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Sturgis: beyond and back

Day 2 to Litchfield, IL. Beautiful back roads North through TN hills, then a steep drop to the serene, clear TN river. Where did we gain all that altitude? Into and through a corner of KY, across the Ohio River into IN. Pretty ride along the East side of the Mississipi River. Starting to see acres and acres of corn fields. An accident ties up the road, and a local tells us to follow him on a detour. He takes us on 20 miles of the prettiest, twisty, hilly, NARROW farm roads we have ridden yet. I’m hoping not to see a guy on a porch with a banjo. We get back on the main road without incident (whew). Toons is feeling ok but a little weak, so our gas stops and butt breaks are longer than usual, and we fall an hour behind schedule/distance. Toons’ radio goes blank and quiet. At the motel I find the radio “display” fuse blown and replace it. Doc says his speedo is intermittent and his voltmeter is jumping around. I tell him to check his battery connections, but he says it wouldn’t start if they were loose. We stop in Litchfield instead of Jerseyville. An early start will make up the deficit. Pics are a break along the TN river, and Joker with his new Gopro
camera.
 

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NICE picts and great thread......

You're LIVING MOST RIDERS DREAMS... Good for all of You.:bigsmiley23:


Remember,,,,,,, IT'S ALL IN A LIFE TIME.:D

I Better Get started.:s


Quote:

Two hrs. later, it’s removed by laparoscopic (3 tiny incisions) surgery. Dr. released him at 9am next morning, with caution to “take it easy',
**********************

Did Toons DR. Mean the Eagles Song? "Take It Easy":newsmile100:

Must have:D

signed....BUBBIE
 
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It was great meeting up with Breeze again and meeting the rest of the guys for the first time in Jamestown N.D. We had a good ride the next day to Duluth MN. Had some very interesting conversations with all the guys and I'm glad they let me tag along for a brief part of their trip. :D
 
Day 3 to Carroll, IO. Although impressive in size and beautiful, the corn and soybean fields are getting monotonous. Some fields look tall and green, some are stunted and brown. The difference must be irrigation. By noon, it’s over 100 degrees, and I am constantly drinking water without needing “pit stops”. My pop top Thermos mounted on the rear crash bar was a good idea, my water is always cold.
I’m squirting water inside my long sleeve shirt, down my front and back, and it helps, but the engine is heating the air enough that breathing is sometimes unpleasant. The occasional red lights in the small towns are very uncomfortable for all of us. We miss a turn, and it’s several miles before I notice the next town on the road side sign is not on our route. Toons and I don’t seem to be thinking clearly because of the heat and can’t decide where we are on the maps. Then I push the “where am I” button on my gps, and get a direct route back to our planned road, DUH. Doc’s bike blows a fuse and he replaced the 15 with a 20 amp, and says his speedo/tach and volt meter are still erratic. We decide to stop short of our days goal at 5 pm, but all motels are full for 50 miles, so we end up at our destination anyhow. Toons radio blew the fuse again, but we’re in no mood to trouble shoot, we just stick another fuse in. I’m sure we ate, but I can’t remember what or where. We just wanted to shower and sleep.
 
Day 4 to Valentine, NE. We all wake early and seem to be getting in the groove. Everyone is joking around and eager to get back on the road. It is about 70 degrees at 8 am, and the first 100 miles are wonderful riding. Everyone has settled into their place in line, and FINALLY stay in staggered position, maintaining safe distances between. It’s so nice when we pull out from a stop and there are no delays or hesitations. We are starting to look like a cohesive bunch. I never realized how much corn and soybeans are grown in the Midwest. Some fields stretch to the horizon, and the horizon is 360 degrees around us. The corn and soybean fields are broken only by the “aromatic” cattle holding yards. Wow, are they attention getters! Soon it is over 100 again. I found my neck cooler in the saddlebag last night, and soaked it in water overnight and it puffed up like a 24” Bratwurst. I had put it in my cooler for later. Now I draped it around my neck between my t-shirt and long sleeve shirt. At the next stop, I realize that although the neck cooler doesn’t really feel cool, I am more comfortable. Toons is nearly back to normal, he had a good breakfast and lunch and is looking forward to hot wings and beer tonight. The black and blue marks on his stomach are fading. My new Mustang wide touring seat seems to be breaking in nicely, but after the 5th hour of riding across the plains there’s not much to distract me from thinking about my posterior and I’m always shifting positions. Somehow I find that putting my feet on the passenger pegs gives me a whole new seating position. Sort of like a sportbike, leaning forward with weight on my arms. The new position is relief for many miles. Toons is feeling good, but his radio is out again. Doc’s bike goes click-click at a gas stop, so he pulls the seat and finds loose battery cables. HA! We finally start seeing different geography, rolling hills, and what appears to be miles of hay production and cattle pastures. They even cut and roll the hay along side the right of way. I notice that we have seen very little unused land in the last 3 days. It seems all the mid-west being used for some type of crop, unlike the idle land in the South. Maybe that’s why it’s called the nations breadbasket? I think flatness and rock free are contributing factors. We pass a group of about 50 bikes, and chase vehicles on the side of the road. I bet managing that many bikes on a ride is a colossal pain in some-ones road weary Glutemus Maximus. My mind seems to jump around a lot, then I realize I’m internalizing what would be conversation if I was in a car with someone.
Storm clouds are forming all around us as we pull into Valentine, so we get rooms at the first motel we come to. Toons and I go to a nearby sports bar and get hot wings and beer. Then we go back to the motel and pulled the outer fairing off of Toons bike, and find the radio harness is chaffing on the heat sink fins. I don’t think it’s the problem, but isolate it anyhow, and put another fuse in (it lasted the rest of the trip). Right after buttoning up the bike, a dust storm came through. I have never seen one before, it looks like it is raining, but it is dirt and high wind, and hurts your skin if you’re curious (dumb) enough to walk out into it. It’s almost full dark out at 6pm, then the rain and lightning start and we watch the place fill up with miserable looking motorcycle riders. An hour later the sun is shining and the skies are blue again.
 

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sounds like a great trip, i am enjoying the read..thanks for sharing

Thanks Lorne (and others). I'm having almost as much fun writing about the trip as I had on it. The first couple of days home, it was all a blur. Now as I type, I remember details, waitresses, motels and characters we met. I'm waiting for Webtron, Geezer, Jeff and Capitol Jack (when he gets home) to start writing.:bigsmiley23:
 
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