We Did It!

We did it... 7 weeks away, 9,541 miles traveled on the bike over interstates, back roads and sometimes no roads at all, lots of heat, a little rain, altitudes of 10,947 feet with a week in the middle to cruise Alaska. Some days ran together, and without these notes to remind us much would soon be forgotten, and what we recall would soon be exaggerated.

We started in Sarasota on July 2, and traveled to Ormond first and then to Savannah for family/friend visits and grandson hugs. Then it was toward Memphis for some Blues by way of Birmingham before continuing west through Arkansas and Oklahoma where we found the worst weather of the trip in the form of heavy rains all day and spent the evening watching reports of floating cars and flooded homes in Oklahoma City 30 miles ahead.

In the next 10 days we rode to and hiked a mile into the Grand Canyon, did the hike up river and back in Zion, rested in Vegas and rode toward the Sierra Nevadas and through Yosemite and the Cascade range and Mount Shasta in California. We went a couple hours out of the way to ride the Columbia River Gorge crossing the Bridge of the Gods and did some sightseeing in Seattle before the cruise.

The weather for the cruise was sunny and warm by local standards providing perfect views of whales and glaciers and huge chunks of floating ice along the way. We would recommend this cruise, but don't blame us if the weather is less than perfect!

After Alaska, it was back on the road, and more mountain views in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming where we visited Yellowstone and the Tetons before traveling through the Bear Tooth Highway, a road through the high tundra of Montana and Wyoming where we saw fields of wildflowers juxtaposed against a background of snow and ice.

We only spent a few hours in North Dakota, but much of that was slipping and sliding on roads of bare dirt and gravel as we made our way to Sturgis. Over 3 days we spent time in Deadwood, and Keystone, and rode to Mt Rushmore and through tight switchbacks of the Needles Highway in South Dakota. We saw corn fields from Minnesota to  Indiana from both interstates and back roads, and they looked the same from both perspectives. We listened to country music in Nashville til well past our normal bedtime, and rode through not too heavy rains the day we returned to Savannah to see the boys.

As we travel we are somewhat removed from the world, taking time to watch the weather but seem to stay a few days behind on real news. We were happy that we only learned later that, while in Yellowstone, we had shared the space not only with bears and bison but also with escaped convicts from Arizona. While we were gone life went on, Lindsay Lohan went from self imposed rehab to jail, was set free and back into rehab... nothing changes.

We stayed in a couple of rustic cabins, a suite in Vegas, modest quarters on the ship, and a bunch of rooms of varying quality and comfort along the way. Many days were packing and loading, riding and unloading again. Most days we were lucky and remained dry, some days were too hot, a few were too cool, but each day on the road offered something new to see. Some days offered more challenges than we would ask for, but we met each and made it safe and sound. Since our first trip, we have always said that ours is the best way to see the country, with views unobstructed, and a schedule of our choosing. A person can see more from the back of a motorcycle than could ever be seen from a car or RV or tour bus. And you can get a real sense of your surroundings, as when a Buffalo pauses 2 feet away as he crosses your path and you can only wait and hope that he moves gently away to allow you to pass through his domain. We didn't see the bear, but spoke to riders who did and saw pictures as proof.

We are talking about a New England ride next...They have bears there too!!!

The reports have become fewer as we approach home. We arrived in Florida Tuesday, stopping in Ormond for a couple of days before getting back to Sarasota. The past few days have taken us from Illinois where a rain shower slowed our progress on Thursday, forcing us to take shelter under an awning of a service station along with some kids hauling their belongings in a pickup truck and open trailer. After 1/2 hour we were on some back roads heading toward Evansville Indiana, following the directions I had printed at the hotel that morning. A stop at the local dealership, then off to find a room for the night. Another fairly uneventful day.

Back in more familiar territory, we made a short day of Friday as we stopped in Nashville as planned to spend a little time on 'music row'. Being early in the day, rooms were not yet ready at the downtown hotel, so we took time to walk the few blocks to Broadway for lunch and shopping. There is a 2 or 3 block stretch full of honky tonks where local and imported talent play continuously throughout the day and night. Debbie met up with more bikers doing laundry, (you know you are in Nashville when you find a guitar pick in the dryer).  We were a day early for the professional bull riding competitions so later we went out to check out the music. We have been here enough to know our favorite places, and ended up at Tootsie's, a fun but tiny place where bar stools are at a premium and most of the patrons stand shoulder to shoulder. We stayed long enough to claim a spot at the bar and drank from tall brown bottles til after midnight, quite a feat for folks our age. Aside from the singers we were entertained by the hardest working bar girl in the place who never slowed the entire night tossing bottles high in the air, and sending bottle caps flying in all directions.

Saturday took us through Chattanooga and along the Ocoee River where we passed hundreds of whitewater rafters and kayakers making their way over these rapids where the 1996 Olympic kayaking was held.We took time for lunch as we waited out the rain before setting out on the winding road that runs along the river where we had light rain all the way to North Carolina. A stop in Murphy to celebrate a birthday with Debbie's brother Tom and then on to Savannah to check on the grandsons. Since we have avoided most big Cities, Debbie wanted to bypass Atlanta as well, so we called on the GPS for directions. The bossy lady offering turn by turn directions helped us do that, but took us on a roads so rarely used they don't even show up on the atlas we carry. So once she got us to a point we could pinpoint on the map we stored the GPS and fended for ourselves. The last hour of the ride into Savannah was wet but safe and we surprised the grandsons by arriving a day early.

We are safe in Fl. Will update later

Still heading home

3 Days ( or is it 4 ) out of Sturgis and the motorcycle sightings have become more scarce, and people have resumed waving when we pass... this is a tradition that is abandoned near major motorcycle gatherings. We have somehow continued to avoid rain despite the daily predictions on the weather channel, USA Today, Internet and Al Roker. The ride the last few days offers little to report. Minnesota was flat and nothing but corn fields interspersed with olfactory evidence of nearby cattle ranches, however upon crossing the Mississippi into Wisconsin, the landscape immediately changed to tree covered hills. The one thing missing all day was any sign of civilized life except for the occasional truckstop. We met 2 other couples at the Dairy Queen in La Cross who had taken backroads that day. They assured us the corn fields look just the same from a 2 lane road as they did from the interstate. When we arrived at our intended resting place for the night, we found but one hotel, which fell far below standard so we continued on another hour and settled for a spot just slightly better.

Dinner was at C J's Italian restaurant, which is apparently the nicest place in town. I can say that because we rode around and found few alternatives to this which came highly recommended by the lady who checked us in. If that were not evidence enough soon after we arrived, the lone waitress began combining tables to accommodate a party of 15 soon to arrive. I immediately pegged these as the local insurance agency employees who were being treated to dinner by company reps... I can smell these gatherings as they begin to form, and in a small town like this can distinguish the agents from company folks by the shoes they wear. (company people have shiny shoes, locals carry a layer of dust)

Thinking back, I failed to mention an unusual happening several days ago while riding near Mt Rushmore. As we rounded a curve there was a family of large birds, I will call them pheasants because it sounds good, but I actually have no clue. In any case 3 of these feathered creatures were strolling casually across the road. As we slowed taking great care to assure their safety and ours, a tiny bird flew in from the left and made a perfect kamikaze attack on Debbie's helmet, leaving a few feathers as evidence of the incident. We think the little guy is ok but didn't stop to see for sure.

Today we made it into Illinois, and Thursday will be Indiana. The small town paper today reported on the front page that there is one liquor establishment for every 454.5 residents...not much to report? I predict that tomorrow there will again be little excitement, which when you are riding a bike, is not always bad. I did take time to visit the local dealership here to have them verify everything is in good condition for the rest of the ride.

The other news of note is that today, Wednesday is Jace's first day of kindergarten, time flies!

Heading Home

On Sunday we took time for more rides in Blackhills... to Keystone, another typical old west town on the way to Mt Rushmore. Then the Needles Highway which is a narrow road which winds through tall thin rock formations hence the name. This road is nothing but hairpin turns and one lane tunnels up and down the mountain, making it fun to ride, but less enjoyable for the passenger. At one point we were following an idiot who was riding with one hand, taking pictures and video with the other. Fortunately he went off in a different direction before I had a chance to share my thoughts on his riding style. We continued on through Hill City and back to Deadwood

Today we left this all behind and headed east on I 90, bypassing the Badlands in order to get to our home for this night in time to get laundry done. At a remote gas station somewhere between Sturgis and the end of the earth, we were treated to a short display of biker stupidity. The station was configured such that there was ONE dedicated entrance and ONE dedicated exit. As I finished gassing up, I heard a distant ranting and saw a biker trying to enter the exit...blocked by a rusty pickup truck. By the time I saw him he was off his bike, challenging the unsuspecting traveler to exit his vehicle for a showdown. The driver stayed safe inside his truck, while the screams went on for a couple of minutes before his wife or someone convinced him to ride away before someone hauled him away.

We are due for rain, and according to the local experts Tuesday should be the day. We have not looked at much news or weather in 6 weeks but it appears that the Midwest and south have been getting rain since we left home, so I suppose there is no reason to think it will change just to make our trip home more comfortable.

The next few days will take us through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, then back home by way of Savannah. To date we have traveled about 7,000 miles, and are still more than 2,000 miles from Sarasota based on our planned route. Another week of hotels and highways and this trip will be another memory. So although the most scenic rides are behind us we will have to remember to enjoy each of the next few days while they last.

Sturgis....

Part of our plan was to ride into North Dakota just to add that state to our list that we have ridden into. The map indicated that this was one secondary road that ran from Miles City where we spent the last night all the way into North Dakota... after about 130 miles we would turn south toward Sturgis.

Google maps indicated this should take 4 1/2 hours, it took us over 6 hours. Neither Google nor the maps warned us about 10 miles of dirt and gravel road in and near the town of Marmarth N. D. On one of these construction delays the route was so convoluted that a pilot vehicle was required to lead while we followed the trail of dust. I know we only passed through a small portion of North Dakota, but I see little reason why a person would voluntarily bring themselves and their families here to live. From the time we left Miles City in Montana until we reached some form of civilization near Sturgis we passed through only one town of any size, Bowman population 1,600. Otherwise it was cattle ranches and hay farms but no homes or other structures could be found with the exception of one bar, a snack stand and a few silos scattered over the 300 mile ride.

We have taken time to visit downtown Sturgis, ridden through the Black Hills and into Deadwood, the town where Wild Bill Hickok lived and died. In Sturgis, Debbie recognized and lady selling water on Main Street who we met a few years ago here and reminded me that her son lives in Clearwater. So when I asked if she had a son there, she refused to sell me water until I explained how I knew her.

The event does not officially start until Monday but the crowds are already substantial, making me believe we made a good choice to be here early and leave before it gets too crazy. Sunday we plan to ride to Mt Rushmore, Custer park, maybe back to Deadwood before we head closer to home on Monday.

Beartooth Pass 10,947 ft

Today, Thursday we took highway 212 aka the Beartooth Highway, which is listed as one of the most scenic drives in the U.S. and is one of the highest and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, ( closed during the winter months ).  The road itself is the highest elevation highway in Wyoming (10,947 feet) and Montana (10,350 feet).

We have spoken with folks who had come through and experienced rain and hail along with the cold temperatures that come with the elevations, and when I walked outside this morning, fog and clouds prevented me from seeing much more than the 1/8 of mile to the end of town. By the time we found breakfast the skies had cleared and I began to feel better about our chances for a good day.

So we layered up our clothes, T shirts, long sleeves, fleece and leather jackets and chaps, heavy gloves and masks in anticipation of 35 degree temperatures and headed east of town and began to climb toward the Summit at Beartooth at 10,947 feet, then back down to the town of Red Lodge at 5,500 feet. The ride began with a gradual climb and nice wide curves. A few miles in, we had a brief stop for some road construction, after which the slope increased and the switchbacks became more frequent and severe. A couple of stops when the overlooks looked safe for some great views and hopefully good pictures.  At our first stop we talked to a couple of Canadians who remembered us from dinner and breakfast, ( don't know what we were doing to be so memorable ) and we would see them again several more times on the ride up.

We ran into riders from all parts of the country, Canada, and France today, all headed to Sturgis, all doing the same ride through the mountains and all reciting the same weather reports. However mountains in the high tundra have a weather system all their own and do not listen to the weatherman, nor pay attention to surrounding conditions... so despite our fears, the weather was again perfect, as were the road conditions, with the exception of 200 yards which was unpaved and under repair. So again since we left Sarasota on July 2, we have had one real rain day back in Oklahoma.... we hope it continues another 10 days or so until we get home.

The rest of the day was straight flat roads, with little to write about, but in the interest of full disclosure, I will share our lunch experience today. After stopping at a peaceful looking roadside park to eat, we loaded up and I pulled out taking a short cut across a parking lot of deep gravel. It was then that I felt something inside my left pant leg rapidly making it's way up to and past my knee. I was not sure what critters are native to southern Montana, but in a millisecond everything from bees to lizards to snakes and Gila monsters ran through my head and I began to impede his upward movement with my left hand, while trying to control the bike with my right. My brain knew that neither of these efforts could possibly succeed, but my survival instincts had taken over and in a few more seconds I was rolling on the ground pulling a grasshopper from my pants. Later Debbie likened the experience to Ray Stevens' song 'Mississippi Squirrel Revival'. So now I must check, each time I mount the bike, to assure that no living being has infiltrated my clothing. No damage or personal injuries resulted, and even the hitchhiking insect was freed to live another day.

Tomorrow, we will arrive in Sturgis... maybe we will have lunch in the safety of a vendor tent...