Milwaukee 2003
Day 0
The start of a 10,000 mile
journey is the first footstep, so when did Ant &
I said
my fond farewells to Jen on Central station and set up the laptop with Bullet
and no sooner had the car chase started and I could see York Station.
Cheated
by the York rush hour traffic Ant missed the train by seconds but I had decided
to get off and join my riding buddy and get a later train, after all I had an
open ticket, all evening and nowt’ else to do and we would need to depend on
each other during this epic adventue!
Reasonable
Journey to Manchester Airport and a call to our B&B and our hostess Annette
came to collect us in her BMW.
The
B&B was a beautiful 17C home, and at 6’3” the period beams were a
challenge.
Finlay
Green B&B, 134 Manchester Road, Wilmslow TeL: 01625 533343
Milwaukee 2003 Day 1
Up
bright and early a fantastic full English and a second free ride to Manchester
airport, what a good B&B. On the way
we saw our first site of America, yes in Wilmslow, a field of Texas Long Horns!
Gerry
found the correct door and our 30hour day of queueing started. Extra security and heightened alerts meant
that all the ‘Jobsworths’ now had carte blanche to disrupt, abuse and
generally piss you off! The first
purchase was to get some reading glasses for Ant but more importantly a sexy
Eau de Toilette spray to keep us rufty tufty bikers presentable for the 30 hour
day!
Introducing
ourseleves to Kylie for the eight hours in the TriStar, or whatever it was
turned, out to be a good idea, she ensured the hours in the air were
perfect. We had three good films, Booth,
Tears of the Sun and Basic, several whisky and Canada Dry’s and hey presto
Chicago! Kylie even gave Ant and I a
carry out in the form of a bag full of miniatures; I guess travelling with
characters does not happen every flight!
Oh nearly forgot but the winner of Big Brother was aboard courtesy of
BMI in first class with his film crew but I think Ant and I got the prize for
flight entertainment.
Denver
airport took to new heights the safety of people entering the USA. Clearing US customs in Denver took forever
and their security delayed and wound up travellers who were having to show mega
patience as we were shuffled from one queue to another to stand in line and
jump through the hoops that some security guru decreed would weed out a
dedicated terrorist. Little old ladies
did not escape this result that terrorists had wanted to disrupt and piss off
normal thinking civilised people to be persuaded their narrow minded Neolithic
view of the World is the way forward all under the umbrella that they have a
handle on what religion we should all support- arse holes!
Chicago
O’Hare also had a Jihad against anyone who smoked!
Chicago
to Denver was a revelation of a flight.
United Airlines had a policy of putting the Air Traffic and Pilots
communications on Channel nine of your seat head set. It was better than the in-flight movie and as
a CB Ultra Glide rider I was picking up communication etiquette tips! Brilliant
Denver
airport allowed the Nicotine Junkies a modicum of relief in the form of a tiny
bar reserved for smokers – the bar was jumping!
Mile High Harley Davidson boutique in the airport complex was the first
time to view the ever expanding merchandise range that a simple 1903 Harley
Davidson motor bike now has grown to support.
The first new item that has managed to bamboozle me was a turned hand made
wooden bar pump handle with a pewter badge extolling the 100th logo
– what next; watch this space as I am sure Ant and I will be able to report
some really weird articles!
I knew
the planes had been getting smaller but the 
Rapid City
was all it was expected. We were too
late for a steak but after a dozen cans of Bud (did not drink ‘em all, honest)
and a sandwich we hit the sack in a small Family Inns Motel 3737 Sturgis
Avenue, Rapid City.
Milwaukee 2003 Day 2
Today I
was in HOG heaven!
The
first HOG heaven moment was when I turned the corner in the Flying J Truck stop
and Silver Dream was there in one piece and all her glory. ANT’s Moo Glide was right up front of the
‘Semi’ ready for the last collection. So
after a fewanxious moments the two truck drivers got the Moo Glide out on the
pavement ready to rock and roll.
The two
trucks had brought the bikes from New Jersey, the port of entry, to this
collection point and both the drivers had their own bikes ready to Party at Sturgis
so we knew the bikes had been well looked after by fellow bikers. Formalities complete it was off to find a
trailer for the Moo Glide.
I will
admit that a trailer was not my idea however if my good mate George Young says
ther’re OK then the least I can do is give it a try. Deal done and a whole morning of fun and
Rapid City navigation and we were ready to check out HOG Heaven two. This was in the form of a visit to Black Hills
Harley-Davidson.
Our
first H-D Dealer on this trip and it was magnificent. Everything was on show. You name it and you could get it. It was my turn now, ANT had got his trailer
and I had anew helmet on my shopping list and buying into the trailer idea
meant that space was now not a problem.
I managed to get a fantastic Arai lid complete with built in headset for
the Glides sound system, awesome. The
vendors could not be more accommodating.
They really wanted our purchase to b e just right for u, and believe me
it was.
I was
told this system would be available in Europe next year after all the testing
had been done to approve its use to European bikers – I say if it’s good enough
for our brother bikers across the pond then it’s good enough for their allies.
HOG
Heaven three was the ride North on I90 to the legendary Buffalo Chip. It’s legendary because it is what the camp
ground is called but it is also Legendary because it is where Legends are
made! We could have not been made more
welcome. It would have been
impossible. Anything we needed or wanted
was presented to us before we realised we needed it! This was truly a legendary welcome. The
sights the sounds the plethoria of Milwaukee Iron, the Tit’s! Wow! I
can only publish this picture with the bosses approval because she knows after
thirty years, despite Roy Cropper (the difference being I can hold my booze), I
can be trusted as a one woman guy, so feast your eyes on the naked female bull
riding amateur display.
Milwaukee Day 3
Saturday
in Sturgis. Bed on Friday at 2am and up
and at ‘em for 5.30am! How long can we
stay a pace like that, well today is the second because Travis Tritt did a
three hour set taking us to 1am and now its is 5.30am; lucky ANT and I went
into training for this epic adventure.
We spent
all day in Sturgis, taking in the sights and sounds of the biggest bike rally
in the World, rally 63 so they are doing something right and that is providing
exactly what bikers need and love. The
day went so well. Scoping out the
Sturgis dealer, all the bikes in Main Street and the Jack Daniels road show.
On the
way back to the Chip we tried Full Throttle Saloon, it is billed as the biggest
biker bar in the World and if you can ride your bike right up to the bar it
surely is some size.
Back on
the road and home to the Chip.
I had
never heard of Travis Tritt and tonight
I was to hear him live, the crowd
Day 4 Sunday 3th August
Our new
hosts, Billy, Russ and Jack invited us to ride the Badlands with them today and
we jumped at the chance. Billy took lead
and we were soon South of Rapid City and riding into the Badlands of South
Dakota.
On the
way back from the Badlands we decided to go once more to Black Hills H-D to get
some odds and ends and to see what was happening. We met up with the buffalo bike!
Day 5 Monday 4th August
This was
the day that Mayor Mark Ziegler invited us to ride with him to Mount
Rushmore. We had to assemble at 7am,
these Americans like to start early! We
had a Police, on Harleys of course, escort, about twenty road captains and a
fire truck as the ride was to raise funds for the Sturgis Fire Department
Volunteer service.
Signed
up and we were off on the 133 mile round trip.
We carved though the Sturgis grid locked traffic, nothing could get in
the way of the Mayor!
Arriving at Mount Rushmore was
brilliant. Once more being with Mayor
Zeigler paid off, straight into reserved parking, free pop and candy bar and we
were set for the group photo. About an
hour at this magnificent monument was just about enough to learn a little of
the task that Borglum took on when daring to carve the four presidents into the
rock face.
Back a
touring route through the badlands and we were back in Sturgis. We had a few jobs to do in Sturgis, phone
home, charge up the lap top and get some Jack Daniels in.
Monday
night at the Chip was Jethro Tull and boy did he do the business, another late
night with our new found friends and our old friend Uncle Jack Daniels.
6 Tuesday 5th August
The boys
wanted to show us Devils tower today. As
we rode out of the Chip we took a reflective moment at the Touring rememberance
Vietnam wall.
A
blistering ride to
I
finally got a phone call through to Jennifer fro the Circle bar in Belle
Fourche. It took 37 individual numbers and a $20 phone card. I thought my tri-band phone would work in all
parts of USA but apparently AT&T does not have a service in South Dakota!
On the
way back we stopped of at the Full Throttle Saloon where the party was getting
into full force. A quiet night and early
to bed with earplugs to deaden the sound of the Party Animals who appeared to
party 24/7!
Day 7 Wednesday 6th August
Wednesday
in Hulett, out by Devils Tower, is known as No Panties Wednesday – that’s why
we went to Rapid City! We had been in
Hulett the day before and bought the compulsory t.shirt extolling the virtues
of No Panties Wednesday and wearing it around I got a lot of comments. It is really the wearing of a thong with
chaps and there is a lot of that going on and all sizes do it; and I mean all
sizes!
The trip
into Rapid City was to get ANT’s Moo Glide some new rubber in the form of two
new white walls. We left the bike at
Black Hills Harley Davidson, in a line of about 60 bikes who were scheduled for
lubrication or tyres, another queue of about the same number were for more
serious work.
We
checked out the Prairie Edge Indian store on Main and Sixth, if you are
interested in the Lakota Sioux then this is the place to be. They had everything from bells for your war
bonnet to a full size wigwam; and they ship!
Back to
Black Hills to pick up the bike which of course was not ready on schedule then
home to Buffalo Chip via Full Throttle Saloon.
The dealer imports hundreds of technicians in from all over 
Day 8 Thursday 7th August
Today
was ANT’s 52nd birthday and we needed to celebrate in style by
visiting Custer Park and Crazy Horse Mountain.
We got a good early start and just South of Rapid City on US highway 16
stopped for breakfast. This was the first full USA breakfast; the stuff lard
arses are made of.
Entry to Custer Park is $5 and
you get an opportunity to get up real close to Buffalo. They are huge; I could only imagine the bravery
of the Plains Indian who would hunt this huge beast armed only with a bow and
arrow.
We also
saw deer, goats and donkeys as well as breathtaking scenery. The scenery was so
good that there were signs all over the park listing the films that were made
there.
Heading out of Custer Park we
went to Crazy Horse Mountain. Mount
Rushmore was magnificent and Crazy Horse was equal to its close neighbour. Not finished yet and not scheduled to be
finished till 2050 it is definitely worth visiting whilst in the area. The visitors centre is also equal and in some
ways superior to its more famous neighbour.
The Lakota Sioux have many vendor concessions and demonstrate native
crafts. We were lucky enough to witness
an Indian dance. I bought Jennifer an
earring and necklace set from one of the vendors.
On our
ride back to Buffalo Chip we experienced our first inclement weather in the
form of a thunderstorm. It was so bad we
had to take shelter under a highway overpass.
Within minutes the road was a running river of surface water and we had
a group of about fifty motorcyclists. It
eased up to a down poor and we were back on the road. We were supposed to go to
the Circle Bar in Belle Fourche as our friends there had ordered a birthday
cake for ANT. But we were too late, but
no matter to Jack and Russ. Russ
strapped the beautiful cake with a cargo net to the back of his Dyna Glide and
made it the forty miles back in one piece, what a guy; but the USA hosts were
so special that another group had also bought a massive personalised cake for
ANT. In a strange land the locals had
pulled together to ensure ANT’s 52nd would be one to remember, and
to follow Alice Cooper. I think Poison
was the only song I recognised but I am a bit of a Philistine when it comes to music,
I know what I like but I can never remember all the names and stuff that goes
with a music buff!
Day 9 Thursday 8th August
The plan
fell apart today because AT&T could not get a signal to my mobile!
Let me
explain. Some good friends of mine,
Linda and Stuart Lawler were to be married at Harney Peak, SD, and we were to
get the details via our mobile phones but because we could not get a signal and
the venue details were sketchy we could not find the wedding. Our efforts to find the wedding were gargantuan
but to no avail. It was a bit like a
Carry On movie – ‘Someone stole our wedding!’
The day
started off fine, seeing our friends, Billy, Russ and Jack pull off the Buffalo
Chip bright and early we struck camp too.
ANT’s new trailer took the problem of getting six weeks gear on to two
Harleys, but could I ride at 60mph for 10,000 miles! The boys from Cleveland had donated two camp
chairs to our adventure and they easily fitted into the trusty trailer. I’ll keep
you posted on how I get on with it.
The ride
to Harney Peak went right by Mount Rushmore and I had heard you could see the
back of Washington’s head so we had a look.
We rang
their mobile and left voice message but of course they could not get the
call. We searched all the wedding type venues,
all to no avail.
At least
we found a nice log cabin, with out door Jacuzzi, soft beds and ensuite, total
luxury after seven nights in a tent for only $22.50 each, wow.
Day 10 Saturday 9th August
This was
to be the first real days riding, we were to head out West towards Yellowstone
Park. The plan was to take US Highway 16
West from Custer and head as far as Cody.
We were
on the road by 6am and rode South past Crazy Horse Mountain once more, and it
looked wonderful in the early morning light.
We fuelled up in Custer and were served by a Somerset girl who had
emigrated to USA for the love of a good man.
The morning ride was fantastic, a steady 55 to 60mph through the morning
sunshine. Deer strikes are common in the
morning and evenings and I was aware of the danger as in the first fifty miles
we saw three dead deer at the roadside.
We entered Newcastle, spooky eh, and rode out of Newcastle and I had my
first near miss with a deer.
It was
inside the City Limits and this young deer popped out right in front of me, I
was very surprised, and vowed to be even more vigilant in future!
The best part of today’s 350
miles was Tensleep Canyon. The canyon is
not done justice by words or even the photos, you have to ride it to appreciate
the grandeur, a truly awesome ride.
Tensleeps
got its name from the local Indian tribe, the town was on a trading route and
was ten sleeps from home. Distance was
measured in how many nights sleep it took to get there.
We also saw a pair of Moose at
the road-side. They were huge and I
would not like to run into one of those babies on the road!
We found
a small motel on the edge of Greybull, it had a lovely floral arrangement on
the front porch. Great facilities but no
internet connection was possible. The
first job was to wash the bikes and the second to get beer in!
$3.00
invested in a jet wash and an hour or two on the front porch chatting to fellow
biking travellers we the two bikes looking like new pins. I also used Mike Byers trick of the Glides
panniers as cool boxes. Thanks Mike it
worked great!
Tomorrow
is Yellowstone and Teton national parks. What is in store for us?
Day 11 Sunday 10th August
We got a
very relaxed start today. We spent some
more time speaking to Andy, a law enforcement officer and his son Kelvin. The main topic was his handgun and how Andy
rationalised that everybody should carry a side arm! I am not convinced, but he did know about
Tony Martin and I did agree with him that Mr Martin should not have been dealt
with so harshly as thieving scum deserve all they get and the good guys should
bite back; but then that is another can of worms.
Arriving in Cody we fuelled up
and spent some time in a hunting, shooting, fishing emporium. They had enough firepower on sale to equip a
small army! The walls were covered with
trophy heads and pictures of successful hunts.
Taxidermy is alive and flourishing in Wyoming. The main reason to visit Cody was to see
Buffalo Bill’s museum. At $15 dollars
each it had to be good and I can report it did not disappoint.
We spent
a couple of hours checking out the exhibits and once more guns were very
prominent. People walk around everywhere
with large hunting bowie knives strapped to their thighs – what for I do not
know! They can also carry handguns, but
I did not notice any.
Leaving
Cody we headed west on US14 to the East Gate of Yellowstone Park. Yogi and BoBo were not on hand to great us
but the Ranger was and he wanted $15 for the privilege of riding through the
park. It started to rain as we entered
and whilst calling home we got chatting to some fellow Harley Riders. The main point that they tried to get over
was how hot it would be in the desserts of Southern California and equally hot
in Texas – started to get a bit nervous!
The thunderstorms were short and
heavy; we got very wet but dried off equally quickly when the storm
passed. Lightening was tremendous and it
was setting parts of the Forrest alight only to douse it out during the next
storm. We turned South in the park and
excited Yellowstone via the South Gate (still no sign of Yogi or BoBo!), but we
had seen Buffalo, Moose, Deer and even American Bald Eagles. We entered the Grand Tetons and crossed a
river called Pelican Creek, as we did amazingly three very large Pelicans did a
fly past!
Day 12 Monday 11th August
America
is BIG. It is not BIG with a capital B
but it is BIG with a capital I and capital G too! Today we did four states one time zone and
only made little progress against the continental fold out map we have! 456 miles of leisurely riding and sorting out
our life type chores.
The ride
started at sun up and we rode US89 south from Afton towards Salt Lake
City. US 89 has to be one of the best
scenic rides you can make. It is
undulating forested and has lakes along the 100 mile ride. We stopped just short of Salt Lake City and
in a small hick town store asked to use the toilet only to be informed they did
not have one but I could use the Porta John (Loo) two blocks away, just take
the Honda quad bike! First time on a
quad bike but it had to be done.
We chose
Brigham City about 15 miles north of Salt Lake City to breakfast, laundry and
internet connect. Bert’s Dinner had been
established in 1926 but it had a true 50’s feel about it and the breakfast was
brilliant. ANT offered to do the laundry
and I set off to Internet Connect.
Brigham,
although boasting City status, does not have an Internet Café, so I tried the
library. At the library it was bustling
with Mom’s and school holiday kids, it had Internet but no facilities for me to
hook up. But wait US hospitality was
about to shine. One of those young Mom’s
offered me her ASDL facilities and she only lived four blocks away so it was
off to her typical US home with her three children to hook up. Morgan, the eldest daughter, had guessed I
was English and won the bet with Mom who thought I was Australian which many
Americans think.
We
achieved all the day’s chores except the Barbers! ANT was rightly disgusted at my hankies, as
Jennifer has often times told me, but good to his general hail fellow well met
attitude completed the laundry task with aplomb!
We
skirted Salt Lake City as the GPS advised and started to head west on I80. Salt flats, miles and miles of Salt
flats. This was the Great Salt Lake
Dessert and we crossed 100 miles of it.
We even rode over Bonneville Salt Flats ending at the race track at Wendover
on the 
Day 13 Tuesday 12th August
We left
Elko at first light and it was a chilly 63 degrees farenheit, not used to these
cold starts, and headed out west on I80.
ANT and I got a routine going with the truck drivers as they passed us
to get them to blow their air horns so I could respond with my BJ air horns, a
little thing but it helped to while away the monotonous miles on the
interstate.
One of
the best responses we got was from the Corbin rig which looked exactly like the
one we had visited in Lazelles Avenue, Sturgis SD, could we have got a free
ride back to Hollister for my ride in seat?
On the East bound side we had been seeing lots of great old cars and hot
rods, and the answer was given to me on the Ultras radio in that at the weekend
it had been Hot August Nights in Reno.
The Sturgis of the Hot Rod World, apparently.
Having
done about 2,500 miles since leaving Blighty we organised an oil & filter
change, it was a Kawasaki dealer but they had Harley oil and filters so we went
ahead and got it done.
We were
making reasonable time and if we had the time could have stopped to take
pictures of some of the town names, a good example being Pumpernickle! Some of these lazy places had Interstate turn
off’s and populations of 27! So why
build a turn off?
I had my first close shave today –
ANT got a cut-throat razor shave in Wendover at a traditional Barbers, on the
house even – but I am not talking about that sort of shave. As one of the friendly big rig drivers passed
one of his 36 wheels spat up a stone, I just saw it from the corner of my
eye. I turned my head and it hit my
lovely new helmet, chipping a lump out.
Two inches to the right and my check would have certainly been cut. But that’s what helmets are for and I was
glad not to have been tempted to exercise my No Helmet Law right. ANT had black touch up paint and the helmet
is now good as new. You had to ask why
he had touch up paint I suppose you could equally ask why he had a kilt in his
kit!
More
desert and finally the forty mile dessert.
Water had to be hauled twenty miles so use it carefully, I had to pump
it over my t.shirt (notice and Over the sea to Skye long sleeve) just to cool a
little. Even hauling twenty miles I
could not resist the chance to cool down. I rode with a wet t.shirt which dried
within about ten miles, it was that hot.
The target for the day was Reno,
NV, after settling into our Motel we went to check out downtown Reno. It is definitely not in the Las Vegas league
but we had a great meal and managed to lose a few dollars!
Day 14 Wednesday 13th August
A quiet
day for the run in to Hollister. We were
one day ahead of schedule so phoned ahead to check if Corbin could take my bike
a day early for the ride in appointment and they could.
Reno
west on I80 was a fantastic early morning ride.
We were climbing and descending on fast well used roads. The truck lane was very rough due to the use
of snow chains in the winter, but for our ride it was a perfect day. Cloudless sky and as the sun rose the
temperature climbed to 95 degrees.
The
Garmin GPS V got us directly to Corbins doors, however it did take us on a
detour from I5 south for some unkown reason, but it did get us directly to the
door. We had a great welcome and a quick
tour of the factory and a chance to discuss the options for my new seat.
Jack
could not have been more helpful and was amazed we had ridden from UK to have a
seat made (we had come for Sturgis and the H-D 100th as well
though!).
We met
up with a couple of bikers who were riding our route but clockwise as opposed
to our anticlockwise route. They gave us
good hotel information and reassured us about riding the Mohave dessert, they
max’d out at 114 degrees! They were
riding a sponsored trip to help AID’s victims.
We went into
Hollister with the idea of recreating the famous picture, but a meal was our
main priority and that particular picture will have to wait.
Day 15 Thursday 14th August
Today was the day to get my
Corbin seat sorted out, I left the small Motel (Wiebe Motel, 1271 San Felipe
Road, Hollister, CA) and arrived at Corbin at 07.30 to find I was fifth in line
– these Americans are real early birds.
There were some nice custom bikes, one was in for a rework, Corbin prides
them selves on the good job they do.
Gustava
spent a lot of time discussing what I wanted in a seat and showing all the
materials available to create my dream of matching the colour combination of
silver and black to match the anniversary colours. We decided on grey leather with a Carbon fibre
print and gloss finish, the same for the sides but in black. It was supposed to take four hours and ANT
turned up at noon but I knew it would be longer so asked him to ride ahead to
Ventura and I would meet him at his brothers house.
The seat was finished and my old
one packed up for return to England and I was on the road at 4pm. A little later than planned but I still
wanted to ride the Pacific Coast Highway.
The first destination was Monteray on the coast then US1 south. The road lived up to expectation; it was
fantastic. Various parts of very twisty
and betters newly made sections. The two
surprise things were the strong smell of seaweed and the fantastic cars that
were running the road, Ferraris were common place mixed in were classic Cobras,
Austin Healy 3000, Corvettes and the list goes on. The ride was going really well and being on
my own I could set the pace as conditions and the law allowed.
Sun
setting over the Pacific and I still had many miles to run. It was now I had to set course for ANT’s
brothers house in Ventura. I got on
US101 and ran south very quickly. The
Garmin GPS V took me onto US154 then back onto US101 which I thought was an
error but later found out it cut off a corner and was a local short cut, one up
for the Garmin. It also took me directly
to Pete’s out at 11pm. What a great day,
getting a new Corbin unusual seat and riding the Pacific Coast Highway.
Day 16 Friday 15th August
I awoke
to the first day of the trip where the Harley would play no part!
We were staying at Peter and
Wendy’s who are ANT’s Brother and sister in law, his nephew Avery a lively 4
year old was in residence too. The house
was a typical USA family home with a TV the size of a multi plex screen and 500
channels. We went to Piru Lake with the
water ski boat and two neighbours, Billy and his kid brother Cory. We had a fantastic day on the lake, brilliant
sunshine and a really fast boat. I got
dragged around the lake but could not get up, I’ve been told it is a 52 year
olds problem!
In the
afternoon we were taken in the Limo (Wendy runs a Limo business) to buy snake
skin boats for ANT’s good friend back in Carnaby.
That
evening about forty of Peter and Wendys friendsjoined us for a BBQ. It was brilliant, we were made so welcome,
just like visiting dignitaries. Steveo
and his wife even bought us a Ventura H-D T.shirt each. Stevo also gave me two wonderful CD’s he had
brought to the Party, what a guy. He was
drinking well late even though he had a 4am start for work; not sure if he made
it!
Day 17 Saturday 16th August
Our
biggest day in the saddle at 494 miles and our first time night ride, arriving
in Pheonix, AZ at 12 midnight. We got to
sleep at 12.30 and had a 4am morning call booked, was this a holiday or an
expedition; you decide. We slept like
babies.
On the way out of Ventura we came
across Laidlaw, a massive H-D dealer. It
appears it is the biggest H-D dealer in California. I bought a summer pair of
gloves, a quart of oil and a long sleeve white t.shirt for dessert riding. I put the t.shirt on straight away, as we
were about to get our first taste of the Southern Desserts.
As we
headed east on I10 we arrived at Palm Springs and I remembered the dealer
location so we checked it out. Kevin remembered
me from my January visit when I did a fly-ride out of Las Vegas. The local HOG Chapter had an event but we
were on a tight timetable and had to take a rain check.
Fabulous dessert ride maxed out
at about 102 degrees f. The white
t.shirt worked, soaking it at each stop, it acted like Air Conditioning for
bikers. We stopped at Dessert City an
old highway 10 location that time forgot.
The food was wholesome and an actual 50’s style café it was perfect.
Day 18 Sunday 17th August
Phoenix
to El Paso, what a day!
The 4am
start worked; we got on the road and burned some rubber. Not much to report just a bit of concern
about the entire roadside warning signs.
Watch for Deer. Watch for sand
storms, zero visibility. Watch for busted tyres. What else could befall us?
We
arrived at El Paso and in the out skirts there was a small town called Anthony,
we had to take the picture!
And
there it was the biggest H-D dealer in the World! We had to hole up in El Paso ‘till the dealer
opened
The biggest H-D dealer in the World
Day 19 Monday 18th August
Having
arrived in El Paso late the previous evening and discovering that Barnets was
here we had decided to have a late start and visit the biggest Harley Davidson
Dealer in the World; could not miss such and opportunity could we?
Because the hotel had an Internet
connection I stayed home and did the technical email chores whilst ANT searched
the shops for our requirements. Both of
us having completed our chores we were of to Barnett’s. No words can explain this HOG heaven; they
even offered ANT a free service! This
dealer has everything.
The
range of bikes is totally unbelievable.
The picture I choose to include shows my spare ride courtesy of Barry
Soanes and the fact that a Harley dealer is selling this particular bike, see
it is a Harley. They had an FXRT for
sale and a Moo Glide. In the car park
they had a line of all the old bikes they had taken as trades and you could
make an offer for, just right for a project bike. There must have been at least ten Iron Barrel
Sporties.
We
finally dragged our selves away from this HOG Heaven and set out East in
I10. We had our hottest point at 115
degrees Fahrenheit. ANT had bought me a
biker’s air conditioning bandana, it contains crystals that you soak in cold
water and it lasts all day, worked perfectly.
We stopped every 50 miles, got inside to air conditioning and drank
galloons of Gatorade and water. If you
ain’t peeing you ain’t drinking enough.
It was now about 1,000 miles
since the Corbin seat was fitted and I can now say it is without any doubt the
most comfortable bike seat I have ever ridden on. I did 80,000 miles on the H-D Zeppelin Air
Seat and thought that was comfortable but the Corbin is unbelievable. Not only does it look real special but it
works real well too.
Day 20 Tuesday 19th August
Today
was to be a day spent on I10. This is a
long road, you can go from California to Florida on this one road, our destination
was only to be San Antonio today so it was an easy day of about 300 miles.
We first
came across
On I10 we saw a sign for Sonora
Caves and as we had loads of time we went to check them out. It was a good decision. They were very enjoyable.
We
arrived in San Antonio too late to visit the Alamo so it was hotel up and see
that in the morning.
Day 21 Wednesday 20th August
Remember the Alamo? This statement for me will never be the same
again after visiting the Alamo in San Antonio, TX. It is downtown and easy to find. There is no entry fee but you are asked to
donate to the Daughters of the Alamo charity.
Having had a
Was he a
freedom fighter, was he a terrorist, was he a defender of the Sate of Texas;
maybe all the above but he was fighting and standing for what he thought was
right. The Alamo story is told in detail
at this Historic site and worth the effort to check it out.
Having
done my chores of writing postcards the next difficult thing is to remember to
post them, so to solve that I stick them inside the windscreen, done it for
ages. But on I10 one of them decided to
fly off, lucky for me eagle eyed ANT spotted this and we managed to retrieve
it, the cards are still not posted but at least they are not on the
highway! Next job is to post them! All clouds have silver linings and for us on
the freeway it was finding a number plate surround for San Antonio, it’ll look
good on ANT’s wall.
Lunch was in Luling, TX, a small
town off I10. I have found that if a
town has 2 exits marked on the freeway then it is a reasonable assumption that
you can come off at the first exit and ride through what used to be the old
highway and see old time America, which is usually full of the stuff you want
to see. In Luling we found a florist and
a great lunch stop.
The ride
to Houston was straightforward on I10 East again but for a thunderstorm where
the road was awash within minutes. We
stopped at an under pass and watched the traffic still thundering through even
though the surface water was at least 4” deep.
A Chrysler PT Cruiser went by at 60mph with the front near side-wheel
stationery! I know about aqua-planeing
but have never witnessed it, scary but we did have a large solid concrete block
we could scoot over if necessary.
The rain
eased to a downpour and we were back on the road and the GPS earnt it’s corn by
directing us to Lee’s house, what a great tool.
Day 22 Thursday 21st August
This is
what the half waypoint was about a 5,000mile service for the bikes. Lee had organised work for mine and Ant’s
bike plus a small job on his own. We got
up early, well early for us, but for the Curcio household 4am is the usual
rising time!
We were
soon heading south to Angleton the home of Goe’s Harley-Davidson. We stopped at a Mexican restaurant for Rancheros
Huevos and fresh squeezed orange juice, it was brilliant. Then off to Goe’s for our three 9am
appointments.
Pete sorted out the worksheet and
we settled down to a day bumming around the dealership. I had to have one more long sleeve white
shirt; this had become my riding apparel in the hot climate. It does nothing for the tan but I feel nice
and cool in the high temperatures and high humidity. We did not get back on the road ‘till 4pm; a
whole day and Lee did not get his floorboards fitted! Not very happy about the time as our planned
bike clean and laundry time was all used up.
However the service was top notch and since then I have done 800 miles
and the bike is running the best since I’ve had it. So quality takes time!
On the
ride home we spied an American over statement!
A small community of some 600 soles had decided to name their meeting
hall as City Hall, a grand title for a shed!
That
night was a brilliant Sirloin steak BBQ with Lee, Ivonne and Manuel. Several
bear and plenty of BS later and it was a relatively early night, we even
managed an evening of laundry but I put too much soap in and everything has
white patches!
Day 23 Friday 22nd August
Today we
had to do some miles and a 5am start was required. A cup of coffee and we were saying our
goodbyes. Manuel had made a galloon of
lemonade for the road, which was well used during the hot ride towards Memphis;
thanks to Manuel! Lee, Yvonne and Manuel
were also off for an early start to Louisiana to collect some money they had
left at the Casinos in Louisiana! I
wonder how they faired?
We used
the Sam Houston Beltway, a toll road that circumnavigates Houston. We were well on the way by 6am and four toll
plazas later were on our old friend the I10 heading east. We had been using the I10 for six days now
and arriving at Baton Rouge would head north on I55, but I10 would continue all
the way to Florida.
The day was looking good as we
passed our first vehicle of the trip.
But it was not a fair contest as he was running with a flat! At LaFayette we saw a new H-D dealership
being constructed on the side of the Interstate, it also proclaimed that the
existing store was just off the highway, and as we needed fuel we decided to
find it. It was a busy good place to be
but I resisted! Bought nothing, which is
another first of the trip, could I do it again?
Back on
the road about thirty miles west of Baton Rouge a stilt road over the swamp
started and continued for more than twenty miles. What a piece of engineering; sorry but cannot
stop on the Interstate for a photo. It
would be like stopping on the M25 to take a picture of the Queen Elizabeth
bridge over the Thames and we would view that as stupid so why do it when
abroad?
My BJ
air horns were called into action just as I started to cross the
Mississippi. As I started to climb the
roadway up to the big metal bridge structure there was an on ramp. The traffic on the on ramp was slow and a
town car with two Q tips (a reference to cotton wool buds as old folk with
white hair that looks like two buds sitting in their seats) came up on the
ramp, the driver did a cursory glance in his mirror and I knew he had missed
me, then he attempted and illegal lane change across a solid white line to
avoid the backed up traffic. But that
cursory glance meant he was going to sideswipe me. Bring on the BJ’s. I gave them their all. It had the desired effect as the Q-tip must
have thought a Semi (articulated large truck) was bearing down on him because
he stayed in lane and braked, as he should have in the first place. A couple of miles later on they passed me
with waves of acknowledgement and apology.
See BJ’s are not a luxury but a necessity in the jungle we call everyday
traffic.
The day
was going well and we passed our second vehicle of the trip! We had begun riding at 6am and now at 9pm I
was getting tired and it was very dark.
No street lights and a cloudy sky meant total black out. It is times like this that I am glad I heeded
the advise given in Easyriders magazine, that is a 100w head light and wiring
my passing lamps so I could switch them on or off, and not automatically go off
on high beam as the factory wires them.
So it is with full illumination I cautiously rode at 55mph. It is a balance to ride so you can stop in
your own light bean and going so slow that a rear end strike becomes a
possibility. As we entered the
Interstate from our last fuel stop a critter ran across the road. It looked like a short cat. This was a timely reminder to me of how
dangerous animal strikes can be. A
police car came onto the highway from the central median in front of me, and
sped North. A few miles further on I
noticed an unusual smell, then too late to even think about braking I ran
through the entrails of some animal that had been hit by a car, a bit further
on and the damaged car with the Police car in attendance was on the central
median. I decided to come off the
highway at the next lodging sign.
That’s
it 643 miles, our biggest day in the saddle and two vehicles overtaken and oh
by the way we started to see packs of Harleys heading North for the home
coming, out trip was getting close to its main objective.
Day 24 Saturday 23rd August
Having
spent the night unmolested in Batesville (is this where Norman came from?) we
were focused on Gracelands, Memphis, TN.
It was an easy 50-mile run North and the Garmin GPS V soon had us
cruising Elvis Presley Boulevard. It is
amazing that one person who died 16th August 1977 can still generate
so much interest, so much passion and so much money!
The complex is brilliant with
four main attractions; The Aircraft, His Cars and Bikes, Walk a Mile in my
Shoes Movie and of course Gracelands itself.
We opted for the Platinum Package at $25.25, which gives you the
lot. Elvis’s Harleys were great, his
cars were great, the planes were fantastic but we definitely saved the best to
last and Gracelands really lived up to its billing. The personal headphone tour guide is full of
information, music and sound bites from the King. Gracelands although not a massive building
has all it would take to keep a king happy and in the luxury he had become
accustomed too.
It all
ended at the graveside of him, his parents and his grandma. Poignant, respectful, thought provoking a
tour worthy of the King.
We ate, gift shopped and posted
cards from this shrine and bumped in to two fellow wedding guests who unlike us
had found the infamous wedding at Harney Peak!
I usually meet this couple at St.Patrick's day in Dublin, saw them in
Venice and now in Memphis, TN; I really should try to remember their names –
sorry but an old fart like me has limited grey cells left!
It was
about 4pm before we took the obvious picture at the gates of his home and got
on the road to Nashville.
We were
picking up large groups of Harleys as we were now on the official South Central
Ride Home schedule and Nashville was tonight’s stop. We did not have tickets for the big 1,000-person
party and it was late getting into town, another stressful night ride through
the wooded Tennessee country before we holed up in Nashville. The first large HOG group we came across in a
gas station was from Mexico City and in the same station was a small group from
Milwaukee! They had ridden south earlier
so they could participate in the Ride Home to Milwaukee and also ride home to
their homes! This I think reflects the
spirit of the event. Arriving at about
8.30pm in Nashville I spotted a HOG patch and went to get hotel information
from this fellow biker who I assumed was from Nashville, however his patch
revealed he was from Ecuador! Is this an
International event or what?
The
hotel had all we needed, clean bedding, shower and Internet connection. Technical chores done, detailed maps down
loaded, H-D dealer located and a nip with Uncle Jack and we rushed headlong
into the arms of Morpheous.
Day 25 Sunday 24th August
What a
start to today! As usual in motels ANT
and I were busy packing up and loading the trailer with the room door wide open
when two women appeared and one asked to use the phone and the other the
toilet! We hurriedly stashed away all
valuables and kept an eagle on them. The
one on the phone was recounting her night where she had been mugged and her car
stolen, funny conversation and we were waiting for the sting. It did not happen, it was just two sad people
hit on bad luck; but it could have been any sort of scam as we were really on
the wrong side of the tracks!
Heading North towards
Indianapolis I set the Garmin GPS for the H-D dealer in Bloomington, about 50
miles South of Indianapolis. We got
their address from the H-D dealer locator on the web and found they were open
from 11 to 4pm on Sundays. The Garmin
took us North for about twenty miles on the Interstate and then onto US431
White Creek Parkway. This is a beautiful
winding road through suburbia then into the Farmlands of Tennessee and onto
Kentucky. The first fuel stop we spoke
with a tobacco grower who was telling us the market was declining. It was interesting to see the plants and the
leaves drying and being smoked, the sharp end of the drug industry called
tobacco!