Well we are off; I headed for my daughters place in Portales, NM to spend a couple of days with her family. It is a short ride about 250 to Portales from Rio Rancho, NM. It was a good way to get started. I also had dinner with a friend that is running in the 2011 IBR while in Portales. He came over to my daughters for Italian; we all sat around talking had a great time. I spent one more day with the family then took off the next day. Had a great visit with my daughter and grandchild, my son-in-law was working so only saw him at night.
Day 1:
Well the ride started in earnest this morning; I took off about 05:00 and almost ended my ride before getting 50 miles. There was a wild turkey in the brush beside the road that took off or tried too just as I came up on it. I had just turned onto a state road heading for TX. Man are they slow taking off, I had to duck to make sure I didn’t hit it. Once I finally got moving, I grabbed two stamps in Texas, LBJ National Historical Park in Johnson City and San Antonio Mission National Historical Park in San Antonio. I just barely made it to the Mission before the closed the visitor center. I also grabbed a BBQ (goat) sandwich in Brady before stopping at a KOA campground about 70 miles outside of Houston. I rode about 750 miles today with no major issues. Someone asked me how the goat tasted; I told them the same as dog.
Day 2:
After a good night’s sleep, I packed up camp and was on the road by 07:00. I was able to get three NP and one new BBQ place today. I had to grab the BBQ place I did in LA, it was called Eddie's BBQ. The food was good; I had to grab it because of the name. It was a little place right next to the gas station I pulled into; I didn’t even see it till I started pumping my gas. I picked up one more stamp in TX call Big Thicket National Preserve in Kountze then jumped over to LA. As I crossed over into LA I stopped for gas and snapped this picture of a fish.
For my first stamp in LA, I grabbed Cane River National Heritage Area it was in Natchitoches.
As I stopped for gas I snapped a picture of my BBq stop. I tried to grab one more but hit some road construction so it wasn't in the cards. I'm sitting in a hotel room between Monroe, LA and Vicksburg, MS. Tonight. I could not find a campground that I was comfortable staying at in a tent. Tomorrow I will grab one in MS before then head north to AR for another. They are within 150 miles of each other. The bike is running well and I'm just slightly behind my goal but no big deal, I have a couple of extra days to play with. Well since I’m off the bike it’s off to grab a beer.
Day 3:
A good night sleep and off again about 07:00, I'm sitting in a Waffle House in Vicksburg waiting on the park to open. Hope I didn't make a mistake because it is Mother's Day and I never checked to see if they are open.
What a day, I started at the Waffle House having an outstanding breakfast waiting for the Vicksburg National Military Park to opening. They did open so that was great; they have a drive through the battle field very cool. I picked up my stamp and moved on to AR where I grabbed 2 stamps the Arkansas Post National Memorial and Trail of Tears National Historical Trail in Gillett. Then after getting back on the motorcycle and traveling about 35 miles further north I ran into a wall of water. The roads were closed to everyone but local traffic and most bridges were out. The State Police set up information stations on the side of the roads. I found out all the bridges crossing the Mississippi river was closed and I would have to back track a couple hundred miles to Greenville, MS to get across the river. After I crossed the river, I headed for higher ground. The water was close to the edge of several of the roads I was on. I pushed forward but I missed the park I wanted to close the day with by 20 mins. I tried to grab a campground but they didn't like my kind. One said no way because of the motorcycle and the second said no because I was in a tent. So I grabbed a Motel 6 kicked back and washed my clothes. I didn't find a BBQ in AR or MS but hope to grab one in MS and TN tomorrow. Tomorrow should be a good day; I’m hoping to grab 2 stamps in MS, 1 in TN and 2 in AL.
Day 4:
It was a pretty productive day for stamp and BBQ collection. I was able to grab 5 stamps and 3 BBQ locations. I decided to try food at every BBQ stop but today was a challenge. I figured I would grab a rib or sandwich so I could keep moving. I started by picking up Natchez Trace Parkway and Tupelo National Battlefield stamps in Tupelo, MS. I moved on to TN for the Shiloh National Military Park in Shiloh Battlefield and Shiloh Indian Mounds NHL in Pittsburg Landing. I also picked up my first BBQ of the day in Savannah, TN a little hole in the wall place. After BBQ in TN I headed into AL and grabbed Russell Cave National Monument and another stamp of the Trail of Tears in Bridgeport. I also found a nice BBQ called Rick’s Barbeque before leaving AL. It was funny after I stopped and went in no one in the place could tell me what the address was. I ended up going next door and luckily they knew. My two last stop for the day were in GA. I grabbed the stamps for Chickamauga Battlefield in Ft. Oglethorpe and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Kennesaw. I also stopped at a BBQ place called BAR-B-Q Corral, too much sauce on the ribs hard to taste the meat. I currently have been to 7 states have 11 stamps and 5 BBQ stops. I'm planning to grab stamps in GA, SC and NC if all goes well tomorrow. I’m trying to spend at least 45-60 mins at each location but I'm not doing them justices. There is so much history that I'm just skimming the surface. The Shiloh Battlefield in TN that was one of the coolest places I have ever been. Sad to say (Stacey is going to love this line) I would normally blow right by these places going somewhere else. I found a nice little campground on the edge of the river that wasn’t over its banks from all the rain.
I did have an eye opening moment while running down a 2 lane road in MS. A car started to pass but never saw me coming from the other direction, we were probably both running 60 mph it could have been a real mess. The car finally saw me and started to swing onto my shoulder about the same time as I did. I wasn’t sure what they were going to do next so I hit the brakes. They swung back into my lane and passed me while I was on the shoulder. They were still trying to pass the car probably still around 60 mph. That was one of those moments that make you check your pants. I wasn't sure what was going to happen but it all turned out okay. I also saw some of the destruction from the tornados in MS several houses destroyed. Some missing their roofs and others with nothing left but the foundations very sad.
Day 5:
Well day five in the books, I had a good day riding at the start. I picked up 5 stamps and 1 BBQ restaurant. My first stop was Chattahoochee River NRA in Atlanta. After leaving Atlanta, I came across a forest that had a ½ mile wide section leveled by a tornado. As I passed it, you could look in either direction all the trees broken about 20 feet off the ground for as far as the eye could see. Once in SC I picked up stamps at Cowpens National Battlefield and Overmountain Victory NHT in Chesnee, Ninety Six National Historical Site in Ninety Six and Kings Mountain National Military Park in Blacksburg. I then picked up my only BBQ stop in Gaffney, SC called Daddy Joe’s Beach House BBQ & Grill. As I was getting ready to pull into the parking lot a car decided he wanted my lane. I think he saw my turn signal and figured I would be out of the way. I moved over just before the turn into the BBQ stop brushing the curb scrapping my undercarriage. No major damage but it sure woke me up. The car never even tapped on the brakes. I'm allowed to type that section now because I told Stacey once I made it to my hotel room (love you dear). As I stopped at Daddy Joe’s, I noticed the clouds rolling in and my server said they were expecting severe thunderstorms. My original plan was to head for NC but after seeing how dark the skies were after walking out the door, I decided to hide and wait out the storm. I grabbed a room at the Quality Inn in Gaffney to wait out the storm. They said 70% chance of thunderstorms tonight and 35% tomorrow so it might be a wet start. Well it had to happen sooner or later, I've been dry since I started, but I’m not afraid of a little rain. The bad part is I don't have a good way around the storm so we will see how it goes. If it stays in the area, I’ll have to ride right through it.
Day 6:
Well gang my first rain day wasn't too bad. It rained on and off all day, just enough to not take the gear off between stops. If you remember, I bailed early yesterday due to the storm and it rain only a portion of the night. When I woke, everything was damp but not raining. As soon as I started packing up the Wing the rain started. My first stop was the Blue Ridge Parkway getting the stamps for Museum of NC Minerals and Overmountain Victory Trail in NC. After grabbing those stamps, I was planning to run the Parkway for about 90 miles to my next stop. I picked up the stamp at the Museum then ended up having to turn around and back track after my first 20 miles on the road. During the storm last night a tree fell across the road and blocked everything heading north and they had a bridge under construction. The Ranger wasn’t sure how long it would take to clear the road and he told me the detour would take 2-3 hrs. I decided to back track and swing around the construction using the main roads. This added about 120 miles just to get to the next stop. So the day wasn’t starting out so well and to make matters a little worse my Garmin GPS froze up. I pulled off the 2720 and put my old 2610 on. Luckily I decided to back up my trip just in case. I finally made it to Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro. I also stopped and ate at the Countryside BAR-BQ Chicken in Marion. My last stamp for the day was in Hardy, VA the Booker T Washington National Monument. It’s funny stopping at some of these places. I think at some of the more obscure stops they might only see 1-2 people all day. Anyway with all the backtracking and GPS issues, I only rode 350 miles today. I spent a lot of time off the bike and running several back roads which ate up a lot of time. I was still able to get 3 stamps and 1 BBQ stop. I found a decent campground not long after picking up my last stamp but I’m still 125 miles away from my first one tomorrow.
Day 7:
Well day 7 was a little interesting; I got a little carried away and ended up in NY 2 days early. I started out in VA then went to MD, PA and ended up in NY. I rode about 600 miles today but was only going to go about 350 oh well. I'm not sure what I was thinking, the day was going so well I just kept riding. I was able to stop and get 2 more BBQ stops. Now I'm sitting at the campground trying to figure out what I'll add to my route.
I decided to get an early start this morning since I was still 125 miles from my first stamp. I was on the road about 2 hours and getting hungry so I decided to stop at the next truck stop and grab breakfast and fuel. I pulled off the highway at the first sign for a truck stop and started laughing as soon as I stopped. The restaurant was called Smiley’s BBQ & Pizza. Their sign said they had the best BBQ sandwich in VA, so I had to get it (nothing like BBQ for breakfast). After documenting the BBQ stop and getting fuel, I was back on the road and at my first stamp location by 10:00am Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD. They had a 2.5 hour guided walking tour for $75. You must have been able to fire cannon at that price. Still it was a very nice park. I then rode to Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont; it was only 50 miles from Antietam. I also came upon my second BBQ stop for the day Chubby’s Barbeque in Emmetsburg, MD. After stopping for ribs, I hit the road and was at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, PA in no time. I spent a while checking out the grounds, I should have taken the tour but it was a 2.5-3 hr open bus trip through the grounds. At the time, I didn’t think it was a good idea. In hind sight I should have taken the tour, it would have slowed me down. My last stop was Steamtown National Historical Site in Scranton, PA. That was a pretty cool stop, checking out how locomotion has changed through the years. The roads have been excellent today and I found a nice KOA in NY. Since I went so far today, I'm going to pull out the maps and see if I can add something else in CT or NH. I was planning to head for MA after NY but need to figure out something new. I’m ahead of schedule so I’m going to look at adding in both CT and NH.
Day 8:
Well it’s Friday the 13th. and I haven’t decided if I want to get on the Wing yet. I’ve decided to slow down since I have a few extra days before I meet my wife and son in Washington, DC. Once I finally decided to get going, I first stopped at a Diner I came across “84 diner”. The food was excellent and the prices were very reasonable. I grabbed 5 stamps today but they only count as two. Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D Roosevelt, the Vanderbilt Mansion and Martin Van Buren’s home are all in Hyde Park so they count as one. They are all part of the Hudson River Valley NHA and all within a 20 mile radius of each other. I decided to grab the stamps for all of them. Eleanor’s house and the Vanderbilt Mansion were open and very nice. FDR’s home was being restored so you could only go into the FDR Presidential Library. Martin Van Buren house wasn’t open yet, it normally doesn’t open until after summer break. Most of the volunteers are college students at its visitor center. I was lucky to run into a Ranger on the property and they let me in to get the stamp. I then grabbed my next BBQ stop, Max’s Memphis BBQ MCMXCVII in Red Hook, NY. I have to omit, the BBQ was the worst of all my stops so far. My next stamp was the Springfield Armory National Historical Site in Springfield, MA. I spend a good hour and a half checking out the museum it was pretty cool. I grabbed another BBQ restaurant Bub’s Bar-Q in Sunderland, MA. They put too much sauce on the BBQ sandwich, it was dripping but the beans and slaw were awesome. They had an all you can eat on the sides, so after eating too much I waddled out the door and found a little campground just outside Deerfield, MA. It was not the best campground I’ve stayed in. I was swarmed by mosquitoes the whole time and I thought I heard banjo music from the woods close by but other than that it was okay. They had just opened for the season and didn’t have anything in their store so no bug spray. I grabbed 5 stamps and two BBQ places today. I ended up only doing 250 miles but it took all day. After getting the campsite setup, I check the computer and decided to grab 2 stamps and maybe 1-2 BBQ places, in VT and NH tomorrow. After that I'm going to decide if I'm heading to ME. Several people have pointed out there isn't a stamp in DE, so I’m lucky someone told me or I could have spent several days circling the state looking for one.
Currently I have collected 11 BBQ places and collected 36 stamps in 15 states so far with 25 counting towards my 50 need for the NPT. By the time I get to DC, I should have collected at least one stamp in 20 states.
Day 9:
After getting camp packed up, I decided against going to ME. You see I received a lovely e-mail from my wife last night and decided if I wanted to stay married I better not go without her. So off I went to get the only stamp in VT. It was the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP in Woodstock. I drove in circles for a while the visitor center was closed for remodeling and I could not find a Ranger. This site has a home on one side of the road and a farm on the other. I walked over to the farm building display and found the Ranger there with the stamp. I grabbed it and off I headed for NH and the only stamp there. On the way my GPS routed me across this covered wooded bridge. Really nice ride to the bridge but interesting that my GPS was on truck mode and it routed me this way. My second stop was Saint-Gaudens NHS in Cornish but the park doesn’t open until till May 29th. I took pictures of the visitor center building with my Wing. I rode my Wing up the sidewalks to the visitor center for that picture. The rules say you have to have a picture of your motorcycle and the visitor center. I was hoping no one would show up since I used the sidewalk as my own personal driveway. I also took several pictures of my Wing with the building in the background. I hope that is enough info to be considered a good stop. This was the only location that I didn’t get a stamp so far. My third was back in MA (I made a big loop) Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell. After getting this one I headed for Boston. I have been slowing down did about 300 miles today but 50-60 was going in circles looking for a reasonable hotel close to Boston. I was hoping to find something in the $70 range but the best I saw was $95. I decided to back track a little and found a Motel 6 a little farther out. So here I am washing clothes and having a beer. I have to say it is one of the nicest Motel 6 I have ever seen.
I’m planning to head for the navy shipyards tomorrow. I’ve been told to expect a nasty thunderstorm so we will see how it plays out. The weather might drive most of the tourist away, so it could be a pleasant ride on Sunday. I didn’t get any BBQ locations today, I thought I had one but when I arrived the sign didn’t have BBQ or a picture of a pig. So currently I’m stuck on 11 BBQ stops and won’t get one tomorrow. Before I meet up with Stacey and Nathan in DC, I should get stamps in RI, CT, NJ and WV. I’m going to try and get at least 1 or 2 more BBQ place along that route. I still want to get Famous Dave’s in Ohio and something in Indiana (have to get a BBQ stop back home) then one in Kansas and New Mexico.
Day 10:
Well I was a little slow getting started; I was in a Motel 6 next to an I-Hop. It was raining pretty hard so I decided to take my time, since I was only planning to grab one stamp today in Boston. After breakfast, I put on my rain gear and took off. It rained a good portion of last night and they were still calling for thunderstorms all day. The gear was a good idea, even though my normal gear is water proof. I’m not sure it would have stood up to the rain I was seeing. So the first 25 miles was in a heavy rain. Once I entered Boston, the rain stopped. I walked around at the Boston National Historical Park it was just over cast. I did check out the USS Constitution, it is the oldest active military vessel in the world. After grabbing the stamp, I headed for RI and my next stop. I grabbed a hotel just outside Providence, RI and called it good. I had been in the rain a good portion of the day so I decided to dry out the riding gear and wash clothes.
Day 11:
It was only 60 miles to my next stop, so I decided to go to church and grab breakfast before taking off. This almost worked out perfectly while in the Waffle House the rain subsided so the ride wasn’t too bad. This next stop looks like a city park with a small building in the corner as a visitor center. I rode in grabbed a parking spot and picked up the stamp for the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence. I hung around for their video. The rain started again while I was in the visitor center so I decided to get out of there and ride into CT. I rode another 60-70 miles about 50 of it in the rain before for calling it good for the day. I did stop and grab another BBQ restaurant called Russell’s Ribs in Groton, CT. It was an old Pizza Hut that was converted to a BBQ restaurant. After that I rode a little longer to a town called Niantic, where I grabbed another hotel. I ended up riding about 140 miles today. My goal tomorrow is to grab my stop in CT and NJ before sliding into MD or VA. I will probably ride about 200 tomorrow, still trying to slow it down. It looks like rain again tomorrow so drying the gear out again tonight.
Day 12:
Well after grabbing a hotel early and missing the heavy rain. Today started out pretty quiet, the skies are overcast but not raining yet. Right after I started on the interstate the rain started and it rained on and off all day. Nothing too bad, most of it was a light drizzle. I grabbed my first stamp in CT, Weir Farm National Historical Site in Wilton-Ridgefield. I arrived but the visitor center was closed, I’m finding that a lot of these places are closed on Monday and Tuesday. The smaller places only open on busier days. I was lucky that I saw a Ranger and he helped me get my stamp. My next stop the same thing happened, the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in NJ was closed but I saw another Ranger and they helped me get my stamp. My last stop in NJ was in Morrisville where Washington’s troops wintered. It had been raining pretty hard there and the water was running over the roads in several places making the ride pretty fun. On a dry day this really would have been a fun road but the wet roads and leaves all over the place made for a slippery ride. I grabbed my stamp at Morristown NHP Jockey Hollow and headed out. It had been raining so bad half the building was roped off due to water running in a side door. I only road another 50 miles and called it good. I grabbed a hotel in Plainville, NJ. I didn’t get any BBQ stops today so still sitting at 12. Tomorrow I’m heading to VA and WV, trying to get away from the rain on the coast.
Day13:
Well as Bob Hall would say I wimped out today trying to outrun the thunderstorms. I rode just shy of 300 miles in the rain with no headlights. (I'll get back to the headlights.) I woke to rain and decided that running toward DC (south of my current location) was not a good idea so I decided to head a little north and west to swing around the storms. At the time, it sounded like a good idea but it sucked. I found that the storm followed me and I ran in the lighting and rain the whole way. I stopped at a town called Breezetown, PA it is a stop on the Turnpike. Now back to no lights. I was running this morning and noticed I didn't see any lights when I went through a couple tunnels. I pulled over and check and sure enough no headlights. This made the ride in the rain, fog and early morning really fun. I did manage to get one stamp the Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS in Cresson, PA. After that I high tailed it to the hotel. When I stopped to get out of the rain, I grabbed a phone book and called a close Honda shop to see if I could get in. They were willing to squeeze me in tomorrow if I got there by 09:00.
If all goes well, I'm going to get 4 stamps tomorrow. I started checking and there are 2 stops close to the shop and then back to the 2 I was already planning to grab.
Day 14:
Again this morning started out as another wet one. 300 miles in thunderstorms and a lot of lighting this time. I took off at 08:00 so I could get to the Honda store 32 miles away and believe it or no when they checked out the Wing they found both low beam blubs were burned out. I’m lucky it wasn’t the wiring and they had the bulbs in stock. I'm guessing one went and I didn't notice it and when I was running that tunnel in NY I noticed the second was out. When I started this ride, I know both were working but lost both sometime on the ride. The Honda shop was a nice one; the guys were a lot of fun to talk too. I decided to have them do the oil change while I was stopped. I was planning to do the oil change at my parent’s house but since I was in the shop. The guys in the shop treated me great and gave me suggestions on how to get the next two stamps. After getting the bike back, I grabbed the two stamps close to the shop the guys gave me great directions and saved me at least one hour. I then grabbed another in PA, I went for a fourth stamp but the road was dirt and gravel. Not much gravel and the dirt was mud, I didn't feel like doing a mile of motocross riding. It only took me a tenth of a mile before I decided to turn around. I started in the rain and finished in the rain. I did reach Harper's Ferry and grab a stamp, then grabbed a hotel in Hillside Station, MD not sure if it's a town just outside Harper's Ferry. I honestly believe I head banjo music at night. I locked my door as soon as I walked into the room and didn't come out till it was light out again. The hotel was one of the single store places on the side to the road. I'm planning to head to Shenandoah Valley tomorrow. Well it's off to bed with one eye open.
Day 15:
Lost track of what day of the week it was, that is so much fun. I really think it is so much fun when you lose track of the days. That tells me no stress and don't care. I know what the date is due to the watch but I honestly thought it was Tuesday and I found out it was Thursday. Well something new, I woke to no rain and I survive the night. I ride the Valley and that ended up being a great ride. I first started by grabbing a breakfast in a small town truck stop (excellent food) and jumped on the skyway. I picked up a couple of stamps in the Shenandoah National Park; Big Meadows and Dickey Ridge. I rode about 70 miles on the skyway and found a sign, stating highest point on the skyway 3680 feet. I had to take a picture. Once I took off again, I stopped almost immediately due to a black bear foraging on the side of the road. The bear could not have been more than 20 yards away. I watched it for several minutes; it even stood up and leaned on a tree scratching its back. Once I took off a little farther down the road I saw wild turkey in a meadow and two deer on the edge of the road. After I left the skyway, I am heading to Harrisburg, VA. I just jumped on to the interstate and had to dodge a stupid turkey vulture. The idiot was sitting in the passing lane and didn't want to move. I had to slow down and slide over to the other lane so I didn't hit it. I stopped to grab a campground but no Internet service or cell phone so I decided ride the rest of the way into Harrisburg. I grabbed a Motel 6 what a nice hotel, no carpet in the room they have the synthetic wood floors. I'm probably going to stay in Harrisburg for two days, so tomorrow will probably be a down day kicking back floating in the pool. I'm planning on getting to DC on the 23rd to meet up with Stacey and Nathan.
Day 16-18:
I’ve been just kicking back in Harrisburg since I was ahead of schedule, waiting to meet up with Stacey and Nathan. I’m sitting at the Motel 6 watching the thunderstorms roll through. Monday my departure day finally came and after breakfast at Waffle House. I decided to grab Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, VA before riding into Arlington. Manassas was an excellent site with plenty to see and I was able to get a great shot of the Pepsi truck as it pulled up.. I made it to the Holiday Inn just in time to miss the traffic. My goal was to miss the morning rush hour and slide in before lunch time traffic. After a couple of close calls with cars, I made it to the hotel by 11:30. I checked into my room and headed to the bar waiting on Stacey and Nathan to come in. They were scheduled in at 15:00 but didn’t get to the hotel until 20:00. They were delayed in Dallas due to weather then diverted to Pittsburg waiting on a front to clear Dulles. After getting them settled in we went upstairs to the restaurant for dinner and to plan our site seeing. While waiting on them, I did go to the metro station and pick up our passes for the week.
Day19-24:
After a good night’s sleep we grabbed breakfast and jumped on the train to the National Mall. We started at the National History museum, and then went to the castle, the Boy Scout memorial, White House, Washington Memorial, Freer museum then back to the hotel. The next day we went back to the Washington memorial and bought Nathan a passport book. After collecting a stamp there, we went to WW II, Korean, Vietnam, Lincoln, James Madison, John Ericsson, FDR, Jefferson, George Mason memorial then back to the hotel. We ended up walking about 10 miles around the Tidal Basin. We were a little disappointed the Reflecting Pool is all tore up; they are repairing it but still a great day. National Park service has a Hugh project going on. They are currently working on the Reflecting pool and Jefferson Memorial. They have plans for the Tidal Basin and the National Mall grass. Nathan and I picked up 12 stamps in DC so far but will probably get 3-5 more before we leave in 3 days. What a great stop I ended up getting Vietnam, World War II, Korean War, George Mason, FDR, Thomas Jefferson, DC World War, Ulysses S. Grant, Lincoln, John Ericsson Memorials, National Mall, Washington Monument, National Mall & Memorial Parks and Constitution Gardens. Our last night we found this little restaurant called Santa Fe café and decided since it was busy to give it a try. Stacey was looking for a green chili fix. We walked in and the place it had all kinds of posters from New Mexico and Lobo junk. We decided to give it a try. We asked the waiter if anyone was from NM because of all the junk they had on the walls, they said the owner was from NY and the staff was all from Honduras. All we could do was laugh. When the food came we almost cried. Oh well, live and learn. Stacey took all the pictures while in DC, I think close to 800 in total. Tomorrow I’ll leave for my parent’s house, Stacey and Nathan will jump on Amtrak and meet me there.
Day 25:
Even though it was Sunday, I took off early trying to get out of DC before the traffic picked up. I had about 550 miles to ride. I cut through VA, PA traveling some of the same roads I was on earlier in the trip. Once in OH, I headed north and picked up a couple of stamps Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Ohio & Erie Canalway before heading to Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que in North Olmsted just outside Cleveland. After lunch I jumped on the Turnpike and heading for IN. I’m not a big fan of turnpikes but it is a straight shot to my parent’s lake cottage on Lake James. Nothing exciting was happening as I shot down the turnpike except paying tolls. I think it cost me about $9.00 from Cleveland to the Indiana border. Just as I hit the pay station it started to rain a little and as I sat under the awning I was deciding if I should pull out the rain gear. I sat there a second and decided the heck with it, I only had 30 miles more how bad could it get. Well I have to omit that was the dumbest decision I made on this trip. I didn’t get a half a mile and the skies opened up. It started hailing; raining and the wind really started blowing. It was so bad everyone was pulling off the road. I decided to head for the next overpass and hide under it. I could hardly see 100 feet in front of me due to the rain and the wind so blowing so bad I could barely keep the bike in my lane. I was only going about 25 MPH but I didn’t want to stop due to the hail coming down. So I carried on and found an overpass about 2 miles down the road. I pulled onto the shoulder but could not get under the bridge because the cars would not move forward, so I was stuck just behind the bridge. I could not get off the bike the wind was so strong I was worried the Wing might fall over. So there I sat but it worked out the wind was blowing so hard the rain/hail was coming almost horizontal and I was close enough to the cars that the bridge and cars were taking most of the hits. I was laughing when the car in front of me tried to back up so he could get out of the hail. I hit my horn several times and he stopped, even though I wasn’t under the bridge I was staying pretty dry. After sitting on the side of the interstate for 30 minutes, the hail stopped and the rain slowdown enough for me to get going again. The wind was still pretty strong 25-35 MPH, so I was only running around 60. Once I arrived at my parent’s cottage the rain had stopped. I looked like a wet dog as I unpacked the Wing.
Day 26-30:
Stacey and Nathan arrived the next day and we had a great time just relaxing with family. We stayed 5 days visiting and Nathan was able to spend time with his cousins. We only get back about once a year, so every time the adults go out to dinner at least once and everyone gets together for a BBQ at my parents. While there I also grabbed a stamp and 1 BBQ restaurant. I shot over to Porter, IN and grabbed the stamp for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and when we went to my parent’s house in Fort Wayne, I stopped at Moosewood BBQ Company.
I'm going to be heading for the house starting tomorrow hoping to get home on the 6th or 7th of June. I'm hoping to get one stamp in IL, two in MO, one or two in KA and one in CO. I'm also planning to grab two or three BBQ stops on the way.
Day 31:
The night before Stacey and I picked up a rental car for her she was driving the next day to Indianapolis, IN to grab a flight home. I was planning to leave around 05:00 and she had to leave around 09:00. After a great stay with my family, I took off early looking to grab 3 stamps before calling it good for the day. I rode about 550 miles and stopped in Springfield, IL at Lincoln Home NHS. I picked up stamps for Lincoln’s home and the Underground RR Freedom Network This was pretty cool stop, they had about 2 square blocks as part of the site and you could walk the area. They had a Ranger at every corner and they would answer your questions. I walked around for about 30 minutes before I decided I better get back on the road. The temperature was just under 100 and it looked like it was only getting worse. Full riding gear and 100 is no fun. Off I went for St. Louis, MO and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Arch). As I came into St. Louis my temperature gauge on the Wing 102 and it felt every bit of it. I stopped as soon as I could and almost ran into the visitor center under the arch to grab the stamp. It is kind of funny that I’ve been to the Arch several times but never stopped into the visitor center. I’ve been to the top once but back then they had a little building next to the arch to buy your ticket to ride to the top. The new center is underground under the Arch and it’s really well done. I need to bring the family back again and spend the time to take Nathan to the top. After the Arch I headed west again and stopped at a hotel in Kingdom City, MO. I decided I was going to try and get another 550-600 miles tomorrow and 2-3 stamps.
Day 32:
Off again early, I was able to get a stamp at Harry Truman NHS in Independence and a BBQ stop called Jon El’s BBQ in Boonville, MO. I had to grab the BBQ because the sign was hand painted in the window and they had a second sign that said open till BBQ is gone. My next stamp was Brown V. Board of Education NHS; I had to stop at a police station in Topeka, KS to ask directions. It was the only stop that I didn’t have accurate coordinates. I then stopped in Great Bend and found 4 Leg’s up BBQ & Steakhouse for my last BBQ restaurant stop for this trip. I then decided to continue pushing on and picked up Fort Lamed National Historical Site. This Fort was pretty cool no walls, the buildings were built in a rectangle with about 20 feet between them. I called it good for the night; I ended up going 600 miles. I called home letting Stacey know I would be in tomorrow and told her the sky was pretty haze here in KS. She told me about the wallow fire in AZ and how the winds were blowing it northeast so that was probably what I was seeing.
Day 33:
I made it home today grabbing one last stamp in the last 550 miles. I stopped in La Junta, CO at Bent’s Old Fort NHS. This Fort was pretty rundown but still was nice to see. All the rooms were furnished with furniture from the period and the staff was also dressed in the period’s clothes. They were very friendly and explained the importance of the Fort. After leaving the Fort I was heading west to jump on I-25 at Trinidad. I never expected to have to dodge sheep that looked like they had dread locks, on this trip but I had three cross right in front of me. I had to hit the brakes pretty hard but all came out well. They scurried across the road and I stayed on the road. About 20 miles more I was in Trinidad and back on I-25. The last 250 miles went pretty quick and I was soon home to a smoky house, that fire in AZ is unbelievable.
So 33 days, 8400 miles, 2 head light bulbs and 1 oil change later; I made it home. I was able to grab 16 BBQ stops in 16 states. I still have not gone to my favorite in NM. I figured it would be better to grab them from different states. Out of the 16 stops the best is a tough call. I liked Famous Dave’s in Cleveland, Hard 8 BBQ in Brady and Daddy Joe’s Beach House BBQ & Grill in Gaffney. My least favorite was Max’s Memphis BBQ MCMXCVII in Red Hook Twn. I was able to get 93 stamps from 27 states. Out of the 93, 62 will count towards my 25 states NPT. I don’t have any from NM or AZ currently. I am planning to get 7-8 before turning in my documentation. I’ll have about 70 stamps and 29 states when I turn it in. I’m planning to give them more than they need in case they reject some.
It was a fun trip and would do it again in a heartbeat. I met several nice people and almost everyone I talked to wanted to know more about the ride and the place I had been.
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