337 miles today, bringing the grand total for the trip to 10,299 in three weeks and a day. Not bad for an old fart, don't ya know....
8/10/08
Day 22
August 10. Home! About a hundred miles out, it started to rain. Of course! I didn't bother with raingear, since there was only a couple hours left for the whole trip. I think I missed the worst of it, but there must have been some nasty winds along the way, what with all the road debris. And there were some flooded roads along the way. When I got home I learned there were tornado and flood watches in effect. But, hey, a fitting end, right?
8/9/08
Day 21
August 9. I bet not too many of you have ever had what I had for breakfast this morning at Paul & Carla's B&B. Venison sausage! Outstanding! I told you this was a great place to stay.
After breakfast we tended to the bike, getting that last oil change in. And while we were doing that, it started raining. Such a rare event on this trip, rain. So on goes the raingear, yet again, and away I go, haul-assin'. The rain had actually pretty much quit by then, but I did need the gear for the wet roads and the few remaing spritzes.
The day's riding began with a delightful tour of the interstates surrounding Chicago, always a delightful day. NOT!!! But after getting through that mess, the ride was pretty good. I80 all the way through Indiana and Ohio, where the traffic was light and so was the weather. There is of course the occasional moron on these turnpikes who wants to tailgate when you're doing 80 and match speed when you slow down, in the left lane of course, so you can't pass anybody. But all in all, a nice ride.
I went until after dark, when I started seeing lightning in the distance and decide not to push things. But I still got in 592 miles, landing in Brookville, PA.
Tomorrow oughta do it.
After breakfast we tended to the bike, getting that last oil change in. And while we were doing that, it started raining. Such a rare event on this trip, rain. So on goes the raingear, yet again, and away I go, haul-assin'. The rain had actually pretty much quit by then, but I did need the gear for the wet roads and the few remaing spritzes.
The day's riding began with a delightful tour of the interstates surrounding Chicago, always a delightful day. NOT!!! But after getting through that mess, the ride was pretty good. I80 all the way through Indiana and Ohio, where the traffic was light and so was the weather. There is of course the occasional moron on these turnpikes who wants to tailgate when you're doing 80 and match speed when you slow down, in the left lane of course, so you can't pass anybody. But all in all, a nice ride.
I went until after dark, when I started seeing lightning in the distance and decide not to push things. But I still got in 592 miles, landing in Brookville, PA.
Tomorrow oughta do it.
8/8/08
Day 20
August 8. Cut the day short (477 miles) when I spotted a great place to spend the night, Paul & Carla's Bed & Breakfast. Great food, great room, great prices. And they're even going to wash the bike and let me change the oil right on the premises for free!
The ride was I94 and I90 through Wisconsin to Rockford, Illinois. Wisconsin is nice, but the ride was a little tedious, as the drivers hereabouts seem to think the hammer lane is for stargazing. Oh well, we haul-assin' for home and ought not pay such incompetents much mind.
The ride was I94 and I90 through Wisconsin to Rockford, Illinois. Wisconsin is nice, but the ride was a little tedious, as the drivers hereabouts seem to think the hammer lane is for stargazing. Oh well, we haul-assin' for home and ought not pay such incompetents much mind.
8/7/08
Day 19
August 7. Another great day! And a couple of firsts. The first first is that this is the first day since the day I left that I haven't started with chaps and/or long johns. The second first is that I added another motorcycle state to my list, North Dakota. Even after all of my trips to Sturgis and points west, this is the first time I've ridden in ND.
Fantastic weather all day. Decent scenery, especially a little badlands in western ND that I didn't know about. Got off US 2 onto US 85 (which was to have been my ride to Sturgis), but hopped on to I84. An Interstate, you exclaim. Isn't that blasphemy? Not so. We're haul-assin' home don't ya know. (Some place up here talks like that, but I forget which.) Besides, in ND, at least, I84 is more like a country road than a freeway. Very little traffic, same view of the countryside.
Just didn't want to get off the bike. Made it all the way across ND to Alexandria, Minnesota (632 miles). Finally had to get off when it got dark. But the evening was just one of those perfect motorcycle times: cool, sweet smelling, and one of those sunsets that turns the grass and trees yellow.
The only bug in the day was when I went looking for the Harley dealer in Manadan, ND. A little tricky to find and when I did, I turned in the wrong parking lot. I overcompensated trying to do a U-ey, and plunk, down went the bike again. Four years I've had this beast and never dropped her. Now, twice in two weeks. Must be getting old. Time to start trying on trikes, maybe?
Fantastic weather all day. Decent scenery, especially a little badlands in western ND that I didn't know about. Got off US 2 onto US 85 (which was to have been my ride to Sturgis), but hopped on to I84. An Interstate, you exclaim. Isn't that blasphemy? Not so. We're haul-assin' home don't ya know. (Some place up here talks like that, but I forget which.) Besides, in ND, at least, I84 is more like a country road than a freeway. Very little traffic, same view of the countryside.
Just didn't want to get off the bike. Made it all the way across ND to Alexandria, Minnesota (632 miles). Finally had to get off when it got dark. But the evening was just one of those perfect motorcycle times: cool, sweet smelling, and one of those sunsets that turns the grass and trees yellow.
The only bug in the day was when I went looking for the Harley dealer in Manadan, ND. A little tricky to find and when I did, I turned in the wrong parking lot. I overcompensated trying to do a U-ey, and plunk, down went the bike again. Four years I've had this beast and never dropped her. Now, twice in two weeks. Must be getting old. Time to start trying on trikes, maybe?
8/6/08
Day 18
August 6. Another great day. After a few more mountains and getting through the tourists around Glacier Nat'l Park, I ran almost all the way across Montana on US 2. I love riding the prairie as much (maybe more) than the mountains. You're humbled in the mountains with the earth's majesty, and in the plains by just how big it is and you realize that you could ride it every day for the rest of your life and only see a part of it.
Great weather: started out a little chilly, but ended up in the 90s (never thought I'd thrive on heat), sun all the way. Nothing weird happened. No Chinese insults. Ended up in another great hotel.
On the prairie you can just open 'er up and eat the miles, 619 of them to Wolf Point, Montana. From here I start the run for home. See you all in a few days.
Life is good.
Great weather: started out a little chilly, but ended up in the 90s (never thought I'd thrive on heat), sun all the way. Nothing weird happened. No Chinese insults. Ended up in another great hotel.
On the prairie you can just open 'er up and eat the miles, 619 of them to Wolf Point, Montana. From here I start the run for home. See you all in a few days.
Life is good.
8/5/08
Day 17
August 5. There have been days this trip where nothing seemed to go right. Well, this was one of those almost perfect days where just about everything seemed to go perfectly right.
The HD shop opened at 8:30, so I got there at 7:45 to make sure I'm first in line. About 8:10, a guy on a dresser pulls up out back (at what turned out to be the service entrance). I scoot over there and ask him if he's a customer or mechanic (so he knows I'm there first, either way) and low and behold, it's the owner. I tell him my story, he says bring the bike around, and within 5 minutes someone's working on the bike. I'm out of there at 9:02! When was the last time something like that ever happened!
And the weather was perfect, cool in the morning and warm enough in the afternoon to take off my jacket. The ride was fantastic (all 529 miles), especially the afternoon and evening I spent in Jasper and Banff parks. These parks should be on your bucket-list of rides.
Here's what you guys are missing:
And here's the proof that I was there:
Because of the late start, I pushed into the evening (actually until after 8:00), passing up some rooms at several hot spring resorts, that looked awful expensive. I finally got out of civilization and found a roadside family restaurant where I asked about motels. Oh no, they said, the closest motels are two hours down the road. Had I done it to myself again.? No I hadn't! 25 miles down the road, in Skookumchuck, BC (honest to god, that's the name, even though it sounds like a possible third option to the old swallow or spit debate), there appears a campground/motel. Ooo, we've been in this movie, haven't we? I envision another muskrat hole. But no! The motel is a strip of 6 rooms in a brand new building, one of the best rooms I've had, certainly better than any of the chains I've stayed at. And they have wireless Internet, so I can rub it in!
Life is good!
The HD shop opened at 8:30, so I got there at 7:45 to make sure I'm first in line. About 8:10, a guy on a dresser pulls up out back (at what turned out to be the service entrance). I scoot over there and ask him if he's a customer or mechanic (so he knows I'm there first, either way) and low and behold, it's the owner. I tell him my story, he says bring the bike around, and within 5 minutes someone's working on the bike. I'm out of there at 9:02! When was the last time something like that ever happened!
And the weather was perfect, cool in the morning and warm enough in the afternoon to take off my jacket. The ride was fantastic (all 529 miles), especially the afternoon and evening I spent in Jasper and Banff parks. These parks should be on your bucket-list of rides.
Here's what you guys are missing:
And here's the proof that I was there:
Because of the late start, I pushed into the evening (actually until after 8:00), passing up some rooms at several hot spring resorts, that looked awful expensive. I finally got out of civilization and found a roadside family restaurant where I asked about motels. Oh no, they said, the closest motels are two hours down the road. Had I done it to myself again.? No I hadn't! 25 miles down the road, in Skookumchuck, BC (honest to god, that's the name, even though it sounds like a possible third option to the old swallow or spit debate), there appears a campground/motel. Ooo, we've been in this movie, haven't we? I envision another muskrat hole. But no! The motel is a strip of 6 rooms in a brand new building, one of the best rooms I've had, certainly better than any of the chains I've stayed at. And they have wireless Internet, so I can rub it in!
Life is good!
8/4/08
Day 16
August 4. Nothing to report. Took advantage of having to wait for the Harley shop to open by going for a run, washing the bike, that kind of stuff. The bike is filthy. I got the crust off, but it's going to take a couple of days to get it back in shape. There is asphalt and road oil burned on to the pipes. But it comes off with a rag and elbow grease. It's just not going to come clean in a spray car wash.
Great weather predicted for the next week, all the way to the Midwest, so with any luck, I'm done with the rain gear and seven layers of clothing. Or at least both at the same time.
Great weather predicted for the next week, all the way to the Midwest, so with any luck, I'm done with the rain gear and seven layers of clothing. Or at least both at the same time.
8/3/08
Day 15
August 3. Oh my. Last night, at the Hilton, I noticed that my back tire was getting pretty thin. I need a new one. But distracted by all that luxury, I forgot to look up a Harley Dealer and didn't remember until I was well under way, actually 80 miles past Prince George, BC, where there is a dealer. I got out my tour guide and the next nearest was close t0 500 miles away, through Jasper National Park (all mountains). Now, the tread wear lines are showing (I never had a tire get that bad). So I say to myself, "Self, you better get your ass back to Prince George." I do (so that means 160 wasted miles). But the Dealer ain't open, even though the book says they work Sundays. Hey, they ain't even open tomorrow! Turns out this is "Long August Weekend," a special Canadian holiday, where lots of places shut down for three days. Life can't be that interesting when you have to have a holiday because it's August.
While I'm pondering options in the parking lot, another rider comes up and is also disappointed that the shop isn't open. Turns out he's a traveler too, but from Alberta, not so far away. He looks at the tire and says he'd keep going, just stay out of the rain (like that's a choice). Then he says there's lots of people to help you out if you get in trouble. Yeah, like when you drive over a cliff, because the back tire blew they can put your body parts in plastic bags and carry them up the mountain.
I ask him what his problem is. Front brake caliber is leaking brake fluid. Not good, I say. Naw, he says, I don't need the front brake, he says, as he rides off. I decided to ignore his advice about pushing on.
I've checked into a hotel (somewhat better accommodations than last night), prepared to wait until Tuesday to get a tire. I got some clothes washed and rested up a bit. I found a motorcycle shop that works on Harleys. I'm going to call him tomorrow to see if he'll be open. (Hope he's not another Nick.)
The real shame of this is that it's sunny (all day) and in the 70s, the first nice day for a long time now. And with this extra delay, I may not make Sturgis. Oh well. At least I got in 271 miles of good ride.
BTW: The next room after last night's find was a hundred miles down the road. Good thing I took it.
While I'm pondering options in the parking lot, another rider comes up and is also disappointed that the shop isn't open. Turns out he's a traveler too, but from Alberta, not so far away. He looks at the tire and says he'd keep going, just stay out of the rain (like that's a choice). Then he says there's lots of people to help you out if you get in trouble. Yeah, like when you drive over a cliff, because the back tire blew they can put your body parts in plastic bags and carry them up the mountain.
I ask him what his problem is. Front brake caliber is leaking brake fluid. Not good, I say. Naw, he says, I don't need the front brake, he says, as he rides off. I decided to ignore his advice about pushing on.
I've checked into a hotel (somewhat better accommodations than last night), prepared to wait until Tuesday to get a tire. I got some clothes washed and rested up a bit. I found a motorcycle shop that works on Harleys. I'm going to call him tomorrow to see if he'll be open. (Hope he's not another Nick.)
The real shame of this is that it's sunny (all day) and in the 70s, the first nice day for a long time now. And with this extra delay, I may not make Sturgis. Oh well. At least I got in 271 miles of good ride.
BTW: The next room after last night's find was a hundred miles down the road. Good thing I took it.
Day 14
August 2. Is it worth the cold and the rain? I think so. Here’s what I woke up to this morning:
This was a sandwiched day. It started out in mountains and sunshine. But as I rode, I started getting little spritzes of rain, then bigger spritzes, and after a while, on goes the raingear. Just in time for pouring down spritzes in buckets. But then later on, the sun came out again, just about the time I was leaving the Alaska Highway to head for Jasper Park in Alberta. And what a ride that was, a curving ride through hills and along a wide river. One rest stop overlooked a broad valley, with hills off in the distance. A great motorcycle ride. And we finished back in the Canadian Rockies.
Due to misreading the map at the end of the day, I had to take a room on the road I was on or detour 20 miles to the next down. Here’s where I ended up.
At the back of this lot:
The first thing I noticed entering the room is that the bed only had a mattress, laid right on the bed frame, no springs. There was no TV hookup, but there was a TV. I was entitled to one DVD to watch that evening (I declined, being too tired). The bathroom mirror was leaning on the wall, on the floor. There were no pillow cases, but when I asked, the owned got me two pillows with decorative covers. "I don't want something somebody has slept on," I objected. "No no, these clean. No use." (Why have all the cute characters on this trip been Chinese?) There was no soap. The place was mustier than a fruit cellar.
But the water was hot (even though it took me a few minutes to figure out the hot and cold faucets had been reversed, and the heaters worked. And they had given me a complimentary bottle of water (which did prompt me to ask if the tap water was safe to drink: "Oh yes, very good").
I slept better than I had since I left home. Go figure.....
This was a sandwiched day. It started out in mountains and sunshine. But as I rode, I started getting little spritzes of rain, then bigger spritzes, and after a while, on goes the raingear. Just in time for pouring down spritzes in buckets. But then later on, the sun came out again, just about the time I was leaving the Alaska Highway to head for Jasper Park in Alberta. And what a ride that was, a curving ride through hills and along a wide river. One rest stop overlooked a broad valley, with hills off in the distance. A great motorcycle ride. And we finished back in the Canadian Rockies.
Due to misreading the map at the end of the day, I had to take a room on the road I was on or detour 20 miles to the next down. Here’s where I ended up.
At the back of this lot:
The first thing I noticed entering the room is that the bed only had a mattress, laid right on the bed frame, no springs. There was no TV hookup, but there was a TV. I was entitled to one DVD to watch that evening (I declined, being too tired). The bathroom mirror was leaning on the wall, on the floor. There were no pillow cases, but when I asked, the owned got me two pillows with decorative covers. "I don't want something somebody has slept on," I objected. "No no, these clean. No use." (Why have all the cute characters on this trip been Chinese?) There was no soap. The place was mustier than a fruit cellar.But the water was hot (even though it took me a few minutes to figure out the hot and cold faucets had been reversed, and the heaters worked. And they had given me a complimentary bottle of water (which did prompt me to ask if the tap water was safe to drink: "Oh yes, very good").
I slept better than I had since I left home. Go figure.....
8/1/08
Day 13
August 1. Lousy start. Great finish. I got a late start this morning because I wanted to stop by the Harley dealer and get a T-shirt (so I can just walk around in it, all casual like, and astonish folks with where I've been). It didn't open until 9:00, so I stayed up late, planning to sleep in and lazy around for a while before packing up. Except one of my earplugs fell out and a heavy equipment barn outside my window started backing out their rigs at 5:00 am, along with that really annoying beep, beep, beep--beep, beep, beep. Like there's anybody who works there wouldn't recognize the sound of a big whatever-it-was moving toward them! Anyway couldn't get back to sleep, so just lazed around a lot longer.
Now it was supposed to be raining early today, but it wasn't when I packed the bike. But it was when I came out to get on. Oh well...
Over at the HD shop, I met a couple of guys on their way to Alaska, who, of course, asked about the road conditions and weather. It was kind of fun to watch them transform from eager, happy human beings to devastated semblances of themselves.
So I left in light rain, but without my rain gear. And actually ran out of the rain (or most of it--a bit drizzly for a while). But it kept getting colder! So I had to stop to put my rain gear on just for another layer of warmth. I had on a T-Shirt, with an insulated long-sleeve undershirt over that, with a long-sleeved jersey over that, with a heavy denim shirt over that, with a cut-off sweatshirt over that, with a lined jacket over that. And I still was freezing!
I was sleepy from getting awakened too early, and really chilled. So I stopped in Watson lake around 2:00, ate some sandwiches I'd packed and went and found a picnic table in the Signpost Forest (more below) and lay down and napped for a half hour. When I woke up, the sun was out, I was alert, and life is good.
Altogether 495 miles to Toad River, BC (honest to god, there is a Toad River, a town of 75 souls--and they have wireless Internet in this little dinky motel a hundred miles from anywhere!). And the last half of the day was fantastic. Riding back through some of the mountains I'd come up through, but looking the other way was like seeing a brand new place. Great riding, great scenery, great weather. Hey, it's not about how many days it rains--it's about how many good rides you squeeze out of the trip.
The Signpost Forest is one of those things that sounds really dorky, but is actually kind of cool when you see it. About an acre or so of 12-foot posts stuck in the ground where people nail up their license plates, city limit signs from back home, street signs from all over the world, and just about anything else they can nail up. I didn't even stop on the way up, but it was the only thing resembling a public park in Watson Lake and a convenient place for my nap, so I went in. I'm glad I did.
Now it was supposed to be raining early today, but it wasn't when I packed the bike. But it was when I came out to get on. Oh well...
Over at the HD shop, I met a couple of guys on their way to Alaska, who, of course, asked about the road conditions and weather. It was kind of fun to watch them transform from eager, happy human beings to devastated semblances of themselves.
So I left in light rain, but without my rain gear. And actually ran out of the rain (or most of it--a bit drizzly for a while). But it kept getting colder! So I had to stop to put my rain gear on just for another layer of warmth. I had on a T-Shirt, with an insulated long-sleeve undershirt over that, with a long-sleeved jersey over that, with a heavy denim shirt over that, with a cut-off sweatshirt over that, with a lined jacket over that. And I still was freezing!
I was sleepy from getting awakened too early, and really chilled. So I stopped in Watson lake around 2:00, ate some sandwiches I'd packed and went and found a picnic table in the Signpost Forest (more below) and lay down and napped for a half hour. When I woke up, the sun was out, I was alert, and life is good.
Altogether 495 miles to Toad River, BC (honest to god, there is a Toad River, a town of 75 souls--and they have wireless Internet in this little dinky motel a hundred miles from anywhere!). And the last half of the day was fantastic. Riding back through some of the mountains I'd come up through, but looking the other way was like seeing a brand new place. Great riding, great scenery, great weather. Hey, it's not about how many days it rains--it's about how many good rides you squeeze out of the trip.
The Signpost Forest is one of those things that sounds really dorky, but is actually kind of cool when you see it. About an acre or so of 12-foot posts stuck in the ground where people nail up their license plates, city limit signs from back home, street signs from all over the world, and just about anything else they can nail up. I didn't even stop on the way up, but it was the only thing resembling a public park in Watson Lake and a convenient place for my nap, so I went in. I'm glad I did.
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