Commuting

I love commuting on the bike. Gearing up is a bit of a pain in the butt, but once I get moving, I am quickly reminded of just how great an option it is.

There are times when I have to get someplace in a hurry, but I almost invariably take the long way home, finding some interesting (read as: twisty, winding and picturesque) roads home.

October

Autumn has come to Pennsylvania, her trees shedding their leaves, hesitantly at first then with renewed enthusiasm. They remember the routine, and the sooner the leaves are gone, the sooner they get to sleep. Still, this has been a longer Fall, the warmer weather encouraging them to to hang in there a little while longer.

Sudden storms arrive, unexpectedly. I checked the weather report diligently, but nobody is perfect, least among them weather "experts". I put the periscope up and soldiered home, grateful that the road was highway, avoiding those sodden leaves that spell peril for riders.

You may have noticed the PINK socks, there. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I was asked by the American Cancer Society to participate in their Real Men Wear Pink Campaign. It's a way for men to get into the fight, and, as an eleven-year cancer survivor, I am proud to do it. You can read my story by CLICKING HERE.

Riding

"Take the back roads instead of the highways."
-- Minnie Pearl

Cheesin' at the top of King's Gap Nature Center. 

The road to get there isn't so bad, either. 

Dappled sunlight and no shortage of beauty. 

Scenes from a Summer Commute

Pennsylvania and her back roads are simply unparalleled.

I love stopping and visiting the local streams. You never know what you're going to see - Hawks, trout, kingfishers, deer, raccoons, snakes, or, in this case, a blue heron...

Trip West - Day 7

I woke up the next morning, and got ready to head out. I threw open the curtains in my room, which is funny, because I normally do that as the first thing when I arrive in a new room. I was surprised to find the hotel sat on a fairly large pond, hence the singing of the frogs the night before. I kicked my feet up and watched the sunrise, drinking my coffee and thinking about home. I would be home tonight, but there were miles and miles between us.

I threw small pieces of my breakfast bar into the pond, and they were hungrily devoured by catfish. There were hundreds of them, writhing in a slimy grunion-like feeding frenzy. A lonely turtle also surfaced, looking for a meal, but found it difficult to compete with the swarming catfish. I was able to toss it a bite, and it brought me a small satisfaction.

I left and hit the road. It seemed that, at each stop, I was able to make new friends, from bison to elephants, and even the occasional human.

At one stop, an elderly woman parked next to me and eyed me and the bike, then got out of her car.
"Is that a Ducati," she asked.
"Yes it is," I replied, surprised not for the last time.
"My grandsons think those are the bees knees!"
I smiled, and said, "You tell them they're right!"
We talked for a while, about you her grandsons, my trip, the bike, and the like. In the end, she asked if she could take my picture to send to her grandsons, and I agreed, so she did.

Much of the rest of a trip is a blur, until I reached Pennsylvania. There is a quickening of the soul, on a trip like this, when one reaches one's home state.

One thing about Pennsylvania, though - you MUST be careful of the bears!

I narrowly avoided the attack, and quickly moved on.

T.S. Eliot once wrote:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring 
Will be to arrive where we started 
And know the place for the first time.

And so it was when I reached the Susquehanna River, seeing it anew yet recognizing it as home, nonetheless.

I rode along the river at sunset, the steady thrum of the engine bringing me closer and closer to my door, then turned over the bridge and made the short hop to home.

Trip West - Day 6

I crossed over the Missouri River and stopped at the rest stop, where there was a monument of Sacajawea, who guided Lewis and Clark on their journey to map the Louisiana Purchase. As a teacher, I covered this period of history with my high school students, so it was a warm reminder of that time, and that I was traveling on historic grounds.

The overlook was beautiful...

...but not without its perils.

I also liked the metal relief they had erected.

As I rode on, the scenery continued to be spectacular.

Wisconsin: My God, it's full of clouds!

I stopped into the Third Ward in Milwaukee, and threw on a proper shirt, so as not to frighten the locals.I have been to Milwaukee a couple of times, and I love this town: friendly people, clean city, and good food. I am not a drinker, but a proper beer would have been hitting for the cycle.

I found a sweet little tapas place, and tucked myself in for a fantastic meal.

Milwaukee was a nice to be off the bike, so I took a little stroll around the area.

Then I rode on, through Chicago, which was the worst riding I have ever done. Aggressive drivers, stupid and poorly marked toll roads and toll booths, and just an all out crappy experience. It was even worse because I was coming off so many wide-open spaces, and to enter into this crowded idiocy was just awful.

I got lost, turned around, and made a point to pull off and find a hotel as soon as I was past Chicago. I was knackered. I took a quick shower, crawled into bed, and fell asleep as a chorus of bullfrogs sang me sweetly to sleep.

Trip West - Day 5

I started heading back home, first by turning toward Fort Collins, Colorado. I thought if I could get the bike repaired there relatively easily, I could still tool around the west for a bit. And, Colorado would most certainly NOT be a bad place to do it.

Quick - think of the weirdest place you have been. If you didn't say Thermopolis, Wyoming, there's a good chance it's because you have not been to Thermopolis. In a 2 minute span, I saw about half a dozen rock/crystal stores, the crazy cat lady to conquer all cat ladies (I counted 24 cats in her back yard), and this guy, just rolling through town, and happy to be alive.

I wondered if I stayed in this town, would it get increasingly stranger, or would it seem less so by degrees, over the time I spent there. Stay weird, Thermopolis. Stay. Weird.

Coming out of Thermopolis, I dove straight into the most beautiful ride of this entire adventure. The Wind River Canyon twists and turns, the road following the cuts made in the gorge by the river. Nature's skyscrapers lifted to the heights on both sides of me, and when I paused, the river roared her lullaby to me. My photos do it no justice.

Somewhere in this canyon, I hit a pterodactyl. At least, judging from the wingspan, that's what I think it was. The insect was so large, it actually scarred my shield. I am really glad I had it snapped down at the time, because I don't think eating that much protein in one sitting would be good for anyone.

I reached Casper, Wyoming and pulled over into a gas station to call the Ducati dealer in Fort Collins. After explaining my issue, he came to the conclusion that it was something between the slave and master cylinders, as I suspected. It would take him 4-7 days to get the parts in, and he assured me I was doing no harm riding the bike as it was. He advised me to figure out where I would be in that 4 to 7 days, then call ahead and have them order parts at that dealership.

I was glad I was going to be home, honestly. I broke east from Casper, my westward progression halted. I could have been angry, or disappointed, but I reflected on all that I had already seen, and began looking forward to all I would see. My trip was not over, it was half over, and I was not going to spend the second half sulking. I went in to pay for my gas and get a cup of coffee.
I brought the coffee to the counter, and the woman behind the register asked me, "Didn't you just fill up?"
"Yes, ma'am," I said. I don't know why, but I have a tendency to use ma'am and sir when I leave the northeast. It's always been that way.
"Well, the coffee's free if you gas up, here. It's Miss Jenny's way of saying thank you."
"Tell Miss Jenny I said, 'Thank you'. It's the nicest thing that's happened to me this morning."
She smiled and wished me well.

I passed through a lot of small towns, none of them particularly remarkable in any way.

Wyoming, into Nebraska (where one of the local hobbies seems to be blasting road signs with shotguns. I did notice how Nebraska built their signs to withstand these percussives).  

And the coal kept rolling...

...and the hay got baled...

...until I reached Mitchell, South Dakota. I checked into a cheap hotel, where the Chinese girl, who spoke no English, and I tried to work out room rates and wifi passwords. It was comical conversation, and we got it worked out by pantomiming and pointing until we were both understood. She was a student, and trying to learn English by doing the late shift at the hotel; I hope she does well.

Trip West - Day 4

We started out having breakfast at Helen's in Chadron, Nebraska. Wherever I go, I try to make new friends. Chadron, Nebraska was no exception.

We were not in Nebraska long before we crossed into South Dakota. I found that I had some trouble shifting gears the day before, and made a mental not of it, but the early riding did not have a hint of trouble. That said, when I downshifted to pull over and take this photo, I noticed it again. It was like the clutch was not fully engaging on the bike.

One of the things that happens when you are on a longer trip is that you really get to know the feelings and sounds of the bike. She was telling me, "I'm fine" but I knew she wasn't. It was just a minor thing, but I would keep my antennae up for it.

Shortly after entering South Dakota, I saw the Black Hills It's funny, though - I smelled them before I saw them. In the west, the air is so clean there is a noticeable lack of scent in the air. So, when something did have a scent, I noticed it much sooner. The Black Hills are covered with pine trees, and that evergreen smell surrounds them. It's beautiful.

We hit the winding hills with alacrity, but not too much, figuring the local constabulary might have an eye and an ear out for squids (those guys on crotch rockets that dodge between your cars on the highways at unreasonable rates of speed).

And then, rounding a hill, slightly off to the side of the road, I saw them: Bison! Living ones! They lumbered along, roughly the size of a small SUV. They tussled with each other, playfully rubbing their heads together. They stopped and looked at our motorcycles, but kept a distance from they sound of the engines. This was a good thing, because there are warnings to give them distance. Given their size, that seemed prudent.

When I was a kid, one of the first albums I bought on my own was Kansas Leftoverture. On it was the hauntingly beautiful Cheyenne Anthem, which tells the story of the people who used to roam this part of the world.

From the mountains to the sun, life has only just begun
We wed this land and pledge our souls to meet its end
Life has only just begun
Here my people roam the earth, in the kingdom of our birth
Where the dust of all our horses hides the sun
We are mighty on the earth, on the earth

Looking at these rolling hills, it was easy to see the Cheyenne on their horses, looking for the buffalo that would provide clothing, blankets, tipi covers, moccasins, needles and thread, knives, glue,  shields, quivers, toys, and everything required for an entire way of life. 

 
We had the option of visiting Mount Rushmore or the Crazy Horse Memorial. I chose Crazy Horse. It's a huge monument, currently under construction. It is, of course, a pay to get in place, and then you can pay more to get to the bottom of the site. We opted in for the first and out for the second.

There is a nice viewing area in the (omnipresent) gift shop, and I found this rendering of what it should look like when it is done, with it's current state in the background. You guys better get chiseling!

My bike continued to act up, so I was pleased when we pulled into Deadwood, South Dakota.

I was pleased because there was an Indian restoration garage, and I thought, "Surely these people can help me." I had done some quick online research and found that, because my bike has a hydraulic clutch, there was a possibility that air in the hydraulic line was causing the problem, and that a "simple" bleed of the line might alleviate the problem. I put "simple" in quotes because it's simple if you 1) have a the tools and 2) know your way around a motorcycle. Surely, an Indian restorer hit both of those categories!

But, it turns out the guy couldn't help me. Or, wouldn't help me. I suppose I will never know because he didn't even come out of the shop. The woman at the front desk called back, after explaining to me they "don't work on plastic bikes" and told the mechanic about my issue. Then she hung up the phone and said he wouldn't take a look at yet it. I have heard people talk about how stuck up Harley-Davidson owners can be, and I have heard the same said of BMW owners. I have not met one of either of those brand owners that were. Brad and I decided to vacate the premises, before I went Abe Froman (the Sausage King of Chicago) and decided to get snooty. I shook the dust off my sandals and we moved on.

We went to a specialty shop, but the guy "only works on Harley's" so he couldn't help me either, but pointed to shop nearby that might. We found Outdoor Motor Sports in Spearfish, North Dakota a Yamaha/Honda (you meet the nicest people on a Honda) shop, and when I explained what was going on, they asked me to pull the bike into the shop. I did, and the guy bled the line right there for me. The difference was dramatic and immediate. The question was whether or not it would be lasting. If there was air in the line, there should be no problem, but if there was a leak in the assembly (master cylinder, slave cylinder, etc.) I would be haunted again, like some westward riding Ebenezer Scrooge, trying to outrun ghosts bent on revisiting him, and with nothing better to do. We rode onward, into Wyoming.

If you are of a certain age, you cannot think about Devil's Tower and NOT see it in a plate of mashed potatoes. For my money, I always preferred the scaled diorama Richard Dreyfus built in the basement in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Seeing America's first National Monument, which was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt, in person was a highlight of the trip. The Cheyenne, Lakota, Crow, and Kiowa all held the mountain as special, and most of the names they had for it center around a variation of "The Bear's Home". In hindsight, I really wish we had driven down closer to the site; it's one of the few regrets I have about his trip.

We pulled over quite often to stretch our legs and keep our heads on straight. It felt like we stopped in the middle of nowhere, but obviously, we stopped at Dry Creek Road. I was grateful for the stops - my clutch problem had returned, and I had time to look things up online, then ride and consider what they meant, formulate more questions, then, when we stopped the next time, search for those answers.

 Nd, then we had reached the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. It's the first real mountains I had seen. We could see their snow-capped peaks for miles before we got there. It's a strange thing to be riding in 95 degree heat and looking at snow. 

We began our ascent of the mountains. Fortunately, there were guard rails and pull offs. I have a (I am told) strange affinity for guard rails. To me, they are perfect for two things. The first is pondering. The height of guard rails always seems to be perfect to just sit down and think about things. Think about what? things. It doesn't matter, but the longer I sit, the better I think. 

The second thing is just to get a little perspective. Like the proverbial bear going over the mountain, I like to jump up on the rails and see what's on the other side...

I am rarely disappointed...

We went over Powder River Pass in the Bighorn Mountains. It was the best road we had been on so far. Lots of twists and turns, very few cars, and gorgeous scenery. It was the West at her best.

We came down the other side to streams swollen by mountain snow runoff, entering into nearly deserted towns.

And finally arrived at Cody, Wyoming, at the foot of the Grand Tetons, just in time for dinner and a sunset.

My motorcycle was in trouble. The clutch problem was not getting better, and it was difficult to shift gears. Up until now, this had not been a pollen, because I found my way too the highest gear and just drove casually, like Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon. But, now, we were approaching twisty roads, where constant shifting was going to be the norm. I saw I had several options:

1. Keep going and hope it got better. I remember the CEO of our company saying, "Hope is not a strategy" so I ruled that one out. 
2. Keep heading west and visit the Ducati shop in Washington state when I got there. But, if they need to order parts, that could take a long time, and I had to get home, eventually. A delay of even several days would be immediately problematic. So, that was a no. 
3. Head home immediately. That was a possibility, but I didn't think I was harming the bike by riding it. 
4. Ride to Fort Collins, Colorado, and visit the Ducati dealership there. It was 6 1/2 hours south and east of my location, so if I could get the bike fixed right away, then that would be great, and if not, I would be that much closer to home. I decided on this as my course of action, and to call them from the road, as soon as the opened.  

I was disappointed to be leaving Brad to the ride, alone. I was even more disappointed that the most technical and beautiful riding still lay ahead of us. But, at a certain point in our lives, we have to acknowledge there is a more prudent path and, occasionally, against all of our baser instincts, take it. 

I went to bed and, for the first time on our journey, slept poorly.