Trip To The Upper Peninsula

     Jerri requires at least one motorcycle camping trip each so we headed for the west coast of Michigan and the Upper Peninsula (UP) on July 16th.

     We camped at Van Buren State Park and headed up the coast visiting lighthouses at Holland and Grand Haven State Parks.  Our next overnight stop was at the Snyder Shoreline Inn in Ludington.  Friday morning we boarded the S.S. Badger, the last coal fired ferry on the Great Lakes, for a relaxing four hour crossing to Manitowac, Wisconsin.   We headed north through Green Bay, Wisconsin following US 41 and MI 35 along Green Bay to John Walker Wells State Park for another night of camping.On Saturday we followed MI 35 to US 2 with a stops at the Seul Choix Points and Manistique lighthouses before heading north on MI 117 and MI 123 for camping at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.  The falls were amazing and we thank Greg and Michelle Bowlin for recommending a stop there.  Sunday morning was spent visiting the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, home of the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald.  We crossed the Mackinaw Bridge and stayed the night in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan before heading home on Monday.

     The weather was nice and cool so mosquitos weren’t an issue while camping.  We had great food; Wisconsin Beer Soup with a pretzel roll, great lake trout, and we got up close and personal with a Michigan Pasty.

     The folks from the UP were very friendly, have their own state fair, and want to be the 51st state.

     For those who have never rode the west coast of Michigan give it some thought.  The white sand beaches are amazing and you’ll never run out of lighthouses.

1929 Ford Tri-Motor Flight

On June 22nd, 2014 Jerri and I opted for a flight in the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor visiting the Bowling Green airport rather than the usual Sunday Wing-It ride.

I put together a model Tri-Motor and have always liked the plane and we could not miss the opportunity to take a ride.  It was a great experience for both of us and a chance to see Bowling Green from the air.

2014 Kentucky State H.O.G. Rally - Lexington

Jerri and I left with other members of our chapter on Wednesday June 4th for the state rally in Lexington.  We had a great time -  nice rides with plenty of food and drink each night provided by the rally.

Jerri and I won the "Bike Wash" game and I came in 2nd in the slow race.

Lexington is a great venue.  Plenty of gifts and gift cards were given out each evening.

2014 Texas Trip & Texas State H.O.G. Rally in Abilene

Jerri and I headed for Texas on May 7th with 2 nights camping along the Natchez Trace and a 3rd night in the Teepee Motel in Wharton, Tx.  After a brewery tour in Shiner we headed south to Eagle Pass where Jerri's grandfather was born and on to Alpine for 3 nights in the Holland Hotel.

Jerri and I had a great ride to the Big Bend National Park which included a crossing into Mexico in Boquillas.  We took a boat ride across the Rio Grande and Burros into the village, and had a great lunch.  It was great time and the only place I would enter Mexico.

On the 14th we arrived in Abilene for the rally.  Abilene welcomed all of us with open arms - great rides - and entertainment (Travis Tritt and Three Dog Night).  We also met up with our friends for San Angelo.  I competed with my first Novice Skills Competition and Jerri and I won the Texican Hat Dance.

We're looking forward to the 2015 Rally in Tyler

Final Post of 2013

Another riding year has drawn to a close with total Harley Davidson miles of 155,946 (15672 on the yellow and black bike and 140,274 on the white bike).  Our total mileage for the year is 20,556.  November and December were colder than normal, but I was able to take my Thanksgiving day, Christmas eve and day, and New Years eve day rides.   My last ride was on December 31st - about 40 miles at 40 degrees.

Black Hills With Cave Country H.O.G.

Jerri and I left on Thursday September 12th and took 4 days stopping west of St. Louis, in St. Joseph, and Sioux Falls before meeting up with fellow members of Cave Country H.O.G. in Wall, SD.  We visited the Falls of the Big Sioux River and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD on our way to Wall.

We spent the next 4 days in Deadwood and rode through the Badlands National Park, the beautiful roads of the Black Hills visiting Custer State Park, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and Mount Rushmore.  We saw plenty of Big Horn Sheep, Antelope, and wild Burros.  Another great ride took us to Belle Fourche (the geographic center of the 50 states) and on through Wyoming to Devils Tower.

We took 3 days getting home riding 400, 500, and 400 miles.  Jerri did great even though she had Chemo on Wednesday September 11th.  Our chapter had over 30 bikes with over 40 members on the trip.  Our trip was 11 days and we covered over 3,300 miles.

2013 - Kentucky State HOG Rally - London

Jerri and I had a great time at the Kentucky State HOG Rally in London.

After registering on Thursday morning we head south for our own ride to the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and stops at several Kentucky State Parks and Historic Sites in the south eastern part of the state.

On Friday we went on the Wildcat ride with a stop at the Kentucky Coal Museum in Beneham followed by a great ride through the mountains back to London.  The concert by the Kentucky Headhunters was great.

Most of Saturday was spent on the bike games.  As usual Kirby was practice for Jerri.  She teamed up with "Crazy Ed" from Texas and won Harley Hoops.

On Sunday we stopped by a couple Kentucky State Parks on the way home.  We did get caught in a heavy rain about an hour from home.  We got soaked and it took 2 day to dry our boots.

We're looking forward to the rally in Lexington next year.

2013 - Memorial Day Weekend - Charleston and Savannah

Jerri and I left on Wednesday the 22nd and headed south east and spent the first night in Orangeburg, SC.

We spent a nice day on Thursday taking in a walking tour of historic Charleston before heading to Savannah to meet up with our fellow Cave Country HOG members.

On Friday we spent a nice day on Tybee Island enjoying the beach.

On Saturday Jerri and I spent the day in Savannah and thoroughly enjoyed our carriage tour.  Of course we did start our morning of with our "walk around" bloody mary.

Each evening we met up with our HOG members for dinner.  The weather was pleasant and cool for May.

We had great seafood at The Fleet Landing in Charleston, the Shell House in Savannah, and Gerald's Pig and Shrimp on Tybee Island.  The Bourbon Bread Pudding at Goose Feathers in Savannah was exceptional.

After a stop for the evening in Knoxville we made in home on Monday.

2013 Louisiana State HOG Rally

Jerri and I have talked about heading to Louisiana for the past few years for several reasons.  I’ve been talking about making a pilgrimage to the Tabasco factory for over 20 years and a state rally gives us a chance to hit the back roads we probably wouldn’t take on our own.

We left Bowling Green on the 3rd of April at 7:00 a.m. and 31 degrees.  That wasn’t bad until we hit rain in Mississippi on the Natchez Trace - 5 hours of rain in the mid-40s is a mental challenge!  We had nice cool weather when we arrived in Houma, Louisiana on Thursday the 4th where we registered and went on the opening day ride followed by food and a band at Bruno’s Harley-Davidson.

Rode the marsh ride on Friday and heard how the marsh is being eroded by the influx of salt water and the history of the Houma Native Americans in the marsh area.  They were Choctaw who headed for the marsh to avoid relocation to the reservations in Oklahoma.  We rode another ride through Houma to the square for music - also had great Cajun food (crawfish and shrimp) for lunch.

On Saturday we headed for a swamp ride and plenty of back roads followed by lunch at Zam’s Swamp tours.  Great buffet of cajun food (gator, catfish, shrimp creole, jambalaya, etc.)  We headed back to the civic center for a Mardi Gras parade, drum playing by the Houma Native Americans, closing ceremonies, and a great concert by Jo Dee Messina.

We certainly enjoyed cajun country and may consider going back next year to the the rally in Lafayette.

Sunday we headed for Avery Island and tour of the Tabasco factory and ride through Jungle Gardens.  More good food for lunch - boudin and crawfish-corn maque choux.  We stopped in Jackson, Mississippi for the night.

As we headed up the Natchez Trace on Monday morning I saw a turkey take off from the right, rolled off the throttle, and ducked.  As I ducked Jerri did the same and we missed being struck by the turkey by just inches.   Great ride home with a food stop at the Loveless Dinner.

New Motorcycle - The "Bumble Bee"

Jerri and I decided to purchase a new motorcycle this year, a 2013 Harley-Davidson Limited.  We like visible color so we got the Bumble Bee.

Our 2006 will become the bike for shorter rides through the countryside and the bike we keep for the long term.  We have over  137,000 miles on this bike and hope to hit 200,000 miles some day.

2013 - First Post

We had a great riding year with my last ride on December 30, 2012 - 40 miles at 37 degrees.  Our ending mileage was 135,390 with the yearly total at 22,713 - our second highest.  The picture was taken in the autumn with our grandson, Milo.  Hopefully 2013 will bring many more miles of adventure.