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PERIMETER RUN - A TRIP AROUND THE EDGE OF THE UNITED STATES |
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WELCOME TO THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME. MAY YOU ENJOY THE TRIP, TOO. |
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APRIL 11, 2006, PROLOGUE TO THE TRIP AROUND THE EDGE OF THE UNITED STATES This entry was posted on 4/11/2006 2:33 PM and is filed under 2006,APRIL 11.
At the time, retirement seemed like a very long way off, but the discussions about the fabled trip not only continued, but flourished with every new idea about the proposed undertaking. Atlas's were perused at odd intervals and a lot of "what if's" were considered. In the meantime, motorcycle journeys were undertaken that turned out to be practice runs for the Perimeter Run that steps off June 1, 2006. Taking marathon trips on the motorcycle is not a new thing for me. My farthest trip on my first motorcycle (Honda Street Scrambler 350) was back to my home town in Ohio. What a butt aching pain in the - butt - that was. It was also a major learning experience. Chief among the things learned was I needed a bigger bike. When I decided that I was ready for the "big leagues" I settled on a Honda 750 K model (1981). After I learned the ins and outs of controlling this machine I took longer trips through Ohio and Michigan, and once, even into upstate New York. A large June bug hit me at some awfully fast combined speed, nearly knocking me off the bike on one trip. I learned some more things. I needed to get a fairing to avoid being hit by objects that hurt like living hell. I also installed a tandem sidecar on this machine, built right here in Hartland Michigan. My Ride by Side Sidecar was to provide many happy memories for my entire family. After learning valuable lessons about cycling through experience and reading every known publication concerning the running of sidecars, I took my family on some short runs back to the Ohio homesteads. Those excursions made me realize that I needed yet another larger displacement machine. The kids were getting bigger, and Mary loved to shop. For months I looked at Tradin' Times issues for Honda Gold Wings that looked promising. One in particular kept showing up in each issue. I thought there was something wrong with it, so I didn't call on it. Every issue that came out, though, would have this same advertisement in it. Mary, God bless her, kept telling me that I was NOT getting a new motorcycle. No, I am NOT getting a new motorcycle. No, No, No, No. and NO. We went for a ride one night down to Lincoln Park, Michigan, which, coincidentally enough, happened to be the town where this particularly repetitive Gold Wing was garaged. I thought we might call and see if we could take a look. The couple agreed and we appeared at their doorstep. The lady of the house gave me all the service records for the bike, and everything looked very good. When the husband returned with the bike, I gave it a very specific going over, asking many questions about the machine and it's service record. It turns out that this was a very good machine that had been very well taken care of. The only problem - and this was a very minor one - was that it had a small broken body panel that could be easily fixed. Previous potential buyers thought that this small blemish hid major mechanical shortcoming. This was not the case at all. I offered him an absolutely ridiculous price, and he and his wife walked away to consider it. Mary asked me if I was crazy. She knew that the price I had offered was stupidly low. I told her I thought we had a chance. Two weeks later I was having the sidecar installed on the new (for us) Gold Wing. That rig offered new escapes and magical mystery tours due to its larger engine and more comfortable "road couch" layout. I took trips to the East Coast on more than one occasion, leaving home in Sterling Heights, Michigan at 4:00 AM and arriving in either Boston or Essex Ct. by 6:30 PM that same evening. One of the nicest long distance runs that I took with that set up was when I took Mary down to the Gold Wing Rally in Kentucky, only a few years before her passing. The last major trip we took was to Lexington Kentucky in June of 2001, only one year before she left us. Following Mary's passing, I purchased a 2001 Valkyrie Interstate that shared garage space and time with the Gold Wing. I seemed to have a difficult time finding anyone to ride the sidecar/Gold Wing combo, so I ultimately sold it to Mary's brother. I know where it is when I need to find it again. The Valkyrie took me to some wonderful locations, the most notable was highway 129 that runs south out of Knoxville Tn. This little country road has the distinction of having 318 curves (vertical and horizontal - sometimes simultaneously) in only 11 miles of road. What a treat it is to run that on a motorcycle. I had so much fun running it back and forth on one day, that I went back and did it again the following day. So, now it comes to this. After years of motorcycling adventures on a wide variety of machines, I have decided to continue the process that Mary and I had started so many years ago. The dream trip will take place at 4:00 AM on June 1st, 2006. I will head south down Schoenherr Rd to Metropolitan Parkway. From there, I will head east to Jefferson Ave. and turn right. This road follows Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. In downtown Detroit, it becomes Fort St. and I will follow the shoreline right down to the Ohio border. The south shoreline of Lake Erie borders Ohio, Pennsylvania and parts of New York State. The Harley will be asked to try to put on 500 miles per travel day. I will follow the shorelines and borders, rivers, lakes and oceans. I will travel the "edge" of the United States. If time does not allow me to complete the journey, I will take a GPS reading and return to that spot to finish what was started so long ago. Mary died from Ovarian Cancer. I hope to raise awareness of this disease and raise some funds to help find the treatment and cure for this horrible affliction that affects the women we love. Wish me Luck, MARK LOGSDON CommentsDisplay comments as (Linear | Threaded)
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