View Full Version : 4 Corners Ride
:excited:
I am getting ready to head out on the 4 Corners Ride (http://www.usa4corners.org/main.htm) this coming Friday with my 73 year old Friend John Beck on his BMW RT1200. I will have my laptop with me so I hope to be able to logon and update as we go.
The 4 corners ride for those that don't know is a ride that takes you to the following locations;
San Ysidro, California
Blaine, Washinton
Madawaska, Maine
Key West, Fla
:usflag2:You can do these in any order you wish and you do not have to return to your starting location and you have 3 weeks to accomplish this. We will be running the route in the order above. Taking off from home this Friday to get to San Ysidro then starting the ride on Sat.
John is the instigator in this and he is the one paying the fees for himself and getting certified. I am just along for the ride as I believe the charge is too great but thats just me.:D I will be mailing pics back to myself in two seperate envelopes so I can open one for the pic and have one enclosed in an evelope with the cancelled stamp from that Post office so I will have proof I did it just not the OFFICIAL Certification.
One of the things we are planning on is riding the Skyline Parkway down to the Blue Ridge Parkway running it the entire lenth then Heading over to the Tail of the Dragon on the route from Madawaska to Key West time permitting.
All in all our trip should be in the 10,000 mile mark and we have the 3 weeks cleared so if we need it we can take all the time permitted.
I will try and keep this thread updated to our progress as we go along.
fitenfyr
05-21-2007, 10:39 AM
Wow what a ride...good luck and be safe.
BigTom
05-21-2007, 10:42 AM
Quote by Yogi
John is the instigator in this and he is the one paying the fees for himself and getting certified. I am just along for the ride as I believe the charge is too great but thats just me.
My friend, you are my kind of wing nut. A 10,000mi ride to keep a friend company...
I know a guy here that did the 4 corners for his 75th birthday present to himself. He is now 82, and just sold his trike, done riding. He says his last wing will be part of his estate, can't bear to sell it. Another of my kind of guy...
Sounds like a fun trip, you have plenty of time so there is no need to hurry. Have a great trip.:)
motomac
05-21-2007, 10:44 AM
I've got that layed out on my Streets and Trips for a 10 day 10,000 mile run. One of these days I'm really going to do it.
Wow what a ride...good luck and be safe.
Thanks, always try to be safe:D
Pat Thompson
05-21-2007, 10:52 AM
What a great adventure! You're gonna have a blast.
Be safe and well.
My friend, you are my kind of wing nut. A 10,000mi ride to keep a friend company...
I know a guy here that did the 4 corners for his 75th birthday present to himself. He is now 82, and just sold his trike, done riding. He says his last wing will be part of his estate, can't bear to sell it. Another of my kind of guy...
John has been wanting to do this for a couple years and I figured I didn't want to put it off anymore as we never know what the next year will bring. This should be a journey!
Sounds like a fun trip, you have plenty of time so there is no need to hurry. Have a great trip.:)
Yeah, I orignally had it layed our for a two week trip but finally decided to add a 3rd week to my vacation to make sure we weren't hurried.
btw I love your tag line about congress:D
I've got that layed out on my Streets and Trips for a 10 day 10,000 mile run. One of these days I'm really going to do it.
Get the 4 coners and the 10/10ths not bad:D That should be an interesting ride..
What a great adventure! You're gonna have a blast.
Be safe and well.
Thanks Pat!
tommyboy
05-21-2007, 11:21 AM
4 Corners is one of those "trips of a lifetime" rides. I have ridden 3 Flags on four occasions (and hope to go this year).
One of my great riding buddies did 4 corners the year before he passed away from lung cancer (he quit smoking at 52 - died at 75). At his wake they had a frosting picture on a cake of him on his BMW in front of the Madawaska, Maine post office (with a HUGE grin on his face!).
You will have a great time!
:popcorn
This is going to be cool. Looking forward to the updates.
Good luck !!!
--Bryan
04ST1300A
:04biker:
4 Corners is one of those "trips of a lifetime" rides. I have ridden 3 Flags on four occasions (and hope to go this year).
One of my great riding buddies did 4 corners the year before he passed away from lung cancer (he quit smoking at 52 - died at 75). At his wake they had a frosting picture on a cake of him on his BMW in front of the Madawaska, Maine post office (with a HUGE grin on his face!).
You will have a great time!
I am sure we will. One of the reasons for doing it this year is right in my tagline that tomorrow is guaranteed to no one and my Friend is getting up there though he is probably healthier then many of us you just never know how much time any of us have left.
:popcorn
This is going to be cool. Looking forward to the updates.
Good luck !!!
Thanks Bryan! I have a modem for my laptop and wifi so hopefully I will be able to find someway to login occasionally
fitenfyr
05-21-2007, 01:03 PM
Tom,
Look into the Sprint wireless setup for your computer.
Kind of spendy, but it works everywhere.
You might even find a local dealer to "sponsor" your use of the card for the trip.
Good PR for the company to have it used in all four corners of the country.
AzDesertRider
05-21-2007, 02:32 PM
Awesome "must do" ride :bow1: :bow1:
Have a great, safe trip Yogi
Tom,
Look into the Sprint wireless setup for your computer.
Kind of spendy, but it works everywhere.
You might even find a local dealer to "sponsor" your use of the card for the trip.
Good PR for the company to have it used in all four corners of the country.
I should[ve thought of that before now I am down to just a few days and have to much other stuff to deal with. I will just find hot spots along the way somewhere they are more and more out there.
Awesome "must do" ride :bow1: :bow1:
Have a great, safe trip Yogi
Thanks Bob! I can't wait to hit the road..:06biker:
LDMike
05-22-2007, 04:21 AM
Yogi,
I wish I had seen your post earlier. I did the 4 Corners last year and had a great time.
I'm currently trying to finish a 48+, so am unavailable for the next several days, but if you have any questions, contact me after this weekend.
Godspeed.
Yogi,
I wish I had seen your post earlier. I did the 4 Corners last year and had a great time.
I'm currently trying to finish a 48+, so am unavailable for the next several days, but if you have any questions, contact me after this weekend.
Godspeed.
Thanks Mike, No questions so far but I appreciate the offer and will keep it in mind as we do our journey
jasonJonas
05-22-2007, 09:46 AM
hey, tom. you and john have fun on your little ride. 73 and still riding. that is so f!@#$!$% awesome!! if i'm still breathing at 73, it will be a triumph. :)
hey, tom. you and john have fun on your little ride. 73 and still riding. that is so f!@#$!$% awesome!! if i'm still breathing at 73, it will be a triumph. :)
Yep I am with you.. He is my Hero, I want to be like him when I grow up:D
Did you pick up your ST yet? I am interested in what you think of the stock seat. I had to go with the Russell best money I think I have ever spent farkling a bike.
jasonJonas
05-22-2007, 10:43 AM
Did you pick up your ST yet? I am interested in what you think of the stock seat. I had to go with the Russell best money I think I have ever spent farkling a bike.
haven't picked it up yet. need to call the dealer and bug him today. i'm getting in all of these farkles with no bike to put them on.
if history is any guide, i may as well give y'all my stock seat report...
the stock seat sucks and i'm getting a day-long. :D
Well we have made the 1st check point at San Ysidro last evening then mailing off Johns' Packets this morning..We are in Redding California this evening a lil under 700 miles for the day tommorrow we will travel to the 2nd stop Blaine, Wa a lil over 700 miles from here. All in all we are doing good Weather is cooperating so far
Here is a lil better update
You can follow the pics as we go here http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=8qhm4cm.3gw9j63i&Uy=eoofi7&Ux=0
Friday May 25th, 2007
I got to play hooky from work so John rode over to Chandler after Rush Hour and we headed out to San Ysidro, California for the Start of our journey. We took Maricopa road to 238 to I-8 then just as you head into the Mountains we get off to get on old US80 then 94 to Stopping in Barretts Junction for a quick break then on to Otay Lake Road then Telegraph Canyon Road to take the back way in to Chula Vista and on to I-5 which we took South to the Motel 6 down on the border. We had to get a pic with San Ysidro in the Background and we decided to use the Post Office so we went down after they closed got the pics needed then got the rest of the information John needed for his certicfication and headed back to a lil Mom and Pop Mexican food Restaurant close to the hotel for our evening meal.. All in all around 400 miles for the day some great riding on the back way into Chula Vista. We arranged for a 4 am wake up call and hit the sack early. Temps coming across the desert hit a high of 97 and as we were riding around San Ysidro Friday Evening I saw a temp of 61.
Saturday May 26th, 2007
0400 came early, as it seems it always does, but we got up and going and Mailed off Johns packets for his certification so the Ride actually starts today! We were slabbing it today taking the 5 North basically. By the time we got to Redding around 700 miles later we decided to stop for the evening since we had no reservations anywhere we figured an early stop would get us a room easier.. As it turns out Redding is the ½ way point between San Ysidro and Blaine, Wa. I have arranged for a room in Blaine tomorrow night so we at least have a place to sleep. The temps ranged today between 54 and 87 degrees We stayed at the Vagabound Inn which happened to have free wifi so I was able to get on the Internet and post some updates.
fitenfyr
05-26-2007, 10:06 PM
Tom,
Is Blaine the "northwest" corner?
I would have thought that Neah Bay was?
Anyhow have fun tomorrow. Weather is supposed to be poo up here tomorrow.
If I didn't have so much to do I would meet you guys in Tacoma and ride up to Blaine with you.
Have a blast
So should I put on my rain gear when I leave Redding:(
Yep Blaine is the NW corner that is required for the Ride
Tom,
Is Blaine the "northwest" corner?
I would have thought that Neah Bay was?
Anyhow have fun tomorrow. Weather is supposed to be poo up here tomorrow.
If I didn't have so much to do I would meet you guys in Tacoma and ride up to Blaine with you.
Have a blast
Ride Yogi Ride !!!!
:yes:
--Bryan
04ST1300A
:04biker:
uncal
05-27-2007, 08:53 AM
Thanks for the ride report and pics! Good luck!!
1999purple
05-27-2007, 09:06 AM
WOW what a great ride!!!!:bow1: . It's my long riding goal to do your trip when I turn 60. I've got a few years left to plan it out. Have a great trip will be watching for you up dates. Ed:03biker:
Here is the latest update with hopefully a corrected link to the pics See Pics HERE (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8qhm4cm.3gw9j63i&x=0&y=eoofi7)
Sunday May 27th, 2007
Once again we opted to get up at 0400 to be on the road by 0500, our mission was to make Blaine, Washington today approximately 705 miles from Redding, California. I am happy to say Mission Accomplished but we did run through some on again off again rain showers from the time we hit the Oregon Border to Everett, Washington. The Frog Togg’s worked great, both against the rain and the cold! The highest temp we saw today was 62 and that was the one sunny spot as we came into Olympia, Washington. Not much to say about the route as we took I-5 all the way, but it is a very pretty interstate from the Shasta Lake Dam turnoff just north of Redding all the way into Washington. I will say that the 60-65 mph speed limits in Oregon and the 60-70 mph speed limits in Washington were very annoying! So two days into the official ride we have already gotten two of the 4 corners. Since we had Mexican food on the Mexican Border we went to a seafood restaurant here and I had the Halibut. John had the Spaghetti as he is just not a seafood person. Now comes the fun stuff!
Monday May 28th, 2007 Memorial Day
The day started early once again at 0400 wakeup and 0500 on the road. Day started good temps in the high 40’s going into the 50’s as we approached Seattle from Blaine but when we got on 90 and had to transverse the summit heading east temps fell into the high 30’s plus we were getting spritzed on and riding thru low clouds. The day didn’t get any better until we were almost to Butte Montana. The majority of the day was spent in either sprinkles, rain or low cloud cover most of the time we were in the mid to low 40’s temperature wise with the occasional dip into the high 30’s and one spot we actually got up to 60 for a couple of miles.
Things that I found out on this journey
I like riding in the rain when I am in the desert and the temp is around 110 to 115
Riding in the rain over a mountain pass in 39 degree weather is not as much fun
Riding in these conditions also made me appreciate my full face helmet especially after we were riding along with some Harley riders and it started to rain and they slowed way down due to the cold rain hitting their faces due to the ½ helmets they were wearing.
A combination of Frogg Togg’s /Sweatshirt/Chaps and heavy leather jacket worked fairly well at holding off the cold but I felt like the Michelin Man.
Even in the Rain and cold we still covered a lil over 700 miles in around 11 and ½ hours.
I want grip heaters and a real set of waterproof gloves
Super 8 has wifi in Butte Montana ;^)We are now about ¼ of the way on our journey covering 2,461 miles since Friday. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny!
[/LIST]
BigTom
05-28-2007, 09:23 PM
So, you crossed through my ancestral homelands (E. Washington) in the rain? Imagine that. Now do you know why I moved to Arizona? It's darn near June...'Course everybody knows that the weather doesn't get nice in the 'Big Bend' (of the Columbia) until AFTER Memorial Day.
You know what they call a day of sunshine after two days of rain? Monday!
Sounds like you are still having fun...you go!
Congrats on the good start!
Glad to hear you're both doing well...
We can do the grip heaters to both yours and Chris's when you get back... :D
Mark
tommyboy
05-28-2007, 10:56 PM
I was on the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle about the time you passed me going north on Saturday!
fitenfyr
05-29-2007, 12:40 AM
Glad the weather held out better than forcast for you guys yesterday.
They were calling for some good rain shower, but they never seemed to materialize.
I was up to my neck in laying down flooring in my house or I would have tried to catch up with you guys.
Have fun and come back to visit when you can stay longer and the weather is better. :D
Congrats on the good start!
Glad to hear you're both doing well...
We can do the grip heaters to both yours and Chris's when you get back... :D
Mark
Sounds like a plan!!!:D
Here is the latest update with link to the pics See Pics HERE (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8qhm4cm.3gw9j63i&x=0&y=eoofi7)
5/29/07 Tuesday
Well Sunny didn’t happen! We left Butte Montana around 0645 local time in 36-degree weather. It wasn’t long before we were climbing in elevation and the temp dropped to 34 degrees and we saw a light dusting of snow on the ground beside the road. A little while later it started to drizzle again no big thing but definitely not sunny! Just about 30 miles west of Bozeman it really started to rain with temps in the low 30’s then the snow started to fall and the windshields were icing up along with the face shields. I have always read that discretion is the better part of valor so I pulled off at the first ramp coming into Bozeman to get a room for the day/night only 81 miles after we started.
Definitely wasn’t the plan. We are taking the opportunity to do laundry and repack gear but we would much rather be on the road. The good news is we came across this really nice new hotel the C’mon Inn at exit 305 in Bozeman., and while a little pricier then what we normally do it is very nice and since we will be here all day and night well worth the money. Something I could recommend to anyone passing thru this part of the country. Since we had time to kill John got some various pics of the place so check out the pic’s place.
We will have to see if we can make up these 550 missed miles today on subsequent days.
We are already thinking of ways to make up the time if necessary like forgoing the Skyline and Blue Ridge Parkways but its too early in the ride to make any hasty decisions. We will just have to wait and see how we make out in the next few days as this storm seems to be stalled over this part of the country.
fitenfyr
05-29-2007, 03:33 PM
Wow...good call on pulling up short for the day.
That is just CRAZY weather for the end of May. :eek:
That sure looks like a "rough" place to hang out though. :D
5/30/07 Wednesday
We got up early and were on the road by 0450 temp in Bozeman was 35 degrees shortly out of Bozeman it dropped to 34 but didn’t get any lower. Going thru the pass on the way out of Bozeman there was some pretty good fog so I just followed an 18 wheeler till we got clear of the fog.
I thought we were doing good as it wasn’t raining, Mother Nature was just teasing us it didn’t take too long before we were getting rained on but after awhile it cleared up a little to where it was just overcast for about 100 miles. Again Mother Nature was teasing cause after that 100 we spent the rest of the day in rain with the high temp being 52 degrees till we were about 20 miles out of Fargo North Dakota where the sky turned blue the temp shot up into the 70’s and I thought cool we will get into our hotel with no more rain… WRONG! We got dumped on again at about the 10 mile mark then it just spritzed on us the rest of the way in. Needless to say we have a dryer full of wet gear as I am writing this.
We did a lil over 750 miles today in about 11 hours with I would say over 500 of those miles in Rain and cold.. DAMN whose idea was this anyway? Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
On a side note those Isolated showers we saw on the TV seemed to be isolated on us for the better part of the day!
motomac
05-30-2007, 06:07 PM
I had an inch of snow on my stuff June 10th in Butte, so you are no means out of the bad weather season up there in Montana. The lady at the motel I stayed in told me the only month it doesn't snow in MT is July.
One year I wanted to visit my sister and her family in Whitefish Montana for the 4th of July. She told me to wait until it warmed up...! Said they had had snow in late June the year before... :eek:
Being from AZ we waited until mid Aug... :-)
No fireworks but the water slide was great fun!
Ride safe Yogi!
Mark
I had an inch of snow on my stuff June 10th in Butte, so you are no means out of the bad weather season up there in Montana. The lady at the motel I stayed in told me the only month it doesn't snow in MT is July.
Now you guys tell me :D
Now you guys tell me :D
Hey MotoMac, do you remember being consulted as to a STart date for the ride?
I thought not... ;) :cool:
Go eat miles Yogi!!!
Mark
I definitely have the water to wash them miles down with:D
5/31/07 Thursday
Last night after my update John tried replacing the right side bulb in his headlamp assy as he had been running with a burnt out one for a few days. When he tried to pull the connector it just came apart in his hands. Using the Internet I found the closest BMW Dealer (Moon Motorsports) in Monticello, MN and found they opened at 0830. So another early morning start for us as we needed to run the 200 miles there and be there when they opened. We did accomplish that getting there as they were rolling bikes out of the Service Dept in preparation for the day. They got John right in and while they didn’t have a connector they did replace the bulb and used the separate connections to get him back on the road. While on the lift he also got an oil change so he should be good till he gets home as far as Service. We got out of there a lil after 10am only losing a hour and a half there plus the extra 70 or so miles it took us out of the way.
The good news was there was no rain till we were in Wisconsin and it only lasted for around 20 miles then again in Michigan again not lasting all that long. PLUS while I was waiting on John I found a pair of Waterproof gloves by First Gear at Moon Motorsports so my hands actually stayed dry and warm today YIPPEE. Since we had the maintenance stop and we have also been on 2 lane roads for around the last 200 miles we only got in a lil over 600 miles for the day when we stopped. This evening we are in Marquette, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula about ½ way across right on the water.
Tomorrow we should be crossing into Canada and ending up somewhere between Ontario and Montreal.
Summary of the first week on the road.
We have covered 3,910 miles. Been to the West Coast two corners of San Ysidro, California and Blaine, Washington. We are well over ½ way to our 3rd stop in Madawaska Maine and still have two weeks and 3 weekends to complete the ride back to Phoenix. We have ridden in well over of a 1000 miles in the rain with most of the temps in the mid 30’s to low 50’s. We have also ridden in snow for a short period. We have met some very accommodating people from the Hotel people allowing us early entry on the day we got waylaid to the ones that let us dry out our gear in their entry way as it was super warm there. I am sure we got some looks from those in cars and trucks as there we were passing them on Motorcycles in 30-degree weather.
tommyboy
05-31-2007, 08:18 PM
Cold!- Cold!, We had a member start the 4 corners ride on January 1 (can't remember what year). He wanted to be the earliest finisher of the event's history. He must have had skis on the bike as outriggers for the entire norther part of the ride (or so we joked).
Cold!- Cold!, We had a member start the 4 corners ride on January 1 (can't remember what year). He wanted to be the earliest finisher of the event's history. He must have had skis on the bike as outriggers for the entire norther part of the ride (or so we joked).
That's probably not too far from the truth:D
One year I wanted to visit my sister and her family in Whitefish Montana for the 4th of July. She told me to wait until it warmed up. Mark
Damn, I am scheduled to be riding through Whitefish on June 12th, sure hope this is one of their warm summers.:03biker:
I just checked Whitefish at Weather.com and they are presently at 64 degrees and supposted to get up to 87, so doesn't look like snow in the forecast.
BigTom
06-01-2007, 10:30 AM
Quote by alan
I just checked Whitefish at Weather.com and they are presently at 64 degrees and supposted to get up to 87, so doesn't look like snow in the forecast.
Yeah, but that's today. The thing is, as the calander gets older, the snow stretches get farther apart. Until September, that is. Middle of June, you probably have a pretty good chance:) Not as good as middle of July, but a pretty good chance.
Friday June 1st
We got in around 560 miles today on two lane roads for the most part with only about 5 miles of it in the rain.. Though as I sit and write this in my motel room in Pembroke Canada it is Lightening and thundering and pouring outside. At least it is outside and I am inside.. It started to rain just as we got the bikes unloaded. The day started in Marquette Michigan about ½ way across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We are now around 88 miles west of Ottawa Canada and only a lil over 500 miles from Madawaska Maine our next corner. All in all a good day and we are positioned very well to possibly make Madawaska tomorrow or the next day at the latest barring bad weather. The going is slow as the speed limits are lower and travelling two lane roads is pretty it is a lot more time consuming due to all the towns along the way. But this has been a great ride, very scenic. We only got a couple pics today I will load them the next time I have more computer time. We are both still good and raring to go.
BigTom
06-01-2007, 09:16 PM
Keep it coming Yogi...We're rooting for you.
It's a lot different when you cross the big muddy, isn't it? Cruise speeds definately go down a bunch:)
Keep it coming Yogi...We're rooting for you.
It's a lot different when you cross the big muddy, isn't it? Cruise speeds definately go down a bunch:)
Well the posted cruise speeds definitely go down.:D
Here is the latest update with a link to the pics See Pics HERE (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8qhm4cm.3gw9j63i&x=0&y=eoofi7)
Saturday June 2nd and Sunday June 3rd
Saturday
Once again we were in the 560 range in miles and made it to the 3rd stop of our tour Madawaska Maine. One thing I noticed as we traveled thru Canada, when we entered thru Sault Ste Marie there were bilingual signs in both English and French or multiple signs even temporary warning signs were in both languages.. We then entered the Quebec province where the only signage is in French. I thought this very odd. The trip thru Canada was beautiful and well worth the extra time. Once we arrived in Madawaska we were taking the mandatory pictures in front of the post office when Barb Deschaine (the self proclaimed 4 corners stalker) who is the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce stopped by and chatted with us. She is the one in the pictures as well as a local Rob. Barb gave us her phone number and told us to call her Sunday Morning and she would come down to the office to give us some kind of paperwork they do for the 4-corner ride. It was another great day in all, the precipitation we today got were just a couple sprinkles all day long. Well it’s been just a week and a day and we have made 3 of the stops of the 4 corners and are now laying in a course for Key West. Barb also told us of a monument they were establishing along with a small park to honor their place to the 4 corners ride. We got a couple pics there Saturday evening.
Sunday
Morning we went down to Dolly’s Diner in Frenchville for a very good breakfast then gave Barb a call and met her at the Chamber of Commerce. There she presented both John and myself a lil certificate acknowledging our presence in Madawaska with signatures from the Town Manager and the Governor. The park they are planning is going to have those pavers where you have your name carved into them so John and I went together on one to help with the park and to put our mark on the area. We thought that a better option then peeing on the monument. ;^) You can go to www.madawaskafourcorners.org (http://www.madawaskafourcorners.org/) to see pics of the envisioned park and to order your own paver if you want.
John’s and mine should read as follows;
RTJohn Beck and Tom "Yogi" Maiden
6/3/2007
4 Corners Ride
After saying our good-byes to Barb we headed on 1 to Fort Kent then connected with 11 south. A little ways down the road we ended up behind a truck with a bucket that was hitting the overhead wires as it went down the road. We were keeping our distance when he finally knocked down a telephone line. John and I stopped and directed traffic for close to two hours, At one point I climbed up the trailer of a semi to get the line over his trailer so he could continue on. The police had been called at least twice and had not responded so we did what was necessary to make the road safe for people to travel. I won’t say any more about that on a public venue, but no one was going to hit the wire when we left.
Well the down telephone line killed around 2 hours of our day along with our late start we only ended up with just shy of 300 miles for the day.. we are currently at the Super 8 in Augusta Maine on I-95. This is like the 4th Super 8 we have stayed at on this trip and they all had wifi capability for those of you interested in that. Plus they have all been fairly nice places to stay. I would definitely say a couple notches up from a Motel 6.
We have had fairly good weather for the last few days, ever since May 31st. Temps have been much better and we have only been sprinkled on other than the one 5mile stretch in Canada that we suited up for we haven’t had to wear our rain gear. Funny we had to go to Canada to get clear skies and great temps.
On a side note lets have a moment of silence for the passing of my Garmin Street Pilot 3. I have been holding out hope but all seems lost. You see I have been running with out it ever since May 31st when it got drowned on our trip from Bozeman to Fargo. I kept hoping it would dry out and start working again but I don’t believe that is going to happen. So keep a kind thought for a loyal farkle that gave its life in my pursuit of whatever it is I am pursuing. ;^)
Monday June 4th
Well the good news was no more bugs sticking to the face shield or windshield. The bad news was it was because they were hiding from the rain. We only made it a lil over 320 miles today down to Danbury Conn. We stopped early and did laundry and some route planning. Not much to say other then we started in the Rain it got worse and we ended in the rain. Temps in the high 40’s to high 50’s fluctuating up and down. Visibility just finally got real bad around here so we looked for a place to stop.. I guess the good news is the weather report says its clearing up tonight. We will see.
Yup... Anything named Barney sucks... I hated the purple dino and now you hate Barney's depression...
Good luck on the next portion!
Mark
AzDesertRider
06-04-2007, 11:39 PM
Great stuff Yogi! I'm arm chair riding all the way with ya. Sure wish we could get out of this rain though...
Thanks Guys
Here is the latest update with a link to the pics See Pics HERE (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8qhm4cm.3gw9j63i&x=0&y=eoofi7)
Tuesday June 5th
We got in a lil over 500 miles with only a few sprinkles today, Hooray!!! The first 400 were slabbing it from Danbury Conn. Thru New York, PA, MD, WV and part of Virginia down to Front Royal at the North end of the Shenandoah Natl. Park and the Northern Start of the Skyline Drive. We ran the entire length of the Skyline Drive (very good scenic ride) in about 3 ½ hours. We are stopping for the night in Waynesboro Virginia. If the weather holds we are planning on the Blue Ridge Parkway tomorrow.
Wednesday June 6th
400 miles of heaven, what is there to say about the Blue Ridge Parkway that hasn’t been said before. This has been part of the plan since the beginning to run the Skyline Drive in Virginia then continue on to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We started at the Northern Most point of the Parkway and rode to Asheville, NC today around 400 miles. Tomorrow we will finish up the last 80 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway then mosey on over to the Tail of the Dragon. After all we have been wearing out the middle of our tires all these preceding days its only fair we take some rubber off the sides. Our only freeway this morning was from our motel to the Blue Ridge Parkway so today was one of the best days of the ride. BooBoo and I rode a small section of the Blue Ridge a couple of years ago but the views were a little hazy that day. Today the views were great and the weather was fantastic, Cool but not cold. Slightly cloudy but not overcast. All in all a great day.
Thursday June 7th
The last couple of days have been great but today lived right up there with them. We got up and on the road around 8am to run the last 88 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Temps were in the High 50’s so it was quite comfortable.
The road was great though the view this early was a lil hazy. Plenty of sweepers to get them juices going then some tight stuff to get the adrenaline going. Alas it was over all to soon as we came to the end in Cherokee NC.
From there we made our way over to the Famous/Infamous Tail of the Dragon on US129 at Deals Gap right on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. 318 turns in 11 miles but first we had to raid the store http://www.dealsgap.com/ (http://www.dealsgap.com/)where John and I both got shirts, I picked up a couple stickers and some Hyperlites for me to install when I get home.
It was a very fun ride though very intense, some of the curves were deceptively tight but both John and I managed to Slay the Dragon. From there we were on our way to I-75 to start making our way south when we ran across the Motorcycle Pit Stop where we stopped and had a Dragon Burger with Chili and Jalapenos. I think that Dragon Slayed us!
From there we did go Jump on I-75 and we now sit in a Super 8 at exit 218 on I-75 just south of Atlanta a lil over 400 miles for the day.
Let me take this opportunity to just say if you have never ridden the Skyline Drive or Blue Ridge Parkway or the Tail of the Dragon you need to find the time to go do them that was just a great 3 days of riding!!
You can see more pics HERE (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=8qhm4cm.3gw9j63i&x=0&y=eoofi7) now.
Friday June 8th
We just needed to run a lil over 350 miles down to John’s Sister in Law’s place in Lady Lake Florida. This should have been easy but we ran into a problem on I-75 Some where around mm 406 a semi overturned in the median causing traffic both north and south to come to a standstill. Now normally other then being an annoyance this wouldn’t have been that big a deal as we only had to crawl for about 4 – 5 miles before we cleared (took about an hour).
This was not a normal time though as I had previously called a Honda Dealership in Leesburg and set up for them to squeeze me in for an oil/filter and final drive gear lube change. So I was sweating being able to get that done. We did make it and they did squeeze me in so I feel better for the bikes sake. Thanks to Champions Honda in Leesburg Fla for getting me in on such short notice. Also thanks for the free T' Shirts they gave John and myself.
After my service we made it up to Sue’s (John’s Sister in Law) place and met up with her and then went to a local watering hole to celebrate then a fine dinner then some Karoke. All in all a great evening.
Saturday June 9th
John and I got up early and made our way to BMW Orlando as he had setup for a 6k service first thing. His bike had to be cold for them to work on it so we made the 60 mile journey at around 5:30 am and the weather was great just cool enough to be really comfortable wearing a jacket. We killed an hour of time sitting around the McDonalds down the road then just waited at the dealership for someone to show. They got John right in when they opened and John got his service done and we got out of there around 11:30 back on the road to Lady Lake Fla.
We stopped for a quick bite at Sonny's BBQ then we went over to Don Garlit’s Museum of Drag Racing. We took a lot of pics but the pics don’t do the place justice. If you are ever in the area make sure to stop and check it out if you are a fan of Drag Racing.. Now we are getting ready for the last push down to Key West tomorrow around 500 miles the way we are routed.
Sunday June 10th
We have made the 4th Corner KEY WEST, FLA, in 16 days. We started the actual 4 Corners ride on May 26th and had 3 weeks to complete which would have been Friday June 15th the entire trip so far has covered just short of 8,000 miles and we still have around 2,500 to make it home.
We both woke up around 4:30am this morning, when the alarm was set for 5, so we got up anyway and were actually on the road a little after 5am. It was right at 500 miles from where we were to the Hotel we are staying in at Key West. I was quite surprised on the trip down here. For the most part you are on the land on the various keys with just a few bridges and I for some reason, thought it would be mostly bridges. The going is slow for the trip down the Key’s though so if you are planning a trip don’t be in a big hurry for the last bit down there.
We took I-75 down the West Side of the Island then hooked up with Route 41, which took us through the everglades. We actually saw a real Gator on the road and no not one of them tire Gators but an Alligator that had lost a fight with a moving vehicle. This adds to the other varmints we have seen on the road this trip, From Deer to Bobcats and wild Turkey, (NO NOT THE WHISKEY) on the Blue Ridge Parkway to a turtle crossing a major road over by John’s SIL home. To this alligator.
We have made it down to the Southernmost Point in the United States and have taken the Pics necessary for John’s Certification. We went back down on Duvall Street later in the evening and had a nice celebratory dinner at Red Fish/Blue Fish. We then walked around a street marketplace, finally making our way over to the Hogsbreath Saloon, Sloppy Joe’s Bar (where Ernest Hemmingway use to hang out) then on down to Margarittaville. I had a Hogsbreath Lager at the Hogsbreath, and a Land Shark Lager at Margaritaville. John had a Margarita in Margaritaville. We both had a Draft at Sloppy Joe’s. All in all a great ending to a great day and an exceptional trip
Monday June 11th
Since the Bell at the Southernmost point was crowded when we were getting our pics last evening John and I went down early this morning to have some more pics opportunity with the bell. We also ran over to the beginning of Highway 1 and got a couple pics at Milepost 0. Then back up to the motel for breakfast and to wait for the Post Office to Open.
After doing some work on this log and some pics I am getting ready to upload John and I headed for the Post Office. On the way there I noticed a car pulling out in front of me from my right so I stopped to let them in. They hemmed and hawed and I noticed a Titanium colored Goldwing stopped coming towards me. I remember Bob Vail, from the Motorcycle Touring Forum, had posted he would possibly be down here around this time starting his 4 Corners Tour. So as he rode by I yelled asking if he was indeed Bob I let him know I was Yogi and I would turn around. After we caught up with him we found a place to park and talked for the better part of a ½ hour before we both continued on our way. It was just too weird running into him like that, but I am glad we did.
John and I finally made it to the Post Office and we went inside to get hand cancellation done on our stamps and insure we had enough stamps for the weight. I got a pic inside the Post Office though I guess you are not suppose to do that as the Attendants yelled No Pictures! After that we went and found a parking space close to Margaritaville, (the hardest part of visiting Key West is finding parking you don’t have to pay for) we then walked down and got tickets to ride the Conch Train for a tour of the Island. It was a very good tour and well worth the time. After the tour we headed back up to Margaritaville and we both had a Cheeseburger in Paradise and I topped off my meal with a slice of Key Lime Pie! Not a bad day. Tomorrow we head back up to Lady Lake Fla. and on Wed Start the journey back to Phoenix, with a lil side trip to Bourbon Street in New Orleans on the way.
Right now I have walked next door to the Holiday Inn so I could use their wifi as the Days Inn we are in doesn’t have it. So I am getting my pics uploaded and updating the logs as I am having a brew in the bar at Holiday Inn.
Hope you are enjoying the write ups.
I did, I did!
Congratulations!
Mark
Looks like Killboy lost all pics for June 7th....sucks, I was hoping to check out picks of Yogi and John rolling on The Dragon.
Only solution is to go back!
Homestretch.
--Bryan
04ST1300A
:04biker:
BigTom
06-12-2007, 05:15 AM
Hey, Yogi...Just a touch over a 50cci to go! It's great, thanks.
Looks like Killboy lost all pics for June 7th....sucks, I was hoping to check out picks of Yogi and John rolling on The Dragon.
Only solution is to go back!
Homestretch.
--Bryan
04ST1300A
:04biker:
I agree... they have to go back...
Mark
Skywriter
06-12-2007, 10:11 AM
Maaaa-aaan....
This sounds like a great trip....
Post the pics/ride reports...
Love to try this someday soon
I did, I did!
Congratulations!
Mark
Thanks Mark! It has been quite an adventure now about 2,000 more miles till I get home:PoPoST1:
Looks like Killboy lost all pics for June 7th....sucks, I was hoping to check out picks of Yogi and John rolling on The Dragon.
Only solution is to go back!
Homestretch.
--Bryan
04ST1300A
:04biker:
DAMN, another Roadtrip, Oh Well:grin:
Hey, Yogi...Just a touch over a 50cci to go! It's great, thanks.
Thanks Tom, It has been a great ride so far. But we are taking 3 days to get home from here. I have been wanting to stop in on Bourbon Street in New Orleans everytime I have run across here and normally don't have the time.. This time we are stopping and I am having a bourbon on Bourbon Street:cool:
Tuesday June 12th..
We started early (on the road at 0430) for the trip back up the Keys as traffic is just stifling later. We made it back up to the mainlandby 0700 not too bad considering the speed limits and there were a lot of LEO's out this morning for some reason.
John had noticed that another headlamp bulb had burned out so we planned on stopping in on the same BMW dealership that he had his service done at last Saturday. We ran the Florida Turnpike which was a mistake probably over $20.00 total in tolls and we were in stop n go traffic around Miami.
Anyway we get his new headlamp installed, stopped for a short lunch then headed back up the Turnpike. Then our old friend showed up, but this time he came with force, that's right I am talking about RAIN, but this was no normal Rain This was a very Heavy Rain with the wind blowing hard enough to move me around. Cars were almost coming to a standstill in the middle of the Turnpike so I did what anyone in my position would do. Hit the passing lane! At least till we cleared the idiots stopping in the middle of the road. I was looking for an overpass to stop under but the rain was so hard I didn't see the first one till I was under it. But I did manage to catch the next one but we were already pretty much drowned by that point. We did wait out the majority of the storm before heading out again and I rode the last 10 miles to our exit standing on the footpegs trying to air dry.
We are now back at John's sister in laws place and have a load in the washer going getting ready to start our run back to Arizona tomorrow. Other then a stop in New Orleans to go down to Bourbon Street there probably won't be much to write about as we will just be putting in long days on the slab. We hope to be home Friday.
Thanks to all those who wished us well and to all those that have read these posts.
Wednesday June 13th
There will be more pics up shortly HERE
We had another early morning start on the road out of Lady Lake Fla at 0430. AFter riding a little over 600 miles we arrived at the Days Inn on Canal Street just off of I-10 and right off the trolley line.
After settling in we went to catch the trolley down to Bourbon Street when a Local at the trolley stop suggested we ride to the end and take the free Ferry ride across and back over the Mississippi which we did. Got to see some tugs working the barges on the River and one in Dry Dock being worked on and a paddle boat moving up the river. Well worth the time. We then walked from there up to the French Quarter walking up and down streets till we eventually worked our way up to Bourbon Street where we walked up and down the street. We stopped in a lil Mom and Pop restaurant and I had a bowl of Seafood Gumbo with 1/2 a smoked sausage Po Boy that both were just delicious and John had a Roast Beff Gumbo. We then walked some more checking out all the sights and sounds before stopping in a lil bar and I had a shot of Jack Daniels (Bourbon) on Bourbon Street.
This is another place I want to come back to someday when I have more time.
That is about the end of it everyone. We have a couple more days of riding to do to get home but I don't envision taking any more pics of Fort Stockton Texas, I will post a small update if I have connection letting you all know we made it safe. Thanks for coming along on our journey!
BigTom
06-13-2007, 07:05 PM
Thanks, Yogi. It's been a great running report, and I have been following along pretty carefully. A great saga!
fitenfyr
06-14-2007, 04:49 PM
Yogi,
I knew their was something I liked about you. :D
Any Parrothead that rides an ST1300 is alright in my book. :D
Phins up and have a safe ride home.
Thanks Guys, We made it to Fort Stockton, TX today around 860 miles from New Orleans. That just leaves a short 650 or so to get home tomorrow.
Drink water!
Summer hit here...
110F today, 106F at 8pm...
Mark
Well I had to rest up a bit but here is the ending
Friday June 15th The last day.
We got a later start our ot Fort Stockton then we had been used to since we knew we would be gaining 2 hours in time zones along the way, but we still were on the road by 0630. As our tires were wearing thin we decided to keep the speeds down for the return home so we tried to stay at about 75mph all the way home. We ran thru two tanks of gas basically and that got us to Willcox, AZ where we stopped for lunch. We then stopped off at the STAR Intl offices in Tucson for a lil break before we headed up to Phoenix. It was great seeing Deb, and Carol.
We then took off for Phoenix. Just a lil bit out of Tucson traffic was coming to a stop as there had been a bad accident and a car had gone off of the elevated section of road and thru a guard rail. This caused some loss of time and we had to run thru the debris field to get thru. Now the reason I mention that is that I believe the thin tires and debris field led to me getting a flat rear tire. I was doing about 75 in the passing lane when I noticed my bike develop a shimmy. Suspecting a flat I moved over to the shoulder and brought her down to a complete stop slowly down around milemarker 207 in Eloy. Sure enough my rear had a slice in the tread area.
I didn’t think my plugs would work on the slice so I called AAA (I have the plus RV coverage which covers motorcycles) while John went up to the next exit and got us something cold to drink. John got back and we waited in the shade, what little there was, of a scrawny mesquite tree, did I mention the temp was about 110.
The wrecker was there in about 40 minutes and we got it loaded up and home safe and sound in my garage. So the trip is over though it would have been nice to ride into the garage and have a flat tire.
I have a lil over 10,000 miles for the trip Doorway to Eloy ;^) John can add about 100 extra miles over me for riding over to my place to start and actually getting home on two wheels
Failures on the trip
For Yogi
Street Pilot III died ps they are not waterproof
Zipper on liner for heavy leather jacket failed
Zipper on First gear jacket needs to be replaced
Torn set of Frogg Togg pants
1 rear flat tireFor John
Both low beam headlights needed to get replaced
One of the low beam connectors fell apart when he tried to change the first bulb.
The controller for his gerbings malfunctioned first time out and he didn’t have use of his heated clothing.
His digital camera had to be held together with rubber bands
Frogg Toggs not as waterproof as he would have likedAll in all a very great memorable trip that I am glad we made. It was well worth the money and time invested and I would recommend the trip or any portion of it to anyone.
Pat Thompson
06-16-2007, 07:19 PM
Well, congrats on making it all the way around back home safe and sound. I really enjoyed following the trip as you were making it. Great seeing the pictures too. I'm sure you'll remember that trip for the rest of your life.
I gotta do that one now. :)
DOH!!!
Yogi trailered his ST!!!
;)
Glad you made it back okay!
Mark
BigTom
06-16-2007, 07:39 PM
Welcome Home, Yogi
Nice report, nice ride! Glad you made it!
Well, congrats on making it all the way around back home safe and sound. I really enjoyed following the trip as you were making it. Great seeing the pictures too. I'm sure you'll remember that trip for the rest of your life.
I gotta do that one now. :)
Thanks Pat, Do it you won't regret it
DOH!!!
Yogi trailered his ST!!!;)
Glad you made it back okay!
Mark
Thanks Mark, Yeah trailering ain't just right. I tried to plug the tire but once you see the pic (with all the others you will see why I just called the tow truck.
Welcome Home, Yogi
Nice report, nice ride! Glad you made it!
Thanks Tom!
BlueStreak
06-16-2007, 09:20 PM
Congrats Yogi... What an adventure!!! I hope to do this ride one day myself. Thanks for the ride report and pix...
Congrats Yogi... What an adventure!!! I hope to do this ride one day myself. Thanks for the ride report and pix...
Thanks, Just plan it and do it. You won't regret it.
Great stuff Yogi !!!
Congrats !!! I will take your experiences with me when I do it.....some day.:rolleyes:
--Bryan
04ST1300A
:04biker:
Thanks, My advise would be avoid the rain:rain1:
BigTom
06-17-2007, 06:38 AM
Quote by Yogi
Thanks, My advise would be avoid the rain
Now there's a novel idea:) I have tried just about every nice weather month (May-October), I haven't found one yet that is really dry:) Some areas, but not huge swatches of US....
Still a great adventure, thanks for letting us ride along!
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