Motorcycle Adventure, Day 25
When I got to Murdo, SD last night I was more tired than I thought, plus I had lost an hour, so my metabolic clock is askew again. The weather forecast looked decent, but that did not come to pass. It was windy again and thick black ominous clouds were off to the south before I had to turn into them at I-35 in Albert Lea, Minnesota. I stopped for fuel and a trike pulled up and I asked him if he had come from the south. He had, and he informed me it was raining. I reluctantly put on the rain suit and proceeded south. By the time I got to Charles City, Iowa it was lightening, dark clouds everywhere, but no rain. The weather channel was calling for severe thunderstorms, dangerous lightning, pea sized hail and damaging winds. I took the three mile ride into town just in case I needed to seek shelter. No sooner had I got there when heavy rain appeared. I pulled into a gas station with an overhead covering and the bottom fell out. For the first time in days I had phone service, so I called the missus and told her what was going on. As it was 1700 she suggested I call it a day and I concurred. The rain let up and I found a room for the night and went to a Mexican restaurant for chow. I was sitting in a booth watching the clouds break up and by the time I finished eating the sky was blue, the sun was out and the wind was gone. It is perfect weather as I type this report at 1925. I had intended riding until it got dust, but it would have been an exercise in futility as I still would not have been able to make it home by Sunday. I have resigned myself to the fact it will take four days to get home, two of which are completed. If tomorrow’s weather is like it is right now, it will be perfect. To answer Robermv32 and flipper’s questions, in no particular order. I try to wear my leather jacket as much as possible to avoid the elements. When it is to hot, I use the cooling vest and make sure I slather exposed skin with sun block. Although I brought a half helmet with me, it has remained in the tour pack for the entire trip. I wear a ¾ helmet with a smoked screen. I brought a clear screen with me, but I have not used it yet, nor do I anticipate using it at this juncture. I do not ride without a helmet, even in states where it is allowed. My bike is about as stock as you can get! With the exception of the Marine Corps emblems, highway pegs and luggage rack (which I put on a few weeks before this adventure) it is just like it came from the factory. No special seat, no TFI, no after market pipes, nuthin’! The “lot of stuff” is a tarp, sleeping bag in a waterproof bag, wrapped in the motorcycle cover and a ground pad. People ask me if I’m camping and I have to tell ’em I’m a credit card camper. The “stuff” on the luggage rack was brought along for a significant emergency, like being stuck in the middle of nowhere without phone service. It has not been used and that’s exactly what I wanted to happen to it. My rain suit and motorcycle cover was given to me by a buddy that got out of motorcycling. The rain suit works, but I wouldn’t enter a fashion contest with it. The bike cover is made for a geezer glide. It has a slit in the rear that is held together with heavy duty Velcro. When you pull it apart the long antennas go through it and it seals back up. It covers the entire bike and has a strap that goes under the bike to snug it up if it is windy. I do not claim to be an authority on what to take, but I have done another similar adventure on a softail deuce and I think I have got it figured out, for me anyway. I will certainly give anyone my opinion regarding this topic if they ask. I packed almost perfectly for this trip, but I still brought more than I needed. The nice thing about the geezer glide is having more than enough room to put it all. Having said that, I am not two-up! That would made a significant difference. That reminded me of a modification that I made; I took the passenger foot pegs off my bike. A few pictures to follow.
