Got 384 miles in today in about 7 1/2 total riding hours. Rode down to Cleveland to participate in the activities at the USS Cod SS 224. This is a sister boat to the boat I enlisted aboard USS Cero SS 225. I even met the grandson of a guy who served on the Cero in WWII. He was a radioman and is still alive and living in Florida.
Things I learned on this ride:
1. 55 F is cold; full leathers are a necessity. (I had to stop and put the rest of my gear on about 40 miles into the ride)
2. There are some interesting smells out there; some pleasant and some not.
3. Ground fog is kind of eerie in the half light of morning and damned cold to ride through.
4. People are friendly at rest stops when you're wearing a Submarine Veteran Vest.
5. Viet Nam Veterans are friendly when you wave to them on the highway; I met up with a guy at a rest stop that I had waved to a few miles back on the highway and we swapped some stories and had a good chat.
6. Cops in Cleveland are friendly and willing to cut you some slack on an Armed Forces Weekend; even if you take a wrong turn.
7. Riding almost 400 miles is not going to be as difficult as I anticipated; unless it rains or we hit a lot of construction.
8. Grooved pavement on bridges will get your attention and slow you down; doesn't impact cars but sure did make my tires wobble until I got used to it.
9. Cheap sunglasses are worth what you pay for them; time for me to start shopping for a good pair that can handle the glare of sunrise and sunset and the deep shadows of a wooded road
The next test will be to ride up the the Mackinac Bridge and camp out overnight before coming back.
Here's photos taken while at USS Cod Ss 224
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