Four Corners Tour

*Wed* 6/9/99 * Aliso Viejo, CA * 180 Miles/day * 180 Total Miles * 65°/ Overcast
	Rode down to San Ysidro. Found the post office and took a picture of the bike in front of the sign. Got my gas receipt from Union 76. Found the secret phone #, filled out the form for the 1st corner and mailed it. After thinking and planning for 11 months...I finally started! The real adventure begins tomorrow. Plan to make Redding, CA or possibly Oregon tomorrow.
**Thu 6/10/99 Redding, CA * 601 Miles/day * 781 Total Miles * 63-92°/ Sunny & Windy***
	Mostly uneventful except for the 405 fwy in the South Bay curve. The car in front of me blew a tire and hit the center divider in the carpool lane...everyone was able to stop safely. A LOT of truck traffic today. Met up with 6 members of CA1Q about 1 hour outside of Bakersfield. Not sure where they were headed, but they were going via Holister. Several wished they could join my ride. Stopped to have lunch in Sacramento with son, daughter and grandsons. Terrible gas mileage today...averaged 31 miles/gallon. Guess I should slow down. (Forgot my only picture of Linda & Gidget on the workbench in the garage...Linda found it and gave me hell...guess I have to figure out where she can mail it to...oops) Tomorrow I will make Tacoma or possibly Seattle, WA.
**Fri 6/11/99 Seattle, WA * 611 Miles/day * 1,392 Total Miles * 44-78°/ Partly Cloudy***
	Headed out at 5:50am up I-5. Stopped 30 miles up the road to plug in my thermostat to the electric vest---it was COLD. 40 miles later, stopped for breakfast and put on a 2nd shirt!. Oregon is beautiful with pine trees, rolling hills, and big, sweeping turns...but the roads are in poor shape. Passed Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens. Washington roads were much better, but hit Tacoma at rush hour. Tomorrow I head to Blaine, WA (125 miles) for check point #2, then back to Seattle and east to make Spokane by evening. Rain forecasted for tomorrow afternoon. Check point #3 is in Maine, 3100 miles away...a little intimidating right now. Note: Last night at dinner, ran into Wilbur & Nancy Hodges (CA1I CD's) who were headed for Oregon. Also found out that the 'Q' group was headed for Corbin Saddles (?)
**Sat 6/12/99 Coeur d'Alene, ID* 543 Miles/day * 1,935 Total Miles * 55-89°/ Sunny & Windy***
	Left Seattle at 6:10 am, made Blaine by 9:15am. Completed checkpoint #2 requirements and headed back down to Seattle to I-90 east trying to stay ahead of the rain. Going over Snoqualmie Pass I experienced fierce winds. Snow still on the ground at the 3000' summit. Down into central Washington it reminded me of Nevada or Arizona...rolling hills, brown, dry, hot, and rocky. I traveled 200 miles on the straightest I've ever been on in my life! It was so straight I set the cruise control at 75, crossed my arms and napped for an hour! Crossed the Columbia River which is really huge. East Washington was a little better...more trees. Stopped just past the Washington/Idaho border. The only mishap of the day was when I lost a $29.95 Pep Boys air horn due to the winds or crazy Washington truckers who drive 75 mph in the #1 lane. Gas mileage is better: at 75 mph I averaged 35 mpg, but at 80 mph it dropped to 30 mpg. Happy Beach Blanket Wingo CA1R! I'll be sure to wear my grass hula skirt on tomorrow's ride to Billings, Montana. Mark Furman sends his regards.
**Sun 6/13/99 Billings, MT * 509 Miles/day * 2,444 Total Miles * 73-79°/ Sunny***
	I was lazy today and didn’t get out until 6:45am. 30 miles through the Idaho woods and I was hungry. Took the first turnoff that said "food" – left 1.5 miles. Deeper into the woods along the Coeur d’Alene River, I came upon a wooden building that said ‘Restaurant’ but looked like the house in Deliverance where the boy played the guitar. But I was hungry! Unfortunately (?) they were closed. Back down the road, stopped at an Exxon before the interstate for some coffee. Pumping gas is a couple of good ol’ boys in a mud covered pick ups with gun racks. Hmmm. I asked the lady if they had any decaf and she said, "No, not brewed, but I can make you a decaf latte". In the woods of Idaho???? Another misconception destroyed! (Actually, it was pretty good) Talked to a couple of guys who were going up the river to float down on pontoon rafts and fish for rainbow and cutthroat [sigh] I finally stopped for a real artery clogging, lumberjack breakfast in this great little town of Wallace, ID. Looks like it did back in the 1800’s. Ate @ Sweets Café where they serve strawberry butter and the jukebox is 2 plays for a quarter (all country). Back on the road through the piney woods of Idaho and western Montana. Crossed the Continental Divide just out of Butte @ 6900+ feet. Saw a few deer that didn’t quite make it across the road. Radio stations are scarce out here and when you do find one, you had better like country or religion. I know a heck of a lot more about heartache, trains, old dogs, and Jesus than I did 1 week ago. What a magnificent day to cross The Big Sky Country! High, puffy white clouds, warm weather, and the rolling green hills and ranchland of Montana. This is great! Tomorrow is eastern Montana and North Dakota
**Mon 6/14/99 Jamestown, ND * 525 Miles/day * 2,969 Total Miles * 52-65°/ Rain & Clouds***
	Other than the rain and the deer, it wasn’t a bad day. I was up at 5:15am and looked out and saw it had just started to rain. DRAT! Got dressed and went out and sure enough, it was raining lightly, but the sky was dark. I pondered… OK, I’ll pack it up and see how it is in 20 minutes. Well, it was raining harder, but the sky to the east looked lighter so I figured I could ride out of it. Rain suit on and on the road. The Montana highway department is re-surfacing I-90 around Billings and they’ve done some major grooving prior to re-paving. On the way in last night, those Dunlop’s were skittering all over the place. Today, with the grooves AND rain, I felt like I was riding on sheet metal coated with Vaseline. Not this boy! I got off at the next exit and proceeded through town figuring I’d find I-90 soon enough (No, I did not ask for directions) After a couple of dead ends, I noticed I was beside I-90 and it was new pavement. So I followed the road I was on to the next on ramp, which just happened to be the off-ramp I exited 20 minutes before! (Anyone remember Ricky & Lucy’s trip to California? [Linda]) It rained off and on and was wet until about 10am. At 10:30am, just out of Miles City, MT, I was cruising at 75, feet up on the highway boards, enjoying the dry road and the oldies station I had finally found, when my eye caught movement in the brush in the median. Before I could react, a huge deer leaped out of the grass across my path. All I had time to do was grab a handful of brake and swerve to the left as she passed a few feet in front of me. This is NOT a good thing for a heart patient! Got into North Dakota where the people are very nice and friendly. I get a lot of waves and thumbs up as I’m going down the road and when I stop & they see CA plates, people stop to talk. They all sound like Ed Sondrol up here J Tomorrow, breakfast in Fargo (you betcha!) then on to Duluth, MN. No more interstate for a while.
**Tue 6/15/99 Ironwood, MI * 476 Miles/day * 3,445 Total Miles * 62°/ Partly Cloudy***
	Covered four states today…North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and finally stopped in Michigan. It was a good ride, but tough to make the miles because most of it was two lanes, two way traffic with slow pokes and more construction & grooved pavement. Give me my Michelins back! But still a great ride through the North Woods. Fargo was a disappointment, so I headed for Brainerd where I was told the big statue of Paul Bunyan lived. After driving around for 30 minutes and asking direction a few times (all said they knew where the statue was), the best I could do was find a 12 foot high Babe the blue ox. So I parked and asked a couple of people where the Paul Bunyan statue was. The guy named a town 90 miles north so I snapped a picture of the bike in front of the plastic ox and got the heck out of there fast. I crossed the Mississippi River three times looking for Paul Bunyan. I also crossed the Continental Divide not far out of Fargo. I think this one represents the geographic center of the U.S….which means I’m now closer to the East Coast than I am the West Coast. Celebrating my wedding anniversary at the Comfort Inn by myself...which my wife says is a good thing! J Tomorrow I’ll visit our neighbors to the north (Canada) and should make Sudbury, Ontario. Should make Madawaska on Friday. I’m finding it easier than I thought riding 12 hours a day. It helps that the days are longer up here…sunset is at 9:30 pm and sunrise is at 5:15 am.
**Wed 6/16/99 Sudbury, Ontario, Canada * 500 Miles/day * 3,945 Total Miles * 60°/ Cloudy***
	It was cold today – 45 degrees when I left the motel at 7:30 am. It didn’t get above 50 until after noon. Even with my electric vest, I was cold and had to stop several times to warm my hands. It was so cold that at 11 am I stopped at Wal-Mart to buy long underwear! Hard to get anywhere this way. It finally began to warm up and reached the 50's by 3 pm. This isn’t what I had bargained for. Even the natives are complaining about the cold. Saw 3 deer today…2 were roadkill and I spotted the third on the side of the road looking like he was about to make a decision. I slowed down to 3.5 mph and peddled past him very carefully. Crossed the Canadian border at 4:15. Very easy. "Where do you live? Where are you going? Why? Any cigarettes, alcohol or guns on board? Have a nice trip." This part of Canada looks pretty much like the US except everything is metric, liters, kilometers, etc. I was doing a lot of mental math. I was paying cash for gas and getting ripped on the exchange until the guy told me I would get the bank exchange rate if I used my credit card. Today is the 7^th day and I am roughly ½ way through the Four Corners portion of my ride. So far it’s been a great experience. Riding like this, making it up as I go along, gives me a tremendous feeling of freedom and control. But it’s also lonely at times and I find myself questioning the wisdom of this trip. But just about that time, the sun peeks through, I find an oldies station with Jackie Wilson singing "Lonely Teardrops" and all’s right with the world again. I give the right hand a little extra twist & go. So I’m on schedule to finish this madness in the allocated time & make it to Springfield in time to have ice cream with Ron & Fay Tolson and visit the Bass Pro Shop with Dyer, Stiles, and others from CA1R. Tomorrow – Ottawa, Montreal and points north. Madawaska, ME (checkpoint #3) on Friday.
**Thu 6/17/99 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada * 309 Miles/day * 4,254 Total Miles * 45-70°/ Sunny***
	I wimped out today and stopped in Ottawa at 3:00 pm after only 309 miles. To continue would mean 1) having to spend a night somewhere in Quebec, which I didn’t want to do and 2) I was just plain tired. Riding hour after hour in this cold weather the past couple of days is draining. It took a lot out of me. Tomorrow, it’s back to the 4-lane through Montreal & Quebec City, then sometime in the afternoon (425 miles later), I’ll cross back into the US for checkpoint #3 in Madawaska, Maine. It warmed up today. Should be nice tomorrow. Thanks for all of the e-mails and words of encouragement – which mean a lot. And thanks to Charlie Sanders for "Ashes to Ashes"; I can’t put it down!
**Fri 6/18/99 Edmunston, New Brunswick, Canada * 460 Miles/day * 4,714 Total Miles * 50-70°/ Sunny & Rain***
	Today is the day I needed. Good weather, a good ride on excellent roads, and checkpoint #3, Madawaska, Maine in the mailbox. Soggy, but done. When I left Ottawa at 6:30 am, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. But it was still cold, so I put on my uniform for this trip…chaps, thermal t-shirt, sweatshirt, electric vest, leather jacket with liner, and heavy gloves. On the expressway and jammin at 75 mph (the limit is 100 kph). In Ontario, Canada, the signs are in English and French. In Quebec, EVERYTHING is in French…there are no road signs in Anglais. I soon figured out Nord, Sud, Est & Oeust. I knew I had to follow 40 Est to 25 Sud, which became 20 Est. No sweat. Oh, and there was a tunnel on 25 Sud. I hit Montreal right at 8:00 am. It’s a big city with lots of people who don’t carpool. It was jammed. As I was doing the stop n go shuffle, the temp was rising to almost 70…and I’m dressed for 50! I’m thinking, "If I get off this road, I may never find an on-ramp and I’ll be wandering around Montreal for days!" But the heat is unbearable, so I took the next "Sortie" and found a side street to lose the chaps, vest & gloves. Back on the bike, back tracking, yep, there’s route 40 Est, about 15 feet above my head. Maybe if I follow this street…yes!! There is a "40 Est". Oops, need to move over one lane to the left, sorry monsieur, nice horn you have there. So back on the right road and 2 miles later is the sign for "25 Sud, Tunnel" (That’s French for "tunnel") In no time I’m on the 20 Est headed for Quebec City. It took exactly 1 hour to get through Montreal. In spite of what I heard, the folks in Quebec City were cordial and accommodating. They even gave me a menu in English and English speaking waitress. I made Edmunston about 4:00 pm, wandered through town looking for the border and asking directions. (Ron Tolson, I know exactly what you were talking about) You’d think they’d have as sign or two that said "USA". I finally found it & it turned out to be one of those steel grate bridges. How Fun! Into Madawaska, gas receipt, photo, phone #, and just as I’m putting it all in the envelope to mail, the sky opens up and it rained good for about 15 minutes. Now this wouldn’t be a big deal except for the fact that my motel was in New Brunswick across the border…over that steel grate bridge which was now wet. If you’ve never had the pleasure of a ride of this nature, consider yourself LUCKY! Three checkpoints down, one to go…exactly 2,253 miles South. I can hardly wait!
**Sat 6/19/99 Portsmouth, NH * 428 Miles/day * 5,142 Total Miles * 75°/ Sunny***
	One thing I do a lot of on this trip is read signs & ever since I left Aliso Viejo, I’ve been seeing "Watch for Deer" signs. I’ve even seen a few deer. Along about Minnesota, I started seeing "Watch for Elk", too. Then in Michigan & into Ottawa, Quebec & New Brunswick, I was seeing "Watch for Moose" signs. Well, this morning I actually saw a REAL LIVE MOOSE! I was about an hour into Maine, cruising down I-95 when it strolled out of the woods & trotted along the interstate for a while. Pretty exciting…I think this might be the first real moose I’ve ever seen! Other than Bullwinkle, of course. I left late today…8:30 am. It was real foggy until after 7, so I stayed in bed. Then I had a heck of a time finding a gas station in Edmunston that had an air hose so I could do my tires. It was a great riding day. Mid 70’s, huge puffy clouds, and lots of sun and good road. The ride through New Brunswick was just beautiful along the St. John River (Canada Rte 2). I passed what was advertised as the longest cover bridge in the world going a cross the river. Couldn’t figure out how to get on to it or I would have tried to ride it. Crossed back into the US @ Houlton, ME and down I-95. Got gas in Kennebunkport, which is where Pres. Bush lives when not in Texas, I think. I’m just about 20 miles north of Boston tonight. I saw lots of bikes on the road going north to Laconia for the annual whatever they do up there. Along the lines of "Gee, I never saw that before", I ought to tell you about the logging trucks in the North Woods. These things are like semi’s and carry 12 foot lengths of timber. The interesting thing is that these trucks have up to 12 axles, 7 or 8 of which are running 4 wheels! That’s a lot of tires to have to change. Speaking of trucks, they seem to have the same speed limits as cars do in Canada & these New England states. Makes for some interesting riding. I’m right on my schedule & all I really have to do is make 400 miles a day to get to Springfield on time. The bike is running perfectly & the weather forecast for the next few days looks good. More tomorrow…
**Sun 6/20/99 Carlisle, PA * 473 Miles/day * 5,615 Total Miles * Low 70°s/ Cloudy***
	A good day & a bad day. The good part was riding through some familiar territory in PA. My Mother’s sister, my Aunt Minnie (yes, she really was ‘Aunt Minnie’) lived in Wilkes Barre, PA & we visited quite a bit when I was a kid. I rode right through there, even stopped for gas & a trip to K-Mart. Passed Lake Wallenpaupack where some cousin used to take us boating, Nanticoke… where my Mother was born, & other familiar places. Lots of good memories. I hit 5 states and 6 different Interstate Routes through NH, MA, CN, NY & PA. Much of it was high traffic, urban travel, but once into NY & the Poconos, it was a real nice ride. Quite a bit of 55 mph speed limits, which everyone ignores & goes 70-75 mph, including the big rigs. I’ve seen quite a few bikes headed south for the Honda Hoot in Ashville. In fact, there a 3 couples at the motel here tonight on there way down there. Now the bad part. When I was packing up in Portsmouth, NH this morning, my electric vest was missing. After turning the motel room & the Gold Wing inside out, I came to the sad conclusion that I’d lost it somewhere on the trip from Madawaska. I was bummed. I was depressed. But Hey! I’m tough…I’m on a mission…so I mounted up & headed south. (I have no idea what I would have done if the temp was 45 instead of 65…probably gone back to bed!) It took me about a 100 miles to figure out how I’d screwed up. The day before, I had stopped at a service area in NH to make a reservation for Saturday night. I took the vest out of the saddlebag to get my tour books & I put it on the seat. There were a lot of people around & I think one of them must have lifted it while I went to the pay phone & I never noticed when I came back. So if anyone has any influence with the weather gods…65 & up would be appreciated! Tomorrow…Virginia & the Blue Ridge Parkway.
**Mon 6/21/99 Statesville, NC * 438 Miles/day * 6,053 Total Miles * Mid 60°s/ Cloudy & Wet***
	Hi Y’all! Greetings from Nawth Care-lina! Today was tough! I could not do the Blue Ridge Parkway due to the weather. Drizzling when I got up & when I left @ 8 am. Low clouds, foggy, wet, nasty. Not so bad that I needed a rain suit, but enough to make visibility pretty bad through the Markland windshield. It cleared for a while after noon but got wet again around 2 pm. At one point I was South on I-77 through what they call Fancy Gap (elev. 3,000’) & I was literally riding in the clouds, they were that low. I kept it at 55 mph down the hill with flashers going while the trucks whizzed by @ 70 mph. Nothing I could do but hang on & ride it out. That hill was so bad, they have 4 runaway truck ramps on the way down. Tomorrow is supposed to be better…sunny & 70-80 degrees. In 2 days, I’ll be @ my friend’s place in Florida, the next day (Thursday), with luck, in Key West. It’s 927 miles away right now. Looking forward to So. Carolina and Georgia tomorrow. To all of you sending those good thoughts, prayers, etc…THANKS! I know it got me safely down that hill today.
**Tue 6/22/99 Jacksonville, FL * 433 Miles/day * 6,486 Total Miles * 85°/ Hot & Humid***
	OK…I promise! I will never complain about the cold again. Today was 85 degrees which was great, but the humidity was 85%! At least! Actually, it wasn’t really that bad when I was rolling. The traffic jam outside of Savannah, GA was another matter. I-95 is 3 lanes leaving Savannah. The GA version of Cal-Trans squeezed it down to 2 lanes, then 1 lane. It took me half an hour to go 2 miles. And then, when we got to the end of the jam up, there were 6 guys standing around staring at the concrete. You should have heard the truckers on the CB! I-95 carries a lot of traffic! Gasoline is getting really cheap. I paid $0.99 a gallon in Coosawatchie, SC today & saw prices less than that advertised. Cigarettes were $1.49/pack. GA was a lot flatter & wetter than I expected. I crossed many rivers & wetlands between Savannah & Florida. They don’t keep their roads very clean though. Miles & miles of pieces of tire all along the shoulder. Speaking of tire pieces, this morning an 18-wheeler in front of me in SC blew a tire. He was in the #3 lane & I was in #2 about 20 yards back. I saw the rubber shrapnel & slid into lane #1 & avoided the mess. I’ve never seen so many trucks on any road as are on I-95. Also ran into some more construction today in SC, GA, & FL than so far on this trip. But the roads are pretty good. I spent last night in Statesville, NC & had an urge for an adult beverage. In NC, like many states in the East & South, you have to go to the State Store for anything more than beer or wine. So I rode into town, found the "ABC" store, purchased my libation & rode around a bit. Just what I would have imagined…barber shop, court house (1860’s architecture), shacks, stately homes, the sheriff patrolling. Radio stations are many down here & AM is really a kick. If you think Rush Limbaugh is conservative, you should here some of the guys on the radio down here! I thought it was bad in ID & MT, but this is something else! Tomorrow I’m in Margate, FL visiting a high school buddy & washing 2 weeks worth of insects of my bike. It is DISGUSTING! But it’s running like a Swiss watch. When I leave his place Thursday, I have 192 miles to go… P.S. I had GRITS for breakfast in NC..
**Wed 6/23/99 Margate, FL * 318 Miles/day * 6,804 Total Miles * 93°/ Rain Showers***
	I left Jacksonville at 6:30 am. It rained off & on all day. Every hour or so it would rain for 10-15 minutes. I managed to avoid the occasional heavy rains by escaping into a gas station during the cloud burst. The last half hour today I watched thunderstorms building ahead of me – lightening struck all over the place! As I pulled in to my friend’s place in Margate and parked the bike, the skies opened up & poured for 2 hours solid. I heard that Ft. Lauderdale had 4" and Miami got something like 6" of rain during this 2 hour period. It was an absolute cloud burst! I-95 is a good road, although it got very congested as I got closer to Miami. Pulled into Margate, 50 miles North of Miami at 3:30pm. Couldn’t wash the bike, but it was getting a good rinse! Too bad the bugs are still stuck on it! More of the same is predicted tomorrow. It might be fair in the morning so I will at least get down to Key West and complete checkpoint #4 requirements and finish the official Four Corners Tour. With the afternoon rain predicted, I’m not sure how far north I’ll get after completing checkpoint #4.
**Thu 6/24/99 Key West, FL * 335 Miles/day * 7,139 Total Miles * 95°/ Sunny & PM Showers***
	JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ I rode into Key West @ 10:32 this morning, 16 days & 7,006 miles after leaving home on the 9^th. What a feeling it was, knowing that it was over. JJ I spent the next 2 hours getting my proof together, the gas receipt, phone #’s & the picture @ the monument marking the southernmost point in the U.S. – Cuba 90 miles away. Key West was extremely congested with tourists in rental cars, bikes, scooters, etc. It was about 95 degrees & very humid, so I mailed my package, called my wonderful wife with the good news & hauled out of there. The trip through the Florida Keys is quite a ride. There are a couple dozen Keys (islands) over a 125 mile stretch, connected by bridges, one of which is 7 miles long! There are several good size towns & all the things you see in any other U.S. city…K-Mart, McDonald’s, Home Depot. The big industries are fishing, diving, & tourism. The road, US 1, is mostly 2 lane, 35-55 mph limit. Like yesterday, it rained. I got light sprinkles in Key West, a small shower on the way back to Florida City, then, just as I’m at the motel, registering, the skies opened up! It poured for a solid hour, while I sat in the motel lobby waiting for it to let up so I could ride to my room! Like yesterday, my timing was perfect. I avoided a drenching. Somebody is definitely looking out for me. The weather report doesn’t look much better over the next few days on the way to Springfield, MO. I’ve got 4 days to go 1300 miles & meet up with the woman I left 2 weeks ago. (I’ll never do that again!) In good weather, a 2-3 day trip. I’m hoping the scattered thunderstorms are scattered away from my route! I know some of you are leaving for Wing Ding tomorrow & Saturday. Be careful and have a safe trip. I have a suggestion for you…take a few minutes & read http://www.ironbutt.com/25tips.html It’s excellent advice. Linda reads me the e-mails all of you are sending every night and it really is fun hearing from you. I appreciate all of the words of encouragement. I’ll keep the travel journal up until I reach Springfield. Tomorrow…Western Georgia.
**Fri 6/25/99 Lake City, FL * 405 Miles/day * 7,544 Total Miles * 95°/ Sunny & PM Showers***
	I had hoped to be out of Florida today, but I didn’t make it. I’d covered almost 400 miles by 2:00 pm & was headed for Valdosta, GA, except the sky to the North was very black. At a gas stop, I asked about the weather & was told it was raining hard in Valdosta. So I wimped out and found the next Motel 6. As I write this, the sun is shining & I have yet to see a hard rain. Good thing I’m ahead of schedule…only 929 miles from Springfield & 3 days to do it. Piece of cake! For those of you who wonder about these things….7,364 miles total, 311.3 gallons of fuel, $272. About 35 mpg average & $1.29/gallon average. I’ve paid from $0.99/gallon to $1.39/gallon. Montana was the most expensive & So. Carolina the cheapest. I’ve paid anywhere from $27 to $90 for a motel room. Canada was more expensive than the U.S. since they didn’t have any Motel 6’s on my route. Today I rode just about the entire length of Florida from Florida City to Lake City. Florida has some of the best roads I’ve traveled on & their rest stops are well equipped, clean & comfortable. Best I’ve seen. But the climate!! How can anyone live in the heat & humidity? Oh! And let’s not forget to mention the BUGS! I had a couple of close encounters with mosquitoes when I was packing this morning (5 to be exact). Did I mention that I ran over a crab on my trip through the Keys yesterday? I tried to miss the little bugger, but he zigged when he should have zagged. Crunch!! I’ve told you about the signs for deer, elk, and moose. Well, today I passed signs warning "Bear Crossing Next 12 Miles". No, I didn’t see any. This morning was a good ride, North on US 27 up through central Florida, the Everglades and past Lake Okeechobee. Little traffic, good weather (for Florida), lots of water, some airboats, fisherman. I hope tomorrow is as nice.
**Sat 6/26/99 Tupelo, Mississippi * 587 Miles/day * 8,131 Total Miles * 90°/ Showers***
	When I started this trip, I planned on being in Springfield on Wednesday. Then Dyer decided to arrive on Tuesday so I moved up 1 day to meet him & have ice cream with Ron Tolson. Then I got even more ahead of myself and saw that I could make it by Monday. The long suffering wife changed her flight plans a second time. Last night, in Florida, we realized I was only 900 miles from Springfield & could be there on Sunday, weather & certain portions of my anatomy permitting. With respect to the weather, let me just tell you that the Southeast US has been plagued with rain & thunderstorms ever since I hit Florida 3 days ago. I figured if I could get past Birmingham, I could get there Sunday. So I changed my route a little & headed North to Atlanta, where it looked clearer than my previous route. The weather Gods smiled on me all morning & I navigated several interstates to clear Atlanta by 11 am. Then my luck ran out. For the next 6 hours, I had rain shower after rain shower every 20-30 minutes. I figured out, though, that if I just hunkered down for a couple of minutes that I’d ride out of it. Didn’t even need a rain suit! I made it to Tupelo, Mississippi, almost 600 miles and I’m now less than 350 miles from Springfield where my wife arrives tomorrow night @ 9:30 pm. Oh, Happy Day! It was really a good ride today other than the congestion in Atlanta & Birmingham. Georgia has pecans, nude roadside cafes, & fast trucks; Alabama has thick woods, interesting towns & fast trucks. There were plenty of LEO’s (law enforcement officers) in GA & AL & do you think they stopped ONE 18-wheeler? Since my scribe will be flying out tomorrow, this is my last daily update. We’ll be home on July 10^th & I’ll post one final chapter then. This ride has been something I’ve wanted to do since Tom Switzer & I rode around Ohio & Pennsylvania in the 50‘s on his dad’s Harley. It’s been quite an adventure for me & I’m a lucky man to have a wife who encouraged me from the start & friends & family who encouraged me & prayed for me all along the way. I was riding solo, but I never rode alone. See ya soon. Paul
**Sun 6/27/99 Springfield, Missouri * 400 Miles/day * 8,500 Total Miles * 90°/ Showers***
	I arrived in in Springfield after an easy ride through Mississippi and Memphis, TN. (No, didn't see Elvis) and then onto route 63 through Northeast Arkansas. That was a very scenic ride, through the hills and forests of that state. Ran into a whole bunch of wingers visiting the old town of Hoxie. I checked into our motel and began the wait until it was time to pick up Linda at the airport. Not long after I arrived, there was a call. She was still in Denver and would be at least 2 hours late getting in! So I waited. Another call 2 hours later and they were just boarding. She expected to be in about midnight. She finally got in about 11:30 PM. Since I'd been on the motorcycle for 18 days straight, we decided a rental car was in order. The next day, Monday, we drove to Branson, MO, toured the town and saw a show, Legends in Concert. Not bad, but there are better. We spent the night in Branson at the Cascade Motel and on Tuesday morning, walked into the lounge for our continental breakfast. I heard, "Why, Mr. Fenton! What are you doing here?" I looked around and it was Sandi Faulkner! She and Bob had got in last night with the Wares! We had a nice breakfast and they took off for town while we headed back to Springfield to check in to our hotel, register for Wing Ding and give the bike a much needed bath. We met up with some CA1R folks at the Fairgrounds and that night had ice cream with Ron Tolson and others and then on to Bass Pro Shops massive store in Springfield. What a place! If you hunt or fish or camp or travel and you can't find it here, trust me, you don't need it. They have everything. Including personal walkie-talkies that the Elliotts and Lesers just HAD to have to match the ones Linda and I use. Dinner was at the Catfish House. Wednesday was opening ceremonies and after a polite interval of listening to the speeches, we headed for the vendors. There were plenty and money changed hands rapidly. The rest of Wing Ding was predictable, bike show, skills, drill teams and talent. We did the Sheets Family, but didn't win. The one significant event was the rain storm on Thursday morning. Significant rain and wind. So hard in fact, that they turned on the tornado sirens and closed up the exhibit halls with us inside suggesting that we just relax and wait it out and continue to shop, but stay away from the windows. This was one bad storm, with some major winds, but it passed in about an hour. Lots of wet bikes in the parking lot.
**Sat 7/3/99 Dodge City, Kansas * 435 Miles/day * 9,071 Total Miles * 90°/WIND!***
	The ride out of Missouri and across Kansas with the Dyers was something else. We were headed due West through Joplin and Wichita on US 400 in a steady southwest wind blowing about 25-30 mph with gusts to 40. All day. It never stopped. Now I know lots of people aren't bothered by wind, but I hate it worse than any other riding condition. We were leaned to the left constantly and when the trucks would whiz by, going the other way, it was a real thrill. And when we passed the grain elevators on our left, the wind currents and eddies around those things made for some great slalom riding. By the time we got to Dodge City, my co-rider was exhausted and ready to hop a plane for home the next morning. I convinced her it would get better as soon as we got out of Kansas and into Colorado. Sure enough, not long after we crossed the border and started up that long gradual slope of the Eastern Rockies, the wind diminished.
**Sun 7/4/99 Colorado Springs, Colorado * 491 Miles/day * 9,562 Total Miles * 90°/Sunny & clear.***
	Today was a beautiful riding day. Warm, clear and sunny and across the eastern slope of Colorado to Colorado Springs to the Alikar Resort. We had a Jacuzzi and took a cab to the Red Lobster, then watched fireworks from the street.
**Mon 7/5/99 Estes Park, Colorado * 149 Miles/day * 9,562 Total Miles * 85-90°/Sunny & clear.***
	Today we rode to Estes Park to Barbara's Bed and Breakfast. It's about 7,800 feet up in the Rockies, but let me tell you, that last 100 feet to the B & B was a B****! Dyer was leading and we were looking for the street to turn left on. He missed it, but I saw it and made the turn. A winding, narrow road up a VERY steep hill and I just stopped in what looked like a logical place to park. Except that the bike was on at least a 15 degree grade, pointing up. Dyer came roaring up the hill, right past me to the B&B and took a left into their LEVEL parking space, which he forgot to tell ME about! Now I have to get up there. With the trailer. It wasn't pretty, but I made it without dumping the thing. So we park the bikes and go check the place out. Sandy Dyer outdid herself with this one. It's great! While the others were looking around, I went out to check the bikes and noticed that my kickstand was slowly burying itself in the asphalt. I got on the bike to straighten it up. Uh Uh... No way. Too far over and slooooowly sinking. RICK! He says "Yeah?" I said, "I could use some help here!" By the time he got out there, the veins on my forehead were popping and the ticker was hammering as I struggled to keep the thing from going over. We got a foot under mine, then rescued his which was on the verge of going over. We walked down the hill to town, to a wonderful Italian dinner at Mama Rosa's, where the maitre 'd looked like a Mafioso from Chicago. Actually, he was from Chicago. You could tell by his clothes. Ay! While in Estes Park, we looked in the phone book for the former President of Cal Fed Bank where Linda and I used to work, whom we knew had retired to Colorado. We found a listing and I called and it was him, so we invited him to join us for a drink. That was pretty nice seeing Bill Callender again. And Bill, thank you for treating us to dinner!
**Tue 7/6/99 Vail, Colorado * 387 Miles/day * 90°/Sunny & clear.***
	Rode through the Rocky Mountain National Park over the highest paved road in the USA, 12,183 feet up! What an incredible ride! Dyer led the way, (acrophobia, remember?) and I hugged the center line, peeking at the beautiful scenery on the way. It was awesome. Lots of stops for photo ops, herds of elk, snow and just the most beautiful country I've seen on my trip. I don't have the words to describe it. We made it into Vail just as the rain started again and didn't get to see much of the sights. Had a good dinner at the Chart House. Good food, but bring your bank book.
**Wed 7/7/99 Durango, Colorado * 387 Miles/day * 10,074 Total Miles * 80-90°/Partly cloudy***
	We rode through Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, then turned south on US 550 through Montrose, Ourey, Telluride, and stopped in Silverton to play tourist for a couple hours. Then on to Durango where we stayed at the house of a friend of the Dyer's. You should have Rick tell you about this place. The guy built it himself and it's very impressive. The ride wasn't supposed to be the scenic route, but I'm convinced that every route in CO is a scenic route. This road was almost as beautiful a ride as the previous day. The next morning, we were up early, packed up and headed for breakfast and our RIVER RAFTING TRIP! Yep, we went whitewater rafting. Well, a little bit of white water. It was a gas! The ride was about 90 minutes down the Animus River through Durango and was just enough to give everyone a thrill and get us all plenty wet. Especially when the Dyer's dumped buckets of water on everyone.
**Thu 7/8/99 Sedona, Arizona * 344 Miles/day * 10,418 Total Miles * Hot/showers.***
	More rain on the way to Sedona. We put on rainsuits, stopped for lunch at the Ute Mountain Casino where Dyer found time to win some $$$ in the slot machines, then continued south in the heat. Since we left Durango so late, we were real late getting into our B&B in Sedona, but again, Sandy came through and found us a gem. Our host was kind enough to lend us a car to go into town for dinner at Dylan's. If you can't find something you like on their menu, you belong at McDonald's. The rooms at our B&B were great, but Sandy, about that gravel driveway... Up the next morning for breakfast, a quick orientation about the sights to see and we were off, again in our host's van, to see the rocks, mesas, mountains, shops and the incredible art in that town. I wish we had a few thousand dollars and U-Haul truck. Linda and I decided to spend another night in Sedona and so we said a sad goodbye to the Dyer's that afternoon. We did some more sightseeing and had the best Italian dinner I've ever had at a place called Dahl & DeLuca's. But again, bring your bankbook. Everything in this town is expensive.
**Sat 7/10/99 Kingman, Arizona * 204 Miles/day * 10,622 Total Miles * 80's/Electrical storms, heavy rain, hail.***
	We left Sedona late, not quite feeling 100% (too much vino) and headed north toward Flagstaff. The plan was to ride to Laughlin for the night then home on Sunday. We never made Laughlin. Just outside of Flagstaff, we got dumped on pretty good and were wet when we were able to pull off to get into our rainsuits. We got back on the road, heading west in I-40 and watching the black clouds dump rain up ahead. We hit a few storms, not too bad and were able to just ride through them. But just outside of Seligman, our luck ran out. The temperature dropped 25 degrees in about 10 minutes, it got very dark and it came down in torrents. With thunder, lightening, wind and hail. It was so bad, even the cars were pulling off onto the shoulder. Visibility was a few feet. There was nothing to do but pull off with everyone else and hunker down and wait there on the bike while it poured on us. There was no shelter at all. Thank goodness the hail was small. As we sat there, I was watching the gulch to my right as the hail and water ran down the hill and slowly crept up to the level of the road. It was pretty obvious this piece of road was going to be flooded soon and when the water reached my right foot, I cranked it up and crept up the shoulder about 20 yards to higher ground. Of course, the trucks never stopped and were roaring past us as we sat there. Between them and the thunder and lightening all around, let's say I was a bit worried. Linda was terrified, but assured me she was "fine". It finally eased a bit and I decided we had to get the heck out of there, so I found a clear spot and got back on the road. Fortunately, about 2 miles further on, there was an off ramp and a gas station and store. We parked it. At the store, we ran into a guy and his lady friend from Thousand Oaks, CA. They were on a 1953 Indian that he'd restored and were riding across the country, more or less following old Route 66. They'd left the previous day and she was already complaining about riding on the back of that bike. It was a beautiful bike, immaculately restored, but I don't know about taking it on that kind of trip. We bid them good luck, decided between ourselves that she'd be on a plane home in 2 days, and headed out for Laughlin. In the rain. By the time we hit Kingman, we'd had it. The weather had beaten us, so we took the first major offramp and found a Comfort Inn for the night. Jacuzzi, hot bath, a pizza delivery, and early to bed.
**Sun 7/11/99 Home * 328 Miles/day * 10,950 Total Miles * High 90's/cloudy***
	The ride from Kingman was uneventful. Just another jaunt through the desert, but this time, we weren't looking for a motel. We got home about 1:30 and when I pulled in the driveway and turned off the ignition, I just sat there for a minute, realizing that I'd done it. Safely, on my own (mostly), and feeling very, very good. I turned to Linda and said, "I did it." And it felt good. Several people have asked me if I'd do it again. I might. It wasn't the ride or the distance ridden or the long miles in the saddle. It was the longest time I've been away from home and my loved ones since I was in the Army 33 years ago and I didn't like that. If to do it again, we'd arrange for her to meet me someplace in the middle maybe and ride along for a few days. 18 days without my honey is too long. J What would I do differently? First, I'd make sure that I rode at least 5 miles off the interstate to find a place to eat. I wish I'd spent more time seeing the real folks in this country, not the ones catering to the tourists on the interstate. I'd take more pictures. I thought I was smart taking my big 35 mm camera with the 28-300 mm zoom lens to cover all possibilities. It did, but it was in the trunk, so I had to stop, get off, unplug, dig it out, take off lens cap, take picture, put it back, plug in, get on, and go. I'd have done better with a small automatic camera I could have carried in my tank bag. Once again, thanks to all for your prayers and words of encouragement. And a special thanks to my co-rider who not only tolerated my doing this trip but encouraged me from the beginning and who rode the last 2,314 miles with me without complaining. She's a gem.

Paul Fenton's Four Corners USA Tour

Daily Travel Journal