2015...The Year of the TW Adventure Motorcycle Riding part #1

When I first got the "Bug" {that desire to return to riding a motorcycle after 25 years or so "Out of the Saddle"....I knew I wanted to do the Off Road/Dual Sport riding like I had done when I first began to ride, back in 1974....

I was 25 when I first purchased that Kawasaki 250 On/Off Road Bike....the reason I waited that long was because my dad despised Motorcycles, he had seen to many deaths in his years as a Mechanic, via untrained riders....when he passed away on Christmas Eve in 1972, the reason for not riding was gone with him.  I finally I purchased my first MC, a new one from the local dealer in the spring of 1974....a couple of nasty wrecks, one my fault{1975}, one an  inattentive drives fault in 1987...convinced this father of three to give up riding...at least until the kids were grown and out of the house.

During the winter of 2013/14 I decided I would purchase a "Dual Sport" as they are called now, after discovering "Big Dog" Mark Sampson's web site on his adventuring riding across the US, Canada, and Mexico....

http://www.bigdogadventures.com/default.htm

I had the bug again, and I began to look at 250 Yamaha and Kawasaki bikes....a downsize to that time 40 years before....the last Motorcycles I owned were various sized Kaws, Suzuki, and Yamaha rides...I preferred the slower pace and a chance to get off road as much as possible.

Finally, after months of looking and deciding which ride I could afford to pay cash for, I discovered another web site, dedicated to this little 200cc dual sport Yamaha nicknamed the "T~Dub", as in TW or Trail Way....the folks on the site followed their fellow riders like cult, and the TW had a cult following....funny looking, not very fast, fat tires, slow but dependable, I knew I had my ride chosen....question was "New" or "Used"...?  New it was decided, a 2013 leftover or a new out the door 2014?   After a couple more months of looking {I was in no hurry, it was mid winter} and not being able to get the dealers in Ohio and Indiana to budge on the price of a 2013....I called "Honda East" in Maumee, Ohio{ a berg of Toledo}....and pulled the trigger on a new blue 2014....

I had the TW Forum to thank for my new purchase:  {out the door at less than $4400 with 1 mile on the speedometer}:

http://tw200forum.com/


2014, March to be exact, is when I brought the ride home, in the back of a Harley Davidson trailer...the entire year I would put about 600 miles on it....steady and slow would be it...never riding over 60 or so miles in one ride....but I had plans for bigger and better riding in calendar year 2015, I would ride and ride some more....

that story up next>>>>>

The Football Season Begins....

Football Season "Kicks Off"....

<<< J. Armstrong, M, Davis, and PRH @ Parkway last season

3 rules meetings down, have not done a scrimmage yet, turned one down with the crew for tomorrow night...of course that would be 165 miles from here in Vinton County...."No way in Hell" I told crew chief Crazy Jon...."not driving that far, unless it's a Regional Baseball Final...."  So here I will have one scrimmage this year, a JH contest at Wayne Trace tonight...next week the regular season begins, and that finishes up with a Varsity Week #1 game, Wayne Trace at rival Paulding...the schools are 5 miles apart, and it's the "Townies" vs "The Farm Boys"....Wayne Trace has a good program, Paulding continues to rebuild...one thing for sure, it will be hard played, this game is a Rivalry Game to the core.

I have to admit, for the first time in a long time, I have little interest in the beginning of the season....sure, it's a good workout, a chance to earn some beer, cigar, and gas money....but to be honest, I have other interests these days....Motorcycle Adventure Riding, the Grandsons, enjoying my later years, and watching and wondering just what the Hell Obama and his Criminal Administration will do next to destroy this once proud Republic....

Football and Basketball are now becoming "jobs" rather than fun, so early this year I made a decision to put the cap on both of them.....If the Good Lord allows me to stay healthy and survive until I am 68{just a year and a half away} I will end my officiating in both sports.....as of the Spring of 2017 I will only work Baseball....a sport which I have participated in as a player, coach, and umpire now for 60 years....but even that I plan on cutting back on, I will work Spring/High School Varsity Baseball, but after June of 2017, that will be all, no more Summer Baseball....hopefully I will stay healthy enough for that{Spring Season Baseball} to continue well into my 70s...


But time waits for none, and I can feel the age creeping up, and I wish to stay one step ahead of the Grim Reaper, for as long as possible....

"Play Ball"

<<<

back later.....

Epilog=A Final Look at the Great Lakes TW200 Dual Sport Ride

Or is it Epilogue?   Seems like Tidal Wave now being called "Tsunami",  the Americanized Epilog is now the Euro Version....WTF?  I may be an educated person, but I am sick of this twisting of names to suit some BS from the elite media{most dumber than dirt}...anyway, back to the chore at hand:

Sunday August, 2015.....

After arriving back at Kurt and Peggy's Ranch early Saturday evening, Nick, and I, along with the host, dined on Chinese and Beers....and finally crashed late Saturday, up by 7, and a quick breakfast thanks to Miss Margaret, we headed out...Nick wanted to go the state highways, but I put my foot down, I was taking the back roads home, regardless.  I had seen enough damn traffic the past 7 days and was staying away from vehicles, other than the TWs the best I could.  We worked our way south and east, finally crossing the state line into Ohio just north of Antwerp...a few miles past the small berg of Payne on SR 49 and we rode the county roads the rest of the way...68 mile to my place, some 20 miles shorter than the trip the previous Sunday to Kurt's.

Looking back, there are some things that I had wanted to do more of and things I wanted to do less of....but considering the great weather, enough back road riding, and the comradery, I have no complaints at all.  Sure next time I would like more time and more back roads, more dirt, less pavement, and less State and Federal Highways{we didn't do much Federal or Interstate riding however}, but all in all, it was a satisfying experience for someone 66 years old who had just taken up the Motorcycle after some 27 years out of the saddle.

Kurt and Nick are planning another ride somewhere later this month...first it was east, now west, but I won't be along....full steam into Fall Football I will be and my riding will be close by for the next couple of months until cold weather arrives...then put the TW away until February.  This is not 1974-75 and I will not ride in the Ice and freezing rain like I did back when I was a crazy 25 year old....

The Next Adventure?  Perhaps the Everglades and Key West, back to Moab?  Not sure, but for now I will savor the two major rides this season....Moab, Utah, and the Upper Great Lakes:

back later>>>>

The Photos  today are a collection of my favorites from the trip:

Down Lower Michigan, Heading for Home....

Nick and I were up early on Saturday, seems he is still on pre-retirement time, and is up half the freaking night, and out of bed by 5am....so up we were, me a shower, then down to the "kitchen" for some mini donuts and coffee....Kurt managed to sleep awhile longer and really wasn't ready to roll...but packed and on the TWs we were by 8am....

<<<

360 miles to go to Kurt's Ranch outside Auburn, Indiana, we had planned originally to take our time, ride half or so of the 360 and pull into Kurt's on Sunday afternoon...well once we got started, and zigzagged our way from east to west, then southeast, to south, we ended up finishing up our non Ohio portion of the ride by 7pm Saturday.


Nick in South Central Michigan, in the LDS Church Parking lot, about as close as Nick will get to a real Church, anytime soon....
Pulling out of Atlanta, we stayed on the State Highways for awhile, then dirt, gravel, etc, across I-75 into central areas, then back on Michigan 66 where we did some more zigging and sagging across the sandy flats and back roads....somewhere past half way, we met a young street biker, who help lead us out of his town{forget it at the moment} and shadow state roads on more dirt and pavement, and on to Olivet where we stopped and decided our next move....seeing we were along I-69 we decided to forego the meal and motel, and did some more shadowing, this time riding Old US 27 along and beside I-69.  Kurt had called ahead from our last gas stop in Coldwater, Michigan, and ask his wife, Peggy, to pick up some beers, and that we would arrive before dark....

<<< The last of the mechanical issues, Kurt's ride, probably part of the aftermath of the previous Sunday's wreck, had the real brake dragging causing the break light to stay on....a quick fix was in order in the LDS Lot and we headed out for the final push to Auburn...

And we did, what a ride, Nick and I would stay the night in Kurt's "Barn" and down more than a few beers, while Peggy went some 23 miles and bought us a selection of Chinese Food....we fought the Mosquitoes with fogger and campfire, but exhausted and filled with food an brews, we realized than we had just about finished what most folks, especially our ages, 55, 65, and 66, could only dream about....1500+ miles on 200cc Dual Sport, big tires, and all, Motorcycles..."What a Ride Indeed"!

Nick and I still had 70 mile of back roads to run, and we were up, grabbed a quick breakfast Sammy and Coffee, thanks to Peggy, and were on our way by 9am....home by 11:30am we had been gone from one Sunday afternoon to the next Sunday, late morning.

Would I try something like this again?  Perhaps....however next time, I would hope to be able to ride more dirt and back roads, and take it a bit slower....but this time we got done what we needed and saw much of what we wanted and accomplished plenty in the time allotted.

>>>>>Back Later

Day 5...Leaving the UP and Heading South

On Friday July 31st we headed out of Marquette, took some final Lake Superior Photos and did our best to take mostly back, both paved and dirt/gravel, down to the Lake Michigan shore and then across the Mackinac Bridge to the Lower Michigan woods....we had planned to stop at my Cousin Moe's place in Alanson, Michigan, north of Traverse City....we sadly had to forego that, due to time and traffic considerations, and opted to take US 23 east once we crossed the bridge, and stop over at the Nicole Forested berg of Atlanta for the night:

Leaving Marquette I did manage to get some good photos along the park and shoreline and  boat house areas of that nice town{not sure I would want to winter there however}...we headed east on Michigan 28 following the Lake Superior Shore to the small town of Munising where we stopped for gas coffee, and a gut buster{think I had a Banana}...the weather was darn near perfect...the winds had died down, the sun was out and it was warm with low humidity, and we headed south towards US 2 and the north shore of Lake Michigan....hopeful of finding some back roads and dirt/gravel, and we succeeded...only having to ride 2 for a short distance.

Before we jumped on I-75 for a few miles, we decided to stop and fuel up before crossing the Big Mac....we ended up stopping at a Reservation Gas Stop, where they put a new meaning to "Scalp Em"....these assholes would put a charge of $100 on your gas or credit card until it cleared???  WFT??? Unless you of course you had a "Tribal Card"....so, not to get political, but jut who the Hell are the real racists....or crooks?  Anyway, we needed fuel and paid cash...it still left a damn sour taste in my mouth...one of the few things that pissed me off during the entire ride...minor as it may seem....it still put a burr in my saddle.

Taking a Break in the U-Pee

Riding US 2 along the Lake Michigan Shore>>>
 
A quick few miles on I-75 and we were ready to cross the bridge from upper to lower....I had been across the Mackinac Bridge on several occasions...by car, by tour bus, and driving a 34 foot motor home across...that was the last trip across, back in 1992.  A small dual sport Motorcycle would be a different challenge....plus the winds had picked up!

Paying the $4 fee I noticed that my TW was sitting at 2334 miles, meaning I had rode 1001 miles{not counting the Ferry Trip} since leaving Celina to the Big Mac....the winds, while moderate did not bother me half as much as getting behind two slow moving Semi Trucks with flashing lights....I pulled to the left lane, just in time to hit the steel grates, and with the T63 front tire, I am not afraid to admit, it was an unsettling experience....I kept it at 40mph and got around the trucks and back on pavement ASAP.....the rest of the trip across was good, except the right lane was close as I approached the bottom...and a few yards back on the metal was required, by that time we were close to the end, and I breezed through that small challenge.

We then jumped on US 23 to Cheboygan and down the back state roads we went towards Atlanta, our proposed stop for the night....when we rode into Onaway for a fuel stop, we had less than 30 miles to go, but we noticed a large cloud of rain between there and Atlanta, we opted to go as Kurt was in the mood for Jalapeno deep fried Cheese at the local watering hole...3 mile outside of town, the rain hit...and we stopped under some pine trees at the local fairgrounds...the rains departed and we headed into town, where we were told the Motel Atlanta, Kurt's preferred stop was full.  We were directed to a lager motel, which had nice rooms and space for $100....and we didn't blink.

Leaving Lake Superior Friday Morning July 31, 2015
After a quick check-in, we headed to the pub, where Nich had a disappointing Friday Nigh Fish Fry{Wisconsin it wasn't}, I had a nice Texas Burger, and Kurt got his "Poppers"...I had a couple of nice dark beers, and met a guy who was heading to the Vietnam Veterans Camp Out and Reunion next month in Kokomo....I jumped up and told him to look us up at the Boar's Nest on the Southwest Fence Line...turned out he was only a few camp spots away, so I expect to see him next month.


Back to the motel for a night's rest....the next Day, Saturday we planned to finish half of the 360 miles back to Kurt's Ranch....it turned out, not by plan or design, we would finish the entire shooting match...

than story is next!

On to Marquette, a bit of dirt, some gravel, and a taste of sand...

After a night, most spent in the bar, at Baraga in the Michigan UP, the trio planned a short ride to Marquette located some 80 miles farther east in the "Yooper"....today we would get to see some off pavement riding for the first time since day 1.....

Honestly I was still a bit "hung over" when we pulled out of the Inn...we would be on US 41 for a few miles, then try to find some dirt or gravel for some off road fun....after fueling up a few miles down the road, Kurt found Herman Road, which would take us through the woods and mostly dirt and gravel to the tiny town of Nestoria, some 20 miles away, back on Highway 41.  The day was cool but sunny, with the winds from the previous day still present...it was good to get off the pavement, even if only for a little while.

After getting back on 41 and Michigan 28, with a stop for coffee and a bite to eat at a gas/convenience store, we made the remaining trip in short order and stopped for the day, a day of relaxation and food, around Noon...

Buffalo Wild Wings for Lunch, Chinese for Supper....inbetween we grabbed a room at the quaint Cedar Inn, and while Nick and Kurt headed off to look at Leather Coats, I headed to Wal Mart for a clean batch of socks and white T-Shirts....then back at the room I grabbed my swimming trunks and took a dip in the pool and a quick Hot Tub...before heading out to the deck for a bit of sun...the good thing was, NOBODY else was using the facilities, and I had the early 1pm check in to thank for that.

So Thursday was a day of gravel, dirt, 2 meals, and some rest....we would need it as it turned out, because Friday and Saturday we would put on over 640 miles total, and that is a couple of BIG days of Monkey Butt Riding on the TWs....



Friday July 31, 2015....

Up early as usual, I wanted to catch some photos from the Lake Superior shore...so we headed through downtown Marquette, a university town that houses students from Northern Michigan University, in the cooler weather months....

We maneuvered through the festival roadblocks, and got to a nice park, where we would snapped a few photos before heading out...this day we would manage to say off the Federal Highways for the most part, hit some gravel, cross the huge Mackinac Bridge, on a most windy day....and ride ourselves into the only{albeit} brief rain of the entire trip as we pulled into the State Forest town of Atlanta, Michigan, in the lower part of the state.....

those stories and photos coming up in the next installment...


Photos-Nick and Kurt stop for a photo shoot as we find dirt on Herman Road, south of Lake Superior..{2} A railroad bridge across a river I forget the name of half way between Baraga and Marquette...{3}The Sandy Shore of Lake Superior on early Friday Morning...{4} and I take a photo of the speedometer waiting to pay the toll on the Big Mac Bridge...my trip total had reached 1001 miles{as I started with 1333 miles on the TW the previous Sunday}...

Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday July 29th, Out of Wisconsin, back into Michigan{the UP}

 On Tuesday, after Docking at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, we had a quick exit from the "SS Badger" and hunted for a fuel stop and we were on our way once again:

Getting up a running shortly after Noon{CDT} we knew we would not ride a long way this day and it actually turned out to be the second shortest days, miles wise{unless you count the 90 miles via boat across Lake Michigan} that we would have.  We managed, by mistake, and road detours, to back door into the growing Green Bay berg of De Pere before rush hour, and after another stop for fuel, we quickly headed west and north, via mostly back roads to Shawano, near the Indian Reservation.  We pulled into a decent Super 8 motel and slapped down another $100 for a smallish roon, and headed out to dine on Mexican for the 2nd straight night...no complaints, I can always find something to chow down on in those type restaurants.

We had met some Harley riders from Iowa and their wives at the BP fuel stop just outside of Shawano....turns out while we rode the 6 miles into town, they took the longer way {22 miles} around the lake and stopped at the same place...nice folks, who we had some good conversations with....

Wednesday the 29th

Up early{as we usually were} we head north combining Wisconsin 47 and 55 towards Eagle River....thanks to a detour, we "Detoured" away from Eagle River and back to 55 and several passes across the Wolf River, where we took some obligatory photos, and then headed into the Michigan UP or "Yooper" as the natives, oops, locals,  call it. 

Wisconsin 55 would become Michigan 73 as we crossed the Brule River near the final Cheeseland town we would see, Nelma.  By this time Kurt had noticed a problem with his front tire....there was little doubt something had come loose due to the violent crash his TW had been through on Sunday Afternoon...the front bushing keeping the tire and wheel steading had broken off and it was going to need a fix, before we were to go much farther....our trio slowed down and we crawled{40-45mph} into the town of Iron River, Michigan.  Lucky for us, the historical little berg had a ACE Hardware, and that would be our saving grace.

Kurt found a fit for his missing piece....and the nice folks at ACE let us use some of their outdoor blocks and stones to lift the 2011 off the ground...while Kurt and Nick worked on the wheel, I held it steady...being the least Mechanical of the group, it was my little contribution....the "Mechanical DNA" must skip a beat....while my dad, was a excellent mechanic during WWII{which kept him stateside working on B-29s and B-17s}, my late cousin Gary was a great mechanic as well, and even older brother Mike, knew enough to get out of trouble...me?  Not a chance!  Just never like getting my hands dirty and greasy unless I had to....I can work on engines, change oil, etc, etc, if I have to, but if I don't, I don't!

Anyway, within an hour, the problems received a temporary fix, which would get Kurt's ride the remaining 800 or so miles to complete the trip....we were on our way once again.  Our plan, although not set in stone, was to get somewhere along Lake Superior before nightfall, and off we headed straight north with a bit of a westerly early on path along several seldom used paved roads...the town of Baraga, located on Keweenaw Bay, on the extreme southern tip of the Peninsula that reaches far into Lake Superior and where Cooper Harbor and the beginnings of US 41 are to be found.  "US 41" the very road I grew up on in South Venice, Florida, some 2000 miles south, back in the 1950s....

The temperatures dropped as we neared the big lake, and the clouds looked like they may drop some rain on us....we needed not to worry, not only did we roll into Baraga dry and fairly warm, we found the nicest motel, complete with dining room and bar...and to our pleasant surprise, it was the lowest cost of the entire trip...$87, of course the bar tab plus tip would be equal to that and probably more...this would be the only night that we would any serious beer drinking, except the nights spent at Kurt's Ranch where we didn't worry about riding, and could down a few....

http://book.michigan-hotels.org/hotels/hotel/?refid=1073&refclickid=1073%7EMichigan-Hotels.org%7EBaraga2&hotel_id=700207038

I would awake Thursday Morning and wonder just "What the Hell was I thinking"?  A small hangover in tact, but a short day of riding would await us....and we headed out towards a Photo Session at Lake Superior and a combined dirt, gravel, a bit of sand, and pavement towards the next stop at Marquette.....where we would do some eating, and some resting up for the final few legs of the trip....

That story and photos next up.............

Yamaha TW200s around the Great Lakes {Part #2}

With the quick fix to Kurt's TW, we would roll out of his Auburn Ranch on Monday{July 27} at about 9am....

The goal was to reach Ludington by 5pm or so, grab a motel and meal, and rest up for the ride across Lake Michigan on the SS Badger to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the docking site located some miles south of Green Bay. 

Not your typical TW Riding was in store....we needed to cover nearly 300 miles, most of it on Michigan 66, through the rural areas of central and west lower Michigan, and then shoot west on US 10 to the port city of Ludington....a couple of things happened on the way, which would prove a pain in the ass, but nothing of major proportions.

First off my $40 wrap around goggles, which had been on the top of my Helmet for a few hundred miles over the past couple weeks, would fly off somewhere near Kurt's place, never to be seen again....then at our first fuel stop, some 80 miles in, I would leave my sunglasses at a Marathon Station...figured out, no sunglasses, no goggles, meant bugs in eyes or worse, so I headed back the 3 miles, and the damn glasses were already gone..."O' Well", the nearby Shell Station had a nice selection so I picked up a pair for $17 bucks and they proved better for riding than my others, so small price to pay, and we were on our way north again.

It was not a route I had planned or wanted, on pavement and somewhat busy highways, but in retrospect it was what we would do much of the trip, with breaks for better off road and back roads, at times.  We weaved our way through small towns and larger ones too{Battle Creek}, without further incidents, and arrived at Ludington at about 5pm, found a nice "Mom and Pop" motel about a mile or so from the docks, plunked down $100 for a three bed room, and immediately headed out to a Mexican Restaurant.  After a good meal, we stopped at the local Wal Mart, I grabbed a six pack, Kurt needed a leather belt{he left his at home}, and we called it a night.

The SS Badger

Our departure time was set for 8:45am, and we had been told to be there an hour before the boat was to leave....we got there about 90 minutes before hand....I had already taken a ginger root capsule and a Dramamine just in case of rough seas would make my motion sickness kick in....I needed not to worry!

The Ship is a converted 1953 built coal boat and was loaded with passengers, semi trucks, cars, and 8 of us on Motorcycles...without really knowing, I would say a couple hundred passengers were on this trip...sunshine, little wind, and lite seas greeted us.  Nick and Kurt ate breakfast, I settled for a small coffee, not really being hungry, and not wanting to chance the motion sickness bug, even with the small waves...

 

I spent most of the first half of the trip across on the 3rd deck smoking area...no I didn't smoke, but the air was pretty good, and I spent a couple hours taking with a couple of guys on Harleys that were heading for the HD Museum in Milwaukee, then on to the big rally at Sturgis, South Dakota....this would be one guys 9th trip, the other was making his maiden showing at Sturgis.

 I finally worked my way down to the sundeck where Kurt and Nick were parked...and spent the next 90 minutes or so until we drifted into Manitowoc Harbor....

A quick unload and we were off towards the Wisconsin Northwoods....

that will be continue next.....{probably Thursday, due to being with the Grandsons tomorrow}

Photos-Top:  The SS Badger as it awaits our TWs and other vehicles for the 4 hour tour across Lake Michigan (2) One of the rare rural spots on our first full riding day...a park and area Kurt knew near Mongo, Indiana{3}Our first Motel Night at the Mom and Pop at Ludington{4} A "Selfie" with the new sunglasses in all their glory {5} Leaving Ludington {6} The Sun Deck of the Badger, where many of the passengers would spend the trip {6} and finally we pull into Manitowoc, Wisconsin, as the fisherman watched us arrive.

7 Days of Riding Around the Great Lakes on Dual Sport Motorcycles

On the little Dual Sport Yamaha TW200s no less:

About six weeks ago I got a burr under my saddle and contacted my old acquaintance Nick, who would be retiring on July 20th after 38 years at Crown Industries, that we should take our TWs around the Great Lakes...a trip that we could stretch into 8 to 12 days and 1600-2000 miles...depending on how we felt and what the weather and severe cases of "Monkey Butt" would do to us.  We finally agreed to leave on July 28th, or maybe the 27th, and we would avoid Chicagoland and head out through central Indiana, work our way slowly northwest through Illinois and end up somewhere near the Iowa border as we hit the Wisconsin State Line with the Land of Lincoln

....that was the plan, until wife Patricia and I were finishing up our stay in Brown County, Indiana, on a Cabin Mini Vacation.  Another TW Rider, Kurt from the Auburn, Indiana, area{who we had traveled with to Moab, Utah, in March, along with his nephew Spencer, aka "Weasel"} called me on the cell phone while I was getting ready to hit the sack and declared he had the week off and wanted to ride with us...although our 8 to 12 days and miles might be reduced to 7 days and 1500 miles..."Great with me" I declared...Kurt is much better at maintaining the bikes, and as an experienced mountain climber, knows how to travel and survive...so we kicked up our leave Celina day to the Sunday before, July 26th, we would head to Kurt's Ranch and stay there and we 3 would head out on the 27th...but instead of going across Indiana and Illinois, we would ride north deep along the central and west side of Michigan, and arrive at Ludington, where we would put the bikes on the Great Lakes Ferry, the SS Badger, and ride the waves for 4 hours on Tuesday before debarking at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, south of Green Bay.

Nick and I changed the oil in our rides, putting in synthetic blends and tightening up the stock chains{something we would do multiple times during the next 8 days}...Sunday the 27th arrived, and Nick and I headed out from Celina towards Auburn at 2pm.  Winding our way around the west side of Ohio and the State Line Road with Indiana, we finally arrived at Kurt's at 5pm or so...this is where the real adventure would begin:

Wrecking Kurt's TW, the first disaster....

Shortly after arriving, we viewed Kurt's 2011 with admiration....he had it equipped with soft bags and balanced and ready to go....while things looked up for the trip, the bike would be dealt a setback...{I won't go into full detail here} the Kurt Machine would slide on some gravel{and no Kurt, nor Nick, or I were riding, Weasel either!} the bags would be destroyed, the handlebars ruined and other cosmetic damage would be received as well....It looked for awhile as though Kurt would be forced to ride his Triumph Scrambler, a fine ride, but which would pretty much derail the planning of the trip....but....

"Weasel" and Renaldo to the rescue.....


Enter nephew Spencer and his buddy Renaldo, who had been partying on Lake James on Sunday....they arrived like knights in shining armor, and within the hour had changed the bike from "wrecked" back into rideable .  The trashed bags were replaced with Kurt's metal ones and despite a bit of a lean, the handlebar switchout was complete as well....being a clueless one at most things mechanical, I was amazed at the quick work and well done as well, which would enable Kurt to ride his TW, so all three of us would be riding the virtual same ride{the TWs never change, style wise in nearly 30 years, just the paint scheme yearly for the most part}.



A few more beers, and a night's sleep and we would head out fairly early Monday morning and the real adventure would begin....

Next Up:  Riding to Ludington