Day 9

Day 9. I called the closest Harley shop and told them that my bike was a few hundred miles over due for servicing. The service manager, Jamie, told me to bring it in and he would put someone on it. Besides the regular servicing they discovered a nail in the rear tire which had not gone through to the tube and that my read brakes were worn. Four hours later I was on the road again. It only cost $100 per hour to sit in the waiting room at the Harley shop but they had real comfortable overstuffed leather couches and the work on the bike was FREE!. I went to see my friend Peter J. Dingle who was my best friend in Viet Nam. When we were young we laughed together, we cried together, we went to war together, we drank together and we built some big bridges. We hadn't seen each other in 42 years. The years have not been as kind to Pete health-wise as they have to me. We both have surely been blessed to have lived through the experience of war. It is sad to see what we once were physically, and what we are today. It brings to mind a realization of from the moment we are born where we are heading. I'm glad I made this journey and that I was able to spend some time with Pete. The hours I have spent on the road were hours of self reflection. I am so fortunate to have the things that I have; family; friends and I have lived a great life. Tomorrow I will stop and see my friend before heading west again. I have achieved the goals that I set out for myself but I leave here with a sadness in my heart. If there was only some way to capture the glorious days of youth...but they are gone forever. Attached are some pictures of Pete and his wife Pat's house (on a lake front), of Pete and Pat and of two broken down old men that were once soldiers. Not heroes, just good soldiers.

Day 8 I made it!!

Day 8. I arrived in Portland Maine at 4:30 PM and by the time The weather was good..sunny and warm with a few big white clouds.
I found a Harley shop it was closed. I rode 3727 miles (with my side trips) to get here.
Portland looked like a nice old seaport town. I saw the Atlantic ocean but forgot to take a picture of it.
I came back to Salem New Hampshire and called my friend Pete Dingle. We are going to meet tomorrow at noon after his dialysis and make a plan from there. I rode 486 miles today and I'm sleepy. I have to try to get my bike serviced in the morning for the return trip.

Day 7

Day 7 was a taking it easy day. I only rode 445 miles today including a side trip to Niagra Falls. It was cool to see and reminded me of the boxes of Nabisco Shredded Wheat when I was a kid. I rode from Cleveland to Utica Ohio today.

Yesterday it seemed that ALL of the toll booth attendants in Illinois were having PMS. Today all of the ones in New York were very friendly. I think that those of us that have worked serving the public, really notice poor customer service from other people that are supposed to be serving the public.

After I got settled into my room for the evening I went to Walmart to get some stuff. I couldn't find my way out of the damned store. Then when I did, my motorcycle was gone. Then I realized I came out a door about a 1/2 block from the one I went in. Jesus H. Getting old sucks.

Tomorrow I'm going to go to Portland Maine then back to my buddy's in Salem New Hampshire.

I still like riding every day. It is as close as I can come to the days of the old west when people traveled on horseback.

One thing I noticed in Montana was that they run over foxes like we hit possums. They were everywhere. That and deer. A lot of pickups have big metal shields like pit bars on the front because of the deer and antelope in the road. There's nothing to eat in the road. What the hell are they doing there anyway.

Day 6 Nasty Weather

Day 6 was the worst of days. I tried to get a picture of the Chicago Skyline but Obama's recovery act has made the freeway system a dangerous place to take a picture. And the freeways in the east aren't free. You have to stop ever 20 miles and pay to drive a little further. It usually cost 80 cents to $1.60 but I paid $7.50 to cross Indiana on Interstae 90 which I'm pretty sure some of my takes paid for.
I spent the morning trying to outrun a storm in Indiana. As I got into Ohio, it caught me. I put on my rain gear (thank you Eric Miller) and put my buff (thank you Miles and Carolyn Brenden) around my face just below my eves and then put my hood up and helmet on. I rode for 2 hours in rain, hail thunder and lightening. Then as I approached Cleveland the hail was so hard the road was slick and the rain had caused standing wather on the freeway. The wind increased to the point that I damned near blew over a few times. Some cars in front of me spun out either from the wind of hail and hit the inside wall. I'm a quitter...that was enough for me. Straight to a Holiday Inn. Only made it 383 miles today and still have 660 miles to go to get to Pete's house in Salem New Hampshire.

I only took a few pictures today.

Day 5 Sioux Falls to Chicago

Day 5- Today I rode 548 miles from Sioux Falls to Chicago. I crossed both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. I was surprised at how wide they are this far north.

While I was out in the middle of now where I practiced a good biker wave for a few hours and practiced spitting. The wave was to look badassed as possible and the spitting was insect related.

I passed by a bunch of giant windmills and took a few pictures of them from the freeway.

I took some picture of how the highway pegs can make your ride more comfortable. I put my hand operated cruise control on about 78 and then as I ride along I can move around and relax my legs and my back. I ride with my feet flat on the floor boards, then with the soles on the pegs, then the heel on the pegs and last with my boots hanging over the pegs. Pretty comfy.

All you need for a long ride is foot pegs, sun screen and some preparation H (to tighten up the wrinkles around the eyes or whatever) and a back rest. Speaking of preparation H I took a picture of a sign for an exit to Well Kiester because it cracked me up.

I crack up at a lot of stuff that I think of when I'm riding but when I write it down, it isn't that funny.

The thing I have found that is really annoying is the truck driver who has a truck that will go 67 miles an hour when all of the rest can only go 65. So when the freeway only has 2 lanes each way and he has to pass it takes about 25 miles for him to get around another truck.

Anyway, I made it to Elgin Illinois, on the outskirts of Chicago where I holed up for the night.

Yesterdays photos.

Day 4

Day 4 was spent riding around the Custer Park Area. My first stop was at Mt Rushmore. Having only seen it on TV and in the movies with Cary Grant running across their heads (North By Northwest..great Hitchcock movie) I thought it was much larger than it is. Washington and Lincoln looked right but I hardly recognized Eisenhower and Reagan. Maybe the guy wasn't that good.

I met a cop from St. Louis PD. at Crazy Horse. He parked his bike next to me and said, "Am I gonna get my ten dollars worth here?" I figured he was a cop and it turns out I was right.
At Crazy Horse I took more pictures. Between the History Channel and 60 minutes I had seen the effort making each of these sculptures. Amazing since I can't even make a recognizable snowman out of Play dough..(Right Maddie).

Anyway, up to this point in my trip I had been stressed out over my computer. And then my boots started rubbing a bone on top of my right foot where it screws in to my ankle.

I was heading east on I-90 muttering to myself when I started seeing the Wall Drug signs. When I got to Wall, I went to Wall drug and bought a pair of boots made of the softest leather I have ever felt. I look forward to putting them on every day. Since there was no room on my bike for the boots, I told the guy to toss them out.

I then asked the shoe guy if there was a FEDEX or UPS store in town. I told him about my computer and how I wanted to send it home. He told me to see Miss Candee, the Postmistress. I told her about my computer. She told me to bring it to her. She bubble wrapped it and boxed it up. She ask if I had anything else to ship because there was so much room left in the box. I mentioned my boots. She told me to get 'em. I got back to the boot store as the garbage was going out the back door. After I got my boots the smart assed kid ask if I wanted to look through the rest of the garbage for more stuff. Miss Candee got everything boxed up, sealed up and shipped. She was the epitome of what a public servant should be and I intend to let the Postmaster General know about her.

Now I'm riding toward Sioux Falls S.D. with happy feet and no computer to worry about. As I was riding along at about 80 miles per hour, a crow hit me in the forehead and damned near knocked me out. He must have been flying along eating a grasshopper because there was grasshopper parts on my head and glasses. The crow got away.

I got to Sioux Falls at about 8:15 PM and had just enough time to get to a Best buy and get this little note book computer before they closed. I found a hotel, ate some dinner and went to sleep....All and all, a pretty good day... So far I have traveled 1972 miles.

Day 3

Day 3 was my shortest day in the saddle to date. I only traveled 389 miles that day...most of it off the highway to Devils Tower it seemed. I didn't gas up before I left the freeway and sure as hell, about the time I got to it, 30 miles off the freeway, my gas gauge dropped enough to make the gas light come on. Knowing I had 30 miles to go on 25 miles of gas I went further away from the freeway and finally found a station that leaves it's pumps on for idiots like me (as long as the idiot has a credit card).

I took some pictures of my favorite thing about Wyoming as I pressed on to South Dakota. I went on passed Deadwood and Sturgis into Rapid City to find a Best Buy and get my computer fixed. The Geek Squad got it going again and I was able to send a Face Book message before it quit.

I rode through Sturgis and then went to Deadwood. I was expecting Deadwood to be like Bodie California, Tombstone or Virginia City, but it wasn't. Bodie, Tombstone and Virginia City have the original buildings and and a sort of ghost town atmosphere. Deadwood looked like new buildings and new streets and seems more like Reno.

Here are some pictures of my day.

Day 2

I have been plagued with computer issues since I started this trip, which really pissed me off.

Day 2 I traveled from Missoula Montana to Sheridan Wyoming. The highlight of the day was a stop at the Custer Battlefield near The Little Big Horn river in south east Montana. It was pretty impressive to me for a few reasons. For those who have never been there, markers have been placed where each man died. Having been in battle it was easy to visualize the organized chaos that must have ensued. You could almost hear the sounds and smell the smells of the battlefield.
I took a lot of pictures and hopefully I can attach a few to this.

As I was riding along in Montana I couldn't help but think of how blue and spacious the sky is when you get away from cities. As I traveled though Washington I had seen acre upon acre of amber waves of grain (wheat). Then though Idaho I had seen the purple mountain's majesty. And as I passed by the Bozeman airport I think I saw a fruited plane.(Gay friends and family members..I love you all and I'm just kidding).

I took some pictures of a white statue high on a mountain overlooking billings. It is a giant statue of The Lady of the Rockies. At the Harley shop they told me that you can't get up to it and that it was hauled up to it's base by a army helicopter.

I learned two this on the ride on day 2. Highway pegs are great. It lets you move around and get circulation to your legs. The other thing I learned was that it is a good idea to leave the back of your sleeveless shirt untucked so you don't trap all of the bugs inside!

Day three and four will be posted tomorrow. I'm actually in Sioux Falls South Dakota writing this at one in the morning for reasons I will divulge in the day 4 chronicle.

Day one

The first day of my trip was a little hectic and boring. At breakfast a friend that frequently rides to Montana suggested that I ride up the gorge on I-84 then go north at Pendleton on Hwy 11 until it meets up with Hwy 12 and take it to Missoula. I did. It took me 11 hours to cover 606 miles. The ride was scenic and I took some pictures of it, however my lens cover that opens automatically, didn't. At Pendleton I took a picture of a kid dressed like a buffalo and then on Lolo Pass I took a picture of this building on top of the mountain.

I saw a lot of other stuff today. I saw miles and miles of amber waves of grain in Washington around Walla Walla. They grow more than onions there.

The rest of the ride was scenic. It reminded me of hwy 22 from Mill City to Sisters with a side trip to Estacada. I checked into a hotel and there are no restaurants open around it so I went to Safeway and got a ham an cheese sandwich from their deli. Now I think I'll go to sleep.

Tomorrow will be a better day and a better blog....I hope.

The trip...

Within the next few days I will set out on a journey across the continent. My plan is to ride my motorcycle from Salem Oregon to Salem Massachusetts and from Portland Oregon to Portland Maine, killing two birds in one trip. I will be traveling alone, but heavily armed. This alleviates the need for a committee meeting before deciding when to stop and which road to take.

I will record my progress in a daily chronicle with photographs of the events of each day. My plan is travel east through the northern states and return west though the central states. All of this depends on weather, unforeseen calamities, and if my butt can take 6,000 miles in the saddle.

I will be stopping in New Hampshire to visit my friend Pete Dingle who I served two tours of duty with in Viet Nam. We have been friends for 43 years.

I don't know how long this trip will take, but I'd like to be home before the first snowfall in the Rockies.