Trip Plan at Last

OK, you'll see I figured out how to put in a countdown clock. Old dog, new trick!

As promised, HOG sent the "trip guide" for the Mothering the Motor Road Tour. Its a neat book: The EZ66 Guide for Travelers by Jerry McClanahan. Apparently somewhere on the trip we actually get to meet the author. He has done an incredible job of documenting the Mother Road from Chicago to LA. Factoid: Over 85% of old US 66 exists in one form or another.

So anyway here's MY plan. All dates September:

6 - York PA
7 - H-D Factory tour then hit the Lincoln Highway (US 30) - Greensburg PA
8 - Lima OH
9 - Chicago Hts (old family home - where my folks departed from 60 years ago to head to California
10-12 - Register and join up with the HOG part of the tour
13 - Springfield IL
14 - St Louis MO
15 - Springfield MO (more family here!)
16 - Tulsa OK
17-18 - Oklahoma City OK
19 - Amarillo TX
20-21 - Albuquerque NM (though I may ride up to Gallup on 21)
22 - Flagstaff AZ
23 - Grand Canyon (my detour - HOG ride goes to Kingman)
24 - Needles CA
25 - Ontario CA

One sobering thought is that I plan to spend the better part of three weeks in the open...my estimate is 2900 miles and about 66 hours running time for the whole trip. That will be a complete unknown.

So anyway that's the plan. Plans are good, they get me thinking in the right direction. But plans are a bit like hopes: they are at each instant replaced by reality. Once I get moving I'm thinking I should adopt a Buddhist outlook: Surrender hope: you can only live in the moment. Maybe that way I won't miss the giants!

Some Basics

So, having gone slightly goofy and bought my dream machine, there were some preliminaries. First I did not yet have a motorcycle endorsement on my driver's licience, so there was a bit of a delay. And freedom isn't free and its not even cheap!

Best $ I ever spent was to take the Harley Davidson Riders Edge course. In four days I was up and running and took my first ride on the Pearl the evening of the last day. More importantly, the Virginia DMV recognizes this course qualifying you to get your endorsement, a real plus. If you are reading this and thinking of doing the same, take the course!

And then there was gear. I'll be more specific later, but I got about $450 worth of gear. Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, and a reflectorized vest. Fortunately my dealer gave me an in-store credit that handled this and then a bit.

The other thing my dealer did for me was provide my first year's membership in the Harley Owners Group (HOG). You'll be reading about them more over the course of this blog as they are the sponsors of the trip that this is all about.

Since then I've added an adequate rain suit and a set of bags. I think I am set for this trip.

What's this all about?

Good question! Last summer after 30+ years of not riding, I purchased a 2005 Harley Davidson Road King Custom!

<-- Here it is, the hobby I call the Black Pearl.

This picture was taken on Route 30 heading out of Gettysburg a few weeks back.

But this blog is really about preparing for and doing the Harley Owner's Group Ride of the Mother Road this September 11-25. Starting in Tinley Park IL, we will be following Route 66 out west, ending in Ontario, CA. At least that's the plan!

Wilder still, MY plan is to head to Chicago from my home in Northern Virginia hitting the old Lincoln Highway, US Route 30) which runs right to the formal trip starting point. So nothing ventured, nothing gained; no fool like and old fool; etc., etc. You're welcome along for the ride!