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Ready to ride – It was almost noon but I’m not going far today.  It’s kinda cool and breezy as I leave and I’m hoping that the sweat shirt and vest will be enough to keep me warm.

The back road into Flagstaff takes you up over Mingus Mountain and down into the town of Jerome.  Jerome was a mining town and is built on the steep north facing slope of Mingus Mountain.  The main business in Jerome today is tourism, and if you’re ever there, stop by a little hole in the wall restaurant called The Mine.  You won’t be disappointed.

This is the view looking across the Verde Valley from the north side of Mingus Mountain.  It’s difficult to see today but the rocks on the distant plateau are white and red.  That’s where Sedona is, and that’s where I’m going.

Cathedral Rock on the left and Bell Rock on the right are just a couple of the rock formations in and around Sedona.  You can hire a jeep tour to take you out where you can get up and close if you like.  However – my suggestion is a side by side ATV that you get to drive wherever you want to go.  And – if you’re a hiker, there are miles and miles of trails in the area that are world renowned.  Any way you decide to go, it’s not that expensive and will be one of those forever memories.  Also, if you’re a golfer – there are some amazing courses up here amongst the red rocks.  If your foursome isn’t full – I’m available….

North out of Sedona the road winds along through Oak Creek Canyon.  The creek flows 50 miles from springs in Sterling Canyon to it’s meeting with the Verde River.  Pulling over and taking a look around is the only way you can even begin to appreciate this area.

Oak Creek provides the water for Slide Rock State Park.  This is a VERY popular place to come cool off in the summer time.  With the summer monsoon rains there is at least four times the water in the creek and there are SO many people, you almost can’t get wet.

From the top of Oak Creek Canyon looking back toward Sedona.  It’s getting pretty cold and spitting a little rain here and there.  I pressed on with just what I was wearing to start the day as it was less than 15 miles to Flagstaff.  Probably should have taken the time to get something heavier out of the saddle bags, I was pretty cold by the time I got there.

Forecast is for snow overnight!! What a wonderfully non-boring way to start my adventure.

P.S. For more information, click on the blue words.  They are links I’ve embedded and worth the time if you’re interested.

Well, it did snow overnight but it rained as well so not that much of the snow “stuck”.  The car parked next to my bike belongs to Frank.  He is the leader of a 16 motorcycle group of German riders on a 12 day ride out of Las Vegas.  We had a nice conversation but he was pretty busy with his group.  Laughlin, Oatman, Kingman, Prescott, Sedona, Williams, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Hell’s Backbone, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, & Zion National Park.  Sounds like a good route. They arrived here from their Williams, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff leg yesterday afternoon soaking wet and cold.  Wonder what they’re gonna think about the snow on their bikes this morning?

Undaunted, I was on the road by 7:45 this morning, wearing everything I brought with me that could possibly keep me warm.  I would have waited until later to leave but the forecast is for a storm out of California to be following this one and my plan is to make my way eastbound between the storms.  See the snow on the mountain in the background?

As I was leaving Flagstaff northbound on 89A the elevation climbed to 7,400 feet and it started to snow and sleet.  I’ve ridden in much worse but it’s never been part of the plan.

It didn’t last long though.  Pretty soon I was back in patchy sunshine (still cold though) headed for Tuba City.  This is Indian reservation land and it is flat, treeless and barren in most places.  Sure was generous of the US government to grant this wonderful land to the Navajo.  Imagine going from living near water and pine trees to this…

Tuba City, time for fuel for the both of us (me & the bike).  At the gas station I was directed to the Hogan Restaurant for some authentic food.  A hogan (hoe-gone) is a sacred home to the Diné (Navajo).  Hogan Restaurant was the place for sure.  There were probably 20 people in there and I was the ONLY white man.  I wanted some Indian Fry Bread with my breakfast.  Of course up here on the REZ it’s just fry bread (the “Indian” is a foregone conclusion).  This is a breakfast burrito, Navajo Taco style.  YUM yum!!!

When I walked (waddled really) out of the restaurant, I noticed a couple interesting buildings across the parking lot.  The Explore Navajo Interactive Museum, and a trading post with a Navajo Code Talkers Museum inside.  The Explore Navajo Museum was closed but the trading post was open.  I’ve always been amazed by the  Code Talkers of WWII.  They operated in the pacific theater and their “code” was never broken.  It has been said that if was not for the Navajo Code Talkers, the Marines would have never taken Iwo Jima.  And they were just speaking Navajo; a language that is not written only spoken.

I didn’t buy anything at the trading post but that’s mostly because I don’t have any room for more “stuff”.  Did see a couple things I’ll share with you though.

Time to get back on the road.  I was hoping that during my extended stop here in Tuba City things might have warmed up a little and I would be able to shed some of my gear – NOPE.  Oh well – I’ve ridden in the cold plenty of times.  One of the keys to staying warm is staying dry – NOPE.  But it wasn’t miserable cold.  Just Damn Cold.

As you get closer to Monument Valley, the terrain starts to get a little more interesting.

Looks like good weather doesn’t it.  Well – when it’s raining I don’t stop to take pictures.  I don’t really remember exactly where this was taken, but before Kayenta, AZ for sure.

Going into Monument Valley it was clear that there was going to be some moisture involved.  You’ve all seen pictures of Monument Valley – this was the best I could do this time around.  The hail wasn’t too much fun.

From there I went on to Mexican Hat, UT.  I was tired of fighting the rain and wind and just needed a break so I pulled in to the Mexican Hat gas station/post office for some fuel and a rest.  I stayed for a good half hour as a particularly heavy cell passed over.  This is the rock that gives the community of Mexican Hat its name.  God’s stone stacking is just amazing, and there are several examples in this part of the country.

Next stop Four Corners.  I’ve never been because it’s usually too far out of the way to justify the time it would take to get there.  This is still Indian land and their fee for visiting this monument is $5 per person (no passes).  The monument is surrounded by at least 60 booths where individual Indians are trying to sell you the same stuff they sell at the roadside tables.  I looked, but nothing jumped out at me.  Four states at one time – check.

Shiprock was a planned destination for today’s ride but this is as close as I got.  It’s a dirt road to get there, and I’m sure it’s way too slippery with all the rain.  It’s quite a site standing all alone, towering over an otherwise flat landscape.  Check out the link.

Snow, sleet, rain & hail – that would be how I’d describe today’s ride.  However, it could have been worse.  I dodged a couple of cells and outran a couple more.  Really it’s kinda fun.  Like an adult game of tag – catch me if you can…..  Time to warm up & dry out!

Cold morning in Farmington so I kinda took my time getting on the road.  Do you remember Frank from yesterday’s post?  When he found out that I was going to be staying in Farmington he told me that I had to go check out the Bisti Badlands.  The signage on the reservation is scarce and I flew by the entrance, but there was a sign right away that said there was another entrance 7 miles down the road. So I kept an eye on the odometer and around 6 miles later I passed the other entrance.  Turned around and headed back.  Dirt road, which isn’t a deal breaker, and this one was pretty good.  I was about 4 miles into it, with no sight of the Badlands when I saw a truck coming the other direction. He turned on his emergency flashers and slowed down so I stopped to talk to him.  He told me that I was not going to make it through the wash on my motorcycle.  If I wanted, I could go 4 miles back out, 7 miles (oh no, that was 6 miles) back and go in the other entrance, then 5 or 6 more miles down a dirt road – forget it.  Sorry Frank, I’ll have to check out the Bisti Badlands some other time.  Guess the sign is there for a reason……

Here are a couple pictures of the Badlands that I pulled off the Internet.

It wasn’t getting any warmer so I pressed on down the road.  I was headed for Albuquerque to visit a coupe friends of ours that lost their house in the Santa Rosa fire and have been full timing it in a motor home for the last few months.

I try to take a picture every time I pass one of these signs.  If you aren’t exactly sure what the Continental Divide is – check out the link.

Pulled onto the slab (Interstate 40) for the rest of the trip to Albuquerque.  It was time to lose some altitude and put some miles behind me.  Finally started to warm up a little which was sorely needed.  Looking forward to spending some time with my friends from the LAX Tower days.

While hanging out with my friends, we decided that we would go up to Santa Fe, NM for an early lunch.  After lunch, they would go into town to explore and I would be back on the road.  Since we were going to lunch together I handed the camera off and Diane got some good road shots – especially with challenge of the sun shining into the lens.

For those of you that don’t know, I’m a Diners Drive-Ins & Dives fan and they have done several shows up in Santa Fe.  Diane picked this one in memory of our good friend.

We were hoping for an early lunch but would have had to wait 30 minutes and they weren’t interested in “flexibility”.  We were happy with the late breakfast, and the service was good.  I want to thank Javier and Diane for their hospitality, photography, and most of all – friendship.  It’s great to meet people on the road, especially when they are old friends.

While we waiting for our food Javier and I were talking about which way I’d be going.  I had planned to go up to Springer, NM before I headed eastbound but by the time I got to Las Vegas I got a gentle nudge toward the east.

That blue dot is my location.  I got a full tank of gas because I was headed out onto some roads with few if any towns.  Don’t want to be searching for fuel when you’re playing tag with Mother Nature.  Catch me if you can…….

This was my challenge for today, outrun the weather.  This is what I was looking at just south of Las Vegas, NM.  And, a day that started out looking like it would be a warm one, was gettin’ prurdy chilly.To give you an idea, this is what the sky to the east looked like.  Go that direction and stay dry and hopefully warm.  A few twists and turns later, I’m making progress but this thing isn’t going away any time soon.Finally I started to make some headway.  This is an interesting and seldom traveled stretch of asphalt.  I don’t think I saw more than 10 vehicles (all trucks) the whole time.  Perfect!!Sure like the looks of that blue sky, not to mention lower altitude where it’s usually warmer.I stopped for a leg stretcher and noticed New Mexico’s mini century plant, isn’t it cute?  It’s obviously spring time & while the road isn’t really lined with these purple flowers, you see them in big clumps quite quite often.Another lazy hour or so down the road and I’m looking over at the mesa to my left.  The road has been following this for the last 30 or so miles and it’s ending abruptly in 10 miles or so.  I do remember going over a cattle guard just a bit ago….Do you see a fence?  Me neither – but I wasn’t looking for one.  Should have been paying more attention.I BARELY got stopped in time.  This old girl was just standing in the road, not moving, staring me down.  By the time I got the camera out, she and her calves were on the move.  Whew – Open Range, Okay…got it!!  Several miles down the road there were 5 motorcycles headed the other direction.  I’d seen lots more cattle close to the road now that I was looking for them, and wanted to warn the other riders.  So, I gave them what I think is the universal sign for cattle on the road in this area – especially if they are Longhorns.  Hope they were able to figure it out.

I’d been in a valley sort of for the last hour and a half or so. When I rounded a corner and could finally see off to the west, there was my friend again.  And it was large enough to blot out the sun and the temps had dropped significantly.I took the time to take this picture of the road and what I was looking at straight ahead.A nice stretch of road, although it could have been a bit smoother.  You could go 100 miles an hour out here but the road is just too bumpy; you would be airborne then kissing the asphalt.  I sure am glad I got those Ohlin shocks a couple years ago.Just a few miles left in New Mexico.  With the storm still ominous in the rear view mirror, I declare victory for the day and took this picture.  Shortly afterward I got sprinkled on by some random clouds.  Mother Nature’s way of saying, this is just one battle buddy so don’t be smug.  And, she is right for sure.

Toward the end of the day there were rain clouds building everywhere.  Thankfully I had a right turn coming up and my day was less than 60 miles from being over.I was going to take a picture of the Welcome to Texas sign but there wasn’t one on this road.  I didn’t need a sign though, the speed limit went from 55 to 75 and the road improved enough that 75 mph was not a problem.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – overall Texas has the best roads of any state.

I managed to stay mostly dry today, which I am grateful for – hoping for a little more sunshine tomorrow.

It’s kinda flat in this part of Texas.  I think the ocean might be flatter – but only slightly.  You’re not wearing out the sides of your tires here – that’s for sure.The rule out here is that if the land is flat, you farm, if the land isn’t flat enough to farm, you ranch.  Lots of farming and not too much ranching in these parts.  I was a little surprised at the amount of cotton being grown.  It’s all been picked this time of year but some of the fields are picked so clean you wouldn’t even know that it was a cotton field and other fields are just a mess and don’t even get to the last couple plants in the row.  Here are some interesting facts about Cotton & more about Cotton Seeds.  I would write this stuff in the blog but I’m a little short on time so you’ll just have to click the links.

Every once in a while, the flat road turns into something like this.  A few twists and turns with some trees lining the road.  Just to keep you from falling asleep.There is no shortage of radio stations out here.  The land is so flat that you can get stations from all around.  It’s funny though, when you go down into a ditch the signal goes away, then comes back on the other side.  I was listening to to one of these stations and I was about 10 miles from the Oklahoma border – the song that came on was You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma.  Too funny.My long time buddy Bert rode out to meet me in Weathford, OK.  We went to the Stafford Air & Space Museum which was pretty cool.  From there it was back roads to his house in Mustang.  I will be here for a couple days so there won’t be a ride post until I’m back on the road.  Sure was nice to have a day of warmth and sunshine to ride in; and as a huge bonus – no wind either.  It was a great day on the bike.  Now I get some time off with my friends here.When life throws you a curve – Lean into it.

What a great stay in Oklahoma City!!  Always enjoy riding with Bert & when we got back to his house it was time to start thinking about dinner.  Steak was the consensus and we were off to Ken’s Steak and Ribs in Amber, OK.  It’s a bit of a drive ,but worth EVERY mile.  Just a little hole in the wall that’s only open Thursday, Friday & Saturday.  And if you wait until Saturday, they might be out of what you thought you would be having for dinner. We sat down, and I couldn’t believe my eyes when they plopped down a basket with four smoked ribs in the middle of the table. I looked at Bert & he said, “Yup, that’s the appetizer.”  These ribs were delicious – Bert & Mary graciously gave their ribs to Alexis and me, Yum.  The steaks were at least as good, and left overs are always taken back to the house and used as part of the scrambled egg “Trash” for breakfast the following day.  Who could ask for more?

Sunday morning we all went to church; a very nice service with the United Methodists (lots of singing – I tried to be quiet as not to offend).  And then – – – it was let’s go for a ride time.  Bert handed over the keys to this monster.2017 Indy pace car edition of the Chevrolet Camaro. With an amazing 455 hp this thing sounds like a real racecar on startup.  It has four driving modes, and in touring mode it seems to quietly glide across the road on a cushion of air.  In track mode, things get a little louder as the exhaust bypasses the mufflers and the suspension noticeably stiffens.  Sorry for the rubber that missing from the back tires, but I couldn’t resist.  I would love to get this hot rod out on the track.  What would probably be even more fun, is to be a passenger in this car at the track with someone that can really drive it. Good thing I live in the country now – otherwise I would be looking into getting my hands on one of these beauties.Alexis is old enough to go for a little motorcycle ride around the neighborhood and of course I was happy to oblige.  She made me promise that she could go again next year.Okay, that was all great, but it’s time to get back on the road.  I packed the bike and said my goodbyes, then – nothing.  Dead Battery!!  Wonderful!!  Good thing for me that the Harley dealers out here haven’t gotten into the closed on Monday thing.  Mary took me to get a new battery and helped with the installation (Bert was at work).  What great friends.  See you guys next year.

Getting a bit later start than I had planned, I jumped up on the slab (Interstate 40) and headed for Okmulgee, OK.  I’ve never been there, but my grandparents lived there before they moved to Arizona, and my aunt lived there until she passed several years ago. I should have gone to the cemetery but I didn’t think of it in time. My plan was to go to Hot Springs, Arkansas for the evening but I changed my mind.  It doesn’t really matter where I spend the night tonight, I’ve decided that I’m heading for Nashville.  I had such a great time when I was there last year, or was it the year before that?  Anyway, I’m heading for a night of live entertainment on Music Row (mostly country music) and enjoying an adult beverage. The land changes from flat to rolling hills by the time you get to eastern Oklahoma and there are enough twists and turns once you get off the highway to make the riding interesting.  Still very rural, lots of horses and cattle with calves close in tow, but now everything is green.  Humidity is going up and so is the temp – 92° today.

I usually look for a Motel 6 when it’s time to call it a day.  The Motel 6 here had been sold and looked a little tough – even for me.  There was a Super 8 just down the road so I thought I’d check them out.  I asked if they gave a Veteran’s discount and they did, and with that discount, it was cheaper than Motel 6 would have been.  They even had special parking for me.  It worked, I’m heading for another Super 8 in Nashville today, and in the future will look first for a Super 8 when it’s time to call it a day

Today was much cooler than yesterday, perfect really.  Cool enough that you aren’t hot or cold when you’re going, warm enough that when you stop – you’re hunting some shade.  My route took me through the “boot heel” of Missouri.  The long story is available at the link above, the short story is that when Missouri was incorporated a prominent farmer in the boot heel area argued successfully to be part of the new state instead of the Arkansas territory.

Missouri is also where the powers that be have decided that they have the right to control my lack of concern for my own safety, and require me to wear a helmet.  I won’t get up on my soap box but I think you know where I stand on other people telling me what to do.The terrain here isn’t flat but I have an altimeter on my GPS and although you go up an down, you don’t gain or lose any significant altitude.  I don’t think I ever saw anything over 400 feet and it never went below 200 feet; and yes that is above sea level.

Another thing I noticed is that there is virtually no livestock out here.  Lots and lots of small farms; and a few large ones.  Many of the farms are planted around the house.There have been several large John Deere dealers along my route today.  Some of their equipment has been in transit.  I think I could have ridden under this guy but it was just a little too low.  It would have been easy to do in Bert’s Camaro though.  Can you imagine putting along at 20 mph and that Camaro comes flying UNDER you at 70.For those of you that are wondering, this is a sprayer.  It’s high off the ground so it can spray over plants that are already growing.  What I particularly liked about it, was that it was easy to see if there was oncoming traffic when it was time to pass him.

There were a few cattle along the way today.  These guys are mostly shading-up.I was hoping to see some of the Tennessee horse farms but I think I wasn’t in the right part of the state for that. Maybe tomorrow. There were some horses though – I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a horse drawn buggy going the other way.  Amish??  Well, the answer to that is yes – Amish.  Tennessee has a few Amish communities. This picture was taken outside a livestock auction. I might not have believed the traffic sign – but the proof is standing right there.You can tell you are getting close to “the south” when you see these cypress trees sitting in the water.  Those things poking up out of the water at the base of the trees (above the roots) are cypress knees.  I have one from the Okefenokee Swamp.  I also still have the 99.9% Deet bug repellent I bought prior to taking the swamp tour, back in 2016.  Another thing I didn’t see much of today was golf courses, but that’s a tee box in the background.

Time to get a shower and go down to Music Row for some good food and good music.

You know when you have an outstanding experience, then you go back to the same place expecting it to at least equal last time – and it never does.  In fact, in your mind, you probably remember the experience even better than it was, and have built it up to the point that no matter how good it is next time around – there is no way it’s going to meet your expectations.  There needs to be a word for that.  That’s what my last visit to Nashville’s Music Row was compared to this trip; no even close.  The music wasn’t as good, the food wasn’t as good, drinks, service, everything.  I’ll lower my expectations and give it another chance sometime down the road but it’ll be awhile.

This morning when I went out to start loading the bike, I noticed that someone (expletive deleted) had tossed a lit cigarette off one of the upper floors at the hotel and it burned a hole in my cover!! %$@#….  I was pretty smoked (no pun intended) about that until I thought – without the cover, that cigarette could have ended up burning a hole in my seat – or worse, it could have gotten caught between the seat and the paint on the gas tank.  THAT would have been really expensive, a new cover is only $40.  I’ll have to patch the hole, but I’ll keep this old cover for now. It protected me from one of life’s idiots, it deserves to live another day.  Anyway, after getting everything all packed and ready to roll – my attitude was much better.

Having a good attitude to start with is really important when you’re going to be starting the day on the interstate.  No time to take pictures on the slab, just taking the camera out of my vest pocket would be life threatening.  So, sorry – not too many pictures today.  That includes the Welcome to Georgia sign.  I did see it, looks like this, but it was a little more blurry when I went by.After 175 miles on the slab I decided to get off and actually see some of the local scenery. After it took me two hours to go 65 miles and it didn’t look like it was going to get anything but worse – I headed back for the interstate.  I never thought I would complain about how fast everyone is going (sounds like something an old man would say).  But – the speed limit is 70, the trucks are going 80 and 85 and if you aren’t ready to punch it up to 100 and keep it there for a little while – you might as well be over in the slow lane.  It’s not a relaxing way to travel that’s for sure.  However, neither is stopping 4 or 5 times in every little town for stoplights that take forever to change – especially when the temperature starts going up.

I pulled into my niece’s driveway at 1:30 and was happy to be done with this leg of my journey. I’ll be here for about a week so the blog will be on hiatus for a while.  Don’t worry though, I’ll make sure you get notified when I get back on the road.

Maybe I’ll have a post or two from here in Sharpsburg before I go.

If you’re ever just north of Montgomery, Alabama and want some wonderful Cajun food you’ll be going to Uncle Mick’s.  Brandy and Jayson always take me to some great place to eat and this time around was no exception.  Served caféteria style so you don’t have to wait for your food.  And if you’re not sure if you want the alligator or not, they are happy to give you a taste (of any entree) before you commit. And it “shore am gud.”

On the banks of the Autauga Creek, in Prattville, AR these 1848 buildings still loom large.  The five brick buildings are what’s left of the cotton gin mills established by Daniel Pratt, an American industrialist who pioneered ventures that opened the door for industry in the state of Alabama.  There have been several plans over the years to re-purpose the buildings and make shops, apartments, offices, etc.  To date – none of them have been successful.  Although I think it would be cool to have an apartment overlooking the mill pond, the dam and looking right down historic downtown Prattville’s main street.  Especially if you can get one with a tree growing down through the roof…..

Brandy and Jayson only have a few years left in the Air Force before they are eligible to retire.  They are both in the computer technology career field and when they do retire, they will almost certainly be snatched up by head hunters looking for highly skilled individuals. Then I’ll be going to visit them in their mansion in Silicon Valley.

Time for me to get back on the road this morning but first I needed to check the weather.  You can just about count on having some thunderstorms to dodge this time of year.  Looked like pretty smooth sailing so I had a nice leisurely morning and was on the road by 9:30.  Good smooth roads but I’m back in the region of the country where you have to deal with the pulp wood and chicken trucks.  I headed for the back roads so I wouldn’t have to deal with too many of those guys.

What I ran into on the back roads were motorcycles – not a bunch, but more than I would expect.  And it looked like they were set up for a camp out vs. a bike ride.  I was invited to go check out the Shine in LaPine Motorcycle Rally.  It wasn’t much but it was still early on Friday – this time tomorrow the place would likely be filled up, live music playing, and lots of well oiled folks having a great time.  Looks like some good redneck fun for sure.  Might be something to check out next time through.

About three miles north of Brantly, Alabama there’s a Civil War memorial.  The modest stone marker there commemorates the “unknown Confederate soldiers” who died in the Civil War but have been forgotten by history, particularly those from Crenshaw County and the surrounding area. It sits among existing monuments, replica cannons and tall flagpoles flying Confederate and other flags. – – Interesting – people around here haven’t forgotten. For those of you wondering when I would have to put on the rain suit – today was the day.  I called Ned and he said I should have some fun trying to dodge the thunderstorms down in Florida.  Huh?  It’s beautiful where I am and I’ve got fewer than 100 miles to go – but I checked the radar and it looked like he was right.  I rode as far as I could but at the Florida state line I was greeted with this.

The sunshine state – are you kidding me.  I snapped this picture and barely had enough time to get to that gas station you see on the left hand side of the picture before the skies Opened UP.  Pouring rain and plenty of wind to go with it.  I put on my rain gear and lowered my shoulder as I headed out into the fray.  It was only 8 or 10 miles before I was through that particular cell. Another, less severe, cell came and went and with 40 miles to go I was out of the rain gear and enjoying the warming and drying rays of the sun.  Because the rain gear doesn’t keep you dry – just dry-er.  I rolled under the carport cover at Ned & Joan’s place just as it started to rain again.  I’ll be here in Pensacola for a couple days so don’t worry when you don’t get an update from the road for awhile.

My first day in Pensacola was a windy one.  That means no fishing, the boat will be staying in the boat house.  Ned and I were talking the night before about shotgunning and such and the following day he proposed sporting clays might be fun; I agreed and we were off.  It was a warm day but the course had enough trees that it wasn’t miserable.  If you zoom in on the shot of me and look inside the red circles, you can see that I actually hit at least one target.  I think I was actually about 65% on 110, Ned was closer to 85%.

When we got back to the house, it was time to start preparing the feast.  Ned’s got a buddy that does a little oyster diving on the side and he brought us a “sack”.  That’s not a potato sack, it’s a gunny sack – 181 oysters.  After a quick bath under the pressure washer to remove most of the mud and barnacles, these babies were headed for the grill.

I do like oysters and I like them just about every way they can be prepared.  We ate some raw right out of the shell but most were slightly cooked on the grill.  We might have finished the whole mess of ’em had it not been for the yellow flies.  You DO NOT want to get bit by one of those little buggers, and they are prolific this year.  (Only the females bite as they need the protein boost of a blood meal to produce eggs).  We managed to get at least a third of the oysters eaten then it was time for elk backstrap, broccoli salad, and dessert.  I told Ned & Joan that they were feeding me like they were trying to get the Bed and Breakfast of the year award and I was the judge!!  Gonna have to let my belt out a notch.

We were pretty sure that fishing wasn’t going to happen but the next day we woke to water in the Pensacola Bay flat as a mill pond.  A quick check of the waters out in the Gulf and we were preparing for a day on the water.  I tied up some rigs while Ned put together breakfast trash including what was left of that elk tenderloin from last night.  We were on the water soon after Ned’s breakfast feast was devoured.  Last year we were fishing for Red Snapper but I’m too early for snapper season this year.  What we were looking for instead was the trigger fish.  If you don’t remember what those are, here is a picture from last year’s blog to jog your memory.

This is a NICE one!!  Of course as things go, trigger fish season wasn’t open when we got this one.  The limit on triggers is one per license per day, two fish just like this one would be perfect.  Unfortunately, although we caught lots of trigger fish, only one of them was over the minimum size limit of 16 inches.  However, it was a pretty good sized fish and turned out to be plenty when paired with all the sides and a little bit of roast chicken that Joan prepared just in case we came back without any of the bounty from the sea for dinner.  Once again, a feast fit for a king.

I managed to catch two of these guys when I left my bait sitting in the water next to the boat.  First time I’ve seen a remora up close.  The one in the water is a pretty good sized one.  These fish have been used to fish for turtles.  Fishermen would tie a line to the remora’s tail and release it into the water when they saw a turtle.  The remmora would attach itself to the turtle hoping to escape with the turtle’s help, and the fishermen would bring both back to the boat, thanks to the remora’s suction hold on the turtle. You’ve probably seen them attached to the under side of a shark on some TV show.

This morning it was time to get back on the road. Looks like it’s going to be a wet one out there. I decide to take the coast route instead of my usual inland roads. The coast is always slower but this morning it looks like it will be significantly dryer – so that’s where I head. Typical small oceanfront towns along this side of Florida’s answer to A1A, and much to my delight, going isn’t that slow.  Good roads and when the roads turn inland a little, this is what you’re typically looking at.  I know, I know – preposition at the end of a sentence – sorry Shirley…..

It started raining just after I took this picture and thankfully, I got the rain gear on before it the sky started falling. Like I said before though, the rain gear just keeps you dry-er, not dry.  After about an hour, it cleared up enough that I shed the plastic and was mostly dried out.  If you’re in the market for a boat, there’s several for sale along the way. This one’z gonna be needing more than a little TLC – and some wheels for the trailer… Ha ha

I had already resigned myself to not being able to get to Sarasota today and was wondering where I would stop.  I checked the weather radar app on my phone and saw that there was some really bad stuff headed right for me so I got into Perry, FL as fast as I could and luckily found the Royal Inn.  Not exactly the 5 star accommodations many of you prefer but at least as good as most of the places I stay.  AND – best of all the owner allowed me to park my bike on the sidewalk, under the awning.  Good thing too, since it started pouring rain 30 seconds (literally) after I got the bike parked.  There must have been some divine intervention for all that to fall into place, nobody gets that lucky.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for scattered thunderstorms.  By then my rain suit should be dried out and ready for another round.  It would be really nice to leave it rolled up in the saddle bag though.  As for the coast route through the Florida panhandle – two thumbs up.

I got an early start this morning because of the expected thunderstorms and just to cut to the chase – I made it without a single drop of rain falling on me.  It was raining around me and it was coming down HARD a couple hours after I got here but I was dry as a bone.

I think the folks out here in Florida don’t get up early.  I was on a divided two lane road leaving Perry and I was virtually alone.  Maybe the roads are so big because they need to accommodate people evacuating for hurricanes.  I’m not sure how often that happens but from talking to my friends that live in the state, I’m gonna say once every couple years.

My Forever Riding Partner

It’s lovebug season down here, which means you’re gonna have LOTS of them on your windshield and all leading edges of your vehicle.  They are extreemly difficult to remove, so I’m going to have to make that a priority at the end of every day until I get out of lovebug country.  I even had to clean a few off my sun glasses and off my face – P.S. They don’t taste very good, I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

I decided to go over the Tampa Bay Bridge (Sunshine Skyway Bridge) cuz it looks pretty cool from the pictures I’ve seen.  It’s at least that good going over it; kind of like a roller coaster ride in the sky.  I was going to take a picture but people are driving FAST and the wind was blowing pretty good, so I left my camera in my pocket and concentrated on avoiding an accident.  The bridge was worth it though & I’m not even going to complain about the $3.50 toll you have to pay for the experience.  Wonder if it’s like the Golden Gate toll and you only have to pay it going southbound – no toll going the other direction.

The rest of the ride into Sarasota was slab time because it was just going to be too slow going on surface streets and the weather was coming.  It was already raining hard just east of where I was and I had made it this far, and wanted to make it without a drop.

I’ll be here for a couple days, so look for another update Friday or Saturday depending on when I head over to West Palm Beach.  Until then – When life throws you a curve, lean into it.

This dodging thunderstorms thing is gettin’ to be a theme for this ride.  I left Sarasota early to get a jump on the air mass thunderstorms that have been dropping mass amounts of rain every afternoon right around 2:00 PM.  Air mass thunderstorms are normally single cell events and while they can drop huge amounts of water, there’s not usually very much wind.  And, since they are single cell and not a line of thunderstorms, you’ve got a much better chance of seeing where they are and maybe avoiding them.  Sometimes they are so big that you’re just going to get soaked, but I have a pretty good weather radar app on my iPhone and it’s very helpful in my efforts to stay dry.

This morning it was cloudy which was welcome since this time of year it can get really hot and muggy in Florida.  The cloud cover made it quite pleasant and although I did have to make a slight detour, and spent a few minutes cooling my heels under the cover of a gas station awning, I arrived mostly dry.

But enough about that – back to the start of the ride.  It was nice to be back on the road and my trusty steed was in agreement.  It’s really flat across the middle of Florida but it is green as green can be.  One of the things that is strange for me, is to see palm trees in the middle of all this green.  I’m used to seeing palm trees in the middle of the desert and nothing but dry ground as far as the eye can see.  I know there are different kinds of palm trees but this one looks just like the ones out west, and I can’t imagine that the same tree can do so well with all the water they get out here and how little water they get in the Arizona and California deserts, but here’s the proof.

It’s almost swampy everywhere, including the sides of the road – getting off the pavement on a motorcycle could easily leave you buried in the mud, hoping for a cell signal so you could call a tow truck.  And – the roads have mostly no shoulder so if you have a problem (or want to take a picture) there’s almost no room to pull over.  Luckily there is very little traffic on this road so getting a quick picture isn’t that big a deal.

I had to take this picture for my wife; she just loves the “baby cows”.  These guys were right up against the fence when I rode by but when I came back they backed up and went into a bit of a defensive stance around the little ones.  These look like Brahman cows with mixed calves.  The greatest advantage of Brahman Influenced cattle is the ability to produce lean, tender, high quality beef in twelve months.  Most of the beef cattle where we live are Black Angus.  At any rate – the babies are “so cute”.

Lunch today was in Okeechobee which is just north of Lake Okeechobee, also known as Florida’s inland sea.  Okeechobee covers 730 square miles, approximately half the size of the state of Rhode Island.  Right after Lake Michigan, it is the largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous United States.  What I find most interesting though, is that the average depth of the lake is only 9 (that’s right NINE) feet.  I guess because everybody wants a piece of the lake – five different Florida counties’ boundaries converge in the middle of the lake.  When I turned left to avoid the rain the road took me along the Okeechobee Waterway (or Canal).  I didn’t see much traffic on the waterway but it can handle some pretty big barges and boats, as long as they draw less than 10 feet of water.  And, doing the research, I found out that it not only goes eastbound from Lake Okeechobee all the way to the Atlantic, it also goes westbound from the lake, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.  I guess it’s actually part of the Intracoastal Waterway which is a hole nuther thing, but click the link and you can read all about it.  Nice short day today and just like everywhere else lately, I’ll be here for a while – next post around Memorial Day.

Meet the star of the show in West Palm Beach.  This is Bravo, aka Smudge.  He is a 6 month old Jack Russell Terrier – apartment dog.  JRT’s are good sized for an apartment dog but their energy level normally makes them undesirable.  However, this little guy is a perfect match for his mom.  Theresa is a go, go, go kinda girl and I think the only kind of dog that could ever hope to keep up with her is a JRT.

While I’m in West Palm Beach the visit usually centers around golf.  This time, the weather was not cooperating – at all.  On the only day that golf would be possible, we were only able to get 13 holes in before we were run off the course by all the rain.

I did learn a little bit about tropical storms.  Tropical storms are given names when they display a rotating circulation pattern and wind speeds of 39 miles per hour. A tropical storm develops into a hurricane when wind speeds reach 74 mph. The names are predetermined every year and go from A-Z.  The names used to be all female, but in 1979 there was enough pressure from the political correctness folks that they added male names into the the mix. Alberto is the first storm of the season – it’s a subtropical storm.  What’s the difference between tropical and subtropical you ask. Due to high altitude winds, subtropical storms are less well defined.  Alberto’s west side is mostly cloud free, the east side is making up for that in spades.  Even the folks out here in Florida are saying that they’ve never seen it rain this much for this long.

This is what a wall of water looks like from our lofty perch 120 feet above the ocean.  I would imagine that the cruise ships wouldn’t go out in a hurricane – but a subtropical storm doesn’t even slow them down, they were in and out of the harbor like clockwork.

We were looking for activities to replace the golf we weren’t getting to play and going to an escape room was suggested. Huh?  An escape room is a timed puzzle game.  You’re locked in a room and need to figure out the clues that will ultimately lead you to the solution, and a successful exit.  Our room was a western theme and we had to find and replace a pistol in order to save the life of the sheriff.  Lots of fun!!
The storm wasn’t anywhere close to being over this morning but I saw what I thought was an opportunity to start northbound and was back on the road.
I wasn’t sure of my route, because that would be dictated by the bands of weather thrown off by Alberto.  However, I wanted to see Laura and her family up in Orlando so I started that direction.  I never saw this 360 degree rainbow that was happening behind me.  Luckily, in addition to her other talents (one of which is the best breakfast sandwich maker in the state of Florida), Theresa is a very good photographer.  Nice shot T.
The road ahead of me was mostly vacant and the clean cool air was quite pleasant.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw camels in Florida.  What?  Yep – this is Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and they also have kangaroos, deer, wild cats, all kinds of stuff.  That link will take you to their web site where you can send a donation if you like.

Laura wanted to meet at Disney Springs, an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort.  Not exactly the local BBQ joint where I can watch my bike out the window while we enjoy lunch. However, the security in the parking structure was very good and I wasn’t worried about the bike. As we walked in, I was informed, by a very nice policeman, that my belt knife was not allowed and we were escorted back to the parking lot.  Knife secured, we headed for an Irish Pub where we enjoyed a pint or two and a very good (albeit expensive) lunch.  Great visit for sure!!

Leaving Orlando, dodging the weather proved to be a bit more challenging.  Got a pretty good soaking right away but the skies ahead were bright so I pressed on.  I was fortunate enough that by the end of the day I was mostly dry.  The water on the road here shows how close I was to the rain and also illustrates how flat things are out here.  The road looked like this for miles – anywhere else the road has enough change in elevation that the water would have run off long ago.

If you’re doing a good job of following along, you will remember that I’ve already stayed in Perry on this trip.  I found this great little hotel where they let me park my bike on the sidewalk under the awning where it stays fairly dry.  Gotta love that, so I decided I would take advantage of that accommodation (no pun intended) again and I am quite happy to be cooling my heels here at the Royal Inn.

It rained all night last night in Perry, and although it was letting up this morning, it was apparent that I was going to be spending the day in my rain suit. Putting the wet weather gear on while you’re on the side of the road is a royal pain in the ass. The weather is usually hot, and by the time you’re done trying to balance on one leg while doing all the contortions necessary to get the velcro and zippers done up, you’re a sweaty mess inside a plastic suit with little or no chance of air circulation. Putting the rain gear on in the comfort of your hotel room with a place to sit and air conditioning makes things much more tolerable. And, the weather was actually a little cool as I started out this morning; so for once, I was really pretty happy to be wearing the wet gear.

After about 35 miles I stopped for gas, and this little guy jumped off my bike. He is a tree frog but I’m not sure exactly what kind (there are several).  They are small, just about an inch and a half long, but boy can they make a racket.  I could hear him last night croaking as loud as he could – trying to impress the lady frogs no doubt.  I’m guessing climbed up  inside the fork tube cover on my bike because his call was made even louder by a thin metallic echo.  I was hoping he would be gone this morning but I guess he decided to go for a little ride first.  After he hopped off the bike he looked up at me, (thanks for the ride?) hopped about 5 times, then a bird picked him up and flew away.  Guess he shoulda gone back home this morning when he had a chance.  It reminded me of this video – Mother Nature don’t care about your feelings.

When I left Tennessee on my down from Nashville, I couldn’t get a picture of the welcome to Georgia sign because I was on the slab and it was blocked by a truck – or something like that.  So, even though it was raining, I was determined to get this shot.  Very little shoulder here so I made it a quick stop.

I was mostly on US 19 today.  That particular stretch of asphalt goes from the Tampa area all the way up to the Erie Canal – 1,438 miles. This is one of the roads I liked when I was in Florida and I was happy to see that my GPS said this was the way to go on my way up to Atlanta.  Traffic on the road is minimal because there is an interstate very close.  That works for me – everyone else can go 80+ up on the slab and I’ll happily cruise along down here by myself on US 19 at 60 mph.

The rain today was never a downpour and several times the rain suit was actually pretty dry before I got to the next shower. One of the best rain suit experiences I’ve had.  And, about an hour from the end of my day I was able to shed the plastic and ride the rest of the way enjoying dryer weather.

Rednexican – what a great name for a restaurant!!  As soon as I heard it, I wanted to go check it out.  After we had dinner there today, I’d give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.  It was okay, but nothing special, the portions were a little skimpy and the prices were kinda high.  What a great name though.  If I were to open a restaurant, I would have to think long and hard to do better than Rednexican.  I did have something there today that I’m going to have to get a good recipe for and add to my menu – Brunswick Stew.  My niece couldn’t believe that I’d never even heard of it before. So, if you have a good recipe – share it please.

My route today was dictated mostly by subtropical storm Alberto.  No real future in going westbound into the teeth of the storm, so I decided to go north.  Even though it was raining most of the way, it wasn’t that bad and it’s always nice to see my Atlanta area friends and family again.

Rain rain go away, come again another day.  I’m just about done with this rain thing.  After spending the first part of the morning watching the weather and chatting with my buddy John, I was on the bike determined to stay as dry as possible. In an effort to outrun this weather, I decided to get on the slab.  It looked to me like I could get around it (south of it) then head westbound through that gap you see just south of Montgomery.

Time on the slab was okay, but pushing 90 mph just to stay alive is not a relaxing ride.  I did manage to get this picture on my way into Alabama.

You can see that everything is still fairly bright and sunny – that would change, but not right away.

Last time I was in Tuskegee, AL I wanted to go check out the National Historic Site dedicated to the WWII pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, but for whatever reason, I didn’t go see it.  I was tired of the interstate so when I saw the sign for the NHS, I pulled off and headed over.  The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces.  Trained at Moton Field, they flew both fighters and bombers and formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces.  If you’re interested in the details check out this link.  The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site overlooks Moton Field, where they trained.  The skies are getting pretty dark – better check my weather radar app.

Ut-Oh – looks like the weather moved while I was riding.  Better start heading south.  Looks like if I can get down to Troy I can duck under this thing and start westbound.

I stayed pretty dry and was plenty proud of myself for outsmarting and outrunning today’s weather.  However, I can’t just keep going south.  At some point I need to turn westbound.  I’m still having fun checking the weather and altering my route trying to dodge the rain though – so whatever.

When I got to Troy I checked the radar again and the weather had changed and my window was gone.  In fact, the bands of weather that were coming were bad enough that avoiding them would probably be a better choice.  But you know better than that don’t you…..

I rode another 20 miles to Luverne, AL and considered waiting for it to go over but Dark Skies (another weather app) said I would be there for over an hour as the slow moving band (just the first one) passed.

Sometimes you just gotta duck your head and go for it.  You go, hoping that you’ll find a weak spot in the line and not one of the fortified (red) areas.  I think I hear my name being called – – Red rover, red rover…….. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Um…. not so good.  I wouldn’t say it was a, “Hold my beer and watch this” moment, but pretty close.  I came out on the other side of that first band not wanting anything to do with the next one.  My sun glasses had equal amounts of water on the inside and the outside and were opaque, so I took them off.  That was a mistake; the rain drops were now pummeling my eyes and it felt like acid rain.  Now I have to try to get those glasses back on when what I really needed to be doing is keeping both hands on the handlebars!!  There is just no way to ride in that stuff without a scuba mask or something that seals to your face or over your eyes.  I’ve never even looked for what’s available because my opinion is  – if it’s going to be that bad – you need to be holed up somewhere waiting it out.  I guess I should look into what’s available though, because I’m not smart enough to take my own advice.  What really made me mad was that I should have at least put my gators on to try to keep my boots dry-er.

Soaked to the bone, I turned north on I-65 between the two bands of rain.  To say that I was running with my tail tucked between my legs would be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.  I found a Motel 6 and luckily they have a laundry so I can dry out my clothes.  They also put my boots in the room where they do the laundry for the hotel.  The big commercial dryers in there make things pretty dry and toasty.  Pretty happy to call it a day, even though I didn’t make it very far.  It was an adventure for sure, and fun right up until the very end.  When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn…. Peter, Paul & Mary.

Yea, that’s right – there is another Dumas here in Arkansas.  In fact, there are four towns with this name, in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri.  As you remember, I stayed in Dumas, Texas on my way eastbound.  When I saw that Dumas, Arkansas would work for a place to call it a day – just couldn’t resist.  Maybe subliminally I thought Dumas was appropriate after a couple of the decisions I made yesterday.

I felt really good this morning, especially since my boots were at least dry enough that I could (with great effort) get them on.  I was on the road pretty early – I’m sure the 0645 Harley Davidson alarm clock wasn’t too popular at the Motel 6 – but whatever, I wasn’t too happy about all the hootin’ and hollerin’ after midnight; we’ll call it even.

Today will be the third day in a row wearing the helmet an I’m over it – so I need to get to Arkansas (no helmet law) before I stop.  That’ll be good too because I’ve taken two pretty short days so a couple giant steps are in order.  It’s only going to be around 500 miles but it’ll take me all day since they aren’t slab miles.  The roads were very nice for the first 300 miles.  Almost no traffic and with the cloud cover, it was cool – humid for sure but cool.

You remember pulpwood trucks?  They look like this and they are hazards for the bikers because of the bark flying off the cut trees and the mud and rocks thrown by the tires and dropping off the frame of the truck.  Anyway, I saw a couple this morning, then I saw the paper mill where they were delivering the logs.  But then, I saw trucks going the other direction, and I wondered – how many paper mills are there in Alabama?

The answer is a bunch.  I must have seen a hundred of these trucks today in Alabama and Mississippi, going in all directions.  I managed to avoid being a victim of any of the shrapnel.

Like I said, not much on these roads.  I was wondering if there was going to be a welcome to Mississippi sign at the Georgia border.  The answer was – kinda.  You don’t really need a sign to tell where the actual border is, because there is always a change in the pavement as you can see here.  On these back roads, the same change in pavement can usually be seen when going from one county into another.

These are the kind of roads I love to ride.  Although this section of the road is fairly straight, there were plenty of twists and turns and hills to keep your interest  The best of just about everything really.  And, even though it seems like you’re pretty far from any town where these people could buy groceries, there are NICE houses here and there along the way.  Maybe the “help” does the driving back and forth.

I’d like to Zillow some of these places to see what a house like this costs in Mississippi.  And, my camera attaches a GPS position associated with these pictures so I guess it wouldn’t be that difficult – just haven’t done it.

Eventually the wonderful back roads turned into US 82, a divided two lane with 65 mph speed limit.  That means 75 or 80 to keep from getting run over – but there wasn’t much traffic on it so the stress level was low.  Not much to see, but sometimes it’s nice to be putting the miles behind you.  Next thing I knew I was on the bridge, crossing the Big Muddy into Arkansas.


Another 60 miles or so and I was rolling into Dumas. 

I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast and that was 400 miles ago, so I was lookin’ to strap on the old feed bag.  I would like to thank the out of town worker staying at the Days Inn (the only hotel in town) for directing me to Shep’s Farmhouse.  I usually just eat fast food on the road, it’s cheaper and it’s fast – but the offerings here in Dumas are few, so I went to Sheps.  Couldn’t be happier about that.

I don’t normally take pictures of what I had for dinner but I just had to tell you about this one.  This is the Freeman Special – Grilled chicken breast topped with philly steak, mozzarella cheese, grilled onions & peppers, topped with 2 fried eggs and drizzled with roasted red pepper sauce (the sauce was under the eggs).  The rest of the plate is covered with steamed cauliflower.  I was full as a tick, but this was SO good, I ate every bite.  I’m going to call Guy Fieri, this place needs to be on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives.  I know Dumas, Arkansas is kinda out of the way, but if you’re ever within 100 miles – I’d suggest a detour to Shep’s Farmhouse.  I’ll be back, I GAR-UN-TEE.

I’m heading out for Flower Mound Texas this morning, it’s right between Dallas and Fort Worth.  My plan was to take back roads to get to Texarkana then get on the interstate to navigate around and inside “The Metroplex“.

Still running into lots of lumber trucks.  Nothing like that one day in Arkansas but more than I thought I’d see in this area.  None of the logs I’ve seen being hauled around could have been used at this place.  It’s a telephone pole factory.  And it is literally in the middle of nowhere.

Hey – have you ever wondered where Johnny Cash was born?  Well, wonder no more.  The 450 people that live here in Kingsville, Arkansas want you to know bad enough that it’s on their welcome sign.

About 20 more miles down the road I stopped for gas and spoke with one of the pulpwood truck drivers that was in the gas station getting a fried breakfast something.  He said that most of the wood isn’t being used for paper – it’s being used for OSB.  You’ve almost certainly seen OSB even if you didn’t know what it was called.  It’s engineered wood (glued together wood fibers) used in construction in place of particle board or plywood.  They say, that OSB is actually more popular than plywood these days.  Guess all those trees being hauled around make more sense now.

Back on the bike and as I pulled out – it wouldn’t shift.  Huh?  The levers move up and down freely but the transmission isn’t shifting.  This could be a problem.  I pulled over, had a look, and found out what the problem was.  I made a video to show you all the details but thought better of it – if you want the whole story I’ll be happy to share over a beer or four.  The short story is that since the foot levers didn’t work I now had to shift the bike by hand.  That’s especially difficult to do since the linkage you need to manipulate to shift the bike is on the left side, and that’s the same hand you would have been using for the clutch.  350 miles of hand shifting without a clutch – Now things are getting fun!!

The DFW area Harley dealer has the parts I need and I have the tools necessary to do the work, so all I have to do is get there.  And, where do you ride when you don’t want to be shifting all the time?  That’s right – the Interstate.  I got there as fast as I could, but still had to go through 3 or 4 little towns on the way – stop lights and stop signs included.

One of those little towns, right before I got on I-30, was Hope, Arkansas; the roads left quite a bit to be desired.  Then I saw that I would be turning onto Bill Clinton Drive and I wondered what that would look like – no surprises, it was pristine.  So, if you live in Arkansas and want the street repaved, just rename it, I’m sure the foundation can afford it.

This is what the new shifter shaft looks like.  And this is the tool kit I just got from Amazon.  I added a nut driver and an extension to make the kit even more versatile.  Without my new tool kit I would have had to wait for, and pay $$$ the service department.  I got my bike fixed in the parking lot in 15 min and was back on the road.

I was SO happy to be shifting with my foot again that I know I had a goofy looking smile on my face as I pulled out of the Harley dealer.  I might be adding one of those shifter rods to the parts I take along – just in case.

I followed my GPS to Flower Mound but was informed when I got to my friend’s house that if I’d called them for directions – I would have been there sooner with less frustration.  That would have been good because I think it was 103 degrees with 106 heat index.  However, I’m happy – I limped my bike in, fixed it, and now I’m here at Vangie & Bill’s house enjoying their company, the A/C, and an ice cold beer.  Soon we’ll be going out for Mexican food and the obligatory Margarita(s).  It’s ALL Good…..

Meet Vangie. Her husband Bill is a retired airline pilot, and both of them are former U.S Marines – Ooh Rah!! I worked with Vangie back at Burbank Control Tower and TRACON & I’ve known her and Bill for over 30 years.  This is the first time I’ve stayed with them on a ride – but it won’t be my last.  The Mexican food was great as was the margarita.  In our younger days we would have stayed up until the wee hours telling war stories and swapping lies. We were all happy to call it a night around 9:30.

The next morning we were off to breakfast via the good old leather express.  Vangie and Bill live within walking distance of fifteen or twenty restaurants.  Walking back this morning was good for me because my breakfast needed to settle a little bit before getting on the bike and heading for Oklahoma.

I was wondering about my route this morning, and Bill was telling me about one of his favorite motorcycle roads that takes you to the Texas/Oklahoma border.  I told him I would try to find it and he said that he would be happy to take me.  Sweet – it’s nice to ride with someone else once in a while and especially someone as accomplished a rider as Bill.

One of the reasons I haven’t come by to visit Bill & Vangie before is because it’s in the city and I don’t want to have to deal with all the traffic.  Bill assured me that there is a great way in and out that’s back roads only and that’s where we’re going this morning.

One of the areas we went through was a windmill farm.  I’ve seen lots of them but this one is kinda unique because it’s in amongst the houses and farms. Also, the windmill blades are different – more streamlined or something.  We were pretty close to several of them but that’s kinda difficult to take a picture of.

This bridge across the Red River is where we were headed.  It’s an incredible bridge in both size and strength on this little two lane, no shoulder road.  I wonder if there is a reason other than some congressman’s pet project.

Here, the Red River is the border between Oklahoma and Texas.  It’s also where I lose my leader and go the rest of the way alone. 

I’m not sure I could find my way back on the specific roads we rode out on but I’m confident that if I can make it back to this bridge, my GPS will take me the rest of the way without putting me on any of those undesirable roads.  I also need to remember to talk to Bill about good motorcycle roads whenever I’m in the area again.  He has been on almost every good road within 250 miles of Dallas.  Thanks Bill, for my escort out of Texas and you guys can definitely expect me to be darkening your doorstep again.

The rest of the ride to Mustang, OK was uneventful and HOT.  Not as hot as yesterday though, AND – I didn’t have any motorcycle repairs to do when I got there.

If you didn’t already know, Half Vast Ranch is the name of our little 7 acre “ranch” here in Chino Valley, Arizona.  There were a whole bunch of reasons contributing to my decision to ride the rest of the way on the slab today and get home as quickly as possible.  One of the biggest reasons was the HEAT.  It’s much easier to live with the heat when you’re moving pretty good.  Slow speeds, traffic lights and stop signs when it’s really hot just takes the fun right out of it.  Not that 80 miles per hour on the interstate is my definition of fun either, but you get where you’re going much sooner –  and where I was going today was someplace with air conditioning!!  Not only that, but I hear that there’s a lady waiting for me with a big hug & kiss.  Really looking forward to all of that.

One of the other reasons to not take a trip through the mountains is the tar snakes.  If you don’t know already, tar snakes are what we call the crack filler on the roads.  When it warms up those snakes start moving (the tar moves under your tires and the tire slides a little – or a lot depending on how big the snake is).  Although they probably aren’t going to wreck you, they make going through the corners more about avoiding the crack filler instead of enjoying navigating the mountain roads.  Today, I saw a tar snake take out a bicycle rider.  I was getting close to home on a two lane county road.  This guy was riding down the right shoulder and decided to turn and cross the road to go the other way.  He looked back and started the turn.  He didn’t even get to the center line before the tar snake under his front tire moved and he was kissing the asphalt.  I had to make a pretty good evasive maneuver of my own to keep from running over his bike.  I would have stopped, but there was a car right behind me and he stopped.  I alerted a couple of oncoming cars that they needed to slow down and said a little prayer for the guy.  I don’t even know if he has any idea why he wrecked today – it happened in the blink of an eye.

And that, my family and friends, concludes my 7,171 mile 2018 spring bike ride.  I had a fantastic time, some that weren’t so fantastic, learned some lessons, and have a few more stories to tell.  Right now my trusty steed and I are going to take a well deserved and much needed break.  It’s been great having you along for the ride.  Take Care…..