Well gang, over the past several of weeks I have done more moving than the Bekins Van and Storage guys. Since leaving Kansas, I have “cowboyed up” and really started to motor. A typical daily ride is now running 325 to 425 miles per day. This may not sound like much to most of you, but when you are travelling the back roads on a motorcycle in less than perfect weather conditions it is amazing how physically and mentally exhausted one becomes by the end of each day. It is one thing to do it for one or two days in a row, but it is a whole different story when you are on an extended journey such as mine.
I am currently in Waterville Maine and have now ridden through 29 states so far. Today I had a super ride up past Moose Lake which is northwest of Bangor. A lot of rain, but still a ten plus for beautiful scenery and viewing of some great homes. Since surviving my near death experience in Kansas, I have travelled the scenic roads of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and I am now in the “Pine Tree State” of Maine.
I would like to say that the weather has been great, but it hasn’t. For the most part the days have been much cooler than I expected (today the high hit only 66 degrees) and I have hit much more rain than anticipated. What is that old expression about “a cloud seems to be following me most of the time”? Don’t get me wrong, I am still having a total blast, but there is no question about it that so far this has turned out to be more of a spring ride than a summer ride. As one motorcyclist told me, “We knew we were not buying a sedan when we bought these things”. I laugh about his comment every time the rain starts to really come down. I am just amazed in this part of the US how quickly a few scattered clouds can turn into a viscious thunder storm. I mean I am talking in less than 15 minutes a “ride in the park” can turn into a dark, black, wet, windy nightmare from hell.
Most days I have tended to start riding later in the day due to work related commitments in the mornings and then I end up riding much later into the late afternoon and early evenings in order to keep making tracks. My cardinal rule though is to never ride at night. I feel the risk of doing so is simply too great to be out after dark. Interesting fact…..Did you know that a moose’s eyes do not reflect the light at night the way other animals do so seeing them is almost impossible?
Now for the journey…. Nebraska was one of the most enjoyable rides so far on this adventure. The sunny late afternoon sun on my back, the rich yellows, greens, and browns made the scenery and the ride just about perfect. No question that the terrain lacks mountains, but as I have mentioned previously I just love the plains of the Midwest as much as I enjoy riding through the higher elevations like the Rockies. I know a lot of people won’t agree with me about beauty of the Midwest Plains States, but I find a real peacefulness in roaring across the rural roads of Middle America. It reminds me of simpler times that most of us enjoyed as small kids growing up in the bigger coastal cities. I just love seeing the young Midwest boys running around the small towns barefooted in nothing more than a pair of old cut-offs. When we were kids my two brothers and I would chuck our shoes in the closet after the last day of school in June and not put them back on until that dreaded September day came around when we were sent back to “prison”. Our tender feet and stubbed bloody toes of June would turn into callas hardened instruments capable of fire walking by early September. Those were truly great days….the best morning of the year was the last day of school in June and the worst day arrived a short three months later!
I also love seeing the farmers working the fields, hay rolled up in round bundles as far as the eye can see, and the empty streets of most of the small towns I ride through. The funny thing is that it does not seem to matter what time of day or the day of the week that I ride through many of these small towns, the people never seem to be on the streets or outside of their homes. It always reminds me of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone that aired on TV in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I always ask myself, “Where are all the people?”
I am currently in Waterville Maine and have now ridden through 29 states so far. Today I had a super ride up past Moose Lake which is northwest of Bangor. A lot of rain, but still a ten plus for beautiful scenery and viewing of some great homes. Since surviving my near death experience in Kansas, I have travelled the scenic roads of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and I am now in the “Pine Tree State” of Maine.I would like to say that the weather has been great, but it hasn’t. For the most part the days have been much cooler than I expected (today the high hit only 66 degrees) and I have hit much more rain than anticipated. What is that old expression about “a cloud seems to be following me most of the time”? Don’t get me wrong, I am still having a total blast, but there is no question about it that so far this has turned out to be more of a spring ride than a summer ride. As one motorcyclist told me, “We knew we were not buying a sedan when we bought these things”. I laugh about his comment every time the rain starts to really come down. I am just amazed in this part of the US how quickly a few scattered clouds can turn into a viscious thunder storm. I mean I am talking in less than 15 minutes a “ride in the park” can turn into a dark, black, wet, windy nightmare from hell.
Most days I have tended to start riding later in the day due to work related commitments in the mornings and then I end up riding much later into the late afternoon and early evenings in order to keep making tracks. My cardinal rule though is to never ride at night. I feel the risk of doing so is simply too great to be out after dark. Interesting fact…..Did you know that a moose’s eyes do not reflect the light at night the way other animals do so seeing them is almost impossible?
Now for the journey…. Nebraska was one of the most enjoyable rides so far on this adventure. The sunny late afternoon sun on my back, the rich yellows, greens, and browns made the scenery and the ride just about perfect. No question that the terrain lacks mountains, but as I have mentioned previously I just love the plains of the Midwest as much as I enjoy riding through the higher elevations like the Rockies. I know a lot of people won’t agree with me about beauty of the Midwest Plains States, but I find a real peacefulness in roaring across the rural roads of Middle America. It reminds me of simpler times that most of us enjoyed as small kids growing up in the bigger coastal cities. I just love seeing the young Midwest boys running around the small towns barefooted in nothing more than a pair of old cut-offs. When we were kids my two brothers and I would chuck our shoes in the closet after the last day of school in June and not put them back on until that dreaded September day came around when we were sent back to “prison”. Our tender feet and stubbed bloody toes of June would turn into callas hardened instruments capable of fire walking by early September. Those were truly great days….the best morning of the year was the last day of school in June and the worst day arrived a short three months later!
I also love seeing the farmers working the fields, hay rolled up in round bundles as far as the eye can see, and the empty streets of most of the small towns I ride through. The funny thing is that it does not seem to matter what time of day or the day of the week that I ride through many of these small towns, the people never seem to be on the streets or outside of their homes. It always reminds me of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone that aired on TV in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I always ask myself, “Where are all the people?”
From Nebraska I headed up to South Dakota. Although the world famous Sturgis bike rally was not due start for another two weeks I wanted to hit Mount Rushmore again and ride the Black Hills while I was in the neighbourhood (only 200 miles away). Boy, has that monument gone commercial since my last visit (distant parking structures, huge gift shops, buses galore, tourists everywhere, etc.), but the stone carving is still absolutely breath taking. In addition, the motorcycle riding of the Black Hills is some of the best and most enjoyable found anywhere on this planet. Wide sweeping turns on great roads, dark soil and green trees everywhere, and the views in all directions makes this a real treat. This is especially true when you get to enjoy this part of the country prior to when a couple of hundred thousand of your closest friends show up in early August for the Sturgis Rally. 
North Dakota was uneventful and weather was starting to turn nasty on me again during this leg of my journey. The scenery in Minnesota improved, but weather and the roads were less than perfect. Outside of Fergus Falls I experienced some additional mechanical problems. My gear shift linkage broke and thanks to my trusty duct tape and plastic ties (a must have for all long distance motorcyclists), I was only broken down for about 45 minutes. The patch job worked great and allowed me to get on my way versus being stranded and having to wait for the tow service. 
A great late afternoon..............perfect light and sunshine!
Next up was Iowa. What would a trip through Iowa be without visiting Winterset (south west of Des Moines about 35 miles)? First, I went to the home of Marion Michael Morrison (aka John Wayne). He was actually born in the house just over101 years ago. It is now a museum and gift shop and you can tour the small 700 or 800 sq ft home that is basically identical to when he lived there, see the room he was actually born in, and buy every imaginable piece of John Wayne memorabilia from shot glasses to belt buckles.
Next up was Iowa. What would a trip through Iowa be without visiting Winterset (south west of Des Moines about 35 miles)? First, I went to the home of Marion Michael Morrison (aka John Wayne). He was actually born in the house just over101 years ago. It is now a museum and gift shop and you can tour the small 700 or 800 sq ft home that is basically identical to when he lived there, see the room he was actually born in, and buy every imaginable piece of John Wayne memorabilia from shot glasses to belt buckles. Second, I wanted to visit the Bridges of Madison County (ala the book of the same name by Robert James Waller and the 1995 movie that featured Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep) again. Although I had been through here one other time, I enjoyed the day just as much this time through. I had a great time and I highly recommend that you visit Winterset if and when you are anywhere close to Iowa. 
Shortly after leaving Iowa and heading into Missouri I heard from my office in London that they had arranged for me to meet with the Harley Davidson folks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to tour their new museum and to be interviewed by the Fox News network there. So I motored through Missouri and Illinois to make sure I got to Wisconsin in time for the interview.
Fist I was impressed with the riding throughout most of Illinois until I got close to Chicago. What a zoo Chicago was as it was related to the traffic and the roads were not much better. I did get caught in an incredible flash thunder storm that was a bit scary. Inside of 30 minutes, the skies turned from puffy white clouds to black ominous ones that turned the daytime skies into the dark of night. Within a ten minute period of time the winds went from zero MPH to about 50 or 60 MPH gusts. It was everything I could do to keep the bike upright and get to the next off ramp to hide under a gas station awning until the thunder cell moved on through.
Wisconsin had some beautiful scenery, but the roads were one step better than Alaska and that is about it! This was a big shock for me with it being the home state of Harley Davidson and all. By the way, the Harley Museum turned out to be incredible as I expected it to be. Also, the interview with Fox News was really fun and went well. I spent a couple hours with the news person and her cameraman. Both were really nice and they filmed me riding and talking about Cruising for the Cure, etc. The spot ran on the 6 o’clock local news.
The next day I headed for Green Bay to try to straighten out the Bret Favre/Green Bay fiasco. Needless to say, I failed in my attempts to get reconciliation between the two parties as evidenced by the recent trade to the Jets. I found Green Bay itself to be less than I expected and after spending one rain soaked night there I headed south in order to find something to do, some dry weather and hopefully some decent roads that would not shake every bolt loose on Captain America! A couple of hundred miles south of Milwaukee a car passed me and then slowed down and rolled down the shotgun side window. As we rolled along, a young guy stuck his head outside of the window and asked if he could take my picture and said that I was now famous because he and the guy driving saw me on Fox News the night before. We both laughed and then proceeded down the road.
Riding in Ohio was terrific and the highlight for me was going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. This is truly a must see museum. I was in total awe of the quality of the exhibits and the broad cross section of music covered. It had the actual costumes, advertising posters, etc. from all of your favorite acts. In addition, the museum even had cars, motorcycles, etc from the likes of Elvis, Janis Joplin, Jon Bon Jovi, and others. At first I thought there was only one floor to the exhibit and felt I had gotten my monies worth ($22) after spending about 2 hours pouring over all the 1st floor exhibits, but then I discovered as I was getting ready to leave that there were 4 additional floors. The items that I enjoyed the most were seeing the original written lyrics to some of the most famous songs in history. Some were written on things like the back of paper bags and others on Ramada Hotel stationary. Lucy in the Ski with Diamonds was one of these and seeing certain words scratched out that did not work and then the new ones added that did was a real treat for me. This was way cool! Wow, what a treat and I will definitely come back again (next time with Doreen) and spend much more time pouring over all this great history and attending all of the video presentations!
Weather really turned south on my while I was headed for Indiana. I was forced to pull off the freeway twice due to high winds and incredible rain. My rain gear seems to be my standard outfit for the day these days! Once I got to Indy I had an opportunity to have diner with two old friends from my RCI days. It was wonderful to see Steve Miller and John Reinhardt again. Although I had not seen them for several years it was as if no time had past at all. We talked and laughed for several hours over a great dinner and a couple of drinks. Simply great guys and a perfect evening!
The riding through Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and now Maine has been way beyond my high expectations. Although I have had some real weather challenges, the beauty of these states are second to none. If real estate looks good on a lousy day, can you imagine how great it would look on a perfectly warm sunny summer day? I was very surprised by West Virginia and Pennsylvania due to the fact that I felt for some reason that the scenery would be mediocre at best, but it wasn’t. I expected the other states to be great and they have all far exceeded my expectations.
The people I have met along the way have been equal to or better than the scenery! Kind, helpful, interested in Cruising for the Cure and my sponsor (Titan Sports Media), and they are also so proud of where they live. A trip like this has really opened my eyes to the fact that there are a lot of incredible places to live throughout our country without having to be within 10 miles of either coastline.
Early last week Doreen found out one of her friends in San Diego was diagnosed with breast cancer and last Friday she underwent major surgery. I dedicated my ride that day to her. It turned out to be a great day from a weather standpoint (a nice exception to the usual all day rain that I have been seeing). I had a beautiful day of blue skies, white clouds, some shorts showers, and then bright blue skies and white clouds again with stunning scenery in every direction as I rolled through the Adirondack Mountains of New York.
I am happy to report (knock on wood) that Captain America is running like a top….dirty, but running like a top. I can’t wait to get some decent weather so I can give her a bath! I will need to take her in for a major service and new rear tire some time in the next few days. Tomorrow afternoon after I get some work done, I will start heading south which should be a kick. I hear weather over the next few days may even get better…I know this is hard to believe, but I so want to believe the weatherman!
Now how would I rate the trip so far on a 10 point scale? How about a solid 15? It has been a real challenge and so fulfilling as I meet people along the way and spread the word about Cruising for the Cure. I am handing out more of my Cruising cards than does a strip club hawker in Vegas!
I am really hopeful that I am heading into some really hot weather. For those of you who know me, I hope to get a lot of 100+ sunny days coming up in my near future. I know this may sound terrible to some of you, but who cares….this is my journey and I love scorching heat. As I always say, “How can you be in a bad mood on a really hot day?”
Later guys,
Smiley
Shortly after leaving Iowa and heading into Missouri I heard from my office in London that they had arranged for me to meet with the Harley Davidson folks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to tour their new museum and to be interviewed by the Fox News network there. So I motored through Missouri and Illinois to make sure I got to Wisconsin in time for the interview.
Fist I was impressed with the riding throughout most of Illinois until I got close to Chicago. What a zoo Chicago was as it was related to the traffic and the roads were not much better. I did get caught in an incredible flash thunder storm that was a bit scary. Inside of 30 minutes, the skies turned from puffy white clouds to black ominous ones that turned the daytime skies into the dark of night. Within a ten minute period of time the winds went from zero MPH to about 50 or 60 MPH gusts. It was everything I could do to keep the bike upright and get to the next off ramp to hide under a gas station awning until the thunder cell moved on through.
Wisconsin had some beautiful scenery, but the roads were one step better than Alaska and that is about it! This was a big shock for me with it being the home state of Harley Davidson and all. By the way, the Harley Museum turned out to be incredible as I expected it to be. Also, the interview with Fox News was really fun and went well. I spent a couple hours with the news person and her cameraman. Both were really nice and they filmed me riding and talking about Cruising for the Cure, etc. The spot ran on the 6 o’clock local news.
The next day I headed for Green Bay to try to straighten out the Bret Favre/Green Bay fiasco. Needless to say, I failed in my attempts to get reconciliation between the two parties as evidenced by the recent trade to the Jets. I found Green Bay itself to be less than I expected and after spending one rain soaked night there I headed south in order to find something to do, some dry weather and hopefully some decent roads that would not shake every bolt loose on Captain America! A couple of hundred miles south of Milwaukee a car passed me and then slowed down and rolled down the shotgun side window. As we rolled along, a young guy stuck his head outside of the window and asked if he could take my picture and said that I was now famous because he and the guy driving saw me on Fox News the night before. We both laughed and then proceeded down the road.
Riding in Ohio was terrific and the highlight for me was going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. This is truly a must see museum. I was in total awe of the quality of the exhibits and the broad cross section of music covered. It had the actual costumes, advertising posters, etc. from all of your favorite acts. In addition, the museum even had cars, motorcycles, etc from the likes of Elvis, Janis Joplin, Jon Bon Jovi, and others. At first I thought there was only one floor to the exhibit and felt I had gotten my monies worth ($22) after spending about 2 hours pouring over all the 1st floor exhibits, but then I discovered as I was getting ready to leave that there were 4 additional floors. The items that I enjoyed the most were seeing the original written lyrics to some of the most famous songs in history. Some were written on things like the back of paper bags and others on Ramada Hotel stationary. Lucy in the Ski with Diamonds was one of these and seeing certain words scratched out that did not work and then the new ones added that did was a real treat for me. This was way cool! Wow, what a treat and I will definitely come back again (next time with Doreen) and spend much more time pouring over all this great history and attending all of the video presentations!
Weather really turned south on my while I was headed for Indiana. I was forced to pull off the freeway twice due to high winds and incredible rain. My rain gear seems to be my standard outfit for the day these days! Once I got to Indy I had an opportunity to have diner with two old friends from my RCI days. It was wonderful to see Steve Miller and John Reinhardt again. Although I had not seen them for several years it was as if no time had past at all. We talked and laughed for several hours over a great dinner and a couple of drinks. Simply great guys and a perfect evening!
The riding through Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and now Maine has been way beyond my high expectations. Although I have had some real weather challenges, the beauty of these states are second to none. If real estate looks good on a lousy day, can you imagine how great it would look on a perfectly warm sunny summer day? I was very surprised by West Virginia and Pennsylvania due to the fact that I felt for some reason that the scenery would be mediocre at best, but it wasn’t. I expected the other states to be great and they have all far exceeded my expectations.
The people I have met along the way have been equal to or better than the scenery! Kind, helpful, interested in Cruising for the Cure and my sponsor (Titan Sports Media), and they are also so proud of where they live. A trip like this has really opened my eyes to the fact that there are a lot of incredible places to live throughout our country without having to be within 10 miles of either coastline.
Early last week Doreen found out one of her friends in San Diego was diagnosed with breast cancer and last Friday she underwent major surgery. I dedicated my ride that day to her. It turned out to be a great day from a weather standpoint (a nice exception to the usual all day rain that I have been seeing). I had a beautiful day of blue skies, white clouds, some shorts showers, and then bright blue skies and white clouds again with stunning scenery in every direction as I rolled through the Adirondack Mountains of New York.
I am happy to report (knock on wood) that Captain America is running like a top….dirty, but running like a top. I can’t wait to get some decent weather so I can give her a bath! I will need to take her in for a major service and new rear tire some time in the next few days. Tomorrow afternoon after I get some work done, I will start heading south which should be a kick. I hear weather over the next few days may even get better…I know this is hard to believe, but I so want to believe the weatherman!
Now how would I rate the trip so far on a 10 point scale? How about a solid 15? It has been a real challenge and so fulfilling as I meet people along the way and spread the word about Cruising for the Cure. I am handing out more of my Cruising cards than does a strip club hawker in Vegas!
I am really hopeful that I am heading into some really hot weather. For those of you who know me, I hope to get a lot of 100+ sunny days coming up in my near future. I know this may sound terrible to some of you, but who cares….this is my journey and I love scorching heat. As I always say, “How can you be in a bad mood on a really hot day?”
Later guys,
Smiley
about my trip, the people I meet, and I will also post photos I take along the way. In addition, I will keep you posted about media interviews I am able to arrange over the next several months as I publicize the purpose for this journey. As you can see, the blog will allow us to communicate with one another and I am really looking forward to hearing from you.
Doreen (the love of my life) is one of the lucky 
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