Riding Naked Highlights and More

Steve is a good sport and took all my pranks with good humor (and a plan to pay me back) which he did. We called a truce for a while, but I have to admit I had one more up my sleeve for the ride home. You saved yourself by heading home early. Steve earned the nickname "Sundial" after riding without his helmet.
Leroy is a wild man. I never expected this from you, who earned two nic names: Stud and The Storyteller. I will share Tequilla Rose with you whenever you like. You decided at the last minute to join the ride, and brought so much warmth and laughter to the mix. My hero for saving my hat when it came flying off, and a dear friend. Even with the trailer on the bike, you gave me a run for my money on the long stretches. Our group elder, you never acted it. You led us through the cities using your knowledge from many years on the road. You rode the biggest coasters, knew the best places to eat, and provided hours of entertainment at the campgrounds and hotels in the evenings.
Jerry, what can I say. We've been friends for a few years , but now on a deeper level. We even discovered after a cold day in Yellowstone park, that we like our tomato soup the same way. You were my protector, my bunkmate at the hotels, and also my hero on several occassions. Helping me lift my bike off the kickstand when the lean angle and weight were too much for me. Keeping it upright in the gravel when I couldn't safely turn it around. Standing guard outside the bathrooms when sketchy characters where close at hand. You also acquired two nic names: Big Daddy, for always making me feel safe even when I didn't know I needed it and J. Bear because you do snore just a little!
It's a little hard to talk about myself here, but the guys did give me a couple of nic names, so in all fairness I will mention them here. Twistie, for my skill with the throttle and showing them that a stock Harley can do well over 100 mph (sorry Mom, but I had to prove them wrong), and because cremees are "twisted" w/ chocolate and vanilla, cremees are ice cream, and ice cream is made by good humor, something I had a lot of on this trip. I was also called "Sunshine" on several occassions.
Total miles were different for everyone, but Jerry held the record w/ 6665 for being a hero to more than one person along the way be it friend or stranger. A total of three close calls with animals or vehicles is not bad for the time and miles on the road. Bikes were dropped three times with hurt pride, mild scratches but no hurt people. Sunburns too multiple to count and one racing stripe across my forehead that took days to blend in. Pipe burns on one calf and one ankle for being silly and riding in shorts for maybe a total of 5 miles. Lessons learned! We rode only one day in the rain, and that was our second day out. Not bad for 20 days on the road, and while some days were over 500 miles there were only two days we didn't ride any significant distance and averaged 300+ miles per day.
I danced with a real cowboy in Belle Fourche. He had a handlebar mustache and a twinkle in his eye that made me laugh. A great dancer, and patient with my two left feet. We didn't sit down much. The guys made Lindsey from Colorado a happy girl and kept her on the dance floor as her boyfriend Pete didn't seem to care for dancing. As always, the band was better as the drinks and the night wore on. And yes we walked from the campgound.
And yes people, the title of this blog has real meaning in many ways. Riding naked as in riding free in spirit and without stress. Riding naked as in four people, in many ways strangers and yet friends sharing experiences good and bad, building trust and leaning on each others strengths and life experiences. Riding naked as in not having a real plan, only a destination and a desire to have the vacation of a lifetime. Riding naked as in faith that the best made motorcycle in America would get us there and back without incident or accident. Thank you Harley Davidson for the machine, and thank you Wilkins Harley Davidson for the best service, and being the best dealership in this country. And riding naked, as in riding wearing nothing but our boots in the badlands just before sunrise. Some of us did, and some of us didn't. No photos here just memories and maybe a custom patch or two. I can't say this enough....

WOW! WHAT A RIDE.

Ahhhh. Home.

One last sunset on the road and then an early morning start. This was the only day we got up really early and got on the road. New York interstates are pretty rough, very different from everywhere we've been. Even VT roads aren't that rough. We rode for several hours before stopping for breakfast.

For the most part, there were few close calls. The drivers out past the east coast are courteous, polite and respectful of bikers, not like the east coast. Aggressive, rude and will run you over without blinking. We could see a deer cross the West-bound lane and head directly for us. Jerry was leading and I was behind him. We both hit the brakes hard as she came bounding our way. My ABS brakes work like a charm and I am so happy that I bought a bike with these, but I have to give credit to those bikes who don't have them in this case. I believe it was the squealing of Jerry's back tire as he locked the brakes that caused the doe to turn the other way. And she was maybe four feet from the front of Jerrys bike and ready to leap. Phew! I really didn't want to have to work on this vacation!

We made Bennington a little after noon and met with Jackielee, Mark and Peggy List, who rode out to meet us. They led us back along Rte 100 and we ended the ride where we began, Wilkins Harley Davidson parking lot. A tequilla toast, hugs and more talk of the next big trip while the rain held off.

We left with four, and came home with four. Jack and Carol, I know you will love my riding partner all the way home for Hershey. We won a Monkey, who rode many of the rides with us! One last blog after this one to come, I have to highlight some specials points of the trip. All I can say is WOW! WHAT A RIDE!

Hershey Park

Leroy and Jerry headed out to the dealership early to get the brakes fixed, while I scooted over to the laundry mat to wash some of our clothes so we have enough to get home. Started talking with "Tony", a local who drives truck cross country, and I had to laugh when he offered me his phone number. I took it with no promise to ever call him, but it helped pass the time at the laundry mat. I called the guys twice, and they were waiting for parts. Took the laundry back to the hotel and checked out. Waited at one of the picnic tables for the guys.

They got back around noonish and we went for lunch. I love this photo. This little guy kept peeking in the window and finally Jerry peeked back through the blinds. Of course after that the game was on!

Hershey Park included more roller coasters, monorail, gondola, tilt-a-whirl, kissing tower (which is much higher up than it appeared from the bottom....oh my) and trying on funky hats. We saw a lady carry around a stuffed monkey that was bigger than her. When we came to the game where that was the prize, I decided to try my luck. Jerry joined in the fun and we bought a bucket full of rings for $5. Now to just get one on a bottle and that monkey is mine! We rode in antique cars, fed the ducks and geese, and managed to escape that evening at 6:30 pm without buying a ton of chocolate. As we were leaving the park the night before a little girl walking in front of us with her parents reached out and took Jerry's hand. They walked for a bit, Jerry looking rather surprised, when the little girl looked up and saw this really big, biker guy who she was holding onto and you could see the embarrassment and fear crawl into her face. She dropped his hand, and quickly scooted over to her parents. I told them what happened and they laughed and laughed.

After leaving the park we rode for several hours before finding a place to hang our hats for the night. We'll be home on Saturday, before the rain.

This trip is quickly coming to a close. And while it has been so much fun that we really don’t want it to end, we do want to get back home and see our families and friends. We traveled through W. Virginia along Rte 60 and 219. Stunning roads with a lot of history along the way if you are a history buff. The twisties were plentiful, the drop off’s breathtaking, and the roads rated right up there with what we saw out West. I couldn’t believe how fast the tractor trailers drove these roads…many times taking up both lanes to make the corner. I tried to get a shot but wasn’t too successful. I can say this, W.V. knows how to bank their corners to make the roads extra fun.
We rode through the capital of W. V. and I think the capital looks similar to our own, but the dome is prettier (sorry VT but it’s twroo). This whole trip Jerry and I have looked for the best chocolate lava cake in this country. Guess what folks they don’t even know what chocolate lava cake is across most of this grand country. We finally found some here in W.V….and it doesn’t beat the best version we’ve found in Firehouse Restaurant in Barre, VT.
One site that took my breath away this morning was topping a long hill to see the top of a wind-turbine right in front of us. Man are those huge! I pulled off for a photo and our leader Jerry had to turn around, so I got a photo of him just in front of the beast.
We also stopped for our first ice cream cone of the trip. No it wasn’t from Perry’s ice cream, but I haven’t given up finding one through PA, which is the next state to cross.
We ended our day with screams and laughter, at Hershey Park. Jerry, Leroy and I rode the suspended roller coaster, upside-down X4 and a corkscrew or two. I didn’t know that guys could scream as well as us girls do! Leroy and Jerry also hopped on a few other rides. Our pass is good for another day, and we hope to go back in the morning for a couple more rides as we got to the park very late today.
First we have to get Leroy’s bike fixed, the back brakes are having some difficulties with the trailer and we are coming into mountain country. I’m sorry this won’t be posted until later since there is no WIFI here. But there is much more to the story to tell, so stayed tuned. Be home soon.

Louisville KY

It was a good day across the rest of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and now in Kentucky. Yesterday we mistakenly rode 200 miles without helmets when we shouldn't have...so today we rode about the same with helmets when we didn't need to. LOL. It was hot...hot...hot, but we didn't loose anyone today. We called the Lone Wolf who was just getting on Rte 6 in Pennsylvania around lunch time. He said the traveling is going well and he's making good time.

We rode through the center of St. Louis and got some good photos of the Arch. Illinois was long, hot, flat and BORING! Indiana was much better. One stretch in Illinois every telephone pole for miles was about to fall over, and there was a second pole nearby that had an anchor wire attached to the first pole. I was sure glad that the poles were leaning away from us.

Saw a very large eagle in a tree as we came into Ky. I pointed it out to the guys, but they said they didn't see it. It was just landing in the tree when it caught my eye. Wish I had a photo of him...what a grand site they are.

Looks like we might hit some rain tomorrow but we've been so blessed we can't complain.

Half Way Back

It's now a ride of hurry up and slow down. We are hoping to top off this great trip with a cruise up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Interstate riding across Nebraska was uneventful. Sorry Nebraska, but the only things we saw that merits bragging rights are the sunrise and sunsets. The sunset photo is blurry, but you can get the idea. In Sydney we stopped at Cabellas where Leroy bought himself a bigger tent so he could stand up and dress in the mornings. Here's a photo of the new jewel. It suites him well.

We broke camp early this morning and crossed the rest of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri (most of it) and are right outside of St. Louis. Tomorrow we will drop down and hope to make Kentucky by day's end.

We did loose Leroy today for about an hour coming through Kansas City. We turned on 435 South while Leroy went on 435 East. Since his phone was inside the trailer, and the trailer lid was jammed we couldn't call him. Although we tried many times and left many messages. Jerry also backtracked to see if he could find him while I waited. So Jerry and I rode 435, to 70 as fast as we dared and we found him. He was waiting at a pulloff just outside the interchange. We won't lose him again I promise. No one was the worse for wear. Aside from losing Leroy, there was some flooding across the road in one spot, and I forgot how hot is gets here in Missouri.

Recap Cody

Oh how could I forget to mention our snacky treat in Cody. Leroy, Jerry and I went out for a bite to eat our last night in Cody. On the menu was "Rocky Mountain Oysters"....yes folks the real deal. Each of us dared the other to try them, so we shared an appetizer that could have been our meal for three people. Here's a few photos of us trying this dish for the first time. And yes, they were very tastey.