From: "Chuck Gatecliff" Date: June 20, 2011 3:11:13 PM PDT To: "David Johnson" Cc: "Blake Anderson" Subject: 4 corners write up for SCMA, 6-2011 David, I have attempted to express the events and emotion of participating in the SCMA, USA 4 Corners Tour, however in the interest of space so much has been left out. I had trouble boiling down the many stories of the wonderful experiences and neat people encountered along the way but hope you find some value in the attached. Please take pride and enjoyment for what you do for the USA 4 Corners riders as I’m only one of many who benefit. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Chuck Gatecliff BACKGROUND I retired 14 years ago when I was 60 years old. I had not sat on a motorcycle in 30 years but never lost the wonder and lust for riding. My memories were of the riding and camping trips with each of our children as they were growing up and the neat things that Alice, my non-riding wife did to make our trips possible and enjoyable. The year I retired Alice helped me find a used motorcycle and my first right turn required a huge arc. Seems that my head was still 30 years old but my muscle control was 60. So I was quickly in a Motorcycle Safety Class where the instructors did a great job of correcting my faults and reinforcing my confidence. That year I packed up the tent and rode a 6700 mile round trip from Michigan to our western states. My total motorcycle miles for this year was 19,460. Since that time I have averaged about 30,000 miles a year, having ridden to Alaska, Newfoundland, participated in a HOG fly ride with my son Brent to Australia and riding several times to my son, Kevin’s home in San Diego, Calif., a yearly ride around Lake Superior and back and forth to Florida. I have ridden in every state of the USA except Hawaii and every Providence of Canada except Labrador and that is on my bucket list. Some trips I shared with my sons, some my grandchildren have been on the bike with me, some were shared with friends, but the vast majority of them have been alone. The alone rides were initially a shocker as I had never done anything alone, however Alice and I have been married 54 years and we have both found that while we have a lot of fun together we truly enjoy our alone time also. I used to take lots of pictures of scenery and the beautiful country I had the opportunity to share. Sometime along about the 5th year of my retirement I realized that the common thread of my rides was the memories I write up for every trip and maintain in a book are about the people I meet along the way. Over 13 years and over 350,000 riding miles and I have not met a bad person, but have many memories of some really great people and the wonderful things they did to make my rides so enjoyable. The above background is stated so you can better evaluate my comments of participating in the SCMA’s USA 4 Corners Motorcycle Tours in 2010 and 2011. In 2009 I heard about a ride that required the rider to visit the 4 corners of the USA in a specified amount of time but was not aware who to contact. After completing an Iron Butt ride I learned from the IBA that the ride I was interested in was developed and sponsored by the SCMA and after contacting David Johnson my riding events and goals took on an exciting and rewarding dimension. I prepared a plan to complete the USA 4 Corners standard ride and in May of 2010 I rode from our home in Michigan to my first corner in Madawaska, Maine. WOW! What a place to start such an exciting ride. Joe LaChance a 4 Corners rider and his wife Diane also a finisher of the 4 Corners on her own bike have turned this city into a focal point for 4 Corner riders, a neat park, welcoming and recognizing signs everywhere for 4 Corner riders and for me the uplifted feeling made me feel like a finisher even before I had started. If their efforts don’t touch your heart you are missing a real benefit of participating in the ride. The first morning of my ride I met Barry Bullington a rider form Illinois who was also going to start his 4 Corner ride and we decided to ride together for a “little” way. The local postal worker, Michelle came in at 7:30 am so we could get an early start and we were riding South occasionally running in a light rain. Our riding style was similar and we stayed together riding to Key West, Florida and then staying at my Florida home a couple of nights before we headed West weaving in a couple of Iron Butt rides and then arriving at Yuma, Arizona where my son, Kevin and grandson, Tristen, that live in California, rode out to meet us on their bike. We all spent the night in Yuma and then the next morning we all rode to my 3rd corner in San Ysidro California. Here Barry and I said our good byes and good lucks Barry continued to Blaine, Washington and I spent 3 nights at Kevin’s home before continuing to my last corner in Blaine, I left Kevin’s 3 days later and while riding North in an all day rain 45 miles south of Redding, California I looked over at the South bound lane and there was Barry waving to me. It took me hours to recover from the shock of the odds against this but it certainly cemented our developing friendship. We stayed in touch and decided to respond to David Johnsons suggestion of completing the ride in a true “x” pattern. Route planning started in early January 2011 and continued being worked and reworked several times thru February and March. It was decided to use Lebanon, Kansas as the center point as it is the geographical center of the continental USA and there is a monument with a plaque stating such near-by. David Johnson developed the necessary corner maps and paper work and the planning stage was completed and we were ready to ride! I rode 1009 miles from my Michigan home to Madawaska, Maine traveling through Canada and simply enjoying 3 relaxing days of riding. I arrived in Madawaska Friday morning May 20th 2011 and a few minutes later Barry Bullington rolled up to the my room in the Gateway Motel and in another few minutes Joe LaChance stopped by. Barry and I got organized and then we rode to the 4 Corners Park and met Joe for pictures and a guided tour. We were joined by a writer for the local newspaper and enjoyed the interview. When we decided to return to the hotel my ignition switch did not work and Joe arranged for a friend who “knew” bikes to come to our aid. His friend was a real McGiver and ten minutes after his arrival all was well. Barry and I were extremely lucky. Joe and Diane joined us for dinner and then we had a chance to share a beverage at their home. Remember my earlier comments regarding the people along the way! The 4 Corners portion of our ride started at 7:35 am on Saturday morning May 21, 2011 as we rode South on Madawaska’s main street with the post office getting smaller in or rearview mirror. There had been 17 days of rain in the last 19 days and today was no exception as the clouds were low and heavy. We had decided as this is the USA 4 Corners that we would stay in the United States so we rode south on highway 1 to I-95. We continued working our way South and West all day riding thru Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and arriving at a friend’s home in New York where we pulled into their garage just as the heaviest rain of the day hit. The highlight of our first day was the time spent with Vince and John and the shared dinner. Our selected route would take us to all four corners of the USA and cause us to pass thru Lebanon, Kansas 3 separate times and we were now heading to Lebanon for our first time. Today was Barry’s 35th wedding anniversary and his wife Marilyn had entrusted me to present him with her card and I didn’t forget. The miles just slipped away as we rode thru New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana but when we entered Illinois we hit a severe thunder storm and fortunately we were near an exit and quickly rode to a gas station for cover. The lightning flashed brightly and the wind almost stopped the bike as we rode under the canopy of the station. An hour and a quarter later the rain slowed and the wind reduced and the fire engines in the area were racing about so we suited up and continued our ride another 126 miles to Joliet, Illinois where we checked into the hotel. Dinner was about a mile away and we just made it back to the hotel ahead of another heavy storm, Yeah! During the next day we made our first pass thru Lebanon, waited out a severe storm for about an hour, rode in a moderate rain for 126 miles, stopped at the Mile High Harley Davidson dealer for an oil change on my bike and then when we made it to the western edge of Denver at 5:00 pm we decided it would be warmer going over the Loveland Pass in the evening than the first thing in the morning. WRONG! We still had the rain gear on as we headed up the mountain but nothing prepared us for what was to come. We climbed almost 6000 feet while the temperature dropped from 52 degrees to 31 degrees and as we neared the tunnel we were in a white out but it was not sticking on the road. We passed 3 mountain sheep at the edge of the road and entering the tunnel was a relief. I guess we forgot about leaving the tunnel. The ride thru the tunnel was uneventful but as we neared the other end it looked like a Christmas globe as everything was white. I geared down to 4th gear as I realized the road was snow covered and as I exited I kicked it into 3rd gear as the snow was about 3 inches deep and I could only see a few feet in front of me. No time to get frightened or panic so I just focused on a car track and for the next 20 minutes my eyes were darting back and forth to what I imaged was the road and my mirror to see if Barry’s headlight was still there. We were on a 6% downhill grade and stopping was not an option and guessing was our best option for locating the roadway. Once we were at the 9000 foot elevation the roadway was clear but it was still snowing hard. A few more miles and I seen a sign for a hotel in Silverton, Colorado and the bike took the exit and went directly to the hotel. They must have been expecting us as they had covered garages for bikes and we were quickly under a nice dry roof. During dinner Barry and I reflected on the days riding and both agreed that the snow portion was a wee bit of skill and a whole lot of luck. The next morning the Vail Pass we needed to cross was snow covered until 9:30 am so we took a late start and when we went over the pass at 10:00 am the road had just been plowed and was wet but no ice or snow. This day included a fantastic ride thru the Glenwood Canyon which is a highlight for anyone in this area. Fantastic views in all directions as we dropped almost 2000 feet along with a gushing stream. We rode thru Colorado crossing the continental dive numerous times, thru Arizona and on into Nevada and the thermometer was rising all the way and riding clothes were being stored. We arrived in Las Vegas at 8:30 pm and the 29 degree temperature we had going over the Vail Pass had now risen to 95 degrees. Dinner was next to the hotel we got just off the strip and then I walked to the strip, returning to the hotel a little before 1:00 am. Barry had better judgment and headed to bed after dinner. Lots of fun on the strip and I especially enjoyed watching the mimes perform on the sidewalk. Thursday morning we headed out early and rode to our 3rdnd corner, San Ysidro, California and then continued to Gila Bend in Arizona. While filling the fuel tank in Gila Bend I noticed quite a bit of oil under my bike and said something like “oh shucks”. It was late in the day so we checked into a hotel and I started calling Harley dealers. The dealer in Phoenix said as long as I was only a half of a quart low it was ok to ride it the 80 miles to his dealership. So.. at 4:30 am Barry and I were riding to Phoenix to be the first in line for service at the dealer. The bike was tested and at 10:30 am Gary advised me that the problem was major and that they could not even begin to look at it until next Tuesday. Now this was a first for me as I know I ride too many miles for a Harley but have always counted on the dealers who have kept me going. Now I had a different problem because I ran into a dealer that was unresponsive to a road bikers needs. My son Brent upon hearing of my situation called to say “you’ve got too much into the trip so buy a new or used bike and keep going and sell it when you get home” and he reminded me that I would lose less on a used one. Almost at the same time my son Kevin in California called to say I could use his bike to complete my trip. I got very emotional as last year Brent gave his used bike to Kevin and now Kevin was loaning it to me to attempt to complete a ride that had become very significant to me. I elected to take Kevin’s offer and Alice got me a flight from Phoenix to San Diego arriving at 5:10 pm and Kevin and Tristen were there waiting for me. We shared a fun dinner and then I stayed at Kevin’s home for the night. When I was hugging Kevin and thanking him for allowing me to use his bike he said “Dad, it’s the gift that keeps on giving” now the tears were real as I realized that for the rest of the ride I would be with both boys in a big way.` Saturday at 5:00 am I fired up Kevin’s bike and rode back to Phoenix to get my “stuff” and continue on the ride. I arrived at the dealer at 10:30 am and got a new rear tire and an oil change and then Barry, who had waited for me and I rode to Winslow, Arizona and checked into the Super 8. Because we both choose not to use alcohol and ride we called a cab to take us to the La Posada Hotel for a wonderful dinner and a shared bottle of wine. The next morning was nice and cool as we rode a small section of Route 66 and following Barry’s GPS we headed cross country towards Lebanon. We crossed from Arizona into New Mexico and then Texas and as we neared Oklahoma we found ourselves coming up to a large wild fire and were expecting the officials to turn us back but they just waved us on. The agencies had started a back fire and a couple of hundred firefighters and their equipment were at the side of the road waiting to be deployed. Barry has a digital thermometer on his bike and he said it was 106 degrees as we were riding but when we went thru the fire area it shot up to 112 degrees. Needless to say we were well done. We then entered Kansas and ran into a heavy wind and sand storm. We were leaning hard to the right and trying to cover our breathing for the next couple of hours. We pulled up for the night in Liberal, Kansas and the shower turned the dust of the day into mud. Monday we were back in Lebanon, Kansas. When we mailed our club package we put a post it on the envelope asking Debbie the postal worker to hand stamp our envelope as today is a holiday and then rode Northwest to Paxton, Nebraska. The gas station in Lebanon does not have high octane so I used octane booster and still had difficulty keeping up with Barry’s BMW as we rode in a heavy head wind. When we got a little west of North Platte, Nebraska we pulled into a rest area as Barry had heard on his weather band that a big storm waited ahead. The already heavy wind hit with a vengeance and we waited it out, calling Alice in Michigan and she went on her I-Pad and advised that if we could get another 10 miles west we would be by the worst of it so we headed out and quickly ran into clear skies and lighter wind. Dinner was in a restaurant with great animal heads displayed throughout. The next day the temperature was cool as we rode across Nebraska and Wyoming and the snow in the mountains and alongside the road was nice to look at and none was on the road. There were a few times today that the head wind almost stopped my bike but I plodded through trying to keep up with Barry. We rode across Utah and crossed into Idaho where the country side was a lush green. The evening was spent in Burly, Idaho. On Wednesday we rode thru Idaho and Oregon and then Washington. We stayed on I-95 as many of the passes were snow covered and when we rode over the Snoqualmie Pass it was cold but only rain. Once down from the pass we rode thru Seattle and arrived in Blaine, Washington where we stayed for the night. The next morning we prepared our club package and went to the post office to mail it and then it was back over the Snoqualmie Pass and on to a friend’s home in Spokane, Washington for the night. We hit rain and lots of road construction in the Spokane area but made it to Phil and Starla’s where we were treated wonderfully and the accommodations were great. Lots of visiting catch-up and we were off to bed. The next day we rode to Billings Montana thru beautiful country and mountain views. Saturday we rode back to North Platte, Nebraska, I started out wearing everything I had and as the day warmed I finished in a tee shirt and jeans. The next day we returned to Lebanon for our final pass and as it was Sunday we again used post it’s on our envelopes to get hand stamps on our envelopes. I again used the octane booster and sometime later the engine begin to miss especially at the upper speeds. We planned to go about 80 miles past St Louis, Missouri but at a stop near St Louis we noticed that Barry’s rear tire had developed a bad spot and further travel was not an option. We reduced the speed and made it to St Louis and got a hotel near the airport. The BMW dealers are closed on Monday so lots of calls were made in an attempt to locate a tire for Monday. I called Alice and a few minutes later she called back to advise that there was a tire dealer 22 miles away that opened at 6:30 am so our new plan was made. Monday morning we were at the tire store and Barry had his new tire and we were riding East at 8:55 am. Because my engine had been missing yesterday we stopped at the Paducah, Kentucky Harley dealer but after road testing it Patrick said “That is a strong engine, just ride it” and I did with no problems. The new tire worked fine and we rode thru Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and ended up in Dalton, Georgia for the night. Tuesday we were waiting at the BMW dealer in Atlanta so Barry could get an oil change and then we rode to my Florida home for the night. Our Florida neighbors Steve and Mary Jo prepared a nice dinner for us and we shared lots of stories. Wednesday June 8, 2011 was our 19th day and we rode to Key West, prepared and mailed our final package and then rode back to Florida City, Florida for our celebration. My total miles for the “official trip were 10,923 and we were in a different time zone almost every day. If you read the background at the beginning of this message you know I have been luck to be able to have several riding experiences but the experiences and memories of participating in the 4 Corners journey are some I will carry forever and I’m indebted to the club for all their efforts. This adventure was not a personal accomplishment! This truly was the whole family and friends pulling together to make the success of finishing this adventure possible. My daughter Karen offered encouragement. My son Brent’s ideas and suggestions and the earlier gift of his used bike to Kevin. My son Kevin allowing me to put 7000 miles on his bike and his willingness to be without it for 4 to 5 weeks. Barry’s friendship, help and encouragement along the way, talk about a partnership, when my bike was broken and we were not sure I would be able to finish he said if you can’t continue I’ll finish the ride but I won’t turn in my final envelope because we started as a team. About that developing friendship? The unbelievable feeling that both sons were sitting next to me for the final 7000 miles is worth everything and makes the reason I needed the help insignificant. Alice the do everything wife. She was there every day to encourage and support and many times she simply took charge and made things happen to facilitate my continuing and her expressed love at the end of our everyday phone conversation did it all for me. The USA 4 corners trips have been highly emotional for me. I believe that everyone with the time, health, economic ability and desire to enjoy both the beauty of our country and the challenge of the ride will find enjoyment and satisfaction if they participate. If you enjoy a beautiful ride on a route you develop and thrive on accomplishment this is the ride for you! Finisher 2010 and 2011 Chuck Gatecliff |