying. There were cookies on the counter and most of us sampled them. We went out and got our bags from our Motors and put them in our rooms. Chuck, Bruce and I secured our Motors and tucked them in for the night. We were offered two free drinks, peanuts, chips and salsa for happy hour. We enjoyed them and when we were done, Jan, C.E. and Ken rode nearby to a laundromat. While they were gone, Jan worked on his Harley and had a portion of his Harley taken apart. His horn didn't work. After he got the piece apart, he noticed that a wire was disconnected. Ken told me later that he got a picture of it. Back at the hotel, Chuck and I worked on our blogs. We wanted to get a head start on it. When the three returned from the laundromat, Jan had purchased a bulb for Chuck's Harley. Jan helped Chuck fix the left tail light. Chuck was doing laundry here at the hotel and we couldn't leave just yet. While we were waiting, Jan worked a little more on his Harley. After he was done, he tucked his Motor in for the night, along with C.E. and Ken. Chuck put his laundry into the dryer and Chuck, Jan, C.E., Ken and I walked over to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. Bruce stayed at the hotel. He told us that he wasn't hungry and wanted to watch American Idol and go into the fitness room.
Today, because we stopped at the U.S. Air Force Museum, we didn't ride for very long. We only rode 222 miles. We still enjoyed the day. We all agree that we wished that we had just a little more time to explore the Museum. Tomorrow, we will get out of Indiana and into Illinois. Maybe we will get into Missouri, we'll see. So, until tomorrow...
I set my alarm last night for 6:30 AM. I was up until after 1 AM and I thought that I would give myself a treat by sleeping for an extra half an hour. I got up when it sounded, washed up and started to get dressed when Ken got up. We both got dress and he looked out the window at our covered Motors. There was frost on the covers! I put the TV on the Weather Channel and saw that it was 30 degrees outside. We're not going out there until it warms up! We finished dressing and packing. We headed for the breakfast room to see that C.E. and Jan were already there having breakfast. We joined them. Chuck and Bruce soon joined us also. We all had breakfast and really didn't want to go outside. The fog had cleared up and we went out one at a time to uncover our Motors and get them ready for travel. We packed up our Motors and checked out of the hotel. We left at 9:06 AM and I was in the lead.
I led the Group north on US 35 towards Dayton, Ohio. We were all bundled up for the ride. It was 44 degrees when we left. We arrived at the U.S. Air Force Museum at 10:22 AM after riding 80.4 miles. This place is HUGE! We parked our Motors and entered the building. Bruce was the first to enter and quickly went to the restroom. By the time we got to the building, Bruce had finished and was waiting for us. He stood by the front door and was pointing to the restroom. We all went in as we walked inside. After we took care of important business, we found out that there was no charge to tour the facility. There were three huge hangers and a missile silo. One can stay there for a week and really see everything. There was the WWII section, the Korea section, Viet Nam section, the Cold War section, the Training section, the Middle East section and the missile silo with about six missiles. There were also the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo Capsules. This was very impressive. With each plane, there was a story. There were over 400 planes displayed. There were also German, Japanese, Russian and British planes. There was also a blimp! It was very overwhelming. I went through all of the sections and lost Jan and Ken. Chuck and Bruce were touring the hangers. C.E. toured solo at his own pace. We had seen enough and at this point, some of our stomachs were growling. It was time for lunch. We left at 1:15 PM.
I had found a close Subway on my navigation system and led the Group to it. We arrived at 1:22 PM. It was only 3.3 miles away. After lunch, we rode to the end of the parking lot to the gas station. While we were having lunch, Jan finished his and had to go and do some minor repairs on his shifter of his Harley. He was back real soon. We all filled up. Chuck was on fumes. We left at 2:25 PM with Bruce in the lead.
We were headed south to Cincinnati and then west into Indiana. We went south on I-675 and before we connected with I-75, we had to stop by the side of the road. Guess what? Bruce's right saddlebag opened. We pulled over and he closed it, and we continued on. Chuck and I were talking on the CB and a suggestion was made that one of us is assigned on a daily basis to make sure that Bruce closes his saddlebag properly before we start riding.
We rode onto I-75 and were southbound when we saw an Ohio State Trooper Motor Officer by the side of the road. He was working radar. As we passed him, he quickly put his radar away and hopped on his Harley and gave chase. I pulled into our lane just ahead of us and pulled over a car two cars ahead of Bruce. We turned onto I-275 westbound to avoid having to go through Cincinnati. We went around to I-275 south and the exit was coming up quick. We needed to get on the exit for US 50. Bruce was leading with C.E. and Ken behind. Chuck, Jan and I were bringing up the rear. The exit came up and Chuck, Jan and I changed lanes for the exit. Bruce, C.E. and Ken stayed in the straight through lane. The finally crossed over the gore point and joined us. We got off and onto US 50. At this point, we were in Indiana. We stopped in Lawrenceburg, IN after riding 74.6 miles and it was 3:36 PM. We stopped at a truck stop and took a little break. We left at 4:04 PM.
Bruce led us further into Indiana. We rode into Versailles, IN and stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, Chuck couldn't move because he couldn't shift his Harley. We quickly pulled into a CVS parking lot on the corner. Chuck checked his shifter and saw that a part of his vent on his left crash bar had broken off and was stuck under the front shifter. He took it out and saw that the plastic thing that held it in place had broken. Chuck put the broken piece in his right saddlebag and told us that he was ready to go. He would try to fix it later or check to see if it was still on warranty. Just as we were about to leave, Jan asked Bruce if his saddlebag was closed. Bruce said that it was and that it was locked. I told Bruce that if he needed, I have some duct tape, in my Harley repair kit, to make sure it doesn't pop open again. We left at 4:52 PM.
We rode for another 35.4 miles and at 5:34 PM we stopped at a gas station in Seymour. We were trying to decide if we wanted to go further or stop here in Seymour. There was a Holiday Inn Express not too far from where we stopped. We all agreed to stay here and make it an early night. We left at 5:40 PM.
Bruce led us 1 mile away and we rode into the Holiday Inn Express at 5:43 PM. Everyone but me entered to either "make the deal" or go to the restroom. I eventually entered and sat on the sofa. The deal was made and we were staying. There were cookies on the counter and most of us sampled them. We went out and got our bags from our Motors and put them in our rooms. Chuck, Bruce and I secured our Motors and tucked them in for the night. We were offered two free drinks, peanuts, chips and salsa for happy hour. We enjoyed them and when we were done, Jan, C.E. and Ken rode nearby to a laundromat. While they were gone, Jan worked on his Harley and had a portion of his Harley taken apart. His horn didn't work. After he got the piece apart, he noticed that a wire was disconnected. Ken told me later that he got a picture of it. Back at the hotel, Chuck and I worked on our blogs. We wanted to get a head start on it. When the three returned from the laundromat, Jan had purchased a bulb for Chuck's Harley. Jan helped Chuck fix the left tail light. Chuck was doing laundry here at the hotel and we couldn't leave just yet. While we were waiting, Jan worked a little more on his Harley. After he was done, he tucked his Motor in for the night, along with C.E. and Ken. Chuck put his laundry into the dryer and Chuck, Jan, C.E., Ken and I walked over to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. Bruce stayed at the hotel. He told us that he wasn't hungry and wanted to watch American Idol and go into the fitness room.
Today, because we stopped at the U.S. Air Force Museum, we didn't ride for very long. We only rode 222 miles. We still enjoyed the day. We all agree that we wished that we had just a little more time to explore the Museum. Tomorrow, we will get out of Indiana and into Illinois. Maybe we will get into Missouri, we'll see. So, until tomorrow...
Smells
Day 11 Tuesday, April 27, 2010
After a very late night with the laundry, blog and pictures, I had set my alarm for 6:30 AM instead of my usual 6 AM. For the short time I was in bed, it sure felt good. Unfortunately I was awake before my alarm went off. I got up, washed up and as I was getting dressed, Bruce woke up and started getting dressed. We also packed our bags and took them down to our Motors and got our "trusty steeds" ready. After we all got our Motors ready, we walked to Perkins Restaurant, which was part of the motel. When we checked in last night, they gave us a $2.50 coupon for breakfast. We had a good breakfast and, with the coupons, I don't think that any of us paid more than $4.00 for breakfast. Chuck stayed in the lobby and downloaded/uploaded (whatever the correct word is) pictures from Day 5 to Day 10 onto the website. Ken needed to go to an ATM to get some cash. The rest of us went back to our rooms and made sure that all of our bags were packed and on the Motors. Jan also needed to go to an ATM and left. After all of our Motors were ready, we rode to the lobby and checked out. We left at 9:46 AM and it was 57 degrees.
Jan was in the lead and at 10:14 AM, we crossed over into the state of West Virginia...again. There was an 18 wheeler in front of us going up and down the mountain road. He was going fast and we felt comfortable riding behind him. At one point going uphill, he pulled over to the side of the road to let us pass. We had no other vehicles in front of us and we had a blast on the curvy, twistie road. After a while, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that Chuck was the last Motor and the 18 wheeler was not too far behind. With that big rig, he was keeping up with us. On the uphills we would drop back, but not by much. He drove that road like he owned it. I figured that he either had his own motorcycle and was driving the road like he was riding it or maybe he was a "moonshiner" and had a lot of practice running away from the cops. We rode for 42.1 miles and at 10:42 AM we stopped in Romney, WV. We all got gas and now it was Ken's turn to lead. We left at 11:01 AM.
Ken was leading and C.E. was next. Chuck followed and then Bruce. I was next and Jan was last. At about 11:29 AM, soon after we rode through a small town named Ridgeville, WV, I noticed that Bruce was riding his motor and his right saddlebag was open. (Just like Day 1 when he arrived at Denny's and his left saddlebag was open) I told Chuck on the CB that we should pull over so that Bruce could close his saddlebag. Chuck pulled over and told Bruce about his saddlebag. He got off and closed it. Was Day 1 a trend? We quickly go on our way and soon caught up with Ken and C.E. It was starting to get cold as we rode. The temperature got down to 46 degrees! We rode out of West Virginia and into Maryland...again, at 12:00 noon. We rode in Maryland for 7 miles and then, once again, we were back in West Virginia. We rode a short distance in West Virginia when Ken pulled into a small town named Aurora, WV. Most of these towns are small. We stopped at Melanie's Family Restaurant for lunch at 12:16 PM after riding 58.5 miles. It was a nice restaurant and it was warm. The waitress was a nice, young lady. My guess would be about 19 or 20 years old. She told us that the special for today was a hamburger loaded with "ramps." Jan and I asked her was ramps were. She looked at us like we had horns. I told her that we were from Arizona and were not familiar with "ramps." Anyone out there know what "ramps" are? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? She told us that ramps are spicy onions. Chuck and Ken ordered them and said that they were tasty. The waitress told us that ramps are good, however, they make you smell! The cook came out and told us that ramps are good and that she had just eaten some. She then told us that she smelled. We told chuck that he had to ride to the rear of the group! Jan asked our waitress if she knew what a carne asada burro was and she told us that she did not. We got her at her game! We finished lunch at went to our Motors. It was still cold and most of the guys put on more clothes. I just turned my heater and seat warmer on one more notch on my Gold Wing. We left at 1:30 PM.
In the Atlas, the roads with the green dots are the more scenic roads and are favored by motorcyclists. US 50 in this area should be covered in green dots. Ken led us on US 50 and it was an awesome road. It had just about everything that we like in a "motorcycle road." We were riding up and down, curves and twisties, and riding fast and slow. IT WAS FUN! It was so much fun, I made two music videos. I hope that you enjoy them. They will be posted when Chuck feel like posting them. :) Soon, I'm sure. We rode for 51.5 miles and at 2:40 PM, we stopped at a mini-mart in Bridgeport, WV. It was time to take our after lunch break. We need to wake up. With it being so cold, we really didn't need to wake up. We made a pit stop if you really have to know. At lunch, we drank a few cups of coffee and hot tea to warm up. We needed this pit stop. I checked the Best Western book to find a motel where we might be in a couple of hours. C.E. and I set our navigation systems to a town called Chillicothe, Ohio. I also told Ken that I wanted to stop at a Honda Dealership in a Parkersburg, WV. No, I didn't need any repairs on my Motor. IT'S A HONDA! I just wanted to ask a serviceman a question on the navigation system. We rode for 80.3 miles and arrived in Parkersburg at 4:21 PM. We got gas and took a little break. A pit stop was involved. We left at 4:42 PM.
I was in the lead and we went 1.8 miles and at 4:50 PM, we arrived at Devol's Cycle Center. They were a Honda Dealer. While I went in to ask the question, Chuck stayed with his Motor and tried to make a repair to his left tail light. It was not working. It didn't work the other day. Chuck kicked it and it turned on. I guess it didn't work this time after kicking it again. He had purchased a bulb at the Chevron gas station where we had gassed up. He was unable to fix it because he bought the wrong bulb. He went inside the Honda Dealership and tried to buy a bulb, however, they didn't have what he needed. He will buy one later. We left at 5:02 PM.
One of the things that I thoroughly enjoy when we are riding these roads and pass the many homes and farms, is the smell of freshly cut grass. It is awesome. We have passed by many of these homes. Some of the homes have huge yards. We passed a home with, I would guess, 3 to 4 acres for a front yard and it was mowed. That makes for a good, long sniff. Lately, we have been passing homes with their fireplaces on, or they are barbecuing. That is great also.
We rode on and soon after leaving Parkersburg, we crossed the Ohio River and were soon in Ohio. We continued on and at 6:46 PM, after riding 105.0 miles, we arrived at the Best Western, Adena Inn. I walked in and spoke with the lady clerk and "made the deal." It was a good rate. We checked in, unpacked our Motors and went to our rooms. We have gone around the cycle once already and we are starting over again on roommates: Al and Ken, Chuck and Bruce, Jan and C.E. About a half an hour later, we walked to restaurant close by that was recommended by the lady clerk. It had good food.
Today, we rode 338 miles and visited 4 states. We rode some amazing roads and almost froze, but we had fun! Tomorrow we intend to go to Dayton, Ohio. We are going to go visit the Air Force Museum. It is supposed to be a low of 34 degrees and a high of 53 degrees. I'm sure that we will "dress" for the weather. So, until tomorrow...
After a very late night with the laundry, blog and pictures, I had set my alarm for 6:30 AM instead of my usual 6 AM. For the short time I was in bed, it sure felt good. Unfortunately I was awake before my alarm went off. I got up, washed up and as I was getting dressed, Bruce woke up and started getting dressed. We also packed our bags and took them down to our Motors and got our "trusty steeds" ready. After we all got our Motors ready, we walked to Perkins Restaurant, which was part of the motel. When we checked in last night, they gave us a $2.50 coupon for breakfast. We had a good breakfast and, with the coupons, I don't think that any of us paid more than $4.00 for breakfast. Chuck stayed in the lobby and downloaded/uploaded (whatever the correct word is) pictures from Day 5 to Day 10 onto the website. Ken needed to go to an ATM to get some cash. The rest of us went back to our rooms and made sure that all of our bags were packed and on the Motors. Jan also needed to go to an ATM and left. After all of our Motors were ready, we rode to the lobby and checked out. We left at 9:46 AM and it was 57 degrees.
Jan was in the lead and at 10:14 AM, we crossed over into the state of West Virginia...again. There was an 18 wheeler in front of us going up and down the mountain road. He was going fast and we felt comfortable riding behind him. At one point going uphill, he pulled over to the side of the road to let us pass. We had no other vehicles in front of us and we had a blast on the curvy, twistie road. After a while, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw that Chuck was the last Motor and the 18 wheeler was not too far behind. With that big rig, he was keeping up with us. On the uphills we would drop back, but not by much. He drove that road like he owned it. I figured that he either had his own motorcycle and was driving the road like he was riding it or maybe he was a "moonshiner" and had a lot of practice running away from the cops. We rode for 42.1 miles and at 10:42 AM we stopped in Romney, WV. We all got gas and now it was Ken's turn to lead. We left at 11:01 AM.
Ken was leading and C.E. was next. Chuck followed and then Bruce. I was next and Jan was last. At about 11:29 AM, soon after we rode through a small town named Ridgeville, WV, I noticed that Bruce was riding his motor and his right saddlebag was open. (Just like Day 1 when he arrived at Denny's and his left saddlebag was open) I told Chuck on the CB that we should pull over so that Bruce could close his saddlebag. Chuck pulled over and told Bruce about his saddlebag. He got off and closed it. Was Day 1 a trend? We quickly go on our way and soon caught up with Ken and C.E. It was starting to get cold as we rode. The temperature got down to 46 degrees! We rode out of West Virginia and into Maryland...again, at 12:00 noon. We rode in Maryland for 7 miles and then, once again, we were back in West Virginia. We rode a short distance in West Virginia when Ken pulled into a small town named Aurora, WV. Most of these towns are small. We stopped at Melanie's Family Restaurant for lunch at 12:16 PM after riding 58.5 miles. It was a nice restaurant and it was warm. The waitress was a nice, young lady. My guess would be about 19 or 20 years old. She told us that the special for today was a hamburger loaded with "ramps." Jan and I asked her was ramps were. She looked at us like we had horns. I told her that we were from Arizona and were not familiar with "ramps." Anyone out there know what "ramps" are? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? She told us that ramps are spicy onions. Chuck and Ken ordered them and said that they were tasty. The waitress told us that ramps are good, however, they make you smell! The cook came out and told us that ramps are good and that she had just eaten some. She then told us that she smelled. We told chuck that he had to ride to the rear of the group! Jan asked our waitress if she knew what a carne asada burro was and she told us that she did not. We got her at her game! We finished lunch at went to our Motors. It was still cold and most of the guys put on more clothes. I just turned my heater and seat warmer on one more notch on my Gold Wing. We left at 1:30 PM.
In the Atlas, the roads with the green dots are the more scenic roads and are favored by motorcyclists. US 50 in this area should be covered in green dots. Ken led us on US 50 and it was an awesome road. It had just about everything that we like in a "motorcycle road." We were riding up and down, curves and twisties, and riding fast and slow. IT WAS FUN! It was so much fun, I made two music videos. I hope that you enjoy them. They will be posted when Chuck feel like posting them. :) Soon, I'm sure. We rode for 51.5 miles and at 2:40 PM, we stopped at a mini-mart in Bridgeport, WV. It was time to take our after lunch break. We need to wake up. With it being so cold, we really didn't need to wake up. We made a pit stop if you really have to know. At lunch, we drank a few cups of coffee and hot tea to warm up. We needed this pit stop. I checked the Best Western book to find a motel where we might be in a couple of hours. C.E. and I set our navigation systems to a town called Chillicothe, Ohio. I also told Ken that I wanted to stop at a Honda Dealership in a Parkersburg, WV. No, I didn't need any repairs on my Motor. IT'S A HONDA! I just wanted to ask a serviceman a question on the navigation system. We rode for 80.3 miles and arrived in Parkersburg at 4:21 PM. We got gas and took a little break. A pit stop was involved. We left at 4:42 PM.
I was in the lead and we went 1.8 miles and at 4:50 PM, we arrived at Devol's Cycle Center. They were a Honda Dealer. While I went in to ask the question, Chuck stayed with his Motor and tried to make a repair to his left tail light. It was not working. It didn't work the other day. Chuck kicked it and it turned on. I guess it didn't work this time after kicking it again. He had purchased a bulb at the Chevron gas station where we had gassed up. He was unable to fix it because he bought the wrong bulb. He went inside the Honda Dealership and tried to buy a bulb, however, they didn't have what he needed. He will buy one later. We left at 5:02 PM.
One of the things that I thoroughly enjoy when we are riding these roads and pass the many homes and farms, is the smell of freshly cut grass. It is awesome. We have passed by many of these homes. Some of the homes have huge yards. We passed a home with, I would guess, 3 to 4 acres for a front yard and it was mowed. That makes for a good, long sniff. Lately, we have been passing homes with their fireplaces on, or they are barbecuing. That is great also.
We rode on and soon after leaving Parkersburg, we crossed the Ohio River and were soon in Ohio. We continued on and at 6:46 PM, after riding 105.0 miles, we arrived at the Best Western, Adena Inn. I walked in and spoke with the lady clerk and "made the deal." It was a good rate. We checked in, unpacked our Motors and went to our rooms. We have gone around the cycle once already and we are starting over again on roommates: Al and Ken, Chuck and Bruce, Jan and C.E. About a half an hour later, we walked to restaurant close by that was recommended by the lady clerk. It had good food.
Today, we rode 338 miles and visited 4 states. We rode some amazing roads and almost froze, but we had fun! Tomorrow we intend to go to Dayton, Ohio. We are going to go visit the Air Force Museum. It is supposed to be a low of 34 degrees and a high of 53 degrees. I'm sure that we will "dress" for the weather. So, until tomorrow...
Monday, April 26, 2010
Ocean City, VA. US 50
Day 10 Monday, April 26, 2010
My alarm went off at 6 AM. I got up and got dressed. I finished packing when Bruce woke up and was up and about. I went downstairs and read the paper in the breakfast room. Bruce soon joined me and started with the sports section. I bet you would have never guessed! The old men of the group, Ken and C.E., soon joined us. Breakfast started for the group. Jan and Chuck soon joined us for breakfast. After breakfast, we got our Motors ready for our ride today. The weather was nice. The temperature was 68 degrees. Jan and I started this morning without our jackets. We soon left at 8:35 AM.
C.E. led us to a gas station in Onley, VA. We had ridden for 13.6 miles and arrived at 8:49 AM. Of course you realize that we just had breakfast, drank coffee and the weather was cool. Yes, we also made a pit stop. At this point, the rest of the guys took off their jackets and packed them away. We left at 9:00 AM with Chuck in the lead.
We were headed to Ocean City, MD. We were northbound on US 113. We had passed the city of Pokomoke, MD and were in the outskirts when Chuck pointed at a side street. We quickly turned off onto the side street and stopped at 9:43 AM after riding 42.2 miles. One of the guys had asked Chuck if we were stopping to put on our jackets. He stated that that wasn't the reason. We had passed a sign that said that headlights were required and he was stopping to make sure that Ken's headlights were operational. It was 59 degrees. It was definately time to put our jackets on. It was cold and we took the opportunity to utilize the forestry. We love to water the plants when we can! One of the guys, I won't say who, said that he was so cold that his nipples froze off! We put on our jackets and took care of business and we were on our way at 9:50 AM.
We drove through beautiful country and eventually rode into the outskirts of Ocean City. We stopped at the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce at 10:16 AM after riding 10.9 miles. Chuck was hitting on the old lady volunteer at the counter. She showed him a map of downtown Ocean City and told him where we could park and which roads to take. Who knows what else she showed him. He was happy, and so was she! She was a nice, little, old lady. We left at 10:28 AM.
We arrived in beautiful, downtown Ocean City, MD. at 10:37 AM after riding another 1.2 miles. We found the parking lot and parked the Motors. Downtown Ocean City is a boardwalk. It spans 3 miles long along the beach. the entire street or floor is wood. That is why it is called a "Boardwalk." Duh... We walked a small section of the boardwalk. (We were not going to do the entire 3 miles) We did a little shopping and took some pictures. These three miles have many shops, eating establishments, carnivals, hotel and other things...and also dive-bombing seagulls! We spend enough time there so it was time to move on. We rode to the entrance of downtown Ocean City and stopped in a parking lot. I don't know what it was a parking lot for. There was only one vehicle there. There was a sign over the road for westbound travel that said, "Sacramento, CA 3073." That is how many miles it is to Sacramento, CA. We positioned our Motors and ourselves so that a picture can be taken with the sign in the background. Also in the background on the opposite side of the street is the "West US 50" sign. We left at 11:58 AM.
We originally had intended to ride north to Delaware and do a scenic ride in lower New Jersey. When we arrived in Ocean City, we saw that the Atlantic Ocean was very choppy. It was 57 degrees. We were going to take a Fairy (not that kind) over into New Jersey into Cape May. Like I end my blog, tomorrow we are going to do ...this, but everything is subject to change.
We rode west on US 50 and stopped at 12:48 PM in Mardela Springs, MD after riding 43.6 miles. It was time for lunch and we stopped at a Subway. We were there for a little over an hour and left at 1:52 PM.
We rode for another 62.2 miles and at 2:54 PM we stopped for a pit stop at Piney Creek. We were taking a break and plans changed again. We had planned to stop, or drive through downtown Annapolis. Because of the time and what time we would be there, we decided to not do Annapolis and try to get past Washington D.C. We didn't want to be in our Nation's Capital during rush hour. I set my navigation system for Winchester, VA. at a Best Western. We left at 3:18 PM with Jan in the lead.
US 50 at this point was a 6 lane road. We continued until Us 50 intersected with I-495. I-495 is the outer loop of Washington D.C. It makes a complete loop around D.C. As we got to I-495, we turned to the north loop. By the time we got to the northern part of the loop, it started to sprinkle. The further west we got, the harder is rained. By the time we were on the west side of the loop, it was raining hard. We all had been seperated by the traffic and the rain. Jan exited I-495 at the US 66 exit. We had ridden 67.2 miles and it was 4:37 PM. I was behind Jan, as was C.E. I got a hold of Chuck on the CB and told him that we had exited and we had stopped under the first overpass. Chuck told me that he saw us exit and that we had two missing. We had waited a few minutes and Chuck came riding in. A few minutes later, Ken and Bruce arrived. We were wet! We all put on our rain gear, except for Chuck. We left at 5:00 PM. As you can see by the time, it was the "rush hour." This is the time that we DID'T want to be in D.C. We continued on. It was sprinkling at this time. Soon, it stopped raining. The sun peeked through the sky at it was humid and warm. As we continued west, it started to rain again. It felt warm but it was 61 degrees. We rode on through the bumper to bumper traffic. We had to go at least another 10 miles before the traffic cleared to the point that we could speed up to almost the posted speed limit of 55 mph.
We rode on and eventually entered the city of Winchester, VA. We arrived at the Best Western at 6:51 PM and after riding another 61.4 miles. The Best Western had a Perkins Restaurant attached to it. It was very busy and we thought that there would be no vacancies at the Best Western. I noticed that it looked like the Perkins was busy and the the Best Western. Bruce went in to "make the deal." He came out and told us that there were rooms available at a very good price. Three of the guys went in to check in. When they came out, they told us that if we eat at the Perkins tonight, we would get 50% off of the price of our meal. They also told the guys that there was no continental breakfast, however, Perkins serves breakfast and as guests of Best Western, the gave us each a coupon for $2.50 off. What a deal! We rode our Motors to our rooms, unpacked our bags and tucked our Motors in for the night. We took our bags to our rooms and then walked over to Perkins for breakfast. We agreed that we were all very tired and were looking forward to our beds. We returned to our rooms and relaxed for a while. My kind of relaxation was doing laundry. If I didn't, it would be an awfully cold ride tomorrow riding ala Lady Godiva, only she has hair! After laundry, time for the blog.
Today we rode for 318 miles. So far this trip, we have ridden for 3,188.0 miles. I'm not sure where we will end up tomorrow, but I do know that we will be on US 50. So, until tomorrow...
My alarm went off at 6 AM. I got up and got dressed. I finished packing when Bruce woke up and was up and about. I went downstairs and read the paper in the breakfast room. Bruce soon joined me and started with the sports section. I bet you would have never guessed! The old men of the group, Ken and C.E., soon joined us. Breakfast started for the group. Jan and Chuck soon joined us for breakfast. After breakfast, we got our Motors ready for our ride today. The weather was nice. The temperature was 68 degrees. Jan and I started this morning without our jackets. We soon left at 8:35 AM.
C.E. led us to a gas station in Onley, VA. We had ridden for 13.6 miles and arrived at 8:49 AM. Of course you realize that we just had breakfast, drank coffee and the weather was cool. Yes, we also made a pit stop. At this point, the rest of the guys took off their jackets and packed them away. We left at 9:00 AM with Chuck in the lead.
We were headed to Ocean City, MD. We were northbound on US 113. We had passed the city of Pokomoke, MD and were in the outskirts when Chuck pointed at a side street. We quickly turned off onto the side street and stopped at 9:43 AM after riding 42.2 miles. One of the guys had asked Chuck if we were stopping to put on our jackets. He stated that that wasn't the reason. We had passed a sign that said that headlights were required and he was stopping to make sure that Ken's headlights were operational. It was 59 degrees. It was definately time to put our jackets on. It was cold and we took the opportunity to utilize the forestry. We love to water the plants when we can! One of the guys, I won't say who, said that he was so cold that his nipples froze off! We put on our jackets and took care of business and we were on our way at 9:50 AM.
We drove through beautiful country and eventually rode into the outskirts of Ocean City. We stopped at the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce at 10:16 AM after riding 10.9 miles. Chuck was hitting on the old lady volunteer at the counter. She showed him a map of downtown Ocean City and told him where we could park and which roads to take. Who knows what else she showed him. He was happy, and so was she! She was a nice, little, old lady. We left at 10:28 AM.
We arrived in beautiful, downtown Ocean City, MD. at 10:37 AM after riding another 1.2 miles. We found the parking lot and parked the Motors. Downtown Ocean City is a boardwalk. It spans 3 miles long along the beach. the entire street or floor is wood. That is why it is called a "Boardwalk." Duh... We walked a small section of the boardwalk. (We were not going to do the entire 3 miles) We did a little shopping and took some pictures. These three miles have many shops, eating establishments, carnivals, hotel and other things...and also dive-bombing seagulls! We spend enough time there so it was time to move on. We rode to the entrance of downtown Ocean City and stopped in a parking lot. I don't know what it was a parking lot for. There was only one vehicle there. There was a sign over the road for westbound travel that said, "Sacramento, CA 3073." That is how many miles it is to Sacramento, CA. We positioned our Motors and ourselves so that a picture can be taken with the sign in the background. Also in the background on the opposite side of the street is the "West US 50" sign. We left at 11:58 AM.
We originally had intended to ride north to Delaware and do a scenic ride in lower New Jersey. When we arrived in Ocean City, we saw that the Atlantic Ocean was very choppy. It was 57 degrees. We were going to take a Fairy (not that kind) over into New Jersey into Cape May. Like I end my blog, tomorrow we are going to do ...this, but everything is subject to change.
We rode west on US 50 and stopped at 12:48 PM in Mardela Springs, MD after riding 43.6 miles. It was time for lunch and we stopped at a Subway. We were there for a little over an hour and left at 1:52 PM.
We rode for another 62.2 miles and at 2:54 PM we stopped for a pit stop at Piney Creek. We were taking a break and plans changed again. We had planned to stop, or drive through downtown Annapolis. Because of the time and what time we would be there, we decided to not do Annapolis and try to get past Washington D.C. We didn't want to be in our Nation's Capital during rush hour. I set my navigation system for Winchester, VA. at a Best Western. We left at 3:18 PM with Jan in the lead.
US 50 at this point was a 6 lane road. We continued until Us 50 intersected with I-495. I-495 is the outer loop of Washington D.C. It makes a complete loop around D.C. As we got to I-495, we turned to the north loop. By the time we got to the northern part of the loop, it started to sprinkle. The further west we got, the harder is rained. By the time we were on the west side of the loop, it was raining hard. We all had been seperated by the traffic and the rain. Jan exited I-495 at the US 66 exit. We had ridden 67.2 miles and it was 4:37 PM. I was behind Jan, as was C.E. I got a hold of Chuck on the CB and told him that we had exited and we had stopped under the first overpass. Chuck told me that he saw us exit and that we had two missing. We had waited a few minutes and Chuck came riding in. A few minutes later, Ken and Bruce arrived. We were wet! We all put on our rain gear, except for Chuck. We left at 5:00 PM. As you can see by the time, it was the "rush hour." This is the time that we DID'T want to be in D.C. We continued on. It was sprinkling at this time. Soon, it stopped raining. The sun peeked through the sky at it was humid and warm. As we continued west, it started to rain again. It felt warm but it was 61 degrees. We rode on through the bumper to bumper traffic. We had to go at least another 10 miles before the traffic cleared to the point that we could speed up to almost the posted speed limit of 55 mph.
We rode on and eventually entered the city of Winchester, VA. We arrived at the Best Western at 6:51 PM and after riding another 61.4 miles. The Best Western had a Perkins Restaurant attached to it. It was very busy and we thought that there would be no vacancies at the Best Western. I noticed that it looked like the Perkins was busy and the the Best Western. Bruce went in to "make the deal." He came out and told us that there were rooms available at a very good price. Three of the guys went in to check in. When they came out, they told us that if we eat at the Perkins tonight, we would get 50% off of the price of our meal. They also told the guys that there was no continental breakfast, however, Perkins serves breakfast and as guests of Best Western, the gave us each a coupon for $2.50 off. What a deal! We rode our Motors to our rooms, unpacked our bags and tucked our Motors in for the night. We took our bags to our rooms and then walked over to Perkins for breakfast. We agreed that we were all very tired and were looking forward to our beds. We returned to our rooms and relaxed for a while. My kind of relaxation was doing laundry. If I didn't, it would be an awfully cold ride tomorrow riding ala Lady Godiva, only she has hair! After laundry, time for the blog.
Today we rode for 318 miles. So far this trip, we have ridden for 3,188.0 miles. I'm not sure where we will end up tomorrow, but I do know that we will be on US 50. So, until tomorrow...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Virginia Beach, VA.
Day 9 Sunday, April 25, 2010
My alarm went off at 6 AM as usual. I didn't want to get up but I did. C.E. got up seconds later. I got up washed up and got dressed. C.E. also got dressed and we packed up our bags. C.E. had made some coffee and we drank it as we watched the Weather Channel. Watching the Weather Channel is standard practice for all of us when we ride. We watch it before we go to sleep and we watch it when we wake up. We looked outside and noticed that the covers on our Motors were wet. It was cloudy, however, it was not raining. We went outside and started to get our Motors prepared for travel today. We cleaned the windshields and wipe down our Motors as best we could. They are still filthy! Oh well. The others started popping out of their rooms slowly. We were all out and we then walked down to the on-site restaurant, "Auntie Sarah's." We had a good breakfast and then back to our Motors to check out of the motel and leave. The three Honda riders needed to go across the street to the Exxon to fill up with gas. When we finished, we returned to the motel and the Harley boys were waiting for us. We left at 9:22 AM and it was 63 degrees.
Bruce got us going back on US 60. We rode through some small towns and farmland. We were really enjoying the ride. The weather was cool, the scenery was breathtaking and the Motors were purring. (The Honda's were. The Harley's were blaring (potato, potato, potato, etc.) We came into an area in the mountains where the road was winding, twistie and like a roller coaster. We were having a great time. At times we needed to slow to 15 mph because of the curves and wet road. I was making a video at this time and then it happened! We were riding in the fog! ( I bet your were think something else happened...nope!) It was hard to see the rider ahead of us if he was more that 4 car lengths ahead. We could barely see the taillights. We quickly got through this small amount of fog. I secured the camera back in the pouch and put both hands on the handlebars. (Temporarily) As we continued this awesome ride with the curves and the twisties, we got into more fog. This fog was thick and we were in it for quite some time. It was very humid and our windshields were getting wet. Because the way Bruce's Motor is set up, his pant legs were also getting wet. He should have kept his Gold Wing. Like all good things, it must end. We rode for 34.7 miles and stopped at 10:08 AM in Amhurst, VA at a gas station/mini-mart. This was a very good time to stop because, as you remember, we had just had breakfast and with the breakfast, had coffee, water and pop. It was time for a pit stop. We took care of business and then we talked about our recent ride. Bruce went over the map with Chuck to make sure that he got us to where we needed to go. Chuck and Bruce decided that we would get on the interstate and get us to Virginia Beach faster. We still had a ways to go and we didn't want to take all day to get there and then ride in the dark to our motel. We left at 10:26 AM.
The positioning of the riders were: Bruce, Jan, Chuck, Ken, C.E. and me. As we were about 20 miles east of Amhurst, I noticed a Lexus SUV behind me. It was about 4 car lengths behind. That didn't bother me at all. It was when I noticed that he was weaving over the double yellow lines. The SUV would drive on the wrong side of the road and did this 3 times. When it got back into our lane, he was weaving, going side to side, from curb to double yellow lines. I know that I have a little experience to identify a drunk driver. Now, it could have been a drunk driver or a sightseer, or a senile person, or even a young juvenile with no drivers license. My vote was on the drunk driver. I told Chuck on the CB about the SUV. He asked if I wanted him to pull over and let the SUV pass. I told him to do that. Chuck put his right turn signal on and pulled over. Ken, C.E. and I followed. I motioned the SUV to pass us and he did. Jan was ahead of us and saw that we pulled over and so did he. Bruce finally noticed that we all pulled over and so did he. We continued and got together again and continued. Chuck and I continued to look at the SUB as it pulled away from us and it was still weaving a foot or two over the double yellow line. Man, even when we are retired and in another part of the country we can't get away from the drunks! Well, we continued and rode for 55.2 miles and stopped in Cumberland at 11:27 AM. It was time for another pit stop. We left at 11:55 AM. The weather was still great! It was 68 degrees and we decided to keep our jackets on in case it rained.
We rode for another 81.1 miles and stopped in Quinton at 1:16 PM. Bruce stopped at a Subway. After we ate, I got the map out and Chuck showed C.E. the route that we were going to take. We then left and rode across the street to a gas station. It was time to gas up and change leaders. When we finished, we left at 2:29 PM with C.E. in the lead. Chuck was next, then me, Jan, Ken and Bruce. We took I-64 to Norfolk and we got onto another freeway, which took us into Virginia Beach. We stopped at a 7-11 at 4:05 PM after riding 96.4 miles to check the map to see where we needed to go. Since we were checking the map, we also made a pit stop. We got our bearings and continued. We drove into downtown Virginia Beach and were one block away from the beach. There were many hotels that lined the beach. It wasn't like we had expected. We expected that there would be a road that bordered the beach with stores lining the other side of the street. Wrong! We rode north on Pacific Ave. and then found a street to turn right. The next street over, and closer to the beach, was Atlantic Ave. We started riding north on Atlantic Ave., again hoping to find a place to stop. There wasn't a good place to stop. We ended up stopping in front of the Cavalier Hotel at 4:53 PM after riding for 9.2 miles. We parked our Motors on the sidewalk to take a group picture. We were trying to hurry before a cop came up. Too late! A cop stopped at the light facing us and we thought that we were toast. Nope, he turned left and drove away. Maybe it was a patrol guy who was afraid of bikers, I don't know. We finished our picture taking and left at 5:20 PM.
We headed west on US 60 and then turned north on US 13. This led us to the Chesapeake Bridge and Tunnel. The bridge and tunnel go over and under the Chesapeake Bay. It is 16 miles long and 19 miles total from toll booth to toll booth. The toll for the bridge/tunnel was $12. Normally, the one who is leading always pays the toll charge for all of us. Since it was $12, we cut C.E. some slack and we all paid our own tolls. Riding the bridge reminded me of riding over Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans 3 years ago on our 4 Corners Ride. Lake Pontchartrain was 26 miles long. When we got over the bridge/tunnel, we were on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and we stopped at the Welcome Center. We weren't there very long and we left at 5:57 PM.
We intended to ride to Exmore, VA and stay the night at a Best Western. We finally arrived after riding 42.0 miles and it was 6:29 PM. The lady clerk didn't want to play nice. She gave us a price which was too high and the motel didn't have an operational pool nor did it have a hot tub. We left at 6:45 PM.
We went back 1.5 miles and arrived at 6:48 PM at a Holiday Inn Express. The lady clerk did lay nice with us. She gave us a good rate and we checked in. She suggested the restaurant across the street, the Seaside Family Restaurant. After checking in, we rode across the street without unpacking. When we finished eating, an older couple approached us and spoke to us. She had asked if we were part of the bikers who are staying at the Hampton Inn. We told her that we were not part of that group. The couple were with a church group that were having dinner. She told us that her first husband's grandfather was Ebenezer Bryce, the founder of Bryce Canyon in Utah. She was a nice old lady. Just to let you guys know, she first tried to hit on Ken and Jan. Just kidding. Well, we finished dinner and made the long trek (across the street) back to our hotel. We parked under the awning at the entrance and tucked our Motors in for the night.
Today's ride was awesome! We rode some fantastic roads with curves, twisties AND fog! That's a first. We rode 343 miles and we finished the first leg of our ride. We reached the end of US 60, Virginia Beach, VA. Tomorrow we intent to head north towards New Jersey. There is supposed to be another scenic ride up there. So, until tomorrow...
My alarm went off at 6 AM as usual. I didn't want to get up but I did. C.E. got up seconds later. I got up washed up and got dressed. C.E. also got dressed and we packed up our bags. C.E. had made some coffee and we drank it as we watched the Weather Channel. Watching the Weather Channel is standard practice for all of us when we ride. We watch it before we go to sleep and we watch it when we wake up. We looked outside and noticed that the covers on our Motors were wet. It was cloudy, however, it was not raining. We went outside and started to get our Motors prepared for travel today. We cleaned the windshields and wipe down our Motors as best we could. They are still filthy! Oh well. The others started popping out of their rooms slowly. We were all out and we then walked down to the on-site restaurant, "Auntie Sarah's." We had a good breakfast and then back to our Motors to check out of the motel and leave. The three Honda riders needed to go across the street to the Exxon to fill up with gas. When we finished, we returned to the motel and the Harley boys were waiting for us. We left at 9:22 AM and it was 63 degrees.
Bruce got us going back on US 60. We rode through some small towns and farmland. We were really enjoying the ride. The weather was cool, the scenery was breathtaking and the Motors were purring. (The Honda's were. The Harley's were blaring (potato, potato, potato, etc.) We came into an area in the mountains where the road was winding, twistie and like a roller coaster. We were having a great time. At times we needed to slow to 15 mph because of the curves and wet road. I was making a video at this time and then it happened! We were riding in the fog! ( I bet your were think something else happened...nope!) It was hard to see the rider ahead of us if he was more that 4 car lengths ahead. We could barely see the taillights. We quickly got through this small amount of fog. I secured the camera back in the pouch and put both hands on the handlebars. (Temporarily) As we continued this awesome ride with the curves and the twisties, we got into more fog. This fog was thick and we were in it for quite some time. It was very humid and our windshields were getting wet. Because the way Bruce's Motor is set up, his pant legs were also getting wet. He should have kept his Gold Wing. Like all good things, it must end. We rode for 34.7 miles and stopped at 10:08 AM in Amhurst, VA at a gas station/mini-mart. This was a very good time to stop because, as you remember, we had just had breakfast and with the breakfast, had coffee, water and pop. It was time for a pit stop. We took care of business and then we talked about our recent ride. Bruce went over the map with Chuck to make sure that he got us to where we needed to go. Chuck and Bruce decided that we would get on the interstate and get us to Virginia Beach faster. We still had a ways to go and we didn't want to take all day to get there and then ride in the dark to our motel. We left at 10:26 AM.
The positioning of the riders were: Bruce, Jan, Chuck, Ken, C.E. and me. As we were about 20 miles east of Amhurst, I noticed a Lexus SUV behind me. It was about 4 car lengths behind. That didn't bother me at all. It was when I noticed that he was weaving over the double yellow lines. The SUV would drive on the wrong side of the road and did this 3 times. When it got back into our lane, he was weaving, going side to side, from curb to double yellow lines. I know that I have a little experience to identify a drunk driver. Now, it could have been a drunk driver or a sightseer, or a senile person, or even a young juvenile with no drivers license. My vote was on the drunk driver. I told Chuck on the CB about the SUV. He asked if I wanted him to pull over and let the SUV pass. I told him to do that. Chuck put his right turn signal on and pulled over. Ken, C.E. and I followed. I motioned the SUV to pass us and he did. Jan was ahead of us and saw that we pulled over and so did he. Bruce finally noticed that we all pulled over and so did he. We continued and got together again and continued. Chuck and I continued to look at the SUB as it pulled away from us and it was still weaving a foot or two over the double yellow line. Man, even when we are retired and in another part of the country we can't get away from the drunks! Well, we continued and rode for 55.2 miles and stopped in Cumberland at 11:27 AM. It was time for another pit stop. We left at 11:55 AM. The weather was still great! It was 68 degrees and we decided to keep our jackets on in case it rained.
We rode for another 81.1 miles and stopped in Quinton at 1:16 PM. Bruce stopped at a Subway. After we ate, I got the map out and Chuck showed C.E. the route that we were going to take. We then left and rode across the street to a gas station. It was time to gas up and change leaders. When we finished, we left at 2:29 PM with C.E. in the lead. Chuck was next, then me, Jan, Ken and Bruce. We took I-64 to Norfolk and we got onto another freeway, which took us into Virginia Beach. We stopped at a 7-11 at 4:05 PM after riding 96.4 miles to check the map to see where we needed to go. Since we were checking the map, we also made a pit stop. We got our bearings and continued. We drove into downtown Virginia Beach and were one block away from the beach. There were many hotels that lined the beach. It wasn't like we had expected. We expected that there would be a road that bordered the beach with stores lining the other side of the street. Wrong! We rode north on Pacific Ave. and then found a street to turn right. The next street over, and closer to the beach, was Atlantic Ave. We started riding north on Atlantic Ave., again hoping to find a place to stop. There wasn't a good place to stop. We ended up stopping in front of the Cavalier Hotel at 4:53 PM after riding for 9.2 miles. We parked our Motors on the sidewalk to take a group picture. We were trying to hurry before a cop came up. Too late! A cop stopped at the light facing us and we thought that we were toast. Nope, he turned left and drove away. Maybe it was a patrol guy who was afraid of bikers, I don't know. We finished our picture taking and left at 5:20 PM.
We headed west on US 60 and then turned north on US 13. This led us to the Chesapeake Bridge and Tunnel. The bridge and tunnel go over and under the Chesapeake Bay. It is 16 miles long and 19 miles total from toll booth to toll booth. The toll for the bridge/tunnel was $12. Normally, the one who is leading always pays the toll charge for all of us. Since it was $12, we cut C.E. some slack and we all paid our own tolls. Riding the bridge reminded me of riding over Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans 3 years ago on our 4 Corners Ride. Lake Pontchartrain was 26 miles long. When we got over the bridge/tunnel, we were on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and we stopped at the Welcome Center. We weren't there very long and we left at 5:57 PM.
We intended to ride to Exmore, VA and stay the night at a Best Western. We finally arrived after riding 42.0 miles and it was 6:29 PM. The lady clerk didn't want to play nice. She gave us a price which was too high and the motel didn't have an operational pool nor did it have a hot tub. We left at 6:45 PM.
We went back 1.5 miles and arrived at 6:48 PM at a Holiday Inn Express. The lady clerk did lay nice with us. She gave us a good rate and we checked in. She suggested the restaurant across the street, the Seaside Family Restaurant. After checking in, we rode across the street without unpacking. When we finished eating, an older couple approached us and spoke to us. She had asked if we were part of the bikers who are staying at the Hampton Inn. We told her that we were not part of that group. The couple were with a church group that were having dinner. She told us that her first husband's grandfather was Ebenezer Bryce, the founder of Bryce Canyon in Utah. She was a nice old lady. Just to let you guys know, she first tried to hit on Ken and Jan. Just kidding. Well, we finished dinner and made the long trek (across the street) back to our hotel. We parked under the awning at the entrance and tucked our Motors in for the night.
Today's ride was awesome! We rode some fantastic roads with curves, twisties AND fog! That's a first. We rode 343 miles and we finished the first leg of our ride. We reached the end of US 60, Virginia Beach, VA. Tomorrow we intent to head north towards New Jersey. There is supposed to be another scenic ride up there. So, until tomorrow...
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Hawai'ian River
My alarm went off at 6 AM as usual. I turned it off and before I can get up, C.E. was up and in the bathroom. This was a first for me this trip. I was not the first one up. C.E. washed and started to get dressed when I finally was able to get to the bathroom. We both got dressed and packed up our bags. We then went downstairs to get breakfast. The Holiday Inn was serving a buffet breakfast and charging $8.95. The continental breakfast was at another station. That is where we went. We had breakfast when Bruce walked in. Chuck came in the Ken. Later, Jan walked in. He told us that he didn't sleep in late, he just didn't feel like coming down. After we all ate, we went upstairs and got our bags to load up the Motors. After we loaded the Motors, Jan rode with me across the street to a Credit Union. I needed to get some money. Being Saturday, the Credit Union was closed, however, the drive through was open. I was there at 9 AM when it opened. I asked for money and they wouldn't give me any. The lady asked me if I was a member. I told her that I was, however, in Phoenix. She told me that she could not access my account so she didn't give me any money. I hate her! The others arrived and waited for me. I was done with that lady and we left at 9:09 AM. with Ken leading.
We rode for 35 miles. It was overcast and at 9:53 AM we stopped in St. Albans at a Harley shop. Actually we had passed it and Bruce was dancing on his Motor so that Ken would make a u-turn and return to the Harley store. Ken did and we returned to the Harley store. We had been riding on US 60 which was running next to the Kanawha River. I was curious as to the name of the river and I looked it up as the Harley boys were inside the store drooling over the new Harleys. It was funny that after we made the initial stop, parked our Motors in front of the building, entered and made a pit stop, the Gold Wing riders went outside and sat on their Motors. Why not, we don't need anything from the Harley store. One by one the guys were coming up to me and asking for the name of the river. I told them the name and they went on their merry way. Bruce asked me and I told him. He told me that that was a Hawai'ian name. I told Bruce that Kanawha was not Hawai'ian that it was American Indian. I had to laugh. Bruce went in and bought a Harley shirt. We left at 10:22 AM.
Ken led us for another 78.2 miles and we stopped in South Charleston, WV at 10:28 AM. We stopped for gas. We left at 10:41 AM.
It was my turn to lead again. Jan was behind me, then C.E., then Chuck, then Bruce and Ken. The next section of the road was called the Midland Trail. It was a trail used in the 1700's by animals only. Humans and their wagons could not utilize them. Then President Washington ordered that the trail be improved for human use. It is now part of US 60. We rode this road and it had beautiful landscape. We continued for 42.5 miles and I pulled into the Kanawha Falls, or as Bruce would call them, the "Hawai'ian River Falls." The "Hawai'ian Falls" were in a little town named Glen Farris. We spent some time here looking at the falls, doing a little hiking (to the falls), and taking pictures. It had warmed up a little so we all took off and packed our jackets. We left Bruce's Hawai'ian Falls at 12:29 PM.
It was time to have lunch and I figured that I would stop at the first Subway that we came across. After riding 2.4 miles, we entered a small town named Gauley Bridge. The first building was a gas station/mini-mart/Subway. I made a quick turn in and we entered and had lunch at 12:32 PM. After we were served our lunch, we went into the dining area. It was pretty cool because the one wall was all window facing the Kanawha River (Hawai'ian River). As we ate, we looked out to the river. It was very serene. At one point, Chuck told us that he saw a fish jump out of the water. (I'm sure that Bruce thought it was a Hawai'ian fish, a Humuhumunukunukuapua'a) Someone said that the fish was probably like the Moose that Chuck saw on our Four Corner's Ride. We finished lunch and left at 1:40 PM.
We continued on the Midland Trail, aka US 60. As we were riding the speed limit was 55 mph. We quickly came up to a 90 degree turn that went from 55 mph to 25 mph with a railroad track cutting across the street. Talk about a strong pucker factor! Jan told me later that when he noticed the turn, he saw me just prior to the turn and then I disappeared. It WAS a quick turn. The rest of this ride was awesome. There were many curves and twisties, hills and valleys. Fortunately for us, there was a black Chevy Tahoe in front of me which kept me from going faster. I even made a 2 minute 15 second video of part of this ride. I didn't want to make a long video. It was hard enough to make the curves and twisties operating the Motor with one hand and also operating the brake with the same hand, while the other hand was operating the camera. It was an awesome ride and, unfortunately, the ride ended and we rode into the town of Reinelle after riding 37.0 miles. We made a pit stop and some of us changed our shorts! No, I'm just kidding. We talked about our next stop. It was getting late and if we stayed on US 60, we would go slower and through many other small towns. We opted to get on the interstate and get into Virginia as soon as possible. We left at 2:41 PM.
We returned onto US 60 and soon after I pulled onto I-64 after about 16 miles. We rode I-64 and were able to ride 75 mph. The road was very smooth and not very much traffic. After riding for 46.8 miles, I pulled into the Virginia Visitor Center at 3:30 PM. It was a welcomed stop. We were tired. As Jan put it, we came down from the adrenaline rush of the 37 miles curvy ride. We took a break and looked for a Best Western that we could stop at in Lexington, VA. I put it in the navigation system and away we went. We left at 3:57 PM.
We were on I-64 and enjoying the ride. It had gotten cooler and we all had put on our jackets back at the Visitor Center. It was a good thing because it got down to 61 degrees. As we were riding in the inside lane just prior to entering Lexington, there was a Highway Patrol car parked in the median facing us. As I passed the car, I noticed that the Officer was on a cell phone. We all passed him and Chuck got me on the CB and told me that the Officer had gone after a car that behind us. Better him that us! The navigation system got us to the Best Western at 4:46 PM after riding 56.3 miles. Jan, Bruce, C.E. and Ken went in to "make the deal" and soon came out. They didn't want to deal. The price was $159 a night. No thanks! We rode to the other side of I-64 where there was another Best Western. They only had one room left. The clerk at this Best Western called another motel for us, but they were full. She told the guys that 3 miles down the rode were 3 more motels. We left at 5:06 PM.
We rode for 5.4 miles and came up to a Day's Inn, Travelodge and Economy Inn. We stopped at the Day's Inn at 5:12 PM. Ken and Bruce went to the other two motel to see how much they charged. Too much! We "made the deal" at the Day's Inn. When Jan and Bruce returned, all but Chuck and me entered and the clerk sweetened the deal with a lower price. Sold! We check in. there was a restaurant on the grounds. We went to our rooms, unloaded our Motors and tucked them in for the night. Soon we walked back to the restaurant and had dinner. After dinner, we were sitting at our table and Chuck started playing with his phone...again. He found the App. for pedometer. He decided that he was going to go exercise and have his phone/pedometer count the amount of steps he took as he and Ken walked across the street to the gas station/mini-mart to buy some beer. Yup, that's right...beer. We all returned to our rooms and a few feet from our rooms was a picnic table on some very green grass and a small hill with plenty of trees and foliage. We had the beer and some laughs, at each other's expense. That is what it is all about. Good friend, good times.
Today we rode only 229 miles. As C.E. put it, "these back roads slowed us down quite a bit." We may have only ridden for 229 miles but, the were fun miles. Those roads with curves and twisties make it well worth it. If you haven't noticed, we have passed the week mark. This is our 8th day. Tomorrow we will be in Virginia Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. So, until tomorrow...
We rode for 35 miles. It was overcast and at 9:53 AM we stopped in St. Albans at a Harley shop. Actually we had passed it and Bruce was dancing on his Motor so that Ken would make a u-turn and return to the Harley store. Ken did and we returned to the Harley store. We had been riding on US 60 which was running next to the Kanawha River. I was curious as to the name of the river and I looked it up as the Harley boys were inside the store drooling over the new Harleys. It was funny that after we made the initial stop, parked our Motors in front of the building, entered and made a pit stop, the Gold Wing riders went outside and sat on their Motors. Why not, we don't need anything from the Harley store. One by one the guys were coming up to me and asking for the name of the river. I told them the name and they went on their merry way. Bruce asked me and I told him. He told me that that was a Hawai'ian name. I told Bruce that Kanawha was not Hawai'ian that it was American Indian. I had to laugh. Bruce went in and bought a Harley shirt. We left at 10:22 AM.
Ken led us for another 78.2 miles and we stopped in South Charleston, WV at 10:28 AM. We stopped for gas. We left at 10:41 AM.
It was my turn to lead again. Jan was behind me, then C.E., then Chuck, then Bruce and Ken. The next section of the road was called the Midland Trail. It was a trail used in the 1700's by animals only. Humans and their wagons could not utilize them. Then President Washington ordered that the trail be improved for human use. It is now part of US 60. We rode this road and it had beautiful landscape. We continued for 42.5 miles and I pulled into the Kanawha Falls, or as Bruce would call them, the "Hawai'ian River Falls." The "Hawai'ian Falls" were in a little town named Glen Farris. We spent some time here looking at the falls, doing a little hiking (to the falls), and taking pictures. It had warmed up a little so we all took off and packed our jackets. We left Bruce's Hawai'ian Falls at 12:29 PM.
It was time to have lunch and I figured that I would stop at the first Subway that we came across. After riding 2.4 miles, we entered a small town named Gauley Bridge. The first building was a gas station/mini-mart/Subway. I made a quick turn in and we entered and had lunch at 12:32 PM. After we were served our lunch, we went into the dining area. It was pretty cool because the one wall was all window facing the Kanawha River (Hawai'ian River). As we ate, we looked out to the river. It was very serene. At one point, Chuck told us that he saw a fish jump out of the water. (I'm sure that Bruce thought it was a Hawai'ian fish, a Humuhumunukunukuapua'a) Someone said that the fish was probably like the Moose that Chuck saw on our Four Corner's Ride. We finished lunch and left at 1:40 PM.
We continued on the Midland Trail, aka US 60. As we were riding the speed limit was 55 mph. We quickly came up to a 90 degree turn that went from 55 mph to 25 mph with a railroad track cutting across the street. Talk about a strong pucker factor! Jan told me later that when he noticed the turn, he saw me just prior to the turn and then I disappeared. It WAS a quick turn. The rest of this ride was awesome. There were many curves and twisties, hills and valleys. Fortunately for us, there was a black Chevy Tahoe in front of me which kept me from going faster. I even made a 2 minute 15 second video of part of this ride. I didn't want to make a long video. It was hard enough to make the curves and twisties operating the Motor with one hand and also operating the brake with the same hand, while the other hand was operating the camera. It was an awesome ride and, unfortunately, the ride ended and we rode into the town of Reinelle after riding 37.0 miles. We made a pit stop and some of us changed our shorts! No, I'm just kidding. We talked about our next stop. It was getting late and if we stayed on US 60, we would go slower and through many other small towns. We opted to get on the interstate and get into Virginia as soon as possible. We left at 2:41 PM.
We returned onto US 60 and soon after I pulled onto I-64 after about 16 miles. We rode I-64 and were able to ride 75 mph. The road was very smooth and not very much traffic. After riding for 46.8 miles, I pulled into the Virginia Visitor Center at 3:30 PM. It was a welcomed stop. We were tired. As Jan put it, we came down from the adrenaline rush of the 37 miles curvy ride. We took a break and looked for a Best Western that we could stop at in Lexington, VA. I put it in the navigation system and away we went. We left at 3:57 PM.
We were on I-64 and enjoying the ride. It had gotten cooler and we all had put on our jackets back at the Visitor Center. It was a good thing because it got down to 61 degrees. As we were riding in the inside lane just prior to entering Lexington, there was a Highway Patrol car parked in the median facing us. As I passed the car, I noticed that the Officer was on a cell phone. We all passed him and Chuck got me on the CB and told me that the Officer had gone after a car that behind us. Better him that us! The navigation system got us to the Best Western at 4:46 PM after riding 56.3 miles. Jan, Bruce, C.E. and Ken went in to "make the deal" and soon came out. They didn't want to deal. The price was $159 a night. No thanks! We rode to the other side of I-64 where there was another Best Western. They only had one room left. The clerk at this Best Western called another motel for us, but they were full. She told the guys that 3 miles down the rode were 3 more motels. We left at 5:06 PM.
We rode for 5.4 miles and came up to a Day's Inn, Travelodge and Economy Inn. We stopped at the Day's Inn at 5:12 PM. Ken and Bruce went to the other two motel to see how much they charged. Too much! We "made the deal" at the Day's Inn. When Jan and Bruce returned, all but Chuck and me entered and the clerk sweetened the deal with a lower price. Sold! We check in. there was a restaurant on the grounds. We went to our rooms, unloaded our Motors and tucked them in for the night. Soon we walked back to the restaurant and had dinner. After dinner, we were sitting at our table and Chuck started playing with his phone...again. He found the App. for pedometer. He decided that he was going to go exercise and have his phone/pedometer count the amount of steps he took as he and Ken walked across the street to the gas station/mini-mart to buy some beer. Yup, that's right...beer. We all returned to our rooms and a few feet from our rooms was a picnic table on some very green grass and a small hill with plenty of trees and foliage. We had the beer and some laughs, at each other's expense. That is what it is all about. Good friend, good times.
Today we rode only 229 miles. As C.E. put it, "these back roads slowed us down quite a bit." We may have only ridden for 229 miles but, the were fun miles. Those roads with curves and twisties make it well worth it. If you haven't noticed, we have passed the week mark. This is our 8th day. Tomorrow we will be in Virginia Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. So, until tomorrow...
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