Returned from OHIO

[WPNorton]

http://www.bmwlt.com/gallery/files/7/0/9/2/GPS.JPG
Finaly made it home. nearly 6K total miles in two weeks (13 Days). 9 days riding the other 4 sightseeing in Ohio and the Blackhills.
I made 30 Gas stops (not including the Farmers house when I ran out of gas!) The Bike ran like a top. the only damage was a bent highway peg stop bolt. Guess I pushed a little to hard trying to get comfortable. Only about two hours of rain, 1 hour of drizzle outside of Saint Louis and a couple big rain clouds in Nevada on the return trip. Nothing worth putting on the rain gear for . I rerouted my return trip north instead of through Texas and Arizona. I avoided some nasty weather and saw some nice roads going through SD and Wyoming.
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I intentionaly stayed off the interstate, using backroads through every little town you can imagine. I also learned what Mormon Crickets are. Saw millions of them between Ely and Carson City in NV. Thgere was so many on the road, I purposely slowed down in the corners to avoid slipping on cricket guts!
http://www.bmwlt.com/gallery/files/7/0/9/2/Sturgis2006.JPG

[messenger13]

Glad the trip went without a hitch. Max speed only 107mph? . . . err . . . I mean, "Shame on you! You're a bad bad boy!". ;) Surely you have more stories to tell. Feel free to share. :)

[SandM]

Sounds like you had a great time. I know the family is glad your back. Mia, Bob, Jeanie and I know first had about the Mormon Crickets and are glad you did not spill into them. Pretty nasty stuff.

[MarkEngland]

Nice pics and welcome home. Thanks for the 411 on the Mormon Crickets. I'm heading to Ely for an overnight ride later this month.

[hschisler]

Nice pics, and I'd like to hear more about the trip.

Also, what is a "Mormon cricket"?

[Tallyho]

Also, what is a "Mormon cricket"?They are actually a katydid but were named so after invading and decimating Mormon settler's farms. They are a continuing problem today. See link below.

During early summer they multiply by the millions covering whole roads and countrysides. We encountered them in early July in Humboldt Canyon north of Elko. They feed on each other and anything else around covering the landscape. The twisty road had one section about 100 feet long completely covered across and about three inches deep while heading up a tight blind curve. It was very much like riding on diesel fuel. In the heat, they also put off a terrible stink. The state puts down sand and has the slippery road signs up in places where they accumulate. According to the locals they grow to be about three inches long by the end of August but die off around mid-September. They are very slippery. I hit them two-up on my LT at about 20 mph. Held constant throttle until about half way through then eased out of them with a gradual increase in power and still did a couple of scary fishtales. I would hate to land in them and with all the slime on the road, it would take a helluva effort to get the bike back up. Nasty stuff.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/aprilholladay/2004-07-23-wonderquest_x.htm

[WPNorton]

OOOPS! 107 Max speed.... must be a glitch in the software! or maybe it happened during one of those never ending stretch of road in the middle of Utah? :D I'll gather some more thoughts and Post again tonight.

[RMoore007]

I'd like to here about your trip Wayne. I only wish that I could have taken more back roads. You did good.:)

[WPNorton]

Roger,

Like you, I was a late starter. I find that even on 8 hours of sleep, the engine hum will lull me into twilight in the early morning hours. My best bet was to wake at 0800, eat a good breakfast and depart between 0900 and 0930. I can ride until midnight with no problem. rode till 0330 one night for a 900+ mile day.

Highway 50 ran clear across the nation until I needed to turn south to Branson. I didn't make the best time going thru all those 25 mph zones at every town, but it was very interesting to see the change in cultures. The stretch from Gunnison to Salida over Monarch Crest at 11,312 ft elevation in Colorado was awesome. Rode thru the Great Gorge When I hit Kansas, I noticed that everyone smoked, drank beer, drove cars that had rusted panels and we're with few exceptions, missing teeth. From Branson, I crossed over to Saint Louis and then over to Fort Wayne Indiana. From Ft Wayne I took Wy 224 thru farm country all the way to Youngstown. Long day! Got into the hotel at Youngstown at around 0100 in the morning. Enjoyed Cedar Point and the Amish country (in a rental car...the rear end needs a break sometime!) on the third day, I headed back across Ohio by Chicago Cleveland, by the great lake and up to Dubuque (nice town) and crisscrossed the small roads to Sioux Falls SD. Hopped on 90 and slabbed it to Rapid City by Midnight. Took a day off to sightsee the old stomping grounds ( I was stationed there in 1984). Hit Rushmore, Lead, Deadwood and Sturgis. Also watched a huge forest fire at Blackhawk for a few hours in the evening before getting back to the hotel around 9pm. Around 0900 the next morning, I cut thru he Black hills heading southwest to Rock Springs Wyoming, Spent the night and headed down 191...(Another awesome ride!) thru the Flaming Gorge in Wyoming and North Utah area. Another awesome ride! I picked up the 50 again and went back thru Nevada the same way that I came. The Ride back was much more enjoyable. That's where I discovered the mormon crickets, hit a couple ran clouds and enjoyed the sun rays streaming thru the clouds onto the green desert floor. I called it a Night in Fallon, rather than push the rest of the 4 or five hours home. Headed back thru Carson City and Tahoe and on home by 2PM. The worst stretch of rode was from Chicago to Dubuque. Tons of beat up roads and congested beyond belief. I was glad to get out of that part of the country. The lifesavers for me were the highway pegs, the Backups backrest, the Kontour seat and the gel cooling vest. I carried a small cooler in the passenger seat with small water bottles in it. I filled it up at the hotel in the mornings and bought ice when I didn't stay at hotels. When I stopped for gas on hot spells, I would remove the vest, soak it in the ice chest for a few minutes, take a latrine break, wash the face, drink some water, vest-up and go. I have to admit, putting on a gel vest that was just soaking in ice water was a little uncomfortable, but the body freeze lasted only a couple minutes. I was able to get about 60 to 90 minutes cooling before it would start to dry out on me. It was usually time for a pit stop anyway...Back in the ice chest again....over and over.

I had a blast. I can't think of a better way to see the country! I only wish I had a month to see the other half I missed!

I'm not taking the time to reread this a couple times for proper Grammer, spelling or punctuation. Please just let it go...as hard as it may be. :D

[PHILBERT40]

I envy you the trip! Riding in solitude across the USA can be a very enjoyable time. It really dose not matter how hot or cold it is, it is the only way to go. Congrats.

[WPNorton]

Thanks Phil, I enjoy riding with a group, but theres a trade-off. Being able to call you own schedule, pace and route is a benefit of riding alone. The drawback is the insecurity of being alone in case of trouble and the lack of company. I found myself talking to gas station attendants longer than usual. Thank Goodness for XM radio. I was so engrossed in a Larry King broadcast about the tour De'France doping scandal, that I didn't see the highway patrol car following (turned out to be for the last five miles) HE had to turn on the siren to get my attention.......I was only doing 84 in a 75 zone....:rolleyes:

It was an awesome experience...I hope to do the 4 corners ride someday.

Your Alaska trip will be one for the books! I can't wait to her about that one!

[Tallyho]

Nice recap, Wayne. Brings back a lot of memories! :cool: