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- Joined
- Nov 7, 2004
- Messages
- 17,405
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- 5,542
- Location
- Sun Lakes & Show Low, Arizona
- First Name
- Brian
If I fail to recognize anyone in this story please forgive me as it was not intentional, but if I fail to write things down they tend to disappear from my head. First, let me recognize kickstand-prophet (Drew), beemerless bob (Bob), gixxerjasen (Jasen), mitchntx (Mitch), dancing with curves (Chris), and JIm. I'll give further details later in this story.
Several things happened to make this trip come together; first was the fact that this was going to be the 15th Anniversary of the very first TWT Pie Run, even though this type of event wasn't called a Pie Run yet when it first began. Next was the fact that I retired four days earlier, and I now had the time to leave on a Friday in order to make the event on Saturday. Last was permission from SWMBO - she does not like it when she doesn't get to go on a ride, but this was going to be an IBA SaddleSore attempt (1,000+ miles in under 24 hours) in cold temperatures, and since her stroke she does not have the stamina or the cold endurance to handle something like this. After much cajoling and logical discussion she said "fine, do what you want". Now women, you know this means "you better not"; but men, we hear that and we think "yes, she's okay with it". Yes, I knew she really wanted to go but deep down she also understands that there is no way she could handle it.
(Don't worry, she doesn't know it yet but I'm going to take her on a ride to Alaska and Banff in June and it will be a slow, warm, flower-sniffing tour as opposed to the original plan of a Hyder to Hyder Iron Butt certification ride)
Next up was checking the bike over and getting everything packed. Tires: rear (Pirelli run flat car tire) - good, front (Avon touring) - ok, but should have another 2,000 miles easily left in it for this trip. Oil: checked and filled. Other misc stuff: checked. Even though it was just me I went ahead and loaded extra clothes in the Pakit Rak I run on the back of the Wing. This thing is so handy I never even remove it between trips. It's one of the best purchases I've made for a touring bike. I pulled my Rtic jug out of the freezer (a frozen jug and hydration hose doesn't grow mold) and placed into my MotoJug holder on the back seat. Gear: My Roadcrafter is ready for a ride; got a new Buff Polar headgear (which I love); my new Warm & Safe heated undershirt has arrived; one pair of warm weather Lee Parks Deer Tour gloves which is what I wear 99% of the time; two pairs of winter gloves including one pair by @Ken Phenix; my trusty LD Comfort leggings; and my Oxtar Matrix boots. I love these boots but they are on their last legs which is why I'm glad I bought a second pair about six months after buying the first pair, and that was over ten years ago and these have well over 100,000 miles on them. One note on the Warm & Safe undershirt... wear another tight shirt over it to help keep the heated shirt closer to your skin. I wore a regular long sleeve shirt over the top of mine and probably should have worn my LDC undershirt as it tends to have more compression. Review: I really like the undershirt compared to my Gerbing jacket as the heat is more even and I don't get any hot spots like I do on the jacket when I crank it up. I also like my Warm&Safe wireless controller for the fact that I just have the controller velcroed to the top of my Farkle Shelf, but it is hard to get it dialed in just right when wearing heavy gloves on the small knob. I spent a lot of time turning it up, turning it down, turning it up, turning it down. I will say though, that when it's cranked up all the way it will be HOT and the heat will be even - chest, belly, back, arms.
I am not sponsored by anyone so the links above are because I sometimes get asked a lot of questions about what I use or where I got it, but I'm happy to answer any questions about what I like or don't like. I have over 100,000 miles of experience with much of the stuff I use.
Now to plan my sleep schedule. Prior to a certified ride I try to get plenty of sleep, so Wednesday night I stayed up late and got up early on Thursday so that I could go to bed early Thursday (6 pm) for a 3 am wake-up. So roughly 5 hours on Wednesday night with a planned 8-9 hours for Thursday. You know what they say about the best laid plans, right? Yep. As things turned out I did get my 5.5 hours on Wednesday, but I didn't get to sleep until about 8 pm on Thursday. Then Brenda got up to do something, then she rustled around for something on the night stand, then something on the dresser, then sat back down on the bed, then got up again, then sat back down and got into bed and laid on her back. What happens when she sleeps on her back? You guessed it, deep, heavy breathing which soon transitions into light snoring which transitions into heavy snoring which transitions into me nudging her and telling her to turn over. Which she did. But the damage was done. It was 11:30 pm when she first woke me and I'd gotten 3.5 hours of sleep. I laid awake until 12:30 at which time I said "screw it, I can sleep on the road if I need to", and I began dressing. Now, if you've ever worn heavy duty motorcycle gear you know it's not quiet to put on or wear, but she just slept through everything until I woke her to say good-bye. Some people! If a mosquito farts in my vicinity it will keep me awake.
I'm dressed, the bike is loaded, and as I back it out of the garage Brenda shows up in her robe to say good-bye, and she watches me ride away.
First stop, the gas station across the street. As I roll in about 0130 I notice a Deputy in the parking lot and he's probably wondering what this bundled up fool on a motorcycle is up to. I was obviously more focused on him then on my own tasks as I got my receipt, checked it for accuracy, wrote my mileage on it, and tucked it away. I failed to take a photo of the receipt next to my odometer. That was not my first fail of the trip, but it also wasn't my last.
Now, start the 24 hour countdown timer (when you are doing cross-country rides through multiple time zones and you're tired, it gets difficult to do the math in your head so this allows me at a glance to see how much time I have left in a certified ride); plug in the gear; reset all parameters on the GPS, look around for anything else I may have missed, and then Off I GO...
I live 3.5 miles from I-10 so in a matter of minutes I'm eastbound and down. Traffic is light, speed limit 75, and the temps are mid-40s. Very nice. As I-10 continues east through Tucson, Benson, and Willcox the elevation continues to rise and the temps continue to drop. I see a low of 28 degrees but fortunately it's been dry lately and there is no ice on the bridges. The undershirt is doing a good job of keeping me comfortable, but my feet are cold (didn't wear my heated socks - another fail), and the outsides of my upper thighs are really feeling the cold. As I move into NM the temps rise to between 32-34 across the entire state. I see 36 degrees near Las Cruces and then 37 as I reach El Paso. I hit the McDonald's at the 375 intersection and go inside to warm up and have breakfast. I get the big breakfast and wolf it down, then rest my head against the side wall and sleep for 15-20 minutes. A 20 minute nap will usually take care of me for about 4 hours, but with the lack of sleep the prior night, who knows? I load back up and hit the road once again. Around noon I stop at a rest area east of Van Horn, pull my bike cover from the saddle bag to use as a pillow, and I climb up on a picnic table for a nap at the Iron Butt Motel. After about 20 minutes of sleep, one of the maintenance men working the rest stop wakes me to tell me that Texas doesn't allow sleeping on the picnic tables or benches, then he looks around, sees that there are no signs posted at the this particular pavilion and says not to worry about it, but if a boss catches me they will tell me to stop. So I gather myself together, look at the sign posted in the next pavilion, tuck that away in the gray matter, and head back to the bike.
Onward!
I reach Junction around 5 pm, gas up, and then head north on the secondary roads as the sun begins to wane. Oh joy. Back roads... night time... Texas... forest rats. My average speed plummets as my paranoia reaches new heights. After counting 12 live deer (how many did I *not* see?), 3 dead deer, and multiple coyote carcasses, I stop counting. There is nothing like a strong sense of self-preservation to keep your tiredness at bay. Whenever possible I tuck in behind a larger vehicle, hoping that if an errant deer wanders onto the highway they will get struck by the vehicle instead of me. I reach Hico just prior to 9:30 pm (8:30 AZ time) so just under 19 hours of travel time to do 1,077 miles or about a 57 mph average. Remember, it's not a race; whether you complete a SaddleSore in 15 hours or 23 hours and 55 minutes, the certificate reads the same so there's no need to speed. It's actually one of the easiest rides to get certified on. I gas up, press the button for the receipt, and... nothing. Typical. The last and most important receipt of the entire trip and no receipt. Oh well, secure my keys and head inside to get a reprint, document my mileage on it, take the appropriate photo, tuck it away, and then head to the hotel which is only 100 yards down the street.
When researching hotels in the area there were some nice ones for well over $100, but no, I have to pop for the cheapie of $51 including tax at the Hico Hills Inn. Big mistake. BIG mistake. BIG. I get the last room and the heater isn't working, but not to worry, they put a space heater in there for me. Yeah, that's what they did. This thing might do a good job of keeping your feet warm under an office desk, but an entire hotel room? I think not. What are my choices? See if there is another hotel nearby with a room no matter the cost? Load the bike back up, find the other place, unload the bike, and hope it's better? Nope. I was cold (freezing) and exhausted so I stayed put. I got undressed but kept on my LDC tights, socks, and a tee-shirt and crawled into bed. Oh, by the way, they had left the main heater running but all it had been doing was blowing cold air into the room. They hadn't even turned the space heater on to give me a warm room when I got there. So I'm bundled up, laying in bed and shivering. I can't stop with the chills and I remember back to a few months ago when Brenda developed pneumonia overnight and woke at 4 am with a fever and chills and shivering, and I begin to wonder if I picked up something during the ride. So I drag myself out of bed and get into the shower which although it looks terrible, delivers GREAT water pressure and lots of water as hot as I can stand. I start out with warm, then hotter, then hot. My outer thighs and butt area are very, very cold to the touch (remember, it's been 36-46 degrees almost the entire ride) and it takes a long time to get them to feel warm to the touch. Eventually the shivering stops, the space heater has taken the chill out of the air and I crash into bed.
I wake at 530 the next morning, a force of habit from working I guess, and since I know that the Koffee Kup opens at 6 am I get dressed and head on over. It's across the street from the gas station, so only about 100 yards away from the Inn. I'm the first one there so I grab a table, order, and pretty soon I get a piping hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and biscuits/gravy. I couldn't even eat the second biscuit although I'd had nothing to eat since breakfast the prior day. I take the mandatory photos, and then head back to the hotel to sleep another couple of hours, then up to pack and head over for the Pie Run.
Yes, even at 6 in the morning they already had the sign up. What drew my attention to it? Why it was the rooster across the street behind the sign letting the world know that it was time to get up.
My tasty breakfast. Five stars.
I review more of my room and really notice the cracks in the shower walls, the crud on top of the microwave, the fact that they provide a coffee maker and coffee, but no cups. Notice that the big heater is unplugged. It wouldn't turn off so that was the only way I could stop the cold air. And notice the "huge" space heater they gave me.
Here are some of the cracks in the shower wall.
And the top of the microwave. Apparently, cleanliness is something foreign to the housekeepers here.
Now, if you think I learned my lesson by staying at a cheap place, think again. I've got another story to tell you about a place on the way home.
The bike is loaded and I'm ready to head over to the Koffee Kup to meet everyone so I do my pre-flight inspection and whoa! My front tire is toast. A very small slit is visible in part of the center section of the tread. Rideable? Yes, But for how long and how far? Certainly not long enough to get me home. So I get to the restaurant and immediately start making phone calls. NOBODY has a Goldwing front tire in stock within the 50-100 mile radius I was calling, not even a Honda dealer. A Honda dealer! No Goldwing front tire in stock at a Honda dealer??? But then... an independent Harley shop tells me he has one but can't install it because he has to leave for a prior engagement. I call back to Heartbeat Racing in Granbury and tell them to order me one. I feel I can ride that far without a problem and I'll just have to wait in a hotel until TUESDAY before I can get back on the road.
Now, here is where the heroes mentioned above come into play. Drew has been working the crowd inside the restaurant and found Jasen who knows OldTLSDoug who is at his home with his big shop and he's willing to mount the tire for me. (me = no tools and no skills) Bob is willing to forego eating his tasty lunch and drive me to Stephenville to pick up the one existing tire in Central Texas, bring it and me back to Hico, and then bring it to Doug's place. I call back to the independent (Streamline Cycles 254-965-1903 if any of you HD guys in the area want to throw him some business) and he agrees to wait until 11:45 for me to get there. I touch base with Bob, we jump in his Jeep and off to Stephenville we go. Streamline makes me a smoking deal on this new Michelin and back to Hico we go. We reconnect with Jesse and then he leads us at 50 mph all the way to Doug's place. Wow, what a place. I'd love to have a garage like that.
Introductions all around (and I write down names for later) and then they all jump on my bike like a NASCAR pit crew, and in about an hour I was out the door and heading home.
I cannot, CANNOT, CAN NOT thank enough all of those involved for everything they did to help me out.
If not for everyone mentioned (and possibly some I missed) I would have been stuck in Texas until Tuesday afternoon which wouldn't put me home until late Wednesday morning, with a medical procedure on Thursday that I would have needed to prep for on Wednesday and may have had to cancel if I couldn't do the prep (yes, a colonoscopy). So not only did they all save me from multiple days of hotel bills and meals, they saved me from having to reschedule a procedure that I couldn't reschedule because I wouldn't have had the insurance (remember, I just retired and my coverage ends 02/02/2020).
So without further ado... may I introduce to you the saviors of my trip. From left to right: Mitch, Jim, Jesse, Chris, and the man, the myth, the legend, Doug. Guys, thank you so much! Not knowing that they would all be there, I did bring a piece of apple pie for Doug. In all the rushing about, I never got a chance to stop and eat myself. So 2,000+ miles and no pie.
Next up: the return trip.
Several things happened to make this trip come together; first was the fact that this was going to be the 15th Anniversary of the very first TWT Pie Run, even though this type of event wasn't called a Pie Run yet when it first began. Next was the fact that I retired four days earlier, and I now had the time to leave on a Friday in order to make the event on Saturday. Last was permission from SWMBO - she does not like it when she doesn't get to go on a ride, but this was going to be an IBA SaddleSore attempt (1,000+ miles in under 24 hours) in cold temperatures, and since her stroke she does not have the stamina or the cold endurance to handle something like this. After much cajoling and logical discussion she said "fine, do what you want". Now women, you know this means "you better not"; but men, we hear that and we think "yes, she's okay with it". Yes, I knew she really wanted to go but deep down she also understands that there is no way she could handle it.
(Don't worry, she doesn't know it yet but I'm going to take her on a ride to Alaska and Banff in June and it will be a slow, warm, flower-sniffing tour as opposed to the original plan of a Hyder to Hyder Iron Butt certification ride)
Next up was checking the bike over and getting everything packed. Tires: rear (Pirelli run flat car tire) - good, front (Avon touring) - ok, but should have another 2,000 miles easily left in it for this trip. Oil: checked and filled. Other misc stuff: checked. Even though it was just me I went ahead and loaded extra clothes in the Pakit Rak I run on the back of the Wing. This thing is so handy I never even remove it between trips. It's one of the best purchases I've made for a touring bike. I pulled my Rtic jug out of the freezer (a frozen jug and hydration hose doesn't grow mold) and placed into my MotoJug holder on the back seat. Gear: My Roadcrafter is ready for a ride; got a new Buff Polar headgear (which I love); my new Warm & Safe heated undershirt has arrived; one pair of warm weather Lee Parks Deer Tour gloves which is what I wear 99% of the time; two pairs of winter gloves including one pair by @Ken Phenix; my trusty LD Comfort leggings; and my Oxtar Matrix boots. I love these boots but they are on their last legs which is why I'm glad I bought a second pair about six months after buying the first pair, and that was over ten years ago and these have well over 100,000 miles on them. One note on the Warm & Safe undershirt... wear another tight shirt over it to help keep the heated shirt closer to your skin. I wore a regular long sleeve shirt over the top of mine and probably should have worn my LDC undershirt as it tends to have more compression. Review: I really like the undershirt compared to my Gerbing jacket as the heat is more even and I don't get any hot spots like I do on the jacket when I crank it up. I also like my Warm&Safe wireless controller for the fact that I just have the controller velcroed to the top of my Farkle Shelf, but it is hard to get it dialed in just right when wearing heavy gloves on the small knob. I spent a lot of time turning it up, turning it down, turning it up, turning it down. I will say though, that when it's cranked up all the way it will be HOT and the heat will be even - chest, belly, back, arms.
I am not sponsored by anyone so the links above are because I sometimes get asked a lot of questions about what I use or where I got it, but I'm happy to answer any questions about what I like or don't like. I have over 100,000 miles of experience with much of the stuff I use.
Now to plan my sleep schedule. Prior to a certified ride I try to get plenty of sleep, so Wednesday night I stayed up late and got up early on Thursday so that I could go to bed early Thursday (6 pm) for a 3 am wake-up. So roughly 5 hours on Wednesday night with a planned 8-9 hours for Thursday. You know what they say about the best laid plans, right? Yep. As things turned out I did get my 5.5 hours on Wednesday, but I didn't get to sleep until about 8 pm on Thursday. Then Brenda got up to do something, then she rustled around for something on the night stand, then something on the dresser, then sat back down on the bed, then got up again, then sat back down and got into bed and laid on her back. What happens when she sleeps on her back? You guessed it, deep, heavy breathing which soon transitions into light snoring which transitions into heavy snoring which transitions into me nudging her and telling her to turn over. Which she did. But the damage was done. It was 11:30 pm when she first woke me and I'd gotten 3.5 hours of sleep. I laid awake until 12:30 at which time I said "screw it, I can sleep on the road if I need to", and I began dressing. Now, if you've ever worn heavy duty motorcycle gear you know it's not quiet to put on or wear, but she just slept through everything until I woke her to say good-bye. Some people! If a mosquito farts in my vicinity it will keep me awake.
I'm dressed, the bike is loaded, and as I back it out of the garage Brenda shows up in her robe to say good-bye, and she watches me ride away.
First stop, the gas station across the street. As I roll in about 0130 I notice a Deputy in the parking lot and he's probably wondering what this bundled up fool on a motorcycle is up to. I was obviously more focused on him then on my own tasks as I got my receipt, checked it for accuracy, wrote my mileage on it, and tucked it away. I failed to take a photo of the receipt next to my odometer. That was not my first fail of the trip, but it also wasn't my last.
Now, start the 24 hour countdown timer (when you are doing cross-country rides through multiple time zones and you're tired, it gets difficult to do the math in your head so this allows me at a glance to see how much time I have left in a certified ride); plug in the gear; reset all parameters on the GPS, look around for anything else I may have missed, and then Off I GO...
I live 3.5 miles from I-10 so in a matter of minutes I'm eastbound and down. Traffic is light, speed limit 75, and the temps are mid-40s. Very nice. As I-10 continues east through Tucson, Benson, and Willcox the elevation continues to rise and the temps continue to drop. I see a low of 28 degrees but fortunately it's been dry lately and there is no ice on the bridges. The undershirt is doing a good job of keeping me comfortable, but my feet are cold (didn't wear my heated socks - another fail), and the outsides of my upper thighs are really feeling the cold. As I move into NM the temps rise to between 32-34 across the entire state. I see 36 degrees near Las Cruces and then 37 as I reach El Paso. I hit the McDonald's at the 375 intersection and go inside to warm up and have breakfast. I get the big breakfast and wolf it down, then rest my head against the side wall and sleep for 15-20 minutes. A 20 minute nap will usually take care of me for about 4 hours, but with the lack of sleep the prior night, who knows? I load back up and hit the road once again. Around noon I stop at a rest area east of Van Horn, pull my bike cover from the saddle bag to use as a pillow, and I climb up on a picnic table for a nap at the Iron Butt Motel. After about 20 minutes of sleep, one of the maintenance men working the rest stop wakes me to tell me that Texas doesn't allow sleeping on the picnic tables or benches, then he looks around, sees that there are no signs posted at the this particular pavilion and says not to worry about it, but if a boss catches me they will tell me to stop. So I gather myself together, look at the sign posted in the next pavilion, tuck that away in the gray matter, and head back to the bike.
Onward!
I reach Junction around 5 pm, gas up, and then head north on the secondary roads as the sun begins to wane. Oh joy. Back roads... night time... Texas... forest rats. My average speed plummets as my paranoia reaches new heights. After counting 12 live deer (how many did I *not* see?), 3 dead deer, and multiple coyote carcasses, I stop counting. There is nothing like a strong sense of self-preservation to keep your tiredness at bay. Whenever possible I tuck in behind a larger vehicle, hoping that if an errant deer wanders onto the highway they will get struck by the vehicle instead of me. I reach Hico just prior to 9:30 pm (8:30 AZ time) so just under 19 hours of travel time to do 1,077 miles or about a 57 mph average. Remember, it's not a race; whether you complete a SaddleSore in 15 hours or 23 hours and 55 minutes, the certificate reads the same so there's no need to speed. It's actually one of the easiest rides to get certified on. I gas up, press the button for the receipt, and... nothing. Typical. The last and most important receipt of the entire trip and no receipt. Oh well, secure my keys and head inside to get a reprint, document my mileage on it, take the appropriate photo, tuck it away, and then head to the hotel which is only 100 yards down the street.
When researching hotels in the area there were some nice ones for well over $100, but no, I have to pop for the cheapie of $51 including tax at the Hico Hills Inn. Big mistake. BIG mistake. BIG. I get the last room and the heater isn't working, but not to worry, they put a space heater in there for me. Yeah, that's what they did. This thing might do a good job of keeping your feet warm under an office desk, but an entire hotel room? I think not. What are my choices? See if there is another hotel nearby with a room no matter the cost? Load the bike back up, find the other place, unload the bike, and hope it's better? Nope. I was cold (freezing) and exhausted so I stayed put. I got undressed but kept on my LDC tights, socks, and a tee-shirt and crawled into bed. Oh, by the way, they had left the main heater running but all it had been doing was blowing cold air into the room. They hadn't even turned the space heater on to give me a warm room when I got there. So I'm bundled up, laying in bed and shivering. I can't stop with the chills and I remember back to a few months ago when Brenda developed pneumonia overnight and woke at 4 am with a fever and chills and shivering, and I begin to wonder if I picked up something during the ride. So I drag myself out of bed and get into the shower which although it looks terrible, delivers GREAT water pressure and lots of water as hot as I can stand. I start out with warm, then hotter, then hot. My outer thighs and butt area are very, very cold to the touch (remember, it's been 36-46 degrees almost the entire ride) and it takes a long time to get them to feel warm to the touch. Eventually the shivering stops, the space heater has taken the chill out of the air and I crash into bed.
I wake at 530 the next morning, a force of habit from working I guess, and since I know that the Koffee Kup opens at 6 am I get dressed and head on over. It's across the street from the gas station, so only about 100 yards away from the Inn. I'm the first one there so I grab a table, order, and pretty soon I get a piping hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and biscuits/gravy. I couldn't even eat the second biscuit although I'd had nothing to eat since breakfast the prior day. I take the mandatory photos, and then head back to the hotel to sleep another couple of hours, then up to pack and head over for the Pie Run.
Yes, even at 6 in the morning they already had the sign up. What drew my attention to it? Why it was the rooster across the street behind the sign letting the world know that it was time to get up.
My tasty breakfast. Five stars.
I review more of my room and really notice the cracks in the shower walls, the crud on top of the microwave, the fact that they provide a coffee maker and coffee, but no cups. Notice that the big heater is unplugged. It wouldn't turn off so that was the only way I could stop the cold air. And notice the "huge" space heater they gave me.
Here are some of the cracks in the shower wall.
And the top of the microwave. Apparently, cleanliness is something foreign to the housekeepers here.
Now, if you think I learned my lesson by staying at a cheap place, think again. I've got another story to tell you about a place on the way home.
The bike is loaded and I'm ready to head over to the Koffee Kup to meet everyone so I do my pre-flight inspection and whoa! My front tire is toast. A very small slit is visible in part of the center section of the tread. Rideable? Yes, But for how long and how far? Certainly not long enough to get me home. So I get to the restaurant and immediately start making phone calls. NOBODY has a Goldwing front tire in stock within the 50-100 mile radius I was calling, not even a Honda dealer. A Honda dealer! No Goldwing front tire in stock at a Honda dealer??? But then... an independent Harley shop tells me he has one but can't install it because he has to leave for a prior engagement. I call back to Heartbeat Racing in Granbury and tell them to order me one. I feel I can ride that far without a problem and I'll just have to wait in a hotel until TUESDAY before I can get back on the road.
Now, here is where the heroes mentioned above come into play. Drew has been working the crowd inside the restaurant and found Jasen who knows OldTLSDoug who is at his home with his big shop and he's willing to mount the tire for me. (me = no tools and no skills) Bob is willing to forego eating his tasty lunch and drive me to Stephenville to pick up the one existing tire in Central Texas, bring it and me back to Hico, and then bring it to Doug's place. I call back to the independent (Streamline Cycles 254-965-1903 if any of you HD guys in the area want to throw him some business) and he agrees to wait until 11:45 for me to get there. I touch base with Bob, we jump in his Jeep and off to Stephenville we go. Streamline makes me a smoking deal on this new Michelin and back to Hico we go. We reconnect with Jesse and then he leads us at 50 mph all the way to Doug's place. Wow, what a place. I'd love to have a garage like that.
Introductions all around (and I write down names for later) and then they all jump on my bike like a NASCAR pit crew, and in about an hour I was out the door and heading home.
I cannot, CANNOT, CAN NOT thank enough all of those involved for everything they did to help me out.
If not for everyone mentioned (and possibly some I missed) I would have been stuck in Texas until Tuesday afternoon which wouldn't put me home until late Wednesday morning, with a medical procedure on Thursday that I would have needed to prep for on Wednesday and may have had to cancel if I couldn't do the prep (yes, a colonoscopy). So not only did they all save me from multiple days of hotel bills and meals, they saved me from having to reschedule a procedure that I couldn't reschedule because I wouldn't have had the insurance (remember, I just retired and my coverage ends 02/02/2020).
So without further ado... may I introduce to you the saviors of my trip. From left to right: Mitch, Jim, Jesse, Chris, and the man, the myth, the legend, Doug. Guys, thank you so much! Not knowing that they would all be there, I did bring a piece of apple pie for Doug. In all the rushing about, I never got a chance to stop and eat myself. So 2,000+ miles and no pie.
Next up: the return trip.
Last edited:
Well, okay, not *that* much detail!
