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Well, we did it. Chef and I started 5/14/10 and finished 6/4/10. Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming Utah and Idaho. 17 states, 22 days, 6,651 miles.

No accidents, no tickets. Highest altitude 10,250 feet, lowest altitude 160 feet below sea level. Highest temperature was over 99 degrees , in Oklahoma. Lowest temp was 45 degrees right here in Washington at Snoqualmie Pass. Top speed will not be disclosed at this time.

We saw lots of country, and met lots of people. Riding a motorcycle seems to make almost everybody your friend right off the bat. We did not make it to Key West, because of time constraints.

Unfortunately we had to put the Chef's bike down 294 miles from home in Pendleton, Oregon. Clutch failure. We packed it into a rental truck and Chef drove it home and delivered it straight to the bike repair shop. I fared better, in that my only problem was a blown headlight. No harm done in either case.

Observations were many:

This is a big country, sometimes will 100 miles between communities, and many of those smaller communities are dying.

This is a beautiful country, with redwood forests, ocean beaches, stark deserts, snow covered mountains, huge grass covered, rolling plains, fascinating geology, intriguing swamps and bayous, and always something new around the bend or over the hill. We humans are just incidents in the big picture.

Never let your tank get below half full. It might be 100 miles to the nest gas station.

Just because you are surrounded by black clouds and streak lightning, that does not mean you will get rained on.

You can keep going longer and farther than you think.

Food in the southern part of the US is generally very good and less expensive than the NW and California, but they need to learn something about portion control.

The 'Droid' can navigate, communicate, educate and entertain. A wonderful machine.

No place the we saw was as beautiful as Washington State.

Lessons learned:

Many, I am sure. I think we both learned different things. I don't think we will really understand that until we are able to look back and reflect upon our little adventure.

The best part:

New stuff every day.

The worst part:

The heat and the saddle sores, missing family and friends.

Do it again? Absolutely.

Thanks for sharing our fun, Chef and Jack

THE LONGEST RIDE

607 miles today from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Burley, Utah. Wonderful scenery. Grass covered plains with prong horned antelope, cattle, early signs of Halliburton attacking the Barnett Shale (Google it) all across Wyoming. Temp down to 48, max altitude 10250 on Elk Mountain, way above the snow line. I would not want to be on I-80 this winter.

Then into Utah again with dramatic changes in scenery. Finally into Idaho. Sometimes we go 100 miles between gas stations or motels. We learned long ago not to drop below half a tank of gas. Anyway, a big beautiful country. Everybody should do this at least once. When I get a new seat, I may do it again.

Yesterday, we had lunch in Denver, with Brian. Chef's twin cousin!

Chef and Jack

May 31, Day 18

We spent the day going north from Ardmore, OK to Salinia, KS. Turned west on 170, stopped for the night in Oakley, KS. 550 miles, dodged a couple of nasty thunderstorms, but the high temp was a welcome 84 degrees.


Very nice green, rolling fine country. Beef cattle, oil wells, and wind farms all in the same spot. This was a bad day for sleeping deer at the side of the road-maybe 20 or so. We passed a great rolling Antique Car Show/Rally. Dinner at a truck stop, tasted just fine. All and all a great day. More later, Jack and Chef

OKLAHOMA

While in Fort Walton, Chef and I decided the temp. was too hot and time was to short to continue on to Key West...but we made it to Florida. We are headed north. Today we are in Oklahoma. The gauge on my bike only reads to 99, and that is where it sat all afternoon. We finally quit in Ardomore, Oklahoma, after 375 miles at about 4 in the afternoon. We saw swamps, a few armadillo's sleeping by the side of the road, our first corn fields and not many people. We now understand about the "dust bowl". What a fascinating country, what an education. Tomorrow we enter Kansas. Hopefully that will mean the end of deep fried food. Jack and Chef

500 Miles

Natchitoches, LA. 500 miles from Fort Walton Beach. 95 degrees, good ride, nice country, no rain, no wind, no curves.

Natchitoches is a darling little town in Central LA. Who Knew? Jack and Chef.

May 25, 26,27, 28 and 29
Arrived at Ft. Walton Beach a few hours ahead of schedule at 2 PM on May 25. There we met my brother Tom and his wife Diana, and a few hours later Julie came rolling in from her flight from Minnesota. We all checked into the hotel on the incredible white sandy beach depicted below. What a fine sight. Three full days here, with the activity committee picking parasailing and jet skiing as the bucket list items to address. Pictures show Chef, Tom, and Jack hangin' out, Tom and Jack hanging from a parachute, Chef and Diana hanging from a cloud at 500 feet above sea level, and our hotel as seen from the beach. Not depicted is Jack and Julie dumping themselves into the Gulf of Mexico off of their jet ski.
Lots of good southern style food to be found here. If you are ever in this area, the Magnolia Grill is a five star operation. A great time was had by all.

Tomorrow, May 29, we move on to the next phase of this memorable adventure.

Ft.Walton Beach, FL

We saw our first rain yesterday afternoon. We were tucked into our beach front hotel, and watched it from the deck.

We were joined by Mama, Jack's brother and sister-in-law. Staying put for a few days of family fun!