Awesome adventure!
Funny you stopped in Novato CA. That's the town everyone stays in for the AMA Sears Point race. Track is 10 minutes down the road. Know that Days Inn!
Safe riding.
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Awesome adventure!
Funny you stopped in Novato CA. That's the town everyone stays in for the AMA Sears Point race. Track is 10 minutes down the road. Know that Days Inn!
Safe riding.
Just because we're not posting, doesn't mean we aren't sub'ed and watching with interest. Epic road trip.
Also that VFR is fuggin' awesome. Fantastic, fantastic bike.
But where's yer hi viz, yo. :punch:
Following this thread has caused me to move a cross country ride from my bucket list to my planning list! I am going to shoot for next year , and start building route plans and checklists. The OP comment about shipping his VFR and having it arrive at his hotel is the trick I was looking for :)
Day 7 Pictures
Deadwoodhttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...7/386bfce6.jpg
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Day 8 7/14 left Hill City at 8:00 with a goal of getting into Iowa for the night. Took a great trip through the Badlands National Park and then swung quickly through Wall, SD for a picture of Wall Drug. Next, dreaded I-90 East, as today is a day to chew up some miles. Crossed into Central time and lost an hour. At 1:30 Central, I'm eating a quick bite in Murdo, SD. after a few water and rest breaks In the 90+ heat, I reached Minnesota about 5:40. This was always going to be a high mileage day and I ended up covering about 560 miles, ending up in Blue Earth, MN.
Day 8 Pictures
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Missouri River, Chamberlain, SDhttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...8/2b87e3dd.jpg
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Don't forget the :jackie:
I don't even know what I'm doing tomorrow. Or what I did yesterday for that matter. That's some forward planning there.
I've been to some of the spots pictured so far and this really brings back memories, and begins to kindle a passion for another epic adventure! Keep it coming...
This thread makes me want to quit my job, sell my cars, strap a tent on the back of my bike and hit the road.
Looks like a fantastic time!
Day 9
short version = long day
Blue Earth, MN,
Iowa
Illinois
End in Jasper, IN
731.6 miles for the day.
Doing laundry now
full report and a few pics of cornfields tomorrow, I'm beat.
Wirelessly posted
I'll be 50 in 2017. That's why I'm planning a trip. Half century gift to myself.
Day 9 7/15 was a long day. I left Blue Earth, MN at 7:45AM and ended up in Jasper, IN at 11:00PM after losing another hour crossing into Eastern time. 736 miles for the day. It was hot and there wasn't a lot to see except for endless cornfields and other farmland. I was in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana in on day. At one stop, there was a large freezer for bagged ice outside and I put my jacket, pants and helmet in the freezer for 20 minutes while I ate and rested. After checking in, there was laundry to do, including my riding jacket and pants, as a week on the road was getting the a tad "ripe.". by the time everything was washed and dried, the helmet liner taken out and cleaned, everything packed and a route planned for the next day, I collapsed at 2:00AM. Tomorrow is an easier day, headed to Knoxville, TN. I've set my return for Friday and will use Tuesday through Friday to ride the Dragon, the Blue Ridge Parkway and points north on the last leg home.
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A corny vacation picturehttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...9/3b654892.jpg
This was about 75% of my dayhttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...9/e9511881.jpg
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Gear on icehttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...9/99c773ca.jpg
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Just about sunsethttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...9/603bed84.jpg
Pit stop for new Michelin Pilot Road 3 tires in Lexington, KY
The rear was squared off pretty good and showing wear bars.
Better safe than sorry as I head into the Dragon and BRP tomorrow
Day 10 7/16 the plan is to cruise about 360 miles to Knoxville, TN in order to set up a final 4 days riding home through the Blue Ridge. A bit of a late start as a result of yesterday being extra long, but I should be on the road before 9:00AM. A few brief showers cooled me off as I headed from Indiana into Kentucky and then west from Louisville to Lexington. In Lexington, I stopped into Lexington Motorsports, a top flight multi-line dealer and purchased 2 new Michelin Pilot Road 3 tires, as the wear bars were showing on the rear. 7,000 miles, including 3800 in the last 9 days, had squared off the rear significantly. I'm sure it is costing me a little more, but since it would have to be done as soon as I got home anyway, I figured that paying now to hit the Dragon and Blues Ridge Parkway on fresh rubber made sense. Toby, the friendly Englishman in service made the whole experience a pleasure and went right to work on the bike like a NASCAR pit stop. I was put by 1:45 and back on the road to Knoxville. After checking in, I went for a very hot 3 mile run and then walked to Shoney's for dinner, all you can eat buffet! If I lived in the south. I'd weigh 300 pounds, but since I want to return from the trip lighter than when I started, I had salad, a little fish and chicken and no dessert.
Very very very very jealous. Sounds like a blast. How do you feel about being solo for the whole thing?
Wirelessly posted
Mmmmm shoneys.
In a perfect world, my family would magically appear at the end of each day and we'd have dinner and spend time together.
We talk every day and they are getting frequent pics from the road, iPad+3G.
The practical likelihood of finding someone else to do this trip was about zero, so I make the best of it
I've found that long trips are generally better alone, unless you have a really close friend or spouse that you *know* you travel well with. And this is especially true on bikes, where in addition to the usual where you want to go and what you want to see issues, and sleeping accommodation preferences, you have how far you can ride at a stretch issues and all of that.
PhilB
I'm still blown away for how fantastic this is. It's a shame I can't show all my coworkers the awesome pictures you have taken along the way. Damn security restrictions.
Will do someday. GF will be on the back!
Day 11 7/17 After a long night's sleep, I was out by 8:45 and at the entrance to the famed "Dragon" an hour later. It is advertised as 318 curves in 11 miles. Since it's so short, I plan on a couple of passes, the first to see the road and get pictures. hen we'll see how well I can ride it. 11:52 and the Dragon's been stayed 3 times. I did see one young guy from Miami who absolutely mangled his CBR1000RR in a ditch at mile 5.1. He was in a pack of three. The lead passed me going south as I was headed north on my second pass. The other two never made it and said that after the lead rider hit the brakes, they both locked up their brakes and crossed the road into a ditch. I made sure they were OK and helped pulled their bikes put of the ditch. One was in good she, but the other was trashed. Off to the Cherohala Skyway now and then onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. At about 1:00 I reached the eastern end of the Cherohala Skyway, at Santeetlah Gap. It will be 40 miles of beautiful mountain scenery to Tellico Plains, TN. Granola and water for lunch at 2:20 just past the western end of the Cherohala. Headed back east to connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Took another great set of roads including the Foothills Parkway, Little River Road and US441 right through the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The BRP brought me to Asheville, NC at 7:00PM. This is truly heaven for motorcyclists. Take the best road you know and it's a 100 mile loop here, just fantastic. A 300 mile day to cover the 82 miles between Knoxville, TN and Asheville, NC says it all!
I keep checkin everyday Steve!! Id like to shake your hand one day.
Day 11 pictures
Began the day in...http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/b86f99f4.jpg
Scenery before the dragonhttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/ebb4d325.jpg
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A stop along my first passhttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/b5c1b357.jpg
The dragon starts/ends at the borderhttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/68be0d6b.jpg
Ran into this on the second pass, "went in hot, ran out of talent". I helped them get their bikes out of the ditch. http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/240d5255.jpg
Proud of his work!http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/b7911243.jpg
The "tree of shame" commemorates those whose ambition exceeded their ability. As it has been said many times, "There are old pilots and bod pilots, but very few old, bold pilots.".http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/cb40e52a.jpg
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The obligatory, "I did it." pose. http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/2f8802ab.jpg
Along the Cherohala Skywayhttp://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/fdef7e45.jpg
Always calls for more pictures of the bike...http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/0bfa2cb3.jpg
I keep hitting the "enhance" button on my iPad, but it doesn't make me any better looking. I think the button is broken. http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/...1/0f47d214.jpg