| |||||
 At right is a photo of my GPS which I zeroed when I left Madawaska, Maine. Clock shows Eastern time. The total and stopped times are off 2 hrs and 15 minutes because I took the photo that amount of time after I got the ending gas receipt, had a leisurely lunch (Denny's) with Ron Smith and Bruce Yates, took photos of the post office, and checked into the Anchor Inn motel. It was only then that I thought to take the picture. The 81mph speed was in a 75mph zone in New Mexico or Arizona.The purpose of this ride was for me to test my endurance and try different approaches to riding safely during an extended ride with a challenging schedule. I believe I now know my limits - and they're defined by the 4 corners segment of this ride.  I left Madawaska last Sunday at 05:20. Getting a timed receipt is difficult there at that hour - I resorted to a bank teller machine. Temperature was 28 degrees with snow flurries. The first few hours of the ride south were intensely frustrating since it started to rain as soon as I entered Massachusetts and an accident on Connecticut's I-95 had me at a standstill between exits for a while - multi-car pileup which closed the highway. I avoided the Cross Bronx Expressway and GW Bridge since traffic was horrible - took the Tappan Zee Bridge and Palisades Interstate Parkway instead. The next barrier was getting over the M. E. Tydings Memorial Bridge near Havre De Grace, Maryland. The winds were so strong the traffic was moving only at a walking pace. I found a moving van and asked the driver (on CB) if I could stay on his lee side. I'm sure glad I did! Even behind the barrier of this huge truck, I was severely buffeted - and would not have liked to be blown off!Spent the night at a couple different rest stops in South Carolina. I slept for an hour at the first stop but quickly realized this was insufficient and stopped again after less than 100 miles.  The daytime ride to and from Key West was uneventful. The Keys were beautiful and I was blessed to see a wonderful sunset as I rode away from Key West. This was my first visit there and I shall return! The 107 miles on the Keys is mostly 55mph but populated by lots of tourists and others who feel they must set the speed 10mph below the posted limit. I made the outbound leg in 2:45 but hit all the lights green and no traffic on the way back - 2 hours from Key West to mainland Florida.One of the locals took my picture as I rode through Key Largo. I guess she'd never seen someone wearing a one piece Aerostich, full face helmet, gloves, and boots in 96 degree heat! I spent the second night in a motel. As I neared the I-75 junction with I-10, the skies opened up again and a torrential downpour ensued within sight of an exit and a Super 8 motel. I took this as a divine sign that I shouldn't be sleeping outdoors. I got 2 hours of sleep and a shower - both very refreshing. The ride west was uneventful until Mississippi where another highway-closing accident caused me to find a detour around the accident site. I hit Houston just as rush hour was beginning and cruised at 60 on the outbound HOV lane while the adjacent traffic was at a near standstill for 12 miles. Traffic on the 1604 loop around San Antonio was very light. The winds in west Texas again provided a challenging ride and, for the second time in as many months, broke my windshield. It's an Aeroflow but made of a thinner plastic than necessary. Paige Ortiz (of Aeroflow) has made a new version which is terrific - he replaced the broken one for me when I met him at his shop in Los Angeles the following day. Although I'd planned to sleep at my favorite rest stop at mile marker 50 just before El Paso, I felt tired and pulled off with some truckers to catch an hour's rest about 30 miles shy of the rest stop. I slept another hour or so in New Mexico.  San Ysidro was a madhouse! A power outage had killed all the traffic lights, ensnarling the streets. My next stop was Aeroflow headquarters in Los Angeles. Paige had my windshield changed and I was back on the road in less than an hour. He also gave me a much more expeditious route out of the city during rush hour - probably saved me an hour! I'm so grateful to Paige and his staff for their kindness and patience with this tired rider! The windshield took a beating that evening with incredible headwinds in the Modesto valley - but was rock solid and provided great protection. It's a winner!I slept again at a rest stop midway through California. I felt rested as I continued north through the mountainous areas in northern California and Oregon. It got cold - really cold - in the mountains. I stopped for gas and to don my electric vest in Yreka, California. The gas receipt didn't have a time so I asked the elderly, bearded attendant for a duplicate. He asked if I was doing a Butt ride - seems he's a seasoned rider of a 47 H-D Knucklehead. Just before Roseburg, Oregon, I stopped to sleep again. A big deer came running toward me and I braked hard - glad to allow her to run in front of me. However, I didn't see the smaller deer following the doe - it ran right into the side of me and caused me to veer into a curb. I don't remember anything after that until trying to get up from a face down position with the bike on its right side and on the back of my legs. A truck driver helped me pick the bike up and assess the damage. The top case and right bag are scraped, the right (Muth signal) mirror is damaged and the front frame - which holds the plastic and dash components - is pushed to the left. However, the bike runs well and seems structurally sound. I was a bit dazed by the fall - big scrape on my Schubert helmet - glad it wasn't my head! I spent a few minutes making repairs before heading down the road. I no longer felt tired! I soon did feel tired again and pulled into another rest area to sleep just south of Tacoma, Washington. Although I was intent to keep moving because Bruce Yates and Ron Smith were due to meet me north of Seattle I felt resting was more prudent than continuing while fatigued. The LD adage is absolutely right - stop to go further. I noticed I couldn't maintain cruising speed (when I'm tired, I don't use the cruise control since it would artificially mask one of the most sensitive signs of fatigue) and, when I stopped, I noted the bike was still in 5th gear - telling me I was loosing the skills I needed to ride safely. A nap was truly needed.  I met Ron and Bruce north of Seattle and we rode the last 100 miles together. If they hadn't been there to keep me focused, I'd have taken another nap at the rest stop where Ron was waiting. When I got to Blaine, I was thoroughly whipped and likely wasn't very good company. Bruce provided first aid supplies for my cut hand and Ron had the duct tape to get my mirror back on. Ron also gave me a new face shield for the Shuberth - what a life saver for the ride home!!After a leisurely lunch at Denny's, we found the Anchor Inn motel and I settled in for 16 hours of solid sleep after a great shower. I was too tired and sore to continue with my scheduled ride down to San Jose to see my daughter who's a graduate student at Stanford. I was also to see Paul Meredith for dinner. I canceled those plans and took 3 days to ride the 2940 mile return leg home. I consider that a restful pace which allowed me to visit friends in Billings, Montana and stay in a motel in Hudson, Wisconsin. I could have done without the 28 degree temperatures in western Pennsylvania! Thanks for all your support and encouragement! Thanks especially to Paul Meredith, John Wilson, Dave Shealey, Paige and Julie Ortiz (Aeroflow), Ron Smith, Bruce Yates, and all those who called with encouragement. Don Arthur | |||||
| Route - including stops | |||||
 | |||||
| |||||
| HOME | |||||
Total ride time: