Day One - Texas Is A State of Mind

Today:  895 miles
Total:  895 miles (easy math this time....)

There is not a whole lot to report today.  I woke up at 5:15 AM, had everything ready, and was rolling out of the garage at 5:30 AM.  I entered the address for the motel in Colorado into my GPS and it estimated my arrival at 5:39 PM (there's a time change involved.)  I got to the motel at 6:15 PM.  Now I'm confused but it looks like the day worked out just about how I thought it would.

What is there to report about riding across Texas on the same roads I have ridden many times before.  Hiway 6 has less road construction than it used to.  The loop around Waco is a must.  Fort Worth doesn't look any richer from the freeway than Dallas does but I guess it is anyway.  And then there's US 287.

I think of US 287 as a very utilitarian road.  Its function is to get you from here to there and it does a great job of that.  It is the closest thing to a shortcut to Colorado that Texas can offer.  But man...  Most of the time it basically looks like this:

Except for the towns you have to remember to slow for instead of picking up a ticket and ruining your vacation.  And the trucks you have to dodge.  But mostly the trucks aren't a problem.  I actually like trucks and truck drivers very much.

What I don't like is what happens when you get to Amarillo and head north.  Through feedlot country.  Where the trucks carry animals that make quite an impression on motorcyclists who get the full Monty smell thing with occasional "what the heck was that???" splatters. I just duck behind my windshield when I see them coming.

Nothing went wrong.  I didn't stop except for gas and all that entails.  The weather was great.  Tail wind most of the way.

It is true that nothing actually went wrong...but I did pull my usual "Kerry and the gas" stunt.  Sometimes I just get so lost in my thoughts and enjoying the experience that I forget to pay attention to how far I've ridden since the last gas stop.  It isn't like the odometer is hard to see.  But I just don't notice it.  Over 100 miles slipped away unnoticed until I glanced down and saw that I had ridden 183 miles since my last gas stop and I had no idea how far it was to Raton, NM.  Fortunately I had my GPS to reassure me.  And I must have gotten great gas mileage with the tail wind because I filled up at 197 miles and only put 5.1 gals in my 6 gallon tank.

But then, for the next 16 minutes, I got to enjoy what I had ridden 800 miles to do.  Riding over a mountain pass.  This was my first video attempt and it worked.  I clicked the right buttons and everything.  Unfortunately, it seems the resulting file is too large to upload so that will have to wait until I edit this post sometime in the future.

No alarm tomorrow morning.  I get to ride over Wolf Creek Pass way up on the great divide, biking on down the other side right into Pagosa Springs.  Believe it or not, this has been a bucket list thing for me ever since the song first came out.

The Best Laid Plans....

Soon I'll go to bed.  When I wake up, I leave on my trip.  That is the plan.  It has been the plan since I made the appointment at Russell Cycles about four months ago.  I finish up my Sunday, go to sleep, and leave whenever I wake up.  I know I have about 14-15 hours of solid riding ahead of me so getting good rest is more important than leaving at any particular time.

But you know what they say about the best laid plans....

We didn't exactly schedule this but Kelley and I decided this weekend that the time has come for us to move to town.  So we picked out precisely where we want to live, checked the Web, found a great place, made a visit, signed a lease, and now we're planning our move.  Mind you, we woke up Friday morning knowing that "someday" we want to move closer to town.  So all of this happened this weekend.  We begin moving into the townhouse in a couple of weeks.  Here it is, right on the corner.

Whenever I get up to leave, it will be the last long ride that begins and ends in the garage where my bike has always lived.  From now on it will live under a carport and wake up the neighbors.  I'll suddenly be "that guy" in the complex.  But an 8 minute commute to work for each of us is worth it.

But it does mean a serious adjustment to my trip planning.  What was supposed to be a quick but interesting dash to Northern California followed by a long leisurely tour through the West has suddenly become a quick dash in both directions followed by getting our house ready to sell and moving into town.

How do I explain how it feels to know, at the same time, that we are doing a crazy thing and that we are doing exactly what we need to be doing at the same time?  To me, that about sums up my experience of what following God in my life has always meant.

Crazy things happen but they turn out to be some of the best learning experiences in our lives.  I make stupid decisions but God redeems them and there are nice surprises on the other side.  The whole thing is a grand adventure.

I'm not taking much stuff this trip.  A few clothes, packing for both hot and cold.  Water.  Anything else I need I can get in gas stations and they do have grocery stores on the way.  I'm looking forward to trying my new camera.  And I'm looking forward to writing about the trip along the way.  I've reached that stage, I guess, where creating memories also means creating shared memories that can last longer than my memory can.

This afternoon I attended the 100th anniversary of the first church I was called to as an associate pastor.  I sat next to my senior pastor, my mentor, a man I am blessed to have known.  Amazingly, I remembered a lot of names.  I saw faces of people who were very important to me at one time.  They remain important but in a very different sort of way.

The church seemed familiar but I clearly had a sense that I have moved on.  Time has passed.  Change has happened.  Some of the change has been growth.

Best of all, I got to sit between my daughter and my grandson.  I got to hold my little 5 week old granddaughter until my nose told me that she really wanted her mother....  I felt old.  And happy.  And content.  I realized that "old" is the price you pay for this kind of gratitude and I'm thinking it is a sweet deal.

Now it is time for sleep and adventure.  The adventure of riding through the air only to turn around and ride back home again.  The adventure of setting forth into a whole new way of living with my wonderful wife and partner, and my delightful, beautiful, step-daughter.  And I'm realizing now, with only another sentence to write, that one the reasons I love taking long rides is knowing that the first mile I ride away is merely one mile closer to returning home.

I trust that I'm living God's best laid plans for my life and I'm grateful.

Leaning Toward the Ride

I have come to appreciate that vacations are mandatory to a well balanced life.  "Sabbath", time to rest and appreciate life, is essential.  I remember back in the days when I used to be an athlete and I learned that exercise is about stressing our bodies - rest and rebuilding is when our bodies adapt and grow.  Having said that, I have to admit that I can spell "well balanced life" but I hardly live one.  I continue to be a person of extremes.

So the Odyssey of the Seat is now just around the corner.  I'm finishing up the things that I need to do to get ready for the weekend and the beginning of the trip on Monday.  This weekend will be full - preaching three different sermons (Saturday funeral, Sunday morning services, and the evening 6TEN service), participating in the 100th anniversary of my first congregation, Zion Lutheran, on Sunday afternoon.  From the memorial service for the beloved father of our organist on Saturday to baptizing a little baby on Sunday to public prayers for the high school Cornerstone kids as they get ready to head out on a three week wilderness trip...there is a lot going on.

I look forward with joy to everything on the schedule for the weekend.  I'll be fully there.  And when I get home, likely about 9:00 PM Sunday evening, I'll finish up packing the bike and then it is time for bed.  As soon as I wake up, no matter what time, I will hit the road.  The first day won't end until I ride 856 miles to Walsenburg, CO, no matter how long it takes.  I want to enjoy Wolf Creek Pass and the ride to Durango in the sunlight and that means being there Tuesday morning.

In the meantime I have a few little things to pick up.  I'll Scotchguard my TourPack (the piece of luggage that holds my stuff and serves me well as a backrest) tomorrow.  And I might even practice a bit with my newest toy, bought just for this trip, a Go Pro camera.

I don't know exactly how this will work but I'm hoping to create some daily film clips as well as snap pictures along the way.  You will see what I'm seeing.  But I know myself and the way I can be.  Sometimes I get so entranced by the journey that I forget I have a camera with me.  I still love mind pictures and memories...but I'm getting older.  And I have grandkids now.  So shareable pictures have taken on a new importance for me.

The "Find My Bike LIVE!" button on the blog is now active.  Click it now and you'll see my bike waiting patiently in the garage.  Just a few days away now....

Odyssey of the Seat

Well, its that time of the year again.  After a highly eventful spring, life is good and I'm itching to spend a few days out on the road.

I'm calling this year's trip the Odyssey of the Seat.  "Odyssey" is a great name for any long journey apt to be full of adventure and surprise. "Seat"...well, even though the journey itself is always the destination, it just fits better with me if there is also a goal, a point, a purpose.  And this year, the point is to spend at day at the Russell Cycle Products plant in Lake Shasta, CA, getting a custom motorcycle seat built.  The whole trip is about finding an interesting route there and home.

The word on the street is that Russell makes the finest long distance motorcycle seat in the world.  Russell seats might not be terribly attractive but they have an inner spring system that distributes your weight, eliminates pressure points, and lets you ride a long way in comfort.  Even though too much pizza and too little exercise has already done a remarkable job in redistributing my weight, I'm thinking a wonderful seat would be the perfect addition to my bike.

The plan is to leave early on Monday, June 2, knowing only that I have to be at the Russell plant on Friday morning at 8:00 AM.  I'm looking forward to riding over Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado (something I've never done but have wanted to do since click here.)  Then I'll cut across Utah and Nevada on Hiway 50, billed "The Loneliest Road in America."  On the way home, I'm looking forward to a few more mountain passes in Montana and Wyoming.

Roughly 5000 miles of America in roughly 14 days...the second half on what is rumored to be a really really nice seat.

I also plan to fire up the GPS tracker again this year so Kelley, who loves me, or anyone else who wants to take a vicarious vacation, can check in on me along the way.  We have practiced used FaceTime for phone calls.  It took us a few attempts and there's no promising we will remember how to do it under pressure but we'll try.

Every time I dream up something like this - riding a long way for no fully defensible purpose - people always ask me the same questions.  Here are the guaranteed ones:

Is Kelley going with you?  You need to understand two things on this one.  1. I married "up" when I married Kelley.  She is a lot smarter and not nearly as crazy as I am.  She loves road trips but appreciates A/C and windows.  She might meet me where I'm going but she gets no particular thrill out of the idea of sitting on a bike from sun up to sun down, stopping only for gas and nature, to get there.  I can't explain why I do...but I do.  2. When I'm loaded up for a trip there isn't a whole lot of room for two.

Is anyone else going with you?  #1 in the preceding paragraph pretty much covers all of my friends too.  The kind of thing I like is riding all day long.  I can't explain it.

Don't you get bored?  Of course not.  Only boring people get bored.  I never get bored.  Think about it - out on a bike, 3 mph over the speed limit, flying through beautiful country, watching for anything that might pose a danger or threat, knowing it doesn't take much of a mistake for you to suddenly find your bike and body hitting the pavement going right around the same 3 mph over the speed limit - no, I won't get bored.

Don't you get sore? Sometimes...hence the Odyssey of the Seat.  I'll let you know how that works out on the way.

It has been a long time since my last long ride.  Can't wait to see how this one works out.

America the Beautiful

Now that the Epic 25th Six Corners Tour is over I want to add some final thoughts.

I want to thank Kelley for letting my "bike thing" happen even if it caused her worry and cost us money.  Doing things like this is important for me and the self giving love she shows me is amazing.

I want to thank the 25th Anniversary Committee and the members of Faith Lutheran Church for giving me the time and financial support that allowed this trip to happen.  I really wish you could have a much better pastor serving you and your mission - but you have me (and soon Pastor Tan) so I pray that we make the most of it.

It was fun to actually use Facebook to update people on what I was up to and, while expensive, the GPS tracker technology was a winner.  I really appreciated knowing that Kelley could find out where I was and we could keep in touch along the way.

Thank you, Sue and Bob for our visit at the lake.  Thank you, Uncle Gordon and Aunt Darlene for taking time away from packing for our visit.  It was great to see you.  Thank you, Uncle Tom and Aunt Judy, for our time together including nights with you at the farm and use of your home in Mesquite.  Thank you, Dwight and Peggy Wendschlag, for a great night and morning in Kalispell.  Thank you, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Lowell, for our time together with Uncle Jerry in Mesquite.  I'm still shocked at his sudden passing but will be grateful forever for that time.  Ginny, our thoughts and prayers will be with you.

And THANK YOU Sue and Bill for such a great time at Big Lake.  The three nights I spent with you was my longest stay in one place for three weeks and I wish I could have stayed a lot longer.  But I know that old line about relatives and fish, three days and they spoil.  It was so great to get our family back together again and catch up.  Thank you.

As I finished up the trip today, figuring out the statistics and costs, it was amazing how three weeks could become such a blur as to make me wonder if it really happened, and yet each gas receipt brought back memories of where I was and how it felt to pass through.  I've never taken this many pictures on a ride before.  My hope is to turn these blog posts into a book that captures the trip and becomes a family momento.  I think there are internet sites that let you do that.

I could go on forever about this trip (and no doubt will with my friends until they tire of hearing the same stories too many times), but I want to finish up with three thoughts.

1.  When I visited my Mom's grave I thought about what I would most want to say to her about my life today.  My answer would be that I have never been happier in and with my life than I am today.  I came home to a beautiful wife, kids who are growing up, and a great congregation that does good in the lives of so many people.  I am blessed.  This trip was a great way to remember and re-think my whole life, not just the last 25 years of ordained ministry.  As much as my home town means to me and has shaped me, I realize anew that my home is now in Houston.  My mom would be glad to know that.

2.  I hope there is a strong movement in our country to replace our national anthem with "America, The Beautiful."  Having covered a lot of ground and seen a lot of sights, I hope we are ready at some point to recognize the blessings of our country with a song that captures its scope rather than one based on the thoughts of a person observing the start of yet another war.  God really has blessed us to live where we live, wherever that is.  Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers."

I know that not everyone believes in God or appreciates the work of the church.  But like I heard in northern Minnesota, "I use the church to meet the deepest needs that people don't even realize they have."  I thought about that again when I was with my Uncle Jerry in the hospital.  He admitted to me that he seldom gave a thought about God or the church for his entire life.  Only at the end, only facing the end, did he reach out to the church.  And what did he find?  He found a pastor he could trust, a congregation where he mattered, and the love of God that transformed him from the inside out.  My Uncle Lowell told me much the same - he came to a place in his life where he needed a power greater than himself to help him do what he couldn't do on his own.  He found that in a new friend and in church.  I'm grateful to be part of a community that God can use to write that story into people's lives.

3.  And finally, Harley Davidson makes a heckuva motorcycle.  Thanks for taking a ride with me.

Days Twenty and Twenty One - Gas Stations

Start - National City, CA

Stop - Houston, TX

Today's miles - 1,954

Total - 12,742

Well, it is appropriate that a spectacular ride end in a fitting manner...I'll get to that.  But first, I realized yesterday that I haven't done justice to three of the greatest friends of bikers - gas stations, overpasses, and bars.

Bars.  Some bikers are basically drinkers who like to ride, others are riders who like to spend time with friends in bars.  Bar-hopping is a weekend biker ritual.  Or going to a certain place because you know you will find certain people there.  I enjoy that part of it.  My current "go to" place is Bryant's Icehouse.  But mostly I like to ride.  Twenty one days on this trip and I didn't set foot in a bar.  Group rides are different but solo rides, for me at least, invite focus.

Overpasses are a biker's friend.  They can function as an emergency rest room, an impending bad weather changing station, or an actively bad weather event shelter.  I have learned to value overpasses and I have discovered there aren't many in the desert.  But I only need one at a time so we're good.

Gas stations.  Now THAT is an important subject.  I'm not brand loyal.  I carried a debit card and a Discover card on this trip.  But gas stations matter a lot.  Here is my pecking order for a great gas station:

- It has a billboard on the highway several miles ahead so you can plan for it.

- It doesn't have a high pressure pump that doesn't allow you to top off your tank.  1/2 gal. in a motorcycle can be 20 extra miles.  And trying to top off a tank with a high pressure hose inevitably splashes gas on your bike.  You care deeply about that the first few months after you buy your bike.  Then it goes away.  You don't care so much by the second day of a trip but you still try to be careful.

- The restrooms are indoors, do not require keys, and do not require me to ask where they are.

- There is a good assortment of food and drinks.

- There is a place outside to sit (I seldom need that but my friends do. I have what I need on my bike.)

I don't think that is too much to ask.

So Saturday morning began at 6:30 AM (Houston time) when I packed my bike and headed to the gas station recommended by the hotel guy.  Since I wanted to cap off the Epic 25th Six Corners Tour with a Bunburner GOLD (1500 miles in 24 hours) OR a Bunburner 1500 (1500 miles in 36 hours), that meant I had to keep records.  I got the two guys working the hotel desk the night before to sign witness forms that I was in fact in the Best Western in National City, CA.  They were suspicious that I wanted their names, addresses, phone numbers, and signatures...but I look scary so they complied.

I also had to get receipts every time I got gas that included the date, time, and location and then I had to enter them in a log.  When the ride is over you send in the witness forms, the gas receipts, the log, and a map highlighted with your route and your stops.  Then the powers that be verify the information, they might even call the witnesses, and let you know if you qualified.

So I went to the local Arco station.  To finish the above thought, you can't go wrong with Shell, Exxon, Love's, Buc-ees, or Pilot.  I've come to learn that I hate Arco's.  De Tocqueville said that future trends will always begin on the west coast of the US so here is a trend you will not like - you had to swipe your debit card at a central location, not at the pump, and you had to agree to a .35 charge to pay for your gas with a card.  THAT ain't right.  But it was early and I was stuck so I got my gas and got.

I was on the road at 7:00 AM, Houston time (which was 5:00 AM Pacific, I have to write that down because it confused me all day as I passed through three time zones needing to log the time.)  It was a great time to leave San Diego.  The freeway was basically deserted.  I didn't know this before doing it but you are basically dealing with mountains for 90 miles as you leave Southern California.  I love that.  The views and the sweeps are great.

Then you get to the moon.  Wow there is some funky territory in central California.  It would be another day in the desert for me but at least I got to see the sort of desert I expected.

I was in Arizona by 9:30 AM (Houston time) and ready for my cooling vest.  Man that was a great $30 investment.  You just get it wet, wear it under your shirt (I found that worked best), and you are riding in cool comfort all day.

I crossed into Texas sometime around 6:00 PM.  This was one of the pictures I looked forward to taking:

Back now to gas stations - if you want to ride long, the best thing is to ride "tank to tank."  That means you store up your needs and deal with them only when you need gas.  Since I carry everything I need and always have ice water, coffee, and food available on the bike, that is easy for me.  So I basically take a long riding day one gas station at a time.  Other than that, I don't stop.  And I never stop for long.

I think the longest I got on a full tank of gas on this trip was 247 miles.  The shortest?  Van Horn, TX to Fort Stockton, TX against a brutal howling West Texas wind.  Since I was riding the speed limit of 80 mph, and since you need to get gas out there when the gettin' is good, I stopped after 121 miles and needed 4.6 gals. to fill the tank.  That was horrible.

It is and will always be scary riding in the dark on I-10 from Fort Stockton all the way to San Antonio.  I saw more deer than I can count.  No live ones on the road but plenty of rotting meat on the edges.  It did, however, keep me awake and on my toes.  

I wanted gas before I got into San Antonio so I stopped at a station between there and Boerne only to discover that the station was closed.  The gas pumps, however, still worked.  While I was filling up a police officer stopped to question what I was doing.  Even though I was a bit hazy after riding so far, I kept my tongue and didn't say a wisecrack to the idiot who is watching me putting gas in my bike as he asks me "So what are you doing?"

But what really bugged me was that I needed the gas station to pee as badly as I needed it for gas.  I considered heading behind the dumpster but the police officer was still parked and watching me so I just got back on the bike.  No sooner did I get back on the interstate than my bladder revolted and told me I was NOT going to ride another foot.  So I pulled off onto the shoulder and prepared to do my business.  Just as I reached for the Central Command Station, Mr. Police Officer cruises up behind me and hits the lights.  Again he asks the million dollar question, "So, what are you doing?"  Figuring that honesty was my best policy, I told him, "Man, I needed to piss at that gas station but it was closed.  I couldn't hold it any more."  So he tells me that there is an open station at the next exit.  I gulped, swallowed hard, and made a beeline to the pee line.  At least they had good coffee.  Exchange of assets.

I got on I-37 out of San Antonio headed toward Corpus Cristi.  That is also deer heaven.  Bottom line is that I doubt there is anywhere in Texas where it is safe to ride at night.  But I made it OK.  Got to Corpus and headed south.  Another gas stop in Robstown.  The road to Brownsville is a pain.  It wants to be I-69 when it grows up but, for now, it is either construction or going through towns, with speed limits varying from 25 mph to 75 mph.  Two lane, four lane, construction cones, uneven pavement.  Again, it kept me awake and on my toes.

After riding all around the United States and dodging just about all the bad weather that I could, the heavens opened just 42 miles from Brownsville.  But I just kept on going.  I stopped at the first gas station I saw inside the Brownsville city limits.  I met my Bunburner GOLD goal.  1,585 miles in 23 hours and 7 minutes.  Done.  That only included 11 gas stops (it would take two more to get home to Houston) - see how much more reasonable it is to look at it that way?

It took me 1/2 hour to find two strangers willing to certify that I was actually in Brownsville at 6:15 AM on a Sunday morning. 

From there it was a short hop over to the post office to get my 6th and final corner picture.  

Since I got to the gas station at about 6:00 AM, it was still dark.  So while my potential witnesses were mulling over the prospect of giving personal information to a complete stranger who looked completely strange, I was talking with Kelley about prospects for the day.  Since I was talking from Brownsville, she was 369 miles away.  But I ain't sleeping in Texas without my wife so I headed north.

I got to the house around 1:00 PM.  Grand total for the day was 1,954 miles in 30 hours.

This sounds weird but ending big rides like this has become quite normal for me.  When I was in college and rode out to Mount Vernon, WA, my final leg began in Twin Falls, ID.  I rode through the night, and through a pouring rain, from Portland, OR, through Seattle, to Mount Vernon.  The first time that I rode through Colorado by myself I rode home all the way from Durango down through Albuquerque and El Paso.  After the Hoka Hey ride to Alaska in 2010, my last leg was non-stop to Houston from Cheyenne, WY.  I guess I like the challenge and I "smell the barn" of getting to where I'm going.

Kelley was waiting with an open garage door, a kiss, a cool house, and permission to nap.  I took her up on all four.

I have some stuff to put together before I'm ready but I hope to write a final recap of the ride tomorrow.  Thank you for sharing the journey with me.

Day Nineteen - Poolside

Start - National City, CA

Stop - National City, CA

Today's miles - 50

Total - 10,788

I wasn't going to post a report for today but I changed my mind.  I actually did ride a bit today so that needed to be noted.  And I wanted to offer those reading this who are preparing for their own Four Corners Tour a couple of things I have learned.

Kelley called ahead to make an appointment for me this morning at Sweetwater Harley Davidson for service.  I'm staying at the Best Western Marina Gateway which is only one mile away from Sweetwater.  This worked out great.  I brought my bike over at 8:30 AM and filled out the paperwork.  I told them I wasn't in a hurry so they could take their time.  Then I walked back to the hotel.

There was a Denny's on the way so I made it my 2nd Denny's for the trip.  I guess there is a cafe at the hotel but I never looked for it.  I'm a little tired of guessing which continent the motel continental breakfasts come from.  But they do save time and money.  I just wonder if in fact those yellow round things lined up in the steamer tray actually, at some point in history, descended from a chicken.  

Then I proceeded to waste the rest of my day.  I read and I sat by the pool with occasional forays into the hot tub, then the pool, then back to the chair.

Around 2:00 PM, I walked back to pick up my bike.  Spit cleaned and polished, there it sat, itching to go.  But first I had to pay the fiddler and those of you who ride Harley's know that they don't play that song for nothing. 

From the dealership I came back to I-5 south and rode down to the Coronando exit, exit #4.  Stay straight there and you are on Hollister.  Follow it until it ends (being surprised as I was at the horse culture you pass through on the way) and turn right on Monument Road.  That takes you to the Border Field State Park.  There is a monument there that marks the farthest southwestern corner of the USA.  You can also see Tijuana from there, and a fence that runs down into the water.  At least that is what the guys at the Harley dealer told me.  Because you can only see that stuff if you get there on a Saturday or a Sunday.  Today is Friday.  I saw the sign and the closed gate. So I rode on.

I rode back to civilization, took a left to get to Imperial Beach, and started looking for the ocean.  I found some places I could turn into to get closer to the beach but all I saw were "No Parking Here" signs and no available parking spaces.  But I got close enough to see the beach which was the goal.

Then I went hunting for Hiway 75 which follows the coast up into San Diego.  I must say that the people who can afford to live here have it nice.  Beautiful weather, beautiful sights...just not much in the way of free parking.  Hiway 75 ended and I hunted and pecked my way, with help from my GPS, back to I-5.  I have never heard of the Coronando Bridge before but it is majestic.  I rode slow enough over it to peeve the other drivers around me but I wanted to see the sights and the sights from that bridge are great.

Then back to the hotel where a chair with my name on it was waiting by the pool.

So here are my final stats for the Four Corners part of my trip:

- 18 days on the road or hanging with family

- 8,639 miles from Key West, FL, to San Ysidro, CA

- 28 states (I'll add Arizona and New Mexico on my way home)

- I spent 11 nights in motels, 5 with family/friends, and 1 at the Iron Butt Motel on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

I'm going to bed soon without setting an alarm.  When I wake up it will be time to go.  I had the two guys working the hotel desk sign my witness sheet as I intend on attempting a Bunburner on the way to Brownsville.  I'm hoping for a Bunburner GOLD which is 1500 miles in 24 hours but I'll settle for doing it in 36 hours.  It all depends on how it goes.  It slows down after San Antonio and you never know how it will be getting out of here so we'll see.  But I doubt I'll be taking many pictures and I won't post another ride report until I'm back in Houston.

My final thought is this - I'm not sure yet what I will ultimately learn from this trip but one thing I know for sure is that it was important that I did it.  For lots of reasons.  And it was important that I made time to see people who have long been important to me.  My Uncle Jerry was doing well in the hospital on Wednesday.  We had a great visit.  But we both knew the end was near.  His lungs were failing due to complications from the chemotherapy he had been receiving for his pancreatic cancer.  None of that is good.  We said what needed to be said and that was that.

My aunt called me this evening to let me know that Jerry passed away this afternoon.  The end came much quicker than expected but there is mercy in that.  May God bless and keep all who knew and loved him.

And I guess, if you have ever wanted to ride a motorcycle all the way around the United States, there is no time like today to get it done.  You just never know how many days you have.