Day 2

April 11th

Finish mileage 118,738
Start mileage    118,401
Total miles for the day 337 miles
Total miles for ride so far 797
Start time today 8:30 am Easter time
Finish time today 3:00 pm Central time

Well.....Best made plans soon go asunder. Sure was that way for me today.

I thought get up early and go to nearest Anytime Fitness Center. Found one on Google Search only 5.9 miles away. Added address to GPS and off I went. Nice ride in the dark at 6:00 am. A little cool but not to worry. Arrived where Garmin says to not see anything like the fitness center. Ok turn around and see if you missed it, but still the Garmin says it is here. I stopped and looked up. On the hill there was a little strip center and low and behold the Anytime Fitness Center. I rode up the hill and parked. I was only one of two vehicles there. It was of course early on a Saturday morning. Anytime Fitness Centers have two doors. One with a FOB reader for customers and another for walk ins to join up or have questions answered. I had some trouble finding the door with the FOB reader. Not that it was hidden but, you know it is a guy thing. Guys can't find something unless it is orange or smells like a beer. I did find it and  entered. The center was bigger than the one in Dillsburg and looked  nice at first glance. But upon closer examination the place had equipment with leather that had holes showing and padding poking out. I could not get the cycle machines to work, so after just pedaling with minimal resistance I gave up. I did work up a sweet but at only 96 BPM heart rate didn't think I was doing much good. I wondered over to the weight resistance machines. I tried some abdominal crunches and other machines I am unfamiliar with. But alas I decided it was time to go back to the hotel and prepare for the days ride. I was very disappointed with the place.

Stopped at Walmart on way back and picked up needed supplies, continued to hotel. Went to lobby for breakfast and brought my own fruit, the manager said this place doesn't provide fruit but for the price of a clean an comfortable room I can accept that. Finished up breakfast, packed my things into the  trailer and proceeded to ride.  Only this time I dressed for warmer weather and might I say drier weather.

Back on I40 again heading towards Knoxville and then Nashville and Dickson, TN where I have reservations for a room.

It was most uneventful today. Loved it being safe, dry and enjoying the Saturday with sunshine and greenery everywhere. Tennessee is very beautiful. Rode along and discovered there was this very large upward winding road here, it is the Cumberland Plateau sitting between Knoxville and Nashville. It goes way up and you drive for a ways and then it comes down. Both up and down were fun due to winding roads and lots of semi's to pass as if  they are standing still. Wheeeee!!!!

Back down from the plateau again on flat or rolling land the drive can cause one to feel sleepy and want to shut your eyes for just a second. I have learned that just before that happens you find an exit with coffee so you can rest and rejuvenate. While rolling along having one of these experiences and see immediately a sign for Weigles convenience stores that says Fresh coffee. Wow! must have been providential. It was  inspiring. Exiting, went straight to the store. Walked in  and tried to get a cup of coffee. They had these huge coffee urns that make like two gallons of  coffee at a clip, like eight of them all in  a row. Not one of the "Regular" had any coffee in them, they were all empty. There was of course "Decaf" if you don't want to stay awake very much longer and some other silly flavor. I did take a  silly flavor and walked to the register to pay. The clerk asked  if this was a refill or and initial purchase. Stating with some sarcasm that this was a new cup with only the one king of coffee available in it. Further all the other urns were empty. She said she was busy and didn't get a chance to make more. That may be true but her co-worker was outside smoking instead of helping. Go figure if you especially state on a billboard that you have fresh coffee,  wouldn't you make it a priority to have that said coffee available always. Working at Circle K in Arizona  coffee was the most important thing on sale. I drank my cup of silly stuff and wolfed down a fresh hot dog.

Later on needing gas and thinking it should be lunch time no matter the time zone. Stopping at a truck stop for gas and grub, the filled up and moving the bike  to a part of the parking lot that was far from being in the way. Made the normal two sandwiches of cheese and Lebanon baloney and washed  it  down with water. It was a tasty lunch and time to hit the road again.

Riding through Nashville was interesting. There were huge roadways and an HOV lane that said
"Motorcycle permitted". I immediately got in the far left lane and motored towards Nashville. Traffic did  slow down for  a short distance, being after lunch. Still no events worth mentioning, except maybe passing a sitting police car along the side of the road. I slowed down some since I wasn't over the limit much.

Running low on gas about 199 miles from Memphis, the first station rectified the situation. Went inside to use the facilities and saw they had and Arby's attached. I felt like  I needed some food,  diabetics to that  sometimes. Order two Gyros, can't get just one according to the  clerk. They were on sale, 2 for $6.00. They were wonderful, fresh and hot. Gyros really hit the spot for me. Now all happy and feed as well as  gassed up I proceeded to ride the next 25 miles to Diskson, TN to the hotel with reservations.

Super 8 hotel seemed newish, clean and bright. The desk clerk gave  me a room on the second floor and it happened to be right beside the elevator. I  was impressed with the inside of the place.

Unpacked and was very relieved to get out of my riding boots and hot clothes. Moved gear into hotel and changed for dinner.

Checking out  on Google Maps the local area and found a Ruby Tuesdays close by. Google said it was  305 feet from the hotel. It was right next door. This tired old rider just had to drag his self across the  lot to be feed. I had the salad bar because of the amount of junk food I ate today. Salad bar was good.

Outside of the Ruby Tuesday restaurant there was an older Lincoln in the lot. This car required pictures.

Back to the hotel, a little blogging, a little beer,  a little cool air from the  air conditioner and all is right with the world.

Tomorrow's weather looks nice and dry as well as  warm for the entire ride of 300 + miles. I will arrive at Conway, AR and hook up with the 40 to Phoenix riders.

TTFN

Day 1

April 10th.

Finish mileage 118,401
Starting mileage 117940
Total miles for day 460
Start time 7:30 am
Finish time 4:15 pm

Up at 5:00 am to start the day. Misty outside and still dark, cold and not great, but a lot better than I had originally expected.

Started the day in the usual way with coffee and newspaper. Then a shower and dressing. Followed with packing remaining items used this morning and required to go along.

Breakfast was my usual banquet of egg omelette and toast. Don't forget the pickles. Love stinky pickles. Tried to do my dishes but the wife said she would not allow me to do them since I had so much to do today. Bless her heart!

Bike packed, trailer packed, bike drifted down the drive to wait on trailer. Attached both and tested lights and turn signals. All working good. Ready to go with my rain pants and long johns on for the duration of today's ride.

Left Dillsburg at 7:30 am on a wet misting cool morning but still looking forward to a great days ride. Up 74 to I 81 and turning south heading for Kingsport, TN. for the nightly stop over.

Fortunately the ride thru PA was uneventful except for mist  and rain. Leaving PA and entering Maryland it started to clear up. Still overcast but rain stopped, wet roads stopped and dryer roads were now the norm.

Today was a windy day with headwinds all the way. That meant the miles per gallon were not as good as they might have been for pulling a loaded trailer. After stopping for gas three times today the overall mileage was in the 32 mph range. Not near as good as I have logged on prior trips with a loaded trailer.

Entered West Virginia then Virginia to discover continued dry roads for a while. Then the clouds started to turn very dark. As I rode on I closed my Air Wings that guide fresh, cool air onto the rider or if needed blocks cold air from the same rider. Now I wanted some protection from the rain that I felt sure was about to start. I zipped up my coat and hunkered down in the seat behind my very high windshield. It started to rain,  then it poured, then it turned  to blinding rain and I had to pull over under a bridge. As a place of refuge this was drier but my goodness was it noisy and I was showered with tons of road water every time a semi went past. While there I thought about making lemonade from crushed fruits and decided to make lunch while waiting for the rain to stop. I got out my trusty cheese, Lebanon baloney with mayonnaise and mustard and made two nice sandwiches. Also a container of yogurt. While preparing the meal I had to keep all  ingredients inside the cooler because the semi's I mentioned would blow the sandwich fix-ins around and blow them away. As I started to eat I remembered the last time Jeff and I stopped along a highway the state police made us move on since there was no stopping on the inter-state. I hurried up to finish and got back on the bike since the rain had stopped and before any state police stopped for me.

A few miles down the road the rain stopped and it was a very uneventful ride after that.

I did stop for coffee and walked out to the bike to enjoy my coffee when I noticed this guy coming right up to me and started talking about his bike. It was a 2005 Road King Hardley and he triked it. He had never done a long ride on this big bike yet. He is still working and will have time a little later when he retires. His wife however has back issues and is always in pain but she now wants to ride with him. He thought taking her on a 100 mile trip would find out if she can put up with the considerable bouncing around on  the trike. I added I thought that was a good idea and hoped  he would have success with this ride.

As I got closer and closer to Kingsport my fuel gauge kept getting closer to the big red "E" at the bottom. I kept riding to see how far I could get, remember the lower gas mileage for today. I am carrying an extra can of gas just in case, as I do on long trips, but finally decided with just eight miles to go that  was close enough and  stopped at a very convenient Shell gas station. All full of  gasoline and ready to hit the motel.

Followed the Garmin instructions and pulled right up to the Colonial Inn.

Wow was I glad to get off the bike. Checked in and drove around to my room.

As the parking spaces were ones to pull into  head first I thought I might go around and try again. You see I have never been very good at backing my bike with the trailer so I thought I would back into the  space so I could  just pull out in the morning. Good  thinking on my part. I wish I would have thought to have someone film this effort.  After  about 5 or 8 tries I did pretty well. One small issue was that I placed the rig in the spot for the next room not mine. I thought, to heck with that and said it was staying there.

Unloading the bike and getting out of my very hot clothes was wonderful. I tucked in the bike for the night with a tarp over  the cloth seats proceeded to dress for dinner.

The place next door was Mexican and  the Inn Keeper told me it was rated the best Mexican in town. I tried it and ordered the shrimp tacos. I had never tried them before. They were excellent, the Mexican beer was delicious and cold.

I walked two blocks to Ingles, grocery and pharmacy, for some take out cans of cold beer. Miller High Life when cold is great and cheap too!

Walked back to motel and got comfortable. What a first day and Wow looking for more tomorrow. I will have to research the ride to the other side of  Tennessee where I am staying tomorrow evening. Hope it isn't raining again.

TTFN

Day Before

Day - before the trip

Sitting here at the keyboard and thinking about my ride that starts tomorrow, well I have been thinking about the ride for some time. Actually for a long time in little snippets of thought. Well maybe more than just a little snippet of thought, maybe a lot of thought. Yes, I have been day dreaming about riding the Goldwing out on the road again.

As posted previously, a safety inspection was done to give me a feeling of being on a bike ready to ride and perform on this trip. I have replaced all three tires on the trailer and both tires on the bike. I even have a new tail light. Somewhere along the way I had to replace the rotor covers on the front wheel.

Saw some photos of friends who have already started this ride 40 to Phoenix by going to Wilmington, NC to start at the very beginning. I on the other hand as mentioned will be meeting the group in Arkansas on Sunday.

The rest of the day will be packing and seeing what I have forgotten to do.

Don't matter what is forgotten as long as I hit the highway tomorrow at a reasonable time. Did I happen to mention the weather forecast for tomorrow calls for rain, thunderstorms and even a tornado or two. I think maybe a cautious ride with an eye on the heavens will be the order of the day. My first stop is in Kingsport, TN about 439 miles away.

Safety Inspection

Took bike to Velocity for safety inspection, I do this every year in early season just in case some squirrels moved into my exhaust system or the oil is full of water.

Seems the bike is ready to roll across the country with the exception of having a turn signal bulb replaced.

Getting ready to mount up and ride home, before 3-5 inches of snow tomorrow, a rider approached me to chat some about how big my bike (GL1800 Honda Goldwing) is. I told him it is light as a feather when moving but if you are stopped and you loose your balance do not try to stop the bike from falling over. You can not stop it. Just let it fall and you will have to learn the proper way to lift a GL1800 upright (weights a little less than 900 lbs. wet). He does some 12,000 miles per year and has a bad back. I told him he is looking at the right bike for him.

We parted company and I rode home knowing I have inspired another person to seriously think about a Honda Goldwing.

My work was done.

TTFN
Dick

Getting close to next trip

Well here it is the middle of March.
Snow has melted and several days have been ride able. Getting the itch to get back on the ride.
The 40 To Phoenix ride from Wilmington NC to Phoenix and beyond is just about ready. April 10th is the day to leave Dillsburg  and head west to meetup in Arkansas with the other 106 riders.

I have an appointment Thursday to have the Gold Wing gone over looking for issues to correct before leaving. Hopefully there will be little that needs attended to. Tires have been replace recently, oil changed, trailer tires were replaced last summer with very little miles racked up since then. Gear is in good order from previous trips but inspection will need done between now and leaving.

Plans for riding out are made but plans for returning are very wide open. My friend in Phoenix is sending ride ideas for riding in Arizona. I also want to stop at a few places on the way home but am staying very flexible.

Recently saw and add for Utah and its National Parks. I sure was impressed with Utah in 2013. Going back to see a park is not out of the question however the time of the year may not be warm enough to visit. I will have to check it out once in Phoenix.

TTFN
Dick

So time has gone by--

It has been a while since I have even thought about a blog but now I am planning a ride out to Phoenix with the Gold Wing Road Riders “40 to Phoenix”.

One day at the local GWRRA “Old Farts” breakfast (retired male riders), I mentioned I was thinking about doing this ride in 2015. I wondered if anyone was interested in doing the ride with me. Turns out one of our most active members said he would and he thought others might also want to try the ride.

Turns out there are several people who are interested. Several are going to start the ride at the official starting point in Wilmington NC but I will not be going there but meeting them on their third day out in Arkansas Oklahoma. One rider will be teaming up with me at that point and we will share our room s the rest of the way to Phoenix. He is going to  stay in Phoenix for  several days at his daughters and I will be staying with a family friend who put me up in 2013.

Did some research and found motels from here to Conway Arkansas

Oklahoma and also  am using the ones the ride leaders have lined up and use each year.

So for the past year I have spend much time watching the Food Network and the Triple D series, Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa and Ree Drummond and “Pioneer Woman”. I have been cooking and eating my way through life. I have also had the experience of finding “No Knead Bread” on YouTube. I have made bread of various types in the past few months. Olive, Fennel, Caraway, Plain, Dill and others. I love this bread, rolls and baguette.

Well this ride to Phoenix will get me to a town I used to live in and  allow me to see old friends who have made a big difference in my life. Bob who allowed me to be a serious bike rider, Peter who allowed me to enjoy meeting people in the most unusual places and Wes who showed our family how to enjoy roller skating and trying new things.

I am thinking about riding around Phoenix and the rest of  the state. There is a route along the eastern side of the state that is on Route 129 for a ride of 100+ miles of twists and turns. I rode to Prescott Arizona last time and want to try it again. Also the Genghis Grill is on my list of places to get to. I want to eat my way through Phoenix.  I also want to cook for our friend Wes who is a bachelor. He recently found redemption by using a pellet smoker for cooking his food(bless him).

On the way home I want to visit the Virgin Atlantic Spaceport in New Mexico. Then  to stop and visit if possible Ree Drummond in Oklahoma. Who knows after that where I will wind up on this ride.

Ride with GWRRA

Got this email Thursday.

Subject: chapter H gathering

Chapter H gathering is this Sat. Looking for members to go along. We could leave Summerdale at 7:30 it is about 11/2 hrs. north. we need 5 members to get points. please let me know if you can go along. 

The Goldwing Road Riders Association has it's chapters visiting each other for points towards a prize or something like that. So this was a ride to visit a Chapter in Hazleton area.

I didn't know until Friday night that I would be there so I just showed up.

We all met in Summerdale and rode up US 11& 15, then across I80. The breakfast meeting was nice. We were all a little cool or cold depending on how we were dressed. There were three GL1800 trikes and a GL1800 (me) and one 1982 Goldwing 1200. 

Most of the group

Me

We took US 81 back to Harrisburg. It was much easier than the way up but not as pretty.

Next function is the Old Farts Breakfast on Wednesday.