Trip of a LIfetime was all I'd hoped

[irish2themax]

I finally returned home yesterday afternoon after spending several days with my brother in Camdenton MO.

The trip was fantastic...everything I had hoped for with a few exceptions.

1. Jane detaching early due to forecast rain that never developed. Jane was fun to ride with and it would have been nice to have her company for a couple more days
2. Gene having health problems. We worked hard on this trip for months and I know how much Gene was looking forward to it. And I was looking forward to enjoying his company (Don't ask me why...God only knows!!)
3. Dick and I having scheduling problems that separated us at the tail end of the trip
4. Day 14 when God threw everything at me but a plague of locusts!! Woke up to a brisk 41 degree morning which only got colder as the day progressed. By the time I got through Yellowstone National Park, there was 5" of snow on the ground. Got to the Continental Divide when it started to hail...hailstones the size of marbles making it impossible to ride and nowhere to hide! Lasted about 30 minutes. Then, as I left the park, I encountered about 30 minutes of freezing rain. As the rain began to slow down, I hit a 14 mile stretch of road construction but not your normal variety. The road was taken down to bare earth and oiled. Thanks to the weather it was just oily mud with more potholes than I could count.

Got to meet and ride with several other forum members...Mo Lee, xpeschon, Bumble Bee, Tom in NM, Desert Spyder and Spyder Flyer. Great fun!! Thanks for helping to make our trip special

I know some of you followed our blog. For others who'd like to read about our exploits the blog is complete

Trip of a Lifetime

 

[Big Arm]

:clap: Glad you arrived home safely :clap:
And I did enjoy reading about your trip :2thumbs:

 

[docdoru]

Nice to see you back! :thumbup:

 

[retired1]

Irish;
Glad you enjoyed your "Trip(adventure) of a lifetime" and were able to safely weather what mother nature threw at you.:2thumbs:

 

[BMW]

Great trip. :2thumbs: :2thumbs: I really enjoyed reading about it. I traveled that route while in the service.

 

[COOLMACHINE]

WoW

WoW! Sounds like a crazy time. Glad you're back.

 

[SpyderWolf]

Glad to hear most everything was what you were hoping for, and especially that you made it back home safely.

:congrats: on completing your incredible journey.

 

[Smylinacha]

:2thumbs: That you had a trip of a lifetime with lots of experiences and fun!

...And that you made it home safe & sound

I finally returned home yesterday afternoon after spending several days with my brother in Camdenton MO.

The trip was fantastic...everything I had hoped for with a few exceptions.

1. Jane detaching early due to forecast rain that never developed. Jane was fun to ride with and it would have been nice to have her company for a couple more days
2. Gene having health problems. We worked hard on this trip for months and I know how much Gene was looking forward to it. And I was looking forward to enjoying his company (Don't ask me why...God only knows!!)
3. Dick and I having scheduling problems that separated us at the tail end of the trip
4. Day 14 when God threw everything at me but a plague of locusts!! Woke up to a brisk 41 degree morning which only got colder as the day progressed. By the time I got through Yellowstone National Park, there was 5" of snow on the ground. Got to the Continental Divide when it started to hail...hailstones the size of marbles making it impossible to ride and nowhere to hide! Lasted about 30 minutes. Then, as I left the park, I encountered about 30 minutes of freezing rain. As the rain began to slow down, I hit a 14 mile stretch of road construction but not your normal variety. The road was taken down to bare earth and oiled. Thanks to the weather it was just oily mud with more potholes than I could count.

Got to meet and ride with several other forum members...Mo Lee, xpeschon, Bumble Bee, Tom in NM, Desert Spyder and Spyder Flyer. Great fun!! Thanks for helping to make our trip special

I know some of you followed our blog. For others who'd like to read about our exploits the blog is complete

Trip of a Lifetime

 

[Trickie Dick]

:2thumbs::2thumbs: I gotta agree. It was a trip of a lifetime. As, Irish said, we met some great people.
Irish, I'm just sorry I missed all that weather around Yellowstone. :joke::joke:
Spyder was great. Not a hiccup the whole trip. I did have to add a quart of oil in Reno but that's all.
Dick

 

[GeminiJane]

Thanks Brian, Dick and Gene for letting me tag along for Sat through Monday. Even though I headed back toward home from TX instead of AZ a day early to miss weather that didn't develop that day, turns out I made a good call. Had I gone on to AZ for another day and then turned back I would have been in TX when the 18 tornadoes went through and then that front, which headed east, would have been with me all the way home. As it was I was a day ahead of it and had really great weather and good riding for my 750 mile ride home - bad weather came in the day after I got home.

I truly enjoyed meeting you all (including MO Lee and Joe again) and having the honor of riding with you - it was a great mini-vacation for me. Congratulations, Brian, on achieving your goal of making the whole route. Sounds like both you and Dick ended up having a great ride... I looked forward to reading each new posting of your truly excellent blog.

It's always a good trip when everyone (including Gene and Pee-Wee) makes it home safe and sound. GOOD JOB GUYS!

 

[BumbleBee]

Was great meeting you all :2thumbs:

Followed along, and read about your adventures every day,
great job :2thumbs:

 

[Tom in NM]

a thing well done

Irish & Dick, it was great riding with you - you guys are great.

I wish we had more time, lots to see, but too many miles. I followed your posts and got a kick out of your experiences. I got a big laugh out of the picture you took of me and Dick - I know I am short, but next to him I looked like Gene's PeeWee doll. Be glad you were not out here this last week, I don't think there has been a day that my Spyder has not shown 115 on the temp gauge. Just today, I was out running some errands and I put the Spyder in the BikeBarn - a couple hours later, I started it up and it showed 3 bars on the engine temp gauge. :yikes: Instant ready to go.

Glad the trip was everything you expected - and all the unexpected things you encountered.

Tom