My Day on a Harley-Davidson

My 2012 Gold Wing is in the shop, having experienced a pulse generator failure just as we were ready to roll out for a 3- for 4-day cruise.  This is a big shop job to repair, so not something I can fix in my garage.

Unwilling to concede a day's riding, I spent yesterday afternoon on a 2018 Harley-Davidson FXLR Low-Rider Classic, rented from our local Eagle Rider establishment. (The Road King Classic I'd reserved on the website turned out to be unavailable, so this was the only option.)

Other than the availability glitch, the reservation process was professional and easy.  I'd called my insurance company, Erie, and confirmed that my motorcycle policy covered rental bikes just like my auto policy, so I declined the supplemental offers.  Thus I was required to provide a $5000 deposit, to be refunded upon return.

I chose a 160-mile country route that's very familiar, a loop from Fairfax County VA to Boonsboro MD and home via Charlestown WV.  Except I accidentally did it backwards, because... umm, well, there was no GPS to alert me when my turn arrived as I was contemplating how different this ride is from my normal ride :-). The route included a variety of lovely easy-ride 2-lane roads, a few narrow unlined roads through the woods, and a 10-mile stretch of 65 mph 4-lane. My impressions of the ride fall into two categories: the machine; the ride.

First, the machine.  This retro-looking machine has thoroughly modern components with keyless start, electronic ignition; the new "Milwaukee-8" water-cooled 107 cu in (1746 cc) engine; monoshock rear suspension that preserves the retro hardtail look; a small multifunction display that cycles through all the display modes; a security system; LED headlight (one each); and, on this model, ABS braking.  It features throttle-by-wire.  It weighs 633 pounds so it feels like a toy compared to my 900-pound Gold Wing.  At 64.2 inches, the wheelbase is more than two inches shorter than the Wing's. Seat height is 26.2 inches, deserving of the moniker "Low Rider."

This model as equipped had only a vestigial passenger seat, no fairing or windshield, and absolutely zero storage capacity, not even a place for the registration card. (The emailed contract from EagleRider served that function.)

Finally, the ride. The big twin engine rumbled to life instantly when pressing the start button.  A loping, irregular engine firing sequence is a characteristic of Harley-Davidson engines at rest, but it was only by the end of ride that I actually didn't worry about whether it would stay running at a stoplight! I found it smoother than I expected but after more than four hours my hands were tingling.  It's a very strong-running machine with tons of low-end torque and an extremely a favorable power-to-weight ratio. When I cranked hard on the throttle, the visceral deep-down shake of two big cylinders accompanied by the characteristic authoritative growl from the exhaust was exhilarating and, I suppose, one of the things that H-D riders cherish about their rides.  I liked that part of it. A lot.  The hand tingling, not so much.

Throttle tip-in is very gentle but responsive.  One thing I didn't like was the stiffness of throttle rotation, which made it difficult to feather the throttle to make tiny adjustments.  I kept overshooting and correcting.  Steering is quicker than the Wing (rake is almost the same at near 30 degrees, but trail is several inches greater because of the bigger 19" wheel with a higher-profile tire.) I found it eager to attack curves but it didn't stay in its lane with the same relaxed line driven by the Wing.

I was baffled by the suspension.  It was much stiffer than I'm accustomed to, yet it was surprisingly forgiving and never harsh.  For a bike of  this design (whatever that means), I think they probably got it right.  The monoshock rear suspension is adjustable but I didn't mess with it.

Seating position of a cruiser, with forward-placed footpegs and higher handlebar positioning, is so much different from my upright long-distance touring position that I can't even describe it.  In riding position, the seat curves up around the lower part of the back for support. At first the riding position felt uncomfortable but four hours later, without a single break, I was still doing ok, although my butt was a little numb.  It wouldn't work for me for all-day, multi-day riding that comprises most of my trips.

Other than my teen-age years, my entire riding career has been behind a fairing.  Since then, this was my first exposure to road speeds with no wind protection.  I'd put in a pair of ear plugs from a set my wife had gotten back in the day when I was a snorer (that's another story) but even so the wind noise was intense. I have a Shoei RF-1100 helmet, which is generally considered to be an excellent noise-damping helmet.  But even at 40 mph it drowned out the puny horn on this bike, and at 65 mph on the 4-lane stretch, it was distractingly, annoyingly, loud, filling my whole dimension of conscious thought.  If I had a bike like this, even if I only did Saturday afternoon cruising, wind protection would be the very first thing I would need to add.

It was a fun afternoon and I enjoyed the different experience.  But there was nothing about the ride that I enjoyed more than I would on my Wing.  The Harley-Davidson big-twin sound was fun. For an afternoon.  I didn't enjoy the wind noise but that's not a negative attribute of the bike, it's just physics that can easily be fixed. I can see why riders have a great degree of loyalty to Milwaukee Iron.  I had a fine afternoon cruise.  I'll be glad to get back my Wing, with its cruise control, GPS system, XM Radio/Traffic/Weather, well equipped to head out on the Long Road.

MACH 15: Day 11 - Interstatement 2

Wednesday Day 11
May 6, 2015
Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy

It looks like a stormy afternoon and evening in northern Virginia.  Since we have a short day and thus the opportunity to avoid mid-afternoon storms, we roll out of Roanoke, VA in time to be home before the storms, but still fashionably late at about 9:30 AM.  The sky is lightly overcast and the temperature is 70 F.

As Interstates go, I-81 is more interesting than many.  It presents a constantly-changing vista, and the sometimes misty mountains on both sides of the Shendandoah Valley are usually visible in sharp contrast to the rolling farmland of the valley.  Two days ago while traversing the wooded rolling hills of Alabama, I mentioned something of this to Kitty.

"I'm not bored!" she responded.

I looked around for a few seconds.  We were on what by most accounts would be called a "boring" stretch of Interstate, leading straight ahead through interminable wooded surroundings that many would pass through with barely a glance, and be glad to be done with it when something changes.

"There are tiny multicolored flowers by the roadside.  I like that the road has shoulders between us and the ditches on each side.  The leaves on the trees are different shades of green.  Those white flowering bushes smell good."

"So, life is what you make it?" I asked.

This exchange represents a microcosm of our rides.  Of course we love the dramatic Rocky Mountain scene or a surf-blasted rocky seascape as well as the next person.  But it's impossible to be at these places all the time.  So why not make the best of the distances between those spectacular scenes?  That's one of the reasons we ride:  If only the best scenes matter, let's just hop on a plane, go see it, and go home again.  To us, that seems like a really narrow life view that leaves so much potential on the "never did that" list.  We believe that every scene has interest, and we try to take something of value from every situation, because every situation offers something.

I prefer two-lane roads when traveling two-up with Kitty, but when it's time to make an Interstatement, or when you have to go somewhere fast, the Gold Wing may be unparalleled in that category.  Of course, riders of other marquees may differ, but then, I'm the one writing the blog.

Less than an hour and a half into our trek, we pull off at Staunton, VA for a comfort break, and I fuel with a half tank remaining.  It could be our last stop.

But the day is growing warmer, and so are we under the liners we'd inserted into our mesh jackets.  So we pull off into a rest stop to remove the liners.

At rest stops and hotels, people almost always want to talk, especially when we travel as a couple. It's an interesting dynamic, and wen traveling solo not nearly as many people approach me.  I think Kitty's presence helps people see us as a "safe" couple and encourages folks to initiate conversation.  They fall into two categories:  First, those who ride a motorcycle and want to talk about motorycling, compare notes, seek common shared experiences.  The other category is those who don't ride, who are curious about what it's like to ride cross-country for thousands of miles on a motorcycle.

The first group always wants to talk about shared experiences, a conversation without a lot of questions.  Here are some of the questions we hear from the second group, the non-riders, the casual "that seems like fun" or "I wish i could do that" group.

The most common question is "What's it like pulling that trailer?"  My answer is always the same:  On the road, you would not know it's back there except that it appears in the mirrors.  It exacts a fuel mileage toll of around 15%.  I can feel a little of its weight when starting or slowing.  And I always joke "You have to remember to drive 6 feet from the gas pump before making your turn!"  Actually, that isn't a joke.  It's important!  And, then there's the backing-up-the-trailer thing.  For aspiring trailer-pullers, I'd recommend practicing in your driveway.  When all your neighbors are gone.  It does take a bit of practice.  Every time I back into or out of a parking space, I still make it a game to see if I can get the bike and trailer aligned perfectly and pointing in the direction we want to travel.

I'm often asked "Do you wear contact lenses?"  Yes.  And I have less trouble wearing them on the road than in an office with dry, cool air blowing over my face all day.  We wear full-face helmets, and behind those and the big windshield, there is not much wind unless the face shield is open.

"What do you do when it rains?"  I sometimes answer "Wish I were at home in bed."  But not really.  We have high-quality rain gear made especially for motorcycle riding.  This means that the pants and jacket sleeves are extra long, awkwardly so off the bike, but when in riding position, they are perfect.  The suits are built to take the buffeting of many days at road speed in the rain should that be necessary.  We recently switched to TourMaster (http://www.tourmaster.com) two-piece suits which we have yet to test, as we didn't hit any rain on this trip.  It is rare indeed that rain has changed our route, although we occasionally avoid severe weather by hanging out somewhere safe.  But there was that time in New England, coming home from the Gaspe Peninsula, when... well, that's another story, actually already written in another blog segment.

"How do you keep your feet dry?"  We both have Cruiserworks waterproof boots (http://www.cruiserworks.com), although I recently learned that they've discontinued the women's boot line.  These 12-inch boots are made for motorcycling with grippy oil-resistant tread on the soles and reinforced arch support to minimize fatigue and vibration from long hours with feet on the pegs.  They look like any high-quality leather boot that you could wear into a restaurant, but they are absolutely waterproof.  They are expensive, but one of the best motorcycle apparel investments we've ever made.

Under sunny skies, we make the turn at I-81 Mile Marker 300 onto I-66 when XM Weather makes a sublimely ridiculous announcement in the headset:  "Weather alert.  Precipitation in the area.  Clear, with rain in the area."  I check the weather screen and sure enough, behind us, working in the mountains of West Virginia, are the beginnings of pop-up showers that often occur due to uneven cooling and heating of the atmosphere.  There's no rain in our intended path.

We arrive at home by mid-afternoon and slowly unpack.  We've been in six states on our short-for-us tour of 2,707 miles:  Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia.  This has been the only tour I can recall where we had no rainy weather, instead riding for all 11 days almost always in brilliant sunshine.  In another unusual twist, temperatures have been unusually pleasant, with the highest noted temperatures hovering at 84 F and one brief foray to 86 F.

An hour later the entire area around  home is being pelted by dime-sized hail and torrential downpours.

GPS Track for Day 11

GPS Track for Entire Trip of 2,707 Miles

GPS Elevation Graph

Below is the GPS elevation graph of the entire trip.  It literally represents a cross-section of elevation above sea level for the tour.  I've included it because of several interesting features.

First, the striking identical "bookends" with exactly the same elevation profile.  This happens when the same route is taken on both outbound and inbound legs of the tour; in this case, it is the profile of the segment between home and Knoxville, TN, where the route was almost exactly the same in both directions.

Second, the profile of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau is visible between the 500- and 600-mile distance markers, with a dramatic elevation change from about 800 feet to 2,000 feet.

Last, spanning mileage markers of about 950 to 1,150 miles, you will notice the extraordinarily flat profile of the Mississippi Delta, where the elevation showed a gradual decrease of only about 100 feet in 200 miles of travel.  Is it any wonder the Mississippi River winds about like a snake in that part of the country?  Just after that, between 1,150 and 1,200 miles, you can see the brief rise into the wooded hills north of Vicksburg, MS, and then the return to near sea level.  And from this point, only about 100 feet above sea level, the Mississippi still travels well over 300 miles until it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.  Awesomely flat land!

MACH 15: Day 10 - Interstatement

Tuesday Day 10
Cinco de Mayo, 2015
Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy

437 miles today, 2,490 miles total.

"It's only 624 miles to home.  We can be there by 8:00 PM plus fuel stops," I say in the headset as we strike out northward on I-59.  It's another gorgeous morning, not a single cloud visible in the entire sky from horizon to horizon.

I find the perfect seating position on the big comfortable seat and it's one of those mornings when I feel as though I could ride the 600 miles home without ever changing position, without ever stopping except for fuel stops.  I think Kitty might actually be thinking the same thing.  My Gold Wing becomes an extension of myself, effortlessly gobbling up miles and miles of a black magic carpet that magically appear in my windshield, pass under my boots, and disappear in my mirrors.

As we cross the state line from Alabama into Georgia, we lose the hour we gained a week ago and I watch the GPS-synchronized clock in my multi-function display suddenly jump ahead one hour.  Since it's slaved to the GPS time, and the GPS knows where it is at all times, it also knows exactly when the time zone changes.  It also factors in time zone changes when it estimates destination arrival times.

We catch I-24 and ride for several miles in Georgia before crossing into Tennessee.  Reality intrudes into this Interstatement when we stop for a comfort break at the Tennessee welcome center, 45 minutes into the day.

In the welcome center, strapped to a trailer, stands a 15-foot cow, its origin and purpose a mystery.  From the front, this is one scary-looking cow!  Just as we are ready to leave, a man wonders over and starts talking motorcycles.  His name is Mike; he's a trucker, and is also the Safety Coordinator for the GWRRA (Gold Wing Road Riders Association) chapter, or perhaps for the entire state of Tennessee.  He's quite a story-teller, and an hour after our stop we finally set off northward toward Chattanooga.

"Well, I had visions of riding all the way home today," says Kitty.  "But one stop like that pretty much changes that picture."  She's right:  To ride over 600 miles in a day, especially one where we lose an hour, requires a commitment to steady (not fast) riding and minimizing stopped time.

We navigate through Chattanooga and Knoxville amid heavy truck traffic, pick up I-40, and stop for fuel at Exit 419, just south of where I-81 splits off to the north from I-40.  My buddy Ray and I used to meet at this exit for breakfast on many of our cross-country rides together.  We both had GPS units and left our homes at the respective time to have us to this exit at 11:00 AM on a particular day.  For me, that mean leaving the house between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM; I had a little farther than Ray, but we always ended up here just minutes apart.  Today, it's just fuel and lunch at a Subway, then we're on our way, after being informed by a guy in a red pickup truck that my left low beam headlight is out.  I add it to the list of service items for when I return home.  I'll also need a new rear tire before my next trip.  The stretch from Chattanooga to Knoxville is among my least favorite Interstate stretches because of the heavy traffic generated by the convergence of five or six Interstate roads, and I'm glad to have it behind me.

We ride 206 miles from here without a stop or a pause, crossing from Tennessee to Virgina at Bristol, which is bisected by the state line.  I give Kitty many opportunities to stop for a break or for the evening, as it's now after 5:30 PM local time.  But it's her idea to ride without a break to the next fuel stop, which we complete at Christiansburg, VA, and then ride the 30 miles or so to Roanoke, VA, to the same hotel where we stayed on our first night.

About an hour before, I was startled by the XM Weather announcing "Weather alert.  Precipitation in the area.  Rain in the area."  Sure enough, several small pop-up showers were making little green splotches on the display, but none in our path.  It's the first rain or even water-bearing clouds we've seen since we left home Sunday a week ago.  I don't recall any trip taken this time of year, when the weather is at its most active, where we have made an entire trip without rain.  We'll see tomorrow - looks a little sketchy.  The closest we come today is at the fuel stop, where a few drops of rain splatter on the windshield.  The temperature has dropped from a trip-high of 84 F to 72 F, so we insert the liners into our mesh jackets for the remainder of the ride.

By the time we arrive in Roanoke, the sky is once again cloudless and the temperature has risen to 82 F.  After checking in at the hotel (we'd not made reservations and we are fortunate they have a few rooms left), it seems apropos to walk to the Mexican restaurant next door and join the Cinco de Mayo revelers.  But by this time it's after 9:00 PM and the revelers are mostly leaving the restaurant just as we arrive.  Apparently the revelry stops early here in Roanke.  So we enjoy a sedate Cinco de Mayo celebration and excellent Mexican fare.

Today's GPS elevation graph is of some interest, showing significant elevation changes with a maximum elevation around Wytheville, VA.  We've covered four states and ridden almost 450 miles today; we expect to be home tomorrow after a short ride of a little over 200 miles.  

GPS Track (Dark Gray)

MACH 15: Day 9 - The Road More Traveled

Monday Day 9

May 4, 2015

Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy

The two older kids and Kevin are up and out the door by 7:05 (why do they start school so early, anyway?).  We say our good-byes and I notice when Kitty puts her helmet that I'd forgotten to wax it after the kids had plastered it with fingerprints.  I start to get out the waxing cloths and wax.

"Stop!  I want those fingerprints on my helmet!" says Kitty emphatically.  So she dons the helmet, fingerprints and all, including those all over the face shield!  This definitely wouldn't work for me, but if she wants the grandkids fingerprints on the helmet as a reminder, well, it's her helmet.

It's almost 9:30 as we ease onto US 49 northbound, and we stop immediately to fuel.

"What do you have in mind for a stopping time this evening?" asks Kitty.

"Whenever we feel like stopping," I respond.  We have a little over 1,000 miles to travel and there's no particular rush.  "How about 5:30-ish?" she says.  That sounds like a plan.

 

We ride at the speed limit on the four-lane US 49 to Hattiesburg, MS, where we catch I-59 north and then run into I-20 at Meridian, MS.

This is an uneventful Interstate day, followed most of the day by the pleasant sweet, heavy scent of a flowering shrub that we identify as the source, but don't know what it is.  We don't necessarily ride tank-to-tank, and when we do stop I top off the fuel whether it's necessary or not.  Much of the Interstate between Hattiesburg and Meridian has been newly resurfaced, and this is as nice a road surface as I recall being on.  Kitty even comments about it.

Eventually we make our way northward on the Birmingham Bypass, I-459, contemplate stopping at Gadsen, AL but Kitty suggests riding until we need fuel; so for this leg, we do ride tank-to-tank without stopping.  I've commented before about my LD Comfort riding shorts (http://www.ldcomfort.com).  These riding shorts have made the most amazing difference in my ability to ride long distances with absolutely no "tired-butt syndrome" or pain on the underside of the legs where the seat applies a pressure point.  Kitty has a pair as well, and on a former trip she was not greatly impressed.  This trip, though, has made a believer out of her as well.

Neither of us have any sign of butt-fatigue when we stop for fuel and for the night in Ft. Payne, AL after our easy 412-mile ride.  We find fuel, a nice motel, and a great steak and fajita place all within walking distance.   The weather has been brilliant for this whole trip, and today was no exception, starting out at 64 F and ending at 80 F, a very pleasant sunny ride.

It's a nice way to end the day.  But I'm a little sad as I wax Little B's handprints off the trailer.

GPS Track

MACH 15: Day 8 - Around the Neighborhood

Sunday Day 8
May 2, 2015
Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy

Our son Kevin's biggest workday is Sunday.  This morning, while most people are are taking a break or sleeping in, he arrives at work before 5:00 AM.  He's the lead pastor of Gulf Coast Worship Center.  Apparently he has more material than he can cover in one session and in a rare moment, forgot his notes at the office.  So today he has to pare away almost half his sermon by go time.

The rest of the family arrives before 9:30 AM, all traveling in the family van while the bike and trailer rest safely in the garage.  Apparently the sermon surgery is successful and his take-a-stand message seems to be intact and ends at the normal time.

Today is a celebratory day with about 20 people scheduled for baptism.  Baptism here is by literal immersion, and a large portable swimming pool has been set up outside.  After the service, everyone gathers around the pool while smoke from the BBQ grill wafts over the viewers and those being baptized.  Afterwards everyone enjoys the products of the BBQ grill in a picnic atmosphere.

The grandkids have been anticipating a motorcycle ride since the time they knew we'd be riding to Mississippi, so one by one, we tour the neighborhood on the big red bike with trailer attached.  The neighbor's kids want a ride too, but we kindly tell them only our family is allowed to ride on the motorcycle.  And thus through the neighborhood many times over with three different passengers.  Many folks are on their porches or in the lawn, smiling and waving as they soon figure out why the big bike with small people is making multiple passages through their streets.  Sometimes kids on bicycles come out to challenge the big red motorcycle, and I exercise an extreme level of caution.  The youngest, Brenham, isn't quite ready to be a solo passenger, so we squeeze him onto the seat between Kitty and me.  This pushes my backrest forward into an uncomfortable position but it's fine for a short neighborhood ride.  Carter and Danica are able to ride as solo passengers.  They all wear Kitty's helmet, and are fascinated that we can communicate in a normal tone of voice.

"Can you listen to music?" asks Danica.

In response I push the Audio button and instantly our helmet headsets are flooded with high-quality digitally-transmitted music from the last Sirius XM channel I'd selected, which happens to be The Message (Channel 63).

"Cool!" says Danica.  "I didn't know a motorcycle could listen to music."

Tomorrow the two older kids will be off to school with Kevin early in the morning, and we plan to start our homeward journey sometime after that. Unlike our outbound trip focusing on two-lane and country roads, trip parameters require that the journey home will be by Interstate this time.  I'd thought of taking an alternate route but Kevin says that route is the most boring he's ever been on.

So, facing the risk of death by boredom, I suppose we'll navigate via the usual route, which is just another mostly-Interstate route but hopefully with a more favorable interest-per-mile ratio.

GPS Neighborhood Track 

MACH 15: Day 7 - Funky Places and Family

Saturday Day 7
May 2, 2015
Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy

Today is a complicated morning.  We've got a lot of repacking and rearranging to do.  Kitty and I wear what, in motorcycle parlance, is called "ATGATT" - All the Gear, All the Time.  That means boots, long jeans or equivalent, jacket, helmet, and gloves.  To manage the temperature extremes of this trip (expected to be from upper 30's to low 80's) we packed two sets of jackets: Leather jackets with liners for cool weather, mesh jackets for warmer weather.  We wore the leather jackets for the first three days, then switched out; in either case, the unworn set of jackets can fit into the left saddlebag.  But we'd unhooked the trailer for the last two days and emptied the saddlebag to give us a little packing room while roaming around the countryside.

We try to carefully stick to an exact routine when packing and unpacking so we always know where everything is, and everything is accounted for.  But this morning everything is out of place and out of the routine.  I reattach the trailer, check the lights and electrical system; we carefully replace the picnic chairs, repack the leather jackets, make sure all our stuff is accounted for.

We'd talked last night and this morning about what to do in terms of our riding today.  The scheduled group ride will be to the north, when our destination is to the south.  This puts our ability to make it to Gulfport and our family in time.  At 8:22 a text message arrives from our daughter-in-law:  "Just wondering about an eta 4 u today.  We've got some super excited kiddos!"

We decide to forego the group ride and make our way southward to Gulfport.  Jack and Tezz are talking about doing some kind of back-road ride to end up at the Old Country Store for fried chicken.  They invite us to ride along.

As I'm making my good-byes to friends, I find myself looking for Roger, in whose memory this year's event has been held.  I am caught up short with the realization that he's not here, and Marlene and I have a little chat and a long hug before we separate.

At 10:00 AM most of the group leave for their ride northward, while Jack and Tezz, Kitty and I wander off southward.  We encounter some extreme back-country roads, and at one point, after traveling for some miles, find a "Road Closed" sign.  To the left is a road with a "Dead End" sign.  As we are debating what to do, a pickup truck arrives; Tezz flags him down and we find out the road really is open so we continue.

Looking for a comfort break, we wander into a tiny village hoping to find a rest room, but find only a few staring people and a US Post Office.  So on to Port Gibson, where Jack and Tezz decide to ride some more before lunch, whereas Kitty and I decide it's time to head southward in earnest.  It's about 11:30 AM.

We shake hands and exchange hugs, and we leave them in the parking lot and ride toward the Natchez Trace.  We find the entrance ramps and every bridge is undergoing resurfacing.  I'd never noticed how many bridges there are on the Trace!  After a few miles we abandon the Trace and ride US 61 straight to Lorman, MS and The Old Country Store for lunch.

Just as we alight from the bike, I see two Gold Wings riding slowly into the parking lot.  It's Gibby and his friend Will!  By happenstance, we'd both decided to have lunch here.  The very funky Old Country Store has been described elsewhere in my blogs, and we visit it every year when we ride to Vicksburg.  I'm not much of a fried chicken fan, but this chicken is truly exceptional:  Moist, crispy, hot, and not at all greasy.  There's a review of the place on Roadfood.com, http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Reviews/1320/old-country-store.

Just as the four of us finish lunch, in walk Jack and Jezz, so we say goodbye again.  At about 1:45 PM, Kitty and I head south, Gibby and Will head back north to parts unknown.

I've pre-routed a mostly two-lane trip to our son's home and follow US 82  faithfully through the Mississippi forests until we reach the town of Tylerton.  At this point, Slow-down Guy has between replaced by someone who is sensing urgency to see his family, so I pull over at a convenient place, abandon the route I've created, and tell the GPS to take me to "Kev House New" the fastest way possible.  This shaves about 25 minutes from the route time, and we follow US 82 to Hattiesburg where we catch US 49 south to Gulfport.

When we make the last turn to the house, our granddaughter Danica is out on her bicycle.  When she sees us she jumps up and down and challenges us to a race to the house.  Carter and Brenham come running up and wrestle each other for the first hug, even before we are off the bike.  "Careful, the motorcycle is very hot!" I caution.  "Let Nona and Papa get off the bike first, then we do hugs."

Soon the whole family is at one of my favorite eating places here in Gulfport, The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint (http://theshedbbq.com/gulfport).  The barbecue in this funky place is always good, and tonight there's a live blues/rock band on the stage outside.

It's good to ride all over the country and see its wonderful sights, but tonight we're more content being with our Mississippi family.

MACH 15: Day 6 - Crawfish on My Mind

Thursday Day 6

May 1, 2015

Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy

Picky said yesterday the ride would leave at 10:00 AM.  From previous experience, I know he means 10:00 AM.  If he meant 10:01 AM he would have said "The ride leaves at 10:01 AM."  By the time I finish yesterday's blog, grab a quick breakfast in the hotel breakfast room, and shower, it's time to line up the bike for departure.  We are #20 of 24 motorcycles plus a chase car driven by someone who's unable to ride because of a back surgery.

Picky makes it clear that this ride has not been pre-ridden, so join at your own risk.  Typically when someone hosts a ride it's protocol to do a pre-ride to account for any special circumstances like road closures, tricky navigational moments, or road conditions.  As he's from Missouri, it's hard to do a pre-ride in Mississippi.

Picky and his tail gunner, Dick, have worked together on many rides and communicate via CB to keep the group together and intact.  Grant's Canal is the first stop, so we cross the Mississippi into Louisiana and take the first exit.

"I see a sign that says 'Road Closed 1000 feet - Local Traffic Only'" says Picky on the CB.  Oops!  That's why a route is normally pre-ridden.  So several dozen big bikes and one car have to make a loop through a little grocery store parking lot and head back the way we came.  There is, however, a sign for Grant's Canal so we carefully ride the bikes into the small parking area and jockey for position.

Grant's Canal is really a non-canal.  During the Civil War, Vicksburg was a highly strategic Confederate stronghold:  Whoever controlled Vicksburg controlled the Mississippi River traffic.  It so happens that Vicksburg is located near the tip of a u-shaped segment of the Mississippi; the union forces felt that by digging a 1.5 mile canal across the legs of the U, they could bypass Vicksburg and gain control of the Mississippi north of here.  The location was just out of range of the gun batteries of Vicksburg.  The first attempt failed because the river level dropped and left the canal bed dry.  The second attempt failed because the river flooded and literally washed everything away.  General Grant of the Union forces thought this was such a strategic venture that he ordered a new attempt with the goal of diverting the Mississippi and creating a shipping lane deep enough for any vessel navigating the river.  But by this time Vicksburg had build new gun batteries, and the troops were under constant bombardment.  Dysentery and other diseases were rampant, half the men died, and the project was abandoned.

Next, Picky leads us to US 65 south at Richmond, LA.  This is an impromptu addition to the ride, as he thought Grant's Canal was at a location more distant that 20 miles or so from the hotel.  US 65 is a lot like the Mississippi Delta, with flat farmland as far as the eye can see.  About 25 miles later, near Newellton, he pulls the group off to the right to view a giant mailbox.  How does he even know where these things are?  (I ask him later and he says there's a website dedicated to quirky monuments and attractions.  The URL is http://www.roadsideamerica.com.)  

We find a place where the bikes can loop through another parking lot and ride as a group back to the hotel, some peeling off for lunch.  After lunch, this seems like an excellent time for a nap, so that is why there's some blank space in this blog.

At 5:00 PM it's time to mount up and head for Toney's, the designated crawfish restaurant for MACH.  I count over 40 people and lose track; when faced with heaping plates of sumptuous, steaming, spicy crawfish, it's hard to keep one's mind on anything else.

Kitty thinks they are a little spicier this year and maybe a little bigger.  In one of these photos she's showing that this is her second plate.  I'm actually too busy consuming heaping plates of them along with corn on the cob and potatoes to count her plates but I'm pretty sure there are at least three for her and, well, more than that for me.  We make this ride every year when we can for the friendships and the camaraderie, to enjoy the fellowship of bikers, but it would be worth it just for the crawfish.  The locals say Toney's crawfish are the best in Vicksburg.  I wouldn't know, I just eat at Toney's.

Afterwards we once again form a large parking lot circle of chairs, and after dark the "campfire" with marshmallows and popcorn make an appearance for the second night in a row.

Our plans for tomorrow are uncertain.  In past years, our Saturday ride has taken us south of Vicksburg, from where we have peeled off to ride the four hours to our son's home in Gulfport.  But this year, Picky has chosen a route that will take the group north of Vicksburg, which may move us out of position to make the ride to Gulfport by evening. Our good friends Jack and Tezz have invited us for a quiet trip down the Natchez Trace that would culminate at the Country Store, which has been our usual jumping-off point.  So we're not sure which, if any, of these options we will exercise tomorrow.

But we hope to be with our Mississippi family by evening.

GPS Track (gray) - Ride-around Day