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widebmw
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After last year's trip across Canada and back we said "That is the last cross country trip we are going to do".
This year I asked Jean if she wanted to go see Stephanie and Jeff and their twins in Tampa, Florida.( Stephanie grew up next door to us).
Jean was very enthusiastic about that idea so we made all the arrangements and set the date.
On Friday April 18th we were all packed and ready to go. As soon as the snow flurries stopped we were on the road.
Our packing for this trip was the most difficult we have ever encountered. We had to take all of our cold weather clothing and all of our hot weather clothing.
That morning we had everything packed in our saddlebags and top-box except our riding suits and boots. Then we took out what we would be wearing that day. That was the Comfort-Temp underpants, Gerbing electric jackets and our Comfort-Temp gloves. We also put the Gore-Tex liners in our Savanna suits.
We first went to Fallon then made a right on US 95 going South. On the outskirts of Fallon it started raining. Shortly after that it turned to snow. By the time we got to Schurz it had mostly stopped. Except for a little sleet before Tonopah, it was dry the rest of the way to Kingman, AZ.
Along the way, in Schurz we saw a group of riders who stopped to warm up. I found out later that there was a Death Valley ride that weekend. As we rode along I would see riders in various forms of dress; one in particular just North of Tonopah in a leather jacket with a scarf, khaki pants, with white socks and walking shoes. I talked to a friend who went the other day and he
said that many of them turned back. He also said that now after years of telling them about riding clothing and being ignored, if they don't ask he doesn't tell.
The next day From Kingman, AZ to Belen, NM. It was cold in the morning and snowing in Flagstaff, AZ. On I-40 going East we saw 2 burning cars along side the road. They were many miles apart and the fire departments were there. I just thought it was odd to see two burning cars on the same day.
In Belen, NM we stopped to see our friend Mary. She has a new F650CS that she bought last year and she has not ridden it yet. She is 82 years old and I don't think she will be riding again, but after close to 60 years of riding, she can't give up having a bike.
From Belen, NM we went to Carlsbad, NM by way of White Sands National Monument. It is a very white gypsum sand and it was crowded. We asked the Ranger why?. It was Easter Sunday and thousands of people go there to picnic and surf down the dunes. A day at the beach without the water.
We spent the next day at Carlsbad Caverns.
For the next few days we just rode East. I try for at least half of our trip to keep off of the Interstate Highways; it is not as fast but it generally much more pleasant. We worked our way over to US 84 staying in Gatesville, TX then Natchez, MS. From Natchez, MS we got on US 98 through Pensacola, FL.
Our intention was to go along the coast to Panama City, FL but it was so slow and crowded that my only thought was to go North and get on Interstate 10. We spent the night at De Funiak Springs, FL.
I thought that we might be safe, since out friends Mike and Marge weren't in the area. They tend to ride in the rain.
Friday, April 25th. De Funiak Springs to Tampa, FL. I-10 to US 19.
It was raining when we got up and for the next 8 hours we had a steady hard rain. According to the TV News it was a record breaking 4 inches. It stopped about 1 hour before we got to Tampa. It started again that night with more lightning than we have ever seen before. It was hard to sleep through the light show.
We spent the next 6 days in Tampa and Disney World.
Goin' South, actually it's North but it's leaving Florida and going into"The South".
From Orlando we went up to Fargo, GA into the Okefenokee Swamp to the Stephen Foster State Park.
"I don't think we're in Kansas (Nevada) anymore".
This is why we made sure we could pack all of our cold weather riding gear. It was hot and humid. And something was growing there that does not grow out west. Within a couple of hours I got started sneezing repeatedly and got a horrible sinus headache. When we stopped at Valdosta, GA I bought some Benedryl and that stopped that.
The next day it was cooler with some light showers, not bad. We went to Andersonville, GA the National Historic Site and POW Museum. That was interesting but very depressing. That was on Saturday May 3rd. There were lots of bikes, at least 2 clubs. That night we spent in Rome, GA.
We took US 27 North to US 127 through Tennessee. Cool and sunny again. A beautiful ride through the mountains to Cave City, KY. Next to Mammoth Cave, KY. Another huge thunderstorm that night. We had to turn on the heater in the motel. The next morning we took a cave tour. One lady got scared and had to leave. It may have been claustrophobia or the big crickets inside the cave. They did look like things from the movie "8 Legged Freaks".
That night we're watching the weather channel and the major thunderstorms and tornados to the south of us.
We started heading South through Nashville, TN to the Natchez Trace Parkway. It was our intention to take it all the way to Natchez, MS about 400 miles. It is like the Blue Ridge Parkway. A scenic road with no services on the road. You have to leave the Parkway and go to nearby towns. The speed limit is 50 MPH so it's not that bad. Lots of deer and wild turkeys. But then we
got to a section closed because of storm damage. I took almost 100 miles of back roads to get to an open section of it again.
That night in Tupelo, MS we were in bed. I turned on the TV to the local news. They have great radar! They said that the tornado warning was going to be in the north side of Tupelo at 9:46 pm. It was almost 9:30. I shook Jean and said "Lets get our riding clothes on and go downstairs to the lobby." So we did. We sat with others and watched the TV until it had passed. The next
morning there were storm warnings just to the South of us. The TV said that parts of the Natchez Trace were closed because of the storm. To kill some time we went to Elvis's birth place. It's just a small white house. We did buy some stuff at the gift shop. Then I thought about the storms, the Natchez trace being closed and I thought "Screw you guys, I'm going home".
Jean did notice a place "Toad Suck Park". We didn't stop.
I got my maps out. The same maps that I had in Tampa and had spread out all over the room to dry, then taped back together. I found the quickest way home. US 78 up to Memphis Tenn.
then get on I-40 West. We stopped at Clarksville, Arkansas.
We were dressed and packed when the town sirens went off. I think one or more of them was at the motel, LOUD!. We went down to the lobby. I did not see many people around so we went to a restaurant next door. The girl said we could go down in the basement and they could serve us there. After awhile a lady called her husband (the chief of police) and he said it was all
clear. So we went back upstairs and had breakfast. On the road it was getting hot and very windy. We stopped in Oklahoma City about 3:00pm then went on to Shamrock, TX. About 5:00pm the tornados went through Oklahoma City.
Shamrock, TX to Gallup, NM. High Winds all day 40 mph gusting to 50 mph..
Gallup,NM. No wind, great!! But on the morning news they said it was 22 degrees out. I stuck my head out the door, they were right. Change back to winter clothes. On to Beatty, NV. The worst part of that was going through Las Vegas.
Beatty, NV to Reno,NV. Nice, pleasant ride.
It was a great trip. some things of note. The best gas mileage we got was 44mpg on the Natchez Trace, the worst was on I-40 in Oklahoma and Texas in the high winds 24mpg.
All of our riding gear worked very well. It kept us warm and dry when needed.
We did cut our planned trip short by a couple if days because of the storms.
It was 24 days, 6190 miles. It was, " The last time we will go across the country".
Until next year, maybe.
John and Jean Ferris
This year I asked Jean if she wanted to go see Stephanie and Jeff and their twins in Tampa, Florida.( Stephanie grew up next door to us).
Jean was very enthusiastic about that idea so we made all the arrangements and set the date.
On Friday April 18th we were all packed and ready to go. As soon as the snow flurries stopped we were on the road.
Our packing for this trip was the most difficult we have ever encountered. We had to take all of our cold weather clothing and all of our hot weather clothing.
That morning we had everything packed in our saddlebags and top-box except our riding suits and boots. Then we took out what we would be wearing that day. That was the Comfort-Temp underpants, Gerbing electric jackets and our Comfort-Temp gloves. We also put the Gore-Tex liners in our Savanna suits.
We first went to Fallon then made a right on US 95 going South. On the outskirts of Fallon it started raining. Shortly after that it turned to snow. By the time we got to Schurz it had mostly stopped. Except for a little sleet before Tonopah, it was dry the rest of the way to Kingman, AZ.
Along the way, in Schurz we saw a group of riders who stopped to warm up. I found out later that there was a Death Valley ride that weekend. As we rode along I would see riders in various forms of dress; one in particular just North of Tonopah in a leather jacket with a scarf, khaki pants, with white socks and walking shoes. I talked to a friend who went the other day and he
said that many of them turned back. He also said that now after years of telling them about riding clothing and being ignored, if they don't ask he doesn't tell.
The next day From Kingman, AZ to Belen, NM. It was cold in the morning and snowing in Flagstaff, AZ. On I-40 going East we saw 2 burning cars along side the road. They were many miles apart and the fire departments were there. I just thought it was odd to see two burning cars on the same day.
In Belen, NM we stopped to see our friend Mary. She has a new F650CS that she bought last year and she has not ridden it yet. She is 82 years old and I don't think she will be riding again, but after close to 60 years of riding, she can't give up having a bike.
From Belen, NM we went to Carlsbad, NM by way of White Sands National Monument. It is a very white gypsum sand and it was crowded. We asked the Ranger why?. It was Easter Sunday and thousands of people go there to picnic and surf down the dunes. A day at the beach without the water.
We spent the next day at Carlsbad Caverns.
For the next few days we just rode East. I try for at least half of our trip to keep off of the Interstate Highways; it is not as fast but it generally much more pleasant. We worked our way over to US 84 staying in Gatesville, TX then Natchez, MS. From Natchez, MS we got on US 98 through Pensacola, FL.
Our intention was to go along the coast to Panama City, FL but it was so slow and crowded that my only thought was to go North and get on Interstate 10. We spent the night at De Funiak Springs, FL.
I thought that we might be safe, since out friends Mike and Marge weren't in the area. They tend to ride in the rain.
Friday, April 25th. De Funiak Springs to Tampa, FL. I-10 to US 19.
It was raining when we got up and for the next 8 hours we had a steady hard rain. According to the TV News it was a record breaking 4 inches. It stopped about 1 hour before we got to Tampa. It started again that night with more lightning than we have ever seen before. It was hard to sleep through the light show.
We spent the next 6 days in Tampa and Disney World.
Goin' South, actually it's North but it's leaving Florida and going into"The South".
From Orlando we went up to Fargo, GA into the Okefenokee Swamp to the Stephen Foster State Park.
"I don't think we're in Kansas (Nevada) anymore".
This is why we made sure we could pack all of our cold weather riding gear. It was hot and humid. And something was growing there that does not grow out west. Within a couple of hours I got started sneezing repeatedly and got a horrible sinus headache. When we stopped at Valdosta, GA I bought some Benedryl and that stopped that.
The next day it was cooler with some light showers, not bad. We went to Andersonville, GA the National Historic Site and POW Museum. That was interesting but very depressing. That was on Saturday May 3rd. There were lots of bikes, at least 2 clubs. That night we spent in Rome, GA.
We took US 27 North to US 127 through Tennessee. Cool and sunny again. A beautiful ride through the mountains to Cave City, KY. Next to Mammoth Cave, KY. Another huge thunderstorm that night. We had to turn on the heater in the motel. The next morning we took a cave tour. One lady got scared and had to leave. It may have been claustrophobia or the big crickets inside the cave. They did look like things from the movie "8 Legged Freaks".
That night we're watching the weather channel and the major thunderstorms and tornados to the south of us.
We started heading South through Nashville, TN to the Natchez Trace Parkway. It was our intention to take it all the way to Natchez, MS about 400 miles. It is like the Blue Ridge Parkway. A scenic road with no services on the road. You have to leave the Parkway and go to nearby towns. The speed limit is 50 MPH so it's not that bad. Lots of deer and wild turkeys. But then we
got to a section closed because of storm damage. I took almost 100 miles of back roads to get to an open section of it again.
That night in Tupelo, MS we were in bed. I turned on the TV to the local news. They have great radar! They said that the tornado warning was going to be in the north side of Tupelo at 9:46 pm. It was almost 9:30. I shook Jean and said "Lets get our riding clothes on and go downstairs to the lobby." So we did. We sat with others and watched the TV until it had passed. The next
morning there were storm warnings just to the South of us. The TV said that parts of the Natchez Trace were closed because of the storm. To kill some time we went to Elvis's birth place. It's just a small white house. We did buy some stuff at the gift shop. Then I thought about the storms, the Natchez trace being closed and I thought "Screw you guys, I'm going home".
Jean did notice a place "Toad Suck Park". We didn't stop.
I got my maps out. The same maps that I had in Tampa and had spread out all over the room to dry, then taped back together. I found the quickest way home. US 78 up to Memphis Tenn.
then get on I-40 West. We stopped at Clarksville, Arkansas.
We were dressed and packed when the town sirens went off. I think one or more of them was at the motel, LOUD!. We went down to the lobby. I did not see many people around so we went to a restaurant next door. The girl said we could go down in the basement and they could serve us there. After awhile a lady called her husband (the chief of police) and he said it was all
clear. So we went back upstairs and had breakfast. On the road it was getting hot and very windy. We stopped in Oklahoma City about 3:00pm then went on to Shamrock, TX. About 5:00pm the tornados went through Oklahoma City.
Shamrock, TX to Gallup, NM. High Winds all day 40 mph gusting to 50 mph..
Gallup,NM. No wind, great!! But on the morning news they said it was 22 degrees out. I stuck my head out the door, they were right. Change back to winter clothes. On to Beatty, NV. The worst part of that was going through Las Vegas.
Beatty, NV to Reno,NV. Nice, pleasant ride.
It was a great trip. some things of note. The best gas mileage we got was 44mpg on the Natchez Trace, the worst was on I-40 in Oklahoma and Texas in the high winds 24mpg.
All of our riding gear worked very well. It kept us warm and dry when needed.
We did cut our planned trip short by a couple if days because of the storms.
It was 24 days, 6190 miles. It was, " The last time we will go across the country".
Until next year, maybe.
John and Jean Ferris
roadcrave
PRAY BEFORE RIDING
got lost today deep inside the idaho mountains with my son, we were both on street bikes cruising thru a national forest on dirt roads, the best ride i have been on for a while senery was out of this world spectacular..will need to find a map to give more details of were we were, we did end up putting 450 miles on today and had a blast... matthew
BRADFORDBENN
Slowpoke & Proud of It!
Cool!
JetDoc
New member
roadcrave said:
Maybe it's time to pick up a GPS, Matthew. I use mine all the time when I'm out exploring the back roads. When I want to go home, I just tell the little black box to show me the way, and it does! Amazing technology brought to you by your friendly local Air Force.
roadcrave
PRAY BEFORE RIDING
Jetdoc, maybe we will ride with you next time>>>someday I will purchace a little black box, but i was under the impression the GPS that bmw offers only workes on main roads and not backcountry roads,anyway that trip was a blast, turned out to be an ok day even if we were worried allittle for a time, where we went was up fernan lake to the top and down the back side were we ran into this state campgrounds attendant, we asked him for directions and he said to make a right just after this bridge and down the road shortly it turns into pavement, this guy was an old logger up here for years, well 20 miles shortly later the road did turn to asphalt, my poor k1200lt, it needed a bath, we came out at enaville, so we decide to head east to thompson falls for the most unbelievable ice cream found, the place make it with blocks of hard icecream in this machine that they add any type of berries or whatever you want and the machine presses it out into a bowl or waffle cone,wonderful stuff, then we went up to clarkfork to sandpoint for coffee at the local starbucks, this place has a balcony over looking the marina so to enjoy your stay watching all the boats coming in and out... a very fullfilling day...matthew
BRADFORDBENN
Slowpoke & Proud of It!
roadcrave said:
My understanding is that the GPS BMW offers has the main roads as the base map, then you have to load in the maps you want.
Either way, a Garmin not branded BMW is just as good and usually less expensive.
JetDoc
New member
My GPS Is a Garmin Street Pilot III. (It's the same unit BMW offered last year, without the $600 BMW markup. ) It came with a MapSource program which allows you to download local and regional maps to the memory card of the unit, and covers most forest service roads and trails. There are other brands out there that have similar features and are less expensive.
Even without the extra maps a good GPS can still show you the way home. All you need to do is set a waypoint for your home, and tell the machine to track to the waypoint. You may not have roadmaps, but even the least expensive units will give you a pointer to keep you going in the right direction.
Even without the extra maps a good GPS can still show you the way home. All you need to do is set a waypoint for your home, and tell the machine to track to the waypoint. You may not have roadmaps, but even the least expensive units will give you a pointer to keep you going in the right direction.
roadcrave
PRAY BEFORE RIDING
could not rent a BMW in maui, well had to check out the roads in maui, with no luck i had to rent a new harly roadking, we put 250 miles on today and went to the most incredible bike ride of my life, there is a span of 30-40 miles on the coast of maui with 640 curves, thats right 640 corners, the only holdback was i had to force the harly around these corners not like my k1200 at all literaly had to lift and push hard to get this tank to manuver around the bends, but the view was fantastic, i was like being deep in the amizon rain forrest, but riding on the coast overlooking the ocean view but also looking straight up the mountains, as it carved it way thru the dense forest, we stoped and swam in an ocean cove no pictures yet, the beach was wonderful, the water was at least 80deg, all sun and fun all day, we ended up at the 7 pools, which is at the end of our journey, lots of people enjoying the water in these pools i just took pictures of the water and the water falls, well have to go tomorrow , is another day still more crusine on its way..matthew
roadcrave
PRAY BEFORE RIDING
from Washington state. riding in the northwest has been a terrific experiance this summer into fall, the best pics from my lovely wife known as copilot and self......1st. Davenport north to Kettlefalls following the Columbia river, Colville east on hwy 20 to hwy31 left towards Canada to Metalinefalls, then around Sullivan lake,absolute marvil in spectacular view, then over to Sandpoint to Clarkfork to Tompson Falls.......2nd. Spokane east to CD'a turn south onhwy 97 following the Coeur d'Alene lake, another splendor, make your way to Lewiston ,south on 129 Rattlesnake caynon, motorcycle Heaven, to Enterprise Oregon, east to Joseph, then Wallowa lake with elk grazing at your feet all over, then east 3-4 miles hang right at halfway junction for a motorcyle journey 70 miles approx on a narrow pavement thru a national forest that is the best we have found without hicking, then acrossed the Brownlee Dam, awsome view closeup, hwy 71 at hwy 95 head north for a unbelieveable view following the Salmon river, be sure to stop in Riggins for freshly roasted coffee daily, the best we have tasted, then to LoLo pass hwy 12.....Enjoy the ride.matthew
B
Bruce_H
Guest
End of the storm
I live on the Oregon coast and ride here in the winter because it is warmer than other areas I like and because most of the tourists have gone home.
Saturday the storm was to end, still cloudy most of the morning and in the mid 40's. I headed south down the beach checking out the nooks and crannies along the way. By the time I hit Brookings the clouds had parted but still not much warmer, say maybe 50 or so. I headed East up the Smith River (just north of Cresent City, CA) a real nice drive thru the Red Woods, not much traffic always makes it nicer. About ten miles I crossed the river, I was going to take the back way into Cresent City but headed over the mountian instead. I checked with a the local teenagers and was assured the roads did come out on Hwy 199 so I wouldn't get lost. It wound along the river fifteen or so miles then headed up over the mountian. Nice rock road and not many pot holes, no one else here. The higher I got the more snow on the corners, I went as far as I could but without better traction there was just no way, so... Back down the mountian, its getting late and I am headed for home. 302 miles for the day with a high temp spike of 52 degrees. A nice day ride, after all this is only Janurary. I atached a pic, so we'll se if it comes thru.
I live on the Oregon coast and ride here in the winter because it is warmer than other areas I like and because most of the tourists have gone home.
Saturday the storm was to end, still cloudy most of the morning and in the mid 40's. I headed south down the beach checking out the nooks and crannies along the way. By the time I hit Brookings the clouds had parted but still not much warmer, say maybe 50 or so. I headed East up the Smith River (just north of Cresent City, CA) a real nice drive thru the Red Woods, not much traffic always makes it nicer. About ten miles I crossed the river, I was going to take the back way into Cresent City but headed over the mountian instead. I checked with a the local teenagers and was assured the roads did come out on Hwy 199 so I wouldn't get lost. It wound along the river fifteen or so miles then headed up over the mountian. Nice rock road and not many pot holes, no one else here. The higher I got the more snow on the corners, I went as far as I could but without better traction there was just no way, so... Back down the mountian, its getting late and I am headed for home. 302 miles for the day with a high temp spike of 52 degrees. A nice day ride, after all this is only Janurary. I atached a pic, so we'll se if it comes thru.
D
Dutchman
Guest
A wee jaunt around Scotland......
Took a 160 mile jaunt around the Trossachs & Loch Earn today.......then called in to see CoolCarbon who thought a pic of a dirty Dutchman bike would be a rarity........:shock:
Needless to say, it's spotless again now......:wink:
'Bout time somebody did a fekkin' hugger for this bike.............?
Cheers
Dutch
Took a 160 mile jaunt around the Trossachs & Loch Earn today.......then called in to see CoolCarbon who thought a pic of a dirty Dutchman bike would be a rarity........:shock:
Needless to say, it's spotless again now......:wink:
'Bout time somebody did a fekkin' hugger for this bike.............?
Cheers
Dutch
B
Bruce_H
Guest
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