It was one hot day today. I ended up taking off my mesh jacket because it was just too damn hot. I can take a lot of heat but even this Florida boy has his limits. And, I reached them today.
So I cruised the highway all day today with only a Tee shirt and jeans on. Yes, I know, I wasn't safe but I was a little cooler.
I stopped in Kansas City (actually Grandview, Missouri) for lunch today and gave Mike a call to see if he was available. Well, he wasn't. He was on the way to work at his new job.
I had my requisite Taco Salad and Frostie and was on my way again on the last leg of my journey.
The traffic was really bad in Springfield. I reached it just at rush hour. I found out the GS will start to heat up if you aren't moving air around the cylinders. Fortunately I wasn't there too long and it only got up to the top bars for a minute.
Boring day riding in the heat.
mo-gser.blogspot.com
I'll put in a final review of the trip and then I'm done with this blog. I must start thinking about my next trip now. It's only ten months away :) .
Friday, August 1, 2008
Day 27 One more day to home ! ! !
Today looked a lot like rain all day again. I was able to stay ahead of it but the sky looked bad all day.
I stopped today in Murdo, South Dakota to check out the auto museum. This was more like a bunch of giant flea market buildings more than anything. It had a lot of old cars and motorcycles plus all kinds of other old stuff. I took a bunch of pictures while there.
I was going to go back to the office and complain about the fact that I didn't see any Henry J's there but then in the next to last building, I found one sad looking Henry J. My uncle Ep in Florida had one of those back in the '50's but I think it rusted out in two years. They were not manufactured very well at all. A shame too, because that body would eventually become extremely popular in the drag racing world. In Denver in the '60's they would put Chevy engines in them and run them at the drag races. I would guess that was partly because the bodys were so light. They certainly didn't have any galvanizing on them. In Florida they would last maybe three years max.
They also had a couple of Mustang motorcycles (?) or maybe you would call them motor scooters? They were sort of a cross between a motorcycle and a scooter. A friend of mine in high school in the late '50's had one. At the time I thought they were cool. Shows what I knew about bikes back then.
I also found one Harley Davidson 125 from the '50's, almost exactly like the one I had in High School. I also took pictures of that one.
And of course, Elvis' Harley was there. I can't believe the number of Harleys that Elvis owned. I think I've seen one in every motorcycle museum I've been in. :)
Seeing all those old motorcycles has got me to thinking about my next bike project. I'd like to find a very early BMW K75 project bike. For some reason I've become extremely intrigued by that motorcycle and would like to rebuild one from the ground up. I have to find a cheap one though.
In fact when I came out of the museum there was a BMW parked right in front and at the time I thought it was a newer BMW because it looked so good. But looking back at the picture I took of it, it turns out that it was actually a K75. I think they quit making that model in the mid '90's so someone has definitely taken care of that one. It was someone from out of town (lots of baggage on it) and they were riding two up also. If I had known what it was at the time, I would have tried to find them and talk to them about the bike. It looked really good to be at least 13 years old.
At the end of today I stopped again at Rockport, Missouri at the Rockport Inn. This time they had a room for me but didn't have a key for it. So they told me if I went out to come and get them to let me back in. I should probably think about upgrading my class of accommodations on my next trip. One more day on the road and I'm home ! ! ! ! ! !
mo-gser.blogspot.com
I stopped today in Murdo, South Dakota to check out the auto museum. This was more like a bunch of giant flea market buildings more than anything. It had a lot of old cars and motorcycles plus all kinds of other old stuff. I took a bunch of pictures while there.
I was going to go back to the office and complain about the fact that I didn't see any Henry J's there but then in the next to last building, I found one sad looking Henry J. My uncle Ep in Florida had one of those back in the '50's but I think it rusted out in two years. They were not manufactured very well at all. A shame too, because that body would eventually become extremely popular in the drag racing world. In Denver in the '60's they would put Chevy engines in them and run them at the drag races. I would guess that was partly because the bodys were so light. They certainly didn't have any galvanizing on them. In Florida they would last maybe three years max.
They also had a couple of Mustang motorcycles (?) or maybe you would call them motor scooters? They were sort of a cross between a motorcycle and a scooter. A friend of mine in high school in the late '50's had one. At the time I thought they were cool. Shows what I knew about bikes back then.
I also found one Harley Davidson 125 from the '50's, almost exactly like the one I had in High School. I also took pictures of that one.
And of course, Elvis' Harley was there. I can't believe the number of Harleys that Elvis owned. I think I've seen one in every motorcycle museum I've been in. :)
Seeing all those old motorcycles has got me to thinking about my next bike project. I'd like to find a very early BMW K75 project bike. For some reason I've become extremely intrigued by that motorcycle and would like to rebuild one from the ground up. I have to find a cheap one though.
In fact when I came out of the museum there was a BMW parked right in front and at the time I thought it was a newer BMW because it looked so good. But looking back at the picture I took of it, it turns out that it was actually a K75. I think they quit making that model in the mid '90's so someone has definitely taken care of that one. It was someone from out of town (lots of baggage on it) and they were riding two up also. If I had known what it was at the time, I would have tried to find them and talk to them about the bike. It looked really good to be at least 13 years old.
At the end of today I stopped again at Rockport, Missouri at the Rockport Inn. This time they had a room for me but didn't have a key for it. So they told me if I went out to come and get them to let me back in. I should probably think about upgrading my class of accommodations on my next trip. One more day on the road and I'm home ! ! ! ! ! !
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Day 26 More of Montana
That storm that came through last night dumped a lot of rain here in Hardin, Montana.
When I was gassing up and getting ready to leave, I met three guys who were traveling around the Montana area and camping. They said they were camping last night when the storm came through and they only lost one tent. The other two held up ok. One of the guys asked me where I had been and when I told him, he turned to one of his buddies and said "Hey, this guy took this bike all the way to Alaska and back!". Evidently, he thought that was a pretty good trip.
One of the guys was riding a BMW K1200LT, BMW's answer to the Honda Gold Wing or the Harley Road King. He said they were going down the highway yesterday and his buddies passed a truck and then didn't leave him enough room to get back in so he cranked the throttle and passed both of them so he could get back in. He didn't think he was going all that fast but one of his friends said he was flying. He said when they stopped again he checked his GPS to see what his top speed had been and it showed 129 mph. He turned the GPS on and showed me. He said he couldn't believe he was going that fast. He said he's never gone that fast before in his life. That is pretty fast if you ask me! Especially on a big touring bike like the K1200.
When I stopped for lunch (at Wendy's again) there was a guy there driving a newer Turbo Porsche 911 and he asked me if I saw any 911s in Alaska. I told him I hadn't seen one of them the whole time. He said he had lost his farm in a tornado and that he also had an R90 BMW that was damaged during the tornado. He said he had been thinking about trashing it but I told him to hang on to it because the older BMW's seem to be becoming more popular these days.
Today I was passed by my first motorcycle. I think it was a Harley but I'm not sure. I'm so depressed. I've passed so many motorcycles and now I'm passed by a Harley. I was running a consistent 80-81 mph (the speed limit is 75 mph) and he must have been running over 85 mph. I just let him go. It was just outside Sturgis so I imagine he was drunk. Why else would he be passing me? :)
I've seen a lot more motorcycles since getting back to the Sturgis area. They are probably the early arriver's to the rally.
The rain chased me all day long today. The sky looked bad in one direction or another for the whole day. I got a little bit of rain near Sturgis but nothing heavy.
I stopped in Wall S.D. again at the same motel I stayed at going through to Alaska. This time they gave me the "cheap" room. That room was so small I had to keep my arms close to my sides if I wanted to turn around. I don't think the whole room, bathroom included was over 10 feet by 4 1/2 feet. Really small ! But, it was cheap.
mo-gser.blogspot.com
When I was gassing up and getting ready to leave, I met three guys who were traveling around the Montana area and camping. They said they were camping last night when the storm came through and they only lost one tent. The other two held up ok. One of the guys asked me where I had been and when I told him, he turned to one of his buddies and said "Hey, this guy took this bike all the way to Alaska and back!". Evidently, he thought that was a pretty good trip.
One of the guys was riding a BMW K1200LT, BMW's answer to the Honda Gold Wing or the Harley Road King. He said they were going down the highway yesterday and his buddies passed a truck and then didn't leave him enough room to get back in so he cranked the throttle and passed both of them so he could get back in. He didn't think he was going all that fast but one of his friends said he was flying. He said when they stopped again he checked his GPS to see what his top speed had been and it showed 129 mph. He turned the GPS on and showed me. He said he couldn't believe he was going that fast. He said he's never gone that fast before in his life. That is pretty fast if you ask me! Especially on a big touring bike like the K1200.
When I stopped for lunch (at Wendy's again) there was a guy there driving a newer Turbo Porsche 911 and he asked me if I saw any 911s in Alaska. I told him I hadn't seen one of them the whole time. He said he had lost his farm in a tornado and that he also had an R90 BMW that was damaged during the tornado. He said he had been thinking about trashing it but I told him to hang on to it because the older BMW's seem to be becoming more popular these days.
Today I was passed by my first motorcycle. I think it was a Harley but I'm not sure. I'm so depressed. I've passed so many motorcycles and now I'm passed by a Harley. I was running a consistent 80-81 mph (the speed limit is 75 mph) and he must have been running over 85 mph. I just let him go. It was just outside Sturgis so I imagine he was drunk. Why else would he be passing me? :)
I've seen a lot more motorcycles since getting back to the Sturgis area. They are probably the early arriver's to the rally.
The rain chased me all day long today. The sky looked bad in one direction or another for the whole day. I got a little bit of rain near Sturgis but nothing heavy.
I stopped in Wall S.D. again at the same motel I stayed at going through to Alaska. This time they gave me the "cheap" room. That room was so small I had to keep my arms close to my sides if I wanted to turn around. I don't think the whole room, bathroom included was over 10 feet by 4 1/2 feet. Really small ! But, it was cheap.
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Day 25 Montana is big too !
I can't believe it. Chris Evert married Greg Norman. I just watched him the other day trying to become the oldest person to win the tournament he was in. Not sure, but I think it was the British Open. He finished tied for third.
Finally I can go 75 mph legally again. On some highways in Canada you can get up to 120 kph which equates to about 72 mph but other than major highways, the speed limits are generally under 62 mph. Boring!
So, I'm cruising along shortly after starting the day and I look down and Garmin (my most accurate speedometer) says I'm going 89! Whoa GS! You can't run that fast you might get a ticket.
Garmin quit talking to me today. That is a major problem too. I don't want to have to look down at the display and try to figure out where my next turn is. Fortunately, I was able to sort it out this evening. It was a blue tooth pairing problem. It's talking to me again.
Today as I was riding along in the boonies of Montana, a bug splatted me right directly in my vision area of my face shield. Up until now if one hit me, it was always a little to either side or the other and I just kept riding until the next gas stop and then cleaned it. With that big mess of bug guts in my line of sight, I just couldn't handle it so had to stop and clean it. While I was cleaning it this guy pulled up on a Yamaha Intruder (I think that's what he said it was anyway) and asked if everything was ok. I said sure, just cleaning the bugs. He then told me that he had stopped a while ago to work on the mount for his tachometer because it was coming loose and he said a bunch of Harley riders just roared right by him, not even waving or anything. I told him that was just a Harley thing. I told him I didn't care if they wave or not, I still wave at everyone. He said he does too.
I can't believe how much that motorcycle looked like a Sportster. He said it was a 1991 and it looked almost brand new. It was a V twin and it had what looked like the Sportster air cleaner even but it was on the opposite side. The color and the paint job also looked just like a Sportster paint job. The color was almost exactly the same color as my Fat Boy. If I had one of those, I'd move that air cleaner to the other side (the right side) and then I'd add a Harley horn on the left side and then drive down the road just like a Harley rider (but a Harley rider with a lot of extra money in my pocket).
While I was having what is fast becoming my daily Wendy's Frostie, I called Sharon on her cell phone. Where do you think she was? You guessed it. The golf course. She is going to be so good at that game by the time I get home, she won't be able to get her head through the door at home. I will have to challenge her to a play off.
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Finally I can go 75 mph legally again. On some highways in Canada you can get up to 120 kph which equates to about 72 mph but other than major highways, the speed limits are generally under 62 mph. Boring!
So, I'm cruising along shortly after starting the day and I look down and Garmin (my most accurate speedometer) says I'm going 89! Whoa GS! You can't run that fast you might get a ticket.
Garmin quit talking to me today. That is a major problem too. I don't want to have to look down at the display and try to figure out where my next turn is. Fortunately, I was able to sort it out this evening. It was a blue tooth pairing problem. It's talking to me again.
Today as I was riding along in the boonies of Montana, a bug splatted me right directly in my vision area of my face shield. Up until now if one hit me, it was always a little to either side or the other and I just kept riding until the next gas stop and then cleaned it. With that big mess of bug guts in my line of sight, I just couldn't handle it so had to stop and clean it. While I was cleaning it this guy pulled up on a Yamaha Intruder (I think that's what he said it was anyway) and asked if everything was ok. I said sure, just cleaning the bugs. He then told me that he had stopped a while ago to work on the mount for his tachometer because it was coming loose and he said a bunch of Harley riders just roared right by him, not even waving or anything. I told him that was just a Harley thing. I told him I didn't care if they wave or not, I still wave at everyone. He said he does too.
I can't believe how much that motorcycle looked like a Sportster. He said it was a 1991 and it looked almost brand new. It was a V twin and it had what looked like the Sportster air cleaner even but it was on the opposite side. The color and the paint job also looked just like a Sportster paint job. The color was almost exactly the same color as my Fat Boy. If I had one of those, I'd move that air cleaner to the other side (the right side) and then I'd add a Harley horn on the left side and then drive down the road just like a Harley rider (but a Harley rider with a lot of extra money in my pocket).
While I was having what is fast becoming my daily Wendy's Frostie, I called Sharon on her cell phone. Where do you think she was? You guessed it. The golf course. She is going to be so good at that game by the time I get home, she won't be able to get her head through the door at home. I will have to challenge her to a play off.
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Day 24
When there isn't much to differentiate one day from another, it's hard to keep track of what happened during the day.
Especially if I fall behind in my updates. At least I made it over the border anyway. I'm back in the good ol USA !! Just like John Denver used to sing "My it's good to be back home again".
Got delayed in Canada a little. I stopped at a Petro-Canada for gas and saw something in a display case that I wanted to buy and the girl broke the key off trying to open the case. I spent 45 minutes or so trying to get the case open without success. I gave it up and headed for the border.
The Mounties really patrol that last bit of highway from Calgary to the border. I mean they were all over that highway. They use some kind of special lights on their cars too. When their car was so far ahead you couldn't hardly see there was a car there, you could see that red light flash as plain as day. I'm thinking it must be some kind of laser light. It was REALLY bright. Plus, as they are going down the road on one side they are running the radar on the other side. If someone is just going a little too fast for them but not fast enough to turn around and chase them down, they'll just flick the light for a second or two. As if to say, if you don't slow down I'm coming after you. And, the cars on the other side slow down too. I must have seen them pull over at least 15 or 20 cars when prior to that I'd maybe seen one or two cars pulled over total the whole time I was in Canada. Either people in this area like to speed or they are really tough on drivers.
Meanwhile, I'm beginning to think I'm invisible to their radar. I can't explain why I'm going about 5 to 10 mph faster than most all other cars in Canada and I never see any Mounties. It's like my normal running speed is faster than the rest of the Canadians. Maybe the penalties for a Canadian are so great that they never speed even a little. I go my normal 10 to 15% percent over the speed limit. One thing I know is that unless they are also using a GPS, my speedometer is a lot more accurate than what they have in their car. Not the Mounties, they surely have something as accurate as mine. But the normal car is probably no better than my BMW speedometer and it's off at least 8 mph at 75 mph.
I forgot to mention that when I got my new passport I forgot to sign it. So the Canadians didn't notice it when I left the U.S. and the U.S. people didn't notice it when I arrived in Alaska but the woman working the Canadian border when I left Alaska noticed it so I had to sign it then. Twice I got away without having a signed passport before they caught it. Just went breezing through the border when I got back to Montana without problems. They just wanted to know if I was bringing in any tobacco or alcohol. Now, I ask you, who would pay $14 for a pack of cigarettes and bring them back to the U.S. ?
I saw a different looking trike today. It was on the other side of the interstate so I couldn't see it real well but the back tires looked more like the front wheel of a bike than the normal looking trike tire. I couldn't tell if it was just a two wheel frame that bolted on to the back of a normal motorcycle or not but it looked a little weird to me.
I'm still noticing that the riders in the North West areas don't seem to wave much. I'm not sure if they're Canadians or not but they act like the normal Harley riders no matter what kind of bike they're on. Really strange to me.
Ran into some major wind again after crossing the border. When I would come up behind a truck, it would feel like the wind was trying to blow me off the road. Speaking of wind, I forgot to mention that when I was following the Tire King of Sioux City, Iowa the other day, we hit some major wind near a lake we were going by and he must have not been on his toes because one gust of wind blew him over about a third of the way into the oncoming traffics lane. If a truck had been passing him then, I wouldn't have wanted to see the result. You have to be awake every second on a bike. And this guy was on a Gold Wing. When that wind comes along like that, you have to react to it very quickly no matter how heavy your bike is. Come to think of it, I was probably following a little too close to the tire king. I was at least 150 yards behind him but if there had been a truck passing when he went over into the other lane, the debris would probably have extended way beyond where I was. I'll have to think about that more in the future. Lots of riding today. Ended up in Conrad, Montana. Nice little town with a nice cheap motel called the Northgate Motel.
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Especially if I fall behind in my updates. At least I made it over the border anyway. I'm back in the good ol USA !! Just like John Denver used to sing "My it's good to be back home again".
Got delayed in Canada a little. I stopped at a Petro-Canada for gas and saw something in a display case that I wanted to buy and the girl broke the key off trying to open the case. I spent 45 minutes or so trying to get the case open without success. I gave it up and headed for the border.
The Mounties really patrol that last bit of highway from Calgary to the border. I mean they were all over that highway. They use some kind of special lights on their cars too. When their car was so far ahead you couldn't hardly see there was a car there, you could see that red light flash as plain as day. I'm thinking it must be some kind of laser light. It was REALLY bright. Plus, as they are going down the road on one side they are running the radar on the other side. If someone is just going a little too fast for them but not fast enough to turn around and chase them down, they'll just flick the light for a second or two. As if to say, if you don't slow down I'm coming after you. And, the cars on the other side slow down too. I must have seen them pull over at least 15 or 20 cars when prior to that I'd maybe seen one or two cars pulled over total the whole time I was in Canada. Either people in this area like to speed or they are really tough on drivers.
Meanwhile, I'm beginning to think I'm invisible to their radar. I can't explain why I'm going about 5 to 10 mph faster than most all other cars in Canada and I never see any Mounties. It's like my normal running speed is faster than the rest of the Canadians. Maybe the penalties for a Canadian are so great that they never speed even a little. I go my normal 10 to 15% percent over the speed limit. One thing I know is that unless they are also using a GPS, my speedometer is a lot more accurate than what they have in their car. Not the Mounties, they surely have something as accurate as mine. But the normal car is probably no better than my BMW speedometer and it's off at least 8 mph at 75 mph.
I forgot to mention that when I got my new passport I forgot to sign it. So the Canadians didn't notice it when I left the U.S. and the U.S. people didn't notice it when I arrived in Alaska but the woman working the Canadian border when I left Alaska noticed it so I had to sign it then. Twice I got away without having a signed passport before they caught it. Just went breezing through the border when I got back to Montana without problems. They just wanted to know if I was bringing in any tobacco or alcohol. Now, I ask you, who would pay $14 for a pack of cigarettes and bring them back to the U.S. ?
I saw a different looking trike today. It was on the other side of the interstate so I couldn't see it real well but the back tires looked more like the front wheel of a bike than the normal looking trike tire. I couldn't tell if it was just a two wheel frame that bolted on to the back of a normal motorcycle or not but it looked a little weird to me.
I'm still noticing that the riders in the North West areas don't seem to wave much. I'm not sure if they're Canadians or not but they act like the normal Harley riders no matter what kind of bike they're on. Really strange to me.
Ran into some major wind again after crossing the border. When I would come up behind a truck, it would feel like the wind was trying to blow me off the road. Speaking of wind, I forgot to mention that when I was following the Tire King of Sioux City, Iowa the other day, we hit some major wind near a lake we were going by and he must have not been on his toes because one gust of wind blew him over about a third of the way into the oncoming traffics lane. If a truck had been passing him then, I wouldn't have wanted to see the result. You have to be awake every second on a bike. And this guy was on a Gold Wing. When that wind comes along like that, you have to react to it very quickly no matter how heavy your bike is. Come to think of it, I was probably following a little too close to the tire king. I was at least 150 yards behind him but if there had been a truck passing when he went over into the other lane, the debris would probably have extended way beyond where I was. I'll have to think about that more in the future. Lots of riding today. Ended up in Conrad, Montana. Nice little town with a nice cheap motel called the Northgate Motel.
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Day 23 Nothing to Report
Just a lot of riding through wide open spaces.
That British Columbia is one BIG province.
Today when I first started out I got going down the road a couple of miles and I got the biggest cramp in my right arm. I guess I'm going to have to start stretching before I get on the bike each day. Sitting in one spot cranking on the throttle just seems to wear me down. I really need to get that cruise control on the bike when I get back home. At least it would eliminate the hand, wrist, arm problem.
I did come across a "Deer Crossing" sign on the highway today. I see the sign and then I look around and I can see about three miles in all directions and I'm thinking "Where the hell could a deer hide?". There isn't anything as far as you can see. I guess it would be a problem if you were driving at night but it would be awfully hard for a deer to sneak up on you in the day time when you can see him a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGGGG way before he even gets close to the road. BORING DAY !
mo-gser.blogspot.com
That British Columbia is one BIG province.
Today when I first started out I got going down the road a couple of miles and I got the biggest cramp in my right arm. I guess I'm going to have to start stretching before I get on the bike each day. Sitting in one spot cranking on the throttle just seems to wear me down. I really need to get that cruise control on the bike when I get back home. At least it would eliminate the hand, wrist, arm problem.
I did come across a "Deer Crossing" sign on the highway today. I see the sign and then I look around and I can see about three miles in all directions and I'm thinking "Where the hell could a deer hide?". There isn't anything as far as you can see. I guess it would be a problem if you were driving at night but it would be awfully hard for a deer to sneak up on you in the day time when you can see him a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGGGG way before he even gets close to the road. BORING DAY !
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Day 22 Still on the Border Dash
Running for the border with the federales hot on my trail. I'm hoping I'll get there before they fortify the border.
Just a lot of riding today. Saw no animals. Saw nothing but the lines in the road.
One of the things I'm going to have to do when I get home and get settled in is go back and figure out exactly how far I went each day and where I stayed at the end of each day. That could be important when I do this next year with Lyle. I don't want to stay any place I didn't like just because I forgot what place I stayed in.
I also need to better understand just how far I can ride in a day. Pretty boring report when all you do is ride (and eat Wendy's Taco Salads). I'm down to one meal a day lately. I have tea and a donut/cinnamon roll in the morning and then I eat lunch/dinner around 3pm or so. Then I don't eat again until the next day.
I'm really liking this garmin thing. I say "where is the nearest Wendy's?" and Garmin Girl comes back with a list of all the Wendy's within around 200 miles. So, all I have to do is see which one might be along my route and then head for it. Sweet! Well, at least the frostie is anyway!
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Just a lot of riding today. Saw no animals. Saw nothing but the lines in the road.
One of the things I'm going to have to do when I get home and get settled in is go back and figure out exactly how far I went each day and where I stayed at the end of each day. That could be important when I do this next year with Lyle. I don't want to stay any place I didn't like just because I forgot what place I stayed in.
I also need to better understand just how far I can ride in a day. Pretty boring report when all you do is ride (and eat Wendy's Taco Salads). I'm down to one meal a day lately. I have tea and a donut/cinnamon roll in the morning and then I eat lunch/dinner around 3pm or so. Then I don't eat again until the next day.
I'm really liking this garmin thing. I say "where is the nearest Wendy's?" and Garmin Girl comes back with a list of all the Wendy's within around 200 miles. So, all I have to do is see which one might be along my route and then head for it. Sweet! Well, at least the frostie is anyway!
mo-gser.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)