It’s getting to be that time again.  Another cross country bike ride is coming right up. You will be getting an email with a link every time I make a new post from the road.  Just click the link to read about that day’s adventure.

The goal is to publish a blog post for every day of travel.  Usually these posts will be out the morning after the previous day’s ride.  I often insert hyperlinks in the text that provide additional information.  If you are At All interested in the subject – click the link and maybe you’ll learn something.  If you are no longer interested in receiving the emails just leave me a comment/reply saying you wish to be removed and I’ll take care of it – no hard feelings.

The Mother Page link in the black banner above gets you access to all the past rides and some other stuff as well.  If you have any issues, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do for you.  Looking forward to having y’all with me again – we’ll be leaving in a couple days.  Enjoy the Ride.

Before we get going here:  The SPOT button to the right will show you where I am via a live satellite tracker that I carry on the bike.  Also – if you click on any of the pictures in the blog you will be taken to a full size version of the picture.  Okay, that’s it for now.

Winslow isn’t too far from the ranch – just two hours via the interstate.  My way was right at 200 miles and a little over 4 hours.  All through the mountains and various other backroads – Cuz..That’s how I Roll. Okay, sorry about that one, I just couldn’t help myself.

Before I could leave this morning I had a small repair to do.  Whoever put the mufflers back on the last time (might have been me) put the rubber bushing in backwards and it came out.  It only took 15 minutes with my parts runner going back and forth to the tool box for me (thanks babe).  No more rattling and 5 minutes later I was down the road.

My first stop was Oak Creek Country Club in Sedona.  Of course I went over Mingus Mountain, and even though it was a weekend (Sunday) there weren’t as many idiots out as I had anticipated.  While I was at Oak Creek for a golf tournament last week, I saw a painting.  It is a very strong painting and I wanted to capture it so you could see what you think.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a good enough shot to show the detail.  Lighting in that hallway is poor and a flash would only make a hot spot in the painting.  Maybe I soulda taken it off the wall and out into some better light.  Anyway – this is the painting.

The name of the painting is “Repairing Old Glory”.  It won 1st place at the 2015 Santa Fe Indian Art Show.  These WWII and later vets are wearing caps denoting where and how they served; the far right red cap says Navajo Code Talkers (more on that later).  Anyway, the fact that they are all sitting around a US Flag and lovingly tending to it’s repair is quite a statement.

Did you know that 25,000 American Indians served in WWII.  Ira Hayes was one of the most famous.  A Native American from Arizona, Ira was one of the six US Marines raising our flag on top of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima.  The Ballad of Ira Hayes is a song by Johnny Cash that’s worth listening to if you don’t already know it.  And as long as we’re talking about patriotic Johnny Cash songs – Ragged Old Flag is one of the Very Best.

I left Sedona heading for Winslow and the idiots were thick as ever.  But by the time I was out of Camp Verde heading up the mountain for Strawberry the idiots were gone and I was up in the mountains on a winding road all by myself, only a few vehicles heading the other way.  A great little ride for the first day.

One of the reasons I headed for Winslow is that a friend of mine could not quit talking about how great the soup is at La Posada hotel’s restaurant.  He and I have been trying to get together with our wives and make the drive up here for lunch, but something always came up – for two years.  SO – I decided I would see for myself today.  I’m not sure it’s the best soup I’ve ever had but it is very good and I will be back.  Next time I’m ditching the chick salad and gettin me a Big Bowl!!

Today has been a very enjoyable day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s adventure.  However, if you check my progress and wonder why I’m getting such a late start it’s because of the temperature; forecast is for a low of 29°.  I do have cold weather gear but I’m not gonna ride when it’s below freezing unless I have no other choice.  Take Care….

Cold weather start this morning was around 9:00.  One of the things I like to try to do on these trips is “eat local.”  I was thinking about going via Tuba City and stopping by the Hogan Family Restaurant for some authentic (kinda) Indian food – in the form of their breakfast taco.  Imagine breakfast burrito ingredients in an Indian fry bread tortilla folded taco style.  They are really good.  Their fry bread is some of the best & you can get it as a side by itself (honey & powdered sugar of course) or order fry bread instead of rolls on a regular lunch or dinner entrée.

Also in Tuba City, walking distance from Hogan’s, is the Navajo Code Talker’s museum.  It’s a small walk through but very interesting.  Many people have said that the battle for Iwo Jima would have been lost without the code talkers.  Although the Navajo code talkers of WWII is what you hear the most about, code talking was pioneered by the Cherokee and Choctaw during World War I.

SO – Next time you’re in Tuba City with some time to kill….    I could almost taste my breakfast taco, but that’s going to have to wait, too far out of my way this time around.

Yesterday’s road was mostly twists and turns, today I straightened it out a little; don’t want to wear out the edges of those tires too fast.  The Navajo Nation is 27,413 square miles (the size of Ireland or West Virginia) so riding all day and almost never leaving the REZ is not a problem.  I have no doubt that since Arizona and New Mexico were the last two continental US states to join the union – that’s where the largest Indian reservations ended up.  Arizona has five of the twelve largest Indian reservations and the highest proportion of land allocated to Native American reservations, at 28%.

One thing to consider: Bathrooms are few and FAR between and if you’re looking for a tree or hill to hide behind……Nope.  “Always go before you leave”.  That’s a Rule.

One thing you get to see on the REZ is unspoiled land & lots of it.  I’m no geologist, but it’s pretty obvious to me that this is what’s left from some ancient volcano’s main vent.  All the earth is gone and it’s just a pillar of what used to be lava eroding over the years.  How many years ago did this thing erupt?  Why is all the earth gone?  Where on the world was this piece of land when that happened?  Thinking about things like this makes you realize that you are such an insignificant part of “time”.

Next stop was Window Rock, AZ.  Until 1936, the area was sparsely populated and known by the Navajo only by its ceremonial name Niʼ Ałníiʼgi (“Center of the World”).  A reforming Commissioner of Indian Affairs, chose this site to establish the seat of the Navajo Central Agency, the Bureau of Indian Affairs official connection to the nation.  His proposal to make the ceremonial name the official name met with resistance, and Navajos soon ridiculed it as “ni ałnííʼgóó” (~ “into your middle (parts)”).  Rough translation: Up your Ass.

Due to this, the Bureau of Indian Affairs chose the name of the major local landmark, the rock-with-hole-through-it for the Indian agency site.  It was rendered in English as “Window Rock”.  Pretty interesting back story.  Without further ado – Window Rock.

Window Rock is right on the Arizona, New Mexico border.  The northbound road out of town crosses into New Mexico about 5 miles north of town.  There are no signs to let you know you have left AZ or that you’re now in NM.  I guess the Navajo figure you are still inside the Navajo Nation, state boundaries don’t matter.

The scenery improved with the road.  If you look closely you can see another little window in the rock just over the top of those bushes.  Sandstone erodes in such interesting ways.

Now, I’ve seen a lot of things but this is a new one for me.  Does anyone have any idea what could cause this?  I’m just north of Navajo, New Mexico.  All of the surrounding sandstone is red – what makes this sandstone green?  You can see the red cliffs behind – Very Interesting……..

The Zuni Mountains lie along the northwest edge of New Mexico.  It’s still on the REZ so there is a lack of signage but my GPS said 8,800 feet and there was still snow on the ground.  I was NOT dressed for this so one quick picture and I was glad to be going down the eastern side.

This isolated rock formation is Shiprock.  It’s name is derived from the peak’s resemblance to an enormous 19th-century clipper ship.  It’s located in the Four Corners area and was the center of the area occupied by the Ancient Pueblo People, often referred to as the Anasazi.  It is the most prominent landmark in northwestern New Mexico and you can see it for many miles in every direction.

As you can imagine, this is a rock climbers dream. The idea of climbing Shiprock is repugnant to many Navajo people.  It was first climbed in 1938 and last climbed in 1970. Serious injuries to three climbers caused the Navajo Nation to ban rock climbing not only on Shiprock but all over the Navajo Nation on monoliths, spires and within tribal parks under the jurisdiction of Navajo Parks & Recreation. The Navajo Nation announced that the ban was “absolute, final and unconditional”.

This isn’t the end of my ride but it’s close enough.  A great day riding around the REZ and some time to just relax with little to no other traffic and vast areas of unmolested mother nature.  Except tor the asphalt of course, for which I am grateful.

Some people have told me that the SPOT tracking button isn’t working correctly.  I deleted the old one and re-did the link SO – hopefully this one will work.

Did you notice, or already know, that the Arizona Hopi Indian reservation is right in the middle of the Navajo reservation?  I rode through the Hopi reservation thinking I might check out a trading post or two and maybe find a good deal on an authentic Kachina doll.  Nope – all of the trading posts are closed – still trying to get the Covid under control up on the REZ.  Here’s a little information you might not know about Kachina Dolls.

Kachina Dolls – It is a bit of a misnomer to call the Kachina figures dolls.  The stylized icons are a tangible way to teach Hopi children about their religion.  Authentic Kachina figures are carved from the root of the cottonwood tree and are painted and dressed to represent one of the over 250 mythical beings in the Hopi religion.  The central theme of Hopi beliefs is the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe. Everything has an essence or life force and humans must interact with these or they will fail to survive.

The Hopi Kachina carvers aren’t too happy that the Navajo started carving Kachinas to sell, as this impacts one of the Hopi revenue streams and puts inferior products in the market.  Most knock-offs are carved of balsa wood and will be much lighter that authentic kachina figures.  Also the Hopi carved figures are always meticulously carved, painted and dressed; if it looks cheap (or is inexpensive) it’s not an authentic Hopi carved Kachina.

I wasn’t interested on waiting for it to warm up this morning so I broke out the cold weather gear and was on the road by 8:00 – this is what that looks like.

It’s not that good for really cold, but it was 42° when I left and the wind chill was below freezing. I wasn’t warm and toasty – but it was certainly tolerable.  And by the end of the day, the temps were up and the heavy leather was stored.

Here in Northern New Mexico there is quite a bit of natural gas being taken out of the ground.  What’s kinda nice here as opposed to other places I’ve seen, they paint the equipment to match the landscape.  A casual glance around wouldn’t reveal any natural gas wells.  These tanks and pipes were roadside, but you get the idea.

Every time I cross the Continental Divide I try to take a picture.  Continental Divides are hydrological divides.  On one side, the water flows into the Pacific Ocean.  On the other side, it flows into the Gulf of Mexico or toward the Atlantic Ocean.  The Western Continental Divide extends all the way from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan and has mostly very high mountains.  There is an eastern divide but it is much less prominent

I was getting tired of the road I was on so I turned up into the mountains.  70 mph isn’t my idea of fun on a motorcycle – unless it’s in a 45 mph turn.  The mountain roads proved to be just what I was looking for.

This is the Abiquiu Lake.  I looked and looked for a boat somewhere on the water but didn’t see one.  There’s gotta be some bass in that lake that are just waiting to see that plastic worm dance in front of them.  Looks like prime water…..

Coming down out of the pine trees the first real town is Española.  The Jimmy Dean sausage sandwich I had when I left Bloomfield this morning was long gone and I didn’t want to wander around Santa Fe looking for a place to eat.  Eating local in New Mexico means Mexican food (of course) and its gotta to include Hatch Green Chilis.  If you want good advice on where to eat, ask a cop – That’s a Rule.  I saw a cop car at a gas station as I rolled into town and headed straight toward him.  He was very helpful, not only did he point me to La Cocina (The Kitchen) but he gave me a menu suggestion as well.

Jessie’s Combination: beef enchilada, cheese enchilada, pork tamale, beans & posole.  Covered with cheese and sauce Christmas style (both red and green – Hatch).  Also, served with sopaipillas instead of tortillas – with a honey in a squeeze bottle right there on the table.  Your meal automatically comes with dessert – Who could ask for more.

I ate it all but I was full as a tick. Big shout out to the Española cop at that gas station and you can bet that next time through – La Cocina will be on the list.

Some days are travel days where the main objective is Point B.  Today was one of those days.  That’s really a good thing because I’ve been this way before and you have to look long and hard for interesting stuff to see and do around these parts.

As y’all know I really try to stay off the interstate.  But this morning I was actually looking forward to it – just a little.  You see, I’ve been fighting a pretty decent wind out of the west for the last couple days and this morning that wind would be to my back – how nice.  You can really eat up some miles at 85 mph and the 120 miles from Tucumcari to Amarillo seemed like a blink in time.  Of course, I don’t remember anything about it because it was an uneventful blink in time.

That’s not quite true, I do recall that about 40 miles out of Amarillo, my tail wind turned into a strong cross wind outta the south.  And, it stayed that way all the way to OKC.  I’ve been through here several times and can’t really recall any time that the wind hasn’t been strong out of the south.  Oh, well – just a travel day at least I’m not getting wet to boot!!

Just east of Amarillo I got off the slab.  You can still make really good time on the Texas back roads – the speed limit on the two lane I was on was still 75.  But I had an issue; the zipper from a new light jacket I got was poking me in the neck and face.  I was ready to put the knife to it.  Then I thought, maybe I could find a saddle shop and they could install a couple snaps to hold the collar down.  Ray’s Boot and Saddle Repair in Elk City, OK got ‘er done.  One less constant minor irritation to put up with – VERY happy about that.

I am truly blessed to have such great friends here in Oklahoma City.  I’ve known Bert for over 40 years and it’s always good to see him and his family.  Not long after I got here, it was time to get something to eat.  In Oklahoma City “eating local” means steak, and THE place for steak is Cattleman’s Restaurant down in the Stockyards part of town.

But the real star of the show, are the lamb fries.  Come on, you know you wanna try ’em.  They are deep fried and served with cocktail sauce.  There’s a joke in there somewhere…. Seriously though, they are quite good.

The medium rare T-Bone Steak.  One one side is a New York Strip steak and the other side is Tenderloin.  While I eat my dinner, here’s an anatomy lesson. The steak comes from the spine of the cow, but is difficult to see that when it’s on your plate. This illustration might help:

The windshield on my bike is only 14 inches high, so I look over the top of it almost all the time.  For the most part it is a shield from the wind and keeps the majority of the rocks and bugs from hitting me.  Cleaning it is not usually a high priority since a few bugs don’t really hinder my vision or anything.  However – leaving OKC this morning we had a little rain.  The rain slowly dissolves the bugs and the water runs up the windshield and either goes over the top and back down the inside or flies off the top and – that’s what you get to clean off your glasses & face.  Guess I’ll work on keeping it a bit cleaner – just in case.

I think I told you yesterday that I’m picking up a rider for a couple days.  Bert recently retired from his job at the Air Traffic Controller Academy and also recently picked up a new bike.  Bert’s been an Indian guy forever and has owned several.  His latest is this Jack Daniel’s Limited Edition Indian Challenger Dark Horse.  Truly a high tech rocket ship.

With some extra time on his hands and a new motorcycle in the garage – Bert was ready for some wind therapy.  We’ve ridden together before and I was happy to hear that he wanted to join me for a couple days.

It looked like the faster we could get south of town, the faster we could get out of the rain.  Bert guided us through and around the construction areas and very soon we were on I-35 putting the miles, and hopefully the rain, behind us.  After an hour we were dried off and ready to quit the slab.  We stopped at a roadside gas station and mini market just outside of Wynnewood, OK.  This group of folks have been meeting here for coffee every morning (except Sunday) for many years.  They were very friendly and invited us to sit down and join them for a cup or two – we thanked them for the offer, but the road was calling….

We were heading for Talahina, OK.  That’s the western starting point for The Talimena scenic drive.  A road along the ridge line of the Winding Stair Mountains from Southeastern Oklahoma into Arkansas, and one of the top rated motorcycle roads in Oklahoma.

There are many turnouts on both sides of this ridge line road, and the views are very good.  I’d say it’s this area’s answer to the Blue Ridge Parkway, with lots more altitude change.  This was taken at the Potato Hill vista.

The folks at coffee this morning told us that the best time to be in the area was the fall when the trees change color.  You can tell the difference between the evergreen trees in this picture and the deciduous trees that would be turning in autumn.

Today was a great ride, almost 400 miles with the vast majority being spent on the roads less traveled.  When we got into Hot Springs we inquired about where would be a good place to get dinner.  The kind lady at our hotel told us to check out the Ohio Club.

The Ohio Club was established in 1905 as a bar and casino and has never closed its doors despite bans on both gambling and alcohol in that time.  In response to prohibition and a ban on gambling, the Ohio Club officially became the Ohio Cigar Store, which was nothing more than a front with a fake wall.  Behind the wall, the bar was on the main floor, while the gaming tables operated upstairs.  Singer Al Jolson performed at the Ohio Club in 1915, and baseball legend Babe Ruth frequented the club. President Theodore Roosevelt was said to have visited on occasion.  Other visitors included Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, who came to see the local bookies back in the day.  OKAY – sounds like a good place for a cold beer and something to eat.

This is the original hand carved mahogany bar, it’s really big.  And this is their famous Ruben sandwich – it’s really big as well.  It was good enough, but I’d try something else next time – I’m kinda picky about my Ruben sandwiches.  We sat at the bar and had a lively conversation with another patron – forgot his name…..

Another day in the books.  It was a long one but a good one.  See y’all tomorrow…..

I think Arkansas gets a bad rap from the “rest of the country.”  I’m sure some of it’s true and there is that “Chickens??” thing – but this is really a nice place.  Great motorcycle roads, friendly people and beautiful country.  People from our little area in Arizona are considered hicks out in the sticks and we are good with that – just stay away – please.  I’m sure the folks here in Arkansas likewise embrace their bad rap, and don’t want anybody messin’ with the deal they got.

Bert was watching TV last night and saw a commercial for Toad Suck Daze – that’s not a typo.  The story – Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River – when the water was at the right depth.  When it wasn’t the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river.  While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern.  The folks living nearby didn’t appreciate their slack time activities and said, “They suck on that bottle until they swell up like toads.”  Hence the name Toad Suck.

A cute name – I guess….  This is a celebration of spring festival around about three square blocks of downtown Conway, AR.  We got there a couple hours before things really got going but we walked around without the crowds you see on their website pictures.  Mostly fair food trailers with various vendors set up in between.  We got a pretty good idea of what it was going to be, minus all the people.  They do raise quite a bit of money for local charities and education.  Here is their link Toad Suck Daze

We were told that there’s a Harley dealership very close to festival and since my horn isn’t working, I thought we would stop by on our way out of town.  They didn’t have the horn but pointed us to a couple places up in Missouri (pronounced Miz-or-a) where they do have one.  AND – Bert just had to have a shirt. I didn’t want to make him feel bad being the only one buying a shirt – so I got one as well.  Right now my wife is shaking her head, “Just what he needs – ANOTHER T-shirt.”

I’ve ridden around Arkansas a little over the years and this is at least the second time I’ve been through Clinton, AR.  It’s a little different there – the roads are all in Good Shape.  The grass along side the roads is freshly mown, and there is NO trash anywhere.  The maintenance of the town is likely handled by way of a generous endowment from the Clinton Foundation – I’m sure they can afford it…..

I mentioned how good the motorcycle roads are here in the Ozark Mountain Region of Arkansas.  There are miles and miles of roads just like this.  If you need to practice your riding in the twists and turns – this is the place.  Nothing too tight but lots of these signs to assist with your speed selection when preparing to negotiate the line you will pick.

I thought it would be kinda unique to make a ferry crossing on this trip and Bert has never had a motorcycle on a ferry so it was decided.  We would cross Bull Shoals Lake on the Peel Ferry.  Bull Shoals lake was created in 1951 by the construction of Bull Shoals Dam in order for the Army Corps of Engineers to impound and prevent flooding from the White River, as well as to produce hydroelectric power.  Because of its importance to protect flooding for White River Basin residents, farmers and business owners, the lake levels regularly fluctuate – up to FIFTY feet…..wow!!

When the lake was created it flooded highway 125, as a consolation to the local residents that depended on the road, the state of Arkansas started up the Peel Ferry and has promised to keep it running and free of charge for as long as necessary.  The ferry is small but the crossing only takes 15 minutes so if you were to have to wait for the next one, it wouldn’t be too long.  Bert and I got very lucky and rode up just a minute or two after the exiting vehicles were off.  We rode right on – like they had been waiting for us.

The road after you get off the ferry is even BETTER than the roads we’ve been riding for the past two days.  Thirty-five miles of what can only be described as a motorcycle ride crescendo.  The final few miles into Branson was a welcome chance to catch our breath.

Bert suggested we have dinner just north of Branson at Lambert’s Cafe, a local landmark and the home of the “throwed rolls”.  Very good family style food and PLENTY of it – and they do throw you hot dinner rolls, so much food….  If you leave this place hungry, your jaw must be wired shut.  They keep bringing food until you beg them to stop.  THEN they almost require you to take a salad plate sized glazed cinnamon roll home with you.  And it’s not expensive – it might be an hour wait though.  They do seat 700 people so they get ’em in and out fairly quickly.

Bert will be going home tomorrow but I’d like to thank him for joining me.  He is a good rider and welcome his company anytime.  Ride safe my friend – see you again soon.

It’s looking like it might be a soggy Saturday so don’t be surprised if there is no post tomorrow – I’ll just be kickin’ around Branson, MO.

I called Renegade Harley up in Springfield and they had my horn, so I decided to go up and get it.  It’s only about 40 miles and maybe I’d find some good backroads to ride on the way.  Sure enough – GREAT ride both up and back.  Here is a picture of one of the roads I ended up on.  You could ride around up here for a coupe weeks and never be on the same backroad…

At the Harley dealer I thought I’d ask about getting the oil changed.  I really don’t know exactly when the last time I changed the oil was but the bike started to get a little tick in the rocker box and I thought some new goo might fix it.  They were very accommodating and even installed the new horn for free AND 10% veteran’s discount.  Drumroll – – – the tick is noticeably diminished.  Guess I’ll have to get that looked at – 70K+ miles, might need to get the rockers adjusted.

How about a DIY nacho bar for brunch while you wait Mr. Lindsey.  Thank you, don’t mind if I do.  How about THAT!!  After I finished my brunch, I walked around and saw this CVO Road Glide – don’t know much about it but I did hear that it’s OVER $50K – cough cough.

While I was standing around outside waiting for my bike ,a young lady rode into the parking lot on her new bike.  One of the employees was backing out but couldn’t see because of the van parked next to her.  An unfortunate paint swapping event was narrowly avoided, but the young lady’s motorcycle ended up on the ground in the process.  She was uninjured but the previously pristine bike had a couple minor experience marks to show.  I talked to her for a couple minutes and she said she would look at the blog.  So, if you’re reading this, sorry I didn’t get your name – Howdy.

On the way back I stopped at a souvenir shop and got my wife a T-Shirt.  I really liked this silk screen but she’ll like it as well and since I got a shirt yesterday – she gets the shirt today.  And believe me she will, “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; and will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”  The girl at the shop asked whether I wanted the logo on the front or the back.  I told her to put it on the front – that’s where everyone is looking.  Maybe I’ll send it home and she can model it for a follow-up pic.

It was time to eat something.  I was getting a hankerin’ for a whiskey barrel stout and something to go with it.  Stopped at one place and got pointed to the Turkey Creek Brewery which is very close to Branson.  They didn’t have exactly what I was looking for but their bear claw stout was close enough.  Enjoyed the conversation with the folks at the bar as well.  Right across the alleyway is the clubhouse for the Branson Chapter of the Iron Order MC.  All quiet at 5:00 on a Saturday afternoon, no surprise since almost all those guys are retired or current law enforcement.  All the outlaw clubs hate ’em.

An Adventure With Bert:  This is one of the stories you tell when you’re telling your motorcycle stories.  It was shortly after we left those good folks at the mini mart having their coffee.  Two police SUV’s with lights flashing were coming down the center of the road.  The first guy kept going as I rode by and the second one was waiting about half way down a gradual slope.  He didn’t roll down his window until I started to slow down, so  I think he would have just let me go if I’d not stopped.  He told me, “There’s a house coming about a mile up the road so you guys might want to find a driveway or something so you don’t get run off into the ditch.  I look back and Bert is waiting at the bottom of the hill.  I waved him up and started up the hill.

The house is in fact coming and it’s nowhere close to a mile away – maybe a quarter mile, at the most.  Now this is RURAL countryside.  There isn’t a driveway every 50 feet and the sides of the road are STEEP all the way to the bottom (about 12 feet).  There is no shoulder and the house is taking up the WHOLE road and between two and three feet on either side.  I find an entrance gate to a field that’s kinda flat and pull over there.  I look back and Bert is leaving the road before the “driveway” and riding the slope.  If he’d dropped his bike there – we would have needed a tow truck.  He made it to where I was just a second or two before the house went by – and that driver wasn’t going slow.  We both looked at each other and laughed.  THAT was a close one!!.

Not quite that big but it might as well have been, and that’s how big it looked at the time.  No way to be on, or even close to the road.

A good day overall for me. In addition to the above, I did some re-supplying, some re-packing, and thought about cleaning the windshield.  Maybe tomorrow……

Yup – Golconda, on the banks of the Ohio River, population 668.  We’ll get back to that.

I’m sure glad I took that break yesterday; I rarin’ to go this morning.  And ahead of me I had one of my all time top 5 motorcycle roads – U.S. Route 160.  I stumbled onto this road last year and one of the reasons I took that break for a day was to make sure this road was dry – all those turns on a wet road wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.  In addition to the good asphalt and twists and turns, the road has dips and climbs that are steep enough to nearly bottom out the suspension at the bottom of the dip and make you feel like you’re close to getting airborne at the top.  If you’re ever in the area…..

I was thinking I would go to Paducah, KY for the night but I’ve been that way before and thought I would try something else.  I’ll head for Vienna, IL – then I can say that I’ve stayed in Vienna.  I crossed the Big Muddy at Cape Girardeau and spent the rest of the day in Illinois.  I haven’t ridden in Illinois very much, here’s some things I saw along the way.

This is one of the approximately 133 bridges that cross the 2,320 mile long Mississippi River.  I’ve been across a few of them, and this one looks very similar to a couple others.  I’m guessing that the government bid a job and the lowest bidder made several bridges pretty much alike.  For various reasons, I always look forward to crossing the Mississippi – both east and westbound.

If this house isn’t haunted, it should be.  One of the problems out in this part of the world is that a tree can grow anywhere – don’t let them get too close to your house.  If you’re Ned – as long as you’re here in the daytime you don’t have to be afraid.

You know by now that I like to look at the farmer’s fields and see if I can tell what they are growing.  This far north, it’s a little early in the year for crops to be very far out of the ground so guessing what’s being cultivated is quite a bit more difficult.  However, it looked to me like these guys were growing yellow rockets.  Yellow Rocket is the name given to a weed with yellow flowers that comes out of the ground so fast, it grows like a rocket.  We’ve got lots of ’em at our place – not this many though.

I did some research and those yellow flowers are likely canola.  Yup, they make the oil out of the seeds from those plants.  It’s likely a cover crop:  Cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil.  Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife. Cover crops may be an off-season crop planted after harvesting the cash crop and may grow over winter.  When they harvest the seeds they’ll either kill the canola with herbicide or plow it under and plant their cash crop.

I was going to stay in Vienna tonight but I couldn’t find the hotel I was looking for.  I did see this Dairy Queen and thought I’d stop, get a cone, and take a closer look at my map.  I parked next to this guy.  This is a Honda Valkyrie.  It’s basically a Gold Wing without all the plastic.  It has a six cylinder 1832cc motor and will FLY.  They don’t make them anymore, and only made this model for two years 2014 & 2015.  This one is a 2015 & has about 7,000 miles on it.  I’m sure it’s the queen of his garage.

Turns out, the guy riding it is a local and he said that I should consider going a little farther down the road before I called it a day.  Just about 30 miles to Golconda – and find the Diver Down restaurant.  A little hole in the wall with GREAT food.  So, that’s how I ended up here.  He was right about the food at Diver Down – I had the fried catfish and hushpuppies and it was melt in your mouth goodness.

The only hotel in town is a bit of a different operation and just might be the way of the future.  You make your reservation and pay on line.  Then you get a text message with the code to the lockbox outside your room.  If there’s a problem, they give you a number to call but it’s just the local lady that does maid service – and you might not be able to get ahold of her – I couldn’t.  The owners live in some other town, nobody here but us guests; three out of twelve rooms occupied.  They likely wait until most of the rooms have been occupied before they come to clean.  Interesting operation.

The room is pretty nice and the bed is comfortable.  AND – it has the fastest internet I’ve ever seen in any Hotel, Motel or RV park.  It maxed out speedtest.net, 300Mbps – probably actually faster. A download speed of 300Mbps allows you to stream ultra-HD video on 12 devices at the same time.  That is Cookin!!  Tomorrow – maybe Lexington…

While riding on the road to Golconda I noticed that parts of it were designated part of the Trail of Tears.  The town of Golconda also has a place in the Trail of Tears history.  Some 13,000 Cherokee, led by Chief Bear Paw, crossed the Ohio River at Golconda as part of the infamous “Trail of Tears” to Oklahoma.  Because of the threat of disease, the Native Americans were not allowed to go into any towns or villages along the way; often this meant traveling much farther to go around them. After crossing Tennessee and Kentucky, they arrived at the Ohio River across from Golconda about the 3rd of December 1838. The starving Indians were charged a dollar a head (equal to $25 today) to cross the river on “Carpenter’s Ferry”, which typically charged twelve cents ($3 today). They were not allowed passage until the ferry had serviced all others wishing to cross and were forced to take shelter under “Mantle Rock”, a bluff on the Kentucky side, until “Mr. Carpenter had nothing better to do”. Many died huddled together at Mantle Rock waiting to cross. Several Cherokee were also murdered by locals.  Many of the Cherokee were rescued and sheltered by the Carpenter family, one of the founding leaders of Golconda.  The undertakers (also suspected as the killers of the Cherokee) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Government through the courthouse in Vienna, suing the government for $35 a head (equal to $900 today) to bury the murdered Cherokee.

Okay – enough of the “Plight of the American Indians” for now.

I like to say that my Garmin GPS has a peculiar sense of humor.  This choice of roads is an example; looks more like a nice driveway.  AND – about 4 miles after I took this picture, the pavement ended.  But I live on a dirt road and as long as it didn’t get too bad – I was good with it.  It was fine and only 5 miles or so before the pavement came back and it was all good again.  The settings say no dirt roads – I can hear the GPS, “Hey, it’s paved at the beginning and paved at the end – whadaya want.”  Truth be told – it’s all about the adventure and my peculiar GPS just adds to it.

This guy had all the answers.  He was plowing what I thought might be canola into the soil.  He thought it was strange that some guy on a motorcycle came to a screeching stop on this rural road to take a picture so he popped open door of his tractor and asked if he could “help”.  We had a little chat and I was right – the first time.  They ARE growing yellow rockets – kinda.  What they are growing is mustard grass, or mustard weed – yellow rockets are part of the mustard family.  They plow it into the ground before it goes to seed and as it decomposes it provides specific nutrients to the soil.  It also provides all the rest of the benefits of a “cover crop”.  So – there you have it.

On my way to Lexington to see my Aunt and Uncle I thought I’d stop by and see this young lady.  You’ve likely seen her before, she has been part of my “adopted” family since she was a little girl.  I could only stay for an hour or so but we managed to get a short bike ride in and a very abbreviated visit.  I’m planning to stop back through on my return trip, when I can stay longer, and pick up the chaps I left behind……

The rest of the ride to Lexington was slab time.  I had been on the backroads for several days and it was time to get some miles behind me.  When I got to my Aunt’s house we enjoyed a glass of lemon water on the porch then it was five o’clock.  She had been paying attention to my blog and hiding in plain sight in the front row of the liquor cabinet was this stout.  WOW – Very good.  I’d say she found my new favorite.  As most of you know, I don’t really “drink” anymore, certainly not compared to what I used to call drinking. But this stuff is like a favorite dessert.  Thank you Aunt Kathleen.

My aunt and uncle are much more health conscious than I am and she thought that after seeing what I’ve been eating on the road she would make something healthy for dinner.  This roasted salmon over rice with avocado & cucumber and a light salad was actually just what the Dr. ordered.  Thank you again.

I always enjoy visiting my aunt here in Lexington.  I’ve been up and down the bourbon trail and the roads around here are certainly motorcycle worthy.

This may be the last time though.  Like many other folks, my aunt and uncle are thinking about moving.  Retire and move – seems to be the way things are done these days….

Still concerned with my health, Kathleen made me a breakfast for the road.  The fresh strawberries looked so good, I decided that I would have some apples as well.

Riding through Kentucky you expect to see some REAL horse property and I sure did.  Acres and acres of lush rolling hills with large pastures fenced off.  Huge estates so far from the road that you can’t even get a decent zoom picture.  We’ve got seven acres back in Arizona and it’s all we can do to keep up with that.  These people must have a pretty big staff of workers.  Oh by the way, The Kentucky Derby is Saturday May, 7th.

The quality of the roads is very good as well.  You can’t get too many miles in but that’s not what it’s about anyways.  This is a part of the country where it would be easy to just go out and putt around on your scooter for a while, have some lunch, then figure out how to get back home.

While I was getting fuel, and adding apples to my breakfast, I was talking to a local guy about places to see, and he mentioned the Red River Gorge.  He was trying to tell me how to get there but without a map in front of me I would have never been able to follow his rapid fire instructions – turns out I didn’t have to.  By divine intervention or dumb luck I ended up on a road very close to the Red River Gorge, and just followed the signs.  He said it was the Kentucky area’s answer to The Tail of The Dragon.  Which equals lots of turns and fun to ride.  Red River Gorge is all that for sure.  Back in 1962 a flood control dam was approved that would have turned the gorge into a lake; woulda been a shame for all this to be under water.  Folks down stream just have to build higher up on the hill.

Now this is kinda interesting.  It’s a tunnel but only one lane – as I recall, there’s a LONG one of those in Zion National Park.  This one’s less than 100 yards, and is a look and go operation.  I was going to take a picture inside but lots of things prevented that.

Nada Tunnel (pronounced Nay-duh by locals) is a 900-foot long tunnel along Kentucky Route 77 in Powell County, Kentucky.  Built in 1910 for logging, the former railway tunnel, has often been described as the “Gateway to Red River Gorge” for the shortcut it provides to the canyons of the Red River Gorge  inside The Daniel Boone National Forest.

The tunnel’s original dimensions were 12×12 feet, but when the first train load of logs got stuck and had to be blasted free, the tunnel’s height was increased to 13 feet. When the timber companies pulled out of the area, the railroad tracks were removed and a dirt road was laid in the tunnel. Nada Tunnel has since been paved to carry a single lane of road traffic, still no lights.  Best way I can describe it is a horizontal mine shaft.  Very Tight quarters!!  Think I’d be turning my dually pickup around.

Norton, Virginia is just across the Kentucky border & VA is a helmet law state.  I’ve had way too much fun today without the hard hat, so I just decided to pull back on the reins and call ‘er a day.  –  Happy Cinco De Mayo.

Getting into Newport News, VA is always an interstate kinda deal at the end, so I made sure to start today out nice and easy.  I was a bit concerned about the rain that was forecast, but it all came through overnight and I was on the bike at first light.  Just a nice relaxing morning on the back roads, but it didn’t last all that long.  This is a fairly populated rural area and even the back roads start to fill up with commuters; and every one of them is in a hurry.  One thing I will not be – is the guy on a motorcycle holding up a line of traffic.  So, with a twist of the throttle, I was moving right along with everybody else; more of a destination focus vs. the journey experience – but still All Good.

The way I figured it, today’s ride would take around eight hours.  Getting out early I had ten or eleven available so I started looking for places to check out.  I saw signs for the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA and thought I’d stop by and pay my respects.  I’ve been there before but it’s a pretty cool place, and I’ve got a little time to kill so what the heck.  Well – – this is the “Heck”, it was field trip day or something.  When I pulled in, there were school busses everywhere.  And I could have sworn that the last time I was here, there was no charge for admission.  $12.00 to go in and mix it up with hundreds of screaming kids running around – Uhhh yã — maybe next time.

I should go back to find some of my pictures from when I was here, but this one from the internet will have to do.  It’s a very nice memorial if you’re ever in the area.

So – back onto a little county road I found that was actually quite nice, and I was just about the only one on it.  Everything around here is so green – but that includes the side of your house and the sidewalk and even the curbs in front of your house.  I think this part of the country is where they invented the pressure washer.  Everybody has one and if yours dies, guaranteed your neighbor has one you can borrow while you get yours fixed.  And you can forget about that cheap-o electric thing; you’re going to need a gas motor for the kinda water pressure we’re talkin’ ’bout.

I did see this little town on the map and just had to come get a picture.  There really is a place called Farmville.  The only Farmville I’d ever heard of is actually spelled FarmVille and is an agriculture simulation game developed back in 2009 and very centered around social network players – Facebook as I recall.  People were A-Dicted to this one for a while.

This Farmville is a little town with two colleges that bills itself as “a distinctive place where college town vibe meets small town charm”.  I don’t know about all that but then, I didn’t really stick around long enough to find out.  The skies were starting to fill with clouds and I figured I should start heading for my destination before things got ugly.  A quick check of the weather radar app on my phone didn’t show anything, but the clouds were building.

There’s just no way around Richmond, that I’ve found anyway, without being on an Interstate or down on the surface streets.  So I was on the slab when I got there with an eye on the sky.  Somewhere around the airport my GPS put me on a toll road.  Lots of toll roads these days just take a picture of your license plate and if you don’t have their Fast Track transponder they’ll send you a bill.  Not a violation or anything – just pay the toll.  I don’t think this one worked that way – but I went through like I had the transponder so we’ll see what happens.  I’ve never gotten a bill or a violation and I’ve done it before on the bike – cross your fingers.  Hey – I didn’t want to get rained on and things were looking like that might just happen.  What’s that you say??  I should stop and put on my rain suit just in case….  Nah – I’ll just outrun it.  Besides it’s not dark ahead, bright sunlight up there, just a bit dark overhead and I don’t see any rain….

Nobody’s wondering what happened I’m sure – it’s happened before and although I’d like to think I’ll learn someday – it’ll happen again.  I did feel kinda blindsided (ready for the excuse?) because this thing came from the side, and with all the trees you can’t really see that way.  It rained for 10-15 miles and the five miles in the middle was pretty bad.  I was on I-64 and in the worst of the rain people had slowed down and turned on their emergency flashers.  UGH – the faster I was going the dryer I could stay – but the visibility was dropping so I guess we should slow down a little.  Soon enough the rain ended and I was mostly dried out (everything but my boots) by the time I got to Newport News.  I was going to stop by Home Depot for a couple things but I looked behind me and this thing had followed me.  I got gas and headed straight for my “sister’s” house.  Barely got the bike unpacked before my personal little thunderstorm opened up, trying to rain on me again.  I just laughed and shook my head.

I’ll be hanging out in this area for a few days so y’all will get a break from these posts for a bit.  But I’ll be back on the road before you know it.  Take Care – Enjoy the Derby, and Happy Mother’s Day.

I’m leaving some very special folks here in the Norfolk, VA area.  I was thinking, there’s only one guy I still keep in touch with, that I’ve known longer than these two families.  I met them both in the Air Force over 40 years ago.  Kim is like a sister, and Don & Judy invited me into their family on day one.  I am truly blessed to have these people in my life – and even if it’s been a long time, we can pick up right where we left off – just like it was yesterday.  I’m sure you have those people in your life as well.  These are a couple of mine.

This is Don and Judy celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  Is that a big one?  To me, that is incredible!!  They compliment each other so well.  And I can’t talk about these two without mentioning their family.  Seems like whenever I visit we end up at Brian’s house for something he has prepared on the grill, accompanied by the rest of the menu prepared by his wife.  Always great food and great times.

I’m gonna try to see their daughter and her family on the way home.

I’ve been riding around in cars for almost a week so I was purdy happy to be back on the scooter this morning.  I’d have been even happier if it had been a little warmer.  It was in the low 50’s – which had me wishing I hadn’t forgotten my chaps at Kim’s daughter’s place in Kentucky (I’ll be going back for those on the way home).  But I’m not complaining – all things considered, it was still great.

I wonder how long ago this roadside business was popular with the locals and why it closed.  I’ll tell you this – it won’t be long before you won’t be able to see the restaurant at all.  I think things are consumed back into the earth very quickly in this part of the country.

Since I don’t really have a “schedule” I was just poking around southern Virginia and northern North Carolina on whichever backroad I turned onto – trying to stay generally south westbound.  After about an hour of just wandering around and actually going in a circle at one point, I decided I should probably take a look at a map.

This is the International Paper Mill in Franklin, VA.  I’ve had several opportunities to dodge the bark and branches falling off the trucks on their way to a mill so I thought I’d take a look at one.  I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t anything this big.  They even have their own power plant!!  I thought about going into the visitors area and take the tour (if they have one) but maybe some other time.  They don’t make paper here anymore – now they make fluff pulp.  That’s the super absorbent stuff they put in some diapers and that kinda stuff.  And they make 830 TONS per day.  Here is an aerial picture of the mill…

I started to take a bit more of a direct route, I like just wandering around but not so much going in circles.  And look what I ran into – ANOTHER Farmville, go figure.

It was time to get gas and something to eat.  When you’re “eating local” at a North Carolina gas station it’s gotta be fried chicken livers and gizzards.  Small order – $3.00.

I ate a little more than half of it; those gizzards take some chewin’.  A little later in the day, my lunch ended up doing some chewin’ of it’s own, nothing a Tums or two won’t take care of.  Small price to pay, lunch was delicious.

There are lots of farmer’s fields around that are still empty, but what’s already coming up looks like it’ll be “amber waves of grain” when it’s time to harvest.

I stopped at a Piggly Wiggly to get some water and saw this wet floor marker and smiled.  Creative – a wet floor sign that looks like a slippery banana.  That’s french on the bottom.

With that – I’ll wrap this up.  It was a good day on the road, and although it was a little cool, I know I’ll be missing cool soon enough – at least it wasn’t WET too……

What’s so special about Orangeburg – just where I decided to end the day is all.  It was a pretty easy day as well.  I didn’t even get started until almost 10:00 – that never happens.

Just down the road from Lumbreton, NC, is Sumter, SC and a very special girl – lady now I guess.  Dawn is the daughter of the guy that was my best friend (passed now) and I’ve known her since she was born.  Now, she’s got a family of her own and has retired from the Air Force.  She and her husband Eric just love it here in Sumter and say they won’t be moving anytime soon.  They took me out to lunch and I thought what better to order here in the low country but – Shrimp and Grits.  Yum yum

Back at their house – I don’t know what it is about my leather vest but for some reason cats seem to really like it.  Dawn’s house is home to 5 cats; 3 all black and most of them are rescued.  This is Sophie – 21 years old and has never met a person she didn’t like, or another cat that she did.

With a 9 year old daughter, Dawn and Eric are very busy and before long it was time for martial arts class.  It was a short visit but one of those where you cherish every moment.  Thank you for making the time to fit me into your busy schedule.

This is the Church of the Holy Cross, just outside Sumter.  Built in the 1850’s from a process called rammed earth.  The fact that the church is still standing over 160 years later is testament to the strength and durability of the building technique.  The walls are all at least 13 inches thick, and the inside is nothing less than breathtaking. I couldn’t get in (go figure), so I used a picture I pulled off the internet for the inside. 

Farm Report:  Being farther south and warmer, there’s lots of corn coming up.  That means there should be some soy beans as well because they work so well in crop rotation.  Soy beans grow from seed and aren’t planted until two to three weeks after the last frost – so kinda early to be seeing them.  I did see something else that I thought must be collard greens or maybe tobacco but those are both planted in the fall and would be much bigger than what I saw.  Maybe I’ll find out down the road.  I do know that there’s an app for your phone that will tell you what kind of plant you are looking at – just take a picture.  Maybe I should get that.  Maybe I should slow down to take these pictures……

Yesterday I told you about those pulp wood trucks that are constantly dropping bark & branches & dirt clods.  Here you go, not much danger sitting here at a stop light.

Something else I saw on today’s ride.  I used to see these more often, in fact I haven’t seen one in so long I figured they must have ended the program.

Mary Kay pink Cadillac: In order to qualify for the coveted pink Cadillac ”career car,” which comes with achieving Mary Kay’s “Grand Achiever” level of sales, consultants must  build a sales team of 12 or more members and net a minimum of $18,000 in product orders within 4 months.  If consultants are then able to hit the $100,000 mark within a year, Mary Kay comps a two-year “co-op lease,” after which they can choose to sell their cars back to the dealership (anybody looking for a used pink caddy) or purchase them.  If you’re in the career car group you can get other cars that aren’t necessarily pink, including a BMW 320i and, if you’re not interested in another car – there is a cash in lieu of.  Yea – I know, more than you ever wanted to know or even cared about – but now you know.  It’s been a slow news day….

And with that – it’s time for me to get this post published.  Y’all Take Care.

When I walked out of the hotel this morning rain was in the air, I could feel it.  Dang it!!  Checked the forecast and it looked like if I could get west fast enough I’d be able to stay dry – So, me and the scooter were westbound and down fast as I could get ‘er packed up.

It wasn’t an Interstate kind of predicament so I stuck with my normal back roads but I wasn’t gonna be stopping to look around for a while.  And I didn’t really stop to look around that much all day.  The roads were good for the most part but when they look like this – there’s not that much to see.  Clear blue sky though – another no rain suit kinda day :::smile:::

It wasn’t all like that though.  This is the cemetery outside Bethel Brick church.  There were small confederate flags flying over some of the grave sites so I thought I’d check that out.  Bethel Brick is a church built back in 1827 and has been continuously holding services there ever since.  The “brick” part of the name came because most churches of this era were “meeting houses constructed of hewn logs” or even clapboard wooden siding.  As with many old churches in the South, the cemetery is the final resting place for several Civil War soldiers and the flags are another way to mark their graves.  Most of the stones placed so long ago are unreadable today.

Can you imagine disagreeing with your brother so much that you were both to going to fight  in a war against each other and were both willing to die for your cause?  I’d say that is the definition of standing up for what you believe in.  How many people today would be willing to take a stand and, if necessary, die for their particular beliefs?  And if you didn’t happen to share those beliefs – would you call those people terrorists?  And – would you be prepared to fight those people to the death and go through unimaginable sacrifice in the effort?

I was having to wait in a long line of vehicles at a stop light in a small town.  On my GPS I noticed a side road that linked up with the road I would be taking next so I took that option.  Then I found out why not too many folks were interested in this shortcut.  Talk about a low bridge.

This one was less than 8 foot high, and none too wide between the pillars.  Not to mention the road to get here was on a road at least as “shaky” as this bridge.  Neither of which was a problem on the bike, but I’d wait for the light if I were driving my truck.

Farm Report: I expected to see peach trees and have been looking for them but so far, I haven’t found any.  I did find quite a few pecan trees – and many houses have six or eight of them planted in their front yard.  Maybe that gives them an agricultural tax break.

The soil in this part of GA is very sandy.  I had no idea what was going to be planted here so I stopped and asked a couple guys getting the tractor ready for a days work – peanuts.

I think I told you yesterday that there is an app for your phone that will identify plants.  My wife reminded me that she actually has the app on her phone.  When I saw this crop planted with plastic shields I had to stop and see if I could figure out what it was.  The only time I’ve seen the plastic used is for strawberries that they want to keep out of the dirt.

I thought it was some kinda squash but wanted to be sure so I sent this picture to my wife to see if her app could tell – watermelon.  And I did a little research about this particular farming technique and found this interesting and informative YouTube video – click here.

Of course there’s cotton being cultivated here.  Georgia is second only to Texas in cotton production.  Texas produces over three times as much cotton as Georgia.  I’ve never seen a cotton field with so many weeds growing in it.  Guess it’s not worth it to have nice clean weed free edges on your cotton field.

I’m at what’s kinda my second home here south of Atlanta.  I’ll be here for a couple more days before I’m back on the road.  Y’all take care now.

I always enjoy the time I get to spend with my Georgia family.I would like to thank James for showing me (and demonstrating) the new horn for his softail.  This thing is No Joke – and you can bet that there will be one waiting for me when I get home.  I might even put one on both my bikes.  No doubt the best horn I’ve heard for a motorcycle.  And – they’re small enough that you could put one in your car or even your Polaris Ranger – Now that I’m thinking about it maybe I need three.  Just in case you’re interested, check out:  motohorn.com

Saw this truck outside the Harley dealership.  I would have liked to talk to the guy that built it.  Definitely more “show” than “go” but pretty cool regardless.

If you remember, couldn’t find any peach trees on my way in from South Carolina.  Not a problem here in Peach County, GA.  There should be fruit on these trees but it would still be green.  I didn’t slow down enough to get that good a look.

When I started heading out of town this morning, I noticed that my GPS wasn’t plugged in.  I took that as a sign and just started following whatever road I ended up on – trying to stay generally southbound.  It was a great way to spend the first couple hours but I was just wandering around and needed a bit more direction.  So I plugged the GPS in and headed for lunch at Buc-ee’s.  Some of you likely remember Buc-ee’s from last year but if not – here’s a link to that post.  Great BBQ brisket sandwich.Ever wonder what the inside of a gasoline pump looks like – Now you know.

As you might expect, Buc-ee’s is located next to the interstate.  I got up on the slab and pretty much just stayed there for the rest of the day’s journey.  Traffic was very light and sometimes it feels good to have that 80+ mph wind in your face.

It was a bit of a foggy start this morning.  Of course things here in Florida are always humid.  It was actually nice and cool this morning, a little cloudy and dampish.This kinda back road is a little difficult to find in Florida, but when you get lucky and find one they are a real treat.  You might even get a turn or two – but no more than that.

I was going to really take it easy today and show up in West Palm Beach a day later but the forecast today is good and tomorrow it’s supposed to be raining most of the day.  So, I’m headed for West Palm Beach a day early.

Just north of Ocala, FL you’ll think you’ve been transported to Kentucky.  Lots of large, beautifully maintained  horse farms.  It was time to get something to eat and I thought to myself, “You know I hear a lot about The Villages, I’ll go check that out.”  If you don’t know, The Villages is a large retirement community in central Florida.  Lots of golf carts running around, lots of golf courses, and a very high rate of STD’s.  I’ve heard that it’s the highest in FL but research has shown that Tallahassee has that honor – 2 major universities and a community college – go figure.

The Villages – is 20,000 acres and spans three counties with 40,000 homes and more than 70,000 residents – boasts 34 golf courses, nine country clubs, two downtown squares and a slew of restaurants and bars.  And getting lucky is one of the residents’ primary pastimes.  The male to female ratio is 10 to 1 so the guys are the lucky ones.

I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but at noon on a Thursday it was mostly very tame.  There were some haulin’ ass golf carts for sure.  I tried to pace one and I would guess he was going close to 40 mph!!  If my golf cart got up to 25 it was a white knuckle ride – I was worried about the high speed wobbles and how good the brakes would work.  I can’t imagine FORTY mph.  They have to have a special suspension and steering.

I went into one of those downtown squares and found this place.  The Lighthouse Point Bar & Grill.  Here’s the story on this place.  In 1835 an eccentric New Englander rode a riverboat into the Lake Sumter Landing area.  Despite his rumored wealth he dressed like a disheveled naval officer and always referred to himself as “The Commodore.”  He became fixated on the notion that Lake Sumter Landing needed a lighthouse to ensure the safety of what he called its “navy,” which was really regular barge and riverboat traffic serving the community.  The Commodore purchased this point of waterfront land and over ten years singlehandedly built both a home and functioning light house.  For the next 25 years he served as self-appointed lighthouse keeper and village eccentric.  I believe that this could be the exact sight but I doubt that either the lighthouse or building are original.  Anyway – it was a good enough place to get some lunch.  Snow Crab boil & a Guiness.

Not too much going on the rest of the way down.  I ended up on a couple roads that I’ll be trying to avoid in the future.  Kinda like surface streets through the city.  Gotta do a little better job of handholding with the GPS.

Down the road, I was surprised to see a school bus in front of me going slow with two wheels in the middle of the shoulder. I couldn’t believe my eyes and was going to go back to get a picture but as luck would have it I passed another one about 30 minutes later. We’ll call it creative recycling……  School Bus + Sawzall = Watermelon HarvesterAnd I saw two or three more going the other way – empty.  I beat the rain and with any luck – next time I’ll have a fish story (or two) for you.  That’ll be a few days though..

Have you ever seen Top Golf?  It’s like a golf driving range with electronic targets and games you can play hitting specific golf shots – there was even a TV game show built around it.  I’ve always thought it would be fun, but I’ve never been.  Drive Shaft isn’t exactly Top Golf but it was still good fun & I’d do it again in a heartbeat. 

After another great visit with our friends here in West Palm Beach it was time to get back on the bike for the short trip south.  I followed the Okeechobee Waterway westbound to the lake.  You can enter the waterway on the gulf side of Florida and continue eastbound across Lake Okeechobee and eventually all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. This is the lock on the east side of the lake that gets you down to the level of the waterway.  And this is Lake Okeechobee.

Lake Okeechobee is 730 square miles of water with an average depth of only NINE feet.  It’s a natural lake but the Army Corps of Engineers built a dike around it to prevent unpredictable flooding.  Eye Opener: How much is a trillion?  At capacity, Lake Okeechobee holds a trillion gallons of water.  730 square miles of water, nine feet deep = one trillion gallons.  US Debt – $23.3 trillion!!

Farm Report:  Sugar cane field being harvested.  They were cutting everything down, chopping it up and loading it into trucks for processing.  No attempt to separate the leaves from the stalk.  Guess they do all that at the plant.

These are citrus trees.  I’d say orange trees but they are kinda short for that.  Tangerines maybe or those little mandarin oranges or clementines??

You know you’re getting close to the edge of the United States when the food isn’t “American” and starts coming from other countries.  When I stopped for gas I was there.

These are plantain chips, made in Costa Rica.  Plantains look like a banana but are much more like a potato.  These chips were quite good, heavy on the garlic and tasted nothing like the smashed banana they look like.

While I was standing next to my bike eating my plantain chips, this lady pulled up with her kids.  I almost couldn’t believe it when she asked me what I was eating.  THEN she asked if she could try one.  What the heck, sure.  She got out of her car and talked with me while one of her kids took care of their gasoline.

I had great difficulty pronouncing her name much less trying to spell it for you.  She says that she always dresses this way in the custom of her people.

She was VERY nice, even “forward”, and interested in my story, so much so that I actually felt like she might have been a gypsy kind of person and that I should keep my valuables close.  She asked me if I wanted to take her picture and pulled me away from the bike where her kids were.  Maybe I’m just skeptical and she was genuine,  She was just so interested and complimentary……

At the very least, an interesting encounter.

I’ve seen a lot of different “Caution ___ Crossing” signs but this was a new one.  I wonder if they are unique to the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge.  Anybody seen a caution panther crossing sign somewhere else?

Most Florida county roads look like this.  Straight and flat.  I haven’t seen any alligators yet but people have told me that they have just barely missed alligators on the road.  Maybe a caution alligator crossing sign would be appropriate.

Rolled in to Everglades City and that bag of plantain chips had completely worn off.  A good ruben sandwich at one of the two restaurants in town was just the ticket.

So – what about that fish story…..  Well – I have always wanted to catch a tarpon.  I had a charter all set up over in Punta Gorda – one of the best places to catch tarpon and this is the best time of year.  Fishing is always subject to weather and a strong south wind kept us off the water.  However, all is not lost – I’ve got another charter fishing trip set up here in Everglades City.  We aren’t targeting any specific species just going to see what we can get to bite.  But there are some tarpon around – you never know……

This is my first time ever in The Everglades.  I’ve been farther south because I’ve been all the way to Key West but have never been in The Everglades before.  It’s not summer yet but it’s pretty dang warm and humid already.  Not what I’d call oppressive but certainly not comfortable either.  At least the rains haven’t started yet, I should be long gone.

I came here to fish and I went on two different charters.  The first day we were going out to a wreck where we should have to been able to catch a variety of fish.  We picked up some shrimp and Captain Billy tossed a 12 foot casting net to pick up the rest of the baitfish.

We tried hard to get out to the wreck but it was just too rough.  We stopped at a couple other spots, but the wind was blowing hard enough that the trolling motor couldn’t hold us on the structure and standing up in the boat was more than a little dicy.

Back inside the Ten Thousand Island area we had much better luck.  We caught snook, mangrove snapper, jack crevalle, catfish and trout.  Captain Billy filleted the mangrove snapper and I took advantage of the little kitchen back at the condo.  Very good delicate whitefish.

The following day I went out with a guide that’s a 6th generation Everglades City resident.  He’s more interested in flight instruction these days building his hours for a shot at an airline pilot’s job – but once in a while he has to take a charter out so he can pay the bills.  Captain Miles took me to one of his favorite places where he and his grandfather still go fishing.  Very peaceful and serene, especially when compared to yesterday’s rough ride.  This is a dead tree on the water’s edge with LOTS of bromeliads (air plants) growing on it.

We saw quite a few tarpon (small ones) rolling in the calm water between the mangroves.  I actually had one on the line at one point but he jumped out of the water and spit the lure back at me.  He was about this size.

Fossil research shows that tarpon are prehistoric fish.  They get up to 8 feet long, 280 pounds and can live over 50 years.  Catching a tarpon is a bucket list adventure that I’m finding out is going to be quiet a bit more difficult than just chartering a tarpon trip.  I won’t bore you non-fishermen with all the details, but if you are interested – we’ll talk.

Another bucket list fish for me is Peacock Bass.  These are very aggressive fish and to catch a big one you have to travel.  Brazil, Colombia or Venezuela are your best bets for something in the 30 pound range.  However – I found out that they actually have Peacock Bass right here in Florida – not as big but still, it’ll check the box.

That’s a Peacock Bass – they are a wary fish and if you’re aren’t wearing fishing camouflage they’ll see you way before you ever see them.  Okay – that’s a bit of a stretch, my fish camo is just belt and suspenders in the sunscreen department.  Captain Miles knew exactly where to go, and we were able to sight fish for Peacocks.  Trying to catch a fish that you can see is pretty exciting.  I caught several of these hard fighting fish, I’d still like to catch something 20 TIMES larger – but this was a very fun fishing trip.If you have ever wanted to go on an airboat ride, the Everglades is the place to do it.  I decided that since today was going to be a shortish ride – I’d hang around and take a little tour on an airboat.  I was there when they opened at 9:00 but I was the only customer.  The folks at Speedy’s didn’t hesitate and even though the cost of admission likely didn’t hardly cover the fuel used, they sent me out by myself.

It was fun sliding around in the mangroves doing spins and having a straight pipes small block roaring right behind your head.  Gotta do that at least once if you get the chance.

On our way back I saw this huge catamaran.  I did a search and found that there is a video  showing you around this 62 foot boat.  The video is cool but they never tell you the price.  The other thing that I liked is the name of the fishing boat parked in front of the Meglodon.  Bottom Scratcher.  I doubt that it’s an original name, but it’s the first one I’ve seen – it made me smile.  Don’t forget that you can click on the picture to see it full size.

The ride from Everglades City to Sarasota is mostly flat and straight so not much to report there.  There was this guy – they cut the grass then just tilt the mower deck up and use it to trim back the “hedge.”  Now I know where the Redneck Hedge Trimmer comes from.That’s about it for this leg – One more fishing charter here in Sarasota….. Stay Tuned.

One of my friends from my early FAA days lives in Sarasota with his lovely bride, and whenever I’m in southern Florida I try to stop by their place for a little visit.  This time around I decided that we should take advantage of being so close to the water and get in one last fishing trip.  We chartered a half day trip in the Sarasota Bay and Phil (not really a big fisherman) caught this barracuda on his first cast.  For the rest of the day I couldn’t get the intro of that 1977 Heart song out of my head.

We caught lots of snook, this one was the largest.  They put up a good fight and this guy was out of the water putting on a little tail walking show before we got him into the boat.  Snook are good to eat, but the season is closed right now.  It was catch and release for everyone but the barracuda and a good sized mangrove snapper.  Fun trip.

Like me, Phil is an early riser.  The bike was packed and breakfast done almost before the sun came up.  I was happy to get an early start – thank you my friend; for everything.

In order to get north of Tampa ASAP the Interstate is the only option.  Traffic wasn’t bad, and soon enough I was off the slab and back onto my roads less traveled.  I was on the gulf side of the state which is far less populated – just what I’m looking for. 

It’s obligatory, when in Florida, to get a picture of the bike with a tree covered with Spanish Moss in the background.  The early morning sun made this one a bit of a challenge.  Gonna have to do better next time.

I’ve got a pretty good weather radar app on my phone and it was looking like there was going to be no way to stay dry.  I rode as far as I could without the rain gear then pulled over and got suited up.  Wouldn’t you know it – for the amount it rained, I could have easily done without the waterproofs.  That’s how it so often goes – be prepared get ready and you don’t need it.  It’s Memorial Day weekend and the locals are out riding their bikes in shorts and short sleeved T-shirts – they don’t care if it rains.

The rest of the ride today was mostly nothing to talk about.  There was this one thing though – – –

Bathroom Humor:  After 3 hours on the road, I was looking for a rest area or a truck stop.  None of that on the backroads.  Gas station, fast food, grocery store are what you’re looking for.  Publix is a grocery store and I was very happy to see one just ahead.  I actually have some shopping to do, but I have a more` pressing issue to deal with first.  And I am on a mission, this is bordering on a physiological emergency.  The door to the handicap stall is wide open – great, I barely made it.  Looking around, there’s a trash can in this stall and I don’t remember seeing any urnials on my way in.  Still not sure – but I kinda know.  Time to get outa here, I’m dressed  and all I need to do is get my vest off the coat hook and make my stealthy exit.  The door opens, someone’s coming in – Perfect!!  If I had any doubts about which door I came in, I know for sure now.  The person in the stall next to me has white painted toenails.  I am up against the wall in my stall trying to keep my size 12 cowboy boots out of sight and not making a peep.  This can still work.  No Way!! – she drops her cell phone and it slides two feet into my stall.  I silently tip toe over and slide it back to her.  She says “Thank you” – I say nothing.  I’m wondering how all this would all play out.  Might have to talk to the local law enforcement folks – man locks himself in a stall in the ladies bathroom – with a camera (phone).  She left and I gave her 10 seconds to get away then quickly made my sheepish exit directly across the hallway into the men’s room to wash my hands – WHEW.  I really don’t think anyone saw me.

Just a funny story, but while I’m at the cooler getting my tea, I see her feet.  She is with a group of 20 somethings going to the lake.  I look up from her feet, wondering what she looks like and at the same time she looks over at me.  Then, she looks down, and the moment she sees my boots, quickly turns around with her hands on her face…..

When I walked out of my motel room this morning the coolness in the air put a smile on my face.  I really don’t think I could live in Florida.  For the last week and a half, cool has only been something that comes out of a vent  I know your body gets used to whatever climate you’re living in (to some extent) but I don’t know about me and hot and humid.  It was actually cool enough that I should have worn my sweatshirt but I decided to just enjoy being cold for a while.

I finally got that tree picture this morning.  I was not in Florida though, so it doesn’t really count..  I had several opportunities to get a good spanish moss picture but just figured I’d get another and probably better shot somewhere down the road – after all these trees are everywhere.  And there I was looking for anything on my last few miles.  Which just proves an old hunter’s saying, “Never pass up a shot on the first day that you would be happy to have on the last day.”

I was checking possible routes last night and saw that the town of Albany, GA has the highest concentrated poverty rate of any metro area in Georgia and one of the highest of any metro area nationwide.  34,600 people in Albany (30%) are living below the poverty line, average annual per capita income is only about $20K .  Albany is on my way so I thought I’d go and have a look see.  I turned down a random street on my way through town and it was nice looking – but the houses were rather small, close together and not well kept.

I don’t know if that’s a sign of poverty – but it’s certainly not a sign of wealth…..

You know – if the “Hot  Now” light is on, you have to stop – that’s a rule.  And, what better way to try to boost the economy here than spend some money.  After I took this picture, and was heading inside, I saw the sign on the door, Drive Thru Only.  My taste buds are set – I’ll walk through the drive through if necessary, I’m getting a donut (and a donut doesn’t mean one).

This tractor looks like it’s straight off of the set of Mad Max or something.  What activity could these tractors be involved in that requires such heavy protection?  I’m sure someone out there will let me know.

Being that this is Memorial Day weekend I thought a stop at a cemetery for soldiers would be appropriate.  Andersonville Prison was a Confederate prisoner of war camp during the final fourteen months of the Civil War.  I’ll spare you the history lesson.

The northeast corner of the prison has been recreated.  Prisoners were responsible for the materials and building of their own shelters.  These shelters were often made from blankets and scraps of clothing.  The short single board fence you see, nineteen feet inside the 15 foot high stockade walls, was the Dead Line (the origin of the term).  Prisoners crossing the dead line were shot immediately – no questions asked.  A guard tower is visible above the stockade wall.  In the bottom picture, and around the compound, the outer walls and dead line are depicted by white posts in the ground.

Now a peaceful grass covered field, just over 150 years ago, this was the location of Andersonville prison.  Really makes you think……

The National Prisoner of War Museum (for all wars) is also located here at Andersonville.  I took the tour through the museum and it’s really amazing what some people are capable of enduring.  Makes you wonder if you would have what it takes to make it through something like that.  When asked to describe what it was like to be a POW one soldier said, “Dead, and yet – breathing.”

I am very thankful that the technology we have today means we don’t have to send as many of our children to fight and die in the conflicts we engage in.  I am also thankful that due to advances we’ve made in medicine, a much larger percentage of our injured solders do not have to die.  And, I know that fighting to protect our way of life is inevitable.  Take just a moment on this Memorial Day to really think about the high cost paid by your military and their families.  May they rest in peace.

My nephew got a slack line for his 11th birthday.  This morning before we left for his big sister’s softball game I helped him put it up.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he is walking back and forth without holding on to the training line above in just a couple weeks.

Natalie is a very good pitcher but today she just didn’t have her “stuff.”  She is a tall girl, about 6’2″ and only 15 years old.  For sure – one of the stars of the team.

Without anywhere to be today I just wandered around for a couple hours after the game.  I know ya’ll probably get tired of pictures from the road so I’ll just put one of the several I took today.  Very nice relaxing riding – or twist the throttle and have some fun.  Perfect.

I would like to start this post out with a great big thank you to all of my guardian angles.  I was on a winding country road just enjoying my morning.  I was entering a fairly tight right hand corner.  The bike and I were leaned over heading for the apex when I saw it.  Some guy was mowing his grass and shooting all the clippings out onto the road.  I have no idea how much traction half an inch of grass clippings would provide but I’m positive it’s not enough.  I don’t know how – but I adjusted things just in time to barely stay out of the grass.  It did put me over the double yellow lines just slightly.  The guy coming the other way was observant and quick enough to keep us apart.  If I’d hit that grass – it would have been a big  wreck.  Never ride faster than your angles can fly – that’s a rule.

Whenever I see one of these signs, I know that I’m on the right road.  In my travels, I have actually seen a couple of horse drawn carriages on the road.  And one year, I saw one tied to telephone pole outside a livestock auction yard.  But I’ve never seen one of these signs on a straight road with lots of traffic.  The roads today were great, with that one exception noted above.  Let’s hope that’s the last time I require so much intervention from my guardian angles and St. Christopher – thanks again Marco.

I finally found a tobacco farm just outside Holland, KY.  Kentucky has 44,967 tobacco farms, and is second only to South Carolina in production.  However, the average tobacco farm in Kentucky is only 5.7 acres.  About 94% of the tobacco grown in the US is used to make cigarettes. The rest is used for chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, cigars, pipes, etc.  Grown from hand planted live plants, this is planting season and the fast growing crop will be ready for harvest in 70-130 days.

I’ve been seeing quite a few of these very tall old barns and I was thinking – maybe they were built for drying tobacco.  The large tobacco leaves are hung to dry for 4-8 weeks.

Kentucky is also home to some sprawling horse farms.  While I’ve been gone, our little Half Vast Ranch garnered another member.  Meet Sterling (and his mom).  Born mid May, Sterling is a Morgan Horse and unique because of his Smoky Grullo color.  He is up in the mountains of Idaho and we’ll be going to get him in October sometime.

That makes a total of four horses – Purdy shore that’s gonna be maximum density.

I was up on the slab for a while to get through Bowling Green when I saw the signs for the National Corvette Museum.  It’s right next to the interstate so I figured what the heck, I’ll take a look.  I’m a Corvette fan and it was really nice to see so many and so much history in one place.  And bonus, all military were able to avoid the $18 entry fee for May.

This cut-away is the original 1953 Corvette.  A sports car in that it was a convertible, it was not powered by a high performance motor.  And it looks like a side impact would have been a BAD day.  Don’t forget you can click on the picture for a full size version.

You likely remember back in 2014 they had a sink hole open up right under the museum.  A very sad day for Corvette enthusiasts.  They were able to restore most of the cars that went down the 30+ foot hole.  The 1.5 millionth Corvette was one that was too far gone.  It’s still on display though, 2009 white convertible with red leather interior.

I told you I’m a Corvette fan.  I actually co-owned one for a few years.  I say co-owned because it was my wife’s car – I got to drive it once in a while.  It wasn’t really a guy’s car anyway – white leather interior, including a white leather steering wheel. 1988 35th Anniversary edition, only 2050 made.  Fun to drive – especially after the engine rebuild.On the way out of the museum I was talking to one of the workers and found out that you can go over to a 3.2 mile road track right next door and actually drive a brand new mid engine C8 Corvette.  Four laps following a professional driver but when are you EVER going to get to drive one of these luxury racecars  on a track at any speed?  THAT’s definately going on my bucket list!!

I was talking with Robin (my wife) about the whole Corvette thing and telling her that I was going to add it to my bucket list.  She encouraged me to take advantage of the opportunity now.  You never know – things change.  Thank you my dear for your insight – you were right as usual.  I checked the availability and luckily they had an opening that would work.  Bonus, Heather was going to be able to go with me.  Having an experience is one thing, but being able to share it with someone else makes it SO much better.

We were there a little early and they were running a bit late but when it was time to get started we were led out to the car and strapped in without much more ceremony than getting into a rental car.  They wanted to make sure the car was in Track Mode and that your seat belts were fastened.  Other than that, just try to leave about 3 car lengths and follow that Camaro.  BTW the better job you do of following, the faster the lead car will go.

There were two cars following one lead car.  I was pretty tight on the Camaro but the other guy was a couple turns back; afterwards his wife admitted she was yelling at him to slow down.  After the first lap we headed for the pits – oops, maybe I’m following too close. Nope, there was another lead car waiting for the slow guy and for the next 3 laps, we were ON IT.  They know the capabilities of the C8 Corvette and the lead car won’t go any faster than that.  I’m sure I made several mistakes on the track that the built in track mode intelligence saved me from but  WHAT  A  RIDE!!

I am so happy to have had Heather along for many reasons – making this video is one of them.  Without her I would have no record of the time on the track.  They do have photographers but a movie from inside the cockpit is priceless – as is the look on her face, ha ha.  When the video starts, you can hear her say “Ugh here we go” and in a few of the turns you can hear her reacting to the g-force generated.  This was the 3rd lap and she was getting a little car sick with all the turns and braking and acceleration.  In the car you can smell the rubber from the tires getting hot from sliding a little in the turns.

When we got back to the parking lot I had a chance to talk to the guy driving the Camaro I was following.  When I thanked him, he said, “No, thank you.”  He said that about 70% of the folks that come here, pay their money for a ride around a race track in a corvette and rarely get above 30 mph in the turns or 80 mph on the front straight away.  The Camaro driver was very happy to have someone behind him that allowed him to go a little faster.  Would have been fun to go for a ride with him – he has driven thousands of laps here.

Everyone wants to know how fast you got the car up to.  I don’t really know because that happens on the front straight away and by the time you reach maximum speed you are braking for turn one and you ARE NOT looking at the speedometer; but I would say about 120.  I would have liked to have a track time; the Camaro guy estimated around 3 minutes.  The track record is 2.03 or so, now that’s FAST.  They do have a one day driving school here – maybe I’ll look into that, not in the summer time though.

This is not a little ride around a race track in a Corvette – you will be challenged and it is fast enough.  I highly recommend it, and I will be back again.  So Much Fun……

After the Corvette Experience, my niece and I headed back to her house.  The plan was to beat feet out of there, but mother nature had a different plan.  There was a line of thunderstorms headed our way.  It was fast moving and not too wide so I packed the bike and we waited it out.  Before I go, here is a picture of the Brown kids on my bike.  We’re taking this picture every time I visit to watch them grow up – here’s a link to last time.

With the later start, I didn’t make it much more than 50 miles.  That would have actually been day 22 but since it was so short – we’re not going to count that one.  I covered the bike just in case and good thing, it rained pretty hard that night.

This morning, I was approaching a stop sign with a few vehicles waiting in line and nobody behind me.  For some reason I started to slow down quite a bit earlier than normal.  No brakes just rolled off the throttle.  About 3 seconds later this happened.

If I hadn’t done something that I almost never do – I would’ve been trying to get that off my face and out of my mustache.  Now, some of you might be cussing the bird.  I took it as a sign from my guardian angles that even though they got such a workout the other day with that whole grass thing – they’ve still got my back.  Why else would I have slowed down so soon?  That made me smile.  When someone comments on how dirty my bike is on these rides I tell them, “I ride it, I don’t wash it.”  But that will be coming off directly.  Otherwise it could be dissolved by the rain while I’m riding – and that is NOT Good Eats.

This plane was just sitting in the lawn next to a pizza place as advertisement.  When I see these kind of things I wonder – what’s the story behind that airplane.  There’s a cover to protect the cockpit from the rain – or maybe that’s a blow up Bud Man.

I did some checking on that Corvette track driving school and you have to bring your own car.  If I still had my Camaro……  Maybe there’s a video game with that race track.

Okay – back on the road.  I thought I smelled something familiar but it took me a while to figure out what it was.  It smelled like honeysuckle.  Something I remember from my childhood and although it’s a pretty sweet perfume – not usually overpowering.  That’s exactly what it was, and it grows like a weed here in southern Illinois.

That’s honeysuckle just growing in the bar ditch on the side of the road.  This picture also shows the gravel shoulder on the other side of the asphalt.  This improved edge is for farm equipment.  They drive with the right side tires on the gravel and, larger equipment (like this sprayer) can use the road and stay on their side of the centerline.  Top speed is still around 35 mph though, so you’ll either have to pass or go under – someday……

I’ve seen that gravel shoulder in use several times today, but I either couldn’t get the camera out in time or there was just too much going on to get a picture.

Roads kinda go in this order, Interstates, State Roads, County Roads, Farm Roads, and Private Roads.  Most of the time I have my GPS set to avoid highways.  I’m shooting for state and county roads with an occasional surprise thrown in – However…..  Today I was on lots of farm roads.  The kind of road where everyone that sees you on your motorcycle looks over and thinks to themselves or says to the person next to them, “That guy is lost.”  Roads like this one – that are more patches than original asphalt; with no attempt to level anything out.  Not exactly treacherous but slow going and very little fun.

After a couple hours of that, I was looking for anything with a centerline!!  The only people that belong on those roads are farmers, farm workers, and farm equipment.  This one is better and you can still see that gravel shoulder here as well.

So far Illinois has had the highest gasoline prices; $5.00 for 87 octane and $5.80 for 92.  And, you can’t get anything but 87 octane at many of the small town gas stations – the bike knocks a little with anything less than 92.  You would think with all the extra money they’re charging, the roads would be in good shape – NOT.  The county and state roads, at least where I was, were so poorly maintained that I was ready to get up on the slab just to give my bike and my back a break.  So, that’s what I did.  See ya tomorrow.

This morning I’ve got a quick little ride up to Freeport, IL to see a buddy of mine.  Bobby is actually my neighbor back in Arizona.  Our houses are about a quarter mile apart but his family is our closest neighbor.  Anyway – Bobby is the master mechanic for a pipeline operation, and his latest job is here in Illinois.  They are replacing an old 20 inch high pressure natural gas line with a new 24 inch one.  Without it, every pilot light in Chicago goes out.  I just happened to ride in on the road that is right next to one of the areas where the new line is being laid.  It’s quite an operation.Bobby and I visited for a couple hours, but his work was backing up and it was time for me to go.  Hopefully he’ll be able to get this job wrapped up in time for his elk hunt.

I have had enough of the county roads here in Illinois.  It’s less than 20 miles from Freeport to Wisconsin so I’m going to give another state a chance.  Ahhhhh; Illinois = going down the back steps on your skateboard, Wisconsin = Lincoln Town Car (last produced in 2011 BTW).  I’m only going to be in Wisconsin for a minute but thought I’d contribute some tax money to the state by fueling up and getting something to eat before I leave.  Eating local in Wisconsin means cheese – at the gas station I bought a slice of pizza with – cheese.

West of the Mississippi:  As I said earlier, every time I cross the Mississippi River it makes me happy.  Happy to be going out, then happy to be going home.  I believe Dubuque, Iowa is the farthest north I’ve ever crossed.  Looked pretty busy down there on the water.

This is farm country as far as the eye can see.  It’s hard to tell from this picture but there are seven or eight different farm houses in this picture.

Trimming trees to keep them from interfering with the power lines is something you see all the time.  Occasionally, one really catches your eye.  This has to be one of the best I’ve seen, how about a pac-man eating the power pole.

Short post but still a great day out on the road and visiting with friends.  Y’all be good.

The rain is coming.  If I get on the road ASAP and head as straight south as possible, it looks like I might be able to stay fairly dry.  It’s a little game I play that I call Henny Penny.  She was the chicken that said, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.”  I believe she was hit in the head by an acorn – I’m trying to keep from getting hit by rain.  This is farm country with lots of roads that run in what’s basically a grid pattern.  I should stand a pretty good chance of getting from A to B without putting the waterproofs on.  The idea is to try to go toward the light.  Sounds easy enough – right?  Pilots would call this a sucker hole.

I’m no sugar cube, so I’m not really worried about melting or anything – but it’s fun to see if you can figure out which roads to take to stay out of the rain.  I don’t have a lot of success with this game; but if you won every time you played solitaire, it wouldn’t be a challenge would it.  Playing Henny Penny I usually end up getting fairly wet and either put the rain suit on, or more often, just tuck my chin and tuff it out.  I have actually gotten drenched, kept riding after the rain quit, and dried out – everything but my socks that is.  Today, I was about as successful as I’ve even been, damp but not soaked – two cards left.

I need to head west and south to get back to Arizona and west of me there is a line of thunderstorms marching their way across the country.  I know that I’m going to be hunting my hole pretty early today to get off the road before that line thunderstorms gets to me.

Just dumb luck (or divine intervention), I found a very nice county road that goes straight south all the way into Missouri.  That’s my road, and I’m making pretty good time.

Then – about 125 miles from where I started this morning, I get to Knoxville, Iowa.  It was strange to see quite a few cars in the Super 8 parking lot at 10:00 in the morning, must be something going on here.  Then I passed a campground that had an old sprint car up on a pole to get your attention.  Hmmm – must be a race track in town.  Come to find out, this is the home of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum and the Knoxville Raceway.  I toured the museum and found out that they are having an induction into their Hall of Fame tonight.  Therefore – Big Race.  Here’s some sprint car pix.

Danny “the Dude” Lasoski came way before Jeff Bridges’ character in The Big Lebowski, but I don’t know if that’s where they got the idea for his moniker.  That first car was driven by the likes of Parnelli Jones and A.J. Foyt.  Many of the most successful Nascar & Indy drivers started their careers in sprint cars.  Maybe one of these days I’ll do a ride along….

Someone canceled their reservation at the Super 8 (the only hotel in town) and I snagged it.  I couldn’t be happier, I’m staying here and going to the race tonight!!

Sprint cars have engines that put out nearly 1,000 hp, burn methanol (alcohol) and have 16:1 compression ratios.  The cars only have one gear and are either in gear, or in neutral. All four tires are a different size to assist the car in turning (and sliding) left  Also, the tires run minimal air pressure; 4-6 psi on the rear tires and 10-12 psi on the fronts.  How fast do they go?  Depending on the track, speeds are approaching 150 mph.  Yeee Haaw!!

I used to go to Manzanita Speedway (closed now) in Phoenix when I was in my teens and swore that one day I would at least drive one of the push trucks.  Oh, I forgot to mention – no starters on these cars either; trucks push them onto the track until their engines fire.

Into each life some rain must fall: They were able to run all the practice, qualifying, and heat races before it rained.  It was only 10 or 15 minutes of light rain but the locals were shaking their heads (that’s a bad sign).  From what I was hearing, it was going to take at least an hour working on the track (it’s dirt) and then they would make a decision.  With 75 cars here from California to South Carolina they were going to try everything they could.

I was among the 30% or so that called it a night.  As I was packing the bike this morning I spoke to a few guys and they said that they got all the races in but it didn’t wrap up until after 1:00 AM.  Oh well – I had fun at the races, and I’m good with the whole deal.  Next time I’ll add looking for Saturday night races to my ride possibilities.

I left Knoxville southbound and soon I pulled over to get fuel and figure out what I was gonna be doing route wise.  I filled up, and was about to pull my map out when I noticed that there was a slight breeze out of the east.  I decided to put the wind to my back and have a nice relaxing ride through Iowa.  I found a great road and I had it all to myself.

It’s Sunday, a day of rest and worship.  I can think of nothing more relaxing than exactly what I’m doing, and I had a little chat with the man upstairs.  I am SO blessed in SO many ways.  I feel closest to God when I’m out on my motorcycle and especially on days like this; sometimes it can be overwhelming.  This morning it was amazing – and I am thankful.

From what I was able to see, Iowa is mostly farms.  Only 2.8% of the land in Iowa is not privately owned.  If you want to hunt here, you gotta know a guy.  Some folks would be bored by the constant rolling hills and farms but I never am.

This is a Beech 18 just sitting in someone’s yard.  Over 9,000 of these were made from 1937-1970.  This one looks to be sporting a WWII paint scheme.  There’s gotta be a great story behind this one.  Maybe great grandpa flew this plane in the war.  If someone had been out in the yard, I would have gone over and asked.  Everyone likes to tell their story.

I had to grab the brakes pretty hard when I saw the sign for Prescott, Iowa.  Just three miles off the road I was on, I had to take a look.  Uh – population 266, nothin to see here.

The wind turned and picked up a little.  Soon the countryside was dotted with wind generators.  I saw something interesting – 5 of the generators that were close to each other were exactly in sync and looked like synchronized swimmers.  I was going to take a video but – turning around to take a video of wind generators – Really????

Those wind generators cost between 3 and 4 million each.  As long as energy costs are high enough they are quite profitable; but if energy costs go down – not so much.  I’m sure the government will be keeping energy costs artificially high if necessary to support more of this “green” energy.  Breathe in breathe out: Not my problem – Ahhh, much better.

I haven’t ridden around Iowa very much but after riding from the northeast corner down to the southwest corner, I feel like I know the state a little better.  Traffic had picked up a little by the time I crossed over into Nebraska.  And that was the end of my relaxing day as well.  The speed limit went from 55 in Iowa to 70 in Nebraska.  I wasn’t really interested in trying to find a road with a lower speed limit so I just joined the 75-80 mph crowd.  Much the same for the speed limit in Kansas.  It was okay though – the first 3/4 of my day was awesome.  And don’t get me wrong, 80 mph is good too – just not what I’d call relaxing.

At my last gas stop I looked at a map and saw that there is a Manhattan, Kansas.  Now I can say that on my 2022 ride I stayed in Manhattan.  And there’s a Thai restaurant in the same parking lot as the motel.  Who could ask for more….

This morning it was overcast and although it wasn’t raining, there was a heavy mist in the air.  Delay wipers on low would be more than enough – on a motorcycle you’re gonna be a little moist.  More importantly, the roads are gonna be slick enough that you wanna be real careful in the corners.  Reminded me of our ride around the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.Didn’t see any buffalo in Ireland but here in Kansas you will.  I can’t believe that this little fence gets the job done though.

Road Closed: I was trying to figure out my alternate when a local pulled up and gave me directions that included just going around the barriers.  Old tapes were playing in my head.  I got some “just go around the barrier” directions from a local a while back, and the ONLY thing that kept me from being stuck in a sand wash in the middle of nowhere was my experience on a dirt bike and a lot of luck.  This time around though, it was all good.

This is for the readers that think these baby calves are SO cute.  I’ve tried to get a good baby cow picture before but they always run away.  These girls seemed very interested….

I got a feeling that it was going to be a while before the next gas station so I checked my GPS.  Fifty miles ahead or fourteen miles back.  My gauge said I had 65 miles worth of fuel, but experience with that gauge had me on the fence.  I hate to do it, but I turned around, and I’m very glad I did.  At the gas station I met a fellow motorcycle rider.  He’s a bit more seasoned than I, but he did his riding on a real motorcycle.  We talked for a while and I imagine we could swap stories for hours or days.  Sir – it was a pleasure to meet you and you have my respect.  Enjoy the blog.

Many of the little towns out here still have brick streets.  I found out that the first brick paved street in America was laid in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1873 to solve the problem of muddy streets.  My experience with brick roads is that while they are quaint, they are pretty rough and poorly maintained.

I feel like I’m pretty lucky, but just in case I needed a boost – this guy hopped on for awhile.

Dodge City:  In 1866 Texas Longhorn cattle were driven from Texas to railheads in Kansas via the Shawnee Trail. However, they carried a tick that spread Texas cattle fever, among other breeds of cattle and Kansas established a quarantine line in central Kansas, pushing the cattle drive west.  Texas Longhorns began moving north along the Chisholm Trail and in 1867, the main cowtown was Abilene, Kansas. In 1876, the Kansas Legislature shifted the quarantine line westward, which essentially eliminated Abilene from the cattle trade.

The new Great Western Cattle Trail branched off from the Chisholm Trail to lead cattle into Dodge City which became the “queen of cow towns”.  Dodge City became famous, and no town could match its reputation as a true frontier settlement of the Old West.  Dodge City had more famous (and infamous) gunfighters working at one time or another than any other town in the West.

Nine years later, the Longhorn quarantine line was extended across the state and the Western Trail was all but shut down. By 1886, the cowboys, saloon keepers, gamblers, and brothel owners moved west to greener pastures, and Dodge City became a sleepy little town much like other communities in western Kansas.

I kinda expected to see a western town with lots of cowboy hats and boots, but that’s the past, and today Dodge City is much like any other city.  There is still plenty of cattle business around but it’s mostly feed lots far as I can tell.

It was time to Get the Hell Outta Dodge – Come on, you had to know that was coming.

Last night I had a real chance at getting some nasty weather.  This is BIG Hail and tornado country, and there was a cell heading our way with teacup size hail possible.  The motel let me park the bike under their check-in roof for the night just in case.  Plenty of rain but no hail, which was fine with me.  Biggest hail I’ve ever seen is quarter sized.

It’s gettin to be goin home time.  My M.O. is to start home easy just like the rest of the ride, but the last thousand miles or so I am just riding with a single focus.  This time I’m determined to take it easy.  Dodge City to the ranch is almost a thousand miles.  Easy in three days – not so much in two.  So, I’m going to take it easy and get there in 3 days.

There are LOTS of cattle trucks in this part of the country.  I was lucky this morning and only met them going the other way – for a little while.  All part of the deal though.  I was just very happy that my bike has the horsepower necessary to pull off the fast pass.

Going through Guymon, OK and saw a sign for Sunset Hills golf course; I just had to stop.

Looked like a pretty nice track and just about no cars in the parking lot.  They even have a “lake” with a fountain on the 18th hole.

I barely missed outrunning this train so I had to sit and wait for it.  I was reminded of my childhood.  If there was a train going through town, my mom would take us over to the railroad crossing and us kids would sit in the car count the boxcars.  These particular rail cars are called Covered Hoppers and carry everything from cement and chemicals to sugar and grain.  I counted, and this train was 98 cars long, not counting the engines – a little over a mile; they can get almost 3x that long.

This is one of my kinda roads but on a hot afternoon, after nine hours in the saddle, with another hour and a half to go – the fun factor goes way down.  Just another good reason to keep the ride time down to about eight hours per day.

I was planning on staying the night in Santa Rosa.  But, I got an early start this morning and it was only a little after 1:00 when I got there.  Besides that, I didn’t feel tired so I decided to keep riding.  The next little town didn’t have any room at the only hotel.  In the one after that, I couldn’t see any place to eat, so I ended up here in Socorro.  It was 101° degrees when I got here and I was very happy to be gettin off the bike.

Another fairly early start this morning.  After putting all those miles in yesterday, it’s looking like I’ll getting home in two days instead of three.  It happens this way more often than not.  My wife even said she wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d gotten on I-40 and come all the way from Dodge City in one day.  I’ve ridden over 1,000 miles in a day, but that’s no fun right away and I was much younger then.

One of the reasons I like coming this way is that I get to ride across the lens of a telescope.  The VLA is only about 50 miles west of Socorro, NM.  For those of you not familiar, VLA stands for Very Large Array – most famously seen in the 1997 movie Contact with Jodi Foster.  The VLA is a radio astronomy observatory consisting of twenty-eight 25-meter radio telescopes deployed in a Y-shaped array; the length of the legs of the Y can be adjusted from 2/3 of a mile to 23 miles; when they are close you get a wide angle lens, and farther apart it’s more zoomed in.  Astronomers using the VLA have probed the Universe’s cosmological parameters.  Tours are available every other Saturday.

About a hundred miles west of the VLA I crossed the Arizona border; it was 9:05 Arizona Standard Time.  At least that’s what it should be called.  Only Arizona and Hawaii don’t participate in Daylight Saving Time.  Back in 1966 some self-aggrandized politicians, in their infinite wisdom and with nothing better to do instituted Daylight Saving Time for the entire United States.  Each state could opt out if they wanted and by 1968 AZ was out. It’s an example of one of the reasons I like Arizona so much.  Just because everyone else is doing, it doesn’t mean AZ will be jumping off the cliff.

I’ve heard that 71% of the country thinks DST is BS.  There are attempts in DC to cancel the whole thing.  I’ve heard that DST was originally done for the farmers – really??  Farmers work based on where the sun is in the sky – makes no difference what the clock says.  Who of you out there think changing your clock back and forth every year is worth it?

I felt so good when I crossed the border.  I was born and raised in Arizona and as soon as I get back inside the borders – I’m home.  This part of the state is one of my favorites with the pine trees and mountains.  When I was a kid we often spent a week up here on our family summer vacation, fond memories for sure.  The heat this time of year cooks the sap out of the pine trees and that aroma fills the air.  Traffic was light and the roads are in very good shape.  It seemed like the 200 mile ride from Show Low to the ranch was over in the blink of an eye.  It’s good to be home.

I had a great time on my 2022 Spring Ride and I’ve enjoyed havin y’all along with me.  Time to start thinking about what I’ll do in 2023 – any suggestions??  Y’all Take Care – – –