Nice Ride yesterday. Started out a little cool but was actually very nice by the time we got to Arizona. That’s right, I said “we” – Robin said she would like to come along for the first leg of the journey and spend some time with our family in Phoenix.
Resting a little before leaving California via Parker, AZ (62/95 junction)
The Pink Towel will be staying in Phoenix this time. As you may remember I had to haul that rag all around the countryside with me on last year’s ride – but not this year. Both our matches came down to the last putt on the last hole but I was the lucky one. Several shots were lost and thrown away but a good time was had by all. Many tequilas bere enjoyed over the past few days, both in celebration and in sorrow. Tomorrow it will be time to get back on the road. Mom’s home made mac & cheese was a great last supper.
Yeti cooler addition to the tent trailer. Works GREAT!! Chelada (picante), Diet Mt. Dew, Mom’s Mac & Cheese, apple slices, & Fritos. Ready for anything…
Started a little later than normal this morning but that was by design. Had a nice breakfast and visit with Mom & Dad before heading out. First stop was at Circle K to fill up the gas tank and load my new ice chest for the first time.
Last night while watching the Diamond Backs beat the Yankies, I saw a commercial for Culver’s and immediately went to the computer to see where along my route I could get one of their Colby Jack Pub Burgers. I was in Mesa, standing at the door waiting for them to open at 10:30 for “second breakfast.”
From there I headed up to Globe and after a couple stops for things that I needed for the camping portion of the trip, I was on the road for Silver City, New Mexico. Much of the ride was “at altitude” and my sea level tuned bike is complaining about the lack of air up here. She’s still getting the job done but you really have to put the spurs to her once in a while.
Camping at the KOA here in Silver City. When I checked in they said it was going to be freezing tonight & they offered me a special deal on one of the Kozy Kabins so I took it; the heater alone will be worth it. Tomorrow – somewhere in Texas.
Kozy Kabin – Koa Kampgrounds are so Kewl….
It was COLD this morning so I took my time getting started. It warmed up quickly though and I was out of my jacket and winter gloves within an hour.
This little red bottle turned out to be a real problem when it leaked all over the saddle bag & everything in it. I didn’t notice it until it was way too late to do anything but toss the bottle & hope the smell would eventually go away – it never did….
Since I had to get on the slab out of Deming to get around the White Sands missile range, I decided to stop in El Paso, TX at the largest Harley dealer – Barnett Harley Davidson; my lucky day – free burgers. I bought a little refrigerator magnet and had a burger then got back on the road. You may remember, I took this same route last year and I ran out of gas. To make sure that didn’t happen again, I bought one of these little one gallon gas cans custom made to fit in the bottom of your saddle bag. About 10 miles outside of town, she started to sputter. With a huge smile on my face for having such foresight this time around, I unloaded the saddle bag and pulled out my spare gallon of fuel. Should have made sure I knew “the combination” to this thing before trying to use it on the side of the road. I had to break it but I got the gas out & made it into Van Horn without AAA’s assistance.
It was a long and windy day, and it’s a bit windy here in Van Horn as well but it’s nice to be clean and the KOA here has a Kitchen – dinner was excellent.
Home Sweet Home (on the range). Van Horn, Texas – KOA.
Enjoying the West Texas sunset with an ice cold beer and a cigar.
My wake up call this morning was a rooster that I was confident was informing me that the sun was on the rise. I was fooled however because there is enough ambient light from the lights of the campground that it was kinda light inside the tent. After dressing and deflating my air mattress I went outside. DARK. Ugh – walked to the bathroom then got back in the sleeping bag (clothes and all) for an hour while all the rest of the local flighted flautists were tuning up.
I started out on the slab this morning. No good way to get where I’m going without doing a little slab time I guess. Besides, at 0745 on Sunday morning, I-10 and I-20 are virtually empty. AND – the plains of West Texas are somewhat less than scenic. It was cold again last night and I know it was colder in Silver Springs so I am very happy I decided to go with that Kozy Kabin. The ride on the Interstate was – eh… After I turned off I-20 though, I went through some farms and ranches that made everything right again. I didn’t take any pictures but should have at least stopped so you could see the blue bonnets in bloom on the side of the road. Instead I’ll leave you tonight with this shot of my office. If the birds here are any kin to the ones in Van Horn – I won’t be needing to set an alarm tonight….
iPad Mini, Logitech Solar Powered bluetooth keyboard, Bose bluetooth speaker (playing music from my iPhone that’s charging in the tent)
Out of Texas, through Oklahoma & settled in at the KOA in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I was outside at my ice chest desk but the bugs here are SERIOUSLY HUNGRY and I was on the menu. Sitting here in the tent I’ve probably got 20 caterpillars on the outside. I was knocking them off as they dropped on but I’ll just do it in the morning. Wow, a bird just came and ate one of them off the top of the tent, maybe I won’t have that much work to do in the morning after all… I’m really glad I have such a nice tent trailer and that there is room for my chair in here.
Very nice night last night in Van Horn, cool but not too cold. I was on the road by 0830 and stopped 80 miles down the road for breakfast at McDonald’s in Ardmore, OK. On the way out I had an interesting conversation with a nice old man that really liked my cane. He said, “With a good sized walkin stick like that, you could whup a whole room full of smart asses.” He was very nice and would have loved to stand there and talk, but I told him I needed to get down the road – he tipped his had and walked away. Next time I’m going to sit down and have a nice long chat.
The ride out of Texas and most of the way through Oklahoma was pretty flat & straight but by the time I got into Arkansas everything got better. Very nice riding on US 70 so far. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow and I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do but I’ll most likely be doing it from inside a hotel room – hopefully before I get too wet. I have rain gear but would rather not break it out & I really don’t want to be tent camping in the rain.
Here’s my funny story for the day. At the Harley dealer in Los Cruises, New Mexico I bought a little short brimmed baseball cap that I was going to try to wear when riding. The sun shines down through the top of my sun glasses and I wanted to see if I could remedy that situation. The cap worked wonderfully but I had trouble keeping it on, especially above 60 mph and if there was a crosswind. I could feel it slipping off and grabbed it every time but once. Luckily, I was on a back road and there was little to no traffic so I went back and got it. I made myself a safety strap with a paper clip and some fishing line so I wouldn’t lose it again; and it’s a good thing I did. When it came off I was on a busy road (almost freeway) and there would have been no going back. I think the people behind me must have had a good laugh. It’s flapping in the wind back there and I’m reaching back trying to reel it in with one hand and can’t get it done. So, I put the cruise control on and used both hands. The line was long enough that I just stuffed the whole thing inside my vest until I could stop and put it back on. I guess I could have let it flap back there – that would have been interesting for the folks behind me too. I’ve got a couple pictures but I’m having trouble getting them out of my phone – tomorrow…..
My goal today was to keep from putting my rain suit on – and not get too wet in the process. I’ve been told by the locals that rain is coming and I dedicated today to get out in front of it. As you know, I don’t like to do too much time on the slab, but when you’re running – you gotta RUN. I will tell you, if you’re not comfortable mixing it up with the big rigs – better not get on Interstate 40 out of Little Rock. Same speed limit for everyone, trailer or not, and in many places – “It’s a Free For All.” I was good with it, and played the game for a long time; but by the time I got to Nashville (about 350 miles) I was DONE. I got off I-40 and took the loop around the city. Got back on my old friend since Texas – US 70 East. It was 55 mph on the loop and US 70 was a surface street for 15 miles but it was a welcome change from the 75 or 80 mph (pulling a trailer) just to stay alive on I-40. I didn’t get far though; stopped in Lebanon and decided to spend the night. Rain tonight so I’m in a hotel room & hope it is gone in the morning. I will ride in the rain but I’m happy to wait it out if I have the time. The thing I really try to avoid on these camping trips is putting the tent away wet; nothing good comes from that…..
When I was getting all the stuff off the bike and into the room, a couple of the locals invited me to the bar behind the hotel here so I think I’ll go check that out.
Okay – that was a bust; I actually think I was set up. The “locals” that invited me and said they would be there – weren’t. The people that were there were NOT interested in someone just walking in to THEIR bar and expecting to be included in all the reindeer games – and that included the bar tender. I had one beer, left $5 on the bar and got the hell out of there before anything got out of hand. What was it that Shakespeare said, “Discretion is the better part of valor.”
Hat Keeper – the paper clip attaches to the back on the hat
This morning I started out just south of Lebanon, TN on my US 70 eastbound. Smooth road, no traffic, wide sweeping turns, speed limit of 45. You could go faster but you might miss some of the beautiful countryside so 45 was plenty fast enough. What a great way to wake up!!
I was hoping that the rain would go through over night and be gone this AM. What I think happened, is that yesterday’s rain went through just north of where I was and missed me altogether. Today’s rain was going to be a different story. I was definitely in front of the rain when I started out this AM. I was sure I could easily outrun it if I took I-40 but I’d had my fill of that yesterday and would rather be wet than spend another day on the Interstate. You know the wind change that comes right before it starts raining? I was riding in that turbulent wind for over two hours. Then it was spitting rain but just a little and certainly not enough to make me stop to put on the rain gear. I was having fun staying just in front of the rain, riding toward the lighter sky, and daring the rain to just try to catch me. Then – – it started getting dark. I was getting wet and decided to stop and get the rain gear (most of it) on. I have spare everything – except boots, and boots take a LONG time to dry out and it’s no fun at all wearing wet boots – so I took care of them first. I wasn’t going to put the rain suit on but figured the jacket would at least keep my leather vest dry. The pants are a PAIN to put on, so I didn’t. Later, I regretted that decision. What I should have done is follow the advise of a “good ole boy” at one of my gas stops. He said, “Better hunt you a dry spot.” If I had done just that, it would have taken 45 minutes to an hour for it to blow over but I had no way of knowing.
It rained moderately for 20 of my last 30 miles, and POURED for the last 10. But that wasn’t a big problem because I never got over 35 mph. As most of you know, riding in the rain isn’t a big deal for me but I’m going to need some different glasses or maybe a scuba mask for these situations – getting water on the outside AND the inside of your glasses makes things, “interesting…..”
Oh yea, someone got themselves a nice souvenir last night. I guess they must have needed a California license plate for their collection. Luckily, the one on the bike is difficult to get to – they took the one off the trailer. Some people’s kids…….
Late start and a short day. No slab time today and it was very nice. It takes a while on the side roads but it’s a much nicer ride. I actually took the time to take some pictures today. I’m using my iPhone & iPad almost exclusively for my photography. They do a good job and are always close.
I spent most of the day today in the Blue Ridge mountains, part of the Appalachian chain. It was awesome but I won’t bore you with all the “great ride” stuff, just one story to tell. I was following a guy for a while that thought the yellow recommended speed in the turns was the new speed limit. It took me awhile to figure this out and I was a little frustrated at the arbitrary speed changes, etc. After I figured it out – I just laughed. They turned off after while and even though I was able to speed up – I actually kinda missed them. Here are a couple panorama shots I took from the road.
One of the meadows at the top of the Appalachians.
When I left California, the packing list included my chaps – but I couldn’t find them & I fear that they are lost. So, I did some checking and found a place in Independence, VA that makes their own (in the USA) chaps, jackets, & some western stuff. Additionally, their reputation for a quality product is very good & their stuff is covered by a lifetime guarantee. I had to check them out – off the beaten path to say the least, but worth the trip if you’re in the area. I won’t waste everyone’s time telling you about the chaps I got but if you wanna know – ask. If you’re looking for quality and made in the USA – check these folks out (in person or on line).
Sporting my new chaps from www.foxcreekleather.com
The descent from the Blue Ridge mountains down into Roanoke, VA is not gradual. It was difficult to stop since it’s pretty steep and what little shoulder there is has gravel all over it, but I managed & got this shot just before what was to be the end of my day on the bike. I’m holed up in a flea bag here in Roanoke because the KOA’s weren’t convenient. On the positive side there is a Mexican restaurant across the parking lot. Think I’ll go over there and see if I can’t teach them how to make a margarita. Norfolk, VA tomorrow.
Coming out of the Blue Ridge Mountains into Roanoke, Virginia
Killing time a little time. Slainte’
My ride today was a slab ride. When you get closer to the big cities you just have to be on the slab or you’re going to be fighting traffic on surface streets. I might have been able to figure out a route that would mostly keep me out of the cities but I was really just over it and wanted to get to Yorktown (near Norfolk) and see my friends. Additionally, taking the freeway allowed me to start later in the day – which was important because it was an electric clothes day even when I left at 10:00. When I got here I stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings and bought myself a reward while I waited for my buddy to get off work. It’s been a long time since I had one of these & it sure tasted good; the second one was even better.
I left Buffalo Wild Wings after a nice visit with Don & Judy and headed for Kim’s house. Spaghetti dinner with Kim, her son Lowell, grandson Ryan, and son-in-law, Bill. Fresh strawberries, home made shortcake, and cream for desert – good friends, great food.
No riding today and I’m thankful for that. My back is starting to complain about all the bumps in the road and this will be a nice break. I didn’t really have any plans for today but last night I noticed a room that Kim has been needing to paint since I was here last year, and when I found out that she actually had the paint and all the stuff necessary to get the job done – I told her that I’d be happy to paint if for her today. So – something constructive today – painting. The job is done now and the room looks very nice, In My Never To Be Humble Opinion. I’ve never painted with texture in the paint and I have to tell you it’s a learning process. Good thing I started on a wall that is covered by a book shelf. My reward for painting – tonight I get banana cream pie – Kim makes the BEST I’ve ever had.
World’s Best!! Banana Cream Pie. This thing weighs 8 pounds!!
Another day off from the two wheeler today. I’ve been invited to Don & Judy’s house after church for Sunday lunch with them and their children and grand children. The other day at Buffalo Wild Wings we remarked that it has been almost 30 years since we’ve visited – that’s a long time. However, like old friends do, we picked it right back up just like we had been in touch the whole time. Lunch and spending time with their family was wonderful and the grand kids all were enamored of the motorcycle. We parted promising to come back next year when Robin is planning on joining me on a long x-country ride.
Couple of VERY good friends from the Air Force. Don & Judy – Poquoson, Virginia
Don & Judy’s children. Brian and Angela
When I got back to Kim’s I finished up my project for the day – Malibu Lights
Fifty-Three years old today. I can’t tell you where the time went. I got a very nice card from my loving wife, a gift that Kim made for me, and lots of birthday wishes from friends and family all over the place. Thank you all.
Back on the road tomorrow – headed in the general direction of Atlanta, GA. I’ve been watching the weather channel and it looks like there is going to be some moisture to contend with. I’ve learned my lesson and will be putting on ALL my rain gear this time!!
Spent the all of the morning and a little bit of the afternoon waiting for the rain to pass. I finally pulled out at 1230 when it looked like things were letting up. I did suit up though, full rain gear – just in case. After an hour and a half of light rain it stopped, for a little bit. Right before it quit for good it REALLY rained for about 5 miles. Two hours after I left the rain gear had dried off enough that I could pull over and take it off. I kept the gators on for insurance – don’t want wet boots. The rest of the trip here to Knightdale, North Carolina (just east of Raleigh) wasn’t rain free, but nearly so. Some very nice roads here in NC & I’m looking forward to experiencing more of them tomorrow.
Pulling out fully suited up.
This breakfast will get you down the road a ways… Where’s my bib??
Hard to believe it’s been two weeks since I left home; mostly because I’ve been having such a great time that the days just fly by. Tomorrow more pix from the road & at least half way to Atlanta. Kim is such a great cook, here is a shot of what I’ve been being fed like for the past 3 days. I’m hoping that after a couple days my pants will start fitting again!!
It’s not rain this morning but heavy mist. Still gotta put your wet suit on to ride though. On the up side – probably won’t be getting sun burned…. Time to get started.
Making me glad that I decided against tent camping last night.
What a great day on the bike. Yea, I had to start in my wet suit but that only lasted until the first gas stop. Sure is nice having a good GPS. I just put in the address I want to go to, tell it to avoid highways & sit back and enjoy the ride. Of course there are times that I think I could have picked a better route on my own (especially when I’m going through down town somewhere) but overall – I’m sure glad to have it.
Most of the roads today looked like this – gentle curves and solitude.
The Rock – the grim reaper watches over her. Won’t be long, it’ll be gone…..
Then I saw that I could make a slight detour and go to Darlington – The Lady in Black. No question, that’s where I went. I even paid my $5 and went through the stock car museum there. Probably worth $5 but that’s about it. They do have the wrecked car that Darrell Waltrip took this wild ride in back in 1991 (worth the couple minutes it takes to watch). I always liked this track, first because for a while Dale Earnhardt pretty much had it figured out & secondly because of its history. The fastest racing line at Darlington is right up against the wall. You’re not really trying if the right side of your car hasn’t been flattened by the wall. For a while it was even thought that a car with a flat right side would run faster than one with stock fender flares; so drivers would purposely bump their cars against the wall to make that “modification” – The Darlington Stripe.
The Lady in Black – also – The Track Too Tough to Tame
Right now I’m kicking back in Columbia, SC – very close to the college. That means that all the drivers around here drive like you did when you were that age. Not much patience or understanding for an old man on a bike, hauling a trailer. Tomorrow – Atlanta, GA
Last night I checked the flea bag hotel off my ride list. I thought there might be a problem when I pulled up because the parking lot was empty. However, this is the place I picked, and being a little stubborn, I wasn’t interested in looking for another option.
When I’m on a bike ride, all I need in a hotel room is a shower and a bed. Bed was okay and the shower appeared to be fine until I pulled the lever to make the water start coming out of the shower head. The flow out of the shower head was slightly more than a fine mist; AND, the rest of the water was still coming out of the tub filler faucet. I tried several times to improve the situation but it was always the same. One more fun thing to contend with, the drain was unable to handle all the water so by the time I was done with my shower (if you could call it that), I was half way up to my knees in dirty water.
This morning the bike was as I’d left it last night which made everything else okay. The road today was another good one. Leisurely ride (many of you don’t believe that) with lots to see. I’ve been on some of these roads in Georgia before but it’s been many years. Things have changed a lot since then. I’m kicking back and will spend most of the day tomorrow with my nieces. Looks like the weather is going to hold until Friday or Saturday then it’s gonna RAIN. Good thing both those travel days are going to be short.
A little rest for me and the scooter, somewhere in Georgia.
Got the bike to the local H-D dealer this morning for a push rod adjustment. There is a little too much noise coming from the rocker boxes for my liking. Come to find out, there is a flat spot in the rear cylinder intake lifter so they are going to replace the lifters and push rods. I’m going to cross my fingers that they don’t screw something up! I never have that motor worked on at a dealer. Oh well, I do have a back up plan if the bike breaks down so…. all part of the adventure, right?
My nieces, Sara & Missy picked me up at the Harley dealer and we went to Olive Garden for lunch. I hung out with them until we got everyone rounded up from work, school, sitters, etc and then the TWELVE of us went to dinner. I just sat back and smiled as the kids will be kids antics started up. I taught the bartender how to make a good margarita and the liberal application of that wonderful elixir made everything alright. I had a good time with everyone and look forward to our next outing (next year’s ride) and I wish I lived closer so our visits aren’t so far apart. The bike should be ready tomorrow & I’ll be off to Mobile, Alabama.
Cheaper by the Dozen – My Atlanta family…
Sara & Laura took me to lunch at Ffirehouse Subs then we went to the Harley dealer to pick up the bike. We said our goodbyes and I was on my way to Montgomery. While on the road, I decided that the better decision would be to go to Birmingham and check into the hotel a day early. It’s really supposed to be raining hard tomorrow and even though it’s not that far from Montgomery to Birmingham – I wasn’t interested in doing it in the rain.
Just about time to trade in my handlebars for golf clubs for a little while….
It rained here until about 11:00 so yesterday’s decision was a good one. Looks like we might be in for a bit more rain and with golf supposed to be starting tomorrow it could get interesting. My lovely wife was kind enough to put my golf rain suit in the mail so I’m prepared to play through the showers if necessary.
My niece Brandy and her husband Jayson are who I was supposed to be staying with in Montgomery last night. Lucky for me, they were up here today at Oak Mountain State Park; Jayson practicing for a mountain bike race and Brandy on a little hike with their dog. So – we met at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. The food was good and the company was better. We parted promising to stay in touch and I went back to the hotel and watched the Kentucky Derby (my horse, one of the favorites, won) and the Saturday race at Talladega; what a finish!!. If golf gets rained out tomorrow maybe someone will want to go over to the race track – “Welcome to Talladega”.
Brandy and me – spotty shade under trees isn’t good for pictures….
I really didn’t want to bore all of you with the details from my golf outings here in Birmingham so I didn’t do daily posts. Today however, it’s the end of the trip and I’ll hit the highlights for you. As you may or may not know, Alabama is the home of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – 468 holes of some of the greatest golf around. Here are the courses we played; some of them part RTJ and others not. A friend of mine from LA Center invited me to join this group of guys that have been going on a spring golf outing somewhere in the U.S. together for over 20 years. It’s a diverse group but about half of them are or have been (many are retired) involved in aviation in some way or another.
Sunday – Timberline: Very nice introduction to the style of courses we’ll be playing this week. I could NOT read the greens here.
Monday – Oxmore – Valley Course & Short Course: This is one of the RTJ courses. The Valley course here was good but the short course (all par 3′s) is one of the top rated par 3 courses in the nation. Even though we got rained out after 12 holes, I have to say – I am putting this 18 hole par 3 course on my gotta play that one again list.
Tuesday – Farmlinks: An interesting course with an interesting story. Golf World says this is the #1 course in Alabama. I have to say it’s a great track and the wide fairways allow you to let the shaft out; which was a nice change of pace from what we have been playing. If you’ve got a minute – click the link and check out the story on Farm Links.
Wednesday – Capitol Hill – The Judge: Another RTJ course. This will beat you up if you’re not prepared. The first hole is the signature hole for The Judge and one of the signature holes for the RTJ Golf Trail. I’m playing this one again when I get a chance.
Thursday – Limestone Springs: Nice track but nothing special. I played it from the tips with my buddy Gordo; who is a scratch golfer. That, combined with the fact that we went through a couple Bloody Mary’s and several beers could have something to do with my opinion of this course. Wouldn’t mind playing it again minus the alcohol just to verify.
Friday – Ross Bridge: Another RTJ course & easily, IMHO, the best course we played. It looked like we were going to get rained out and I was seriously contemplating not even going to the golf course with the rest of the guys this morning. Sure glad I decided to go (and so are Dean-O and Ivy, cuz we were WAY off course with Ivy’s GPS – but that’s another story). This course is one of the best I’ve ever played. Based on the golf we’ve played, the best golf day in the area would be 18 holes here at Ross Bridge then, literally across the street, to Oxmoor and play their 18 hole short course. If I’m ever back, that is exactly what I’ll be doing!!
First at The Judge.
Back on the scooter: Today is Friday, May 10. Two of the LA Center guys hopped a flight home right after golf, the rest are staying in Birmingham another night. I paid for the room through Saturday in advance, but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get farther west and hopefully miss some of the pending rain. SO – about 4:30 I said my goodbyes & headed for Tupelo, MS. I could swear that I smelled gas and-uh that ain’t good eats. Pulled over but couldn’t find anything and a couple gas stops with odometer checks revealed normal mileage – strange…..oh well, Tupelo here I come. I got here just in time too – it was dark enough (because of the clouds) that I’d swear I could see my headlight shining on the road. Right now I’m holed up in the Super 8 doing laundry & watching the nasty thunderstorm go through.
