Sturgis Day 1 - Clayton NC to Nashville TN

Well, the first 582 miles are in the books.  And it went as well as can be expected.  Better in some regards.  We pulled out of Clayton at 6:15 this morning after pulling the gel pads out of the fridge.  Note to anyone that might use gel pads.  Put them in the fridge before you use them (if it is hot outside).  It was awesome!

It was overcast when we got on, but we expected it to burn off pretty quickly once the sun came up.  But we were wrong.  And we were glad we were wrong!  The weather stayed completely overcast until the first stop just past Winston Salem.  We stopped there for some gas and a quick McMuffin and we noticed that it was looking a little ominous up the road.  So we put the rain pants on and got back on the road.  About 20 miles up the road the bottom fell out and we ducked into a rest area and covered the bag and put the rest of our rain gear on.  We road in the nice cool rain all the way across the mountains until we hit Asheville where the sun came out.

We spent some time at the Asheville Harley Davidson talking shop and then got back on the road.  This is where it got interesting.  It got hot, sunny and the road was loaded with truckers.  It was slow going up/down the mountain and we were going through water pretty quickly.  But the mountains were pretty, so Rhonda tells me.  I was too busy trying not to kiss a truck's backside.

The ride from Knoxville to Nashville was not overly fun.  Between the intense heat, sun and frequent stop and go traffic, Rhonda and I were about done for the day.  But we made it.  The last 10 miles took over an hour since we (poorly) planned the trip to make sure we arrived in Nashville at 5:00 on a Friday and were headed out of the city.

Anyway, here I sit in a nice comfy chair in the hotel and I could not be prouder of my wife.  In fact, I think she did better than I did today!  We really enjoyed each other's company the entire trip.  I look forward to spending then next several days with her!

So how did the gear do?  The SENA headsets arrived with enough battery to take us to Chili's for dinner.  They were awesome.  Music and conversation the entire way.  The gel seats were good, especially for the first half.  But we are going to try switching it up tomorrow to see if moving to ride with them and then without them helps.  I will let everyone know.  The bike did great, even though slow maneuvering with the bag and Rhonda on was something to get used to.  But on the open road it was perfect.  We tried out the Garmin GPS app on the iPhone and it worked great with the headsets.  However it ate thorough the battery in no time.  Got to try something new there tomorrow.

In general, it was a great day.  I just hope the ones to follow are as good.  I apologize there are no pics tonight.  I am short of time, space and energy.  But I promise that if not before we get to Sturgis, I will get pics up for everyone.  I tweeted a few and Facebooked a few today.  But we took others.

Here is the route from today.  About 1300 miles to go!


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The Final Week Before Sturgis

As I sit here today, I am thinking about where I will be this time next week. Well, that and thinking about all the things I still have to do to get ready. It’s only 1 week until the “Odyssey” begins.

Just like in April when I was heading to Florida (620 miles) I am starting to have second thoughts and getting nervous. I think this is normal, especially for me. But I thought it was interesting and it made me wonder if getting some of the apprehension and preparations down on “paper” might help me or others.

Two main things make this trip more intimidating than the previous trips I have made: The Length and The Old Lady. *Note: I use the term “Old Lady” to seem like a real biker, not to disparage or attempt to describe my beautiful wife.

The Length
The Length has me nervous. Not because of the daily mileage, but because of the unknown effects multiple days will have on me. Here are some of the aspects of this extended trip that concern me and some of the steps I have taken to combat those.

• Exhaustion – Multiple 500+ mile days is something I have never done. The plan here is to break each day up into smaller segments (I would like those to be 150m or less) and to psychologically ride to those stops. As well, we plan to avoid things like alcohol, huge meals, and late nights.
• Heat Related Issues – Strange thing is that when you plan a trip in August, it is normally hot. And this month is no exception. So we plan to stop regularly. But for hydration issues, we plan to use a Camelbak on the trip filled with ice and water. We should have 3 hours of hydration which will get us to any stop we might make. We will wear long sleeve shirts and mesh jackets to avoid sunburn as well.
• Weather – Planning a one day trip makes checking the weather and adapting much easier. A 4 day ride makes it tougher. There is no way around the fact we will ride in rain at some point. We have purchased raingear (and I have tried it out) and I feel we are prepared to ride in moderate rain.
• Traffic – I used the back roads on the way to Florida. We will travel all interstate for this trip. Some say they are safer, but I find the speeds and the traffic less comfortable in general on my bike. I ride 85 miles a day round trip on interstates to work in some atrocious traffic, so I am used to it. But this trip will take us through several major cities I have never been in (Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha).
• Unknown – How will I feel when I get up after the first or second day? How will I feel for the return trip? Some things are just unknown.

In general, part of the appeal of this trip relates to saying at the end “I did it!” Without the list of items above, that statement would ring hollow. So while those items make me nervous, they are part of the challenge and part of the reason we are doing this.

The Old Lady
Man I love my wife. But obviously not like she loves me! I am still amazed she even agreed to this trip. And I amazed she hasn’t jumped off the roof of the house in an attempt to injure herself to get out of it (yet). But having her brings extra concerns for me. Of course I want her there on the trip to experience the sights and sounds, but I feel like I have to make sure she is OK at all times. Having someone else’s life in your hands while facing the obstacles above adds to the anxiety of the trip.

But having her with me will be so much more fun. And we have a plan. My #1 priority is her. Not the people we are traveling with. Not the day we get to Sturgis. Not even if we never get to Sturgis. We have the intercom system to talk and the minute she says “enough” we stop. And then if she says “enough is enough” we get a room and head home the next day.

I believe she can make it and I believe we will have a trip we will never forget. What I need to do is remember that we want to remember this trip forever for all the right reasons. Not like you remember that bout with the stomach flu that time you ate at the roadside stand in Equador.

Only a few days left now. Very little time to back out. Very little time to change many things. Just enough time to get more nervous.

Distracted Drivers

Well, I had to vent to someone. I am getting sick and tired of it.

I drive about 80 miles everyday to and from work. Unfortunately 60 miles of that is on the interstate but there are no good back roads to take into work that allow me to get there with any sort of schedule. So, I put up with the hazards. And I accept some. Truck tires in the road, stupid drivers that change lanes without looking over their shoulder, slow people scared to death to drive and big rigs full of logs spewing all sorts of painful junk into my face.

But there is one I will no longer put up with. It is time to devise a plan to do something about these idiots texting while they are driving. This morning I had a girl (maybe 20) fly past me doing at least 80mph in a red Honda. I didn't think much about it until she locked up her brakes to avoid slamming the car in front of her that was only going 70. When I got up beside her in traffic, she was holding her pink phone up in front of her face texting. I followed her (from a little distance) for a couple miles and watched. She was all over the center lane and I could see the phone from 3 car lengths behind her. So, I pulled up, tapped the horn and pointed at the phone. Normally at this point the drivers throw their phones in the seat and stare straight ahead like they have no idea why I am pointing. But not her. She took her left hand off the wheel and flipped me off and then put her phone up higher. She texted for the remaining 10 miles until she exited.

I will be 100% honest. I couldn't care less if this girl runs off the road and slams a tree. I know I should be more "environmental" and try to "Save the Trees". But these people need off the road one way or another. They are either going to kill me or worse my wife or kids. And that is simply not acceptable. We have a law, but it is not enforceable. And you can't legislate intelligence.

So here is my plan. I am getting a POV camera for the trip to Sturgis. Other than the Sturgis trip, I am going to put it to good use. I am going to mount it on my helmet and film my trips back and forth from work. I am going to get video of these idiots and tag numbers. And I am going to start a YouTube channel. I am going to post about them as many places as I can. Hopefully some of their family will see the video and will either help them to stop or at least kiss them goodbye in the mornings before they leave since they will lose them one days soon.

"Don't Text, Eat, Put on Makeup, Read the Newspapaper, Watch TV or Sleep and Drive"