Travelin' Man Day 8

Well, today proved to be pretty interesting for the fellas.  I think they must have went into this trip with the intention of experiencing every kind of condition possible this time of year.  If so, they succeeded. They left in good weather to go ride US 129 aka The Dragon. This is the famous road in North Carolina with 318 curves in 11 miles. Bikers everywhere love to challenge themselves on this road. Things were good and the roads were dry. When they were riding the Dragon the rain started coming down.  They made it to Deals Gap and as it got steadier, they considered their options.

This is what they were looking at. 

Rather than take the longer way around, they decided to go back through the Dragon and therefore take the shorter albeit more treacherous way back.  Now this is what has happened to some of the bikes on this road if you think I'm just being dramatic. And these were probably not in the rain.

 They call this the tree of shame in Deals Gap. On the way back the conditions just seemed to get worse.  It was rainy and foggy.  Their windshields and glasses kept fogging up.  They said the Foothills Parkway was the toughest riding they had ever done. Now that's saying a lot considering Steve and Ironman have been through two tropical storms before. At one point Steve was going a bit slower because of the fogged up glasses and got behind. Rodney pulled over to wait on him and between the steep downhill grade and the momentum, the bike went over in the gravel. It kind of scared Steve when he came around the curve and saw that. There was a car there by him and he thought they might have hit him, but they had just stopped to help him get his bike up.  In the end horse and rider were both fine.  Rodney had a skinned up arm and helmet. His chariot had a broke turn signal, bent foot peg and brake assembly. They had to make some quick roadside repairs which is also miserable in those weather conditions and then they were off again.  They were back at their room by 1:30 and ready to dry out and put their feet on the ground for awhile. If you'd like to see some pictures of their adventure, there are many photographers on that road most days. Here is a link to one. store.129slayer.com Look for them in the 9:45 and 11:45 time slots. And here's a another for now. 

 Even with all that rain gear he still got wet. I'm just glad my knight in shining (wet) armor conquered that dragon again. And I hope if he tries the challenge a third time (actually fourth since he did it twice today), that it will be on a dry road. 

Travelin' Man Day 7

Now if you're a rider, these are the kind of days that show what you're made of. I'll tell you right up front. I'm not made of that much and therefore I chose to just write about this trip. They left Champaign, IL with the goal of the Smoky Mountains in mind. There was a chance of rain everywhere in their path. Plus that's a heck of a long way to go on a motorcycle. Now it's true that they went at least that far on their first day, but nobody said it was fun.  And they weren't worried about rain that day.  Both bikes were running good today though and both the riders were in high spirits, so off they went. They managed to thread the needle again and miss the rain. They got wet from the knees down when they hit Louisville, KY, but that was just because the roads were wet.  They dried out in no time when the sun came out again. The best riding all day according to them was the interstate between Berea, KY and Knoxville, TN.  They loved this road. They made it to Pigeon Forge with 520 miles under their belt for the day and this view from their room. 

Now that's what you call dodging a bullet.  Or a rain suit.  Regardless, they couldn't leave well enough alone.  They tempted fate again by making a liquor run and that's when they got wet. At least they didn't have to go far. Plus I have to admit that it was worth it for this. 

 So drink up guys.  You earned a good scotch after that day.  Next stop is the Dragon.  Wonder if the weather will cooperate as well this time. 

Travelin' Man Day 6

This was the last day in Iowa, but it was a good one. First stop was the National Motorcycle Museum.  This was one of the main reasons they chose this destination and they were not disappointed. Now Steve has been to the Harley museum in Milwaukee, but there aren't too many Harley riders I know that have always been exclusive to the brand.  Even I started on a Kawasaki and was kicked off a Yamaha on my maiden voyage as a driver.  The point is most motorcycle riders have a diverse brand background. Therefore a museum that covers all brands is a very appealing place to a rider that wants to take a walk through motorcycle history. This ended up being a walk down memory lane for both of the guys. 

Here we have Rodney by a '72 Yamaha 350. (All you moms out there may want to skip this next part.) When he was 16, he rode one just like this that was purple and white along with his friend Bo (who was on a Honda 350 Scrambler) from Vicksburg, MS to Panama City, FL. (My son is 14 *shudder*) 

Now Steve is standing by his original Ironman. This is a Honda Trail 70. It's the same color and everything as the one Steve started riding when he was 11.  Another frightening thought for moms out there I know.  At least he was mostly under adult supervision.  There were plenty more bikes to see and they got many pictures, but we don't want to spoil the fun for any of the rest of you out there who want to visit and find your own memories.  After leaving the museum, they enjoyed another piece of history.  They stayed outside this one though. 

 It was the Iowa State Peniteniary in Anamosa.

This facility was built in 1880 with other parts being added through the years. Interesting that you don't see any razor wire even though the prison is still in use. I'm proud to say that both guys managed to get away without being detained, but I also know that they both have fast bikes too.  It was time to move on at this point, so good bye to Iowa until another time. Our adventurers started heading south.  They were riding into a headwind for most of the day which any rider knows can be exhausting as well as hard on your mileage.  Also along the way, a truck decided to share part of his load with the road and it hit and cracked Rodney's new fairing. I've got a few names for morons like that who can't keep their loads to themselves, but I like to keep this a family friendly blog. They managed 303 miles though before safely parking in Champaign, IL for the night. Tomorrow could be interesting depending on what the weather decides to do. Stay tuned. 

Travelin' Man Day 5

So finally they made it to their destination. All the riding, rain and breakdowns were for this moment.  How do you make sure you get the most out of it? You make sure you are part of the first 20 bikes there and get front row parking. 

Here's a pic later in the day to give you perspective. 

You name it in the motorcycle world and it was probably there. They got to see stunt riders and TV stars. There was free food and free installation of parts bought.  They both won door prizes for riding over 1000 miles to get there.  Rodney took advantage of the free installation to get a fairing on his bike.  I guess I know who will be riding lead now! 

Now first stop tomorrow will be the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa. After that, with a new stator and new fairing, who knows? These guys could show up anywhere, so keep a look out. 

Travelin' Man Day 4

Well, even though this day started out with Iron Man in the shop, it ended much better. Rodney got the part right away and the guys were able to get started on their work in no time. No here is a sight you don't see often. Somebody else working on something Steve owns, but most especially his bike. 

They were done with the bike by 12:30. Big shout out to  Chipp's Harley Davidson in Osceola, IA. They really went the extra mile to help Steve get back on the road. Even fed the guys lunch. They treated them as well as our local dealer Chunky River in Meridian, MS treats us. 

Now on to Anamosa! This day was not a long day. Only 173 miles. Of course about 70 of those were into a 35 mph head wind and another 25 in pouring rain. Trust me it doesn't matter how much rain gear you have on. Riding in the rain is miserable. They made it to their room by 5. Iron Man ran great all day. Now all they needed was a hot shower and to dry out. 

That room isn't a mess because two guys are staying in it. It's because every surface is draped with something that needs to dry out. The whole place smelled like wet leather. That's not nearly as pleasant a smell as dry leather.  I imagine they both slept like babies this night because they knew they finally made it. And the next day they would be at J&P Cycles 34th annual rally. Albeit a day late. 

Travelin' Man Day 3

Well, we'll put this day down as the shortest day of riding so far. About 80 miles into this day Iron Man (Steve's bike) began rebelling against the heat. It started with speedometer quitting, then there were a couple of hiccups and nothing. The charging system was kaput. Thank goodness for HOG roadside assistance. It still took over an hour for the tow truck though. So what's a guy to do?

Enjoy God's beautiful creation and man made technology of course. At least it wasn't raining. After the tow truck arrived, Steve got a nice smooth ride to the nearest Harley dealer in Osceola, IA.

The owner of the dealer and the head tech guy stayed a bit overtime on a Friday night to check out the bike and determine that the stator had went bad. (Love these guys already and I've never even met them. Can't imagine the dealer in Jackson, MS would even consider that.) The game plan was for Rodney to go to Des Moines first thing in the morning for the part.  Hopefully they'd be on the road by lunch.  Until then all they could do was find a hotel.  So why not find one in sight of the dealer? If you know Steve, you know he's not going to let even the building his bike's in very far out of his sight.

So on day 3 they only made it as far as Osceola, IA rather than the destination of Anamosa, IA.  But you know what they say? It's not the destination, it's the journey. 

Travelin' Man Day 2

So day 2 went much smoother than the first. After 534 miles in one day it was time for an easier day. Of course the first order of business was a new battery. That took two trips to get the right one. (How silly you are to think they'd give him the right one first on this trip!)  Weather was a concern on this day. They were ready with their rain gear, but it was barely a problem. They just hit enough to get the bikes a little dirty. That alone is enough to make Steve's eye twitch but somehow they managed to thread their way through the dry patches of the thunderstorms all day.  They arrived safely in Maryville to a steak dinner and a cold beer. 263 miles down today and even got 45 mpg from one tank. Maybe things are looking up.  I'll leave you with pics of one of the ones they visited in Eldon. This is Cocoa aka Sidewinder because of the cast. (Yes, my uncle Dan has a sick sense of humor. I come by it rightly.) No worries though. Cocoa was born with a bum leg and the vet thinks the cast will straighten it.  As you can see the dog just loves her too.  Remember when you're traveling, don't forget to stop and smell the donkeys!