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.
4 Corners Ride
- Thread starter Yogi
- Start date
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... 
Being from AZ we waited until mid Aug...
No fireworks but the water slide was great fun!
Ride safe Yogi!
Mark
Being from AZ we waited until mid Aug...
No fireworks but the water slide was great fun!
Ride safe Yogi!
Mark
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
Now you guys tell me
Hey MotoMac, do you remember being consulted as to a STart date for the ride?Now you guys tell me
I thought not...
Go eat miles Yogi!!!
Mark
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
I definitely have the water to wash them miles down with
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
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 ? 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 ? 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.
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 ? 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 ? 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.
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).
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
That's probably not too far from the truth
Damn, I am scheduled to be riding through Whitefish on June 12th, sure hope this is one of their warm summers.
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.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
- Messages
- 2,112
- Age
- 72
- Location
- Yuma, Arizona. AKA Paradise Lost
- Bike
- '08 Connie C14
- STOC #
- 6114
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.Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
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 ? 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.
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 ? 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.
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2006
- Messages
- 2,112
- Age
- 72
- Location
- Yuma, Arizona. AKA Paradise Lost
- Bike
- '08 Connie C14
- STOC #
- 6114
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
It's a lot different when you cross the big muddy, isn't it? Cruise speeds definately go down a bunch
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
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.
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
Here is the latest update with a link to the pics See Pics HERE
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 [URL="http://www.madawaskafourcorners.org/"]www.madawaskafourcorners.org[/URL] to see pics of the envisioned park and to order your own paver if you want.
John?s and mine should read as follows;
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. ;^)
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 [URL="http://www.madawaskafourcorners.org/"]www.madawaskafourcorners.org[/URL] 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.6/3/2007
4 Corners Ride
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. ;^)
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
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.
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
Good luck on the next portion!
Mark
Great stuff Yogi! I'm arm chair riding all the way with ya. Sure wish we could get out of this rain though...
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
Thanks Guys
Here is the latest update with a link to the pics See Pics HERE
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 ? 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/ 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!!
Here is the latest update with a link to the pics See Pics HERE
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 ? 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/ 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!!
Yogi
Have MC -- Will Travel
You can see more pics HERE 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 ? 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.
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 ? 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
Congratulations!
Mark