| Author | Message | ||
     Jerry_haughton  |
DAY NINETEEN, 9/21/04:  a good sign.  (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  Trippin' out in Deer, Arkansas. Dave Tripp rode a considerable distance just for the opportunity to meet 'n greet that Ferris feller (hope he wasn't TOO disappointed...), and i've always admired riders with a wide-angle sense of adventure. and Tripper rode to please this day, launching into Buelldacious block-long wheelies at the slightest provocation. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  at the Deer Store. um, just how exactly does one show support for their local state troopers? guys, we were pretty supportive this morning, right??? i mean, had a member of the ASP nabbed us, why, the revenue generated woulda supported a whole BUNCH of troopers for a long, long time!  (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  and right across the street from the Deer Store is the clubhouse for Arkansas' oldest continuously-operated nudist colony. who knew? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  they're kidding, right? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  nope, they're not. hee haw. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  "Daddy, what's a booger?" (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  considerably later this day... we'd had to "ditch" Tripper back in the Ozarks, as me 'n Racerboy had used up our alloted sightseeing time and needed to immerse ourselves into I-40 West and make some serious tracks. Tripper, thanks again for keeping us fine company for a bit, and for the effort you put forth on our behalf. sure wish we'd gotten a chance to know each other better, but glad for the time we had. if you've got any pix from the deal that you want to hang here, we'd all be obliged. meanwhile, back in Sayre, Oklahoma (yep, we've been clipping right along - we're darn near in Texas!), and Racerboy's got a sudden, inexplicable craving for ice cream... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  "Root" 66? heh, heh, heh... in Sayre, OK. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  so while i was "rooting" around in Sayre looking for a photo op, Racerboy actually found some ice cream! or, "something" like ice cream... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  "Dippin' Dots" you called 'em, right RB? i'll tell ya, the boy woofed on 'em good for a couple of minutes, then acquired a rather pained look, and then offered the rest of the concoction to me. thanks, man, but i think i'll stick to my trail mix and beef jerky. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  this beautifully lit and spacious, expansive edifice is... ...a rest area in Texas. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  Texas don't mess around. you need to take a leak? you're doin' it in grand style, baby! (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  i repeat: THIS is a freakin' rest area! (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  pretty grand, and pretty nice. props to whoever green-lighted this project for spending our tax money on something IMPORTANT for a change! (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY NINETEEN, cont.  so i went into the men's restroom to, well, you know, REST, and decided it deserved some exposure, too. got lucky on this one. JUST before i clicked the shutter (with the flash enabled) i noticed a pair of boots parked in the first stall. this gentleman must have been resting, too, as he'd been quiet enough to that point i never even knew he was there. now i thought to myself, self, what might this guy do, sitting there in his own dark, private, little world, when all of a sudden a camera flash lights the place up? i disabled the flash, quietly grabbed the pic, and made my escape. for all i know, he's still there. resting. ok, that's all the pix for this day. when we finally switched off the bikes tonight we were in Amarillo, Texas, which ain't a bad pull considering that at noon o'clock we were still in the Arkansas Ozarks. we'd hit a little rain, and it was some cold, and we kept hearing reports from eastbound travelers of severe hailstorms this side of Albuquerque and massive new snow in the Rockies, but other than some persistent lightning on the western horizon we came thru unscathed. as for me, i got California on my mind. TOTAL MILEAGE FOR THE DAY: 649.2 (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Tripper  |
All I can say Ferris is that waiting 9 hours for you and Bob to show up was a little boring...  ... as was listening to you have phone sex ...  ... and I was expecting a sexy Viffer, not a dump truck...  but the 2 1/2 hours we did get to ride was pretty good.  And my ride north was full of great scenes, and I had NO MALFUNCTIONS!  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
All I can say Ferris is that waiting 9 hours for you and Bob to show up was a little boring... you shoulda been drinkin' the brew you saved for us! ... as was listening to you have phone sex ... no comment. ... and I was expecting a sexy Viffer, not a dump truck... she ain't pretty, but she sure is slow! but the 2 1/2 hours we did get to ride was pretty good. "Daddy, what's a booger?" And my ride north was full of great scenes, and I had NO MALFUNCTIONS! very cool, Tripper, thanks! | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY TWENTY, 9/22/04:  just like the sign says. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY TWENTY, cont.  very cool. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY TWENTY, cont.  starting to look like home, again. (well, except for the frikkin' trash in the foreground i just now noticed. scroll up just a bit, wouldya? then you won't have to look at it.) (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY TWENTY, cont.  we played tag with BeemerBoy on I-40 most of the afternoon. very nice scooter. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY TWENTY, cont.  that night, as RB was changing out of his gear in Flagstaff, i happened to catch the bruises on his arm, suffered just prior to our meeting back in St. Louis when a wrong-way driver ran he and his Buell off the road. the driver fled the scene. bastard. Racerboy got banged around some when he went down (huge understatement), but years of experience, good instincts, and probably a little divine intervention all contributed to him living to ride another day. his Buell, once-upon-a-time featured on the cover of FUELL, was totalled. it really wasn't 'til the night before our launch westbound that he knew for certain he could make the trip - these bruises are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. good on ya, my friend. well, this may bum you out, but no more pix for this day. we slabbed it today, and there wasn't much time for playing Joe Tourist. it was cold and dark and gloomy when we left Amarillo this morning, and i wasn't much in the mood for Nikon moments. things got considerably brighter when we crossed into New Mexico, but certainly no warmer. i had my long johns on all day, and woulda paid real money for a set of heated gear to warm my aching old bones. the last 1-1/2 hours into Flagstaff were ink dark, and bitter cold, and it was nice to finally settle into a warm motel room. Bad Billy Bartimus and i had been playing phone tag the past couple days - we were hoping to hook up while i was "in town" - but fate intervened at the last minute, and Wyckedflesh and i spent some time on the phone tonight, too - he had hoped to meet up with us, as well, but a logistical miscommunication on my part earlier in the day nixed that plan. truth be told, i was ragged, partly from humpin' the past few days, and partly from humpin' the past twenty days. i was still majorly diggin' the ride, but the closer i got to Denise and home, the closer i wanted to be to Denise and home. i slept good tonight. TOTAL MILEAGE FOR THE DAY: 629.4 (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 27, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY 21, 9/23/04:  this'd be Racerboy, in the dark, bright and early Thursday morning in Flagstaff, Arizona, already s**tted, showered, and shaved, and ready to roll. the Boy Racer comes by his moniker honestly, and was too amped about moving on to hang around a minute longer. he needed to head south and west, i needed to head, well, it didn't really matter as long as i logged miles, and it was time for us to part company. RB, you were/are a great riding partner, and i'm glad for the time we got to spend together. it was a whirlwind tour, for sure (1750 miles in three days - not bad considering all the sightseeing we did in the Ozarks!), but i'd do it again in a heartbeat. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY 21, cont.  ride safe, my friend. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY 21, cont.  this was shot in the parking lot as RB pulled out - good thing for him he's equipped for the cold. the Weather Channel listed the current temperature in Flagstaff as 29 degrees, the coldest reported temp in the region. at this point i made a command decision and took my own sweet time getting launched this morning, giving the sun to a chance to do its thing and allowing me an opportunity to rearrange and consolidate all my gear. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY 21, cont.  and then there was one. i'd been on the road for three weeks, and all but a couple of days i'd had a riding partner. now i was on my own again. i had a decision to make: how do i get home? the answer is not as simple as it might seem. Denise and i had a reservation for Saturday night at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley, which gave me three days to get there from Flagstaff - very cool! on the other hand, i had to log at least another 1871 miles by then in order to legally bring the 49-state 'Strom into California. i'd always wanted to do Grand Canyon, and the choice to ride there seemed obvious. however, knowing how slow i go when i'm in full-blown "photo mode" i had a genuine concern about visiting The Big Ditch and how it might impact my overall timing for the next three days. well, you already know what my final answer was, right? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY 21, cont.  yeah, i knew you did. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 28, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY 21, cont.  see the big hole in the ground? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 28, 2004) |
