Milwaukee We Are Here

Clinton, IA to Milwaukee, WI: 3states, 180 miles 8 hours on the road, 4.5 hours in the saddle.

Today we finally arrived Home. Home of Harley Davidson motorcycles. We left the hotel a little later than usual and took a (mostly) leisurely route to the big city. We made a quick stop at Kegels Harley Davidson in Rockford, Il., then on to House of Harley, just south of Milwaukee, before heading to the hotel. The guys enjoyed a few demo rides on some new 2019 HD models. Surprisingly, I passed up the opportunity. I know, crazy. I don’t usually pass up riding a demo bike but maybe it’s because I just finished riding 2000+ miles. Plus, I knew we’d have more opportunities over the next few days. 

We arrived at the hotel early afternoon and while waiting for the guys to come out from checking in, our good friends from Portland, Or., pulled up behind us. Another “couldn’t have timed it better if we’d tried”.  It was so good see them! They had a pretty rough weather trip through smoke and torrential rain. Originaly they planned to meet us in Clinton but had to reroute due to the tornado storms we avoided. I’m happy they’re here safe and look forward to catching up over the next few days. 

After unloading the bikes and settling in to the hotel room we walked over to the museum to check out the happenings over there. They had all the 2019 models on display along with the upcoming Livewire (electric motorcycle) which is due to hit the streets this time next year. Exciting things ahead for Harley Davidson. 

We grabbed a bite to eat at the museum cafe where Tiffany and Bill met up with us. After dinner we walked around the vendors for a bit and then watched A Thousand Horses perform on stage before walking back to the hotel. 

Milwaukee we are here!

Why Can’t Pirates Finish the Alphabet

Marshfield, MO to Clinton, IA: 2 states, 435 miles 10 hours on the road, 8.5 in the saddle.

We took off this morning and followed Rt 66 for several miles. The road was scenic and brought back childhood memories from when my family visited my Grandpa’s dairy farm in Joplin, MO.

A quick stop at Lake of the Ozarks Harley Davidson and then back in the road for more scenic backroads. We had a lot of miles to cover but stayed off the freeway so that we could enjoy this beautiful country. We passed many farms and corn fields, turtles crossing the road and even a horse drawn carriage somewhere along the way. It was a great day of great scenic roads.

Scott led us to a really fun local food spot for lunch in Mobley, Mo., Funny Pages Cafe. The decor is really neat with lots of comics and funny pages. One of their questions of the day was why can’t a pirate finish the alphabet? Because he’s stuck at C! Arrr!

The heat continued to rise after lunch and was almost unbareable. It’s important to stay hydrated and keep as cool as possible but on a motorcycle that can be difficult when we sometimes ride over two hours before stopping. To help beat the heat, many times we’ll wet our buffs and/or shirts to provide some cooling as we ride.

A few hours before our destination for the day the sky started looking ugly. We stopped for fuel and checked the weather. The locals warned us a terrible storm was ahead so we put the rain gear on and got back on the road to try to beat the storm. We managed to stay just behind the rain all the way to the hotel but within an hour of our arrival a tornado warning siren blared and the sky broke loose. Luckily, we were safely enjoying dinner and an adult beverage as the storm passed.

Tomorrow we arrive in Milwaukee. Yay!

Regulators Mount Your (iron) Horses

Caddo Valley, AR to Marshfield, MO: 2 states, 325 miles 12 hours on the road, 7.5 in the saddle.

Another great start to an adventurous day. My bike started up like a champ this morning so we ventured out for a great day of riding which included the pig trail up in northwest Arkansas. Scott led the group on a beautiful road but 45 minutes in to the ride my warning lights came back on. Curtis and I rerouted our ride to the nearest Harley dealership. No pig trail ride for us this trip.

The group decided to stay together to see what options we’d have for the day and headed for Little Rock, AR. I kept my fingers crossed my bike would make the sixty miles to the dealership. Thankfully, it did but was sputtering as we pulled in. Curtis talked to the service manager and they got the bike in within the hour. The first prognosis was possible bad battery and/or regulator. Rock City HD didn’t have a regulator in stock but their sister store, Toad Suck HD, did. However, it would take an hour and a half to get it. No reason for the whole group to waste the day waiting when there’re great roads out there to ride. So part of the group stayed and part of the group left to enjoy the day of riding and we’d all hook up again at the hotel. Hopefully...

Four hours later Rock City was finally able to find a regulator for my bike. Turns out Toad Suck didn’t have one in stock. They thought Memphis, TN had one but would require overnight shipping or Curtis could ride there and bring it back (a 5 hour round trip). But when they called the dealership it turned out they didn’t have one either. Rock City continued to search and finally found one! Yay! The rest of the group was finally back on the road and would still make it to the hotel in Marshfield, MO. to meet up with the others.

We rode AR-7 outside of Conway through Ozark National Park. Absolutely beautiful road. I could have done without the scary, downhill, fresh oil, 20 mph curves but I survived. We even picked up a HOG ABC.

Still no chain restaurants. While my bike was being worked on we enjoyed lunch at the Frontier Diner just down the street from the dealership. Curtis remembered the place from when we passed though in 2013 heading to Milwaukee for the 110th celebration. Leave it to Curtis to remember a good meal.

Tomorrow’s a pretty big day of riding with mostly, if not all, back roads. Loving the adventure!

Nomads Roadside Assistance

Hoover, AL to Caddo Valley, AR: 3 states, 425 miles 10.25 hours on the road, 8 in the saddle.

Today's adventure started early with a nice cool ride on the beautiful Old Tuscaloosa Hwy and ended riding another great road, the Johnny Cash Run. We ventured off the beaten path and found ourselves in Mississippi State hometown, Starkfield, MS.  After a quick fuel stop we were back on the road.

When travel we try to eat at non-chain restaurants. Drew found today’s lunch stop in Greenwood, MS, and let me say that this one is going to be hard to beat. The Crystal Grill provided wonderful staff and the food was delicious. The place was busy but we were seated and served pretty quick. We highly recommend The Crystal Grill if you’re ever in the area. The southern charm and friendly service will not disappoint.

Early in the day my bike started flashing a warning code, which appeared to be something with the battery. We had to jump it twice and it seemed ok after the last jump, but 40 miles east of our final destination the bike decided to completely die. I called AAA for a tow but before they could even schedule the tow truck the boys had the bike up and running. Curtis had disconnected the battery tender and heated gear harnesses then gave her another jump. She started right up and the lights and gauges worked properly as well. No more dash warning lights either. I ended the call with AAA before ordering the tow and we were back on the road. The bike rode great those last 40 miles. I’m keeping my fingers crossed she starts up in the morning. Either way, we’ll need to get her checked out and maybe even a new battery.

One of the benefits of group riding is someone usually has the skills and/or tools to fix the issue. And thank goodness for the portable battery jumpers they have for motorcycles theses days. It’s a definite must-have in your saddlebag...or your riding partners saddlebag.

Tomorrow’s plan includes riding part of the pig trail and many other great roads here in Arkansas as we make our way up into Missouri.

Motorcycles and More

Valdosta, GA to Hoover, AL: 2 states, 325 miles, 7.5 hours on the road, 6.25 in the saddle.

Beautiful ride today through Georgia and Alabama backroads. The morning offered cool, dry weather. The heat picked up by afternoon and remained dry. Curtis picked our lunch stop, Who's Diner. A neat little place wth good food and great charm. Curtis always seems to know where to find a good meal.

We arrived at Barber Motorsports Museum early afternoon. The place is amazing! Five floors of motorcycles, cars, and other cool stuff. Plus, they had races going on out on the track. The boys really enjoyed it and are already planning a return trip.

The girls didn't stay for the museum viewing. After a quick cooldown in the AC we hopped back on the bikes and headed to the hotel for some poolside relaxation.

Tomorrow will be one of our long travel days but I'm sure the roads and scenery will continue to amaze me. I love seeing our beautiful country from the saddle of my motorcycle .

The Gang's All Here

Lakeland, Fl to Valdosta, GA: 2 states, 250 miles, 4.5 hours on the road, 4.25 in the saddle.

Great start to what is sure to be a great trip. We had three groups leaving from three different locations/times. Curtis and I managed to leave Lakeland before the afternoon thunder storm hit and took a slight detour to avoid the heavy downpours along I75, which definitely worked in our favor. We saw very little rain but unfortunately the other two groups endured the heavy downpours.

When Curtis and I finally hopped on the freeway, just south of Ocala, as fate would have it we pulled right behind the Peters, two more members of our group. Unbelievable how that happened. Couldn't have planned it better if we'd tried.

Tomorrow we head to Birmingham, Al, where we will visit Barber Motorsports Museum. Looks like we should have a nice, dry ride.

Countdown to HD115

We are now less than 24 hours until KSU (kickstands up) for our third trip to Milwaukee, WI, where we will celebrate in another Harley-Davidsion anniversary party. This will be the motor company's 115th anniversary and H.O.G.'s 35th.

The bikes are washed and ready for loading. Just a few office hours tomorrow and then we're rolling on up to Valdosta, GA, where we will meet up with the rest of the Florida Wrecking Crew.

Our route this trip takes us west to Arkansas before heading north to Milwaukee. We’ll enjoy five days of back roads, small towns and beautiful countryside. I have no doubts that this trip will be filled with many memorable moments like our last two visits to Milwaukee. Let’s Ride!