We are going to ride to Flagstaff today (hopefully). The weather is supposed to be nice all day but flagstaff may not get warm enough to melt the ice by the time we get there so our fall back plan is Winslow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Harley Ride Across America
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Stuck in New Mexico
We are going to ride to Flagstaff today (hopefully). The weather is supposed to be nice all day but flagstaff may not get warm enough to melt the ice by the time we get there so our fall back plan is Winslow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Oklahoma City to Amarillo Texas
We rode to Texas today. It was a really windy day. We rode Route 66 on and off today switching between that and interstate 40. Seeing the run down towns reminded me of the Pixar Cars movie. Now I understand why that movie was made.
It is really sad when you think about it. The ride was so much better at the slower speed. You had a chance to enjoy the scenery. I think we have lost our way a little bit and are in too much of a hurry.
We ride tomorrow for Albuquerque New Mexico tomorrow. Hopefully we can include route 66 tomorrow as well. It is actually tough to stay on it because the signs are small and not always well marked. You always seem to end up back on the interstate.
It is really sad when you think about it. The ride was so much better at the slower speed. You had a chance to enjoy the scenery. I think we have lost our way a little bit and are in too much of a hurry.
We ride tomorrow for Albuquerque New Mexico tomorrow. Hopefully we can include route 66 tomorrow as well. It is actually tough to stay on it because the signs are small and not always well marked. You always seem to end up back on the interstate.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Oklahoma City

Exhausted, we arrived in Bristol Virgina. I did not do any sightseeing. I went directly to the hot tub and took a soak. The next day I rode out separate from the girls. I was headed for the Dragon's Tail (Route 129 between Tennessee and North Carolina. The girls headed straight for Nashville Tennessee. The ride was perfect. It was sunny and very little wind. I met a group of bikers outside the local Harley dealership who gave me some helpful hints on riding the dragon's tail. They said to stay away from the center line because the guys on crotch rockets often went over the center line. This was very good advice as this is exactly what happened.
When I caught up with the girls at Nashville they had some interesting pictures to show me. They had snuck into the Bristol Motor Speedway and took some pictures of the track. While in Nashville we went to the Grand Ole Oprey, the main venue for country singing. Last year the Grand Ole Oprey was flooded and they just completed the restoration. We took the tour and headed out for the Country Music Hall of Fame. As we were driving the radio emergency system came on and instructed us to seek immediate shelter for an impending tornado. We got off the road and went into our hotel room. 5 minutes later it came through and knocked out the power to our hotel. Sue got stuck for 10 minutes in the elevator. That explains why no blogging in Tennessee.
The next day we rode to Arkansas. It was a pleasant albeit uneventful ride. Pretty boring countryside. We stayed on post at Little Rock Air Force base where we got a chance to catch up with some of our extended Air Force Family. We hung out with the Browns (Sans Elijah) and enjoyed the nice amenities that an active base has to offer.
Today we set a goal to make it to Elk City Oklahoma. But after a day of getting pounded by the wind we settled on Oklahoma City. I am even more exhausted today than after the Shenandoah ride. We are ordering room service and we will take a shorter ride tomorrow to Amarillo Texas.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Hershey, PA to Nashville TN
Our internet has been down due to a tornado that hit Nashville. I will update the blog once we arrive in Arkansas.
I have video of the Dragon's Tail ride that I will share. Tennessee is our favorite state so far. We are having a blast. Next stop is Arkansas. The weather should be very nice today.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
From Hershey Pennsylvania to Bristol Virginia.
Friday, April 1, 2011
First Leg of the Trip a Bone Chilling Success!

Sunday, March 27, 2011
Second Helmet Camera Test
Took a ride yesterday with Ben Elton. According to the weather channel it was 24 degrees but with the wind chill it would feel like 14 degrees. Add riding a bike at 40 miles per hour and you have yourself a bone chilling ride. Our hands were barking so bad after 10 minutes that we had to pull off into a local McDonalds and wrap them around a warm cup of coffee.
We rode over to the sleepy Hollow Cemetery and then to the Old North Bridge in Concord Massachusetts. This is the ride back from the Old North Bridge to Hanscom Air Force Base.
P.S. Ben thanks for inviting me on this ride. After the ride I went to REI and invested in a neoprene ski mask, some thick wool socks, and some Gortex gauntlets to go over my gloves. I also purchased some chemical hand and toe warmers for the early morning rides. I took them out for a test this morning and I could not feel the cold at all.
We rode over to the sleepy Hollow Cemetery and then to the Old North Bridge in Concord Massachusetts. This is the ride back from the Old North Bridge to Hanscom Air Force Base.
P.S. Ben thanks for inviting me on this ride. After the ride I went to REI and invested in a neoprene ski mask, some thick wool socks, and some Gortex gauntlets to go over my gloves. I also purchased some chemical hand and toe warmers for the early morning rides. I took them out for a test this morning and I could not feel the cold at all.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Freedom Bell...Let Freedom Ring!
FREEDOM BELLS
The Mystical Story of---
Have you ever wished you could get rid of those nasty road surprises that turn your ride in the wind to a trip where everything goes wrong?
As we all know, life has many mysteries that have no apparent solutions. One of these is Evil Road Spirits. That are the little gremlins that live on your bike. They love to ride. They're also responsible for most of your bike's problems. Sometimes your turn signals refuse to work, or the battery goes dead, the clutch needs adjustment, or any of several hundred things go wrong. These problems are caused by Evil Road Spirits.
Road Spirits can't live in the presence of a bell. They get trapped in the hollow of the bell. Among other things, their hearing is supersensitive. The constant ringing of the bell and the confined space drives them insane. They lose their grip and eventually fall to the roadway. (Have you ever wondered how potholes are formed?) The bell has served its purpose.
If you have picked up a bell of your own, the magic will work. But if your bell was given to you, the power has been doubled, and you know that somewhere you have a special friend helping to look after you.
So, if you have a friend that doesn't have a bell, why not be the person to give them one? It's a nice feeling for the recipient to know you personally cared. The bell, plus a good preventative maintenance program by the bike's owner, will eliminate the Evil Road Spirits.
The Source
As Reported in Thunder Press.
I want to give a sincere thank you to Ben for this thoughtful gift. I will definitely keep this bell with me as I ride cross country to keep those shifty road gremlins away. Cheers Ben until we ride again!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Helmet Camera Testing
Took the Harley out today to test my new helmet mounted camera. Test was a success. Click on the video to see me riding on route 4 in Massachusetts. Nice cold ride. You can still see snow on the sides of the roads if you look carefully.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Rigged up some lumbar support
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The maintenance is done!

Now she is ready for the journey. Can't wait for this ding dang snow to go away! Hurry up April!!!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The horse is in the stable!

Took a very cold ride to Kelly's Harley Davidson tonight. We barely made it before closing time. We had to go slow for the fear of hitting any ice. The service shop is going to do a major servicing on the bike in preparation for the long trip. A tune up, full replacement of fluids, chain belt and clutch adjustments, a new front rotor, new rear tire, stock buckhorn handle bars, and if Kristin lets me get away with it, a windscreen and some heated handle grips. It is going to be a long ride so I might as well drop the cash now to hopefully avoid problems on the road.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Preparing for the cross country trip
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