I hope you enjoyed the ride this year.  It seemed to go by more quickly this time around.  This year I didn’t have to do any parking lot or roadside repair jobs.

And even more importantly, no major Harley dealer required repairs.

This is the first year in a long time that hasn’t required some wrenching.  I even had the rear tire replaced before I left so I wouldn’t have that to do that in Atlanta.

Additionally – I was able to avoid any serious rain – another first.  So – all in all a very lucky ride and a great time.

6,202 miles and twenty-four days later, I’m back home and trading my biker duds in for ranch hand clothing and getting right to work.  Thanks again & I’ll see you next year if not before.  Y’all Take Care.

Day 16

I left Arkansas on a southbound route that leads into the Cherokee Indian Reservation.  Oklahoma has A LOT of reservation land.  I think the official percentage is 43% but this map sure looks like more than that.  There are 38 different tribes with OK reservations.

When you get onto a reservation in Arizona it’s pretty clear that you are on the REZ.  Here in OK not so much.  They do have an abundance of homes that look similar to this.  Efficiency homes provided by the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation.

I spent about an hour on the Cherokee reservation and didn’t see hardly anyone that I could identify as obviously “Indian”.  I asked about that and was told that most of the Indians on OK reservations are not 100% Indian.  In AZ that’s the other way around.

It was a windy day, and after I rode through a thick cloud of dust down up from an unplanted farm, I decided to leave the country roads and headed for the slab, I-40 specifically.  As long as I’m going to be in Oklahoma City early, I called around and found replacement grips for the bike. I found the grips and the dealer stuck em on while I waited.

The service department guys were at lunch and all sitting outside near where my bike was waiting.  I sat on it and checked out the new grips.  I told them, “This is better than your ol’ lady getting a boob job for ya.”   My slab time really paid off this time around.

Day 17

In Oklahoma City I was visiting Bert and his family – the guy with the black corvette.  I was only there a few hours before it was time to get back on the road.

This is Lexi, their daughter.  Another one of those kids that’s growing up way too quickly.

Oklahoma isn’t all flat land.  These are the Wichita Mountains and my GPS has chosen a route that will take me right through them.  Perfect!!

It’s a wildlife refuge as well – and they have free roaming bison – that’ll slow your roll a little.  Nobody wants to round a corner and have a buffalo blocking the road.

It was a fun ride though the refuge with zero encounters with the buffalo.  However, just so you know that they are out there – here is a picture of about a dozen grazing and napping.

The rest of the ride out of Oklahoma and into Texas was uneventful.  Wind advisories are in effect just about everywhere I’m going today – here’s my wind picture for 2025.  But as you can see – blue skies – I’ll take the wind over rain every time.

Much of Texas is flat land and the roads are straight – but not here.

This road is a lonely road which is just fine with me.  If I’d had the wind at my back, I’d have been enjoying the 75 mph speed limit too, but the wind was 30 mph in my face.

The flat parts of the country is where you have to pay for the great riding roads.  There’s stuff to look at out here but it ain’t much.  And, it’s a small price to pay – IMHO.

Here in Memphis, TX they still have brick roads, bricks make a rough road.  The sign on the side of the building quotes lyrics from a Tom T. Hall song named That’s How I got to Memphis.  I always thought he was singing about Memphis, TN – I guess it could have been Memphis, Texas……

I kinda laughed when I saw this on a gas station window.  A couple years ago I decided to have a basket of livers & gizzards at a gas station in Mississippi.  That did not go well – I will spare you the details.  I seriously doubt that I’ll be indulging in this gourmet treat from a gas station again.  That’s a lesson I am not interested in relearning.

Texas wind can ruin your windmill.  This Aeromotor has seen better days.

I met five or six guys from this club here at the Clovis, NM Super 8.  They are not an outlaw club but consist mostly of law enforcement, fire fighters, and business professionals (but they look like bikers for sure).  They are riding to Ruidoso, NM, a small town up in the Sierra Blanca mountains.  At 6,739 feet, it should be a welcome change from the record heat they are having now in Kansas.

A forest fire in Arizona is blocking my desired route back into my home state, so I’ll be heading up to I-40 from here.  See you in a couple days.

Yesterday several folks said, “You sure picked a beautiful day for a motorcycle ride” or words to that effect.  This morning those people were silent.  This is what it looked like less than an hour after I checked in yesterday afternoon.

It rained the rest of the night.  I was pretty sure that today was gonna be the day I had to suit up for the rain.  I got everything I could inside the hard bags on the bike and a trash bag over my “suitcase” on top of the trunk.  I was just hoping that I would have some cover to get under when it was time to put my waterproofs on.  Doing that on the side of the road is much more difficult – especially a road like this.

I was watching the weather radar and timed my departure between two bands of rain.  The roads were fairly wet but not wet enough for the tires to splash up very much water.  The last time I was in the area, Bert and I rode along the border of Arkansas and Missouri on our way to Branson. That was an amazing road so I headed that direction & was not disappointed.  I took the turns more slowly since the traction provided by wet asphalt is considerably less than dry asphalt, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying myself.  These are country roads and I had them all to myself.  I highly recommend Missouri’s Arkansas border road.  I’ll be back!!

I was thinking I’d head for Branson, but more than that, I was trying to outrun the rain behind me and not catch up with what was in front of me.  I call it riding into the light. It’s a little game I play with Mother Nature – I rarely win. I was ahead in our little game until I got to Bakersfield, MO.  I stopped for some gas station brunch and to stretch my legs, and stayed a little too long – it started raining – sigh.  It took 20 minutes to get out in front of it, and by then I was pretty wet.  Another win for Mother Nature.

The skies ahead looked promising.  High clouds vs low clouds and much more light coming through them.  Bonus – the road is dry.

These folks are cleaning up from tornado damage.  Looks like a double wide that was split in half and demolished.

This little piggy decided to put up a stick built home.  The remains of their trailer are behind the pile of fallen trees on the left.  There was other tornado damage in the town as well.  I’m so glad I don’t live in tornado alley with The Big Bad Wolf.

Do not despair, the whole day wasn’t rain and tornado damage….

He’s cute for sure.  My wife could probably tell you what kind of horse you need to breed with that black mare to have a chance to get a foal that color.

Then there was this little guy.  When I came around the corner there was a doe in the road.  She continued across and this fawn came out behind her.  I stopped the bike so he could go any direction safely.  I thought one of his legs might be broken by the way he was walking but he was fine – he just wasn’t old enough to know how to use his legs – a newborn for sure.  His mom went through a hole in the fence but he missed the hole.  He bumped his nose against the fence then curled up, hiding until his mom could return for him.  I was tempted to go somewhere out of sight and see how long it took her to come back – but I had to be satisfied with the encounter.

Other than a few sprinkles, the rest of the ride was dry, and by the end of it, I was in the sunshine and totally dried out.  From what I hear on the weather channel (about the only thing I watch on these rides) the rest of my ride will likely be hot and dry.  Not my favorite but cold and wet is absolutely the worst.  Until tomorrow…….

Happy Mother’s Day  What a great time in Owensboro with Heather and her family.  The kids are really growing up – as they tend to do ~~ while we stay the same age, how does that happen??

The obligatory timeline shot of the kids on the bike

Going for a ride

I am so blessed to have such awesome people in my extended family – love you all.

On my way out of Owensboro I was almost immediately back on a farm road.  Any closer and you’d be working the land.  This corn should be Knee high by Forth of July then as “high as an elephant’s eye” (from the 1943 musical Oklahoma).

Soon enough the land was too hilly to farm but the honeysuckle was still there.

Did you know that you can actually taste the nectar from honeysuckle? To get to the nectar, pick the flower along with the stem below it.  Pull on the stem and the middle of the flower (pistil) will come out and leave a bead of nectar for you to taste.  You will instantly know why the humming birds and bees are so attracted.

It’s a big river but it’s not the Mississippi – It’s the Ohio.

That’s the Mississippi.  Forty miles from here, (Cape Girardeau) the Ohio river joins up with the Mississippi and the Mighty Mississippi continues its journey to the Gulf of America.  Is that official yet???

By the time I got to Missouri, I was looking for a leg stretcher and decided to stop at the Bollinger Mill and Burfordville covered bridge. In 1797, George Frederick Bollinger received a land grant in Upper Louisiana from the Spanish Government and moved with several other families from North Carolina to what is now Burfordville, Missouri. In 1800, Bollinger began building the dam and mill (out of logs) on the Whitewater River.  Twenty-five years later he rebuilt the mill and dam using limestone. After Bollinger’s death, his daughter and her sons continued to operate the mill until the Civil War. The mill was burned by the Union army in order to prevent the supply of flour and meal to the Confederate army. Following the war, the current four-story brick mill was built on the limestone foundation of the 1825 building. in 1897 the Cape County Milling Company took over operations and continued operating the mill until 1953.  The mill was sold and later donated to the State of Missouri.

Mills are usually very tall buildings.  The grain (corn or wheat) is transferred to the top of the building at the beginning, and from there, gravity is used to help move the it through the milling process.

After the mill, much of the rest of the ride through Missouri looked similar to this.  Not really making any time but really enjoying the ride – that’s what it’s all about.

Then right in the middle of all the beauty – –

I should have stopped and asked this guy WTF – he’s sitting right there!!  He must have some kinda grudge against one of the nearby land owners.  There is no way to amass this level of trash and crap without really making an effort.  The poster child for HOAs.  But I don’t want to leave you with this as your final image.

Today I had perfect weather and good roads – it was a wonderful day for a bike ride.  Most of the roads I was on had homes here and there on either side.  Folks out mowing their yards, getting ready for BBQ’s, and generally enjoying their Mother’s Day.  Quite a few of them waved ~ and I waved back…..

You’re wondering, did we get to take my buddy’s Corvette out on the track.  Yes we did.  I’ve driven the track a couple times but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to be a passenger.  Riding in the car is a whole lot different than driving it because you don’t have a steering wheel to hold on to.  It was a blast!

Bert’s driving skills are finely tuned and it was a real pleasure to ride around with him.

This is what 124 mph in the straightaway looks like.  Inside the car it looked like we were going way too fast!!  Like I said, it was a blast – Thanks Bert.

The next morning I was headed for Owensboro.  Bert and I used to ride motorcycles together an he thought it would be fun to follow me around on the backroads for a while before he got back on the slab for his home in Oklahoma City.

He followed me around for a couple hours then split off and headed home.  I might be stopping at his place on my way home.

Today’s ride was a short one and today’s post will be too.  It was a cool but dry ride and I did make a couple wrong turns here and there but that’s how you run across a lot of the cool stuff.  This is another example of country humor I thought I’d share.

And at the end of the fence…………..

It was chilly this morning but unlike yesterday, I was NOT cold.  I seriously thought all the cold weather was behind me when I packed away my cold weather gear – I’ve got it on this morning.

The roads out of Lebanon were up and down and right and left.  The turns were what we call “sweepers.”  They’re the 40 mph and 50 mph turns that are no problem at 65 on a bike and are just enough fun to break things up and make it interesting.  That’s the way it started.

I’ve told you that my GPS has a peculiar sense of humor.  After I decided I didn’t want to take the road it recommended, this was its answer.  This road reminded me of the roads in Ireland that are supposed to be wide enough for two cars to pass.  I was on this road for 3+ miles and luckily never met anyone going the other way.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the challenge my GPS gives me – most of the time….

It’s being on the back roads that reveals these hidden gems.  For those of you that might not know.  The wheels of this truck are round bales of hay & that is a car under the front wheels – Monster Truck style.  Gotta love country humor.  FYI – a regular bale of hay weighs around 90 lbs, a round bale weighs up to 1,500 pounds.

Gladly, the fragrance in the air here is not jasmine.  There is an occasional, faintly sweet, aroma and best I can figure, this is the source.  This is rosa multiflora, or the Japanese Rose.  In eastern North America, it’s considered an invasive species. It was originally introduced from Asia as a soil conservation measure, as a natural hedge to border grazing land, and to attract wildlife. It is a natural hedge and no doubt helps with soil conservation – but there are whole web sites devoted to ways to eradicate it.  All I care about is that it smells WAY better than jasmine.

When was the last time you had a White Castle slider?  When I saw this place I decided instantly that I was stopping for lunch.  Problem was that I was on the wrong side of the road.  If any law enforcement officer witnessed the maneuver I made to get to the other side – we would have, at the very least, been having a conversation.

I remember really enjoying White Castle sliders.  I’ve tried the frozen ones and there’s no comparison to the taste I remember.  All I have to say is – taste preferences change over time.  I won’t be stopping for White Castle sliders again.

Since 1981 every single Corvette has been built here in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  If the weather holds out – I’ll be riding around the race track in one tomorrow.

Overall today was a great day on the bike – See y’all in a couple days.

Yesterday I stopped a little early for the rain.  This is where I was going. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile road known as “America’s Favorite Drive.”

I’ve ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway end to end in both directions and sections here and there along the way.  It’s such an awesome motorcycle road that I couldn’t resist riding at least some of it as long as I’m here.  There are many excellent views as well.

I wish I’d taken a video of this as well as the picture.  The clouds left and right were rolling over the west side of the mountain, behind me, and down the east side.  If you look closely, you can see the movement in the clouds on the right; the clouds over the windshield were doing the same thing. I stood and watched in awe for a couple minutes before I took the shot – So Cool

A few miles down the road, this is the view to the west.

And this is what it looks like at the very top at almost 4,000 feet.

The views alone are worth the drive but for motorcycle riders, the ones that can ride anyway, the allure of the ridge road is all the turns. There is technique involved in riding a motorcycle through turns.  Anyone can do it slowly but doing it at any speed requires some skill and courage.  For me, being any good at it requires practice.  In actuality, on a motorcycle, it’s a game of life and death.  So, I don’t push it too hard, but I am pushing it. With that push comes adrenaline and a feeling of accomplishment – what a breakfast!!

It probably had something to do with getting an early start, but I was virtually the only one on the road.  Go as fast or slow as you want. The speed limit is 45 mph – but where’s the fun in that?  I was in motorcycle rider’s heaven.  And my bike was having fun too – finally  getting to use the edges of the tires instead of just the centers.

I don’t know how many turns there are in 469 miles but it’s A LOT.  Riding it end to end is like having to eat an entire cake in one sitting.  A piece or two is plenty but the whole thing’s gonna be WAY too much.  Turning something great into something miserable.

I was having lots of fun, fast – slow, easy – on the edge, you get it I’m sure.  I was near the edge my skill level in one of the turns and felt the tires slip a little – oops.  The culprit, I discovered, was these flower petals and stuff from the overhanging trees.  Gonna to have to add that to the equation.

After about 40 miles, the parkway was closed for maintenance and my cornering prowess had been honed to a butter knife’s edge.  I would have liked to stay a little bit longer but my soul was completely rejuvenated from the experience and I was happy!!

Getting kicked off the parkway before I planned, my GPS had to think a bit to do the recalculation.  The road it put me on had a sign prohibiting semi trucks and also said, “GPS routing discouraged.”  What – another adventure?  Challenge Accepted!!  The road wasn’t horrible, but it did require strict attention and I didn’t get a chance to take any pictures; you’ll have to take my word for it.

This is another kind of road where you aren’t covering many miles but really enjoying the experience.  No centerline or edge lines, and no shoulder.  Farms and ranches in the valley on the left and on the hillside to the right.  I had to stop to take this picture because in addition to all the scenery, this road has its share of up and down and several no notice turns.  Even more fun!!!

That road ended in Blacksburg, VA where I stopped for fuel and to warm up.  I’d moved all my cold weather clothes deep into the bike and didn’t want to take everything apart to get to it.  I just kept thinking it would warm up & it never really did.  Anyway – turns out Blacksburg is the home of Virginia Tech College.  I was at the gas station for almost half an hour and it was interesting to see so many young people and listen to them talk.  Not good or bad – just interesting.

From Blacksburg it was more about getting to Lebanon than anything else.  I did put my rain gear on, mostly to cut the wind and was warm~ish for the rest of the day.  Just a little bit of spitting rain here and there along the way but nothing got wet.  All in all – it was a wonderful day, and I’m still smiling.

My four day stay in the Norfolk, VA area was so I could visit with some friends I’ve had since my Air Force days.  Someone did the math and came up with 47 years.  These are salt of the earth folks and I consider myself blessed to have such great people as friends.

And yes, the kid in the back row is really that tall.

3,300 miles to Newport News – time to start heading west.

Just across the James River, in Smithfield, VA, is St. Luke’s Church.  It is the oldest brick church in Virgina built circa 1632.  It started out as an Anglican church and is now an Episcopal church and museum.

Saint Luke  The patron saint of various groups, including physicians, surgeons, and artists.  He also wrote the third Gospel in the Bible and the second book of the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles.

A bit farther down the road in Colonial Heights, VA I stopped in at the Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum. They get you started in the parking lot.

They’ve got 200 tractors, 120 trucks, and 25+ cars.  That top car is a ’57 chevy.  This one inside is in a little better condition.

This is a 1936 Cord 810 “Coffin Nose” – pretty cool.

Somebody donated their old Harley collection.  The seats on these bikes are about knee high.  A couple buddies of mine actually ride old Harleys like these to different events around the country.  I’d like to say I could do it – but probably not.

Remember when semi trucks looked like this?  Back in the 50’s the restrictions were based on total length of truck (tractor) and trailer.  So – to make the trailer longer, they smashed in the nose of the truck, and the cab over (cab over the engine) was the result.  In the 80’s length restrictions were shifted to the trailer and the noses popped back out giving the driver a lot more room.

The museum is 3.5 acres in all and if you’re a tractor guy – or gal – this would be a bucket list stop.  They also have a diner that serves breakfast, I almost had some.

I’ve been on this road before and wanted to stop here but it was a weekend or something so I just snapped a picture through the chain link and kept going.  Today they were open so I went inside.  It’s pretty cool because you can go inside some of the exhibits.Continuing westerly with an eye on the sky the sunshine turned to clouds that could no longer “hold their water”.  I was hiding in a gas station waiting the storm out, trying to secure lodging, and contemplating what I’d be having for supper.

Don’t laugh – I’ve eaten these and worse for dinner.  But today is Cinco de Mayo and although delectable, these options just would not do.

They did not have the ingredients for a proper margarita, but this glass of Don Julio Blanco was a very good substitute.  Salud!

When I rolled into Sunset Beach, NC, my host had his crockpot Philled with a pot roast. It was very good, but I was a bit surprised at the seasoning; it was just ~ interesting.  I asked about it and he said that this is what he used.  I’m going to try it out and thought you might like to as well.  You’re welcome.

I got out of Sunset Beach pretty early.  Phil made us a lumberjack’s breakfast and I was stuffed and on the road by 7:15.  And this time I had plenty of gas. If you don’t remember, it was here that I ran out of gas last year – hopefully I’ve learned my lesson.

Speaking of gasoline – have you ever wondered why the gasoline coming out of the nozzle at the gas pump has so many bubbles in it.  I looked it up & the easy answer is, it’s part of the automatic shut-off function. But if you wanna go down that rabbit hole here is a full explanation of how the nozzle works.

Today on the road was an odoriferous day. One of those odors was the fertilizer they spray on these fields.  It’s a pretty strong unpleasant chemical smell.  Thankfully, it was only there at the start of the day.

Another smell that you are going to just have to get used to is jasmine.  It grows wild out here and is EVERYWHERE.  The honeysuckle tries to compete but it’s not as strong as the jasmine.  The worst place for the jasmine is Louisiana, but it’s pretty bad here as well.

Lastly in the odor department was not a chicken truck.  This was at least five times worse than a chicken truck. There was an opposite direction semi and as it passed I could see that it was some kind of animal hauler – then it HIT ME. The truck was hauling hogs. Even though it passed me going the other direction, the air behind it for at least a quarter mile was fouled. Then there were two more hog haulers – it was BAD.  Then I saw why all the hogs.

The trucks were headed to (or leaving) this Smithfield processing plant in Clinton, NC. It didn’t smell bad close to the plant, it actually smelled like bacon – or I guess, ham.  Pig facts:  China has the most production – more than the USA & EU combined.  Iowa is the largest hog producer US state. In 2013 a Chinese conglomerate bought Smithfield foods. Smithfield is by far the largest processor in the US, it’s THREE MILLION square foot Tar Heel, NC plant is said to be the largest slaughter house in the world.  Its heavily automated disassembly line, is capable of processing up to 32,000 hogs per day.  And…. if you see one of these coming your way – take a deep breath and be prepared to hold it for a while. And you’ll need to spit out your chewing gum.

You know you’re in the country when you have to follow farm equipment on the roads.

I’m not sure what was in the cloud this sprayer emitting.  I was skedaddling around him quick as I could (after I got this picture for you). Hopefully it was just dust…..

Near the end of a 365 mile 8+ hour ride today.  On the bridge crossing the James River on my way into Newport News.  I’ll be here for a few days; giving us both another weekend off.  Your next post will likely be Tuesday morning.  Until then —–

I tried to get y’all some culture this morning. Alas, the Museum was closed.

I have been corrected.  I said there’s an unwritten speed limit plus 10 rule – I guess it’s called Ten Over not +10.  That rule says that you’re almost certainly not going to get a ticket as long as you’re going less than 10 mph over the limit.  At ten over your odds go up exponentially with each mile per hour.

The ride today was leisurely for the most part.  Good backroads through the countryside with sweeping turns.  By the afternoon the sun was out and the temperatures were high enough that the tar snakes were waking up. Their presence makes those sweeping turns a bit more challenging. It’s a little unnerving when your tires slip an inch or so when you’re leaned over in a turn. So you pick your line very carefully and if you can’t find a line that’s mostly tar free – you slow down!!  Takes some of the fun out of it.

I’ve seen some Spanish Moss but this tree was truly covered with it!  I’m wondering if these folks weren’t trying to grow it, having a contest even, because a couple other houses on the same street had similar trees – but nowhere else did I see anything that even compared.

In this part of the country, I’m always looking for racetracks.  Darlington is pretty easy to find, and even though I’ve been here before – I’m stopping.  Before the development of larger tracks, Darlington was NASCAR’s first true superspeedway. It’s home to NASCAR’s Official Throwback Weekend in the spring and the iconic Southern 500 on Labor Day Weekend.  Darlington is widely considered the most challenging track in NASCAR. Its asymmetrical shape and abrasive track surface are just a couple of the reasons they call it “The track too tough to tame”.  They also call it “The Lady in Black”.  In 1965, after the track was resurfaced, a noted NASCAR writer compared the track’s allure and unpredictability to that of Mata Hari, a German spy and exotic dancer, calling it “as unpredictable as any woman” and therefore “The Lady in Black”. 

This is a pulpwood truck.  Do Not follow them closely or you will be dodging bark, dirt clods and various other detritus that will be falling from them. These trees are ground and processed into a fibrous pulp. The pulp is commonly used to make paper but it’s also used for wood chips, energy pellets, and engineered wood products.  I got past this one before he “got” me.

As I neared the ocean, the twisty roads straightened out and the terrain flattened enough to farm; this is wheat.  It’s been a fun day.  I even did a little wandering around at the end of the ride taking a couple roads just to see where they went.

This is my Georgia family.  Only a mom & 3 daughters to start with. Just look at them now, and there’s a couple missing!!!

Yea, I know – I shoulda stood in that gap in the center – Next time…….

The road to Greenville is only 3 hours on the interstate; my circuitous route took around eight hours. And while I can’t say that I loved every minute, it was way more good than bad.  Additionally, the weather was perfect.  Light jacket in the AM and sun screen necessary very shortly after that.  Who could ask for more.

Does that look out of focus? Check out the windshield – Nice…

I’ve never seen wood carving combined with driftwood sculpture – until now

Very little traffic on the back roads turned into city traffic going through Bill Elliot’s home town.  Bill Elliott was a NASCAR driver known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville.  Anyway – I had a bit of a close call there and decided that as long as I’m going to be mixing it up with traffic, I might as well make up some time on the slab and eliminate the crossing traffic at intersections. I-85 in this area is rough as a COB and I didn’t last long; after about 20 miles I bailed out.  The rest of the ride to Greenville was just what I needed to restore my state of mind.

I told you about my spirit riders; my little brother Chuck is one of them. He’s was a real prankster and a very funny guy.  I was a little bored with my playlist and thought I’d check out the FM radio.  That Guy – – – –

The reason I’m in Greenville is to see these folks. Brandy is the daughter of one of my best friends (brother really) from my Air Force days.  I can’t say enough good things about these two.  Our visit was easily the high point of my day.  You can bet that I’ll be back to check on y’all next year.  Until Then – – –

I remember when my beard was that color.

Today (Friday) I was trying to get somewhere and see some friends along the way.  Alas, this often translates to slab time.  It’s okay though because, in this case the, end justifies the means.  And – I wasn’t on the slab the whole time.

You may recall having seen Ned & Joan previously my blog.  They are friends of ours from fishing in Canada. I used to visit them in down in the Florida panhandle, but Ned retired and they moved to northern Alabama.  They are great people and next time through I’ll likely be spending a little more time with them.

Ned is pointing at a sticker on my helmet that says CRASHING SUCKS  I happen to have some experience, and can testify that it does.

I told you Ned & Joan are friends from our Canada fishing days, well it’s time for a fish story, but this one is true.  Ned and I fished together a lot, and I’m telling you – that guy can catch a fish!!  It’s a rainy day but the tides and the winds are right for halibut fishing, and we’re going rain or shine.  We were going to try a new spot we think might hold some flat fish.  After a 30 min boat ride we’re there. The boat hadn’t even stopped before Ned’s had his line in the water. I get the boat shut off and grab my rod and BAM Ned has a FISH ON. By the way the fish is fighting we’re both pretty sure it’s a halibut. It takes at least 15 minutes to get this monster in the boat. It ended up weighing 65 pounds and was at the very top of the limit – any bigger and you have to throw ’em back.  What a great fish!!  It’s too big to put in the fish box, so I’m working on a place we can put it on the deck and still be able to fish. I look up and Ned’s already got his line back in the water and five seconds later BAM another fish on; looks like another halibut to boot.  This one was a little bit smaller, about 55 pounds.  The halibut limit is one per license per day, so we’re done, and head back to camp – I hadn’t even wet a line. We were back so soon that folks thought something must be wrong.  I was very happy for Ned, and very happy that he let me get in the picture with him and his two slabs.

We fished that exact spot many times after this day – never got a nibble.

Back on the bike and headed for Sharpsburg.  I usually spend about a week there, but this time it’s going to be just a couple days.  I meant to stop at Buc-ee’s just east of Birmingham, but I was in the fast lane when the exit got close and I woulda had to do some fancy riding to make it over – so I just kept going.  Buc-ee’s isn’t something everyone knows about but they are expanding and it won’t be long – you will.  If you see one, and you’ve never been, stop – you’ll be amazed.

I got off the slab with enough time to end today’s ride on some of the roads I prefer to travel.  It’s been a great day and I’m really looking forward to seeing my GA Family.

I got out of Jacksonville early this morning.  I put Natachosis, LA in my GPS and let it pick the roads (which in itself can be quite the adventure).  Then – I noticed it was going to put me on Interstate 20 – DAMN.  I forgot I that I canceled my No Highways road preference yesterday.  So, I got that oversight taken care of and started heading the other direction.  Oh well, all part of the adventure but I thought I’d explain why the ride map looks like it does.

Well, that’s one reason – We’ll get to the reason I was on the slab at the end, by my own choice, later.

Whenever I leave Texas I always think of that line from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet – Parting is such sweet sorrow.  I lived in Texas for a few years when I was in the Air Force and have always liked the state and the people there.

For me, Louisiana has always been a ride through state.  I don’t know anyone there, andI haven’t been able to find a good road in LA.  The ones with decent scenery have bumps and dips that will launch you off the seat.  The ones that are halfway good as far as the road surface goes are pretty boring.  This time I went through on Hwy 84.  Not a good road surface, but okay – and not much scenery but hey, it’s Louisiana.  Someone help me out here – I need a good Louisiana motorcycle road.

This is what Hwy 84 looks like.  Not a bad road, but very little to see.  This would be one of those 90 mph roads but it’s too rough, that AND – and stroking a check to the state of Louisiana (for the speeding ticket) would really irritate me….  SO – I use the plus ten rule and head for Mississippi.  And today – hope to stay dry in the process.

Speaking of which – Is that blue sky ahead?  That would make me happy.  Nope – in fact that is what’s known in the aviation world as a sucker hole.  I had such high hopes, then right outside of Jena, LA – it started raining and I got pretty wet.  I did find a gas station in Jena so I parked the bike between the pumps and waited for the storm to pass.  While I was waiting I made a couple calls to see about fixing this.

The baffle fell out of my right muffler.  Maybe “fell” isn’t an accurate description.  I was passing a line of cars with a couple of semis in the lead.  By the time I got to the head semi the speedometer was over 100 and the sound from the exhaust had changed.  So – maybe ejected or expelled would be a better verb.  In any case, I need to get that fixed if I can.  Turns out the good folks at Chunky River Harley Davidson in Meridian, MS had just what I needed – all I gotta do is get there….

On the way I crossed the Mighty Mississippi River.  It’s pretty full and running very fast from all the rain.  Did you know that the lakes upstream from the river hold back water (to be released later) to help keep the river from overflowing?  You do now…

One of my friends asked how many places I’ve crossed the Mississippi River.  I’m not too sure but I’d say 7-10 different places.  I looked it up and there are One Hundred Forty-Five places to cross.  I never would have guessed that many.  

I barely made it to the Harley dealer in time.  I had to get to the slab as quickly as I could, and ride plus 10 (and maybe a little more) the whole way.  The new mufflers aren’t quite the sound or look that I prefer — but beggars can’t be choosers – I’m VERY happy to have them and very happy that the folks over at Chunky River Harley Davidson could hook me up.  I was going to buy a T-shirt to pay homage but wasn’t going to spend $50+ for something I wasn’t going wear.  Harley went off the rails with restrictions on their T-shirts and ruined it for the folks that wear their stuff, trying to please people who never will – Cheese & Rice!!

And Chunky River – really?  I had to know: The Chunky River (a real river nearby) got its name from the Choctaw Indian village of Chanki Chitto.  They played a game there called Tchungkee, a stickball game played with spears and polished stones. Tchungkee River woulda been better – but now you know.

On my way to Tchungkee River H-D (I’m changing their name for them) the bike rolled over 90K.  She’s got a couple issues but that’s a whole lotta miles for a motorcycle.  I think I’ll just keep her – she’s old and a little banged up, but then so am I.

From the parking lot here at the Motel 6.  I haven’t seen this one before so I assume none of you have either.  Is this an advertisement?  To each his own….

With that – have a wonderful day.

First thing this morning, a very nice road – in great condition.  Ahhhhh…….

Last night, Lisa suggested that I check out the Dinosaur Valley State Park near Glen Rose, TX.  They actually have quite a few fossilized dinosaur foot prints.  These are just a few.

We got a decent amount of rain overnight and all the trails were closed, so this is what you get – but it’s a pretty good sized park with a creek running though it and lots of footprints.  Bring your kids and spend the day.  Veterans and active military are free.

Here is an example of Texas speed limits – 60 mph on this two lane no shoulder road.

Whenever I’m in Texas I try to get a shot of Texas Longhorn cattle.  Somewhere between Glen Rose and Eulogy is where I got this shot.  And what about Eulogy for a town name? Here’s the story:  Charles Smith, proposed naming the town Smithville after his uncle, William “Uncle Billy” Smith, a prominent figure in the community.  However, that name was already taken elsewhere in Texas.  Smith’s sister, suggested the name “Eulogy”. She reasoned that since everyone seemed to praise and honor Uncle Billy, it was fitting to name the town after that concept of honoring him.  The community decided to use the name “Eulogy” for its post office in 1885, thus officially naming the town.

Okay – back to the road.  I had a lot of fun riding this morning.  The roads were good the traffic was nonexistent and the weather was perfect.  As the day progressed, I moved into farm land and started playing – name that crop.  These first two are pretty easy.

Did you know – The USA grows 1/3 of the world’s corn.  While most people consider corn a vegetable, it is actually both a grain and a fruit.  An acre of corn eliminates 8 tons of carbon dioxide from our air.  Only 1% of the corn planted in the US is sweet corn.

I saw this at my last gas stop today – Redneck Bidet?

As I mentioned at the start of this post, it rained last night.  I’m on my way to see our AZ neighbors who are working just across the Louisiana border.  I’m following that line of thunderstorms as it moves across Texas – trying to stay dry.  This is what the back of that storm looked like.

When I got to Jacksonville, TX I was getting wet and I still had 160 miles to go.  I had some lunch, checked my weather radar app, and decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and checked into a motel.  That’s a big change for me because, as most of you already know, I’ve always had a – Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead philosophy.

I guess with 65 less than a week away I’m finally getting a little smarter.  I’ve tried to outrun these things a few times and I can’t recall ever winning one of those races.  Still – you gotta know I was tempted.

Time to rest up for tomorrow.

I always look forward to Texas and my friend the wind.  Yesterday it actually seemed like it was just a light breeze in New Mexico, but as soon as I crossed the border into Texas, the wind it was-a blowin’.  And that’s how today started out as well – 20 with gusts to 35.  It’s not much fun to ride in and it REALLY kills your mileage.  Normally I get around 40 mpg, that kind of wind cuts it in half!!

If you remember, the town I stayed in yesterday was Levelland, this is what it looks like.

Not much here to stop the wind.  But I’m not complaining – not after last year’s experience crossing the Northern Plains.  That was wind that I had to take a break from every couple hours.  Today’s was just enough to make you appreciate when you’re out of it; and it didn’t last all day.

I met a guy about my age at one of my gas stops.  He was looking at my bike when I walked out of the store and said he really wished he could still ride.  He used to ride his Harley almost every day but had to sell it because of his health.  His eyes were sad while he was telling his story.  When I rode away, the wind didn’t bother me at all.

Texas is a BIG state with big speed limits.  55 mph roads anywhere else are 75 here; the miles go by very quickly & that’s always a good thing ~ especially when there isn’t all that much to see.

With all the flat land and straight roads that started my day, I was very happy to see a little of this at the end.  And the cold is no more – 85° here.

The folks I’m visiting here are friends from our Canada fishing trips.  We had a very nice dinner and enjoyed catching up.  Looks like that kid just might just have a motorcycle or two in his future……

It’s kind of a slow news day, so I thought I’d share this ~

When I tell folks about my cross country rides, people often ask if I ride with a group.  My reply is usually, “He who travels fastest, goes alone” (from Kipling’s The Winners & a Merle Haggard song).  But the truth is, I’m far from alone.  I have several ghost riders that travel with me.  My mother, brother, uncle, niece – and lots of friends that have finished their time on this earth.  They’re always with me, but it’s a much more palpable presence when I’m on the bike.  Remember the other day when I hit the “speed dip” that compressed every disk in my back?  As I winced in pain I clearly heard my mom say, “Serves you right.”  That made my little brother start laughing, and I laughed with him.  Our mom wasn’t the kind to run and pick you up when you fell.  Mom would walk over to check on you and brush off the dirt.  Then she’d say, “Oh yea, I saw it all – looks like it hurts.  Did you learn anything from that?”  The world needs more moms like her.

It was a lazy start this morning, but I didn’t have that far to go so I thought I’d let it warm up a bit – and it did.  Not sure what the temp was when I left, but I was plenty good with just my chaps & a jacket – no electrics.

That picture for my brother Lester.  It’s his favorite kinda road, straight and flat.  The speed limit here is 65 but it’s difficult to keep it below 90 on roads like this, especially out in the middle of nowhere.  As the road started up over the mountains the speed limit sign said 55 mph.  I gave that the big PFFFT.  Three seconds later I was introduced to a new speed limit enforcement device.  I’m going to call it a speed dip.  At 55 probably no big deal, but at 80 – it will take your breath away and send you looking for an “adjustment.”  I don’t really believe in chiropractors, so I adjusted my speed, and hoped my back would recover.  I don’t know the story, but I believe this guy failed to make the proper adjustments.

It is one of the most elaborate road side memorials I have seen.  There were several memorials over the next 15 or 20 miles.  Fun doesn’t come without some risk. Exceeding your experience level can be, and often is, fatal.  Or – you can be doing the safe & sane thing, at or even below the speed limit and an opposite direction car just crosses over into your lane……  Rest in Peace.

My destination this morning was the Billy the Kid museum in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.  A friend of mine at the golf course told me that it was worth visiting ~ I have to agree. What it looks like to me, is that the museum opened in 1953 to showcase some interesting Billy the Kid stuff.  Then, everyone within a few hundred miles with something to donate to a museum did, and the place started to grow into what it is today.  Some Billy stuff but lots of other very interesting items from times gone by.

For those who might not know, here is a condensed Billy the Kid story:  William H. Bonney was born in New York City.  He moved to Kansas with his family where his father died.  His mother re-married in Santa Fe and they moved to Silver City.  When Billy was fifteen, his mother died of tuberculosis.  That’s when he started his life of crime and was arrested for steeling a bundle of laundry.  Billy was jailed for the crime but escaped and left Silver City.  Billy was a primary figure in the Lincoln County War and continued his criminal career.  He was captured by Sheriff Pat Garret at the age of 21 and sentenced to be hanged for killing Sheriff William Brady.  He escaped from the Lincoln County Jail (killing two deputies in the process) and went to Fort Sumner to marry his girl and flee to Mexico.  Sheriff Garret trailed Billy to Pete Maxwell’s house where he shot and killed Billy the Kid, 11 weeks after his escape.

The Billy the Kid story is full of inconsistencies:  Billy said he killed 21 men, while the actual number was closer to 10.  Did Pat Garret kill Billy in his sleep, or (as Pat Garret said in his book) was he lying in wait in the dark bedroom when Billy came in.  Who was Billy’s girlfriend, and was she pregnant?  The list goes on and on.  I’m confident that anyone with a story to tell either embellished it to make themselves look better or Billy to look badder – or both.  So – the full truth of the life and times of Billy the Kid will likely never be known…….

This is Billy the Kid’s rifle that he gave to one of his friends after he escaped the Lincoln County Jail.  If you’re in the area it’s worth the 30 min walk through.  AND you can get a tour, which would probably be a much better experience.

Back on the road out of New Mexico and into Texas.  Plenty of time to look around here but not much to see.  I was passed on this road by someone going well over 100 mph.  It’s not a good enough road to be pushing it much past 80 with a loaded motorcycle; not to mention the 20 mph crosswind.

This last picture is for my dad.  That cartoon is Wille Wirehand and he is the mascot of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.  My dad used to work for the Sulfur Springs Valley Electric Co-op in Willcox, AZ.  This building is the offices of the Lamb County Electric Co-op in Littlefield, TX.  And just in case you didn’t know,  Littlefield is where Waylon Jennings was born & raised.   See you tomorrow…..

First off – Happy Easter.  I know you won’t be getting this until Monday or later, but it’s still Easter Sunday for me.  Our daughter and granddaughters came to visit right before I left so they are part of the story.  We thoroughly enjoy the time we get to spend with these girls and they love being at the ranch.  This time, they got to pick out our new baby chicks.  We’ve got 9 chicks and with the price of eggs we might just start a cottage industry.

It was cold this morning and for once, I was dressed for it.  The power cord you see under my left glove controls my heated jacket liner and heated gloves.  I haven’t tried every brand, but Gerbing will not let you down!!  By the way – that blue text is a link.  I will provide links throughout my blogs – click them to get more info.  Also, if you click on any of the pictures, they should display full size so you can REALLY see.

Being Easter Sunday I thought the traffic might be difficult at times with the weekend warriors out in full force.  However, as soon as I turned off I-17 towards the mountains I was just about the only one going my direction.  The few vehicles I did encounter were quickly dispatched and I continued on my way unencumbered.  Who could ask for more…

I always try to travel on the backroads and the more turns the better.  This snow, along the Mogollon (Muggy-own) Rim is left over from the storm that went through just a couple days ago.  Still cold at 7,000+ feet.

The Mogollon Rim area is where our family used to come for our summer vacation.  The elevation was a break from the heat and we always had fun fishing for trout in the local lakes.

I haven’t been here in a long time but if you spend very much time with our family, you’re going to hear a couple stories about Hawley Lake hijinks.  I won’t bore you with them here – besides, my dad does a better job in the telling.

Just outside Overgaard, this area used to be tall pines.  The Rodeo-Chediski Fire was a massive wildfire in Arizona that burned from June 18 to July 7, 2002. It was the largest wildfire in Arizona’s recorded history at the time, consuming nearly 468,000 acres.  Around 500 homes were lost but thankfully no people.

For those of you that think Arizona is just hot desert this is the Sunrise ski area.  This picture was taken from an elevation of 9,000+ feet.  About 10 miles east the road tops around 9,200 – still quite chilly if you were wondering…..

If you, or anyone you know is interested in a late 70’s Cadillac Seville Opera Coupe, this one is for sale in Springerville, AZ.

Down the road in New Mexico, from the movie Contact, this is the VLA.  It’s a radio astronomy observatory built in the 1970’s that has twenty-eight 25 meter radio telescopes.  They can move them into wide or narrow configurations depending on what they’re concentrating on.  This is the fourth or fifth time I’ve been through here and this is the closest I’ve seen them.  Someday I’ll take the facility tour…..

You might have noticed that the end of the road today is Socorro, New Mexico.  The history of this place is interesting.  The word socorro means help – In 1598 Spanish conquistador Don Juan de Oñate gave the town its name because the Piro Indians living there provided him and his expedition with food and water as they emerged from the Jornada del Muerto (Route of the Dead Man) desert.  The group’s destination was about 35 miles north of Santa Fe – San Juan Pueblo (now Ohkay Owingeh) at the north end of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.  The “Royal Road of the Interior Land” started at Mexico City and went through El Paso, Texas; Las Cruces, Socorro, Belen, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Socorro’s name reflects its historical significance as a place of succor for early explorers and settlers. 

I’ve been a bit remiss at getting everything ready to go for this year’s spring ride.  I don’t know what was keeping me from my preparations but I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.  I figure, I’ve been doing this long enough that I can get it all handled in the three or four days I have left.  Hubris you say?  Possibly……..

Weather Already:  In order to avoid a wet start, I’ll be making some changes to my starting date, the way I’m going – or both.  As with all weather driven decisions I won’t know for sure until it’s actually happening.  Getting wet on these rides is inevitable but I’m going to try – – not to start out that way.

I am looking forward to this year’s adventure and having y’all along for the ride.  Please feel free to make any suggestions or comments (Leave a reply) along the way.  Cheers