June 29 2023 Day Twenty Seven

 June 29 – Lewistown MT – Day 27

 

In Lewistown MT, still over 800 miles from home and had a horrible day, but it might be getting better. A group of women just showed up to the bar from Green Bay Wisconsin and they are in town with their husbands for a wedding but ditched the guys for lady’s night. Have already had a nice chat with them and that is really the one of few things that did go well today. 

 

I got up a little earlier since I wanted to work my way home, packed the bike which was a breeze and showered for the ride. I was going to get going to head to the West Glacier entrance but decided to stop at the front desk to checkout and ask about my best way to the entrance. It turned out to be a good thing that I asked, because the very helpful receptionist and her friend told me that I needed a pass at least the day before to be able to enter that way, something new the park had started and now that I know, well I didn’t sign up for a pass yesterday. They did have a voucher for a gift shop by the entrance that I can login to their website and purchase a ticket so that is just what I did. The signup said I would get an email shortly and that it might be in my spam, but after waiting half an hour, no email for the entry ticket that the receptionist called the boutique and they said they might have been sold out that I should try again. This time I did get a negative message that they were sold out so as the receptionist said, I can drive the extra hour and a half and get into the East Entrance up until July 1^st. Ok, I have a plan and it won’t be ‘Going to the Sun Road’ but will be going against it. 

 

Guess what, yep, that first pass that I signed up for was sitting in my spam email, but it wasn’t sent until an hour after I had signed up.  I guess it would’ve been a good idea for me to stop at the West entrance because I happened to go past it to get to the East that I could’ve really saved myself the headache of the day and that was doing the ‘Going away from the Sun Road’. Not so much going away because by the time I got into the park it was already 1 in the afternoon. I took a nice road around the south side, which was a nice ride, but stopped at a couple of different places until I found out I had to head up North to St Mary’s to get on the ‘Going to the Sun Road’. Well at that time I guess I am probably going with, but that’ll definitely cut into making it East closer to home since I have to head West on the sun road. 

 

Not the greatest ride because of all the slow cars and I swear, people don’t know how to drive tight curved roads. I got stuck behind a number of slow vehicles and soon everyone was stopping in the road to take pictures instead of pulling into the many turnoffs that most people use. At one point the person in front of me obviously cannot drive a large SUV, they were really having problems.  The Scenery is spectacular, and I did stop for a few pictures, but the ride would be so much more enjoyable if you took out the people who don’t know how to drive which would be the majority of them. Now the worst part was the last 9 miles of the road heading West which might explain why I didn’t see very many bikes on the path, there was 9 miles of construction, loose gravel and not the loose kind of gravel when they are repaving a road, but road under construction loose gravel that was squirrely and so, so dusty that it was absolutely horrible and probably took an hour alone just to go 9 miles. I have a feeling they were telling the bikers on the West side before they entered the park so most decided not to and I really wish they would’ve let me know thru St Mary’s because I would’ve turned around and spent another hour riding back East behind horrible drivers instead of the construction. 

 

Ok, finally out of the park and now I had to check which way is going to be the best home and I have a conflict between what Siri is telling me and what the bike wants to take to get home. If anything, not sure I’ll be able to get to home by Friday that I might as well just go for it and will decide along the way which way I want to go. The first part happens to be the same hour and a half ride I already took to the East entrance, so I know this road pretty well. I did spend a little too much time trying to decide which way to go, but now with me ending up in Lewistown MT, I guess my route will be the North Dakota route which who knows, still could change.  I dd reach a gas station where Siri wanted me to head toward Billings which would be the longer way home and the bike wanted to bring me here, and the gas attendant said I’d be better off heading toward Billings, that ok, I made my own decision and thought I’d keep going where I was going. Part of it is I think I was ready to call it a night cuz I really didn’t want to push it. 

 

On my way into town, I did see a Super 8 with a sports bar next door and did stop at a gas station again and asked the attendant about hotels and he said the Super 8 is pretty good and clean and there is one downtown across from a brewery which the brewery is great, but the hotel a bit sketchy. I did drive downtown to see and sure enough Yogo Inn across the street from what looks like a nice brewery. Well, this time I listened and headed to the Super 8 only to find out they are booked for the night. Great, now someone else has made a different choice for me that I am only partially grateful for, again the ladies and now their husbands with them from Green Bay, someone to visit with in this hotel I ended up in, the Yogo Inn and the attendant at the gas station was right, a bit sketchy and not as nice as the Super 8 might’ve been. Having the company from Wisconsin to talk to makes a difference and this stay may not be too bad even though packing the bike in the morning may be as sketchy as the Inn.  Ok, a horrible day, but I guess everyone will have at least one bad day of travel. Again, nocking on wood another dry day, now I might need two more to get home. 

 

Before I forget and not sure where to insert, on my way toward Lewistown I did run into the loose gravel construction warning for bikes where they were doing the patching of the highway. Now that kind of construction loose gravel I can handle especially since the entire stretch is only 35 miles an hour which didn’t help me get any further than East that I’d of liked to have gotten. One final note, my bike turned 50,000 today and even though the baby is super dirty, she’s still stupid fast. 

June 28 2023 Day Twenty Six

 June 28 – Kalispell MT – Day 26

 

I made it to Kalispell MT, and it was quite the ride here from Seattle. I just finished a very good Mexican dinner and am having a few margaritas to write this story. I could’ve stayed at the same hotel I did some 17 years ago when I was here last, but more on that later. 

 

I was up as my usual ride time has been when I’m riding for the day, and I don’t know why it is earlier on those days than my relaxation day.  It might be that once I do wake up and checkout the clock, I start thinking about my packing and how the trip might go for the day that I just can’t relax and sleep longer. Not that I need to because with over a 7-hour trip ahead of me, I might as well get going earlier rather than later. I did get the bike packed and took my shower for today’s ride and while I was getting ready for my ride, I thought I might have to text Steve to see when he’d be back for me to say ‘goodbye’ just as he walks in the front door. Apparently, he was doing the mornings watering that Catherine had to take the car to her morning breakfast meeting, so he was there after all. Because it was chilly this morning, I did go for the full leather up, pulling out my chaps and putting those on as well as a long sleeve shirt and the heavy leather jacket, better to be comfortable instead of cold. I did get a close to 9 am start, that’s Pacific and today I will lose an hour after today’s ride, so the sooner the better.  I’d really like to thank Steve, Catherine and the kids for letting me stay and extending my stay for a day so I could experience a little more of Seattle. It was a great stay and I really enjoyed being able to visit with them.

 

Steve’s direction to the interstate East was easy enough and since I passed a gas station on my way before getting on the freeway, a perfect place to fill the tank, have a breakfast bar and get my morning Mt Dew. Good directions to the interstate and because I had warmed up with the gas stop and heading East away from the morning gloom, I actually started thinking I could’ve skipped the full leather for this trip this morning. That did soon change when I started going thru some of the passes to get over the mountains on the way to the East part of Washington and it didn’t seem that far that I was over them and in the plans of Washington that things did start to warm up. I was surprised along the trip to see a sign to Yakima and how it was only 38 miles from the I90 that I was on because a few days ago when I was planning my trip from Portland around Mount Rainier, I considered going thru Yakima, yep the same Yakima that not only was I head East, but South that maybe I could’ve made a sunnier trip to Mount Rainer. Well, that’s not my stop today that I’ll keep pushing on.

 

Like I had mentioned I was now in the Washington plains and things started warming up quick that once I got to Moses Lake, I saw the seas’ part and figured it was time for a full makeover. Not, quite a full makeover since I still have to wear a helmet, but got rid of the chaps, the jacket, long sleeve shirt and lubed up with sunscreen that now I can enjoy what I’m hoping will be a short ride with only the helmet before a full makeover. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but because the back of the helmet (which I love by the way) has a lip that always gets hung up on my jacket that sometimes I can’t turn my head fully that I really do prefer not to have both the helmet and leather jacket on together. Not that big a deal and I always deal with it without issue. 

 

On to Spokane and I remember this city from last year when I was heading home this way from Portland, today a much quicker trip here than then. I was watching my map ad I knew it’d be soon that I’d be crossing the border into Idaho that I can then get rid of the helmet and ride naked the rest of the way, not fully naked, but no leathers, no helmet and fully lubed. I did make a mistake taking the state line exit because I thought it’d be a quick off and on, but once I found I had to make a few turns for gas I just got back on the freeway and yep, exit 2 will be a good place for gas and getting rid of the helmet, yeah, I jumped the gun with excitement. Got my gas, put the helmet away and checked whether I want to now take the alternate route thru the mountains to Kalispell or stay on the freeway until the last minute. That also included checking the weather that it looks like rain and thru the mountains maybe more likely and over a 4-hour trip that I might as well stick with the speedway because it was only 3 ½ hours and if I hit rain that it’d be easier running the freeway thru rain. 

 

Oh, the other thing coming into Spokane is I did notice the mountains in the background after coming from the plains of Washington state so no wonder they built a city here instead of in the plains, never thought about that before. I’m now enjoying the wind blowing thru my hair, I mean over my bald head, and it sure looks like rain in those there mountains. I do remember this ride from last year home from Portland and much nicer riding it dry and warm which wasn’t the case last year. I did go past the place I stayed at last year, but no reason to stop and take pictures, I just remember. Soon I did have to get off the interstate to head North to Kalispell and I figured a good time once again to get gas, because I don’t know how many gas stations there’ll be a long that way that I might as well be safer than sorry. 

 

Ok heading north and sure enough there are thunderstorms ahead of me. My directions did tell me another 10 miles and I’ll be heading East again instead of North, but for the rain and lighting in front of me I should probably think about stopping soon and gearing up for the rain. I did push on even though the closer and closer I’ll eventually be in the rain and after going thru a town where I saw a couple of bikes parked thought it would’ve made for a good stop. No, I didn’t stop and soon enough that right turn paid off because now I was only riding alongside the rain. Yep, heading north again, but far enough East that I had just missed the rain because for some reason it’s moving from East to West here. I did get cold enough though after having missed the rain that I did have to make a stop to put my jacket on and really no place along the road to pull over, but I did notice that each mailbox did have a patch of pavement that I can park the bike on one of them to leather up. Did just that at a really small house with a light on and if anyone was home, they were probably wondering what I’ve been doing. 

 

So far so good, but it still looks like rain in front of me that I keep praying to mother nature to work with God and keep me dry. I did go thru a nice city by the lake about 17 miles south of Kalispell and as I was going thru thought maybe I should just stop here, some nice hotels and restaurants that I can make those 17 miles up tomorrow. Yep, great thought, but once again I kept pushing on and with a lot of luck got to Kalispell rain free. So far so good with rain on this trip, while I’m knocking on wood that I hope to avoid any other than the little bit that I did hit in South Carolina and Florida. I did punch in directions to the Glacier Harley shop even though it might be too late and eventually I pulled into a bar full of bikes. Nothing but gravel that to get my bike turner around and parked I needed a couple of the bikers to give me a push and they figured I’d be riding for a while because of all the bugs the bike, sure have and the baby needs a wash. I went inside and there were a few gangs here. One guy identified 3 of them and I was amazed, they all get along cuz I’ve been in some places that when one gang is there, no others are allowed.

 

I did ask a guy if he had any suggestions for hotels and he mentioned 2 just up the street, a nice one a cheap one next to a Mexican restaurant that I might as well check them both out. A mile up the road and I pulled into the cheap one which is right next door to the expensive hotel, and I asked a couple who had their bike there what they thought, and they said not so bad and has some remodel done, rate about 130$. I did decide to check out the expensive one and when she said, 230$, I figured I can go cheap. Ok, room booked and apparently not next door to the Mexican restaurant because it’s up the road a bit. Oh well, I get a room, am dry and it’s only for a night that I might as well take it. Not much of a room, but enough to shower, feel human again and head up the street to the Mexican restaurant which I do, and what do I see, Motel 6, the same one I stayed at back in 2006 that if I would’ve drove just a bit further would’ve been right next door. Oh well, like I said I have a room and am dry so that’s all I can ask for tonight. Tomorrow onto the road to the sun. 

June 27 2023 Day Twenty Five

 June 27 – Seattle WA – Day 25

 

Day 25 and I’m still in Seattle. I had planned a quick trip thru, but after talking with Steve and Catherine, they easily convinced me another day to relax and enjoy the Seattle experience is a better idea than hitting the road that how could I refuse. Not only did that help that I could sleep in, but I was able to get a blog written, relaxed enjoyed the other half of sandwich from the night before for lunch and got to explore Seattle. 

 

Ok this is how the day went; up a little later, wrote a couple of stories and posted them, got cleaned up headed downtown for the Seattle experience, met Steve and Catherine downtown, had a few drinks and went to a great seafood restaurant for a great meal. How’s that sound, yeah, I agree, not enough detail. 

 

I was able to relax a bit for the morning and it must’ve been the ride the day before because I really zonked out for the night and had a great night sleep that after getting a phone call from a company back home in the cities, yeah, they don’t realize I’m on Pacific time I kept relaxed a bit longer. I did mention to Steve and Catherine that their pillows are the best pillows I’ve had on my trip, and I think I need a set for myself at home. It was a comfortable sleep and I think I needed it after yesterday’s ride. Steve offered me his train pass so I figured the afternoon downtown Seattle would be the thing to do since both were going to meet me later for dinner, that I had my other half of sandwich which was just as good as the night before and got cleaned up for my trip. 

 

Steve gave me directions to the train which seemed easy enough and where I should get off, but I don’t think I listened very well since I think I asked him repeatedly which exit from the train I should take. Yeah, probably had something else on my mind that I wasn’t paying attention to listening. No problem walking to the train station since it was downhill and I did ask someone how I use the card where they pointed me to the ticketing machine and mentioned something about a yellow scanner, where I scanned the pass and the machine kept asking me to deposit 8$ for my days ride. I did ask another guy because like I told him as far as I knew the pass Steve gave me was for unlimited rides that I shouldn’t have to pay. After a bit of confusion, the guy pointed me to another yellow post to scan the pass and sure enough that worked. Why yellow on the ticket machine and a separate yellow post, I guess I’ll never know.

 

Once on the train and after looking at the stops along the way I finally remembered what exit he told me, but first I also had to remember where I came from incase, I have to get back home by myself. No problem, I think I can remember that. It was a normal ride downtown and after coming upstairs out of the tunnel I was a bit confused on where I was and should’ve remember just head toward the water and I will find the bars and such that I need to visit from the last time I was here a couple of years ago when the football crew got together in Seattle for a Seahawks’ football game. A group of guys that we pick a different stadium each year to go to and watch a professional football game, just to say we did, in case you were wondering. 

 

I did think that maybe visiting the Seattle space needle was the thing to do before I started drinking for the day that I asked one of the many Seattle downtown ambassadors how to get to the needle. Easy enough if I go up a few more flights of stairs to catch the tram to the needle and back that it should be easy enough, but you feel like you’re doing nothing but climbing hills or stairs in this city that I hope to make it to the top. I did make it and once again, Steve’s pass came in handy that this time I figured out how to scan and how to get in, no problem.

 

To the space needle and the last time and only time I’ve been up in the thing was 17 years ago on my big bike trip that I might as well do the same thing today. Not a problem getting a ticket, but it was over $40 up and down that I guess I’ll take my time once up. Pretty cool up on the observatory and sometimes you feel a little daring leaning against the glass which leans out instead of in. Yes, if it ever broke, you’d fall, but not too far since they have fins to catch you, not that I think even possible since the glass is 3 layers thick and I’m sure not glass, but Plexiglass of some type. Well, I did find out that is nothing because once you go down a level to the spinning level (use to be a rotating restaurant) the glass is in the floor that you’re now standing above your death. If this glass bottom broke, I didn’t see anything that would stop you other than the ground below. Now that was pretty cool and I tried to get a selfie video of me laying on the floor, but a little hard to do when you can’t see the background around me. Oh well, at least I did it. A fun experience and I’m glad I did it.

 

I did take my time since I didn’t want to get to happy hour too early, but once on the shuttle back it was time to find the Market Place to see the Market and find the Old Stove Brewery I know to visit. I only figured that out looking at the football trip photos, but at least I now know how to get to the water, just walk downhill. I did enjoy walking around the fish market and got to sample some great smoked salmon that if I had the room, I’d probably order a bunch to take with me. Oh well, maybe next time, but I’m sure it might be in the same situation, me on bike with little extra room to pack. 

 

Made it to Old Stove brewery and started my drinking and pictures of the sites around and guess what, today I can clearly see Mount Rainer from downtown Seattle. Why couldn’t it have been this clear to see yesterday when I rode to it, cuz I bet that site is unbelievable when in Paradise. I guess that’s the way the dice roll, but I won’t be riding there today to see it, remember it’s a 2-hour trip and I already have a beer in me. I was able to catch up on things with Shelley back home and I still had some more drinking to do before Steve and Catherine made it downtown, where of course that means another cocktail before dinner. It turned out to be a beautiful day even if it did start out a little gloomy and cold. 

 

We made it to Anthony’s Pier 66 a higher end seafood restaurant near the water where we had a very entertaining waiter taking care of us. He was full of stories and inquisitive about where we were all from and how we ended up in Seattle. We had a great meal, starting out with 2 different type of oysters and we all agreed which were the better of the 2. For me I also had to have the Anthony’s trio to get a taste of a number of things, Mahi mahi, a prawn and their crab cakes which are to die for. All very good and I thank Steve for picking up the tab. A great meal and a great visit. 

 

Now it was time to head home, and we took the route along the water because apparently if you walk that way there will be less uphill than where we came from, but it was still uphill to the train station, just not as far a climb even though you do get to go down to the subway. Back to our stop for home and once again, mostly a walk-up hill to the house that I’ll be tired from all the up and down today that a good night’s sleep will be well deserved. Tomorrow I head to Kalispell and am still debating which way to take, the interstate most of the way or part of a scenic trip, more on that later. 

June 26 2023 Day Twenty Four

 June 26 – Seattle WA – Day 24

 

Made it to my Seattle connection, Steve and Catherine’s place and the timing was almost perfect. As I pulled into the driveway Catherine was riding in on her bike, an electric version of a bicycle and as I pulled my bike into the garage noticed my bike had just turned 49,001, I missed the perfect 49,000 by just a mile. At least my bike is parked, and I get to relax after a great sightseeing day around Mount Rainer.

 

It did start out sunny in Portland and after getting the bike packed and me showered, I had to say my ‘goodbyes’ to Stephanie and Danny. I very much appreciate them letting me stay and being able to visit for at least a night that I already look forward to a return trip and a longer stay, hopefully sometime soon. I did get the bike cover back to Tom and he wished me a safe trip and after having worked out my rout e for the day around Mount Rainer, it was time to start my 7-hour trip to Seattle. It was pretty chilly riding North out of Portland that I had thought a couple of times about putting on my long sleeve shirt and leather chaps, but I kept going and eventually it warmed up a bit after I left the freeway and headed East toward Rainer.

 

The start of my trip was to take the freeway and eventually head to Paradise which is one of the highest points at the base of Rainer that although it I about an 18-mile ride once I enter the park, it’ll still be over an hour ride to Paradise. The nice windy, curvy mountain roads when you’re climbing and elevation. I made sure I kept on top of the gas so made a stop before heading to Paradise suspecting there wouldn’t be gas there and sure enough saw a sign about the next service being 89 miles that a fill now is probably a good thing. I did still keep thinking about leathering up since it was getting a bit colder, but I persevered and kept pushing on, Once I did make it to the Mount Rainer National Park entrance cars and campers were being held because there as some kind of incident happening on the road to Paradise that the road is closed until the police arrive to take care of the situation. I did have to park and wait and soon after the police squads, probably about 5 vehicles headed up the road, a motorcycle came down screaming by us thru the in lane with the police vehicles in hot pursuit. I was close enough to the biker as he went by that later I thought about things I might’ve been able to do to dismount him from the bike, but I don’t think any would have turned out good. I did ask the ranger if the bike was the problem and without any more explanation yes, the police were trying to catch the biker Not sure what he did in or around Paradise, but he doesn’t make it look good for some of us law abiding riders.

 

It turned out to be about an hour wait and I was on my way up the road, which remember is only 18 miles, but a road that’ll take about an hour to ride, I did catchup to a line of vehicles with a camper slowing everything down that thankfully they soon pulled off that  went around on the shoulder, maybe not the thing to do, but at least got to the beginning if the pack that I could ride a bit faster before hitting the next slow group of vehicles. The road wasn’t as curvy as the switchbacks in the Black Hills of South Dakota so easier to ride and it was a nice road all the way up and there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground around Paradise. I did get some good pictures of the snow, but not a very good picture of Mount Rainer since the mountain had weather of its own so was clouded over. Oh well, at least I made it to just over 5400 feet that it was a nice place to visit with the visitor center and a nice Inn that might be worth staying at some time.

 

Ok, time to head down the way I came because my next stop will be Chinook Pass which means a bit of a back track before I hit another road to once again head East. This time I thought about gas but would’ve had to back track even further that I went for it and the first road I took was horrible. A very rough ride and slow speeds since it was once again a curvy road, but the road condition was inclusive to ride fast that I did have to slow it down quite a bit. A bit further than the kind of road that I was hoping to ride, but eventually I was back out on a decent road, Hwy 12 that not only has gas that I might as well get but was a much better road to ride. 

 

I did make it to my turn for Chinook pass and was getting a little spit from the clouds, remember the mountain has its own weather that I did have to slow it down for the curves since I don’t need to slide off the road. Once I got to my turn toward Chinook, I checked out my map and it was only a 3 ½ mile ride that I would backtrack on that as long as I’m here, I should do the pass. Again, a bit more spit, but nothing to get the raingear out for. I did make it to the pass and was able to take in some great scenery and more pictures that sorry, this trip I’m not sharing the photos that I have been able to take and miss not having my goPro along because I would’ve been able to grab some really nice videos. Oh well, maybe next time and it won’t be the fast trip I’m taking this time. 

 

On to Seattle and it’ll be less than 2 hours that it’ll be a good time for me to pull into town. It did get quite a bit warmer once I was out of the elevation of Rainer and even though I didn’t get a full picture of the mountain, at least some that will remind me of the trip. Ok, back to where I started, bike parked, time to unpack, a shower to get rid of today’s ride which wasn’t as dirty sine there was little freeway riding, and I did have a jacket on all day and time for dinner. Me and the family, Steve, Catherine, Shawn and Luca headed to the nearest neighborhood Italian restaurant that I am plenty hungry, we had a nice dinner and I have half a sandwich for lunch tomorrow and we did have some time to visit where we sat on the back patio and had a great visit. For me to get a little more of the Seattle experience, I will stay for my relaxation day which just might take me downtown Seattle. Stay tune for one extra day in Seattle,

 

June 25 2023 Day Twenty Three

 June 25 – Portland OR – Day 23

 

Yep, my second day in Portland and today is my relaxation day. No need to get on the bike today that I’ll just enjoy the Portland vibe for the day. I did have to finish my ride summary from yesterdays’ ride so I can capture my averages for the day, and it was the right time to be messing with my bike because the neighbor Tom asked me if I wanted a bike cover. The same as a year ago when I was here and he loaned me the bike cover he has that doesn’t have a bike to cover anymore, that is until today. He did talk about selling it with the rest of his biking gear since he doesn’t ride anymore, but as long as he can find a use for it, why get rid of it.

 

Ok, like I said I get to relax and enjoy the vibe of Portland, so the first good thing is I was able to sleep in cuz nothing pressing that has to be done today and without Stephanie and Danny here, I get to entertain myself for the day.  I did remember that there was a donut shop that I saw just down the street that I figured today would be a good time to try their donuts. Not the kind I had expected cuz I was thinking the Krispy Kream kind, but oh well I will try a couple of flavors that might be ok, and I probably should of checked when they said gluten free and dairy free that it wasn’t going to be anything like the bad kind of donut s I like. They were ok, but I could’ve really used something a little better to start my morning, 

 

I did hear from my hostess that they were going to be home earlier than they first thought and if I was still there, we’d be able to visit for a little bit. I figured this trip I can do the same with all my stops with one day on the bike and the next day to relax that I let her know that I’ d be there and get some beers for us to enjoy later. I also find out that I was on my own for dinner that I have just the place to eat later. In the meantime, without the donuts doing what they were supposed to I decided to go the fish market just down the street and have some clam chowder that I missed the other day in San Francisco since that nights Italian restaurant that we went to had it on special and ran out before I could get an order that this place should be as good. It was great clam chowder and today they also had the oyster truck open that I thought an oyster shot might hit the spot which it did just that. It’s great that everything is within walking distance because I was able to pick up some beer the same way.

 

It was also a good day for me to get caught up on a few blogs that I had to write, because it’s not always the best to write about the day at the end of the day because if it is a late night, I still need my sleep to. I was able to piece together a couple of stories so I’m at least caught up and will have to see when I can write today’s story which happens to be tomorrow. Yep, it’s already the 26^th and I’m writing about the 25^th.

 

Ok, it’s about that time that I should really get ready for dinner that it was time to shower and put on my best for a really nice dinner. Tonight, it’ll be at the same butcher shop I was at a year ago that I remember how good the beef was. It was still a bit early after getting cleaned up that a stop at the beer truck would be a good place to visit again for a couple more sour beers before I go and dine on my own. I wasn’t surprised to see 3 of the same guys I saw the other night sitting in their same spots drinking away and thanked them for their suggestion of pizza the night before, but I don’t think they were interested in inviting me into the conversation that it’s ok with me, I can spend my time talking with the bartender about my travels and maybe some suggestions on a ride tomorrow. Apparently, he bikes, even though it includes some off roading so did have some suggestions. 

 

I did make it to the butcher shop and after hee hawing whether I should have a wedge salad with dinner or not, I did order the ribeye like I had last year and found out that was filling enough that I didn’t need the salad after all. It was once again a great steak and well worth the cost. Actually, cheaper than a few places back home that I’ve been to that have ok ribeye compared to what I had tonight. It also turned out to be a good time to plan my bike trip for tomorrow since it is only about a 2-hour drive from Portland to Seattle that I should include a little site seeing and with the bartenders help, East around Mount Rainer sounds just like the trip to take. I did reach out to Steve; my Seattle connection and he was a big IMO for the Rainer trip.

 

Time to get back to the house and the timing was pretty good because Stephanie and Danny were just getting home so I got to help unpack. They described the foraging weekend that they had, and it sounded pretty interesting all of the different plants they now know they can eat. Not that they need to right now, but if ever comes the time they will be ready. Soon after they unpacked, we headed to a local German pub to visit and have a few brews before returning to the house where me and Danny had a late night of visiting. Always great to see them both and I really enjoyed having some time to visit. Maybe next time I can plan a longer stay because there is so much to do in their local Portland neighborhood.

June 24 2023 Day Twenty Two

 June 24 – Portland OR – Day 22

 

Made it to my Portland OR stop and made it in record time. According to Dennis, Crater Lake is pretty cold this time of year and the speedway drive thru Northern California is pretty nice that I should be able to drive the speedway and see some pretty nice sites along the way, which I did just that, more on that later. 

 

It started out with the San Francisco June gloom, so I had to leather up with my now second long sleeve shirt and hit the road fairly early, about 9, but I was ready for the ride. I wanted to get gas for my start and eventually found a gas station to fill up and hit the road around the bay East toward Oakland. While riding the road there was water on both sides that had me wondering how bad it might be running off the road on a bike into the water and whether I’d be able to get out either before passing out from the cold or how hard I might hit the water. Yeah, I don’t know why I was thinking like that, but the thought did cross my mind incase a tire blows. It was just a 2-lane road, so I guess anything could happen and I’m wondering how it did turn out for anyone who did run off the road.

 

Well, at least I’m heading East away from the ocean that by the time I did make it to the speedway, I5 heading North the sun was out and there were stretches where the weather was warming up. Not enough to get rid of the jacket completely, because there were some passes that I was going thru which were cold, but not as cold as some of the other riding thru California that I’ve been doing. The other thing I noticed is there aren’t really consistent gas stops along the freeway that I might be used to in other states, sometimes I have to drive a little further for gas than a quick off and back on. There was one place where I did get off, drove a couple miles for a gas station filled up and needed to use the bathroom with not luck because the restrooms were out of order. Great, so I put on my helmet to ride across the street to use their gas station and the same thing, Rest room out of order. I asked the attendant, and he said either the gas station across the road or Carl jr’s next door, well now, I know which one I have to use. 

 

At this gas stop I thought it’d be a good idea to try to ride without the jacket so packed my long sleeve shirt and leather jacket away, but up the road aways before getting back on the I5, I figure it a bit chilly that what’day know, a great time for the lighter jacket that I have packed for a bit more of the trip. It is finally going to get used and we’ll see how many other times on this trip that will happen. 

 

Back to the ride and Dennis was right, after I got past Redding and skipped the road to Crater Lake it was a great ride thru the passes. Much like my riding thru the smokies, but definitely different with higher elevations, I notice a number of then around 3000 and windy curvy roads that it had me depending on the edge of my tires quite a bit. No slipping or sliding needed when hitting the curves hard but going up and coming down. The scenery was really ice including when I enter Oregon and the ride was great. I did eventually need gas and the heat was now on me that it was time to get rid of the jacket and see how good of time I could make that I stopped at a familiar town for gas and rid of the jacket Medford. No not the Medford Wisconsin that Dennis happens to be from, but Medford OR, I figured it only fitting. I will need at least one more gas stop before making it to Portland so according to mileage and how far after, I figured Eugene OR would be my next stop.

 

Ok, the heat is back on, and it wasn’t long that I seemed to be in the plains again and none of the passes that I’ve already gone thru. I did hit it hard and even though there were times I thought about white lining it, new Oregon doesn’t condone such riding that I just had to use more lanes than most to get around people. I took full advantage of the bike getting around traffic and arrived to my next stop, Stephanie ad Danny’s around 7, just in time to shower and get something to eat. Steph and Danny are gone for tonight, but I knew just where to go and got to enjoy the neighborhood beer joints and eventually Detroit style pizza. It was a great night of some brews, a couple of slices, more brews and topped off with an ice cream cone for the walk home, what a night.

 

I would like to thank Dennis, Amy and their kids for letting me stay with them for a couple of nights. I was a great comfortable stay and I really enjoyed visiting with them. I’m hoping I get to see them back in Wisconsin sometime this summer. It’s always great seeing them. 

 

And another thing I remembered about yesterday’s ride; how many signs I saw about taking the next exit for Crater Lake. Someone might have been telling me something, but I’m sure I’ll be back when I don’t have to do a quick trip like this one is turning out. 

June 23 2023 Day Twenty One

June 23 – Larkspur CA – Day 21

 

 

Today was a day for relaxation normally after a day’s ride. I had a comfortable sleep last night and it was a good thing the bed had a comforter on it, because it was still cold, and I needed the cuddle to keep me warm. Dennis was busy at work and since I had just seen the Winchester Mystery house the day before, noticed there was a movie about the place that after writing a story for yesterday I thought that would be a good thing to watch. I did spend the morning taking care of some business, but not much going on with ‘business’ since I am on vacation.

 

What an interesting movie and maybe the story is s little far-fetched from what I saw at the mystery house, but there were scenes that reminded me of the small steps for a lady who was just over 4 foot and had arthritis so had problem climbing stairs. The morning and part of the afternoon went quick and soon it was time for happy hour and early one that Dennis and Amy had a house they wanted to show me on the way to the arena. A pretty old house in Mill Valley and it’s one of the few homes in California that actually has a basement. A walkout basement which had an awesome view of downtown San Francisco and an old house that will take a bit of work to fix up. Quite the place to fix up, but with the kind of view of the bay, definitely a nice location to live.

 

From there it was on to the local marina that Dennis and Amy are members to and it eventually turned into a nice day after all. Maybe still a little chilly, but once in the sun it felt pretty good with the warmth of the sun. Dennis did buy me a long sleeve shirt for the rest of my vacation, thanks much and he must’ve picked up on my comment when I did get there and told him I had only packed on long sleeve shirt for the trip because I didn’t think I’d need one on this trip. Ok, I did pack 2 jackets, but I have yet to wear my light riding jacket and should’ve stuck to one jacket, the leather for the trip. Oh well, maybe I’ll still get some use out of after all on this trip.

 

It was a great happy hour, and we noticed a capsized sailboat in the bay that a couple of kids were working on to get upright. They did manage and there was what appeared to be a lifeboat helping them that once they were docked, I figured I had to ask them if it was a training exercise or not which they said no, they just capsized. It was a different kind of boat too that was easier to get upright than other small sailboats I’ve seen,

 

Tonight, Dennis and Amy have made dinner plans at a fancy Italian restaurant with some friends, that it’ll be a good night of eating and having a few more cocktails. The restaurant was in San Rafael just up the road a little way and after finding a parking ramp behind the restaurant and parking, I put a couple of bucks into the meter to pay for a few hours only to find out that parking after 6 was free. I guess it pays to look at signs a little closer. Once seated their friends showed up, Brendon and Suzanne Dolan and for some reason that name was familiar to me. Well as it would happen to be, Dolan is the last name of one of my curling skips and his brother Steve who is in Seattle is who I will be staying with when I do get to Seattle. No relation to Brendon, but what a small world where I’m meeting others with familiar names and old history to share. Brendon was talking about his trips to Ireland and his heritage and how there are a lot of Dolan’s in Ireland. We have a great meal, and it was great visiting with some of Dennis and Amy’s friends while I’m traveling thru. 

 

Ok, tomorrow it’s on to Portland and I can’t decide whether to take an 11-hour trip and go thru Crater lake or just stick to the faster 9 hour trip by speedway. Stay tune and see what tomorrow brings,  

June 22 2023 Day Twenty

 June 22 – Larkspur CA – Day 20

 

It is cold in California, and it was definitely a jacket day all day. I left with a sunny day in Upland, but the further West I went the more gloomy it got. The June gloom is definitely in full swing, and I get to ride thru it. It wasn’t until I hit the interstate heading north that things warmed up, but according to the bike it was only in the low 80’s and I figured once I took off the jacket, I’d probably hit a cold spot. Sure enough, especially coming around the Oakland Bay it was really cold, windy and gloomy. It made for an interesting day too with a visit to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

 

I got a little earlier start leaving around 8:30 this morning and I was able to get thru the traffic in some spots fairly easily with the white lining, and soon I was on the I5 heading north which would be my route for most of the day. Even though it was the fast track to San Jose since Mike and I had already decided against California 1 or 101 since there were parts of the road closed, I wasn’t hitting the speeds I’ve been able to on some of the other interstates I’ve ridden. There seems to be that many more vehicles on the road that I could take it a little easier and still pass some, and the other thing is there were sure plenty of trucks on the road. There was the grapevine Mike had talked about and I knew when I hit that because it was definitely a climb and the trucks just trying to get to the top and then on the other side, a brake check and a slow decent at least for the trucks. For me you know I can hit it hard, just not as hard as usual.

 

It was quite the site heading north because there were a lot of trees which had me wondering what was being grown and I even saw some tree farms where all the trees were cut down waiting to be ground into mulch that it had me wondering what that was all about. A lot of agriculture along the way and a lot of what looked like dry brush that I could see one spark starting what could be another major fire in California. There was one farm I did see that I later learned from Dennis was a stockyard and I could see cattle for as far as I could see, and I actually felt sorry for the cattle and the conditions they looked like they had to endure before they were table meat. Dirty, didn’t look like much food or anything to eat, shelters for a few of the cattle and just dirty conditions all around. Oh well, I guess I still like my meat, so I just have to let it go.

 

Eventually I had to take a side road off the I5 and it was just a 2-lane road most of the way and heading West into the wind so made for a bit of a rough ride. It was a fun road to ride even if it was only a 2-lane road because it was twisty and turny and took me thru the garlic capital Gilroy where you could really smell the garlic. Fortunately for me it was a bigger town that had gas stations because on my way there I thought about stopping for gas but skipped it and it had me down quite a bit by the time I got into town, almost a day running out of gas that I have to pay better attention. I was back on a freeway to my way to San Jose and traffic wasn’t bad all that I made it to the mystery house that I’ll have rot do a tour.

 

What an interesting house and something in the middle of downtown that continues to attract crowds. It was only an hours tour, but a really interesting story about the lady Sarah Winchester who moved out West after losing a child and her husband from the East to take a huge farmhouse (mansion) and continue to build on to it to send spirits away. If ever in San Jose, I’d definitely recommend the tour. I did get a lot of pictures, sorry I can’t share, but trust me, they were worth it.

 

Ok finally time for me to get to Larkspur and according to directions thru Oakland it should take me just over 2 hours with more freeway to ride. At first, I wasn’t sure if I could white line it, but I did go for it and shortly there were other bikes coming up on me fast that I eventually gave them the right of way because I think I might’ve been slowing them down and sure enough. Once I started following them and what they were doing I was able to make much quicker time just going for it. A bit unnerving at times, but as long as I follow, the cars are separating to let us thru. I did lose my leaders before getting to Oakland, so I was on my own from there and sure enough I’m hitting rush hour just at the peak and since I put in m directions to take me the Oakland route, sure enough it took me downtown Oakland before I started to get directions to my final destination for the day.

 

It was cold like I mentioned coming over the bay and even with one missed turn eventually made it to Dennis and Amy’s which will be a nice stay. I got unpacked, took my needed shower even though I wasn’t as dirty having worn a jacket all day, had myself a beer and shared my photo of the family from 17 years ago, boy have the kids grown. Justin in college and Kelly ready to graduate soon. Amy had a lasagna in the oven for us so I am going to be more than good with a meal and a nice bedroom for a day’s rest, if I can handle the cold.

June 21 2023 Day Nineteen

 June 21 – Upland CA – Day 19

 

And I got an extra day to relax before getting on the bike. I was going to say I did a full day without being on the bike, but decided tonight might be a good time to get gas so I don’t have to worry about it in the morning. Mike sent me to nearest cheapest station he could think of, and wouldn’t you know it, I was able to get there and back without using my navigation. I did have to head the wrong way on a short section of a one way, but that is because where I’d otherwise make a U-turn, the fire department and police had the intersection closed because of an accident, fortunately they didn’t see my move.

 

I did get a wakeup call a little earlier than I was ready to get up today from a buddy back home that was in the neighborhood, no not this neighborhood, but my home and was wondering if I was around for him to stop and say ‘Hi’ so you can tell that is someone who didn’t realize I was taking a bike trip for a couple of months this summer. No worries and I enjoyed the talk and were able to still catch up on some well-deserved rest. 

 

Today was about getting Mike’s help to map out my trip to San Francisco and where I should head toward California 1, the coastal road that rides the coast, only to find out there is still a 30-mile section that is closed because of mudslides from the winter rain California got. I had also thought about traveling the 101, another scenic road a bit further from the coast, but that would take a bit longer to get North than taking the freeway so what we decided on is a fast track to San Jose to maybe get to and tour the Winchester Mystery house as a stop on my way to San Fran. About 5 hours away on the speed way, and once again should make a little later start to avoid the rush hour around here so plan on being on the road sometime after 9, yep that means I get to sleep in a little bit.

 

I did a little more research on the rest of my travel back East and there are some spots I would like to hit so we’ll see how those turn-out. I did find out that even though my travel to Portland was pushed out one day and I was only going to stay for a night and hit the road, I’ll likely stick around for one extra night since Shelley’s daughter Stephanie and husband Danny will be home earlier than before from their weekend trip, I might as well wait for their return so I can enjoy a night of visiting. That’ll still make me getting home the last week of June doable only for me to repack and head to the East coast to work out my timing on my way back home from the East thru Milwaukee to spend some time enjoying Harley Davidsons 120 anniversary July 13-16. 

 

Tonight, we had a great Mexican meal at the nearest Mexican restaurant and Jane joined us that each of us had a great meal. I did get to find out that Jane use to work at a Mexican restaurant when she was growing up and every day is a happy hour all day at every Mexican restaurant. She did say back in the day customers could buy the service drinks, so they had as much fun with the margaritas as the customers. Cool, every day should be happy hour no matter where you’re at. 

 

Bags are packed so I can pack the bike pretty quick in the morning and it’ll be a ride I’ll actually have to start out with a jacket on. I don’t think I’ve worn a jacket since I left Florida so it’s a nit bit chilly in CA right now. I very much appreciate Mike and Jane putting me up for an extra night and had a great time visiting with them and learning more about the family back home in Wisconsin. Tomorrow, on to colder weather in San Francisco.

 

June 20 2023 Day Eighteen

June 20 – Upland CA – Day 18

 

Another day to relax and get some stuff done around Mike’s place. I never was able to make that connection with co-workers from the Long Beach office, it sounded as though most were working from home after having Monday off for the Juneteenth Holiday. I did tell my contact that I had an extra day in the area since my trip to San Francisco was moved out a day, but never did hear back so didn’t plan the trip for tomorrow.

 

Mike and I did at least go up to Mt Baldy to see if we could find that actor who has been missing since the Christmas Holiday, not really, just a nice drive up the mountain and he let me drive his EV Mustang which was pretty cool. Yep, apparently there is still snow in them their mountains and they still haven’t found the guy’s body. He was an experienced hiker, but the weather wasn’t the greatest when he did decide to go hiking. Not the kind of stuff I’d necessarily be doing, but I guess I get my adrenalin rush doing other things, such as riding a motorcycle.

 

On our way back we stopped at the nearest Harley shop that I had visited last time I was here back in 2014, but they had already closed shop and I mean closed shop because they don’t exist anymore. Once back to Mike’s I did look up the closest shop and found Laidlaw’s Harley about 30 minutes away so decided it’d be worth the bike trip which was great, I was able to do a bit more white lining. I wish there were more states that would allow that, but I guess maybe the traffic isn’t as bad as it is around here because there are sure a lot of vehicles on the roads around here. It was a pretty quick trip, and I did go to the service department to see if they could tell me why the Harley Davidson app for my ride planner wants to keep taking me back to the beginning of my trips if I have had the directions on pause and why it doesn’t recalculate from where I am at instead of back to the start to recalculate. It is the weirdest thing; it will recalculate for me to go back to the beginning so it can then track my progress from there instead of picking it up where I am at now and putting the other miles behind me. The trip meter keeps telling me I am getting further away from my destination even though I can see I am getting closer. Oh well, of course they didn’t know, did say that the app is pretty new and figured it might be like some other things Harley may have come out with a little too soon that it'll take fixes along the way to make for a better product. 

 

One thing I did notice at the service department was a highway patrol getting a new bike. At least that’s what it looked like since he was moving his equipment from one bike to another, and I really meant to ask if they also white line it around traffic. I’d assume maybe while chasing someone if they have to, but I have another day of riding that I’ll have to keep my eyes out for it. I did find with the white lining that I’ve been doing that it is much easier in the diamond lanes, the speed lanes because they are a little wider and cars are moving over to let me thru. I even passed a Sherriff and he didn’t flash his lights or anything so it must be ok.

 

It was great being able to relax a bit more for another day and today it’ll be off to the local Famous Dave’s for all you can eat rib tips. It happened to be happy hour so I ordered myself a beer and the first round of rib tips were pretty good and juicy, but they did get you on the second batch where they were almost as bad as the ribs I had in St Louis, overdone and dry that Mike and I couldn’t eat any more. Tomorrow we’ll have to see what else we can find and maybe Jane will join us. I am having a great time visiting with Mike and Jane because it’s not too often I do get to see them, so it has been a really comfortable stay.  

June 19 2023 Day Seventen

 June 19 – Upland CA – Day 17

 

Boy how quickly things can change; I’m sitting here with a long sleeve shirt on thinking about putting on a pair of jeans because it’s downright cold here in Upland CA. The temp is only 67 and even in reverse (76) it doesn’t match the temps I was dealing with just on the other side of the mountains. It’s cold and according to Mike it’s been that way for most of the spring and may last a few more days, none of the excessive heat warnings here.

 

Today’s ride wasn’t too bad because I did get going early enough just after 9:00 and at that time the temp in AZ was only about 85, not excessive heat yet. I did check it along the way on the bike every once in a while, and it did get close to 100, but never did reach it. I also didn’t have to worry about gas either because Nan had already mapped it out and suggested I stop in AZ for gas, specifically Quartzsite which was in range for my new bike and according to her close enough to the California border that it was a good place for me to lose my freedom and done the helmet. Oh Yeah, helmet for the remainder of my West coast swing and I’ll be looking forward to heading East.

 

Ok I did hit a slow stretch when I neared Palm Springs because of some construction and the road was backed up a bit so boots down on the Interstate again. There was a guy pulling a boat that rolled down his window and told me that I could white line it and I did acknowledge that I knew that, but probably not a good idea in a construction zone so I did save myself some gas and just shut off the bike and coasted downhill until it was my turn to get thru the construction. I was back up to highway speeds pretty quick and that was about the time I notice how strong the winds had become coming off the mountains. On the East side so it was more a head wind than anything and I could sure feel it, especially when I did stop to get more gas after having stopped at Palm Springs Harley only to find them closed today, likely because of the Juneteenth holiday. I had stopped to figure out how to fix my navigation because I can load a map for each of my trips onto my bike, but for some reason if I don’t follow the directions most of the way ad pause the thing to use the Siri directions it seems to want me to do U-turn and go back to the beginning so I can get to my destination. Every time it tells me it is recalculating; I was hoping it was doing it from where I am and not where I needed to start or need to finish. Oh well, more to learn about this HD navigation. 

 

It wasn’t far after Palm Springs, and I was on the West side of the mountains and things did start getting cold. I did think about stopping and putting on a jacket, but I think I can make it before I get too cold. Oh yea, and I got to white line it a few times. Now that it wasn’t construction it was trying to figure out which lane is better to white line, but after another biker went past, I got what I was doing, any line can be white lined, and I noticed you don’t have to wait for people to move because as soon as you get close to them, they’ll move. What a rush hitting it hard while the rest of traffic is watching out for me speeding by, I just don’t need someone making a lane change when I’m not expecting it. 

 

Made it in good time to my cousin Mike and his wife Jane’s place and my first thing to do after unpacking the bike is getting the shower in to feel human again. Not too bad today since it wasn’t as long a ride as others and less dirty as all the other southern states I’ve been in, but dirty enough. Jane isn’t home so it was just Mike and I and he took me to the local place with coupon for an early dinner, at least earlier than I have been eating lately and a pretty good meal with a large drink. Hopefully it was ok with Jane that I got to use the coupon with Mike instead of her since Mike said they usually wait for the coupon to come out so they can make a trip to eat. Good food and it definitely hit the spot. Tomorrow, I am going to make an attempt to see some of the Wells Fargo employees whose system I was supporting for the last 8-year contract that I was on at WF. Now I might be able to put a face to the voice.

June 18 2023 Day Sixteen

 June 18 – Chandler AZ – Day 16

 

Happy Father’s Day to all those dads out there and hope you had a great day. Just got home from the local Chinese joint and it was great food. Thanks to Jim, Nan and Ian for putting me up for an extra day and picking up the tab on dinner. It really should’ve been on me since I’m the guest being put up for a couple of nights.

 

Today I got a text early from the Harley shop that my bike would be ready for pickup about 11 and I did forget to mention that this is how Desert Winds H-D operate. I had gotten a text from the service department yesterday once they had checked out my bike with all of these suggestions on things that should be taken care of and the price, and I just responded with what I did want done so they updated it and gave me a final quote. Definitely not something I’m use to because back where I come from, they usually make a phone call. I’d say I probably prefer the phone call instead so I can ask questions, but in this case the text was pretty easy and no pressure to get all that they said the bike could use to get done. I just had new bars put on it just over a month ago, that bleeding the lines I don’t think was something that needed to be done right now. I did call them to make sure they were open all day and sure enough they’ll be there till 5:00.

 

Nan gave me a ride to the shop around noon because Ian was going to meet us there on his bike so I could follow him home, so I had to do some extra shopping. I figured a good shop to get a t-shirt from and the service guy that helped me out yesterday was the same one taking care of me today and he learned something new. Since I wanted the shirt and maintenance on one bill it happened to be the first time, he ever added a t-shirt to the bill, so he said he learned something new even though he had been there for a couple of years. That’s great when you can show someone something new. 

 

It wasn’t only me doing the shopping, but Ian picked up a new jacket and gloves for riding in the heat around here since you definitely need a light jacket. Some pretty good jackets to choose from so he’ll be really comfortable with his choices. 

 

Back to the house with a hotter than hell ride and one of the few times I did it with shorts and even my legs felt the burn. That meant then rest of the afternoon was going to be spend in and out and back into the pool because that is the only way to beat this head, and once again excessive heat advisories that having a pool is a must. A great way to start the day to instead of a shower, just jump in the pool and this one happens to be a saltwater pool. It feels pretty nice not matter what kind it is. 

 

After dinner the bike is packed and ready for my ride to California tomorrow and after looking at the temps, I think I’m really going to like the California temps; they look pretty comfortable compared to the heat and humidity that I have been dealing with. Now that we get to relax by the pool again for one more night, it’s time for the grasshopper show to begin with Nan and Ian. I thank Jim, Nan and Ian for a great stay and for being such good friends. Once back in Minnesota we’ll be able to ride there as well. Stay tune for the West coast swing.

June 17 2023 Day Fifteen

June 17^th – Chandler AZ – Day 15

 

My first day of relaxation by a pool and even though the temps here in Arizona are hotter than all hell, there’s not the humidity like there was in Florida, Louisiana and Texas. The first business I needed to address was getting an oil and filter change for my bike as well as a bath. Jim and Nan mentioned the Chandler Harley shop since I’m in Chandler and they are having an event, but after a call to them, even though they could fit me in, they didn’t have Amsoil which is the only oil I use on my bikes. Yeah, you could call me picky, but when I switched to it years ago, it’s been the best for my bikes ever since. They seem to run a little cooler and the burn-off isn’t as bad as other oils on the drain. I did a google search for Amsoil and what’dya know, a Harley shop, Desert Wind H-D popped up and they are as close to where I’m at as the Chandler Harley that that is the place to call. They said they were backed up a few weeks, but for a guy like me traveling thru they could get me in if I could drop off my bike and wait until Sunday to pick it up. A nice thing about the Harley shops around here, they are all open on Sunday’s even if it is Fathers’ Day.

 

Jim and Nam followed me over there and we picked a good day to stop in because they were celebrating something with a Fried chicken and potato salad lunch that we had a great lunch to boot. The service agent was pretty cool to and telling me about a ride in California that I should consider, but the dates didn’t quite work out for me since I’d have to wait about a week. I don’t think Jim and Nan would mind if I stayed, but I’ll have to hit the road sometime sooner. The agent also said he’d be heading to Vegas to get married and then to the California freedom ride, but sorry I probably won’t see you there. 

 

After dropping off the bike and having lunch, we did have to make our way to the Chandler Harley shop since they also had a celebration going on. They were changing their name to Scorpion H-D and had a food truck outside to get burgers at for the celebration. They only had a few tickets to hand out for free lunches and most were gone, but they did have one left that Nan was able to use so she could get her lunch too. She wasn’t interested in the fried chicken that a burger and fries will do for her. Ok, in comparison I like the Desert Wind H-D much better than Chandler (Scorpion) and if I’m back in the area Desert Wind is where I’ll end up again.

 

Ok, now to look at trucks since Jim is in the market for a new vehicle and I felt a bit lightheaded that it was good think I wasn’t riding any further than Desert Winds H-D. The one thing with Arizona is you have to drink a lot of water and it’s great that everywhere you go they have water just for the occasion. After a few bottles I felt much better and soon it was back to the house to get comfortable in the pool.

 

Heat advisories in the area and once again the temp is getting up over 100 today that it was a good day to get in, out and back into the pool all afternoon. Also, drinking more water than I’m use to and very little beer, even if the beer does taste pretty good. We had a good time by the pool all afternoon and decided it’d be a good day to cookout that Jim headed to the store for some eats for the night. Apparently other people had the same idea because the grilling selection wasn’t of anything, but he did find some Wagu burgers and Chicken skewers that that with sliced potatoes and onions in aluminum foil on the grill will make for a good meal which is exactly what we had. It may have been a little later than usual, but good food and good company so I couldn’t ask for much more.

 

Oh, and the grasshoppers were getting out of control that Nan and Ian went to work with an electric zapper they have to make sure they got zapped. The thing just kept going that I feel sorry for the hoppers because on zap or two and they were done. A funny device that you just setup and the bugs fly right into it, now they’ll just have to be pulled out of the pool tomorrow. Ok, Day 15 out of the way and we’ll see what Father’s Day will have in store. 

June 16 2023 Day Fourteen

 June 16^th – Chandler AZ – Day 14

 

And I accomplished my goal today, 1000 miles within 24 hours and according to my bike I traveled 1120 miles in 16 hours and 22 minutes. Not sure how the bike has that figured out since it showed me leaving at 6:16 am June 16 for my ride according to TX (central) time and actually shows my end as being 9:38pm June 17 AZ (Pacific). Oh well, I know I accomplished it and have pictures of the odometer to prove it. Now it’ll be a matter of putting together the paperwork and getting it sent in so I can at least get a patch and my name added to the list of people who have accomplished such a feat. 

 

And to boot, I picked up a couple of hours with my travel West since AZ has its own time, so I am now on Pacific (AZ) time instead of Mountain which I had part way thru TX into New Mexico. The hardest part of the trip was getting to the West side of Austin onto I10 cuz that would be where I could really open it up and travel the kind of speed I wanted to. I kept thinking how much I had stoplights because there have been too many parts of this traveling that has taken me thru some areas that once you get up to what you think will be a good speed, you have to stop because the damn light turned red. Oh well, I guess I have to deal with it now don’t I.

 

I did at least keep myself somewhat sane and not having to worry about gas and made a few more stops than I otherwise would’ve. After talking with Dale, same name different spelling, like he said there aren’t a lot of gas stations West thru TX that I should make sure I’m stopping to get gas instead of pushing it. That meant checking how far I had left to travel on my bike since I did notice some cities too far away that I would’ve easily ran out of gas. The only place I pushed it wasn’t until I hit El Paso because I knew I would be able to find gas in a short range.

 

The other part of this trip was the heat. While riding thru the West part of TX sometimes it had me wondering why anyone would want to live in these kinds of conditions. Things actually cooled off a little once I got to New Mexico, but soon enough it was back into the heat. I also had some road construction that had me wondering if I should be slowing down or not even though the speeds hadn’t changed. The construction was one of those where they cover the asphalt with oil and then they cover it with small pebbles to work its way into the oil. I kept seeing signs hoping it was going to tell me the end of construction only for it to tell me loose gravel ahead, please watch your speed. At least it had been swept that there wasn’t anything to slow me down, so I hit it hard. That reminded me there was a spot where they were shaving the top part of the blacktop to cover it with fresh tar and that was the one that had me worried about the speed. At least the grooves run in the direction I’m moving and not across, but every once in a while, I would hit grooves that seem to want to move you into a different direction. Light on the handles and no sudden movement and I’ll be able to get thru this.

 

Ok, I have one more gas stop to make to close out my 1000-mile ride and I’m only miles from my final destination that it’s also time for me to finally get something to eat. Today wasn’t so much about eating, but at least keeping myself hydrated that I did drink plenty of water for the ride even though you wouldn’t have been able to tell. I also finally got myself a sandwich just to snack on something. And once I did get to Jim, Nan and Ian’s, my first goal after getting the bike unpacked was a well-deserved shower and boy was I dirty. Once showered I felt like a new person, so I’ll definitely sleep well tonight. Tomorrow, or I actually mean today since it is already the 17^th, my bike could use an oil and filter change or even a wash. I’ll have to see what I can find. 

 

 

June 15 2023 Day Thirteen

 June 15^th – Brenham TX – Day 13

 

Ahhh, just got done having some good cooking and one more beer before calling it a night. Trying to get ready for tomorrow’s ride where I try to do over 1000 miles in 24 hours. Thought about leaving extra early, but learned all about Civil, Nautical and Astronomical twilight that now I’m shooting for 6:00 since sunrise is around 6:30 and using the Civil twilight it should be light enough for me to see anything on the road. I actually learned a lot today, not only about twilight, but a lot about my bike. I’ve had the thing for 4 years now and have learned that the GPS system on it will do more than I realized it can do. It cannot only five me directions to where I have to go, which I’m hoping isn’t going to be an issue with my Siri directions because it does look like they will both be on the same coarse, but this bike will actually track my ride which will come in handy for this 1000 mile ride. 

 

Ok, after I thought about it while getting up this morning, I may have missed a little about yesterday’s ride that I forgot to share. Even though it wasn’t too bad a trip from New Orleans to here, I did have a ferry along the way that I had to deal with so I could say there was about a quarter of a mile that I didn’t have to ride yesterday. That and the road thru Louisiana took me right along the gulf coast toward Houston that I did have to stop for a picture of my boot in the gulf coast. The waves were pretty big which would account for the strong cross winds that I had to deal with. Nothing as bad as some I’ve dealt with while going thru South Dakota out to Sturgis, but it affects the riding a little. Also took a picture of dealing with RIP currents but had no plan on going into the water. 

 

Tonight, I’m calling it an early night so I can hit the road early and hard. I really appreciate Debbie and Dale taking such good care of me and really enjoyed my visit. Hopefully I can be back sometime sooner than waiting another 17 years before I visit again. Tomorrow will be a big day which might take me an extra day to recover until I write about. Stay tune and you’ll know as well as me where I’ll end up.

June 14 2023 Day Twelve

 June 14^th – Brenham TX – Day 12

 

And I’ve made it to my cousin Debbie and her husband Dale’s place, same name different spelling. Today was all about checking out how things have turned out for southern and west Louisiana since Katrina some 17 years ago and although I thought it was Cameron that I thought wasn’t going to rebuild from what I saw back in 2006, it was actually Gueydan that probably wouldn’t rebuild. I remember how bad the school was and sure enough the same school is still there, but all fixed up from the wreck, that and there were a lot of houses rebuilt in town. Quit the site to see and it was a great ride. Riding thru swamp country and there were 2 dead alligators on the road. I did think of stopping for one to get a picture and maybe pull a tooth, but I was well past it when I eventually thought that. It was a great ride and not that long, so I took the scenic route and I’d like to say my timing was great, but it was just the opposite because I hit rush hour in Houston and nothing like putting my boots down on an interstate because it’s stop and go traffic. Hell, I was able to ride the Louisiana byway faster.  Great having a place to stay and once again a beer waiting for me, but this time same thing, I need a shower to feel human again after a long day’s ride. The fast track might be good for getting somewhere, but it’s awful dirty.

 

Ok, you could probably tell by my babble with the last blog that I had been drinking while writing it and I probably could’ve done another night in New Orleans because it is definitely a place to party. Not sure if I mentioned it after having a crawfish boil, but my goal last night was to find a muffuletta pizza. No not the sandwich which New Orleans is known for, but the pizza I had the last time I was here. I mentioned to all the bartenders at the bars I was drinking at, and they thought I was crazy because they had never heard of a muffuletta on a pizza. Trust me, I know I had it and like I told them it turned out to be a thing at the St Paul Curling club at one time when the food staff would make muffuletta pizzas. I ended up doing more walking than anything and couldn’t find a pizza joint or even the one I had visited before that I guess I should’ve gotten a name before, so I could’ve seen if they were still around.

 

I did still have fun and spent a little later night on Bourbon Street and it’s not so much just the bars on Bourbon Street as it is all the little bars around the entire downtown New Orleans. Dejavu was a perfect place to meet people and the bartender sure made a great bloody Mary and she gave me a snit (beer chaser) to boot even though it isn’t a thing down here. Like I told the couple I was visiting, with Pete and Janet, anytime you order a bloody, you now get to ask for the beer chaser (snit) because it is a thing, and the definition of snit says so. 

 

Ok, got my first load of laundry done and I think I overpacked on socks and shirts and under packed on underwear. Even though I packed a dozen I could use more and as for the shirts and socks. I guess as long as I’m really only riding every other day right now to get places, I wouldn’t have needed as many. Things will change when I get into riding every day and as long as I have no problems with everything fitting on the bike with some extra room, I guess you can never have too many cloths now can you. Now I have a day to finish the rest of my laundry and spend some time figuring out my thousand-mile ride within 24 hour thing.