Stuck in New Mexico

We were riding through New Mexico Yesterday. We were supposed to make it to Flagstaff Arizona. The weather had a different idea for us. We were only able to make it 100 miles due to the extreme wind. We were in 30 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph. Tumbleweeds and dust were my companions on the road and the wind almost pushed me off the road more than a few times. It was by far the most dangerous riding day yet. We were forced to take refuge at a local elementary school through the worst of it. By the time we made it to a truck stop called Gallup it was snowing and we pulled in for the night. This is a picture of my bike the next morning. I thought about covering my motorcycle, but when I pulled out the cover it made a parachute and I realized it would turn my bike into a giant sail and probably break my kick stand off.

Even though there is nothing to do in Gallup NM, it is actually a nice area to view. This picture does not do the landscape justice. When the sun came up the clouds were pink, purple, and orange. The mesas, speckled with snow, glittered as the sunlight hit them.

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.

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.

Oklahoma City

I have neglected to update my blog over the last 968 miles. My last real post was in Bristol Virginia and even then I was really too tired to write much. There wasn't much to write about in Virgina. I traveled through the Shenandoah valley and the wind really beat me up. It was all I could do to keep the bike upright. The wind blew me all over the road and every time I had to pass a big rig or when one passed me it was alway a white knuckle adventure.

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.

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.

From Hershey Pennsylvania to Bristol Virginia.

We spent a day in Hershey Pennsylvania to let the worst part of the North Eastern storm pass over us. Today we rode around 400 miles to Bristol Virginia which is on the border of Tennessee. The forecast for today's weather called for high wind. The weather forecasters did not let me down. I am very tired after being beat up for over 7 hours by the relentless wind.


It rained on and off all day with beautiful breaks in the clouds revealing lush green cow fields in the rolling hills of Virginia. I am really tired and I think I will go take the girls to the pool and soak in the spa. My muscles can really use a rest.

First Leg of the Trip a Bone Chilling Success!

We made the trek from Hanscom Air Force Base Massachusetts to Hershey Pennsylvania. The weather was overcast the entire day and it rained and snowed on us for a significant portion of the ride. I am man enough to say that I was scared driving over the Poconos Mountains. At one point near the summit it was snowing and the fog was so bad that I could only see 50 feet ahead. It was definitely a white knuckle ride. The weather is even worse today. If we were to try the same ride today there is no doubt in my mind that the Poconos would be inpassible for a motorcycle.

Our first stop was just to use the bathroom but we found this little road side gem. It is a restaurant that gives each person three books of their choosing with each meal. The food was great and the people made it even better. There was a couple from Flagstaff Arizona that did not seem to mind Keira and Kiley running back and forth through the restaurant getting their pent-up energy out. While we were waiting for our meals we walked around to pick out our books. Kristin got one called Airstream Living. A picture book dedicated to Airstream camper trailers and all the ways you can deck them out. It was a cool little place and I am glad that we stopped for a bite to eat.

This picture was taken just before we hit the real nasty weather. We stopped in to a McDonalds to warm up. As we climbed into the mountains my feet and hands started to scream at me. Even with my hand and toe warmers and my waterproof gear the cold found it's way through. The service at McDonalds was terrible and the gas station in this mountain town had only one type of unleaded fuel, 87 octane. I did not want to get stuck on the mountain so Filled up my tank from this ancient looking pump while sniffing the gas to make sure it did not have any funny smells. At this point I put on my Cabelas hunting overalls over my chaps and under my Gortex Pants. It was a smart move because the temperature continued to plummet.

I want to give a special thank you to my family. Every time we stopped to fuel up, eat, or relieve our selves, they were there to encourage me and warm my heart. I don't have any pictures of Kristin or Susan (Kristin was driving and Susan was snapping pictures). They have both been a great help, especially when it comes to helping me put on my gloves when my fingers are too cold to be effective. Susan has been not feeling well so we have been making more frequent stops than originally planned she has been a real trooper. P.S. my back and bum say thank you for that. I hope you feel better and at the same time...maybe you could pretend to feel bad? Just a thought ; ) We are going to spend the day in Hershey today and we will hit the road tomorrow. Look forward to an improvement in the weather.

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.

Freedom Bell...Let Freedom Ring!

Yesterday I was surprised when Ben Elton showed up at my doorstep with a gift. It is a small pewter bell called a Freedom Bell. On one side of the bell are the words "In memory of our fallen heroes" and on the other side is an empty pair of boots holding up an M-16 and a soldier's helmet. Inside the bag there was this message.



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!

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.

Rigged up some lumbar support

I decided to try and create some back support for the long ride so I pulled out my military issued duffle bag and placed 2 foam sleeping pads inside to create a nice round form. Then, I stuffed my cold whether and rain gear inside the sleeping pads which resulted in a perfectly round and firm cylinder. Then I took some 550 cord and tied it down to the bike. The connection is very solid and it created the exact effect I was looking for. I am going to take the bike down to the Harley dealership again to have them change the risers so that the handlebars are closer to me so I can have a more reclined position. Everything is starting to come together and there is only four more weeks until we hit the road!

The maintenance is done!

Just got the bike back from Kelly's Harley Davidson. It was a frigid ride but my HOG is safely back home. So here is a list of the things that were done in preparation for the ride across America. The motor was completely disassembled and all the seals replaced. The carb was re-jetted and the intake manifold seals replaced (she is purring like a jungle kitty now). The fork oil was replaced. New front and rear tires and a new front brake rotor were installed. The original buck-horn handle bars and a new windscreen were added. All the oils were replaced, and all the belts, chains, and cables were adjusted. Finally, the wheel bearings were cleaned, re-greased and repacked.

Now she is ready for the journey. Can't wait for this ding dang snow to go away! Hurry up April!!!

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.

The Steel Horse

Shiny and clean now. Won't be that way after 3,000+ miles.

Preparing for the cross country trip

The course has been set. The ride will be long. From Boston Massachusetts to Sacramento California by way of highway 40. This course makes a giant smiley face across America ; ) Check out the map for more detailed view of our intended course.