Saturday, July 16, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Day 22, Run Zombies in the Area!
Friday July 1, 2011 Day 22
I woke up late at super 8, went to the breakfast bar and had a quick breakfast. The hotel clerk came in and said “all you people need to finish up, because the breakfast bar closes at 9am”.....all “u” people were me and a family with two kids.....really....I think they owe me 30 minutes from last night.....
I got the bike packed and hit the road heading Interstate 94 East. My “plan” was to head south and then around Chicago, not thru it. I heard that the traffic was pretty brutal and I should avoid it at all costs.
I took the opportunity to take some photographs of the area wile riding on the bike. Not with the Canon but with the Lumix, a smaller point and shoot. I should have done this more on my trip, I could basically unzip my tank bag, grab the camera, turn it on and set the video or picture setting I wanted on the wheel.
I pasted some military vehicles, which I saw were from the Wisconsin National Guard. They had huge bulldozers on trailers which were covered with mud. I suspected that they were coming from Minot where their had been huge flooding. I gave them the thumbs up as I drove past. It’s hard work being in the service and I try to remember that I was hot and dirty during training many years back.
I also saw two BMW riders heading the same way, so I jumped into formation with them for a bit. I like to think other riders don’t mind when I do this. I keep the proper distance and say where I am in the lane relative to where they are. More headlights is always better when riding next to cages on the highway. They can’t see you sometimes.
It was another hot day, so I stopped at rest area and had cookies with sprite. The cookies were $1 for this HUGE package. How could I pass it up! There were families sitting in the picnic area. I shot a quick video and took some pictures.
I especially like the looks from the guys with minivans, a wife, and with 2.3 kids. I feel sorry for them, they had NO idea what they were getting into:)
Talked with a guy on a Triumph Rocket. A big motorcycle and the guy was a BIG german. He was heading to Deals Gap to ride the Dragon. We talked for a few minutes about how hot it was. There was a guy on a Harley too....he didn’t talk to us:) not enough chrome.....
I eventually got onto Interstate 39 south then onto Interstate 80 East. I tried to get around Chicago, but traffic was really bad, few bikes over heated and I stopped for guy with a broken down Suzuki intruder 1500. He had been sitting for about an hour and no one had stopped to help him. I always make it a point to stop for motorcycles.
He said that the bike was fine, then it just stopped working. No power when you turn the key or push the start button. I suspected it was a blown fuse. We spent some time trying to find his tools and fuze box, taking off panels, not seeing either then replacing them. I twittered for where the fuses box was, got one response from someone. We eventually found the tools and fuze box. But I still suspected it was the master fuze, like a blown 40 or 50 amp fuze. I inspected the small fuses and they were all OK.
I sent a text to my father download and he tried to locate a service manual. We continued to check but never found the main fuze. The guy used my phone to call his wife and arrange a tow truck to come get him.
The Suzuki guy was going to see brother who has brain cancer and not long to live. He was riding to see him, about 200 miles. It was one of those, wow I have a headache I’ll go and see the doctor. Sent him home with some aspirin or something. Then a month or so later he had a seizure, they did a scan and saw the tumor. Too big to operate, too late to save him. The doctor said he only had a few months, which was before December 2011, but the brother was waiting to see his first child be born, so he decided to stick around to see that. Well done sir!
I never found the main fuze, and even if i did, they guy had no spare. He didn't even know he had tools on the bike or how to fix anything with them. His parting comment was that he should stop paying people to fix his bike and learn to do it himself.
As I said good bye a guy on a R1100RT pulled up. His bike was also overheating and he needed to stop to let it cool. He was an author who is riding from a Wharf in California to a Wharf in Cape Code, he’s going to write a book about it, calling it 60 to 60 or something like that. His BMW had the slim covers on the pannier hard cases, I wondered why, but didn’t ask.
He took off before me. I tried to keep up but he was lane splitting like a pro and I couldn't keep up. I was both scared and too WIDE to make it thru some of the traffic. The traffic was really heavy but eventually opened up.
I stopped at a Holiday Inn Express in LaPorte Indiana. Since it was the July 4th weekend, I got one of the last rooms in the hotel. My choices were two smoking rooms or one small room. I took the small room for $129.99. It was actually a pretty nice room, nice bed and furniture.
I passed some interesting signs on the way to the hotel.......
I might push onto CT tomorrow......its only 850 miles to Waterford.
I woke up late at super 8, went to the breakfast bar and had a quick breakfast. The hotel clerk came in and said “all you people need to finish up, because the breakfast bar closes at 9am”.....all “u” people were me and a family with two kids.....really....I think they owe me 30 minutes from last night.....
I got the bike packed and hit the road heading Interstate 94 East. My “plan” was to head south and then around Chicago, not thru it. I heard that the traffic was pretty brutal and I should avoid it at all costs.
I took the opportunity to take some photographs of the area wile riding on the bike. Not with the Canon but with the Lumix, a smaller point and shoot. I should have done this more on my trip, I could basically unzip my tank bag, grab the camera, turn it on and set the video or picture setting I wanted on the wheel.
I pasted some military vehicles, which I saw were from the Wisconsin National Guard. They had huge bulldozers on trailers which were covered with mud. I suspected that they were coming from Minot where their had been huge flooding. I gave them the thumbs up as I drove past. It’s hard work being in the service and I try to remember that I was hot and dirty during training many years back.
I also saw two BMW riders heading the same way, so I jumped into formation with them for a bit. I like to think other riders don’t mind when I do this. I keep the proper distance and say where I am in the lane relative to where they are. More headlights is always better when riding next to cages on the highway. They can’t see you sometimes.
It was another hot day, so I stopped at rest area and had cookies with sprite. The cookies were $1 for this HUGE package. How could I pass it up! There were families sitting in the picnic area. I shot a quick video and took some pictures.
I especially like the looks from the guys with minivans, a wife, and with 2.3 kids. I feel sorry for them, they had NO idea what they were getting into:)
Talked with a guy on a Triumph Rocket. A big motorcycle and the guy was a BIG german. He was heading to Deals Gap to ride the Dragon. We talked for a few minutes about how hot it was. There was a guy on a Harley too....he didn’t talk to us:) not enough chrome.....
I eventually got onto Interstate 39 south then onto Interstate 80 East. I tried to get around Chicago, but traffic was really bad, few bikes over heated and I stopped for guy with a broken down Suzuki intruder 1500. He had been sitting for about an hour and no one had stopped to help him. I always make it a point to stop for motorcycles.
He said that the bike was fine, then it just stopped working. No power when you turn the key or push the start button. I suspected it was a blown fuse. We spent some time trying to find his tools and fuze box, taking off panels, not seeing either then replacing them. I twittered for where the fuses box was, got one response from someone. We eventually found the tools and fuze box. But I still suspected it was the master fuze, like a blown 40 or 50 amp fuze. I inspected the small fuses and they were all OK.
I sent a text to my father download and he tried to locate a service manual. We continued to check but never found the main fuze. The guy used my phone to call his wife and arrange a tow truck to come get him.
The Suzuki guy was going to see brother who has brain cancer and not long to live. He was riding to see him, about 200 miles. It was one of those, wow I have a headache I’ll go and see the doctor. Sent him home with some aspirin or something. Then a month or so later he had a seizure, they did a scan and saw the tumor. Too big to operate, too late to save him. The doctor said he only had a few months, which was before December 2011, but the brother was waiting to see his first child be born, so he decided to stick around to see that. Well done sir!
I never found the main fuze, and even if i did, they guy had no spare. He didn't even know he had tools on the bike or how to fix anything with them. His parting comment was that he should stop paying people to fix his bike and learn to do it himself.
As I said good bye a guy on a R1100RT pulled up. His bike was also overheating and he needed to stop to let it cool. He was an author who is riding from a Wharf in California to a Wharf in Cape Code, he’s going to write a book about it, calling it 60 to 60 or something like that. His BMW had the slim covers on the pannier hard cases, I wondered why, but didn’t ask.
He took off before me. I tried to keep up but he was lane splitting like a pro and I couldn't keep up. I was both scared and too WIDE to make it thru some of the traffic. The traffic was really heavy but eventually opened up.
I stopped at a Holiday Inn Express in LaPorte Indiana. Since it was the July 4th weekend, I got one of the last rooms in the hotel. My choices were two smoking rooms or one small room. I took the small room for $129.99. It was actually a pretty nice room, nice bed and furniture.
I passed some interesting signs on the way to the hotel.......
I might push onto CT tomorrow......its only 850 miles to Waterford.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)