I had to wait until my story was publish in the Iron Butt Magazine before I could post openly about this ride. It came out in the 2013 Winter Edition.
Please consider supporting the Iron Butt Association and all the while reading wonderful stories, product reviews and tech articles.
Without the community support I received from them I would have never discovered my passion for Long Distance riding.

http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/

In 2007, while riding with Hoagy’s Heroes on a 50CC, I fell asleep at over 70 mph. The short version is I totaled a 2005 BMW R1200ST, got a chopper ride I don’t recall, lost nine days memory, fractured my left clavicle, sternoclavicular dislocation, cardiac contusion, burst fractures of T6 and T7, broke all the spinus processes left of T5 through T10, and a fractured few ribs. It wasn’t like I was a noob either. At the time of the event I had over 300,000 miles and a solo 2.5 month Alaska trip under my belt. As it turned out, I had undiagnosed sleep apnea and in 2008 I started on a CPAP. I can't tell you what a difference it’s made.





I love me some Hoagy.



Although I was riding a K12R before I was out of the turtle shell, it took me over a year to be mostly pain free. I went through a deep depression punctuated with ill-defined flashbacks, sudden panic attacks while riding and waking up crying at night for no reason. The depression associated with narcotic withdrawal didn't help either.





In 2011 I planned a ride to visit my friend Drake Smith on Marrowstone Island for a tiny Classic K gathering and chose to re-attempt my failed 50CC. I believed it was within me to succeed and I wanted to shake off the ghost of failure. My friend Larry Meeker signed as my Jacksonville Beach witness and gave me an escort out of town. I finished the ride in 45 hours including a BBG. My friend Garry Springgay rode to San Diego from Arizona to sign my paperwork and deliver a great hug. The ride went very smoothly and I had such an awesome time at Drake's, I told him would return in two years.

It was at this time that I 'met' Bill Watt on the LDRiders List. If he had not strongly and insistently pushed me to send in the 50cc/BBG paperwork, I never would have. I only did the ride so that crash didn't beat me and to satisfy myself. It was never about or for recognition or acceptance because I have never felt the need to prove anything to anyone but myself.

At some point in 2012, I mentioned to Bill Watt that I would like to meet him in 2013 because I was heading west to see my friend Drake again. Bill said, ‘why don’t you do a Sunrise to Sunset Insanity?’ I’ll say this about that; Bill knows how to set a hook so softly you’ll never feel it. Having never heard of it, I wanted to know more about the IBA ride I was about to attempt but it  has been very difficult to get details. The IBA records show Bob St. George was the first to do this ride in 08/02, followed by Bill Watt 06/04. Bob and Bill shared a special connection in that they both were honored to have Ron Smith sign their La Push paperwork. The next riders were from the Motorcycle Tourer's Forum on 07/08. Then it lay dormant for 5 years, until Bill Watt and I crossed internet paths. Beyond that, I could find very little about this ride.

I loved how Watt described it, "The idea behind the ride was to ride from when the sun's rays first kiss the shores of the United States to where it whispers to the west shore goodnight'"


Long before I have ever hear of the Iron Butt association and many years before I ever rode with another rider or even went to a gathering of riders, I was already living the life. And not unlike the cowboys who slept by their horses on their long journeys across the prairie, I too would slept by my steed.


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If you are inclined, please listen to the songs because they are as much of this story as the words themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djpnsqdNabM


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Let there be no mistake, I just piloted the bike, it was ALL the people that helped and supported me that really made this ride happen. First, let me recognize my husband Steve for all his support helping me to get the bike ready, especially with herding electrons. Secondly, I want to thank my parents Charles and Earlene Gardner for keeping my Autistic son Johnathan.

Originally I had planned to just ride the Sunrise to Sunset and then take the long way home. However, we had a change in management at thehospital and I lost the extra days I needed for a casual ride back home. The Sunrise to Sunset WEST to east was the result of me HAVING to return to work seven days earlier than I had first planned.

Using the data from my 50CC, I forged four riding goals: Sunrise to Sunset east to west including a Saddle Sore Gold 2000 and Sunrise to Sunset west to east including a Bun Burner Gold 3000.

I did recieve some admonishment for planning TOO much and planning to DO too much from some riders but failing to plan is planning to fail IMHO. That said, the ultimate goal of this ride or any for that matter is to return home safely.

I used Google Earth to build the route, starting by placing waypoints every 50 miles. Then, using Street View I zoomed in closely looking for fuel stations close to the route. This also let me "see" if the fuel pumps were credit card ready or not.

In most cases, Google Earth had the location data, but if not I used Google search. If I thought I could use it, I called the station to verify that they were open 24/7 or at least have pay at the pump after hours. Then, I made a list of the stations including name, address, phone number, exit or mile marker, Lat., Log., distance off route, direction at end of ramp and which side of the road.

After I found 120 stations, I measured the distance between them. I now knew the distance to any fuel location from any other location. I would only use 12 to 15 of them but this allowed for extreme flexibility so that any route or time changes could be easily absorbed and I could be 100% confident of what my resources were. I made route cards with this data that also included time zones and state lines then laminated and bound those into 5x7 booklets. Because I planned to ride the West to East route differently, I had to create a separate route book for it.









Using conversion software I loaded the routes into Mapsource, only keeping the 100 mile mark waypoints, fuel, time zones and state lines. I did this so that any time I looked at how far I needed to go; it was always less than 100 miles to the next waypoint. I would think, “That’s all? I can make it that far,” and just kept saying that every 100 miles.
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Because of the known receipt issues in Eastport, I called the only fuel station there, Bay City Garage. After I explained to the owner Colleen Dana-Cummings what I was planning to do, she told me she would open the store any time I arrived and gave me her personal number. As it turns out, she and her husband Walt also ride.

In the west, Bill Watt and Brian Diver were amazingly helpful with regarding to routes, traffic and the Edmonds Ferry. David Morgan had volunteered early in the planning of this ride and when Bill Watt couldn't make it to La Push, WA, he and his wife were there for me. Many members of the LDRider List were eminently helpful with advice and suggestions.

Balancing the Ferry times and the I-90 Snoqualmie pass closures, I determined I needed to be in Ellensburg, WA by no later than 20:00. That set my Eastport departure at 05:00. La Push also has receipt issues so I called Lonesome Creek Store to confirm hours of operation and I determined I could make it with the 05:00 departure time.

As for personal prep, my good friend Jim Gibbs cautioned to me, “Dear, you’re not in riding shape”. He was dead right. Due to work, life in general, managing my adult Autistic son and wrenching on my bike I had ridden less than 2000 in two years. I had my 1994 BMW K1100RS, street ready by May 1st, 2013 and rode two shake down rides that month; one for 1000 miles and one for 700 miles.

In January 2013 I was diagnosed with Pre-Diabetes so I worked to lose 25 lbs. and re-learned how to eat on the road and discovered I'm allergic to artificial sweeteners. Food prep included frying up four pounds of bacon and packaging each in vacuum bags. If I was going eat fat, I was going eat tasty fat and I don’t like store bought jerky or Slim Jims.

I bought Fresh Squeezed (tm) bags which are ready to fill 4oz. baby food bags and filled them with different blends of nut butters. I used peanut, almond, sunflower and cashew and added things like cinnamon, nutmeg, coco powder, vanilla, coconut oil and extracts along with Stevia. These were fantastic hunger stoppers that also satisfied my need for something sweet. I also bought Glucerna on each coast and drank three or four a day while riding.



I believe being a night nurse for years helped me in that once or twice a week I stay awake 25 to 38 hours when I switch from nights to days. Since going on CPAP, I require less sleep in general than before and recover fairly well with six or seven hours sleep.

Skip the next paragraph if you’re squeamish, just sayin’.

I have a 250cc bladder and I know for a fact I’ll not drink anywhere near enough if I’m riding and don’t want to stop. For those that didn’t heed my warning, keep in mind I’m a nurse. I bought two 12F silicone Foley catheters, two 1000cc leg bags and sterile gloves. The leg bag was attached to tubing that extended a little beyond my pants leg. I cut a hole inside the left pocket of my jeans where I could access a roller clamp.

I would pull over anywhere along the interstate, walk around to the right side of the bike, release the clamp, pretend to fiddle with the bike, re-clamp and get rolling again. Side stand down to rolling was less than 4 minutes and that's damn fast for a girl to take a piss. I didn't have to find a bathroom which saved an astonishing amount of time as anyone who's ever travel with a female companion knows.

No, it was not remarkably uncomfortable which even surprised me. Early on I discovered the silicone would get a little twisted in the short and curlies but with a little application of baby oil that was solved.
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Enjoyed that Gwen. Thanks for sharing (even the last few sentences   ).

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Before starting with the lighting and electrical, I removed all non-OEM wiring.



I converted main head light to HID and changed the turn signals to LED and from 1156 to 1157 & brake light to LED. I installed the following: PIAA 910’s using a mount I designed and had fabricated and converted to 55 watt HID, Quad CREE XML T6 LED 3000Lm on forks, a LED to illuminate the oil site glass, LED voltmeter, digital ambient temp gauge, new headlight gasket, a manual fan switch, cruise control (with much help from my husband), a flexible LED strip inside the tank bag, a dash LED light strip under the GPS bracket, a LED under the tank bag to illuminate the fuel tank when fueling in dark places, a Summit Racing fuel cell ( a gift from my friend Jeff) that is gravity fed, two fuel quick disconnects so that I can remove either the main tank or fuel cell independently, an manual AUX fuel tank vent shut off valve and a tank protector. My husband placed the bulkhead fitting in main fuel tank. I placed thin, hardwood side inserts in tank bag to maintain shape and to attach LED strips. The icing on the cake was a 17 year old, European edition, never used OEM exhaust and ran the bike without an O2 sensor because the EU edition of the time didn't have a sensor installed. (Yes, the bike ran just fine)













Every ride should have a Motto, this was mine.





All the pictures and wrenching are told here.
http://k11og.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5777&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=195

I designed and built the following; a switch panel in the left side fairing that contained switched power on PIAAs, CREEs, Power-Let and J&M headset; non-switched power to the inside/underside tank bag LEDs and oil site glass LED. I also built a time zone clock in the right side fairing, a handmade a new lens for engine temp gauge, modified side stand so the bike would not lean so much, a relay block for accessories, a mounting bracket for the J&M, cruise control and fan switch combo, keyless access knob for fuel tank out of Twisted Throttle pannier knurled knobs donated by my husband.

I built a heavy duty support frame for the Summit Racing 5 gal. fuel cell that attaches to the bikes frame under the tail cowl and using a Touratech Universal Top Case mounting bracket.

I replaced the following:  fuel filter, spark plugs, brake pads and flushed system, thermostat, fan motor TWICE (don't ask), radiator grill with expanded stainless (a gift from Drake) and exchanged the standard Summit filler cap with the large mouth, D-ring type. I honesty believe it would require less moving of crap to do brain surgery on a python starting at it's butt than what it took to replace the fan motor!

Other things included modifying battery terminals to make access easier and manage the extra wires, preformed a throttle body sync, polished oil site glass, repaired cracked panniers, applied hand cut 3M Solas reflective tape to panniers and had forks rebuilt by Morton’s BMW.

Tank bag modifications; I designed a better way to attach the tank bag to speed filling, added extra side pockets, attached (2) one liter bottle holders, modified the largemouth caps with silicone sip tubes and attached zip-lanyards to retract tubes when released and added zip-lanyard to keep face shield rag from blowing way if I lost my grip.

To satisfy the IBA's documentation requirements I needed to have two witness on each end of the Sunrise to Sunset and ideally a fuel receipt every 350 miles. In addition any receipts for lodging and ferry while on the clock.

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The ride to Eastport, ME.

“Sitting on my own not by myself, everybody's here with me
I don't need to touch your face to know, I don't need to use my eyes to see
I keep on wondering if I sleep too long, will I always wake up the same or so?
And keep on wondering if I sleep too long, will I even wake up again or something
Oh I am on my way, I know I am, but times there were when I thought not”.
Cat Stevens – Sitting

We all walk in the shadows of greatness but are not over-shadowed, because greatness of spirit whispers, "Follow me and I will show you the way".

Augie. (sorry so small, it was a cell phone pic)



On the first night after leaving home, I stayed with my longtime friend Jeff "Augie" Augustine in Waltham, MA. and following morning we rode together to the Ardys Kellerman Memorial Service in East Greenwich, RI.  I was so grateful my friend was with me because I don't do well in crowds.









Voni Glaves had implored me to "wear something red". Not knowing what to do, I had a tee shirt made with 'Ride on Queenie" over the heart and 'When I grow up I want to be like ARDYS KELLERMAN 1932 - 2013'. I didn't have the honor to knowing Ardys personally and only was peripherally aware of her through others. Why is it we are so often only made aware of greatest when it's left this world?













As I moved among her friends and family, I saw love on their faces and sadness in their eyes. But what struck me the most was the joy in people’s voices as the shared "Ardys Stories" and memories. I sensed how proud her family was of her and their gratitude towards her friends was without bounds.







They even made me, a nobody from nowhere, feel welcome. Upon leaving I picked up two film containers of her ashes; one for myself and one to send to Voni and Paul.



My friend Karen



My friend Augie



Anthony Mills (back, left), Bruce (left) and Kate Johnson (right)



I owe Ardys a debt of gratitude for just being herself and doing what she loved with humility and grace without pretense or apology.




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I spent the next three days wandering north towards Eastport. My first stop was with Shawn and Helen Bryan in Montpelier, VT.





Shawn knowing my love of spicy food made habanero cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers using this cool tray.



With the peppers, I was served some of the finest steak kabobs I believe I've ever had. (sorry no pics as I was stuffing my face with them and mumbling something about pass me a cup of milk these peppers are hot!)
The next morning I chopped up the left over and Shawn whipped them up in some scrambled eggs.



Helen told me about taking care of her mother during her last days and how she inherited her mothers pet pony. She said, "most people inherit dogs or cats, no not me, I got a pony" and she smiled broadly. So every morning she walks her mothers baby to the riverside pasture and every evening walks her back to the barn. A barn they had to build JUST for this little pony.









I really liked Shawn's new truck!



And it goes with sayin' one should something to pull with a truck that nice.



They told me how old this home is but I forgot. Very cool though because I LOVE old houses!



They took me on a tour of the place and I have to say they are indeed blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Note the crab apples.











There is beauty all around us and a tough woman driving a tractor and lifting heavy rocks to make her flower garden has a beauty all it's own.

You RAWK Helen!





Some beauty comes for remembering our lost little ones, our furry soul-mates that wait for us to catch up with them.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=885S1rLMYfY

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I spent the entire next day with Shawn and Helen.  They were such gracious hosts.
I have ALWAYS, always loved this part of the country and if I could live anywhere in the U.S. it would be in New Hampshire or Vermont.

They took me on a tour of the local fair and culture starting with Cabot Creamery. Cabot is one of my favorite cheese makers and the make the worlds finest Habanera Cheddar!







This is a cream separator.







Of course there was maple syrup!





SQUEAKY CHEESE CURD!!!



With my head still spinning from cheesy nirvana, we head over to the The Apple Barn.



When suddenly I discovered after that picture that I forgot to buy an SD card for my camera!!!!  The following pictures were collected with my cell phone.
Fresh Cider donuts.





Helen had some things to take care of so we dropped her off back home and Shawn and I headed into Montpelier to find me an SD Card.  

Shawn gave me a walking tour of the town and shared with me much of it history. I was kicking myself for not having a working camera! We stopped for coffee at a local shop, visited his church, walked past the State Capital building and all the while Shawn is telling me all about what I'm looking at.
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Shoganai wrote:.I have ALWAYS, always loved this part of the country and if I could live anywhere in the U.S. it would be in New Hampshire or Vermont.

Thanks Shoganai,

Very interesting ride, narration and pics.
I am like you and even being a Canadian, I truly enjoy riding in NH and VT. Nice roads and nice people.
If you ever plan to ride up North, don't be shy and contact me.

Thanks for your posting.
CF

Thanks for posting Gwen a really good read and great to see you are enjoying life with a passion.

Yes...

Fun reading Gwen?.  Nurses are a hoot...Realists.
Done a bit of whitewater canoe/kayaking/climbing with the same.
Nearly married one.

In the same breath...Welcome to our mob you crazy thing..

I don't care about that extra 1 but I'm getting fat just looking at that food.

Having found what I needed, Shawn took me to a Co-op. This is a common thing here and I hope Shawn will be along shortly to tell you more of how this works. All I know is the concept and application are beautiful!  I was just stunned at the variety and raw diversity. I would call this "close to the Earth" food.


 

 






Locally made breads.



Local honey.



Spices. Note the little jars on the top right shelf that you would put your selections in.



More different kinds of grains than I've ever seen in one place.



I bought the smoked mussels and scallops and Shawn bought some bread.


 
That's the capital right there.



We picked up Helen and drove up to the breath taking Stowe Mountain Lodge via Smuggler's Notch. Sadly I spaced out my cemera so once again the following pics from my phone.
 








Back home it was supper time and Helen whipped up an awesome salad and I broke out smoked goodies.



And Shawn sliced up some of the rosemary olive bread.


 
After dinner they opened up some spirits and we just talked and relaxed.
 

 
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The next morning it was time for me to north. Since my next layover was only a few miles away in Sugar Hill, NH, Shawn agreed to ride with me to John's house.


 





 

 


At last, two of my favorite people meet.



And then it was over too soon.









Thank you Shawn and Helen for sharing your life and home me. You made me feel like family.

John suggested we go for a little ride since it was still early. So off we go through the awesome New Hampshire countryside.


 


All of the sudden we stumble onto this. WHOOT!


 



 
It simply does NOT get any better than this!



With lobsters loaded we head back. John needed to stop for fuel so I went in the little unassuming country store to find an amazing butcher shop! I mean grass feed prime beef! So I bought two steaks.



John took me to Cannon Ski area on the way home.





In my humble opinion, there are very few better combinations than this.



The rest of the evening was spent sipping bourbon on the porch, catching up and talking bike stuff.
In the morning John made me fresh picked blue berry pancakes



John escorted me north, and after hugs and pictures, we parted ways at a fuel station.




 
We saw this while we were there.



John thank you so much for the company, food and time spent talking. I'm looking forward to seeing you again in May at Hungry Mother.
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RicK G wrote:I don't care about that extra 1 but I'm getting fat just looking at that food.

Thanks Gwen

More food for you Rick.... Don't drool on your screen.  

Thanks for that account, Gwen.
You are obviously a food fanatic. Feel hungry just looking at these pics.
Makes a nice change from dead fuel pumps and ABS problems.

Thank you very much for sharing this adventure and the the images of the lovely people you have met...I feel like we are all family and these are the nice family members you would actually enjoy having visit .....its a beautiful world out there and certainly makes me want to experience more of it.....

   Klompy

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While on my first solo motorcycle vacation to Nova Scotia in 2004 I discovered "The Lobster Roll" and have been addicted ever since. I simply cannot get enough of them and eat them as often as I can.

I rode from Sugar Hill, VT to Boston, ME to met my friend Dave. If I haven't mentioned it earlier, with the exception of Drake on the west coast and John, Augie and Karen east coast I'm meeting everyone else for the first time. However, the people like Shawn and Dave are my friends none the less. We have been exchanging posts and PM's since 2005. This ride allowed to deliver hugs in person to so many people I've longed to meet IRL.

Ok...back to the riding and eating!
I was almost to Boston when I was stopped dead in my progress by a Lobster Roll in Blue Hill!



This is the first one I've had since 2004. O.M.G! It was fantastic!



A note about my friend Dave; he is a very private person so this segment will be a little different.
I called him after I finished eating to given him a heads up only to learn he was tracking me on my Spot page.

Dave lives in a natural paradise. I could spend hours wandering the surrounding woods investigating, photographing and touching all the beautiful mosses. I LOVE moss and I've never seen so many varieties in one place. 



Dave gave me a tour of the woodlands surrounding his home and told me all about the plants. I learned that much of what I saw and touched was in fact edible and saw my first low bush blue berries.
These are a variant of dogwood that never get bigger than this and the berries are also edible.



I learned about swamp cabbage and in spite of it's name it is NOT edible!





We retired back to the house and talked about our bike projects. The human condition is raw, love, hate, fear, joy, grief, laughter, tears and most of all no one cares what you do or what you have or what you're worth. The only thing that matters is ........ do you ride........yes........then that's good enough.

In the morning Dave prepared for me a marvelous  breakfast from blue berries he picked.



Flash back warning!!!

On the ride to Augie's I lost the lid to the little red cooler. Dave and I talked about it and he gave me a tiny bungee net which in the end was the most perfect solution for the LD ride. It allowed me to toss stuff in from drinks and food to gloves and it was ease for me to retrieve the drinks and such while riding. It has become part of my standard LD equipment.
Dave lead me all the way to Eastport!



After checking in at the B&B we rode down to Quaddy Bay Lobster where they bring those succulent sea bugs right to the kitchen.





Yeah, you guessed it...and that was absolutely the most fantastic seafood chowder on God's green Earth.





This little jewel was hidden in there.



The hardest part of traveling for me are the partings. Thank you Dave for the buying me that roll, hosting my sorry wayward ass and for riding with me. Ride it like you stole my friend!



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Oh yum yum my doctor has told me that I should stop reading your posts. so now I just look at the pictures.

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When I booked a room at The Milliken House B&B in Eastport, ME, I landed into the remarkable care of Mary Williams and her son Greg.  Mary is as passionate about her B&B as she is about supporting motorcyclists. She had arranged for the local newspaper writer to interview me and afterwards I rode out to meet with Colleen to arrange the 05:00 start time. Colleen also offered to contact the local P.D. to meet us in the morning for my second witness. I then rode back to the shore near Quaddy Bay Lobster for my pebbles and water.

I then stocked up on Glucerna, Sobe zero calorie Life Water's and one gallon of water.







Back at the Milliken House, Mary was so excited about my up coming ride that she and her life long friend Vonda asked questions and listen actively to my stories for my past and what I was planning to attempt in the morning. It's a rare and very special treat to find non-riders so avidly fascinated and supportive of riders. They even pulled in others guests of the B&B and treated me with visiting royalty.

Mary asked me about why I ride like I do and it even caught me a little off guard. I said, "Passion, I truly don't believe I could ever stop having motorcycles in my life". In 2001 I crashed after hitting a dog at night in a curve. I remember sliding on my back and over the sound of my bike grinding away from me in the low-side was the deafening, terrifying screech of the brakes locking up from the car that was following me. I kept wondering if it was going to run over me or stop in time.

It stopping and I was able to ride away and later I learned the dog survived. That was my 3rd get off in two years. A dear friend and fellow rider said to me later, 'Maybe motorcycling is not for you'. I took his words to heart and thought long and hard about what that would mean for me.

I came away with this; if God himself told me that I would live to 100 in perfect health or die in a motorcycle crash, I would buy the fastest bike I could and ride it like I stole it.  That is shoganai, I can't help it.

Mary said it was that same passion she had for her B&B. She deeply loved caring for others and loved to share in their travels and listen to their stories from all over the world.

Before going to bed, Mary asked me to wake her up so that she could see me off. I woke up at 03:30, showered, placed the Foley, knocked softly on Mary's door and Dudley took over from there to wake her up.

I went to pack my bike and do the through pre-trip. This was no ordinary pre-trip. Besides the regulars I rehearsed what I needed to do for the cert. I physically put my hands on my log book and pens and made sure they were secure. I checked to make sure my daily meds for the next 3 days were in the right hand side pocket. I verified my face shield rag was tucked in and attached with the zip-lanyard. I topped off my drink bottles with Sobe and put two pouches of flavored nut butters in the main part of the bag. I made sure my camera, cell phone and iPod were in their places and everything powered up as it should. I turned on my GPS and loaded my route and ensured my Spot tracker was transmitting.

I kneeled down next to my beloved K1100RS and with my arm over her saddle as though it were her shoulder I prayed. I was just about to get the last of my gear on when out comes Mary, Greg, Vonda and Dudley the dog!

I had thought 'see me off' was going to be waving from the porch. Oh heck NO!
They all followed me in the car to Bay City Garage where we met Colleen and Officer Thomas Fredette. They held a prayer for my safety and signed my paperwork then fueled up then I logged my start numbers and reset my GPS timer.  As I headed out with my friends slipping away in my mirror, I was both excited and calm. Officer Fredette  even gave me an escort out of town.

If you are ever in Eastport, I HIGHLY recommend Milliken House. You will not regret it.
(L to R) Officer Fredette, Colleen, me, Vonda, Dudley and Mary. Greg took the photo.



Oh I'm on my way I know I am, but times there were when I thought not
Bleeding half my soul in bad company, I thank the moon I had the strength to stop
I'm not making love to anyone's wishes, only for that light I see
'Cause when I'm dead and lowered low in my grave, that's gonna be the only thing that's left of me
Cat Stevens - Sitting

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Gwen, I couldn't care less if you rode a 1100 or a damned chook-chaser (what us Oz folk call trail bikes).

Your stories are amazing, you are amazing and I am happy to read whatever you post. Great pictures too!

Thank you for taking the time to share your travels with us.

blaKey wrote:Gwen, I couldn't care less if you rode a 1100 or a damned chook-chaser (what us Oz folk call trail bikes).

Your stories are amazing, you are amazing and I am happy to read whatever you post. Great pictures too!

Thank you for taking the time to share your travels with us.

Ok, now you're gonna make me blush.

Thank you.

The first 1000 miles were spent settling into the pace. Remember my statement about greatness of spirit and how it whispers follow me, well 7/29 was Mike Butt's birthday. I didn't plan to start out on my second LD ride on this date because of that, but there is no doubt in my mind that this was not coincidence. Mike was one of the greatest influences and constant supporter of my desire to become an LD rider. The PM's we shared on ADV help shape the kind of rider I am today. When I visited his mother in 2011, she gave me one of his Rally flags as a keep sake and I carried it with me on this ride.


When I got to Bangor, ME I turned on my iPod and started listening to Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I took pictures of my GPS screen about ever hundred mile for data mining later and used my stop watch to monitor my fueling time. I mastered reaching into the cooler for a Glucerna and drinking it without wearing it as well as opening the fuel cell vent once rolling.








This is a good example of how I waypointed my potential fueling locations. This is approaching my first fuel stop. It was selected because it's under the 350 mile guideline. The name "5 EAST WE" means it's location number 5 on the route starting in the east and the "WE" denotes it can be used for east to west OR west to east. Fuel along toll roads where access was limited by direction of travel would only show "E" or "W".











Up until my third fuel stop at 711 miles out, I was living on nutrition drinking, Sobe's and the pouches of flavored nut butters. But I was beginning to want something that I could chew. I opened one of my three vacuumed seal bacon packs and all at once I felt so much better to have something solid on my stomach. I also was checking my blood sugar every third stop and it was doing really well.










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I was back on the road by 05:30 and nibbling cold steak out of tank bag as the sun was rising. Life was most defiantly good! I have always loved being on the road as dawn breaks. Everything feels like it’s moving; me, the Earth, moon and stars all rollin' somewhere.

Even with my disappointing numbers from the first leg, overall I was ahead of schedule for the Sunrise to Sunset attempt. I wanted to finally meet a fellow K11 rider that I have enjoyed talking with over the years on several Classic K forums and I just could not pass this close and fail to deliver a heartfelt hug.

Scott aka Mystic Red and I had been trading texts and phone messages since I woke up that morning. It was a comedy of near misses but some how despite ourselves we were able to meet a fuel station. This was thanks in LARGE part to all the riding Scott had to do to catch up to me. Later, I asked him to tell me how it went down on his end.

Scott, "I was watching you on Spot and you were about to Superior MT and I figured I leave my house when you got to Kellogg ID, hit the 90 and run out East of Couer D' Alene and meet you. I was working around the shop and checked the Spot and you were already closing in on Cataldo Mission which is just East of 4th of July Pass. So I threw on riding gear and headed South to the 90. Ran into a little road construction in Rathdrum ID so when I got to the 90 I made the decision to head West and I pulled over in Post Falls ID to check Spot. Shit, you were already in Spokane and then I got your text that you were at the 272 exit and I thought you must be screwed up and meant the 292 which is just a couple of miles over the WA/ID state line so I pulled in there. Then I got you on the phone and you were really at the 272! That's all the way thru Spokane up the Sunset Hill. @72 is the Medical Lake exit."

After an hour of talking, looking over each other’s' bikes, taking pictures and of course hugs I was back on the road. Thank you Scott for making the time and riding the miles so we could finally met in real life!





Things were moving along well and I kept crunching the numbers and coming up with "I'm going make it". Then I rolled up on a bad crash just west of Ritzville, WA. at about 14:00 local time. The Highway Patrol and the fire department were on scene and EMS was just starting to extract trapped passengers.  I parked behind the fire truck, removed my helmet and gloves, raised my hands and yelled down to where they were, "I'm a cardiac nurse, can I be of any help"! The woman near the head of a backboard yelled back, "Yeah! Come hold c-spine while we move him!"

I was handed gloves and I was glad of it as I looked at the man’s face. It looked like he tried to eat a steering wheel through his nose. I stayed long enough to help carry him up embankment to the ambulance and help extract another man who could walk with support to another ambulance. It appeared a family of five including children left the road at speed, rolled several times down the steep embankment and stopped short of the frontage road. I asked if there was anything else I could do and someone said: "No and thank you for all your help". The chopper landed as I was donning my gear and as the flight crew walked past, I asked if I could proceed west before they took off. He said it was ok and then instant Karma happened! The interstate westward was empty save one lone blue bike for miles and miles.











-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

July 31, 2013 in City
Five injured in rollover crash west of Ritzville
Tags:AccidentRitzvillerolloverWashington State Patrol
Five passengers in a 2007 Ford Focus were injured in a rollover accident Wednesday afternoon west of Ritzville on Interstate 90, the Washington State Patrol said.
Ornaldo Zalpa, 56, was driving the vehicle occupied by four others, all of Federal Way, Wash., when it rolled over shortly before 2 p.m. near mile marker 200, according to a news release. The westbound car drifted into the median, then left the roadway to the right before flipping.
The state patrol reported two of the passengers, who range from 6 to 56, were trapped in the vehicle. Ornaldo Zalpa-Barajas, 18, was airlifted from the scene and taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He was listed in satisfactory condition Wednesday night.
Other injured passengers were taken to East Adams Rural Hospital in Ritzville via ambulance. All five occupants were wearing seatbelts. The rollover partially blocked traffic on I-90 for more than 2 hours, according to the release.
.

.
Now for the first time since starting out, I was concerned I had jeopardized my time window. However, I was fairly sure I could still make it with between two or three hours to spare. Shortly after that last stop, my right side fairing panel lost power causing me to lose my time zone clocks, ambient temp gage and voltmeter. I wasn't overly concerned and just changed my bike clock to local and leaving my GPS on eastern. The bike was lovin' the miles and seemed to enjoy the different flavors of cheap oil I was feeding her at a rate of a quart per 1000 to 1500 miles. She burns a little anyway, but this was a bit more than usual. Just weeks before I left home, I found I had a slight rear main seal leak. There was no time to dig that deeply into the bike and from experience, I knew I could just keep it topped off and keep an eye on rear wheel for this ride.

Personally I was not doing too badly, relatively speaking. The cruise control was awesome for speed management and keeping the chronic back pain manageable. I was drinking 2-4 liters between fuel stops. I had been nibbling on crispy bacon, cheese sticks, boiled eggs and the squeeze packs of flavored nut butters. I packed my meds and vitamins in tiny zip lock bags in my tank bag so I would be sure I didn't miss a dose.


Brian Diver and I had been keeping in touch and he believed I could make the 18:15 Edmonds Ferry, but it was going very close. Then, I missed a turn or two and the traffic was stop and go for miles. Being unable to use the cruise control, my back began to protest. Then I made the mistake of getting in the car line at the ferry and a lady in a truck told me that I didn't need to. As I pulled up to what I thought was the ticket box, I saw Brian with a big camera and a cooler waving at me. He was saying there was notime to even get off my bike and for me to get down to the ferry. He was snapping pictures and handing me a bag of home-made goodies as I started down the ramp. I supposed then I was to get a ticket down there only to learn "no" I was supposed to buy one inside the big building where the walk-on's go in. The ferry worker said, "Hurry" and I rode back up the ramp. By this time, Brian surmised what was happening and bought me a ticket. He told me what he had done and for me to just go get on the boat. I rode back down the ramp and the boat was pulling away from the dock before I could dismount. I was so disappointed I didn't have more time with Brian and promised myself I would try to find a way to recover that. The ride was short and when I got off the ferry I took a moment to call my family and return some messages before continuing.







The sun was setting and by the time I passed through Beaver, WA it was full dark.  As I rounded a slight turn, I caught a glimpse of a red cruiser on the right that looked as though they were about to turn onto 101. I throttled back, swerved left slightly in case they were already in motion and as I passed I gave a thumbs up looking to assess if they were OK. The rider was looking over their left shoulder and seemed fineso I continued towards La Push.

I was riding at speed, in the dark on the Olympic Peninsula, something I was warned again and again by Bill and Drake NOT to do because of the deer and elk, but I wanted to make it to the store in La Push before they closed. I wasn't speeding but I was pussy-footing around either.

I was riding with dharmacakra (DAR-muh SHA-krah) turning in my head in rhythm with the wheels on my beloved K1100RS. I sensed the hub of discipline seated deep in my chest as I ticked off the last few miles and reflected on some of the 24 spokes I had touched on my journey. I knew without a doubt that even if I didn't make it in time, it still had been a great adventure. To me, a motorcycle is just a beautiful conveyance that allows me to share in the lives of others, carries me to my friends and back home to my loved ones.

The Chakra signifies that there is a life in 'Movement' and 'Death' in stagnation. The process of the wheel stands for cycle or the self repeating process with the changing of time in our life. The horse on the Right hand symbolizing accuracy and speed. The Bull on the Left hand stands for hard work .

 Twenty Four Spokes:
 1. Love
 2. Courage
 3. Patience
 4. Peacefulness
 5. Magnanimity
 6. Goodness
 7. Faithfulness
 8. Gentleness
 9. Selflessness
 10. Self-control
 11. Self sacrifice
 12. Truthfulness
 13. Righteousness
 14. Justice
 15. Mercy
 16. Gracefulness
 17. Humility
 18. Empathy
 19. Sympathy
 20. Spiritual knowledge
 21. Moral Values
 22. Spiritual Wisdom
 23. The fear of God
 24. Faith or Believe or Hope

I pulled into the Lonesome Creek Store parking lot and started removing my gear just as two cruisers pulled up next to me. It was David Morgan and his wife Jan who had ridden from Bremerton, WA.  As it turns out, it was her red cruiser I passed and they followed me into La Push. In the dark, I had not seen David or his bike. My husband Steve called to congratulate me which was a pleasant surprise giving that it was one am in Virginia. We all went in and bought snacks then filled out the paperwork. It was then we realized that the receipt was one hour off. This was noted on the witness form.

I had made it and with hours to spare.

As the store was just about to close, David bought me a coffee and we stepped outside on the porch to talk for a little while. I enjoyed their company tremendously, but they had to head home and I needed a shower in the WORST possible way so a few blurry pics and heartfelt hugs and we were both on our ways. I went to the bathroom on the back of the store and removed the Foley, bagged it in trash bag and disposed of it in the large dumpster  before leaving.







On the road leaving La Push I started seeing things. The reflectors indicating a turn was head started blinking in a weird pattern so I flipped on the CREE’s. “Holy shit! ELK!” There were eight or nine of them crossing the road. The odd blinking was the result of them walking between the reflectors and my headlights.



At the Dew Drop Inn in Forks I  learn I had booked the night of 7/31/13 and they didn't have a room. In fact, no one had a room in Forks so I headed back towards Port Angles. The road along Crescent Lake was stunning on the way in, but now it was a scary, miserable slog back to Port Angles. The currency exchange rate of adrenalin to fatigue in the Bank of Not in Riding Shape was 1:4. I spent most of the ride back standing straight up in part to see further down the road and all the time moving 5 - 10 under the speed limit. I pulled up to the Quality Inn, went inside to check in and came back out only to find my 478 had been stolen!

I went into shear panic fed on extreme exhaustion. Of course there was no one around and after telling the night clerk what had just happened I rode to my room. It was as I was removing everything off the bike it really hit me and I began to sob like a child punished for something they didn't do. My ride was over. All my routes and waypoints for a west to east ride were lost, over a year in the making just gone, and for what? It was utterly useless without a power cord as battery was long since dead. It was priceless to me and would just in up in trash can here in God-forsaken Port Angles!

Despair robbed me of all rage and I collapsed to my knees hugging the saddle of my bike for support. Vacillating between out right sobbing and dieseling, I moved like a marionette operated by a drunken puppeteer as I finished de-gearing the bike. I felt bereft of all hope and alone so far from home. I crawled into the cold, lonely bed like a beaten dog hiding from more harm, made quick, disjointed post on Facebook about the stole GPS, then slipped into oblivion on a tear soaked pillow.

.


The Weight of the World - Antiatter
Save me, I'm in a sea of beings
 And there's no deny - the waves are holding me under
 I'm drowning in a thousand faces
 Alien expressions over and over again
 I'm trying to scream but I can't exhale
 The world seems to spin as I'm left on this square
 With no will to hold on
 Am I the only one crushed by the weight of the world?
 Save me...
 I think I've swallowed more than I can comprehend
 A soul laid low
 A soul has lost its faith again, wide awake in this hole
 A maggot on a plate again, wide awake in this hole
 A soul has lost its faith again
 I've lost myself too long
 Am I the only one crushed by the weight of the world?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajIiEnKtxlQ


.

Bloody hell! That's awful.

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH   

It has been a whole hour since the last installment.

The suspense is killing me.

Please end the misery and finish.  

If I made it home, you know it turned out ok.  



This is my last post of the day because I need to get some house work done.
You know, that woman's work stuff like dusting, vacuuming, washing clothes and cooking dinner.


I doubt I'll have time to write more until after the weekend.

I'm sorry for the delay.

Thanks much for sharing your ride!
I appreciate your being here.
Best
JimK

JimK wrote:Thanks much for sharing your ride!
I appreciate your being here.
Best
JimK

Thank you Jim.

I'm over it.
Carrying a grunge takes a lot of energy and I have my hands full of wrenches and handle bars.
I've got enough to deal with.

I'm sure this was just a very unfortunate misunderstanding.

I'm moving forward like it never happened.

Just thought I'd let you know, Gwen. You've inspired me to have a go at the Iron Butt Ireland in the spring.
Not in the same league as your trips, but we have a lot of water around us and the occasional bend in the road!
I believe it was tried here some years ago on a couple of full dress Gold Wings and they had to abandon it.
So my 30 year old K100RT that cost me $500 two years ago shouldn't have any problem.

Gwen that is a truly lovely tale of places and things done.

Comberjohn has tried to interest me in this too. I do love long trips and regularly do 400 miles for a days outing.

But like Gwen I had an unexplained or not so unexplained incident in a car one evening that left me with a lot of broken bones and some side effects.

Subsequently I have had to develop a means of making sure it never happens again, regular stops, regular eating and liquid and it has become part of my travel routine. I have to rest periodically and at the first sign of tiredness kicking in and even on the K found the top box perfectly positioned for leaning back on the seat and head resting on the box, helmet on.

I am not sure I could undertake trips like this, although 18 months ago did a 3,000 mile round trip to Budapest in 8 days on which I drove 5 days, with map notes simply reduced to about 18 cities on two sticky notes. However I was not working to deadlines or traying to do it as fast as possible. I am a bit old fashioned as we learned navigation and map reading at Boy Scouts and sailing and find it easier to navigate the older way of researching the route by maps, short notes and knowledge rather than satnav. The pleasures of going around Ireland or anywhere else wandering from one town to the next following signs are hard to beat.

Please don't take this as preaching but that sounds to me like some of the effects of sleep aponea. I suffer unknowingly from it for years and almost came to grief on a lonely road in far western NSW when I woke from my nap I was in the dirt on the wrong side of the road and heading for a large sign post.  I was also snorong very badly and my wife mentioned this to my doctor on a joint visit which set the wheels in motion and I now use a CPAP machine as does Gwen and quite a few others I know. It has changed my life for the better. I would not say an enormous change but a significant one in that I dont find myself dozing off when reading or watching tele.  And I don't wake up feeling like I have been dragged backwards through as pile of shit.

I totally agree with RicK G on this. Sounds like classic apnea and all too familiar. I did that for close to 5 years before my bad crash.

Sorry about the delay. I've worked all but 3 nights since the last entry. I'm off today then work 6 nights. I'll write as much as I can today and post it later.

.

As riders we've all heard, 'motorcycles are dangerous, aren't you afraid?'

Life is a fatal disease. We are born to die. What we do while we live will not change that. And there are worse way to die than in a motorcycle crash. I could live 'safe' so that I can live long enough to end up in a nursing home with bed sores, a feeding tube and a diaper. No, riding motorcycle doesn't frighten me, but living too long does.

So that night we celebrated the people that we love and miss. Drake lost his father this past year to complications after a fall and they were very close. We recalled stories of our friend Phil Marvin who may have been the greatest k-bike knowledge bank that ever lived. But if you ever heard him tell a story about his trips to Mexico, you would also have to very patient, because Phil never said anything fast or directly to the point. We must have looked like a pair of maudlin drunks but what the hell.



Phil never met a stranger. In 2009 while waiting for the truck to pick up a busted bike, Phil sought out some local workers to past the time with.



In 2010 he was the Spaghetti King.





And his Irish Coffee was not to be missed!








In 2011 I commented on his weight loss. He said he had lost his appetite and that no matter what he ate, it felt like it got stuck and he had to throw it up. I knew what that might mean and I too felt ill. I made him promise me he would see a doctor as soon as he got back to Texas.













Three months later he called to tell me to say they had found stomach cancer.

He passed away less than a year after these pictures were taken.


Cheers Phil! Ride buddy, We'll catch up later!


Drake told me he had a IMDb page and of course I thought he was pulling my leg.


Not.

He even had the movies and so we watched "Shredder" which was classic B-type slasher film.


http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808032/


After a night spent drinking Jägermeister I was still drunkish, not hung over, the next day. It was agreed riding was not going to be in the plans that day and the morning was spent drinking coffee and tweaking with Drakes bike again.


By noon I was feeling much better but I really needed a shower and to wash some clothes. I rode down to Fort Flagler State Park to buy a shower. It was then I realized I didn't pack wash cloth, well not one intended to bathe with. So I unclipped my bug crusted face shield rag out of my tank bag, and used it. By the time I was done, we were both clean. Twofer!


Then back to Port Hadlock to wash clothes. I absolutely loath the boredom of Laundromats!


I don't generally hold still very well.


I stopped by the post office Nordland on the way back to the cabin to pick up the GPS that Augie sent me.

 

.

Enjoying the ride Gwen, thanks for putting it up, lots of work there, Cheers.

Thanks for that episode Gwen I shall eagerly await the next.
 

Ghost who rides wrote:Enjoying the ride Gwen, thanks for putting it up, lots of work there, Cheers.

Yes, there is a lot of work and many hours involved in putting up Ride Reports, esp. ones of this size or in this detail. Thank you.

Ok by now I was feeling froggy enough to tear into my bike to sort out a few things.
First was the right side panel power failure.













Next was to attempted to repair the J&M on/off switch that had been damaged in the drop.














No go.


Then I looked at bypassing or tapping into the helmet speakers and just gave up. I might have been able to do this but just didn't want to keep trying. I knew this would mean no audio input for the rest of the trip and I was not looking forward to it.





Let me go ahead and say that the only thing I can stand in my ears are foam ear plugs. I've tried many things over the years including the spendy custom molded ones. Even those didn't last more than 500 miles. For the past few ears I simple did without audio input. Then Steve got me the J&M CB so that I can listen to music, books or CB. I still wear the ear plugs for wind noise reduction and the sound from the helmet speakers was AWESOME! I never knew it could be that good!
Oh well.


Drake was able to load the waypoints on the GPS the Augie sent. Augie even set up all the screens just like I had mine based on the pics he had seen.








Then my delight my friend Michael Cummings dropped by for a visit. He's in the Nation Guard and it just so happened that he was in the area the same time I was. I believe the last time we met IRL was in 2007 in Charlotte, NC. He didn't have long to visit but it was so wonderful to see him again. A finer gentleman and dear friend you would be hard pressed to know.




















Dinner on the deck was BBQ chicken that Drake cooked on the grill and rolls. No drinking tonight for me because tomorrow was going to be a long ride to fulfill a promise.

.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLTkHsio9-g
“And if I make it to the waterside, will I even find me a boat or so?
And if I make it to the waterside, I'll be sure to write you a note or
something. Oh I'm on my way, I know I am, somewhere not so far from here”
- Cat Stevens – Sitting


The Ten Bulls in Zen Buddhism are short parables in the form of poems that are intended to show the stages towards enlightenment. Regardless of ones views of the world, I believe there is some truth in every faith. This part of ride could best be described in the parable of Discovery of the Bulls Footprints.


When Phil passed away, the members of K11OG.org paid for his daughter to fly out to the Annual Hungry Mother meeting in his stead. She was out guest of honor.







Gear was provided and rides were taken.





She in turn honored us with this gift.





Riding in my tank bag next to Ardys ashes, were the ashes of our friend Phil Marvin.

Phil was a regular at K11OG.org Annual Hungry Mother S. P. gatherings and his spaghetti dinner's were not to be missed! We still cook it every year in his honor though no one can match his Irish Coffee. As Drake and I love our old K-bikes, so did Phil. He was always a wealth of knowledge and always eager to share and patient to teach.
It was Drake that suggested we ride together and take our friend Phil for one last ride to Neah Bay.











Finding a good place was not easy and tip-toeing a K11 with a 29" inseam on an incline was not much easier!





I finally gave up, got off an turned it around.





I headed back the way we come and waited for Drake. Being able to stand on the pegs and haul ass on the dirt made me a little faster than Drake.





Here's what he thought of that! :-)





We did find just the right location. What a beautiful place!














I filled the now empty vial with sand from the shore and tucked it safely in my tank bag for the ride home.

I was so grateful to have Drake there because scattering Phil's ashes in the Pacific was harder than I anticipated.


Heading back, we stopped along the way.











And took pictures.











Note the shit-eating grin!








We pulled over for a break and a snack at this beautiful but tiny wayside. One of the things that I have always LOVED about Drake is that he always treated me like any other rider that likes to wrench and ride their machines. If I have to explain that to anyone, then you'll probably not understand.











DAMN! That is one good looking K-Bike!





Oh look! Another one!





It was then I noticed I lost my belly pan bracket.




.

.

On the day before I was to head East, Drake lead me through Deception Pass.








It was waiting to load on the ferry that my first HD rider take a long look at the plate under my tag.





He didn't say anything and I pretended I didn't see him read it as I was taking pics of Drake. Later on the ferry he asked me about my trip, where I was from and where I was
going. We had a great conversation and he was an interesting rider with a long history on motorcycles.






































Thank you Drake for letting me lead to Neah Bay and allowing me to discover more decreasing radius turns on one road than I thoughts was possible. Next time, let's ride up there at night and I'll let you lead. :evilgrin


After flipping each other off we parted ways. I rode down to Everett to visit Brian Diver, his wife and another LD rider, Lloyd Gardner.







.

In keeping the promised I made to myself at the ferry terminal, I made time to spend with Brian and he was kind enough to invite Lloyd over as well. Brian and I have something in common; I was a sign letterer for 10 years and he still is. More over, he has mastered pin stripping, something I never did.

Nice!



(L>R Brian, me and Lloyd)



Note the route book and maps. They gave me good advice which I followed the next day.
Mrs. Diver served us awesome hummus, which I still buy to this day and enjoy, crackers and nuts as well.
Thank you all for making time to share your home, food and local knowledge with me!
Before I left to head back to the coast, we found the ballast for my main headlight had failed. The PIAA’s and CREE’s made it possible to ride at night but having stayed longer than I intended, by the time I arrived at Sequim Bay Lodge I needed to sleep.

It was very late, but the owner’s wife gave me the best room there (ground floor, first room on the right) for a reasonable price. I slept in a little because my projected departure time was 13:00 so I could go by Chicago at night. Showered, placed the second Foley, ate leftover dungee and boiled eggs that I packed out from Drakes, then finished packing and headed towards La Push via Auto Zone.



Because it was dark when I first arrived in La Push, I didn't collect my sand and water, so I went straight to the beach and collected two samples.











I pulled around back of Lonesome Creek store out of the way and proceeded to replace my headlight with a H4. (Note to self: do not zip tie wiring so tightly under the tank, it requires removing the tank to replace a headlight!)







That set me back 1.3 hours. Drake had signed my witness form before we left the cabin and I asked a local LEO to be second, which he gladly did. After getting a receipt, I departed at 15:20. The waypoints were in my GPS but not the routes, so what I had to do was find a waypoint and "go to" it. I bunny hopped that way all the way to Eastport.
I planned to meet Mario of LDComfort, so I headed south. It was an enjoyable road, even in the occasional fog bank and I arrived at LDComfort in the late afternoon. Mario is delightful, energized and passionate and I spent an hour in his company as he showed me around the shop.

Check out the sweet hot water manifold!





What is that under the black cover?





WOW!



Thank you Mario for making time to share your passion and an hour of your time with me.



I also had the privilege of meeting Mario's son Ben Winkelman and his office manager Sarah Eichenberger. Before I was allowed to leave, Mario insisted on giving me a head wrap, socks and LDComfort sleeves. Later that night, I became a believer in those sleeves. They kept the mesh inside my jacket from rubbing my elbows raw and in the cool night kept my arms quite comfortable.

Oh, and Mario gives GREAT hugs!

.

.

Catching the Bull

I left Hoquiam via 12 for I-90. I had been in contact with yet another rider and friend David Wedel who lives in Glendive, MO. We have talked in forums for many years, but have never met.

At the last fuel stop before Glendive we set a meeting location and time and I asked if he would please bring me a cheeseburger. I was starving for 'real food'.
Somewhere between Big Timber, MO and Billings, MO I gained firsthand knowledge that was in FACT better to be pissed off than pissed on. Apparently the tape holding the bag to my leg gave way when I stood to stretch, discharging about 300cc into my boot and on my pants. (Note to self: secure Foley to drainage bag with a zip tie) I pulled over REAL fast and not knowing what else to do, I pulled off my gloves, pulled out my knife and slashed a 12" opening in my pants. I found both ends and reattached them and secured the bag to my leg with gorilla tape, knowing full well I was going to regret that later. There was really nothing else I could do, so I spent the rest of the ride smelling like pee and burnt pee coming from my exhaust. (Note to self: perhaps having a pair of socks within easy access wouldn't be a bad idea)

Oh yeah...suck it up princess!
Gurrr.

When I arrived in Glendive, David Wedel was waiting for me, cheeseburger in hand. I was running further behind so let his camera take all the pics while I fueled, added oil, stuffed my face and tried to explain why I smelled like pee. It wouldn't have been the first impression I would have picked, but David knew me and I trusted him to accept me as I am.



I can't believe he would get that close to me under the circumstances.



I wasn't there long, and then David led me down the interstate for a few miles.





Thank you David for the food which I am so grateful for. I ate half the burger there and the other half at my next fuel stop. It felt like a 24 hour rally pit stop minus the rider change but it was still REAL good to finally meet you!

I rode without further incident to Steel, ND for the first part of a BBG3K, 1548 miles in a total time 22:58.





There I ate 1/2 a truck stop sandwich, replenished my liquid supplies then rode to a building within sight of where I fueled. There were four boys playing some kind of game between ages 8 and 13 near where I intended to sleep for an hour in the shade of a fir. I waved them over and asked if they would watch my bike while I took a nap. The oldest said: "We got your back lady" and I handed each a dollar and thanked them. After I called my husband to check in and ask him to call me in one hour as backup, I set my alarm clock. It was a great place for a nap and I woke up two min. before my alarm went off. The kids were gone, but my bike looked untouched.

FYI this is my alarm clock. I'm a Luddite to the bone, baby!



Because of the delayed start time, the hour at Mario's and the hour sleep, I just barely got through Chicago before the traffic got really bad.  All that together put me between 2 - 2.5 hours behind schedule. I had been having problems with my EZPass since leaving home and in Indiana I almost drove slap through a toll gate when it didn't open. At the toll way Service Center, I pulled in and got a good lesson about EZPass. The curved top i.e. turtle shell is SHIELDED, thus my mounting orientation, not location, was the problem. I flipped it over and from then on I had no problems what-so-ever.

In the early afternoon near Sandusky, OH at exit 118 a motorcyclist appeared to have been sideswiped by a young driver in a van. He was back boarded when I came on the scene and his co-rider was at his side, clearly upset. He was not wearing any gear and every limb, his belly and face were bleeding from road rash. It seemed he must have rolled along the road and K-rail. I asked the co-rider if I could do anything for him and he asked for water, but the State Patrol Officer didn't want me to cross back at that time. So I offered to secure any personal things off the riders' Goldwing and he said: "Thanks" and turned his attention back to his friend. I handed him what I found as EMS was about to lift the rider onto the stretcher then slipped across the highway to my bike. I snapped a couple of shots and re-joined the motorized herd on its migration east.





***************************************************************
http://www.daytondailynews.com/ap/ap/ohio/motorcyclist-hospitalized-after-oh-turnpike-crash/nZKW4/
Updated: 3:26 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 | Posted: 3:26 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, 2013
Motorcyclist hospitalized after OH Turnpike crash
The Associated Press
MILAN TOWNSHIP, Ohio —
Authorities say a motorcyclist has been seriously injured in an accident in the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports 64-year-old James Allen Metzinger of Canfield was flown to St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo after his 2013 Honda Goldwing sideswiped a 2005 Dodge Caravan while attempting to change lanes. Metzinger lost control, slid off the roadway and was ejected from his vehicle. He was not wearing a helmet.
The patrol said several Ohio Turnpike patrons stopped to help provide life-saving measures until emergency personnel could arrive. One was a doctor identified as Jonathan Schweid.
The driver of the Caravan was 25-year-old Ryan F. Knaack of Albany, N.Y. He was not injured.
Alcohol was not considered a factor in the accident.
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It was a difficult choice to stop, but it was an injured rider, how could I not stop?  I thought there was no way I would make BBG3K. I began to calculate and recalculate potential fuel locations along the route and the relative closing times to each. I had originally selected Utica, NY for the ending point for this part of the ride but it was VERY clear I would never make it. I found I could EVER so slightly make it to Denny's in Syracuse, NY at exit 35 with the added bonus of a Days Inn right next door.
I barely parked the bike, and with all my gear on I ran inside and ordered a medium rare steak, "Sides? I don't care; you pick and run this card as fast as you can...thank you ever so much. I'll explain later." The GPS indicated I rode 3001 miles in 47:39 and the bikes odometer showed 3044.



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Finding a corner away from others in hopes I didn't make anyone lose their appetites from my odor, I called my husband and parents. I must have sounded  breathless because I felt like I had been running uphill for the last 100 or so miles.

After checking in, I had to deal the pee explosion. I removed the Foley and bagged it with my jeans, socks and underwear in a black plastic trash bag. After tying a knot in it, I placed it by the door for morning disposal then took a lengthy, hot shower.

When I rolled out the next morning, I was starting to feel the miles. The BBG3K was without a doubt the single most difficult ride I have ever done. I fueled and ate breakfast at the Mohawk Service Plaza at MM 172, and shortly after getting back on I-90, it came to a complete standstill. I could see way down the road that both east and west bound lanes were blocked. This was NOT good and didn't bode well for clearing up any time soon.



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8/10/2013 crash on NY Thruway
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- The Thruway is back open after a tractor trailer accident on Saturday morning.
According to State Police, a serious crash involving a tractor trailer closed down all three eastbound lanes between exit 26 and 27. They said another vehicle rear ended the tractor trailer.
One person in the car was seriously injured.
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Generally speaking, no one looks at two choices and says to themselves, "I'll pick the worst one," but the longer I had to use my clutch hand, the more intense my back pain became and the longer it was taking to recover. Pain was defiantly a driving factor in the choices that were to followed for the rest of the ride.



I turned around, headed west, found a cross over and exited at 27. Well since all east and west bound traffic was being diverted into Amsterdam, I took 30 west with the intention of running the back roads west and south and re-engage the Thruway via Lower Gregg Rd to River Rd. However, when I arrived at where the GPS showed Lower Gregg crossed under the Thruway, it was and had been for some time blocked off.



So I just routed to the next waypoint which took me to I-88 and then back on I-90.

After turning north on I-495 the traffic became dense with stop and go slowdowns about every 2-3 miles. At Hwy 2, it just stopped. I jumped off again and rejoined I-495 at Hwy 119 and things were moving a little better...for a while. Starting just south of Haverhill through Merrimac it became unbearable! I couldn't let go of the clutch and was dog padding to keep from dropping the bike. I just about couldn't think straight from the pain and all I wanted was relief at any cost.

I exited again and ran up 108, 107A, 125 and then east again on 4 back to I-95. It was something like 40+/- miles and I estimate I lost an hour because of it, or broke even if I had waited for the crash to get cleared up. Sadly, the damage was done as far as the nerve compression at C6/C7. Once the area has been irritated for extended periods of time it takes a couple of days to return to normal. Suck up it Princess!

The GPS estimated I would arrive in Eastport 10 min. before the window closed. With nothing to do but try, I started calculating estimated fuel range and balancing that in keeping the fuel stops within 350 miles. I also stopped drinking anything for fear I would loose valuable time with a pee break. I came up with needing just one more fill-up and picked the Kennebunk Service Plaza. I jumped off, swiped my AMX card which I had been using without issue the entire trip, opened the main and AUX tanks, turned around and the screen said. "See Attendant".

Believe you me, I started swearing like a drunken sailor as I stormed over to see the attendant. I'm normally a calm person even under stress, but extended periods of pain had made me less tolerant. I said to her, "Please reset the pump and I'll use another card". She replied, "Are you from Canada?" I almost yelled, "No! Just reset the pump, that's all I want!" and I started back to the bike while pulling out my Master Card. DONE! This was one of my pre-researched stops and I already had all the data I needed. I jotted the ODO info on it and just stuffed the receipt in my jacket pocket and left quickly.

The rest of the way to Eastport was highly focused and intensely purposeful. By the time I exited onto 9 in Maine I had gained a 23 min. window and by the time I reached Eastport I had gained 19 more. I didn't know it at the time, but as I made the last turn before Bay City Garage, I was being filmed. Colleen and her husband Walt had been following my SPOT and had ridden out to meet me on their 2003 Honda VTX 1800. She filmed me from behind at I pulled up to the pumps. True to her word, Colleen opened the store for me and I bought a soda 52 min. before the window for a Sunrise to Sunset West to East closed. My friend Dave had also been following SPOT and rode up from Boston, ME to greet me at the end of my journey.

This picture he took of me in an unguarded moment says it all.





(L>R Walt, Colleen and Dave)



After Colleen and Dave signed my witness forms, Dave and I went for a celebration dinner at the Chowder House.
I want it ALL!
And ordered one on the bottom.







Avert your eyes! Me eating lobster is not a pretty sight!



However, Dave was none-the-less amused!





While we ate and talked, Mary and friends showed up having tracked me down because my SPOT was still on, to tell me she had turned away seven couples JUST to save a room for me. She also had a BBQ chicken dinner waiting for me when I got there. How sweet is that!






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Thank you for writing it has been near as good a doing the trip and I have seen some faces I have typed to over the years including the ledgendary Phil Marvin.

Shoganai wrote:I've been writing all day and now I need to attend to house and supper then get ready to work all night. It is the first of 6 nights in a row. I still need to write the closing stories and the ride wrap up, but that will have to wait for a few days.

 

Thank you all for reading about my ride.

  Hi Gwen !
Thank you for sharing all this with us; quite a story, respect !  
Nice bike you have there; I like the CREE's a lot ! 

Take care, I can't wait to read the end ....

Jos.

Well that was some trip and your lines and pics have inspired me to get out and start some of the trips    I' ve been thinking about . I'd say you were thinking exactly what I find myself yearning for often, more miles on the road riding, meeting folk and exploring what's round that next bend. I'm with you quiet happy to go out in the saddle doing what I love but intending to be in the saddle for a long time to come.  Many thanks for taking the time to share your adventures with us fellow 2 wheel crazies.        Much appreciated.  Cheers AUSBRICK