DAY #18, 19 & 20 - I made it to the 4th and Final Corner

The fourth and final corner is Blaine, Washington. This is a seaside community on the Puget Sound and the Canadian Border. I completed the trip in twenty days having covered 11,572 miles. I made 65 stops for fuel, consumed $968.28 and 328.4 gallons of premium gas. This resulted in 36.1 miles per gallon.

Saturday, August 26th, 2017

Today, I started out around 9:00 AM. As I was headed to the highway, I noticed that there were rain clouds in the direction I was headed. I put on the jacket for the rain suit. The storm was heavier that planned so I pulled over under an overpass and put on the pants portion. I cleared the storm about 20 minutes later. I got out of of the suit when I stopped for gas when I got the the first rest area in Wyoming.

There is not much to say about the scenery in Western Nebraska. I hit a ridge of small mountains between Cheyenne and Laramie that was a fun ride. I stopped at one of the rest areas and stretched out and took a short nap. The temperatures were in the 90's so it was a challenge to stay cool.

I stopped for dinner while the sun was setting. The temperatures dropped quickly once I left and I had to stop and put on warmer clothing. So the story for today was: (1) too wet, (2) too hot, and (3) too cold. The weather is always the critical factor.

Having started out in North Platte, Nebraska and I ended the day near Ogden, Utah. I covered 663 miles in about 12 hours.

Sunday, August 27th, 2017

I spent the night in a nice hotel. I noticed as soon as I walked into the hotel lobby this morning that part of the cover I put on the bike last night had blown loose. Fortunately, it didn't tear and blow away which was good. Because of the high winds, I wasn't able to fold it nicely, so I just crammed into the saddlebag before getting the rest of the bike ready to go.

I went back into the lobby to get something to eat before leaving. I chatted with a nice couple from Tennessee who were originally from this area. They stated the the winds pick up every morning because we are at the end of the canyon. So once I got going the winds dropped quickly. I had to make several stops to remove gear as the temperatures were climbing. By mid-afternoon, it was over 100 in most places. I took a long lunch in Boise, Idaho to cool off.

I passed through a portion of Oregon before crossing the Columbia River into Washington State at sunset. I got to the hotel in Yakima around 9:30 PM. I drove past the hotel to see if there was some place to eat. However, there were several Pot Stores, lots of homeless people and seemed kind of creepy. I parked the bike by the front door of the hotel and while I was putting on the cover I was approached by an individual. She left when I lied to her and told her I was a cop (which was a lie). I ended up ordering a pizza and had it delivered to the room. I covered 694 miles today in roughly 12 hours.

Monday, August 28th, 2017

Today was planned as a later start than normal to miss traffic in the Seattle area. This was also the shortest day of about 300 miles. I left around 10:00 AM and passed through the Cascade Mountains with some construction. I made it to the final corner with only one stop for gas and no breaks.

I reached the final corner checkpoint at 1:45 PM. I had lunch at a Thai restaurant with a nice view of the bay. I was able to cool down and get ready for the remainder of the ride. I got the final gas receipt to make the documentation complete.

I crossed the border into Canada and headed to the Harley-Davidson dealer in Langley, British Columbia. Unfortunately, they are not able to service my motorcycle because of the backlog of work already in the shop. I will need to find another dealer in Vancouver or Seattle.

I checked into the hotel around 6:00 PM after fighting some traffic getting out of the Vancouver area to Abbotsford. This is where the next portion of my trip begins on Friday. I planned to have several days of downtime at this point in the trip to get the bike serviced and have an extra day in the event of problems.

I had a very nice dinner at the restaurant that is connected to the hotel. One of the gentlemen at the bar came over to my table and asked if I had the motorcycle from Nevada. It turns out that he is from Carson City and we are both there for the "Three Flags Classic" run that starts from here on Friday morning. He is travelling with his son who will be entering the US Marine Officer Candidate School after this trip.

Tuesday, August 29th, 2017

It has been the first day to relax in 10 days. I slept in this morning and got the computer powered up and stayed been busy until 10:00 AM. I went and had a quiet breakfast and came back to the room and went back to bed. After a few hours and numerous work related emails, I finally got back to writing this blog. I was able to get the bike scheduled for service in Vancouver tomorrow.

WHAT IS NEXT:

On Thursday evening there will be an opening reception for all of the participants on the Annual Three Flags Classic. This is a four-day ride starting in Abbotsford and ending in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. This is the first time in several years that the ride will actually enter Mexico. Friends have told me that they vacation in this resort area yearly and that the area is safe. We will arrive there on Labor Day and there will be an Awards Banquet on Tuesday evening. I will return home on Wednesday.

DAY #15, 16 & 17 - Final Visit to Lebanon

Because of 3 long days, 2084 miles, and very short nights, I am finally catching up on the trip's progress.

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017

My intentions was to start out around 5:00 AM but got a late start 90 minutes beyond the plan. I got on the Florida Turnpike and after 10 miles and 45 minutes, I decided to turn around and return to the hotel. I ended up leaving around 11:00 AM.

As I walked out of the room it was pouring rain again. I got out to the bike and got the rain suit out and put on. I then had to quickly uncover the bike and stash the cover into the right saddlebag. After 50 miles, I stopped for gas and got out of the rain gear. The remainder of the day it was battling the heat, high humidity, and blazing sun. When I was leaving the Orlando area, I pulled off the road and put on the rain jacket since I was heading into a major thunderstorm, Even though my pant legs got wet, they dried out once the weather cleared.

This was a long day with a late start. I left Homestead (which is south of Miami) and headed to Stockbridge, Georgia.(just south of Atlanta). I got to the hotel at 11:30 PM but found out that I was at the wrong Quality Inn. I had to backtrack about 5 miles to get to the proper one. It was after midnight when I got to the room.

Thursday, August 24th, 2017

I got through Atlanta traffic using the bypass with only a few backups. I cleared the area by 6:30 AM. I had a longer than normal breakfast break so I would hit Chattanooga a little later in order to avoid their rush hour. Today was a day of fighting fatigue. I stopped for a break in Murfreesboro, TN and decided to have lunch. I failed to realize that I had crossed into the Central time zone. The manager saw me and let me in even though they were not going to open for another 45 minutes. I had a big lunch and left the restaurant just as they were opening. It didn't matter that it took longer to eat than normal. I was just glad to be out of the hot weather.

Much of the fatigue was from lack of sleep from the night before. I stopped at a couple of rest areas to stretch out and catch a few winks. I got the hotel in O'Fallon around 6:30 PM. I did two loads of laundry, restocked my pills for the week and caught up on two days of paperwork. I got to sleep around midnight after repacking everything so that I could be ready early in the morning.

Friday, August 25th, 2017

I was able to clear the traffic in St. Louis in record time. I also fought fatigue all day as well. I was able to stop and change to lighter gear in order to stay cooler. This is also a day where I have over 200 miles of two-lane roads to cover. One thing about Kansas is that they have great roads and 65 MPH speed limits, However, gas stations are few and far between. I hit one station in a tiny town of Tallmage. I am 2-3 miles past empty when I pull into gas station. The sign on the door says it is closed. It turns out that you have to put you credit card into separate machine to get the pump to work. I was down to one spare gallon of gas and 30 miles to the next station. I was glad that there was someone nearby to explain how the system worked. I got the gas and headed back onto the road.

I reached Lebanon for the third and final time. I got the required picture of the bike in front of the Post Office. There was a couple in a car that pulled up next to me and asked directions to the Monument for the "Center of the Continental US" and then to Sturgis. I gave them the directions to the park and mentioned that they might be able to get the directions at the gas station. Since I had to stop at the gas station to get the final piece of documentation for this checkpoint, I ran into them there. I have not run into anyone for a long time that didn't have a GPS, or maps to go such a long distance.

This gas station is quite interesting. It seems that there is always a couple of guys sitting in the station just shooting the breeze. I mentioned that I was on the 4-Corners TRUE-X Run. They mentioned that several other riders had been through in the past few days. I would guess that they are finishing up their trips to get to Abbottsford, British Columbia for the "Tree Flags Run" just like I am.

I stopped for dinner in Kearney, Nebraska at the Whiskey Creek Steakhouse. My wife and I have stopped here before and have always had a great meal. This time was no different. I headed back onto the highway for the last 100 miles to North Platte and a soft bed.

What's Next:

This next stretch will be all Interstate highway covering 650 miles. I will be passing through Wyoming and into Utah. I decided to get a later start so that I can catch up on the blog and paperwork to document the trip. So I will start around 11:00 AM and hopefully minimize the fatigue factor.

DAY #14 - Made it to the Third Corner - KEY WEST

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017

Today was the most brutal day yet. I expected some rain, but not when I got it. Things got warm by late morning and by midday it was near 100 degrees with very high humidity. I normally use "cool towels" the you soak in water and the evaporation while you ride keeps you cool. Unfortunately, in very high humid weather, they don't. In fact they make it slightly worse. I got to Florida City, which is the gateway to the Keys around 2 PM and left for to Keys around 2:30 PM. Of course the clouds did not cooperate. Not one break from he sun the entire trip.

After a great deal of traffic on Highway US-1, I finally arrived at the monument pictured below. The place was a mob scene. There was a line off-camera to the left for people waiting to have their picture taken by the monument, In addition to that, I was in a no parking zone so I had to get the pictures quickly. This is the second time that I have been here with this motorcycle. After getting gas and documenting the event for the Ride I looked for a place to take a long break.


I stopped and had dinner before leaving town. I had to drink two glasses of ice water before I even had the energy to order dinner. I drank another full glass after dinner. I waited till closer to sunset to leave hoping that the lack of sun would make the ride more comfortable. In addition, the traffic was much lighter as well. Just before hitting Marathon, which is around 50 miles from Key West, I ran into the heaviest rainstorm ever. Traffic slowed to 15-20 MPH because of the lack of visibility. I was grateful for this since the bike can be unstable in this type of weather. You cannot stop and pull over since you most likely will be hit by an oncoming vehicle. I was immediately soaked and in the dark to the point where my boots started to fill with rainwater. After about 5 minutes the store ended and we were past it. I tuned on the handle grip warmers to keep my hands warm. I thought that I would be totally chilled to the bone because of the wet clothes, but just like the cool rags earlier in the day I didn't get chilled because of the warm temperatures and high humidity. Once I discovered that I would be fine, I continued on without changing gear or putting on the rain suit since it was not uncomfortable. It was a comfort to know that I had dry clothes with me just in case.


I really felt the chill when I got to the hotel and stepped into the air conditioned lobby to check in. They upgraded my room so that I could park the motorcycle outside the door. This is a very nice motel and I hauled it my computer and other gear in. It was just starting to sprinkle. In less than one minute, it had turned into a total downpour. I just covered the bike and by the time I got back into the room, I was totally soaked again. If I thought I was wet before, I was surely mistaken.


I got up at 4 AM this morning and my clothes are still damp. I will be doing laundry a day earlier than planned. Fortunately, I had dry clothes and another pair of jeans in the bike so I got those this morning. I intend to travel to Stonebridge, Georgia today. I will keep you posted.

DAY #13 - The Marathon Run BEGINS!!!

Monday, August 21st, 2017

Today started early as I left the St Louis area hotel at 5:30 AM. I had a small problem interpreting the GPS so I missed the turnoff to cross the Mississippi River. I ended up on surface streets by Busch Stadium before getting back onto I-55 to cross the river.

On Sunday, I passed through a number of towns that were preparing for the Solar Eclipse that happens today. Since I had covered 722.2 miles on Sunday and 881.8 on Monday, I didn't really care about it. In Southern Illinois, I stopped at McDonald's for breakfast but there must have been 40 people in line, so I left right away. This is a big deal for these communities that were in the path. The highway signs that normally warn you about construction, texting/driving, fatalities year-to-date; were all stating that you could not park on the shoulder of the highway or the ramps for the eclipse.

On my first gas stop for the day, my GPS directed me to the nearest gas station ahead which was two miles beyond the indicated miles on my odometer said I had left. It turns out that it turns out to be relatively accurate. The engine coughed as I was pulling into the gas station, but I made it without having to break out the spare gas I was carrying.

Most of the path that I covered was in the direct path of the eclipse. I got into Georgia shortly after 2:00 PM. I was beat, the temperature was over 90 and the humidity was oppressive. I stopped at the Georgia Welcome Center and found a shady spot under a tree and took a nap for 20 minutes or so. When I got up, it was kind of creepy out and people were looking at the sky. As I was getting loaded up to get back on the road, I got chatting with the man and women in the car parked next to me. They were there when I pulled in. The woman offered to let me use her special glasses and I was able to see just a sliver of light. I told them about the trek that I was on. The gentleman indicated that he worked at the Welcome Center as part of the staff. This is the picture of the two of us.

II stopped in Valdesto for dinner and get gas. This gave time for the sun to set before I headed the last 100 miles to my hotel. I arrived at the hotel in Lake City, Florida after covering 882 miles in 15 hours. I must have forgotten to program the GPS to bypass downtown Atlanta. I ended up there at 4:00 PM and it was rush hour. I also had to stop for gas just south of town. As bad a traffic was, I got through town without any complete stops. Once I cleared the outer bypass just beyond the Atlanta Airport it was clear sailing.

I was lucky today to hit a couple of very short bursts of rain. It looks like I will hit some weather beyond Port Saint Lucia to Miami. There is a tropical depression just off the coast which is kicking up some storms. Well, I am ready to pack the bike and head out for Key West and my third corner before heading to my final stop for tonight in Homestead.

DAY #12 - On the Road Again!!!

Sunday, August 20th, 2017

I finally left the hotel in Omaha at 6:30 AM. It had rained and was still lightning so I suited up in the rain gear. It took much longer to get loaded up that I had planned. I encountered  moderate rain for first 40-50 miles and the weather cleared up and it was sunny and cool.

Lebanon Checkpoint #2

I got to Lebanon, Kansas around 10:30 AM and gathered the required documentation. I also took off the rain suit since the temperatures had climbed up into the 80's. It was 200 miles of non-interstate highway which bypassed most of Kansas City. The highway followed the Pony Express route.

I arrived at hotel around 8:30 PM and covered 750 miles today. Had dinner at the Cracker Barrel that fortunately next door to the hotel.

Heading out early in the morning since it will be a longer trip that today.

DAY #11 - Back on the Road Tomorrow

DAY #11 - Another Day of Rest and Re-planning the Trip

It was nice to sleep in today. I think I was still up by 7:00 AM, so it was not too late. As I mentioned in yesterday's posting, I had to have a part in the drive train replaced. The Service Team at Holstein's Harley-Davidson did a great job getting the bike put back together. They also provided shuttle service to and from the hotel. I picked the bike up around 2:00 PM. They replaced the broken part, the front brakes, the rear tire, and changed the oil, etc.

I spent a good portion of the day re-planning the trip to Key West. I restructured it from a 4-day run to save a day and make it a 3-day trip. It will be a true endurance test, since I will be covering 2,250 miles in a 72-hour period. I am planning to cover 720 miles on Sunday, 860 miles on Monday, and 530 miles on Tuesday. I bought a cushion for the seat, so it won't be perfect, but it will be better that the seat on the bike.I am checking on the criteria for an "Iron Butt Award" which is for covering 1,000 miles in a 24-hour period. 

I have made my hotel reservations for the next two nights. I had difficulty finding a room on Sunday night in the St. Louis area. Most of the hotels in Omaha, Kansas City and St. Louis are booked because of the Solar Eclipse. It looks like I will be driving through a good portion of the peak eclipse path.

It looks like I might get a break in the weather since Hurricane Harvey has been downgraded to to Tropical Depression and it looks like it will make landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

That gets me back on schedule by the time I get to Key West. Well the day starts early tomorrow, so it it is a quiet dinner, watch some TV and set the alarm for 5:00 AM and be on the road at 6:00 AM.

Tomorrow, I should hit the Lebanon, Kansas checkpoint by 10:00 AM, Kansas City around 2:30 PM and arrive at the hotel in St. Louis around 7:00 PM.

A Day of Rest - Followed by a One Day Delay

First off, I would like to wish my wife a Happy Anniversary. It is hard to believe that 27 years have passed since we got married at the Third Street Pier on the Milwaukee River followed by a dinner cruise and reception. One sign of the passage of time is that our granddaughter was just a baby and too small to attend the wedding. She now has two beautiful children herself. Here is the cutest picture of them that brings tears to my eyes. God has been good to us over these years together.

DAY #9 – Made it to a Day of Rest in Omaha (or at least I thought)

I left Northwest Indiana shortly after 5:00 AM. That meant that I could get through the construction between the hotel and the state line before the rush hour began. Shortly after entering Illinois, I hit light rain. It continued for around 30 minutes  the front of my lower pantleg was damp, so I stopped and put on the rain suit. Of course, once I did that the rain stopped. It was cool enough that I kept the suit on until I broke for lunch. Immediately after lunch, the sun came out and the temperature jumped into the mid-80’s. The remainder of the ride was pleasant in the bright sun with just a long-sleeved shirt.

I checked into the hotel around 2:00 PM and transferred my gear to the room. It is a nice hotel. The room is small but comfortable. It is part of a Convention Center and Water park, so the facility is quite spread out and somewhat complicated to find things. There is a large convention going on so that hotel is quite busy.

I headed to my client’s offices for what I thought was a quick visit. They were just beginning to discuss a major issue that had just been discovered. Since, I was having a quiet day on Friday, I ended volunteering to come into the office on Friday morning. I then proceeded to drive the motorcycle to local Harley-Davidson dealer for the 55K Maintenance. They then drove me back to the hotel where I ended up having dinner at their restaurant.

DAY #10 – Working and Waiting

One of my co-workers picked me up at the hotel and we went into the office. It was nice to do something other than sit on the bike all day. I figured out a solution and generated the scripts that the client needs to run sometime this weekend. My co-worker dropped me off at the Dealer so that I could wait for the bike to be ready. It looks like it will be a three hour wait. They are waiting for a part for the “Primary”. This gear had become worn and was beginning to fail, so they found the part locally and will get it installed while I am waiting. Fortunately, this is covered by the extended warranty so I only need pay the deductible. This could have caused a serious problem while on the road if it had failed.

I am also having both tires replaced since they didn’t look like they would make another 6K miles which is the next time for scheduled maintenance. Since I might hit serious weather in Florida, I didn’t want to be riding on bald tires. So, I am just sitting out at the dealer’s waiting room and catching up on this blog. I will probably doze off a few times as well.

REALLY BAD NEWS:

Well the shop manager came a spoke with me. They got the part and it needs to be coated with some material which takes 24 hours to cure. Therefore, I will not get the bike back until early Saturday Evening. I extended my hotel for one more night.You can see the chips and burn marks on the gear in these pictures.

Not only have I lost a day because of the broken part, but the Weather Channel gave me more bad news. It appears that Hurricane warnings for later next week are foretasted for Florida.