Snippets

[Dusz]

Following going to see your new grandson I am sure that there will be another trip to Somewhere, sometime.
Have a good return trip and if it is dry you should be able to take in some of the scenery that you missed yesterday in the rain.

[Crusty]

Ogallala, Nebraska


I left the Stupor 8 in Kemmerer, Wyoming in a downpour, this morning. I had looked at the weather radar online and at the TV weather forecast. It was supposed to just be cloudy around the area I was in, with rain along the way.I rode for about 60 miles or so and stopped in Green River, WY for coffee and a sausage McMuffin. My gear kept me dry, but it was 45 degrees and I was pretty chilled. Then my slow working brain remembered that I had my Electric Jacket Liner in the left saddlebag. So, I put it on when I finished my deluxe breakfast.

It rained off and on (mostly on) all the way across Wyoming. I stopped in Laramie for lunch, gas and to adjust my handlebars. I had hit a pothole hard and they had rotated down a bit. The sun came out and the temperature rose into the comfortable zone. I seriously considered putting the rain gear and heated jacket away, but there was one dark cloud in the distance that I didn't trust. That was a smart decision. I didn't get 10 miles before I was in the middle of an intense rain/hail storm.

When it was sunny, I felt hot with the sweatshirt, heated jacket liner and rain pants; but once it started raining, the air temperature dropped 20 to 30 degrees and all the gear felt right.

Once I crossed into Nebraska, the sky was blue with just a few puffy white clouds, so when I stopped for gas, I packed away the liner and sweatshirt. I still didn't trust that I was through the rain, and kept my rain pants, boot covers and winter gloves, as well as leaving the rain liner in the jacket. Once again, that was smart.

Within 20 miles, the sky ahead of me turned black with lightning between the clouds, but not hitting the earth. Despite the clouds looking so ominous, they couldn't decide whether to rain lightly or pour heavily, so the rain alternated. I had wanted to ride as far as North Platte, but the very strong gusts of wind, along with the heavy rain made me decide to put up about 50 miles early. I wasn't happy with the wind, rain and lightning and the Stupid 8 sign was all I needed to see.

Still; I covered something like 520 miles today. If I can do that two more times, I'll be home on Sunday evening.

I hope I'm through with the rain. I'd really like to ride without the extra gear on.

[BSA Bob]

Does the U.P. still own Green River?

[Steve9]

Reckon you are excited about seeing your Grandson!

Mine will be two in January, and this nudged me to make the 500 mile trip N. of Atlanta

I will probably load both xl's in the truck and go

Thanks for the "priority adjustment"

[Andy56]

I have just got back from a few days away to read your reports. Sorry to see you are having to abort.

For flyers it has always been there are old and there are bold but there are no old bold pilots.

Stay safe.

[Crusty]

What Happened


This is a Snippet that I have to write. I’ve gotten more reaction to my deciding not to head north than anything I’ve ever written. I’ve gotten every response possible from one extreme to the other. There are people who think I should have gone and people who think I did the right thing. The only vote that really counts is mine, however and I think I did the right thing.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make. Once I started south from Salmon, Idaho, I continually debated whether I should just turn north again. However, my gut feeling was that it just was the wrong time. I chose to listen to that. I accepted that it was the right choice; then, I discovered that a bunch of people sent me money via PayPal. That reawakened the debate. I decided to stick with my decision and vowed to return the money when I got home. That was one of the first things that I did a few hours ago when I got back to Cheviot.

The trip started with several annoyances. I forgot my cell phone and had to go get it. I ran into ugly traffic jams. I couldn’t find the campground I was planning to stay at and I had a migraine while I was riding into the blinding setting sun. And that was only the first day. there were several other things that didn’t sit well with me as the trip continued. Hitting rain, hail and snow as I crossed over Monarch Pass; getting held up for over an hour because of road construction west of Gunnison, CO; the $40.00 price of camping at Utah Lake State Park in Provo, Utah; the cold, miserable rain as I rode up Route 93 from Arco to Salmon; being charged $150.00 for a room at the Stupid 8; and the last straw was walking out to get on my bike and getting rained on again. When I looked to the north, the sky was black; to the south it was blue with white puffy clouds.

Another thing that was gnawing on me in the back of my mind was that I had read a post on ADV Rider by a local who stated that if I was going to camp, then I should make Bear Spray mandatory because I would see bears. I’m old, fat and I don’t want to encounter bears in the wild.

And there’s one more thing that I don’t want to accept. I don’t enjoy camping like I used to. I don’t like the way my feet and legs cramp up when I’m trying to get dressed or put my boots on. I’m almost 73 years old, for Pete’s sake. Most people that I know quit enjoying camping when they were a lot younger.

I may have disappointed some people who wanted me to keep going, but in my heart, I know that I did the right thing. The best response I got from the dozen or so that I got was from a friend who had seen combat: I'm sorry to hear your aborting the trip. My instructors always hammered one concept in battle. Never push a bad position. If it doesn't feel right, it’s not. Fall back, regroup, reattack. You're making the right call. This trip is supposed to be the fulfillment of a dream, not the genesis of a nightmare. Ride back, regroup, relaunch with a new plan. Be safe.

As he said, I’m already considering a new plan. One that will help to defray the costs of camping or motels.

But that won’t happen for a while. For now, I’m going to go up to Maine and see my Grandson in a couple of weeks. I figure I’ll let Megan and Rocky have a few weeks to settle in at being new parents and also to let everybody else bother them with the “let’s see the new baby!” visits. When I go, their lives should have settled down.

I really want to see my Grandson.

[Dusz]

"My instructors always hammered one concept in battle. Never push a bad position. If it doesn't feel right, it’s not. Fall back, regroup, reattack. You're making the right call. This trip is supposed to be the fulfillment of a dream, not the genesis of a nightmare. Ride back, regroup, relaunch with a new plan. Be safe."
Sound advice.
Glad to hear that you made home safe and are now able to take charge of the situation and not the situation control you. The ride is for your enjoyment and not just to be endured.
We are awaiting our third grandchild within the next 3 weeks. Fortunately, for us they only live 8 miles away.
Ride safe.

[ChinCactus]

I have a friend who did this trip several years back. Western NY to Fairbanks AK solo. He was well equipped and stayed it hotels during the trip.

His goal was the arctic on the Dalton highway. He had to abandon that portion as it had been raining there for a week which made riding a MC up there extremely difficult.

He experienced all the weather you did and more. (Tornados) On the way back, it got to him. When I talked to him, he never said that but I could hear it in his voice so I got in the truck and headed west as he continued east. Met him in Sioux Falls SD and loaded the bike.

In Canada and Alaska he said bears are as common as squirrels. He also was charged by a buffalo which he found out later was pretty common.

You made the right call.

[BKB]

Glad to see you made it home safe. Some times the timing is just not right. It's a good thing when we can see the signs & weigh the situation with wisdom.

[sportsterpaul]

Welcome back John, now plan you “grandson” trip, which should be a fantastic experience!
I’ve got 5 grandkids and 7 great grandkids do I speak from experience. May you be truely blessed!