Another post

My son's film-part 1 of their trip across the USA to raise money for the Puffin foundation.

https://vimeo.com/49669586

The Last Post

Ross' bike finally arrived in Syracuse from LA. Very sad to think it did not make the trip with us.

Day 19 - 13th August

Yesterday was the last day of the trip just 287 miles from New York to Syracuse. Total mileage for the trip was 5,234.

The hotel we stayed in was very trendy but typical of a Manhattan hotel room in that it was very small. Yesterday the piglets roamed the town and walked for miles visiting art galleries and shops, Central Park etc. I think they were amazed at the sheer size of the place. Being Sunday the town was very quite except for the tourists. There was far less noise as the cars are not allowed to honk anymore except in emergencies. The piglets enjoyed their time talking bikes in Brooklyn and they were home by midnight.  We left the hotel at 8.30am and had breakfast with Susan's brother Fred and then hit the road. The roads were still quite as we were heading out against the traffic and in Summer half the town goes on holiday. We went past our house that we used to live in at Croton-on-Hudson. Ross lived there from the ages of 2 to 5. The neighborhood seemed smaller and a lot more trees. We then crossed the Hudson River at Bear mountain which is just South of West Point military academy. The ride took us through the Catskills which is famous for the story of Rumplestiltskin. The area is extremely pretty with so many trees and rivers running beside the road for miles. Deer beside the roads and trout fishermen standing in the river. Idealic.

We drove into the parking lot of Susan's shop and of course she burst into tears on seeing Ross whom she has not seen for a year and a half. (mind you she has spoken to him almost every day.) The piglets showered, did their washing and had a big meal. I sent a message to the Wild Hogs "The piglets are in their pen and clean.) It is good to be home and not have to check out and ride three hundred miles. But then again I miss pulling on the boots and starting my engine.

I spoke to James Gribble who welcomed us home. What a nice guy. The little we did to raise money for his foundation was well worth it for such a great cause and a great family.

We are holding a small welcome home party on Friday night and having a final group ride on Saturday for the piglets before they head home on Sunday. They go down to New York by train on Sunday and then go to JFK and LA on Monday. It will be interesting for them to look out the window of the plane and see the area they have covered over the last three weeks.

Some statistics: 19 days of riding, 35 gas fill ups, (piglets had double this),114.49 gallons of gas, average 44.6 MPG, average price gallon $3.92, total gas bill $475.84.

Special thanks for all of you who have read the blog and especially to all those who donated to the Puffin Foundation. I will have a few more posts to cover photographs once the lads send me there photographs and of course I'm sure I will have some reflections on the trip.

Day 18, 12th August

What a great day. We hit the road at the crack of dawn and the roads into Manhattan were very quite as it was Sunday morning. The trucks still overtook us and we were riding at 70mph (115kpm for the Aussies.) We were going to take the Lincoln Tunnel but instead took the upper deck of the George Washington  bridge. We rode down 9th avenue to show the boys all the apartments. We parked near Battery park and the boys looked at the statue of Liberty. We then left the bikes at my brother-in-laws apartment and the piglets walked all over town whilst I rested. Tonight the boys are going to a bike bar in Brooklyn and I'm having dinner with my two favorite brothers in-laws. (this will be a test to see if John, Michael or Fred read the blog. Please do not tell them.)
Hot news. We have decided to go straight back to Syracuse tomorrow.

The positives are (1)  the piglets need to be back in New York by the 20th to return to Australia via Los Angeles, (2) there are plenty of good rides in the Syracuse area. (3) The piglets  they can rest, (4) They can clean their bikes ready for sale, (5) Shawn can have a shave (6) Ross can put on a clean pair of sox.

The bad news is we will not see the Puffin Colony in Maine. Susan and I will do that before the Summer is over in the car with the boys.

Side story. Ann  Greene (who is now the famous relation in LA) asked that the piglets take a photo of Peter Puffin in front of Mount Rushmore. I asked Ross to take Peter and I asked Rully to remind Ross and I asked Shawn to remind Rully to remind Ross. When they returned I asked how the photo turned out. There answer? We forgot Peter!  Ann - we will photoshop Peter in.

New World Trade Centre

Peter Puffin with the Statue of Liberty. (where is said Peter and Robert

robert waiting with the bikes at a dog park whilst the boys are sight seeing.

Day 17 11th August

Everyone woke up early to say goodbye to us. (Even Mark T and Mike!) Mark T and Mike headed back to Syracuse and Steve to Buffalo. We headed out in pouring rain to get Rully's chain tightened on his bike and to buy Ross and Rully some wet weather gear for the trip. (The both looked like big blue jelly beans.) An hour out of Wadsworth the rain stopped and a few hours from Strousberg the sun came out. We peeled all the wet weather gear off and rode the rest of the way in comfort. It was strange just the four of us without the other four. Gas stops were a lot shorter. Hopefully an early night tonight ready for Manhattan in the morning.  Total miles today 399 and 4,851 miles for the total trip. We try and ring Ann Greene (the relation who put us up in LA) every couple of days because she went through the process of buying the bikes. She should have bought herself a bike and rode with us.

We are almost right across the country. One more stop in New York City and we head north to Maine and hopefully the Puffin colony.

Day 16 10th August

We travelled from Monticello in Indiana to Wadsworth in Ohio. 322 miles. Not a lot to report. Mark Clark (alias Dudley) headed off for home at 6am and arrived over 700 miles twelve hours later. He went through two hours of very heavy rain which slowed his journey. That night we had a really great steak at the restaurant next to the hotel . I worked on the computer for a number of hours figuring out accommodation for the next night and New York. The highpoint of the hotel was when the fire alarms went off at 2.30am in the morning. It turned out it was a false alarm with a lot of people wandering around the hotel.

Mark T even arrives on time! (he does not read the blog so he will never see this)

Day 15 9th August

Anamosa, Iowa to Monticello, Indiana. 342 miles now 4130 miles in total. Fairly

An exciting day or at least an exciting end to the day. The day started slow with a visit to a famous company that sells parts for motorcycles as it was right next to the hotel (well planned.) We visited a famous motorcycle museum in town.  Shawn is the one who knows everything about bikes decided he needed a shave at a barbers so he rode to town and said he would catch us up. Three barbers later and no shave Shawn turned up as we were leaving the museum.

Peter Puffin at the museum.

Windfarms as far as the eye can see



The storms building

The tornado heading in

The storm building at the windfarms

The ride was interesting but nothing very special. We were in the middle of nowhere and had been dodging storm fronts all day and there was a police man also in the middle of the road. He waved and we rode on. We found out later he was stopping cars going the other way. As we got nearer the town we heard sirens and one of the guys from our groups was listening to a radio station on his bike. As we pulled into the little town he told us a tornado was heading straight for us. We parked our bikes on the downwind side of a fairly crummy hotel for some protection. The temperature was dropping fast and the skies were getting blacker by the second. One of the piglets if the storm could tip over a bike. The answer was that if we were hit directly it would take the bikes, the hotel and us with it. Luckily the storm passed a mile or so to the side of the town  and all we received was high wind and twelve inches of rain in a few minutes.  The excitement lasted a short time with just a little hail. We were very lucky.

Day 14 8th August

We wanted to get away early this morning so we set a time of 8.30 as I wrote about yesterday. Five of us were on time and two were five minutes late. (Shawn and Rully.)  One of the group was half an hour late and then went back to his room for twenty minutes. I will not mention any name but Mike got a severe roasting.

Today we road 345 miles from South Sioux City Nebraska to Anamosa, Iowa. Total todate is 3,788 miles with a long way to go.

Fairly uneventful  ride today through fairly flat country unfortunately the area is going through a severe drought. The ride was half on regular roads and half on highways. The roads are very straight so concentrating is very hard. We rode through some rain but out to either side was big storms. Tonight we were expecting a severe storm so we ordered pizza delivery to the hotel. Who said us bikers were tough.



Certificate of proof

We are now not far from Chicago so we are dipping south to avoid any heavy traffic. Tomorrow morning we visit a world famous motorbike museum so we will be late on the road.

We stopped for gas in a little town in Iowa and across the road  in a shed with a glass front. Inside was a 2,225 pound popcorn ball from 1995. My reflection was captured (has my reflection added weight?)

World's largest popcorn ball

8 bikes in the carpark. My shadow has put on weight



Who is a pretty girl?

Day 13 - 7th August

Today we rode 308 miles from Murdo South Dakota to South Sioux, Iowa (corner of Nebraska, South Dakota  and Iowa.)

Great ride today. The start was a big shaky. Two of the guys had not changed their clock to central time so they arrived at the bikes an hour late. Instead of taking the main highway we rode through the countryside. Miles and miles of rolling field that had just been mowed for feed. Bales of hay as far as the eye could see. We were stopped at one point because two cowboys with their Stetson hats on were herding the cattle across the road. Lots of big  semitrailers with hay so high on the back sure you thought they would tip over. It reached at least 100 degrees so we all melted.

It is a tradition that once on the trip we stay at a fancy hotel (that is cheap.) Tonight we stayed at a conference centre hotel in Sioux City and the restaurant beat most places we have eaten. (If not all.)

Tomorrow we all agreed to start early and we have a penalty of $10 for the riders who starts their engine after 8.30am. Of course the penalty payment will go to the Puffin Foundation. Speaking of which we have now ridden 3,443 miles and as you can se we rare at "K" on the map. The middle of America.

We have also raised over $3,000 with another $3,000 already pledged. That you so much for supporting the Puffin Foundation http://www.puffinmagic.org.au

Halfway across America already!!!!

Badlands just amazing



Bad lands out from Sturgis

Our cabin with the best bike in front

The row of cabins. Must have been 500

Breakfast room. All you can eat $7



All the bikes in Deadwood

Cabin interior

Peter did not know whether to gamble or get gas

Mamoth Rock

Sturgis in the background

Traffic stops for road repairs was a regular thing

Look at the mountains in the far distance

Main street in Sturgis

Ross at the auto museum in Munro. The wooden car worked

Funny sign outside a gas station

Day 12 - 6th August

Today was only 185 miles and we went from Sturgis to Murdo South Dakota. We went through the badlands which is a desert type area in the middle of grassland and it stretched for fifty miles. The temperature was over 105 degrees.(41 degrees for the Aussies.) Wearing a  helmet and leather coat just added to the heat. South Dakota is very flat and the grass plains go on forever.

Sturgis is now in full swing and the bikes heading into Sturgis is really amazing - thousand of them.

Tomorrow will be a long run and we are planning to hit the road early to avoid the heat. Read the blog to see if it worked out. Unfortunately half our group like to sleep in.

We met the big boys in Murdo. We had left Sturgis an hour earlier than them as they got delayed taking a wrong turn from their hotel in Hill City. I have just left the big boys drinking beers and smoking cigars in the parking lot of the hotel. Hopefully they will hit the pillows shortly.

Day 11 5th August

Met up with the bigs Hogs in Hill city. Rode 303 miles and went to Deadwood, Devil Monument and Spear Fish canyon. Great ride with big bikes. Plenty of cops around. On the road again tomorrow

Day 10, August 4th

No Internet so no pictures. We rode from Sheriden to Sturgis today - 234 miles. Open country with rolling plains. Cold in the morning and just right today. The wind has been strong which is not great for riding. Sturgis is a zoo.I led the boys down the street lined four bikes deep side by side for a mile  their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. I stayed at the cabins whilst they went back to town. That has been a few hours so I hope they have not lost themselves. (I hate typing on my iPhone). Sturgis has half a million visitor this week and I think they are all going past our cabin. 

Day 9 Friday August 3rd

302 miles from Gardiner Montana to Sheridan, Wyoming. We entered back into Yellowstone and exited at the East gate. We saw a bear, bison by the dozen and some of the most beautiful country side you could imagine. We then rode to Red Lodge and the Bear Tooth Highway - at 10,500 feet at the peak it is one of the highest highways in the USA and certainly must be the steepest.
Switchbacks all the way up and all the way down. There was a lot of snow drifts still at the top and it was bloody cold. The drop off from the road was amazing. Top speed was 25 miles an hour most of the way. All bikes and all piglets are healthy and happy. The hotel tonight is nice enough but all the hotels for hundreds of miles around Sturgis jack up their prices at this time of the year.

Tomorrow Sturgis and we stay their two nights.

The little cabins in Gariner - straight out of the 60s

A bison in the carpark

Bison by the road

Too cold to take a photo from the lookout. Mountains in the background

Mountains everywhere you look

Day 8 Thursday August 2nd

We rode 157 miles from Jackson Hole Wyoming to Gardiner Montana today. What a fantastic day. We rode into Yellowstone National Park. It is one of the largest parks in America. Over 3 million people visit the park each year and I think all of them were there today. The speed through the park is regulated at around 35 or 45 mph so we had to go slow for 100 miles but it gave us time to look around. We stopped to see Old Faithfull (it was) and stopped by rivers, waterfalls and the wildlife. Tonight we are staying in little motel cabins straight out of the sixties. So cute and clean.

So far we have travelled 2,093. I have used 51.23 gallons had eight gas (petrol) fill ups at an average cost of $3.98 per gallon. Average mile per gallon on my bike is 43. The Syracuse Hogs arrived in Salt Lake City today and will take two days to get to Sturgis.

Peter is finally out - "what speed are we doing?"

Grand Tetons were grand

Fancy eating house - even had knives and forks

Peter heading for the plain

The three piglets near the best bike

Ross and Peter

Waterfall in Yellowstone

What can I say.

Day 7 Wednesday August 1st

The open road

Lunch by the river notice the golf course

Today we travelled 416 miles from Boise Idaho through to Jackson Holes Wyoming. This was the first day that the trip seemed to go to plan. We are still one day late but we will have one less day in Sturgis to make it up.

Room at Jackson Hole. Basic and fitted four

Evil Kenevil jumped this!

Tuesday 31st July.

The day started well. I was at the Yamaha dealer by 8am and talked to the service guy as the shop opened. Luckily we caught the owner leaving on Monday even though it was his day off. The bike had several problems including spark plugs, venting hosing etc. We also bought Ross a cheap safe bike. It looks like a Harley but it is a Yamaha V Star 650. The engine is a bit small for Ross but it sounds and looks great.

We left the workshop after Shawn's bike was fixed and Ross' bike had a new rear tire fitted.

We had to catch up a half a day's ride as well the normal distance. We had planned 369 miles but ended up doing 533 miles and the last five hours in the dark. We travelled from Redding California, through Oregon to Idaho. The country in Oregon was amazing. I will try and post a photo tomorrow. It is now 3.41am (we moved to central time.) Are you waiting for the bad news of the day? Shawn has fallen ill. We are hoping that a good sleep will fix him. Tomorrow we hope to travel 377 miles from Boise Idaho to Jackson, Wyoming near the Grand Tetons.

Day 3 I think

I have said it could not get worse after Ross bike did not work.  I said it again after the half way house and drug den we stayed at the night before last. I said it again today. Shawn's bike broke down. We had covered 209 miles of a leg that should have lasted 302 miles from Garberville CA to Alturas, CA. Twenty miles out of Redding the Yamaha broke down. It had a bit of a problem with fuel starving but this time it had to be towed to the Yamaha dealer. $190 later plus we lost the booking in Alturas and had to rent rooms in Redding.

We are hoping the mechanic here can fix it in the morning and we can make the run to Meridian, Idaho of 469 miles tomorrow.

The country between Garberville and Redding was amazing. One hundred miles of twisting road, lots of gravel, washouts over sheer cliffs near the road. The valleys over the mountains were filled with very large  pine trees and the smell was like Christmas. The satellite navigation told us to go that route and we did.

Ross and Rully after dinner

  

Left - "drug house" parking and right foyer (boy did it smell)

"Drug house" sign from the 50s

"Happy" Shawn on the tow truck