Day Four - Noticing

Start - Florence, SC

Stop - Hazleton, PA

Today's miles - 739

Total miles - 3,221

At this stage of my life, clearly closer to the end than the beginning, spirituality basically boils down for me to "noticing."  What do I see?  How do I make sense out of what I see?  How do I see God at work - as artist, as surgeon, as friend - in the world around me and in my own life?

So this morning the first thing I noticed was it was an absolutely beautiful cloudless and relatively cool day.  It was perfect for riding and it stayed that way all day.  I left the hotel at 8:00 AM again and headed north on I-95.  I noticed the trees lining the road.  You can't help but notice them.  It seems like from the moment you enter Mississippi, all you see is a tunnel of a road between trees.  It stays like that through Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia...until you get to Richmond.  More on that in a bit.

I was amazed at how many trees there are in a densely populated part of the country where people have been developing things for a long long time.  That tells me both how God creates such naturally regenerative beauty and that people have been a lot better stewards of creation than they sometimes get credit for.  The trees are beautiful and it is fun to watch the varieties change as you move farther north.

I noticed the power of marketing today.  There is an outlet store in North Carolina called "J.R.'s" that seems to have bought up most of the billboards along the way.  They sell everything under the sun!  I think it was at exit 97...well, the signs got me.  I needed gas but mostly I needed a gas station but I waited until I got to J.R.'s exit.  I got the gas but one glance at J.R.'s was all I needed to know that wasn't going to be using up any of my precious time.  More on marketing in a bit too.

Everything about the ride changed for me as I approached Richmond, VA.  

It wasn't long before that that I finally reached the last song on my iPod.  It took from Houston to just south of Richmond to listen to all 640 songs, in alphabetical order, from "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band to "99 Days in Jail" by George Thorogood.  I had already decided that tomorrow was going to be a ride in silence day so I just got a head start on it.

I think all the time when I ride.  I never get bored and I have fun jumping from subject to subject.  Today I noticed a pretty bad blind spot I have in my personal prejudice world.  They say that people from the midwest are provincial and ashamed of it.  Well, I am and I am.  (By the way, people from the east are provincial and unaware of it.  Those from the west coast are provincial but don't really know what that means.  And people from the south are provincial, they are well aware of it, and they really don't care what the rest of us think.)

Here's my blind spot.  I know next to nothing about the southeastern states and yet I don't think very highly of them.  All I think about is the Civil War, slavery, and SEC football (go A&M!)  Which got me to thinking a long time about the Civil War and race issues today.  Which brings me to Richmond.

Last year I read "A Team of Rivals" which gave me insight into Abraham Lincoln as well as how complicated the war really was.  It was never as simple as the good guys versus the bad guys.  It was horrific, gut wrenching, and utterly senseless.  But it was what it was and the memories of that war are all over the places I road today.  As I approached Richmond and Petersburg I kept thinking about what I've read.  With no more iPod, I kept noticing the signs by the road - it feels like most of these roads are dedicated to fallen veterans, signs for Civil War battlefields, etc.

Then I left I-95 and took 288 around Richmond. What a shocking surprise.  It was like 32 miles of tranquility!  Very little traffic, everything moving smoothly, it was so nice after the cat and mouse games of I-95.  And then, right after 288 merged with I-64 West, I took the first exit to get gas.  Lo and behold, the sign said that there was a Wawa store just 2.7 miles from there.

For those unfamiliar with Wawa stores - they are the East Coast version of what we know of in Texas as Buccee's...except Wawa only has gas and great food.  I first found out about them when I spent a week at our seminary in Philadelphia.  When I got there they told me that there wasn't going to be food service on campus that week but there was a Wawa across the street.  It was great - that and a large endowment is about all that seminary has going for it.

Would I drive 5.4 miles out of my way for a Wawa chicken salad wrap?

From the Wawa store I got to enjoy 90 miles of bliss on I-64.  I had a choice.  Go far out of my way and spend several extra hours just so I could ride on interesting roads while skipping the urban freeway madness of the DC/Baltimore/points north route?  Seriously?  Next question, please.

I-64 West was great.  Very few exits.  Only a couple of towns.  And, for one brief moment as it crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway near Skyline Drive, it gave me just a sniff and a quick taste of the gourmet meal of beauty that ride is.  I did it several years ago on my Goldwing and it was gorgeous.

From I-64 I took I-81 North to Highway 30 East to Gettysburg.  As I said, I had the Civil War on my mind.  I wanted to see our seminary there that was founded in 1826.  The main building was used as a field hospital during the battle.  It served both Union and Confederate wounded.  Fitting.  Besides, having passed from Virginia to Pennsylvania, I was entering the "Land of the Lutherans."

Once I got on 30 I started looking for Lutheran churches.  Didn't see one.  But I did see a few billboards for Lutheran Home Health and Hospice Care.  Again, that was fitting.  More and more I see salvation primarily as healing and that has never been far from the heartbeat of Lutherans.

So I got the the seminary and I finally saw the building.  It is now opening as a Civil War museum.  This is a big time for them as they anticipate 80,000-100,000 visitors as the 150th anniversary of the battle approaches next month.

It just so happended that the president of the seminary, Dr. Michael Cooper-White, was hosting a bit of a reception on the porch when I rode up.  We chatted a bit and he invited me to come and spend a study week there.  Sounds great to me.

But I still had miles to go before I sleep so I headed out.  Since I am thinking about maybe squeezing in a quick visit to my hometown, it seemed only fair that I take my bike to the place where it was born too.  So we stayed on Highway 30 to York, PA, and the Harley factory where Ultra Classics are made. It felt like a pilgrimage.

From York it was back on I-83 north and eventually to I-81 North again.  A beautiful road.  Hills, curves, interesting views.  I am really glad I came this way.  So, while this wasn't a day that I was really looking forward to, it turned out splendid.  Tomorrow it is on to Madawaska!

(To follow up on the power of marketing... I refill my coffee at every gas stop.  Sometimes today you find a mind bending array of coffee choices.  99% of the time I choose 100% Columbian because there is still a little voice inside me that says I am supporting Juan Valdez, his donkey, and his family.  And I still buy Folger's at home because Mrs. Olson makes the best coffee. So don't even try to tell me that violent video games don't affect young minds.)

Day Three - You Can't Have It Both Ways

Start - Key West, FL

Stop - Florence, SC

Today's Miles - 837

Total Miles - 2,485

To anyone considering a visit to Key West - The Best Western Hibiscus is a perfect place to stay. Great room, great bed, awesome pool/hot tub, across the street from the Southernmost Hotel.  I had a fantastic dinner last night at Carmelita's, less than a block away.  Yellowtail Snapper Oscar.  To die for.  Dinner, hot tub, pool, bed...and that was my night in Key West.

To anyone preparing to drive back to the mainland from Key West - put your patience cap on tight, you're going to need it.  Speed limits range from 30-45 with occasional mad dashes at 55...for 125 miles.  Lots of law enforcement.  Consider every little village a speed trap.  No, the scenery doesn't help.  Other peoples' dream homes, vacation rentals, and fun stuff can't make up for the riding death march.  On the bright side, I got great gas mileage and made up for lots of lost speed on the Florida Turnpike.

If you want to go to Key West, that is the way you have to go.  You can't have it both ways.

Speaking of which - On long trips I ride very defensively and I don't speed.  (I consider 3 miles over the speed limit within the range of a well functioning odometer.)  But you can't have it both ways on the Florida Turnpike or I-95.  "Defensive driving" means not being a nuisance, not doing stupid things, blending in to the traffic, pulling over to let faster cars pass.  But if you are going to do that on the Florida Turnpike, be prepared to speed.  All the time.  So you don't get run over.

I took the Turnpike all the way to Fort Pierce where it picks up I-95.  I thought about skipping it to ride through Miami again but the road from Key West took all the wind out of my sails.  There were a couple of toll booths but much of it was "Pay by Plate."  I guess that means they will mail me the bill.  It will be interesting to see if their cameras can pick up a license plate tucked up underneath a Harley tour pack.  I'm hoping no.  The final toll stop was $6.30.  I thought that was an odd number.

The weather again today was pretty much perfect for most of the way.  It was beautiful coming out of Key West.  But all day long I could see dark foreboding clouds on the horizon in front of me.  That is the thing on a bike, you can both see and feel the weather changes.  You feel it when you ride into a frontal system.  Much of the rain passed before I got there but I did get rained on a little in Florida and then the heavens opened in Georgia and South Carolina.

I stopped for gas in Edgewater, FL.  While I was filling the bike I saw a young kid come riding a crotch rocket into the station.  As he pulled up to the pump his bike's landing gear dropped down as he came to a stop.  I've never seen such a thing.  I went to talk to him and learned that he had been in a bad motorcycle accident and broke his back.  He lost the use of his legs.  But he didn't lose his desire to ride a bike.  So he saw this thing on YouTube, bought a bike and the landing gear kit, and then he and his buddy mounted it.  He has to strap himself to the bike at the waist, thighs, and both feet.  The landing gear comes down with an electric switch.  He said he just rolls his wheelchair into the garage, hoists himself on to the bike, and off he goes.  You can't have it both ways - riding a bike comes with some risk.  He was a very nice kid and I was seriously impressed with his attitude and ingenuity.

Not long after that I got to Daytona.  On a long ride like this, I am riding by amazing things all the time.  I want to stop but I have places to go and I don't want to waste the time.  You can't have it both ways.  So I will pick my spots.  Today I wanted a picture of my bike by the Daytona Speedway. Not everyone knows that the racing tradition at Daytona began with racing motorcycles and cars on the beach.  Now I can say I was there.

I also made a quick stop at the HUGE Harley dealer in Daytona.  I left my gloves on the back of the bike at a gas station yesterday and I needed to replace them.  My hands are getting sunburned.  And a T-shirt...because you just have to do that.

Finished up tonight in Florence, SC.  I have a calendar with suggested stops for each night.  If I keep to the plan I will be able to do everything I had hoped for.  But I'm already thinking of some changes.  I can't describe how excited I am to ride across North Dakota again but it occurred to me today that I really should visit my mom's grave.  She would think this ride was great and right up my alley.  And if I go there, then I need to eat at the Fryin' Pan in my home town.  So I'm going to make some adjustments to add those splashes to the canvas of this ride.

Day Two - Realizations

Start - Ocala, FL

Stop - Key West, FL

Today's miles - 530

Total - 1648

Today was all about realizations.  Last night I realized that my GPS tracker quit working when I went through the tunnel in Mobile, AL.  The satellites lost me and then there wasn't good enough cell coverage to find me again until I called in.  The whole thing soured me on that little piece of technology.

It was made worse because I didn't need gas in Mobile even though I should have when I turned off I-65 to I-10.  The IBA requires gas receipts for key turns in certified rides.  But I thought, "I don't need gas now.  I don't want to stop now.  I'll let the GPS tracker prove that I went this way."  So much for that.

So I went to bed last night and decided to just do what I want.  I don't want to be on the IBA clock.  I'm on vacation!  This is all about NOT being on a clock.  So I went to bed without an alarm.  Woke up naturally at 8:00 AM feeling great.  Hit the road at 8:43 AM. It was a gorgeous day.

Since it was hot I decided to test the cooling vest I bought off Amazon for $30.  Thank you Jamie and Paula!  I soaked it in cold water and wore it, for the first tank of gas, over my LDComfort shirt.  It worked perfectly.  It felt like I was riding in an air-conditioned room.  After I got gas, I tried it under the shirt and it worked even better.  It lasted the rest of the ride.  In the old days I would wet and wear a cotton t-shirt under a leather vest.  That lasted about a 1/2 hour. This cooling vest is the bomb!

Third realization - Yesterday I passed a biker in full long distance riding regalia.  He was on a BMW with a dash full of electronics, an auxiliary fuel tank, full face helmet, and full Aerostitch suit.  Today I passed a big guy with a bald head, full beard, leather vest, full of jailhouse tatoos, riding a Harley Road King.  And I realized that I am who I am.  I'm sure that the BMW guy was a nice guy and all, but that's not who I am.  I would much prefer hanging with the Harley guy.  I think I would like listening to his stories a whole lot more.

When I saw him I also realized that I am going to do the rest of this trip in the way that I like.  I'm going to get up when I get up.  Leave when I'm ready.  And ride as long as I want to.  I have five more corners to go, I'm counting on spending a Sunday with my sisters, and I need to be home by July 10th.  That's enough clock watching for me.

And now the next realization - Interstate highways are scenic tofu.  I don't like riding on them.  The best part of yesterday was cutting down from Jackson, MI, to Mobile, AL.  State highways and back roads let you see reality.  You pass homes and places and cut through towns.  You see America.  Now today was OK.  Interstate 75 on the west side of Florida is a fine road.  Very nice rest areas.  Different kinds of trees.  Alligator Alley.  All very nice.  But mostly, it gets you through Florida as fast as possible because that really is the idea.  The same tomorrow heading up in the east side on I-95.  I'll be on lots of interstates between here and Milwaukee but it will be the roads that follow that I'm going to love.

I made one stop on Alligator Alley.  I didn't see a single gator but I imagine they were watching me like...gators.  i could feed a family of 'em.

I got to Key West about 5:30 PM.  So I didn't make the Bunburner 1500 but I didn't really care.  It was better this way.  I rode in broad sunny daylight and it was great.

And now the final realization - I have a wonderful wife.  I thought about Kelley a lot today.  She is an amazing woman.  She is so incredibly selfless that, while she cried as I headed out the door, worried that I would do something stupid like hurt my motorcycle, I know that she cares a whole lot more that I have a good time than she does about her worries.  That is what really killed me about my GPS tracker not working.  The whole point was that Kelley could check in on me whenever she wanted.  She would like to do that and I will love knowing that she is.

The NEXT time I come to Key West will be WITH Kelley and I promise to walk into any art gallery she sees AND I'll rent a charter boat to take her fishing.  She actually loves fishing.  Like I said, an amazing amazing woman.  I love you.

Day One of the Epic 25th

Start - Houston, TX

Stop - Ocala, Fl

Today's miles - 1,118

Total miles - 1,118

Today was the first day of the big ride.  Mostly, it was a great.  Partly, it was disappointing.  So here goes the report:

After anticipating and planning this ride for so long, I couldn't wait to get going.  The idea was to go to bed at 7:00 PM and leave when I woke up.  But I couldn't sleep.  So I finally gave up trying at 11:15 and did what it took to get going.  I timed my gas receipt as close to midnight as possible.  I headed down Clay to the Beltway and then to 59 North.

The great part was the ride.  After dodging the late night crazies on the Beltway, it was a great night ride.  Perfect weather.  Not a lot of traffic.  Obviously heading to Shreveport, LA, isn't the direct route to Key West but I needed to stretch this first part to 1500+ miles so I took 59 to I-20 to Jackson, MI, and then angled down to Mobile, AL.  

Everything about the ride went well.  Until I got to Florida the weather was perfect.  No rain.  Until I got to hot, muggy, and scattered rain shower Florida.  I saw big clouds to the south so tomorrow might end up a rain gear day.

The disappointment came when I stopped for gas in Florida and saw a text from Kelley saying that the GPS tracker quit working in Mobile.  It stayed in the same place for three hours.  I thought about people who might have checked in, and the possibility that they might think the worst.  I called the company and they said they would work to fix it.  So just know, if the blue dot isn't moving that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm not moving.

My original goal was to get to Gainesville to certify a Saddlesore 1000.  I didn't speed, I didn't hurry, and I didn't take the interstates the whole way.  I just didn't stop much or for long at a time.  I ended the ride for the night past Gainesville at Ocala, FL.  All told, today covered 1,118 miles in 19 hours.  Key West is about 500 more miles. 

Over and over today I found myself thinking how blessed I am to be doing this. As fun as today was, there are lots more days like this to come.

Goals, Challenges, and Common Sense

My Epic 25th Anniversary ride is just two days away. I have a list of things I need to take care of before I can leave. But my mind is looking forward to the ride.

Over the past few months, as I have anticipated this ride, I found myself wondering why it is that I am attracted to big challenges and setting high goals.  That isn't the way that I was raised. Life for our family was more about survival than achievement. Maybe that is the answer. Maybe those two do go together.

Spending 20+ days riding a motorcycle all around the United States, in every kind of weather, from sun up till sundown, is a challenge.  Adding difficult goals to the beginning and ending of such a ride heightens the challenge.  There is no question that it will be difficult. I have no doubt that it will at times be painful. But something inside of me says it is something I need to do. 

I once heard John Maxwell, a leadership coach, say a quote that I've never forgotten: "When you raise the bar of expectations, winners will reach and whiners will whine. When you lower the bar of expectations, winners will leave and whiners will whine."  While I know that there is a little whiner in every winner, and a little winner in every whiner, I choose to strive to be a winner. I like big goals. This is a spiritual matter for me. Striving for excellence honors God.

But I also honor common sense. It makes no sense to do things that are unnecessary. When I get tired, I need to rest. If the conditions are too difficult, I need to take a break. If something breaks, I need to stop and get it fixed. In many ways this reminds me of the old days when I was an athlete. I learned to tell the difference between pain and injury. Some measure of pain is to be expected – but injuries need to be treated. That is just common sense.

This Sunday is Father's Day. After church my family is coming to the house to celebrate. My grandson, Niko will hopefully bring his floaty's so we can spend some time in the pool. It will be a great day. Niko will be three in August. As you can see from the picture below he already has a thing for motorcycles. 

Someday I will tell him the story of this ride and what I learned along the way. All roads lead home.

Community

So this past Thursday night a meeting I was supposed to attend got canceled.  Which meant that I could be home before 8:00 instead of 9:30.  I was grateful because my friends, Don and Jean, had told me that Pam "The Patch Lady" always showed up at Bryant's Icehouse on Thursdays.  Not only does Pam sew on patches, she also designs them.  So I hurried home and made my way to Bryant's.

Here is the part that people might not realize:  When I got to Bryant's, I saw Don and Jean.  Their eyes lit up when I walked back to where they were standing.  First, Don and I hugged.  Then Jean gave me both a hug and a kiss.  We've known each other for years but I have never been at their house.  We really are strangers to one another (as all people are to one another), but the biker community has these long held rituals of hospitality, of welcoming, of brotherhood, that go unrecognized.  But I feel it and I appreciate it.

It is the same feeling when I see the guys I play golf with every Friday drive into the parking lot.  The same feeling I get on Sunday mornings at church or throughout the week when people come in to the church office.  It is the feeling of community.  Of belonging.  Of connectedness.  Of being part of something bigger and beyond ourselves.

As I continue waiting for the Epic 25th ride to start next week I continue to follow ride reports of other people who are making their own journeys.  These are people I might never meet.  I only know what they share about their experiences.  Yet they are my teachers.  By listening to their stories, they are welcoming me into their lives.  We know community together.  I sense the holiness in that and I appreciate how God always invites us into connectedness.

So I gave Pam my leather vest and the two new patches I want on it.  I am VERY picky about what goes on my vest.  Nothing against Boy Scouts but I'm not interested in filling it up with merit badges so that it looks like I'm wearing a patch.  Only patches tied to significant memories and experiences will ever make it on my vest.

Right now, the top patch on the left is from the 2010 Hoka Hey ride.  It was the first one and a really amazing experience.  Below that is the patch from the Tail of the Dragon trip that Michael and I took over Thanksgiving one year.  To those, Pam is going to add a new patch with the logo of my church, Faith Lutheran.  The Faith logo patch will be at the top on the other side of the Hoka Hey.  I figure that will be an interesting conversation starter for years to come.

Down one side of the vest are the five "I Rode Mine to Sturgis" patches.  Every one of those trips was remarkable, maybe some day I'll tell those stories here on the blog.  But, for now, I'm pretty much done with pilgrimages to Sturgis.  (Never say never.)

On my back I have a great Harley Davidson eagle wings patch that I got when Mark and I went to the Valentine's Day Massacre rally one year in Bourne, TX.  It was a freezing cold trip but great to be together and we found all sorts of ways to have fun.  That patch means a lot.  Pam is going to add a Saddlesore 1000 patch and a HOG patch I've had forever but never sewn on.  I'm doing it this year so that, in case something happens to the bike and I need to dial up a local chapter for help, I feel I can do so with some integrity.  (OK, its just a nice patch that I happen to like.)

When the Epic 25th is over, I'll have some more patches that will go on the back, above the eagle, across my shoulders.  I'll be doing that ride alone in that I'll be on my own bike.  But I'll never be alone - for we are always connected to one another by God's love, by memories, by stories, by community.

The Epic 25th Prep Continues

Yesterday was a big day as Kelley and I brought my bike to the doctor.  We were at Katy Custom Cycles before they opened so we could drop off the bike and still get to work at a reasonable time.

I gave them the pre-trip list:  Change all the fluids.  Adjust everything that needs to be adjusted.  Replace the brake pads if those now on it aren't ready for 12,400 miles.  Mount and balance the new Michelin Commander II's.  Replace the stock speakers with new Boom Audio faring speakers.  Call me if you notice anything else that needs to be done.

Picking a bike repair shop is a big deal for me.  I have a 100,000 mile warranty on my bike so I don't do anything significant on it by myself.  I don't want to be blamed if anything isn't right.  This means that I need to use Harley certified mechanics.  But which one?  How do you choose?

Here in Houston we have several Harley dealers.  A couple have bad reputations - poor service, high prices, take forever to get anything done.  I've had service done at three dealerships in town - which leaves me with two places that I will never use again.

The best service relationships I have had began with word of mouth testimonials from friends.  My friend, Murph, is a mechanic himself and I trust him.  He's the first guy I call with everything.  Years ago he told me about Mike who ran a small shop not far from my house.  Mike took care of everything for me.  His prices were reasonable.  He gave me his cell number with permission to call anytime.  One time when Kenny's bike broke down in the middle of nowhere on our way to Sturgis we called him on a Sunday afternoon and he offered perfect long distance diagnostics.  But eventually he closed down his shop and returned to the dark side as a car mechanic.

Last summer I heard about a new place from another friend.  I had some things done prior to riding again to Sturgis.  The prices were amazing.  BUT, the work...not so much.  They installed a new set of ape hanger handlebars and messed up the wiring.  Both my cruise control and stereo got burned out.  That led to a service at a Harley dealer in order to get warranty work done.  I won't be going back to that place again.

This time I called Murph for advice and found out that he used to work with the mechanic and service writer at Katy Custom Cycles.  That is also where Old Kenny gets his work done and New Kenny just had some stuff done as well.  And now they have my bike.  They promised to get it done by Saturday afternoon.  I hope so....

Word of mouth.  Even though businesses spend multi-millions of dollars for advertising and marketing, everyone knows that the personal assurance of a trusted friend is the most effective advertising there is. There is no surprise in that.  The Christian faith has long worked the same way.