Homeward Bound

Waynesville, North Carolina to Erie, Pennsylvania

The sunrise over the mountains as seen from our motel room on the hill was spectacular. We had the continental breakfast, although Leo had a fight with the waffle machine. While checking and loading the bikes, I lowered the front tire air pressure from 42 PSI (max rating) to 36 PSI (manual spec) to see if it would take some of the quickness out of the handling. As soon as I hit I-40 towards Asheville, I knew it was the right thing to do.

It was cool when we set out at 7:00 AM and the run to Asheville, where we beat the rush hour traffic, was through air permeated by the faint scent of pulp mills. We rode north on I-26, up over the ridge and into Tennessee. To keep Leo's monkey butt ( a condition you get from riding on an uncomfortable seat) to a minimum, I resolved to stop every 100 miles or so. This stop was at a scenic lookout on I-26. We made good time because the commuter traffic was hustling along at 75 to 80 MPH and we just went with the flow.

The route was a reversal of how we went down from Johnson City past the Bristol Track to 421 to SR 75 north to Abingdon. Usually I have to work the bike on 75, which is narrow and winding in parts, but today the bike just flowed. It was an awesome feeling.

After fueing in Abingdon, we tried a new route to avoid the I-77 tunnels. I spent almost half an hour leading the boys on a tour of Asheville because I misread the highway I was looking for on the map. Eventually, we found 19 north and followed it to Tazewell Virginia where it joined 460 to Bluefield WV. We joined I-77 immediately north of the East River Mountain tunnel and rode up the grade to the Visitor Center in Princeton. There I phoned Jim Ayers up in Fayetteville and set up to meet him for lunch at Arby's in Oak Hill.

We arrived at Arby's on time. After introductions, we sat down to eat. I tried an Arby's Turkey Ranch Bacon Wrap. It was pretty good for fast food. I did notice, after lunch, that the front tire was cupped pretty badly. I think it's been like that for a while, but was highlighted because of the way the sun was shining on it. Radial tires tend to wear strangely on bikes anyway. We said goodbye to Jim, or perhaps it was au revoir since I expect we'll be seeing him in three weeks or so at KSL.

The crawl through the Summersville speed trap may be dated because Jim tells me the town has a new mayor who is not pleased with the town's reputation. I hear he has cut funding for many of the traffic cops who have harassed people passing through for years. We gassed and went on. The bike continued to handle well and I found that my usual 120 KPH was often getting to be 130 or 140 without me noticing it.

We continued stopping every hundred miles or so, with gas every second stop. I knew the stretch of I-79 past Pittsburgh, between the I279 South and North splits was going to be very rough so I hiked the rear suspension up to 8. The road was worse than ever, but I cruised through at 120 KPH with none of the jarring I am used to feeling.

We arrived in Erie, Pa about 7:30. It took 12 1/2 hours to cover 651 miles due to our frequent stops and we were ready to kick back when we got here. We're in a Comfort Inn that is very nice. Lucky it's Tuesday, because the rates double on the weekend. We had a nice Chef Salad at the next door Bob Evans and returned to the room for a bit of TV and blogging.

One strange thing I found today. I had lower front tire pressure and ran higher than normal speeds and yet got better than usual gas mileage. I don't know what this is about, but I hope it continues.

It's only 400 miles home tomorrow and it's about time I got there.

One other thing. I did a survey today and determined that four out of five drivers who don't use their signal lights are women. I wonder why?

Traxxion Day

Woodstock, Georgia to Waynesville, North Carolina

We were awake early and enjoyed the somewhat more than continental breakfast at the Hampton Inn. After packing, we left about 8:30 to make the 9:00 appointment at Traxxion Dynamics. The address was 261 Rope Mill Parkway in Woodstock. Streets and Trips showed a Rope Mill Road and a Rope Mill Lane. After checking them both out and not finding anything, I phoned and found the real place was about three miles away. We finally got there shortly after 9:00.

Mike Hardy took the order and showed us to the conference room where they had a table, coffee, soft drinks and WiFi for the customers. There was a couple there, Brian (Mr. Fixall) and his wife plus their little poodle. They were both riding Traxxioned Wings and he was in to get the damping altered in his rear shock. It seems he likes and exceptionally stiff ride for his canyon bombing style. We talked Wings and rides for quite some time.

About noon, Tom T. from Toledo rolled in on a '07 Airbag Wing with trailer. We continued to talk bikes and then Brian and Tom learned that they both worked for Fedex so they got talking business.

About 1:30 the mechanic brought the bike out and took a test ride. I noticed right away that there was no fork brace on it. Seems they did not have any in stock. Since this was an integral part of the handling package, I was disappointed until I found Tom had one in his trailer that wouldn't work on his newfangled forks. I bought it from him and Mike installed it. After paying $2,342 and some cents, we were ready to roll at 2:00.

I could feel the bike was tighter, firmer, less sloppy right off the bat. It also made low speed turns very easily. The rear shock, which had been set at 16, was now set at 3. I could feel every bump and ripple but the harshness was gone.

We grabbed a quick McD cheeseburger in Canton since we hadn't eaten since breakfast. Then we headed east on SR 20 to SR 400/US 19 North. We went up through Dahlonega on US 19 and then turned onto SR 60 towards Suches. That is the home of Two Wheels Only, a motorcycle only resort where we held the first big VROC gatherings in 1999 and 2000. Let me say this first. The tanker driver was doing a spectacular job of guiding his big rig through the twists and turns going up the grade on 60. That said, he was still holding us up. In frustration, I pulled over into a lookout where we met a young lady originally from Bismark ND. She has lived in Belfast Ireland for the last 11 years and is on day two of a three month trek up the Appalachian Trail. A gutsy young woman, it was a pleasure to meet her.

In Suches, I pointed out TWO and we turned east on SR 180. This would take us through Wolf Pen Gap. I had forgotten how tight the Gap road is and how steep the drop-offs. This has no forgiveness of errors at all. The bike didn't handle as well as expected, but I found after that, while tinkering with the suspension settings, I had accidentally lowered it to 2. By the end of the day, I found 6 was about right for spirited riding.

SR 180 took us to US 19 where we headed north for a bit and then turned east on the other half of 180 which took us past Brasstown Bald to SR 17. Going north again, we entered North Carolina and turned east on US 64 towards Franklin. There we caught US 441 north to Sylvan and 74 into Waynesville. Here, we got a room at a Days Inn way up on the side of a hill and went to the Sagebrush Steakhouse for supper. Every road we were on today reinforced why this is the best motorcycling area I have ever seen.

The McDonalds where Sandy and I usually have breakfast when leaving KSL has been torn down. Our server at Sagebrush told us the health inspector had found the carcass of a wharf rat in one of the fryers. With all the negative PR, McDonalds tore the place down and is building a new and improved place. I wonder how long the rat was there?

Sorry I got so distracted I didn't take any pictures today. We should be able to make it home in two days from here. Weather looks good (knock wood). We'll see how it goes.

A great day in the Smokies

Hendersonville North Carolina to Woodstock, Georgia

First, let me say that riding without Sandy is starting to wear on me. Usually, she's right here to share everything and I really miss her.

We awoke in Hendersonville expecting the forecast morning showers but, for once, the weatherman was wrong in our favour. It was overcast but dry with patches of blue showing through. Today we would ride those good roads.

After our complimentary continental breakfast, we loaded up, fueled up and headed west on US 64. For a long while, there were no more 64 signs. I stopped to check the map and found we were on the right road. I guess the NC highway guys figure we should no where we are. Before long, we ame to a junction where 64 cut south and US 276 kept on west through the Pisgah National Forest. A few miles in, I got hit in the forehead by a large, hard shelled bug. Other than the bug, we didn't see another vehicle until we got to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We stopped at the overlook right at the junction. The sign says we are supposed to have a view of Cold Mountain, but all we could see was cloud. We headed out west on the BRP and enjoyed the ride for a while. Then we got into either fog or low lying cloud. At times, visibility was down to 20 feet as we putted along with our four-way flashers on. Finally, after we came through the second tunnel, we were out of it. We continued on across 74 to Soco Gap and US 19. Unlike other roads, on the BRP you go DOWN to the gaps. This is my first time on the BRP below Asheville. I do believe it is the best part.

Following US 19 down into Cherokee, there was a guy driving a yellow Dodge truck with Maine plates who was really out of his element. He kept riding his brakes until we could smell them burning. Eventually, he pulled off and we moved on into Cherokee in a more spirited fashion. Past the casino, we stopped at Wendy's for a bit of food. It opened at 10:30 and we got there at 10:27 so we had time to stow the rain gear. The manager, a Cherokee lady, told us about things the tribe was doing to reclaim their heritage. It all sounded pretty impressive.

From Cherokee, we continued on US 19 to Bryson City and then took US 74 and US 28 over to Stecoah and Kickstand Lodge. We visited with Mo for an hour or so and John and Leo made a contribution to the KSL geocache down by the creek(picture). Mo is finding the place to be a lot of work without Fred, and Hairy the cat is having a rough time of it. On a positive note, the duck laid 14 eggs and they hatched three weeks earlier than last year. Another couple from Spartansburg, Terry and Tina, stopped by to say hi while we were there. Although they are currently VTX riders, they were at Fred Fest last year. We headed out about 1:00 PM westbound.

US 28 was in fine shape as we cruised along briskly, winding up and down the ridges. We stopped at Fontana Dam. The Huckabee's were volunteering this week in the Visitor Center. They were there last year when we stopped by with Sherm. It was getting pretty warm and so we stripped down to mesh or opened vents depending on who had what gear.

Leaving Fontana, we continued on up the the Deal's Gap Resort. There were Mini Minors running the Dragon this weekend. The Huckabee's told us there had been 480 of them at Fontana Village. With them and a lot of other four wheel traffic up there, we opted to skip The Dragon, although we got the obligatory photo. Sandy and I will be back down here in about 3 1/2 weeks anyway.

We left Deal's on US 129 towards Robbinsville. An oncoming car flashed his lights. Good thing because the Sheriff's car was well hidden and would have had us. In Robbinsville, we fueled, talked to a 1200RT BMW rider from Arkansas and headed back to 143 and the Cherohala Skyway. This is a more open road with big sweepers and some corners posted at 25 and 30 MPH. The NC speed limit was 45 MPH and I tried to keep it in the 55 range most of the time. At the summit, we crossed into Tennessee and the limit dropped to 40 but we didn't slow down. There were many bikes going the other way.

At the end of the Cherohala in Tellicoe Plains, we turned south on SR 68. This was a nice road that tightened down. We were following a Harley with loud pipes. He was two-up and loaded and was doing a fine job handling that until we came up behind a blond lady driving a new Ford Fusion. Every time we came to a curve, she would brake and then, partway through the curve she would get back on the brakes and decelerate. In the few spots we could pass, she floored it. Finally, I pulled off and let her go to get my blood pressure back down. What a ditz.

SR 68 turned to SR 5 in Georgia. After Ducktown, the road opened up and we were able to make better time. We took an unintended tour of the town of Blue Ridge when I missed a turn. Yet another justification for the GPS. Further south on SR 5, someone towing a tractor on a trailer behind a pickup truck was having a bad day. The truck was spun around and the trailer overturned with tractor parts spread across the road. There was barely enough room to get by.

SR 5 became I-575 South. There were threatening clouds to the east, so we hauled until we got to Exit 7 in Woodstock. The Hampton Inn that Traxxion has the corporate account with was easy to find. We checked in and, since it was after 7:00, immediately went down the road to Folk's Restaurant. We talked to a local GL1500 rider there while our server, Jonathan, took our orders and brought our food. Lots of good grub very reasonably priced and Jonathan was excellent.

After supper, we returned to the hotel, unpacked and Leo and John watched TV while I took care of my bills and my Blog chores.

Traxxion opens tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

Every cloud has a silver lining.........

We were supposed to be in Maggie Valley tonight. We aren't. More on that later.

It was cloudy, cool, damp and foggy this morning in Wytheville. The radar showed rain SW of Asheville, moving NE. That wasn't good. We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and Slammer called to warn us about bad weather on his end, with a forecast of clearing in the afternoon. He suggested we avoid the Parkway. We agreed, put on weather gear, and headed down I-81.

The pavement was dry and we made good time. Saw a State Trooper in an unmarked Dodge Charger with all the hidden lights blinking as he ticketed an unsuspecting driver. In Abingdon, we got off and headed south on SR75. As we crossed the Tennessee state line, it started to rain. We stopped at Darter's Store at US421. This was where we wanted to go up 421 east to check out the road VROCer VT told me they call The Snake, but the roads were now wet and we opted to head directly to Johnson City via Bristol Motor Speedway. The road dried again, but a sign at BMS said all drag racing had been cancelled due to rain.

In Johnson City, we stopped at Perkins for coffee and pie. Then we headed south on I-26 towards North Carolina under a sky that didn't know what it wanted to do. There was just enough rain that I had to keep my visor down. We stopped briefly at the lookout at the summit, where I took a picture of Leo and John, and then crossed into NC and started down past the site of the infamous drag chute episode of 2005.

Past Asheville, I phoned Slammer and told him we were inbound to Lake Lure where we were meeting him for lunch. As we approached the start of the twisties, we came up on a slow moving Sienna van but didn't have time to get by. After a few turns at 20 MPH, there was a stretch long enough to pass and then we had a spirited ride up over the Eastern Continental Divide and down past Bat Cave and Chimney Rock to the Margarita Grill in Lake Lure.

Jerry was waiting for us. Apparently he had just gotten there. We had lunch, told some tales and had a good visit. After lunch, we found the dry roads had been cancelled and it was now raining more seriously. Another morning forecast shot to hell. The picture shows Jerry, Leo and John on the deck as we prepared to set out. for Hendersonville and Maggie Valley.

Leaving LL on soaked pavement and steady rain, we went back to Bat Cave and turned south on US 64 towards Hendersonville. Once there we abandoned plans to take the back roads to Maggie and were heading for the I-26 ramp when John's rear tire went flat. We pulled into a gas station and the older gentleman attendant told us we could park under the awning. A 4" spike had gone through the tread and come out the sidewall (see picture). This was not repairable. James, the attendant, got us a phone book and the company phone. We found that at 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon, all the bike shops in Hendersonville were closed.

At this point, our first angel of the day appeared. Enter Johnny Johnson of Hendersonville who was filling his small SUV with gas. He came over to see what was up and told us the he had a trailer. He also said the Honda shop would be open tomorrow since they were 7th Day Adventists. He could haul the bike to the dealership or a motel. Johnny headed off to get his trailer and I went to find a motel room. There was a Days Inn near the Honda shop so I got a room and called to cancel Maggie Valley. As I was finishing, Leo pulled up and said they had found someone who had a tire and would change it right away. He thought we could still make MV, but I decided that we would stay here regardless.

Back at the gas station, Johnny arrived with the trailer. He was the one who had found the tire changer. Turns out it was right next to the Days Inn. Justice Cycle, a little shop, was closed but Johnny had called CJ at home and he said he'd come in. While we waited, John took the wheel off the Beemer. CJ and his wife Marie (they've had this shop since 1965) arrived. This little shop has a huge inventory of tires. In the picture, Johnny is standing in front of about 1/3rd of the tires in stock. They had an Avon made for the GS and it was on sale. It took CJ no time at all to get it mounted and balanced. After paying them, John struggled a bit before getting the wheel back on the bike, but it went.

CJ and Marie, our other angels, said goodbye and headed home. Johnny refused any payment so I gave him my card and told him that if he was ever in Ontario to look me up. I also invited him to stop by Kickstand Lodge in June when we are going to be down there again.

Note to anyone passing through Hendersonville. Justice Cycle is at 137 Orrs Camp Rd, right near the US 64/I-26 junction. They are good people.

Back at the Days Inn, we unpacked and then wandered down to the Pizza Hut for sandwiches. Back in the room, we're watching a rain delayed NASCAR race and I'm blogging this.

If the weather is good tomorrow, we'll head out US 64, up US 276 and across the Parkway to US 19 near Maggie Valley. Then we'll head across US 19 and up US 28 to KSL to say hi. Then across the Cherohala Skyway to Tellicoe Plains, Tennessee and straight south to Woodstock, Georgia. If the weather sucks, we'll take a more direct route. Whatever happens, we have to be in Woodstock tomorrow night.

A Short Day in W(BG)V

We got up late today. The sky was clear but it was a bit cool, although nothing compared to yesterday. The forecast for the south part of the state wasn't as cheerful, though. After hitting the Super 8 continental breakfast for cereal, bagels and coffee, we went out and checked tires on the bikes. Mine were OK, but both of Leo's and John's front needed air so I broke out the compressor. I repacked my saddlebags to make better use of the space and we were southbound on I-79 by 8:30.

The West Virginia Interstates are some of the prettiest and most interesting in North America. We wound up, down and around at an indicated 120 KPH while being passed by many who were bending the 70 MPH limit. We could have gone faster, but I enjoy looking at the scenery down here. In Weston, we pulled off for gas and found a WalMart. Not a Supercenter but a good, old fashioned store. We wandered in and picked up some water and eight micro-fiber cloths. Something is going to get cleaned somewhere when nobody is looking. We then proceeded to the gas station where I talked for a bit with a jail officer who was using a Chrysler minivan with a cage in back to transport prisoners. The temperature was now quite warm and we took off our cool weather gear.

After fueling, we continued south and turned onto US19. The hill up Powell Mountain was as steep as ever and we watched our speed through the infamous Summersville speed trap. We stopped at the New River Gorge bridge visitor's centre for a bit. In the picture, John and Leo check out an exhibit with the 3,000 foot bridge in the background. Then we headed on to Oak Hill where we stopped for lunch at Subway.

The next leg took us to Beckley and onto I-77 south. As we were leaving Beckley, we hit the cold front. It clouded over and the temperature dropped from 26C to 13C in a few miles. As soon as we cleared the last toll booth, I pulled off. We gassed up and put on the rain suits while talking to a couple from South Carolina who were in their car but owned a GL1500 with over 200K miles and a new GL1800. The lady checked her cell phone weather and said Virginia was clear. We thanked her and continued on. It spit a bit and tendrils of fog were rising from the trees, showing where the Smokey Mountains got their name.

As we passed through the East River Mountain tunnel into Virginia, the rain started for real. And got heavier. So much for cell phone weather reports. By the time we got to Big Walker Mountain tunnel, rain and fog were seriously impeding visibility. Through the tunnel, we realized it could have been worse. The northbound traffic was stopped and backed up for ten miles. Since we were aiming for the back roads after Wytheville and this wasn't the weather for it, I stopped at the Ramada Inn Sandy and I have used before. It was only 3:00 PM, but you can see in the picture that we are wet. Tomorrow, if the weather is OK, we'll head for the Blue Ridge Parkway. If not, we'll stick to the Interstate.

The Ramada managed to give us two bed room with a cot. Since they were busy and tomorrow was Saturday, I phoned ahead to Maggie Valley and reserved a room at the Comfort Inn. We'll get there one way or the other. Then we went to the attached Country Kitchen restaurant for supper. We were going to have apple pie for desert, but they were out. Damn. Then, since the rain had stopped, I wiped down Quicksilver and covered him.

Leo, is napping, John is watching TV and I'm blogging. Although the forecast for tomorrow isn't promising, it says showers and not rain. We'll see how that works out. Somewhere and somewhen, we'll meet Slammer for lunch in Lake Lure.

BTW, the back up at the tunnel was because one lane was closed for refurbishment work. They will be working on both tunnels until 2008, according to some new I Googled and may shut down either a northbound or southbound lane in either tunnel without warning. I looked on the map and figure we'll explore 460 on the way back to by-pass them both.

Georgia Bound

It's time to head for Georgia to get the Traxxion suspension upgrade. I have an appointment in Woodstock Monday morning. Sandy decided to stay home this time, but Leo (on a new to him BMW R1150RS) and John (out of Ottawa on an 1150 GS BMW) will be riding along.

Yesterday, I checked the tires and oil and packed my gear. Leo dropped of a saddlebag full of things that won't fit on his bike. All was ready when this morning dawned early. Leo was at my door before 7:00 AM and we departed at the top of the hour as scheduled. Our rendezvous with John was set for 1:00 PM at a service centre on the New York Thruway, so we didn't have time to waste.

The sky was clear and the air chilly (0C) as we struck out southbound on Highway 69. I stopped about 40 miles out at the French River Trading Post to check that Leo was doing OK. We met a young fellow there riding a Triumph south, followed by a couple in an SUV. He looked cold, rightly so since he had no windshield. I can only imagine what that felt like.

The temperature had warmed to a balmy 4C by the time we stopped at Nobel for gas and a quick Timmie's breakfast. Then the road changed to four lane and I picked the pace up a bit. Traffic remained light. North of Barrie, we passed the O.P.P. Golden Helmets motorcycle drill team riding north in their standard two abreast formation. It amazes me that they can ride side by side for long distances without mishap.

One more gas stop at the service centre just north of Toronto and then we opted to pay the exorbitant ETR 407 toll to speed our passage around Toronto. The temperature was now up to 13C, which held until we crossed the Burlington Skyway. Then the wind off Lake Ontario chilled us until we got past St. Catherines.

At the Peace Bridge, traffic into Canada was backed up quite a ways on the bridge, but it seems not many were USA bound. I went through the booth first. The border guard asked the usual questions and then held me there about four minutes while he talked on the phone. Then he admitted me and went through the same procedure with Leo. Strange.

We were 25 minutes late getting to the Angola service centre. John had been waiting about 40 minutes when we rolled in. We had McDonalds cheeseburgers and then headed west, planning to fuel in Erie. Unfortunately, John's GS was thirstier than he expected and he had to get off and grab a little gas while Leo and I continued on to the state line. After settling our tolls (this is another place I miss Sandy), we pulled over to wait for John. As you can see from the picture, we were hanging with the big trucks.

John caught us and I led them the the Truckstops of America station on the outskirts of Erie. I almost filled the Wing with diesel, and Leo prepaid but they turned on the wrong pump. Not a seamless stop by any stretch.

Between Erie and Pittsburgh, I saw three dead wild turkeys. This is the stretch we were hit by one several years ago, so I don't mind seeing them mashed. The construction zone south of Pittsburgh was still there but we flew through for a change without so much as slowing down. Just north of Washington Pa, we stopped for gas and took of some of our layers since the temperature was up to 25C.

We continued on the West (By God) Virginia and around Morgantown, heading few miles back up I-68 to the Super 8 Sandy and I stopped at last September. Gloria, the desk clerk, had quit but the service was still with a smile. We got a business double which had two queen beds and a large recliner. After putting the bikes to bed, we went across the street to Bob Evans for supper. Afterwards, we returned to the room where we watched the double episode of Grey's Anatomy and I posted bills and blogged until it was time to go to sleep.

First Ride

Yesterday, before we left for Pembroke, I sent an Email to all the Freedom Riders. The forecast for today was good so I said I was going for a ride and asked if any one wanted to join me. I said we would be at a particular Tim Horton's at 10:00 AM.

I rose early this morning so that I could get all the gear that had been stored in a box over the winter back in the bike. I repositioned the cruising pegs for more cornering clearance and, while I didn't wash the bike, I cleaned the lower front cowl which had bugs and road tar all over it. About 9:30, we climbed on and found our first major GoldWing failure. The sound system locked up. On a Wing, this is a big deal.

With no time to find the problem, we set out sans stereo and intercom. We stopped at Leo's and, after admiring bubbling water from a broken water main in front of his place, we headed for Timmy's. We were joined there by Tony Cundari and new members Gill and Darlene Courville.

It was warm and sunny as we headed out, first across to Lively and then up to Chelmsford and out 144 to Cartier. I set a reasonable group pace, although I was tempted just south of Levack when a Harley blew by me in a passing lane. I picked up the pace (he was moving), but noticed I was losing my group so I backed off and resumed my original pace.

In Cartier, we stopped for coffee/pop at the restaurant and chatted for a while. Then we headed back south. Tony kept heading towards town In Chelmsford while we headed east to Val Caron and up to Hanmer. It had gotten quite windy by then. In Hanmer, Gill and Darlene turned for home while we and Leo stopped to see friends. Then we headed home via Radar Road. On the way, the sound system mysteriously started working again. Sandy and I stopped at the STP yard to say hi to Norm, who was wiring the rear fender of his Drifter for more lights. Then we hit the grocery store and returned home.

It was a good day for a first ride. I'm going to ask the GL1800 board about the sound system, but I suspect one of the radio connectors that was disconnected to get at the air filter may not be seated properly. It's a minor bear to get at, but if that's it I'll take a shot at it this week. After all, we do need tunes.

Moving Bikes Around

Monday was a bit damp, but I took some time to do the spring garage rearrangement. It's a very small garage, so I need to take everything out to get things moved from winter to summer mode. First I started the snowmobile, which wasn't that easy because I think it was ticked that it hadn't been ridden all winter. Luckily, it only took about 18 pulls on the cord. I moved it out into the driveway. Next was the bike. It started right up as if it had only been parked overnight. I disconnected the battery tender and rode it out. Then the camper trailer got pulled out, as did the snowblower and the lawnmower. Then they all got put back, snowmobile and snowblower first, then the camper trailer and the lawnmower. Last of all, the bike. Now we are ready for summer. The final task of the day was to go over to the Sudbury Trail Plan yard and get my enclosed 5X10 trailer.

Tuesday, Leo and I loaded the Wing into the trailer using a new tie-down method I saw on the Web. Then we hauled it down to Stayner, about 200 miles south. At J&R Cycle, Ed the English Mechanic was to give it the spring service and a new rear tire. Work would include replacing the hydraulic fluids, coolant, spark plugs, cleaning the air filter and checking the valves. I also had a new set of rear brake pads and needed the cruise control lag adjusted. Other than crankcase, final drive oil and tire changes, the bike hasn't been touched in 40,000 Km's. We arrived, unloaded, had a chat with Ed and parked the trailer out back. I took the bike for a brief ride and then we headed home.

I talked to Rhonda Thursday and the bike was ready. She said Ed told her the valves were spot on and the rear brake pads were only 50% used. Not bad for 90,000 Km's.

Friday morning, Leo, Sandy and I headed back down. When we arrived, I took the bike for another little ride. It was running perfectly. Then we loaded it and brought it back to Sudbury. After unloading, I took the trailer over to Leo's since he had traded his '03 Nomad on an '02 BMW R1150 RS. The bike was in Pembroke, 200 miles east and we needed to get there early so the paperwork with MTO could be completed before the office closed at noon Saturday. We loaded the Nomad and I brought it home.

Leo was on time, knocking on my door at 6:00 AM today. It was a peaceful drive to Pete's in Pembroke. We arrived shortly after 10:00 AM. The blue BMW was simple but elegant. The Nomad was more than acceptable to them, so Leo and the salesman did the paperwork and then the dealership sent someone to the MTO office. The BMW was a challenge to tie down since the Telelever front end isn't like anything I've worked with before, but I found a way. On the way back, Leo spent much of the time reading the various manuals and other documents. We arrived about 5:00, unloaded the bike at Leo's and took the trailer back to the STP yard. There was just enough time to get cleaned up and head over to the STP volunteer appreciation dance.

Tomorrow, we ride.

The Blogs Expand

I got another letter to the editor published on Thursday. Pretty good since I only wrote it Wednesday morning. I am writing more and more of these, so I thought it might be nice to keep them somewhere. What better place than a Blog? These letters will be mostly of interest to Sudburians so, since Blogs are free, I added one more for my random thoughts. Politica, religious and other.

While all my letters have been cut and pasted into that one, I need to think a bit about what random thoughts I will have today. Sound silly? So am I, most of the time:-) Maybe by the time you read this, I'll have something thought out, written down and posted. You will note the links to My Letters and My Random Thoughts in the Links section to the right, but here they are anyway.

My Letters

My Random Thoughts

If you are interested in this kind of nonsense, you are welcome to read and comment. If not, we'll still be posting of our travels right here and you can ignore the rest.

Easter

It was time to visit the kids, so we packed up some marshmallow peeps and headed south on Thursday. The weather had dropped below freezing and snow was falling. So much for spring.

We arrived at Kim and Mike's just as Kim was getting home from work. After unpacking our gear, it was time to head to Heather's to meet her new boyfriend, Tom. He showed up shortly after we did and, after introductions and a short chat, we headed out to the Mongolian Grill for supper. The Grill was fairly quiet so we took our time and made several passes through the food line. One fellow working the grill was doing a passable Canned Heat as he sang Going Up The Country while he worked. We got to know Tom a little (he seems like a fine young man) and hope he wasn't too scared by us..... After supper, we stopped at Heather's apartment for a bit and then went back to Kim & Mike's for the night.

Friday, we were up and didn't do too much. Kim was trying to study for an insurance exam and Mike went into work for the morning. Lunch was from Subway after Mike got home and, that evening, we went to Samura, a local Japanese restaurant. The food was tasty and they had chopstick helpers, but I opted to work on the techniques Don Inamasu showed me last summer and struggled through my beef teriyaki and fried noodles on my own. Sandy learned that when someone says green tea ice cream tastes good, it may be an acquired taste. Back at the house, Heather and Tom joined us to watch Blood Diamond off DVD.

Saturday, Kim, Mike, Sandy and I headed for Zehr's to get some groceries. It was packed as one would expect on Easter Saturday. Then I took Heather up to Staples so she could buy a case for the new (reconditioned) laptop she had bought. Back at her place, I struggled to get her two computers talking to each other, learning more things about Windows Networking and ZoneAlarm in the process. We made it back to the Koolen household in time for a fine dinner of pork roast, dressing and potato vegetables with gravy. Dessert was a lemon meringue pie. After watching the Fantastic Four on TV, Mike took Heather home and Sandy turned in for the night. Kim, Mike and I watched some home renovation shows before finally giving up and going to bed.
Sunday, it had snowed some more. I'm Dreaming of a White Easter. Kim and Mike headed to Aylmer for the Koolen Family Easter Brunch and we moved over to Heather's after a stop at Timmie's for breakfast sandwiches and muffins. We lazed around much of the day, watching TV and reading.

The drive back Monday was, again, uneventful. We saw one of the new black and white OPP cruisers on the 400. They look very good. From Barrie to Sudbury, we were in and out of snow squalls. As someone who wanted winter snow, I view this as an insult by the weather gods. Arrived home about 1:30.

Paying Our Respects To Tim

Tim's funeral was scheduled for Saturday at 10:30 AM in the small town of Hope Indiana, about 45 miles southeast of Indianapolis. The viewing was Friday from 3:00 until 8:00 PM. There was no question about whether we were going to be there. I booked a room at the Ramada Inn in Columbus Indiana for Friday night.

We left home in the van at 4:30 AM Friday for the 780 mile drive to Columbus. The pre-dawn morning delivered ice pellets and then rain as we headed west to the Soo. Traffic was extremely light at the border, considering that it was around morning rush hour. The US guard was a trainee and delivered his questions in a hesitant manner, which spooked me a little. The rest of the drive was uneventful except for the 1/2 hour we lost on US 127 north of Lansing due to a burning truck. The local fire department soon had this under control and we continued on. The weather had improved after we crossed the border and eventually I had to put the A/C on.

Hope Indiana is a tiny place. We arrived at the funeral home on Main Street about 6:30 PM and found a few other VROCers and a large number of locals lined up to get in. They told us it had been like that since the place opened at 3:00. It was obvious that Tim was as well liked everywhere else as he was in VROC. It was hard to see Katie, her daughter Rachel and her sons Mike and Daniel, but they were holding up on the surface. We paid our respects and then adjourned to the street.

Buck Prior led three other bikes (Stewey, Snubs and CC Rider) and us down the back roads to Columbus and our various hotels. We met up with some others and split for supper. Our group went to the prime rib buffet at the Holiday Inn while others went down the road to a sports bar. After supper, we all gathered in the Ramada parking lot. Later, as it began to rain, we stood under the awning in front of their atrium, drinking beer and Jack and reminiscing about Tim. The last to arrive, about 10:00 PM, were EZ, Scooter, Phin, Jax and Cargo. The first four, on bikes, were pretty wet. We were joined by Daniel, an Airborne soldier who happened to be staying at the Ramada as well. Most of the gang had retired by midnight.

Saturday dawned greyly. Those of us at the Ramada met in the breakfast area. Sandy and I checked out and loaded the gear in the van. Although the funeral was at 10:30, Evil had asked that the bikes arrive at 9:30 so we set a meeting time at the hotel of 8:30. Others had arrived after we went to bed including Willie Wonka and the lovely Carlene, in their truck. Shortly before we left, it started to rain. Doppler showed it to be a narrow but active front, and the riders got severely drenched on the ride to Hope. At the funeral home, the bikes were martialed behind the motorcycle hearse and the cars were lined up in the parking lot.

We eventually seated ourselves in the funeral home, but it became obvious that the place would be packed so the VROC contingent, without a word, gave up our seats to the local people and stood at the back of the hall. The service was conducted by our own Tommy "Rabbi" Wilcockson. Despite the name, he is an ordained Baptist minister and probably the finest man of the cloth that I know. He read some passages and a very touching letter Rachel had written her father. After some personal reminiscences, he called on anyone present to share any Snake stories. Black Chrome shared some touching words, and quite a few others spoke as well.

After the service, we moved outside and watched as they brought Tim's casket out and loaded it in the hearse. The rain had passed and the day was actually quite pleasant. As the procession got underway, the hearse was followed by the assembled bikes (the variety of state and province licence plates was impressive) and then a line of cars that extended for well over a mile. Katie road on a bike behind her son. The Sheriff's Department handled traffic at the intersections and almost every car we met pulled over and stopped until the last car went by. At one intersection, a uniformed deputy stood at attention and saluted while another in plain clothes stood with his hand over his heart.

The ride to the cemetery on a back road near Gnawbone was a long one. When we arrived, the cars and bikes wrangled to find parking spots and everyone proceeded up the hill to the grave site, which looked out over a pretty valley. The casket was carried to the grave and everyone assembled to hear Tommy speak the words. It was about as sad as a thing can get, but it was also inspiring to know that our VROC family will be there for each and every one of us when we need it. After the committal, people adjourned to the adjacent church for food, but we needed to haul so we said our goodbyes and (after getting several sets of conflicting directions) set out for home.

We were rolling north about 2:30. A gas and food stop in Fort Wayne told us the temperature was dropping. We drove straight through without event and arrived home at 4:00 AM Sunday morning.

Here are several sites with photos of the funeral:

Scotty's photos

Lugnut's photos

Mad Mike's photos

Tim "Snake" Acree V~7376 R.I.P.

Those of you who aren't in VROC but read my blog may have gotten the idea, correctly, that this is like an extended family to us. The people we have met here, converse with daily and visit with as often as possible are more than friends.

Tim "Snake" Acree, of Nashville Indiana, was one of these. Tim, 51, left us early this morning. After discovering his house on fire, he evacuated his family and then went back in to retrieve some possessions. The fire didn't get him, but he suffered a heart attack. A neighbor provided CPR until the Paramedics arrived, but it was too late.

We lost Kegs last September and Fred on New Years Day, but they were both fighting cancer and we knew it was coming. This time, it was a bolt out of the blue and I am stunned. All that Tim did for VROCers and VROC will live on in our lore and those of us who knew him will keep a part of him in our hearts.

Snake, KT, Sandy and Sue Bader
Custer, South Dakota - June, 2006

Tribute Blog About Fred, Mo and KSL

My Blog post of January 2nd told of Fred's passing. Sundial has done a very nice Blog entry on Fred with Mo's blessing.

http://www.fivehundredmiles.blogspot.com/

Joker also authored a great piece in the Riders of Kawasaki magazine, Accelerate, on KSL.

http://www.chicago106miles.com/Zen/ROK-KSL.pdf

The Florida Trip In Retrospect

It was quite the trip. We covered 1,600 miles in just over 24 hours each way so that we could spend three days with friends. That's quite an effort and one might ask whether it was worth it. Considering the nature of the friends, of course it was. I don't know if I'd do the straight shot again, since we are all getting older and it beat us up quite a bit, but travelling that far for a few days with the VROC family was what this is all about.

It amazes me how Scott and Margot organize this twice a year. Their hospitality, along with Lisa and Dallas as well as Sumo and Shannon, is beyond compare. Thanks to each and every one of them for giving us this opportunity to visit and hang out. Thanks, too, to all the VROCers who showed up and made this a weekend to remember.

Now we will settle in and get serious about planning for the upcoming season. There is bike maintenance and upgrading to schedule, reservations to be made and budgeting to be worked out. I will be busy for a while.

Our travel schedule for 2007 has been updated. We will be cutting back a little from the last three years to conserve a little cash and allow me to get some golf in, but we will still get to a lot of places. More details will be posted later after I get them worked out.

The Road Home

Yesterday, we were up at 6:30 AM. As I loaded the van in the dark, I could see a ring around the moon. Scott and Margot were up and about and we shared a coffee and goodbyes before pulling out and heading northbound. There was a brief stop at the WalMart so Sandy could get some flavoured coffee creamers in individual packages (not found in Canada). Gary picked up some Cherry Coke for Norm and Leo and I got new road atlases. My old one was both out of date and falling apart.

We hit the I-95 North on-ramp at about 8:00 AM. There was a quick stop at a Mickey D's in Melbourne to grab some breakfast to go. They had my favourite steak bagel, but I passed on that because of the long drive ahead of us.

Near Cocoa, I was in the left lane when something went across the road from left to right ahead of me. As it plastered itself across the grill of a silver Lexus in the right lane, we saw it was a thin piece of sheet metal about three feet by two feet. The Lexus driver either didn't notice or didn't care, because he kept on driving. A ways north, as we were back in the right lane, the Lexus came by us with the metal still in place. Without thinking too clearly, I pulled out to follow him around a transport. This was the precise moment that the air turbulence dislodged the metal and sent it back towards us. A hard swerve left and then right put us around it but it felt like we were within a hairs breadth of rolling over. Lucky I didn't touch the brakes.

Progressive had a billboard up as we approached Daytona Beach. It said "Daytona Beach Welcomes Bikers. All others, it's not too late to turn back." I liked it. There were also highway signs saying JAX xxx miles. I wondered how my friend Jax McGuigan rated a sign and then I realized they meant Jacksonville.

I couldn't believe the number of drivers, usually with Florida plates, hogging the left lane. Is this some plan to piss off northern drivers or are people to lazy or unaware to get out of the road? It wasn't just women or old drivers, either. Makes me wish I had a push bumper on the van.

We stopped in Hardeeville, SC for gas and had a quick lunch at Wendy's. Gary or Leo (I can't remember which) took over the driving and we motored up I-96 to I-26, across to I-77 and north to Wytheville. On I-26, the left lane hogs were now logging trucks. Very annoying. We hit Charlotte about rush hour but weren't held up too badly because we were able to use the HOV diamond lane. Most of the cars had only one occupant, so we zipped along with little traffic in front of us. Outside Wytheville, near where we stayed at the KOA in June, we stopped for fuel and more McDonalds food to go.

I took over driving again and took us north to Beckley, up US19 and onto I-77. At the next gas stop in Canonsburg Pennsylvania (where the Visa machine was screwed up and I paid cash), Gary took over and drove until he wore out near Mercer. At a rest area, Leo took over and got us through Erie, onto I-90 and to the service centre at Angola NY. One interesting thing was that, on the way down, the snow line was part way through WV. On the way back, we didn't see snow until Mercer, evidence that it had been a mild week in the north.

I resumed driving at Angola since we were all burning out and driving shifts were getting shorter. I had my toll money for I-190 but the booths were closed for upgrading. The young lady in the only open Canadian customs booth asked a couple of questions and waved us through without checking our ID. Still better than 50% not requiring any ID over the last twelve months. We ran up a quiet QEW, 403 and 401 to Toronto where we helped Leo find his car, which had been left on the way down.

Breakfast and coffee were acquired at the TH on the 400 in King City. I drove until about Moonstone, where we got off so that Gary could take over the wheel, and then fueled in Parry Sound where I took over again. Leo had pulled off somewhere to take a nap and we were getting pretty tired. The last 100 miles were a blur, but we finally pulled into Gary's place about 9:30 AM. Then it was home to unpack and flake out for the rest of the day.

The Hacienda - Sunday

The time changed overnight. Spring ahead, so we lost an hour. The laptop running XP Home made the change so I guess the Microsoft Updates worked. Gary wasn't feeling well this morning. It looks like he was hit by some version of the Corona Flu. Breakfast was more biscuits and gravy, a waker upper I could easily get used to. I wonder if these would be a hit at Timmy's?

The people bunking at the Hacienda started heading out early, going singly and in pairs as the morning progressed. This was a good trip as I got to put more than a few faces to names I already knew. Jennifer, whose old posting name I never understood until now and who has the best 1/3rd of the Vulcan world. Billy G, who I (sort of) met in New Hampsire but now know much better. Zabrina, Sweet Tooth, whose posts I have been following for some time. Aldo, who has been a regular on the board and at Florida gatherings, thanks for the real estate talk. Patman, who I was remiss in not spending time getting to know with all the crowd around. This is what my VROC world is all about, meeting and hanging with the fine people that populate our newsgroup and our VROC family.

I spent a little time blogging and then went to update my expenses. Wouldn't you know that the one thing I didn't test on this laptop was Excel. It wanted to update the program and requested the CD. The CD, of course, is at home in Sudbury. Once again my best intentions to stay up to date have been stymied, so I sorted the receipts and stuck them in an envelope to deal with when I get home.

We ended up sitting out in the driveway in the shade of the garage as the gentle breezes caressed our winter chapped Canuck hides. Scott, Margot, Judge, Cindy, Jennifer, Leo, Gary, Sandy and I. Bike and cop stories got swapped for quite some time. Mid afternoon, Gary, Scott and I adjourned to the large screen HD TV to watch the NASCAR race from Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the night before caught up with me and I missed much of the race while I napped on the couch. We fund out later that Gary won the week in our VROC NASCAR Fantasy League and vaulted to second place in the standings. I had a different A driver and didn't do as well, but I did make it into the Top Ten.

For supper, we went around the corner to Dallas and Lisa's house where Judge and Cindy were in residence. The house a gorgeous, and fits my total conception of what a dream home would be. Dallas is a painter and did some beautiful work in there. The highlight of the dinner was excellent fried chicken, and the other dishes were just as good. For dessert, we had baked apples, something new to me.

Back at The Hacienda, I checked the tire pressures and attended to a few pre-departure chores. We were in bed by midnight.

The Hacienda - Saturday

I woke up about 8:30 and found most of the others bunking here already up and about. Margot made biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast. The sausage and gravy came out of a Campbell's can the likes of which I have never (unfortunately) seen at home. She augments this with another half pound of sausage per can that she fries up. It was an excellent start to the day.

I spent some time updating the blog and photos and then Gary, Sandy and I went over to the grocery store to get some ice. When we got there, we saw a yellow Suzuki V-Strom in the parking lot. As I suspected, there was a Texas plate on it so we knew that Coyote character from Dallas/Fort Worth had arrived. We tracked him down in the beer section.

Back at the house, I called Gator up in the hospital in Titusville. I hadn't been able to reach him yesterday, but he did answer today. He said he was up for company, so Leo, Sandy, Coyote and I motored up to see him. He was in good spirits and figured he might be sprung as soon as tomorrow since his system was behaving. The Docs didn't have a firm diagnosis but were leaning towards lactose intolerance. We had a good visit and then I got lost trying to get back to I-95. Checking the map, it appears I described a large figure 8 pattern through town and, fifteen miles later, I ended up back where I started. The GPS continues to look better and better.

We finally arrived back at The Hacienda about 4:00 and found many people and bikes in the yard. There was even an inflatable male doll sitting on one of the scoots. The Women of VROC had taken charge. Soon after we returned, the beef ribs, roast and pork loin which had been smoking all day were ready. Along with salads, veggies and other sides, we chowed down on some excellent food until everyone was full. Thanks to Scott and Sumo for some fine cooking.

As everyone returned to the garage and driveway, they finally got the webcam working. Here, Cargo watches Kudzu tinker with the settings while Stewey laughs at something Scott is saying. The women were doing things to the doll (now named Snubs the lover of musicals) that Sandy says I can't post pictures of. Among other things, ring toss was involved. You had to be here. We also did a bit of drunk dialing and caught a few people at home.

Everybody was having a good time. Kopperhed and his wife Kelly (Flash) dropped by. They are from Oklahoma and had been here all week in Daytona. Finally, as the evening wore on, people started to wander off towards home or hotel. Stewey and Coyote left since they were riding out for Illinois and Texas, respectively, early the next morning.

At the very end, about 1:00 AM, the denizens of The Hacienda decided to turn in. There were beds, couches and air mattresses spread throughout the house and people settled in for a good sleep. This photo shows Brad and Billy G. already down for the count as Dooley and Scott look on

We decided to delay our departure until Monday since we figure that none of the team will be on top of our game tomorrow.

More Party Photos

Courtesy of Stewey.

http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/558155562DtqnoI

Saturday Party Photos

The biker soon the be known as Snubs, lover of musicals

The women are in charge

Joker, Judge and Thrillseeker

Sandy and Thrillseeker

Judge and Coyote

These ones aren't fluff

Dogskin rug

The Garage

kopperhed waxes eloquent

Sandy, Leo and Cargo kick back

The Hacienda - Friday

I woke up about 8:00 after a good night's sleep, but Sandy said I must have been tired since I was snoring. I guess I am still getting over the 60 hour period that I only slept five hours.

I grabbed a coffee and joined the crew at the table working on their various computers. I spent some time streamlining the start-up process and then got to work on the Blogs for the trip down. Scott and Cargo were working on a way to get the webcam on line so others could vicariously share the party with us. They achieved limited success. Then they got to work preparing some of the ribs for tomorrow's meal.

Cargo, Bayman and I spent a little time talking politics, a favourite VROC pastime. The discussion wasn't to contentious since we seem to be pretty much on the same page.

I was sitting outside when Judge and Cindy arrived from Georgia towing their bike. He pulled into the driveway next door and everyone headed over to say Hi. I walked across the yard barefoot and got a first hand lesson on sand spurs. These spiny little pods embedded themselves in the soles of my feet and, when I pulled out the full ones, they stuck to my fingers. Then we spent fifteen minutes with tweezers, a hemostat and Judge using a box cutter to get out the spines that had broken off. I will always wear shoes after this.

Inside, Cindy was checking the cabinet and found a jar of Peter Pan peanut butter. A quick Google and we found it was one of the recalled salmonella jars so no one had a peanut butter sandwich.

Skeeze pulled in from Georgia, bringing the total green/green Nomad complement to three. We sat around visiting as more people arrived. Slammer, Barb and their dog arrived by car from North Carolina and Steve from Chicago, resplendent in yellow, dropped by for a while. More people kept coming all the time and I lost track. One I did note was Billy G. from Florida because, although I didn't remember, we met up in New England in 2004 at both Laconia and Bethel Maine. Kudzu also arrived with a gang from Boca on his new (to him) 2005 GoldWing.

About 8:00 PM, we mounted up and headed down the road to Beef O'Brady's, a local popular sports bar. Kudzu asked if I wanted to ride his Wing and I took him up on it. They were busy so we waited outside until they had room for 25 people, but it was a perfect night and we didn't mind (see picture). Finally inside, we ate and a few people threw chicken bones and other odds and ends from table to table.

As we were coming out of the restaurant, another bike pulled in. It was Stewey, who rode in from Peoria Illinois. That was a real accomplishment at this time of year. Back at the Hacienda, Stewey enjoyed a celebratory beer while Kudzu looked on. The webcam, which had been up and down all day, we reconnected via Yahoo Messenger. The pictures were much better, but people needed to install YM to see them. As the evening progressed, people started to wander off to bed. Sandy turned in just before midnight, while Scott, Leo and I were the last to lay down about 1:30.

It was a good day in Florida.

The Hacienda - Thursday

Scott and Margot were home when we got to the Hacienda. Their new dog, Taz, is an Australian Cattle Dog. Very intelligent, he had me trained to throw his favourite ball for him in no time. Since we arrived first, we staked out a bedroom and avoided having to set the tent up for this evening. Shortly after we got there, Cargo rolled in with his Nomad on a trailer.

Scott has WiFi, so we configured the laptops with his security codes and got on line to check the mail. Various people were on line in various places and scenes like the one here, out front in the driveway, were common. We posted about our arrival in the Newsgroup and had multiple replies shortly thereafter.

The four of us skipped over to the shopping center where we grabbed sandwiches at Subway. Sherri, the girl behind the counter, was the friendliest Subway person I ever met. I will be calling their HQ to commend here. Then we hit the grocery store for beer, pop and ice. Maybe tomorrow, we'll head for a car wash to clean the filthy van.

Jennifer, who lives in Palm Bay, dropped by on her 500 Vulcan. She's a school teacher and this is her first bike. She was concerned that people would say she had a 1/2 a Vulcan. I pointed out that the 800's were 1/2 Vulcans and hers was actually a 1/3 Vulcan. She now has an appropriately low opinion of me:-) Brad, who is testing a new Spyder vehicle for Bombardier Recreational Product, brought it by for us to look at. He had one of the optional seat covers with it. Her name was Amanda. We'll get a chance to try a demo out when we get home.

I phoned Sherm to say Hi. he's ready to roll out to Arizona for their gathering. This started a round of drunk phoning to a number of people. Luckily, nobody was really drunk since Scott and Cargo limited themselves to one beer apiece. Before it was done, we even had an incoming call from New Zealand.

A Nashua New Hamshire transplant named Brian stopped by with his son Brian Jr., visiting from up north, and their ladies. It was a good thing they came by because they alerted us that NASA was shortly going to be launching an Atlas V booster with five satellites on board. We waited as they held several times and then, about 10:00, they fired it off. Expert watchers say it wasn't nearly as spectacular as the shuttle, but seeing the bright light go up (considering it was about 50 miles away) was pretty cool. This was the best picture I could get.

After the launch, people started to drift off to bed. In the end, Scott and I were putting away the chairs and marveling at the wonders of the VROC family.

Sudbury to Florida

The journey began yesterday morning bright and early. It was -21, which was a great improvement from the -30 the day before. Sandy shook me awake about 5:30 AM and we finished stowing our gear in the van. Gary was waiting at 6:55 when we pulled into his driveway and we hooked up with Leo and Diane, in their own car, at 7:15 at the south end of town. Leo was driving Diane to Toronto to catch a flight to Mexico, and then he would leave the car there in the Park and Fly. He'll pick it up on the way home.

The road was wet and sloppy but, other than using a lot of washer fluid, the trip to Toronto was pretty good. We stopped at the new Tim Hortons south of Parry Sound for the first time. In Toronto, we went directly to the Quality Inn on Islington and waited while Leo and Diane took the short drive to check out the long term parking. Then we waved good-bye to Di and immediately found there was no westbound on ramp to the 401 from Islington. Lost in the first quarter mile. After wandering around the ground level, the third interchange we stumbled on had a westbound ramp and we were underway.

Traffic was light as we took the 401/403/QEW route to Fort Erie and the Peace Bridge. The US Border Guard took all four ID's. It was a little confusing because Sandy and Gary were in the back seat and, when I told him my wife was with me, he asked if Leo and I were married. I pointed to Sandy and he said with a smile that, since we had legalized gay marriage, they were never sure any more. Then he laughed and sent us on our way.

I drove to Erie on I-90, stopping for the first time at the new Pennsylvania welcome center in Notheast, and then south on I-79 past Pittsburgh to West (By God) Virginia. We were through Pittsburgh at 5:00 PM but didn't encounter much traffic at all. In southern Pa and northern WV, as the sun got lower, Leo kept counting herds of deer in the fields and on the hills. They stood out against the snow cover and I slowed a bit as it got darker.

I called Jim 'Wrong Turn' Ayers on the way down to WV and found he wasn't going to make it to Florida. About 9:00 PM, we stopped at his place in Fayetteville WV to say Hi. He lives on Nickelville Road, so we felt right at home. Jim put coffee on and offered us muffins while his cat brutalized me every time I stopped rubbing his head. We talked about how he is going to cure his motorcycle infestation (four of them at the moment) and summer plans. There may be a West Virginia Wander in the cards. In the picture, Jim is relaxed in his computing chair.

We were within 12 miles of the half way point as we set out again with Leo at the wheel. Charlotte North Carolina is very pretty at 3:00 AM. Leo got us down to Columbia SC on I-77, over to I-95 on I-26 and then south the the Georgia line before sunrise. Gary took over the driving there. We stopped north of Jacksonville for breakfast. The Mickey D's was virtually inaccessible due to morning traffic, so we went to the Waffle House. It looks like we won't be doing that again.

At Daytona Beach, we cruised down International Speedway Drive to Highway 1 amidst a pack of motorcycles. South on 1, we stopped at a DQ for ice cream and phoned Terry back home to tell him we had arrived. Going south, we followed a Harley with training wheels. Unlike the Voyager kit, this one still leaned. Gary got some video of it. The number of motels with vacancy signs out during bike week surprised me. We turned into the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve and stopped to see the Manatees. There was only one hanging out as, in the picture, the gang watched from the deck.

I phoned Gator and found he was in the hospital in Titusville for tests, so we stopped by for a brief visit. They're not sure what is wrong right now, but he was still a cheerful as usual. Here's hoping they get this sorted out because he's too good a man to keep down. We'll drop back up to see him again tomorrow.

Heading south from Titusville on I-95, we rolled into the Hot Sauce Hacienda about 2:00 PM.

One thing that annoyed me on this trip was the number of gas stations now requiring a Zip Code when paying at the pump. This makes it awkward for Canadians since our Postal Codes won't work and we must then prepay. That whole concept sucks.

R.I.P. Fred Kunkel

Those of you who follow my Blog will know that we have frequently visited Kickstand Lodge in Stecoah, North Carolina over the last couple of years and have spoken often about Fred and Mo, the owners. Fred was a friend long before he and Mo undertook their dream at KSL.

Last night, Fred passed away after a short fight with cancer. We are going to miss him.

Fred Kunkel ~V4978
(1950 - 2007)
R.I.P.

VROC Memorial Page

Another Robinson Takes to Two Wheels

Our daughter Heather signed up for the Motorcycle Rider Course at Conestoga College in Kitchener for the weekend of October 14th. Despite biting cold and some snow and rain, she put in two full days in the parking lot learning how to ride from scratch. Although a very good car driver, she had only a passing acquaintance with a clutch before this weekend. I did sneak over to Conestoga and watch for a while. In this picture, Heather is second from the right. Unfortunately, when the time for the test came, she cut a couple of lines while maneuvering and was a little slow in a few sections so she didn't pass. She was disappointed but immediately enrolled for the review and retest session scheduled for November 4th.

I figured that more seat time before the retest was called for so I called Fred Poysor, a friend down in London who helps people improve their skills. Fred is 77 years old and can put me to shame in the twisties on his GL1800. He agreed that he would bring his dirt bike ( a 1971 Honda CL125) up to New Dundee the following weekend where she could practice in the Community Centre parking lot.

It was cool the next Saturday as we met Fred in New Dundee. Heather had a few moments getting the feel of the clutch, but then she was away to the races. Fred set up some courses using small cones and we were able to watch her improve as the day went by. Here Fred watches as Heather does a serpentine. The next morning we met Fred and his friend Ginger in Kitchener for breakfast with the GWRRA. It was pouring rain after breakfast and we suggested that maybe Heather would want to cancel the day's session but she told us we shouldn't coddle her. By the time we got to New Dundee, the rain had let up and she got in another full afternoon of practice.

Although we didn't get down the next weekend, Heather met Fred for two more days of practice.

Finally November 4th arrived. We headed south the day before through the conditions you can see in the picture. I was wondering how they could possibly hold anything motorcycle related in the snow, but it stopped around Barrie and the roads were clear the rest of the way. Saturday morning, Heather headed off to Conestoga. Sandy and I dropped over in the afternoon to watch the progress. There were only two students, so they got a lot of close instruction. Finally, they took the test and both passed.

We are very proud of what she did, starting from scratch and working hard. I am also a little afraid that my child is going to be out there riding. Now I know how my Mom and Mother-In-Law have felt all these years.

I suggested to Heather that a small starter bike would probably be the best. That first day in New Dundee, we found out that Fred's friend Ginger was selling her very nice little Honda 250 Rebel, so we agreed to buy it on the spot. I don't expect that she will be on it too long, but it's a good place to start.

Anyway, it was hectic but now we can look forward to riding together next season.