64 days to the Ride

I got in about 70 miles today in a combination of country and city rush hour traffic. I got to tell you that driving in rush hour on a Friday in Metro Detroit is not my idea of fun. I think we have more idiots per square mile than any place on earth. But, when you get out to the countryside in the hills, lakes and curves life takes on a whole new perspective and the deep roar of the exhaust and the wind in your face takes over and life is good.
Temps here in Michigan got up over 80F so it was a light jacket and t-shirt weather. Can't wait for the next two months to pass by so we can get this show on the road.
The t-shirts will be ordered over the weekend and I will notify each of you by e-mail what the cost is. Then just wait until you get here to make your donation. My wife tells me I'm "tighter than a tick" and to stop whining. Anyway, we are good to go and the next step is to plan our "getting underway dinner" and then the OH DARK UGLY breakfast. My neighbors (all of them envious) will show up at the cook out so I expect each of you to embellish all stories of your history and what this trip is all about. Anyone caught telling the truth goes on mess cooking for the the entire trip. McManus has a free pass because as a journalist he is expected to always tell the truth. ("Did I just write that?")
Tomorrow we tear another page off the calendar and move in May; so long April you've provided some good riding. Blue; my daughter wants to know if you are bringing your bike. She also wants a Koala but I told her they are an Australian national treasure and not allowed to leave the country. You, on the other hand, have permission to leave.
Can you tell I'm slightly "pissed?"
LOL
Cheers mates; let's ride

Stylized Route Map

 

I wonder how this will look on the back of a T-Shirt?

68 days to the Ride

Samples of what our T-Shirts will look like if we decide we want to get them. We can get a different color i.e. gray, black, blue but to keep costs down we should get all of them in the same color. I think I can keep the costs in the $10.00 per shirt range if we keep the quantity limited to 25. We can order different sizes, I think, as part of the total quantity of 25.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks

69 days to the Ride

No riding today and no work on the bike. Too cold and rainy for riding and the Red Wings hockey game is on so no work on the bike.

I was mistaken; that wasn't Red Wings hockey; that was a good old fashioned butt kicking and the Red Wings came out on the wrong end of it. Oh well, now we get a game 7

Just learned that my daughter will be here before we leave. She's arriving a few days prior to our departure to help us get prepared for the "guest load". Security will be provided by the "attack Scottie" who has been known to "break legs".

70 days until the Ride

 

The time keeps getting shorter and I'm running out of things to plan for. But, I did find this photo of Ray Frase (101st Airborne). The gentleman on the right is his brother (can't remember his name) and the ugly rascal on the left is an ugly rascal.

We now have photos posted of everyone who is going on the trip. Can't wait to get our first group photo and get this ride on the road.

Installed highway pegs today. Will have to go for a ride to see how much adjustment they need. Helmet lock will have to wait until I get the highway pegs adjusted since it mounts right under them. I also need a special screwdriver for the installation. I knew the low price from Harley was a come on. I can't wait to see what the special tool is going to set me back.

I also will wait for the rider back rest. Seems I need to remove the rider backrest, which is supposed to be quick release, but isn't. Good thing we have a few days before leaving for me to figure all this stuff out.

Jim called today and he's at a "Bike Fest" in Ocala, Florida. Pictures will be posted later today or tomorrow.

Ride Safe; Hey Blue how about some photos of your new (old) bike.

75 days to the Ride

Gentlemen:

This is what the patch is going to look like. I should have it by late May or first of June. I think it's going to really look nice on our jackets/vests or where ever you decide you're going to sew it on.

76 days to the Ride

OK guys; here's your chance to have some input. I'm trying to plan our pre-ride cookout on July 3rd. I've already asked Blue to educate me on what are the appropriate Aussie beers to lay in. Now I need to know what we want to have for food; burgers, brats, steaks, shrimp (on the barbie of course)? Let me know.
The one thing we don't want to do is overindulge (me anyway). Riding with a hangover is not something I want to try. I figure we'll spend a good portion of Saturday making the final preparations; letting those of you who don't know the others get acquainted and laying out the first day's ride plans. Then it's time to lay back, enjoy the day, eat some food, have a beverage or two and let the adventure take hold.
Chime in with your thoughts.

77 days to the Ride

No riding this weekend. Cold and windy weather has returned to Michigan which is actually more normal than the warm temps we have been having. Just a few more things to work on to get the bike ready to go and they are all minor; except the cost. It's a Harley so I don't expect anything to be "cheap".
If I can find the time I'll attempt to get the seat off and install the rider backrest; it looks easy enough but with my penchant to make mechanical jobs harder than they need to be it should give me an opportunity to fine tune my "cussing".

I heard back from the "Patch" company and I expect to have the photo of the design to post here some time next week. I think you guys are going to like it. I had to buy 25 of them but plan to share them with the members of SSMC who will be meeting us out there in Idaho/Washington. Maybe I'll sell the rest of them on E-Bay to the "wannabe's".

I've been looking at the photos of sights to see while on the Cascade Mountain Loop; this "flatlander" is going to be in heaven riding in those mountains. I may have to get a few more 8 Gig cards for all the photo ops. You can see what I'm talking about if you click on the link found on the main page of the blog.

79 days to the Ride

And I just got the word it's another surgery (procedure really) on my esophagus. It got scheduled for May 14th which gives me about 6 weeks for recovery; plenty of time. But, not to worry, I WILL be making the trip. Nothing short of a dirt nap will keep me from doing this. I really thought #4 was the end of it and I was cured. My doctor thought so too but, alas, not to be; for now anyway. But there are so many more who have it a lot worse than I do that I'll just consider this a minor inconvenience and slog on. Besides, what else can I do? So, in the words of my USMC D.I.; I'll suck it up and complete the mission.
Sorry if this is a downer; it came as a real surprise.

The guests at Jim's party

 

But these lovely ladies did

Jim Mulanix Birthday Cake

 

We had a party for him but he didn't show up.

Another April Birthday Celebrant

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BOB, also. This photo was taken when Bob was our "tour guide" during the Tartan Day Parade in New York City. I think the year was 2002 or 2003. It's when Bob and I met in person for the first time.

Happy Birthday Jim

I heard you celebrated at the beach with the "scantily clad" wimmens. This came from this morning's paper; you Devil Dog
I hope the bail money arrives in time for you to enjoy your day.

 

My daughter tells me she is ready for the ride but somehow that Harley looks awfully familiar. Blue must have put her up to this.

I got in a good ride today out in the "crosswinds". Not exactly like Montana but the wind was gusting over 30 MPH and it was good training. Tested out a new lightweight leather jacket today also. Kept me warm and is not near as heavy as my modular jacket. Ought to be nice for those cool mornings in the mountains. I love this testing and planning; almost as much as actually getting underway.

84 days to the Ride

 

Here's Jim's pride and joy; "Suzi". We think he's pulling our leg when he tells us she runs on rice. Looks like he's got it all set up and ready to go. Wait until the bubbleheads see that license plate holder; the pinging will be loud, long and continuous.

The next time Ray and I go riding I'll get a photo of his bike and figure out a way to post all three of them together; we'll have Army Airborne, USMC Amtrac's and USN Submarine/FMF all represented. We'll sure miss having Roy along with his USAF Crew Chief Harley.

Update on the patch; should have it by middle of May and expect to have a photo of it to post by next week at this time. I think it's going to look really sharp.

That's all for today; BTW, I passed my last hurdle with my throat condition and have been given the green light. All of the "bad guys" have been removed and the healing process is progressing well. I expect the biopsies to come back normal. Ralph and I are now ready to go back to "full duty".
Let's ride.

86 days to the Ride

I have ordered the patches (25 total) and they should be ready by June 1st. I've asked for a jpeg so that I can post it for all of you to see. I have also added a section for our photo gallery. Right now it is just some Harley stuff that I have taken to build a template. Later I will update it with our actual daily photos from the trip.
This is getting fun and I am continuing to talk with the guys from SSMC on our plans while we are in the Seattle area. One of the things we have to lock down is accomodations while we are out there and the possibility of a mini-bash on Sunday, July 11th.
More to come.

I met with Ray Frase, our Army participant, tonight to map out the route for him and get his input. He's good to go and looking forward to the trip. There were a couple of other riders at the VFW tonight and they all agreed that 400 miles per day isn't too hard to do and that we should be able to get about 200 miles between gas stops until we hit the mountains.

87 days to the Ride

Hey guys; look who showed up as a "Follower" and reader of our blog. Welcome Aboard Ric;
I continue to work with the "Patch Vendor" in developing our commemorative patch that will incorporate our Dolphins; Blue's Dolphins and the U.S. Army, USMC and USN Official Logos. Right now the design resembles the Harley Logo (sorry Jim) and includes the text "Ride to the Northwest - 2010" I'll post a photo of it when the vendor sends me the final graphic to approve. It will look nice on our vests and I will try to give one to each of the SSMC Riders who accompany us from Sandpoint, Idaho into the Seattle area.

Ric; any chance we can arrange a "mini-bash" on Sunday, July 11th? You know all the guys who live in the area; perhaps there's a place we can all meet for some drinks, laughs and TINS.

90 days to the Ride

Happy Easter everyone.
We are now into the last stages of planning. I spoke with Ralph yesterday and we agreed we can make a few changes in the return route to Michigan and include a ride across Northern Nebraska. Nebraska is on my list of states to see in my quest to visit all 50. Adding Nebraska will get me to 49. I also got the above photo in from Don Gentry; it's located in Wyoming between Sheridan and Rapid City, SD. Then I discovered that heading south out of Rapid City SD we can go through "Wounded Knee" where there should be some good historical sites related to Native American heritage. From there we cross the border into Nebraska and I'll do some research to see what we can see along the way. Perhaps we can pick up parts of the Oregon Trail or the Lewis and Clark expedition when we get closer to the Missouri River. Or, maybe we'll just see corn and wheat and small town diners where the coffee is strong enough to float a barge. Guess we'll just have to wait until we get there. I, for one, can't wait.
Enjoy the day.

To This

 

But 5 weeks later the snow is gone the temps are in the low 80's and snow is nothing but a distant memory.
Got to ride out to the lakes area today; the place where the dirt roads meet the cornfields. With all the little inland lakes we have around here the roads take some interesting twists and turns; just right for practicing. Not like mountains because it's not steep but the curves give you that sense of adventure. Bike handled very well on this first real test and it looks like I'm averaging over 45 mpg. Not bad given the stop and go driving I have to do before the roads open up.

From this

 

At the end of February it looked like it might be a long time before I could get the bike out of storage and go for a ride.

92 days to the Ride

80F today; going for a ride. Taking the camera in case I come across anything interesting. If not; just riding is interesting enough. Might get a chance to test the cruise control if I get up on the highway.

93 days to the Ride - Hello April

 

The last of the snowy months is gone and the weather is right for another ride today. Toss another page from the calendar into the GDU and make all preparations for getting underway. I'll try for some bike photos this afternoon if I get home from work early enough. If not today; tomorrow.
Note my new hat from SSMC;

I got a patch being designed and when I get the prototype done I'll post that here also.