When I was in Myrtle Beach I was thinking that it might be cool to have one of those “states I’ve been to” maps on the back of my trailer. I asked Robin to see if she could find one that would fit the trailer and she was up to the task. She mailed it (& a few other things) to me & I promptly put it on the back of the trailer and started adding states. Just about everywhere I go someone asks me about my trip, the “camper” (tent trailer) or something else having to do with my ride – I get a lot of questions about the map. The rest of my ride home will be through states I’ve already been to so all the stickers for 2014 are on – here’s what it looks like:
Deal’s Gap, The Tail of the Dragon, Four Corners sticker from Madawaska, the Bourbon Trail and 32 out of the Lower 48 states. Now that’s a bike ride!!
The Longest Day – It’s the first day of summer and the longest day of the year, I used all the daylight and some of the night. Last night I checked my route for today and programed a couple of the waypoints into my GPS so I’d be ready to go early. Going to stop for a picture or two at the NARO’s Very Large Array in New Mexico (you may remember this place from the movie Contact) and spend the night in Show Low up in the Arizona pines. I want to see if the same bar tender is there that I met a couple years ago. She was so interested in my Alaska ride (still in the planning stages back then) that she called her husband and had him come down to the bar to talk to me about it. I’m sure he would like to hear about what actually happened on that trip. Additionally, it should be much cooler in Show Low which is always a concern this time of year in Arizona.
NARO – Very Large Array is a radio astronomy observatory.
Another 500+ mile day but with a 5:45 AM start – shouldn’t be a problem. When I started the bike – there was a problem. It sounded like a little man in the bottom of the motor with a hammer trying to get out. Hmmm…. Well, it’s too early to do anything about it here and now so I figured I’d soft pedal it down the road to Clovis, NM and reevaluate. I the knock went away at 2800 rpm so I kept the bike at that rpm and about 50 mph to Clovis.
This guy never complains – and he always keeps up.
When I got to Clovis – it was worse. My brother lives in Albuquerque and I could leave the bike there, fly home and come back with my truck to pick everything up; but Albuquerque is 255 miles away and I’m afraid the little man will come out of the motor if I try to go that far. Guess it’s time for the Nuclear Option, get a U-Haul, put the bike in the back and the trailer on the bumper and go home that way. Now, Clovis, New Mexico is not a very big town but they do have a U-Haul dealer. Dan, the manager, had a 10 foot truck he could rent me but it didn’t have a ramp so we had a predicament – how do we get the bike in the back of the truck. Dan made a few phone calls to his buddies to see if someone could bring a ramp over but that wasn’t working out. They say necessity is the mother of invention and I have to agree. Walking around the U-Haul lot I have an idea – we push the bike backwards into a trailer then lower the trailer ramp into the back of the truck and I just ride it in. I know you are thinking – get the camera ready, this could be a $10,000 video – but it all went perfectly.
While not technically “on the hook” it’s the same to me. At least I can get it & the trailer home.
Some of you might have noticed that my blog posts are a day behind. I made it to Kingman, AZ the first night and made it home yesterday, June 22. The bike is back in the garage and will have to wait until we get back from Canada for the attention it needs. You might think my luck finally ran out and I might agree If I’d broken down in the middle of nowhere, no shade in sight and no cell phone coverage. Just the fact that the U-Haul dealer in Clovis had a truck available seemed like divine intervention to me. This year’s ride ended a little early but no sour grapes from me. Looking forward to getting the bike fixed and next year’s ride around the Great Lakes & maybe, just maybe – Newfoundland. Thanks for riding along. 15,000+ miles.
Are we guessing it might be additional to the warranty work they did here?
You may have been right all along and it just got untenable in NM.
Good luck, let us know…..
Hi Lenny,
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed your blogs. Too bad about your motorcycle’s mishap in NM, but it sounds like you made the right decision to haul it from Clovis. Thanks for including me on your list … glad you had such a memorable and enjoyable time!
Fred
Sorry about the bike…but have a great time in Alaska! Thanks for “taking me along”
How did Canada get it’s name? A group of founders back in the 1600’s gathered around and decided to draw letters out of a hat for the name of the country…They drew them in this order…
C “eh” N “eh” D “eh” …someone said stop right there..I think ya got something!
Thank u for sharing the journey! It was fun tagging along!!
Just finished your posts (a little later than most). Another enjoyable journey for all of us. Thanks buddy! I really appreciate the back stories and history lessons. Have you ever seen Aerial America on the Smithsonian Channel? It’s like you’re the narrator for that show and yet you’re also the photographer. Take care.
Anna & Terry