CHAPTER FIVE: MADE IT TO THE OLD HOOD

 

Today’s Miles: 450.8  Total Miles: 1,331.3

Wow, I slept good.  I woke up bright and early because I was told that I HAD TO wake my wife, Lisa, up earlier than normal.  Like the great husband that I am I called her at 6:00 AM sharp and was greeted with mumbles, slobbering, and generally talking into the pillow rather than into the phone.  After a bit of coaxing (mixed with some mischievous laughter) I had her semi-fully awake and I received a semi-sincere promise that she was, in fact, getting out of bed.  The good news for her was that since it was Friday she would not be getting another wake-up call from me for two whole days.

I readied myself and made it down to the breakfast room.  It was very clean and the food was great….or as great as a “free” hotel breakfast thing is going to be.  I did my normal computer work and people watching while I ate.  Then I scurried back to my room, did the final once over to insure I had everything, threw on my jacket and backpack, and out to the bike I went.

It was a beautiful morning with bright sun and few clouds.  I know that some people, especially those living in the northern zones, might call me a wuss but it wasn’t as warm as I like it to be.  It wasn’t cold but it was not, in my opinion, t-shirt weather.  Nevertheless, I manned up hopped on the bike and headed out.

I went back east on I-64 to the first exit.  That was the I-465 loop around Louisville and crossing the Ohio River.  I made the decision last night follow this route instead of going through the Downtowns of Louisville, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville.  I don’t know if it was better or not but it was light in traffic and I made great time.  So, if anyone asks……I made the best choice.

That took me around to I-65 and heading toward Indianapolis.  It was now getting very cloudy.  I had checked the radar before I left and I saw no greens, yellows, or oranges so I figured that I was safe.  It stayed cloudy all the way to Indianapolis but there was no rain.

When riding on surface roads and non-expressway routes I find that I do a lot of sightseeing.  I love going through towns and looking at what kinds of stores they have.  I like looking at farms and at old abandoned structures.  On the other hand, when I am busting through the atmosphere on expressways I tend to pay more attention to the road and traffic.   I’ll talk about speed in a little while.  Let’s face it, there isn’t a lot of sightseeing on the interstate except for maybe the thousands of “McDonald’s Next Exit” billboards.  Occasionally, my mind will wander.  I find myself rescuing Annette Funicello from a burning building (my apologies to those under 50 who do not know who Annette Funicello is) or Jennifer Love Hewitt from foreign kidnappers (my apologies to those under 30 who do not know who Jennifer Love Hewitt is).

After going through several scenarios of heroic achievements I turn to music.  I do not have a radio on my bike.  I understand, I guess, why some people would want one but it is not for me.  Heck, I seldom turn the radio on in the car……the few times that Lisa lets me drive it.  I like ALL kinds of music but I don’t like ANY kind of music for too long at one time.  I do like to listen to the classics…..not classics Kiss or Beatles or Dave Clark Five (my apologies to anyone of any age who do not know who the Dave Clark Five are) but the classics of Bach and Beethoven and all of their buds.  My favorite of them all is the William Tell Overture by Rossini…...and not just because Silver and The Lone Ranger ran to it (although that was my introduction) but there is SO much going on throughout the whole piece.  A couple weeks ago I saw a video of Glen Campbell (my apologies to those under 40 who don’t know who Glen Campbell is) playing the William Tell Overture on an acoustic guitar.  It was fantastic.  So I am cruising my way toward Indianapolis and find myself Ba-rumping the William Tell Overture.  Now if I can just get that music to play while I am rescuing Annette and Jennifer I will have quite the ride.

I stopped at a Love’s just south of Indianapolis and gassed up.  From there I hit I-465 looping around the city and caught I-69.  The clouds started clearing but the mercury in the thermometer wasn’t going up at all………darn this Florida blood.  I stopped at another Love’s just south of Fort Wayne, IN for gas and a quick can of Starbucks coffee and a package of Twinkies.  I received a message from one of my grandsons who lives in the lower part of Michigan.  I was to have dinner with him and his girlfriend when I got to my destination.  I told them I should get in about 4:30 and for them to pick me up at 5:30 giving me a chance to shower and change clothes.  I will still look raggedy because, let’s face it, I only have discarded clothes with me….but at least I wouldn’t stink.  I was sitting about 15 feet or so from the pumps and two relatively new mini white mini vans pulled in one behind the other.  One was a Nissan and the other a Toyota.  They looked almost identical. I looked at their plates and they were both from California so I figured they were traveling together.  But NO……the guy in the Toyota filled up, looked at the other van, smiled, and drove away.  The gal and kids in the other van went in the store and didn’t leave for another 10 minutes or so.  That was either a coincidence or that guy finally found a chance to get away.

My plan was to take I-69 into Michigan and hop on M-12 and have a nice sightseeing ride across southern part of the state.  However, I felt that I might be pushing the clock a little to do that so I stayed on I-69 and jumped on I-94.  I made my last gas stop in Marshall, MI at another Love’s.  After a quick run to the restroom…….and, by the way, their men’s room was being remodeled so they had a trailer in the parking lot for the “men’s room”……..I was back on the road heading east when…………………

WHOA…traffic stopped and crawled and stopped and crawled.  Finally, everything merged into one lane as we SLOWLY went by MILES of construction in ONE lane.  Eventually, that broke loose and I was on my way again.  I jumped on M-14 to take me north of Ann Arbor and get on U.S. 23.   U.S. 23 goes north and it is an expressway.  I got on U.S. 23 and all looked good when…………

WHOA…..traffic stopped and crawled and stopped and crawled.  At least on I-94 there was a legitimate excuse due to the construction.  The jam on U.S. 23 went for miles and ended at I-96.  There were no back-ups at the exit and no huge migrations on the entrances.  Just stupid drivers.  Ok, I was tired and I shouldn’t be calling them names but, if the shoe fits.  I got off on M-59 which is the main stretch to get me to my hotel about 30 miles or so and all looked good when…………..

WHOA…..M-59, which is not good enough under the best of conditions to hold all the traffic on it had its east bound two lanes cut to one for MILES.  And traffic stopped and crawled and stopped and crawled.  The worst part was that I saw NO workers and, in fact, it didn’t look like there was any reason for the lane to be closed.  Ok, I was tired and there were probably great reasons to have that lane closed but…grrrr.

There it was.  The Quality Inn and my home for the next 5 days.  I checked in, grabbed a cart and emptied the bike.  As I got into the room I got a message from my grandson that they were on their way and would be there in about 25 minutes.  YIKES!  So the showered got canceled but I did get a fresh set of discarded clothing on.

It was great seeing Isaac and Mia.  For one thing, the major purpose of this whole trip is to see my three kids and my huge population of grandkids.  We went to the Lion’s Den right down the street from the hotel and had a GREAT visit and meal.  I will say that FOR SURE Isaac and Mia were the youngest people in the place and I will also say that I am pretty sure that the vast majority of the patrons were my senior.  Then again, I might still be thinking of me rescuing Annette.

I said goodbye to the kids as they brought me back to the hotel.  I went to my room and gave Lisa a quick call to talk about each of our days and to say goodnight…..oh yeah, and a FIRM reminder from her that I was NOT to wake her up in the morning.

The next few days you will “meet” some of my friends and run around the old hood to look at memories gone by.  Thanks for coming along and I will talk to you again in a day….maybe two.  We’ll see how it goes.

If you enjoyed your read give this a Like and Share.  Also, feel free to drop me a line by email at donbova1966@yahoo.com, in messenger, on my Facebook timeline, or a comment on the blog.  Lastly, if you have missed previous chapters all you have to do is find them over to the right and catch yourself up.

 

CHAPTER FOUR: NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

 

Today’s miles:  492.6   Total Miles: 880.5

 

On my last long ride that gave me an 8 day, 2,500 mile run following the coastline of Florida most of the hotels we stayed at did not provide the “free” breakfast because of the covid pandemic.  By the way, that ride was with one of my most favorite riding partners my cousin, Sherry.  So it is REALLY nice to have breakfast available again.  As of this writing, there is a new “surge” in covid infections but, as for now, the Choice Hotels are again providing a breakfast for their customers.

Hotel breakfasts are a great place for people watching.  During the weekdays a lot of the customers are workers that are working on area buildings, roads, and the like.  They are experts in the art of hotel breakfasts.  They make the best waffles.  They whip down the food line with grace & efficiency.  Some sit and have conversations with each other and some take their stash back to their room.  Then there are the travelers.  They are not as skilled at hotel breakfasts as the traveling labor force.  They kind of stand in the middle and gaze at the offerings trying to figure out where and how to start out.  They stare at the waffle maker like they are waiting for it to shout out the instructions.  Unlike the laborers, the travelers don’t seem to talk much.  They sit at the tables in their groups and eat in silence.  I wonder if maybe we have an easier time speaking with our workplace comrades than with our families.

I went back to my room and as I packed I scoped out the radar and weather reports and it appeared (if you can trust TV meteorologists) that I was facing a day of great weather for riding.  I am happy to tell you (spoiler alert) that the weather gal was absolutely correct and I had sunshine & blue skies for my entire ride.

I know that miserable weather or mechanical failures will make for a more exciting time for readers.  At the same time, great weather and fine running machines makes for a happy writer.  I did have the nice weather and the bike ran like a dream.

The first few hours of the day were in the higher elevation of the Smokies.  That made it a wee bit cooler than I have been used to as of late.  But I am thankful.  Let’s face it, I am riding north and so far….NO SNOW.  I am confident that the “NO SNOW” description will continue BUT I am going to Michigan so all bets are off.

I did come to the conclusion that it would be a lot quieter out on the interstate if all the Walmart, Amazon, and Fedex trucks were taken off the road.

Today was all interstate.  I took I-26 to I-40 to I-75 to I-64.  I-26 was a LOT of construction with I-40 coming in second place in the construction standings.  I-75 was great as was I-64.

Today was not without some personal struggles.  One of my gas stops was at Williamsburg, KY and they had…..it hurts to even say it…..a Cinnabon.  If there was a Cinnabon close to my house I would be grossly obese…….not just the moderately obese that I currently enjoy.  I went in and I did NOT partake in their masterpieces.  I hope that you all are very proud of me.

Through the winding roads of the Smokies I put myself behind a semi hauling a flatbed trailer.  I used him for miles as my guide and cruise control.  Not having to pay attention to the speedometer having him keep track of all the curves made the ride a lot less stressful……and a LOT more pleasurable.

I finished the day at the Comfort Suites in Louisville, KY.  Practically in their parking lot was a McDonald’s and a convenient store.  So I checked in, threw my stuff into the room, and headed out walking to both businesses.  I had a heart healthy meal of 4 Cheeseburgers (if you are familiar with McDonald’s cheeseburgers…….4=1½), a medium fry, and a 20 oz Coke & 20 oz water.  That wasn’t necessarily a Happy Meal but it served its purpose.

I was pooped so I showered, checked in with my wife, and headed to bed.

Friday I have Waterford, MI in my sights.  It shouldn’t be too bad of a ride.  I hope that you will join me in the hopes that I have another day of GREAT weather and  a GREAT operating bike.

That’s it for today.  Sweet Dreams to me.  I will talk to y’all again tomorrow.

If you enjoyed your read give this a Like and Share.  Also, feel free to drop me a line by email at donbova1966@yahoo.com, in messenger, on my Facebook timeline, or a comment on the blog.  Lastly, if you have missed previous chapters all you have to do is find them over to the right and catch yourself up.

veline, or a comment on the blog.

CHAPTER THREE: WE’RE OFF AND RUNNING

 

Miles today: 387.9  Total miles: 387.9
 

Generally, it is my practice that on Departure Day I am up by 3:30 AM at the latest with the goal of leaving the garage by 4:00.  This gets me past Jacksonville before the madness of rush hour as well as giving me a shot to put a lot of miles behind me before the sun is high in the sky.  I broke that tradition by sleeping a WHOLE extra hour and not pulling out of the garage until 5:00 AM.  Am I a rebel or what?

There was the usual waking of my wife to let her know that I was leaving.  I have to give her credit because she really tries to wake up and look like she is caring.  However, like most of the other trips she “kind of” wakes up to kiss me, say goodbye, and for me to be careful.  It is probably much better that way because she has a much easier time letting me leave……She is most likely back to sleep before I am out of the neighborhood.

The first leg went really well.  I will admit that the huge pack on the bike made it feel like I had Shaquille O’Neal riding back there.  Traffic was only moderately busy and I still beat the Jacksonville rush hour.  The weather was near perfect and it was daylight by the time that I made my first gas stop in Brunswick, GA.  If I am heading north on I-95 like I was this morning Brunswick is generally where I always make my first stop.  The Love’s Travel Center there is almost exactly 150 miles from our door.

I know that it is the American Way to moan and groan about our jobs and having to go to work.  I had 55 years of moaning and groaning of my own.  Nevertheless, I am still amazed when I am out early in the morning and I see the American Workforce up and ready to go.  For all the moaning and groaning that there may or may not be it is amazing to stand around the coffee area in the morning at a convenience store and listen to the laughing and joking and people enjoying people.  It reminds me that the crazy, mixed up, country we see on the news isn’t really the country that we live in.  This morning at Love’s I saw a LOT of Americans going to work and laughing and joking the morning away…..at least the small segment of morning that I witnessed.

I gave my wife a call to make sure that she was awake and would be joining in with these Hi-Ho-Off-To-Work-I-Go people.  She was up and at’em…..more or less.

There are two things that I HATE to write about although from a readers point of view it might be more exciting.  One is getting caught in nasty weather and the other is a mechanical issue.  Well, I have already told you that the weather was great soooooo…………….

As I pulled out of Love’s and headed for I-95 all was well all the way to……second gear.  I could not shift to third.  I fiddled with it a bit and, I’m not sure what I did but I got through the gears.  So I continue to ride.  Under normal conditions on the Interstate there is very little shifting so once I got to 5^th gear I was golden.  I rode to Hardeeville, SC where I got off on U.S. 321 to go non-interstate to Columbia, SC, my destination for the night.  I had no problem down shifting and I pulled right into a gas station so there was no shifting.  I said to myself, “Ok, maybe it was just a fluke”.  HA!  The 130 mile ride to Columbia that took me through a boatload of small towns and LOTS of shifting.  I had a heck of a time.  I did a lot of talking to myself during that time and it is a good thing that I never pay attention to me because I am sure that most of my conversation with me was very colorful.  All that being said, once I did “force” into 5^th gear the ride was fantastic.  There were lots and lots of farms and small towns.  Those types of places are so interesting.  I love seeing the little abandoned shacks and businesses that look like 1920 gas stops and wonder about who built them and how excited they must have been.  Even though the structure is dilapidated and falling in…….it was new once and I wish I knew the history of each little building.

I made it to I-26 in Columbia and I made it to the Columbia Hooters.  By that time I was not in the best of moods.  There were several stretches that I was trying to go from 2^nd to 3^rd with the cars behind me not in the laughing and joking mood that I saw at the Love’s Travel Center.

I used my stop at Hooters to kind of regroup and figure out what I was going to do.  I ordered a burger…..hey, they have food there….who knew????  Then I gave my wife a call.  Might as well share the misery.  I figured that I had three options after I figured out what the problem was.  First, that I, or an area mechanic, found the problem, fixed it, I was merrily on my way.  Second, that I, or an area mechanic, kind of got me going and I head onto Mi
chigan and give it to a mechanic there.  Or third, I blow off the trip, cancel all the visiting that I have set up, and mope all the way back to Florida.  Well, my wife, bless her heart, gave me a 4^th option……check the local Harley dealer, see if they had a new Road King, buy it, and finish the trip.  I knew that wasn’t really an option (although I did go online and check the local dealer’s inventory…..no Road Kings…sigh).

My Hooters girl, Tina, brought me my food and I put her on task to get me a shirt signed by all the girls.  I started searching and found a Suzuki dealer only a couple mile from where I was at.  Heck, even if I had to stay in 2^nd gear that wouldn’t be too bad.  I finished eating, got my shirt, and headed off for Columbia Powersports Center.

They were TERRIFIC.  A couple of them come out and looked at the bike.  One took it for a ride around the parking lot.  They whipped it off to the back and 15 minutes later they brought out all readjusted and tweaked and running like new.  They even checked air pressure in the tires and got them up to snuff.  AND when I asked how much…..they said “nuthin’, and have a good trip”.  I gave the guy twenty bucks and told him to get something to eat or drink on the way home.  He was happy and I was THRILLED.

From there I whipped over to a Circle K for gas.  Well, “whipped” is not really the right expression.  I meandered through massive traffic, missed the turn, drove through a Dreaded Walmart Parking Lot, U-turned where I probably shouldn’t have, and SOMEHOW wound up in the Circle K.

I got my gas and headed the half mile or so to my Comfort Inn and Suites.  My home for the night……and what a home it is.  They gave me a two room suite at no extra charge.  I love this country.  So, I am going to flop onto the bed and enjoy my two rooms and get me a good sleep and I will talk to you tomorrow.

If you enjoyed your read give this a Like and Share.  Also, feel free to drop me a line by email at donbova1966@yahoo.com, in messenger, on my Facebook timeline, or a comment on the blog.  Lastly, if you have missed previous chapters all you have to do s find them over to the right and catch yourself up.

CHAPTER TWO: FAILING TO PLAN IS PLANNING FAIL

 
My two major tasks in getting ready for a motorcycle trip (besides getting the lawn mowed, wash the car, and cleaning the garage….and, oh yeah, anything else that my wife adds to the list) would be to plot out my route which includes scheduling the stops and, number two is the packing.  We shall start with the routing.

I have made the trip to Michigan many times.  Back in the days of being employed I would be under the time restraint of the job.  Even though there was that minor inconvenience of being employed it did make it a lot easier to plot out a route because I would basically just get on the interstate and slam it.  I still enjoyed the ride but I will have to admit that there wasn’t a lot of sightseeing to be done.

  Also, I would do the 1,200 miles in two loooong days of riding.  When I hit my quota of birthdays and qualified to retire..…..which made me my own boss (and I have my wife’s permission to say that)……I was able to alter my routes to do more riding on U.S. highways instead of the interstate and extend the amount of time to get from Point A to Point B.  One of the criteria I used a lot was passing through towns where there was a Hooters restaurant.  This another story that I tell in a different journal but in 2003 I bought a Hooters t-shirt.  I will spare you the pain of sitting through that whole story of what happened but the end result was over the years that one purchase evolved into about 70 additional shirts from 70 different Hooters restaurants. I would stop, grab a burger (yep, can you imagine my surprise when I found out that they actually serve food at those places….I love this country), and a shirt.  By the way, ALL of the shirts are signed by all of the girls on duty at the time of the purchase.  It is hard to find one that I haven’t been to before and since I only go to each restaurant ONLY once I no longer bother to look for them to set up a route.

What I elected to do this time was to combine interstate and U.S. highways and have a semi quick trip with a bit of “slamming it” with a bit of sightseeing thrown in for good measure.  I will be leaving on Wednesday July 28^th.  My first stop will be in Columbia, South Carolina.  OK, I have to admit to you that even after making the above statement…there IS a Hooters in Columbia that I have not been to before.  So even though that was not the criteria for this stop……well, things just happen.  That will be the only mention of Hooters on this trip………..maybe!

I also like to know that I have a room waiting for me.  I learned the hard way that after riding for 14 hours and pulling off on an exit and finding no room at the inn…..any inn.  The hotel chain that I use fo
r the most part is the Choice Hotel group.  They have a large family of brands to choose from.  The hotels are generally clean and, so far, they all have had running water.  I might be a little picky but a working shower and toilet are a somewhat important to me.

I follow t
he route I choose and look up hotels and plot my stops.  I firm it up by making a reservation at each location I have chosen and I am good to go.  On this trip I will be stopping in Columbia, SC, Louisville, KY, Waterford, MI, Clare, MI, Petoskey, MI, again at Waterford, MI, London, KY, and Commerce, GA.  There will be lots of friends and family (and I consider some of the family are also friends) that I will introduce to you along the way.  My goal is that when I am done you will know what it feels like to spend the night in places like London, KY and what a great effort I put into selecting only the most nutritious products by Hostess and Little Debbie.  Prepare to have your life enriched.

Now for the packing.  For you first time readers of one of my journals let me explain how I pack.  The rest of you can go grab a snack or run to the bathroom.  A couple decades ago I read an article in a motorcycle magazine by a guy who took a week-long trip.  He said that when his clothes started to wear out he stowed them somewhere and they became his traveling clothes.  Each day on the road he would wear a set and toss them that night.  That sounded great to me.  There would be no lugging dirty clothes around and/or having to do laundry in the middle of a ride.  So, I immediately started saving worn out clothes.  When they reach the point where my wife would be saying “those things have to go” I would put them in our guest room dresser and that became my “Motorcycle Trip Stash”.  It has worked GREAT over the years.  I pack enough clothing for the number of days I am going to be traveling plus a little extra in case of an emergency.  Each morning I put on fresh and each night I toss it.  I call it the “Landfill Method” of packing.

Normally, the length of my trips are 7 to 14 days and that is pretty manageable but this adventure will be a full 18 days.  Let me tell you, the bag is REALLY full.  On top of that my saddlebags are packed as full as possible and I even had to strap an additional roll bag on top of my busting-at-the-seams regular
bag.  This is by far the most I have ever packed for a trip.  I have enough clothes for a 20 day trip PLUS a couple of sweatshirts…..I am going to Michigan after all.  I will include my check-off packing list to give you an example of what I carry.

I also wear a backpack and this is vital.  When I leave the house EARLY on the morning of 28^th I know that I will be spending two nights on the road so what I do is put two sets of clothes in my backpack.  I also carry my computer, toiletries, and some other things that I will need in the hotel.  That way I can leave the “big” bag on the bike while I am traveling.  Once I hit Waterford, MI where I will be staying a few days and I will take the bag into the hotel.  By the time that I leave there its volume will have dropped a little bit.  It will be a one night stay before reaching my kids so my backpack will carry the clothing I need so I can, once again, leave the bag on the bike as I travel that one night.  By the time that I leave Commerce, GA on August 14th and head for home the bag will almost be as floppy as the skin under my upper arms.

I am now all ready to leave.  I have put my formal request in to God for sunny and cloudless days for the ENTIRE trip.  Stay tuned to see how well that worked out.  The bike is clean and shiny.  It also has a belly full of nice, fresh oil.  The tires are relatively new and I have taken my Flintstone Vitamins.  Right now the bike is definitely loaded to the max but that will improve slowly but surely as I travel on..

So, get on your mark, get set, and……….well, Wednesday morning around 4:00…….GO!  Hopefully, I will talk to you Wednesday night from Columbia, SC (with a new Hooters shirt).  By the way, over the years people have asked me what in the heck was I going to do with all those signed Hooters shirts.  I tell them that they are my son’s share of the inheritance.  He is, understandably, thrilled beyond description.  Of course, if I keep spending money by taking these cross country motorcycle trips his share of the estate (and I use the word "estate" VERY loosely) might wind up being worth more than what his sisters get.

If you enjoyed your read give this a Like and Share.  Also, feel free to drop me a line by email at donbova1966@yahoo.com, in messenger, on my Facebook timeline, or a comment on the blog.  Lastly, if you have missed previous chapters all you have to do is find them over to the right and catch yourself up.