tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20439243660437460282024-03-21T19:44:04.641-07:00GonzoCrossUSAHave Harley, Will TravelGonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.comBlogger182125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-9851363444409592352013-11-07T20:33:00.000-08:002013-11-07T20:33:02.606-08:00Day 44: July 15th, The Crashing End of the Summer Ride??
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We were loading up the bikes
when I decided to don full leathers and wear my helmet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></st1:place></st1:state><br />
<st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></st1:place></st1:state><br />
<st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Wyoming</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> is a no helmet state and I was considering riding in
jeans, t-shirt and no helmet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But while
feeling the morning air and cool breeze, and knowing we’d be up over 10,900
feet, I knew it was going to be cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, we are heading up onto the Chief Joseph and Beartooth Highways that
have challenging switchbacks, it might be a good idea to be prepared in the
event anything goes wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such were my
thoughts at the time and I am so fortunate that my thinking head was screwed on
for this day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We rode onto the Chief
Joseph and took a requisite photo at the sign then headed on up into the
beautiful vistas and </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">territory</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> of </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Chief Joseph</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and his courageous resistance to Union Army during the last of the Indian wars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLsA1sFK9DodtmCsRaHephLSCsoj-PADTSRfD9OERpSlaVEK4BySGyocnfIUkjn1XGjgvZCEMtYt_YOY3EwUEAembAfHFetQ80qBcDs38c_Yo7yG8zOX_sPiLKaqocloPW4R6QK6ppGeP/s1600/DSCN2080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLsA1sFK9DodtmCsRaHephLSCsoj-PADTSRfD9OERpSlaVEK4BySGyocnfIUkjn1XGjgvZCEMtYt_YOY3EwUEAembAfHFetQ80qBcDs38c_Yo7yG8zOX_sPiLKaqocloPW4R6QK6ppGeP/s320/DSCN2080.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Notice that Sophia is in the grass next to the sign....she likes off-roading!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Chief T-boned into the
Beartooth where we captured this photo before continuing our climb (notice Pilot Peak in the distance over my right shoulder?).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStYSavwleO__KYqzb1oXcOLVobtmoJfPxnzTBG9nw7AaSO2TPikBk7zYrY23SudaGVPytBdiIZ0ZXF7V36JfiMHSY8am5zcU9qRoj2bLduGFV_YzqsOW7taTUnQS0EgaK6t6-5rC4COOh/s1600/DSCN2082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStYSavwleO__KYqzb1oXcOLVobtmoJfPxnzTBG9nw7AaSO2TPikBk7zYrY23SudaGVPytBdiIZ0ZXF7V36JfiMHSY8am5zcU9qRoj2bLduGFV_YzqsOW7taTUnQS0EgaK6t6-5rC4COOh/s320/DSCN2082.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Shortly after making the
turn onto the ‘Tooth we came upon a rest area where I captured this photo of </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pilot</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Peak</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBea4yS_OSZmJhVFbZS_EBkKWq8u8Q57UREkql9lYk6Rm11Xy4VQti08oMWG62n4s5eK6up9xZV07K443y_CpTvnd5DIbHGF1rJqmY_1s6tOM-25hlXwj8hTJSO1gDHpDXQGLWZb9QWxOS/s1600/DSCN2085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBea4yS_OSZmJhVFbZS_EBkKWq8u8Q57UREkql9lYk6Rm11Xy4VQti08oMWG62n4s5eK6up9xZV07K443y_CpTvnd5DIbHGF1rJqmY_1s6tOM-25hlXwj8hTJSO1gDHpDXQGLWZb9QWxOS/s320/DSCN2085.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then we climbed, and
climbed, and climbed, finally reaching the plateau where there is a General
Store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rode into the parking lot but Buzz
didn’t cuz he won’t ride on gravel and dirt mix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there we continued on our climb finally
reaching the highest and started a slow descent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">By the way, I asked Buzz to
take the lead on this ride because this is one of the highways he was so
excited to ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We came to an area
where there was a lake and I couldn’t help but admire the reflections on it and
the mountains, the clear air, the joy of riding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I brought my attention back
to the road and down shifted with a little added power to begin entering the
blind curve that was coming up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly,
Buzz was flapping his arm to slow down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">KWAP!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We’re coming around the
blind curve to discover a line of cars at a dead stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I‘m doing somewhere around 50 mph when I see
this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I panicked….again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">SLAMMED on the brake big
time…..kwap…there’s no room to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bike is skidding, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hard skidding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’m fighting the skid,
keeping Sophia upright and on course<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cars getting closer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Can’t see around the line of
cars if there is oncoming traffic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">No room on the shoulder….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hell I wouldn’t be able to
maneuver that far right<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">All these things flashing
through my mind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Buzz is in front of me and
I’m closing in on him<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">KWAP!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’m gonna hit him first
before hitting the stopped cars!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’m gonna DIE!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And I did hit Buzz first.....</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sophia’s front tire touched
Buzz’s fender just lightly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
......<span style="font-family: Arial;">Enough to slow the front<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But not the rear tire
skidding past my right<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">SLAM!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The bike dropped on its left
side briefly and then flipped over onto its right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Wham!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Thunk!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Slamming me into the asphalt
and dragging me into the asphalt gulch and curb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hit hard on my right side......</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Right forearm, shoulder,
thigh got real friendly with the asphalt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The bike dragged me about 25 feet
into the gulch, away from the cars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My head hit the road,
pebbles, and the raised asphalt curb.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3 times I smacked that curb
with my head.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I remember thinking, “I am
so glad that”, THUNK, “I decided to wear” THUNK, “ my helmet” THUNK!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Once stopped, I just laid
still collecting my thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hmmm, what should I do
first?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I decided to start checking
for pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Feeling my extremities,
fingers moved ok, toes wiggled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Right foot is trapped under
the bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Arms are ok....no pain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Opening my eyes I saw Buzz lean over me in
reverse from the top down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I said, “Why are you upside
down?”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Buzz claims I said, “Are we
having fun yet?”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I told people around me that
I was ok and was going to get up.....</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Slowly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But everything was fine, </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">My elbow was stinging and we
found a bleeding skin abrasion from rubbing on the inside lining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Other than that I was
ok!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Nothing was broken!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Wow, that money spent on Calcium tablets sure paid off!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">......but I bet I was going to
be very sore in the morning<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Yeah, welllll the soreness
started within an hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cars were still not moving so we
up-righted the bike and moved over to the opposite side where more
room was available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other bikers were there
to help get Sophia up and collect my gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We inspected the bike and found minimal damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Engine guard and saddlebag guards
protected Sophia and me as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
engine guard was bent back about an inch and was crowding my right foot and
brake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all was operable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amazing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We decided to ride down the
hill to Red Lodge, about 30 miles downhill, and spend the night there instead
of at </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Great Falls</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">MT</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">, our original destination. My thinking was that I
probably would need to start resting now so we could be ready to ride 500 miles
tomorrow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As we rode down the
mountain, Buzz and I observed the bike as it rode and maneuvered the
curves….all seemed to be well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
kinda reminded me of my Maintenance Test Pilot days in the military, many moons
in the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But about 10 miles later I
had to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a burning
pressure and pain in my right hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
didn’t know what it could be because I was sure I didn’t break any bones, but
it was an overwhelming pain worthy of inspection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We stopped on the side of
the road at a vista point, and dismounted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I unbuckled and dropped the chaps, then the jeans, then the
underwear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a huge lump on my
hip protruding about 3 inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure
if Buzz said “Ewww” because of the lump or because of my butt hanging out in
the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cars rode by honking!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard a female voice yell out, “yay
dude!”…..she was probably too young for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I told Buzz that I better go
to a hospital and get checked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we
continued down the hill, on schedule to meet our next disaster!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Just as we entered Red
Lodge’s town line, Buzz and I heard a high pitched squeal and then I heard him
on the radio yelling, “Crap, I’ve got a flat, I’m going down!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he kept it upright and got to the side of
the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I got Bone Daddy’s Cycle
shop to go out and give Buzz a tow and I went to the hospital….am so glad that
I did go for a checkup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Dr. Linda Hall was the
attending ER physician, and I was very fortunate she was on duty as well as the
team of nurses there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all were very
attentive and helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>X-rays didn’t
show any bone breaks but the left leg and hip had a serious hematoma that was
already causing significant swelling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr.
Hall did a thorough examination in view of my being on blood thinners .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This included a CAT Scan of the cranium to
ensure the impact of my head on the curb did not cause internal bleeding as the
hemotoma on my leg/hip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The CAT scan
gave us good and bad news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good new
was that we didn’t have to worry about hemoraging in the brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was because of the bad news……no brain
could be found inside the cranium!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow! Am
I ever lucky!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Buzz got us a room at the
Hotel Pollard and we planned to spend 2 nights there so I could recover enough
to continue our ride to Glacier NP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
rode the bike the 1 mile to the Hotel and let Buzz park it for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I crashed after downing 800 mg of
Ibuprofen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The soreness started
already, no need to wait for manana!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was here and now!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>IATOFTS!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(I am too old for this sh*t!)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Kwap!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761</span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-86749441303841783322013-10-24T17:05:00.002-07:002013-10-24T17:05:54.706-07:00Day 43: July 14th, Devil’s Tower, Deer Strike in Bighorn Mountains
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, the weather finally
caught up to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to don our rain
gear for warmth and to be dry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passing
by Sturgis we exited and went into the H-D Store for some photo’s in front of
the store as well as on the main street where all the bikes park on Rally
Week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was on to Devil’s Tower
where we took some photos and got on our way to visit Ucross.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Where is and why Ucross you
ask??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, my favorite mystery writer,
Craig Johnson, supposedly resides in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ucross</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">WY</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">, population 25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is the author of the Walt Longmire Mystery Series and on all the back
flaps of his book jackets Ucross, population 25 is always mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I had to find it and visit it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not sure if “Craig” (pen name?) lives there or
not but the place is real! It is located at the intersections of US16 and 14, about 30 miles southeast of Sheridan and 15 miles northeast of Buffalo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">From there we headed
northwest on US14 into </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sheridan</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">
where we continued north on I-90 to where 14 headed into the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bigh</span></st1:placename><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">orn</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mountains</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we began climbing into the mountains
we both thought that it was getting late but felt confident we could make it to
Cody without any problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy, were we
ever wrong! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Once we began climbing up the winding mountain road we realized daylight was going to leave us when we near the
top at around 9,000 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It got very, very dark up there, and cold!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I was in the lead and the
LED headlamps lit up the road brightly, which was a good thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place was loaded with critters!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point a deer leapt across the road in
front of us….with plenty of room so it was not a factor. But Buzz called me on
the ScalaRider radio and suggested we slow down even more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We reached the crest and the
road leveled out somewhat and we had a good ride to the fork where 14 hangs a
left while 14A continues on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our plan
was to continue on 14 as it appeared to be a safer road, less twisties in the
dark, and a town or two along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The forked area was well lit up so we pulled off on a turnout and donned
our raingear to keep warm….the temps were low at this altitude of 8-9000
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as we were ready to start
again a car went by and we hurriedly cranked up and followed it so we could use
it’s headlamps to our advantage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The plan worked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many areas loaded with deer
alongside the road but we were able to see them with the help of the leading
car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the car took off at a pace faster
then what we wanted to do, so we were back on our own with my LED lights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">About 3 miles later, we came
upon the car again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seems that it had
come to a stop, and no wonder, there were tons of deer all over the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We fell in behind once again as the car
resumed moving and we were doing great until we came to another herd on the
left side of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I saw a buck step forward
from the side of the road, towards the car, the car slowed and the buck stopped
its forward movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The car resumed
and I also started riding forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
about 5 car lengths behind the lead car when, just as the car passed the buck,
it leapt forward right between the car and me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">KWAP!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I slammed on the rear brake,
went into a skid, total panic, smoke billowing out behind me (buzz couldn’t
believe he was watching this happen), and, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">WHAM!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hit the buck on its
haunches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just before hitting it the
buck’s eyeballs looked right at me and I swear I got a mental message from it
saying, “Where the F*^k did you come from!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hit it hard, probably at
about 30mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sophia’s forks started
oscillating violently and the bike swerved into the other lane…fortunately no
car was coming the other way!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Fortunately also, Sophia
stayed upright and I was able to bring it to a stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buzz was blown away that I didn’t hit the
pavement after smashing into the buck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We couldn’t see what happened to the buck as it scampered into the
darkness but we inspected Sophia for damage and found none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, I was very fortunate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we finished inspecting the bike for
damage, Buzz said, “Gonz, let’s get going, there’s some kinda big shape moving
along the hillside!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kwap, his gun is in
his saddlebags and my blade is in my bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We fired up and got the hell outta there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Finally reaching Cody we
found our Best Western Motel (Very High End place…to Buzz’s standards of
course), got gas, salad and beer, and ate in our room while reflecting on our
good mis-fortune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Man, this is two days in a
row of something happening to me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761</span></div>
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-57831394998574144482013-10-08T21:47:00.000-07:002013-10-08T21:47:19.443-07:00Day 42: July 13th, Wildlife Loop, Another Herd of Bison
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This morning I got the GoPro
working and anchored on my helmet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With
that accomplished we decided to try it out on the ride through the Wild Life
Loop of Custer State Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we headed
to </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Custer</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">City</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">
and then headed south to get on the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Loop</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No sooner were we on the road then we came
upon a pasture area that was full of Bison….and they were all over the
road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I am the one who got
surrounded by them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a grand
daddy in this herd also, and the beast came right up beside me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swear he was giving me the evil eye and
considering hooking me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This guy was a
monstrous beast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so happy to be
out our there….and disappointed later when I found out I had the GoPro off and
not on…NO VIDEO of the BEAST!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damn!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Later I experienced another
hair raising event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a climbing
curving section of the road a young driver in a </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Toyota</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> came around the turn half in my side of the
lane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pushed the handle bar down to
the right and back to the left abruptly swerving and missing his fender by
inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waaayyyyy too close for me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully the rest of the ride was
uneventful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We then did the Iron Mtn
road again so we could video it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I
ever figure out how to post video’s I will get that inserted into this post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After riding Iron Mtn for
the 3<sup>rd</sup> time we then headed up to Deadwood but only to pass through
it on our way to ride </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Spearfish</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Canyon</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is my
first time on this road and Wow! The road is a great ride with views of the
unique canyons and river running along side the curving canyon road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This road is a must ride if you’re ever in
the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Black Hills</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We ended up at an Italian
restaurant just outside of the town of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Spearfish</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and had a pricey but excellent meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the long ride in the dark back to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rapid City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Today we completed all the
objectives of our trip to </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">South Dakota</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow we head into WY.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-78443868292834992122013-10-08T13:48:00.003-07:002013-10-08T13:48:51.517-07:00Day 41: July 12th, Crazy Horse, Deadwood and Full Throttle
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Another perfect day for
riding….man, I can’t believe how lucky we are in regards to weather and
avoiding the rain and hail that is happening in Sturgis!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">First thing we did was head
to the Iron Mtn road to ride that again and get photo’s of Buzz at the tunnel
with Rushmore at the other end of the tunnel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We caught the light just right for some great photos!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">At the end of the Iron Mtn
ride we headed over to the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Crazy</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Horse</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Monument</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> that is currently in progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is going to be quite a
monument whenever they have it completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While there we met other riders and were giving them info about riding
in CA, their ultimate destination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After Crazy Horse we headed
up US385 to Deadwood and visited Saloon #10 (supposedly the saloon where Hickok
was killed, but history has him being killed in Nuttal & Mann’s
Saloon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We waited over 20 minutes and
never saw a waiter/waitress so we left and went to another restaurant for
dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Deadwood has been a mythical
place to me, a place I had wanted to visit and stroll about, ever since
watching the Deadwood series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That no
longer is the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deadwood is a street
of casinos, lousy food, and not much else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess if you’re a gambler this place will hold some fantasy for
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was happy to leave the place and
don’t expect to be back there to visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">From Deadwood we headed over
to Sturgis to get Buzz a beer at the Broken Spoke and Full Throttle Saloons. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been one of Buzz’s goals in coming
out west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately the Broken Spoke
lost it’s wheel at its original location and is closed or relocated somewhere
else outside of town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode on to the
Full Throttle and Buzz had his beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It
was a real hoot watching him in the saloon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He poked through a display of shirts looking for a special one but
didn’t luck out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he discovered the
donkey by the piano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He thot it was a
stuffed one and I told him “no, it’s a real donkey”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He inched closer to it step by step until he
finally confirmed it when the donkey moved its ear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buzz was like a boy outta </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Kansas</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> visiting </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">New York City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With it being </span><st1:time hour="23" minute="0"><span style="font-family: Arial;">11pm</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and the Full Throttle was closing we rode the 30
miles back to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rapid
City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and our
motel and called it a night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div>
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-42681448064984003612013-10-08T13:23:00.000-07:002013-10-08T13:23:02.092-07:00Day 40: July 11th, Surrounded by a Herd of Bison
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Another perfect day to ride
in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">South Dakota</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a
delicious breakfast at the Hotel we headed to </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mount Rushmore</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> enjoying the sights along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were walking into the shop area of the
Park we came upon HOG members from </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Belgium</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally we
had to take a zillion pics of the group of us.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">From the mountain faces we
headed to </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Needles
Hwy</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and
enjoyed the sights as we climbed the hills, rode thru the tunnel, saw the
famous needle rock, and headed down the hillside to </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Custer</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">City</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">
for a buffalo burger lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed this time with the meal….bummer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Speaking of Bison/Buffalo,
we got photo's of Buzz by one of the many "painted bison statues" displayed in Custer City. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And would you believe, on our way from </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Custer</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">City</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">
to the entrance of </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Iron Mtn Road</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;">, we came upon stopped traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We couldn’t see the cause of the wait but after it became too long we
parked the bikes on the side of the road and walked over to the other side….and
that is when we saw a herd of bison in the road!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Holy Kwap!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to ride a motorcycle through a herd of
bison??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No Freaking WAY!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I did, had no choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in the midst of the herd with a monster
of a grand daddy giving me the evil eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think somewhere in here I found religion and reverted to my altar boys
days praying in latin!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then just as
suddenly the herd split up and I had an opportunity to scoot through them and safely
arrive clear of the herd at the far end of the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Buzz was not as fortunate…he
was totally surrounded and engulfed by the herd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are some pics showing the headlamp to
his bike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">These bison are not little
guys….they are HUGE!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the grand daddy
of the herd is one big dude with monster horns…..these guys are beasts!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After Buzz safely got through
the herd we were off to </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Iron Mtn Road</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately with the waning
sunlight (the bison really held us up) we were able to get the full ride in but
we could not get a decent photo at the tunnel with </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mt.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rushmore</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> in the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ll have to ride the road again in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We made it to Keystone just
as darkness set in, got a receipt at the local gas station, then toured the
town of Keystone to Buzz’s delight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
really likes touristy towns like this place that are full of shops and signs and
lights and people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we were hungry
we had a pizza and a small sidewalk café and were absolutely ecstatic with the delicious
pie….they really made a good one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then it was back to the
motel where we saw our imbibing friends of last night so we joined them for
beers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Tomorrow our schedule was
for a visit to deadwood but we’re gonna ride Iron Mtn again so we can get some
good photo’s at the tunnel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK5"><span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span></a><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK5;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK5;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter:
@GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK5;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: </span></span><a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK5;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK5;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK5;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell:
949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-58156974935216356522013-10-05T21:08:00.001-07:002013-10-05T21:11:13.685-07:00Day 39: July 10th, Riding the Badlands<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After an excellent breakfast
(omelet and pancakes) we headed east out of town to the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Badlands</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a very fun ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped along the road, there was very
little traffic, shut the bikes down, removed the helmets, and just listened to
the wind rustling the leaves and the hay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pretty cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">At a bridge we took some
photos of the area and also of the park sign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then we were at a gift shop at the east end of the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Badlands</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and from there we rode to I-90 returning to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rapid City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and HGI for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I rode from the gift shop to Wall where we picked up I-90 sans
helmet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did this once before with Buzz when we rode
the Keys and he stashed the helmet in the trunk of his Ultra Classic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is just a great feeling having the wind
running all around your head!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Tomorrow we will visit </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mt.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rushmore</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and ride </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Iron Mtn Road</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;">, one of the 15 Best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761</span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-41559800196445620142013-10-05T20:40:00.003-07:002013-10-05T20:43:47.470-07:00Day 38: July 9th, Famous Wall Drug!<span style="font-family: Arial;">We had a nice breakfast at
the motel then loaded up and hit the road taking 29 north to I-90 at </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sioux Falls</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> west to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rapid City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we passed
through </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sioux City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> I got momentarily confused as I was expecting I-90
to show up but it didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then,
remembering to use the Garmin, I got reoriented to the correct locations.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Before I forget, while we
were loading and getting ready to ride to Rapid City a truck driver came up to
us to chat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked where was he from
and he said BC, </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Canada</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He needed to exchange $35
Canadian for American so I traded him for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I figure I’ll use the coins when I’m in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Winnipeg</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">Manitoba</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> for the Three Flags Classic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The ride on 29 and 90 was a
repeat of last year’s ride when I headed to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rapid City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> from </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nashville</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only last
year I stayed in quarters on Ellsworth Air Force Base that is located nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the ride is still the same….it is
long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some folks think it is boring, but
I find the endless rolling hills and visibility for miles very fascinating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The thrill of the day came,
however, when we finally reached Wall Drug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neither Buzz nor I had never been there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were many visitors but we easily found a parking slot and went
into the Drug Store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Wall Drug is HUGE!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is about the size of 5 normal stores back home!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything that could be sold is on the shelves here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is even a restaurant and ice cream bar in the store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buzz and I had a cone of favorite flavor and enjoyed eating it as we checked out all the merchandise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then it was time for the photo shoot and to head to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rapid City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> a little farther on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">At RC we easily found our
motel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buzz is covering the
accommodations so he likes to pick a motel that is significantly high up on the
food chain compared to the Mom & Pop places I pick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we rolled into the Hilton Garden Inn that
1 night cost him what I pay for 5 motel nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I tried to get a military discount and they do not offer any discounts
during the summer season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The off season
rate is $108, in season is more that double that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But the Hilton Garden Inns
are very nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went into the dining
room just before it closed and we had waitresses immediately serving our
table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got an evening brew and a very
tasty chicken flatbread pizza like entre and called it a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Tomorrow we ride the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Badlands</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761</span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-29838721197312869232013-09-30T06:41:00.001-07:002013-09-30T06:41:38.128-07:00Day 37: July 8th, Reaching Council Bluffs
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Not much to report
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode about 540 miles and
reached </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Council
Bluffs</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> without
incident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traffic is not a factor….we
basically have the roads to ourselves and the weather is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Our rides have been all
interstate….or slab riding as I call it, since leaving GR’s house in the
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to my log we traveled
1,048 miles primarily on interstates 71, 70, 65, 74 and 80.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow we will take I-29N and then head
west on I-90 into </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rapid
City</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-63500863232680068002013-09-30T06:39:00.001-07:002013-09-30T06:39:08.419-07:00Day 36: July 7th, Tagging up with BuzzCap7
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After a nice breakfast with
GR and his lovely sweetheart I prepped the bike making sure it had oil, air in
tires, and loaded my gear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GR and I are
headed to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lisbon</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">, a small town in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ohio</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> that houses the Steel Trolley Diner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BuzzCap7 (BC7) has been wanting to go there
for some “F*^king Pie”……as he and GR refer to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">BC7 is riding in from </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Baaaston</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">, </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">MA</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> on his way to </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Council Bluffs</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">NE</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> where I’m supposed to meet him after hanging out
with my USMC flying buddy in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nashville</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately
my buddy, who is an international consultant, got a gig and had to work the
weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, GR graciously invited me to
go back to </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ohio</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> with him so I can tag up with BC7 at the Steel
Trolley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">GR and I have been trying to
figure out a way to surprise BC7 but the dude has an iPhone with every app on
it and he stalks my bike since it is equipped with the LiveViewGPS!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter what act of subterfuge we would
think of it would always fall apart because of the iPhone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we decided just to ride to the meeting
point and not try any funny stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
sure enough, when we arrived at the parking lot BC7 was already there, iPhone
in hand, expecting the two of us!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a great reunion for
the three of us and we had a fun time at the Steel Trolley having coffee and
f**king pie and telling stories that escalated the BS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After pie we decided to ride
back to GR’s place so BC7 could meet GR’s wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And this is where the real fun began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>BC7 is in total fear of riding on gravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GR’s house is set back in the woods and the
ride into the barn is via all gravel!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">BC7 made it in, we posed for
pics, and then we were off to Brownsburg IN where we would end our first day of
riding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjectu6TkEdp4WqxsWSsAAcC73gMgd03EGAkSGI9S3M5GM4RX1gO7GgKnKEXkU0xRe48lp9lQqbchme5ya_6Wg6hGVsiRKabuH-1JGIq4nnE82DyebcYMRlsUnD2ayQato_gMQGRsUXp4wb/s1600/DSCN1971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjectu6TkEdp4WqxsWSsAAcC73gMgd03EGAkSGI9S3M5GM4RX1gO7GgKnKEXkU0xRe48lp9lQqbchme5ya_6Wg6hGVsiRKabuH-1JGIq4nnE82DyebcYMRlsUnD2ayQato_gMQGRsUXp4wb/s320/DSCN1971.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I took the lead out the
gravel road and reached the little country road where the asphalt started and
looked in my mirror for Buzz…..no Buzz!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Where the heck is he?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about
5 minutes he finally came up the gravel and was not looking too happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out that he almost spun out of control
on the grave as he gave his 103 power!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">After that the ride was
uneventful and we successfully reached Brownsburg with plenty of daylight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’m looking forward to
riding out to all the destinations we have planned for the next 2 weeks in the
west.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK4"><span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span></a><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter:
@GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: </span></span><a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK4;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell:
949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-80314203172861552542013-09-30T06:34:00.001-07:002013-09-30T06:34:31.372-07:00Day 35: July 6th, Heading to Ohio
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a beautiful day in VA
and we were on the road early passing through WV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of the most beautiful states in
which to ride an interstate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I-77 just
rolled with the hills and mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
can only imagine how much more exciting it would be to ride state and county
roads through this gorgeous part of the country!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a relatively short
ride, only 325 miles to GR’s place in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dalton</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">OH</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent the
night visiting with him and his wife….they are wonderful hosts….and tomorrow
we’ll tag up with BuzzCap7 for my continued ride to the Black Hills of South
Dakota.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK3"><span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span></a><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter:
@GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: </span></span><a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK3;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell:
949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-56692482644894765412013-09-30T06:32:00.001-07:002013-09-30T06:32:16.384-07:00Day 34: July 5th, Riding the Tail of The Dragon, TN into NC
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Woke up to find the boots
were still wet, Duh!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was one
helluva soaking last night.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We had a quick breakfast at
the motel and while there met and chatted with a few other Harley riders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was off on 321/73 to the </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Foothill Pkwy.</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Parkway
is an awesome ride…through the Smokies and all along the ridge of a mountain,
terminating at US129.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped at one
point and took a photo of the valley and the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Smokies</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We headed north on 129 to
the Harley store to get a T-shirt then we were off and riding the Dragon’s
Tail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This was a lot of fun with
GlideRider in the lead and me “pushing” him (he's gonna laugh at that comment!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was nice to ride the Dragon this time with a lighter load than what I
had last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My speeds and cornering
were faster and fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, the
ride ended way too soon, after all, it is only 11 miles long with 318
curves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We parked the bikes at Deal’s
Gap and took a photo of me at their sign. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Bob wanted to get a "Dragon's" TShirt so we went into the store and found one for him and got me a decal for the helmet. When we came out it was raining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
that note we put on the rain gear, refueled and got our proof of visit
receipts, and continued on past the Cheoah Dam where Harrison Ford “Peter
Pan’d” in the “Fugitive” and into Robbinsville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I went to the San-Ran Motel where I stayed last year and dropped off
photographs taken last year with the owners and staff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">GR and I then headed to NC143
“The Cherohala Skyway”, to ride into Tellico Plains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was quite an interesting ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was raining lightly and the as the road
climbed to altitudes of 5000+ feet we found ourselves in the clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was barely able to keep GR’s tail lights in
sight as we rode through the fog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other
cars and bikes were pulling off the road, but GR and I kept going until we
crested the mountains and worked our way down the other side and out of the
clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">At the Park’s sign we got
some photo’s and while doing the photo shoot four crotch rockets with their
whine hi-rev engines rode by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the
shoot we then took off down the road and after a few miles came upon the
rockets stuck behind a slow moving truck. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GR and I just followed along, easily cruising,
two old timers riding behind 4 young kids on hot bikes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was fun to watch the antics of these riders
as they trailed behind the truck at about 45 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I guess out of boredom they
started weaving from one side of the lane to the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lead guy would start weaving then the
other three would imitate him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess
GR didn’t want to be outdone so he did the same weaving, proving a Harley could
do the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally the road
straightened out and the rockets were able to pass the slow mover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hoping that GR would follow suit so we
could hang with these guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough,
GR pulled around the slow mover and I was right behind him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the fun really started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These rocket guys were taking turns at relatively
high speeds and GR and I were right on their tails, our Harley’s were in low
gears, hi revs, and we were leaning with these guys taking all the turns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They must’ve wanted to lose us because the
leader picked up the pace…..haha we hung right there with them, they couldn’t
shake us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Finally we came into Tellico
Plains and GR and I pulled off into the H-D store there to check it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to admit I really enjoyed this part of
the ride more than the Dragon or the Skyway….it was just so fun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We ate lunch at a local
café, across the street from a Hardee’s (Carl’s Jr.) and I gave the seated
patrons a good laugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GR and I were
waiting for the waitress to seat us and when she came to us, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I greeted her and said, “We
almost did a dastardly thing!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I
noticed a number of patrons looked up at GR and I to hear what we had almost
done.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“What was that?” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“We almost went into
Hardee’s for lunch!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">My voice was just loud
enough for the seated patrons to hear me….they all burst out laughing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lunch was great in this local café and we had
interesting conversations with others sitting at the tables around us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was time for GR and I to
make it to our reserved motel in </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Wytheville</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">VA</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> where we would spend the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a great experience today, lotsa fun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
C<span style="font-family: Arial;">ell: 949-433-0761</span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-29231529783298384842013-09-18T22:15:00.001-07:002013-09-18T22:15:32.702-07:00Day 33: July 4th Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Beautiful day greeted Bob
and I as we departed the motel in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Waynesboro</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and headed to the entrance of the </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Blue Ridge Parkway</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took our
photo at the big sign then headed on our ride for the next 150 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only one stop was made by moi….somewhere
around the restaurant in Otter Creek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had to make a pit stop, then we were off again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Somewhere along the ride the rain started, lightly, but still rain, so
we donned rain gear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We reached the 150 mile
marker, took our photo, then headed onward to Floyd for gas and a subway
sandwich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there we headed to
Tazewell, took a photo by a new sign hawking the VA16 “Back Of The Dragon” and
then headed off on our ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQH4y7Cd8Wxtn8Z4pk-QyKgYXI-c95kSVs-OosWl3FNVhlgeB-GCsgEdkhZkQNqZsPWK7uehfH9aTX0f9H9jTG4Lt9X8pAXy632tXwyiQHDzE8ZCInmldkUSV2_shTFYo4Ilv855U1Izlo/s1600/DSCN1957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQH4y7Cd8Wxtn8Z4pk-QyKgYXI-c95kSVs-OosWl3FNVhlgeB-GCsgEdkhZkQNqZsPWK7uehfH9aTX0f9H9jTG4Lt9X8pAXy632tXwyiQHDzE8ZCInmldkUSV2_shTFYo4Ilv855U1Izlo/s320/DSCN1957.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDytXMdp_NNDT41fyfkEijPoMV63pwmq_2jXeEOsonoChyphenhyphenVYjDlQzfZKr9xsZKrtOGNf17xKcgD81CijeznPkzmSqYUN24UNwKLEEg52dJw9k8mttc-ZVoGksEDb_IOBJudVi61hEFiso/s1600/DSCN1958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDytXMdp_NNDT41fyfkEijPoMV63pwmq_2jXeEOsonoChyphenhyphenVYjDlQzfZKr9xsZKrtOGNf17xKcgD81CijeznPkzmSqYUN24UNwKLEEg52dJw9k8mttc-ZVoGksEDb_IOBJudVi61hEFiso/s320/DSCN1958.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We did get
a little spooked during the ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
were many instances of sand/gravel laying in the curves and once or twice both
Bob and I experienced adrenaline wheel sliding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We reached Marion, took a photo at the City’s sign, got gas receipts,
then headed to the interstate to take us to Pigeon Forge and ultimately into
Townsend where we had a motel reservation.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This is one ride I don’t
ever want to do again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No sooner were we
heading south on I-81 then we encountered a downpour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And soon after that we were in total
darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here are these two idiots,
in the dark, pouring rain, speeding at 75mph, getting to Townsend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally arrived at </span><st1:time hour="11" minute="30"><span style="font-family: Arial;">11:30</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Arial;">, soaking wet, exhausted, and hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, we had bought Wendy’s hamburgers
in Pigeon Forge just before the restaurant closed for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within seconds of our heads hitting the
pillows we were zonked out!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761</span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-50177950802921035442013-09-18T21:59:00.000-07:002013-09-18T21:59:12.784-07:00Days 28-32: June 29th – July 3rd, Hanging with Bro in MD<span style="font-family: Arial;">This was a good visit with bro and friends in MD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big dinner was in progress at Peggy’s when I arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was good to get an excellent home cooked meal and bask in the warmth of friendship.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">During my visit I went on a couple of job sites with bro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One very interesting one was a home that was on the side of a hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The front of the house sat on basement cinder blocks that were set into the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The back of the basement opened up to a patio and view of the river/creek that ran along the bottom of the hill about 100 yards away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here has been much rain in the last month and the hill had basically absorbed all it could and finally slid away, pushing the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>front of the basement about two feet inward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately the beams and other structural<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>upgrades had kept the house from collapsing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bro was there to give a bid on re-construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was going to be tricky as the ground/hill in front of the house had to be dug out with a backhoe, structural supports would be required to support the house while the basement is rebuilt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On the 3<sup>rd</sup> it was time for me to load up and head out to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Waynesboro</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> where I would meet GlideRider (Bob Rogers) for our 15 best ride down the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Blue Ridge</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">, Back of the Dragon and Tail of the Dragon in TN.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Of course, it began raining on me just as I crossed into VA from MD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never fails!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GlideRider (GR) was already at the Motel waiting for me when I arrived, which was about </span><st1:time hour="19" minute="30"><span style="font-family: Arial;">7:30 pm</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Arial;">, just before sunset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was good to see Bob, share a pizza and get some sleep in preparation for the big ride tomorrow down the “Ridge”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761</span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-50267412044418066612013-09-18T21:55:00.001-07:002013-09-18T21:55:42.747-07:00Days 25-27: June 26-28, Hanging out in Western NY State<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This was a good visit with
sis, despite sis having to go to work during the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evenings we had dinner, both out in a
restaurant and in her place by me picking up some take out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take-outs made it nice for her as she got a
break from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It rained a lot while
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And sure ‘nuff, on departure day
it was raining. But by the time I arrived at the NY/PA border the skies cleared
and it was dry all the way south to Lusby MD where my brother was awaiting my
arrival.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761</span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-4937565365914326842013-09-10T07:47:00.001-07:002013-09-10T08:24:03.657-07:00Ursula Wachowiak: Courageous Woman worthy of your SUPPORT!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Morning ya’ll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a shocker of a story about a brave
gypsy gal who was on her way to her first visit to Sturgis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crossing into </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Minnesota</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> she was struck head-on by a car passing a semi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Check out her story on this
link to her Blog:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><a href="http://hdbroad.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://hdbroad.wordpress.com/2013/08/" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: blue;">http://hdbroad.wordpress.com/2013/08/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">This is something
that can happen to any of us….look what happened to me on July 15<sup>th</sup> while
riding the Beartooth in WY!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Please take a
moment to give Ursula a word of encouragement and support and, if possible,
please donate via the link below that was established by her friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><a href="http://www.gofundme.com/3n44pg"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.gofundme.com/3n44pg</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><strong>How I met Ursula
Wachowiac:<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Last year, while riding the
15 Best USA Roads, I was in Deal’s </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Gap</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">TN</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> getting photo’s at the completion of riding The Tail
of the Dragon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A gentleman, visiting
Deals Gap with his daughter, volunteered to take a photo of me in front of the
Tree of Shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We chatted about
motorcycling, life, yada yada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He asked
if he could give my email address to a friend of his who was looking for advice
on how to travel distances and spend many days on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few weeks later I received an email from “The
Broad” as Ursula titled herself, and we have been occasionally in touch via
email.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Her last note to me was of
her plans to visit Sturgis so I sent her my itinerary thinking we may have a
point where our travels would intersect and we would finally get to meet each
other….two bloggin’ traveler’s having a cup of coffee at some roadside Mom n
Pop Café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t hear back from her,
until August 17<sup>th</sup>, when I was home recovering from hand surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As I told her later, my joy
at seeing a note from her turned to anguish as I read the story of her mishap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Please read her BLOG and give
her your support…..it will be greatly appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya’ll mañana,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-65925381518891056102013-08-21T23:19:00.001-07:002013-08-21T23:19:34.674-07:00Day 24: June 25th Riding NY State’s I-90 Thunderstorms
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The morning was dry and the
loading went quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breakfast with the
Lodge was carbs….waffles, cream cheese and coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good enough to get me to lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My plan was to retrace my steps and head
north to VT-9 west and take that into NY where I would connect onto I-90 and ride
it into Buffalo and then North Tonawanda, about 10 miles south of Niagara
Falls, to my sister’s place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Not expecting much out of
the ride I was happily surprised to find VT-9 to be a scenic joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hills, woods, farms, small towns, gentle
2-lane curves with gradual sloping ascents and descents were nicely presented
on this state road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, when looking
at the AAA map I saw that it is indeed marked as a </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Scenic Route</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;">!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Garmin got me to Old
Bennington VT where I then passed into NY and onto NY-7 which took me north of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Troy</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Albany</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and into </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Schenectady</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> where the 890 deposited me onto I-90.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far the ride had been dry and warm, but I
could see the clouds building into potential thunderstorms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Somewhere between </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Utica</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Syracuse</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> I stopped at one of the service islands to mitigate
my drowsiness with a Tim Horton’s coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once at the counter<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>however, I
succumbed to temptation and also ordered a sour old fashioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yummie! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I met another rider at one
of the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Service</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Islands</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was South Afrikaner and was
riding a BMW with his son on the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their objective was </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Niagara Falls</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> then south into </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Virginia</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">
if I remember correctly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we were
suiting up next to our bikes the lightening started and rain began so we walked
back to the building and sat under the overhangs watching the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It finally lightened up to a point where I
said, “That’s good enough for me!” and walked out to the bike, fired her up,
and rode off with a wave good bye to Dad and Son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">About 20 miles later the
rain and lightening got heavy again so I pulled into a rest stop and stood
under a tree, praying for no strikes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The downpour continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This east
coast weather is not favorable to the SoCal Harley Rider!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the downpour really got heavy the Beemer Dad
and Son riders pulled in and ran under a tree also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We waved to each other in our misery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The old rain gear I was
wearing was beginning to leak a little again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Between that fact and the rain lowering its intensity I decided to head
on out and see if I could ride through the storm clouds and find sunshine on
the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With another ‘wave
goodbye’ to the Dad and Son I charged the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>10 miles later I was out of the downpour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next 50 miles or so it was an ‘in and out’
thing with light showers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Finally the sun began
shining through the clouds about 60 miles east of </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Buffalo</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and I made it to my sister’s place without another
drop of rain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I sure do miss SoCal……..where
it ‘never rains’ </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-39771410418043475942013-08-19T19:11:00.002-07:002013-08-19T19:15:50.393-07:00Day 23: June 24th Riding the Kancamangus<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The morning was dry with a
few puffies floating around 4000 feet trying to team together and build
something stronger in the winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Weather Channel indicated possible thunderstorms and isolated showers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hell, that’s pretty much the forecast for the
northeast for all of June and July!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">US2 was right out front of
the motel and I headed west for about 75 miles to Gorham then about 6 miles
north on NH16 to Berlin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon reaching </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Berlin</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">, the beginning of the required SCMA Best Ride, the
road was split into a northbound one-way running through the small town, and a
south bound one-way one block to the west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The town was old and quaint, I liked it and would have enjoyed exploring
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I was on a time limit and needed
to complete the ride and then head to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Niagara Falls</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> to visit my sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I turned west and got on the south bound one-way, refueled at the
town gas station, then headed south on NH16 to Conway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After passing through Gorham
the 2<sup>nd</sup> time and turning south off of 2/16 to continue on NH16, a </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Forestry</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Visitors</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Center</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> showed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Usually I’ll pass on these centers, but lately new and interesting facts
have been introduced to me via such visits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So in I went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Parks Ranger was very
helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From him I learned about the
road going to </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mt.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Washington</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and that I had better hurry to get up there as they were forecasting
storms to hit the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mt.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Washington</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> is the highest hill in the northeast reaching 6,288
feet (kinda hohum if you’re from the west coast and have been in the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rockies</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and the Cascades).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The base
where entry onto the </span><st1:street><st1:address><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mt. Washington Rd</span></st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial;"> begins is roughly 2000 feet, so this is going to be
an interesting ride to the summit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Disappointingly, the ride
never came about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I reached the
base, only 5 miles or so from the Visitor’s Center, I was stopped at the fee
gate and told that motorcycles were not permitted on the road due to winds
gusting to 60mph and visibility dropping to 10 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now what do I do? I was
going to plead with the fee collector but frankly, the weather conditions
didn’t sound pleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other bikers were
also turning around, as were a few cars!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I called the SCMA’s Chair of the 15 Best and whined about my
predicament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The adjudication he made
was that we’d have to treat the closure similar to highway 1 being blocked in
the </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Florida Keys</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> due to an incoming tropical storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence, I was granted a reprieve from the
requirement to ride </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mt.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Washington</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuhE2EJm5B5JEoEwT2_qumweLKq8c10rjZbAVL0mI_lfSpmnu9vTDRuMMAJXAdOOcWC8NMXjo0HSXpe0OWgrePz0IP_9c3h9EuwgZ7H_Zyt5XlWlUn0I33023WqjxNNorbc8-b_akriTq/s1600/MtWas1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuhE2EJm5B5JEoEwT2_qumweLKq8c10rjZbAVL0mI_lfSpmnu9vTDRuMMAJXAdOOcWC8NMXjo0HSXpe0OWgrePz0IP_9c3h9EuwgZ7H_Zyt5XlWlUn0I33023WqjxNNorbc8-b_akriTq/s320/MtWas1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
After taking
a few photos with the entrance attendant, I continued heading south on 16
towards <st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Conway</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">, very frustrated with not being allowed to climb the
highest peak in the Northeast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Some where in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Conway</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> I grabbed a turkey subway sandwich before finding
the start of the Kancamangus….which I had almost missed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The signs aren’t very obvious so I ended up
passing the turn onto NH112.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About a
mile later I came upon some locals who were able to get me back to the turn off
located near the Ford dealer and rolling along my way on the famous NH112. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The views of the surrounding
NH country are gorgeous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course being
at altitude in the forest further enriches the air with O3 (heavy air).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a pic of the views and one at the
Pass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf1PTTCd-nEvU4iJ6p77CQGybu_MNU_hZl4uTALAC8MYmoKc5Zr8X__rYO5_Vul64gp8bnTHiEuQBRAqDYlkPHCfAKdWvpgZuEo8fdQs0b2rE7B6GXeEgg-5Ci0j12nGUnH8rwbvVSLs_/s1600/Kancamangus3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipf1PTTCd-nEvU4iJ6p77CQGybu_MNU_hZl4uTALAC8MYmoKc5Zr8X__rYO5_Vul64gp8bnTHiEuQBRAqDYlkPHCfAKdWvpgZuEo8fdQs0b2rE7B6GXeEgg-5Ci0j12nGUnH8rwbvVSLs_/s320/Kancamangus3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf9R5pxA7LTnZH4cCyzo9TI0TALDjGohIj0WQWj6JDIZRCXeJuWqFc1rNzpadJ9el-76NC8TwkbtYFD5tjwpbaDEr7iKaDDCzyGNEI6pT06IkIsxxuVAP9RcpDLRKG8t_0UAfvS5kdbe6/s1600/Kancagamus1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf9R5pxA7LTnZH4cCyzo9TI0TALDjGohIj0WQWj6JDIZRCXeJuWqFc1rNzpadJ9el-76NC8TwkbtYFD5tjwpbaDEr7iKaDDCzyGNEI6pT06IkIsxxuVAP9RcpDLRKG8t_0UAfvS5kdbe6/s320/Kancagamus1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When I reached the end of
the road in </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">North Woodstock</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> the skies were starting to fill with fast moving
clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After taking a quick photo at the
Woodstock Post Office I quickly donned the rain gear….and just in time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99PpiCf_C_Gb0ON5gx8CV0iEPdtCsWyyHkHbMHdRCShdksDI8JMTkAlN_uHJIzsIzk3XfPKl-rzjEPtwi0jcjcNDH45mU1P-8XHzILNZsDyDGHXRUryOXQIKet-fEJajJXG6aEANCiOiH/s1600/N.Woodstock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99PpiCf_C_Gb0ON5gx8CV0iEPdtCsWyyHkHbMHdRCShdksDI8JMTkAlN_uHJIzsIzk3XfPKl-rzjEPtwi0jcjcNDH45mU1P-8XHzILNZsDyDGHXRUryOXQIKet-fEJajJXG6aEANCiOiH/s320/N.Woodstock.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
As I rode on NH-112 to connect onto NH-118 towards
<st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Warren</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">, which is the end of the complete ride, the rain
began coming down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Once on 118 the road began
climbing over the mountain…..and the rain came down harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visibility was dropping to a hundred feet
when I realized the helmet face shield/visor was fogging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I flipped it up so the bottom edge was just
above the top edge of my goggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
allowed me to see further ahead until the rain came down even harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road had some nice turns, as it climbed
and descended the mountain, as well as endless forests and possibly some
vistas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, I couldn’t see
anything beyond my focus on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
lightening was close by as thunder was heard within a second or so of the
flash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there were way too many
flashes for my tastes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I briefly thought
of seeking shelter under the trees but there was no easy access to
such….besides, trees are more likely to get zapped than me on a Harley….at
least I think so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Big scare happened to me
near the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rain was heavy,
visibility was maybe 30-50 feet and I had slowed to about 30 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I figured there was about 10 miles left to
reach </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Warren</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> so I decided to gut it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly I saw a downed tree branch lying
across the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no time to react;
again, visibility was only around 30 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just as I let off power the front tire hit the multi-leafed branch, its
stem looked to be about 3-4 inches, and the Harley went slightly airborne in
the rain on the wet road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First thought:
“Oh KWAP!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no second
thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bike landed on the road,
wobbled a few times, but stayed upright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then I had the 2<sup>nd</sup> thought, “IATOFTS”!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which means, “I am too old for this s^*t”.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">About 20-30 minutes later I
reached </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Warren</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and pulled into the first (only?) gas station and
tried to dry out a little as I waited out the continuing storm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An hour later and I was back on the
road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few miles south of Warren I
picked up 25A and headed east to I-91.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was still raining as I headed south, but half way to Battleboro it
finally let up and a little sunlight shined down upon my weary face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">At Battleboro I called it a
day, got a room at the Econo Lodge, ate a hamburger for dinner, and hit the
sack hoping for a quick nod into sleep land without having to count leaps over
tree branches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-59753685198347731212013-08-07T16:56:00.000-07:002013-08-07T16:56:10.838-07:00Day 22: June 23, Moose on the Road
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was sometime around </span><st1:time hour="12" minute="30"><span style="font-family: Arial;">12:30</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Arial;"> when I rolled out of Madawaska heading northwest
towards </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ft.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Kent</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">
and US11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The morning goodbye was made to
Martins Motel staff and I rode over to Tim Horton’s for breakfast with Joe and
Dianne LaChance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon entering Tim’s I
was greeted by a customer sitting in a group of laughing elder citizens all
chatting in French.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of Joe’s
friends that I had met yesterday who kindly remembered me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not seeing Joe there I placed my camera and
notebook on a table and went to the counter to order coffee and egg
sandwich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">For those of you who haven’t
been to the northeast (including NY and </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Canada</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;">) Tim Horton’s is a fantastic coffee and pastry
chain, started in the 60’s by Canadian hockey great Tim Horton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now their menu includes, in addition to their
delicious coffee and pastries/donuts, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and a
variety of soups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a place that I
enjoy visiting when my travels find me in the territory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Just before Joe and Diane
entered another of Joe’s friends came in and was standing in line when he
noticed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His cheery ‘good morning’
echoed the earlier other greeting and confirmed that these folks seem to be
always happy and enjoying meeting others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought the place was pretty lively already but the activity meter
doubled when Joe and Diane entered the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everybody greeted him, calling to him in French, more laughter erupted
as friendly barbs were exchanged!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After breakfast we went over
to Diane’s office and closed the deal on my ordering 2 pavers for the Park and
then Sophia, Snoopy and I headed to </span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ft.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Kent</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">US11 is a beautiful ride
through </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Maine</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">’s valleys, hills and a couple of lakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The AAA map marks is as ‘Scenic’ from </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ft.</span></st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;"> Kent to Portage, but the H-D HOG Anniversary Edition by Rand shows US11
as ‘Scenic’ all the way to Stacyville where it joins I-95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to agree with </span><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rand</span></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">’s H-D book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other
observation about the AAA map is that it marks I-95 as a ‘Scenic’ highway from a
few miles north of Stacyville all the way south to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Augusta</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">….and I couldn’t agree more!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But US11 is the
charmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Views of evergreen-treed
mountains, hills and valleys, beautiful lakes, charming small towns, a well
maintained two-laner, and fresh, pine-scented air!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What more could a distance rider ask
for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, I didn’t ask for it but I got
treated to another moose sighting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was somewhere between </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Eagle</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lake</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;">Portage</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lake</span></st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">,
coming down a hillside, when an opposing car flashed its high beams at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I interpreted it as a cop warning but wasn’t
worried because I was only doing 60-65 in this heavily wooded area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A mile or so later, coming
down another hill, I saw her, a big mama of a moose, come out from the woods
lining the road, and step upon the pavement with her two front hooves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I immediately slowed to almost a stop
expecting her to cross the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She stared at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stared back (praying).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then she turned and headed back into the
woods whence she had come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hoping to get
a photo of her I rode up to the spot where I saw her disappear and gazed into
the thickly pined woods…..nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
woods were so thick and dark with pines and brush that she could have been 10
feet from the tree line and I never would have seen her!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Continuing south I began to
notice the skies clouding up with the clouds flowing quickly to the east, as if
a front was sweeping though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The morning
weather channel didn’t show such a condition looming on my ride but I decided
to be prepared and pulled over at a rest stop to put on the rain gear….aa
couple of miles later and the darkest cloud swooped in and dropped it’s deluge
of fresh rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From then on the day
alternated between rain, dry overcast, and sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The ride down I-95 was
uneventful and before I knew it my exit for US2 at </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Newport</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> showed up and I headed west to the Kancamangus to
ride the first of the Best 15 USA Roads Challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around </span><st1:time hour="18" minute="0"><span style="font-family: Arial;">6pm</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Arial;">
I reached </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Farmington</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">ME</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> with the rain getting heavier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just west of the town was a small mom &
pop motel that called to me inviting me to spend the night and take advantage
of their marquee offering a military discount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a very good price and
not only did I stay dry watching the downpour over the next few hours but I slept
very well, thank you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-27155437152024134422013-06-28T16:29:00.000-07:002013-06-28T16:29:39.332-07:00Day 21: June 22, Maine ATVing
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Last night JoeLaChance and I
had agreed that we would meet for breakfast and that I would call him when
ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joe is the President of the Four
Corners Park Association in Madawaska.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has been the creator and driving force behind the Park being erected
and has galvanized the community into supporting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, Joe got a little
impatient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At </span><st1:time hour="9" minute="0"><span style="font-family: Arial;">9am</span></st1:time><span style="font-family: Arial;"> he was knocking on my motel door and greeted me with
“last year you promised we’d go ATVing this year, let’s go!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hmmm, I was looking for a
good reason to hang out in Madawaska for another day </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And this is when I
discovered, as I was getting my gear, that my expensive prescriptive bifocal goggles
were no where to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a thorough
search I knew for sure that I had lost them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Retracing my steps from the night before it would have to be at the gas
station. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In the meantime, Diane (Joe’s
wife) had arrived so we got into her car and went to the station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we pulled in I could see the goggle’s foam
cushion insert laying on the ground next to the pump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I retrieved that Joe went to the cashier
inquiring about the eyewear and lo and behold, she had them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone had found them and gave them to the
cashier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy was I ever lucky!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I’ll write a letter to the local
newspaper expressing my appreciation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">With joy coursing through my
bones over finding my goggles, we returned to the motel so I could retrieve my
helmet and bike and ride over to the Park for photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like to get a photo with Joe and I think he
likes to have his photo taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon
exiting the motel I saw Joe talking with another rider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIi59rQbZ4k3q5-poykLDCuvWY6m6Oxpg0q1HLqAuMUA1e70UJPU_6aGEpjr4wrU-eiANCGrcepFOH2jdKvBEQyrDCFUNtsYs9PB-UtX-ZUDu5NbJKXD3LiH1C6Xf28q5evLMK2zTqGJj/s1600/DSCN1931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIi59rQbZ4k3q5-poykLDCuvWY6m6Oxpg0q1HLqAuMUA1e70UJPU_6aGEpjr4wrU-eiANCGrcepFOH2jdKvBEQyrDCFUNtsYs9PB-UtX-ZUDu5NbJKXD3LiH1C6Xf28q5evLMK2zTqGJj/s320/DSCN1931.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The rider was the biggest guy I have ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably around 6’10 and 350 lbs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is Lutheran Pastor Kerry Nelson from <st1:place><st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;">Bellaire</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;">TX</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and Madawaska was his 2d corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I led him over to the Park and we got
joint photo with Joe.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After the photo sessions Joe
and Diane and I went to Polly’s for breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Inside everyone was greeting Joe (happens everywhere you go with Joe)
and sitting at a table by himself was Rev Kerry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he was kind enough to join us and we had a
great conversation with Kerry telling quite a few stories of his exploits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">With breakfast over we went
to Joe’s house and fired up the ATV 4-wheeler and headed to the mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a fun time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is my first time in an ATV and
definitely my first time in the </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Maine</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8mp7iLGS0VhRWPRyDi8MKzDGa7hHqYUdsMqzKwtVjkuxyKigmfg1n42s7yGv2vMDLpbihfxGitfvmg_kgwOCTchTeCzCRNbqoytJ_Nt-cTWd_6z9Un2OpFgAumS9BsQoheT1tpkqIg15/s640/JUNE23,2013+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8mp7iLGS0VhRWPRyDi8MKzDGa7hHqYUdsMqzKwtVjkuxyKigmfg1n42s7yGv2vMDLpbihfxGitfvmg_kgwOCTchTeCzCRNbqoytJ_Nt-cTWd_6z9Un2OpFgAumS9BsQoheT1tpkqIg15/s320/JUNE23,2013+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
All the trails were hard packed, many were rutted, and there was the
occasional opportunity to splash through some large puddles in the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a pic of one of the wider trails.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We stopped on a wooden bridge
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW4bEl1csSfWld5Wl0I0DiPefnn40q799BlAc0uAVTou5spJZ_Z13JXtDkjlZCxvy6U8tH1W5RFw8tU5L-GV4FYsNBhG1hSVJNqBXYRQyZ-pO8COey2xYxsfqLdW-freJjTZgADLDUflC/s640/JUNE23,2013+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW4bEl1csSfWld5Wl0I0DiPefnn40q799BlAc0uAVTou5spJZ_Z13JXtDkjlZCxvy6U8tH1W5RFw8tU5L-GV4FYsNBhG1hSVJNqBXYRQyZ-pO8COey2xYxsfqLdW-freJjTZgADLDUflC/s320/JUNE23,2013+010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
and observed bugs and small fish/big tadpoles swimming in the stream and I took
this photo of us.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A bit later Joe slowed the
vehicle and warned me to watch for moose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thot he was joking until I looked left into a wooden swamp area AND
THERE WAS A MOOSE!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Albeit a teenager in
size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIK5NJo1NCnHa9MQzobnTK17uo86ajj13SIJfDb5y0xMszqWku9q9xDJYmEFfIGUMVG8PaJHW7By_pYm71vxf-dbJoyJbglw7s-VxoOuUbrI5dX6EbXzESsqzlCbjWGUVO-xZI36GJDWH/s640/JUNE23%252C2013+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIK5NJo1NCnHa9MQzobnTK17uo86ajj13SIJfDb5y0xMszqWku9q9xDJYmEFfIGUMVG8PaJHW7By_pYm71vxf-dbJoyJbglw7s-VxoOuUbrI5dX6EbXzESsqzlCbjWGUVO-xZI36GJDWH/s320/JUNE23%252C2013+014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Joe took a photo of me and the
moose but it started moving away and only shows up as a brown spot in the woods above my shoulder.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Back on the trail, perhaps
another mile later, we came upon another one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This one was a BIG MAMA!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
stood there and stared at us and Joe kept saying to creep closer (I was driving
then).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept saying to take the photo
now!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Joe was adamant so we crept the
ATV closer and Mama Moose turned back into the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No photo, darn!.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSrzXKfUBD7xanh7iSQMQuG2rz0wr6-b5j9hhzNMsWZV1zsJKKrP_3dRUw9KazpeB9V4C3zhew8JwvLp4Namy-5EuBh4NwFw57syP5xIbe2o7dU0EBUHEARoOCNnfVO0FJrQJCdOeE7Hd/s640/JUNE23%252C2013+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSrzXKfUBD7xanh7iSQMQuG2rz0wr6-b5j9hhzNMsWZV1zsJKKrP_3dRUw9KazpeB9V4C3zhew8JwvLp4Namy-5EuBh4NwFw57syP5xIbe2o7dU0EBUHEARoOCNnfVO0FJrQJCdOeE7Hd/s320/JUNE23%252C2013+011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Continuing on our ride, Joe
took us up on an overlook and, while sipping Canadian beer, we took in the
views of the mountains and the lakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Absolutely gorgeous!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We then rode more trails
down to the lakes and I spied a couple working on their home that was on the
lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrl4KFj-mnUiY81xJddUwjW9xzOySCWLV4Pk-d9T7SkzLXbj4UlJ5BBElcKrObCu-xbFkbDVSk99HmtY4nxG_xoJR3vqKMW22IUi3Igaez0ycvjrCxJM6iMSHfhVXxcH4BvJC7z9oSFg7/s640/JUNE23,2013+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrl4KFj-mnUiY81xJddUwjW9xzOySCWLV4Pk-d9T7SkzLXbj4UlJ5BBElcKrObCu-xbFkbDVSk99HmtY4nxG_xoJR3vqKMW22IUi3Igaez0ycvjrCxJM6iMSHfhVXxcH4BvJC7z9oSFg7/s320/JUNE23,2013+017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I can’t find the scrap paper where
I wrote their names but I think they are Bruce and Danielle.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">ATVing up another mountain
Joe took me to the cabin that the ATV Association.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is located up on the mountain and, between
the trees, affords a view of the two lakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The cabin is really nice for guys, gals and families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside we found game tables, casual chairs,
country decorations and a mounted deer’s head sporting cool sunglasses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then it was back down the
mountain, around some different trails, and Joe took me to where a beaver dam
was located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a little concerned
about being there because it is off limits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He shut the engine off and we got out and found moose footprints in the
soft soil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we stood there in the
quiet we then could hear a moose’s mating call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pretty soon we heard two more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
were three moose in the nearby woods, completely hidden, issuing their calls
for a babe to join them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was standing on the edge of the dam and I
heard a SLAP!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Looking in the water I saw a
flat tailed beaver grabbing air and diving away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is cool!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Dinner was pizza and salad
and then we called it a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow
we’ll have breakfast at Tim Horton’s and then I’ll get on my way to </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">New Hampshire</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> to ride the Kancamangus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was quite an outing with
Joe today. He really showed me a lot of </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Maine</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-family: Arial;"> that I normally would not have seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the icing on the cake was seeing two
moose, pheasant, moose tracks, hearing moose making mating calls, and seeing a
beaver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Thanks Joe!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">LiveViewGPS:</span> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div>
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GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-40211266678214926452013-06-28T10:25:00.001-07:002013-06-28T16:11:02.006-07:00Day 20: June 21st, Madawaska, True X Completed!<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On the road
at 8AM I was excited to be within reach of finishing the True X.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been a long hard ride!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I-84 took me
through Waterbury and Hartford to MA’s I-90.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Traffic was light all the way and I was clipping along pretty well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking the very first exit on I-90 I took 295
north to I-495 that runs around Bahstan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Actually, I think I joined onto I-95 somewhere very close to the NH
border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course, I’m in that part
of the USA where the states charge tolls to ride the interstates!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">My spirits
were buoyed by the great time I was making and the thought of successfully
completing the event in 20 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, I did
have one little goof up. Just south of Portland ME one can continue on I-95
(longer route) or take 295 (Toll road but shorter and faster).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I elected to take 295 and, with the traffic
at the time, managed to get into the EZPass lane by mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped at the Toll Booth expecting to see
a person to collect my $1 but no one was there….sure confused me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then cars behind me started honking their
horns (for a supposedly laid back state these commuters are sure
impatient!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s when I realized I
was in the wrong lane so I continued through and pulled off to the side of the
road to park the bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked back to
the manned toll booth and the fella there gave me a card with a phone number to
call to make an on-phone payment thereby avoiding a fine….Whew!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Am glad I went back to clear things up!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The rest of
the ride was uneventful until exit 276 where the interstate is closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traffic was detoured through the countryside
to Dyer Brook on ramp back onto I-95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Houlton
was finally reached and I ate a quick sandwich, refueled and was on US-1 north
to the final destination! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I was a
little anxious however, as it was already 6:15 and I know that this road can be
a very slow one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But not today….it
traveled well, even through the towns including Presque Isle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many sights from my prior rides through here
were recognized and soon Madawaska showed up over the handle bars!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Yaaayyyy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it just before sunset!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">First
priority was to refuel and obtain my gas receipt to close out the ride in 20
days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second priority was to get a tall
beer, chips, hot sauce and then scoot over to Martin’s Motel where I sat on the
porch rewarding myself with Bourbon Boiler Makers while eating chips and sauce
and talking to my buddies who were so instrumental in helping me finish this
ride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Ahhh, now I
can go back to riding “Gonzo Style”; low mileage days, photo taking, meeting fellow Americans, and smelling the flowers !!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Tomorrow I'll get photo's at the Park with Joe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">LiveViewGPS:</span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082</span></a><o:p></o:p></span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-76722933981482516862013-06-28T10:22:00.002-07:002013-06-28T16:32:03.185-07:00Day 19: June 20th, Apple Pie and Country Roads<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Slept in a
little this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so quiet,
the bed so comfy, the air from the open windows was so fresh, and I was having
a great dream when I heard my hosts calling me to wake up!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow, yesterday really tired me!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We had a
wonderful breakfast then it was loading the bike and a goodbye hug from Carol
and Bob and I were on our way down the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were riding to another town to meet up with Paul, Bob’s riding buddy,
and then Bob took us out on a country ride (OH172) leading me to US-11 that
would take me to I-80 East.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While riding
to meet Paul I kept reflecting on how fortunate I am that two friends hosted me
in style for a night, recharged my batteries with warm friendship, and got me
safely on my way towards my final destination!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Bob’s country
ride was Hwy 172 through the beautiful Ohio countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The road was in excellent shape for being a
farm road and gently followed the undulating and curving hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode through a few small towns, past
farms, country homes, dairy farms…..an absolute thrill for me after so many
days of riding the interstate slabs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MA4bkgAVe0DN6FFUA6Jc6AFGoOJg2C7gZAr9UnhFpwHfAvVHS8VZK7spSnlSNuw8yj53oHpwMharZcenfTfNBkawXeliKFM_O813yifCCOcUvCLoc6PclD9ZbPD6xgpg7N4oBrvbIiuG/s640/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MA4bkgAVe0DN6FFUA6Jc6AFGoOJg2C7gZAr9UnhFpwHfAvVHS8VZK7spSnlSNuw8yj53oHpwMharZcenfTfNBkawXeliKFM_O813yifCCOcUvCLoc6PclD9ZbPD6xgpg7N4oBrvbIiuG/s320/IMG_0310.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We were passing
through a small town, I think it was Lisbon, and Bob pointed out a diner called
Steel Trolley Diner, a 50’s style diner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We stopped there to get some pie and coffee and to chat a bit because 2
miles out of town they would be waving goodbye to me and sending me north on US11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDu7I8ShfzQT7qoHVhMuxqd5Ox_ti14yYvSvGnbCUctHOrmEhbU_BxMo2WCR2dssSU7IvwuwbUjEmShx5q3RcVV99dXMjCnrn8nMluiz473Rov2mGs-dwAMaop3nSkUBrWioqiBXuLp-mo/s640/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDu7I8ShfzQT7qoHVhMuxqd5Ox_ti14yYvSvGnbCUctHOrmEhbU_BxMo2WCR2dssSU7IvwuwbUjEmShx5q3RcVV99dXMjCnrn8nMluiz473Rov2mGs-dwAMaop3nSkUBrWioqiBXuLp-mo/s640/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDu7I8ShfzQT7qoHVhMuxqd5Ox_ti14yYvSvGnbCUctHOrmEhbU_BxMo2WCR2dssSU7IvwuwbUjEmShx5q3RcVV99dXMjCnrn8nMluiz473Rov2mGs-dwAMaop3nSkUBrWioqiBXuLp-mo/s320/IMG_0311.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I’m so glad
we stopped at the Steel Trolley!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had
a great time chatting, laughing and joking with patrons and waitresses, and
thoroughly enjoyed our Apple Dumpling Pie and coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before leaving, our waitress Chris took a
photo for us and then posed with me for a pic (she's very serious).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a great way to end our ride through the country side!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RWDtLsj0dDsnwvgN89XaicpYjwBh8Uv4zATmQr8TQ_DyGJM7h2JF8rPAyhA5sDM7G1WjtrUAKkjNFx6tF3U219-P9GzIOWZb8YuH706RsFrkY_GQjPHzL9hSnVBtcwSkL53Xqb29bIKp/s640/IMG_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RWDtLsj0dDsnwvgN89XaicpYjwBh8Uv4zATmQr8TQ_DyGJM7h2JF8rPAyhA5sDM7G1WjtrUAKkjNFx6tF3U219-P9GzIOWZb8YuH706RsFrkY_GQjPHzL9hSnVBtcwSkL53Xqb29bIKp/s320/IMG_0312.JPG" width="320" /></a><a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">US 11 quickly
got me to I-80 and then I settled down for the long, beautiful ride through PA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I-80 is a wonderful scenic ride not often found
on Interstates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put it in the category
of Utah’s I-84 and the west side of WY’s I-80.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It travels through some of the most beautiful countryside and mountain
views in the country!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On the East
side of PA I picked up I-81 towards Scranton and then cut over east on I-84 through
NY between Albany and NYC and into CT.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A few miles
into CT I pulled into the Bethel/Danbury Days Inn I stayed at last year and
called it a night<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day’s ride was
only 543 miles but it put me 620 away from Madawaska…..I can make that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">LiveViewGPS:</span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082</span></a><o:p></o:p></span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-90982834801445852752013-06-28T10:19:00.001-07:002013-06-28T13:18:29.773-07:00Day 18: June 19th, Ohio Hospitality<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Skies were
still cloudy in the morning but no rain and no lightning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s objective is to reach GlideRider’s
place in Ohio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With good weather and no
traffic I should be able to travel the 600+ miles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The route for
today took me north around St. Louis so no heavy traffic was encountered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was I-70 all the way to Columbus OH where
I connected to I-71 heading to east of Mansfield where GlideRider was going to
meet me and we’d then ride to his place in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NRuB3q9l_RYU479DxCsAs8UvP4oaGJVDleNihE7ZSFnXxEpl02J_jD85tmvWJjNYzCVuORSxI96nl9KHwmeoX87RiWV0eBLwzfIC4FJek96Y6VrzrwzMXgfNVhFcR5BrpZ-TGif6SkVf/s640/Bob&Gonz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NRuB3q9l_RYU479DxCsAs8UvP4oaGJVDleNihE7ZSFnXxEpl02J_jD85tmvWJjNYzCVuORSxI96nl9KHwmeoX87RiWV0eBLwzfIC4FJek96Y6VrzrwzMXgfNVhFcR5BrpZ-TGif6SkVf/s320/Bob&Gonz.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We connected
and reached his place at around 8:30pm….a long day and 642 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihatjYRKsSK7-cQ3BtRS-vr8SsZ-aI2Rhyme3KUQ52kpvf5PJvmsOQph3Vk9qbPUbqR2LzXXvZ5EXz94SFZ6prCV1CdntsBrDtAI3YgmTBX-4W_UpN4Fxg0gwdzouMSedlZi9z45pQ6ew-/s320/BobsBrideCarol.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihatjYRKsSK7-cQ3BtRS-vr8SsZ-aI2Rhyme3KUQ52kpvf5PJvmsOQph3Vk9qbPUbqR2LzXXvZ5EXz94SFZ6prCV1CdntsBrDtAI3YgmTBX-4W_UpN4Fxg0gwdzouMSedlZi9z45pQ6ew-/s320/BobsBrideCarol.JPG" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met Carol, his lovely wife, and we all had
a wonderful dinner and a glass of wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was pretty tuckered out by then so it was a shower and bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>GR has a very interesting house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original structure of the kitchen and
dining room was built in 1875 and he added on to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and Carol have pretty much designed all
the remodels and add-ons, and GR also built a huge “barn” where he keeps the
two cars and two bikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The upstairs
barn area is for him and his buddies when they break out their guitars and
drums and start jammin’. Da Dude's a moosician too!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I should make
up some stories about my two buddies, Buzz and Bob, or Swamp Buzz and Country
Bob…..yep, think I will, should be fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">I have three
days to reach Madawaska….Bob thinks I can make it in two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m beginning to feel better about it….hope I
can do it in two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would be a total
of 20 days and will make it easier to divide into the total mileage to come up with
a good average of daily miles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">LiveViewGPS:</span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082</span></a><o:p></o:p></span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-44005291229352006812013-06-28T10:16:00.000-07:002013-06-28T12:51:06.315-07:00Day 17: June 18th, Largest Ball of Twine; Lebanon 3rd/Final Time<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There’s a
couple of routes to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>
from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salina</st1:place></st1:city>:
81N to 24W to 181N or 81N to 36W and 181 at <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to ride 24 to see the Ball of Twine
but 36 coming back to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salina</st1:place></st1:city>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The World’s
Largest Ball of Twine is located in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Cawger
City</st1:city> <st1:state w:st="on">KS</st1:state></st1:place> on US24.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw noticed this last time on my run from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region> to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Key West</st1:place></st1:city> and decided to
stop and take a pic on my way back from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Key
West</st1:place></st1:city> to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It definitely is a large ball of twine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG1-dQYjQrrByc34bFwYW8308jxKA2dmDPPiPeWl3QIq1AFqJ8AkXvBGMJHjXBiKdEB7kWZ5GOH0kzV_02Rg3SWejlbhtX8H5IhfCPt0trp2F_DXHx6xIdieZU0mbO8mbckkl7O0kuq7E/s1600/DSCN1924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZG1-dQYjQrrByc34bFwYW8308jxKA2dmDPPiPeWl3QIq1AFqJ8AkXvBGMJHjXBiKdEB7kWZ5GOH0kzV_02Rg3SWejlbhtX8H5IhfCPt0trp2F_DXHx6xIdieZU0mbO8mbckkl7O0kuq7E/s320/DSCN1924.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">While there Kim and Tammy from Shingle
Springs were visiting and were kind enough to take the photo’s for me.<o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">When I
reached <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>
I went straight to the Post Office and got the requisite photo proof of
visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary, who grew up next to Chuck
Warner, who I met on my first visit, kindly took the photo for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next stop was the gas station for refueling
and I found Rex, Randy and Bill working there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8qb45qGAliiBzl0-PVMKY3SDtqiLb57VQAzqC0-nJvNRSIlwfdTWECkGMd7cGHk8c50zCDbaKBmUx8XmDTl8-3IcVlpZrFuuBh84DhA14rGu8aU4PC1R4bGdr5vVsINK3iLV3P1nZqWE/s1600/DSCN1928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8qb45qGAliiBzl0-PVMKY3SDtqiLb57VQAzqC0-nJvNRSIlwfdTWECkGMd7cGHk8c50zCDbaKBmUx8XmDTl8-3IcVlpZrFuuBh84DhA14rGu8aU4PC1R4bGdr5vVsINK3iLV3P1nZqWE/s320/DSCN1928.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /></span>Then off to the Geographical Center Marker once more so I could take
some photo’s with Snoopy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Back on the
road I decided to take US36 to US81 thinking it would be faster than<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>US24 which had a lot of construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>36 was indeed faster….longer, but faster as
there were only a few towns to slow down for and no construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, I discovered an America’s Best
Value motel at the intersection of 36 and 81.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Had I known this I could have ridden at night on 81 to the motel without
any problems and would have been better positioned for the ride to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Approaching <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Topeka</st1:place></st1:city> the skies once
again were getting dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clouds were
packed solid and the winds were gusting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My weather birddog, GlideRider in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:state>
was keeping me informed of the weather activity ahead of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The frequency of my stops have been
increasing as I seem to be getting a little tired, and during these stops I was
collecting the weather intelligence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
one of the gas stations a fella checked his radar and said it the road to the
east was relatively clear of cell activity but had rain and strong winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buoyed with that news I rode ahead suited up
in rain gear and did encounter rain but not the strong lightning
or thunderstorms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It would have
been nice if I could have reached the east side of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St. Louis</st1:place></st1:city>, but it got dark as I braved it
through <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Columbia</st1:place></st1:city>
and pulled into <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Kingdom</st1:placetype>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place> once again to stay
at the Days Inn where I previously stayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Though late, I was fortunate to get a single at a good rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It was good
to dry out, warm up in a shower and hit the sack!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">LiveViewGPS:</span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082</span></a><o:p></o:p></span>GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-84223464677912346992013-06-28T10:13:00.000-07:002013-06-28T10:13:02.033-07:00Day 16: June 17th, Salina KS
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Departure out
of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Paducah</st1:place></st1:city> was
around <st1:time hour="8" minute="0" w:st="on">8am</st1:time>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goal was to reach motels somewhere along
KS24 on my way to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would position me close to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region> for an
easy ride on the country roads 24 and 181.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Once again
the ride through <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Illinois</st1:place></st1:state>
along I-24, 57 and 64 went pretty quick and was uneventful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">St.
Louis</st1:place></st1:city> was reached and I seemed to hit a time when
traffic was building up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one of the
interchanges a car almost ran into me as it merged from lane 5 to lane 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw it merging and knew the driver wasn’t
looking and was going too fast for the traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I started merging left into the fast lane to avoid the car and was
honking my horn and still had to hit the brakes so he or she wouldn’t hit
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Driver was totally oblivious!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The clouds
had been building up all day and somewhere between <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kansas City</st1:place></st1:city> and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Topeka</st1:place></st1:city> the skies finally released their
rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I reached <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salina</st1:place></st1:city> it was late and I
decided to get a motel instead of risking the ride in the dark along KS24
searching for a motel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This will
make tomorrow’s ride a little harder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
full 105 miles to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lebanon</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
pics, stops and then 110 miles back to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Salina</st1:place></st1:city>
and then heading northeast towards <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:state>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Although
riding distance today was 635 miles, I am still concerned reaching Madawaska in
under 21 days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">LiveViewGPS:</span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2043924366043746028.post-49032741273667928332013-06-28T10:11:00.001-07:002013-06-28T10:11:07.791-07:00Day 15: June 16th, In Kentucky Again
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">With an early
start I passed through <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Atlanta</st1:place></st1:city>
in no time….well, not quite true, but close enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a Sunday so that made it easier to
ride through the big city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
there was a nasty accident on the south bound side and that slowed traffic for
awhile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Other than
that my ride was a quick one flowing over the hills of northern GA and south
central TN through <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chattanooga</st1:place></st1:city>
and then <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nashville</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During lunch in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nashville</st1:place></st1:city> I called my USMC flying buddy but
he was in NE for his business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Back out on
the road again I kept going as long as possible trying to add miles and make up
for previous light mileage days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reached
20 miles south of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Paducah</st1:place></st1:city>
and pulled into an America Best Value motel for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rode 658 miles….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">…..that
should help a little!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">C ya mañana,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gonzo<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Email: <a href="mailto:GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cell: 949-433-0761<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">LiveViewGPS:</span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">70.169.216.3/specialevent.aspx?cid=liveviewgps&login=gonzo.ronald@live.com&pwd=7082</span></a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
GonzoCrossUSAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06937215167058398463noreply@blogger.com0