Day 8 Wellington, CO

Greetings from Colorado. I'm going to keep this short because it was another long day. We traveled 620 miles today chasing Harley T-shirts. Burned out to say the least. We did some hard riding today. The weather had cleared and we had clear skies ahead. We headed across Route 80 toward Lincoin, NB. Once again the scenery was dull to say the least. The only thing that made it interesting was all the damage we saw caused by the multiple tornado's. Tracy took pictures of several tractor trailers that were victims of the weather. There were trees and debris scattered all over the place. We made good time to Lincoin. We stayed about 15 minutes and headed out. Our next destination was Cheyenne, WY. The dealership in Cheyenne closed at 6:00 p.m. so we hit the throttle hard. I felt like the king of the road. We had the highway to ourselves and the speed limit was 75. Throttle held at 83 and we were off to the next Harley dealership. Not much to see except a lot of open fields and cattle. We arrived in Cheyenne around 5:30 p.m. I purchased a pair of glasses because the lens fell out of mine yesterday during the storm. We ate at a Mexican restaurant then headed for a hotel. $119 a night for a room at the Holiday Inn so we decided to head toward Denver. The view was getting better, we could see the Rockies off to the west. The temperature was dropping and it was getting dark so we stopped in Wellington, CO for the night. When we left this morning our elevation was 1200 ft. above sea level. I don't know where we went up hill but the elevation here is 5251 ft. Cant wait to see the mountains, they look beautiful from here. Well, enough for tonight, were heading out at 8:00 a.m. and it's 10:00 p.m. (I thought it was 12:00 a.m.) forgot about the time changes. More adventures ahead. God Bless and remember to keep us in your prayers.....

Day 7 Walnut, IA

What can I say about today? Hair Raising to say the least. We got up, had breakfast, and headed down Rt. 80 around 9:15 a.m. Our destination was Lincon, NB It was about 450 miles away and the weather forecast predicted rain. Traffic was a little congested at first but it lightened up after a while. We traveled 250 miles before we finally went up hill (not a very large one either). The only thing we saw was cellular towers and corn sprouts. Miles and miles of them. Steve zigged when he should have zagged and we found ourselves having to turn around to get back on track. No big deal, we needed fuel anyway, so we fueled up and headed out. The threat of rain hung to the north and it was smooth sailing. Around 300 miles into the ride the rain looked more threatening, so we pulled under a viaduct to put our rain gear on. The timing couldn't have been better. A few minutes later a storm rolled in on us so quick it would make your head spin. Gail force winds, hail, and very heavy rain forced us to pull over. I was in the lead and Steve had pulled over before us. A van pulled behind Tracy and I and waved us in. Tracy was about to jump under the van because the lightening was so close. I remained outside trying to see Steve. A trooper pulled behind us and told me Steve was only about 500 yards behind us and that he was safe. The rain let up but the winds were still high. We thanked the guy who stopped and headed for the viaduct a quarter mile up the road to wait for Steve. I contacted Steve on the phone and he said he was going to wait there till the winds let up. The winds slowed enough to start our ride again and we headed out. We pulled off I 80 in Altoona, IA to find a place to eat and get dry. The weather looked like it was improving so I pulled out my lap top and checked the weather map. We saw a storm brewing where we were heading but we decided to head out. We had around 150 miles to go. Around 50 miles down the highway. Tracy and I heard a tornado warning for our area so we told Steve and we decided to call it a day. Thank God we did. If you watched the news you would have seen the devastation the tornado's caused. I 80 is closed from Altoona, IA to Omaha, NB. Hopefully it will be open in the morning. We are under a tornado watch till 2:00 a.m. The news channels are just buzzing about all that's going on. Once again the Lord is with us and we continue to ask everyone for their prayers as we travel. Sorry I haven't posted any new pictures, but the site only allows me so many megabytes per month. I will post new ones on June 1st. Good night and God Bless.

Day 6 Joliet, IL

WOW, that's the only way to describe today. Today gave a new meaning to Power Ride. We got up this morning to a light rain and cold temperatures (upper 40's). We decided to get an early start and take a leisurely ride to meet Steve. We donned our rain gear and prepared to head out. One problem, the bike wouldn't start. The battery was stone cold dead. A gentleman watching offered assistance and we brain stormed on how to get it started. I decided to have him pull start the bike with his car. Oh ya, the car had a U-Haul attached. Tracy didn't want to watch. The lot was wet and slippery and the rope was short. We prayed that it would work and that it would be safe. God is good, after one stall we got it started. Jim (the gentleman who helped) and I shared our faith with each other and departed ways. The winding roads of West Virginia are beautiful filled with mountains and trees. We had the road to ourselves and we made good time. We stopped for gas in Mineral Wells, W.V. I figured the battery had charged enough to shut it down. Wrong. Once again the Lord put us were we needed to be. The BP station we stopped at was a full service station and mechanics were on hand. The manager called a bike shop and had them set aside a battery for us. The shop was only a few miles up the road. The mechanics push started us and off we went to the shop. The guys at Lemon and Barrett's Suzuki ere great. We explained to them that we needed to be in Cleveland by 2 p.m. to meet Steve. We had about an hour to kill but that would mean a straight ride through to Cleveland. There wasn't much we could do the battery needed time to soak and charge. While we waited everyone chatted with us and made us feel welcomed. Tracy took a scooter for a test ride and we looked at everything in the large store. The guys made every effort to make sure we would be on time and they pulled through. We left and headed north. We still had the road to ourselves so I put the throttle in overdrive. We made excellent time and were only gong to be about a half hour late. We stopped for fuel and I called Steve to let him know our status. We arrived at the turnpike plaza in Ohio at 2:30 p.m. Steve wasn't there. He left me a message on my phone that he was running a little behind and would be there in an hour. Tracy and I went in and had coffee and a bite to eat. Our bones were cold from the power ride. Steve arrived , had a coffee and we headed out for what would turn into the Real Power Ride.... I'll spare you the details of the rest of the day, let's just say were in Joliet, IL. Ohio and Indiana are flat, very flat, and theres not much to see. We are all sore and relaxing now. All I can say is we certainly took advantage of the nice day and time change. Total miles for today was 637 and our total to date is 2,098. Many more to go. Keep us in your prayers and God Bless to all.

Day 5 Charleston, W.V.

Greetings from Charleston. God is great, another glorious day for riding. We left Cary around 11:15 A.M. and headed west toward Winston Salem N.C. Before we left we had a light breakfast and chatted with Bill and Bev. The temperature was in the high seventies when we left. As we headed to Winston Salem the sun increased it's intensity and the mercury reached eighty seven degrees. We stopped for gas ($3.89) in Kernersville, N.C. got a Red Bull and put on some long sleeve shirts (we were getting red). Off we headed toward Mt. Airy and we were out of the traffic of the city. This made for smooth sailing and we had a chance to enjoy the scenery. Fancy Gap, V.A. was our choice of towns to have lunch. As we pulled into town we recognized it from last years trip. A cute little country town, old homes spread far apart, old stores and barns and a nice little dinner called The Lakeview Restaurant. People are so nice down here. Everyone wants to chat with us and time is none existent. We fellowshipped with a gentleman for some time, ate lunch and headed north to Charleston. As the norm, just as we entered West Virginia, it started to rain. I had pulled over just before the border because it smelled and looked like rain. We were prepared as it down poured for a few minutes. We pulled over to use the rest rooms and when we were done the skies had cleared. The rest of the ride was dry and we arrived in Charleston around 7:10 P.M. We checked in to a Motel 6 and had a bite to eat. It's going to rain tonight but should be clear in the morning. We don't have to leave too early, we only have a 250 mile ride to meet Steve at 2 P.M. The adventure west starts tomorrow. Stay tuned....

Day 4 Cary, NC

Once again the Lord has provided us with a spectacular day for riding. Temperatures in the 70's and clear skies. We gathered in the hotel lot to say our good byes to Sue. Bob left before we got down stairs to head home solo. Hank and Lori said they would be traveling home alone also. I handed out picture C.D.'s that I created last night from our journey so far. We left the lot at 9:00 A.M. with 7 bikes headed for North Carolina. Tracy and I were heading for Cary and the rest were headed for the shores of N.C. We rode out of D.C. in fairly light traffic and headed 70 miles down Rt. 95. We decided we would ride before we ate. We stopped at a Denny's for breakfast in Culpepper V.A. I finally got to have grits and a good southern meal. We laughed because we rode to Culpepper last year to tour a distillery. We took off from Denny's and headed south on Rt. 95. Gary led and Heavy D took the rear. (we weren't going to lose Tom today) We stopped for gas near Bowling Green V.A. and the prices still were high ($3.89 gal.). Once again, we headed south on Rt. 95. We rode for another 70 or so miles then stopped at a rest stop to say our good byes. Tracy and I were going to head West on Rt 65 but I missed the exit. Good thing I had my G.P.S. because it redirected our route. We arrived at my brothers house around 5:00 P.M. and the grill was already fired up. Steaks for dinner, a quick dip in the pool, and relax. Total miles traveled today was 345. We are just sitting here in the kitchen chatting and enjoying our stay. Tomorrows ride we will head north to Charleston, W.V.

Day 3 Washington, DC

Another beautiful morning for a ride. We saddled up and met at the gas station in Harpers Ferry to start the ride to D.C. Sue said traffic would be heavy if we didn't leave by 6:00 A.M. No time for coffee before we left but the air was brisk and woke me up. The ride went smoothly as we traveled East to the American Legion in Maryland. When we arrived their were several hundred bikes already there. We took our place toward the front of the line and headed in for breakfast. The Legion puts on a nice spread for $5.00. After breakfast we walked around and checked out the bikes while awaiting our escorts to head out. At 8:45 A.M. we headed out for the ride to D.C. Under police escort we rode with approximately 600 bikes to D.C. What a feeling having the parkway to yourselves as we made our journey. Every entrance was blocked by police and cars were told to pull over and wait. At the pace we were moving I'm sure there were some upset drivers. We entered D.C. and were escorted to the Potomac river park by the Jefferson monument. We parked and Bob and I headed for Thunder Alley to get our t-shirts and pins. Tracy stayed behind because the walk was about a mile and a half and her feet were hurting. Bob and I made good time to Thunder Alley and we purchased our shirts immediately. We walked (or bumped) around and headed back in about 45 minutes. The parade started and miles of bikes rode through the capitol. Bikes continued to flow through the streets for hours. Around 2:30 P.M. we decided to head back to the Legion. We left, and shortly into the ride, we were separated from half of our 9 that left with us. We hooked back up several miles down the highway but we were missing Tom. When we got to our exit everyone went to the Legion for dinner while Bob Tracy and I headed for the hotel to check in. We were concerned about Tom and no one had his cell number. Tracy and I stayed at the hotel to wait for Tom and Bob went to the Legion. We figured he has been here enough that he would find his way to one of the to places. About an hour and a half later I called Bob and he told me he just saw Tom ride by the Legion. We felt relief that he was ok and canceled the Amber Alert and A.P.B. Tracy and I remained at the hotel and ate Wendy's burgers for dinner. I loaded the photo's from this weekend and burned discs for everyone. Our total mileage for today was a short 122 miles. We hope you enjoy the pictures so far. It has been fun keeping everyone up to date on our adventure. Next stop, Carry N.C. to see my brother and his family. Stay tuned........

Day 2 Harpers Ferry, VA

Today was a nice day for a ride, a bit cool in the morning, but it quickly warmed up. We left the hotel around 9:00 AM and headed for breakfast. Lee and Sue met us at the hotel and promised a nice ride to Gettysburg, PA. I cant tell you the routes we took I can only tell you the country side was beautiful. We headed north through West Virginia. The roads were pot hole free and curvaceous. I cant remember the name of the park we rode through but Camp David is located there. The scenery was filled with lots of trees and streams. We rode along side the Potomac River and headed for Battle Field Harley Davidson. Once again the traffic was heavy at times but the ride went smoothly. We arrived in Gettysburg and headed for H.D. The lot was full of bikes and once again ours was the only Yamahog there. Tracy and I shopped for sun glasses then sat and enjoyed the sunny weather. We left H.D. and went to the Gettysburg Welcome Center. The building was massive and very impressive. There were displays of guns, uniforms, letters, pictures, and all kinds of facts about Gettysburg and it's history. A lot of history nicely displayed and the layout was accommodating to the large numbers of people. We saddled up around 3:15 PM and decided to head back to Lee and Sue's house. It was a "Quick" ride back to their home and we were soon enjoying good food and drink. After a few hours we said our good byes to Lee (he has to work tomorrow and cant join us for the ride) and headed for the hotel. Tracy and I went to town to wash the bike and go to the store for something sweet. Tracy is re-coloring her hair pink (for breast cancer awareness) and I'm just relaxing and preparing for tomorrows ride. I discovered that pictures take a while to upload, so they will be coming when I can load them without roaming charges on my wi-fi. Early to bed, we need to be up at 5:00 AM. Kick stands up at 6:00 AM for the ride to Washington, D.C.

Off We Go Day 1

Greetings everyone. Tracy and I started our journey at 6:00 AM when we rode to Attica to meet up with everyone. We left Attica at 7:00 AM with 9 bikes. It was a little chilly and rain was threatening. Our starting mileage is 43,860. Gas was $4.03 a gallon. We made our way to Dansville for breakfast and coffee barley missing a deer on Rt. 390. We left Dansville and headed for Harpers Ferry, VA. We traveled down Rt. 15 through Pennsylvania. Traffic was congested in several areas along the way. I guess the stimulus package is working because many people are traveling this holiday weekend. (LOL) We made good time and made it to our destination around 5:00 PM. Lee and Sue welcomed us to their home with refreshments and a cook out. We hung out on the back porch and enjoyed good food and conversation. We headed out to check in to our hotel around 9:30 PM and got settled in. Our mileage for today was 398. Tracy is watching cartoon network and I'm writing this post. (Tracy likes to travel because she can get her cartoon fix) Time to hit the hay, breakfast is at 9:00 AM. Keep posted the adventure is just starting.

One more wake up

Greetings family and friends. Tomorrow is the big day we will be heading out around 6:30 AM to meet with everyone in Attica at 7:00 AM. Our first destination will be Harpers Ferry VA. We have made a few adjustments to our route but it will still be an adventure. Steve will be meeting Tracy and I on Wednesday May 28th at the first rest stop on Route 90 and 80 in Ohio at 2:00 PM. We will still be heading south first and eventually end up in Cary NC at my brothers house. From there we will be heading north to Charleston WV to spend the night and then on to Ohio to meet Steve. I will keep this post short we need to pack and call it the night. God Bless and please remember to keep us in your prayers.

Slide Show

Success. After hours of playing around with the slide show, I have finally figured it out. To the right you will see a slide show. We will post our pictures daily. If you want to stop the slide show or back up or forward any photo, just place your pointer at the bottom of the slide and a control panel will appear. It takes about 12 to 24 hours for the new photos to appear on the blog but at least you will be able to share the beauty with us. Only two weeks to go. We cant wait to start the journey. Keep coming back and enjoy the trip from your home. God Bless.

Count Down

Greetings family and friends. Well, the count down is on. Twenty two day's till we start our adventure. We are excited about it and it can't seem to come fast enough. The past few months we have spent time doing research and purchasing the small items we may need for our journey.
Many people like the idea of our blog and we will try to keep everyone well informed as we travel.
Our bike was in the shop last week for general servicing and inspection. We have an idea of what we will be taking with us and the finances are right on target. We will be taking rides within the next three weeks trying to "toughen" our "butts" for our long trip.
My mother in law sent us an article from their local newspaper (Warren, PA) about a couple of guys who traveled to Alaska on bikes. Needless to say, the article made it sound miserable, but one of the last lines is the most important. "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey." How true that statement is. Sorry ma and dad we are still going. Love you guys.
Remember to check our blog often. We will try to post everyday during our trip.