Day 18: Vinita, OK to home

The original plan was to take two days to get home from here...two nice and easy days of about 350 miles each.  But, as in past years, the smell of the barn is overwhelming.  You can pull on those reigns as hard as you want...throw in long distances, crazy drivers all around you, forbidding heat, etc... but when a horse smells the barn, he tends to just keep going toward it.  That's what we did today.  A long day of around 700 miles, 12 hours from time we left to when we arrived.

We had one incident riding back.  There was a huge piece of plastic flipping around the highway, being dodged by cars.  It was the kind of stuff you might cover your fresh concrete from a pending rain...heavy and big.  Curt was leading (he, Kevin, and I take turns leading).  I was behind him.  He dodged it, but his wake flipped it up and right into my track.  There was lots of traffic, so my instincts said not to dodge it...go straight over it.  My kickstand caught it, and dragged it.  I tried to get Curt's attention to pull over, but he was focused on doing 75mph in traffic with his cruise control on.... I gave up trying to get his attention, and worked my way to the breakdown lane.  It pretty much destroyed my left side muffler.  Kevin said he could smell it burning, as he was following me to the breakdown lane.  I'll remove the muffler this week, and see if there's anything I can do to salvage it.  But, it looks pretty bad...

We stopped often on the way...we paced ourselves, knowing it was going to be a long ride.  Our process is to take turns leading...each person leads for 100 miles.  So, long rides don't seem so long.  When the new guy takes the lead, he's fresh, alert, and, in my opinion, a safer driver.  And, after leading for 100 miles, you can relax and just follow.  And, it's amazing how fast 100 miles go by, no matter what position you're in, after one of these role reversals.

We have a tradition where we make our final stop on our way home in Harrison, OH, which is the last place before we go our separate ways to our respective homes....a gas station that sells beer.  We buy a six-pak, and toast the good, safe ride.  Here are a couple pics from that stop:

Not bad for a self-portrait, eh?  Me, Kevin, and Curt.

The gas station attendant not only didn't confront us for drinking beer at the gas station, but she volunteered to take our picture!

A long ride DONE.  Roughly 6,200 miles.  Some unbelievable scenery.  I will go back to see Yosemite and Sequoia Parks again, at a pace where I can stop, and just sit and look.  Riding is wonderful, and it is the BEST way to see, smell, and sense these places.  But, with a large pack of bikes, it's hard to stop and just look.  I'll go back.

Meeting up with the gang from Eastgate HOG was particularly special.  Great people and lots of fun.  David Bowen does a remarkable job organizing the rides and getting everyone where he or she needs to be on time....kind of like herding cats.  Thanks, David.  I'll download some of his pics and post them soon.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got home:  my garden survived!!  I had large heads of Romaine lettuce, one of which I harvested for supper tonight...best meal in a while!

Mike

Out and Back Again

Final day. 720 miles in cool and hot weather from Vinita OK to home. Stopped for our final traditional beer in Dry Ridge before splitting up to head home our respective ways.

I always commit to taking it easy coming home, but once the bike is pointed East is it hard to not continue on. so our last day was long but a 5:15 start got us home early.

I feel the same way after running a marathon as I do after these last long bike runs. I will never do it again. But somehow time washes away the negatives of the long hot run / bike ride, and you begin to look forward to the next. So likely I will make another long bike ride, and marathon.

All in all the 6200 miles were great; good group to ride with, great scenery,met a lot of neat people, and of course saw a lot of goofy drivers. But a great trip for sure.

Nothing like seeing America in the saddle. From the midwest farmlands to the coastal highway, all is good.

Sorry no pictures this time- we were motoring home. Hard to take pictures at 80 mph on a bike.

Until next time.

Curt

Day 17: Tucumcari, NM to Vinita, OK

Just a lot of riding today.  We started early, hoping to beat the heat again.  Jackets this morning, but not for long.  It was a hot one...something like 550 miles.  It is kind of sad looking at the old Rt 66, often a small two lane country road now, that parallels I-40.  Not much left along the route often called "Mother Road."

It's been a long ride, and we're on the home stretch.  Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Illinois, and Indiana...11 states, unless I missed one, and over 6,000 miles by the time we're done by Tuesday.

Rt 66 - You can't go back again

I've been on Rt 66 a lot. We used to take it from Chicago down to Petersburg, Il to visit my grandmother. I watched on our trips as they converted it to I-55 in the late 50s.

When I was 4 we took Rt 66 all the way out from Chicago to Seligman, AZ; almost the entire road. No interstates then. Unfortunately I only have a few pictures from that trip to compare.

When Linda and I went on our honeymoon way back in 1971 we took Rt 66 from mid-Illinois all the way out through Arizona and then back on again into California. Some of it had been displaced already, especially I-44. But all the towns in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona along the route were still open for the travel business and the sections of interstate completed stopped before the towns.

I have read many of the Rt 66 "Mother Road" books over the years. The pictures in the books bring back many memories and make you want to go drive the route. But, reality is somewhat harsher.

Sure, there is still Ted Drewes selling soft serve ice cream in St. Louis. Still a Stuckeys here and there with pecan rolls, and of course we did Stand on the Corner in Winslow Arizona yesterday.




But today, we drove through Tucumcari, NM. Linda and I stayed there in a Friends Inn back on our honeymoon 41 years ago so I wanted to see if it was still open. Friends Inns gave you a token to use at another motel good for $1.00 off. Not a bad deal when motels were $8.00 - $10.00.

Tucumcari unfortunately represents what happened to a lot of small towns that the interstates bypassed. The downtown area is wall to wall court style motels, almost all closed, falling down, shuttered, etc. There are some exceptions, but not many. The Friends Inn was still there. But closed and in major disrepair. The town is one bad day away from being a ghost town. Now everyone stays at the chain motels at the interstate exit and never takes Rt 66 through town.

I was tempted to stop and take a picture of the motel for the trip. But I have a good picture in my memory of what the motel looked like on my honeymoon. I decided I would just keep that photo. Maybe I'll go home and read those books with the pictures again.

Curt

Day 16: Sedona, AZ to Tucumcari, NM

Today was one of those "all business" rides.  We saddled up early, and made the climb (a great ride, with spectacular views) from Sedona to Flagstaff.  I'm sure the sounds of our three bikes probably woke many of the campers along that road.  We tend to get loud when climbing steep inclines...

Then, it was onto I-40 (the old Rt. 66).  Cruise controls set at 78mph, coffee in my Starbucks cup, and warm gear on for the cool morning ride east.  Nice.

Our first (and only) scheduled stop was at Winslow, AZ...  7 women on my mind, kind of place.  It was GREAT..  It was early morning, nobody else around, except the owner of the adjacent gift shop, who volunteered to take our pics.  Then, she invited us into her shop, before it even opened.  Very nice woman, and friendly as are most of the people in this part of the country.

Here are some pics from Winslow, AZ:

Curt, standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona

It's a flatbed Ford!

Kevin, Curt, and I standing on the corner

Kevin, standing on the corner

Me, standing on the corner

It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me!

Looking in the windows in Winslow, AZ

No caption needed, even if I did add this caption..

On the way, Kevin thought he should pose in front of some arrows sticking in the ground.  We're going  to miss him...

Day 15: Barstow to Sedona

Today, Curt and I bid farewell to the rest of the boys and girls whom we have been riding with for the last week.  They will be heading back to Vegas to turn in their bikes (to be shipped back home); and we will be heading directly east to start our journey home, and meet up with Kevin in Sedona.

Curt and I made an early departure from Barstow, to beat the heat...5:30am.  Much to our surprise, David and Joy, and Hunter and Beth were there to say bye.  David took a couple pics, as we were leaving.

Curt and I ready to leave Barstow

Heading out at 5:30am.  Curt leading, and me following.

The ride to Sedona was pleasant.  No traffic on I-40.  We set the cruise controls on 76 mph, and motored on down "Rt. 66"!

Sedona is a cool place..  Lots of shops and great scenery all around the town.  It was great hooking back up with Kevin.  He showed us the town and the surrounding areas, like the car wash, where we rinsed down our bikes.   Here are some pics of the place where we are staying:

Our hotel in Sedona

Day 14: PCH to Santa Monica, then on to Barstow

Another great ride.  We left in the cool ocean-side air...chaps, leathers, and rode for a couple hours along the coast.  We went through Santa Monica and saw some very affluent homes.  Great beaches along the way, with people camping.  I'm not sure about all that.  It was cold and windy, yet there were tents all over the place, and people surfing.  Doesn't anybody work around here?

In Santa Monica, we turned north up Topanga Canyon Road.  Nice views of the LA area.  As soon as we descended, we said good-bye to the ocean and the nice cool temps.  Back to reality of the heat.  It was a hot ride to Barstow...high 90's.  But, as always, good times when we got to the hotel.

I didn't take any pics today, as we were riding the whole time.  But, Joy allowed me to copy a few if hers.  Here they are.

Getting ready for the day's ride.  Cool temps.

We found a rest area with some very fine facilities for the men.  Women were a bit more picky.

The Mojave River.  Really.  No kidding.  This is the bridge they built over it.  It's in Barstow.  Made me want to go fishing.

There's something about all the guys being in a hot tub together that makes me feel better about taking the picture, than being in the picture.

Riding by

Here are some pictures taken by Ruthie and Ron, who are sagging in a car.

Curt

Ron, on his Sag vehicle

Hunter and Beth

Brian and Darlene

Dave and Clara

Fred and Bev

Jim

Tom

Guido and Susie

Me

David and Joy

Mike and Mary

Day 13: Pacific Coast Highway, Visalia to Goleta

I like to ride when it's cool
When jackets and leather are the rule.
So, today was the best, I must say,
Riding the Pacific Coast Highway.



240 miles of rolling hills and mountains on one side of us, and open ocean on the other.  And, friends in front of you and behind you.  Wonderfully cool temperatures.  So cool, that this morning it was drizzling.  Many of us donned the rain gear (with warm weather gear beneath it).  But, we were shortly out of the wet, and into the crisp, clear cool ocean air.  It was around 60 degrees most of the ride today. Just beautiful scenery.  California Rt 1, aka The Pacific Coast Highway, is a beautiful ride.  Not much but great scenery...not much commercialization, homes, traffic...to the point where it becomes an issue when nature calls.  No biggee for the the men, but the women were kind of demanding a rest area soon.  We finally found a small cafe, which was enjoyed by all.  Here I am, sitting waiting for the women to finish tending to business.

The scenery was phenomenal.  Here are some of the pics I took.

It was quite cool and damp.  We rode through those clouds in the distance.  The ocean was very blue and bright where the sun was out.

Same place as the previous picture, looking the other way (south).

Curt

Another view, with the surrounding wild flowers, which were everywhere

Darlene and Brian (and Ron in the background) doing what we were all doing:  trying to figure out what to wear in this peculiar weather.

Taking a break at one of the thousand vista points along the PCH

Along the way, we found some Roadkill ala Scarpaci.  

Road construction had us stopped a few times.  Just another excuse to party.

Have you ever had slugs in your garden or lawn?  This is what happens to them if they make it to the ocean.  They become Sea Slugs.  The locals call them Elephant Seals.

More sea slugs

Stopped for lunch in Cambria.  I recommend this place.  Great food and fast service.

Getting ready to leave after lunch