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19 Jun 2008, 3:29 am / Satisfied
Wow, this was an awesome time this time around!
Weather was perfect, not too hot, not too wet...not too cold!
Day one of the journey concluded with 530 miles under the wheels, and my ass. That's a good ride on a Sportster. I landed in Anderson Indiana around 9.15 PM. I was to go directly to Kenny's house, but I had wind roar so bad in my ears, that getting directions there was damn near impossible. I had called for directions to Kenny's town from outside of Indie, and I thought I was talking to Kenny the whole time. I was cussing up a storm with the "F" word coming up frequently...only to find out, once I arrived in town and had taken a motel, that the person I was speaking to was Kenny's Grand dad! LOL I guess the ol gent got an ear full. I talked to him again the next morning on the phone...and he just laughed and laughed at my embarrassment...Kenny has one cool Grand-Dad...He's a very lucky man...in fact, I would say they both are lucky to have one another!
On my way to the Indie area, I crossed over many of the rivers that are swollen and over their banks, causing destruction and havoc all over the Mid West. The Kansas River, The Mo. River, The White river, the Ohio river...wow...I've not seen such high waters...ever. For those who are affected by the waters, I hope all is not lost, and that you can recover from FEMA the losses you have experienced and get your lives moving again.
Here's a funny sight I saw on my way to Kenny's....I was in the heart of farm country, and passing the corn fields, most of the land nearest to the roadsides were under water. I saw two Mallard ducks swimming in a corn field...not funny, but when the female went ass up with her head under water to fish....now that was funny. Fishing in a corn field! Life's better moments pass by without a camera handy!
I got lost coming into "Moon Cricket" as our dear Kenny calls his home town...and gave up the ghost at an Indian run cheap motel on the strip....the bed was firm, the room "smelled" clean...the water was hot, and the guy running the place told me I could ride my bike into the room! Now that was a first!
Kenny came over and we shot the shit for a few hours, then he headed home and I headed for the showers....with plans to ride the next day. I forgot, Jeff was to be in Atlanta for a three day business meeting... | home again part 2 | So with Jeff's admonition in mind, I called Kenny and told his Grand Dad...I had to get the hell outta Dodge...That's when I found out what a real ladies man the senior Kenny was! LOL, I should have made the three mile ride over to their home to meet this guy! He is quite the card to be sure!
Day two of the ride home was also quite uneventful...EXCEPT...
I have a new phone...Verizon Navigator....I decided to use it to get my ass outta of Moon Cricket USA. I hadn't really used it yet...and did all the settings, expecting it to make my route for me...which it did...unfortunetly...while I was exploring all the options, I had reset the thing to route me the shortest distance...using less than 50 miles of Interstate at a stretch! LOL...Kenny...I bet I know more about how to get around your state through the cornfields and county roads than you do! This thing took me on roads that were large enough of a cow to pass unmolested by a pedestrian...but if there were two vehicles on the same road...one had to go off road to get by! I saw places I never knew I would or could see in Indiana...and still get out alive! I loved it, but it did take 2 hours to cover less than fifty miles! I wasn't bored though! (And I don't think I even got out of the county "Moon Cricket" resided in! When I finally hit US 27 South...I grabbed it, and put the damn Navigator away! I rode US 27 South through detours around washed out bridges from the flooding...and no GAS STATIONS....for about sixty miles. When a gas station did finally appear, I put 1.89 gallons into a two gallon tank. I was sweating the small stuff by then!
A few miles down the road from the station, I hit Ohio...then the by pass around Cinci...and then onto I-75. I was done exploring, stick a fork in me...I'm sticking to the Interstate for a long while home!
Gettin around Cinci was fun...no, I am not kidding you at all! It's been a while since I had ridden around a large city...Kansas City not included...this one reminded me more of getting around Miami...and was quite good, except for the buckled road portions where it was like hitting a speed bump at 70 miles per hour...guess that's why they have the speed limit at 55?
Once onto 75 South...everything went smoothly. No problems with traffic, drivers, or cows! I got down around the KY TN boarder and took US 25E south to I-81. Another good road I just love! (US 25E...not I-81.)
I pulled into the driveway at 8.25 PM...sat and smoked a cig. looking at the bike...noticed a drip coming from the carb...yeah newly rebuilt carb...and it didn't last the trip. Have to take it back to the shop and have them check it out and repair...I wondered why my gas mileage had dropped down from 50 miles to the gallon to 35. I blamed it on the speeds of 75-90 mph while on the Interstates...by the way...Weds was a day of lots of cops...on every road, secondary and Interstate...the silver bell on my bike must of saved me a ticket or two!
Done for now folks...after 2200 miles, and a really good tan on my face and arms...I'm a happy camper!
Chessie
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