Texas to Florida
Ride Report
Rider Links http://s89822576.onlinehome.us/br.htm
http://s89822576.onlinehome.us/br/mjt.wmv
http://s89822576.onlinehome.us/br/tony.wmv
Tony D's Report
Greetings,
Quick ride report. It was a beautiful starry West Florida spring night, 2:00
Oclock in the AM. Bike had been packed and prepped the evening before and I was
planning on running the "red ball express". For the uninitiated, thats balls to
the wall I-10 90 to 100 MPH cause no one's around. I had places to go and people
to meet. But.. Like a buddy once told me, life is all the shit that happens to
you around the plan. I get 10 miles from the house and tendrils of fog start to
appear and I have to go to low beams. I get on the Freeway, get the rpm's up and
suddenly I'm socked in like a bad dog in heat. Well fuck I'm thinking, I get off
at a rest area and put my rain gear on, take a breather, then creep out on the
onramp. God must be smiling cause he sends an 18 wheeler who is hauling ass on
past. I ramp up and tuck in behind Mr. Trucker. Did you know yellow lens night
glasses suck in the fog, especially when both the
outer and inner lens are wet?
I pull them down my nose a bit, just so I can look over the top and bead blast
my eyes with fine, misty water. At least I can get a quick looksee when it's
time to gas up. We hit the causeway heading into Mobile, Alabama, I _love_ this
stretch of road, Mobile Bay on both sides, two lanes, and no cops. Alas, life is
the shit that happens to you between your plans, I can't raise hell tonight, I
can't even see the water on either side, all I have is the red glow from some
tail lights a bit in front of me, and a flash from the road thumpers every now
and again. We did through the tunnel and are running through Mobile. I pull
over, clean my glasses and my underwear and the fog has actually slackened off.
I'm up and running, it's now 5 in the AM, no cops or traffic and I'm flying down
the road, as planned. I hit Gautier, Mississsippppiiii (that ones a bitch to
spell) and the fog hits. I stop, gas up, coffee up and follow a truck out. I
follow him through the fog to Biloxi where I sez fuck this and I go spend an
hour playing black jack at the Imperial Palace. Yea, I lost 20 bucks too but got
a nice cup of coffee. I leave on outa there at 6, it's damp out but you can
actually see the highway and 2 hours later, I'm rolling around exit 160 looking
for the Fairfield Inn. I give up and ask directions and it's right behind the
gas station off the exit. I'm a couple hours early and when I pull up, I see two
bikes obnoxiously blocking part of the side walk. I make it a hat trick and go
inside. I call Mags and Mike, no answer. I walk up to two boot wearing
individuals in the
breakfast room and sure enough, mission 1/2 way completed:)
We sit, drink coffee and I get a free breakfast, continential don't you know,
and we sign the shirts. I enjoy meeting both Mags and Mike, it was cool to put
faces with names. Mags has a nice "bulls eye" tattoo and Mike has some great
titty tattoo's. I kinda wish I had planned on meeting them Saturday night so's I
could of gotten soused with them, but I did have some family shit going on, damn
it!
Mags takes pictures, we talk bikes, look at bikes and it's, ding ding! Round
two. My ride home was uneventual, the ride wasn't real boring because I didn't
see shit the night before, I do the hurricane evacuation routes (cambered, new
black top for the most past and no traffic) as I wend my way through the back
roads of Alabama heading home. The azealas and honeysuckle are in full bloom,
vivd pink, red, purple, it's a veritable color explosion. It smells great also.
I get home and Mission Complete. The shirts are safely tucked away and will be
making plans on gedtting them to Tallahassee.
--
Tony D
1971 R75/5 boxer
1991 1200 Sporty
2004 R1150 Rockster
SENS (less) LFS#38 PHS
BS#149 FYYFMFFY
Mag's Report
The North American Reeky Tour has moved on to Pensacola, Florida in the capable hands of Tony D. Saturday morning Michael Tobler (mjt) and I loaded up and headed to points east. Michael was about 30-40 miles farther out than I was, so we met in Baytown, TX. I caught a few seconds of video of him riding up.
http://s89822576.onlinehome.us/br/mjt.wmv
We had a nice smooth ride (80mph) to the Texas/Louisiana border, where
we were reminded that "hey, Texas roads are pretty damn good". We
bumped our way to LA exit 55, and had to make a gumbo stop. Michael
was very nice and didn't call me names for eating cheesecake while we
waited for our food. :-)
With our internal batteries recharged, we hit the
pothol...uh...pavement again. After a few stops to refuel and whine
about our backs, we rolled into Baton Rouge, checked into our rooms,
washed up and chilled out for about 1/2 hour. Then we went looking
for some roads to ride and a restaurant for supper (dinner to you
Yankees). Our fearless leader took us up a piece of road on a levy,
hoping to find a road to follow the river. Well, right at the top,
the road ended with plenty of room to turn his Hayabusa around, but
not quite as much room for my stretch limo.
Since I was riding in the center, I was going to have to take the edge
where the grass started. Uh, did you know grass grows on top of
numerous inches of silty sand? A 550 pound Vulcan 800 Classic looks
very comical digging into sand and fishtailing like a Starsky and
Hutch scene. Michael stopped his bike and was starting to get off it,
expecting to be picking my butt off the ground, but those 3 Hail Marys
must have done the trick, and I just stayed on the throttle and
powered out of it. I still don't know how I didn't wind up on my
butt. It sure wasn't as much fun as my dirt bikes.
http://s89822576.onlinehome.us/br.htm
After my heart rate returned to normal, we rode around town dodging
2500 teenagers out in their Mama's ride cruising downtown Saturday
night! Liquor became a requirement all of a sudden. We each grabbed
our favorite poison, then headed for the Calendar Restaurant. After a
quick phone check with Tony D, we ate...what did we eat, mjt? I don't
seem to recall...I remember guacamole and salsa, but I think I also
stole some of your spinach/artichoke dip. Fettucini?? Geez. Anyway,
I grabbed some limes from the bartender, and we headed back to our
rooms. Michael had to make an emergency stop for a pint of ice cream,
which he offered to share, but I didn't think it would go very well
with the tequila shots I was planning. I took a hot bath, called my
husband to thank him for earning a living for us while I'm out riding
around the country with other men, then hit the Jose Cuervo and lime
and proceeded to "relax".
Sunday morning came way too early. My tummy was a little
queasy...must have been all those miles I rode... :-) but, some OJ,
coffee and milk and I felt a bit better. Then a guy walks up and
says, "Are you Mags?" I'm thinking either this is Tony D or I've got
some explaining to do to my hubby for whatever I did the night before.
But...it *was* Tony. We visited a bit while Tony ate breakfast, then
signed the shirts and took pictures. After admiring bikes, Tony
loaded up for the trip home. I got a bit of video of him leaving.
http://s89822576.onlinehome.us/br/tony.wmv
We checked out, loaded up and headed home. Stopped off again in
Welsh, Louisiana for more gumbo and etouffe, then joined the rest of
the westward bound travelers at 80-90 mph all the way to Anahuac, TX
where the traffic slowed to a crawling 70. It was a great trip. I've
really enjoyed getting to meet new Reeky folks, and seeing old
friends. Michael, thanks for making the trip with me. It was great
seeing you again and I had a blast. Tony, you were supposed to be a
big, dark-haired, Italian guy. :-) You had way too much energy for
someone that had been riding that far. It was cool getting to finally
meet you and I wish I'd had my camera on video mode while we were
chatting at breakfast. The tales I could tell... :-) Thanks for
splitting the distance with us. I'm glad you had a safe trip. Until
Reeky Tour Part Deux,
Mag
mjt & Mag's Report
Margaret M. wrote:
Michael was about 30-40 miles farther out than I was, so we met in Baytown, TX.
which was reduced to about a 10 minute
ride on the 'Busa :)
We had a nice smooth ride (80mph) to the Texas/Louisiana border, wherewe were
reminded that "hey, Texas roads are pretty damn good". We bumped our way to LA
exit 55, and had to make a gumbo stop. Michael was very nice and didn't call me
names for eating cheesecake while we waited for our food. :-)
... actually, i thought that was a good
idea!!! get dessert out of the way before the meal ! :) and if i remember
correctly, their menu had the dessert section in-between the appetizer and
salad section (of course, knowing my memory, i might be WAY off), so you were
right in line
with their thinking ! :)
With our internal batteries recharged, we hit the pothol...uh...pavement again.
After a few stops to refuel and whine about our backs, we rolled into Baton
Rouge, checked into our rooms, washed up and chilled out for about 1/2 hour.
Then we went looking for some roads to ride and a restaurant for supper (dinner
to you Yankees). Our fearless leader took us up a piece of road on a levy,
... ah, you're too kind !!! i
think Mag was like, "what in the "h-e-double-hockey-sticks" is this
person getting me in to?
actually, i was hoping we would find a nice
relaxing ride along Ol' Miss (the Mississippi River for all you non-Southern
folks) - after all, it said "River Road" on all the maps.
once we got to 'River Road', we rode a rather short distance up alongside
the levee and up to the top, and Ol' Miss
was on the other side of that levee ... we rode up this embankment on the
levee, which turned out to be a service road to a, well, i dont know what.
i will say it turned into was a bunch of gravel.
and that's where Mag demonstrated her ability to turn a Vulcan into a motocross
bike :))
i thought i'd done some wacko stuff like skydiving and tow-in surfing, but Mag
redefined what EXTREME motorcycling on a cruiser meant :))
hoping to find a road to follow the river. Well, right at the top, the road
ended with plenty of room to turn his Hayabusa around, but not quite as much
room for my stretch limo.
well, i was thinking you'd take "baby
steps" to get that bike turned around - i didnt think you were gonna do some
sort of "Widow-maker" hill climb action !! :)
After my heart rate returned to normal, we rode around town dodging 2500
teenagers out in their Mama's ride cruising downtown Saturday night! Liquor
became a requirement all of a sudden. We each grabbed our favorite poison, then
headed for the Calendar Restaurant.
of course, she didnt mention we both have
very strict eating habits. mostly mine, of course, being the lone vegetarian (er,
pescatarian). i was being somewhat wishy-washy, trying to find us a place to
call home, as far as food is concerned.
the funny part about the liquor purchase ... we pulled in to the Alberson's
Liquor ... i went in for pint, came out, then Mag went in for her turn.
so, i'm outside and the butcher from
Albertson's grocery store was out having a smoke break, telling me about
the Yamaha he had.
the REAL problem was that he was was DEFINITELY from the Louisiana back-woods,
'cause i could only understand every-other word that came out :)
and thank goodness we found Calendar's ...
otherwise we would have never stopped for food!!! i figured once i found my
double-vodka-rocks, i was okay :)
After a quick phone check with Tony D, we ate...what did we eat, mjt? I don't
seem to recall...I remember guacamole and salsa, but I think I also stole some
of your spinach/artichoke dip. Fettucini?? Geez.
... yep, something like that. i do
remember there was a BUNCH of chips on the table ... and the salt was
flying :) the fettucini wasnt that great (the sauce that is - too thin),
but the crawfish was pretty good.
Anyway, I grabbed some limes from the bartender,
y'all have to understand that the limes were for the tequila. and we actually
looked for salt-packs at the drug store, but they didnt have 'em.
Mag contemplated buying a pound of Morton Salt to satisfy her salt urge, but
thought that much would be overkill :))
and we headed back to our rooms. Michael had to make an emergency stop for a
pint of ice cream, which he offered to share, but I didn't think it would go
very well with the tequila shots I was planning.
... i dont know, that ice-cream went GREAT with the rum-n-coke (sort of a
rum-n-coke-float).
But...it *was* Tony. We visited a bit while Tony ate breakfast, then signed the
shirts and took pictures.
... uhhhh. yuu-ah! Tony didnt hesitate on the breakfast offer, eh? maybe we
should have
asked Tony to contribute to the room charges with all the food that he ate :))
(just kiddin' Tony :)
We checked out, loaded up and headed home. Stopped off again in Welsh, Louisiana
for more gumbo and etouffe, then joined the rest of the westward bound travelers
at 80-90 mph all the way to Anahuac, TX where the traffic slowed to a crawling
70.
... which was better than the situation we
got in when going east with the 10 mph limping section!!! (they were doing
highway construction)
of course, Mag didnt mention the goofy [mjt]
part ...
i needed some clutch fluid on our way back ... the fluid had to be DOT 4 (i
replaced the fluid with silicone fluid) so we had to find an auto parts store
that carried a wide-range of brake fluid.
so, we did find a store (and the fluid) ... and i decided to also buy a quart of
oil to lubricate
the chain ... somehow, i got oil all over the rear tire, so NOW we had to find a
self-service car-wash thingy so i could spray the oil off the tire.
poor Mag, everywhere we went, people were
coming over to talk and i was obliging them ... she must've been thinking, "why
is mjt talking to all these goofy people" :)
.
--
http://michaeljtobler.homelinux.com/
Death is a spirit leaving a body, sort
of like a shell leaving the nut behind.
Scott's Report
So I just returned from the NART shirt hand off
from Tony D in Pensacola. We met halfway in Bonifay, FL. We were to meet at
7:30, but being the eastern time zone bigot that I am, totally forgot about the
time change until I reached the Apalachicola River. So I left an hour earlier
than I needed to, moseying my way west on highway 90 towards Bonifay. Stopped in
Quincy for gas and some kid on a bicycle peppered me with non-stop questions,
like the following:
Kid: How come your bike goes so slow mister?
Me: It can go slow and it can go fast.
K: Well I ain't never seen you go fast on it.
M: That's cause you ain't never seen me before in your life.
K: What's wrong, don't you like fast bikes?
M: I like all kinds of bikes.
K: Why is your bike so slow?
M: You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you?
etc. etc. ad nauseum. So I peeled out of the station in my best straight pipe
imitation - - though I don't know if it impressed the kid.
The rest of the ride to Bonifay had the sun predominantly in my face, which was
an annoyance. I get to the meeting spot (under the I-10 overpass) in 110 miles
and 45 minutes early:
http://www.nettally.com/edmo/ebay/image03.jpg
Right on time (well, *his* time), Tony D pulls up (hint: he's the headlight):
http://www.nettally.com/edmo/ebay/image10.jpg
We go to a nearby gas station to fill up and hand off. We chat briefly about
ourselves and our mutual admiration of R bikes (Tony's Rockster is a beaut), but
Tony needs to get back quick to get to work not too too late:
http://www.nettally.com/edmo/ebay/image11.jpg
A headless Tony displays the shirts:
http://www.nettally.com/edmo/ebay/image12.jpg
Tony bundles up for the return ride - - that naked bike must get a lot colder
than the relative safety behind my generic Nat'l Cycle type windshield, but I
nonetheless feel underdressed in my JR Phoenix. (Thanks for letting me sit on
yer bike T):
http://www.nettally.com/edmo/ebay/image13.jpg
I high tailed it back home on I-10. I don't ride much in the dark, but tonight
was not bad. I settled in behind a small truck that was happy to set the pace
between 80-85 mph the whole way home, and got back home in a swift 1hr20min and
101.5 miles later. The last 30 miles or so were pretty chilly, but on arrival in
Tallahassee I was treated to some glimpses of a fat harvest moon.
For the stat keepers, the shirts traveled a total of 218.3 miles tonight.
entropy_magnet & Odinn, ping me offline so we can figure out the next stage.
Thanks for letting me play NART!
--
Scott E.
DoD#1987
'85 VT1100C