Planning the Epic 25th - The Bike and Stuff I'll Bring

I ride a 2010 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic Limited.  It is a great bike and I've done several things to it to make it fit me.  I've also added some things for the Epic 25th ride.

A stock Harley is too cramped for me so I've added some things along the way to make it more comfortable:

• Before I left the dealership when I got my bike, I replaced the seat with a Harley Tall Boy seat...and if I had the money I would replace THAT with a Russell Day Long custom built seat but that will have to wait.  For now I have an extra cushion that gives me a bit more padding and a little extra leg room.
• I added highway pegs and extensions to the floor boards for a little more leg room.
• The stock handlebars left my hands at my knees so I added ape hangars.  They are the single most helpful change I made.
• The stock lighting system is horrible so I added a HID light kit to replace the head light and riding lights.
• I haven't had great luck with air shocks so I replaced them with the gas shocks that Harley adds to the CVO bikes.  They ride like butter.

And I added a couple of new things for this upcoming ride:

• For this ride I added a Harley GPS.  I'm not interested in using the GPS for route planning but it is great for the speedometer, the trip statistics, and finding things (like rest areas, gas stations, and motels) on the road.  I've also discovered it is a great for unplanned weekend rides - I can just head down roads I've never ridden, get completely lost, then plug in "Home" and I have my route and estimated time of getting there.  Great addition.
• For my wife I added a GPS tracker, hardwired into the bike.  With a phone call I can turn it on for a trip and off once I get home.  My wife, family, and friends can log into a website and see where I am.  Even though it doesn't leave a ghost trail to where I've ridden that day, I much prefer it to the Spot tracker system.  It is more trustworthy, I don't have to worry about batteries, and I don't have to touch a thing.
• Harley runs Dunlop tires and I haven't had any problems with them but I have heard good things about Michelin Commander II's so I'll change both tires before leaving.  Also the normal "full oil change, go through the whole bike, and shock me with the bill at the end" service.

Preparing for long trips is an opportunity to address issues that came up on the last trip.  You have to prepare for everything (hot, cold, rain, etc.) and you only have so much room on the bike so you have to plan carefully what you are going to take.  I had a few things in mind that will hopefully be helpful this time around:

• On long trips I use a nice T-Bag that doubles as a backrest and I use a tank bag that holds food (apples, beef jerky, cough drops, and energy bars), a 70 oz. Camelbak water bag, and a clear view cover for my route cards.
• I bought the best waterproof boots I could find.  Sidi On Road's came highly recommended.
• My rain gear isn't the greatest so I got a new jacket.  I'll use my old pants.  A lot of people buy expensive riding suits with heated suits, vests, gloves, pants, and socks.  I can't afford that kind of stuff and I prefer to be at least a little old school.  So I'll bring my leather chaps, jacket, and vest.
• I bring several pairs of gloves.  Nothing works for long in the rain so it is helpful to have some changes.  I bought two pairs of snowmobile gloves this winter in North Dakota - they are great in the cold but...like I said...nothing works for long in the rain.
• What I am really excited about is the stuff that I bought from LDComfort.  They sell Drymax socks that came in XXL as well as riding shorts, tights, and shirts, that keep you warm when you keep them covered and cool when you keep them damp.  I've been wearing their stuff for a few weeks now and I love them.
• I bring very few clothes.  One extra pair of jeans.  One pair of shorts for the pool.  A pair of slippers to get to the pool.  I'll wash stuff out in motel rooms - another good reason to wear LDComfort stuff.  And I'll bring my beloved CPAP sleep machine.
• I'll bring two helmets.  I have a light Kevlar helmet that I prefer but I'll also bring a modular full face helmet that is awesome in the cold and rain.  I keep RainEx spray on the bike for the windshield and the helmet visor and it works great.
• I bring two pairs of sunglasses and two pairs of clears for at night.  I buy my glasses in the fishing departments of sporting goods stores so I can get glasses with built in readers.  That way I can see my route sheets and read the news in cafes without bringing reading glasses.  Those little things make all the difference to me.

Writing ride reports on a blog is new to me.  I'm going to try it this time because so many people have contributed to making this ride possible.  I've practiced adding reports using my phone and iPad so I'll try and keep that up.  I'll also bring a wireless keyboard because typing on an iPad gets old in a paragraph. 

I have plenty of creature comforts on my bike.  Electric cruise control, heated hand grips, AM/FM/CD radio with a weather band.  I usually wear earplugs for my phone or i-Pod to listen to music, books, or podcasts.  I plan on taking all my pictures with my phone or iPad.  The pictures are good enough for me and it makes it easy to add them to daily ride reports.  I'll be experimenting with that stuff the whole time.

I'm a little bit concerned about servicing my bike on the road.  Harley dealers are great about getting people in and out when they are on trips but I also have memories of wasted days when that isn't what happened.  With a full service and new tires at the start I am confident that I can go at least 5000 miles without a service stop.  Since I run full synthetic oil I can do farther that I used to.  I've read that guys will put as many as 10,000 miles on their oil on a trip like the one I'm planning but I'm not OK with that.  My plan now is to figure out about where I'll be, call ahead from the road the day before, make an appointment so they are ready for me, and change the oil twice on the trip.  I hope nothing else goes wrong.

Last summer, riding home from Sturgis, I had some electrical problems caused by the guys who installed my new handlebars.  I spent a day without cruise control.  Even in the old days I used to add throttle locks to all my bikes.  I find it miserable to have to hold a steady speed with no freedom to move your right hand.  If anything like that happens on this trip, I'll stop and get it fixed pronto and just adjust by route or my stops to make up for lost time.

I'll service my bike a couple of weeks before I leave.  I don't believe in adding anything at the last minute and I like some time to make sure all systems are go before leaving.  Make a plan and follow the plan.  Even a ride halfway around the world becomes a pretty simple, one day at a time, kind of adventure.

Planning the Epic 25th Ride - The Route

I have a sense that, if you talked to ten people who like to take long trips on motorcycles, you would come away with ten different ways to plan a ride.  Some people really like to do trips together so planning means lots of extra times to meet up somewhere and dream together.  I like riding with others but I also like to ride alone.  When I head out to a 12,400 mile ride spread over three weeks, I go alone.

On a shorter ride, say a weekend or week, I might just start with a list of places I want to see or roads I want to ride, a paper atlas, basic bike maintenance and go.  I leave plenty of room for changing my mind, changing my route, and dealing with the little surprises that come up along the way.  But a longer, more technical, ride with challenging goals requires more planning.  So here is my plan for the Epic 25th.

The Route:  Saddlesore/Bunburner to Key West, FL

Normally I avoid interstate highways like the plague.  Now they do have their advantages - they are usually the fastest way to get somewhere, you seldom get stuck unable to pass, they have plenty of gas and rest stops, and help can find you quickly if you get into trouble.  On the other hand, they reduce the entire country to four lane roads with green/white signs, there are far too many trucks, and they are just plan monotonous to ride.  But sometimes you have to use them.  On the Epic 25th I will avoid them when possible, stay away from them entirely for as much as possible, but I need the speed at key points so I'll be riding plenty of miles on them.

My first goal is a combination Saddlesore 1000/Bunburner 1500.  I always start my planning using Google Maps.  It is SO much easier than the old days with paper atlases.  A quick check says that it is only 1354 miles if you take the direct route across on I-10 to Florida.  I need it to be 1500+ miles so I'm going to start by heading out of Houston on Hiway 59 to I-20, across to Jackson, MS, angle down to Mobile, AL, to pick up I-10 and then the usual route south through Florida.  I'm going to stay on I-75 south and cross Alligator Alley so I'll end up riding about 1590 miles or so.

To get the Saddlesore/Bunburner rides in I'll need to get to Key West in less than 36 hours, two start and finishing witnesses, and I'll keep a fuel/stop log.  I keep the paperwork in a 3 ring binder that is easy to get to at gas stations.  It is 1047 miles to Gainesville, FL, where I'll stop for about 6 hours, and then I'll finish up into Key West.  This requires some riding after dark (not my favorite because I love seeing the sights) so I'll start from Houston at 2:00 AM and, hopefully, early enough through Miami to avoid rush hour.

Once I've decided how I'm going to get there, I create route cards that slip into the top of my tank bag.  The entire 25th Epic ride required 7 route cards.  Expecting bad weather (and wanting to remember this ride), I laminated the cards.  Here is what the first route card looks like that I'll be watching for 36 hours:

Route card to Key West, includes miles between stops and total miles

Route:  Four Corners Tour

The next part of the ride is the Four Corners Tour - that I will turn into a Six Corners Tour.  This requires pictures of my bike and registration towel at post offices in Key West, FL. Madawaska, ME, Blaine, WA, and San Ysidro, CA.  I'm also adding International Falls, MN, and Brownsville, TX.

Along the way, if possible, there are people and places I want to see.  I'm in no hurry but I do have a limited time to go everywhere I want so planning is critical.  If anything goes wrong, at any point I am free to skip something, change the route, etc., but I need to at least get to those four corner places.

I'll be heading north out of Key West on I-95.  It is simply the best and fastest route. Years ago I rode my Goldwing south along the Atlantic Coast from Newport News south to Myrtle Beach.  It was pretty, quaint, the ferry rides were fun, but it was slower than molasses and I don't have time for that this year.  (I'll do that on the West Coast this time.)  So I'll stay on I-95 until Richmond, VA, where I'll head west to I-81 in order to avoid the big city traffic.  Then I'll angle back to I-95 north of Boston until I catch US 1 north to Madawaska.  I was hoping to do a little side trip to see the Lutheran seminary in Gettysburg but this year is the 150th anniversary of the battle and they expect up to 20,000 Civil War re-enactors about the time I want to do through there so I might end up skipping it.  We'll see.

Once I get to Madawaska I'll visit the Four Corners Park because you just have to do that.  When the ride is over, I'll send them $100 for a paver marking my visit.  You never know, I might be back there again someday.

I'll retrace my steps south from Madawaska before heading west on I-90.  On my list of "mights" are seeing Niagara Falls, the Harley Museum in Milwaukee, and Lambeau Field in Green Bay.  Once I leave Green Bay, WI, I'll be done with interstates for a long time.  I'll take US 29 west to Chippewa Falls and then US 53 north through Duluth, MN, to International Falls, MN.  From there I have a friend I want to visit near Grand Rapids, MN, and then I'll pick up US 2 all the way to Washington state.

When I'm up there I'll be close to where I grew up.  I have relatives in North Dakota I want to share meals with, a Bible camp I used to work at that I would like to see again, and more friends in Montana. I'm hoping the snow is plowed so I can ride the Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park. I love riding across the plains, seeing the farms and farmlands, and eventually seeing the mountains in the distance.  I am really excited about that leg of the trip.

Once I hit Washington state I'll pick up Hiway 20 all across the state.  It is the slowest way to do it but crossing the North Cascades on 20 is far better than US 2 or I-90.  But I will be facing a time crunch here in that I want to get to my sister's house on Saturday so that my sisters and I can spend all day Sunday together.  As much as I love Hiway 20 I love my sisters more so we'll see how that goes.  Once over to I-5 it is a quick 50 miles north to the Blaine, WA, post office.

When I finish my visiting I'll head south again on I-5 to Albany, OR, then I'll go west to pick up US 101.  I'm going to stay on US 101 along the coast, through the redwood forests (I want to see those big trees), across the Golden Gate Bridge (hoping to get a picture), and through downtown San Francisco.  I don't have to go that way but I want do.  Then I'm going to head northeast to Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, and Stateline, NV.  I want a picture of my bike by Folsom Prison, and I want to take an interesting road across the desert in Nevada.  I have an uncle who lives in Mesquite, NV, so I'm going to take that little jaunt back east to see him.

From there it is about 430 miles of interstate down to San Ysidro and the last of the four post offices of the Four Corners Tour.  I want to get there on Friday so I can have a day off on Saturday to get the bike serviced before the final leg.  How will I spend that day?  I'm thinking sleeping by the pool with occasional forays into the hot tub.

The Route:  Bunburner Gold

The final leg of the Epic 25th will be 1574 miles from San Ysidro to Brownsville, TX, in less than 24 hours.  The key on this leg is to make very short gas stops, quick naps in rest areas, and nothing can go wrong.  Everyone says that riders lose stamina on long rides, that each day they tend to log fewer miles, etc.  So this leg might be a pipe dream.  On the other hand, I can't imagine an easier way to do this ride successfully than a straight shot down I-10.  We'll see how it goes.

I plan on leaving at 4:00 AM on a Sunday morning to avoid as much southern California traffic as possible while hoping that it is light enough to appreciate that first mountain pass.  Beyond that it will just be go go go, speed limit +3 all the way.  Finishing a Bunburner Gold takes determination more than anything else.  Here's the final route card:

The last leg of the Epic 25th will be riding on home to Houston.  It will be great to get home again with a wonderful memory of an epic journey.  All roads lead home.

Riding Alone or With A Group?

When I bought my 2005 Roadglide it was "gently used."  It was originally sold to someone in October of 2004.  They immediately spent a lot of money adding extra chrome, new pipes, seat, etc., like everyone else does....and then they evidently decided that they didn't much like to ride.  When I got it in April, 2005, it had 401 miles on the odometer.  Three days after I bought it I brought it back in for its 1000 mile maintenance.  Two weeks later, I was back for my oil change at 3000 miles.  I really like to ride.

That is where you have to start when thinking about riding alone or with a group.  How has God shaped you?  Are you a leader or a follower?  Do you like challenge and adventure or do you just like camaraderie and being part of a group identity?  Or maybe you like a little of both and like to mix things up a bit.

I find riding by myself to be a very different experience than riding with a group.  Riding by myself always feels safer.  I have the whole lane to myself.  I watch the traffic around me without worrying about other bikes.  Are they keeping up?  Are they falling behind?  Are they riding the way they are supposed to ride?  I go where I want to go, stop when I want to stop.  I feel free.

But riding alone also costs you the fun of a shared experience.  Read anyone's ride stories and you'll see that they are always talk about road conditions, weather, and food.  Stops along the way are always better with friends.

The only way that I know how to achieve both the safety and simplicity of riding alone and the fun of riding with a group is to follow strict rules for group riding.  This is what I think about when I say that I like to ride with people who know what they are doing.  If anyone takes a motorcycle safety course, they will come away having learned the basics of group riding.

In any group, someone functions as the leader or ride captain.  They set the pace and guide the group.  They make the decisions about the route, when to change lanes, when to get gas, where to stop.  The last rider, or sweep, protects the group from following traffic.  They pay close attention to the captain and they make lane changes smooth.  The captain leads with signal lights and hand signals that are passed back through the group.

I think the following keys are the most important:

1 - A long distance motorcycle trip is not a democracy.  We'll stop as a group and leave as a group when the ride captain says so.  We all get our say but the leader is responsible for making sure that everyone is OK, that no one runs out of gas, that speed is safe and that we all get there in one piece.

2 - Keep up with the group, don't lag behind.  It is your responsibility to keep up, not every else's to slow down for you.  We'll ride a safe, comfortable speed to match the capability of the least experienced rider and we need everyone to pay attention.

3 - We'll ride in staggered formation.  The ride captain stays to the left, everyone else staggers behind.  This gives you a full lane if you need to swerve to miss an obstacle.  NEVER pull so far forward that your front tire reaches past the rear tire of the rider in front of you.  At stop signs, let the bike in front of you come to a complete stop before you ride up alongside.  Allow the bike in front of you to completely clear you before you start again.  We never ride side by side.

4 - Watch for hand signals and blinkers to slow down, to turn, to go single file, and to be aware of a road hazard.  If you need gas or a bathroom break, pass the group to the left until you come alongside the ride captain to let him/her know what you need.

5 – If you don’t like rules 1-4, you are free at any time to go on your own ride.  Bring a credit card.  Before we leave we agree on what happens if someone breaks down.  Either we all stick together until help arrives or once we know that you have help coming and that you'll be OK, the rest of the group will ride on.

Riding in a group on a long ride tends to get a bit more complicated.  Several bikes means that you can only ride as far as the bike with the most limited range.  Every fuel stop takes longer.  Everyone has different ideas about where to stop along the way and how long to stay there.  Getting motel rooms gets more complicated.  Inevitably there are going to be differences of opinion, relationship drama, bickering, etc. At such times you learn to appreciate the time when you are simply riding down the road and seeing the sights.  You work through your differences and you come home to deeper friendships forged around shared experiences.  It's all good.

If you're just out for a few days to have fun, riding with a group is the way to go.  But if you really want to go somewhere, you have a challenging destination in mind, you have to be really careful to match riders, bikes, temperaments, and capacities.  Which often means riding alone or with just one or two riding partners.

Your personal temperament matters.  Are you naturally a leader or a follower?  Personally, I prefer to lead.  It seems to be how God wired me.  I also appreciate following when I have a leader that I respect who knows what he/she is doing.  Following means I don't have any decisions to make.  I'm free to just enjoy the ride and the challenge of riding well in the group.  Knowing what it takes to lead actually makes me a better follower.  But I always prefer to lead.  I like planning rides and I like knowing that I'm looking out for the good of the whole group.  My friend Jay always rides in the back.  (It isn't so much that he is a follower...more that he is a very experienced rider and it takes a long time before he will trust the other riders in front of him.)  To each his own.

I say, figure out who you are, what you prefer, and enjoy the ride.

The Birth of the Epic 25th

Back in early 2010 I was talking with a friend about where we wanted to ride that year.  I said "I've never seen the Grand Canyon."  That's where planning a ride begins.  What adventure is next in line?  What sounds challenging?  What new story do we want to write into the narrative of our lives?  That conversation eventually turned in to the 2010 Hoka Hey Challenge.  (I'll post that ride story soon.)

This year I was asked, "What would you like to celebrate your 25th anniversary of ordination?"  "I would like to go on a long motorcycle ride."  Thus began my planning for what I'm calling the "Epic 25th Anniversary Ride."

My first thought was to sign up for the 2013 Hoka Hey. But then I thought about how much I like sleeping with my new anti-snoring machine and suddenly motel rooms seemed a much better option than running an extension cord to a tent pitched at the edge of a truck stop.  I'm getting soft in my old age.  So Kelley reminded me that I always wanted to do a Four Corners ride some day.  I was convinced.

Now comes the fun part....dreaming.  Literally.  Falling asleep at night thinking about where I want to ride.  What do I want to see?  What can I fit into the time I have available?  Obviously, anyone is free to ride their motorcycle anywhere they want to.  But sometimes you want to do something that is part of a larger community - that means choosing to do sanctioned rides.

A Four Corners ride is a tour of the distant corners of the United States: Key West, FL; Madawaska, ME; Blaine, WA; and San Ysidro, CA.  It is sanctioned by the Southern California Motorcycle Association.  First you have to join the club.  Then you have to register for the ride.  Once registered, you receive a starter's kit that includes a towel with your registration number.  One piece of proving that you rode the distance is taking a picture of your bike and towel at the post office of each of the four corners.  Do the ride.  Turn in the paperwork.  They check it out and send you a finisher's certificate and, most importantly, a patch for your riding vest.

That sounded fun.  But not enough of a challenge.  So I decided to turn it into a Six Corners tour by adding International Falls, MN and Brownsville, TX.  That sounds more fun and it allows me to work in some visits to family and places I've always wanted to see.  So I did the paperwork and registered for the ride.  I'm the 35th person to register this year.

Another group that sanctions rides is the Iron Butt Association.  They have dreamed up several types of long distance rides that give all of us crazies reason to waste gas.  For no particular reason, I decided to add several of their rides to my bucket list.  I began with a Saddlesore 1000 - the ride story is on this blog - and I hope to work two more of their challenges into the Epic 25th Anniversary Ride.

I want to start the ride with a combination Saddlesore 1000/Bunburner 1500 and close the ride with a Bunburner Gold.  In English...I've ridden to Key West before so this time I want to add some challenge to it.  I want a route that is 1500+ miles.  I want to cover the first 1000 miles is less than 24 hours and all 1500 is less than 36 hours.  Once I get to Key West, I start the Four Corners tour.

Then, after I get to San Ysidro, CA, the last of the Four Corners, I want to ride 1500+ miles to Brownsville, TX, in less than 24 hours.  Then I'll finish up with the last leg from Brownsville to Houston.

So there you have it.  The birth of the Epic 25th.  In my next post I'll write about more about the specifics of what my ride planning looks like.

And Post by iPad

Now I would like to make a post using my iPad. If this works it would be very convenient for me next month. I would love to update my friends and family about the adventures on the four corners ride.

There's a picture from back in the day...

Posting by Phone

Since I'm planning a long ride Next month, I decided I should learn how to make a post using my telephone. So consider this my first attempt.

I have used the Internet to do ministry for many years, and yet I still really don't know what I am doing. I just learned by doing.

I would like to be able to write posts while I am on the road and upload pictures that I take along the way. So consider this my first test.

My son, Michael, and I near the Tail of the Dragon, US 129

Texas Saddlesore 1000

Preparations

What is it about sitting on a motorcycle for hours at a time?  For me it is a lot of things – fun, a challenge, a lot of time to think.  You get to see, and feel, the country.  So, with hopes of doing a long ride this spring, I planned a tune up ride that would take me down some roads I haven’t ridden before.  And this time, I wanted to make sure that it was a certified IBA SS1000.  1000 miles in 24 hours let’s you see a lot of country on a day off.

Kenny is a great friend and riding partner.  I thought he might enjoy telling the story afterwards so I asked him to join me.  I ride a Harley Ultra Classic.  I’m a big guy and the bike fits me.  Kenny is on his dream bike, a Heritage Softail.  While he and I have ridden together long and often, his longest day in the saddle has been about 600 miles.  This ride will be a challenge.

We’ll be riding in Texas in early April so that means be prepared for everything.  The weather report is sunny and warm for the start.  We’ve been in a drought but we’ll still bring rain gear and our coldest weather gear.  This is NOT going to be a race.  If we finish the distance in 23:59, that will be fine with me.  While we are challenging ourselves the joy remains in the journey.

Both of our bikes got some attention this week.  The coolest new toy is the AT-X5 GPS tracker from US Fleet Tracking that I installed on my bike.  It sends a signal to the Internet every 10 seconds so our friends and family will be able to check in on us through the whole trip.  When it is over, I can go back and see and print our route.  That is awesome!  My wife is totally supportive of my love for riding but she does get nervous when I’m gone.  This time she is on vacation with a friend in Mexico but, even from there, she can check in on us the whole time.

Other preparations are just common sense.  We don’t need to pack much, just the basics.  We plan on one four hour motel stop (if we can find a room, we’re not making reservations.)  I’m bringing the normal tools, tire kit, etc. that I always have with me.  We’ll carry all the food and water we’ll need.  I use a tank bag on long trips for easy access to food and water.  A Camelbak is a requirement for me.  And I bring one bag to use as a backrest.

Our route will take us from Houston to Columbus on I-10.  Then we’ll take US 71 to Austin, I-35 to Fort Worth, I-20 to Big Spring, US 87 to Eden, US 83 to Junction, then I-10 back home.  New roads for me will be the swing from Fort Worth to Junction.  This promises to be some long, lonely, boring, desolate country.  Which, ever since seeing Easy Rider as a kid, I count as some of the most beautiful ways to ride.  I love mountains and twisties and trees…but I also love the middle of nowhere.  For me, that is the point.

We plan on leaving at noon.  That gives us a lot of sunshine to work with and it means we are sleeping in deer country.  Again, this isn’t a race.  We plan on about 18 hours of riding time and six hours of rest time.  We’ll ride the speed limit +3 the whole way.  The kicker will be speeding Kenny up through gas stops…the dude does love to linger.  And, of course, we don’t want to have anything big go wrong.  If it does – flat tire, broke down bike – getting home safely trumps getting home within 24 hours.  We can always ride again.

The Ride Begins

Once Kenny got to the house we went across the streets to the tennis courts of my subdivision.  We asked a guy to sign our start witness forms.  Once he realized we weren’t asking for money he seemed pleased to do it.  Then we rode a couple of blocks to the Exxon station, our official start.

We left at 11:47 AM.  I had thought through the route (with one big mistake that I’ll get to later) as that seemed to give us the most daylight riding.  You have to ride after dark for part of a SS1000 but I wanted to minimize it as Kenny hates to ride in the dark.  His night vision is a problem.  I always lead and he follows so that helped.

I know that the key to long distance riding is planning and minimizing stops.  But we were limited by Kenny’s bike to somewhere around 150 miles for gas stops, and this was going to be tough for him.  So I planned a loop that required a bunch of extra gas stops at each of the corners.  We ended up with 11 total gas stops, once for some rest at a motel, and once at a rest area.  Other than that, we rode.

Most of the first day was uneventful.  The traffic wasn’t bad on I-10 to Columbus.  It was great to get off the interstate on US 71 between Columbus and Austin.  But I-35 was jammed all the way through Austin and most of the way to Fort Worth.  We couldn’t reach all the way to I-20 so we got gas at Grandview on I-35 and then just 32 miles later once we got to I-20 West.  On we rode to Abilene and Big Spring.

We made a lot of gas stops so we tried to keep them short.  As close to ten minutes as we could.  Bringing our own food and water to eat on the bike made that part much easier.  We saw the spring wild flowers in the ditches but this ride gave no time to stop and smell the roses.

I had thought we might get to Big Spring by 11:00 but we got there over an hour early.  It was after dark.   That was my mistake.  I should have ridden the other way around the loop.  As it was, the country that I wanted to see is what we rode through in the dark.  I didn’t see a thing except how cool the red lights on top of the windmills look.  Oh well, I’ll have to do it again.

We had ridden about 600 miles by the time we hit Big Spring.  It was dark and getting cold.  But we decided to push on a bit farther to make the next day easier.  I felt fresh and ready to go which makes me feel better about the BunBurner and the Four Corners rides I want to do in June.  But I also realized that Kenny wasn’t going to enjoy riding in the dark, in strange country, without being able to see well.  So we headed to San Angelo hoping to get a motel room.

The Texas Oil Patch means that the old days of always being able to find a Mom and Pop motel in a small town are over.  The first place we stopped in San Angelo was full as were three other places I called.  We decided to just ride on, maybe just stop at a picnic area to get some sleep.  As we headed out of town I saw the Econo Lodge and gave it a try.  Bingo!  Their last room was a smoking room with one bed.  At that point, who cares?  We were in the room at midnight with the alarm set for 4:00 AM.  Kickstands up at 4:30 AM.

The Ride Ends

It was dark and chilly in the morning when we left.  I was in a hurry to ride so I forgot to get a receipt from the motel.  I hope that doesn’t hurt us with the IBA fact checkers.  The road was deserted and a fine road for riding.  I guess the oil industry encourages quality roads.  We got gas in Eden where we had to turn from US 87 to US 83.

The road from Eden to Junction was terrifying.  Fortunately Kenny couldn’t see the deer but I could.  Over those 53 miles I saw deer on the side of the road at the tree line every few minutes.  Constantly.  US 83 was a two lane for most of the way so there wasn’t any room for error.  I just kept to the speed limit and hoped it wasn’t our time.  Again, I regretted not doing the loop backwards – we would have been riding in the dark on much more familiar roads.  Lesson learned.

We cranked up the speed on I-10 out of Junction.  With a speed limit of 80 I knew we would make good time…and sacrifice gas mileage…so we just kept to the speed limit.  It was cold!  I had a warmer jacket and warmer gloves on the bike but not on my body.  So I just suffered rather than make an unscheduled stop.  I was foolish to leave without them so I deserved to suffer.  What will guys do to protect their pride?  Freeze.

Usually people take the 1604 Loop around San Antonio rather than fighting the bizarre twists in I-10 through downtown but I wanted the extra miles and had the time so we just stayed on I-10 all the way through.  Our final gas stop was in Seguin and then we rode on home.  We left San Angelo at 4:30 AM and arrived back at the Exxon in Houston at 10:58 AM.  Roughly 390 miles in 6 ½ hours.  Not bad.  70 mph average.  That is the benefit of Texas roads with speed limits of 75 and 80.

We got our last gas receipt (where we asked a stranger to take the one and only picture of our trip) and then went over to the fire station by my house for our final witness.  Then off to Denny’s to celebrate with real food.

What did I learn?  This kind of riding is about the challenge.  I love that.  I don’t much care to stop and take pictures of everything.  I take pictures in my mind and turn them into stories.  I prefer hours of thinking.  We have great roads in Texas.  There might not have been much in the way of hills and curves but I also appreciate smooth and well maintained.  And you just gotta love those speed limits.

I like long rides. They are mentally challenging.  They get painful.  But they also have their own reward.  I’m encouraged by how well things went.  The BunBurner I’ll start my ride with in June (1500 miles in 36 hours) will be a piece of cake.  Kenny and I made 500 miles in 8 hours with too many stops that took too long.  That same pace on a BunBurner leaves room for 8 hours of sleep.  Maybe I’ll try for the BunBurner Gold.  I can’t wait until June.

Why Do I Love Motorcycles?

Why do I love motorcycles?  I frankly can't tell you...although it is a love that reaches as far back in my childhood as the first $10 used bicycle that my Mom bought for me.  I found freedom, adventure, challenge, and fun.  I got my first motorcycle when I was in the 8th grade.  A purple 1970 Yamaha 100 Enduro.  The first time I rode it I headed immediately to the country and flew down a dusty gravel road at 65 mph (it wouldn't go any faster.)

In college I had another old Honda but then graduated to a 1973 CB 750.  I was in hog heaven.  It had a windshield, a backrest, and later I added highway pegs to the crash bars.  After my sophomore year in college I rode it from North Dakota to Minneapolis, back across North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, and up to Mount Vernon, WA.  I had next to no money, no fancy riding gear.  I adjusted the chain each day.  Had to replace a ton of broken spokes in Wyoming.  It was an awesome ride.

I sold the Honda to buy a wedding ring and a guitar.  Then came the years of raising children and real life.  But eventually life changed, the bug bit, and I bought another bike.  A silver 1983 Honda Goldwing Aspencade.  It was an old bike by the time I bought it in 2001 but it still looked like the awesome bikes I saw as a kid at the Honda shop in my hometown.  The kind of bike that I dreamed of one day owning.  I rode all over.  Out to Colorado, around Texas.  I even took it out East as far as Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  It ran like a top.  I ended up selling it for $500 more than I paid.

It was time to move on to a different kind of experience.

One day I was playing golf at the course near my house and I noticed a bunch of motorcycles parked at an ice house that backed up to the golf course.  The Caddy Shack.  (An "ice house" in Texas is a bar that only sells beer.)  When the round was over, I stopped in.  I had never really paid much attention to Harley Davidson motorcycles.  I always thought they were too expensive, too liable to break down, and the people that rode them tended to look down on everyone else.  At least that is what I thought.

I walked in to the Caddy Shack and immediately met Owen and soon after that, Murph.  We started talking motorcycles.  I started learning about Harleys.  It wasn't long before I was shopping for one.  I was right - they were too expensive.  And they didn't really fit me right.  I was too big and needed more room.  So I ended up buying a Suzuki Intruder.  Think "imported Harley wannabe clone."  I can't remember the model year and don't want to even try.  It was a bad bad decision.

At first I was SO excited just to have another bike.  I rode it straight from the guy's house who sold it to me to the Caddy Shack.  Owen was there.  He didn't even look around as I rode up.  I got off the bike and took a seat next to him.  The only words out of his mouth were, "You shoulda bought a Harley."  He didn't even want to look at it.  He was right.  The worst motorcycle I ever owned.  Anything above 30 mph started a subtle vibration that put your torso to sleep in no time.  A tiny 3.2 gal. gas tank that required fuel stops every 90 miles.  At the end, there was absolutely nothing about that motorcycle that I appreciated.  I ended up selling it to a guy who ended up loving it.  I guess there is someone somewhere for everyone.  (No, I won't add a picture of the Suzuki.)

I sold it because I bought my first Harley Davidson.  A 2005 Roadglide.  It fit me like a glove.  It was awesome.  I mortgaged my life away and rode home on the most fantastic motorcycle I had ever touched.  I got caught by the mystique, the soul, the lifeblood that is built into Harley Davidson motorcycles.  There is nothing like it.  Nothing.

That bike introduced me to the biker community.  I learned how much fun it was to ride with a group of guys who knew what they were doing.  It led to annual pilgrimages to Sturgis.  My first tatoos.  Lots of new friends.  And even to new outlets for ministry - to weddings and funerals and gatherings for people who never would have felt comfortable with a traditional pastor or Christian congregation.  And I discovered as well that the bike gave me a new identity.  Suddenly, I was the pastor with the Harley.

I played basketball for years and never became the "basketball playing pastor."  I did triathlons, finished an Ironman in 1998, but no one ever asked me about that.  I rode my Honda and my Suzuki all over the place and never became identified with either.  But a few months on a Harley and that became the first question that people asked me all the time..."Did you ride your Harley?"

A couple of years later, I absolutely fell in love with a new touring motorcycle made by Victory, the OTHER great American motorcycle company.  My wife, who loves me dearly, wanted me to have that bike.  So we bought one.  Absolutely beautiful bike.  Kelley loved it.  It was smooth, comfortable, lots of extras that Harley has never gotten around to adding.  It was faster than a Harley, just as smooth, better gas mileage, huge "Wow" factor.  I got lots of attention at gas stations. I even rode it to Sturgis instead of the Roadglide.

One Thanksgiving my son, Michael, and I made a trip out to Tennessee to ride the Tail of the Dragon.  Great trip - Michael was an excellent riding partner - and I'm glad we could do it.  But Michael rode the Victory.  As nice as it was...it wasn't a Harley.

And when the day came that we needed some money more than I needed two motorcycles, I sold it to another big guy from Minnesota.  I hope he treasures it.

Five years and 65,000 miles later after the Roadglide came into my life, I signed up for a motorcycle race from Key West, FL, to Homer, AK.  It was going to be an adventure that would take me over 15,000 miles.  I worried that the Roadglide might not make it.  I also wanted more storage, the new 103 cu.in. engine, and the other benefits of a new bike.  So I traded the Roadglide in for a 2010 Ultra Classic Limited.  I love the new bike, don't get me wrong, but there will be a sad place in my heart for the rest of my life that I let that Roadglide get away.

Now the Ultra and I are planning to ride around the United States.  Literally, all the way around.  As I anticipate that trip I have spent a lot of time reading ride stories and scouting around the Internet for advice.  I've come to appreciate the guys who take the time to share their adventures with the rest of us. So I decided to start a blog of my own.   Welcome to the ride.