Steve's Big Adventure

USA 4 Corners Tour

Day 11 - June 3

Start Time: 7:45 a.m.
Finish Time: 4:35 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 386
Accumulated Miles: 6295
Stop for the Night: HARRISBURG, PA.

     John and I took off about 7:45 a.m. We stopped in Beacon, New York for breakfast, gassed up and then headed our separate ways. John headed to Raleigh, NC and I'm going to visit my sister in Harrisburg, PA. for the weekend. I'm a day ahead of schedule but decided to hurry to Harrisburg because severe thunderstorms are forcast for later in the day and I've just had it with RAIN! I did decide to stop at Orange County Choppers in Newburgh, New York. If you are unaware of OC Choppers, they build custom motorcycles and are known for the interesting father/son relationship on this cable reality show. Ok, I watch this stuff when I'm bored! Got an OC Choppers T-Shirt. I arrived in Mechanicsburg, P.A. about 5:00 p.m., made arrangements for another oil change and checked into a hotel. As I pulled up to the hotel the sky opened up and it started to rain. Another relatively low mileage day.
I'll stay in Mechanicsburg(outside of Harrisburg) Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Any bike movement will be local driving and the bike service at "Velocity Cycles" in Mechanicsburg. I will really start moving fast on Monday morning (June 7) as my plan is to be in Key West on Tuesday and New Orleans by Thursday. Look for a lot of miles and a fast moving bike on Monday.

Day 12 - 14 June 4 - 6

NO TRAVEL THIS WEEKEND. SPEND WEEKEND WITH FAMILY & TAKE BIKE IN FOR SERVICE.

Start Time: NO TRAVEL UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 7.
Finish Time:
Weekend Mileage: 70
Accumulated Mileage: 6365
Stop for the Nights: MECHANICSBURG, PA

     Hanging out in Mechanicsburg the next few days so any riding will be local. Headed out to Velocity Cycles for an oil change, and as promised they got me right in and out. They even cleaned some of the bugs the rain didn't remove. I hung out in the show room while the bike was being serviced and talked to Renee Tyson. Initially she ignored me because I was wearing a Harley shirt and she's selling Hondas. When she realized I was on a Honda we started talking. Renee was interested in my USA ride and pulled up the web site. Yep... the GPS showed the bike in their garage...
     I took a ride to a Ford Mustang show at the Carlisle fairgrounds. Saw a storm coming so I headed back to the hotel... pouring now.
     Rained again in the afternoon and supposed to rain during the weekend. Stephanie flew in for the weekend.
     Saturday went to Boiling Spring and walked their Founders Day festival.
    Sunday going to the Govenor's mansion to see a botantical display.
    Monday it's back on the road to KEY WEST, corner number 4! I should be there in 2 days. I expect to make good time (providing little or no rain) with a 2 hour stop in Summerfield, N.C. area to have dinner with friends.

Day 15 - June 7

Start Time: 6:30 a.m.
Finish Time: 11:45 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 706
Accumulated Miles: 7071
Stop for the Night: WALTERBORO, SOUTH CAROLINA

Got up early and headed to Gettysburg to meet Steve Meadows. He finished his cooking school at the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, NY. We met at Battlefield Harley and moved south to Summerfield North Carolina where we were to meet friends who had moved there from California about 4 years ago. We got there about 2:30 p.m. and was only going to spend a few hours. By the time Kevin finished cooking steaks on the BBQ we didn't leave until almost 6:30 p.m. We had fun catching up with Kevin, Dianne, Jessa and Kelly and they have a terrific life in Summerfield. Thanks for the great dinner! We'll miss you guys. Steve and I continued to ride together for a few hours then he headed southwest to New Orleans and I went southeast to Florida toward Key West. I rode to Walterboro, SC and called it a night about 11:46 p.m. It was about 77 degrees at night and very humid.

Day 16 - June 8

Start Time: 6:08 a.m.
Finish Time: 12:30 a.m.
Todays Mileage: 872
Accumulated Miles:7071
Stop for the Night: KEY LARGO, FLA.

Now this was a long and important day. I got up early after going to bed late. I hit the road at about 6:00 a.m. It was 66 degrees and humid. By 8:30 it was in the mid 80's and eventually rose to 91 degrees and VERY humid. I rode the rest of South Carolina and the length of Florida. When I got to Miami I hit heavy traffic and tollrods that only took pre-paid passes. That caused for some interesting manuevering. I went east bound a few miles and picked up a road that led me to the Keys. As I left Miami I hit moderate rain. as I approached the Keys I hit heavy rain I hadn't seen the likes of since Olympia, WA. The only problem was there were K-rails on both side of the road. No stopping here. About 15 minutes later it cleared and I was is Key Largo, the beginning of the 100 mile stretch to Key West. I shed the rain gear since wearing it was like wearing a plastic bag. It keeps you dry, but oh my, the humidity! I got about 25 miles from Key West and ran into another rider at a stop light. The speeds are 45-50 mph so its a 3 hr. drive to Key West. This guy, Dave Allen followed me to the gas station where I found out he lived in Ventura, California and starting the 4 Corners tour in the morning. He just made it to Key West himself but decided to make this his first corner. When he took off his helmet and got off the bike I said to myself, "this guy looks like hell!" Then I realized when I looked in the mirror, I looked worse. I did the obligatory gas fill-up, filled out some paperwork, and headed to the post office. Dave helped me take a few pictures and I mailed my final envelope. The USA 4 Corners is in the history books! Done! What a wonderful trip.
Now just 3000 , miles home!

I probably spoke to soon. It was 3 hours back to Miami and the clouds were rolling in. I had about an hour of sunlight left. I bid Dave good luck and headed out, though I really wanted to stick around, and have something cold to drink with Dave. I started seeing tons of lighteninng in front of me and stopped at a gas station for a snack and drink. This was a fast food/gas station and I chatted with a talkative 375 lb. cook for about 40 minutes. He made me a piece of chicken and I decided to move forward. I drove about 10 miles and it was now dark. I could see the stretches of bridges and land on my GPS. I was a little concerned crossing the bridges during rain, but it hadn't started yet. As I approached a 3 mile bridge a saw large drops hit my windshield and I felt the wind kick up. I decided to turn back to a restaurant/bar I remembered seeing 1/2 mile back. As I made the U-Turn it hit like a wall. Torential wind, rain, lightening, thunder. I rode 1/2 mile back parked under a patio cover and glad I made the right decision. I had to wait about an hour where I an ice cold beer to celebrate common sense. The local patrons turned and looked at my soaked rain gear. I must have looked terrific!. They went back to drinking. I remember watching a little of the Boston/LA game. Lakers were ahead. I headed out for Miami when my PDA showed the worst I would hit was some light rain along the way. The yellow and red weather on the PDA was passing through. Probably the oddest feeling was crossing 3-7 mile bridges between "keys" and seeing lightening all around and no land. I was in the middle of the ocean. Very lonely. I got to Key Largo a few hours later and checked into a hotel. Long day, long night. 4 Corners complete!

Day 17 - June 9

Start Time: 8:50 a.m.
Finish Time: 12:15 a.m.
Todays Mileage: 966
Accumulated Miles: 8037
Stop for the Night: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

    This may not have been the lengthiest day on the road but it was one of the more hot and humid days. I started in Key Largo, Florida and drove to New Orleans today... 966 miles. By mid morning it was over 93 degrees and HUMID. I took route 41 through the Everglades because I thought there was a better chance of seeing crocs and alligators. It was a relatively quiet and rural road but I think I may have seen the top of one croc. Not sure... very disappointing! I was on this road for a few hours. I think they hid them or they're all belts, shoes, and purses. The ride was very nice though... pretty clear skies. My friend Steve made it to New Orleans early that day. I decided to make it that night in hopes of having a cold drink before bed. I gained an hour on the ride so technically I arrived at 11:15 p.m. but since that doesn't actually reflect real riding time I don't change times until the next day. When I arrived I checked into a very cool, old style hotel, blocks from Bourbon Street. I met up with Steve and we walked to Bourbon St. We ordered a cold bee, then had a Hurricane and I had a slice of pizza. The streets were crowded. Don't these people have to work tomorrow? Quite the party place. I then ordered a "Hurricane." Kind of a slushy thing with rum. It tasted very good considering the long ride and heat. It was still around 90 degrees. We headed back to the hotel and hit the rack. Tomorrow I would tour New Orleans a little and head out the following day with Steve M.

Day 18 - June 10

Start Time: NO TRAVEL DAY
Finish Time:
Todays Mileage: 34
Accumulated Miles: 8071
Stop for the Night: NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Steve M. and I got up and had a little breakfast at the very southern hotel. We then roade to New Orleans Harley where I picked up a local shirt. On our way back... about 11 a.m. now and it was already in the 90's and very humid, we found the 9th Ward... the area that got flooded. I took a bunch of pictures but we never stopped as it wasn't the kind of place I felt real safe. It was very run down and lots of locals out walking around. Not far from here was the super dome and snapped a picture of it. From news reports it appeared that all of New Orleans was under water. In realty, very little of New Orleans was devastated like the 9th Ward. It's a very large city. We went back to the hotel, walked around the shops and cooled off in the pool. Had some cajun seafood stuffed in bell peppers and alligator for an appetizer for dinner... Hit the rack for an early start tomorrow. Steve M. and I were headed home. We would ride home together.

Day 19 - June 11

Start Time: 6:30 a.m.
Finish Time: 7:45 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 786
Accumulated Miles: 8857
Stop for the Night: OZONA, TEXAS (about 250 miles west of San Antonio)

It was a long, hot, humid ride today. I rode with Steve M. today and planned on riding with him back to California. Temperatures reached 94 degrees with some periodic cloud cover to provide some relief. Texas is a long State and it was a fairly uneventful today, just a LOOONG hot ride. I think I remember seeing a sign that said El Paso, 856 miles. We Hit OZUNA in the early evening and stopped at a Holiday Inn Express. Got a bite to eat, updated this site and going to hit the rack. Early start at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow. Going to make it to Tucson on Saturday and be home for dinner on Sunday. At least that's the plan for now. Looks like this will be very close to a 10,000 mile journey.

Day 20 - June 12

Start Time: 5:40 a.m.
Finish Time: 5:45 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 707
Accumulated Miles: 9564
Stop for the Night: TUCSON, ARIZONA

Steve M. and I got off to an early start knowing we were relatively close to home. We were starting a few hundred miles west of San Antonio. We knew it was going to be a warm and humid day so an early start was important if were were going to knock out 700 miles. We weren't into the ride for more than an hour when the winds started kicking up right after sunrise. The winds were gusty rather than consistent which required paying a great deal of attention to riding. It wasn't long after they started where they got to a critical point of safe or not safe. We later estimated the gusts had to be close to 60 mph. The winds remained with us about 80% of the day, some areas worse than others, but usually 90 degress to the road.  In the worst location they had the wind/energy fans spinning in the distance in the middle of Texas. They clearly knew where the wind was. It was sort of eerie as the clouds were passing very low right above us. The winds were 90 degrees to the road. Throughout the day we were surrounded by dust funnels, some in the distance and one crossed in front of us creating zero visibility. There were many signs saying "zero visibility possibility." Absent the dust, visibilty was usually 50 or so miles. I later checked the forecast in Deming, Texas and I found there was the possibility of thunderstorms, hail, and 70 mph winds in central and southern Texas later in the day. Well, they were right about the wind.

We ended the day logging 707 miles in Tucson. We checked into a hotel and went to a great restaurant called Sullivans. Filet, shrinp cocktail, salad... the best part of the day. Steve M. and I celebrated our safe arrival.

Day 21 - June 13

Start Time: 5:45 a.m.
Finish Time: 1:50 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 502
Accumulated Miles: 10,066
Stop for the Night: HOME!

Steve M. and I got an early start knowing we would be home today. The weather was great, started in the mid 60's though Palm Springs got into the mid 90's. Fortunately it was a desert heat unlike the humidity in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. It was an easy 8 hour and comfortable ride home. Pulled in at 1:50 p.m. Good to be home!

Thanks to those of you who helped raise money for Crusin' for a Cure prostate cancer awareness and research.  You have helped to bring awareness to many people who otherwise may not have learned of this disease through the efforts of any people at Crusin' for a Cure.

I appreciate the many Guest Comments and numerous e-mails of support before, during, and after the ride.

Below I've listed some statistics associated with the ride you may find interesting...

           T O U R   F A C T S:

Type of motorcycle used: 2008, Honda Goldwing

Size of motor: 1832 cc

Gas tank size: 6.5 gallons

Weight of motorcycle (unloaded): 865 lbs.

Length of trip: 21 days

Days riding: 17 days (1 day stop Chicago, 2 days stop Harrisburg, PA. 1 day stop New Orleans)

Distance to complete 4 Corners: 7700 miles

Distance traveled to complete tour including travel home from Key West, FL: 10,066 miles

Days taken to complete 4 Corners Tour: 16 days

Riding days to complete Tour: 13 days

States: 30

Countries: 2

Gas stops: 70

Lowest temperature: 41 degrees

Highest temperature: 95 degrees

Longest day of riding: 18 hours, 22 minutes

Longest time riding in rain: 13 hours

Longest distance traveled in 1 day: 966 miles

Highest per gallon cost: 3.799 per gallon (Bakersfield, Ca.)

Number of gallons purchased: 275.7

Average miles per gallon: 36.513

Total cost of fuel: $854.10

Day 1 - May 24, 2010
Head to San Ysidro from Newport Beach, CA.

Start Time: 10:30 a.m.
Finish Time: 1:40 a.m
Todays Mileage: 828
Accumulated Miles: 828
Stop for the Night: REDDING, CA

     Arrived at San Ysidro, CA., (the first corner) at
1 p.m. Stephanie went with me the first hundred miles to join in the experience. Thanks babe! :) . Friends and riding buddies, John Garzon and Patrick Krakauer joined at the SY post office for pictures. John is doing the same ride starting 12 hours later. I gassed up, took care of paperwork and headed north leaving Stephanie at a conference in Carlsbad. I was about 100 miles south of San Jose when the sun set at 9 p.m. It was a beautiful ride, had no mechanical or electrical issues with the bike. It was sunny, and never got below 60 degrees. Made good time through LA traffic. Rode until I got tired in Redding and called it a night. Good first day.

Day 2 - May 25

Start Time: 7:10 a.m
Finish Time: 5:00 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 566
Accumulated Miles: 1394
Stop for the Night: OLYMPIA, WA

     Today was a good test for rain gear. I picked up rain in northern California pulling out the rain gear for the first time. When arriving in Olympia, WA. the rain was so bad I couldn't see the road through the mist of vehicles in front and side of me. The wind pierced the air bubble arround me soaking my rain resistant Alpine Star gloves. Next time "rain proof." This rain could have pierced anything. When the road started flooding and trucks were throwing a wave of water over my head, and I saw a sign saying "motorcycles use extreme caution, uneven payment" I said, "I'm done." I got beat up for 20 minutes and I was exhausted. Only 4 hours sleep the night before. I called Tom Ellis, a friend who lived 10 miles away and checked into the "Ellis Hotel" for the night. Thanks Tom and Nancy! Finished the day after only 566 short miles. Was in bed at 8 p.m.

Day 3 - May 26

Start Time: 4 a.m.
Finish Time: 9:45 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 926
Accumulated Miles: 2320
Stop for the Night: BUTTE, MT

     To beat Seattle rush hour traffic I got up at 4:00 a.m. feeling like I had plenty of sleep.  Seattle is about an hour north. It's a good thing I did since rain began 30 minutes into the ride. It was a medium rain, not like the night before. I arrived at Blaine WA, second corner, at 7:10 a.m.  The rain stopped long enough for a few pictures. Blaine is the last stop before Vancouver, Canada. I checked in and got a picture with a local cop. He was happy to take the picture. I went to the post office for the official "sign-in" and picture. 2 down 2 to go! I continued the day riding 17 3/4 hours.  I had rain for 13 hours making it a loooong day. I got a 2 hour reprieve riding east of Seattle. I stopped at a gas station in Haugan Montana. I was warned to be careful - lots of deer and bear getting hit on the road - It was raining in the Montana mountains when I left Haugen. The owners in the gas station talked about a bear that kept attacking their trash every 3 days.  As I descended into Butte it was about 9 p.m. and the clouds began to scatter. I could see the outline of the full moon through thin clouds. It was a crisp 41 degrees as I turned off the highway. The moon was full and out of the clouds... What a nice way to end the days long 926 mile ride.

Day 4 - May 27

Start Time: 7:00 a.m.
Finish Time: 7:45 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 905
Accumulated Miles: 3225
Stop for the Night: MITCHELL, SD

     It was still 41 degrees when I left Butte, but now it was raining again. Five hours later I finally hit Wyoming and there were puffy clouds and the sun showed itself for the first time in 2 days. I lost the pine trees and there were vast fields of green grass. I finally got to shed the rain gear.  Weather continued to warm to a toasty 87 degrees as I descended into the plains of South Dakota. I buzzed along most of the day at 80 mph. Scott Davis, a childhood friend from Chicago, rode 600 west to meet up and ride with me back to Chicago.
   I crossed the Missouri River seeing lots of boats and campers. I camped tonight about 65 miles east of the Missouri River at a KOA in Mitchell. If there are no mosquitis in your area that's because they all live in the Mitchell KOA campground. I'll go about 600 miles tomorrow to Chicago where I will stay to have the bike serviced until I leave on Sunday. I talked to John Garzon who I mentioned saw me off in San Ysidro. He left on the 4 Corners tour at midnight Monday. He mentioned he was in Fargo, North Dakota and also got lots of rain. Fancy that.

Day 5 - May 28

Start Time: 6:45 a.m.
Finish Time: 6:00 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 665
Accumulated Miles: 3890
Stop for the Night: CHICAGO, ILL.

     I made it to Chicago in 4 1/2 days logging 3850 miles. I went to dinner with Scott, Bonnie and Ray Sand, long time friends. I will get the bike serviced tomorrow, changing tires and getting an oil change. After that will ride north to Woodstock Harley for a t-shirt!

Day 6 - May 29

Start Time: NO TRAVEL DAY
Finish Time:
Todays Mileage: 122
Accumulated Miles: 4012
Stop for Night: One more night in CHICAGO

     I got the bike serviced today changing tires and getting an oil change. Afterwards I took care of a couple of errands and rode north through Mt. Prospect on my way to Woodstock Harley. I didn't realize Mt. Prospect is the home of last weeks American Idol winner, Lee Dewyze. The light poles had signs, bars had signs, and the paint store Lee WORKED at had a nice sign.  Home town boy does good!
     Woodstock Harley is a very nice dealership. A huge selection of bikes and a ton of people there.  You wouldn't know there was a recession in this shop, but I saw it in plenty of other places. (more on that later)  After getting my shirt I headed off to see Scott's house and meet two of his three kids.  Great house, great family.  We re-cemented a friendship from elementary school. I called home after leaving Scott's home, a little homesick.
    There were hundreds of bikes running around today due to the Memorial Day weekend and a day in the 80's.
     Went to dinner with Bonnie, Ray, and Scott tonight at a BBQ place called DG's. It is an upscale BBQ restaurant and bar. We were served by Eric who informed us the restaurant was closing after tonight's service.  Eric had a great sense of humor considering he learned of the closure 2 days ago and will be out of a job tomorrow. He kept joking how he really didn't care if we liked the food or not...like they would fire him.  He also mentioned his wife is a school teacher and Monday her teaching semester was over and they would have no income. They have a small child at home. It was a reminder of a very bad economy and it made me feel fortunate to be able to take this trip. Bonnie, always willing to help, tried to line up a job for Eric by the time dinner was over.
     It's off to Detroit and Canada tomorrow...

Day 7 - May 30

Start Time: 6:25 a.m.
Finish Time: 9:55 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 764
Acumulated Miles: 4776
Stop for Night: Gananoque, Canada

     I started out fairly early today and was surprised the temperature hit 70 before 7:30 a.m. It told me it was going to be a hot day. I've been used to temperatures in the 40's and 50's this early in the morning, but a lot of the ride was in the mountains and hills. As I proceeded through the last of Illinois and Indiana I entered Michigan, I lost an hour of time and the temperature was in the mid 80's by 11 a.m. I wasn't quite sure if I was on the right highway as I saw no signs for Detroit which is just west of the Canadian border. I got off the highway somewhere east of Gary, Indiana, knowing this not a wonderful place to stop. It's depressed and similar to south central Los Angeles. I picked a desolate gas station out of the city, surrounded by a bunch of trees, not homes. When I pulled into the station there was only one car at a pump. I felt fairly safe and pulled to the far side of the station. I got off the bike and started to look at a map. Within two minutes, three more cars pulled in with boom boxes blasting. The drivers got out, looked at me, and walked in the
gas station. This must be closer to the inner city that I thought... I got on the bike and hit the highway without checking the map. Within a half mile a sign confirmed Detroit was straight ahead. I entered Canada via Windsor, just east of Detroit. I saw some of the Detroit delapidated housing, another sign of things gone bad. By now it was 90 degrees and I had a 30 minute wait to cross the border. I was still wearing a Joe Rocket jacket and helmet. It was hot! I was prepared to show my passport but customs wanted to see my drivers license too. Off the bike, open the back trunk, find the license, give it to the agent (with a smile)... off I go. I was hot and the tourist travel center was 1/2 mile ahead. I decided to stop in as they had to have air conditioning. It wouldn't be good publicity for tourists to walk into a hot tourist center. Ahhhh... it was cool and I found a cold soda machine. I quickly made friends with these folks. They asked where I was from. I directed them to this site and you'll see they left a guest remark. Cool. I rode until almost 10 p.m. After 14 1/2 hours I was pooped. I got gas, logged the information into my journal and I was done for the day in Gananoque, Canada. As I traveled east I found gas stations let you pump gas then pay unlike the west coast where you pay first. No one trusts us folks on the west coast!

Day 8 - May 31

Start Time: 4:22 a.m.
Finish Time: 1:15 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 547
Accumulated Miles: 5323
Stop for Night: MADAWASKA, MAINE (3rd Corner)

     I stopped last night at 10 p.m., got settled and realized at 10:45 p.m. I was about 170 miles from Montreal. If I left about 6 or 7 in the morning I was sure to get beat up by rush-hour traffic. I wanted to get to Madawaska, the 3rd corner, before sunset for pictures. I decided to get up at 4 a.m. and beat the traffic. The alarm went off at 4 a.m. and I was on the road at 4:22 a.m. I hit Montreal at 6:40 a.m and just beat rush hour.
     I mentioned my friend John Garzon was doing this trip as well and started 12 hours after me. (He met me in San Ysidro with Stephanie). John lives near San Ysidro so he started heading north sooner than I. With my one day layover in Chicago, we figured our paths would cross somewhere near Madawaska, the 3rd corner. I crossed the border back into the U.S. about 1:00 p.m. and Customs had me go to secondary screening to check my bike and bags. We got along pretty well and they decided to forego the inspection after about 2 minutes of talking (wink).
     As it turns out I arrived in Madawaska at 1:15 p.m. and John arrived about 3:30 p.m. 5283 miles later (and 10 days) our paths crossed 2 hours and 15 minutes apart. I waited for John at the Citgo gas station where I figured he'd gas up since it's across from the post office. We had to mail paperwork from the post office to verify our ride. It was great seeing John as we'd planned the trip together months before we began and he's just a great guy and friend! John and I went to the post office and took pictures. We went to the Police Department and took a few more pictures and then headed to the Four Corners Park. This park is specifically dedicated to this ride. It is paved with engraved stones of those that contributed money to build it. One of those engraved stones is an Antelope Valley Motorcycle Club stone. I recently attended a Southern California Motorcycle Association meeting in Sunland, California. Doug Hoffelt, the President of that Club told me his club purchased a stone but no one from his club had seen it. I told him I would photograph it and send it to him. The first thing I did was locate their stone, photograph it and e-mail it to him. He saw it that night and was pleased to have received it.   John and I took photos, checked into Martin's Hotel, got some Chinese at "Tangs," and had a cold beer to celebrate at "Chugs and Mugs." We talked to some people at Chugs. One guy, Jamie, said his dad did the 4 Corners in 2005. I found him on my PDA. The 4 Corners in this town is a big deal. In fact, I was taking a picture on my bike in front of the Post Office and Rina Bosse of LJB Plumbing stopped and asked if I wanted her to take a picture of me and my bike in front of the Post Office. I said yes... and she was pleased to do it. Nice people here! But back to Chugs. Jamie told me he grew up in Madawaska. He said 5 years ago there were 26 bars in Madawaska. Today, Chugs is the only one. I figure either all the drinkers left town or the jobs did. Another brutal reality of what I consistently ran across in my travels. Jamie was out of work and at almost 40 is doing what he can to get by. We played pool for beers. I planned on buying his if I won anyways, given his situation. He played like he couldn't afford to buy my beer and killed me. Fun time. He took my picture and John's. He said it will be on the wall at Chugs. Perhaps one day I'll come back to see it.
     So far, 12 States, 2 countries, 35 gas fill-ups and lots of rain.

Day 9 - June 1

Start Time: 10:30 a.m.
Finish Time: 6:30 p.m.
Todays Mileage: 318
Accumulated Miles: 5641
Stop for the Night: AUGUSTA, MAINE

     John and I decided to ride together today. He was meeting a friend in Augusta, Maine and getting his bike serviced. We were in no hurry and decided to sleep in and have breakfast. It felt like a lazy start and I really enjoyed it. I also needed the rest after the long drive the day before and a 4:22 a.m. start. There is a small Harley dealership in Madawaska and I got a t-shirt. They asked where I was from and I explained. They gave me a Four Corners award certificate for making it to Madawaska. That was cool.   It started raining almost immediately and it never stopped until the last half hour of the days ride. John was in touch with his wife and mother the entire day. He has Bluetooth so he can talk on the phone will riding. I thought XM radio and the IPod was cool but the phone thing is very convenient... especially if it's raining and you ask someone at home to make a hotel reservation for you. Anyways, John's mom, Kathy Garzon and wife, Dee Garzon tracked our ride by watching the LIVEVIEWGPS a good portion of the day. They knew we were riding together and knew John was right in front or behind me. If only they could have stopped the RAIN! It was fun knowing someone was watching.
     We rode 8 hours today and only logged 318 miles. John took his bike in for service and met with his friends for dinner. He stayed with them for the night. I'll move on in the morning and John will wait for his bike to get serviced. We may meet up later in the day or week. Supposed to be clear tomorrow and hot... no rain!

Day 10 - June 2

Start Time: 6:45 a.m.
Finish Time: 12 noon
Todays Mileage: 268
Accumulated Miles: 5909
Stop for the Night: LEDYARD, CT.

     I heard Foxwoods was the largest Vegas style casino on the east coast in the middle of a forest and I wanted to visit it. I am about a day ahead of schedule so my travel distances will be short for the next few days. The ride to Ledyard was nice transiting Maine, New Hampshire, Mass, and into CT. in about an hour or two. The weather was warm in the mid 80's. The weather is beginning to get humid.   There are a number of people who sent texts or e-mails wanting to know why I stopped in the middle of a rock quarry. Apparently the hotel does not show up on the website. John followed me to the hotel after servicing his bike. We're going to ride to into New York tomorrow where we'll go separate ways and possibly catch up in Key West for the final corner.

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