CIW 2010 - Day 10

Home at last, home at last....

This morning we wanted to get started at the crack of dawn so we could enjoy as much of the cool air as possible. We were packed and on the road by 6:15. This was the earliest departure of the entire trip. Over the winter, I got lazy on my start times. Now that we are into the summer heat, departure times need to be earlier.

Since we were on Hwy 59 I didn't even look at the GPS and headed south. Once under way I told the GPS to take us to Wild West in Katy and it promptly told me to turn around and run up to I-20 and over to 259. I ignored the GPS and continued down Hwy 59 toward Carthage.  The air was crisp and cool, it was a great time to be riding.

In Carthage I took the loop around to the west and caught 317 over to Mt. Enterprise and Hwy 259. That saved me about 10 miles as opposed to continuing down 59. In Nacogdoches I caught up with Hwy 59 again and continued south to Diboll where we made our only gas stop for the day. It was the quickest of the entire trip as Reagan and I both wanted to get to Shepherd so we could have breakfast at Happy Days Diner.  This has become one of our favorite stops along 59 this year.

When we left breakfast we also left the cooler air. It was above 80 degrees as we left the diner. There's not much to say about the ride after breakfast. When we got to Beltway 8 we took it to get over to Katy a little quicker. We arrived at Wild West around 10:30, purchased Reagan's extended warranty plus some other parts we needed for the bikes, and sat on a few bikes. When we finally left it was almost 11:30 and Reagan was ready to be home so we hustled on down the grand parkway to the house.

Total mileage today was 261 miles and it took us a little under 6 hours including the stop of breakfast and a little over an hour at Wild West. Starting early made the trip easier.  Since Summer is here, that will definitely be the norm for the rest of the summer.

Total mileage for the trip was 2,858 miles over a 10 day period. We got to stop at several neat spots along the way. As always, we've just scratched the surface of some places and plan to return for further exploration in the future. Going to Memphis now may be a costly endeavour because I don't think it'll be same without staying at the Peabody hotel. And Reagan mentioned something about having a birthday party at the Peabody, I wonder how much an arm and a leg go for these days.

This trip sort of kicked off our summer. We've got another big trip planned for July and there's likely to be an overnighter in June in preparation for Reagan's SS1000 during the July trip. This trip gave Reagan some ideas for tweaking her bike to better fit her riding style and she found out riding without a hydration pack is definitely no fun. Check back soon to see where I'm off to next.

CIW 2010 - Day 9

This morning we awoke before the alarm clock and were ready to leave by 7:15. We rode downtown for breakfast at the Branson Cafe with John and Lydia. I think this is the first cafe across the US to actually get my fried eggs cooked like I like them. Awesome!

By 8:30 we had said our good byes and were on the bikes heading out of town. The GPS said we'd be home by 7pm but that wasn't the destination. We planned to stop in Marshall, TX for the evening although I didn't make any reservations just in case we needed to stop sooner. So we headed down US 65 south and were surprised with some great twisites along the way, although traffic made it a little difficult to always enjoy.

At our first stop I mounted Reagan's hydration pack on top of her tank bag so she could keep herself hydrated. This seemed to help things by the next stop. The challenge however was that 50 miles later she needed a bio break.

Eventually we made it to Little Rock, picked up I-430 around to I-30 and continued toward Texarkanna. We stopped at a truck stop for gas and a bio break, but decided to look elsewhere for food as the place was a little on the lower end of sanitation standards. About 50 miles later we found a Travel America truck stop with a nice cafe. We spent about 50 minutes there eating and cooling off. We didn't fuel up since we had just fueled up 50 miles before.

When we got to Texarkana, we followed the detour to 59 south and kept going. Finally in Jefferson we made our last gas stop for the day. With full tanks and a bio break completed, we finished the ride through Marshall until we found the Super 8 on the south side of town.

Today's ride seem to run better with the hydration pak in easy reach for Reagan. Mileage for the day was 385 miles in 7 hours 50 minutes. That's a 49mph average, but I think we lost time today while figuring out the mount of the hydration pack and when we had to disassemble it to reload the bladder. At the end of the day, Reagan was certainly hot and tired but she wasn't nearly as dehydrated so we're making progress.

Tomorrow we'll be home after a short 233 mile trip. The plan is to get a very early start so we can hopefully get home before it gets so hot.

UPDATE: For dinner tonight we walked next door to a little building with the generic diner sign out side. We decided it must be open because the sign was lit. What a pleasant surprise this meal turned out to be. We met the new owner, he had just completed the sale today at 2pm. He was still trying to figure out where everything was and how to get things out together. But his enthusiasm was great. Next week he'll actually order his own food (as opposed to cooking the previous owner's inventory) and he'll be able to change the menu to make it his own. He told us he paid cash for the place and still has a little left over to remodel although he doesn't have enough to completely gut the place and start over. So at least in the beginning this place is going to feel like an old waffle house but I think he's going to make the place pretty special. So if you are heading to Marshall, check out the non-descript diner on the east side of 59 South between the Econo-lodge and the Super 8. Be sure to tell him you heard about his place from the internet. You'll likely be rewarded with a huge grin from ear to ear. And if he hasn't changed the menu too much, order the Fiesta Cheese sticks. They are very unique.

CIW 2010 - Day 8

Today we are going to Branson to meet up with our friends John and Lydia who have a place there. The goal was to get there after 4pm so we didn't hustle as much as we should have to get on the road. Reagan had a breakfast shake and I took advantage of the free continental breakfast before we left.

By 8am we were on the road and leaving the hotel. This departure was really later than we should have left because the temperature was already rising. It was over 80 degrees as we left. The route was simple, I-80 back over to I-39 and then south to I-55 south.

We weren't on the road very long until the heat started to plague Reagan. Unfortunately before the trip began we hadn't sorted out where she was going to keep her hydration pack and she found she didn't like wearing it on her back because it was hot. So as the temperature rose she found herself getting more and more dehydrated. Our stops started getting longer and it was obvious that she wasn't going to make it to Branson without some changes.

So we got some water in her, got her cooled off, and then covered her in water from head to toe. Then we rode 50 miles and took another break. This time she looked better and felt a little better but the effects of dehydration had already occured. We repeated the process and got back on the road. Unfortunately I pressed a little too far on the next stop and she really needed to visit the bathroom by the time we arrived. We took extra time on the stop as it was lunch time and I wanted to make sure she cooled off and got some fluids in her. Then it was time to get back on the road. We still had over 150 miles left on I-55.

By now, we had a system that was working to keep Reagan riding. So we continued toward Branson on I-55 until we got to Springfield where we turned south onto US 65. From that point we only had 50 miles to complete for the day. When we got into Branson, the GPS led us through downtown Branson before we got to our destination.

It was decided that we would order some Italiam delivery so we went across the street to the supermarket for some beer. Then we went to their place and called it quits for the day. Final mileage was 488 miles in 9 hours 55 minutes. That's an average trip speed of 49mph which is low for interstate travel but pretty good considering the heat got to Reagan and it was her biggest mileage day to date on the Spyder.

CIW 2010 - Day 7

Today the seminar ended around 5pm. It was a good seminar and I learned a few things about brain science that I didn't know before. It'll definitely change the way I do things in the classroom.

So with my business completed we hopped on the bikes and got out of town as quickly as possible. The route was I-94W to I-894 but some how I missed the 894 exit and we had to make a detour down South Moorland Drive instead. That took a few extra minutes but then we were able get on I-43S and resume the route as planned.

Eventually we reached I-39S and took that out of Wisconsin and into Illinois to our final destination for the evening, Peru, Il. We are staying at the Super 8, no surprise there. But when I made the reservation last night I failed to notice the web site switched me from non-smoking to smoking during the registration process. Oh well, just have to pay closer attention to that detail in the future.

We are doing laundry tonight as most of our riding clothes are dirty and there were no facilities for such an activity at the Hilton.

Just a note to riders in south east Wisconsin.... if you are a delusional Harley rider who thinks you don't have to be friendly to other motorcyclists... stay the hell out of the rest of the world. Honestly, HD riders up there won't wave at anybody and it's contagious to other brands as a result. If you can't celebrate the fact that other motorcycles (regardless of brand) are on the road with you then you've missed the fact of just how miniscule our numbers are (Less than 2% of vehicles on the road). We had to get into Illinois before riders started waiving again. That's just plain silly. Waiving is just good karma.

We only rode 163 miles in just under 3 hours today. But since we didn't get started until 5pm that worked out as planned. Tomorrow we are heading to Branson to meet up with John and Lydia. Monday we'll start the push toward home, either making it on Monday evening or Tuesday.

CIW 2010 - Day 5

The final morning of the trip up and we got out of the hotel without much effort. Since we didn't have to be to the factory until 1pm we didn't rush so much and left the motel by 8:30 having already consumed a free continental breakfast.

The plan was simple, mostly interstate all the way up, and other than crossing the Mississippi on I-80 we weren't supposed to have any more interaction with the great river. Well that didn't work out so well. After leaving the motel and getting on I-74 we immediately saw signs saying I-80E was closed at the river bridge. Silly me, I continued on until I reached the bridge and then followed the detour signs all the way back down into Bettendorf almost to where we started. There we crossed the river on I-74 and continued until we found John Deere Rd. just before 280. In hind sight it would have been quicker to take 280 north to 80W and then catch I-88 but I was following the GPS which told me to go up John Deere Rd which eventually became I-88 as it crossed I-80.

From that point on we were on the originally planned route of interstate. We stopped for gas along I-88 near Ronald Reagan's birthplace. Just like every other stop on this trip, people had to ask about Reagan's bike. No one really cared about my old beat up BMW. It's just as well I guess.

From I-88 we took I-43 to Milwaukee. I was really bored with the ride, so Reagan was doing most of the leading with me in the rear handling navigation. When we got to town we went up to the Pilgrim Rd Power Plant Operations facility and took a tour. Folks up here don't know how to give a tour like they do in Kansas City. None the less, Reagan and I enjoyed seeing how the motors were made and assembled.

After the tour we got back on the bikes and headed downtown to the Hilton were the convention is. As usual, the attendee parking is on the street and highly disorganized. It's going to cost me $48 to park the bikes for two nights. At least the internet is free and seems to be of decent quality. We got a nice corner room on the 11th floor with a view of the city which means I probably won't need an alarm clock in the morning to wake up.

Here's a personal observation, I don't know if it's because we are on the east side of the Mississippi or because we are so far north or if it's because motorcyclists are afraid to take their hands off the handgrips but people up here don't wave. That's fine if they want to be rude, just so long as they keep their rude butts up here.

Today's ride covered 264 miles over a 6 hour 43 minute period from motel to hotel. That's not bad considering I got a factory tour and some customer crisis work in there as well. I'll be in the convention tomorrow so no ride report. Saturday we are leaving after the convention to save a few bucks on the room, especially with parking being $24/day. Sunday is the big day as we plan to put in 600 miles to get closer to home. Then Monday we'll find some back roads and possibly make it home. So check back here Saturday night for the next installment of the ride.

CIW 2010 - Day 4

This morning the alarm went off at 6:30 but I was already awake so it didn't much matter. This had to be the loudest motel I've stayed at while on the road. I think I know what it's like to sleep under an overpass now. Needless to say, I won't be returning to this motel again.

We skipped the free continental breakfast and went next door to the Waffle House. Service was fast and the food was predictable. We finished breakfast and left the motel 10 minutes before 8. We didn't know what to expect with St. Louis traffic so we wanted to allow for plenty of time to get over to the arch. Traffic was a breeze and we arrived at the arch by 8:15.

We walked over to the north entrance and waited with 3 twenty-somethings that had gotten there before us. We made small talk and got to know one another as we passed the time and when the doors opened we ended up riding up to the top of the arch together. Afterwards, Reagan and I wandered around until 10:30 so we could watch the Louis and Clark Expedition movie before we left. It was very informative.

Once we'd seen everything there was to see, we returned to the bikes and left. Getting on I-70 this time was much easier since I now understood how the traffic flows in the area. We headed west on I-70 out of town until we got to hwy 79 and turned north. We followed this road up past Clarkville. We stopped in Louisianna, Mo for a snack by the river then we continued on Hwy 79 until we came to our first adventure of the day near Ashburn.

There was a sign saying the road was closed. The general detour was to take us over to Hwy 61 via Rte B and far away from the river. Luckily while we were taking a picture of the road closed sign, the mail lady pulled up and started talking to Reagan. She told her of the local detour which entailed a gravel road around the block. After last year's adventure on the Dalton Hwy of course I was game for a gravel road if Reagan was up for it. So we took the gravel road and found some fantastic scenery along the way. And we were rewarded on the other side with the best twisties of the entire trip. Hwy 79 north of Ashburn is definitely worth the ride.

When we got to Hanibal we picked up Hwy 61 and followed it north through Alexandria where we crossed over to Illinois and took hwy 96 north. I remembered this section of roadway from last year's trip and knew it would knock Reagan's socks off. And it did. We were riding right next to the river, in several places a wrong turn could have easily put the Spyder into Ol' Miss.

When we got to Dallas City, Il we encountered our second major road detour. This time I was content to follow the "through Truck" route until we determined we must have missed a sign. So we ended up on another gravel road for several miles, only this time the scenery wasn't as pretty and we were gettting tired. When we got back to Il 96 we took a break for a little bit and then continued on to Burlington, Ia where we made the final gas stop for the day.

After Burlington we followed Hwy 99 north until it met up with Hwy 61 again. From that point it was just a matter of riding until we got to Davenport and our motel. We were tired and we were away from the river so the scenery was just that of farm land. At that point it was just mileage that needed to be completed. So that's what we did.

We rolled into the motel parking lot around 7:15 and checked into the room without much hassle. Then it was time to change clothes and go in search of something to eat. We decided a little walking would do us good and there were lots of restaurants about a mile away so we headed off in that direction. Our first choice was a Japanese Steakhouse where they cooked hibachi style. It was a little pricey but I was getting tired and hungry so we decided to give it a try. After they seated us however they seemed to ignore us and never came to get our drink orders so we left. There were 2 mexican restaurants across the street so we dined at the closest one and had a nice meal.

From the time we left the motel in St. Louis until we reached our Davenport motel was 11 hours 28 minutes. During that time we traveled 356 miles with a few miles being on gravel. We found some great twisites and only had one mechanical issue. Reagan lost one of her highway pegs, ooops! The day was long, and I'm glad to be getting ready for bed, but it was a fun day for sure.

Tomorrow we have about 220 miles to get to the factory tour in Milwaukee between 1 and 3pm. We are taking the Interstate so we can be sure to get there by 1 and be able to run a leisurely pace along the way.

CIW 2010 - Day 3

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Reagan, Happy Birthday to you!

Today was Reagan's birthday, that's why we stayed in the Peabody last night. I have to say for a high end luxury hotel this place was great. Besides the normal taxes and fees there weren't any other unexpected charges on the bill. Even the internet was free, that's uncommon in more expensive hotels. I wish we had more time to enjoy the hotel and the Memphis area but it was only a stop over for the night. So we packed up and headed out. We managed to get on the bikes and get rolling by 8:45 which surprised me since we got a late start and had the hassle of getting over to the bikes.

We left town along the river front which took us right up onto I-40. Then we took Hwy 300 north onto Hwy 51. Just as the day before, the plan was to get out of town and find a nice little country cafe for breakfast. Well after an hour of riding the best we could find was a place called Breakfast Cove which seemed like a Tennessee version of Waffle House. Service was marginal, the food was ok, and the prices were a little expensive.

After breakfast we adjusted our riding gear for the cooler temps and continued north on 51. In Dyersburgs we headed west on I-155 to get over to Missouri and take I-55 north for a few miles. When we stopped for gas, we decided to just head up I-55 and skip our ride along the river so we could get to the Gateway Arch in time to take the Tram ride to the top.

About 30 minutes south of St. Louis we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch as we planned to skip dinner tonight. According to the GPS, before the stop we were to arrive at the Arch by 2:30. After the stop however, the GPS showed our arrival to be just after 4pm. Ooops! I knew we were in trouble when we had to break out the Sprint Wifi hotspot so Reagan could take care of a client.

We did make it to the Arch just after 4 and parked in the parking garage at $6 per bike. We walked over to the arch and entered. When I went to the ticket counter I discovered that they had already sold out all the remaining rides on the Tram for the day. Oooops! So we bought tickets to see the movie on how the arch was built and we'll return tomorrow to ride the tram and maybe catch the other movie about Louis and Clarke.

After seeing today's movie, we got back on the bikes and headed to the northwest side of St. Louis by the airport where our motel was. I had booked the room on this side of town as we are continuing the route leaving St. Louis from this area. Oh well, best laid plans and such...  Last year when I stayed in St. Louis I wasn't very pleased with the Super 8 because it wasn't close to any restaraunts and it was in a questionable part of town. But the rooms were clean and the property reasonably new. So this year I found another Super 8 on the same side of town. Well... this one is closer to a few restaurants and it's not in the hood, but the propery isn't in such great shape. The 2nd floor is missing carpet in the hallways. But the new carpet is rolled up in the lobby awaiting installation this week. So they are improving the place. I might give this place one more try the next time I come through town.

Today we traveled 326 miles over 9 hours 52 minutes. That included the 1 and a half hour stop at Cracker Barrel plus the visit to the Arch. With temperatures in the 60s and 70s all day long it was an easy ride. I wish I could bottle up these days and save them for rides in July and August when you are happy if  it's 80 degrees when you start at the butt-crack of dawn.

Tomorrow we are back tracking to the Arch and it doesn't open until 9 so we definitely won't be getting a really early start. But we will be at the Arch before 9 to get the first Tram ride and to save $2/bike on parking with the early bird special. Look out Davenport, IA we are coming to your town tomorrow night.

CIW 2010 - Day 2

This morning around 3:30 am we awoke to wind gusts up to 60mph. I was sort of wishing I had taken the hotel proprietor up on her offer of letting us park the bikes underneath the carport. But since my bike was covered I figured there wasn't much I could do without getting wet so I went back to sleep.

We were on the road by 8am as planned and started looking for food since there was nothing nearby the motel. The route started on US 165 heading toward Monroe. As we motored down the road I kept wondering if we would ever find a place to eat. All we found were fast food joints in strip centers. But we pressed on. Finally as we rolled into Columbia Heights we came upon Frances' Family Restaurant. Breakfast was affordable, the food was tasty and the service was friendly and fast. I even got to meet Miss Frances. She was tickled that we stopped at her restaurant this morning. If you are heading up 165, it's worth stopping to eat there. Good food, good value, good service, that's everything I want when I eat.

So with full stomachs we resumed our travels. The goal was to make Memphis before 5 so we could see the ducks at the Peabody. When we reached Bastrop we headed north onto 425 and then continued on 165. In Montrose we took business 82 east to get back to the river. In Greenville we turned onto Hwy 1. This kept us closer to the river. This section of highway was part of the Mississippi Great River Road. Finally in Friar Point we headed East on 61 which eventually turned North.

In Tunica we stopped at Sonic for some cherry lime-aids and chilly cheese tots. Since we were so close to Memphis and time was on our side we filled up in Tunica so we wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. Then it was on into Mempis via 61. Be prepared for lots of stop and go coming into Memphis via 61 as there are so many lights along the way. A short ride on I-55 and then we took the Riverside exit and rode along the river until we got to Union Avenue and then found the Peabody.

Just like any old high end hotel in a downtown area, parking was difficult. But we got unloaded and checked in, then moved the bokes to the hotel parking area. Next time we'll come in on 2nd Avenue so we can at least pull into the area where the valet pickup/drop off is. Even with the parking challenges, we managed to get changed into street clothes, go to the hotel bar for a beer and see the ducks march back to the elevator from their day time duck fountain in the lobby.

We are heading out to Beale street to listen to some Blues and eat some BBQ. Since Rendevous is closed on Sunday and Monday, we'll have to find another place to eat. I doubt we're going to have any problems.

CIW 2010 - Day 1

May is here and this year I'm supposed to attend the Harley Davidson Riders Edge Continuous Workshop (a.ka. CIW) being held in Milwaukee, WI. The home of all things HD. Whoopee!
It's a road trip though and the last time I attended the CIW in 2008 I completed my BBG1500, SS2000 and road the Tail of the Dragon on the way home. So while the workshop may be necessary for my instructor certification, the trip to and from is necessary for my mental well being.

Willie Nelson's song "On the road again" was the furthest thing from my mind today as we traveled down the road. What was going through my mind however was the disorganized client who is trying to move data centers without much real planning, another project that I'm struggling with to make profitable, and the exhaustion from catering last night's wedding reception of a friend's daughter. None the less we left town today.

The goal was to leave by noon, well by 1pm we finally hit the road. It's just par for the course now it seems, no matter how hard we try something always comes up and we are late getting on the road. None the less, we got on the road finally and headed up 59. The plan was to take 59 to Livingston and the go east on 190 through Woodville. We stopped in Woodville for gas and a break, leaving so late in the day meant we were riding in the hottest part of the day but since we had so much to do this morning we didn't have a choice. After the break we continued east on 190 to Jasper where we picked up 63 east  When we crossed the Sabine river into Louisianna 63 turned into Hwy 8 and we followed it all the way to Leesville.

As we passed through Leesville, I kept an eye out for a red Suzuki Savage that used to be Reagan's. I didn't really expect to see it but it would have been funny if I had.  In Leesville we picked up hwy 28 and continued east to Alexandria. We headed north on 165 and circumnavigated the metropolis of Alexandria. The GPS was telling me we were getting closer and closer to the motel so I started watching for open restaraunts in case there weren't any near the motel.

When we arrived at the Max Motel I was glad I had paid attention to my eating choices along the way. Because the closest thing to the motel was a Chevron station and a church. In the lobby there was a menu for the Magnolia Cafe but it turns out they are only open for Lunch and only during the week. Shucks, if my cooking was that good I might just open a restaraunt too, then again it might one of those places that "daddy" opened to give his kid some sort of a job. Who knows, I doubt I'll find out on this trip.

The motel is clean and the folks are friendly. We unpacked the bikes, sat down for a few minutes and then headed back down the road to Ball for mexican food. Reagan had the idea to order Fajitas and that was a superb decision. Afterwards we rode back up the road to the motel, cleaned up windshields and covered bikes. Then I started working on my computer and trying to get the Windows OS to read the Linux partition so I could get a file off. That didn't work but rebooting a few times got everything copied to where I needed.

There's going to be 5 days of traveling on the way up and just 2 and a half on the way home. So the site seeing will be happening this week. Tomorrow we are going to Memphis to stay at the Peabody, eat at Rendevous and walk down Bealle street. It's sort of part of Reagan's birthday celebration since Tuesday is her birthday. For her birthday we'll be going to St. Louis to see the Gateway arch.

I'm carrying my new GoPro HD camera with me and if I can get everything working, I should be able to put together a little video montage of our trip. Unfortunately I don't have a remote start/stop button for it, so I have to start it when we stop for a break and let it run until the next break. I think when/if I find myself in some fun twisties I'll stop and turn it on. At least I hope I remember to.

Oh, and our stats for the day? 272 miles over a 5 hour 24 minute period. According to the GPS we left the driveway at 12:46 but I know I sat in the parking lot of Academy for a few muintes before we actually got on the road.  Tomorrow's route is 336 miles and estimated to take 7 hours. We are continuing up 165 to Monroe and then working our way over to the Mississipppi river. Then we are going to follow it up to Memphis while trying to stay close to the riverbank along the way. We'll see what happens. But the ducks walk at 5 and we have to be there for that per Reagan.

Arkansas Diamond Hunting - Day 4

Today was the trip home. Like all trips I always hate the last day because I know at the end of the day I'll be home sleeping in my own bed and the ride is over. At least that's the plan.

We got a late start to breakfast because they didn't open until 7am although the sign on the door said they opened at 6am. They finally opened and we had breakfast. I tried the chocolate gravy which turned out pretty good.

After breakfast we geared up and headed out on 27 S. In Nashville, we picked up 278 and followed that over to I-30. Then it was down to Texarkana via the super slab. They are doing some major construction at the 59 and I-30 intersection. After several u-turns following the detour signs we found ourselves on 59 south heading toward Marshall. We stopped for gas and then resumed our travels. After Marshall we hopped onto I-20 to get over to Hwy 43 down to Henderson. Then it was 259 down to Nacogdoches.

As we approached Nacogdoches, we said our farewells to John and Lydia and split off so we could go through town and see Reagan's old apartment from college. Then we had lunch at Butcher Boys BBQ shack, I can't believe they were out of brisket. Really???

Once lunch was had, we went down to Lufkin to visit my grandmother for a little bit and then get on home. We topped off the tanks before leaving Lufkin and then Reagan took the lead. Everything was going along just fine until we were coming into Dibol. That's when the belt came lose and Reagan had to coast into the gas station. I was happy to see she was OK, so I started checking out the belt situation. Everything was fine until I got to the front sprocket. What front sprocket? It was missing.

I decided to run back up to Lufkin where there was a Can Am dealership. They had a trailer and went down to pick up the Spyder. I picked up Reagan and we rode back to the dealership to swap some things around. Before we left we me "Hair Smith" from Two Wheel Texans and talked to him about BMWs, rallies and his vision of a GS style Spyder.

We geared up and headed home, leaving her Spyder in the care of Lufkin power sports. Hopefully it'll get fixed soon. The ride home was uneventful.

The total for the day was 409 miles over a 10 hour 20 minute period. The trip was great, it met my standing rules of "No one goes to jail and no one goes to the hospital". In light of the visits to dealerships in the past 2 years I may have to add another part to my saying, "No one goes to jail, no one goes to the hospital, and no bikes left behind".

Another trip is in blog.

Arkansas Diamond Hunting - Day 3

Last night was the time change so we lost an hour of sleep. As a result we decided to meet a little later for breakfast. At 9am we were walking across the street to Buddy's. I ordered the chocolate gravy but they were out of cocoa so I had to settle for plain gravy. It was OK but nothing special. The philly steak omelet was really good though.

After breakfast we all sort of broke up. Reagan had some office work to do, John and Lydia decided to hang out at the hotel and exercise the rocking chairs while I headed to Mt. Nebo. So I grabbed a few things from the room and headed out. The route to Mt. Nebo was simple, take Hwy 27 up to Nebo and then 155 up to the state park. Along the way I detoured down a gravel road to check out some acerage for sale. Never found the actual property for sale but enjoyed some great landscape down the 5 miles or so of gravel road that I travelled.

Once I completed my exercusion then it was back on Hwy 27 heading toward Mt. Nebo. As the road got more twisty my riding pace increased. When I got just outside of Nebo, the GPS took me down a backroad and I completely avoided the town on my way up to the park. The switchbacks going up to Mt. Nebo are some of the steepest I've ever seen anywhere. Make sure your bike is in a low gear and keep it under power or you just might find yourself falling over on the first right hander that's almost straight up.

When I got to the top, I followed the road until it ran out and then I got off the bike for a little bit to look around. It's a great scenic overlook and very peaceful. People don't seem to stay there very long. They just sort of pull up, look around and leave. It was almost as much fun to people watch as it was to view the scenery. Finally the chill of the wind started to bother me though and I decided it was time to leave.

Before departing I tried to reverse the route that John had sent me as the way up, which included going through hot Springs Village. Well somewhere in the conversion, the GPS got confusioned and tried to route me up to Alaska. Nope! That wouldn't work. So I browsed the map and figured I could take 155 down into Nebo, catch Hwy 7 south and then let the GPS route me back over to Murfreesboro when I got close to Hot Springs.

The ride down 7 was great when I didn't have cars, trucks and campers in front of me. Some quick passes usually took care of the slow moving traffic and I managed to straighten out a few of the twisties along that stretch of road. Definitely not a route I'd like to take with a group of riders as most passing situations were very quick with limited opportunities. Hwy 27 provided an equal number of twisties with far less traffic and law enforcement so that's the better route up to Nebo if you are coming from Murfreesboro.

I stopped in Hot Springs Village to fill up and then continued along my way. I was hoping to find a BBQ joint close to Hot Springs since I'd seen so many yesterday when riding into town. When I thought I was close to Hot Springs, I pulled up my Favorites and told the GPS to take me to the Queen of Diamonds hotel. Well it promptly told me to turn right on the next road which was another one of those rural neighborhood type roads. The farther down it I rode the rougher the road became. Finally the pavement disappeared all together and I was riding on a gravel road. Well I wasn't going to turn around so I pressed on hoping the road wouldn't get any worse. Luckily it finally turned back into pavement about 10 miles later and then I found myself pulling out onto Mountain Pine road and heading toward Hot Springs. So much for a shortcut I guess. In reviewing John's route I realized I would have needed to have to told the GPS to take me home, before I got to Hot Springs Village.

None the less, once on Mountain Pine Road I was again on his route and found myself on 270 and then exiting for Hwy 70 toward Glenwood. There was a BBQ joint right there at 270 and 70 but they were closed so I didn't get BBQ. I was less than an hour from the Hotel and it was after 3 so I just resigned myself to grabbing a snack when I got into town. The ride along US 70 was uneventful. In Glenwood it changed to Hwy 27 again and I knew I was only about 30 minutes away.

About 5 miles outside of town I saw the very distinctive head lights of a Spyder coming toward me and then I saw a pink jacket so I knew it was Reagan. I turned around and followed her back to the gravel road that I had explored earlier in the day. I figured she had gotten my text message and done some research. Nope, she just wanted to see for herself so we took off down the road. We explored all 3 possible routes and each time we were blocked by water crossings. The last of which wasn't too bad so I went ahead and checked the other side but found nothing. So we turned around and head toward town.

When we got to town we stopped at the Exxon so I could get a snack and Reagan decided to fill up. That's when I noticed her antenna had gotten damaged. Apparently she caught a tree or something while turning the Spyder around. Well, I headed back to the hotel with my coke and peanuts while Reagan went over to Sonic for a Cherry Limeade. I think Reagan will be investing in a cup holder soon, enough said.

Today's ride was great. I don't always get to venture out on my own when I'm traveling with a group so this was a change of pace. I was able to crank up the pace today and test out the Roadtec Z6 tires. Besides the front end still feeling "twitchy" I like the overall grip and think these tires may work out OK if the mileage improves. Otherwise, I'll go back to my tried and true Tourances that seem to do a little better on those gravel roads I kept finding myself on today.

I traveled 282 miles today over a 7 hour 14 minute period. Besides the stop at Mt. Nebo I really didn't stop anywhere along the way for any period of time. The treks down the gravel roads chewed up a lot of time, the first time down the property for sale road took 45 minutes by myself. The second time with Reagan we explored the various forks and that took an hour. Plus the 30 minutes I spent on a gravel road due to the GPS shortcut. That added up to quite a bit of time on gravel today and the tires performed well.

Tomorrow we are heading home, with plans to check out Reagan's old apartment building Nacogdoches and visit my grandmother in Lufkin along the way. So we will be getting an earleir start. Breakfast is at 6:30 and we'll be on the road by 7:30. We didn't find any diamonds this weekend but we did have fun and we have another place to come back to in our future travels.

Arkansas Diamond Hunting - Day 2

This morning we woke up to a beautiful, sunny day. I made some comment about the sun while trying to find my sun glasses, the result of which must have hurt the Sun's feelings because it left us a little later in the day. Breakfast was taken care of with Buddy's Ranch House cafe across the street. For Reagan and I it was only $10. I don't remember when we both ate breakfast for just $10.

By the time we finished with Breakfast, got the bikes ready and got our gear on it was almost 10am. The first stop of the day was just two miles down the road at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. We went into the gift shop, read some displays and then tried our had at prospecting for a bit. Well let's just say I'm not going to have to worry about selling a huge diamond when I get back home. We didn't find any diamonds but we did find some neat rocks and had a good time doing it. Just before noon, we decided to head toward Hot Springs for lunch and maybe check out the National Park while we were there.

We took 27N out of Murfreesboro which runs into US 70 and that took us into Hot Springs. Once in town we found our way to Bath House road and found a parking lot to park the bikes. You can forget about parking your motorcycle where you can keep an eye on it. This is more a city environment with limited parking and plenty of walking. We ate lunch at a cute little place called the Colonial Pancake House were John and I tried their Colonial Sausage Cheeseburger. This was a lose patty of pan sauage, topped with a fried egg and pepper jack cheese. And it was really good, if I eat there again that's what I'll order. It was tasty and unique.

After lunch we walked down Bath House row and toured the visitor center/bath house museum. It was interesting and got me to wondering what museums 100 years from now will be saying about us today. I imagine they'll be talking about how slow and laid back our lives were....

When we finished the tour we realized it was getting late and we had an hour's ride back to Murfreesboro so we started heading back. By the time we got out of town it was 5:30 and the sun was setting. We hustled back the way we came on US 70 and then Hwy 27 into town. Once back at the motel we unloaded the bikes and then had an after-riding drink before dinner.

We walked across the street to Buddy's Ranch House cafe and ordered Hamburger Steak for dinner. All 4 of us basically ordered the same thing. It was our tribute meal to Fred. Afterwards we ordered various deserts including Bread Pudding, Ice Cream, Apple Cobler ala mode and brownie delight. Then it was back across the street for a night cap before calling it a day.

All in all, it was a great day. We only covered 121 miles today, but it took us 8 hours and 21 minutes to do it. Much of the day was actually spent off the bikes, digging, searching, walking, reading or watching a movie. But it was a fun day with a different twist. I do need to find a better boot for trips like this though. My current riding boots aren't good for lots of walking.

Tomorrow doesn't have anything planned. Reagan needs to get some work done that she couldn't do on Friday and John and Lydia are content to stay around the hotel and test out the rocking chairs. I think there are some twisties that need straightening so I may take off for Mt. Nebo or I may not. It just depends on the weather and my mood. Another option would be to go back to the diamond field in search of that big monster diamond. Tonight is the time change and we are eating breakfast a little later so I'll just have to see what time it is when I finish breakfast, then I'll figure out what I'm doing.

Arkansas Diamond Hunting - Day1

Since last summer, John and I haven't been able to take a trip with girls so that's what we are doing. The trip has been in planning for a few months, making sure the dates were OK, that we could find a place to stay, and so forth. A lot of planning for a 4 day trip.

Last weekend I started getting the bikes ready. Now that Reagan has her own scooter I have the privilege of prepping 2 bikes before a trip. And it was determined that she probably needed a rear tire. Wild West didn't sound too confident with the tire change since they didn't have the tire in stock and didn't know how much the work would cost since they hadn't changed a tire on a Spyder before. So I decided to do it myself.  OK, the tire change itself was reasonably easy, balancing it was only marginally harder as I had to get a longer steel rod from Lowes. The challenge was in getting the belt tension set and aligned. I bought a tension gauge from Napa and later discovered they had sold me the wrong one but I had damaged the gauge so I couldn't return it. I ended up using the "twist the belt 90 degrees" method of measurement. Then when I went to torque the rear axle nut I discovered my torque wrench didn't go to the desired 96ft/lb setting. I tried it without the torque wrench and just couldn't seem to get the belt to reliabily line up. After purchasing a torque wrench that went to 150ft/lbs I was able to quickly and easily align the belt in a matter of minutes. During the tire change fiasco I broke her CB antenna so had to replace that. And there was also a new windshield to install which was quick and easy, once we got the right size for her.

My bike also needed some work as my back tire had worn the tread smooth in the center. So I didn't want to risk getting up to Arkansas and then needing to find a rear tire. This time I'm trying a set of Metzler Roadtec Z6 sport touring tires to see if I can get better than my 9 ~ 11K miles with the tourances. The tire changes went pretty smooth with the exception of breaking the tire pressure monitor strap for the rear wheel. Since I didn't have a 17" hose clamp available, I just put the tire on without the monitor. When I get the new clamp, I'll break the tire down and reinstall it.

This morning finally arrived and we were scrambling to pack as that chore had been ignored all week due to work and bike prep. To top things off my stomach was very upset from last night's trip to BJ's Brewhouse where I had embibed in a few of their in-house stouts. Honestly, it wasn't a hang over, their beer just messes me up. Everytime I drink even one I feel horrible the next day. Hopefully this time I'll remember not to drink their in-house brews from now on. So we get things packed and get out the door by 7am. Great, we were supposed to be at Avalon by 7am to meet John and Lydia. Well I eventually get there and we have a nice leisurely breakfast.

By 8:30 we are on the bikes and leaving the Exxon at Dairy Ashford. The plan was to ride the 59 HOV lane into town, then follow 59 on up to Nacogdoches. That's what we did with a gas stop along the way in Dibol at the new Chevron on the south side of town.  Once we got to the north side of Nacogdoches we took 259 north to Henderson where we took Hwy 43 toward Marshall. We ate lunch in downtown Marshall at Central Perks. It was probably the best grilled chicken salad I've had in a long time although I was nervous most of the time due to the abundant amount of antique stuff they had for sale. Luckily Reagan refrained from expanding her collection of antique  items and we left only $20 lighter than when we had arrived.

Upon leaving Marshall we headed north on Hwy 59. We stopped in Jefferson to get gas for Reagan and then took 49 out of town to find some twisties. We took FM 248 to Bivins, and then 43 into Atlanta, TX where we met back up with Hwy 59 which took us into Texarkana. Now, for those readers who aren't familiar with John's navigation, he does not like the interstate highway system. It's a route of last resort as in, all other paved roads have been blown up or flooded and the only possible way to get somewhere is via the interstate. So when got to Texarkana we rode through town instead of taking the interstate loop around town. It probably only added 5 or 10 minutes to the ride though and it put us on Hwy 67 which parrallels I-30 for a spell.

When we got to Fulton we turned north onto Hwy 355 which is a nice 2 lane road with plenty of sweepers and the occasional 30mph sharp curve thrown in for a change. This led us into Mineral Springs where we picked up Hwy 27 and went through Nashville, AR toward Murfreesboro and the Queen of Diamonds Inn which would be our hotel for the weekend.

Overall we travelled 371 miles over 8 hours 51 minutes. The pace was anything but rapid, most of the time we were doing 5 under the speed limit. Even with the strong head wind I managed to get 40+ mpg at today's speed. Normal driving seems to yields numbers closer to 35mpg for me. This was a fun switch.

Reagan likes her new windshield and is happy with her handle bar risers (Good since I cut off the original bars). But like any motorcycle enthusiast, she's got a few more things that need tweaking. A top case for additional luggage capacity and definitely a Russell Day Long seat with a back rest. Maybe if we get the order in on Tuesday, she'll get her seat before we leave for Milwaukee in May. Definitely before we leave for the BMW rally in July.

Tomorrow I think we are going to hunt for diamonds in the field. Maybe we'll find a really big one that someone will pay us lots for. Then I could get everything Reagan wants for her bike plus a few other perks for it like the new Garmin Zumo 665 GPS.  That better be one big rock!

BBFO'10 - Day 5

No matter how long the trip is, it's always sort of a downer on the last day of the trip. This morning was no exception. When I woke up I knew that tomorrow I wouldn't be starting my day on the bike. While I was loading my bike, I realized that tomorrow I wouldn't be getting the day's clothes out of compression bags. And at breakfast I realized I wouldn't be eating with the same group of people tomorrow morning.

Now there was one great thing about this morning. My bike started with just the power of it's own battery. There was no need for a jump from another motorcycle. Hoooray!!! It's amazing what a 15 to 20 degrees rise in the temperature can do for my bike. None the less, I'm ordering an Odyssey battery for the bike today. Doing a google search on "r1200gs odyssey battery" shows a pictorial of someone fitting one of those into the GS. It should be fun.

We stayed at the Sorrels Inn in Rocksprings last night and there was a restaurant on the premises so that's where we had dinner last night and breakfast this morning.  This mom & pop restaurant was like most places west of San Antonio, the meals for a table don't come out all at once. They come out in the order the cook does them. And today my bacon, egg and cheese sandwich was the last thing out, well except my hash browns which the cook had forgotten all together.

After breakfast we finished loading the bikes and took off. The plan was to ride down Hwy 55 to Uvalde, then follow Hwy 90 through San Antonio. And that's what we did. It was foggy until we got down to Uvalde and then just overcast and damp the rest of the day. We stopped at the same rest area that we stopped at on Friday, then it was back on the bikes through San Antonio. Our one and only gas stop of the day was in Seguin. When it was time to go, Randy, Dan and Doug weren't quite ready so they said they would catch up with us. So Fred, John and I took off on I-10 heading east.

When we got to FM 2438 we turned south to get down to Hwy 90 Alternate and then continued east. A few miles down the road Fred came on the radio saying something was wrong with his mirror and that he was going to pull over and tighten it up. Then he told John and I to keep going and he would catch up.  Well I kept going and John stopped. That's the last I saw of the group for the day.

I continued on down the road to Eagle Lake. Just past town, there was an accident that had traffic blocked in both directions so I back tracked and took 3013 south toward Wharton.  Then I turned left onto FM 1161 toward Hungerford to cut off a few miles. Then it was the home stretch up Hwy 59 into Sugar Land. From the time I left Eagle Lake until I got home it was raining and in the low 60's.  So the trip started and ended the same way, in the rain and warm for this time of the year.

Total mileage for today was 357 miles ridden over 8 hours time.  The whole trip had an accumulated total of 1,814 miles. Problems with the GS included the weak battery and the throttle lock not working correctly. But one thing that worked very well on this trip was the readjusted seat from RDL. This is the first long trip I've used it on since they redid it this fall and I have to say I'm very pleased with the changes.

Right now there aren't any big trips planned until May, but that doesn't mean Reagan and I won't try to sneak away to the hill country or something this spring.

BBFO'10 - Day 4

OMG! The morning came way too early for me. Last night I stayed up too late and drank too much. What was I thinking. Well, if alcohol kills brain cells I should be smarter today as I'm sure I killed off a few weak ones.

As fast as I could, I tried to get packed up and ready to leave. I was working on the premise of a 7:45 departure but the gang had moved things up to 7:30. It was obvious that I was hurting so they waited for me to get my act together. With Dick giving me a jump start again this morning, and with me hustling as fast as I could we managed to leave a little after 7:30 and rode down to Marfa for breakfast.

The cool area helped me feel better but I was still really exhausted. We filled up in Marfa and then went over to Alice's Cafe where Doug and Fred had eaten on their "Out West" trip back in October. Wanting to get back on my diet I had a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water.

After breakfast we headed east on Hwy 90 with the sun in our eyes. Just before we got to Marathon Fred asked if anyone wanted to stop and stretch their legs. Me me me!!! They stopped at the wall and I headed on up to the Shell station to use the restroom and get some fluids in me to help with my exhaustion. I drank some vitamin water and opened the peppermints I had purchased. Then it was back on the bike and back on the road. 

I ended up following behind Dick and the farther we went the more exhausted I got. I knew it was going to be a rough day and I needed sleep. When we pulled into the gas station in Sanderson I asked Fred where the motel was in Rocksprings and then headed off on the fastest and more direct route I could find.  The Zumo routed me along Hwy 90 to 277 just west of Del Rio and then onto 377 for the last 45 miles.

Leaving the group gave me a burst of energy as I was able to raise the pace a little and I wasn't staring at the back end of another bike. I had things like searching for deer, keeping my speed steady and such to keep my mind busy. After a while though, even that wasn't enough so I popped another peppermint. The temperature dropped into the 40s just east of Sanderson so stopping to take a quick power nap was out of the question.

When I got to Del Rio I was starting to feel the exhaustion, but with only an hour to go I knew I could make it. When I turned onto 377 though I realized the last 45 miles was going to be toughest. I was worn out and this was a 2 lane road prime for a deer vs motorcycle encounter. I slowed the pace a little to help with reaction time. Along the way I pulled over to eat a cliff bar and drink some water. As I stopped I saw deer across the fence looking at me. That was as close of an encounter as I wanted.

I finally made it into Rocksprings without any incidents and found the motel as Fred had described. The proprietor was an elderly fellow who was very helpful and checked me into my room. I was 2pm when I got into my room so I figured I had 2 hours to get some much needed rest. And just like clock work, at 4pm the guys came riding in and my nap was over. But that was the rest I needed.

The day's mileage was 322 miles in 6 and a half hours. The pace was definitely one of the faster days of the trip. I wish I had been able to stay with the group but I knew if I did I wouldn't have been able to make it to the motel. Maybe next time I'll get to explore the road north out of Comstock.

Oh, and next time I'm not staying up until the wee hours of the morning visiting and drinking. 10pm will be my cut off time from now on. Period!

BBFO'10 - Day 3

This morning we had breakfast down the street at the Chuck Wagon. The group was a little smaller as some had decided to sleep in, so the waitress was able to handle getting food out reasonably quick.

After breakfast, people started breaking into various groups headed in various directions. Chuck decided that he wanted to split the ride home into 2 days so he was leaving. Doug, John, Fred and Dan wanted to check out the fort so they stuck around town. Gary, Tony, Ben, Dick, Andy and myself wanted to go ride the river road so we headed to Presidio to run it west to east.

I ended up ride leader so I tried to keep the pace just a little bit above the 75mph speed limit but not so far above as to worry about any law enforcement problems. We stopped in Marfa to top off the tanks and then continued down to Presidio. When we rolled into town we stopped off for a motel site survey. The Riatta Inn just north of town looks to be a newly built single story motel with a nice parking lot, friendly staff and clean rooms. The rate was less than $75/night for 2 people. They have wifi if you get one of the rooms closest to the office. It looks like next year we'll be staying in Presidio one night to allow folks to completely explore the park or wear out the river road if they like.

After the motel stop, we headed through town onto FM170. I told Andy to take the lead once we got on the river road because I didn't think I would be riding at his pace. Sure enough he passed me once we got out of town and Ben followed. They were definitely faster than me but they never really got out of site. The GS was sticking to the road and I was really having a good time. When we got to the look out point, everyone stopped to let the group gather back up. Gary and Tony were in the rear and they weren't very far behind.

With everyone together, we talked about what we wanted to do next. Gary and Tony wanted to go eat in the park at the Chisos Basin so we decided that's what we'd do. Of course, there was still some river road left over to Stude Butte so we geared up and took off with Andy and Ben in the lead. This time though, they never really got away from me. I hung with them the whole time and felt totally comfortable with the pace.

We stopped in Stude Butte for gas and then headed into the park. We got to the basin restaraunt by 1 and enjoyed a great lunch. Order the Texas Beef Chilli if you go to the park. It's not spicey unless you chop up the roasted jalepeno included on the plate. During lunch we talked about what to do next and Ben suggested going to Boquillas Canyon which is on the east side of the park. It was about 25 miles from the basin so we paid our bills and headed east.

Once we got to the canyon parking area I realized most of the group wouldn't be going to see the canyon as it required a hike up and over a hill. So Ben and I took off up the trail with Gary in tow while the others hung out watching the bikes. Gary decided he was done when he got to the top of the hill and turned around. Ben and I got all the way down to the river and walked up into the canyon until it got difficult to walk on the large river stones. I was getting nervous as there was a singing mexican across the river and once we passed him I saw a mexican pop up out of the weeds on our side of the river and then the singing mexican came across in a canoe. This was shaping up to be a bad situation.

Ben took some pictures of the canyon and we turned around. As we did there were more people walking toward the canyon so I relaxed and figured there were too many people for the mexicans to cause any problems. We hiked back up the trail and regrouped with the gang. It was 3:30 by the time we were done and with only 2 and half hours of day light left we started planning how to get back to Ft. Davis.

It was decided we'd go all the way across the park to Stude Butte as it was the shortest distance through the park, plus it would get the western travel done while the sun was still up and out of our eyes. Dick took the lead and picked the pace up above the 45mph limit. Since we had left the park rangers at the canyon and since it was Sunday we figured patrols would be light. Well, that didn't turn out to be true. Dick encountered another park ranger on the west side while he was going 60 but the ranger didn't seem to want to stop us and just kept going. I guess he knew we were leaving the park and maybe he realized we were racing against the sunset. Whatever the reason, we kept moving but did slow the pace a little.

In Stude Butte we stopped for gas and then it was back on the road running up 118 toward Alpine. I was in the lead at first until Andy just couldn't take it and he cranked up the speed and took off. I didn't feel like going over 80mph in a 75mph posted area. So I just let him go and no one else wanted to follow. We encountered 2 sheriff deputies with their radar on. I just knew Andy was pulled over but it wasn't the case. We finally caught up with Andy at the Border Patrol check point where he said he'd only been waiting for 3 minutes. He took the lead into Alpine and then on up to Ft. Davis. The last stretch from Alpine to Ft. Davis was the slowest I'd ever seen Andy ride. We were actually going under the posted speed limit as he was searching for any deer that wanted to jump out in front of us.

We pulled into the parking lot of the motel around 5:30. It had been a great day of riding with some spirited sections along the way. The day's mileage was 361 miles over an 11 hour period. Once everybody put up their bikes and changed into more comfortable attire there were adult beverages to be consumed. And since I had gone hiking I figured a sip or two wouldn't hurt much. Well I drained my flask and then started working on a bottle of crown. So much for my sip or two.....

BBFO'10 - Day 2

Great news! Chuck rolled into the motel last night at 9:30pm. It was dark, cold and he was tired, but he made it. We walked across the street to get him some food from the deli. Then a little more visiting and we both crashed out.

This morning we were all up before the 6am alarm clock. I packed up the bike and visited while we waited for 7:30 to come. As it got close to time we all started our motorcycles. Well almost all of us. I tried cranking and cranking but the bike just wouldn't get started before the battery gave out.  So then I started looking for jumper cables and Doug came to the rescue. Dan was the nearest with a running bike so he graciously pulled his access panel and we started my bike up without any problems. Folks were heading to the cafe and Gary told me if I wasn't there in 15 he wasn't coming back to check on me. Since it was so cold I figured I'd let the bike idle for 10 minutes or so to let the engine get really warm. I rode down to breakfast without incident and nervously ate breakfast. When I turned the key back on the temperature gauge hadn't moved a bit and it fired on the first try. I knew I'd be good for the day. Tomorrow might be another story but for the rest of the day I could enjoy my ride.

There's a saying among our group that when Fred gets up to put on his jacket you'd better get your gear on and be ready to ride. Well, I came up on the short end of the stick this morning after breakfast because he pulled out of town while I was still getting dressed. At least I had the bike running so I wasn't too worried and figured I'd eventually catch up with him. Chuck and Dan hung back with me and when we started cranking up the speed to catch them, Chuck was doing all he could to ring some speed out of that Vulcan 800. We did finally catch up with them before we got to Marathon where Fred stopped to let some of the bikes top off their tanks. Again I was the last one out because I ran inside for the restroom. It just wasn't shaping up to be my day.  Chuck hung with the group so I was able to twist the throttle and catch up in a few miles.

We had turned onto 385 south in Marathon, and then turned left onto FM2627 to go to the Black Gap canyon. When we turned onto the road I saw a sign for the Hallie Stillwell Hall of Fame Museum. I thought it was odd to have a hall of fame museum out here so I keyed up the mic and asked if anyone knew who Hallie Stillwell was and why she had a Hall of Fame museum out here. Well Fred didn't let me down. He told us the Stillwells were a well known ranching family out in the area and they had been there a long time. Fred had met "Old Lady" Stillwell before she passed away. And told us that she served one mean burrito that had him and the bathroom on intimate terms for a week. (OK, those of you who know Fred realize he didn't say it quite that nicely.)

We stopped at the Stillwell Museum / Campground / General Store and then proceed down the road until it dead ended at the river. The group had spread out along the 20 mile stretch and by the time everyone had gotten down there a fella on his Harley pulled up and started visiting with us. It turned out he lived just up the hill and provided security for the wildlife management area. He invited us up to his landing strip for a better view of the area. It was a great view and I hope my Sony camera does it justice. The guy lived out there alone and I think he enjoyed the company as much as we enjoyed the view. But like all things when traveling with a large group, those of us who road up to the strip had to cut it short and get back down to the group.

The ride back out to US385 seemed to go quicker. Then we turned south and headed to Big Bend National Park. Now I'm no fan of traveling the 26 miles on the eastern side of the park and today I ended up as the caboose. But with just a little extra touch of throttle the ride seemed pleasant and I was pulling into Panther Junction about 30 minutes later. We took a short break, I'm sure for the guys in the front it seemed like they had been there 30 or 40 minutes already. Then it was time to ride west through the park and stop at Stude Butte for gas and some food. We decided not to stop for lunch at the Chisos Basin since we had at least 17 bikes and the restaraunt isn't the zippiest service in the area to begin with. But you don't ride in the park for the food anyway, it's the scenery that makes a 45mph speed limit bearable.

We rolled into Study Butte and stopped as planned. At first I wasn't going to eat but then decided that maybe a salad would be a good thing. I asked the waitress for a salad with grilled chicken. And she fixed me up with a great salad. It was huge but good. The Ft Bend riders decided to head up to Ft. Davis and call it quits for the day. That would end the day around 300 miles and get us off the road at 4:30 or so. Just before we got to Alpine the guys had pulled off for a break to wait for Chuck and I who were bringing up the rear. When I pulled over I announced that I need to spend some time in a bathroom (No I didn't say it that nicely either) and then I took out in a spirited manner. There's some great twisties on that 10 miles stretch of 118 going into Alpine.

My initial plan was to push for Ft. Davis where the motel was but, I saw the golden arches when I got to Alpine so I figured that would be acceptable. 10 or 15 minutes later I was back on my bike and heard the guys on the radio. I pulled some money out of a near by ATM and then stopped at AutoZone to get some parts to work on my throttle lock issue. Then I hussled toward Ft. Davis trying to catch Chuck who was bringing up the rear. It turned out that I didn't catch him until he stop at the Exxon gas station in Ft. Davis. I guess I spent more time than I thought at Autozone.

We checked into the motel and then unpacked. Tony let me borrow his Battery Tender Jr to see if it can keep the battery charged up over night. I'm hoping it'll crank in the morning without incident. Then while everyone was sitting around imbibing adult beverages I worked on my throttle lock. I had a washer that was just a little too large and needed to be filed down. That seemed to take longer then planned but I got it done while the sun was still up. Then I made a hot cup of tea and joined the conversations.

Some of the parts of the ride weren't at quite the spirited pace that I like to ride when I'm out here. But other parts were great and spirited. Then there was the bumpy start to the day that made wonder if I was even going to stay out  here this weekend or give up. I came to my senses quickly enough though. All in all, it was a great day today and I had fun. We rode 309 miles over the course of 9 hours. No one went to the hospital and no one went to jail. This was a good day in my book.

I think the nearly 800 miles Chuck put in over the course of the past 2 days has worn his butt out. He's talking about leaving tomorrow and splitting up the ride home over 2 days. But he came and he road more miles on the Vulcan in a weekend then he's done since he bought the bike.

BBFO'10 - Day 1

Don't let the title fool you, this won't be an epic month long journey, only a 5 day trip. But considering the time of the year and the little things wrong with my bike that's probably a good thing. More about bike issues later.

This weekend is the annual Big Bend Freeze Out, aka the BBFO. Fred says he's been coming out to the area for at least 24 years. When he's feeling nostalgic he'll talk about what it used to be like out here and how much it's grown up over the years. To listen to him talk the River Road (FM170) wasn't much more than a dirt road back in the day. Now it's a fun, twisty 2 lane with the occasional patch of gravel in the corner. This will be my third year coming out here, I've been looking forward to this trip for months.

Just like any night before a trip, I had a very fitful night's sleep. I had set my alarm clock for 4:15 with plans to leave by 5am. Well, at 1:15 I woke up ready to leave because in my dream I had over slept. The next 3 hours were an excercise in futility but I figured it was best to try and rest as much as I could. When the alarm finally went off I sprung out of bed and got dressed. Everything was packed on the bike so there was no reason I shouldn't have been able leave on time. That is except I sat down in front of my computer, oops! The next thing I know it's 5am and I still have to move Reagan's bike out of the way, gear up and go. I kissed Reagan good bye and ran out to the garage. By 5:15 I was on the bike and pulling out of the drive way.

It seemed like I hit every light along 90A and 99 leaving the Sugar Land area. Plus it was raining so visibility wasn't great in the dark. On more than one occasion I ended up behind slow drivers taking up both lanes of the road. I wasn't so annoyed at the slow drivers as I was with myself because I hadn't filled up the night before and I didn't want to be the reason the group got a late start. I finally made it to Brookshire a few minutes before 6am and filled up my tank. I had passed Andy along the way so I knew we had at least one more rider to wait for. He was at the pump before I finished filling up.

At 6:03am, in the dark and with a light rain, 6 of us donned our rain gear and mounted our motorcycles. The first leg of trip was 60 miles to Schulenburg for breakfast at Franks. Since I hadn't been at a Sunday breakfast many weeks earlier I was assigned to be the ride leader. So I set the pace and tried not to run into anything in the dark. When I left my house it was around 65 degrees, when we were still 30 miles away from Franks it had fallen into the upper 40's. I was OK, but not exceptionally warm. As planned we got to Franks about 7am and they were open for business.

Breakfast was good and service was quick. While we ate the rain let up and the skys seem to clear a little but the temperature was falling. Everyone decided to put on their electrics and change out some layers. Then it was back on the bikes and down the road. The next stop would be the Bucky's gas station in Lulling as Tony needed gas sooner than the planned stop in Seguin. The rain had all but stopped for this leg of the trip and the sun was coming up although it was hidden behind the dense cloud cover. At least we were able to see the road as the wind knocked us around.

We arrived in Lulling and pulled off of I-10. For those who have never been to a Bucky's, it's a mega-gas station for automobiles. They don't cater to semis like truck stops do. The nice part about stopping at a Bucky's is there are plenty of pumps and the restrooms are very clean. So everybody was able to get to a pump and fill up pretty quickly. Gary and I finished first and moved our bikes out of the way. We walked under some cover 10 feet or so away from the bikes and then when it appeared no one needed to go inside for any reason we began to get ready to leave. This is where the first comedy routine of the day occured. Appearantly when Gary got off his bike he put his key in his right pants pocket, or so he thought. When he couldn't find his keys several of us began searching all through out his bike and around it on the ground but there were no keys. He checked his pockets and his rain suit several times without luck. Finally Doug started to pat him down like a police officer would do a criminal and Doug found the keys in the bottom of the right leg of Gary's Frog Toggs. It was entertaining to watch, I wish I had thought to pull out my phone and take a movie.

So with keys found and bikes running we pulled out of Lulling and resumed out westward trip on I-10. The wind knocked us around but the sky was clearing and the roads were drying. When we were still a few miles east of San Antonio we saw a rainbow to the north east. The sky was getting bluer and bluer by the mile.

In San Antonio we picked up 90 and continued west toward Sanderson. We stopped at the rest stop a few miles west of Hondo. As with most state rest stops, this one had WiFi so I pulled out my netbook and checked on the other group who had left the day before. They were a few hours ahead of us but the plan was to meet up with them at the Pecos river.  From the rest area, our next stop would be Brackettville for the final fuel stop and to grab stuff to eat at the Pecos river over look.

It always seems to amaze me when I ride through towns in West Texas. It seems like people out here haven't seen motorcycles before. I wonder what sort of reaction Reagan's Spyder would get. I mean when I'm riding through town and people are staring at me it sort of makes me nervous. But I digress, our ride to this point was pretty uneventful. We got through Del Rio with only 1 wrong turn and that wasn't really a wrong turn so much as it was a delayed turn. We rolled into Bracketteville and stopped at the Valero for gas and snacks.

As guys would fill up their bikes they would move them out of the way. By the time I finished and moved away from the pump, Gary was already taking off his gear to make some adjustments. he was trying to put on some suspenders and had himself all tangled up. It was quite a site to see, finally it was Doug to the rescue (again). I had gotten a report from Fred and the other group that it was too windy for them to stay at the Pecos river so they were heading up the road to Langtry. Then the question was what did everyone want to do for lunch? The decision was made to eat next door at the Crazy Chicken Grill.

Now the Crazy Chicken Grill isn't some high class fancy smancy joint like you might find in a metropolis. No this was a country grill built on to the side of a gas station. The waitress/clerk took your order and just over her shoulder was the fry cook with a large flat skillet top and a deep fryer. The waitress talked me into the fajita special instead of the taco salad. Diet? What diet? I don't need no stinking diet....

Well the food came out slowly at first but everyone finally got what they ordered. The conversation went from the president's speech to alternative energy sources to the silliness of making ethanol. It was quite and interesting lunch. Oh, and the food was decent. 

With everyone fed and the  bikes filled, we hopped back on 90 heading west toward Langtry.  The wind seemed to have increased it's intensity for that last stretch and I was feeling it. Along the way, Gary comes on the radio asking if something fell off his bike. Then I hear Doug confirming that indeed something had and he was picking it up. "Dougie" to the rescue! Andy and Dan come on up to where I'm stopped and tell me we are to go on and that Gary, Doug and Tony will catch up. So we take off and a few minutes later I hear Gary talking on the radio and a few minutes after that we are all back together at the Pecos river bridge where they are still doing construction a year later. After a breif wait at an automated traffic light for a one lane bridge, we resume our travels.

We took the turn off for Langtry and pulled up to the Judge Roy Bean Museum. One of these days when I have time I'd like to come back out and check it out, but today was not that time. But there was time for a bio break and then our small group of 6 became a larger group of 9 with Fred in the lead.

I hung toward the back and just watched the country side as the miles rolled on. With the exception of passing one orange Schieder semi it really wasn't an eventful ride. We pulled into Sanderson just after 4pm and checked into the Outback Oasis Motel, then went across the street to the gas station to fill up. The day's ride had come to an end, for my group it was a 433 mile, 10 hour 44 minute trip together.

As time passed in the late afternoon more and more of this year's group showed up. I got to see people I'd met from past rides and met some new folks too. But the one person that was missing was my buddy from Ft. Worth.

A quick blurb about Chuck, my buddy from Ft. Worth. He called me this morning at 8:45am to say he was just leaving. And then he called me at 4:20pm saying he was in Brady, TX and the GPS told him he had another 4 hours to go but he didn't believe it.  Huh??? It took almost 8 hours to go from Ft. Worth to Brady? I'm no routing genius but that's about 200 miles and should've only taken 4 hours, maybe 5 with long breaks. But it had taken him almost 8hrs and the GPS was saying he still had 4 hours to reach Sanderson. As I write this it's 5 hours since he called from Brady and there's no sign of him around here.  Chuck is a big boy and hopefully has the common sense to pull over for the night and find a place to stay. As it is he's riding at night, in the cold, without electrics, in deer country. Any 2 of these ingredients can spell disaster, all 4 are definitely not good. I'm hoping to have a funny update for you on Chuck's adventure in tomorrow post.

Well the guys have contacted the cafe owner down the street and she's agreed to open tomorrow morning at 7:30 for breakfast so it's side stands up at 7:30. Fortunately it's only 3 blocks down the road. But since I didn't get much sleep last night and because I'm tired from today's ride I think it prudent to get some sleep now.

Oh and one more thing. The wifi internet at the Outback Oasis Motel is squirrelly. At first it worked fine when we got here. Then there were problems on the eastern side of the property. Now there's problems on the western side of the property. I don't know what they've got here but it's definitely not very good if it can't handle a few netbooks at one time. Thank goodness I have my sprint card, or this post wouldn't get published tonight.

AK '09 - Post Trip Wrap Up

OK, so I have to apologize to those folks who were following the blog as I meant to finish this trip write up back in November. Why November you ask when Reagan and I arrived home in July. Simple really, I didn't get my bike back until November 4th. Yep, I was without my beloved ride for 4 months. And then with work, motorcyle teaching, deer season, Nascar and a little surgery I found myself all the way into December with a bike sitting in the garage that still needed to be rewired following the brutal disassembly performed in the Fairbanks BMW parking lot back in July. Not to mention I had to fix a few things damaged by Fairbanks BMW when they crated my bike up.

So what happened to the bike, what was the final prognosis? In the end I got a new transmission out of the deal but it wasn't all that easy. First the the bike didn't get to Wild West BMW in Katy, TX until August 28th. Yep, it took almost 2 months to get it home, folks in Alaska don't seem to get in a hurry to do anything. Sort of like Mexico, only colder. The dealership was nice enough to help me un-crate it and gave me some space to reassemble things as I needed to repair the fuel connector that was broken in our parking lot work. Once everything was put back together Dan, the service manager, put some gas in the tank and we fired it up. When I let the clutch out in neutral Dan grimaced and I knew it was bad. He said their tech had just recently completed the training to rebuild R1200 transmissions and he'd get the parts ordered. In the days that followed I sent him the warranty info and he got the repair approved by the company.

It took a few weeks for the parts to arrive and then more time for them to complete the work. Then in the first week of October I got the news that the work had been completed but the noise was still there. It was more than just some bad bearings. It took a few weeks for them to measure all the parts and discuss the problem with BMW North America before it was decided that a new transmission would have to be installed since some of the damaged parts were not available from BMW. So Dan got the approval from the warranty company and the transmission was ordered. Finally on November 4th, I got the word that the bike had passed it's post repair inspection and I could come get it. As I was leaving town later that day, I rushed over there with John's help and picked up the bike. Dan wasn't in the office so it was unknown how much of the $5,550 bill I actually needed to pay. They let me take the bike on the promise that I would square things up with Dan. The ride home was wonderful, I had my motorcycle back finally.

It wasn't until December that Dan got back to me on a final cost for the repair work they had done. As it turns out, the warranty company (MPP Company, Inc. aka Pinnacle Protection Plans) refused to pay for the initial repair attempt but did pay for the transmission replacement. Their lack of honor in the deal was so bad, that supposedly the dealership has stopped selling their warranty plans and won't try to rebuild any more R1200 transmissions. I paid for some of the parts and Dan said he would recoup the rest of the costs by parting out the old transmission, it was an amicable deal for both of us. I'm hoping this will be the last warranty claim I have on the bike until I get a new one in 2012. I've certainly saved money with the purchase of this extended warranty, and I don't want to see if Dan is willing to take on another warranty claim with Pinnacle.

So, now that you've read about the repair saga I can finally give you the numbers about the trip.

Total Mileage: 13,183 miles
BMW Mileage: 8,083 miles
Spyder Mileage: 5,098 miles
Tires used on the BMW: 2 front, and 2 rears
Tires used on the Spyder: Still on the original set, 10,000+ on the odometer
Days on the Road: 36
Cost of Fuel: I don't want to know
Cost of Rooms: Who cares! I was on the road for over a month.

Since returning, Reagan has really enjoyed her Spyder. By the time we returned home there was no doubt that she would be keeping it. She's taken several day trips on it and we even road up to see my parents on Christmas Eve. Boy! was that a cold ride home. The Spyder is now a part of the normal vehicle choice even, since Reagan changed jobs, she's now able to ride it to work when she wants to. She even let's me ride it now and again, but that may just be so I'll put gas in it. ;)

Talk is already under way for another trip back to Alaska in 2012. The group will have some different faces and a few of the same. The key difference will be the time spent. As part of the trip, I want to take 29 days, 23 hours and 30 minutes travelling from Key West, FL. to Dead Horse, AK. so I can say I did it twice and the second time I was able to see a lot along the way. Shucks, I might even turn it into a Four Corners ride on the way up but I'll have to see how it goes. I'm putting together the paper work today to get my UCC ride certified. I'm not concerned about the time, as far as I'm concerned it took 12 days to get there. But I'd like to get the certificate saying I completed the ride.

There's no Iron Butt rides planned for this year. I'm focused on my work so we can stash some cash hopefully. I do have some fun rides coming up like next weekend's BBFO (Big Bend Freeze Out) and this summer Reagan and I are hoping to attend the BMW Rally in Oregon. And then there's the Harley Davidson CIW instructors workshop in May. So there will definitely be more trips to read about in 2010 but I'm afraid the next month plus long trip won't be for a year or two. I'm working on it though, especially now that Reagan has her on bike.

AK '09 - Day 36

The last day of the trip and I over slept. Last night I had forgot to turn my phone service on instead of just powering up the pda portion of the phone. Actually I had gone the past 4 days without cell service and started liking it. Luckily mother-nature kicked in and I woke up at 5:30 and noticed the time. I scrambled out of bed to get a shower while Reagan rushed to pack. Somehow we managed to get everything packed, loaded and walked down to breakfast at 6:05. She was right, I did like the fluffy bed at the Hampton Inn.

Reagan wanted to take the first shift as rider so I hopped on back and we headed out of town on Hwy 62 south. It was early in the morning and the sun was just starting to rise so John kept the pace slow to watch for deer. And deer we saw, too. We even saw a confused calf that was trying to figure out how to get back to the other side of the fence.

One thing about today, it was hot when we started. The wind was blowing and it was already 77 degrees. So much for the cool, refreshing days I had experienced only days before. So we continued down 62 to Hamilton where we stopped for a restroom break. It was a good chance to stretch my legs too. John and I figured the next stop would be just south of Abilene to fuel up and pick up a lost mug of Fred's.

As we rode into Abilene, John's GPS went on the fritz and we had to do a u-turn. In doing so we go separated so Reagan and I resumed the route as it showed on the Zumo. After we passed the airport on Hwy 36 south we started looking for a gas station 7 miles down the road. There was no gas station to be found so we didn't stop. Unfortuntately we didn't have much gas left and we began to wonder if we'd make it to Cross Plains or not. We pushed on, and luckily we made it with 0.8 gallons of gas left. Jphn and Lydia had caught up to us a few miles south of Abilene.

With a full tank of gas and restroom breaks taken, I took the rider seat for a while. The route was simple, from Abilene we were taking Hwy 36 south to Rosenberg. The road was straight and the scenery boring compared the wonders I'd seen over the past month. Plus with the high temperatures it was just a ride to get done.

We stopped along the way for a restroom break and then finally stopped in Cameron for lunch and fuel at the Shell station on the south side of town. There was a BBQ joint attached to it and they actually served pretty decent 'Q. It's not ride worthy like Snow's in Lexington but it's not bad for a person who has been away from Texas BBQ for a month.

Reagan took the rider's seat after lunch so I sat on the back and listen to the Nascar race. By now it was 104 degrees outside. We had 2 hours of riding left and it was just a matter of toughing it out. The seat was truely a pain in my butt, but we were almost home.

In Bellville, John stopped at the Shell to get some fluids and I took the chance to hit the restroom. I didn't realize I had been drinking so much water. But later Reagan informed me that I had drank almost all of the 3 liter camelback on the back of the bike. Ooops, if I had known I would have bought more water at the Shell.

I took over for the last stretch to the house as Reagan was hot and wanted to share the driving duties with me. She had pretty much driven more than half the day already. So I hopped in the rider seat and we took off on 36. I'm not for sure if we got bad gas in Cameron or if there's a tuning issue with the lower altitude but I noticed a slight sputter after leaving Bellville. I plan to run some premium through it and talk to the dealership to see if there's any computer changes that are necessary.

So we trudged down Hwy 36 until we got to the Spur 10 and took that over to Hwy 59. Then it was north a short ways before exiting for the house and finally pulling into our driveway again. It took 2 bikes, and 36 days but I had traveled over 13,000 miles of the country with very little back tracking on the same roads.

After figuring out how to fit the Spyder in the garage (will have to clean out more to fit the GS in there too) we unpacked and got our showers. It was nice to pick clothes out of my dresser instead of a bag, and it was nice to take a shower in my own bathroom.

We went to dinner at Gringos and found ourselves in the bar as there was space available and we wanted cold beer. Well the beer wasn't cold enough but the bartender was helpful. After we ordered it sort of started getting crowded with people of african ethnicity and self entitlement issues. Reagan and I both came to the same conclusion, neither one of us like Houston any more. It's too darn crowded and we're talking about the suburbs. Jobs are keeping us here for now but that won't be forever.

In the next few days, after the flood of whailing and requests from my clients subside, I plan to write a recap about what stuff I took, what worked, what didn't, what I will do different next time (yes I'm going back to Prudhoe bay) and general numbers about the trip. At some point in the next month or so I'll also post the resolution of the GS transmission failure and it's outcome. Since Reagan and I are already planning a Big Bend trip in October I'm hoping to have it back before then so I can put things back together. Otherwise, I'm going to really have an iron butt after riding that little Savage out there and back.

It's good to be home, even if it's hot and crowded, my bed, my computer and all my junk is here. I'm home!