Provided by Stan Jessup via his KING Clutch site
6/27/01 Day One; It's not about the destination
I loaded up last night after work, and it looks like the Beverly Hillbillies moved into my pick up. OK, so I'm a little anal about clutter; deal with it! We left Oregon headed for LA. This is a trip of about 1000 miles which we'll cover in about a day and a half. We plan to arrive at Kiwi Indian (organizer of The Century Ride Home) by mid afternoon on Thursday the 28th and get our instructions for the Friday start which will leave from California Speedway in Fontana.. Oregon is bi-seasonal; it's either hot, or cold/wet. You can always count on the latter when you plan a motorcycle trip, so I wasn't surprised when it started raining. This trip is going to be a little different for me since I'm usually faced with the dilemma of finding room for all the luggage for two people on one bike, but this time I have a support vehicle to carry all the extra stuff. This will leave the bike relatively free of clutter. I've gone over this trip so many times in my head, that I feel like I've already dealt with every possible known hazard (yeah, I know better). My wife (Sue), will be driving the pickup from LA to Springfield, MA., while I try to persuade my 51 year old Indian Chief to make the 3700 mile trip (one way) under it's own power. Sue has logged thousands of miles on the back of a bike, but she's starting to like the "fly and ride" plan (she flies, I ride). She isn't too keen on the idea of triple digit weather, so air conditioning and a CD player seemed to appeal to her more than the bike ride (go figure). She's actually endured more hazards on a bike than most women would tolerate (blazing heat, grasshopper infestations, driving rain, snow and lightning storms in New Mexico, sub zero 10,000 foot passes, break downs in South Dakota, hail storms and of course the horrible heat of Mitchell Oregon in August), but despite all that she still enjoys the adventures (I had to say something nice, or I'll pay dearly for the next 3 weeks). On the other hand, she's had the opportunity to see some of the most incredible sights that exist west of the Missouri river. Have you ever ridden through Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Pacific Coast Highway, Golden Gate Bridge, Chama pass, Glacier National Park, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee, The Badlands, glacier fields, Flathead lake, The Needles highway, Area 51, the extra testicle highway (or maybe it was extra terrestrial, but who keeps track), Nevada silver mines, Black Hills gold mines, Devils Tower, Cody Wyoming, Custer National Park, natural caves, Mohave Desert, Banff B.C., Lolo Pass ID., or the Continental Divide? How about seeing wild bear, Dahl sheep, mountain goats, moose, elk, buffalo or hand fed the wild burrows of the desert south west? Well, when you've seen all this without being wrapped in the cocoon of a car, you'll understand my point. When two Dahl sheep butt heads within 15 feet of you, it's an awesome experience that you won't soon forget. The hardest part of these trips is returning to the traffic and congestion associated with city life.
We made it to Fresno, CA today (about 700 miles), so tomorrow will be an easy trip. We should darken Kiwi's doorstep by early afternoon. My favorite Motel still leaves the light on for me, and now they have data connections in each room! This is too cool. Weather was crappy on and off till we were just south of Redding, CA, when it turned off in the high 70's or low 80's.California has nice weather, but that's where the "nice" part ends. I saw a sign at a gas stop that detailed the tax on each gallon of gas. It totaled about $.53 per gallon, of the average price of $1.90 for regular. The price jumped $.20 at the Oregon/Calif. border. There was a CHP motor Cop on Highway 99 just north of Fresno that broke some speed records to catch up to me, just to look at the bike and ask me what year. The way he came screaming up behind me, I was sure I was going to get pulled over.... More tomorrow, and maybe some pictures.
6/28/01 California Power Failure
I started the morning off by going to the truck to get some things, and when I went to close the door, my brain had a minor brown out. I ALWAYS lock the door with the remote, but not today. Yep, the keys were sitting on the seat. I always have a contingency plan, so I went over them in my head; A) Break the window B) Try the coat hangar method, or C) Call AAA. I liked B, (Sue laughed at me), but she liked C (She won). While the guy was unlocking the door, some old dude (I'm in Calif., so I can say that) backs straight into the wrecker, and messed his car up pretty good! There wasn't a scratch on the wrecker since he hit the rear lifting arm. While I was waiting, I spotted a Volvo wagon with a satellite dish clamped to the top. Worse yet, it was connected, and there was a wire strung into a room! Man some folks really have an addiction for TV, eh? We arrived at Kiwi around 1 PM, and exchanged insults with Steve as usual. Hung around for a bit, then headed to the Motel to sit by the pool and get sunburned (worse). Must be in the mid to upper eighties, but Sue is sure it's hotter. LA freeways suck. We meet at the Speedway tomorrow for some ceremonies, then head for Laughlin Nevada. Sue thinks it's hot here, wait till she gets to Laughlin!!! Bullhead City is usually the hottest place in the country, and Laughlin is just across the Colorado river from it. I can't wait to hear the whining..... More later. At the Motel in Riverside, there are a couple "new Indians" from N Carolina, a new BMW, 45 Police Chief as well as my 1950.
6/29/01 Time To Ride 'Em If You Got 'Em
Todays start will be from the California Speedway in Fontana Calif.. We'll meet Steve Adams at the Kiwi shop, then travel to the start point for some breakfast. For the start of the ride, there was to be a meeting at the California Speedway where we would get our instructions for the day, do a lap around the track and do some media shots. After the photo op, we headed for the desert crossing with the final destination of the day being Laughlin Nevada. The anticipated arrival time was 5 p.m. Well, it didn't exactly work out that way. My bike was the first casualty of the day when it started spewing oil on the exhaust, which made finding me real easy. Upon inspection, there was just too big of a mess to try and find the source, so I sent the sweep truck on it's way and called Sue (she was already 70 miles ahead and glad to be out of the L.A. traffic). I told her where to find me and rode the bike to the first exit to wait, and I'll be damned if there wasn't a tavern there! I estimated the wait to be about 1-1/2 pitchers and I was about dead right!
With the triple digit heat, several bikes had trouble with mostly minor failures. One of the Gilroy Indians that was pulling a trailer blew a head gasket due to the load and heat. One other one went down with an electrical failure. One 47 Chief cooked his battery and another one had his battery depart the bike and get run over by a car. At one desert gas stop, the temp was reported to be 125 which caused one rider to pass out at that fuel stop.
The main group finally made it to Laughlin at around 9 p.m. and the temp was hovering at 106 in the shade. I worked on the Chief, hoping to solve the problem and be able to ride it the next day with the group to Flagstaff.
6/30/01 Running on Empty and Smokin All The Way
Five of us decided to take off for Oatman ahead ot the group in hopes of beating some of the heat. Oatman is a cute little old town that was a mining town many years ago. It's mainly a tourist stop on old Route 66 now. Oatman is famous for it's wild resident Burrows, who meander into town mid-morning hoping a tourist will buy them a carrot. One burrow got tired of waiting and walked up the ramp and stuck his head in the carrot barrel and munched away. e stopped in the local watering hole there to get some water, keep cool, and wait for the rest of the group to arrive. We left ahead of the group again, and headed over the back-side of the mountain to Kingman, where we would meet up with the group and fuel up. I'm still losing oil and smoking, but temp is only about 100 so I'm going for it. From Kingman we headed out Route 66 for about 60 miles to Seligman where we would jump on I-40 and dash for lunch at Flagstaff Harley Davidson. By the time we made the HD shop, we were all leaking oil pretty good from the heat. The Pokey Group as we have become known, are all running stock range counter sprockets, so going 70 isn't really an option for us. I had some trouble restarting the Chief when we went to make the run to Flagstaff, so I stayed behind to let it cool off. Once I got started, I ran it harder than I should have, and may have caused the premature death of the engine, but we'll see.
7/1/01 Long hot run through the high desert
I made the decision (couldn't start the bike) to load it up in the truck and make a fast dash to Albuquerque to see if I could cure some of the problems. Good day for the bike to turn cranky since Friday was about 300 miles, Saturday was around 200, and today was 330. Anyway, it gave me a good opportunity to take some pictures. If the bike just won't run, the group has promised to duct tape me to the bike and I can ride across America that way! Have beer, will travel. The Pokey Group consists of Dave Hinshaw (first rider to register), myself, Greg (aka Gary) Johnson, John Rosier, Doug Twinkle Toes Pierce on a new Indian. Dugal James from Australia shipped his bike over here for the ride. Edwin Votel from Holland is on his HD bagger, Mike Plate on his new Indian with sidecar, Russ and Carter Williamson on a BMW, Steve "Crotch Rocket" Adams (our organizer and fearless leader) is on Kiwi's new repro motor powered Chief, Mike Kiwi Tomas ( click on each name, 4 pix) started on a 48 but is now on a 38 Chief, Wally Gillman is on a black Chief, Mike Lamb on a chopper Chief, Big John and his brother Chris are on HD's. Nevada Bob Clift is towing his Chief and completing assembly on the road. When it's done, he says he'll ride it and send the tow rig home (Huh?!?!?!). I don't have a shot of Joe, who is driving the sweep/parts truck, but this is a shot of him from the rear. There are many riders that I haven't mentioned, as well as spouses and friends, but I'll try to cover that as we move along. Looks like I may have the Chief fixed, so if I can test it tonight, I'm back on the road again!
7/2/01 More Hell In Fun (Yes, We ARE Having Fun)
What day is it and where are we? We left Albuquerque and headed for Amarillo Texas. The temp was 100 again, but it's a dry heat (yeah,right). Fixed the oil spew and fuel leakage problems on my bike. Made 2 gas stops and I grabbed third gear and blew the rear wheel studs. This happened while we were taking one of those scenic detours. Sue was only 17 minutes behind us so I didn't have to wait long. Loaded up the bike and racked up a few more hound dog (Harley) miles. Nevada Bob Clift fired up his bike on the first stroke and rode it all day. He was a happy man, till he realized that Topsiders without socks would get your ankles sunburned.
We stopped in for BBQ sponsored by Amarillo Indian. They were the epitome of southern hospitality. I got to use a lift and anything I needed to get the bike running again. They kept the shop open well past the 7 p.m. closing time so I could finish. I finished up around 8:15 and we headed to the motel to check in. Then we headed over to break-down central to work on some more broken bikes till 11 p.m. Internet connections wouldn't work so I gave up after about 50 tries.
Texas is an odd place! Where else will you find a Cadillac farm?
7/3/01 Weather is here, wish you were beautiful!
The day started at 6 A.M. and the Pokey group headed out for a 380 mile day of fun on the way to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Almost immediately I had an electrical issue to deal with, which was repaired roadside while I sent the group on ahead. While picking up the pace to catch the group, I caught up to Greg Johnson just as his rear tire was going flat. The rest of the fun started in Shamrock , the first gas stop, when I went to re-start the bike and exploded the outer starter gear. Back into the truck it went. More Harley miles. Proceeded to the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma where I loaded my bike into Greg Johnson's trailer so I could play chase vehicle for the day. Just when I was starting to get used to country music, I lost the group and had to sit along side the freeway till they showed up. I TOLD you they were pokey. One of the riders that joined us at Clinton (Paul, as I recall) started having trouble with his bike through Oklahoma City and we were aided by a very nice police officer named Steve Howell (ohpharley@aol.com), who helped us load the bike for some Harley miles. At that point we realized we were going to be slightly late for the BBQ at the Tulsa Indian Dealer. Twenty miles short of Tulsa, Dave Hinshaw's Chief started having fuel problems, which we discovered to be caused by a ruptured fuel line. Luckily, he broke down right in front of Domino's pizza so we didn't miss dinner. In the 95 degree heat we sat on the side of the road and devised a repair to get him into Tulsa. One other Indian, that I'm aware of, was towed in and I understand the two Harley riding mechanics (John and Chris) are missing in action somewhere in Oklahoma with disabled vehicles.
Sue rode with Kelley Johnson and Irene Kemp and they seem to be way beyond the bonding stage. It seems to me that they now know WAY too many sheep jokes and alien probe stories. All of this is new to Kelley. She had no prior knowledge of Roswell and Area 51. Sue and Paul Pierce filled her in. Irene was a bit reserved when she first got here and I'm afraid her husband won't want her back when the trip is over!
This really seemed like a good idea a week ago, but we're still having fun. We still have a long way to go and more parts to break. Nobody has had trouble with their King Clutch and the MotoValves are in high demand due to oil loss from the heat! The project Chief has had no failures of the prototype or one-off parts and all the failures have been with original Indian designed parts.
We missed the BBQ and headed to break-down central to wrench on bikes until 12:30 a.m. then realized, as we got to our motel, that we left all our luggage sitting in the parking lot at break-down central and had to go back and get it. Checked in at 1 a.m. and realized that we had left all the tools sitting in the parking lot too. We found an internet connection at 1:30 and typed all this and went to bed. (Sue is typing and Stan is dictating). It's 2 a.m. and we are going to bed. Have to be up at 8 tomorrow (actually today) to ride again.
7/4/01 Happy 4th of July America!
Since it was very late when I got the starter gear I needed, I hauled the bike today and rushed to Springfield to have time to make repairs. Frenchy (Andre) showed up while I was making the repairs, and we are now starting to pick up more riders. (Bob Chapman, East Coast Scud, Matt Blake, NY John, and many more) The bikes rode through Branson, MO. and took the scenic route. They arrived at the Motel around 5 PM, with only one incident, which turned out to be a broken wire. They had a great day of riding on some very nice roads, without doing any time on the Interstate. I did some general maintenance, and fixed the broken starter gear. When the group arrived, several riders wanted their valves adjusted, so I explained that I wouldn't do theirs, but I would be happy to supervise a group adjustment session. I think we only had 2 of them get the distributors in backwards the first time. Tomorrow we head for Mt Vernon, Ill. One bike has a scored piston, so he's (Mike Lamb) currently trying to make emergency repairs so he can continue. Maybe Mike will have his chopper Chief on the road soon. I have to try to fire my Chief in the morning, and make sure it touches the pavement in Missouri. Tomorrow is another long day of almost 400 miles, and we are supposed to take off at 7 AM. While working on the bikes, a Stealth Bomber did 2 flyovers, which was a huge treat. That's not something you see every day! Gas is CHEAP here! I paid $1.199 for regular unleaded today. That sure beats the $2.00 a gallon in California.
7/5/01 Water and Electricity Don't Mix
Well, with a long day ahead we were planning a 7 AM start. That was called due to heavy rain and lightning. I have one rule about riding in the rain.... It's ok to get caught in it, but stupid to start in it. I decided to drive the chase rig. The main group took off for Mt Vernon, Ill at about 9 AM. The Pokey Posse had several issues develop..... John Rosier's bike spun the fuel valve on the right tank, so we had to bypass it, and run on the left side only, which meant he had a maximum range of about 50 miles. Once that was fixed, he had a wet electrical system, and some loose connections. Once repaired, we headed down the road only to have Dave Hinshaw's bike start running on one cylinder. By now, the weather was beautiful (of course). Several minor problems were cured, but still no fire in the rear cylinder. We loaded the bike up and headed down the road (11:45 AM). When we made the first gas stop, I jumped in the back of the truck and opened the valve covers to discover his exhaust tappet had loosened. Cured in a matter of minutes, we took of to catch the rest of the PP's. The St Louis stop was canceled due to time, caused by the rain delay. We arrived in Mt Vernon at 7:30 (Greg Johnson got separated from us and we spent some time searching for him in some little one horse town). We had dinner at Dale Walksler's Wheels Through Time Museum (Thanks Dale). He has an awesome collection of vintage bikes, many of which I had never seen before. We did a little wrenching in the parking lot since he had good lighting. On the way to the Motel, I thought I seized the motor, but now I think it may just be a blown rear head gasket (looks like I'm truck driver again). I've officially had the bike on the ground in every state we have been in, but it seems to like riding in the back of the truck better than pounding the pavement. I only have one full day of riding without some stupid thing happening that sidelines the bike to await repairs. I guess I know what I'll be doing on Saturday (our first day off) while everyone else gets to go to the AMA museum. A Journalist (Mike Bulda/News Producer for channel 22 WWLP) from Springfield Mass., has been with us since the start, and he is planning to put together a video of the trip. The station he works for has been posting what he sends in on their web site(click here to check it out). I haven't had time to look at it, but I hope you enjoy it. At least the wives had the beer on ice when we got to the Motel. It's almost midnight, and I need to be up at the crack of dawn so that's all for today.
7/6/01 The Long and Winding Road To HELL!
With the Chief disabled again, and in need of a tear down, I decided to blast down the interstate, and see if I could get it torn down and repaired when I got to Columbus. Shit! I lost another hour in a time change someplace.... I took the heads off, and the front piston did scorch some, and the James' gasket had turned to very crispy dust. I also have a couple inserts that are starting to pull out, so it'll be pretty dicey to keep the top end together, but I'm gonna try it. I gooped the hell out of a new set of gaskets, cleaned up the old mess, and put it back together, finishing around 9 PM (Just beating darkness). The riders had a 400 mile day, but I had guessed (barring problems) that they should arrive at about 6-7 PM. The Pokey boys actually showed up before everyone (trailers excepted), and they didn't get in till about 11 PM! Greg (Pokey Posse Lead Man) rode the last 50 miles with no headlight (Again). Guess he didn't realize his dimmer switch was not in position, and he forgot to try the spot lights (yeah, he took some ribbing). Dugal James took a spot light from another bike, and duct taped it to his bike to cure his lack of lights. I guess it was an ugly day of small breakdowns and heavy traffic. Just a good thing the Booze Hags (Kelly Johnson, Sue Jessup and Irene Kemp {maiden name Booberknock} honest!) had the beer on ice and ready. Saturday, we rest up and go to the AMA museum for Media Day in the afternoon. We had about 15 new folks join us in Columbus (I think this is where Joe Madrid, his son, Gary Lamothe, Jeff Alperin and George Yarocki joined us), which is good, as we need some fresh blood to harass. I'll see if the Chief will fire in the morning. I've now lost both flag poles, and all but one flag. VI shirts will be the attire for the Museum.
7/7/01 15 Minutes Of Fame
Well, today was Media day at the AMA Museum where we were greeted by an amazingly large crowd and group of reporters. It appears many more people are reading these updates than I ever expected, based on the number of comments I received. I was determined to have the Chief running for the ride to the Museum, which I accomplished, but due to heat from sitting and idling for too long, it got pretty hot. Just as I entered the driveway, I lost fire in the rear cylinder but managed to make it to the front door. While I was there, a reporter from Speedvision did a short interview with me, and of course the Pokey Posse was in the background doing the Wayne's World bow and chanting "We're not worthy" (bunch of wise asses). It kinda sucks to get your 15 minutes of fame because you have had the most problems on the trip, but what the hell. We were wearing our Virtual Indian shirts, which were well photographed. I don't get Speedvision, so if anyone sees the interview, and tapes it, I'd like to get a copy. Anyway, when we returned, I fixed the fouled rear jug, so I hope to ride tomorrow when we head for Cumberland, MD (I think). We spent the rest of the day working on bikes, and I did a small session on the KING clutch installation, using Nevada Bob and Greg "Skipper" Johnson's bikes as guinea pigs. Bob has taken a lot of ribbing about his quantity of girlfriends, and their possible origins. Greg has been dubbed "Skipper" because we feel like the stranded crew from Gilligan's Island, that only signed up for a 3 hour tour. The Booze Hags painted up the windows of one of the chase rigs in their off time. They did an excellent job of keeping the beer cold and fetching food today, so they deserve a big thanks from all of the Pokey Posse members. More tomorrow if we get in at a reasonable hour.
PS Ohio drivers are the worst I've encountered.
7/8/01 Sweet revenge
Okay, so having to load the bike up in front of the media wasn't such a good thing, but she ran like a Swiss watch today. Finally, a day of solid riding. We rode from Columbus Ohio to Cumberland, MD.. Sorry there was no update yesterday, but there wasn't any ISP connection, and we had to do the maintenance for the next day. No big news, as everyone seems to have worked out the bugs, except Joe, who got the Freightliner stuck, but it was easily pulled out with a smaller truck. Looks like Mike Lambs Bike is out unless he can rebuild the lower end soon. A couple of the new entries had mechanical problems that appear to have sent them packing for home. One BMW rider decided to leave the ride, but we picked up so many new riders that the group is growing to an almost unmanageable size. Keep in mind, we are doing all this for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and any donations you could make will help them fight this disease, and find a cure. Click on the Century Ride logo at the top, to get the address, and please send a donation for this worthy cause.
7/9/01 We Be Kickin' Some Butt!
The Pokey Posse was one of the first groups to arrive in Harrisburg, PA! Yes, the Chief ran perfectly, and I only had one problem, which was just a fouled plug, and fixed in a matter of minutes. We rode through some beautiful country, and went through Gettysburg, PA.. Since the Pokey's didn't break anything, we did our maintenance early, ordered pizza, and sent the Booze Hags off on a shopping trip. Tomorrow, we go to Bob's Indian, then we will play a round of golf. I suspect the Booze Hags will go to Hershey, and maybe Intercourse, PA (they want Tee shirts from there). We are picking up more and more riders at each stop, but the Pokey Posse still rules the roost.
7/10/01 Posse Leader Goes Hollywood
Today was a day off, which allowed time for tours to Hershey or the York, PA Harley plant.The Pokey Posse went to Bob's Indian and then some of us went to play a round of golf. While at Bob's, Pokey leader Greg Johnson was chosen for a live segment during the 5 o'clock news on the local ABC affiliate. Of course, he got in a nice plug for the Posse. He's kind of hard to live with now that he's had his moment of fame. The bike was running great until it came time for a publicity photo, when it stuck a valve. With the light fading, I tore the rear cylinder down to make emergency repairs so the bike would be ready to head for Binghamton NY in the morning. I finished the repairs with a flashlight. We'll see in the morning if it's going to be willing to make the ride. We're getting down to the last few days, and the group is growing rapidly at every stop. The Pokey Posse is now sporting laser cut signs which signifies the original Pokey group that started the trip in California (late comers may NOT be official Posse members, although we welcome all riders to ride along). Each night seems to turn into a big tailgate party which usually runs till the wee hours of the night. Time to go to bed so I have the energy to make the ride tomorrow. It's currently 11:45 PM, but we have a light day tomorrow.
7/11/01 Another Day, Another State
Today, we had a short 160 mile ride to Binghamton, NY. The Pokey's took the interstate to save some time, while the main group took the scenic route (they were lost). It's starting to set in, that we only have 2 more stops before this saga will end. For those keeping track, there are now about 3 Scouts making the last legs of the journey (I don't count "new" Indians). A group from Germany joined us, as well as our first Canadian rider. Paul Pierce and Dugal James tried the patience of one of New York's finest when they stomped all over several motor vehicle regulations while trying to remain together. Dugal's accent and Paul's line of bull helped them avoid some large fines and penalties (public indecency was one of the possibilities for citation). I'm sure the explanation of the Century Ride didn't hurt either. The Chief ran pretty well today considering the surgery I did last night. We only had to stop for a couple minor loosening issues on some of the bikes, so there were no big breakdowns. The Booze Hags were put in charge of the charity raffle ticket sales, and they cleaned up (Irene is a killer with her Wisconsin accent). There was a small concert at the Hotel, then we went back to Pokey Central for a couple beers and a bull session. As I understand the schedule, we leave for Schenectady NY tomorrow. On Friday, we will gather at the NY/MA border and we'll have a police escort across the memorial bridge in to town. On Saturday, there is a parade, media, photos, etc. in Springfield, then we will likely have an informal gathering to say good bye to all our new friends. Sunday is Indian day, and we'll attend the event, then visit the Indian museum on Hendee St. Directly after the Museum, we will head west for home. More tomorrow.
7/12/01 Pokey Leads The Way Again
Leaving Binghamton, the Pokey Posse decided to take the direct route to allow some time for rest (or repairs) as need be. We took an uneventful ride up the interstate at our usual 50 mph, with occasional bursts to a blistering 60 mph. During a long uphill climb passing a slow truck, I felt the unmistakable shudder of a seizure beginning in the front cylinder (already did that once, remember), so I had to pull over to let it cool down after cresting the hill. We made it to Schenectady and stopped to fuel up for the morning. I lost the rear cylinder valve seat again when we went to leave. Due to our decision to take the direct route, I had plenty of time to make some "bush repairs", that I think will get me to Springfield if I take it easy. Booze Hags had the beer on ice, so life was getting better until it started to rain. Did I mention that we beat the main group by at least 2 hours? A group from Germany just joined the ride, and they had a bike with a broken tappet adjuster. They were just finishing the final assembly when I went to the parking lot the next morning! The Police came by the parking lot, and warned us that we were in an unsavory area, which is infested by crime and unfriendly motorcycle gangs (not us). The decision was made to lock all the bikes together, then "circle the trailers" to form a perimeter. There were no problems overnight, but then again, the Germans were up all night working by flashlights.
7/13/01 What Could Go Wrong On Friday The 13th!?
This is the beginning of the end of the trip. Today, we will ride into Pittsfield, MA for some ceremonies and lunch, then off to the reception in Springfield. At Lebanon, just outside Pittsfield, we were picked up by a Police motorcade which would escort us to downtown Springfield, later in the day. We had a nice lunch in Pittsfield, then departed for a Police Barracks for staging before making the 45 minute ride into downtown. The order was set up so that the riders who had been with the ride since the beginning would lead the procession, followed by the riders who joined in the later stages. I believe there are around 20 riders who made the entire trip, with pre 1954 Indians. The ride was absolutely incredible! For miles outside Springfield, there were people sitting along side the road, waiting to take pictures and wave. The closer to town we got the bigger the crowds were. The reception in downtown was unbelievable.... What we all started as an adventure, was obviously much bigger than we had ever dreamed. These folks who turned out, came out to support us, and thank us for coming to their city. I can't describe the feeling I got, when we rode across the bridge into town, and I saw the faces of the people lining the streets, as we passed under banners and the American flag. The street was closed in front of city hall for us to park, and the riders of the old bikes were cheered, applauded and questioned about the ride. Several folks recognized the VI Chief, and apparently read some of these updates, since they expressed their thanks for giving them a way to follow the trials and tribulations of the trip. After an evening reception, we moved the bikes to the Civic Center, where they were secured for the night. Tomorrow, there are several events planned, and the bikes will be on display for the public to view and ask questions of the riders. Please don't think this trip is over; there are many more activities to attend, as well as the Indian Museum on Sunday morning. I'll let you know about the events I attend, and try to get some more pictures, which I will upload and link, when I get home again, in about a week. I would like to thank the people of Springfield for the wonderful and touching reception. It's impossible for me to describe the sense of accomplishment and pride that many of us felt when we saw all those people cheering and clapping. It's been a very hard journey, but each of us would gladly do it again after seeing the reception in downtown Springfield. One thing that shouldn't be overlooked is the fact that this event is also a fund raiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation who desperately needs our help. Please take a moment to send them what ever donation you can. Just click on the Century Ride link or logo at the top, and mail your donation to The Century Ride Home c/o Kiwi Indian. Unfortunately, several of the final day riders were NOT registered, and simply jumped into the group. These riders should be ashamed of themselves. This event was to raise funds for a worthy charity.
7/14/01 Indian Display in the Courtyard
Today was the end of the official Century Ride Home event. We lined the bikes up in the courtyard in the City Center, and had the opportunity to talk with all the folks who came to have a look at all the bikes. We sat in the park, had a few beers, and some great conversations.
7/15/01 Indian Day 2001
We're loaded for the trip home, so we took a cab to 33 Hendee Street to visit the Museum, and say goodbye to all our new friends. The Museum is well worth the admission and if you are ever in the area, don't skip the chance to visit. They don't allow photos inside (oops), but they never said a word to me about packing mine around. A very nice gentleman met us at the entrance, and escorted us around back where we were allowed to enter before the museum opened without waiting in the long lines. Hey, we're starting to feel like celebrities! Fred Marsh was in attendance. We saw most of the group from the ride, and were able to say our farewells and exchange addresses. We didn't stay long, since we have a very long trip home, and we want to try to stop by Cotten's shop in Lacon, Ill. We should make it there by late Monday unless we get side tracked. Then, we are going to try to make it to Arches National Park in Utah. We'll follow Greg and Kelly Johnson since they are going to see Cotten too. Greg chose a nice "rustic" motel for us just west of Youngstown, Ohio.
7/15/01 Where the hell is Lacon, Ill? (Part II)
We arrived at Liberty Motorcycles by about 3 PM. We chatted with Cotten, looked over his shop, and asked a lot of questions. He showed us his magneseum project Harley that he's been working on for years, and hopes to complete sometime soon (nice project, but I'd rather see him finish his Chief). If you ever get to central Illinois don't miss the chance to see some of his tooling, and the layout of his shop. Cotten may be a bit obsessed with organization (the shop is full, but spotless, and everything is covered with sheets or plastic tarps). Cotten makes the PEEK intake seals, and does radical salvage work. His primary focus is on engine building, but he does other work as time allows. Well, it's late, and I'm in Des Moines, Iowa with another long day ahead tomorrow, so I'm going to bed.! Finally gained an hour back, and I'm too tired to care about it. We're starting to look forward to getting home.
7/16/01 On The Road Again (Still)
From Des Moines, our goal for the day is Grand Junction Colorado. My wife's mother grew up in Nebraska, and she insisted we drive through a couple of the towns. One of them was off the beaten path, and took us quite a ways south of I-80, so I decided to scratch Kansas off the list of states I had never visited, since we were close. Turns out I must be well known in Kansas, since there was a nice man in a uniform, just waiting to present me with a commendation from the state of Kansas! He must have thought it was important, since he had a car with a lot of well hidden, flashing red and blue lights. Even though it was only hand written, it's the thought that counts, eh? Once we finished exchanging pleasantries, I told Sue that there couldn't be another cop in a hundred miles that would be cruising the corn fields.... I was wrong. There were 5 more of them before I could reach the border.
7/17/01 If You Ever Get To Denver....
I've never driven through Denver, but I was pretty sure arriving at 5 PM was a bad idea. I was right. The good news is, leaving Denver on I-70 headed west, you climb over Vail summit at 10,666 feet, and follow the Colorado river through the Rockies. This is one of the most beautiful stretches of highway you can imagine. If I ever have the opportunity to ride this road on a modern bike, I'm sure it will be pure pleasure. Sure, an Indian ride would be good, but at 75 mph posted limit, you'd get killed for sure, and the stock Indian brakes could never take the punishment of the hills and turns. Temps felt to be around 80-85, and the visibility was spectacular. We finally made it to Grand Junction around 10 PM, and yes, Tom Boddett left the light on for me. I'm still having a tough time knowing where I am, what day it is, and where I was yesterday...
7/18/01 The Mad Dash For The Border.
Leaving Colorado, we crossed into Utah and raced to find the Arches National Park. This was pretty interesting, and if you are in the area, I'd say it's worth seeing. We didn't leave the park until around noon, with hopes of cutting the remaining distance to home down substantially. Let's see, hitting Salt Lake city at 4:30.... seems like I should know better than this! With the 75 mph limits, we were really knocking down some miles, and soon crossed into Idaho. At around 8:30 PM, with 150 miles to go to get to Boise, we had a rear tire separate (just like a Firestone, but it wasn't). If you've ever been stuck in Bugsplat, Idaho you know the feeling. I pulled over and changed to the spare, but just in case, I cruised through "town" just to make sure I couldn't get a new tire (confirmed). We crossed into Oregon at about 11:30, with about 450 miles to go. I tried the "just one more town" game with Sue until I had her convinced we could make it home. We finally had to pull over for a nap, about 100 miles from home. 25 hours after our day started, we arrived home to discover our dogs didn't recognize us!
The Aftermath
8,490 miles, 25 states, 22 days. This was NOT a trip, but more of a life experience. During my time on this adventure, I have had the pleasure of meeting and associating with some of the finest people I have ever encountered. Whether they were Indian enthusiasts, or just folks along the way, isn't really relevant because they were all genuine, sincere and real. To the folks of Springfield who turned out for the arrival of the group to your beautiful city; you made the trip more special than I can express. I just hope that through all the difficulties we encountered, we raised the dollars for Cystic Fibrosis that will find the cure for this horrible disease.. To George Wheelock (Read about George on the Century Ride Site), my thoughts will be with you always. To Steve "Wrong Way" Adams, who coordinated all the events and organized this ride; I hope to see you again on the 5 year anniversary ride. To the "Booze Hags" (Irene Kemp, Kelley Johnson & Sue Jessup); Thanks for all the help and support. I'll never open another cold beer without thinking of you guys. To "Nevada" Bob, I hope all your gambles go as well as this one did for you (I have a special picture for you, but you didn't give me your email address). To "Pokey" Dave, forget everything you heard! For God's sake, you're only 14! To Greg Johnson, John Rosier, Dave Hinshaw, Doug & Paul Pierce (I know I missed a bunch of you), you're what made the trip for me. Thank you. The "Pokey Posse" will ride again! The group started small, and grew along the way, but for the small band of rag tag, original Indian riders that started in Riverside, CA., and made it to Springfield, MA., this trip could never be improved on. The ride is over, but Cystic Fibrosis isn't. Do your part today to eliminate this killer of young people all over the world. No excuses.... Send a donation today, and feel better about yourself.
For more information on the VI/Century Ride Project Chief click HERE