Day 56

Well, today I had planned to swing by Greenwich, CT to see a former teacher, and then continue on down to Mercersburg, PA to see a former student. However, about an hour after leaving Laconia, the rain started; and it did not stop, until much later! So, right or wrong, I decided to just change my plans entirelly and head straight for home. While it was a cold, wet, and just plain miserable ride, I finally made it back home by 8:30pm! Not bad for leaving Laconia, NH around 7:30 am.

Well, now I'm back home and it's time to get everything back in order. For those people whom I had intended on visiting but didn't, I do apologize; I'll swing by on my next adventure!

Some details and overall specs of this trip still to come; once I compile them! :)

Day 54 & 55

Spent the weekend hanging out at my friends', Hillary and Jon, house up here in Laconia, NH. The weather was great on Saturday, but a little lousy on Sunday. None the less, had a great time relaxing, and catching up on what was new in their lives. On Saturday, I they took me to show me the new piece of land that they had purchased since the last time I was up here, and where they eventually planned to put up a house. On Sunday, we went to some friends of theirs' house to celebrate Greek Easter; they're not Greek, but their friends are. It turned out to be a lot of fun; not to mention some amazingly great food!

Well that's about it, other than some laundry, updating the blog, emailing, etc....

Day 53

Got up and made my way through New Hampshire in no time; only took about 45 minutes as New Hampshire is rather narrow up in its northern end. Then I made my way through Maine, passing by the Rumford Falls, and eventually made it to the coast and US 1 a little south and east of Augusta, Maine. I then cruised down on US 1, following the coast. I stopped a little north of Portland and took some pictures of Casco Bay, and then again south of Portland at the Two Lights state park to take some pictures of the ocean and the coast. From there I cut west back into New Hampshire via route 111. Once I reached Rochester, I then cut northwest on route 11, all the way into Laconia, NH. I made my way to my friends’, Hillary and Jon, house where I’ll be hanging out for the next day or two.


Pictures:

Day 52

Got up and left Webster, NY around 10:00 am and continued east on route 104. Had a slight detour due to a bridge along route 104 being closed, but I eventually caught route 3 east which took me the rest of the way through the state of New York and into Vermont. Along the way I drove for a while along the coast of a section of Lake Ontario, and through the Adirondak mountains of New York. Upon reaching Plattsburg, NY I had to take a ferry across Lake Champlain to get into Vermont. There I picked up route 2 and drove all the way through the state, until stopping for the night in Lancaster, NH. Tomorrow I’ll continue through New Hampshire and into Maine.

Here are the few pictures from today:

Day 51

Left Ann Arbor around 10:15 am and headed east on I-94 towards Detroit. There I crossed over the Ambassador bridge into Canada. Of course I got picked out to go and get my vehicle searched and go to the little immigration office; yeah! Oh well, after about a 30 minute delay I was back on the road and in Canada. I went down route 20, hoping to pick up route 3 around Leamington. Of course, as I was getting out of Leamington I never saw any signs for route 3 and ended up getting turned all around. I eventually somehow ended up finding route 3 and continued east. The rest of the trip through this section of Canada and onto Niagara Falls was uneventful, and painfully slow. The speed limits in Canada are the lowest I’ve come across this entire trip. Anyway, I pulled up to Niagara Falls a little before the sun set, and was able to get a few pictures. From here I crossed the Rainbow bridge back into the United States, and then headed east on route 104. Spending the night this evening just east of Webster, NY.

Here are the few pictures from today:

Day 50

Slept in again this morning. Spent most of the day hanging out in Jordan’s room while he went and took his last exam. When he got back, we went and picked up my motorcycle from the HD dealership. Later that evening, Jordan, myself and a bunch of his friends all went out for dinner at a local Mongolian restaurant. It was really good. It’s basically a buffet of vegetables, meats, and a third of buffet bar with sauces and spices. You fix yourself a bowl with whatever mixture of veggies and meats that you want, pick out a sauce, and then take it to the guys operating the grill, and they grill it all up for you! All in all, it made for a great dinner, with good company. Then we spent the rest of the evening watching some more TV before going to bed.

Tomorrow, I continue east.

Day 49

Had a nice relaxing day today. Got up around 10:00 am, and Jordan and I went to go pick up his car from the North Campus area. Then we went and dropped off my bike at the local HD dealership to get a 2,500 mile service and oil change. Then went out for lunch with a couple of his friends at a local deli place; good sandwiches! I then spent the remainder of the afternoon taking care of personal stuff while Jordan studied some for his last two exams. After Jordan returned from his exam, we just hung out and watched some movies.

day 48

Well today was all about riding! I started out from Pipestone, MN and made it all the way the Ann Arbor, MI! That's almost 900 miles. Needless to say I traveled via interstate the entire way to save time. It wouldn't have been a very exciting ride anyway in the morning; I had to contend with a pea soup like fog that didn't clear up until about 12:30 or so. I finally pulled in to Ann Arbor around 11:30pm and met up with a former student, Jordan, who's going to be graciously hosting me for the next day or two, until I take off into Canada.

Well that's about it. I didn't stop to take any pictures along the way, so you'll have to make do without!

Day 47

Today was pretty much a day of riding; getting from point A to point B. Turns out there’s not much to see when driving through central South Dakota. Got a late start, leaving Belle Fourche, SD around 10:15 am after swinging by the post office and the super market. Headed east on 212, but after about 60 miles of stiff winds blowing out of the south/southwest, I decided to turn south on route 63 to see if it would be any better. No such luck, but at least the road was a little more interesting. Eventually I turned east on route 34, going through Pierre and crossing over the Missouri River. I continued on east along 34 all the way into Minnesota. Along the way I was able to get some pictures of a small herd of buffalo that I came across, and I was even able to get one picture of ring-necked pheasant; I saw a bunch, but whenever I’d stop to try and get a picture, they fly off the little buggers!

Well that’s about it. Here are the few pictures from today:

Day 46

Had another great day of riding today. Left Townsend, MT around 9:15am and kept heading east along route 212 all the way to Billings. There I had to jump onto I-90 for a bit, and eventually turned off onto route 212 to go and check out the Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument where Custer made his last stand. One thing that I found out while I was there was that there are grave markers strewn all over the place and this is because in the days after the battle, the union soldier where buried pretty much where they died on the field of battle. It wasn’t until 1881 that they were reinterred in a mass grave under a large memorial marker. I even found the marker of General Custer. From here I continued east on route 212. I was a bit unsure of this decision because not half a mile down the road there was a huge, blaze orange sign stating that there were unpaved sections of road up ahead and motorcycles should consider alternate route. I looked at my map, but any other route was a serious detour, so I decided to just press on; after all, how bad can it be!? Well, after about 80 miles I figured the sign must be mistaken, but just 10 miles outside of Broadus, MT I finally hit the road construction. It started of lightly with 7 miles of freshly torn up asphalt. Now, if you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle you know exactly how nerve racking this can be; the groves continually pull your motorcycle left and right, making for a very uneasy feeling. Now, this of course was not the end; the main course was 2 miles of somewhat compacted dirt and gravel! Yeah! I finally pulled in to Broadus and stopped to get some gas along with this other motorcycle that I’d been trying to keep up with for the past 60 miles or so (a Kawasaki Concourse if I remember correctly). So I struck up a conversation with the guy, Bradford is his name, and it turned out he was in the process of doing a similar trip around the country, but a little faster than myself. So of course we swapped stories of our respective trips so far and about the roads we were planning on taking from here. Check out his blog, http://blog.bidnick.com/ . From Broadus we road together down route 212 for a while until he turned off to head towards Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. I myself continued on 212 all the way to Belle Fourche, SD where I am spending the night. Tomorrow I hope to make it through South Dakota.

Here are the few pictures from the day:

Day 45

Wow, what a great day today! Started off with beautiful weather, and it just got better from there! From Moscow, I headed down 95 to Lewiston, Idaho. Upon reaching the outskirts of Lewiston, I picked up Frontage Road, check out the pictures; this was 7 miles of pure, unadulterated twisties and sweeping curves. In Lewiston I picked up route 12 going through the Nez Perce Indian reservation, and following along the Lochsa river. This road was amazing; while it did not have any hardcore curves, it was about 180 miles of pure joy, with soft rolling curves and slowly getting higher and higher in elevation, until crossing the Rocky Mountains via Lolo pass. Did I mention that I saw another bald eagle!? And, this time I got pictures! Anyways, after Lolo pass I was now in Montana, and so I continued on 12 into Misoula. And guess what, I saw another bald eagle, and got pictures again! This one was even closer, but unfortunately did not stick around for very long. From Misoula I picked up I-90 for a little ways, until route 12 split off from I-90 again. From there I continued on route 12 headed east. I can’t tell you the number of mule deers I saw this afternoon in Montana; it must have easily been over 100! Anyways, I am spending the night in Townsend, MT.

Tomorrow I’ll continue on east. Here are the pictures:

Note pour Patrick et Deborah

Tres heureux d'entendre que vous etes bien rentre chez vous et que le voyage c'est bien passe. De mon cote, je suis dans l'Idaho pour le moment. Un peu froid dans ce coin des Etats Unis, mais tousjours tres beaux. En regardant a la carte, je pense que je passerai bien dans le Canada, et de votre cote si l'invitation est tousjours bonne apres mon passage dans le Michigan. J'ai tousjours votre carte, et je vous donnerai un coup de fil quand je serai dans le coin.

Note to Mr. & Mrs. Withrow

Thank you for the invitation, but it just didn't work out timming wise. I hope all is well with you both though; you live in a beautiful part of the country.

Day 44

Started by taking the ferry across the Puget Sound, from Kingston to Edmonds. From there I headed north on I-5 towards Blaine and stopped not to long after getting on I-5 at an information center to get some info about the roads headed back east. Lucky I did because I found out that route 20 which I was planning on taking back east was still closed because of snow. So, if I went to Blaine, I’d either had to travel east across parts of Canada, or back track miles down I-5 to get to I-90 east. So, instead of going all the way north to Blaine, I decided to just head back south to I-90 and start heading east. Going over Snoqualmie pass was quite chilly, but very pretty; I could even see it snowing up on the mountain sides to the north of me! The best part of all was once I got east of the mountains the sun came out! While it did not warm up the temperatures, atleast I did not have to worry about rain any more for the day. I eventually turned off of I-90 and onto route 26 east. This was a nice two lane road which took me through miles and miles of farm land as far as the eye could see. Now I’m in Moscow, Idaho. I found out that Glacier National Park in Montana is still closed due to snow, so I will unfortunately have to miss it. Instead I’ll just try and head through southern Montana.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 43

A good day of ridding today, I made up all the way up to Townsend Port, WA where I had planned to spend the night, but when I got there, I found the motel rates were just too high. Also, the ferry over the continuation of route 20 was closed due to high winds. So I backtracked a bit and headed to Kingston where I planned to take the ferry back to the mainland. In the end I ended up spending the night in a reasonably priced motel in Kingston.
The roads today were great and scenic, however, I didn’t stop very often to take pictures because it was either raining or sprinkling almost all day long. Got to love the pacific northwest! Also, temperature wise it was only in the low 40’s! Thank god for heated gloves and foot warmers. It was pretty cool though going up through forests of Douglas firs where every now and then I’d come across a section that had been clear cut, and then at other spots I’d see signs saying that this section had been replanted in the 80’s, or 90’s, or just a few years ago.

Here are the few pictures that I did take today:

Day 42

Well today turned out to be an expensive day! Spent the entire morning hanging out around the Harley dealership in Eugene while they performed a 5K service on the bike, and as it turned out I also was in need of a new front AND rear tire! Ouch! Well, you got to do, what you got to do! Also, as luck would have it, by the time I was loaded up and ready to leave Eugene, it had started to rain and I was even blessed with some light hail! Woohoo! Well, I had no choice, so I just put on my rain gear and hit the road; slowly. Luckily, about 45 minutes later the rain gave up, but it remained bitterly cold for the rest of the day. I followed route 126 to the coast, where I got back onto the 101. I don’t know what it is, but I love riding along the coast; the views are just amazing. Around 6:00pm I arrived in Lincoln city and decided to spend the night here because I had read about a place where you can try your hand at glass blowing, and figured I’d swing by tomorrow morning. After checking in to a motel, I went and did a little shopping at the local grocery store and then hung out down by the beach and watched the sun set.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 41

Got up and went with Ezra to have breakfast in town with some of his friends before taking off. It made for a great, relaxed start to the day. I eventually got on the road around 1:00pm, said goodbye and thanks to Ezra and headed northeast towards Crater Lake. The road there was awesome. The weather today was beautiful and not too cold. It’s kind of a weird feeling driving down a road where there are 4 to 10 feet snow drifts along either side of the road! Anyway Crater Lake was pretty amazing. As I got there, I found out the road around the lake and out the north entrance was closed, due to snow of course!  So I had to make a change of plan. It actually turned out to be a good thing. After talking with a park ranger, I found out that the road that I had planned to take going back towards Eugene was not advisable, as in late afternoon and early evening it became rather icy due to snow melts that re-froze. So instead I backtracked out the south entrance to route 62, then onto route 230, to 138 south/east, to 97 north, to 58 west into Eugene. The road to Eugene was pretty nice. I found the Harley dealership with no problem and set up my tent next to their building as they suggested. Then I made some dinner and with nothing else to do, I called it an early night.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 40

Got up and went with Ezra to S.O.U., Southern Oregon University, since he had a crew call today. Got the nickel tour of their theaters and shop area. Pretty nice, I must admit that I’m a bit jealous of their shop area. Anyways, since he had work to do, I went out for a nice little ride outside of Ashland and went by Krystal Lake, and Howard’s Pairie. The roads up and over there were really nice; just had to watch out for the occasional patch of loose gravel washed up on the road. Around lunch time I headed back in to Ashland and this afternoon, I’ve been taking care of personal business, and updating the blog. I also called up the Harley dealership in Eugene since I have 5K service on the bike coming up shortly. Hard to believe, but I’ve almost driven 10,000 miles already! And I’m maybe halfway through the trip! I didn’t figure on doing quite as much zigging and zagging as I made my way across the US. But what they hey, it’s not every day that I’m going to make a trip like this, so I might as well see as much as I can. Now I’m hanging out in a Starbucks enjoying the free internet access. Later on, I’ll meet back up with Ezra and we’re going out tonight to see a band, which his girlfriend sings in.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 39

Got up very early and was on the road by 7:45am. Got onto the 101 and drove south to catch the “Avenue of the Giants”. This is an old section of highway 101 which goes through some amazing redwood groves. These trees are just amazing! You really feel dwarfed as you drive through these forests. From here I continued on north along the 101, past Eureka towards Crescent City. Along the way I got to see some elk, and I even saw a bald eagle. I got pictures of the elk, but unfortunately I was driving and there was no place to pull over when I saw the bald eagle. The road up the 101 was gorgeous, I pulled off to go see the Klamath River overlook. Basically it was a small overlook, looking down on where the mouth of the Klamath River flows into the ocean. A pretty amazing view, and supposedly during this time of year you can still spot whales from time to time. I hung out for about 15 minutes but did not see any whales. I then got back on the 101 to Crescent City where I turned east on 199. Another amazing road! This took me all the way to Grant’s Pass, OR where I then turned back south on I-5 to get to Ashland.

Pulled in to Ashland around 5:00pm, just as my friend Ezra was getting done with work. Met up with him at his house, and got all my stuff unloaded. Later on we went out to grab a bite to eat and met a bunch of his friends, including his girlfriend Amanda.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 38

Said goodbye and left Reno around10:30am this morning. Started north on 395, and soon after turned west onto 70. Then took route 89 north and had hoped to take this through the Lassen Volcanic National Park, but a few miles into the park I came across a road-closed sign. Luckily a park ranger just happened to come by and I check with him, but sure enough, route 89 through the park was closed due to snow! Oh well, time to change the plan. I had to backtrack a little bit to take route 36 west, and luckily made it to Red Bluffs without running out of gas! I actually went 202 miles, and did not hit the reserve! From here I continued on 36 west towards Grizzly Creek Redwood state park where I am spending the night. The section of 36 between Red Bluffs and here was just amazing! Great road! Another one that I highly recommend if you ever come up this way.

Well that’s about it, here are some pictures.

Day 37

Today we went up to Lake Tahoe. The road was nice, but it was COLD! Luckily I had my new heated gloves, and so I fared much better than Renaud! I even had to turn the gloves off from time to time because my hands got too warm! Anyways, Tahoe was pretty. Took a couple of pictures and had lunch by the lake. Then we went back to the house in Reno. Later that afternoon we met up with Dawn, a doctor from the vet hospital Renaud works at, and Mike at Black Rock Pizza for an early dinner. Both were very nice, and we had a pleasant time; the pizza was pretty darn good too! After this we went down to the Brewhouse for some drinks and to play a little video poker; after all this is Nevada, land of gambling. Unfortunately, neither Renaud nor I had any luck that evening, but that’s gambling for you. After this we just went back to the house. I did some laundry while we relaxed, because tomorrow I’m taking off back into California and then north into Oregon and Washington state.

Here are the pictures from up around Lake Tahoe:

Day 35

Got up around 9:00am or so, and had some coffee with my brother. We finally got all set and took off for some riding. On the way out of Reno we stopped at the Harley dealership as I was interesting in pricing out both heated grips and heated gloves; I’m thinking ahead to when I head farther up north. Well the heated grips turned out to be more money than I cared to spend, $230 plus labor, and they also just heat up the inside of your palm. I looked at the gloves, about $165, and decided that I’d just hold off on them, and if it really got cold, I could always pick up a pair at a dealership farther north. Then my brother surprised me and bought them for me as an early birthday present! Woohoo! Looks like I’m all set for the cold weather up ahead.

From Reno we went out riding to Fernley, Silver City, and Virginia City. All in all a nice easy day. Tonight I thinking we’re going to go out and have some sushi for dinner. Sorry no pictures from today, but have no fear, I’ll get a picture of me with my brother before leaving Reno.

Day 34

Got up and eventually said thank you and goodbye to my friend Drew, and started heading west for Reno, NV. The road along I-80 was not all that exciting, but I eventually turned off onto route 49, and then 89 which made a nice little loop in the Sierras before dumping me back onto I-80 just before crossing the border into Nevada, and into Reno.
Met up with my brother and some friends of his. Did not make a long evening of it as I had just pulled into town. Tomorrow, we plan on going and doing some riding around the Reno area.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 32

Got up around 9:00 ‘ish as Drew was getting ready for his day. Since he was going to be busy with his own stuff for the majority of the day, I looked at my map of San Francisco to decide what I was going to see. I ended first going down and walking around the Fisherman’s Warf area, and Pier 39. It’s a big touristy spot, but after all, I’m a tourist! At Pier 39 I got to see some sea lions that apparently have made the place their home! They were a lot more talkative and active than the elephant seals that I had come across the other day along the PCH. After I’d walker around Fisherman’s Warf enough, I drove around the city a bit and check out the section of Lombard Street which is known to be “the most crooked street”. Since it was one way going down the hill, I decided against trying it out on motorcycle. Had it been one way going up hill, I might have tried it! From here I went on down to check out the Golden Gate Bridge. I figured you can’t come to San Francisco without going to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Luckily it was a beautiful day today, and so I got some good clear shots of the bridge. Afterwards, I drove around some more and eventually made it back to Drew’s apartment. I updated the blog and just hung out while waiting for him to get back. When he got back, we ended up just hanging out a bit before I went to meet up with another friend from my days in South Carolina, Jennifer. So I met up with Jennifer, her boyfriend Roy, and a friend of Jennifer’s called Haley (sorry if I misspelled it). We ended up going out that evening to go catch a show; a guy by the name of Chuck Prophet. It was pretty cool music, and just nice to go out for a change.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 31

Woke up and did the usual. Got the bike packed and hit the road around 9:30 am. A bit chilly this morning, but at least the sun is out, and it looks really cool right now with this light mist/fog lingering around here and there. Hopped on the Pacific Coast Highway and started heading north. Now in the past recent days, I had been asking myself what I was doing, being gone all this time, and spending all this money, but this morning while cruising up the PCH and heading up to San Francisco to see an old high school buddy it all became clear again. This road is just amazing! There are turnouts all up and down the road so you have plenty of occasions to pull over and take pictures; and believe you me, I did! A little north of Point Piedras Blancas I even got to see some elephant seals basking on the beach! Apparently this is not the peak season for them, so instead of thousands, there were only maybe 200 or so seals lying around. Also, I didn’t get to see any males. Anyway, it was still pretty cool to see; check out the pictures. From there I continued on north, stopping every now and then to take a picture.

Eventually I made it to San Fran and met up with my friend Drew. Got all my stuff up into his apartment and then went walking about town a bit to get a bite to eat. A little later tonight, I think we’ll be going back out.

Well that’s about it, here are the pictures:

Day 30

Woke up and got my things together. Then said thank you and goodbye to Anthony, and then talked with his brother for a while to get some insight on good roads to take while headed to San Francisco. Finally got on the road around 9:30am and headed west. Got off I-10 in Beaumont where I was going to get on 79 and follow it to route 2 to then go around Big Bear, but with it being so cold and the weather looking rather menacing, I decided against my previously planned route and instead kept going up I-10, to I-5 north, and eventually turned off onto Frazier Mountain Park road; cold and chilly, but a great road none the less! From here I continued west on 33, and then 58. Both of which were also amazing roads. Unfortunately, while along 58 before reaching the 101, it started to rain. I guess the good weather couldn’t last forever. So I stopped and put on my rain gear and pressed on. I eventually got on the 101, but soon after turned west on 46 towards the Pacific Coast Hwy. This road looked like it was amazing, unfortunately with the rain, and a pea soup fog that prevented me from seeing any farther than about 100 feet in front of me, it was a little hard to tell. Upon reaching Cambria, I decided to find a cheap motel and call it a night. Tomorrow, San Francicsco.

Here are the few pictures from today:

Day 29

Had an easy day today. Got up and realized that the dealership in Temecula doesn’t do service work, no worries, I just headed down a little ways to the dealership in San Marcos. They were able to work me in with no problems. On top of the regular 2.5K service, I also got my rear brake pads replaced as they were in need. While I was hanging around the dealership, I made a few phone calls that I’d been needing to make. Anyways, got back on the road around 11:00am or so, and headed north to Santa Monica. Got there and walked around the beach for a little bit. I also went and checked out the famous Santa Monica pier. After a little while I figure I’d better go ahead and get on the road for San Francisco, so I started up the Pacific Coast Hwy. I went just a little ways before stopping to fill up for gas, and while I was at the station I decided to check my cell phone for any messages; earlier I had made a call to an old college friend who lived somewhat nearby. Sure enough, he called me back, so I called him again and got him on the phone. After talking for a little bit, I decided to go see him and spend another night down here before heading north. This of course meant going back east, through Los Angeles. This is where I was introduced to what California motorcycle riders apparently do all the time, ‘lane splitting’! Wow, let me tell you, it’s hair-raising watching these guys literally split the lanes, ducking in and out between cars! Now I must admit that I did a little myself; after all, as the saying goes, when in Rome do as the Romans do. Besides, I let someone go in front of me to ‘part the seas’. Anyways, once out of the greater LA area, I went for a little loop down 79, across on 74, and back up to I-10 on 243 before heading down to the Palm Springs area to meet up with Anthony. Spent the rest of the evening hanging out and catching up with my old friend. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading north towards San Francisco.

Day 28

Left Quartzsite around 9:30am this morning and hoped back onto I-10 west bound towards California. I had hoped to find a ‘Welcome Center’ upon crossing into California, but no such luck. Oh well, I’ll just plow ahead I thought. I kept going until I reached Desert Center, at which time I turned north/northeast onto route 177. At this point I was driving along the outer edge of the Joshua Tree National park. I kept going until I was able to turn west again on router 62. I kept going on 62 until I reached Twentynine Palms, at which point I was able to enter Joshua Tree National park. The park was really amazing. These weird trees/cacti all over the place; not to mention amazing rock formations. Check out the pictures. After looping out of the park back onto route 62 in the town of Joshua Tree I continued west until I got back on I-10. I went west for a few miles on I-10 until I was able to turn south on route 243. Now I know that several days ago, while going through the Gila National Forest, I said that I drove the best road I’d ever driven. Now, I’m thinking I may have to take that statement back. Route 243 was awesome! Another road that I would highly recommend to anyone ever coming in this area. Anyways, I continued on back down from the mountains, and am spending the night tonight in Temecula, where I hope to go by the Harley dealership tomorrow to get another oil change.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 27

Started out the day by going back to Saguaro National Park, to go around the loop again in the morning light. Then I went west of Tuscon to go see the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. This was really cool. I could have easily spent a few more hours here, but unfortunately, I had to get some miles behind me. Anyways, I saw a bunch of cool animals; everything from mountain lions, wolves, bobcats, roadrunners, prairie dogs, and numerous types of birds. Check out the pictures.

From here I head south and then west along the Ajo Highway, route 86, through the Tohono O’Odham Nation. It was pretty cool, but ridding through the desert gets a little boring after a little while. Around Ajo, I started back north along 85 until I reached I-10. Then I took I-10 west so as to be able to swing through the Joshua Tree National park tomorrow. Tonight, I holed up in a little motel here in Quartzsite, Arizona. Check this out. Instead of one building with multiple rooms, their “rooms” consist of a bunch of trailers! Well that’s about it for the day.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 26

Well, today I drove the best road I’ve ever been on! Route 152, between Hillsboro and Silver City in New Mexico. It was an endless sea of long, short, sweeping, and tight curves! Up and down, and all around we went through the Gila National Forest, and eventually up and over Emory pass! If you enjoy riding motorcycles, this is one road you have to check out in my humble opinion. Just before Silver City I pulled off to the side of the road to check out the Santa Rita copper mine. There I met another Canadian couple, Patrick and Deborah from Ottawa. We chatted for a while, and then decided to ride into Silver City together and grab some lunch since it was about that time. Anyways, we had some lunch and shared stories about our trips past and present. After lunch we parted ways even though we were going roughly in the same direction because I needed to go to the Wal-Mart and pick up some supplies. From Silver City I cruised south on 90 to Lordsburg and then hopped onto I-10 west into Arizona. I rode I-10 about 100 miles in, until I turned off onto Vail road headed to Saguaro National park. There I found a local RV park to set up my tent, and then went back to the Saguaro National park to ride the scenic loop and watch the sunset.

Well that’s about it. Now I need to try and firm up my itinerary for the next couple of days. Going to try and meet up with an old college buddy in Los Angeles.

Here are the pictures from today:

Day 25

Just another day in paradise! Started out the morning by going down to White Sands national monument. It was pretty cool; white sand dunes that go on and on as far as the eye can see. Supposedly, it’s visible from space! From there I back-tracked north a little bit, and went on up route 54 to go see the petroglyphs at Three Rivers. It was really neat. You got to walk around un-guided along this trail and were encouraged to go off trail to see as many petroglyphs as possible. Everywhere you turned, there was another rock with some sort of symbol or drawing on it. If you’re ever out this way, come check it out. From here, I continued north, until I turned west on 380 to go see the Valley of Fires. This is an area that is covered in lava flow! The interesting thing is that it’s not because of a volcano eruption. Apparently, the lava came up and out of vents in the ground! Pretty cool; check out the pictures. Being that it was mid to late afternoon, I continued on west on 380 until I reached I-25. There I turned south on route 1 with parallels I-25. After a while I ended getting on the interstate in order to reach my destination point for the evening. And so now, here I am in Truth or Consequence, New Mexico. Yes, that is the name of the town!

Well, here are the pictures for the day.

Day 24

Well, before I start talking about what I did today, I need to go back and cover what happened last night after I completed my post. So there I was in the campground office lobby working on the computer, like several other people, when I heard a motorcycle firing up. I thought that it sounded a lot like mine so I peeked out the window to have a look, but it turned out it was a Buell; makes sense, after all they have a Harley engine in them. Anyways, later that evening, back at my camp site, this couple comes walking by and I recognize them as being the ones with the Buell. So I say, “Aren’t you the ones with the Buell?” I can see them processing what I say, and then in some broken English they respond that yes they are. Then they ask about how I pronounced Buell, so I can’t help myself and I ask them where they’re from. Turns out they’re from Montreal! So, we I switch to speaking in French! You can imagine their surprise. Anyways they sit down and we talk for a long while about our respective trips. I show them my pictures of Big Bend National park since they weren’t able to make it there. I also get a few more reasons to visit Montreal on this trip. Eventually we say goodnight and I go to bed shortly after.

The next morning, same routine as usual. Head out to Carlsbad caverns by 9:00am, and I’m taking the elevator down to the cavern by 10:00am. The ride up to the caverns is pretty cool too; check out the panoramic shot. Anyways, the caverns are pretty cool. A lot like Luray caverns, but I seem to remember that Luray caverns has more colors. Anyways, I take a LOT of pictures! I finally leave around 12:30pm, and head north to Roswell, NM. There I stop for some lunch; another new one for me, a guacamole burger! It was pretty tasty. From there I had to the Harley shop in Roswell to pick up a couple of tshirts. I was thinking of checking out the ‘Bottomless Lake state park’, but I skip it since time is running out and I need to make it through the Lincoln National Forest, and the Mescalero Apache reservation before nightfall. Anyways the drive through the forest and the reservation is gorgeous. I reach an altitude of about 9,000 feet! It’s a little chilly up here! I finally reach Alamogordo around 7:15pm and find a campground to set up my tent.

Well that’s it, here are the pictures from today!

Day 23

Everyone once in a while your faith in humanity is restored; today was one of those days for me. It started out as any other day of the trip so far, with the only exception being that I was getting up early because I was going to the Harley dealership in Odessa to get my bike serviced; I passed 50k miles the other day going through Big Bend. Anyways, I got a little lost on the way to the dealership, but ended up getting there a little before 9:00am. The people there at Legacy Harley Davidson were very accommodating, and were able to fit me into their schedule. So I spent the rest of the morning, and a better part of the afternoon hanging around their break room. Around lunch time, I asked the nice ladies working in the motor clothes department about a good place to eat. Turns out there was a little mom and pop place just down the road. So one of the ladies took it upon herself to set me up with a demo ride bike to go down the street for lunch. Sweet! Filled out a little bit of paper work and off I was on a brand new Dyna Street Bob! Nice ride by the way. Had a great lunch; some meat loaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, and a pea salad. Then back to the dealership. They finished my bike, including washing it which was in dire need, and I headed out around 3:00pm. On my way out of Odessa, I stopped by Meteor Crater. Not much to see but a slight indentation in the ground about 75 yards in diameter. Took a couple of pictures for you to see. Then I was bound northwest towards Carlsbad Caverns. This is where things turned for the worst. First of all there was a very strong head wind, which sometimes gusted sideways; not fun. Also the speed limit was 75 so I was tacking pretty high. Anyways I was cruising right along when I came to an intersection where I had to stop, and the bike just sputtered out!? I was at 140 miles so far on the tank, and I normally hit the reserve around 165 to 185, so I didn’t think that I could be on the reserve already. Turns out I was. No worries I thought. There’s a little town on the map just 16 miles north of here. Just in case I take it easy and cruise along at 60 miles an hour so as not to guzzle what gas I have left. Well, our good friend ‘Murphy’ must have been watching me today, because wouldn’t you know it, the town was abandoned! I immediately got this knot in the pit of my stomach and just thought to myself “Oh #@%$!^&^*!!!!!” I looked at my map, but not another town within 40 miles of where I was; no way was I making it that far. I tried to flag down this truck that came by, but no such luck. So I decided there was nothing left to do but get my cell phone out, pray for reception, and call AAA; thanks to Shyla who got me a membership as a present! Luckily I have reception, and so I call AAA, and after some transferring to the Texas office, and a lot of holding, I finally get a hold of someone and explain my situation. As I’m about to get off the phone with this person, a truck pulls up to me and so I tell the gentleman behind the wheel my problem and he says no problem! He lives just up the road and will be back in about 10 minutes or so with some gas! Wow, I couldn’t have asked for more. Needless to say, I thank AAA but tell them their services will not be needed. Sure enough a few minutes later, Bob, as I later found out, and his son Decker (I hope I got the spelling right) and grandson pull back up with a 5 gallon gas can. Unfortunately, I flat out of cash so I can not repay Bob on the spot, not that he would have accepted I have the feeling. Anyways, we chit chat a bit, and tell him all about my trip. He offers me a beer to quench my thirst from the heat of the day, and tells me about what he used to do before he retired. Turns out, the lady in the first truck I tried to flag down was his daughter-in-law and she called him up to let him know about me because he owns the property on which this old abandoned store where I had pulled up to stood. Eventually, after getting Bob’s address, and thanking him several times, I decide it’s time to continue on. Feeling re-energized by this wonderful encounter I make it to Carlsbad caverns in no time at all, and get a camp site just outside the park. There’s a group of Boy Scouts camping out right by me too! Anyways, that’s about it. Started out pretty boring, then got very exciting in a not so good way, but in the end as Shakespeare would say “All’s well that end’s well.”

Here’s the couple pictures from today.

Day 22

Another awesome day of riding. Got up and did the usual, and then drove on out of Seminole canyon. Took a couple of pictures of the canyon in the morning light, to go along with the ones I took last night; then onto 90 west bound. First stop, Langtry for the visitor center and museum on Judge Roy Bean, “the law west of the Pecos”! Pretty neat, especially since you were able to walk through the actual saloon! Then back on the road, still west bound on 90, until I reached Marathon, at which point I turned south on 385 towards Big Bend National Park. I had planned on having lunch in Marathon, but after waiting at my table at the ‘Oasis Café’ for 15 minutes without even getting a copy of the menu, I decided to go find a better place to eat. Unfortunately, that would not be until after I got out of Big Bend. Anyways, here the views became gorgeous! Also, the road was just a pleasure to ride. Just check out the pictures to see what I mean. Finally, I got to Terlingua, and stopped for a late lunch at the ‘Chili Pepper Café’. After some beef enchiladas, I felt re-energized and decided to press on! I continued west on 170 along the Rio Grande until I reached Presidio, and then cut north on 67. Once past Marfa, I hit antelope jackpot! And finally got some pictures of these elusive little creatures. I then continued north, all the way to Pecos, TX. My plan is to get up early tomorrow morning and head to Odessa because I’m in need of a service on the motorcycle; I passed 50,000 miles today! Woohoo!

Here are the pictures:

Day 21

What a day today! Today is now my new “Best day of the trip so far”! I mean, just about everything went right today. So here goes. Woke, up and hit the continental breakfast at the hotel, packed up all my stuff and hit the road by 9:15 am. First headed north up route 16 to go check out Enchanted Rock. Pretty cool, check out the pics. I may have to come back here at some point in the future and do some rock climbing! From there I headed south down 965 back to Fredericksburg, and then west on 290 until I cut south towards Ingram and Hunt on 783. I was trying to go and check out Stonehenge II, a replica of the original Stonehenge in England, just smaller. They also supposedly had replicas of the Easter Island statues nearby. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any signs indicating which way to go, so I ended up not finding it. No worries, I continued from Hunt down 39 west, and eventually cut south on 187 to go and check out The lost maples. This is a large tract of land, where you will find the only maple trees in all of Texas. Kinda cool. I mean, after all it’s just trees! From there I continued south on 187 until I reached Utopia, where I stopped for lunch; a patty melt with fries and an iced tea! Yum! Then back on the road, going down 1050 west, then up 83 north to Leaky, TX. From there 337 west, and then 55 north, through Rocksprings, until I hit 277 and took it heading north for a few miles until I could turn west onto 189. Followed 189 down to Juno where I then turned onto 163 heading towards Comstock. Once in Comstock I hoped onto 90 west and went just a few miles before pulling in to Seminole Canyon state park. This is where I’ll camp for the night.
Now that you know the route, let me describe it. I’d say between 40 to 60% of the road was just gorgeous winding roads. Going up and down, and all around the hill country of Texas. It was a motorcycle riders dream; long sweeping curves, and the weather was nice to boot! Then, the wildlife! I must have seen at least 50 deers today! Not to mention, wild turkeys, antelope, and of course horses, cattle, goats, and sheep. I also saw my first road-runner! To bad I couldn’t get a picture of him. I was also unable to get pictures of the antelope; they’re so skittish. I also started taking pictures of some of the entrances to these ranches that I’m passing along the way. Some of them are really cool and elaborate.

Well, I think I’ve made this post long enough. Enjoy the pictures!

Day 20

Well, with USITT being over, I packed up my stuff and left Houston this morning around 10:15am. I headed out west via 59 South, and soon turned onto Alt. 90 West towards San Antonio. The weather this morning is nice, upper 60's and mostly sunny. I stopped for lunch in a little diner in Halletsville, and had a nice lunch. I guess because it's Easter Sunday, I got a free piece of cake with my lunch! Woohoo! From there, I continued onto San Antonio and went to check out the Alamo. I walked around the Alamo a bit, took some pictures, and had a nice little conversation with some Texas peace officers; even got one of them to take my picture in front of the Alamo. Afterwards I got back on the road and headed north via 281. About 15 miles north of San Antonio, I turned west onto 473. This road was just gorgeous. I was now in the hill country of central Texas. Too bad the temperature had dropped about 10 to 15 degrees and it looked as though I might get some rain up ahead. Sure enough, about 15 minutes later, it started to sprinkle. Since it wasn't too bad, I continued on, but eventually I had to stop to put on some rain pants and get my gloves out because it was just getting too cold. Around 6:00pm I pulled into Kerrville, and decided to stop here for the night and get a hotel. I had planned on trying to make it to Enchanted Rock State park, but with the weather like it was, I just decided it wasn't worth it. Turns out it wasn't such a bad idea. I checked into this hotel called the Whitten Inn; a family owned placed with 5 locations around the area. Now while I got a good price for the room, and the place has free wireless internet as well as a continental breakfast, the best part is yet to come. Get this, you get a complimentary beer at check-in! Yes, you heard correct! Now it's nothing great, but they do have a choice: Coors Light, Bud Light, or a bottle of water just in case you don't drink! :) Now that's what I call service!

Well, nothing else to recount, so here are today's pictures.

Day 16-Day 19

Well, I haven't posted these last couple of days because I've been attending the USITT conference (United States Institute of Theater Technology). I figured I wouldn't bore you all with daily updates of the seminars I've been attending, but instead just give you a brief overview of the last few days. So, my daily routine basically consisted of attending between 3 to 5 seminars a day; some as early as 8:00am and some running as late as 10:30pm. In between seminars, I would go into the stage expo area. This is where dealers, vendors, manufacturers, schools, professional theaters, etc... had booths set up to show what they had to offer. An added bonus with all of this was that I saw some old friends that I hadn't seen in a while; some since college, and even a former Woodberry student! Overall it was a great time, and if possible, I'm going to try and make it to USITT every year, or atleast every other year.

Day 15

I don't know why, but I tossed and turned all night. It was quite windy, so maybe that's what kept waking me up every hour or two. Anyways, by 7:00am I had had enough and decided to get the day started. As I stepped out of my tent, I though, wow the wind is really blowing! Anyways, made some oatmeal and with some difficulty packed up the bike. Trying to fold up a tent with a good strong wind blowing through can be quite a challenge! Especially by yourself! Anyways, I hit the road by 8:30am. Since I had all day and was very close to Houston, I decided to take the long road! I first head north via 171, and then eventually cut back soutwest via rt. 12. Before crossing into Texas, I got back on I-10 so that I could go to the Texas welcome center. I forgot to mention that I tried to do this in Louisiana, but it was closed for repairs! Anyways, got some good info and got back on the road. I decided to go down to the coast and follow rt. 87 down to Galveston, and then cut back north to Houston. I'm sure it's a beautiful road, but with the weather being gray and looming, as well as a very strong wind gusting in from my port side, I didn't get to enjoy it much. I was concentrating on just keeping the bike upright! Also, as I got to the ferry crossing which would take me over to Galveston, I heard on the radio that this area and others surrounding was in a tornado warning. Time to get to Houston and the safety of my hotel room! So I hoped onto I-45 and headed into Houston. Wouldn't you know that the rain started 15 minutes before pulling into the hotel! Oh well, atleast I did not get fully soaked, just a little moist.
After I checked in, I took a nice long shower and then was surprised by a call from a former student who was here in Houston for USITT as well. So we got together for dinner. Afterwards I looked over the schedule for the next couple days and then off to bed. I have a full week of seminars to attend!

The few pics I took today:

Day 14

Woke up arond 7:00am and made some oatmeal for breakfast. Eventually packed up everything and was on the road by around 8:30am. Drove around St. Bernard parish and took some pictures and then into New Orleans. Drove around downtown for a while, Decatur Street, Canal street, and of course Bourbon street. Stopped to take a few pictures and get a post card for Shyla's class. Also swung by the Super Dome. Went out of town via rt. 90 west, but eventually onto rt. 14 for a bit, and finally onto rt. 82 which I stayed on all the way west, until cutting back north via 27 towards Sam Houston Jones state park. It was a beautiful road, going through a lot of wetlands and marshes!
Eventually pulled in to my night's camp ground around 5:30pm. Just as I was about to set up the tent, some nice little showers came through. Yeah! Anyways, I finally got the tent set up and then cooked some dinner and went to bed as there was nothing else to do. Tomorrow, Houston and USITT!

Pictures from today:

Day 13

Well I left Mobile, Alabama today. I have to thank the Nicolson family for being so generous in hosting me these last couple of days; I have greatly enjoyed being in Mobile and look forward to coming back at some future date. From Mobile, I made my day down to Dauphin Island, where I checked out Fort Gaines. Then had to backtrack a little bit to get to route 90 west which would take me almost all the way to New Orleans.
The road across Mississipi, and eventually into Louisana was beautiful, but I have to admit that it became a little depressing after a while. I am of course referring to the still evident signs of destruction left behind by huricane Katrina, several years after the fact now. Pretty much, as of Biloxi and on, I could not get away from it. Empty slabs of concrete, front stoops leading to nothingness, parts of white picket fences, gutted out buildings of all kinds, all these littered the road side as I made my way west. In Louisiana, I had decided to spend the night in St. Bernard State Park; this of course took me through St. Bernard Parish. Well, all I can say about this is that all the pictures you've seen on TV just does not even come close to putting it into true perspective.
I made it to St. Bernard St. park around 6:30pm, and as soon as I arrived and got off the bike, the next door neighbor came and offered me a free beer. Alright, I thought, this is a good start! Anyways, turns out he's a bike fanatic as well. Eventually I got my camp set up, and started to cook dinner. While dinner was cooking I started gathering stuff to make a fire, just for the fun of it, and a truck going around the camp ground stopped and asked if I wanted to fish fillets to grill out. Apparently they had gone fishing and got more than they could eat. I gratefully declined as I already had some dinner cooking on the stove, but was pleasantly suprised by the local hospitality.

Well that's about it, here are some pics.

Day 12

Started out much as yesterday, got up, shower, breakfast, etc.... Late in the morning, Alex, his sister True, and myself took about 6 or 7 of Alex's gun and went out target shooting. It's been a while since I've done this, and I had a load of fun. We shot several kinds of guns, from .22's to AK's! All were fun and made me think about getting back into this sort of thing when I get back home. We also drove around the property where we went to shoot. Afterwards, we went to meet Alex & True's mother who was with her uncle, who was having a picnic of sorts. He's in the forestry business, and apparently every year he has a group of yale forestry students come down to Alabama and spend a week with him. Had a great lunch, and some good conversation with some new people. Then back to the house in Mobile to relax for a little bit. I did a little bit of packing to get ready for my departure towards New Orleans tomorrow, and also got in a little nap. Then this evening we went back to Alex's mother's uncle's house for another group dinner/get-together. His house is on Dog River, and it was just beautiful; both scenery wise as well as temperature wise. Not to mention the great food as well! Now I'm back at the house in Mobile and just getting my things all packed up and ready to go for tomorrow.

Next stop, New Orleans!

Pics from today:

Day 11

Woke up around 8:30am and went downstairs, and fixed a cup of coffee. Then, thanks to Alex's mom, we had a nice little breakfast to get the day started well. After that, Alex took me down to see the USS Alabama, an old decomisioned battleship. It was really cool to be able to walk all around and in and out of this thing. The last time I'd been able to tour a battleship or anything similar was when I was in the Boy Scouts. There was also an old submarine, the USS Drum, there as well that we got to go through, as well as some planes. All in all, an awsome morning thus far; check out the pictures.
After this we drove up north a little ways to go eat lunch at this place called the "Stage Coach Cafe". Once again, awsome food. The catfish and fried chicken were just to die for! Also, I had this dessert that I've never had before. It was called buttermilk pie. Now, if you're not familiar with this, you have to try it before you die! As I told Alex, if I'm ever put on death row, this will be part of my last meal. Yes, it is that good!
Then we drove back to Mobile, and drove around downtown a little bit more. Saw Bienville Park, and went to see a bunch of really neat old houses around Mobile. Then, back to Alex's house to just hang out and relax a bit. This evening, his sister came back home from school (spring break), and we all went out to get some ice cream. Now the day is pretty much done, so I'm doing the blog thing and then going to bed.

Here are the pics:

Day 10

Knowing that I had an extra hour waitting for me about 45 minutes west of here (timezone change), I took my time getting ready this morning. I finally cruised out of Apalachicola around 9:30am eastern time. I followed along SR 98 west. It went back and forth between following the coast, to very commercialized beach resort type areas for spring breakers, to miles and miles of pine tree forests/farms. Eventually I made it to Mobile, Alabama, and met up with one of my former students, Alex. We went to his parents' house and dropped off my bike, and then Alex took me around for a quick tour of the city. A little later on we came back to his house, and his parents took us out for dinner to a seafood place; a place called 'Ed's Shed'. Totally my type of place; unasuming, but the food was great, especially the oysters! MMMMMmmmmmm. Well, I don't have to be in Houston for a couple more days now, and we're supposed to get rain tonight into tomorrow, and I've been graciously invited to stay, so I think I'll be hanging around Mobile for a day or more. That's it for now though.

Here's a few more pictures from today to tide you over. :)

Day 9

Hey, I have access to the internet once again! Sorry for the brief hiatus, but I am on sabbatical you know ! :)

Anyways, got up this morning and had breakfast with the Woodberry Lacrosse team that is down here for some spring trainning. Then I took off down the road to the local HD dealer to get a 2.5K service done on my bike. Thank you Orlando Harley Davidson for getting me in and out of there in less than two hours; you guys rock! Then back down the road to go check out the lacrosse team in action. I got there just in time to get a few action shots, and then they broke for lunch. Perfect time for a group shot! After saying goodbye, I hit the road heading north. First on the turnpike, but soon enough onto SR 27 North. It did not get interesting until I got past Ocala, and then it was beautiful. A lot a large horse farms around here. Who would have guessed that!? Anyways, I continue on up 27, and once in Perry, I turn onto SR 98 west. Takes me through a lot of pine tree forests, but I eventually end up going along the coast line of the pan-handle by the time the sun sets. Around 8:30pm I reach Apalachicola, and call it a night. Have a great dinner at this little cafe called the 'Red Top Cafe'. Well, that's about it, other than an hour and a half of downloading pictures and updating the blog. I hope you all enjoy!

Day 8

Yeah, it’s raining. Can you hear the enthusiasm in my voice? Well, looking at the radar, it looks like a big pile of rain just sitting on Key West and getting bigger by the minute. So I joyfully pack up my bike in the rain, say my goodbyes and head out by 11:00am. I had hoped to go back downtown and take some more pictures this morning, but so much for that idea. I still swing by the southern most point and get a picture of the bell. Then I start up US 1. By the time I reach Islamorada, I finally get out of the rain. It’s a good thing because my boots and socks are pretty much soaked through. Anyways, once I hit the mainland I cruise up SR 997, and the cut left onto SR 41 which takes me through Big Cypress National Preserve. It’s a gorgeous road; one lane going in each direction. I figured this would probably be a more scenic route that I-75, which is known as Alligator Alley, and that I could more easily stop and take pictures by the road side. After a while I turn onto SR 29 and start heading back north towards Kissimmee, Florida. I go up via SR 29, SR 27, then cut onto SR 70 across to Okeechobee, and finally up SR 441 up to the turnpike and into Kissimmee. There I meet up with the Woodberry lacrosse team who’s here for some spring training! Thanks to Lou and the other guys for letting me crash for the night!

Day 7

Woke up around 9:30am, and took some time this morning to repack some bags. Also took advantage of a free washing machine and dryer to do a load of laundry! By late morning Sean and I head out and go say hello to Joanne and Capt. Jim. From there we make our way to Schooner’s Warf for some brunch; Capt. Jim and Jimmy Myers meet us there. Then back to the house to just relax a bit.
Later that evening, Sean, Lisa and I all head downtown to catch the sunset on Mallory Square, and dinner. We spent a good deal of time hanging out and watching the Cat-Man. It’s this guy who’s trained cats to do trick like jumping through hoops and walking a tight rope! My hat is off to this guy! Have you ever tried to train your house cat to do anything!? After his show we watched this other guy doing some juggling and tight rope walking. Eventually we make our way down Duval street and have some dinner and drinks. Then back home to get some sleep as we all have an early morning ahead of us; I have to hit the road and Sean’s got a fishing trip leaving tomorrow.

Day 6

Today was a good riding day. Woke up around 6:30am, and had some cereal and danish along with a glass of juice and some coffee here in the hotel. Packed everything back up, and was on the road by 7:30am. It’s still cold this morning, only about 34 degrees, but I got a long road between here and Key West. Anyways, I cruise down I-75, until I hit the turnpike. Then I follow the turnpike for a couple miles until I turn off onto SR 27 which will take me down through central Florida. It was a beautiful ride; going past miles and miles of orange groves. By lunch time the temperature finally warms up to around 60 degrees and it feels great. Eventually I find myself in Florida City, and I hop onto US 1 and start my way down the keys! I pull into Key West around 6:00 pm and go find my buddy Sean at his house. I get a all my stuff unpacked, and spend the rest of the evening just resting at Sean’s house with him and his girlfriend Lisa. We have dinner and a couple drinks.

P.S. I’ve been coming to Key West regularly now since 1998, and for the first time I’ve finally seen a key deer when driving through Deer Key! About the size of a Labrador, but much taller!

Day 5

Hmmm....it's snowing in Chattanoonga, TN! Well, not much to do except go on with the plan. I start out the day by attending one more seminar at the SETC conference. This one is about the lighting design process. I come back to my room around 10:30am and pack up all my stuff and then wait out the snow as long as I possibly can. Check out is at noon, so that's when I'll take off. By noon, the snow has more or less stoppped. There is still the occasional light flurry. The roads are pretty clear, the only real issue is the cold. So I settle up my account with the hotel and get on the road. Today is pretty much a ridding day, trying to make it to Orlando, FL. Well, I gave it a shot, but by 7:45pm I'm still about 3 hours out from Orlando, so I decide to call it a night. The sun has set and the temperature is dropping; not that it rose much durring the day. When I left Chattanooga it was 34 degrees, and maybe got as high as the low 40's during mid-day. So I find myself a Super 8 Motel, and settle in for the night. Tomorrow I'm going to make a bid for Key West, FL. Mapquest says it's an 8 hour drive more or less from here. Let's hope it is a little warmer tomorrow. Well that's about it for today. Sorry there are no pictures, but I'll take some for sure when I'm down in Key West, and then on the way back up from there when I go through the everglades.

Day 4

Good day today. Kind of like being at work, but not. Woke up early, showered, made some coffee, and then made my way down to the convention center to pick up my regristration material. Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm in Chattanooga for the SETC conference. Well, this is one of the two conferences that I'm attending while on this little journey. So I spent the day attending a couple of seminars, which I won't bore you with, except to say that two out of the three were good; the third left a little something to be desired.

Well, that's about all the news. I've got a little more of the same tomorrow morning, before I pack up and start heading south towards Florida.

Day 3

Since I don't have too far to go today, I sort of make it a lazy morning and enjoy my brief stay in Nashville. Finally by lunch time I figure it's warmed up enough and I pack up the bike, bid farewell to Emily, and hit the road. I cruise on out of town via I-24, but soon pull off the interstate onto Rt. 70S going from Murfreesboro to McMinnville. Rt. 70 is pretty nice, very much like Rt. 29 back home. Once in McMinnville, I turn south onto Rt. 56. As I ride along, I can't get over how many nurseries I've passed since getting off the interstate. They're just all over the place. The farther I go, the better Rt. 56 gets; especially as we turn up into the mountains.

I finally reach Chattanooga around 5:00pm, and sign in to my hotel. Now all that's left to do is to take a nice long hot shower, unpack, and get some dinner.

Here are a few pics from the day.

Day 2

Woke up around 7:30. Showered, then went to partake in the continental breakfast in the hotel lobby. Waffle was nice, but not much else besides coffee and apple juice. Anyways, I slowly packed up my stuff and decided to hit the road. BRRRrrrrr, it's cold! Only about 34 degrees! Thank God I only have about 120 miles to go to get to Nashville. After about 50 minutes, I pull over to fill up on gas, switch gloves, and get a hot cup of coffee. Then, back on the road. I finally reach Nashville around 11:00 am, and spend the rest of the day hanging out with my friend Emily and her husband John, and their two kids.
That night, Emily takes me out on the town to show me a little bit of Nashville.

Day 1

Well, what a day! I guess if I get the bad stuff out of the way first, the rest of the trip will be a breeze! All was going fairly well, in the morning; I had about 40 minutes of light rain once past Charlottesville, VA, but it didn't last. However, as I'm driving through Winston-Salem, NC on business 40, it starts to rain. Looking ahead, I see that it's quite dark. So, as I'm pulling out of Winston on 421 North, I pull over and put on some rain pants and switch to the full-face helmet. It was a good call, I had rain and wind, quite heavy at times, all the way to TN!
Well, I was going to try and make it to Nashville tonight, but being a little wet and definately cold, the temperature has dropped to atleast 40, I've decided to pull over for the night and get a nice warm hotel room. I'm about 120 miles east of Nashville, but it's now 10:00pm and I don't HAVE to get to Nashville tonight. So, I've layed out my things to dry out, and tallied up my expenses for the day, downloaded some pics, and now writting up a new blog entry.

Well, that's about it. Here's a few pics. Nothing exciting, just the bike prior to departure, my companion on this trip, and my hotel room for the evening!

T Minus 15 Hours!

Well, here we are the afternoon before my departure. Wow, it's been a hectic week leading up to this. Just about everything little obstacle that could fall in my way has. However, the bike has been cleaned up, I put in a new battery today, I went ahead and pre-loaded most of my gear, so I more or less feel ready to take off come tomorrow morning. If I've forgetten anything, as I always say, it must not be necessary! Or, I'll just have to pick one up along the way somewhere ! :)
Anyways, still a little prepping to do so this will be it for today. Enjoy my self portrait.....if this uploading of pictures thing works!

Day -1