LIFE ON THE HARD

So in case some of you are wondering how one adjusts to being home after a wonderful adventure well I can tell you IT ISN"T EASY!!!! Ahh being home is wonderful, seeing the kids....priceless, but doing WINDOWS PAALEESE!!! haha. We had some oil changes to deal with and also decided to upgrade "Nellie". Yes my little 883 sportster is soon going to become a "fire breathing - too hot to handle" 1200!!!! They say you can never have enough power under your butt - I say bring it on!!! Just remember - keep it upright and enjoy the journey - Sleeping late Flame and Changing oil Big Dog

Home sweet home

Tag we're here. This morning was quite foggy in the mountains but luckily the sun burned through and we were on our way Zoom Zoom. As the miles ticked away and we got closer to familiar territory I could hardly contain my excitment - life is a journey and the best part is usually coming home with a lifetime of memories. Thanks for all of your prayers and comments and emails....what a wonderful age we live in!!! I already did some quick food shopping and plan to eat home tonight - that might not sound so exciting to most of you but after being out for 40 days home cooking of any kind sounds delish!!! Our bags are unpacked - boy were those jeans road weary - our bikes are in the garage waiting to be cleaned tomorrow - and our maps are put away, at least for a bit!!! It's been great sharing all of this with you - love ya all - On the couch Flame and in my easy chair Big Dog Total miles for the trip 7,892 - 248 miles today and 40 days of pure adventure - Priceless

Back to the future

Hey Hey - well if we still lived in Middletown NY we would be home now ha!! After all this time it was quite heartwarming to start to see some familiar land. Fall is always beautiful in the mountains but it seemed expecially breathtaking as we traveled through the hills of Pennsylvania and into New York. Possibly it is because we have been thrust into fall within the last couple of days and we are actually in peak season right now or just maybe it is because we are so enjoying the reds, corals, and yellow leaves without RAKING EVEN ONCE - yea, yea, that must be it ha!!! Well I have to tell you when we left this morning the temps were in the 40's and it took about 150 miles before I started to thaw out....brrr I think it is worse than skiing!!! Ah but by lunch time we both were able to shed at least one layer - bring out that suntan lotion!!! By 3:30 and after 360 miles we were in our hotel in Middletown trying to spiff ourselves up (the bug look is not good!) and off we went to the airport to see if any of our "flying" friends were still there. Believe it or not a couple of them were and it was so great trying to catch up. The airport has certainly grown....aside from gliders, they now have ultra lights, hang gliders, and baloon rides - pretty cool indeed. After that we took a trip through our old neighborhood. Aside from the trees being bigger and the houses looking somewhat closer it was pretty neet indeed. Middletown as a whole has really grown up and it was hard to believe all the new developments and stores where farms use to be. But one thing that remained the same was across from the kids elementry school the cow farm still was there - yes the place still smelled the same!!! It is now cocktail time and one more familiar ride and we will be home and back to life on the "hard". What an incredible adventure - will let you know when we touch down. Looking forward to life on Brigantine Flame and I'm even excited to get home Big Dog.

East of Pittsburgh

Well I guess we are REALLY within striking distance now Yahoo!!! What a trip on Rt 22 through Ohio. This is a secondary road that goes through some "great USofA towns" farms, fields, and great twisties with golden leaves blowing around your tracks - isn't Fall in the East spectacular!! We rode past a field of cows and one little nappy calf started to run along side of us - how cute was that!!! Going through Pittsburgh we experienced a bit of rush hour traffic at 2pm - why doesn't anyone work till 5 anymore????? Ahh but on the evening news we heard that Sarah Palin was giving a speech in Pittsburgh.....is she following us or what????? Maybe she is on a Harley - if so.... high five Sarah!!!ha. So tomorrow we decided to stay in Middletown NY - kind of like a ride down memory lane - how cool!!! So now that many of you have a long weekend ahead - enjoy !!!! Going back in time Flame and Can't take the city out of Big Dog

In the right time zone

Howdy all - well another productive day in the saddle. We got up as the sun was rising and put all of our layers on - a nippy 39 deg. - and headed into the sun once again. We took rt 50 till Rt 275 around Cincinnati and then off on Rt 3 & 22 into Wilmington Ohio. Rt 50 through Indiana was aglow with a good amount of fall colors coming through. Some of the roads through the mountains were just wonderful...lots of twisties and leaves twirling around - just breathtaking ahhh this is why we ride!!! It seemed as if there were a lot more construction sites along this route than when we traveled West on it - it sure did seem like it took a long time to travel even for us seasoned old riders - ouch my aching back, neck, hands, etc. etc. haha Then when we were just miles from the hotel the road seemed to stop dead......when in doubt do a Thompson U-turn and check the map. The Big Dog found a route that within 15 minutes we were right where we wanted to be - what a GUY!!! Anyway come to find out Sarah Palin is speaking in this town - go figure.....maybe since I didn't see the whole debate thing I could ask her a few questions haha!!! On the positive side - if all goes well we are thinking that by Sunday night we could be home - 7,065 miles traveled, approximately 809 miles left, and have been on the road for 37 days today - pretty cool huh???? Getting sore Flame and hanging tough Big Dog

Making Tracks

Hey y'all - it's amazing how good you can feel when you wake up and the sun is shinning!!! Last night the Holiday Inn where we were staying had FREE DRINKS and horsd'oeuvres from 5:30 to 7:30 - I think it would be prudent in the future to pay for them haha. Ahh but seeing the sun and the promise of the temerature getting out of the 40's was all the inspiration I needed. We jumped (ok maybe slithered) onto the bikes and zoomed off into the sun. We passed over the Mississippi and back into the land of the EAST by 2pm. We stopped had a quick bite and then got off the super slabs and onto Rt 50 into Illinois. Ahh now it was time to relax a bit and start to enjoy the beautiful country. As the corn fields were past their prime and the fall season was starting to approach, I started to realize just how long we have been living this incredible adventure. We are staying in Salem Illinois again and will probably retrace our steps back home from here. We went 362 miles today and the barn is starting to smell real nice. My hair is starting to fade Flame and My beard keeps me warm Big Dog

weather or not??

Well here we are in Joplin (as in Janis?) MO a soggy 340 mile day - ahh it sure is nice to take all that gear off!!! I actually had 5 layers (which included 2 very heavy sweaters) on top and 4 layers on bottom which helped anchor me to the bike in all that wind yahoo is this fun or what haha. So Bob the weather guru just informed me that it was clearning up outside - and the weather channel is again telling us that we will have a sunny day tomorrow - don't ya just love it!!! We took a toll road today Rt 44 which isn't as easy as it sounds. Trying to have a machine accept a dollar bill that has been soaked in your foul weather jacket is not going to happen soooo now that we are fugitives I guess we are going to have to change our appearances - all we have to do is ditch the jeans and leather and no one will recognize us - yea that's it, a whole new wardrobe - ain't traveling fun. I'm thinking red outfit Flame and bring on the plaid pants Big Dog haha

Day 33 - Elks City OK

So now that we were totally rested and ready to go where was the sun the weatherman predicted!!!! I guess today was a day to test ALL of the skills that we learned over the last month or so....we had fog, rain, lots and lots of crosswinds, sun, and even a truck fire on the other side of the road!!! Not sure what happened but it was toast and the plumes of smoke were unbelievable. We just ducked our heads under the smoke and held our breath till we were passed it. phew good thing I rode fast because I was never the winner in "who can hold your breath for the longest!" haha!! This storm seems to be a slow mover - kind of sounds like the one we were in while sailing South. But there were no Holiday Inns and football games so how bad can it get???? We aren't mildew yet and the forcast looks good for a passage to Joplin MO tomorrow. Ahh its all an adventure - today we went over 6,0000 miles on the trip so far, 1,818 miles to go, and we just passed into central time so we are only technically an hour west of all of you YEA!!! Getting ready for some cocktails Flame and off to the ice machine Big Dog

Are you ready for some football??

Hey wait a minute - were'nt we suppose to be on the road with those yellow dotted lines???? Oh yes I forgot about that wonderful... Plan B - when they predict severe weather for exactly where we were going - I mean the possibility of hail, strong winds, and even a tornado watch, I say it is time to kick you feet up, dry the bikes, and watch some football!! By staying a day we figure that we will now be following this nasty front instead of running ahead of it. So now it is football overload in beautiful downtown Tucumcari not bad at all. But wait, I think that the Patriots are coming on next - gulp - this could the first game of the season that I will watch....am I strong enough for this???? I think that I might actually be better prepared for bad weather and strong winds. Maybe it is time to break out that Vodka!!! hiding my eyes Flame and who cares Big Dog

How long have we been gone???

This is all very strange - according to Mr. GPS we are in New Mexico....you remember that place - the one where we had to stop every hour or so for water so we wouldn't dry up and become buzzard food - well this morning it was 48 deg. with 35mph crosswinds (a beam reach is only beneficial when you are sailing!!) and some pretty black nasty looking clouds just behind our tailpipes...I say crank those babies up and lets get going QUICK!!!! It is amazing how much spunk little Nellie has when she's running from storms haha!! We had all sorts of great plans for our journey back East but we are now thinking that maybe that will be another time another blog!!! Right now with snow predicted for the higher elevations - I'm not sure how HIGH I am but I don't want to be THAT HIGH!!! - we figure the quickest and easiest way would be to retrace our tracks. SOOOO now we are in Tucumcari NM again. Advantages of going to the same place.... you know where you are staying.....you know where the ONLY restaurant in the town is.....you know how to spell it on your blog!!!! So right now it is blowing like crazy here and thunderstorms are predicted for this evening - ahhh life on the road!!! Any port in a storm Flame and Bring it on Big Dog

riding into the sun....NOT

This morning as we got ready to ride East into the sun....hey where did it go????.....there were the "Band of Gypsy's" in the driveway (next to their mini van ha!) hugging , kissing, giving us good wishes in several languages and, I am sure, thinking of all the wonderful memories we now have from this outrageous vacation together. Damn.. I sure hate it when my sun glasses fog up.... sigh!!! As the miles ticked by and the scenery filled your senses we got into our zone and off we went zoom, zoom. The weather gave us fits of rain on and off during the day but we toughed it out and here we are, hopefully ahead of the rain, in Grants New Mexico. So while the Band of Gypsy's are waiting for their 5 o'clock cocktail we will have been enjoying ours for an hour already Yahoo loosing hours CAN work in your favor!! With 315 miles down and only 2,322 to go how much longer can it take us haha. Cutting up the road Flame and Outta my way Big Dog

another day in Paradise

Well today we decided to actually make a plan and leave early in the morning - is this like a working vacation haha!!! Picture this..... 10am and all 6 of us are looking like some pretty spiffy biker dudes - all dressed in black (is there any other color???) our boots showing just the right amount of wear, assorted tatoos showing, just in case the locals think we are pushovers, all bugs, both dead and alive, removed from the hogs and ready for a, don't get in my way, ride to Flagstaff through some of the most beautiful forests on some, don't take your eyes off the yellow line, twisty roads. What a trip!!!! Ahh but now the guys are returning their rides and instead of having a very cool roaring saddle under their butts they will be coming home in a MINI VAN... YIKES....I guess it is time we left!!!!! Very sad, very exciting, and so many, many, wonderful memories...... kicking up some dust Flame and hear me roar big dog

mile high club??

Did I get your attention haha. Could there be 2 different mile high clubs????? ALL I KNOW is that the Gang of 6 that has recently been terriorizing the Sedona area rode straight up the mountain and when I say straight I mean straight. These roads must have been blazed in the day of the mule!!! Ahh but teetering on the very top is a town of Jerome which JUST HAPPENS to have a bar named Mile High - all pretty cool if you ask me. The lunch we had there was wonderful....and there just happened to be MORE SHOPPING in our future - lots of neat shops!!!!! Now possibly I shouldn't have spent my whole wad in Sedona but since I did I got lots of business cards and can go shopping on line when I get home - ahh gotta love this new technology. Now after all this eating and twisty riding we decided to go home and continue our fun with some games and vodka - this life in the desert is sure outragious yahoo??? Tomorrow we will have our last ride with the Gang - they are returning their bikes tomorrow night and Friday we are heading East. Gulp are we ready the the cool East???? Do you know how hot it is here????? WOW I'm getting use to sweating with the oldies haha Well keep safe and smiling - the gang loves ya all and we will try to keep legal?!!! haha Very hot Flame and I'm shedding my coat Big Dog