My wife and I had a journey of epic proportion planned for this year. There were so many way points that it was a real struggle to get everything to line up . We were going to sort of blow through the 75th running of Sturgis for the obligatory event t-shirt ,then go on a jaw dropping adventure beyond The Black Hills. I wanted to take her across Beartooth, to Yellowstone, then Moab,UT then across hwy 50, (the loneliest highway) to Carson City (Lake Tahoe), then up and across California to Eureka to see The Redwood Forest , then PCH down to San Fran' across Golden Gate Bridge, from there, cross Yosemite then south to Simi Valley to visit Ronald Reagan's Presidential Library ( I have wanted to pay my respects ever since his passing) Then over to Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon , a novelty stop at "the corner in Winslow,AZ" , to Madrid (Wild Hogs!). Then possibly a stop in Arp,TX to visit my father in law, then back to base-camp aka Sand Rock, AL.
I had to breathe in after typing that. It was a 6,732 mile dream ride. Then reality set in and we wouldn't have the funds for such an adventure. Back burner, reboot that trip for 2016, Lord willing! Not only did we not have the funds, my 16 year old son had to register for school and Kay felt she needed to stay behind and ensure that process went smoothly. She also felt if she didn't encourage me to go that I would pout for a year, woe is me. She was probably right, ok, she was definitely right. I most assuredly thought it was the end of the world if I didn't make the 75th anniversary of Sturgis so she took one for the team (again). I love her!
This is when the idea for a next level budget trip was born. I had done a similar thrifty themed trip in 2012 but knew I could do better , trim even more gristle , go lean or go (stay) home, ride poor or stay on the porch. In 2012, I brought my food; a variety of canned soup with , no opener needed, pop-top lids, instant oatmeal and instant coffee, a one eye burner and bottle of gas to heat the water needed for said coffee and oatmeal. Throw in a spoon and you got yourself a week of sustenance. I use the word sustenance in the most basic sense of the word.
In 2012, I camped to save on lodging (and because I love camping.) No park entry fees this time, since Kay wasn't with me and I have seen all the major national park attractions associated with Sturgis multiple times anyway.
In 2012, I had a filtered water bottle that I topped off at each gas stop. I am still using that filter bottle system. I can't remember the last time I paid for water. It's been years. I would bring a few extra bottles of water on this trip just in case.
So, I utilized these techniques last time. How could I improve? I was already addressing the variables that I had control over, food and lodging. Those variables were seemingly tapped out. What's left but to look at the "constants" or fixed expense, aka gas. I had always assumed that gas expense was what it was, a necessary evil so, I never considered it? The more I thought about it, I can positively affect gas expense by changing my riding style/habits. Riding deliberately slower (which took a measure of discipline) would yield savings in not only money but time as well. Yes, if I drive "slower" (by slower , I mean, the speed limit) I can get their and back again cheaper AND faster! By faster , I mean that if I ride more efficiently , I could achieve greater range. Being able to ride farther on the same gas would translate to less stops. Stops are what kill your time so I actually did cover ground faster by going slower.
A great byproduct of this strategy was that I didn't have to ride in fear of the radar. Hovering near the posted speed limits gave me a great peace. I have a habit of speeding and every time I would see an LEO, my heart rate would shoot UP in proportion to the speedo needle sharply coming DOWN , but on this trip, I would see one and have that initial ingrained panic but I quickly calmed it each time. I would tell myself 'who cares, I'm a law abiding citizen this time.' haha!
So I had the bike prepped. It was the morning of August 1st, 2015. I had breakfast with my wife and I hit the road. The sun was coming up as I passed the exit ramp to my place of employment . Everyday my bike (I) want to keep driving past that exit ramp. That day I did. I didn't feel free until that point. Subconsciously, until I got past that exit , it just felt like I was going to work.
So I Had planned to meet my friend Adam in Stone State Park in Iowa. I rode steady all day and night. Going through Missouri, construction held up my progress more than anywhere else on this whole trip. You know, years ago, the interstate system by design and intention was the fastest, most direct, uninhibited way to travel. Not so much anymore. From my experience, the last few years, it is very difficult and frustrating to get anywhere by interstate.
It rained on me 3 times going across Missouri. This time, I went across a new bridge in
St Louis, slightly bypassing the Arch, to my left, I could see the Gateway Arch just south of this bridge. I love bridge architecture, suspension and metal truss bridges, not the BORING concrete bridges that are replacing landmark metal truss bridges everywhere these days. Below are a couple of examples of bridges I thought were cool.
It rained on me 3 times going across Missouri. This time, I went across a new bridge in
St Louis, slightly bypassing the Arch, to my left, I could see the Gateway Arch just south of this bridge. I love bridge architecture, suspension and metal truss bridges, not the BORING concrete bridges that are replacing landmark metal truss bridges everywhere these days. Below are a couple of examples of bridges I thought were cool.
I pulled my phone out to take a better picture of the first suspension bridge and suddenly I heard a car horn. I looked over and there were 2 young guys in an old beater car , probably in their twenties, one had dreadlocks , they both had colorful
Bob Marley-ish boggins on. They were both staring at me and the passenger starts shaking his head at me to tell me "no". They thought I was going to text while piloting the Vision! Now, the Vision does pretty much drive itself but I'm still not going to text and ride a motorcycle. Pointing it at something and pressing a button taking a photo is much less involved and by my assessment , relatively safe. Instead of arguing with the guys or trying to make them understand through 65mph charades that I just wanted a picture of their bridge, I just laughed and gave them a thumbs up. They returned the thumbs up. To see guys so young and when I factored in their appearance, I was so surprised at their awareness and how they were being socially responsible , that I was obliged to honor their wishes so, I put my camera (phone) away. Some might return their gesture with attitude, it had the opposite affect on me, it made me proud to see people care about safety, especially young people. So, I apologize for not having a closer picture of the first bridge, it was impressive!
Turning north on I-29, the clouds began to part and I enjoyed a magnificent sunset!
Bob Marley-ish boggins on. They were both staring at me and the passenger starts shaking his head at me to tell me "no". They thought I was going to text while piloting the Vision! Now, the Vision does pretty much drive itself but I'm still not going to text and ride a motorcycle. Pointing it at something and pressing a button taking a photo is much less involved and by my assessment , relatively safe. Instead of arguing with the guys or trying to make them understand through 65mph charades that I just wanted a picture of their bridge, I just laughed and gave them a thumbs up. They returned the thumbs up. To see guys so young and when I factored in their appearance, I was so surprised at their awareness and how they were being socially responsible , that I was obliged to honor their wishes so, I put my camera (phone) away. Some might return their gesture with attitude, it had the opposite affect on me, it made me proud to see people care about safety, especially young people. So, I apologize for not having a closer picture of the first bridge, it was impressive!
Turning north on I-29, the clouds began to part and I enjoyed a magnificent sunset!
I rode on through the night. Made it to Council Bluffs,Iowa and stopped for gas. As I was walking in to pay for my gas, This man stopped me and asked if the store across the street sold "hard liquor" (his words). It struck me funny, you just don't get asked that every day, actually I think that's a first. He was a pretty rough looking character. Anyway, I told him I didn't know. When I came out, a guy walked across a 4 lane just to ask me about my bike. He had a hyabusa . He said he had one of the early models before they governed them down to make them semi-insurable. He was getting older and beginning to look at bikes like the Vision. I told him how I loved it , I don't know how many times I have delivered the sales pitch but I know it's about a million . I never tire of talking about this bike.
Time to saddle up. This tank would get me to the campground where my friend was staying . I took one last look at my sticky note GPS while under the gas station canopy lights. I get into Sioux City and find every turn fairly easy. Then I come to the next turn that I am supposed to travel for 3 miles. To my surprise, it's dirt. Fairly well groomed dirt but still dirt . I would end up riding more miles of dirt roads on this one trip than all other dirt roads combined since I have owned the Vision. For the record, I DO NOT like dirt riding on the Vision. (Dirt roads later in the adventure get much worse.) So I come out to pavement where the state park is supposed to be. I did not encounter one sign advertising the park. So I wandered around in the dark and decided I would just have to find a place to stealth camp. I pull over and look around. It's about midnight. My Vision lights are shining on some stone pillars beside the road. I thought "that's got to be it." Sure enough, it leads to the camping area. I pull in quietly as possible and park at the top of a hill. I call Adam and it goes to voicemail. Adam and all his friends have AT&T carrier. All of them struggled to have signal at different times on this trip. The campground was one of those places but he was able to see that I called and send a text. I quietly walk down to the gate and do the self check in holding a flashlight with my teeth , fill out registration, put my $11 in the envelope and shove it through the slot in the lock box. Adam's text tells me what lot they are on. I decided not to fire the Vision up again so I wouldn't be a disturbance to others. I was parked in a good spot , it was probably close to 1 a.m. Kay and I had bought an Ozark instant tent in anticipation of our big trip (that we had to postpone) so that we could put it up quickly and easily in the dark after riding all day and to avoid (hypothetically, don't ask me how I know) being tired and irritable from trying to feed tent poles through the sleeves in the dark. Anyway, even though it boasted of 60 second set up time, I knew I would be up at first light so with only a few hours of anticipated sleep I opted to not set up camp and just roll my sleeping bag out on the picnic table top. I could see the moon through the trees. I was thanking God for safe travel for my view as I fell asleep. There was a hoot owl calling very close to me. The next morning, I would find out that the other guys heard it, I think it bothered them but listening to the owl was a lullaby for me. I slept only 5 hours or so but it was good sleep. I had gone a little over 1,000 miles in about 18 hours. Easily qualified for another ironbutt saddlesore 1000 but the $35 fee for the certificate did not coincide with the theme of this trip which was to see how minimal I could go. I would do another ironbutt on the return route. I've done several unregistered Ironbutt rides. I don't feel the need to file and pay for the certification on every one .
Time to saddle up. This tank would get me to the campground where my friend was staying . I took one last look at my sticky note GPS while under the gas station canopy lights. I get into Sioux City and find every turn fairly easy. Then I come to the next turn that I am supposed to travel for 3 miles. To my surprise, it's dirt. Fairly well groomed dirt but still dirt . I would end up riding more miles of dirt roads on this one trip than all other dirt roads combined since I have owned the Vision. For the record, I DO NOT like dirt riding on the Vision. (Dirt roads later in the adventure get much worse.) So I come out to pavement where the state park is supposed to be. I did not encounter one sign advertising the park. So I wandered around in the dark and decided I would just have to find a place to stealth camp. I pull over and look around. It's about midnight. My Vision lights are shining on some stone pillars beside the road. I thought "that's got to be it." Sure enough, it leads to the camping area. I pull in quietly as possible and park at the top of a hill. I call Adam and it goes to voicemail. Adam and all his friends have AT&T carrier. All of them struggled to have signal at different times on this trip. The campground was one of those places but he was able to see that I called and send a text. I quietly walk down to the gate and do the self check in holding a flashlight with my teeth , fill out registration, put my $11 in the envelope and shove it through the slot in the lock box. Adam's text tells me what lot they are on. I decided not to fire the Vision up again so I wouldn't be a disturbance to others. I was parked in a good spot , it was probably close to 1 a.m. Kay and I had bought an Ozark instant tent in anticipation of our big trip (that we had to postpone) so that we could put it up quickly and easily in the dark after riding all day and to avoid (hypothetically, don't ask me how I know) being tired and irritable from trying to feed tent poles through the sleeves in the dark. Anyway, even though it boasted of 60 second set up time, I knew I would be up at first light so with only a few hours of anticipated sleep I opted to not set up camp and just roll my sleeping bag out on the picnic table top. I could see the moon through the trees. I was thanking God for safe travel for my view as I fell asleep. There was a hoot owl calling very close to me. The next morning, I would find out that the other guys heard it, I think it bothered them but listening to the owl was a lullaby for me. I slept only 5 hours or so but it was good sleep. I had gone a little over 1,000 miles in about 18 hours. Easily qualified for another ironbutt saddlesore 1000 but the $35 fee for the certificate did not coincide with the theme of this trip which was to see how minimal I could go. I would do another ironbutt on the return route. I've done several unregistered Ironbutt rides. I don't feel the need to file and pay for the certification on every one .
So we get up the next morning, (Sunday August 2nd) I hit the shower house, have my instant oatmeal, instant coffee and ride over to where Adam is. I meet his wife Kimberley, and his friends Jesse, Steven and Michael. Jesse had a hard case strapped to the back of his bike. It was pretty long and stuck out over the sides of the bike. I asked him if he brought a high powered rifle to hunt buffalo. He laughed and told me that he had brought his golf clubs. He had a goal to play golf in every state. After Sturgis, he planned to farther west and play some golf in places he hadn't been. Adam and Kimberley have a Timeout Camper so they camp in style. After we said our good mornings, we headed out. Adam had suggested taking Nebraska across instead of I-29. That was fine with me . I had never been that way. It was nice way to go, all two lane back country.
We made one stop and I didn't need gas yet so I pulled up beside the building. There was a window there and it suddenly slid open. There were to old guys sitting inside the attached dining area asking me all manner of questions about the Vision. The guy doing all the asking said his dentist had one so he knew some details about it that most laymen wouldn't know. I happily went through the spill again.
We left there and the next stop it was about lunch so everyone bought something to eat from the service station and we sat down against the building outside to eat. I pulled a can of soup out of my saddle bag. There was another Vision rider there I spoke to for a while. I saw more Visions on this trip than ever. Time to saddle up.
It was very slow going. I wasn't used to the slower pace of the back roads. It took all day to get to sage creek campground located in the Badlands National Park. Not many miles to show for the day , about 350 but multiple 700 mile days is not what this trip was about.
Sage Creek was a campground I was excited about, mostly because Adam said it was free. Some of the reviews reported Buffalo actually walking right through the campsite. We got to a gas station just a few miles away from Sage Creek. There was a huge line of bikes getting gas, I was hot and tired and I really didn't need gas so I told them I was going to go ahead and find the campground. I left the group and turned on to a road that i thought would lead me to the campground, it was another dirt road . Naturally , this close to the Badlands, the landscape was prairie and their were cattle on either side of the road . I kept going until I actually came into The Badlands National park in a 'backdoor" kind of way. I really had no intention of being in the Badlands because I was avoiding park fees but where I came in , there was no way around it and there was also nowhere to pay. I just kept going until I got to Sage Creek Road. Guess what? Yep, the road was dirt, unlike my earlier experiences with the dirt, this one was ROUGH! And it was 12 miles!!!
I felt like it was shaking my Vision to pieces. It took forever to get to the campground. I could sometimes get up to 20 mph but that was top speed. I had a thought at one point, maybe if I went faster, it would smooth out. That would be a big negatory! I almost dumped it when I sped up. It was severe washboard conditions for all 12 miles. I saw one bull buffalo and a momma pronghorn with her two kids on the way in but I was so focused and tense on the road ahead that I paid it no attention so no photos. I had been on this road for half an hour when I finally flagged down a park ranger and asked if i was close to Sage Creek, she pointed down in the valley ( I was on top of a bluff) and said , "yep, it's right there." The dirt road kept going past the campground. I pointed and asked her if pavement was closer going that way, she told me it was actually about a mile longer. OH MY GOSH! I thought "never again." It was that bad , I was a little, ok, A LOT scarred from navigating that road (I have been home for weeks as of this writing and sometimes I still have this stray thought , I'll just be riding down the road and in my head, I will say "man ! I wish I hadn't taken that road", seriously. ) It was dusty. I think the speed limit was 55. I couldn't imagine anyone going that fast on the dirt. Then I see a tractor trailer coming at me. He is flying in a literal billowing cloud of dust. I just stop and wait for it. He blows by me and the dust finally clears enough to continue. I'm thinking "air filter service will be a must when I get home"( which I still haven't done). So, I finally get there and it looks like my crew has arrived a few minutes before me. They are a little flustered too, I am mentally and physically exhausted from this 12 miles of washboard dirt! I felt like I had been riding my bike down the middle of the train tracks! I pull in and yell at Adam jokingly (somewhat lol) , " I thought we were friends!" He smiled. I honestly don't think Adam minded the road conditions at all, everything just rolls off his back, that's just how he is, nothing really gets to him.
This campground was not free it cost blood, sweat, and prayers to get here . That's why they don't charge to camp, they know what you go through just to get here. Michael was pretty upset, I could tell by his language that he was scarred too lol. We all decided we were only riding that road once more and that was on the way out. Everyone used my phone to check in with loved ones. Verizon=2, AT&T= 0
Then this guy pulls in flying on his KTM dualsport standing on the pegs one hand holding his camera recording his approach and landing. I was coveting at this point. I wanted to ride his bike out of this place. His name was Kareem and he was from Canada. He had a thick french accent. I loved to listen to him. He was much younger, maybe late 20's . He had decided to take the summer off and travel solo all over North America. He was my hero. This bike of his was amazing . I had no idea the KTM 1190 Adventure was so technologically advanced. http://www.ktm.com/us/travel/1190-adventure/?color=ORANGE
He could set it for different riding conditions, disengage the anti lock brakes, just all sorts of stuff. I have a friend that has an I-phone and he had it "jailbroke" which means it has super powers now . You're apparently not supposed to do it. Well, Kareem explained to us that he had his KTM sort of "jailbroke" for lack of a better term. He plugged it into program somehow and it does more of everything better. When he turns it on , the LCD display blinks the word "caution" (in another language).
I would have to take a class to ride this bike, or so I thought. He kept insisting that I ride it. I refused him 3 times (but I really wanted to ride it) , He asked me a fourth time and I said "ok". It was so tall! I had him take it off the center stand and put it on the side stand. I got on and it and still could not reach the side stand to retract it. He had to do it for me and he still wanted me to ride it, I think he was more excited that I was riding it than I was, at least until I rode it, then I was plenty excited. I took off down the road and instantly felt confident. The bike could do anything and it made it's rider feel like he could do anything on it! That's how well engineered it was. After a little research , I found out it was 150 hp and only 507 lbs! Wow, talk about power to weight ratio. By comparison, my Vision is about 87 hp and 867 lbs. I pushed the KTM effortlessly over 50 mph on a road that I could only safely navigate my Vision at 20mph tops. The 1190 was smooth, never felt the first bump. It encouraged aggressive riding. I would goose the throttle on that dirt road and get the back end to drift, something I hadn't done in decades. I rode it that way without even thinking about it, squirreling the back end as if it was something that I do 50 times a day ! That's how inspiring the KTM is. Then I started entertaining the "what if's" , what if I wrecked his bike and he was a long way from Canada and planned on riding even farther away. I slowed down as I brought it back. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face! That thing was a hoot! I would love to have one someday but I just couldn't find an application for it, after all, I don't ride off road but maybe that's because I don't have that bike haha, funny how we can rationalize things. Back to the group for supper.
Thankfully, Adam had water and so did I , between the two of us, we had enough for everyone. I had several cans of soup and a bag of trail mix so we had enough to eat and stay hydrated until we could leave tomorrow. After supper, I made myself coffee and we sat around and talked as the sun went down . By the way , Steven was in his tent by 5 or 6 snoring (it was daylight!) and slept all the way through until the next morning!
I loved sitting around listening to everyone , getting to know them. We laughed and had good fellowship. there was an older couple camping near us (they were driving , not riding bikes). The gentleman approached and struck up conversation. He was doing a sort of bucket list thing. He was traveling all over. He was in his 80's . My first thought was good for you! They were tent camping at that age. People like that are what inspires me. They were still enjoying creation, not wearing grooves in their front porch decking with their rocking chairs.
We made one stop and I didn't need gas yet so I pulled up beside the building. There was a window there and it suddenly slid open. There were to old guys sitting inside the attached dining area asking me all manner of questions about the Vision. The guy doing all the asking said his dentist had one so he knew some details about it that most laymen wouldn't know. I happily went through the spill again.
We left there and the next stop it was about lunch so everyone bought something to eat from the service station and we sat down against the building outside to eat. I pulled a can of soup out of my saddle bag. There was another Vision rider there I spoke to for a while. I saw more Visions on this trip than ever. Time to saddle up.
It was very slow going. I wasn't used to the slower pace of the back roads. It took all day to get to sage creek campground located in the Badlands National Park. Not many miles to show for the day , about 350 but multiple 700 mile days is not what this trip was about.
Sage Creek was a campground I was excited about, mostly because Adam said it was free. Some of the reviews reported Buffalo actually walking right through the campsite. We got to a gas station just a few miles away from Sage Creek. There was a huge line of bikes getting gas, I was hot and tired and I really didn't need gas so I told them I was going to go ahead and find the campground. I left the group and turned on to a road that i thought would lead me to the campground, it was another dirt road . Naturally , this close to the Badlands, the landscape was prairie and their were cattle on either side of the road . I kept going until I actually came into The Badlands National park in a 'backdoor" kind of way. I really had no intention of being in the Badlands because I was avoiding park fees but where I came in , there was no way around it and there was also nowhere to pay. I just kept going until I got to Sage Creek Road. Guess what? Yep, the road was dirt, unlike my earlier experiences with the dirt, this one was ROUGH! And it was 12 miles!!!
I felt like it was shaking my Vision to pieces. It took forever to get to the campground. I could sometimes get up to 20 mph but that was top speed. I had a thought at one point, maybe if I went faster, it would smooth out. That would be a big negatory! I almost dumped it when I sped up. It was severe washboard conditions for all 12 miles. I saw one bull buffalo and a momma pronghorn with her two kids on the way in but I was so focused and tense on the road ahead that I paid it no attention so no photos. I had been on this road for half an hour when I finally flagged down a park ranger and asked if i was close to Sage Creek, she pointed down in the valley ( I was on top of a bluff) and said , "yep, it's right there." The dirt road kept going past the campground. I pointed and asked her if pavement was closer going that way, she told me it was actually about a mile longer. OH MY GOSH! I thought "never again." It was that bad , I was a little, ok, A LOT scarred from navigating that road (I have been home for weeks as of this writing and sometimes I still have this stray thought , I'll just be riding down the road and in my head, I will say "man ! I wish I hadn't taken that road", seriously. ) It was dusty. I think the speed limit was 55. I couldn't imagine anyone going that fast on the dirt. Then I see a tractor trailer coming at me. He is flying in a literal billowing cloud of dust. I just stop and wait for it. He blows by me and the dust finally clears enough to continue. I'm thinking "air filter service will be a must when I get home"( which I still haven't done). So, I finally get there and it looks like my crew has arrived a few minutes before me. They are a little flustered too, I am mentally and physically exhausted from this 12 miles of washboard dirt! I felt like I had been riding my bike down the middle of the train tracks! I pull in and yell at Adam jokingly (somewhat lol) , " I thought we were friends!" He smiled. I honestly don't think Adam minded the road conditions at all, everything just rolls off his back, that's just how he is, nothing really gets to him.
This campground was not free it cost blood, sweat, and prayers to get here . That's why they don't charge to camp, they know what you go through just to get here. Michael was pretty upset, I could tell by his language that he was scarred too lol. We all decided we were only riding that road once more and that was on the way out. Everyone used my phone to check in with loved ones. Verizon=2, AT&T= 0
Then this guy pulls in flying on his KTM dualsport standing on the pegs one hand holding his camera recording his approach and landing. I was coveting at this point. I wanted to ride his bike out of this place. His name was Kareem and he was from Canada. He had a thick french accent. I loved to listen to him. He was much younger, maybe late 20's . He had decided to take the summer off and travel solo all over North America. He was my hero. This bike of his was amazing . I had no idea the KTM 1190 Adventure was so technologically advanced. http://www.ktm.com/us/travel/1190-adventure/?color=ORANGE
He could set it for different riding conditions, disengage the anti lock brakes, just all sorts of stuff. I have a friend that has an I-phone and he had it "jailbroke" which means it has super powers now . You're apparently not supposed to do it. Well, Kareem explained to us that he had his KTM sort of "jailbroke" for lack of a better term. He plugged it into program somehow and it does more of everything better. When he turns it on , the LCD display blinks the word "caution" (in another language).
I would have to take a class to ride this bike, or so I thought. He kept insisting that I ride it. I refused him 3 times (but I really wanted to ride it) , He asked me a fourth time and I said "ok". It was so tall! I had him take it off the center stand and put it on the side stand. I got on and it and still could not reach the side stand to retract it. He had to do it for me and he still wanted me to ride it, I think he was more excited that I was riding it than I was, at least until I rode it, then I was plenty excited. I took off down the road and instantly felt confident. The bike could do anything and it made it's rider feel like he could do anything on it! That's how well engineered it was. After a little research , I found out it was 150 hp and only 507 lbs! Wow, talk about power to weight ratio. By comparison, my Vision is about 87 hp and 867 lbs. I pushed the KTM effortlessly over 50 mph on a road that I could only safely navigate my Vision at 20mph tops. The 1190 was smooth, never felt the first bump. It encouraged aggressive riding. I would goose the throttle on that dirt road and get the back end to drift, something I hadn't done in decades. I rode it that way without even thinking about it, squirreling the back end as if it was something that I do 50 times a day ! That's how inspiring the KTM is. Then I started entertaining the "what if's" , what if I wrecked his bike and he was a long way from Canada and planned on riding even farther away. I slowed down as I brought it back. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face! That thing was a hoot! I would love to have one someday but I just couldn't find an application for it, after all, I don't ride off road but maybe that's because I don't have that bike haha, funny how we can rationalize things. Back to the group for supper.
Thankfully, Adam had water and so did I , between the two of us, we had enough for everyone. I had several cans of soup and a bag of trail mix so we had enough to eat and stay hydrated until we could leave tomorrow. After supper, I made myself coffee and we sat around and talked as the sun went down . By the way , Steven was in his tent by 5 or 6 snoring (it was daylight!) and slept all the way through until the next morning!
I loved sitting around listening to everyone , getting to know them. We laughed and had good fellowship. there was an older couple camping near us (they were driving , not riding bikes). The gentleman approached and struck up conversation. He was doing a sort of bucket list thing. He was traveling all over. He was in his 80's . My first thought was good for you! They were tent camping at that age. People like that are what inspires me. They were still enjoying creation, not wearing grooves in their front porch decking with their rocking chairs.
There was also a couple on a Harley. Just looking at them, I could tell they had many miles on them. They were the real deal, real salt of the earth travelers . Adam struck up a conversation with the man.He was tall, very thin, gruff voice, the kind of guy that does all his own wrenching, he said he didn't trust anyone to work on his bike. He had over 400,000 miles on that bike! Actually, I believe it was closer to half a million. He said it had been built twice (understandably with that mileage). I might be skeptical of this mileage claim from some but , looking at this guy, I believed him. He had nothing to prove, nothing to gain, the kind of guy that didn't give a rip if you believed him or not. You are around this guy only a minute and you just respect him. He has literally "been everywhere man." I didn't get a pic of him.
Now it's Monday morning. We broke camp. From today forward I would have a separate campground than the rest of the crew. Adam, Kimberley and I were going to Wall Drug. The rest of the guys were going to ride the Badlands Loop. The plan was to meet them afterwards. First order of business was getting out of this place without dropping the bike. I was very anxious. I felt like riding this road was somehow going to do damage to my bike. We just took it really slow and took a slightly different (dirt) fork in the road that was supposed to be closer to pavement. We came to a point where I thought I could see pavement. I was hoping it wasn't a mirage. Sure enough, it was blessed tarmac! Adam stopped , I pulled up beside him and said " you guys want to take a pic of me kissing the road?" We all laughed. Adam extended his hand from the left handlebar grip and said "let's pray." I love this man. Being around him makes you want to be a better person. I grabbed his hand , Kimberley covered our hands with hers and we prayed and gave thanks for safety and pavement haha. I needed gas so we rode into the town of Wall and I filled up. A state trooper was on the other side of the pump. I said "excuse me." When he heard me, I noticed his body language and demeanor was very stand off-ish. Understandable, considering these turbulent times. A lot of abuse and violence being hurled at officers by our society these days . I said, " I just want to tell you that I appreciate what you do." I shook his hand and his stone face relaxed, he let his guard down and he thanked me. We then went to Wall. I love this place. http://www.walldrug.com/t-history.aspx
Adam and Kimberley had breakfast. I had a packaged survival food breakfast strudel at the campground so I just had coffee. Kay had found the survival food on clearance before I left home. They were pretty good. Coffee at Wall is a nickel, that's right , a nickel. I spent 15 cents on 3 cups of coffee. They had a box to put your nickel in and coffee was help yourself. After we finished , I did a little shopping, got a Wall Drug sticker for the Visionquest. I walked out to where we were parked and there was a guy, his wife and a friend in an RV asking about the Vision. We got to talking and he was a veteran from California that move to PA. He was sick of California, I overheard several conversations on this trip of disenchanted Californians. There was a huge drought and out of control wild fires , water rationing, all manner of natural catastrophes. Anyway, turns out, he served in the same place that Adam did. They talked for a while , he told us anytime we were in PA , we had a place to stay. Great guy.
Adam and Kimberley had breakfast. I had a packaged survival food breakfast strudel at the campground so I just had coffee. Kay had found the survival food on clearance before I left home. They were pretty good. Coffee at Wall is a nickel, that's right , a nickel. I spent 15 cents on 3 cups of coffee. They had a box to put your nickel in and coffee was help yourself. After we finished , I did a little shopping, got a Wall Drug sticker for the Visionquest. I walked out to where we were parked and there was a guy, his wife and a friend in an RV asking about the Vision. We got to talking and he was a veteran from California that move to PA. He was sick of California, I overheard several conversations on this trip of disenchanted Californians. There was a huge drought and out of control wild fires , water rationing, all manner of natural catastrophes. Anyway, turns out, he served in the same place that Adam did. They talked for a while , he told us anytime we were in PA , we had a place to stay. Great guy.
We hadn't reconnected with the other guys so we decided to go ahead toward Sturgis and they would catch up later. After a few miles on the interstate, Adam's speed dropped. I pulled up beside him and gave him the thumbs up as if to say "is everything ok?" He returned the thumbs up , thought the trailer was holding him back , so I motioned to him that i was going to go ahead and find my campground. So pulled ahead and didn't see them again. Before reaching the campground, I stopped at The Black Hills National cemetery. Very powerful and moving to see all those headstones in perfect rows and to read some of the names on the memorial wall.
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I did find my campground https://aftertheridecampground.com/. This was a place I was turned onto by Michel Magers, a fellow Vision rider and facebook friend that lives in Colorado. I got there and sent a group text to all the guys that I had arrived safely and then I left my phone to charge in the lodge . I checked in and set up camp. I like this place. It was $20 a night and the guy didn't have me register or anything. No paperwork to say who I was , where I was in the campground or how long I was staying. I just asked if he had any spots , he said "how many?" I said "one person , two nights." He said "how's $40 sound?" It was just an easy place to camp. Then I picked out a shady spot and set up camp. By the way, the tent really does set up in about 60 seconds!
An hour later I went back to check my phone. There was a message from Adam that he had broken down . He sent that message right after I sent the one notifying them of my arrival. I felt so bad that I didn't have my phone with me when he needed me. He had a wrecker on the way and they towed him to the nearest HD shop. His rear wheel bearing had failed and he would later discover a broken bracket, both I believe, products of Sage Creek road or as I call it; devil road! I found out after some inspection that a headlight (I have dual headlights) and a front amber marker light were shaken to failure on the devil road. So it was far from free, especially for Adam but, If you ever had to change a headlight bulb on the Vision, you know it's a nightmare, a procedure I think the ghost of Houdini or a Jedhi night designed. You have to have a hand the size of a 5 year old with 6 fingers, 2 thumbs and you must be double jointed and be able to do it blindfolded and the force must be with you.
With Adam's bike safe at the dealer and he and Kimberley camping nearby with a good samaritan vendor , I got on the bike and went into town. I walked up and down both sides of Lazelle Street, checked out some customs and bought some shirts. At one point , I was solicited to sign up for a chance to win a free motorcycle. The catch was I had to give them 3 minutes of my time to listen to a testimony. I love meeting with fellow believers and hearing their testimonies. My eternity is settled in Christ Jesus but I wanted to hear this man's testimony. As he went on , I found out he was a marine also. At some point in his life, he realized he was broken just like the rest of us and in need of a savior. Before he was finished , I was crying. This is Carol and Joel of Faith Riders. I asked them to remember a dear family in my community miraculously recovering from tragedy , the Thompsons. They have their entire Christian motorcycle club and church praying for Chad and his family now.
With Adam's bike safe at the dealer and he and Kimberley camping nearby with a good samaritan vendor , I got on the bike and went into town. I walked up and down both sides of Lazelle Street, checked out some customs and bought some shirts. At one point , I was solicited to sign up for a chance to win a free motorcycle. The catch was I had to give them 3 minutes of my time to listen to a testimony. I love meeting with fellow believers and hearing their testimonies. My eternity is settled in Christ Jesus but I wanted to hear this man's testimony. As he went on , I found out he was a marine also. At some point in his life, he realized he was broken just like the rest of us and in need of a savior. Before he was finished , I was crying. This is Carol and Joel of Faith Riders. I asked them to remember a dear family in my community miraculously recovering from tragedy , the Thompsons. They have their entire Christian motorcycle club and church praying for Chad and his family now.
It was too late in the day to to take in the Victory and Indian tents so I headed back to my campsite and had a can of soup, got my burner out and made coffee. I met some guys from Missouri . One of them had a C model Victory. In the interest of good relations , I refrained from telling them my disdain for traveling through Missouri. Very nice guys. I didn't get a picture and for the life of me can no longer recall their names. I also met a guy Irvan and his two sons , Ivan and Clark. I really enjoyed talking to them. They were from Gallop , New Mexico. I had my "Victory in Jesus" shirt on and I was talking about my plans for the day ahead and Ivan pointed to my shirt and said "in the name of Jesus you will". So we had an instant bond , we were family , my new found brothers in Christ.
I called Kay as I did every night to tell her of the days events and tomorrows plans. I slept a little rough the first night. I usually had an air mattress that could compensate for any uneven ground but this time I bought a self inflating mat to try. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Stansport-Self-Inflating-Air-Mattress/23591251
It was wonderful, you just need to be on pretty even ground. The mat was much better than the air mattress in that when you got where you were going and you were tired and it was dark, you didn't have to dread pumping up an air mattress, you didn't even need to bring a pump or worry about batteries. The mat packed smaller too.
It's Tuesday, The only negatives to my campground was you always had to wait on a shower and at least one of the toilets stopped up daily. Not insurmountable issues, just minor annoyances . I texted Adam to see if they needed me to bring them breakfast since they had no way of going. They were taken care of . The Harley dealer actually replaced their wheel bearing the night before. The HD dealer must stand ready to assist around the clock during the Black Hills rally. I was impressed.
So, I was going for the free pancake breakfast and coffee at the The Buffalo Chip Campground or "Church at the Chip", provided by Son's Of Light Christian motorcycle club. It was a great ministry that a team of men and women were doing here. Mass producing pancakes on an assembly line for weary bikers, come one, come all. They had a table full of free pocket Bibles and other faith related literature, and trinkets. I also checked out the traveling Wall and the Field of Flags. It was a great tribute with Bear Butte in the backdrop.
It was wonderful, you just need to be on pretty even ground. The mat was much better than the air mattress in that when you got where you were going and you were tired and it was dark, you didn't have to dread pumping up an air mattress, you didn't even need to bring a pump or worry about batteries. The mat packed smaller too.
It's Tuesday, The only negatives to my campground was you always had to wait on a shower and at least one of the toilets stopped up daily. Not insurmountable issues, just minor annoyances . I texted Adam to see if they needed me to bring them breakfast since they had no way of going. They were taken care of . The Harley dealer actually replaced their wheel bearing the night before. The HD dealer must stand ready to assist around the clock during the Black Hills rally. I was impressed.
So, I was going for the free pancake breakfast and coffee at the The Buffalo Chip Campground or "Church at the Chip", provided by Son's Of Light Christian motorcycle club. It was a great ministry that a team of men and women were doing here. Mass producing pancakes on an assembly line for weary bikers, come one, come all. They had a table full of free pocket Bibles and other faith related literature, and trinkets. I also checked out the traveling Wall and the Field of Flags. It was a great tribute with Bear Butte in the backdrop.
The bike with the hoops below belonged to the guy with the horns. After a lot of head scratching, I decided not to ask him what they were for.
I was born on May 5th , 1968. Every name below died serving our country either on the day I was born or May 6th when I was 1 day old. Thankful for those who serve. I read every name and then said a prayer.
After pancakes, I rode down to Lazelle to check out the Victory and Indian tents. Victory had a pretty good display. They have a Blue and Black Vision for 2016 . I love this color combo because it reminds me of my 1999 KYSO (Knock You Socks Off) Black and Blue V92C (classic cruiser) . First a pic with the trunk removed and a pic with the trunk installed.
See how close it is to my '99 ( Ol' Blue)
I got my free commemorative pin .
Then I walked over to a display of a white Victory Cross Country. It belonged to a Swiss, Grisu Grizzly. He read a book by Nick Sanders, the record holder of the fastest circumnavigation of the entire planet and he wanted to beat it. And he did on this bike. The record was 19 days. Grisu did it on his Victory in 16 days! He is currently training to break another world record; riding across all continents of the world. The standing record is 120 days and 2 hours. He will attempt to break that beginning February 2016. Pretty amazing, if you get a chance click the link for the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyX1Lbf3yZw
They had some custom Slingshots on display too.
Victory owners got a free commemorative patch sewn on anything , sewing job also free. I know a woman that sews is a seamstress but is a guy a seamster? Anyway, the seamster did have a tip jar.
Then, I went over to the Indian tent. I was in line to register to win a free Indian motorcycle. They were giving away 5. They drew a name while I was still in line and the winner was standing there! She had signed up a couple of days ago and with only one entry, she won a free Indian Chief right in front of my eyes. She was a rider and had her own Harley. She had a harley shirt on and they gave her an Indian shirt to cover it up haha!
I checked out a few more Indian customs . Dirty Bird Custom here.
There was a Wall of Death show I wanted to see. It was free , sponsored by Indian Motorcycles. I have always been intrigued by this. It was a pretty good walk to the show. I got there and this old guy was standing in front of the show area talking to someone. I walked up , he noticed me and shook my hand and began pitching for his show. I assured him that I would attend his show because I had walked a mile to see it. he chuckled. Great guy , his name was Wally and he is from Walla Walla. He also told me had done time in "the Big House." I laughed, this guy was a character. He is 65 and is the oldest continually riding Death Rider in the world.
A few minutes later, they get up on the platform and make a lot of noise, to get peoples attention. They drew a good crowd and then opened the gate. You get to stand at the top of the 14 ft vertical wall. There were 3 riders. One of the other ones , Charlie, rides a late 20's model Indian Scout on this wall. It has a left hand throttle (easier to grab dollar bills going counter clockwise on the wall) and leaf spring front fork! I would crash and burn for sure. That old bike was just as trusty as any. He went round and round on that wall sometimes , Hands free, sometimes side saddle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSL_zEy2-mcYou gotta have nerve to do that. They had nerves of steel. One of the three had a mic in the bottom and would do the intros while the others did the riding. They shared that their job makes them pretty uninsurable and people began showering paper money down into the pit. They also would take your carefully folded lengthwise dollar bills from your hand at the top of the Wall as they passed by, THAT was cool!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k01qxyFjRwThat show was one of my favorite things! When it was over, I told Wally "that's the most fun I've had since I've been here!" He laughed and said "well that's the greatest compliment I've gotten since I've been here, thank you!" I got a picture with Charlie , the dark headed one, and he asked me where i was from. I told him Alabama and he said they will be in Leeds, AL at the Barber Motorcycle Museum and Motorsports Park in October. I would love to go see them again and take my family.
I walked around and saw a few customs that I thought were cool.
Check out the Armed Forces bike with the 10 exhaust pipes running along the frame down tube.
I believe , the first time I saw this bike was in 1996 , my first trip to Daytona Beach Bike Week. This guy has a great ministry, all the material is free. I grabbed a couple of bibles to give away.
I walked by this Lincoln. I wish I could buy it! my first car was a 1979 Mark V Lincoln Continental just like this. It looked to be in great shape! |
Had a great day, saw a lot of neat stuff. Time to head back to camp and relax. I really did enjoy having a slower pace, no agenda, I missed Kay though. These trips are great but so much better with someone to share it with. Can-o-soup and coffee on the Porch
I got up the next day, it's Wednesday now, the day of the Victory owners ride and dinner. The only event i really planned to attend. I have been attending the Victory Owner functions for several years now. I like being in such a big group of Victory riders. Some people avoid these, probably think they are lame but I love the folks, the camaraderie with people that all love the same thing I do , Victory motorcycles. I get a sense of community. It's kinda like church , but for Victory Motorcycle enthusiast.
So, I had some time on my hands until the event. the day before , I did Lazelle St. Today, Main Street. Equally impressive vendors and custom bikes.
So, I had some time on my hands until the event. the day before , I did Lazelle St. Today, Main Street. Equally impressive vendors and custom bikes.
I rested on this bench and made a phone call. The Lord had been bringing my friend Carl to mind. He was fighting cancer and I hadn't checked on him in a while. Thank you CMA for a place to take a load off and talk to an old friend.
Carl was doing well. It was good to talk to him. I got up and walked some more and my good friend Terry called . We were just chatting when Adam and Kimberley walked by! I couldn't believe it . We talked for a little while, we prayed and they walked on. It was good to see them again . I had to head over to the Sturgis Dragway for the Victory gathering.
A Cross Country pulled up in the Sturgis Dragway parking lot shortly after me and it turned out to be my friend Mike Dapper. Mike covers events for Victory. He is a photographer and journalist so he was very busy but it is always good to see him.
I hadn't been to a drag strip in over 30 years. I Didn't even know if I would enjoy it. Victory put on a first class show. You could take your personal bike out to the strip and race anyone. I was really surprised they did this with the potential danger and liability involved. I'm sure participants had to sign a waiver but it would be real "drag" if you had a wreck HAHA!
The Victory drag bike was FAST! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PrgxZPd2Cc
There were a couple of Vision there that pretty much whipped everything that wasn't a top fuel dragster. Enter the Super Vision: playing cat and mouse with the yellow conquest bike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D74FXhJO8GU
You can hear the chargers hiss when they rev in these videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqa1k4i0LjY
Then there was Super Daves Vision, wow, another fire breather. What caught my attention was it had Big D's custom luggage rack just like mine mounted on back. With the rack, It looked like his intention was to get some groceries but he took a wrong turn and ended up with his 2-wheeled station wagon on the dragstrip. He got respect from everyone just like Loyd's Super Vision. Super Dave was a super cool dude. He was from California. His grocery getter was a beast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-fpLOWCF9k
Then there was Super Daves Vision, wow, another fire breather. What caught my attention was it had Big D's custom luggage rack just like mine mounted on back. With the rack, It looked like his intention was to get some groceries but he took a wrong turn and ended up with his 2-wheeled station wagon on the dragstrip. He got respect from everyone just like Loyd's Super Vision. Super Dave was a super cool dude. He was from California. His grocery getter was a beast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-fpLOWCF9k
Lots of custom , heavily modified Victorys there. There were police Victorys doing low speed maneuvers , electric bikes burning rubber and everything in between. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU4p0SqrjTM
Electric bikes here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq2ZaJdfB8E
Victory Gunner show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCHpV6M-DqI
Well, besides having nowhere to get out of the heat (Victory provided unlimited free ice cold bottled water to everyone) I was able to put the question to bed as to whether or not I would enjoy the dragway experience. It was awesome!
Electric bikes here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq2ZaJdfB8E
Victory Gunner show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCHpV6M-DqI
Well, besides having nowhere to get out of the heat (Victory provided unlimited free ice cold bottled water to everyone) I was able to put the question to bed as to whether or not I would enjoy the dragway experience. It was awesome!
After the dragway festivities, we could choose to pick one of 3 rides Victory had mapped out. 2 of the 3 were guided. The one that wasn't went through down town Sturgis. Riding a high mileage bike, I didn't want to sit still in traffic as hot as it was. I chose the Belle Fourche ride. The Belle Fourche ride was guided by none other than the the guy that did the slow speed maneuvers on the cast aluminum frame bikes. Showcasing the superb handling of the Victory bikes, he held the mic with one hand while doing fluid figure 8's on the Vision or Cross Country. He never used the clutch. He said the key to control was keeping power to the rear wheel. It was an educational display. I have seen his shows and riding classes promoting the agility of Victory and it's police line of bikes for years so, I trusted that following him would be worry free. As we left the dragway, we turned left on hwy 79 passing by Bear Butte. It was beautiful. We then turned left onto hwy 212 which would take us to Belle Fourche. We were supposed to meet at a school, have our raffle tickets stamped and then ride back. It was about an 80 mile ride. The group ride leader couldn't find the school . He pulled into downtown Belle Fourche with all of us trailing. I don't know how many of us there were but it completely congested the intersection and gas station parking lot. He got off his bike and said to someone , "you know what we should have done , is ride this route before the group ride." I was thinking 'What!? That's Road Captain 101 right there." You always scout your ride route ahead of time. Anyway, that's where I finally met Stefani and Harry Thor Lord in person, Yes his real name is Thor Lord. Maybe the coolest name ever. We are friends on facebook and they just seem like awesome people to be around. If you don't find yourself laughing after being around Stefani, check your pulse... to see if you have one. She is funny!
So, after another wrong turn or two, we finally found the school, got our tickets stamped and headed back to the Buffalo Chip for the dinner and Victory Door Prizes. I was a little stressed at this point. We were late getting back, so I get there and have a text on my phone. It's from Michel. It read, that he had me a seat saved . the small gesture was such a comfort because the event has grown so that it's hard to get a seat at the dinner. I met his friend, now my friend Mark. I got in line for the cafeteria style food service. I just want to stop right here and say, the food was fantastic. You can go ahead and laugh but I vividly remember taking a bite of the potato salad and thinking "this is the best potato salad I have ever had in my life." You might say ," dude, it's potato salad." I know, I know, potato salad isn't normally something you celebrate. I don't know if I was just hungry or if the stress from getting lost caused me to crave comfort food or a combination. Maybe it was really that good, that's what I want to believe . It was all good to me. Anyway, as we ate and they recognized people and gave away stuff, I was REALLY hoping they would call my name during the Victory jacket giveaway. Michel has this jacket, it's called the Victory Attitude Jacket. http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/shop/apparel/mens-attitude-jacket/pid-2863204 I love this jacket. It has a removable hoody liner that can be worn separately , of course, armor, vents, it's just cool! Alas, I did not hear my name. Oh well, maybe next year. At the close of the dinner, they did something no one expected. Everyone at the event was offered free admission into the concert that night to see John Fogerty ! Here is my conundrum, I was going to begin the journey home after the dinner BUT IT'S JOHN FOGERTY! That's a once in a lifetime thing ( I kept telling myself). I asked several people when he would come on. I never got a solid answer. I called Kay and talked myself into sticking around for the concert. I decided I would just leave The next day , (Thursday). I walked over and stood in front of the stage.
So, after another wrong turn or two, we finally found the school, got our tickets stamped and headed back to the Buffalo Chip for the dinner and Victory Door Prizes. I was a little stressed at this point. We were late getting back, so I get there and have a text on my phone. It's from Michel. It read, that he had me a seat saved . the small gesture was such a comfort because the event has grown so that it's hard to get a seat at the dinner. I met his friend, now my friend Mark. I got in line for the cafeteria style food service. I just want to stop right here and say, the food was fantastic. You can go ahead and laugh but I vividly remember taking a bite of the potato salad and thinking "this is the best potato salad I have ever had in my life." You might say ," dude, it's potato salad." I know, I know, potato salad isn't normally something you celebrate. I don't know if I was just hungry or if the stress from getting lost caused me to crave comfort food or a combination. Maybe it was really that good, that's what I want to believe . It was all good to me. Anyway, as we ate and they recognized people and gave away stuff, I was REALLY hoping they would call my name during the Victory jacket giveaway. Michel has this jacket, it's called the Victory Attitude Jacket. http://www.victorymotorcycles.com/en-us/shop/apparel/mens-attitude-jacket/pid-2863204 I love this jacket. It has a removable hoody liner that can be worn separately , of course, armor, vents, it's just cool! Alas, I did not hear my name. Oh well, maybe next year. At the close of the dinner, they did something no one expected. Everyone at the event was offered free admission into the concert that night to see John Fogerty ! Here is my conundrum, I was going to begin the journey home after the dinner BUT IT'S JOHN FOGERTY! That's a once in a lifetime thing ( I kept telling myself). I asked several people when he would come on. I never got a solid answer. I called Kay and talked myself into sticking around for the concert. I decided I would just leave The next day , (Thursday). I walked over and stood in front of the stage.
People were zip lining overhead. That was pretty cool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c56cbMdReHw
A few minutes later, the opening band finishes and a guy gets on the mic and says there is a storm coming with possible high winds and hail but that it won't last long. I'm thinking, "great." So , I continue to wait , all the while , this little voice is building in me saying , 'You need to get back to the campground.' I look at the sky which is very threatening, I turn back to the stage. They are stalling and it becomes very annoying. Sponsors have girls come out half dressed and throw out free t-shirts and stuffed Geico Geckos . Grown men are diving, pushing to get these stuffed animals and biker attorney tee shirts. The girls on stage are moving and talking in an attempt to be seductive. I was just embarrassed for them. It was silly and I'm past all that. They are trying to appeal to the knuckle draggers and I'm sure some guys were entertained. I , on the other hand, was not.
By now, that still, small voice was not so still or small, yelling "leave!" The sky was giving me every warning and yet I just stood there. Then, it's like a switch flipped in me. I turned and starting walking to my bike, mildly panicked . I started out the Chip , no sooner had my tires hit the pavement and the rains and high winds set in! It was pretty bad. Every red light held me up. I made my way into Sturgis proper and turned left to get to the interstate. There was a huge exodus of single headlights coming out of Sturgis. Everyone was trying to get back to their lodging. I was being pelted in the eyes by rain and I couldn't figure out why. then I realized I had swapped my riding glasses for my readers back at the concert. It was stop and go getting to the interstate, raining sideways. I had to ride through a couple of blocks of residential to get on I-90. People were sitting on their porch watching me get thoroughly soaked. I almost pulled in and asked if I could sit under their porch with them until the rain passed. I finally did make it to the freeway and back to camp. I pulled straight up to the lodge where Irvan, Clark, and Ivan were. I kind of shocked myself when I just invited myself to sit with them. I had been through a little trauma and needed to decompress to other human beings. I was a real motormouth. The interesting part is that I knew I was talking too much but I had been by myself for much of this trip and I found myself a little lonely at times and in need of conversation and fellowship . They just found me funny. I am going to make an effort to get out west to see these guys, and Michel and Mark. I really enjoyed Michel and Mark too. We laughed a lot. They were all really easy to be friends with, just regular people. I'm a "regular people". I think there is a little "regular" in everyone, it's just easier to find in some , harder in others. One more funny thing I'll share about Michel, he confessed that he worried before we met, if he'd be able to understand me since I speak Alabama. HAHAHA!
So I got up the next day to leave, said goodbye to all my new friends and we gathered in a circle for prayer. I probably didn't leave until 9 or 10am. Everyone from home kept texting me to NOT ride all the way through. They knew me and knew I probably would. I had to jokingly reply to my mom and tell her she was not the boss of me. Many people pray over me and The Lord has always taken care of me.
I hadn't been on the road 20 minutes and traffic was completely stopped on I-90. Me and several other riders got off our bikes. Soon after, state police came by and told us to get on our bikes, that it was about to be clear. traffic did begin to move. As I got closer to the accident, their was a rider on his back beside the road. He was holding his shoulder while an EMT was attending to him. His facial grimace told me he was in extreme pain. On the other side of the road was an overturned cargo trailer still connected to it's SUV.
A few minutes later, the opening band finishes and a guy gets on the mic and says there is a storm coming with possible high winds and hail but that it won't last long. I'm thinking, "great." So , I continue to wait , all the while , this little voice is building in me saying , 'You need to get back to the campground.' I look at the sky which is very threatening, I turn back to the stage. They are stalling and it becomes very annoying. Sponsors have girls come out half dressed and throw out free t-shirts and stuffed Geico Geckos . Grown men are diving, pushing to get these stuffed animals and biker attorney tee shirts. The girls on stage are moving and talking in an attempt to be seductive. I was just embarrassed for them. It was silly and I'm past all that. They are trying to appeal to the knuckle draggers and I'm sure some guys were entertained. I , on the other hand, was not.
By now, that still, small voice was not so still or small, yelling "leave!" The sky was giving me every warning and yet I just stood there. Then, it's like a switch flipped in me. I turned and starting walking to my bike, mildly panicked . I started out the Chip , no sooner had my tires hit the pavement and the rains and high winds set in! It was pretty bad. Every red light held me up. I made my way into Sturgis proper and turned left to get to the interstate. There was a huge exodus of single headlights coming out of Sturgis. Everyone was trying to get back to their lodging. I was being pelted in the eyes by rain and I couldn't figure out why. then I realized I had swapped my riding glasses for my readers back at the concert. It was stop and go getting to the interstate, raining sideways. I had to ride through a couple of blocks of residential to get on I-90. People were sitting on their porch watching me get thoroughly soaked. I almost pulled in and asked if I could sit under their porch with them until the rain passed. I finally did make it to the freeway and back to camp. I pulled straight up to the lodge where Irvan, Clark, and Ivan were. I kind of shocked myself when I just invited myself to sit with them. I had been through a little trauma and needed to decompress to other human beings. I was a real motormouth. The interesting part is that I knew I was talking too much but I had been by myself for much of this trip and I found myself a little lonely at times and in need of conversation and fellowship . They just found me funny. I am going to make an effort to get out west to see these guys, and Michel and Mark. I really enjoyed Michel and Mark too. We laughed a lot. They were all really easy to be friends with, just regular people. I'm a "regular people". I think there is a little "regular" in everyone, it's just easier to find in some , harder in others. One more funny thing I'll share about Michel, he confessed that he worried before we met, if he'd be able to understand me since I speak Alabama. HAHAHA!
So I got up the next day to leave, said goodbye to all my new friends and we gathered in a circle for prayer. I probably didn't leave until 9 or 10am. Everyone from home kept texting me to NOT ride all the way through. They knew me and knew I probably would. I had to jokingly reply to my mom and tell her she was not the boss of me. Many people pray over me and The Lord has always taken care of me.
I hadn't been on the road 20 minutes and traffic was completely stopped on I-90. Me and several other riders got off our bikes. Soon after, state police came by and told us to get on our bikes, that it was about to be clear. traffic did begin to move. As I got closer to the accident, their was a rider on his back beside the road. He was holding his shoulder while an EMT was attending to him. His facial grimace told me he was in extreme pain. On the other side of the road was an overturned cargo trailer still connected to it's SUV.
The rest of the trip home was pretty uneventful with the exception of the accident in Missouri. It was dark by now and I was coming up on blue lights. As I got closer , there was all manor of debris in the road. I couldn't believe they were letting us through. I think the accident was still so fresh that they hadn't had time to clean or block off the road. As I passed under an overpass, a mangled car had apparently hit a utility van. The van was consumed in fire. I had only seen a car on fire like that from movies. It was surreal.
I got drowsy at one point and then Whitesnake 'Here I Go Again" came on. That was my theme song back in the day. I sang to the top of my lungs and was wide awake after that.
Every time I stopped for gas , I would check in with Kay, that was her rule. And, every time I had to argue that I still felt fine and I would responsibly pull over when I got tired. And I did get tired somewhere in Illinois. I pulled into a mega truck stop , backed my bike in a dark corner of their parking lot and put the cover on it. I decided I would sleep here, yes, on the bike. I had always wondered if I could and here was chance to prove it out. Kay laughed when I told her I was going to try sleeping on the Vision. It can do everything else, why can't it be my lodging? You can't beat the rates.
As I pulled up the skirt of the cover, I noticed people asleep in their vehicles on either side of me. I crawled up onto the bike, put my feet over the bars and the next thing I know, it's daylight. I check the time and it has been 1 hour 45 minutes since I last checked the time. I slept like a baby, yeah , it was just a power nap but it would serve to fuel me the rest of the way home.
As I pulled up the skirt of the cover, I noticed people asleep in their vehicles on either side of me. I crawled up onto the bike, put my feet over the bars and the next thing I know, it's daylight. I check the time and it has been 1 hour 45 minutes since I last checked the time. I slept like a baby, yeah , it was just a power nap but it would serve to fuel me the rest of the way home.
At one gas stop, the girls was letting her dog "take a break". When she put him down, his legs were so short , they would disappear in the grass. It looked like a hyperactive cotton ball.
I would make it home Friday evening. I covered 1,500 miles in about 29 hours, again, not a personal record for me but I was pleased.
After I had time to rest a few days and gather my records here are the numbers:
$242.82 gas
$131.70 misc/t-shirts
$71.00 lodging (that's not a typo)
$445.52 total trip expense BOOM!!!
6 nights, 7 days , 3,254 miles for $445.52!
Some will look at this ride report and pity me, don't . I had an amazing trip met and spent time with some amazing people. I prayed and sang on my bike. I saw some amazing country and didn't pay any entry fees to do it.
Again , the goal of this trip was to experience all these things and not cause financial burden. Success!
Some will look at this and say, " I'll do it when I have the money or time." Listen to me people, I got 3 words, JUST DO IT! Do not wait until you have money and/or time. If you're thinking you'll one day have thousands and thousands of dollars in disposable cash lying around, the odds are you will not. For 90% of the people that say they will wait until they have more money and/or more time "someday"; "someday" never comes and before you know it, you're too old or dead. Sorry, I know that's harsh but it's reality for many people.
This trip wasn't just about going on a budget, it wasn't about visiting national parks or landmarks. What I learned is that it was about people. Writing this , I was surprised at all the people I engaged while I was on this trip and the one common thread that ran through all our life tapestry was the motorcycle. I wouldn't have ever met any of the people in this report and countless others , if not for the motorcycle.
I met my dear friend, a Marine and Methodist pastor , Adam (Mcgyver) Speicher and his wife Kimberly because of the motorcycle.
I met his friends Steven, Michael, and Jesse because of the motorcycle.
I met Michel and Mark because of the motorcycle.
I met Irvan, Clark and Ivan King because of the motorcycle.
I met Mike Dapper, Stafani and Harry Thor Lord because of the motorcycle.
I met Kareem from Canada because of the motorcycle.
I met Carol and Joel of Faith Riders because of the motorcycle.
I met Wall of Death riders Wally and Charlie because of the motorcycle.
I met Super Dave from California because of the motorcycle.
I met strangers that walked across the street driven by curiosity because of the motorcycle.
And countless others on this trip and many past trips.
The motorcycle is more than transportation. It knocks down walls, it is the great equalizer. There are no race barriers, no socioeconomic barriers. It has truly enhanced my life to know these people and all the others over the years that the motorcycle has afforded me to meet. I thank God for the people that He brings into my life, even if it's just in a small way and for a time.
And, I thank God for the motorcycle.
After I had time to rest a few days and gather my records here are the numbers:
$242.82 gas
$131.70 misc/t-shirts
$71.00 lodging (that's not a typo)
$445.52 total trip expense BOOM!!!
6 nights, 7 days , 3,254 miles for $445.52!
Some will look at this ride report and pity me, don't . I had an amazing trip met and spent time with some amazing people. I prayed and sang on my bike. I saw some amazing country and didn't pay any entry fees to do it.
Again , the goal of this trip was to experience all these things and not cause financial burden. Success!
Some will look at this and say, " I'll do it when I have the money or time." Listen to me people, I got 3 words, JUST DO IT! Do not wait until you have money and/or time. If you're thinking you'll one day have thousands and thousands of dollars in disposable cash lying around, the odds are you will not. For 90% of the people that say they will wait until they have more money and/or more time "someday"; "someday" never comes and before you know it, you're too old or dead. Sorry, I know that's harsh but it's reality for many people.
This trip wasn't just about going on a budget, it wasn't about visiting national parks or landmarks. What I learned is that it was about people. Writing this , I was surprised at all the people I engaged while I was on this trip and the one common thread that ran through all our life tapestry was the motorcycle. I wouldn't have ever met any of the people in this report and countless others , if not for the motorcycle.
I met my dear friend, a Marine and Methodist pastor , Adam (Mcgyver) Speicher and his wife Kimberly because of the motorcycle.
I met his friends Steven, Michael, and Jesse because of the motorcycle.
I met Michel and Mark because of the motorcycle.
I met Irvan, Clark and Ivan King because of the motorcycle.
I met Mike Dapper, Stafani and Harry Thor Lord because of the motorcycle.
I met Kareem from Canada because of the motorcycle.
I met Carol and Joel of Faith Riders because of the motorcycle.
I met Wall of Death riders Wally and Charlie because of the motorcycle.
I met Super Dave from California because of the motorcycle.
I met strangers that walked across the street driven by curiosity because of the motorcycle.
And countless others on this trip and many past trips.
The motorcycle is more than transportation. It knocks down walls, it is the great equalizer. There are no race barriers, no socioeconomic barriers. It has truly enhanced my life to know these people and all the others over the years that the motorcycle has afforded me to meet. I thank God for the people that He brings into my life, even if it's just in a small way and for a time.
And, I thank God for the motorcycle.