This was a great chance to
- Get the Vera, my new-to-me 2006 FJR 1300A, out for a shake-down ride.
Get to see my Grandparents
Pick up a few Tour of Honor rally bonii.
It was super easy to pack. Clothes for Friday, Sat, Sunday and some toiletries. I also packed heated gear and rain gear. Tire pump and patch kit, and portable jumper box.
I charged up the GoPros in hopes of being able to cut together something decent for my YouTube channel. I still haven't found the secret sauce for making a long motorcycle trip into an interesting video, but I am working on it.
I hit the road at 7 a.m. and headed to my first stop, IN005 in Michigan City, Indiana.
Vera really likes the toll road. I know she'd prefer some twisties, but the miles flew by on the big road. Being a Gen II bike, she doesn't have 6th gear and I always find myself trying to shift into the non-existent 6th. My windscreen is a Cal Sci and it is just a hair too short for complete wind protection, so I had a little bit of wind on the top of my helmet.
I hit some rain, but Vera didn't notice. She was sure-footed and just kept on humming. I have a brand new Michelin Road 5 on the rear and a Michelin Road 2 with half the life left in it on the front. I couldn't have asked for a more stable ride.
Once I hit Indiana, I was starting to get low on fuel and full on bladder. I stopped at an tollroad plaza, refueled, moved my bike right in front of the building, and went inside to pee and grab a water and a soda.
I jumped back on the bike and made it less than a mile down the road before I noticed someone had stolen my EZ-Pass off Vera. I had it Scotch-locked to the top of my GPS and apparently it was a target of opportunity for someone walking passed. I pulled over on the side of the road and got on the EZ-Pass website and reported it stolen. I envisioned someone trying to use it in an EZ-Pass Only lane and having to back up to go to a cash lane. Lame payback, but it's the best I could come up with.
I spent a minute or two seething and then just laughed. Every trip should be an adventure and stuff like this happens on adventures. It cost me $10 to have a new one sent to my house and I would have to pay the higher non-EZ-Pass rates for the rest of my trip, but really, no skin off my back. This was really just a minor thing. Vera's plates would get me through open-road tolling since I had them registered with Ohio EZ-Pass. It's all good. I chose not to be harmed.
At my next exit, I realized it was hard to get off the toll road without an EZ-Pass and without a ticket. I had to push the HELP button and wait 5 min for a representative to tell the toll machine how much money I owed so I could pay and get through the gate!
The sun came out as I rolled into Michigan city and found IN005. It was a beautiful site with cherry blossom trees and a super cool memorial for rescue workers. I got my required pics and watched a couple joggers out enjoying the day. I ate a cheese stick and hit the road again, heading to Illinois.
IL004 was the Middle East Conflict Wall. Similar to the Viet Nam wall, the Middle East Conflict wall lists the names of those fallen worldwide since 1979. It was very well done and an impressive memorial.
The grounds keeper came up and chatted with me a bit giving me some info about the memorial and thanking me for my service. He also was very complementary to Vera, which she enjoyed!
The roads from IL004 to IL003 were more backroads than major highways. The sun was shining bright and I lowered Vera's wind screen to catch some more air.
IL003 was the Field of Honor Veterans memorial. The front entrance was closed for repair, so I had to park out back and do two photos. I met a nice couple that were each riding their own Harley's. They were getting flags for the graves of their relatives that had served. There was a bucket of grave flags and a donation box. They came every year to make a donation and get the flags. The chatted a bit about their relatives that had served and since passed, about how they were medically rejected from service, and how proud they were that their daughter was currently serving in the Air Force. Super nice people.
It was almost entirely backroads across the state line to WI004, the Veterans Memorial Park in Monroe WI. There was an older Vet there checking out the tank and asked me for a light. Unfortunately, I couldn't help him, but thanked him for his service.
One more stop in Prarie du Sac for the Wisconsin Veterans Memorial before heading up to Grandma's house. Getting this bonus location unwittingly got me my first "huey" bonus for Tour of Honor as well. Had I know, I would have re-framed the WI004 stop and got a huey bonus there too!
Before pulling out from this bonus stop, I got a call from my Mom. She was taking Grandpa to the ER because he was having trouble breathing. My grandpa is a hell of a guy and still, at 93 years old, gets up early to go out and work on the tractor, or farm equipment, or putter in the shop. At the hospital, it was just an adjustment to his medication and he was back at home.
Some more country back roads heading to Grandmas. It was a beautiful day, traffic was light, and I was in no hurry. Once I got to Wisconsin Dells, I had to jump on 90/94. Traffic was MUCH heavier and the ride was less enjoyable. I got to Grandma's and spent the weekend visiting with my family that I hadn't seen in at least 6 months.
Sunday after family dinnner, I hit the road for a straight shot home. Vera showed me how she could chew up the miles and how quick she could suck the gas! I had estimated a range of 190 mile on her, but after running ... ahem... a bit... above the speed limit, the reserve fuel indicator started flashing at 160 miles.
Chicago was a non-issue with the exception of one wreck that caused a stop on the highway. A couple times there were people who wanted to move into the lane that I was trying to move into. I let them win. I didn't want it that bad.
In Indiana, my highway pegs BOTH came loose. When I would put my feet on them, the would just spin. I stopped at a rest stop and tightened them up and had no further issues.
Once I crossed back into Ohio. the sun went down and the State Highway Patrol came out. It seems like every few miles there was another cop waiting to get my autograph. I kept it close to the limit. It would not be cool to get a ticket when your almost home.
1221 miles over the weekend. A WONDERFUL ride and a great visit with family. I can't wait to do it again!!
