Summary Thoughts from the RWV

Hard to believe the trip has come to an end. Every day was filled with new adventures and jaw dropping sights. While we hit Sturgis at the end of the event, it's easy to imagine things in full swing.....as Mike described it..."Spring Break for 40+ Year Olds". The riding around Rapid City/Sturgis was beautiful and challenging...Iron Mountain and the Needles...great fun. We didn't so much leave South Dakota as "get blown out of the state". The winds were some of the strongest we had come across. I noticed the last day heading home from Bloomington, IL seemed mild with regard to wind turbulence in comparison to what we had encountered and in the end those tough experiences were a real confidence booster for a novice rider like me.

I've had a tremendous time on this trip and have memories to last a lifetime. Mike and Curt did an outstanding job planning for this, especially in light of the fact that planning sessions always were done over beers or bottles of wine. A good balance of structure and "what the hell".

Thanks to Mike and Curt as well for helping me prepare my bike for the trip and for Mike in helping me build some skills pre-departure...I couldn't have done it without these guys....and thanks to Alison for letting me set off once again...I think she may enjoy the breaks : )

A few words on each of my riding partners:

Mike --- great teacher, bike mentor and friend.....lot's of laughs....tries to come off as a hard ass at times but has a big heart that shows through all the time....even on a bike he talks to other drivers via numerous gestures...fun to watch...looking forward to our return to Fries and our story enhancement!

Curt ---- rode over 6K miles even though we knew his clutch arm/hand was hurting...showed great courage for this and agreeing to room with me....great job in Napa making sure we received the first class treatment....I've know Curt for a long time and have always appreciated his guidance, friendship and choice of wines....the latter may help enhance the former two : )

Bob --- I didn't really know Bob or Jim before the trip, but was fortunate to spend three weeks with these two....Bob is Mr. Fix It...I'm convinced there's probably nothing he couldn't repair on the road...comforting to have him with us. In addition, Bob offered two simple pieces of advice for me. One was "trust the bike"....I repeated this mantra many times until I actually believed it, and it really helped me in sweeping turns during all kinds of weather conditions. The second "Yoda" like piece of advice was "look through the rain". This one not so much help as we fought with wind, rain, hail, and fogging glasses and visors....it took all I could do to find Mike's tail light and stay on it.

Jim --- "Mr. Mayor" ....never met anyone he didn't know...at least within five minutes....Jim also got answers to questions he or anyone else had...so we never left an area wondering...thanks for closing the knowledge gap. In addition, Jim was always calm, cool and collected....helped me believe that we might not actually meet our demise regardless of the conditions...

Great riding with you all....looking forward to other adventures!

Home.

Well, we did it.  Curt and I began planning this trip while we were still sharing a cubicle at Procter & Gamble, maybe 3-4 years ago.  It started with the intent to be a retirement ride on Rt. 66.  Then, things changed, other trips trumped that plan, and we somehow landed on riding Rt. 50 to California.  Our thought was that we'd complete the Rt 50 ride east to Maryland in May 2012, riding to Rolling Thunder.  Our goal was to ride Rt 50 all the way across the U.S.  As planning went along, Kevin seemed to gain interest, initially asking if we thought he could do it on his Vespa.  How do we let this guy down gently?  He formulated a plan to get a Harley, which he did, and he committed to join us.  Jim and Bob had ridden with us in the past, so they also signed up.  The plan was set in stone.

As I said, well, we did it.  Done.  We've seen America in a way that I wish all Americans could see it:  not through the filters of editing on TV via MSNBC or Fox, or movies; but up close and personal.  A stop at a remote, random gas station in the middle of South Dakota (100 miles from any town of any size), and chatting with folks who stopped in there to have a cup of coffee with their friends is something you can't describe. After fighting 40mph cross-winds for 2 hours, these folks sum it all up when they see you, and nod with, "Yea, it's a bit breezy out there today."  They want to meet us, ask us where we're from, whether we'd been to the Sturgis rally, etc, etc.  Good, hard-working folk, enjoying their freedom and their country.

Interacting with other bikers is especially interesting.  We kept running into this other group of bikers, riding some kind of foofy bikes (not Harleys).  They even stayed in the same hotel we were at in Rapid City.  So, we joined them for a drink, and they decided to record us.  They have been chronicling their trip via YouTube.  Here's the clip they took of us:

 After Rapid City, it was all business heading home.

On the way southeast from Rapid City, we stopped in the Badlands for a few pics.

Very desolate, dry, hot, and windy.  But, in its own way, also very beautiful.

We had to stop at just about every gas station we came to.  Otherwise, we risked running out of gas, as it might be 100 miles before we saw another one.  But, the rewards were great, in that we met some of America's finest people.

In the middle of SD somewhere, we stopped for lunch.  This place is for sale, and I think Bob my buy it.  :)  They advertised having the best burgers on Rt. 18

This has been my office/cockpit for the last 3 weeks:  GPS, stereo, gauges.

Kevin's odometer:  6,154 miles....  yikes.

We have a tradition where we stop in Harrison, OH at the end of each ride, and share a beer before we break off to our respective homes.  This time, Curt brought out a bottle of wine instead.

Curt and me with wine in our water bottles.  End of another great ride.

 For those of you who are computer savvy, you can probably figure out how to access our Picasa Web Albums for all the unedited pics, if you're so inclined.

The Horse Finds The Barn

Finally made it home last night. Last leg was about 800 miles - in about 15 hrs. I got to say that I don't think I could have done that in a car. A Harley Ultra Classic is not only comfortable, but smooth - although mine is a little loud - :-) . First half of the day was wet but kept dry with a well sealed rain suit. I had bought a new helmet in the spring just for this occasion and it worked great. My face and eyes never got wet. Water in the eyes is the worst part of riding in the rain because it really limits your vision. You just need to focus ahead, lower your speed and hope nothing happens in front of you - it's a matter of trust.

It was a great trip! Mike and Curt did a great job of planning and keeping us on track. The pace was a Little grueling but when you cover the distance we did and still make it possible to see some great sights it demands a little discipline. Enjoyed the conversations with Kevin about diving and autocross - it seems we have some interests in common. Also enjoyed spending time with Jim and determining just what is wrong with this country of ours - I have a much better understanding now - I think.

So until the next retirement party - trip - I'll be looking forward to seeing all the pictures and hearing how everyone enjoyed our adventure.

Regards

Bob

Wow...one more day of riding....HOME

I guess I did indeed jinx our ride yesterday, when I mentioned that we had not had to put on our rain gear, with only 2 days left of riding.  Well, we sure used it today!  Heavy rain coupled with strong winds.  Even with the best rain gear, most of us still got wet inside, which is unusual.  Add to that, the temp was only about 60 or so.  I was chilled to the bone, when we finally stopped in Des Moines.  I changed my tee shirt to a dry one, and put on a jacket under the rain jacket.  I was toasty the rest of the ride.

The Missouri River is flooding in Iowa.  We drove through some low points of I-29, where they had sand-bagged the highway.  As we drove into these stretches, it was an eerie feeling, looking up at the water level on the other side of the sandbags.

I'm ready to re-enter reality tomorrow.  This trip has been fantastic, and it will be the source of stories I'll tell for the rest of my life.  Those who know me can attest to the fact that my stories will be embellished each time I tell them.  So, like a good wine, you'll like my stories after a period of time.  But, I want my own bed, my own washer/dryer, my own cooking, and my own recliner and TV!!!  lol

It should be a fun "victory lap" tomorrow....only about  300 miles, all of which in familiar territory:  all I-74 from here right through Champaign, Indy, and home.

It's been a great trip, and fun posting to this blog.  I'm sure we'll have a few more "post-mortems", once others get their pics categorized, saved, and published.

final night

Interesting day today. Suited up with rain gear in the morning due to a huge thunderstorm in our path. Sure enough we had the opportunity to do about 100 miles in rain with a 30 mile stretch in hail and really hard rain. All added to with high cross winds. Lovely.

Got out of the rain east of Des Moines and no further trouble.

Three of us decided to stop in Bloomington after 500 miles. We will do the final 300 miles starting in cool of the morning. Jim and Bob decided to motor on home so the group said our good byes. I have done the 800 mile final day three times now and did not have the urge to repeat it.

Now resting over a Jack Daniels getting ready for dinner. Our trip will end for us three tomorrow after 6000 miles on the bike. Great time with memories that will last a lifetime. Saw a lot if America.

Now, time to get home and see the family.

"It took me four days to hitch hike from Saginaw....all come to look for America.."

Okay, what song is that from, and who sang it?  One of my favorites, and one I can't get off my mind the last few days of this incredible 3 week adventure across America.

Today was very windy, even for the Badlands.  I can't even imagine how much worse it would have been had we decided to ride I-90 across South Dakota.  Today was my turn to lead the ride.  We usually ride open roads about 5-7mph over the speed limit; but today was an exception.  I had to keep the speed down to the speed limit, or even less, because the winds were blowing us all over that two lane road.  A straight cross-wind, from our right side.  In the rare occasions where there was  a curve in the road, it became even more challenging, anticipating the wind shift from our right side to head on, and vice-versa.  But, we made it to Sioux City, Iowa in good shape, got some Mexican food for supper, and we're now finally relaxing.  We plan an early start in the morning, with Peoria being our target destination for our last night away from home.

I don't know if it's bad luck to mention this....but in this three weeks of riding all over the country, we have not had to don our rain gear even once...  Knock on wood.... 2 more days of riding... Could this be some kind of record, if we make it back to Cincy without ever having to put on the wet weather gear???  Holy Crap!!

Heading Home by the RWV

Hard to believe three week's is almost up....had a great weekend in Sturgis (see other posts) but started home today. Incredible winds in South Dakota to contend with. I don't think we were upright on the bikes for more than 30 minutes all day... We had to lean heavy into the cross winds to stay on the roads.....tiring but kinda fun. Beautiful countryside.....few people....peaceful...some great sites like the horses lined up at the fences hearing our pipes and watching our passing...a couple of great looking Palominos....or the acres of Sunflowers all facing the sun framed by the corn fields and incredible blues skies all flooding your senses....very cool indeed.

My best friend the AirHawk seat cushion has given me an idea. I plan on patenting jeans with built in air cushions. I'll never sit on just my unprotected bum again. If I can get the engineering right it will be inflated with natural gas....at least the guys version. I'm sure I'll make a fortune.

I'm learning alot from these guys and really enjoying the sites and people along the way. I have a renewed enthusiasm for this country, all it offers, and the hardy people who inhabit the mountain and plain states.

See you all soon.

rapid city to sioux city

Tough ride today for the ride home. Came out of Rapid City through the badlands and hit very high winds straight across the road. Winds tended to want to knock the bike into the oncoming lane. Fortunately there wasn't any traffic.

Had one problem. A strong gust associated with bumps in road caused the tour pak top to spring open. It flew up stopped only by the restraining cable. I couldn't see it inu mirrors so thought I had blown a tire since the bike had gotten real squirrelly. It was like having a sail up in the wind. Stopped the.bike and locked the top down but lost the passenger back rest pad. Could have been worse.

Tomorrow out at 6:00 AM looking to stop for our final night in Profusely, IL. Then an easy ride on Wednesday back into Cincinnati. The end is in sight.

Homeward Bound

Today was a nice, slow day.  Bob, Kevin, Curt, and I rode to Keystone.  Curt broke away from there, and the other three of us went on to Iron Mountain and Needles Highway.  Weather was great.  Storm clouds threatened, but we never really got wet.  Some great roads here.  I'm especially impressed with how well Kevin is riding.  These roads are among the most technical you'll ever ride on a bike, and he's riding with the best.  He's no longer a rookie.

Before leaving today, we went by Black Hills Harley-Davidson, where Kevin, Curt, and I got our oil changed.  After the ride, we enjoyed a nice happy hour in the hotel lounge, then walked to a restaurant for dinner.  A nice evening.  As I started loading my bike, I met up again with Bob and Jim, who were also loading up theirs.  Everyone is chomping at the bit to start the long ride home.

Today's pics:

A view of Mt. Rushmore from Iron Mountain Road

Needles Highway

Kevin and Bob on Needles Hwy

Eye of the Needle... you should see it when a tour bus needs to go through!!

Kevin and Bob at Eye of the Needle

Best buddies, even after 3 weeks!!  lol

I drove my bike through that hole!

last day in Sturgis- tomorrow head home

Got oil changed today at Black Hills Harley. Expensive but as close to a jiffy lube for bikes as you will find.

Most of group headed down to Keystone for a Sunday morning bloody Mary but bars were all closed so settled for a cappacino. Group split then and I soloed up to the Prairie Berry winery for some tasting in Hill City. Didn't want to do the Needles highway given my bad arm and I have done it many times before.

Came back to motel in a slight shower and washed up the bike for the ride home starting tomorrow. Kickstand is now down for the day so time for a nice Zin.

Ride through the badlands tomorrow. Will take two to three days to get home depending ok how we feel. Have always done the return in two long days but I think I am feeling my age. Will likely take three. The horse is beginning to smell the barn and is anxious to get home.

Sturgis!!

Windy, but nice ride from Sheridan, Wyoming to Sturgis, South Dakota.  Speed limit on I-90 is 75mph, so we made good time.  On our way to Sturgis, we stopped at Devil's Tower ("Close Enounters of the Third Kind") and Sundance, Wyoming.  Weather was GREAT.  And I was surprised how green the terrain is.  Usually, it's all brown.  I guess they must have had a wet summer thus far.

There's no way to describe Sturgis during the rally.  Millions of bikes.  Millions of bikers.  You can walk into any restaurant, gas station, bar, or anywhere else, and you immediately have new friends.  People are here for a good time, to get away from the routines of their day-to-day activities.  And, we all have something in common:  we all like to ride, and we're willing to ride hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to come and gather with others like us.  It's a lot of fun.  People smile a lot here.

Tomorrow (Sunday), a few of us plan to ride to Keystone, Mt. Rushmore, and Needles Highway.  Others will relax and take a day off, maybe get an oil change.  Then, the last chapter will begin on Monday:  we begin motoring home. ...  mixed emotions about that.  I'm ready to get home, my own pillow and bed, my own laundry.  But, I'll miss the "ride."  The camaraderie of 5 guys showing  "The Wild Hogs" how it's supposed to be done.  The fresh air.  The smell of pine at 9,000' altitude.  Even the challenges and frustrations those same 5 guys have dealing with each other.

Some of today's pics:

Approaching Devil's Tower

Kevin, with the local favorite:  Devil Tower Lager

...and me with mine

Quite an image, especially in person.

There was a tripod set up that people could use to take self-portraits

Sturgis:  My favorite thing is people (and bike) watching.

Purchasing our "I Rode Mine.  Sturgis 2011" patches.

Bob negotiating cigar prices with a local vendor.

This guy was riding a bike that looked more like a deer.

More people watching

Kevin humored me by posing next to a sexy mannequin.

Reno NV to Sheridan WY

I've been remiss in detailing my travels - so much to read here already I don't know what I could add to the content. I know this - it has been fun and an experience I won't soon forget. riding temps have gone for the mid 90's to the mid 30's. I didn't think that mid August would be so cold in the morning, but I guess the altitude has a lot to do with the temp. As you can see by some of the pics - especially in Yellowstone - there is still some snow on the high peaks. From the Pacific (Ft. Bragg) to Reno was an interesting and somewhat difficult ride. Sun in the eyes and a lot of strobe effect from the sun shining through the tall trees of the forest. The road was not the best either. Once we got out of the forest and on more level ground it became much easier. Cheryl rode with me most of the way. That was really nice - because she would massage my shoulders when they got sore from riding.
Reno was fun too. Cheryl was able to break even but I lost my stake. That's why I don't gamble much - I tend to lose. After the gals were dropped off at the airport we went out to Sparks, NV and looked a some classic cars. there was this event called Hot August Nights. It's a very big event in Reno and brings folks from all over the area to show off their classic car talents.
Next day we headed northeast to Twin Falls. This was our longest drive of about 460 miles. Most of the ride was looking at the same brown dirt and hills of Nevada. But as we got closer to Twin Falls the scenery became green and we saw some lakes and rivers. Lots of wheat, corn and - potatoes. Before I left Cincinnati I was a little worried about the road conditions, basing that on the roads in Cincinnati. But I am amazed at the quality of the roads we have traveled on. Probably because of the light traffic and lack of salt treatment. So I have not been worried about 8" deep pot holes. The only unusual effect I have experienced on these roads is on road repairs where they have laid tar in cracks in the road. This stuff is slick and every time my front tire goes over a long stretch of tar it feels like I am sliding. It's a weird feeling.
Twin Falls to Yellowstone was a short easy ride of about 270 miles. Rolling hills turned slowly into mountainous foothills and pine forest. We reached West Yellowstone around noon and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Today's ride was one of the most enjoyable to date. I've been to Yellowstone several times, once with my parents and sisters and their family and again right after the big fires that destroyed much of the forest. It was amazing to see how the forest had been reestablished and also where it had not. There was much more wildlife than the last time I was here - mostly Bison but we also saw a few deer. The vistas were beautiful - mountain top lakes, fast running rivers, snow capped mountains, winding canyons. Everything your senses could take in was there. If you've never been there you should go!

Here are a few of my pic from the last few days on the road:




Store sign in Mendocino



Driving around Lake Yellowstone




Yellowstone Lake


Scary

Not sure who's are bigger - the guy's or the Bison's

More Bison

Frustration builds as we try to check into the motel in Ft. Bragg

Panoramic view

6400 ft looking down to 3200 Ft.

King of the hill

5 guys on bikes

Another Good Day by the RWV

A bit nippy this morning leaving West Yellowstone. We all bundled up and felt a little like our much younger selves getting ready to go out and play in the snow. The ride thru Yellowstone was refreshing. Beautiful scenery and incredibly fresh scents. The re-growth following the horrific forest fires in '88 is remarkable....still a long way to go but it's simply amazing when you see the abundance of new trees. You can tell people are in awe of the park because they treat it with a reverence you unfortunately don't see in our local communities...I didn't see a piece of litter all day. The wild life as already commented on and photographed was great fun to see.

I really enjoyed our trip up and over Granite pass.....a long series of switchbacks both up and down combined with great vistas. My ride mentors instruct me to keep my head up and focus on my exit when I'm going into a turn. This is usually straightforward except when you're surrounded by such fantastic sights....easy to get distracted and make an adrenaline filled exit from a curve. Fortunately most guys are born with strong peripheral vision, for example allowing them to notice members of the opposite sex when having dinner and focusing on the woman across from them at dinner. Mike seems particularly gifted in this regard and therefore makes very good turns.

Still learning and hope to bring the bike home in one piece. Looking forward to our ride into Sturgis and seeing Devil's Tower along the way tomorrow. More to come.

Friday Night in Sheridan, WY!! Woo Hoo!!! Paaahty Time!!

We had a great ride today, through Yellowstone, Cody, and Granite Pass (Rt 14).  Great scenery, and cool temperatures, just the way I like it!  The boys are behaving today, so I didn't have to take any disciplinary action against any of them.  :)

This country of ours is incredible.  There's no better way to grasp the magnitude of our diverse landscape than by motorcycle.  We drive for hours each day, seeing landscapes, mountains, plains, "nothingness", miles of potato fields, etc, etc.  I hope some of these pics will reflect some of that:

Our hotel in West Yellowstone.  Nice place.

One of the rivers in Yellowstone.  Fish were just jumping out, asking to be caught.

Bob, getting ready to go fishing.

He didn't bring that fishing pole all this way not to use it! 

Yellowstone, waiting for Bob to bring us some fish.

Smoke coming out of the ground.  People wanted to see it.  All I wanted to do was to get away from it before it exploded!

Let's get out of here, guys.  That's real smoke and heat coming out of the ground!

Bison came right up to parked cars.

Jim, taking in the beauty of  Yellowstone

I was going to park my bike there, but I deferred to my friend the buffalo.

They seemed to like having their pictures taken.

Taking pictures of the bison.

Yellowstone Lake

Da Boyz at Yellowstone Lake

The eastern entrance to Yellowstone had spectacular scenery.

Granite Pass, Rt 14, between Cody and Sheridan

Granite Pass

Granite Pass, looking east down the mountain, at the road we'd be traveling