2026 Syracuse to Denver and return

This year will be an epic ride of over 5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) out to Denver and return. Of the seven riders this year one lives in Denver, (the famous Dudley), one will ride out early to visit family in Utah and three will ship their bikes to Denver and fly out for the rides around Denver and then ride home with the group. The last one (the son of Dudley) might ride out after he gets his bike fixed or might get a new bike in Syracuse or might get a new bike in Denver – who knows!

I have to decided to ride out solo via Toronto, top of the Great Lakes and on to North Dakota and then to Denver via South Dakota.  North Dakota is the only state I have not visited in the fifty states in the USA.  

My solo trip will take six days. Maybe shorter or maybe longer depending on weather and if I need more sleep. I plan to ride 2,300 miles (3,701 kilometers) Solo riding is a little lonely, but I can stop when I want to and stay in accommodation that presents itself when I'm tired, Nothing is planned but the general direction. The ride with the group is more structured as in nightly locations, hotels, restaurants etc. but a lot of fun at night or in gas (petrol) breaks chatting and talking about past trips.

The group will ride around the Denver area for four days and cover around 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) After this we head home for five days and cover around 1,900 miles (3,057 kilometers) We will ride via Kansas, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. On the way home we plan to visit the Buffalo Bill museum, US Airforce museum in Ohio and anything else that looks interesting.

Change of plans

Because of the fires and smoke in Canada, I decided to ride via Buffalo, up through Michigan and Mackinaw City rather than via Toronto and the top of the great lakes. The distance is not that different, but I did not get to see my friend Graeme Murry in Toronto (I will catch up with him at Niaga Falls golf in September as we have done for years.)

Day 1

444 miles. (715 kilometers) Thursday, 30th July 2026. Up Early and on the road by 8:00am. Susan. as always was there to see me off. I rode the thruway to Buffalo in rain and I crossed into Canada after a brief line as usual. An old man on a big bike always gives the border guard a smile. I crossed back into the USA near the end of the day with no delay. I stayed near Flint Michigan, and I saw a hotel near a steak house and though it was an easy stop for 5:00pm. Dinner was a hamburger and a glass of wine.

Day 2

455 miles. (732 kilometers) Friday 31st July 2026. Up early with a muffin and coffee for breakfast as I was hoping to make 580 miles 933 kilometers) today. Traffic was moderate with mostly a single lane with overtaking spots occasionally. The speed limit most of the way was 75mph (120 kph) and I sat on 80mph (129kph) most of the time. I had looked at the weather early and it was supposed to rain around 4pm. I hit by a good downpour so I stopped and sure enough it did not rain again.  Dinner was yet another hamburger down the street, so an early night is planned. My hope tomorrow to reach North Dakota but it depends on the road and traffic.

Day 3

511 miles. (822 kilometers) Saturday 1st August 2026. No rain. Started off cold and misty and ended up hot. The road across Michigan was smooth and fast but Minnesota road was terrible with a lot less traffic. The good news is I made Fargo North Dakota. My 50th state. I have now been to all fifty states in the USA. About 36 on the motor bike and most of those with the "wild Hogs" Tomorrow I hope to make Sturgis South Dakota. I have been there twice before. Sturgis is the world's largest bike rally. I will avoid the town even though the rally officially starts next week. I really want to ride most of the Black Hills just south of Sturgis. I have seen Mount Rushmore so I will skip that this time.

One of our "gang" who rides with the name "Dudley has ridden over a thousand miles (1,609 kilometers) in one day. I don't know how he does it! 511 (822 kilometers) is enough for me. There is a club you can join called the "iron butt" club where your register your start and finish. I think you get a certificate and a very sore arse.

Did not take any photos of North Dakota except this one. This is the largest hill on the plains. Miles of flat ground with fields of lucerne sun flowers, corn or nothing. Hundreds and hundreds of miles with very few houses or barns.

Day 4

306 miles. (493 kilometers) Sunday 2nd August 2026. I planned to ride 500 miles (805 kilometers) today but it was cool in the morning and hit 95 degrees (35c) by eleven am. Also North Dakota is as flat as a pancake and the wind off my left caused buffering. The speed limit was eighty most of the way so I sat on a comfortable 75mph (121kph) with the bike on cruise control. The roads were mainly cement with small  grooves so it was bumpy most of the time. Luckily there was little traffic and very few trucks. There were lots of big trucks pulling huge campers generally doing 60mph (97kph) The farms stretched forever with corn, sun flowers and lucerne.  Gas (petrol) stations were about 50 (81 kilometers) to 80 miles. (129 kilometers) My bike has a six gallon tank (23 liters) and at 40 miles per gallon (5.88 Liters per 100km) so I stop every 200 miles. (322 kilometers) A chance for a break and a drink.

At about two o'clock I had enough and decided to stop for the night. Tomorrow I head to the Black Hills near Sturgis. Hopefully it won't be crowded,

Day 5

334 miles (538 kilometers) 3rd August 2026. Up early and headed due South. Stopped in Sturgis. What a zoo. Officially it does not start until the 7th but there are bikes all over the place. The venders are setting up tents. Had to buy some bug spray at the Harley outlet and they were folding T shirts and packing shelves. They also were setting out all the bikes. I had to buy some bug spray but they either had a large bottle or a set of small ones with sample products. I also stopped at the Corbin seat tent. I asked how much the Corbin leather cream for my seat was and he said just take a bottle!

I then rode through the Black Hills and a special road called the Needles. Plenty of tight bends and beautiful scenery. Tomorrow I will cross into Nebraska and reach Colorado. 

Day 6

351 miles (565 kilometers) 4th August 2026  Edgemont South Dakota to Bennett Colorado via Wyoming. A nice easy day but freezing cold to start at 52 degrees (11 Fahrenheit). It took its time bloody warming up. Luckily I packed some warm gloves for the trip because we are riding up Pikes Peak in a few days and it has an elevation of 14,115 feet (4,267 meters) and the temperature today at Pikes Peak (No ' punctuation) was between 39f and 52f.  Thursday will be between 50f and 72f. I was going to ride back roads today but decided to get to the hotel early so I could get my washing done and relax. As an aside my mother's maiden name was Bennett so I thought of my Mom often today. Once again fast speeds and lots of traffic closer to Denver. 

Day 7 

83 miles (134 kilometers) 5th August 2026. Bennett Colorado to Monument Colorado. I rode back roads that were very bumpy with lots of farms. Monument is a heavily wooded section that is an hour south of Denver. The elevation is 7,300 feet so it is cooler than the plains and the air is so fresh. I arrived at Dudley's house at about ten and the boys arrive around one. They had their bikes shipped in. JDog rode out to Salt Lake city and arrived around three. six of us will be riding around Denver for three days and then five will ride back to Buffalo and Syracuse.

Dinner was terrific. Dudley's wife cooked Spaghetti and meatballs, a great salad And I had a very nice glass of Chardonay. Their house is set on several acres and surrounded by pine. The air is so fresh and no noise at all. They love the area around Monument. Their daughter lives about an hour away and their son's family will be moving to Denver soon.

Day 8

188 miles (303 kilometers) Thursday 6th August 2026. I awoke at 4:30am. I'm still on New York time and at home I awake early. Packed the bike, a very nice coffee and I was ready to ride. We left as usual around 9:30am. We stopped at Garden of The Gods and the rode up Pikes Peak. Famous for the hill climb. The peak is 14,115ft (4302 meters) The ride is 19 miles (31 kilometers) with 156 bends. The bends are often very sharp. The speed limit is 20 or 30 miles per hour. For most of the road there are no barriers so it is a shear drop. At the top it was a little hard to breathe and it was cool but not as bad as it could have been. The views were a little hazy but that was a lot better than cloud everywhere like Mount Washington last year.  

Tonight we are staying at Frisco Colorado with an elevation of 9075ft. Nice little town that has a lot of tourists.

Garden of the Gods

Garden of The Gods - The Hogs went for a hike and I guarded the bikes from marauding girl scouts

Amazing rock formations were everywhere.

Pikes Peak had amazing views. Little cloud and spectacular.

We saw many bikes going down the mountain but not many riding up. They must have a service where they had the bikes delivered to the top and coasted down. Only a crazy person would try and ride up.

Day 9

245 miles (394 kilometers) Friday 7th August 2026. Frisco CO to Montrose CO. The ride today had amazing scenery, great views but it was bloody hot sitting on and even hotter engine.

We mainly spoke to hotel receptionists and gas (petrol) station attendants. Plus the odd old rider who had given up riding.

Day 10

271 miles (436 kilometers) Saturday 8th August 2026. Montrose CO to Alamosa CO. Apologies to whoever read the blog yesterday. I thought we had ridden the Million Dollar highway but we in fact rode it today. When I wrote the blog I reference a posting on the highway and thought it was a tame day and not very dangerous compared to the description below. Today it was dangerous with signs of washout that it had two weeks ago. There were large numbers of workman fixing the issues.

The highlight of the day was riding the million dollar highway. A 25 mile (40 kilometers) Famous for its steep grades, narrow winding roads and sheer drops. The highway earned its name from legends suggesting it either cost a million dollars per mile to build or contained gold in its gravel or simply offers million dollar views. 

Not the view today,

Interesting ride - one of the most dangerous and most beautiful rides in the USA

Please note - one of the group criticized the fact that I used web photos. I will add other phots when I return home. 

A passing motorist suggested the gang jump up and cheer. You will notice the one smart and reserved Hog member did not join in the action.

Day 11

275 miles (443 kilometers) Sunday 9th August 2026. Alamosa CO to Monument CO, A shorter day to day and over 100 (38c) at lunch. The roads were more conventional but the scenery still very interesting.

Tonight we are staying once again at the Clark's residence. Shahin (Mark's wife) and Chelsea (Mark's daughter) cooked a very special Persian dinner of chicken, Persian rice, salad and yogurt. Delicious and of course we all ate too much. 

Dudley cooking breakfast for the crew. Better than any Holiday Inn we stayed at. No powdered eggs for us!

The traditional wave off. We were very sad to leave the Duley household. The best bike is second from the left.

Day 12

376miles (605 kilometers) Monday 10th August 2026. Monument CO, to Russell Kansas. A long ride today. The first 200 miles (322 kilometers) was secondary roads that were not that interesting and a little warm. The last miles were around 105f (41c) with very strong side winds that shook the bike badly.

We visited the Buffalo Bill museum. It was near this spot that Bill won his title "Buffalo" by shooting the most in one day. Very sad but they were used to feed the workers on the railroads. A little old lady gave a summary of the events. She mentioned she went to Manhattan as a teenager and preferred the open spaces.

 Dinner at a local restaurant was a a short walk and very pleasant. Not fancy but filling. We drank a lot of water after the heat. As usual we sat around an outdoor area shooting the breeze. Tomorrow will be another hot day. Hot is better than rain!

Buffalo Bill museum was simple but interesting, At least they had air conditioning.

Day 13

370 miles (596 kilometers) Tuesday11th August 2026. Russell Kansas to Boonville MO.  Nearly 100f (39c) A very hot ride. Mostly back roads but the last hour a busy highway and intense heat. Good roads all the way. I was glad to get to the hotel and shower and do my laundry. Dinner was pizza and wings. Very nice and delivered to the hotel. Mark T Alias Bobby last night after dinner want to buy some lip Balm so we went to Walmart. The lady at the front door looked it up and said isle G. Off we went A, B. C. D, E, F , H. No G. After searching the whole store we asked another worker and he said near the pharmacy, which was near the entrance, Huge store and then only two choices! Mark bought both. We then had to queue at the self check out. Mark could not believe the size and irrational layout. Tomorrow the story of the noisy bike.

Day 14

403 miles (649 kilometers) Wednesday12th August 2026. Boonville MO.  to Indianapolis Indiana. The day's ride was uneventful except the speed limit most of the way was 75mph(113kph) and we rode to the speed limit.  Cars and trucks whizzed by us constantly. We were expecting rain all the way and even put our rain suits on before we left. Not a drop and it was a sauna until we packed away the suits at lunchtime. Dinner was a walk away and very simple but nice. When we returned to the hotel they suggested we park near the entrance because a lot of cars get broken into. It seems like a nice area but there is long term parking for the airport and little traffic at night so very opportunistic for theft.

AS promised - the story of the noisy bike, I was riding along yesterday and heard a rattle. I'm a little sensitive to rattles after a noise developed last year so I leaned forward and sideways and the noise stopped. Strange. After serval miles I discovered the rattle was coming from the air inlet on my helmet! I opened it up and the rattle was gone.

Day 15

351 miles (565 kilometers) Thursday 13th August 2026. Indianapolis Indiana to Kent Ohio. Started off a very foggy morning. The afternoon was hot. Mainly highway at relatively high speed. We expected rain and donned our rainsuits but by lunch we peeled then off.  

We visited the US Air Force collection in Daton Ohio. An amazing place you could spend days investigating. We only had an hour or so and hardly touched all the exhibits.

Dinner was very good Mexican that even Bobby liked it (Phyllis - I do mention other Hogs!)

So many planes and nameplates. Fantastic collection.

Huge rockets that filled the tall hall.

Day 16

405 miles (652 kilometers) Friday 14th August 2026. Last day is always sad. Its great to head home but you still think about packing, stopping for gas and making sure everyone is happy. The run today was fast. Three of the Buffalo boys peeled off and Bobby and myself had an extra 157 miles (252 kilometers) to ride to Syracuse. My loving wife was not home to greet me. She had left this morning to go to New York city to see the babies and celebrate little Fred's fifth birthday. (They grow too fast) 

In 17 days I have ridden 5,335 miles (8586 kilometers). Pretty close to what was planned. Slightly more than from Sydney to Perth and return. Amazing countryside from the flat plains of North Dakota. The amazing Black Hills of South Dakota and the fantastic riding in Colorado. A great adventure that might be my last big ride. Who knows. The group I rode with are a great bunch. No arguments. Ready to help each other and always willing to have a laugh. Most of the time jesting at me. "the one closest to the box!

I will add photos this week as it is a pain to add them on the ride.

 

Visited Delaware – My 49^th out of 50 USA states

My motorcycle ride from Syracuse to Brooklyn, Southern tip of Delaware and home. A round trip of 867 miles (1,395 km)  Total miles for my motorbike now stands at 85,248 miles (137,193 km) since new in 2009.

Before this trip I had visited 48 of the 50 U.S.A. states. The U.S.A. is so diverse and the lower states is  3.1 million square miles (8 million sq km) and has a population spread of 103 people per square mile. (40 people per sq kilometer)

Australia is a little smaller at 2.9 million square miles (7.7 million square km) with just 9 people per square mile (3.4 persons per square kilometer)

Of the 50 U.S.A. states, I had visited 48 of the states but had not been to Delaware or North Dakota. My son offered to fly me to North Dakota but I like the odd idea of having one state left unachieved. I have been about 200 miles (322km) away from North Dakota a few years ago when I was in South Dakota but I didn’t realize the opportunity it was to visit.

One place I worked at years ago had two bowls of pebbles on the reception desk. One with all white pebbles and one with all black pebbles. I would delight in putting one pebble in the opposite colored (coloured) bowl. It drove one person in the office nuts and they had to move them back every time. She never knew who was doing it.

I have visited 38 states on my motorbike (As well as several provinces in Canada) Most of the big trips have been with the group that call themselves the “Wild Hogs” after the movie. In reality they are not too wild and consisted of mostly ex older bankers and engineers.  I have visited 33 different states over the last 16 years with this group of ruff riders.

The U.S,A, across the country varies greatly in climate, environment, accents and attitudes to name just a few variants. I have ridden through the most densely populated areas such as Manhattan & Chicago and the least densely states like South Dakota and New Mexico. Even out of my own backdoor the scenery switches from urban to rural in just a few minutes. Great Syracuse is almost half a million, (For reference Canberra 482,986, Newcastle 307,565)

Before every trip I pull up my list of items to pack with sixty four lines of essential items (considering my limited space) from a simple pen knife to clothes and complete wet weather gear. The list has not changed a great deal over the years but I never forget anything including the pre-ride motorbike check of oil, tires pressures and updating of the Garmin.

The trip to Delaware started on a Thursday with a stop at Croton on Hudson, Westchester, down south just an hour or so north of New York city. A very pretty area right on the famous Hudson river. We lived there in 1988 and 1990. This ride gave me the opportunity to visit some friends we had when our kids went to the same preschool with their kids. We have kept in touch and watched their five kids grow, get educated etc. I used to ride the train with George down to Manhattan when I worked and it was always a great pleasure.

The traffic to Brooklyn was “interesting”. City drivers are always far more aggressive than most places but no one pushes a ruff, tuff biker like me around. With my full helmet on I could be mistaken for a twenty two year old with tattoos and a bad attitude. My GPS Garmin shows where to turn but the type face gets very small near Manhattan and unreadable, so I made a couple of small mis-turns but got quickly back on the right track.

I arrived at my son’s workshop and warehouse around three. Ross’ shop has room for around 200 bikes where Manhattan type riders store their bikes due to inadequate or unsafe parking in the city. They generally ride in by train or Uber and then go for a ride and then return their bike to store for the week. Ross also has workstations for his mechanics and even two for his customers to use if they want to tinker.

I was a little tired after 294 miles (473 kilometers) of initially very cold riding but was looking forward to seeing my favorite daughter in-law Michelle and the three grand kids.  (A brilliant and talented four year old and very advanced one and a half year old twins)

Friday was spent delivering the babies to day care and taking little Fred to the park after school. Nighttime was so much fun with the kids getting used to seeing me again.

Ross has a street party for his customers and friends often and Saturday night was a big occasion. Very, very ,loud music, lots of motor bikes, great food and drink and a lot of “different” people. He even raffled off a motorbike for a very sick customer of his and raised over $4,000 for the client’s cancer treatment.

Michelle is a great walker around the highly packed and diversified Brooklyn . She is a very fast walker and loves to push the stroller with two babies and little Fred riding shotgun on a bike seat on the rear. The only time we stopped her fast pace was for traffic lights on most corners and I could catch up. Over the two days I must have walked miles and miles in very heavy motorcycle boots.

From L to R: Myself, Mary (daughter) Greg (son in-law married to Mary) Angela (Michelles mother) Michelle (favorite daughter in-law) Jude (grandson) Front: Fred.

My original plan was to leave early Sunday morning so that I could travel down the New Jersey coast road with water views and the possibility of seeing many quant beach houses. The original plan was also to catch the midday ferry from New Jersey to Delaware and head towards home before getting a motel for the night.

Unfortunately it rained all morning so with clearing skies I headed off at the crack of noon. It was sprinkling as I headed out and the big danger was the traffic lights on every block and the pedestrian crossings and stop lines that were shiny, white slippery surfaces. A treacherous surface for motorbikes.

I was running late down the Jersey shoreline so I headed down the non-scenic highway to save time. I arrived at the ferry terminal from Cape May, New Jersey to Lewes in Delaware at 4:15pm in time for the 4:30pm ferry but the toll collector said it was full. I’m sure there was room for a motorbike but rules are rules. A big decision. Should  I find a local motel and catch the morning ferry or catch the 6pm ferry? The booth attendant suggested a “great” meal at the terminal and I would be first in line for the 6pm ferry.

The meal in the terminal of fish and chips was very ordinary and the service was slow and poor considering I was virtually the only customer. The meal expensive as hell but I was a captive patron.

I was the first on and off. The sunset ferry ride to Delaware lasted for an hour and a half was very pleasant. You could stand on the vehicle deck next to my bike as we sailed along. I was the only bike onboard so I texted the Hog’s  group that I had the best looking bike on the trip. I arrived in Lewes going on dark and rode a few miles to a Quality Inn. It was inn but mediocre quality. It was a large hotel with about ten guests. The receptionist was very nice and I went to bed and slept peacefully.

I started riding at about seven thirty in the cloudy morning the next day and had 380 miles (612 kilometers) to home, I once again diverted from the scenic coast roads and headed up the freeway. The speed limit on the highway was 75mph (120 kilometers per hour) but most cars were doing 85mph (137 kilometers per hour) The highway up to Binghampton NY was very smooth but for the last 71 miles (114 kilometers) the road was murder with a lot of bumps and broken surfaces. I thank New York tax payers.

I arrived home in good time at around 3:30pm. A hot shower, great dinner and to bed early. One of our regular riders in our group has ridden over 1,000 miles (1609 kilometers) in a day on several trips in one day. I don’t know how he does it.

A great trip and such a pleasure to see the family.

Summary: 2 ½ days riding, Gas used - 22 gallon (83 liters) , Cost of gas averaged $4:01 (AU $6.06) per gallon. Total cost of gas (petrol) $89.45 (AU$ 136.90) Mile per gallon 38.6 (16.4 kilometers per liter) Average 38.5 miles per gallon.

 

Wild Hog’s trip 2025

This year we will ride for nine days. We are off to New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Lake Placid New York where the winter Olympics were held in 1932 and 1980. Over summer they dump the shaved ice outside from the ice rink shavings for the tourists in summer to make it look like snow. Lake placid is famous for the 1980 Olympic games where a Soviet Union “professional team”  was beaten for gold by amateur college kids from the USA.

This year we will have six riders. Three from Buffalo, two from Syracuse and one from Denver. Three of the original group have now retired. Two have sold their bikes and one young one had babies.

Wild Hog’s wives normally complain that we are away far too long at nine or ten days but my wife asked them to keep me away longer. We have had a few breakdowns over the years but we have never had an accident and never had the cops stop us for any reason.

This year the estimate ride will be about 1,994 miles or 3.209 kilometers. The boys from Buffalo will ride an extra 332 miles (534 kilometers) to meet us in Syracuse and on the return home. Our favorite long distant rider, Dudley, will ride from Denver and meet us in Syracuse. Dudley is know for a ride of over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) to get home in one go.

We aim to average 250 miles per day or 400 kilometers per day. Last year in 2024 we rode 3,234 miles (5,204 kilometers) down to Missouri and Arkansas  in the Ozarks and we rode in mostly 98 degrees (37 Celsius)  Sitting on a hot bike with the sun beating down was tough.

The group has been riding each year for seventeen years. This will be my fourteenth year as I missed the first two and missed two in the middle.

I have ridden over 34,000 miles (51,000 kilometers) with the group over the years and have been through 33 states. Many of them several times. Personally, I have now visited 48 of the 50 states in the U.S.A with North Dakota and Delaware to go. Delaware is easy but I don’t see me ever getting to North Dakota.

My 2009 Harley Road King Classic has now done 84,125 miles (135.386kilometers) and has never let me down. I had a noisy primary on the last trip but I had it serviced when I came home. Other guys in the group have had a blown engine, a faulty relay, wet weather issues, three batteries, a clutch linkage issue and even split boots.  I understand the group has hoped I might fail to start one time so they could pick on me for not having the most reliable bike.

Below is the standard countdown I send to my fellow Hogs on a regular basis. Pictured is the best looking bike in the pack as voted for many times.

The Hogs regularly share pictures, comments, cartoons and snide remarks via texts or emails during the year. Most of the time we comment on humorous incidents that happened on previous trips such as motor issues, flat tires, broken rear view mirrors, temper tantrums and spilt gasoline to name a few.  Sometimes they even bring up events such as dropped ribs that slipped but it was erroneously suggested it was caused by a temper tantrum when they were delivered raw.

Day 1 Saturday 1st August 2025

166 miles (266 Km) yesterday from home to Lake George in the Adirondacks. Normally the Syracuse riders head west on the first day and it is an early ride. This year we are heading East so the riders from Buffalo (near Niagra Falls) had a three hour ride to meet us. I was packed and ready to go early as always. Dinner was near the hotel at a rib place that seemed very popular. Lake George is a very popular spot because at 2,665 feet above sea level (812 m)  Downtown is a bit touristy, but the countryside is beautiful with great riding roads. As is tradition, we sat around drinking and talking about old trips and catching up to date on family news. Bobby as usual complained it was too cold but it was only two degrees colder than Syracuse. 

Day 2 Saturday 2nd August 2025

216 miles (348 K) from Lake George NY to Portsmouth NH. Great weather and a bit cooler through some high valleys. We rode through Vermont and it was so pretty with tons of trees and lakes. Dinner at Long Horn was nice and the boys sat around and drank bourbon. I tend to have one wine at dinner but nothing after. Last year I said I bought a bottle for the group and presented a mini bottle. This year I presented a big bottle to shut the guys up complaining I didn't contribute. My bike ran well as always.

Day 3 Sunday 3rd August 2025

224 Miles (360k) from Portsmouth NH to Bar Harbor Maine, Nice warm weather and beautiful countryside. The coast and lakes every. Except for one part of the road that was dirt during construction for a mile, the roads have been perfect with the speed limit at 50 mph (80kph) ) and 35 mph (56 kph) or 25 mph 40 kph) through the towns, Bar Harbor is a very popular tourist spot in summer, Lots of lobster restaurants or roadside take away.

One of my avid readers mentions to one of our group that my blog is a little self-centric. Here is the news from yesterday. Dillie broke a rubber band that held his pants down. Rage had a bird hit his bike with no evidence of feathers. Bobby lead the group once again in a very relaxed manner.

Day 4 Monday 4th August 2025

246 miles (396kilometers) Bar Harbor to Jackson NH. Perfect day for riding. About 72f (22.2c) A lot of minor roads meandering through local towns. No incidents, no birds and no rubber bands. We ended in the mountains. Dinner was at a very large restaurant near our hotel. It is miles from anywhere and it was packed with a forty minute wait for a table. Luckily we skipped the line by luck. After dinner some of the boys stayed around the pool smoking cigars and having a few drinks. Myself and a couple of others hit the hay around ten. I awoke early and caught up with the world news,

Day 5 Tuesday 5th August 2025

Just a 155 miles (250K) day as we rode to the top of Mount Washington at 6,288 feet (1917 meters)  The highest peak in North East USA, The road up was very narrow and 7.6 miles (12 K)

The photo is from the web as it was all fogged in and a strong breeze. It seemed very cold but I was told it was 52f (11c)  The road down was scary with no side rails. Mt Washington held the record for the windiest place on earth at 231 mph (372kph) in 1934. 

From the web. Narrow and foggy. No crash rails.

We also rode a lot of miles on local roads so the map below does not reflect our actual route. The scenery was amazing with lakes and mountains everywhere. Our fearless leader once again navigated like a trooper. Total safety. His navigation system on his bike is not the best so we often overshoot the hotel. A little frustrating for him. Not us. 

Bobby (his nickname to protect his identity) plans the trips, sets the route roughly and books all the hotels. Each morning he checks the weather and works out where we are going with the best roads. I ride the back to protect from pushy cars and merging traffic. An easy job as I just follow the bums in front of me.

Once a trip the nearest restaurant for dinner is too far so we ordered pizza and wings. Last night was pizza night.

Day 6 Wednesday 6th August 2025

161 miles (259 k)  Nice roads rolling through the mountains again with just a touch of rain near the end. Nice dinner twenty feet from the hotel. Most of us did washing after the last three hotels did not have facilities.

I forgot to write yesterday about a sherif we talked to. The GPS had us turn right onto a road that was newly built but ended going in the exact opposite direction we wanted. The sherif was parked on the side of the road looking for speeders. He told us to do a U turn across double yellow lines. We asked if we would get a ticket and he said he would let us off this time. In fact he gave us a sherif sticker if anyone law enforcement tried to interfere with us. (We have never had an issue in all our years.)

You all know that sometimes you do something really simple but dumb and you realize it later. I rarely do dumb stuff but I have to confess. I washed the liner of my helmet before I left home and I took great car to clip the inserts in the right way. The helmet was very tight and hurt me ears after a while. I thought the padding had just swollen. Riding down the road yesterday I suddenly realized I had swapped the ear pads so the ear recess was in the wrong place. I swapped them over and instant relief. What a dumb thing. Also an update on Dillie. I found two rubber bands so he can now strap his pants down. Rage did not hit another bird.

Day 7 Thursday 7th August 2025

229 miles (369 k) today. Greenfield Massachusetts to Lake Placid, New York. 

News to come - Mount Greylock - 3,489 feet. 1,063 m) (Highest point in Massachusetts. The road up was very nice compared to yesterday's road. 

We have been very lucky with the weather this trip. Not that hot and no rain except for yesterdays shower for ten minutes. Today we were hit by extremely strong wind followed by very heavy rain for fifteen minutes. I could hardly see the bikes in front. We slowed and put on our flashes and a car behind us put on their flashed and slowed to protect us.  Our fearless leader pulled over and only rode when safe. We arrived at the hotel reasonably wet. Lake Placid was mentioned in intro and is a special place, When my daughter-in-law to be arrived in the USA I drove her and my son to Lake Placid to watch her cousin compete is an ice dancing competition. (I think she won)

Mount Greylock. Stock photo because the fog blocked the view. War memorial tower was very impressive. The light at night can be seen for seventy miles (without fog)

 

Day 8 Friday 8th August 2025

Lake Placid. Today being the second last day of the trip it was decided to take it easy. Just 43 miles (63k) to Mount Whiteface and return. The road to the top was really easy compared to the last two mountains. We still had a speed limit of 25mph (40kph) but the road had few real tight turns. Mount Whiteface is just 4,867 feet high (1,483m) We parked our bikes at almost the top and then rode the passenger lift the final 264ft (80m) to the top of the mountain. You could climb to the top but it was rocky all the way. You could see a lot further today and the wind almost nil and not howling. The reason for the short day was because there was supposed to be rain in the afternoon. 3:30pm and it should start soon.

Two Harley repairs to confess to. Rage (his hog name). lost a bolt that held the rear of his seat down. He lost one last year as well. A bolt from a nearby store fixed the issue. My electrical outlet for my Garmin broke at the attachment bracket. A bit of Honda tape will hold it until it is replaced. The boys made me report it in my blog as using Honda tape is not a badge of honor. Honda tape got its name from repairing a rearview mirror on one Honda and plastic to old off water on anther Honda.

Day 9 Friday 9th August 2025

Lake Placid to home 215 miles (346 k)  Cool morning but as we rode home to the lowlands it became a lot hotter. This was a great trip. Just two bursts of rain and the rest of the trip was cool in the morning and perfect riding weather the rest of the day. Bobby did a fantastic job planning. Great roads, great meals and good company (Do not want any swollen heads. The trip does take a lot of planning and daily effort to find everything.

1,655 miles (2,663k) with the boys from Buffalo riding an extra 340 miles (547k) Average miles per day 184 (296k) I used 38.95 gallons (148 Liters) at an average cost of US$160.85. Average MPG 42.4  Average price per gallon US$4.16.

I have now ridden a total 84,125 miles (135,386 kilometers and undertaken 469 gas (petrol) fill ups.

It is amazing to me. We have never had an accident. Never really even came near. We have never been pulled over by the cops. 

We rode the Southern route 

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Hogs Trip 2024

This year we are heading to the Ozarks in Missouri and Arkansas. We plan to ride at least 3,800 miles (6115 kilometers.)

Sorry for the delay in writing. It has been some hard riding over the last few days so I didn’t get started on the blog right away so today I’m up early and decided to start writing.

Day 1 Wednesday 7-31-24. Home to Youngstown Ohio. 419 miles (674 kilometers)

An early morning start with Bobby to meet the three Buffalo boys by 12:30pm for lunch. All highway at about 70mph (113 Kilometers  per hour) Originally in our first few rides thirteen years ago there were four or five riders from Syracuse and now there are only two of us. One moved to Florida and one to Florida and now Denver.  On the way to Ohio we hit a little rain but just enough to soak the books and jeans, There are now three riders from Buffalo.

Day 2 – Thursday 8-1-24. Youngstown Ohio to Coshocton Ohio – 301 miles (484 kilometers)

The boys wanted to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio so they set off at 8:30am. I decided to wait at the hotel for an hour and then join them once they were done. The morning was very hot and I set out to find where they had parked. Finally I found out they had taken the shuttle bus from about a mile or two from the museum, They were then dropped off at a quarter mile from the entrance. I tried to enter the parking lot but they said I had to pay the thirty dollars fee even if it was just to find the exit. I parked at the entrance under the shade and waited an hour or so until the gang returned. It was very hot and humid. I wear my leather coat and full face helmet for safety. It keeps the sun off me and both are ventilated but still hot.

Day 3 – Friday 8-2-24. Coshocton Ohio to Evansville Indiana – 318 miles (512 kilometers)

Today the boys wanted to do a distillery tour after lunch in Louisville KY. We parked in a seedy car park under a highway underpass, had lunch and then I headed to the hotel early. For 120 miles. Some rain showers and heavy rain for twenty minutes. The boys arrived several hours later. Dillie with the only Honda in the grouppicked up a screw in his rear tire and had to get it repaired with a new tube. Of coursDay 4 – Saturday 8-3-24-. Evansville Indiana to  Osage Beach MO 374 miles (602 kilometers)

After a very warm ride we arrived at what we thought was the “resort”. Turns out we had the wrong address and had to back track six miles to the night’s accommodation. Apparently it is a very popular place for hen’s nights and young people. It had a huge pool with swim up bars. The restaurant was huge and very, very noisy.

So called Resort. Very ordinary.

Dinner at the resort, The noisiest restaurant in the world with hundreds of diners.

Day 5 – Sunday 8-4-24-. Osage Beach MO to Clarksville Arkansas 266 miles (428 kilometers)

Great day of riding with highway at mostly a 70 mph speed limit (113 Kilometers per hour) half the day we rode through the Ozarks on nice windy roads in beautiful country side.

Day 6 – Monday 8-5-24-. Clarksville Arkansas nil miles (nil kilometers)

Interesting morning. I awoke at five am and a building contractor for the hotel said they had to repair the roof in the front of the hotel where all our bikes were parked. I explained that my fellow riders would not be up until eight but he then explained that the scissor lift had to be located nearest to the front door and the bike would have to move. Guess which bike was there. Yes mine. Easily done and all the other bikes were safe.

The boys today were riding 320 miles round trip (515 kilometers) to see some caves and then return to Clarksville. I have decided to stay at the hotel today and have a rest to do some laundry and write the blog, On previous trips we have had a day off in the middle to rest but this trip is very well planned but full. J Dog (official nickname) is organizing and leading the team.

Great to see Dudly.

As it turned out the boys did not do the cave as they did not have enough time. They rode what Bobby thought was the best ride that he had ever been on. They all were very hot when they returned and I still think I made the best decision staying cool.

Fancy rest stop. Hard to find shade.

Day 7 – Tuesday 8-6-24-. Clarksville Arkansas to Southhaven Mississippi (near Memphis Tennessee 274 miles)

This morning Dudley decided to ride home to Denver instead of riding east for the day. He was expected to ride the 800 odd miles in two days but he got there in one day! 

For the rest of us it was a very hot ride with lots of adventures. J Dog is the leader of the group this trip and has been very thorough with planning. He does a great job mapping out rides that have less freeways and four lanes and taking two lane roads that are more interesting.

One of our riders is called “Rage” and he received the nickname from throwing a tantrum about not eating soon enough several years ago. I thought the name was unfair as he is a lovely chap with not an indication that he had a temper. In fact I thought we should rename him as “walnut” because he would pee more often than anyone else on the rides. Apparently he told us that the doctor said his bladder was the size of a walnut. Today changed that. The first twenty or thirty miles today was spend traveling on small roads as J Dog was trying to keep to backroads rather than the freeway. At our first pit stop Rage flew into a rage at J Dog because Rage thought we were going to take the freeway to cover more miles. He later apologized but it solidified his nickname.

There has always been a rivalry between the Harleys and the Hondas on the trips. The Harleys are very American and unfortunately do not have the best reputation for reliability whereas the Honda are probably more refined. So far the Harleys have generally had an issue on every trip and required us to visit a local dealer for repairs. So far the Harleys have had a motor blow up, two new batteries, a relay, broken gear lever and a bolt for the drink holder. The Honda have had only one issue with the bike stopping in the rain and one screw in the tire. One Honda did fall over and had to get a new rear-view mirror but that did not stop it running. The screw in the tire and could have been an issue with any bike.

It has been a running joke for years that I was not a full member of “the Wild Hogs” The name of the group and was taken from the movie about a very urban group of riders who through away their cell phones and hit the trail to prove they were tough. It stared John Travolta, Tim Alan etc.

It was understood that I was only a probationary until the founding fathers voted me into the group. Each year they told me that it was a close vote but I would have to wait another year.

This year only two of the four founding fathers were on the trip. Mike moved to Florida and joined us for a couple of trips and he rode North to join us. He recently sold his bike and traded it in on a pontoon boat. .I think he did not like riding it around Florida as it is very flat and boring. Deak (who is a Deakin) stayed home this year for a family occasion. Dudley (one of the characters in the movie) rode in from Denver on his BMW bike,

The big news is they voted me into the group. As Bobby explained it was one vote for yes and one for no so they tossed a coin and Bobby lost. I was presented with an official Hogs patch to sew on my leather coat.  I asked what special options I get with full membership. The answer was nil. Asked if I could book future accommodation or special restaurants that answer was definitely no. Not after that famous trip to Novas Scotia where supposedly the days were cold and wet and the accommodation was seen as very basic. In fact there was were only two half days of rain and the accommodation was the best available. Well almost. Also it wasn’t that cool and certainly a lot better than ninety five degrees.

We like to park undercover near the entrance.

 Day 8 – Tuesday 8-7-24-. Southaven Mississippi (near Memphis Tennessee to Bowling Green Kentucky- 312 miles (502 kilometers.)

A lot cooler today with cloud cover all day. Mostly highway, plenty of trucks but easy going. We had to stop for a bolt for one of the boys and the other three went to the Corvette museum. Tomorrow we expect rain part of the way so fingers crossed we stay dry. Having wet boots is the worst part of rain as they take days to dry.

Day 9 – 8-8-24-. Bowling Green Kentucky to Portsmouth Ohio- 288 miles (464 kilometers.)

Last night I heard a strange noise emanating from the front of my bike and I was worried that it could be the front wheel bush. If this was the case it could have been dangerous so this morning I went to the local Harley dealer to have it checked. The boys wanted to wait either at the Harley place or te hotel. I suggested they ride on time and I would join them once it was either diagnosed and was good to drive or repair it. I was there from 8am so I was first in line for service. I convinced the guys to ride and said I would either meet them for lunch or at the hotel.

The service manager inspected the bike and said it was not the front wheel bush and was possibly the brake pad. Once I had the all clear I headed off to join the boys for lunch. The highway was not that busy and I ended up catching them five minutes after they sat down. A very warm welcome was my reward.

The rest of the day was spent riding through Kentucky with it beautiful horse farms. I have ridden a few times through the area and it really is special.

We arrive in Portsmouth and the place seemed deserted but it had some very old buildings that hopefully restored. The boys are smoking cigars and drinking bourbon whilst I type this blog.

Another dead bottle!

Day 10 – 8-9-24-. Portsmouth Ohio to Greensburg Pennsylvania - 300 miles (483 kilometers.)

No breakdowns and no parts needed today. An easy day with good weather that became hotter during the day. Nice local roads in the morning and crazy highway in the afternoon. Many big trucks overtaking us at seventy five miles per hour. Tonight we are not in walking distance to a restaurant so we ordered take away Italian. 

Relaxing after a hard days ride.

Day 11 – 8-10-24-. Greensburg Pennsylvania - 383 miles (615 kilometers.)

The last day. The group rode the first sixty miles together and then Buffalo boys headed off North to home and Bobby and myself went east to home. It was mostly fast freeways some city roads. We arrived home around 6pm. The morning was cool and the afternoon hot. It is amazing how easy it is to ride with just two riders.

Often on the trips we ask people which bike is the best looking. Normally they choose mine because it is the best looking. Disputes always happen about the quality of the selected judge. If I do not win I ascertain the judge is drunk, on medication, drugs, or all three. Yesterday we were in Kentucky and a old guy on a new white bike pulled into the gas station and I asked him to judge thinking the result would be favorable for a fellow white bike owner. He chose Bobby's bike. On this trip three other people judged his bike the best but did Bobby mention it? Every time he could he raised four fingers and smiled. Some riders are cruel.

Bobby wanted a photo of the best looking bike.

My Garmin GPS has been a faithful companion on all my riding over the last fifteen years (601 days) but it finally is dying. It has been going on and off over the last few days. Today it would not start but after lunch it was working perfectly. 

Summary

Buffalo Boys - 11 days riding 3,126 miles. Average per day 284

Dudley- Denver - 5 days riding 2,061 miles. Average per day 412

Bobby - 11 days riding 3,424 miles. Average 311 miles per day.

Tug - 10 days riding 3,234 miles. Average 323 per day.

17 fuel stops

Total US gallons 73.83

Average miles per US gallon 43.8 mpg

Total cost of fuel $317.67

Average cost per gallon $4.32

Highest price per gallon $4.70 Madison IN

Lowest price per gallon $3.82 (possibly 91 not 93)