50CC & 4 Corners - 2014

The Epic Ride 2014 Page 1 of 36

The Epic Ride

A USA Four Corners Ride

With

An Iron Butt 50CC Quest

By Mark ‘Buck’ King

Over the past fifteen years the small group of guys I ride with have coined a term used to describe our

annual, all-guy road trip. This break from the pressure of normal everyday life has simply become

known by all of us as the ‘Big Ride’.

Big Rides are normally 9 to 10 day adventures that are laced with the things that guys like to do: ride

motorcycles, wear the same clothes multiple days, fart without apology, smoke cigars, poke fun at each

other and just enjoy not having anyone tell us what to do for a few days.


We often say that on a Big Ride, for at least 10 days, no one is going to ask you if their butt looks big in

what they are wearing and no one is going to ask you why you are wearing what you are wearing.

What could be better?

Well, now that Stinky and I have retired, we have a little extra time on our hands so we dared to dream

of a ride that would test our limits; a ride that only the toughest (or craziest) riders would attempt; a

ride that would set us apart from other riders; a once in a lifetime ride. This ride would be bigger than a

Big Ride; this ride would be an Epic Ride.

The Southern California Motorcycling Association (SCMA) sponsors a ride called the USA Four Corners

Tour where riders must touch the extreme geographic four corners of the USA: Key West FL, San Ysidro

CA, Blaine WA, and Madawaska ME in 21 days or less. This ride has been on my bucket list for quite a

while. In fact, I had planned to do it solo last fall until an accident left me with a few broken bones that

had to heal before I could ride again.

The Iron Butt Association (IBA) accredits a USA coast to coast ride they call a 50CC Quest where riders

must touch the beach on both the Atlantic and the Pacific sides of the country in 50 hours or less.

Smokey, Bubby and I did this ride in 2012, but Stinky was not able to go. So doing a 50CC has been one

of his burning desires ever since.

The concept of the Epic Ride was born when we combined both these long distance challenges into one

ride. One big, awesome, hairy, macho, insane, longer than long, intense, tremendous, awe-inspiring,

incredible, manly, extreme, thrilling, punishing, unbelievable, crazy, not-to-be-repeated motorcycle ride.

This would be an Epic Ride.

Our plan to accomplish both rides and get back home to Nashville would require a total of twenty-five

days with a few days built in to rest and allowing a few ‘extra’ days that could be used within the

maximum time allowed should we encounter any issues mechanical or otherwise.

As we looked at the calendar, we soon realized that the middle of April would be the only time we could

both fit basically a month long motorcycle ride into our calendars – even our retirement calendars!

While the middle of April would be ideal for the southern part of the country, we knew we might face

some colder weather in the northwest and across the northern plains. And the weather so far in 2014

had proven to be somewhat unpredictable with the potential to generate patterns significantly different

than the weather almanac could ever predict.

As the actual ride played out, we came to realize that, on many facets of the ride, we made some right

decisions, some questionable ones, and some downright dumb ones. But that’s not too different than

life in general is it? Most importantly, we lived to tell about it.


SUNDAY - APRIL 13, 2014

Nashville to McDonough GA 276 Miles

We had planned to leave Nashville on Monday morning, April 14, 2014. As the appointed hour approached the weather forecast went from bleak to foreboding and promised thunderstorms that could likely be severe. As I sat in church Sunday morning on the eve of our planned departure, my mind drifted over the many things I might have done that would prompt God to strike me with lightning. I quickly texted Stinky and sitting in his own church he had also come under the same conviction. Turns out that one of the best decisions we made on this trip was the one to leave early on Sunday afternoon to avoid the storms forecasted for early Monday morning. Stinky and I met in Murfreesboro at 3PM. It was a beautifully sunny day with temps in the 60s as we headed south on I-24. Some good tunes and a little chitchat on the CB radio was all the entertainment we needed as we reveled in the reality that the day had actually come to start this monumental adventure. Anticipation of the task before us was the adrenaline that pushed us on, in spite of whatever might lay ahead. We zipped through Atlanta late Sunday afternoon in light traffic so untypical in this big city. In fact, avoiding weekday Atlanta traffic was almost as good a reason for leaving early as the weather.


Without pushing ourselves we pulled off the slab in McDonough, GA and checked into a Super 8 motel feeling very good after the first day of what was now a twenty-six day ride. MONDAY – APRIL 14, 2014 McDonough GA to Avon Park FL 470 Miles

We were still managing to miss the rain as we left McDonough. There were scattered clouds but not a drop of rain. We had routed ourselves through Lakeland, FL so that we could visit a friend of ours, Buddy Newsome, who is fighting cancer. We got there about 2:00PM and were surprised that Buddy was in his office at the First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland. He is the National Director of FAITH Riders which supports churches that establish motorcycle groups to support ministry opportunities. It was good to see him and although he is facing a tough fight, he has learned to trust in God for every new day. None of us know what road God will lead him down, but we do know that Buddy’s prayer is that every day he has will count for God.

Knowing his heart for God, we would have expected nothing less from him. As we left Lakeland our epic adventure seemed a little selfish and small compared to Buddy’s fight against cancer. We decided to get a few more hours closer to Key West before we quit for the night. From Lakeland we headed south on US27 through the middle of Florida. The sun was mostly out now and the afternoon temps had reached the upper 80’s if not 90. We began talking about finding the perfect little motel with a pool and a restaurant close enough that we could walk to it instead of getting back on the bikes. We passed several that were close to ideal, but either there would be no pool or no places to eat when out of the blue we saw this sign in front of a motel that was right across the street from two restaurants! The brakes went on and with tires screeching we made a fast turn into the parking lot. We checked in and unloaded the bikes feeling like we had just gotten incredibly lucky in finding the perfect stop for the night. I think I was at least halfway into my swimsuit before Stinky came into the room with some bad news.


They hadn’t told us that they had not opened the pool yet this season. So unless you wanted to go wading in some really green water, there would be no pool tonight. All of a sudden we realized that the sign had only

been a mirage. Just like the lakes you see in the desert only to find there is really nothing there. And just like the pool, we found that the better looking of the two restaurants was also closed. Oh well, the next night we would be in Key West. TUESDAY – APRIL 15, 2014 Avon Park FL to Key West 321 Miles

Tax Day was the furthest thing from our minds on this April 15th. We had never ridden this stretch of US27 in central Florida before and we always get an extra kick out of a road that is totally new to us. We rode through Sebring looking for a little café but not seeing anything. We were talking about having seen so many Wide World of Sports features on the endurance races here. Especially as teens when Ford’s endurance racing was in its heyday with the Ford GT program. The 12 Hours of Sebring were only eclipsed by the 24 Hours of Lemans. The next town brought up more recollections about sports. We were coming into Lake Placid. Not the Lake Placid, NY

of the 1980 Winter Olympics, but the southern version of Lake Placid. We stopped for breakfast here at the Lake Placid Restaurant. Judging by the crowded parking lot, this was either the best place to eat for miles or the only place. Either way, we decided to go for it. It turned out to be a great little place that we would go back to

CLOSED


in a heartbeat. I had something I have never seen on a menu anywhere else; deep fried pancakes. Oh my gosh! They are to die for. Considering my heart history, that is exactly what I’d do if I ate these very often. We skirted around the edge of Miami and onto the Overseas Highway. Before the deep fried pancakes had completely settled we were in Key Largo. Visions of Jimmy Buffet were dancing in our heads. It is always a kick to ride down this highway especially on the way to Key West knowing the time we spend there is so enjoyable. Perhaps they are trying to get the road in top shape for the peak of the tourist season, but this ride down was punctuated by more construction zones than usual. Our schedule allowed us to arrive in Key West early in the afternoon. Big smiles were on our faces as we checked into one of our favorite motels in the whole country: The Southwinds Motel. Later in the evening, Ron snapped this great picture of the office which fronts on Simonton Street not too far from the Southernmost Marker.

Still sunny and warm, we put our swim suits on and enjoyed a pool that wasn’t just a mirage. After a lazy afternoon we went for an early dinner at the Half Shell Restaurant, another of our favorites in Key West. Back at the Southwinds we sat out on the deck in front of the rooms and enjoyed a cigar celebrating the start of the time clock of the USA Four Corners Tour. WEDNESDAY – APRIL 16, 2014 Key West


This day was built into the schedule as a day of rest. We had no place that we had to go and nothing that we had to do except get our pictures in front of the Southernmost Marker for the documentation that the SCMA requires. The next morning a time and date stamped gas receipt would start the official clock. This was a very laid back day and knowing what was coming, we made the most of doing nothing. We met a couple from Nova Scotia who were staying in the room next to ours and we enjoyed talking to them quite a while. For dinner we visited Sloppy Joe’s, the iconic Key West landmark made famous by Ernest Hemmingway. One more piece of Key Lime pie and no one needed to rock us to sleep. THURSDAY – APRIL 17, 2014 Key West to Jacksonville Beach FL 510 Miles

The weather was nice as we headed out of Key West. Showers were forecast for that evening and the next day but we were in the clear. We started the day with our required gas receipt as we headed north on the Overseas Highway. As I said before your psyche is totally different heading into Key West anticipating your stay than it is heading north dreading the inescapable nightmare of Miami traffic. We made good time all the way to the outskirts of Miami. As we headed north the clouds thickened and in Key Largo it had begun to sprinkle a little rain on us. Not enough to make us dawn the rain suits though.

Buck Stinky


That luck ran out in Miami as the dark clouds let loose a deluge of rain. It was the kind of heavy rain that sometimes dumps several inches in just an hour or so. After we pulled over and got the rain suits on, we kept riding. In retrospect, these were not the kind of conditions that a motorcyclist should be out in. But we have never been accused of being the smartest riders. We admitted that the cage drivers were undoubtedly referring to us as “those idiots out there on bikes”. We forged on though and soon got out in front of the leading edge of the storm which was headed north along the Atlantic coast of Florida. We skipped lunch today with plans to visit Clark’s Fish Camp on the far south side of Jacksonville for dinner. Words can’t fully describe this place that specializes in EVERY type of seafood along with some exotic game choices. The décor is made up of a taxidermist’s dream collection of wild animals of every sort. And the food is delicious. Where else can you go and see gator, eel, alligator, kangaroo, antelope and ostrich all on the same menu? The next time you’re near Jacksonville you need to plan to visit. A half hour after eating we were checked into the Holiday Inn Express on Mayport Road. This is really the community of Atlantic Beach and the motel is just a few blocks from the beach. As we checked in rain had begun to fall in Jacksonville. FRIDAY – APRIL 18, 2014 Jacksonville Beach FL This was another planned day of rest to prepare for the 50CC Quest portion of the ride. As far as time challenges, the 50CC would be the most significant of the whole trip. The weather was forecast as rainy with more rain in the afternoon and storms in the evening. We went out early to the Fire Station on Seminole Road just a mile from the hotel. The IBA requires that you get two policemen or firefighters to witness your beginning odometer reading on the bikes. When we got


to the station it was easy to get a couple guys to sign off for us. In fact, one of the guys said he thought he remembered me from two years ago. After the fire station we headed for the beach to get some water and sand samples from the Atlantic. These are not required, but they make great souvenirs from the ride. We would buy gas for a time dated gas receipt to start the official clock on the 50CC as we left town the next morning. The weatherman was right about the rain. It came in hard in the afternoon and stormed that night. The good news was that it was supposed to move on through by the time we would leave the next morning. We took advantage of the off time to do some laundry because we knew there would not be another opportunity to wash clothes until we reached California. We did a lot of resting knowing that we would need every ounce of strength and mental fortitude to survive the 50 hour quest. SATURDAY/SUNDAY – APRIL 19 & 20, 2014 Jacksonville Beach FL to San Diego CA 2,362 Miles

The race is on!!


We left Jacksonville at 4:41AM. The sun was not up and we could only hope to see it in our rear view mirrors a little later. The temperature was in the low 50’s and while most of the rain had moved out as predicted, there were a few drops of rain as we started our ride west. I told Ron as we left that while the day of rest was good I could now understand the reluctance that some thoroughbreds exhibit as they are locked in the starting gate for what must seem like an eternity to them before the bell rings and they take off hell bent for leather. Light came later west of Tallahassee as we headed for the other coast with mission and purpose. Not sun, just light, but there was no rain and we were very happy with the weather. Soon Pensacola was in our sites and the clouds were beginning to part and reveal a beautiful blue sky. But even so the temperature was hanging in the 50’s. Not bad, but a little cooler than we had expected. It turns out we would say that a lot over the next two and a half weeks! We made short work of the Alabama boot heel flying through Mobile before we hardly knew it. Mississippi wasn’t much more of a challenge as the miles fell with a remarkable ease on this Easter weekend. Slidell, LA came and went as we left I-10 and stayed to the north of New Orleans on I-12. My mind wandered through the French Quarter and all the places that would have been nice to visit in the Big Easy. But we were on the clock and I pinched myself out of the French Quarter just in time to watch Baton Rouge fall to our quest. Just when on a normal ride you would call it a day, and a long one at that, we kept riding past the Texas border and through Beaumont. From the Louisiana border, El Paso is a long 860 miles away. Dreading the long ride across the Houston metropolitan area because of its potential for traffic hang ups we pushed on. Almost to our disbelief we were on the west side of town without a single issue. The sun was beginning to set. As darkness came I told Stinky to soak up the view of luscious green in this part of Texas. The Bluebonnets were in full bloom and it really was beautiful. By the time we reached San Antonio darkness hid the scenery. I told Stinky that by the time the sun came up Sunday we would be in the desert of West Texas and green would not be on its color palate. On the northwest side of San Antonio we were only a hundred miles from Junction where we had a six hour nap at a Motel 6 waiting for us. Miles ago we had entered Central Time and gained and hour so when we checked into the Motel 6 at 10:25PM it was really 11:25PM by our body clocks. I don’t even remember lying down in Junction. I just remember my alarm going off at 4:00AM. It was Easter Sunday morning and we were expecting one fantastic sunrise service at our backs in a few hours. We left a little before 5:00AM and were quite disappointed that the McDonalds wasn’t open yet. We decided to forego our morning coffee until the first gas stop of the morning which would be in Ft. Stockton.


The first few miles out of Junction are surprisingly twisty with some significant elevation changes. This would be great fun in the daylight. But in the dark with the shiny eyes of deer on the side of the road it is downright scary. Stinky was in the lead and he said he didn’t even see the two deer I saw right on the shoulder of the interstate. It’s a good thing because if he had seen them I’m sure he would have wet his pants! The speed limit jumps to 80 mph in West Texas and the miles begin to melt off even faster than before. So fast that you are thinking that it couldn’t possibly be going any better than this, but you’re afraid to say it in fear that you will jinx it. In Ft. Stockton, with gas and coffee supplies replenished we slashed off another 120 miles to Van Horn where we gassed up and found an open McDonalds. We celebrated this mileage point which was a little more than 1,500 miles from our start in Jacksonville with an Egg McMuffin. Even though it was Easter Sunday the McDonalds was crowded. It was 8:44AM here and we had easily made what the IBA calls a Bun Burner (1,500 miles in less than 36 hours). No matter what happened from here we at least had that in our pockets. Another 150 miles to El Paso and New Mexico was now in our sites. Although the morning was cool, still in the 50’s, the sun was out in full force and we enjoyed the West Texas scenery even if it was brown instead of green. We gassed up at about 10:07AM Mountain Time in Anthony, Texas the last town before you cross into New Mexico. First we passed Las Cruces then Deming and before long Lordsburg where you start thinking about southern Arizona and Saguaro cactus. We went through Lordsburg about a quarter past noon MT. As soon as you cross into Arizona you are effectively on Pacific Time because Arizona does not recognize daylight savings time. So we were in Tucson by 1:30PM. From Tucson, where you begin to see the classic Saguaro cactus we were only about 120 miles from Gila Bend. There we would mark another IBA milestone: a Saddle Sore 2000. Our mileage there was 2,167 and we were well ahead of the 48 hours the IBA allows for that. Yuma was another 120 miles and we made that stop at 5:04PM. Out of Yuma we immediately crossed the state line into California. I had to pinch myself here again at the miraculous progress we were making. We were only 190 miles from San Diego. Again, we didn’t dare say anything – even to each other. The sun was setting but there was still plenty of light as we headed downhill into San Diego from El Centro. And it’s a good thing it was downhill because we decided to go on into San Diego without another gas stop from Yuma. At those speeds, that’s the limit of what my Wing will do on one tank of gas. We filled our tanks in San Diego at 7:56PM Pacific Time. Incredible.


We had crossed the country in 42 hours and fifteen minutes beating our 50 hour goal by 7 hours and forty-five minutes. Only about 75 guys per year accomplish this goal and we understood the luck that had put us here so far ahead of schedule. MONDAY – APRIL 21, 2014 San Diego CA I would say this was another day of rest built into the schedule but I think recovery would be a better choice of words. We had one day to revel in our accomplishment of the 50CC Quest before continuing the USA Four Corners Tour. This was a wonderful day on all levels. The weather was gorgeous with a high in the 60’s but still a little cold to get in the water at the beach. There were really only two things we had to do; 1) Go to the Fire Station on Grand Avenue and get our ending witnesses to sign off on our 50CC documentation; and 2) run down to San Ysidro (about a 20 minute ride) and get a picture in front of the post office for the USA Four Corners Tour. But the day started with a stroll down Mission Boulevard to IHOP for a celebratory stack of pancakes. Stinky saw a guy a few tables over all by himself and wearing a ball cap that identified him as a WWII veteran. Ron told the waitress not to tell the guy who had done it but to let him know that someone was picking up his check in honor of his service to our country. I was really proud of Stinky for doing this anonymously. Sometimes Stinky can be very thoughtful – it just doesn’t happen that often ;-).

Next we got on our bikes and went by the Fire Station and found some firefighters out in front cleaning up an engine. They were more than happy to witness our forms. They have to look at the mileage on our odometers and agree to give their addresses and phone numbers so the IBA can call them for verification if they choose. The IBA really requires more documentation for the 50CC than does the SCMA for the Four Corners. We were glad to have finished the 50CC so we could stop logging every gas

stop and keeping every gas receipt. The SCMA only requires a picture and a gas receipt for each of the 4 corners; much simpler. Next we made the short ride to San Ysidro for our pictures there in front of the Post Office. I guess I was so excited to be at this juncture that when I held my towel up in San Ysidro, I didn’t realize it was upside down. The SCMA issues the towels in the registration process for the USA Four Corners Tour and stipulates that the towel must be in the pictures taken at each of the four corners. We also bought gas down there and got a dated and time stamped receipt.


After returning to our hotel, the Blue Sea Beach Hotel, which is right on Mission Beach, we had the rest of the day to relax and get ready for the rest of the Four Corners. That evening we walked right across the side street and had dinner at World Famous which is kind of a weird name but the really do serve world class seafood. While they didn’t have all the stuffed critters that Clark’s Fish Camp has back in Jacksonville, they do have a wonderful view of sunsets on the beach. TUESDAY – APRIL 22, 2014 San Diego to San Simeon CA 448 Miles


For the most part our plan was to ride the Pacific Coast Highway all the way up to Portland and then take I-5 into Blaine. On the south end though we detoured back east somewhat so that we could pick up California Highway 2, the Angeles Crest Highway, which passes over the mountainous terrain located north of the Los Angeles basin. It passes through the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. This is an absolutely gorgeous 70 miles from CA138 west to Flintridge. At the intersection of CA2 and CA138 there is a gas station. It was windy and cool so we stopped to top off the tanks and get a cup of coffee. There were two Russian guys there who were on bikes that were obviously rented. I talked to one of them inside and it turned out that he spoke almost no English. The bikes had Florida plates but we didn’t see how two guys from Russia could get from one coast to the other on rented bikes without knowing more of our language. We forged on. The twisties on the Angeles Crest Highway rival any we have seen anywhere. In fact we commented that no one from Los Angeles needs to come east to ride Deal’s Gap because they have the equivalent right in their back yard.

Except for the low hanging clouds here in the distance, I think you would be looking down at LA. The ride was spectacular.


From Flintridge we headed toward the coast and Ventura on the one and only Ventura Highway made famous by the group America. From Ventura we rode another 180 miles up the coast to San Simeon. While sunny today, the winds off the ocean had a bite with temps no higher than the 50’s. But out on the Pac Coast Highway where fog is such a common occurrence, clear and chilly is a great weather condition. We stayed at the Sea Breeze Motel. A small motel that was neat and clean where for less than $90 a night every room had an ocean view. A short walk next door to the Mexican restaurant was a natural choice for dinner.

WEDNESDAY – APRIL 23, 2014 San Simeon to Ft. Bragg CA 398 Miles

This was one of my favorite days of the whole ride. We left San Simeon and headed north. While it rained off and on there was still no fog on the coast. Many people regard the stretch from San Simeon north to San Francisco as the most scenic section of the whole highway. It would be hard to argue with that from Monterey north into San Francisco. A high point was riding the bikes right over the Golden Gate Bridge and then riding


the Pac Coast Highway north from there which we had never ridden before. New roads are always good and provide a higher level of excitement especially when they pan out so spectacularly. The bridge which is so iconic to San Francisco was opened in 1937 after taking a little more than four years to build. In March of 2013 the toll booths were removed and license plate tolling was implemented. I really doubt that system works with bikes. Around Miami they use this system and I have never gotten any kind of a bill after coming and going to Key West multiple times. It will be interesting to see if we get anything in the mail seeking to collect the Golden Gate toll. It is fairly well documented that around 1,600 people have committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. The drop to the water surface is about 250 feet. According to the laws of physics, from this height the average person would hit the water at about 70 mph. On the north end of the bridge you turn off to the west to remain on PC1. This section of the road is particularly tight with so many switch back turns that Stinky and I were begging for some straight road sections to rest our clutch hands. Maybe this zoomed in map with give you an idea of the turns in this section:

The weather got a little worse as we headed toward Garberville which was our intended destination. Light rain set in that afternoon and in the tight turns we had to slow down significantly. At this point you can’t risk the whole Four Corners goal on wiping out in one of these tight turns. The good news was that even with the rain there was no fog and we still had great views of the beaches of norhthern California. Many of these beaches are literally covered with elephant seals. We took in this site on many beaches but because of the rain did not stop. I grabbed this picture online, but it is exactly what we saw (except our view wasn’t quite as sunny).


The northern species of elephant seals are a little smaller than their southern neighbors. But still the bulls typically reach a length of 14 to 16 feet and the heaviest weigh about 5,400 pounds! On some beaches they were stacked up like cordwood. When we rode into Ft. Bragg, CA we were tired and cold so we decided to stop for the night even though we were still 70 miles from Garberville, our target for the day. We checked into the Coast Inn. Notice it is billed as a ‘spa’ although we saw no signs of a massage table. We went down the street for dinner and after that, being the wild sort of guys that we are, we went straight to bed. Being a military town we wondered if the ‘happy endings’ came out later in the evening. THURSDAY – APRIL 24, 2014 Ft. Bragg CA to Yachats OR 424 Miles

The next day the weather was improved slightly but it was still wet and a little on the cool side. The 70 miles to Garberville were filled with more tight turns and both Stinky and I agreed that we were glad we had stopped in Ft. Bragg because we would not have wanted to ride this section of twisties at the end of a long day. North of Garberville the road runs inland for about 70 miles before returning to the coast at Eureka. Then about halfway between Eureka and Crescent City the road goes right through Redwood National Park. Even though the stretch through the park is only about 8 miles you still get an up close and personal look at these giant trees. This internet photo gives a good perspective on their size. Stinky snapped this picture at a gas station of a

log house made from a single huge log that was hollowed out. This was a beautiful ride through the forest in northern California. In just a few minutes we

left California behind as we crossed into Oregon.


We rode this stretch of the coast a few years ago only headed south. South of Garberville CA1 merges with US101 and that is the highway number in Oregon and Washington. From the California border we rode north on the coast of Oregon with many views of the coast line that looked like this picture I shot.

In Winchester Bay Oregon we stopped at the Crabby Café for an early dinner. We discovered this place on our previous trip four years ago and were pleased find it still open and doing well. It may not look like much but they serve fresh fish out of the local fish market. In fact, the owner has now bought his own commercial fishing boat and some of what they serve comes right off his own boat. After dinner we continued up the coast another 50 or 60 miles to Yachats, OR. We spotted a nice little motel named the Dublin House. This was another neat and clean local place where we


could stay right on the beach for $75 and have an ocean view out the back window. This was our last night on the Pacific coast and we wanted our last view of the ocean to be a long one. FRIDAY – APRIL 25, 2014 Yachats OR to Blaine WA 421 Miles

We started out with the last 50 miles of the Pacific Coastline that we would be riding. This had been our left hand view for the better part of 4 days. It was a little sad to turn off headed for I-5 in Portland. After getting back on the slab we were hoping to beat rush hour traffic to the north side of Seattle. We thought we were early enough but in Tacoma the traffic flow felt like the five o’clock rush hour but it was only 2:30. Traffic was pretty heavy all the way north to Everett but then it loosened up and we sailed into Blaine by about 4:00PM. This was our third corner so we first gassed up to get our time dated receipt and then we went by the post office for our picture. After that we checked into the Motel International which was recommended by the SCMA but the place is becoming a little run down even by mine and Stinky’s standards. They may need to reconsider continuing to recommend this place. There are several others in town.


We walked around the corner of the street to a steak house for dinner and celebrated making our third corner of the country. While it didn’t seem like it to us, we had left home 13 days ago and had traveled just a little over 5,600 miles. We knew the most challenging part of the trip would begin the next day. To this point the weather had only been a comfort issue. But from here on it would be the one factor that had the highest propensity to knock us out of our saddles before completing the Four Corners Tour in Madawaska. It was a sunny afternoon in Blaine. Although we didn’t know it at the time, we would see very, very little of that sun for the next five days. SATURDAY – APRIL 26, 2014 Blaine WA to Kellogg ID


430

Miles A word began to pop back into our vocabulary that we hadn’t used in a while: EAST. We would head east on US2 just off I-5 north of Seattle. This route takes you over the Cascade Mountains at Stevens Pass. We had a little rain leaving Blaine with a temperature in the low 40’s. The pass is just above 4,000 feet in elevation and I knew it would be much colder up there. As we began to climb the sky thickened more with low clouds than with fog because our visibility was still pretty good. As we reached the top of the pass there was plenty of snow and it looked like the ski runs up there were still operating. The temp went down to about 32o and on both sides of the road there were snow berms about six feet tall. But the road was only wet and we had no trouble getting through. We hit a little pocket of sun on the eastern side of the Cascades and the view of the snowy mountain peaks in our rear view mirrors was a treat. Eastern Washington flattens out pretty quick and back down at lower elevations the fields were all being worked to produce various crops. Just west of Spokane we got on I-90 and zipped the last 60 miles to Kellogg, ID quickly as rain clouds began to overcome the blue sky. We began to play a game here called “Now I see my shadow and now I don’t!” This game would last for days and days. We got a good look at Lake Coeur d’Alene as we passed by. I have always thought it to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the country.


Arriving in Kellogg in a light rain we hurriedly located the Trail Motel and checked in. This was a nice little place that Stinky and I usually refer to as a place with ‘character’. The manager of the motel recommended the Mexican restaurant just down the street so we walked down there after we unloaded the bikes and started a load of clothes in the washing machine at the motel. The food was great at this little place. As we ate we discussed the weather forecast. It wasn’t good. There was a possibility of snow even though accumulation was not expected. And the temps were expected to be in the low 30’s. Our planned route was to continue to Missoula, MT and then take Highway 200 across the rest of Montana getting on I-94 just east of North Dakota. With the possibility of snow, we thought it would be best to stay on I-90 and go through South Dakota instead. While we were waiting for our clothes to dry, I ran across the street to the grocery store for some snacks. While there I saw a picture of this sign inside the grocery store and snapped a picture. I knew there had to be a story behind it. I found this on Wikipedia: Kellogg is named after a prospector named Noah Kellogg. Legend has it that his donkey wandered off during the morning of September 4, 1885; Kellogg found the animal at a large outcropping of galena, which became the site of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mines; those mines led to the founding of Kellogg, a city where a local sign reads "This is the

town founded by a jackass and inhabited by his descendants." Noah Kellogg is buried in the city's cemetery. I guess you at least have to give them credit for having a sense of humor about it! Stinky and I went to sleep that night wondering if we would see snow the next morning. As dawn came we both peeked out the back window of the room and in the dim light saw white on the roof of the building next door. We almost fell over each other getting to the front window to see if there was snow on the bikes. To our relief there was no snow and it turned out that the roof next door was just white in color instead of being snow covered. Whew!!!

SUNDAY – APRIL 27, 2014 Kellogg ID to Hardin MT 519 Miles


Relieved to be riding out of Kellogg without snow we made good time on I-90. We crossed the border into Montana in no time and it took less than two hours to get to Missoula. Passing Missoula we were on our new route and one of our favorite radio channels became the NOAH Weather Channel. It had been cold for a couple of days, but this was the first day I pulled out my heated vest to wear. I was thinking Stinky was being tough by not getting his heated gear out yet and I didn’t say anything for a while. But as the day went on and it didn’t warm up I finally just asked him why he wasn’t wearing his. There was silence for a moment and then he said his heated gear was right where he always keeps it: In his garage back home! Well, in his defense the temps here had been in the 50’s and 60’s the week before and this cold northern wind had whipped out of Canada to everyone’s surprise. Somewhere along our track we saw a Wal-Mart and stopped to find some long handles for him. To his delight the bottoms he found were on clearance sale for $3 so he bought two pair of XLs. He didn’t put them on right away, but I think he perked up just knowing he would start tomorrow off a lot warmer. We were off course and had no defined stopping point for the day. We passed through Bozeman and Billings and as the day got late we began looking for a stopping place. This area is not very populated so as we neared the site of the Little Big Horn Massacre we decided to stop in the first town with a motel. Hardin, MT had a couple of motels to choose from so we opted for the Super 8 because it had a Pizza Hut right across the street where we could walk to dinner. By the time we stopped the wind was really picking up and at this time the forecast for Rapid City, SD was for rain.


During the day we were listening to the weather radio on the bikes and now our favorite TV channel in the evenings had become the Weather Channel. MONDAY – APRIL 28, 2014 Hardin MT to Kadoka SD 368 Miles

As we got dressed to start the day I caught a glimpse of Stinky putting on his new long handles. He looked like a woman might look who was trying to get into a pair of panty hose that was way too small. When they were finally on the legs only reached to his mid-calf and the tops only came up enough to meet a plumber’s lowest decency limit. And they were REALLY tight. I asked him if he was actually going to wear them all day and in desperation he said tight or not they would feel good out in the cold. I told him it was good he was done having kids because after this I was sure he wouldn’t be able to anymore!! Skipping to the end of the long handle story, two days later he looked at the tag and saw that he had actually bought XL boy’s underwear!! When I asked if he was going to keep on squeezing into them, without any hesitation his answer was an unequivocal yes!! By the time we made our first gas stop somewhere near Gillette, WY the wind had begun gusting across the interstate at 30 to 40 mph. At the stop we began to see the shocked reaction of drivers to seeing guys out on bikes in these conditions. Once again we were “those idiots out there on bikes”. The radio was reporting snow of several inches in Deadwood and even snow in Spearfish. But we really had no choice but to keep going. As we passed Spearfish and headed to Rapid City we had seen neither rain nor snow. Deadwood is quite a few miles off the interstate and at higher elevation so we hoped that all the snow reports we had heard had been exaggerated. We decided to gas up again on the East side of Rapid City and going through town we noticed that the wind wasn’t quite as bad and we were beginning to feel that we might have gotten out in front of the weather.


Wrong, wrong, wrong. By the time we got to the east side of Rapid the wind was not only back but fiercer than ever. When we made the gas stop I could hardly hold the bike up while stopped at a light waiting to turn into the station. Inside at the gas station the folks told us that Rapid was expecting a winter storm with several inches of accumulation later in the afternoon. It was lunchtime but neither of us could even think about food. All we could think about was trying to get east far enough to miss the snow. We put ourselves back on the slab and not only were we facing wind gusts now up to 60 mph, but now it was also raining and raining pretty hard. We fought that for about an hour and after being almost blown off the road more times than I can count I saw a motel sign for an exit at Kadoka, SD. We decided to lay up there for the afternoon and night and even for an extra day if we had to. Unfortunately, the weather forecast was the same for the next four days in Kadoka and across the rest of South Dakota. We knew we couldn’t stay there four days and still hope to complete the Four Corners in the allotted time. We decided to make the call on continuing the next morning. There was a little grill next to the motel that served a very good hamburger. It was a struggle to even walk across the parking lot to get to it. That night I had nightmares about the Little House on the Prairie episode where Pa had to tie a rope around his waist to get from the cabin to the barn in a blizzard. TUESDAY – APRIL 29, 2014 Kadoka SD to Des Moines IA 532 Miles


Of course, as soon as we woke, we looked out the window. It had snowed and was still snowing. This time it wasn’t just the white roof of the building next door.

Decisions, decisions. We decided to delay our start and see if there was any hope for a break in the forecast so we sat around and drank coffee and watched the Weather Channel. There was no break in sight. The LAST thing we wanted to do was stay in Kadoka for four days. By about 9:00AM we decided that we had to try and get down the road. We could see that cars and trucks were moving out on I-90. There

was only slush on the parking lots because the ground was warm enough from the higher temps the week before to keep all the snow coming down from accumulating. So we reluctantly decided to load up and hit the road. I had a rag wiping the snow off my bike and when the cold wind hit it the thing froze up right in my hand. Once on the bikes we dog paddled over to the gas station next door that had not cleared the slush off the area around the pumps. I almost couldn’t get the bike off the side stand because the slush was so slippery. Ron was waiting at the entrance ramp as if to see if I was really going to get on the highway. Both of us have agreed since that if either of us had flinched at this point we would have turned around and gone back to the motel. The wind might have been a little lighter, but it was still enough to blow you over a lane. To be honest I think we both thought we might have made a mistake, but we are more stubborn than we are smart so we kept going. I felt as though I had been on the bike for an eternity and looked at the odometer to see that we had only gone 20 miles. On the radio I told Stinky that I had already confessed all my sins and wanted to start on his. He told me that he had promised God that if we lived to tell about this he would become a missionary in Africa. I had thoughts about throwing in the towel and stopping but once you are out on the slab in South Dakota there aren’t that many places to stop. In one spot due to lane closures, east and west bound traffic were both on the same side of the slab. When the first on-coming semi passed me, the concussion from the wind was like being hit by a sledge hammer.


We made another decision about our course along here. We decided to head south at Sioux Falls and put those fierce wind gusts at our backs. But from Kadoka, Sioux Falls was about 250 miles. That was the longest 250 miles I have, or ever will, ride. As we approached the turn onto I-29, the wind gusted as strongly as it had all day as if to take one last shot at us before we made the turn. But we made it. We had finally beaten the weather. It was suddenly like a different day. While still overcast and cold the wind now pushed in our direction of travel and all was right with the world. I told Stinky on the radio that I thought I was getting a 100 miles to the gallon with the wind. It wasn’t too much of an exaggeration! The miles went fast and we were making the turn onto I-80 just north of Omaha and heading toward Des Moines where we would call it a day. We bunked at another Super 8 and ate at a Bennigan’s that we could walk to across the parking lot. We celebrated that night. We had a lot to be gratefully for, not the least being just living through it. Again we thought how those cage drivers on I-90 must have been talking about “those idiots out there on bikes”. I don’t think Stinky has yet decided where in Africa he will be going as a missionary. WEDNESDAY – APRIL 30, 2014 Des Moines IA to Toledo OH 562 Miles


What a difference a day makes! We would be on I-80 all day today trying to catch up to our original schedule. And while it wasn’t warm yet, it wasn’t as cold as it had been. We also picked up our game with seeing our shadows which we hadn’t done in at least a couple of days. Just before you cross into Illinois you pass the famous Iowa 80 Truckstop. They bill themselves as the world’s largest truckstop. It really is a small city. We opted for a smaller stop down the road to save time.

Just south of Chicago I-80 becomes a toll road. There is nothing more inconvenient for a motorcyclist than toll booths where we have to fumble with cold weather gear to dig out the money required at each stop. I think we were both surprised at the amount of the tolls. At the first booth I rolled up thinking the toll would be a couple of bucks and it was over six dollars! I think we were far enough south of Chicago not to hit any traffic jams and made good time through Indiana and on to near Toledo, OH where we would call it a night.


We were beginning to have visions of Madawaska, ME. THURSDAY – MAY 1, 2014 Toledo OH to Watertown NY 512 Miles

We left Toledo on I-80 still paying tolls. Just west of Cleveland we moved back onto I-90 and headed east along the shore of Lake Erie. For a few miles there were no tolls. Then when you cross into Pennsylvania the tolls start up again on I-90. With only a minor slow down going through Cleveland we were making great time and decided to get a little ahead of schedule by going to Watertown, NY instead of stopping near Syracuse. Just north of Syracuse we took the I-690 Loop to I-81 North. From there we were only about 70 miles from Watertown. It was good to be at this point on such a long ride and be ahead of schedule! In Watertown, NY we checked into a Comfort Inn that was actually connected to a Denny’s. And while we enjoy Denny’s for breakfast we try to do better for our evening meals. But this one was just too convenient not to visit. We were excited about the next day because for the first day in quite a few we would be off the slab. We would cross the Adirondacks on NY Highway 3 and 3A. FRIDAY – MAY 2, 2014 Watertown NY to Gorham NH 345 Miles


We left Watertown in a light rain. The temperature was in the upper 40s. Although we might have enjoyed this ride more on a clear day, we still enjoyed the road, the forests, and the little towns we went through in up-state New York. On the eastern side of the Adirondacks we went through Lake Placid, NY and remembered that many miles ago but not so long ago we were in Lake Placid, FL. In Port Henry, NY we crossed the bridge over Lake Champlain into Vermont . From there we went on to Montpelier, VT – the state capitol. With its golden dome, I think it is one of the most beautiful capitols of all the fifty states. And it seems so accessible in these post 9/11 days where so many official buildings are barricaded in all manor of ways. Stinky and I were through here ten years ago (2004) when he and I were the only ones on our annual Big Ride. In Montpelier we returned to US2. It seemed like a lifetime ago when we crossed Stevens Pass in Washington on US2. US2 took us into New Hampshire and across the northern edge of the White Mountain National Forest. We stopped in Gorham, NH and stayed at the same motel we stayed at ten years ago, the Northern Peaks Motor Inn.


Not much has changed at the Northern Peaks, in fact Stinky and I wondered if it had even been cleaned since our first stay. All kidding aside, it had kinda lost some of its charm. We agreed that if we find ourselves in Gorham, NH ten years from now, we should find a new place to stay. We had Chinese food across the street for dinner and while we were almost the only ones in the place, our waitress still found a way to be too busy to pay much attention to us. We didn’t really care though. With only one more day to make Madawaska and our Four Corners goal we were in a zone that perhaps only other Four Corners riders can understand. SATURDAY – MAY 3, 2014 Gorham NH to Madawaska ME 372 Miles

Nearing the finish line made us start the day with great anticipation. While we were relieved to be at this point, we still felt the pressure that even at this position the unexpected could still knock us out. Continuing on US2 we headed for Bangor, ME about 160 miles away. Near Newport we returned to the interstate taking I-95 the rest of the way to Bangor, about 30 miles. Another 120 miles on I-95 took us to Houlton, ME where we went the last 100 miles to Madawaska on US1. While on I-95 we passed scenic views of Mount Katahdin in the distance. In Baxter State Park, Mount Katahdin is the highest mountain in Maine at 5,269 feet. It was


named "The Greatest Mountain" (Katahdin) by the Penobscot Indians. Stinky said he saw a moose somewhere along US1, but I think he was hallucinating because while I saw 10,000 signs warning of moose, I never saw a single one. Mind you, I’m not complaining. The last place I would have wanted to see one was on the road. Maine roads, especially this time of year, are pretty bad. They just haven’t had time to fix them yet from the winter damage. You have to watch for pot holes while riding a road that has humps and bumps that will bottom your suspension.

I’m not sure I can fully describe the feeling of entering the Madawaska city limits and realizing that you have successfully completed the USA Four Corners Tour; and knowing that you also bagged a 50CC Quest in the process. I can only say it felt great. It was a relief to know that we had beaten the clock and that we were no longer in a race against time. We got our time and date stamped gas receipt and then found the Post Office for our official picture with our towels.

The next stop was the Four Corners Park in Madawaska where riders who complete this journey can celebrate at the only park in the world dedicated to long distance motorcycling.


The Gateway Motel in Madawaska was just in the process of re-opening after some extensive remodeling. We opted to stay there because they have renamed their restaurant “The Four Corners Lounge” so we thought nothing could be as appropriate. As we checked in we found that we were only the third room checked out since their grand re-opening. Everything looks great on the surface, but as we found out, they had missed some of the details like putting cups and ice buckets in the rooms, the TVs did not work, the bathroom door jammed, etc. Stinky at one point used the old “lipstick on a pig” saying. The restaurant was only OK, but by Madawaska standards it might have been the best in town. But nothing could dim our spirits as we celebrated over dinner that night. SUNDAY – MAY 4, 2014 Madawaska ME to Raynham MA 485 Miles

Now all we had to do was get back home to Tennessee. We planned to ride the 485 miles to my son, Josh’s, house in Raynham, MA on Sunday. From Madawaska we headed a little further (about 20 miles) west on US1 to Ft. Kent, ME where US1 begins. It is generally recognized that US1 starts in Maine and ends in Key West, FL although some argue the reverse. We don’t really care, but having been to Key West many times and taking pictures at the mile 0 marker we couldn’t miss the bragging rights to having been on our bikes at the other end. We made such good time heading south once we got back on I-95 that it looked like we would get to Josh’s house by 2:00 PM. While we were traveling back on April 18th, Stinky got news of the birth of his new granddaughter, Allison Grace Chandler. With a new granddaughter in Kingsport, TN, Stinky decided to keep on riding and made it all the way to Pennsylvania before stopping. The

next day he would be in Kingsport holding Regan and Marla’s brand new baby girl. I would have done the same thing. For the first time in 22 days we parted company.


I made it to Josh’s house in great shape. My wife, Jerrie, had flown in a couple days earlier so I took the rest of Sunday and two more days to visit there. We had a great time there with Josh and his wife Tanya and made time to visit the best little Italian restaurant in the world, the Café Assisi, in Wrentham, MA. I planned a two day ride from Raynham back home going through Fayetteville, WV so that I could see the New River Gorge Bridge. WEDNESDAY – MAY 7, 2014 Raynham MA to Fayetteville WV 745 Miles

This would be a long day for me riding solo, but I was excited about seeing the New River Gorge Bridge. I have been through West Virginia several times but have never gone out of my way to Fayetteville. It started out cold this Wednesday morning. I think it was in the low 40s at Josh’s house, but by the time I got out closer to the coast it was 37o according to the Wing’s temperature gauge. It was sunny and soon warmed up to the 50s. I knew that sooner or later the traffic on I-95 would be backed up closer to New York City. Just south of Bridgeport, CT the interstate came to a grinding halt. It was stop and go mostly with a few stretches mixed in where you might get up to 40 mph for maybe a mile or so. This cost me at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half. But eventually I made the turn on I-287 to go up to the Tappan Zee Bridge to cross the Hudson River instead of going right through NYC and crossing on the George Washington Bridge.


I made good time to Northern Maryland and West Virginia heading west along the Pennsylvania border on I-68 before taking I-79 south to US19 and on into Fayetteville. Wonderful Wild West Virginia is what it says on the welcome signs and I found it just that way. I got to Fayetteville, WV around 6:00PM and checked into a Quality Inn right on US19. There were quite a few other bikes in the parking lot as this is a popular area for riding.

Because of the late hour I couldn’t get a good picture of the bridge so I had to do that the next morning. THURSDAY – MAY 8, 2014 Fayetteville WV to Nashville TN 470 Miles


This Thursday may have been best weather of the whole trip. I had heard from Stinky and he was home safe already. I had a ‘short’ day of only 470 miles ahead of me.

I made a brief stop at the bridge for this and a few other pictures. The steel arch bridge is 3,030 feet long and has an arch of 1,700 feet. When it first opened in 1977 it was the world's longest steel single-span arch bridge. Today it is the fourth longest. It remains one of the highest vehicular bridges in the world, and is currently the third highest in the United States. In 2005 it was pictured on the West Virginia state quarter. I rolled into my driveway fairly early on May 8 thanks to gaining an hour moving back to Central Time.

It was good to be home. A couple of days later I picked Jerrie up at the airport as she returned from Massachusetts. This was the motorcycle trip of a lifetime. It could not have been better. According to the odometer on the Wing we traveled about 11,400 miles. People usually ask us if we are still friends after all that time on the road together. The answer is a simple yes. Ron (Stinky) and I have worked and played together for three decades. This long trip was just icing on our cake – we are better friends now than we were before we left. Forevermore, Stinky and I will look back on this trip with big smiles on our faces.

The End

Stinky – Ron Chandler – Harley Road Glide

Buck – Mark King – Honda Goldwing 1800A

Documents

50CC & 4 Corners - 2014