Day 17

My brother rode with me yesterday and spent the night with me before returning home today. So today it was just Tigger and me. Tigger told me he didn’t think he should accompany me on my friends and family outings in Brookville because he was afraid some folks might start wondering about me. I didn’t have the heart to tell him most of them already do.

Those people who know me well know that I seem to always have a song in my head. It seems that almost anything can trigger this phenomenon. So you know what happened when I rode over the Red River Valley. Then, without warning I found myself “just about a mile from Texarkana”. I think it must have been riding through Eastern Tennessee which, apparently, was the home of Loretta Lynn at some point in time. By the way, it is impossible to be in Louisiana and just about a mile from Texarkana. According to Google maps the closest you can come is 27.8 miles. But I guess that didn’t fit well in the song.

Speaking of Ms. Lynn, it seems she is quite popular in that particular area of eastern Tennessee and her name was associated with some unusual businesses. The Loretta Lynn museum made sense and the Loretta Lynn RV Park and Campground was a stretch, but OK. However, when I saw the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch I concluded they went too far. I could even seeing naming a coal mine after her, but a dude ranch. No way dude!

Arkansas is the home of Bill Clinton. I rode through Hope, Arkansas, which was his birthplace, I went to Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas which was his boyhood home and I drove through Little Rick where he rose to fame. (No pun intended) It always fascinates me how political leanings determine a persons view of history.

The tower overlooks Hot Springs but they wanted to charge Tigger double to walk to the top because they couldn’t find a fee schedule for such a creature. So, we settled for a couple of photos.

Day 16

Parade
Jane


Yesterday was a day of memories. After the parade everyone who graduated from Brookville went to the “ball park” and attended “reunion row.” Not only did I see many of my old class mates, a few of whom I hadn’t seen since we graduated, but I also visited with friends from other classes. All in all it was an outstanding weekend.

On this trip back memory lane I was accompanied by my wife, Jane. Jane and I have been together for 45 years and married for 39. Needless to say, she has dealt with my crazy ideas and sense of wanderlust for a long time. This trip, however, even surprised her. While I would be untruthful if I said she was enthusiastic about me be being gone for seven weeks, she has been supportive and understanding.

I got back on the bike today and resumed my odyssey. I stopped at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. I arrived too late to take a tour of the cave but did get my passport stamped.

Where is Home?

Doug and Gayle
Family

I believe we all have a different definition of home. If someone asks me where I live, I tell them Sarasota, Florida. If someone asks me where I am from, I tell them Brookville, Indiana, a small town that according to the 2000 census has a population of 2,652 people. It was probably half of that size when I was growing up. To me Brookville will always be home. I was born and raised there, my mother still lives there, my father is buried there, I met my wife there, my brother still lives close and a part of my heart will always be there.

My lifelong friend, Doug Siebert and his wife, Gayle graciously allowed me to stay at his home for two nights. Doug and I have been friends since we were in the first grade. We were fraternity brothers in college, he was the best man in my wedding and I was the best man is his. Doug still lives close to Brookville and we have remained close over the years. Doug and I were opposites. He always hated math and science, but was a gifted artist. On the other hand, math was my strong suit, but I couldn’t draw a recognizable stick figure. Doug and Gayle are both retired teachers and now produce beautiful weavings which they sell at local art shows.

My mother came from a family of thirteen children. They grew up under very poor economic circumstances and because of this difficult childhood which they all shared they have remained very close throughout their lives. When I go back to Brookville, I seldom visit just my mother but rather my extended family. My mother casually mentioned going to the home of one of my many cousins for dinner. When I arrived there were twelve of my relatives already there. We enjoyed a home cooked meal (which I didn’t need but gladly partook of) and talked about, what else, family. Of course everyone gets together with family for special occasions, but this was a gathering just to enjoy each others company and a common occurrence in small town Midwestern life. My father was fond of saying “you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy”. For me, at least, this is a reality which I cherish.

Later today Brookville will host a parade right down – where else - Main Street which is the culmination of a month long celebration of its bicentennial. This is a town of less than 3,000 people and the attendance at the parade is anticipated to exceed 15,000. All I can say is wow. The town has outdone itself and it seems everyone that I know in the area has played a roll. Hopefully the weather will hold and I will have some photos to share with you.

Tigger

Several individuals have made comments about my choice of Tigger as my traveling partner and some of those comments were less than complimentary. I would like to share with you my observations on traveling with such a fine companion.

He is always happy. He always has a smile on his face and he never ever complains about anything. No matter how early I get up in the morning, how bad I smell after riding all day in temperatures of over 90 degrees or how messy the room gets, he never complains. Granted, his knowledge in the areas of philosophy, politics, and other thought provoking subjects are somewhat limited. But this is outweighed by his enthusiasm and since this is first long trip outside the hundred acre wood and he is very curious.

His needs are minimal. He needs no clothing since he is, after all, a furry creature. He requires very little in the way of sundries etc. This is a very good thing since I, on the other hand, require everything that I could even remotely imagine I could possibly need. As a side note here, I sent my second box of “stuff” home yesterday. I’m going to have a little talk with Wrangler when I get home.

He eats very little. Tigger has a relatively small appetite and as long as he gets a little stuffing with each meal he is a very content camper indeed.

He is a very quiet sleeper. I have a tendency to not sleep well while I am traveling so it is very important that someone sharing my room is quiet. He does have a very light snore on the occasion that he has had one too many mojitos.

He thinks I am intelligent, adventurous and never wrong. Of course, here he is entirely correct.

I will have to admit that traveling with Jane would be equally enjoyable but she has never come to totally appreciate the subtle flavors of a flame broiled cheese Whopper and she does question my decisions and even my sanity on occasion.

I'm in Brookville

I'm currently in Brookville, Indiana for the celebration of our bicentennial. I will resume posting on Sunday.

Day 10

I awoke to a very loud clap of thunder and heavy rain. This is never the way I like to start my day, but I was prepared. When I looked, daylight was just seeping through the clouds and the rain was coming down in buckets so I put on my Gore Tex rain suit, Gore Tex gloves, Gore Tex lined boots and rode out into no rain. After all of that work the rain stopped minutes before I left the hotel and I didn’t run into rain until after I stopped to take all of the rain gear off. I guess Murphy was also a motorcyclist.

As a kids growing up in southern Indiana in the 1950s all of our sports heroes were baseball players. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were legends. I once spent my entire life savings, three dollars and fifty seven cents, to purchase a Ted Kluszewski baseball card that I carried and showed to all of my friends until it literally fell apart. We knew about Cooperstown before we ever knew there was a national park system or ever heard of Disneyland. As I was riding down I-81 I noticed a sign that said Cooperstown and I had to think a minute before I realized it was the same place we revered as kids and the home of the baseball hall of fame. Needless to say, I had to go. I was able to obtain a prime parking spot and I was able to fulfill a childhood dream. It may not be a national park, but it is a national shrine. I may have been the only person there without some article of clothing supporting my team.

Much of my ride today was through central Pennsylvania. The scenery was quite enjoyable with rolling, tree covered hills dotted by farms. Traffic was much less congested and the roads in good condition. One thing I have noticed is the amount of tolls collected by the northeastern states. I figure I have spent almost $100 in tolls. More annoying than the money is having to stop and pay these tolls while on a motorcycle. I pretty much have the system down, but it still takes me three times as long as someone in a car.

Day 9

Today was a day of contrasts. I started out in fairly heavy fog but it soon dissipated and there was sun and very light clouds. Then, suddenly, the rains hit with a vengeance. Before I knew it I was riding in rain so heavy many of the cars were pulled off on the side of the road waiting for it to pass. I started hearing something that sounded like rocks hitting my helmet and feel something stinging my hands and I realized it was hail. That didn’t last long and it was very small. I sure hope I don’t experience any larger hail stones. The rain lasted off and on most of the rest of the day.

I will pass the 3,000 mile mark early today. So far the riding has been enjoyable but this is my first trip riding in the east and I think I prefer the riding out west. Not nearly the traffic and plenty of wide open spaces.

In between the rain drops I did manage to get a picture of a covered bridge that is still in use. I actually crossed from New Hampshire to Vermont using this bridge.

Day 8

Today will be more about pictures and less about words. Acadia National Park is the first park I have visited in depth. It is such a contrast to Florida in almost every way. Jane and I visited here many years ago and I have very fond memories of the location but as I remember the weather was not nearly as good as it was today. As you can see, the scenery is spectacular. Tigger had never been here before so he was in awe.

Day 7

Tigger and I were having wide ranging discussion last night when he mentioned he was in need of a good pair of waterproof hunting boots. Apparently the hundred acre wood gets quite wet and muddy in the spring or after a hard rain. Where else would you go in Maine for hunting boots other than LL Bean? Unfortunately all of the boots were too big for him.

As I was riding down US 1 towards Acadia National Park I noticed what I would consider a sign of the times. A small local bank was offering heating oil loans. I guess if you had a thousand gallon tank and needed to fill it at over three dollars a gallon many people would not keep that kind of money just lying around.

I decided to take the back roads from Portland, Maine to Bar Harbor, Maine and now I know when I need to get from point to point, particularly in the east, I take the interstate. It took me nearly seven hours to ride 150 miles with two short stops. The weather today started out good then turned bad then turned good then turned bad again. Sounds like a typical day on the Maine coast.

I am off to find a place to get – what else – lobster.

Days 5 and 6

Day 5 was my first “off” day in that I stayed in the same hotel room for two nights in a row. I did laundry, boxed up stuff to mail home, did some shopping and still managed to add two parks and two states to the list. You would think I could get a blog post in, but it wasn’t to be. I fell asleep before I was able to turn on the computer and this morning I wanted to get a very early start because I had what I perceived to be a difficult day in front of me.

I was on the bike at 5:30. I forget that the further north we go the earlier it gets light outside. When I wake up at home at 5:30 it is completely dark, but today it was fully daylight. After getting out of the Washington, DC area I passed through Baltimore, then Philadelphia with few problems. My thoughts were to get to the New York City area in the middle of the day when the traffic was not so bad. That time apparently does not exist. Additionally, I had the opportunity to participate in what must be the single biggest traffic engineering debacle ever created by man. About five miles before the George Washington Bridge traffic slowed to a virtual crawl. After thirty minutes of starting and stopping I reached the root of the problem. As opposed to a fifty car pile up or the collapse of the bridge itself, the whole mess was caused by the State of New York wishing to extract eight dollars or more from each and every driver for the privilege of sitting through this mess to begin with. The traffic went from four lanes to 15 or so lanes to go through the booths. The interesting part was after getting through the booths. The traffic then went back down into four lanes and the process was a complete free for all. Imagine riding a motorcycle into this frenzy and trying to compete with a hundred or so eighteen wheelers. While I did not have size in my favor during this process I did have stealth. To add insult to injury, right after getting through this ordeal and while negotiating a series of turns, exits and entrances, my GPS unit experienced the electronic equivalent of a “brain fart”. It thought it was in Harlem then in Manhattan then in La La Land. Finally it exited from its fugue just in time to get me back on the right path.

The rest of the day was uneventful and the weather, once again, was spectacular. It was actually cool enough that I added a layer for warmth.

Of course, when I went to the parks on day five I left my camera in my room but you can see that I now have a traveling companion.

Day 4

Today I awoke to temperatures in the low 60s and sunny skies. My first destination was Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive. The Skyline Drive is the main road through Shenandoah National Park and traverses the park in a North-South Direction. It is essentially an extension of the Blue Ridge Parkway but since it is located within a national park, it has a lower speed limit and an entrance fee. I rode 18 miles on the Skyline Drive before I saw my first car. As I progressed, I did see a few more cars and motorcycles, but I would guess I saw less than 80 vehicles in 102 miles. The temperatures remained in the low 70s for most of the day and the riding was what a motorcyclist lives for.

One of the things I like about traveling alone is the flexibility to change plans at the last minute. As I was sitting at Starbucks in Front Royal, Virginia I was looking at the map and I noticed that Harpers Ferry, West Virginia was only about 30 miles away so I decided to ride up for another park and another state in my quest. Mission accomplished, but the rest of the day I was singing in my head the words “John Brown’s body lies a smoldering in the grave” to the Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Was that actually a song or am I starting to hallucinate already?

As you can see I purchased a new camera. It actually has more features than the old one. Trouble is, at my age it may take me the rest of the trip to learn all of them. I did buy a protective case and an extended warranty. Of course, these purchases assure I will never have the first minute’s problem with the camera.

I can’t tell all of you who are reading and posting how much I look forward to your comments. I would like for you to let me know who you are. One individual made this comment in yesterday’s post but didn’t identify themselves. That is something I would do.

In the tradition of my friend Mark Ryburn I have decided to acquire a mascot to accompany me. I need someone to talk to while I am on the bike and I don’t want anyone that will complain about my hours, the way I ride or otherwise be a general pain in the neck. I have decided the perfect companion would be Tigger. He always has a smile on his face. As opposed to Scooby Do who is a timid sort, Tigger has no fear. Of course this may be attributed to the fact that Tigger is one slice short of a full loaf, but that is probably appropriate since that same comment was made about me when some of my friends learned about his trip.

Day 3

Last night was spent at the home of friends Jane and Bob Borne. As always they were gracious hosts. I have probably mooched more free nights of lodging from them than any one else. Their problem is they have had homes in such great places like Vail, Colorado and Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Thanks again Jane and Bob.

Today was another great day of riding. After some interstate mileage I got back on the Blue Ridge Parkway for over 100 miles. I have observed that the Parkway in Virginia is significantly lower in altitude and the curves much more gradual. For a motorcyclist it is almost like therapy. In addition I added another park and another state to my list.

Another scientific study was conducted today. On a weekday in the summer there are 4.875 motorcycles to every car using the Blue Ridge. This study was conducted over a period of time which exactly coincided with the amount of time it took me to get bored with the study. I know you are asking yourself what .875 of a motorcycle looks like going down the road. All I can say is it is a sight to behold.

I did manage to purchase a new camera, but now I need to learn how to use it. That will be my project for later this evening. More pictures tomorrow, I promise.

As I was riding down I-77 I saw a couple pass me and each of them had a foot stuck out the window. This looked very uncomfortable to me. If by some cruel twist of fate I found myself in that position I think they would have to use the “jaws of life” to extract me.

I have decided that Wrangler, while knowledgeable in many areas, is not the best consultant for what I do and do not need on this trip. I am embarrassed to say that the stack of stuff I have on the back of the bike is higher than me. As soon as I take a shortened day or rest day I am going to pack a bunch of it in a box and send it home.

Day 2

Today I rode from Valdosta, Georgia to Maggie Valley, North Carolina. I am spending the night with Jane and Bob Borne. They have been long time clients and friends. Bob built our first house in Florida. The weather was definitely cooler today and the rain consisted of a few very light showers. Total mileage was 430 including some very enjoyable riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I visited three more National Park Sites including Ocmulgee National Monument, Smokey Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, the brand new camera that I purchased quit working so I was not able to take any photos.

As I was riding up I-75 from Valdosta, I did a very scientific study of how many signs per mile were visible. Scientific in that when I ran out of fingers and toes I actually had to rely on my memory which may render a "slightly" higher probability of error. There was one stretch that I counted at least 75 different signs in a single mile. Even more interesting was one particular double sign I observed. The top part was advertising sensual massage by a very seductive looking Asian lady and the bottom had only the words “Do Good Things” with a reference to bible scripture. I’m still trying to figure out the cosmic significance of both of these messages posted on the same billboard.

Several individuals have commented on the technology I am carrying with me. What red blooded, all American techno geek would not carry all of the latest gadgets to enhance his experience? Some people say that all of this “stuff” takes away from the true enjoyment. To those people I say read the owners manual because you obviously can’t figure how to use these wonderful marvels of our modern world. My list includes:

Two GPS units (you need a backup here)
One iPod
Two Sony Mini Disc Players (don’t really need a backup here, but I had two so why not)
One Dell laptop
One BlackBerry
One Cannon digital camera (non functioning)
One digital tire gauge
An assortment of chargers
One DC to AC converter in case I need to charge anything from the motorcycle
One very short multiple outlet plug so I can charge all of this stuff at once

I plan on visiting that most venerable of American institutions, Wal Mart, to buy another camera so I can visually share with you my journey.

The Adventure Begins

Today was the first official day of my ride. I visited Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. I don’t know for sure, but I think it may have been just me and the Florida Panthers in Everglades today. Obviously it is a park more visited in the winter. It is impossible to get out of Florida this time of year without running into rain and I encountered my share today. It was actually quite refreshing after riding in the sun with temperatures hovering near 100.

I pulled my first "bone head move" of the trip. I was going to be smart and bring my Sun Pass so I could ride the turnpike and not have to stop at every toll booth. When I went through the first booth I realized I had my automatic gate opener for work. I now have to contact the State of Florida, confess to my stupidity and beg for forgiveness.

I rode 508 miles today and only 18 of them were in Georgia. Florida is one long state. Since I have ridden most of the route many times before, all I did was “crunch miles” after my stops in Everglades and Biscayne. I know one thing for sure. My back side has a long way to go if I am ever to become an “Iron Butt” rider. I’m told it is like anything else. The longer you do it, the more accustom you become.

Tomorrow promises to be more interesting as I ride through the mountains of northern Georgia and North Carolina. Smokey Mountain National Park is on the route and I hope to stay with friends in North Carolina tomorrow night.

Prolog

Since June 14th was to be the official start of my trip, I decided to call my ride today the prolog. I rode 230 miles from Sarasota, Florida to Homestead, Florida. Part of my trip was through the Big Cypress Swamp. I’ve seen dogs, cats, deer, hogs, antelope, elk and many other types of animals along the side of the road after being hit by a car or truck, but today is the first time I saw an alligator. And I didn’t just see one, but three. Thankfully, none of them were there to get in my way on the motorcycle.

I have read that when you are packing for a long trip and are trying to pack light you should place everything you think you need on a table or bed, then come back later an get rid of half of it. I could not decide what to get rid of so I asked Wrangler, and he indicated he thought I needed everything as well. So, as you can see I have it all on the bike.

Tomorrow will be my first national park visit. I will be in Everglades National Park and Biscayne Bay National Park. They are each about 15 miles from Homestead but in opposite directions. I hope to at least get out of Florida tomorrow, but it is a long state.