2006 RIDING YEAR SUMMARY

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I was going through some old computer data CDs and I found this.. Originally written for the Central Midwest HOG (Harley Owners Group) Newsletter called HOG TALES, I thought I would just post it here. I wrote this before I knew I had actually come in first for the ABC's challenge.
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Crista, I wrote some thing up for the newsletter.

Well I have had a great year of travels and I thought I would just write up a summary of my experiences.

Odometer wise, Effie, my 2005 Sportster 883 Low, tells me we went just over 42,000 miles in 2006. When I was trying to put it in a frame of reference that one of my younger friends could understand I found that it is almost 3,000 miles from New York, NY to San Francisco CA. It would take 14 of those trips to make 42K miles.

I am impressed with the nimbleness, responsiveness and absolute dependability of my ride. Effie has carried me, and all my gear, everywhere I pointed her and has proven on multiple occasions that I am the weak link of the team we form together. Effie is one great bike and I am very fortunate to have found in my first Harley purchase, the one that fits me well. With 68K on the odometer now, I look forward to rolling that over the 100K mark this coming year.

Both Central HD shops were great to get her in for service on short notice and fit into my very tight schedules, every weekend I was gone, a lot of weekends were 3 or 4 days long. It was not uncommon for us to put 1, 2 or 3 thousand miles on over a weekend and do that for 6 or 7 weekends in a row. An oil change would last 2 maybe 3 weeks before it needed to be repeated. We had places to go and ABC points to get. This summer we traveled to all 48 states of the Continental United States and 9 Canada Provinces. We made it to 20 State HOG rallies, 1 Canadian HOG Rally and the US National HOG Rally. We went to all 6 Harley Factories that count toward the ABCs. I submitted what I think is 141 points to HOG for consideration, my goal was to be in the top ten, I wanted one of those top ten plaques. I have received 2 plaques along the way, one at the MA/RI State HOG Rally for ‘Furthest Distance Traveled to the Rally’ and the second at the SC State HOG Rally for ‘Longest Distance’. We accumulated 67 of the 91 possible points for the HOG Chapter’s IBE challenge.

We drew crowds at some dealerships and rallies as Effie and her attachments were noticed in the parking lot. One dealership in MA wouldn’t believe me when I said she was my bike. They had never seen a Sporty with 50K miles on it and I did not meet their expectations of the rider who would have done it. Once they did accept it, I was asked for a tour of what I had done to her. Stops for an oil change at dealerships in NC and VA caused multiple questions about who I had borrowed the bike from or how many miles were on it when I bought it used, they could not fathom that I had put those miles on her. I met some great people on my trips and many showed genuine concern and helpfulness. More than once I would head out to pack Effie for the day and found rags sitting on her waiting for me to do a little debugging of my beleaguered looking bike.

The side trips for the ‘off the beaten path’ towns were the most memorable part of some trips. Top of this list would be the rides getting IBE #81 CHASKA TN, IBE #35 TALLAPOOSA, GA, IBE #45 DEVILS LAKE WI, IBE #43 SPIRIT LAKE ID, IBE #34 SANTE FE, TN and the continual search for a BOONE city anywhere. I am a history nut, so the historical markers are a must stop. I learned Daniel Boone was everywhere, WV, VA, NC, MO, KY, TN among many things, his grandson was the first recorded white birth in KS. Babe Ruth’s first homerun as a professional baseball player was hit in NC and it was there he was dubbed ‘The Babe’. I saw the land where Davy Crocket was born & raised. I saw the field where man flew for the first time and where the very first white colonists were ‘lost’ forever. I saw where the Revolutionary War’s first shot - The Shot Heard Round the World - was fired and where Custer stood for the last time. Both battlefields were presented so I could see the excitement of the battle and understand the utter terror of it. The land of each site seemed to have a soul of its own.

I enjoyed the beauty and grace of the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Road to the Sun, the Natchez Trace, the Cabot Trail and many of the back roads found all across America. While riding through Yellowstone, I was approached by buffalo that came so close I could have reached out and touched them, but instead I was acting as submissive and non aggressive as I knew how. I had a great year. I look forward to this next year and the trips that await us. I encourage you all to get out there and discover (or rediscover) your own part of America. To contribute to your journey I offer these 2 top eleven lists. If you want to read more about my travels with Effie, many are on the internet with pictures included. Just visit: www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Harley-Mom


Cindy’s Top Eleven Places to Visit.
11. Chester IL - I love the Segar Memorial Park by the Mississippi River.
10. Loess Hills Scenic Byway in IA
9. Canada, anywhere slightly remote. It’s such a pristine environment.
8. Blue Ridge Parkway
7. Northern AR & Southern MO, pick a highway and have fun.
6. Outer Banks North Carolina, which includes Kitty Hawk (Wright Bros National Park), Nags Head, The Lost Colony all within 10 miles of each other.
5. North Bridge (Minuteman National Park, Concord, MA) & Boston Tea Party (National Park, Boston, MA) - Revolutionary War history everywhere you turn.
4. Yellowstone National Park (WY)
3. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Memorial (MT)
2. Cabot Trail (Nova Scotia) - Awesome trail expect to take at least 1 long full day to get around the trail, no matter what you think the map says.
1. Glacier National Park (MT) - Make sure you go when the “Road to the Sun” is open and it is only open a few months in the year.

Cindy’s Top Eleven Tips for Travelers
11. Always carry that extra qt of oil and check the oil level every night along with checking the lights &……
10. A light weight rain cover isn’t for the rain, it’s a cheap deterrent for prying fingers. It will actually suck at keeping the bike dry.
9. Your comfort level is always higher if you can keep your socks dry, both the ones on your feet and the ones you have packed.
8. If you see a biker sitting along side the road, then pull over and see what you can do to help. Its one of the things this is all about.
7. If you are on a solo bike trip then check in with someone back home every night and be zealously dependable about doing it. Let them know where you are staying that night and where you are heading tomorrow. If you deter from your planned route, let them know.
6. With a strong enough head wind that tank of gas that usually lasts 200 miles, could hit reserve at 118 miles.
5. The 3 things that should always be the handiest to get to: Toll road payment, Camera & Rain Gear.
4. Before you open the door of your new motel room, knock on that door.
3. Find what keeps you alert on long rides and use it.
2. Women, don’t delay going to the bathroom so long that it is hard to get off the bike.
1. Always turn the water on BEFORE you put your toothbrush under the facet.

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Photos

Back from a long trip
Just back from 17 days to the Nova Scotia and many places in between.

Comments

[Sharing the Journey]

Another Great Read
I found another diamond in your back log of blogs. Thanks Alec

[Harley Mom]

Thanks!
Thanks Alec, this is one of my favorites. I have another old letter I wrote that ended up in our local HOG newsletter. I am going to see if I can find it. I think it was one of the first motorcycle stories of mine that was published.