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Tubing Across America and Why Talking to Strangers is a Good ThingA good number of people at Homecoming (and in other sects of my life) seemed pretty interested in this story and, more importantly, the photos that accompany it. I don't consider myself an expert photographer nor a particularly talented writer, but I think I can hold my own so bare with me as we cover something like 4,000 miles, 15 states and 12 days together.
This thing really started waaaayyyyy back, probably three years ago or better, when I tried planning a cross-country trip for the first time. Three years passed and no trip, mainly due to time and my self-imposed unwillingness to leave a significant other behind for the month or more I'd be gone. Fast forward to October of 2009 and the announced closure of Buell - needless to say this was something that hit us Buell enthusiasts in soft spot and within 2 weeks two things happened: a) The Buell Homecoming was loosely planned and I decided this would be the year I would attend, and b) I would sell my 45-year-old Sportster which I hardly rode and trusted even less and finally get myself the S3T I've always wanted. I was 'lucky' enough to find one of the exact year and color combination I wanted for sale when I first started looking, and not too far from me. A 2002, Orange and Grey - sex on wheels. The deal was made and I rode it home 250 miles from NH to find that, despite being told otherwise, the front isolator and motor mount were toast, saddlebags cracked, and a slew of other issues that I don't need to go into detail about. Needless to say, preparation of the bike for Homecoming wasn't going to be a small task - in addition to fixing what was broken I also elected to install an HID headlight to get rid of the downright dangerous stock bulb, fabricate a luggage rack since you can't just buy one for this bike, change all the fluids and put on new tires. But I got it done, just in time. While all of this was going on, I was staring at a map at work as I so often do and quickly decided that I would continue west after Homecoming and see the Black Hills and South Dakota Badlands and come home to Albany, NY via the north, the Michigan UP and Ontario, Canada. A few weeks went by and I realized if I was as far west as the Black Hills, I was closer to the Pacific than I was to home and after some quick planning I decided I would make the trip one way to California and ship the bike home via truck while I took to the sky for my return journey. Not ideal, but this was how I was going to fit in a cross-country trip on my budget and on my schedule. I just turned 27, I have a mortgage and a dog, who knows when wife, family, kids and such would keep me home. Now was the time. I spent the whole night before packing, hardly slept from all the excitement, but I felt ready. The bike was packed, all I had to do was wake up, jump in the shower, suit up and go. And say goodbye to the girlfriend... not easy. And about the name... for those that don't know, Buell models up to the 2002 model year all had a tubular steel frame (save for the Blast!) and are affectionately known as "tubers". I'll do these in one-day installments and include lots of photos as I know folks are interested in those... so, without further ado, we begin... |
Day 1 - June 15th, 2010
Obligatory Departure Photo (and only picture I have of NY State)
This was an early start - I woke up sometime around 5:00am and wanted to be on the road by 6:00am as I had a long day planned - one of two for the entire trip. Starting in Albany, NY, I needed to get to Marietta, OH. I would be meeting up with Joel, a friend and fellow Bueller who I'd be riding to Homecoming with. My route was about 10 hours of ride time and a tick over 615 miles. My start was a bit late as I fuddled with breakfast and getting some things ready, and, of course, saying goodbye to the honey, but I was on the road by 6:25 or so, so I considered lift-off a marginal success at this point.
BTW - upon leaving my house, the bike just felt PERFECT. It was the first time I was riding with everything loaded up and it just gave me that intrinsic feeling of being "right" and we'd have a good ride together.
From home I decided I wanted to make some decent time at the start because I both had a long day and have also pretty much already seen the area I'd be riding through (Catskills), so I hopped on I-88 and headed towards Binghamton. My first gas stop was a good one only because at this point my gas light wasn't on but I managed to put 4.5 gallons of fuel in the girl, and at the 45-55mpg I had been averaging, 200 miles on a tank would have been no problemo and trekking across the deserts of the West didn't seem so daunting.
BTW - upon leaving my house, the bike just felt PERFECT. It was the first time I was riding with everything loaded up and it just gave me that intrinsic feeling of being "right" and we'd have a good ride together.
From home I decided I wanted to make some decent time at the start because I both had a long day and have also pretty much already seen the area I'd be riding through (Catskills), so I hopped on I-88 and headed towards Binghamton. My first gas stop was a good one only because at this point my gas light wasn't on but I managed to put 4.5 gallons of fuel in the girl, and at the 45-55mpg I had been averaging, 200 miles on a tank would have been no problemo and trekking across the deserts of the West didn't seem so daunting.
First attempt at riding and taking photos somewhere in central PA
After the interstate, I crossed into PA and took some roads I had never been on before. I think throughout the day I had hit 3 State parks in PA, so the scenery was entertaining. Early on I also decided I'd practice my hand and taking photos while riding (see right).
At this point I need to explain that my camera has a wide-angle lens, so photos taken of scenery without any zoom (such as from the saddle of the bike going 70mph) makes things seem smaller and further away than they actually are. Use your imagination, kids.
The mountains through this new-to-me section of PA were very nice and reminded me of what I had seen in the SE section of OH to a degree.
At this point I need to explain that my camera has a wide-angle lens, so photos taken of scenery without any zoom (such as from the saddle of the bike going 70mph) makes things seem smaller and further away than they actually are. Use your imagination, kids.
The mountains through this new-to-me section of PA were very nice and reminded me of what I had seen in the SE section of OH to a degree.
Passing through a small town (don't ask me the name 'cause I don't remember), I rode by a church:
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...and immediately pulled a u-turn to take a closer picture of this:
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There you have it - a sign. I was protected by the Lord himself on this most excellent adventure and no wrong could come. More on that later...
The rest of the ride through PA was "more of the same" with a bit of interstate mixed in to get myself around Pittsburgh with as little fuss as possible.
Philosophical thought of the day: Pennsylvania has more road construction than any other state I've been to, yet has the worst roads of any other state I've been to...
The rest of the ride through PA was "more of the same" with a bit of interstate mixed in to get myself around Pittsburgh with as little fuss as possible.
Philosophical thought of the day: Pennsylvania has more road construction than any other state I've been to, yet has the worst roads of any other state I've been to...
Riding along the Ohio River
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Crossing into West Virginia brought the heat late in the day, and the massive traffic jam due to road construction didn't help any. I managed to get through it and before I knew it I had crossed the Ohio River into OH. The scenery was a little more breathtaking by this point.
Shortly after this my GPS (which I've programmed to have an Australian accent and lovingly refer to as Gretchen) began to flutter with the power supply... great, Day 1 and I already need to spend $700 on a new girlfri- err, GPS... |
"Progress" in Coal Country
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I eventually got to Joel's after hitting some of the NARLY roads near his house (look up route 26 near Marietta, OH), though I was too tired and mentally drained to really enjoy them, and learning to feel confident with my AirHawk seat pad (which makes it feel like you flat tire in the twistys) was new to me and I didn't have the patience for it.
I pulled into Joel's Driveway around dinner time - a solid 12 hours and 45 minutes on the road. I enjoyed it, but was glad to have it done, as the next few days would all be nice short, easy rides to East Troy... I think...
I pulled into Joel's Driveway around dinner time - a solid 12 hours and 45 minutes on the road. I enjoyed it, but was glad to have it done, as the next few days would all be nice short, easy rides to East Troy... I think...
Accomodations for me
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The loo
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Accomodations for the bikes
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After a nice dinner with Joel and his family and some time to unwind, I hit bed at a reasonably good hour as our ride the next day, while not many miles, would include a few notable stops that would take some time. A quick chat with the honey buns and it was off to dream land.
Day 2 - June 16th, 2010
Departing from Joel's 'driveway' (and I use the term as loosely as the gravel it's made of...)
Today was a decently early get-going, I think we hit the road not much after 8am. I'm not typically an early-riser, but the excitement of this trip has made it hard to sleep in any.
For those that haven't ridden in the SE Ohio area as well as the bordering areas in West Virginia, I HIGHLY recommend it. No pictures from this part of the journey as the roads were a hair too technical to attempt to pull out the camera, but if you close your eyes and try really hard you can make out the McDonald's breakfast we had prior to riding through some fantastic hill country all the way to Columbus.
Somewhere in this time I turned Gretchen back on to see how she was doing, hoping that a good nights rest fixed her up. Not the case. Flickering and fluttering with the power, I was thinking I had a bad base for her. At one point, I just tried downshifting, brought the revs up to 4 grand and that seemed to be the magic fix. She didn't act up the whole rest of the day, so obviously something as trivial as revving the engine fixed all my worries with this one...
Well, just shy of Columbus because we elected to stop and spend a few hours at The Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Perhaps even more impressive than the exhibits here is the visitor motorcycle parking - I wish all establishments were like this - covered, lockers, benches for getting in and out of gear - marvelous.
For those that haven't ridden in the SE Ohio area as well as the bordering areas in West Virginia, I HIGHLY recommend it. No pictures from this part of the journey as the roads were a hair too technical to attempt to pull out the camera, but if you close your eyes and try really hard you can make out the McDonald's breakfast we had prior to riding through some fantastic hill country all the way to Columbus.
Somewhere in this time I turned Gretchen back on to see how she was doing, hoping that a good nights rest fixed her up. Not the case. Flickering and fluttering with the power, I was thinking I had a bad base for her. At one point, I just tried downshifting, brought the revs up to 4 grand and that seemed to be the magic fix. She didn't act up the whole rest of the day, so obviously something as trivial as revving the engine fixed all my worries with this one...
Well, just shy of Columbus because we elected to stop and spend a few hours at The Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Perhaps even more impressive than the exhibits here is the visitor motorcycle parking - I wish all establishments were like this - covered, lockers, benches for getting in and out of gear - marvelous.
AMA Hall of Fame
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Vistor Parking
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Motorcycle lockers
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The exhibits inside were fantastic - I'll post a few photos just to get the point across...
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A poster, but no bikes.
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Lunch at Skyline Chili.
We spent a few hours mulling about the "artwork" and hit the road, but not before a lunch stop at Skyline Chili. Made with cinnamon and served over pasghetti, the aroma hits you as soon as the underpaid waitress leaves the kitchen carrying your order.
The Chilidog as a side dish seemed appropriate.
After Columbus the riding got BORING. The mountains were all gone and the roads were all straight. The goal from here was a short hop to Ft. Wayne, Indi-
You know, I can taste that Skyline Chili as I type this...
Anyways, Fort Wayne, IN. Boring roads, but here's a shot of Joel's bike to give you an idea of how to set up a CR for touring duty:
The Chilidog as a side dish seemed appropriate.
After Columbus the riding got BORING. The mountains were all gone and the roads were all straight. The goal from here was a short hop to Ft. Wayne, Indi-
You know, I can taste that Skyline Chili as I type this...
Anyways, Fort Wayne, IN. Boring roads, but here's a shot of Joel's bike to give you an idea of how to set up a CR for touring duty:
Joel's bike with all of the soft luggage money can buy.
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Here we are moving along somewhere near the Ohio/Indiana border. VERY windy, lots of trucks to get around - take or leave it area for me.
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We made it to the hotel around dinner time - I don't recall mileage but it was well under 300 - not breaking records by any means.
Accomodations for the night.
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Accomodations for the bikes AND artistic shot of the day! Toofer!
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We chillaxed for a bit before heading to dinner - a local steak and seafood joint, Cork and Cleaver I think was the name. Pretty good, and the most expensive meal I had on the trip. Back to the hotel and another sorta-early night to get on the road early tomorrow.
OH, one more thing... On the edge of the Eastern Timezone... it was crazy how late it stayed light out!
OH, one more thing... On the edge of the Eastern Timezone... it was crazy how late it stayed light out!
Day 3 - June 17th, 2010
Neat bridge in an industrial area appraching Chicago
Today would be another short day - I think something around 250 miles. The original plan was to take backroads until outside of Chicago and then stay on the interstates to get to East Troy and Alpine Valley. However, Joel's GPS was having a bad morning and routed us on the interstates for the entire trip. I don't think he treats his as nice as I treat mine.
Speaking of my darling Gretchen, she was acting up even more today, to the point where it was pretty hard to even follow any kind of route. My mind starts racing. Could it be the base? You can't just buy the base, I'd need to buy a whole new GPS. Not thrilled about that. Okay, what else could it be... Maybe it's not losing power, it's just not getting enough to register it as being plugged in. Phew, that must be it, the GPS is okay. But wait, then my bike isn't. Is my stator going bad? Visions crossed my mind of having a dead bike somewhere in the middle of the Nevada desert. Panic set it for the next 100 miles.
But at a gas stop I noticed the light flickering. And then I noticed that if I jiggled the plug I could make it flicker. Thank god, I just needed to wire in a new plug to replace the 99 cent one I had on there. Easy peasy once we're in East Troy and the surrounding areas.
More interstate, no photos, crossing into the Central Time Zone -FUN!
I finally pulled the camera out as we got closer to Chicago.
Speaking of my darling Gretchen, she was acting up even more today, to the point where it was pretty hard to even follow any kind of route. My mind starts racing. Could it be the base? You can't just buy the base, I'd need to buy a whole new GPS. Not thrilled about that. Okay, what else could it be... Maybe it's not losing power, it's just not getting enough to register it as being plugged in. Phew, that must be it, the GPS is okay. But wait, then my bike isn't. Is my stator going bad? Visions crossed my mind of having a dead bike somewhere in the middle of the Nevada desert. Panic set it for the next 100 miles.
But at a gas stop I noticed the light flickering. And then I noticed that if I jiggled the plug I could make it flicker. Thank god, I just needed to wire in a new plug to replace the 99 cent one I had on there. Easy peasy once we're in East Troy and the surrounding areas.
More interstate, no photos, crossing into the Central Time Zone -FUN!
I finally pulled the camera out as we got closer to Chicago.
Approaching down-town Chi-town
After this point, traffic got pretty heavy and slow, and eventually came to a crawl. It seems like just about everyone got caught in this. Again, I have no photos of this part of the trip, but if you'd like, find a neighbor with a diesel box van, sit right behind staring at the back sucking in the exhaust fumes and set up a dozen heat lamps pointing at you and you'd be pretty close.
ARRIVIAL! After getting out of the traffic and finding some prettier country, we finally made it to Alpine Valley.
ARRIVIAL! After getting out of the traffic and finding some prettier country, we finally made it to Alpine Valley.
Shortly after checking in.
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Bike parking.
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Slopeside accommodations - seriously. This is ski mountain, all of it, Wisconsin style:
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The room. And Joel. Passed out.
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After settling in, we took a ride up to Hal's to check out the Buell merchandise - almost bought a shirt but didn't love it enough.
Hal's Harley-Davidson. Buell-friendly!
No rear suspension = COOL
What I did do is take a salesman's offer up on test riding a Fourty-Eight, lol.
WARNING - HARLEY-DAVIDSON CONTENT AHEAD - PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK
The Sporty was COOL. Handled way better than I expected, sounded good, went good, stopped ok. At one point I was gassing her pretty hard and hit a cigarette butt and nearly flew off the back due the complete lack of suspension, but I'll be damned if I wasn't the most bad-assed looking biker dude in all of the Great Lakes Region.
From here we stopped at a Wal-Mart to get some fender washers to help affix Joel's tank bag better, which had let go somewhere just north of Chicago, and for me to get a new plug for Gretchen. Then it was some grub at a local diner, fill the tanks and head back to Alpine Valley.
Upon our arrival, I noticed a crowd of people staring at a half-dismantled Buell Blast (they kicked it over on the ground at one point, no lie). No better time than now to fix my baby up as well.
Plug in the new plug and..... crap. This one doesn't work right either, which means it's the plug on the bike that's mucked up. Apart she came to get to what I needed to get to, and by the time I had everything apart - wouldn't you know it, I couldn't get it to act up. I fiddled with it for a half hour, never getting it to flicker, so I buttoned it back up convinced that my short worship service at St. Mark's a couple of days prior allowed the hand of God to work through me for this short time to fix Gretchen up. Oddly enough, she didn't so much as sneeze the entire rest of the trip.
Then to the bar for some drinks, and eventually outside for the party where I got to catch up with some old and new friends.
WARNING - HARLEY-DAVIDSON CONTENT AHEAD - PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK
The Sporty was COOL. Handled way better than I expected, sounded good, went good, stopped ok. At one point I was gassing her pretty hard and hit a cigarette butt and nearly flew off the back due the complete lack of suspension, but I'll be damned if I wasn't the most bad-assed looking biker dude in all of the Great Lakes Region.
From here we stopped at a Wal-Mart to get some fender washers to help affix Joel's tank bag better, which had let go somewhere just north of Chicago, and for me to get a new plug for Gretchen. Then it was some grub at a local diner, fill the tanks and head back to Alpine Valley.
Upon our arrival, I noticed a crowd of people staring at a half-dismantled Buell Blast (they kicked it over on the ground at one point, no lie). No better time than now to fix my baby up as well.
Plug in the new plug and..... crap. This one doesn't work right either, which means it's the plug on the bike that's mucked up. Apart she came to get to what I needed to get to, and by the time I had everything apart - wouldn't you know it, I couldn't get it to act up. I fiddled with it for a half hour, never getting it to flicker, so I buttoned it back up convinced that my short worship service at St. Mark's a couple of days prior allowed the hand of God to work through me for this short time to fix Gretchen up. Oddly enough, she didn't so much as sneeze the entire rest of the trip.
Then to the bar for some drinks, and eventually outside for the party where I got to catch up with some old and new friends.
Shortly before bedtime.
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Bikes all lined up.
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Shooting the breeze.
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After a bit more beer and a lot more good times, I called it a night and headed to bed.
Day 4 - June 18, 2010
This was going to be the first big day of the trip in so much as this was the day that prompted the entire journey in the first place.
Following the previous nights libations, I allowed myself to "sleep in" until about 8:30 if I remember right, and felt surprisingly rested. Folks were milling about in the parking lots that morning heading in and out for food and riding. I got myself ready and Joel and I headed into East Troy to get breakfast before heading out for a ride. The place we ate at was great - I forget the name but it was on what I think was the southwest corner of the "downtown" area.
Downtown East Troy, by the way, is absolutely picturesque. For those that have never made it there, it's essentially a small park with a pavilion in the center surrounded by a square of small shops and the architecture looks like it hasn't changed in decades - both in style and condition. Everything was just neat and clean.
We don't have towns like this where I'm from, but I've noticed them all over the mid-west and even in parts of the southern Atlantic coastline states.
Following the previous nights libations, I allowed myself to "sleep in" until about 8:30 if I remember right, and felt surprisingly rested. Folks were milling about in the parking lots that morning heading in and out for food and riding. I got myself ready and Joel and I headed into East Troy to get breakfast before heading out for a ride. The place we ate at was great - I forget the name but it was on what I think was the southwest corner of the "downtown" area.
Downtown East Troy, by the way, is absolutely picturesque. For those that have never made it there, it's essentially a small park with a pavilion in the center surrounded by a square of small shops and the architecture looks like it hasn't changed in decades - both in style and condition. Everything was just neat and clean.
We don't have towns like this where I'm from, but I've noticed them all over the mid-west and even in parts of the southern Atlantic coastline states.
Downtown East Troy, WI
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Just outside the cafe where we had breakfast.
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At the nature preserve.
After a good breakfast (served by a very hurried woman, it seemed), we mulled over some maps and made up our own route to the north. The countryside is gorgeous in this state - I was really surprised by that - but almost no curves to speak of. After a few missed turns and struggling with the GPS's, we found a good little section of road about the same time as another large group of Buell's, heading in the opposite direction and had been crossing paths with for most of the morning. During our wandering we came across a nature preserve area and decided to get off the bikes and go for a little walk.
Grove of trees.
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Pine tree rows.
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Day lillies
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Daisy?
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Now, as long as I'm here... after the hike we hit the restroom, and something began to strike me as odd. It seems that around here, all of the urinals are the tall to-the-floor type that I haven't seen since my elementary school. I found this fascinating and took a photo:
From here we shot over to a Walgreen's so Joel could pick up some batteries for his camera and I could pick up a second memory card for mine as it was clear I was going to fill up the one I had brought. Then it was back southward to start the party at Erik Buell Racing.
Just tons of Buells. It was pretty much exactly how I've imagined heaven to be, only with less girls.
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Under the tents were some serious goodies, including this 1190RR Race bike (though I think it had an 1125RR engine)
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A sad sight but intriguing at the same time.
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Joel getting his bike signed.
The tents were just chock full of parts, and they seemed to never stop bringing out new stuff. FANTASTIC DEALS, guys were grabbing up everything from drive belts to tires to bodywork. The two most interesting things I saw were the tail sections to an S2 and an S3, both unpainted and the S2 still needed quite a bit of work before it was ready to be painted. Makes you wonder how long those things have been kicking around.
As you can imagine, everyone and their mother was looking for Erik's attention and a signature, so it was hard to get him, but Joel, Froggy and I managed to get him to sign all of our bikes, though it took something like 4 days to get it done. The Man just seems so busy and having so much stuff going on that I almost feel bad asking for a moment of his time for something as trivial as a signature on an item I can't even easily bring to him. And everything I want to say to him is likely nothing he hasn't already heard a thousand times. I've decided I'll just write him a letter, he can read it on his own time when things aren't so hectic and I can feel good about letting him know what's on my mind about this whole thing.
As you can imagine, everyone and their mother was looking for Erik's attention and a signature, so it was hard to get him, but Joel, Froggy and I managed to get him to sign all of our bikes, though it took something like 4 days to get it done. The Man just seems so busy and having so much stuff going on that I almost feel bad asking for a moment of his time for something as trivial as a signature on an item I can't even easily bring to him. And everything I want to say to him is likely nothing he hasn't already heard a thousand times. I've decided I'll just write him a letter, he can read it on his own time when things aren't so hectic and I can feel good about letting him know what's on my mind about this whole thing.
Froggy's Frankenbike.
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There was also this kick-ass XR1000 hanging out.
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Posing for photos
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...and after being egged on to ride the 1190RR back, Erik reluctantly obliged
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By this time, the storm that everyone with a smartphone had been keeping a constant eye on was more or less on top of East Troy, and there was a mass exodus out of the Buell Race Shop to get back to Alpine Valley and under cover. We hit a couple raindrops on the way back but it really held off for a few minutes after we parked the bikes.
Impending doom at Alpine Valley
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how fitting.
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A little nap and some getting ready and we were off to the banquet.
Now, I'll let everyone know here that I'm not going to post photos of the banquet or concert for two very important reasons.
1) There are at least a dozen other people on this board who have posted photos that you all can look at, and...
2) I didn't take any.
Dinner was good, the concert was good, the ensuing party afterwards was good. For me, it was VERY hard to get to bed as I was heading out early in the morning the next day, so this would be goodbye for me for many old and new friends alike.
Specific memories include hanging out in some of the Ohio crew's room, Squids8126730375203485 (or whatever it is) dancing with Mike Stone's woman (we'll need to get Gary to post the video of that), and saying final goodbyes to Chili and Vamp (from Australia) whom I was lucky enough to spend a decent amount of time with both in New York City and again in East Troy. After a late night call to the honey before bed, Chili caught me out in the parking lot to give me a copy of his CD (which is good stuff, BTW, it's been through the car stereo more than once, which is good given how often I drive the car).
After putting it off for long enough, I went back to my room one last time, crawled into bed and closed my eyes.
Now, I'll let everyone know here that I'm not going to post photos of the banquet or concert for two very important reasons.
1) There are at least a dozen other people on this board who have posted photos that you all can look at, and...
2) I didn't take any.
Dinner was good, the concert was good, the ensuing party afterwards was good. For me, it was VERY hard to get to bed as I was heading out early in the morning the next day, so this would be goodbye for me for many old and new friends alike.
Specific memories include hanging out in some of the Ohio crew's room, Squids8126730375203485 (or whatever it is) dancing with Mike Stone's woman (we'll need to get Gary to post the video of that), and saying final goodbyes to Chili and Vamp (from Australia) whom I was lucky enough to spend a decent amount of time with both in New York City and again in East Troy. After a late night call to the honey before bed, Chili caught me out in the parking lot to give me a copy of his CD (which is good stuff, BTW, it's been through the car stereo more than once, which is good given how often I drive the car).
After putting it off for long enough, I went back to my room one last time, crawled into bed and closed my eyes.
Day 5 - June 19th, 2010
It's been very easy for me to split this trip up into at least two parts in my mind - the first being getting to Homecoming, the second being getting the West Coast, and even the second half could be split again between my original plan to just see the Black Hills and my modified version that would carry me to the Pacific.
More importantly, the first half was amongst friends, old and new. The second half would be on my own until I reached California - I wouldn't know a single soul along the 3,000 miles between East Troy, WI and San Dimas, CA.
More importantly, the first half was amongst friends, old and new. The second half would be on my own until I reached California - I wouldn't know a single soul along the 3,000 miles between East Troy, WI and San Dimas, CA.
Head West, my son.
Today I begin part two. I will also ride the most miles this day of the entire trip - something in the 620 range. I felt prepared for the worst as I would be making my first voyage ever into the Great Plains, so I wasn't expecting much in terms of riding enjoyment. However, everything I would see from this point forward would be new, and by the time I stopped for the night I would be the furthest west I have ever been my life, and only push further as the miles went on.
The goal today was to cross the rest of Wisconsin, all of Minnesota and about a third of South Dakota to sleep in Chamberlain, SD. I NEEDED to make Chamberlain in order to have a nice-but-not-too-long route the following day through the Badlands and Black hills, so this route was pre-planned in the GPS. However, my aversion to interstates made for a 13-hour route to get there, and at the last minute I opted for a 9-hour route that was mostly I-90 once I got partway across WI.
The rest of Wisconsin was pretty similar to what I had seen; patches of trees and gentle, rolling hills, but things were beginning to flatten out noticeably after only a couple hours on the road.
The goal today was to cross the rest of Wisconsin, all of Minnesota and about a third of South Dakota to sleep in Chamberlain, SD. I NEEDED to make Chamberlain in order to have a nice-but-not-too-long route the following day through the Badlands and Black hills, so this route was pre-planned in the GPS. However, my aversion to interstates made for a 13-hour route to get there, and at the last minute I opted for a 9-hour route that was mostly I-90 once I got partway across WI.
The rest of Wisconsin was pretty similar to what I had seen; patches of trees and gentle, rolling hills, but things were beginning to flatten out noticeably after only a couple hours on the road.
Things were pretty uneventful up until the point I crossed my first major geographical marker, the Mississippi River.
Riding through WI.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, on your right is Wisconsin, and to your left, Minnesota. Please note how much more FUN the Minnesota side looks.
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Crossing into MN, Gretchen told me this.
I lied, it wasn't uneventful. Along the way I started to play tag a little bit with Wolfridgerider and his roommate at Alpine Valley (who's name escapes me now). I wondered how far they were going West... turns out later they were just going to see "The Big River" because they never had before. Sounds like a good enough reason for me.
That first section of Minnesota was a lot of fun - even though it was interstate, the combination of (sort of) sweepers, 70mph speed limit and drastic elevation changes for 10 minutes or so really worked to keep my sanity.
That first section of Minnesota was a lot of fun - even though it was interstate, the combination of (sort of) sweepers, 70mph speed limit and drastic elevation changes for 10 minutes or so really worked to keep my sanity.
I was still a long way from my destination.
Once I rode up out of the hills, traffic began to thin and I was getting into some serious country, and what I thought was flat before was nothing now - you could see, quite literally, forever.
The first photo-worthy sight was this MASSIVE windfarm. Please remind yourselves of my wide-angle lens and what that means for how the objects in the photo appear.
These things are huge individually, and they stretched for as far as you could possibly see, just peeking over the horizon at their furthest. Look carefully, there were probably hundreds where I was and every little stick you see in the distance is a windmill.
Once I rode up out of the hills, traffic began to thin and I was getting into some serious country, and what I thought was flat before was nothing now - you could see, quite literally, forever.
The first photo-worthy sight was this MASSIVE windfarm. Please remind yourselves of my wide-angle lens and what that means for how the objects in the photo appear.
These things are huge individually, and they stretched for as far as you could possibly see, just peeking over the horizon at their furthest. Look carefully, there were probably hundreds where I was and every little stick you see in the distance is a windmill.
Progress on the Great Plains.
Things were pretty uneventful and mellow the rest of the way through MN. I felt calm and relaxed, not hurried, not bored.
At my first gas stop after crossing into South Dakota, I decided to give my GPS a check and see how far off I was from my original 13-hour route. It turned out I was right on it, so I decided to get away from all the "traffic" on I-90 and hit some 2-lane through the plains.
At my first gas stop after crossing into South Dakota, I decided to give my GPS a check and see how far off I was from my original 13-hour route. It turned out I was right on it, so I decided to get away from all the "traffic" on I-90 and hit some 2-lane through the plains.
Somewhere in South Dakota.
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Hola.
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TWISTYS!!! South Dakota style (or so I thought at the time...)
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The 2-lane was neat. The speed limits were 65mph, but a complete lack of cars and almost total absence of any towns meant you pretty much moved along as fast as you wanted, so traveling at the same rate of speed as on the interstate wasn't hard. Overall I was rather surprised at the scenery: it was a little more hilly that I had imaged, and a lot more trees and greenery than I was expecting.
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Approaching Chamberlain meant approaching a river, and the topography got very pretty once I was close to town.
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It was at this time I settled into my evening grind - Although I planned what town I was going to head to that morning, I had no idea where I was going to sleep, so the routine was get to town, stop for gas and get on the cell phone to find a room. The Bel Aire Motel - cheap rates, good name, bitchin' sign.
I didn't notice this sign until after:
-checking in
-getting settled
-walking around town
-getting dinner
-getting drunk at a local bar
I then proceeded to laugh, out loud, at this sign as I stumbled back to the motel. I'm sure the evening call to my love bug was entertaining for her, I know it was for me. Because of the sign.
I didn't notice this sign until after:
-checking in
-getting settled
-walking around town
-getting dinner
-getting drunk at a local bar
I then proceeded to laugh, out loud, at this sign as I stumbled back to the motel. I'm sure the evening call to my love bug was entertaining for her, I know it was for me. Because of the sign.
The town is quaint and something from a Hollywood set.
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And my accommodations for the evening.
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Then it was time for sleep - tomorrow was going to be a big day.
