Happy Birthday Jack

Friday July 31 Venerdi 31 Luglio

Eeks, today was the big one. Today I am a full fledged senior, 65 years old. No pretending that being a senior is a few years away, this is it!! Oh well, I better get on with enjoying these "golden years". Today we toured Boston, we waited until after 8 AM to leave so we could avoid commuter traffic. We programmed the GPS to take us to a public parking lot. But the GPS units do not work well in a town of high rise buildings as they cannot get the signals from the satellites. However we did manage to find the parking lot which had a sign stating "No Motorcycles Allowed". So we had to go searching. Eagle eye Linda had spotted one previously and while we negotiated the famous Boston traffic searching for that one we found another and pulled in. Good news, motorcycles were allowed. We then looked for a tour bus that allowed us to get on and off which we quickly located. And away we went on a tour of the city. There are lots of historic sites and lots of historical facts from the bus drivers which differ from driver to driver. We also got a harbor cruise with our tour ticket which we took to the landing where we could see the USS Constitution which is also called "Old Ironsides". We stepped off of the cruise boat and onto a somewhat modern destroyer exhibit and it immediately started RAINING. All tourists were asked to leave the destroyer for their safety. The closest cover was the USS Constitution museum which we hurried to as it was really RAINING. Good exhibits and they sold plastic rain slickers. When we finished there it was time to catch the next tour boat so we missed seeing Old Ironsides. Back at the original dock we searched for a little food which we found in the form of lobster rolls and some fish for Linda who is allergic to shellfish. Then it was back to the tour bus and the old North Church where the lanterns were placed notifying the minutemen (early militia from before the revolution) that the British were coming. We looked inside the church, saw the old graveyard with headstones from the 1600s and finally headed for the bikes. We did not want to be in the Friday night commuter traffic even though the rain had stopped for awhile. But our wants were in vain as the traffic had already started or as I should say it had stopped. Finally we got away from the city, found a gas station and then headed for the motel. 11 miles from the motel we stopped to buy a Subway sandwich and saw the big, black clouds so we ate our sandwiches there while the new rainstorm covered the parking lot. When it finally subsided we hurried to the motel and celebrated my birthday. Tomorrow it is on toward New York City where we will split up for a couple of days. Clint and Charleen will go to New York while Linda and I will be going to Philadelphia. We will meet again on Monday.


Eating lobster in the rain


Linda and the old North Church

Four states in New England

Thursday July 30 Giovedi 30 Luglio

Today we started with the popular "which way is the right way?" GPS syndrome. The GPS knows where you are and where you need to go but it does not know what direction you are headed until you start moving nor does it know the layout of a motel parking lot. So there is oftentimes some confusion when starting out. And sometimes there is confusion later on. Clint and I have 2 different GPS units and they while they both will get us to our destination and any selected locations on the way they may, and in fact do select different routes to do this. Most of it is the same but sometimes one will say to turn while the other says to go straight. For this reason and also that Clint has planned all of the routes and sights he and Charleen want to see we usually follow him. It is easy for us to return and see anything that we missed but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. Today was no exception, we had to search a little at the start to keep the lady in the GPS happy but then we were on our way. Our end destination was a motel in Attleborough about 45 minutes south of Boston. (45 minutes at normal times, not during the commuter rush hour) We prefer the back roads where we can see the country, the houses, the small towns and of course an occasional coffee stop and some chit-chat with the locals. As a result a 4 hour, boring, direct route ends up taking 10 hours of quality, enjoyable riding time. Today we started in Vermont, went to New Hampshire, then Maine and finally into Massachusetts. We stopped for breakfast at a 50s-60s style diner and later for gas at a small station/restaurant/liquor store by a small lake. This was a busy place with cars going and out all the time. Then we checked out the non-poor people at York Point on the beach and also their local light house. This was our first stop on the Atlantic coast but won't be the last. We got a small taste of the Boston area traffic and then finally arrived at our motel about 45 minutes south of Boston itself. 300 miles.


Love these tree covered roads


York Point, Maine lighthouse

Countries, turkies, ferries, syrup, no ice cream and RAIN

There are many towns in the Adirondacks named after foreign countries and cities. We passed through Greece yesterday and Russia today. We skipped Poland and Mexico but have been to Rome. We did not see Turkey anywhere but we did see lots of wild turkies this morning. Naturally as soon as we got a camera prepared we never saw another. The mountains today were taller than yesterday and there were also more pine trees. I saw almost no pine trees yesterday. Later on in the day I saw a road on the GPS screen that turned left off of our planned route and crossed into Vermont. It was too late to catch Clint and Charleen and tell them I wanted to take that road. But they had seen it also and turned there. It took us to a ferry crossing over Lake Champlain. On the ferry we noticed a brochure for a maple syrup farm about 45 minutes north. We all love maple syrup so we took off for the farm. We learned a little about maple syrup and better understand the prices now. They used to boil 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. They have improved the process now to boil only 10 gallons because they can remove most of the water before they start. We bought a pint of syrup to take home for $10 which Linda said was a very low price for real maple syrup. And then we saw another brochure for the Ben and Jerries ice cream factory about an hour south which was the way we were going. So we went there with our eyes on the black sky we were heading into. The next tour we could take was almost an hour later so we decided to find shelter before the rain hit. But this town only had one motel which was expensive and several bed and breakfast inns which were even more costly. But the girls had coupon books and had a coupon for a motel about 15 miles south so we tried to beat the rain. We lost, we lost big time. We got on the interstate and the rain started. We pulled off and put on rain jackets and the rain started coming down harder to compensate. We arrived shortly after at the motel, got the rooms and went to park the bikes. Then we really got wet. And it is still coming down. Linda and I had considered a campground and she said to do the motel instead. What a great choice as we would have been completely soaked to the skin putting the tent up in this kind of weather. I am not going outside to check the mileage.

Che bella giornata. Buon tempo, belle colline, tanti tacchini selvaggi. Anche c'era un piccolo giro attraversare Lago Champlain sul traghetto. Poi siamo stati in Vermont dove fanno lo scirropo dai alberi acero. Ci piace molto cosi abbiamo visitato una fattoria, imparato un po' del processo e comprato un mezzo litro. Poi abbiamo sentito di un posto dove si fanno una marca speciale di gelato cosi abbiamo provato fare un giro ma il cielo stavo diventando nero. Cosi abbiamo cercato per un albergo. Linda e Charleen avete avuto un libro di sconti e li hanno usato al albergo. Buon idea perche' la pioggia era terribile e non era un buona notte per la tenda. Adesso e' 5 ore piu' tardi e la pioggia e peggiore. Grazie alle signore!!


The ferry ride
La moto sul traghetto


At the syrup farm
Alla fattoria di sciroppo

My mule Sal

Tuesday July 28 Martedi 28 Luglio

"I got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen miles on the ---- -----
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the ---- -----"

If you can fill in the 2 word blanks you will know where we stopped today. If you cannot it would appear that you did not have to learn American folksongs in elementary school music class. (HINT, it is a CANAL that was dug from Albany to Lake ERIE.) Yes, you got it, the Erie Canal. Another interesting bit of Americana that we have seen on this trip. Then we stopped at Lake Ontario completing the viewing of all 5 of the great lakes. Can you name them all? We can now. Then it was on to the Adirondacks where we are staying at a KOA campground tonight. The houses here are typically older 2 story homes and sometimes have a square, windowed cupola on the top. There are also many graveyards with old looking headstones. We stopped at one and the headstones were from the mid 1800s. There is supposed to be excellent star viewing in the Adirondacks so we will give it a try in a couple of more hours. ~250 miles

Oggi abbiamo visto Lake Ontario e anche il Erie Canal. Il Erie Canal e' un canale fatto a mano nel 1800s che va fra Albany, New York e Lake Erie vicino Buffalo, New York. Ci sono tanti apparecchi chiamata "locks" dove si puo' cambiare il livello del'acqua cosi le nave possono usano questo canale perche' Albany e Buffalo hanno diversi elevazioni. Anche siamo fermati al cimitero vecchio dai anni 1800s. Abbiamo sentito che non c'e molti luce durante la notte qui e si puo' vedere molte stelle. Speriamo di si, vedremo stasera. ~250 miglia oggi.

Lock on the Erie Canal
Porte per cambiare livello del'acqua sul Erie Canale


View from our tent
La vista dalla nostra tenda

Luna di miele a Niagara Falls

Monday July 27 Lunedi 27 Luglio
We left London, Ontario this morning on back country roads to Port Dover on Lake Erie. There is a lot of diverse farming done here. Potatoes, peanuts, tobacco, oats, and of course corn. The farm buildings are like those I am used to in the USA except that most of the houses are brick and two stories. After about 50 miles we arrived at Port Dover ready for breakfast. But first we checked out the waterfront for awhile and naturally took a few pictures. There was a monument there to the fishermen who had lost their lives on the lake. It was another reminder about the dangers of maritime work and seemed to emphasize what we had seen at Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. Breakfast was had at Tim Horton's which is one of Canada's fast food restaurants that are found everywhere. They are also starting to appear in the USA. Then it was on more back roads until we arrived at Niagara Falls. We passed the $20 parking lots and found one 1/4 mile farther away for $4 an hour. We then joined the crowd looking at the falls. They were quite impressive. It was Linda's first time here and my second. Then it was on the bikes and into immigration control to return into the USA. When we got through CnC stopped to take a picture of the Welcome to New York sign. I did not see what they were doing and missed it. I too wanted a picture as it is the first time I have been in New York on this motorcycle. So I will have to find one on the New Hampshire border tomorrow. Of course we had to check out the falls from the USA side and take more pictures. In keeping with the honeymoon (luna di miele or moon of honey) tradition we got a picture of Linda and I with her holding a bouquet of clover blossoms. Finally we took off to find our motel for the night. Once again we found a motel room for not too much more than the KOA wanted for a tent site. Only 150 miles today.

Siamo partiti London, Ontario, Canada e guidato a Port Dover sul Lago Erie. Abbiamo usato le strade nella campagna e visto tante fattorie belle. A Port Dover abbiamo fatto qualche foto e anche mangiate colazione. Poi siamo andati a Niagara Falls fra Lago Erie e Lago Ontario. Sono una bella vista. Si deve vedere le cascate da entrambi Canada egli Stati Uniti cosi siamo fermati sul altro lato e fatto piu' foto. Niagara Falls e una destinazione popolare per i nuovi sposati per fare la luna di miele. Cosi io e Linda ha fatto una foto come i nuovi sposati. Linda ha avuto un bouquet di fiori dall'erba, molta carina. Stasera stiamo al motel economico. 150 miglia.


A honeymoon after 43 years
Dopo 43 anni abbiamo una luna di miele

Saginaw - Henry Ford Museum - London

Saturday July 25 Sabato 25 Luglio

We could not leave Paul's Motel fast enough. We did not even make coffee. We stopped at a McDonalds for coffee and then rode a little over an hour to Dearborn and the Henry Ford Museum. I was following Clint and several times he left a stop sign where there was not enough of a break in the traffic for me to leave with him. Three of those times the oncoming car slowed and waved me on as they could see that we were riding together. That helps make up for one inconsiderate lady who passed me at the end of the on ramp not allowing me to merge and then almost ran over CnC when they were merging. But we made it to the museum and spent a couple of hours there. I have been there twice before and really enjoy it. I have wanted Linda to see it for many years. Naturally there are several cars and motorcycles but there are also locomotives, farm equipment, BIG industrial engines, household displays, aeronautical exhibits, motorcycles and on and on. When we left I heard a group speaking italian. So naturally I started talking with them. They were all from Sicily and it was good to practice a little. Then we headed for Canada. The customs delay was almost an hour but we finally made it through and were on our way. We arrived in London, Ontario and found a Knight's Inn motel which is a chain. It was $55 with internet and non smoking rooms. Unfortunately the internet is down but the price is still good and we have reserved another for tomorrow night at Niagara Falls.

JFK Dallas Limousine

St. Ignace-Saginaw

Saturday July 25 Sabato 25 Luglio
Today was a rainy,rainy day. It was raining when we left and it did not quit until we were close to Saginaw, MI. We had no stops planned, just ride and enjoy whatever we saw. So we enjoyed the rain. Leaving St. Ignace we crossed the Mackinaw bridge with Lake Michigan to our right and Lake Huron to our right. From there we rode along the coast of Lake Huron hoping for an opportunity to get a clear picture of Lake Huron. It was difficult as the rain never stopped. We did stop once for coffee but mainly just kept riding until we reached Saginaw, MI. When we got there we searched for a resting place for the night. The motel that Clint had hoped to use was out of business. The next closest one was fully booked and would have been too expensive for me anyway. I checked a campground but they wanted $55 for a tent site. I think they were some type of amusement park with a campground. Clint found a motel about 7 miles away, Paul's Motel complete with internet for $50. We twisted and turned but finally found it. We paid for the rooms (mistake) and then found they were quite run down and reeked of cigarette smoke. The internet connection did not work unless I was sitting outside. It was the worst place we have stayed on this trip. But it did have a big lawn where we unpacked our tents and dried them off since they were wet from the previous night's rains. Linda and I left the doors and window's open for a few hours trying to air the plae out but to no avail. In hindsight we should have left the tent setup on the grass and slept there! Oh well, you need at least one such experience per trip so you better appreciate it when things are going well.

We all raved about this motel!

Piu' italiano

Domenica 19 Luglio

Oggi abbiamo voluto vedere Mt. Rushmore con le quattro faccie dei presidenti passati. Io e Linda abbiamo visto Mt. Rushmore e vogliamo provare una strada che non siamo guidati primo. Abbiamo visto tanti animale selvatichi, bufali, tacchini, capre e asini. Gl'asini sono stati molti carini. Dopo questa strada e Mt. Rushmore siamo partiti attraverso North Dakota. Non abbiamo guardato il serbatoio e pensato che non abbiamo abbastanza benzina per trovare il prossimo distributore ma per fortuna abbiamo trovato uno. Anche abbiamo trovato un motel economico che ci ha dato tutto per pulire le moto. 330 miglia

Lunedi 20 Luglio

Abbiamo guidato meno di 200 miglia oggia da Gettysburg, South Dakota a Mandan, North Dakota. C'e un concessionario Honda a Mandan e Clint ha voluto il concessionario a cambiare la gomma posteriore. Questo concessionario ha avuto una scooter Suzuki Bergmann, seconda mano. Cosi io l'ho provata. Era carina ma preferisco la vera motocicletta. Stasera siamo stati al campeggio KOA quando Clint e Charleen hanno usato un motel. Io e Linda abbiamo comprato un panino per la cena. Anche abbiamo dovuto fare una battaglia con le zanzare.

Shipwrecks and Rain

Friday July 24 Venerdi 24 Luglio

Today we woke up to,,,,, RAIN!! Yes, once again we are blessed with what some drought cursed area needs. And it went on all day. And it was a little longer day than average. But it wasn't all that bad, just a little cool. Traction and visibility were good and that is the main concern. There was only one sightseeing spot on the program, the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. It was almost at the end of the day's journey and we all found it interesting. There were a lot of shipwrecks in this area, most in the month of November when the bad storms hit. Many others were collisions from pilot error, fog or other causes. I believe that the number in the area of Whitefish Bay was over 300 and over 3000 for all of the great lakes. The most well known would be the Edmund Fitzgerald which was made famous in Gordon Lightfoot's song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".
One thing we have noticed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan is that they are prepared for winter and snow. Snowmobiles here are not just a toy but a functional vehicle. They are seen in all the yards and/or garages. There are even special street signs regarding snowmobiles. Also the deciduous trees here appear to outnumber the conifers which is far different than the Pacific Northwest. Michigan appears to be the hardest hit by economic problems with many businesses for sale or abandoned.
Tonight we are staying in St. Ignace in a motel as it is supposed to rain all night and in fact it is raining now at 10:30. The problem with tenting in the rain is that you must pack up all of your gear wet which causes mildew. Also if you set up camp in the rain the only place you can go is inside your tent which is fairly confining. So we found a very nice motel for $50 and could enjoy the evening in comfort including eating at a small, inexpensive restaurant. Then we ruined our diet by stopping at a fudge store on the way back to the motel. Tomorrow we head for the outskirts of Dearborn. We will spend the night and then see the Henry Ford Museum on Sunday and head toward Niagara Falls via Canada. Loving life, 350 wet miles today.


Linda at Whitefish Bay
"The searchers all say
she'd have made Whitefish Bay
if she'd put 15 more miles behind her."
(Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Gordon Lightfoot)


Just how deep does the snow get here?


Australian kids in a candy store!!

Un po' d'italiano

giovedi 16 luglio
Io e Linda siamo partiti per trovare i mostri amici Clint e Charleen a Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Ho pensato che ci incontriamo sabato. Il mio programma era stare a Pueblo, Colorado 350 miglia dalla case quella notte a un campeggio KOA. (KOA e' un gruppo di campeggi che si puo' trovare in tutti i stati, pulito con bagni e doccie) Abbiamo visitato un castello chiamato Bishop's Castle. Un uomo Jim o forse John Bishop ha costruito tutto il castello solo. E' strano ma interessante. Poi abbiamo sentito di un campeggio meno costoso quasi 20 miglia est di Pueblo. “Lo proviamo” dico io e sono guidato est. Dopo 20 miglia abbiamo visto un cartello che indicato un altre 50-60 miglia sudest ma vogliamo andare nordest. Abbiamo cercato per un albergo ma non lo trovato fino a Limon, Colorado dopo un altro 200 miglia.

venerdi 17 luglio
Un giorno corto perche' siamo guidati lontano ieri. Abbiamo voluto andare a Sidney, Nebraska dove c'e un negozio grande che vende roba per i pescatori e cacciatori. Una sorpresa, c'era un campeggio molto economico. Ho affitato un sito per la tenda subito. C'era un problema piccolo, c'era la possibilita di un tornado ma qui c'e sempre questa possibilita. A mezzonotte ho sentito acqua sulla tenda e poi niente. Dopo un minuto acqua ancora e poi niente. E il stesso per una volta terza. Il sistema per l'erba e' cominciato spruzzare la tenda, la moto, il carello. Ho trovato un secchio e' coperta l'irrigatore. Alle due ore ha cominciato piovere, grandita, tuono e fulmine. Che bella notte!

sabato 18 luglio
Oggi abbiamo trovato una coppia di Stonehenge in Inghilterra. Questa coppia era costruito con automobile vecchie. Molto strano. Siamo arrivati al KOA a Mt. Rushmore. E' stato molto grande con spazio per 3000 persone. Non ci piace. Il sito per la tenda e' stato difficile per la mia moto pesantee lontano dalla doccia e bagno. Arrivano Clint e Charleen. Clint aveva un male di golla e ha voluto stare a un motel. Cosi io e Linda abbiamo detto “no grazie” al KOA e affitato un motel anche. Il padrona del motel ci ha dato l'apparecchi per pulire le moto di quale hanno avuto molto bisogno.

Parking Lot Maintenance

Wednesday July 22 Mercoledi 22 Luglio

This morning I thought I would wash the bike in Bemidji before we departed. But while I was shaving it started to lightly rain. So we decided to wait which was a good choice. We were at a campground while C&C were in town at a motel. We would meet them at their motel but first we stopped at McDonalds for a senior coffee which means 1/2 price. If I must have grey hair I will at least use what advantages there are. C&C were ready to go when we arrived but first we all went to the money tree (ATM) to pick some leaves. The longer we go the higher up the leaves are and the harder to reach. Today was a short day of about 200 miles going to Duluth on Lake Superior. Clint had probably had a rock from the front tire fly up and puncture his radiator overflow bottle and had phoned ahead to the Honda shop for one. It was waiting there and he picked it up and would install it later. He is feeling better finally. We went to a high point which overlooks part of Duluth, 3 bridges, Lake Superior and across the lake to Superior, Wisconsin. Then it was off to the KOA to set up camp. I had looked in the KOA book and found that this was another expensive KOA and was looking for an alternative. After negotiating overpasses, underpasses, wrong turns, etc. we were headed west on the interstate towards the city of Cloquet and the KOA. Naturallythis was directly into the storm that we had been watching and the heavens blessed us with heavy rain. Everyone except Clint was wearing full wet weather clothes. Clint was not wearing his waterproof pants and was paying the price. Then the traffic stopped. A lady had stepped out of her car on the side of the freeway and was hit by a big truck. Unfortunately she was killed. The freeway was closed and the traffic was routed onto side roads. A police car was blocking the freeway in the fast lane just before an overpass so Clint stopped in front of the car and under the shelter of the bridge to put on his pants. Good timing as while we stopped it began to hail so we waited it out. Then we followed the crowd onto the side streets. I saw a low budget looking motel so we stopped and got rooms there. It was probably a good choice as it rained off and on all night. Also Clint could install his new overflow bottle laying on a parking lot instead of a muddy campground. There was a restaurant next door where we had a nice meal after which I had a very hard sleep for a full 8 hours.

Duluth, MN, Lake Superior harbor, and Superior, WI


Parking lot maintenance

Tall Things, Small Things

Tuesday July 21 Martedi 21 Luglio

Today we wanted to get to the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca. Clint knew all about this so we received a geography lesson. But first I gave my own geography lesson. It seems that the world's tallest structure, until recently, is the tv tower at Blanchard, North Dakota. It was only 32 miles out of our way. So we changed our route and the day's trip was actually shortened. We saw the tower and rode towards it and found a dirt road that went to it. And as a result we got close up pictures. It was built in 1963 and is 2063 feet tall. That's definitely a TALL THING. From there we proceeded east to Lake Itasca which is the beginning of the mighty Mississippi River. The first bridge across the river is a SMALL THING, actually just a board. But we all walked across it. I tried to get Linda to walk across the river which was maybe 15 feet wide and 8 inches deep but she did not want to fight getting in and out of her boots. We were now only 35 miles or so from Bemidji where we wanted to stay the night. We arrived at the KOA campground and asked about prices. We could rent a motel room for what they were asking for a cabin and I told the lady that they were pricing them selves out of business. They also wanted $33 to pitch a tent so we left. I found another campground for $19 and that is where Linda and I stayed. C&C are doing the motel thing for another night as the cool night air is hard on Clint's sore throat. Linda and I rode back into town to get a sandwich and an ice cream cone. Bemidji is famous? for it's statue of Paul Bunyan, the legendary TALL lumberjack along with his blue ox named Babe. We passed by the statue so we went back for a picture. It looked like the best picture was under the statue so down the sidewalk we went. ~350 miles

2063 feet tall


First bridge on the Mississippi


Linda, Paul and Babe

Lightning, rain, tire change and a scooter ride

Monday July 20 Lunedi 20 Luglio

First thing in the morning (actually second, coffee is always first) we go to the Honda shop whose business is really 4 wheel ATV and farm vehicles. He would change the tire if it was an emergency but as it is not we go on our way. He suggested that we stop in Mandan, North Dakota at the big dealership there. Today will be less than a 200 mile day so we have time to spare. On the way we are watching the lightning in front of us as well as the rain. We finally stop and dress up for foul weather. It never did get really bad but the temperature did get into the 50s for awhile. We stop in a small town for coffee and have a breakfast sandwich which is in fact a surprisingly good breakfast burrito. We arrived at the Honda dealer in Mandan and they are very good about doing the tire immediately. Linda and I look around the dealership and she suggests I pick something out for a birthday present. We look at gloves but there is nothing that I like. Linda goes outside to sit by the bike and read while we wait for Clint's tire change. I find out that the shop has a used Suzuki Bergmann motor scooter and I ask to ride it. They agree so I get on it and ride up to Linda and tell het that I found my birthday present. She decides that it is not an acceptable gift but she does go for a ride with me. This scooter is very powerful and has incredible acceleration. Alas, there is only so much room in the garage and in the budget so I say good bye to the scooter and we leave for the KOA campground. The campground has no cabins available so C&C go off to a motel and Linda and I set up the tent for the night.


Jack & Linda test a scooter

Black Hills Beasts

Sunday July 19 Domenica 19 Luglio

So we are off from Custer to see Mt. Rushmore and we took a road I had not yet traveled. And a nice road it was. Spectacular scenery, a few curves, buffalo, more curves, bighorn sheep, deer, a wild turkey, curves, wild burros and more curves. I have seen buffalo here every time but never had I seen wild burros. They stood in the middle of the road and made the traffic go around them. They were absolutely fearless. We stopped for breakfast at a small cafe and were pleasantly surprised at the prices. The prices were low for anywhere but incredibly low for a tourist area. C&C went on to Mt. Rushmore via the direct route while Linda and I took a road that we had never been on so we could see the needle like rock formations. It too was a scenic, curvy road but we saw no wildlife at all. But the rock formations were unique as were the small one way tunnels where there is often a 30-60 minute backlog during the rally in August. When we got to the entrance of Mt. Rushmore we saw Charleen at the entrance waving at us to go past. They were leaving and assumed that we did not want to pay $10 to park and see something that we have seen before. They were right and we were glad to save the money. Then we rode through Rapid City and the city of Sturgis. One reason was so that C&C could say they have been to the cities of the famous Black Hills Rally (often called "trailer week" for the many people who trailer their bikes to the festivities instead of riding). And we were looking for someone who could change Clint's rear tire. Although it was fairly new it did not have the life remaining to finish the trip so I brought another with me. Naturally we could not find anyone to do this on Sunday. We decided to continue on to Gettysburg (where the battle was not fought) and stay the night. There is a Honda dealer there and maybe he could do the job Monday morning. On the way we crossed Lake Oahe which is part of the Missouri River. We would be crossing it a couple of more times tomorrow. We also did not consult our references about towns along our route and had some anxious moments watching our gas guages keep dropping with no towns in sight. At Gettysburg we debated between camping at a small private trailer park or taking a motel. Clint has been fighting a sore throat so we decided on the motel. The owner gave us all the supplies to clean our bikes which really needed it as we had ridden through a hundred miles of grasshoppers. 330 miles.

Buffalo Family


Dannenberg Family

Metaphysical experience

Saturday July 18 Sabato 18 Luglio

You will recall that we acquired an air pump for our mattress yesterday and we then settled in for a good night's sleep, until midnight that is. We were awakened by the heavy pitter-patter of rain hitting the tent which suddenly stopped. And then suddenly started, and then stopped, and then started again. It seems that the lawn sprinklers had come on and were not adjusted correctly. They sprayed on our tent, motorcycle, trailer, and the whole area that we were using. I finally remembered that there was a children's playground where I had seen the kids playing with a plastic bucket. I went there, retrieved the bucket, covered the sprinkler and immediately the sprinklers shut off. Back to the tent, clean the sand from my feet, remove the wet jeans and try to return to sleep. No luck, I had returned to the tent at 12:15 and at 2 I was still awake listening to the thunder grow louder and the lightning get brighter. There had been a tornado watch and I imagined I could hear sirens in the distance. Could that be the city's tornado warning? Or was it just the noisy truck tires from the freeway? And what is this new heavier pitter-patter on the tent? Why it's a hail storm, that's what. It appears that sleep was not in my destiny. But eventually the weather passes and I do get some sleep. In the morning we start drying everything and packing for today's 5 hour ride to Mt. Rushmore. My luck changes when I find that our coffee pot and coffee is in the trailer. I thought I had given it to Clint and Charleen when I left Butte, Montana. But here it is so I make fresh coffee which makes the world seem to be a better place. Finally we leave and ride 85 miles to Alliance, Nebraska and stop at the Dairy Queen for breakfast. Linda has a chocolate dipped cone and I have a fish sandwich. It was hard to find the Dairy Queen as the streets were closed for the Heritage Day's parade. But we did find our way. Then we continued north to the mystical monument known as Carhenge. This is a copy of England's Stonehenge but made from old automobiles. I would like to say that Linda and I found it mystical and awe inspiring but we didn't. It looked like a lot of hard work, especially covering all of the car windows with sheet metal.
Back on the road we continue on to Hot Springs, South Dakota. We have been here before and we relive a few memories as we pass through on our way to the Mt. Rushmore KOA where we are to meet Clint and Charleen. We are first and I am unpleasantly surprised to find out how big the place is. It will hold 3000 people. It is the largest KOA campground in existence. I rent a tent site for the two tents and set off to find it. It is up a hill into the trees and then try and make an off camber, uphill turn into the site. Not going to do that with the 900 pound monster, so I turn down a hill and make a u-turn which allows me to go straight into the site. I have no idea how I am going to get out safely. A few minutes later Clint and Charleen show up. Clint still is suffering from a sore throat and does not think he should be sleeping outside. I had already planned for this and had made sure that I could check out and get a refund which I did. I am sorry for Clint's sore throat but we are glad to not stay here with all of the crowds and noise. We return to the city of Custer where we rent a motel room for only $10 more than the tent site. And the motel furnishes us with everything we need to wash our bikes. Then we go to a coffee shop in town for a light meal. So now we are fed, our bikes are clean and we will sleep inside with hot showers, internet connection, big bed and out of the weather.

Does this site have religious significance?

Air, give me air

Friday July 17 Venerdi 17 Luglio

Today would be a short day to make up for yesterday. We casually meandered north to Sidney, Nebraska. Of course the GPS and the freeway signs said to go west to get to 71 north. 71 was actually one mile east of us and I had ridden to Sidney on that same road a few years ago. But I followed the GPS and went 30 miles northwest on the freeway, 30 miles north and then 31 miles east back to 71 and ended up 37 miles north of where I started. So finally we are going north toward Sidney. After a couple of hours we came into Brush, Colorado. I have been through here before but did not stop. I was looking for a place to have a cool drink indoors. I am thinking that it would sure be nice to find a coffee shop or a bar like they have in Italy when I see a sign “COFFEE SHOP”. So we stopped and we both had a root beer float. Then we walked across the street and walked through an antique store but came out empty handed. Back on the bike we continued on to Sidney the home of Cabelas. Cabelas is a large hunting/fishing store. They have a large display of stuffed animals of all types as well as a large aquarium full of game fish. I was searching for a pump to inflate our air mattress and some folding lawnchairs that are shorter than normal. Clint and Charleen have our air pump with them so we would have to sleep on the hard ground unless we obtained an air pump. (NOTE: the previous sentence was intended to make Clint and Charleen feel extremely guilty but I doubt that it will work.) Cabelas had air pumps but not really the one I wanted. Plus they are 30% higher than Walmart and there is a Walmart across the street. But we did find the lawnchairs we wanted. And this Cabelas has a campground so I rented a tent site for $14.51. That is a good deal for a campsite with showers, grass and a sandpit where you pitch the tent. The only drawback was the sign on the door saying “Tornado Watch until 7 PM”. That is to be expected here and farther north which is the direction we are going. So we set up the tent and then proceeded to Walmart to buy an air pump. We could get the 12 volt model, the 120 volt AC model or the rechargeable model which charges from 120 volts AC. I chose the 12 volt model as I have outlets on the bike and the trailer to supply the electricity. But the unit we bought was defective, i.e. dead as a doornail. So we took it back. I waited outside while Linda took care of the paperwork. A person inside told her of another store that may have what we wanted so we took off looking for that store but could not find it. Well, we will just sleep on the HARD sand. (More guilt to C&C). But that just did not make sense as we are next to both Cabelas and Walmart. Why not just buy one of the other types? Back to Walmart I go to buy the rechargeable model. But first I open the box and read the directions. You must charge the battery for 10 hours before using the pump. So I buy the AC model as there are outlets at all of the motor home camp sites. Back at camp I am ready to inflate our air mattress. Of course motorhome sites have a specially shaped outlet that is different than the plug on the pump. No worries as we had an adapter in the trailer for just this type of emergency. Just then the motorhome next to us told us we could use one of his motorhome outlets to pump up the mattress so we did. But the pump did not work. Surely we could not have found 2 dead Chinese pumps on the same day from the same store! But it seems that the motorhome's battery was dead so we carried the pump and air mattress across the field to the closest site with electricity. Voila! We have a working pump and soon we have an inflated mattress. Joy of joys, we do not have to sleep on the hard sand and C&C do not have to lay awake at night thinking of how we are suffering.

Bringing blog up to date

This section was written on July 17^th in the motel from memory. I did not have internet access in Tulsa and was too busy the next week at home to take the time to get the blog updated.

Questo parte ho scritto 17 Luglio dalla mia memoria. Lo provero' scrivere l'italiano stasera.

Thursday July 16, Giovedi 16 Luglio

Away I go again, Linda too

Finally Linda is free to go with me. We will meet Clint and Charleen Saturday at a campground by Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. My plan is to ride to Pueblo Colorado and stay at the KOA campground. With side trips it should be about a 350 mile day. I don't want to do a long day on Linda's first day out. At the Colorado information center we see a relief map of the state and notice there is a nice state park and campground JUST EAST of Pueblo so we decide we will stay there. We will go east on Highway 50 through La Junta and then to the campground. But first we go to Bishop's Castle 25 miles west west of Colorado City, not 25 miles north like the state information says. Bishop's Castle is a rock building being built entirely by one man without help. He has many signs there about his political beliefs and his problems with the state of Colorado. The building is 160 feet tall and is quite interesting. You can search the internet for Bishop's Castle and read more about him and his castle.

Then we went on to Pueblo and proceeded east on Highway 50 searching for the state campground. After 10-15 miles we see a sign stating that it is 49 more miles to La Junta. And I see on the GPS that Highway 50 does not in fact go directly east but rather southeast. We want to go northeast to Sidney, Nebraska. This state campground will take us too far out of the way. The GPS tells us to take a highway just north of us so I do. Then I search for a motel with the GPS's toolset. Sure enough there is the Trapper's Inn in Ordway about 50 miles away. That is farther than I wanted to go but it is in the right direction so we continue on. But there is not and has never been a motel there so we continue on, next stop Limon which is about 75 more miles straight north. Finally after a 550 mile day we arrive at Limon, get a motel and go to Dennys for dinner and we each drink 3 large glasses of ice water. Then it is back to the motel, a shower and an early bedtime. I apologize profusely to Linda for the extra long day. At least the next 2 days SHOULD be fairly short days.

Bishop's Castle

Monday, Tuesday July 6,7 Lunedi, Martedi, 6,7 Luglio

Westward bound on Route 66

Deane is staying with Norm a few more days so I left alone to meet Clint, Charleen, Ken, Christine, Bob and Kerry for the ride back to Albuquerque. We took a couple of side roads so that we could ride on the old Route 66. At one point I noticed that the old road was beside us and overgrown with weeds and finally decided that I had to ride on it so everybody followed me. We had to weave in and out of bushes and hanging tree branches. It was great fun and interesting to think that I had been on this road in 1952 when our family moved from Illinois to California. We stayed the night in Amarillo, Texas and had dinner at a restaurant that sells a 72 ounce steak for $72. It is free if you can eat the entire meal in less than one hour. None of us attempted it.

Tuesday we continued west on I-40 but split up about 100 miles from Albuquerque as I had a 1 PM appointment. We all met that evening for dinner at Sadies, our favorite New Mexican food restaurant. Clint and Charleen will stay at the house tomorrow to do some maintenance while the others continue on to the Grand Canyon.

The OLD Route 66

Sunday July 5 Domenica 5 Luglio

Woolaroc

Norm took us to Woolaroc today. It is a nature preserve and museum created by one of the early oil company founders, Frank Phillips. He was quite the philanthropist as well as a lover of the outdoors. This is a must see site. There are many types of animals roaming free on the site. There were many newborn deer walking back and forth across the streets as well as bison, elk, goats, llamas and others. There was a multi-room museum and each room depicted a different era in the history of Oklahoma.

Tomorrow it is time to return home. I make plans to meet Clint and Charleen in the morning with the other 2 Australian couples for the return to Albuquerque.

Saturday July 4 Sabato 4 Luglio

Jack rides another trike

We returned to WingDing as today would be riding exhibitions of difficult maneuvers, stunts and other daring feats. Unfortunately it was raining heavily and these events were canceled.

Clint was in need of a new front tire. The tire machine people were selling tires and then changing the tires with their machine as a demonstration. I asked them if I could change Clint's tire. I did but still decided that their machine was not quite what I wanted. I guess that I will return from WingDing without a bunch of expensive goodies. But Clint and Charleen did buy new rainsuits so at least some of us helped support the show vendors.

Finally the rain subsided and I went outside to a trike vendor and was allowed to test their trike. They sell a kit to convert a Goldwing from a motorcycle with 2 wheels to a trike. Eventually one becomes old enough or suffers an injury that prevents them from riding a 900 pound motorcycle. A trike conversion is an alternative that allows one to keep riding. I am glad that I am not yet in need as I did not care for the three wheels. If and when my time comes I will try a motorcycle with a sidecar.

Friday July 3 Venerdi 3 Luglio

Jack rides a trike

And away we went to see the great WingDing show. Across from the exhibition center is a Honda shop where Deane left his bike to have the tire replaced. We went to the show and found parking places. It looks like it will rain and that turned out to be true. One of the first things we saw was a large version of a child's tricycle. It belonged to a lady who was a member of a tricycle drill team. They travel the country performing exhibitions for charity. She let me ride the trike which was interesting but not my preferred way of travel.

The show is full of vendors selling motorcycle items but also there are lots of vendors selling all types of non motorcycle merchandise such as kitchen tools. I assumed that I would find something to spend money on such as a more comfortable seat but happily for Linda I did not find a seat I liked so I bought nothing and saved $500+. I did test ride a Goldwing with an expensive suspension system. I have modified my suspension system and wanted to make a comparison. I decided that mine was just as good so I saved $1200. I also looked at a tire changing machine but it was not really what I wanted. I saved $900 by not purchasing it.

Later in the day someone asks me for help with their wrist watch. It was Clint and Charleen. We made introductions to Norm and then toured the show together. Later we all went to dinner together and then everyone returned to their accommodations for the night.

Thursday July 2 Giovedi 2 Luglio

And yet another tire problem

Today we are off to Tulsa where we will stay with Deane's friend Norm and will attend the big Goldwing riders conference called WingDing. Yesterday we toured the local area of Kansas with Deane's brother. We are searching for a restored home of a rancher who was ahead of his time in the way he built the home and ran his ranch. Deane had seen it at one time but does not remember where it was. After a while I forgot about finding this house and was just enjoying the scenery. Then I saw a sign for a historical site and turned into the parking lot. Sure enough it was the house that Deane remembered. Naturally we took the tour which was quite interesting. The tour guide told us to also stop in a small town not far off of our route to see the courthouse and jail. We did that and were quite impressed with the 2 cell jail as it was quite sturdy and had no heat or air conditioning. I doubt that they had many repeat prisoners.

I was in the lead riding south and noticed in my mirrors that Deane was stopping on the side of the road. I pulled over as well but I was ½ mile ahead. After waiting for a few minutes I decided that it was something more serious than changing jackets and I returned. It was easy to notice the flat rear tire on Deane's bike. We checked it out and found a 1/4” hole in the tire. We both carry repair kits so we installed a plug and continued on. After 25-35 miles the plug came out so we installed 2 plugs together. This got us to Norm's house on the outskirts of Tulsa. Deane had never seen this house so Norm gave us a tour of the house but mainly showed us his workshop in a special, large building behind the house. Very impressive. Then it was out to dinner and finally a good night's sleep with dreams of flat tires.

Kansas Jail

Deane fixing his flat tire

The Many Faces of Kansas

Tuesday June 30 Martedi 30 Giugno
Attenzione, italiano addizionato adesso

Today we will ride east and north across Kansas. There are many people who do not like riding in Kansas as there are no hills or curves and it is especially boring if you are on the interstates. Flat and straight thy name is Kansas! However we will take secondary roads through the farm country and the smaller cities. We will basically follow the old Santa Fe trail that was the route for traders to bring their goods to Santa Fe, New Mexico. And indeed the roads are flat and straight as we leave Dodge and start to Great Bend. Initially the view is of dry looking prairie but it gradually becomes greener. On the way we come into the small town of Kinsley. Out of the corner of my eye I see a sign and I turn around and go back to take a second look. It seems that Kinsley is exactly the same distance from New York City as it is from San Francisco. Back on the road we continue on to Great Bend on the Arkansas river. We gas up here and continue east with me in the lead. Again from the corner of my eye I see a sign about a historical marker. Nothing important, there are thousands of them across the USA. But it appears that this marker is in a park just east of town. I stop and ask Deane if he wants to go back to the marker and we go back. The marker is about a fort that used to be here to protect travelers on the Santa Fe trail from Indian attacks. There is also a sign about the Barton County Historical Museum. Back into Great Bend we go searching for this museum eventually ignoring the GPS which thinks the museum is north of town but we know it is south. Score 1 for the human beings as we find the museum south of town. It is a very nice museum with lots of exhibits including one of several types of clothes washing methods and machines as well as a restored motor scooter like the one in my garage waiting my restoration efforts. It was well worth the visit and I want to bring Linda back here. We like museums and there are many of them in towns across Kansas. From there it is northeast to the town of Marquette. Marquette is of interest as it is the home of the Kansas Motorcycle Museum and both Deane and I had heard about it and wanted to stop there. It is a small building from the street but inside there are 3 rooms full of restored motorcycles. At first it seems that it only has the American brands Harley and Indian. But the other 2 rooms do a good job of showing brands from around the world. And there is another restored scooter like the one I have so I get plenty of detail photos that will help me later. The museum is dedicated to the memory of one of Kansas' great motorcycle racers and his widow is the host at the museum. A quick and inexpensive lunch and we are on our way again. We are definitely in farm country here. Everywhere there are combines in the fields and it looks like hot, dusty work. I am watching my gas gauge and comparing it to the miles traveled. It seems like the gauge is reading low for the miles traveled but my mind tells me that the gauge is reading slightly low because the bike is going uphill. Uphill? In Kansas? Sure enough as we go east the terrain is changing from flat to hilly and very green. Actually I am not surprised as I have traveled Kansas before. I am a fan of the Midwest. I like the outlook of the people. They respect and are considerate of each other, they are hard working, patriotic and God fearing and I enjoy being in their country. Along the way we occasionally see farmhouses about to collapse and sometimes collapsed and being covered by vegetation. And we also see new houses or houses under construction, It would be easy to make a photo story of the life cycle of a farm house if I had stopped and taken pictures. It is fairly easy to make comparisons to the human situation as I ride along and philosophize about life. We eventually arrive at Manhattan where Deane's brother Del lives. He has a carpet business and his residence is in part of his business building. He gives us a room with a bed and a pad on the floor. Deane takes the bed as he is not a camper and I am and have a sleeping bag and am prepared for the floor. Del takes us to a nice buffet restaurant and buys our dinner. I check in with Linda and then we sit in the patio at the back of the carpet business and enjoy the Kansas evening.
289 miles today.

Oggi guideremo est e nord a Manhattan, Kansas. Kansas e' un stato famoso per terra livella. Comunque useremo le strade piccole e meno noioso. Alla partenza la terra e' marrone e livella e la strada e' senza curve. Dopo un po' ho visto un cartello che indica la distanza da qui e San Francisco e' uguale alla distanza a New York. Siamo in centro fra queste due citta. Poi siamo fermati al museo nella citta di Great Bend. E' un bel museo e vorrei ritornare con Linda. Linda usa molto la sua lavatrice e c'e una stanza pieno delle lavatrici storichi. Anche c'e un altro museo alla citta di Marquette. Questo museo e' un museo delle moto storiche. Ci sono tre stanza delle moto in come nuova condizione. Adesso la terra e' verde con piante agricole. Abbiamo visto tante case vecchie e abbandonato. E' difficile a pensare che a una volta queste case sono stati un sogno d'oro di qualcuno. Adesso ci sono colline verde, siamo nelle colline "Flint" quale e' un area famosa e bellissima. Finalmente arriviamo a casa del fratello di Deane dove staremo due giorni. 289 miglia.

Next curve, 150 miles

Halfway across the country

Marquette's Motorcycle Museum

Somebody's dream house at one time

Yes Virginia, there are curves and hills
in Kansas, east Kansas, The Flint Hills
and Tall Grass Prairie.