Live to Ride

Friends,

Thank you for accompanying me on my journey.

I’ve been home 48 hours now, and I’m no longer sore.  A bit weary.  And a bit distracted with work, but also quite refreshed.

I didn’t know what to expect as I set off on the ride.  

I had a number of surprises, all positive.  By the last day I could do things on and with my bike that on the first day I couldn’t even conceive.  Even the distance of my last ride (569 miles) was unimaginable on day 1, when my single-day record, attained only once, was 300 miles.  I had never gone above 70, and then only in a spurt.  On the last day I was above 70 most of the way, at 80 much of it.  I even found the speedometer drifting toward 90 a few times, but throttled back when I noticed.  

So Why do We Do It?

The biggest surprise was what happens on the bike.  

Riding is a very intimate experience.  Unlike a car (known in biker lingo as a cage), a bike requires the rider to be completely aware of his or her environment.  We use all five senses.  We feel the bike, its vibration, the texture of the road.  We see other traffic, obstacles, the condition of the road and the way ahead.  We hear our own bike, attuned to any sudden changes, pings, dings, or rattles.  We listen for other bikes, for cars, and for any other distractions.  We smell and taste the air as we move through it.  Also the car and truck exhaust.  And the must of the pastures as we ride by.  And even the changes in the weather.  Mostly we’re attuned to the ground.  We notice the slightest shifts in road surface.  In the grade of the roadway.  In the amount of gravel, or sand, or roadkill ahead.  And to the air, the weather, the wind.

In short, we are completely in the moment.  All the time.  That’s why it’s so exhausting. And perhaps why it’s so rewarding. It’s the same kind of in-the-moment experience I feel when teaching a good class.

Vital Statistics

Several of you have asked for details about particular parts of the ride.  To share the answers, here’s a compilation of facts and figures.

Hogger’s Index

Total number of days in transit: 17

Total number of days in the saddle: 7

Total number of days working: 10

Of those, number at my mom’s: 4

Total miles: 2,586

Average miles per day: 367

Most miles per day: 569 (last day)

Fewest miles per day: 80 (Dayton to Oxford, Ohio)

Number of stops for gas: 57

Number of stops for the pause that refreshes: 57

Favorite stretch of road: Trans-Canada Highway, Route 17, between Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Sudbury, Ontario

Least favorite stretch of road: Interstate 76 between Youngstown and Akron, Ohio

Best meal on the road: Appetizer of garlic shrimp in the Westwinds Restaurant, Pembroke, Ontario

Worst meal on the road: Main dish of pork schnitzel in the Westwinds Restaurant, Pembroke, Ontario (same meal)

Best meal when not on the road: My mom’s Brazilian feijoada, Oxford, Ohio

Worst meal when not on the road: no such thing

Favorite moment: Riding in the HOG Parade of Flags, with 7,500 other riders through Milwaukee on Saturday, August 30 (In the words of an enthusiast from Australia, one of the 10 things one must do before one dies)

Least favorite moment: Saying goodbye to Joseph after our third day, in Oxford, Ohio

Number of times I dropped my bike: 0

Number of raindrops that fell while I was riding or attending Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary events: 0

Total cost of the trip: Don’t know; don’t care

Value of the ride: Priceless

 

I want to thank all those who posted comments on the blog; and also those who sent me private e-mails of encouragement and admonition.

This concludes the hfghogblog for now; the blog will go dormant.  At least for a while.

In the meantime, here’s the final slideshow.  Highlights from the trip.

done

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred

 

I Love New York

Friends,

I’m home. Safe, and a day early.  

Here’s why.  I had planned to ride 410 miles from Pembroke, Ontario, to Saratoga Springs. This morning, before heading out, I checked the weather forecast, and found that there are thunderstorms likely on the route of my trip tomorrow.  So I decided to play it by ear.  I got to Saratoga Springs at 3:30. I could have checked in, and braved the weather tomorrow. But Saratoga Springs is just 150 miles from home, so I decided to go for it. So I essentially did a double shift, covering the distance I had planned for 2 days, in just 1.

After 11 1/2 hours and 569 miles, I got home.  My butt is a bit sore, and the space between my shoulder blades is wicked sore, as they might say in Boston.  But the rest of me is fine.

Today’s Ride

I left the hotel at 7:40 AM. There was a fine mist hovering about 10 feet above the ground, fog caused by the nearby Ottawa River.  The sky was pale blue, and the mist hung like a fine wedding veil just above my head as I rode down the Trans-Canada Highway.  Unlike yesterday’s trip, this one showed ample evidence of human habitation.  As I moved East from Pembroke, following the course of the Ottawa River, I saw houses, cars, shops, and even school buses picking up kids for their first week of school.

The sun burned off the mist after about an hour.

After 50 miles, the highway became two-way in each direction, and was indistinguishable from Route 80 in Pennsylvania.  As I approached Ottawa about 8:30, I hit rush-hour traffic.  Later Montreal’s approach was just like the Major Deegan at its worst.  But except for the 20 minutes around each of those cities, I didn’t hit any traffic.

I stopped six times for gas and the pause that refreshes; for food just twice, for a half-hour each time.  In an 11 1/2 hour trip, that meant about 9 1/2 hours in the saddle.  That equals an average speed of 60 miles per hour.  Most of the time I was going between 75 and 80.

I crossed from Ontario into Quebec province around 11.  

But in Quebec, the highway isn’t called the Trans-Canada Highway.  It’s called the Autoroute Transcanadienne.  

I pulled into a diner along the Autoroute, and on the way out an older gentleman got out of his parked car next to my bike, and spoke to me in French.  I didn’t get any of it except ” ‘arley-Davidsohn…”  I apologized that I didn’t speak French, and he shifted to English.  He said he was honored to park next to someone riding a Harley-Davidson.  He asked where I was riding from and to.  When I told him, he said, “I’m even more honored to park next to someone riding from Harley-Davidson’s Anniversary…”

 

I got to the US border at 1.  

There were two US Customs and Border Protection agents examining me and my bike. One asked where I was coming from and what I was doing in Canada.  When I told them, their tone and manner lightened immediately. One asked how the anniversary was; how many miles I’d ridden, how long I’d been on the road.  The other wanted to know about my bike.  Was it a Softail (yes, Softail family, Fat Boy model).  Was it fast (yes). They then urged me to have a fun, safe ride home.  I don’t get that treatment at JFK.

Some quick stats: Today, 569 miles.  Since leaving Milwaukee, 1,351.  Since leaving home, 2,586

I’ll do a final blog tomorrow, wrapping up the trip and my reflections on it.  No slide show today.

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred

O, Canada!

Friends, 

I write from Pembroke, Ontario, “the heart of the Ottawa Valley,” right on the Ottawa River that separates the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Pembroke, the first town in Canada to use electric lights, is 100 miles northwest of Canada’s capital, Ottawa.  It is exactly 500 miles due north of Washington DC.  

I rode a personal record of 415 miles today, 410 of them on the Trans-Canada Highway. The ride began when I left Soo at 7:15 and crossed the bridge into Canada.

Last night Rosemary posted a question about the locks. That prompted me to look down as I crossed the bridge, and the locks are massive.  I had expected something like Panama, where the locks are surrounded by mountains, or the Mohawk Canal, where the locks are small and historic.  But these took me by surprise.  There was a wide, still, flat expanse of water, with huge rectangular walls breaking the surface.  I didn’t realize what I was looking at, but then I saw that one of them contained a huge oil tanker, making its way along the canal between Lakes Huron to Lake Superior.

There was a line of cars waiting to go through Canadian Customs and Immigration, so I didn’t get into Canada until 8; the Trans-Canada Highway was 4 miles from the border. I then rode from 8 to 5:30, with just three stops for gas and one for lunch.

The Trans-Canada Highway is the third-longest road in the world.  The stretch I rode is mainly one lane in each direction, with the occasional passing lane on hills.  Where I got on it felt like wilderness.  Just the asphalt road, with woods along the sides.  

No people, no houses, no farms, just the occasional unspoiled lake and river.  I passed a dozen such rivers (the Blind, Serpent, Veuve, Sturgeon, Little Sturgeon, Upper Ottawa…).There were superb views of pristine ponds, lakes, and streams.

 

I saw herons, eagles, and other large birds.  The roadkill was very interesting.  I saw recently-killed porcupines, and one coyote or brown wolf that had just been hit by a car. There were even signs warning about crossing moose.

I drove miles without any hint of any human settlement.  Then, every 25 miles or so, there would be a sign announcing a village.  Population 800, or 1,000, or, in the case of a big one, of 2,300.  There might be a single gas station.  Or a place to eat.  A very big place would have 2 gas stations and a place to eat.  

I also passed through several First Nation settlements and reservations, most prominently the Nipissing people.

After a few hundred miles the landscape began to look like upstate New York. North Bay, on Lake Nipissing, had a strip with McDonalds, Staples, and the kinds of retail establishments one would find in any US city.  From North Bay on, the landscape became increasingly agricultural.

Today’s Ride

Today’s ride was the simplest to remember.  Instead of dozens of turn-by-turn directions, today it essentially was: Cross the border, follow signs to the Trans-Canada Highway, take it east for 400 miles; exit at Pembroke.

Miles today: 415.  Miles since leaving Milwaukee yesterday: 780.  Total since leaving for Milwaukee two weeks ago: 2,015.

Tomorrow’s Ride

Tomorrow I’ll stay on the Trans-Canada Highway, through Ottawa, to Montreal, then turn south to the US border in upstate New York.  I’ll get on the Northway and go down through the Adirondack State Park, and spend the night in Saratoga Springs.  According to Google Maps, it’s about 410 miles.

No slide show today.  Note that I didn’t take any pictures on this ride, since I had so much distance to cover and didn’t want to squander time by stopping.  All pictures on today’s blog are from the web.

More tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred

South of the Border

Friends,

I’m one mile south of the border between Canada and the US in the Upper Penninsula (UP) of Michigan. I arrived in Sault Ste. Marie, known by the locals as “Soo,” at 5:30, after riding 365 miles from Muskegon, MI.  

I can see Canada across the water.  In fact, I got closer than I intended.  I missed the exit for my hotel, and found myself about to cross into Canada, so I bailed on the last exit in the US.  I found myself on the campus of Lake Superior State University; one theme of this blog seems to be getting lost on college campuses.  I found myself right on the water, under the bridge to Canada.  But more about this in a moment.

Today’s Ride

I left the hotel in Milaukee at 4:15 AM, and got to the Lake Ferry at 4:30.  I was the third motorcycle there.  They boarded the ferry at 5 AM.  In all, 106 motorcycles came aboard.  We launched at 5:30, to a beautiful sunrise over Lake Michigan.

We disembarked in Muskegon at 9:30, and I began my ride.  For the first 150 or so miles I rode local roads, first up the shore of Lake Michigan, and then through central Michigan.

I rode past farms, through national forests, and through quaint villages. One thing I learned is that Michigan is laid out on a right-angle grid.  It’s also very flat.  So there were many roads that were completely straight, without turning one degree in any direction, or rising or falling one degree of elevation. If the scenery hadn’t been so compelling I might have gotten bored.  And the roads have some whimsical names: 5 Mile Road, 8 Mile Road, and the ever popular 20 Mile Road.  Guess how long each is?  I road all three today.

I did the final 160 miles on the Interstate.  Along the way I crossed the Mackinac Bridge, the 12th largest suspension bridge in the US.  It’s a beautiful structure.  It spans the spot where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meet, and the temperature on the bridge was a full 20 degrees cooler than the temperature on the highway.  I got quite chilled.  

In the local Algonquin language, “Michilimackinac,” for which the location of the bridge is named, means “jumping off place” or “great road of departure,” which seems fitting.

Total miles today: 365.  Total since I left Chappaqua, 1,600.

A few final thoughts about Milwaukee:

Told You So

This weekend the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had several stories that affirmed or expanded upon some of the themes that this blog has noted. Some examples:

On Camaraderie: 

Motorcyclists in their 20s comfortably mingled with people old enough to be their grandparents. A Harley was what they had in common, and it transcended the generation gap and other social barriers.

“I can talk about Harleys as easily with a 70-year-old white guy as anyone. It’s something we have in common,” said Michael Rogers, a 35-year-old African-American biker from Ypsilanti, Mich.

Stopping to buy a Harley bandanna for her American foxhound Forrester was JoAnn Gyzinski of Milwaukee, who enjoyed the enthusiasm and camaraderie of so many folks gathering to share their love of motorcycles.

On the Bucket List:

Maybe you don’t get the lure of the Harley, the earth-shaking, speed-creating, noise-making machine that still makes Milwaukee famous.

But Max Walker does.

The native of Queensland, Australia, showed up with his wife, Leanne, bright and early. They hopped on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and paraded through Milwaukee streets that were alive with the sound of 7,500 growling motorcycles and the sight of thousands of spectators who lined Wisconsin Ave.

“This is one of the 10 things you have to do in the world before you die,” Max Walker said.

On Joy:

On this day, the rules were simple as the party spread around the city. Have fun. Celebrate a motorcycle. And celebrate the pure joy of being alive.

Tonight and Tomorrow

Today was my longest ride ever, at 365 miles.  And I was up at 4 AM and didn’t start my ride officially until 9:30.  So I arrive in Soo quite weary. Thankfully, as it happens the hotel room I’m in has a whirlpool next to the bed.  I’ve already used it once, and plan to use it once more before heading off tomorrow, for what promises to be an even longer ride.

I’ll cross the border into Canada at around 7:30 AM.  I’ll then get on the Trans-Canada Highway, and take it for 400+ miles.  I’ll pass Sudbury, and continue on to Pembroke, in the Ottawa Valley.

I’ve decided to bypass Niagara Falls because of a) the likely delays crossing the border there; and b) the tractor trailers I’m likely to encounter on the Thruway.  So instead I’ll drive to Pembroke, then through Ottawa to Montreal, and finally South via the Adirondack State Park past Lake George, and then down the Taconic to Chappaqua.

I’ll blog tomorrow from Canada.

Here’s a very brief slideshow of today’s sights.

done

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred

Baby, We Were Born to Run…

Friends,

The Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary’s climax came last night, when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played to a crowd estimated at between 65,000 and 100,000.  For a video excerpt, click here.  

Springsteen began at 8:30 and played continuously, without a break, until well after midnight. He played 33 songs; mostly his own, but also those made famous by others.  He even took requests. He closed his show with Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild.  

I didn’t go to the concert, since I had been up since 4, and had to work today. My colleagues Anthony Ewing, and Laurel Hart worked all day, and through the concert, but also had great spots during the show.  The pictures on the blog today are by Laurel.

Winding Down

The concert capped five days of 18-hours-per-day of partying.  The buzz this morning was all positive.  And now, even though the party continues until nightfall, the city is much quieter.  Many folks left today.  The streets, lined with parked bikes for the last few days, now have only a scattering of motorcycles.  Restaurants, overflowing since Wednesday, now are nearly empty.  I was scheduled to work until sunset, but there were practically no people at the various sites, so we all closed up shop at 3.

As of this morning, Harley-Davidson riders, dealers, employees, and friends raised over $6.7 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), to add to the $60 million that Harley-Davidson had raised in recent years leading to this week.  

Heading Home Tomorrow

Anthony and Laurel flew home a few hours ago.  I leave in the morning on the 6 AM ferry to Muskegon, Michigan.  I’ll get to Muskegon at 9:30 AM local time, and will head straight north along the coast of Lake Michigan for 150 miles, then get on the Interstate and do another 150+ miles to the border town of Sault Ste. Marie.  There’s a Sault Ste. Marie on both sides of the US/Canada border.  I’ll stay on the US side, about a mile from the border, and cross into Canada the next morning.

I’ll blog again tomorrow.  In the meantime, here’s a compilation of sights from the last five days of celebration of the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary.

done

Stay safe,

Vroom,

Fred

I Love a Parade…

Friends, 

This morning 7,500 bikes and their riders from around the world rode through downtown Milwaukee through miles of cheering, waving, and high-fiving crowds.  

I arrived at the staging area at the Miller Park baseball stadium at 5:45 AM.  

I was the 20th bike to arrive, so got a premier spot in the HOG (Harley Owners Group) Parade of Flags, representing HOG chapters from around the world.  I rode behind chapters from Alsace and Brittany, France, Japan, and New Zealand.  

Just before we started our engines the French sang La Marseillaise, as the rest of the bikers stood silently.  When they were done, there were cheers of Vive la France! as the French riders waved the tricolor French flag.

There was lots of pride, both national and historical.  The chapter from the Forum in Rome came dressed in Imperial Roman Aristocratic garb.  

Brasil, Brasil!

At the staging area I saw a dozen Brazilians, including a group from Rio. And then on the parade route several groups of Brazilians saw my flag patch, and waved their own full-sized Brazilian flags and cheered; I cheered back in Portuguese.

The massive parking lot at the stadium was filled by 8, and at 9:15 we were off.  

First a police motorcycle escort, then dignitaries and VIPs, then Harley-Davidson executives, then kids representing the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and the MDA Parade of Heroes, then another police escort, then us.  

We traveled the 4 1/2 miles of parade route in about an hour.  All along the route there were crowds: young and old, locals and visitors, with flags, signs, noisemakers, and cameras.  I high-fived dozens of kids and their parents along the route.  As we got into the business district we saw hundreds gathered in the upper floors of parking garages, and sitting on walls, balconies, trash cans, fire hydrants, and anything else that gave them a better look.

Because I was one of the first in line, I was able to park my bike at the parade’s end, walk the mile and a half to my hotel (and take some shots of the parade passing by), eat a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, and still catch some of the parade just before noon.  Then I walked the mile and a half to the Harley-Davidson Museum, where I’m working the rest of the day.

Here’s a slideshow of the parade staging (with flags and vests from all over, plus some interesting apparel), and of the end of the parade. (For safety reasons, I didn’t shoot any pictures while riding…)

done

To see television coverage of the parade, click here. Then look for the stories about Willie G. and about Indonesian bikers.  For a slide show of the parade, click here.

Tonight Bruce Springsteen is the headliner at Veterans Park for a sell-out crowd of 66,000.  I may or may not attend, depending on my level of fatigue.

More tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred

Friday Parties

Friends,

Day 3 of the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary and things are getting into high gear. Today the festivities were spread among various venues. 

I spent the day at the Summerfest Grounds.  My colleagues Anthony and Laurel split their time between Veterans Park, where tonight Foo Fighters is the headline act, and at the Harley-Davidson Museum.  

Many museums have a wall where supporters are named; others provide naming rights to wings, galleries, and even bricks.  At the Harley-Davidson museum, they use rivets, six-inches across and embedded in the ground outdoors.  Anthony found our rivets, and was able to take a picture of them.

The weather was perfect, and the crowds were manageable.  Anthony photographed the happenings at the museum and Veterans Park; I got shots at Summerfest.  I present them here as a single slideshow, to the music of tonight’s headliner, Foo Fighters…

done

Tomorrow morning I get up at the crack of dawn, to assemble at 6 AM for the Harley-Davidson parade through Milwaukee.  I’ll be one of 7,500 bikes riding in formation through town.  It starts at 9, and the folks in charge think it will continue until noon.

I’ll blog more then.

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred

Hog Wild

Friends,

Last night’s block party at Harley-Davidson headquarters was just a warm-up.  

Today more than 100,000 people showed up for the biggest rally ever of the Harley Owner’s Group (HOG), the largest motorcycle club in the world, with more than 1 million members.

HOG celebrated its 25th Anniversary today with a free party for HOG members at Miller Park, the baseball field that is home to the Milwaukee Brewers

The gates opened at 11, and the party will continue until 10:30 tonight.

The day features food, music, trick rides, music, comedy, shopping, and people-watching.  Performers include comedians Greg Giraldo and Lewis Black, and musicians Joan Jett, the Billie Bob Thornton Band, and Kid Rock.  

But the real rock star is Willie G. Davidson, the great grandson of one of the founding Davidsons, and Harley-Davidson’s chief styling officer.  But to HOG members, he’s a combination prophet and hero, with a massive following.  When he was on stage today, women in the crowd swooned.  Some men too.  I have worked with Willie and his son Bill for years, but today was the first time I was able to get a picture with them.

At 3 PM Central time CEO Jim Ziemer and the rest of the company’s leadership counted down the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange, and remotely rang the closing bell, using the throttle of a Harley as the bell-chime.  The closing was broadcast live on CNBC and other financial networks.

 

Tonight the Miller Park operation shuts down, and the crowds will disperse to other venues, including the new Harley-Davidson Museum, where today several weddings took place, live on television.  Also the Summerfest Grounds, Milwaukee’s equivalent of Central Park, and Veterans Park, just north of the Summerfest Grounds.

Here’s a look at some of today’s sights.

done

 

More tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred

Let The Games Begin

Friends,

They’re here….!

 

And so they came, hour after hour, thousands upon thousands, arriving in Milwaukee to celebrate the 105th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson.  They came on bikes of every size, shape, color, and sound. With riders of every shape and wearing every kind of garb.  And from every corner of the world.

Work made it impossible for me to ride out and join them on the road, but I was there as they arrived. They gathered outside the Harley-Davidson corporate headquarters for the block party to kick off the 5 days of celebration.

They started arriving around 4:00, and were still arriving well after 7:30. By 6 there were bikes parked cheek-to-jowl as far as the eye could see down every street surrounding the Harley-Davidson headquarters.  There was food, music, merchandise, and lots of comaraderie.

Rather than attempt to describe the scene, I’ll show it instead.

done

Tomorrow I’ll spend the day at the 25th Anniversary of the Harley Owner’s Group (HOG), at Miller Park, the baseball stadium that is home to the Milwaukee Brewers.  There should be good opportunities for pictures there. 

I’ll blog again tomorrow night.

Stay safe,

Vroom,

Fred

Crossing Lake Michigan

Friends,

Greetings from Milwaukee.

I crossed Lake Michigan today from Muskegon on the fast ferry.  

This is the fastest large ferry in service in the US.  It covers the 90 miles between the cities in 2 1/4 hours.  By land the trip would be 300 miles.  The crossing allowed me to avoid the traffic nightmare around O’Hare.  

There were about 100 bikes on the ferry run.  And also about 30 cars.  The ferry is very comfortable, with strong coffee, snacks, and even The New York Times.   In the cabin they played an in-flight movie, Leatherheads, with George Clooney and Renée Zellweger, but few of the bikers watched.  

The bikes needed to be tied down, four tie-downs per bike, in very claustrophobia-inducing quarters.  But despite some rocking caused by waves and wind, the bikes came through unscathed.

When we landed it was time to get to work.  I can’t discuss the work we’re doing in Milwaukee, but I can discuss my goings to and from.  And today I got to ride the bike to several meetings around Milwaukee.  My practice in NYC with Joseph came in handy; the city traffic in Milwaukee is nothing compared to New York drivers.

 

Here’s a montage of the crossing.

 

done

Joseph’s Return Trip

Just as I was ready to post this I heard from Joseph.  

 

Here are excerpts of his report on his trip home…

 

Just landed from the excitement of the trip…
 

I left Cincinnati Friday, taking it easy, and constantly checking my oil. Yes, it was finding its way out of the bike…  You recall the drill to check the oil level. The engine has to be hot, so you can’t check the level before you ride (and ruin the engine), only after you’ve ridden (and possibly ruined the engine). Then the 7/16 bolt holding the rear of the seat to the rear fender comes out, then the seat comes off, and then, finally, the cap/dipstick comes out to be wiped off, reinserted into the oil tank, again removed, and read. A quart of oil later, and I reverse the procedure and ride again. I got really good at this, and truly felt like a pro.

See what you missed?

People at the places I stopped were wonderful, offering help, advice, and their own Harley stories. Apparently, everyone in Ohio and Pennsylvania has a Harley, had a Harley, or knows someone connected with a Harley. Not in NJ or NY, though. Too sophisticated, I guess. 

Most notable in the friendliness area was an octogenarian caretaker at one of the last PA rest stops. We got to talking, I was tired, and so he offered to brew a cup of his extra strong coffee for me, having just had a cup himself. You know I don’t drink coffee, but this was too good an invitation to pass up. So we sat and chatted, I drank a semi-strong cup of coffee, which kept me up all night anyway, and heard about his Honda 50, his escapades on it, the look on the face of his nephew (whom he raised) when he asked the nephew if he wanted to learn how to ride the bike, the nephew’s escapades, and the punchline that his nephew now rides a big BMW. Well, you can’t win them all.

Otherwise, the trip was uneventful, not too many crazed, careless drivers wanting to run a biker off the road, and weather that held up wonderfully well. We definitely have to do it again, for sure for the 110th, and hopefully before.

A last note. Today was the first day of orientation at my new job… During breakfast (they took such nice care of the dozen incoming teachers) we shared anything exciting we did over the summer. When my turn came, I spoke of my trip to Maine, my sail down the Hudson, around Manhattan, up the East River,and  through Hell’s Gate out to the Long Island Sound, but before I could finish the Assistant Principal said,no, they wanted to hear about my trip out West with a buddy to Harley’s anniversary party. How did they know? Must be the blog.

Have a great time in Milwaukee, a safe trip home, and collect wonderful stories to share.

Joseph

Glad to know Joseph made it home OK, with his own adventures and fond memories.

Tomorrow the hundreds of thousands of bikes begin to arrive en masse in Milwaukee.  I plan to be among them as they arrive.  

I’ll blog again tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Vroom,

Fred