Friday 7/16/21 Team 60’s video summary
Today we rode from Manchester VT to Mansfield PA. We tried something different. We tested out the navigation on the Harley boom box today. We both set up our parameters on our gps the same (Avoid highways, Unpaved roads) put in our start/Stop cities and selected the same routes.
We were please to find some new roads that the nav led us on.
Grand Rapids MI to Merrillville IL
Today is a short repositioning day, 165 miles, from Grand Rapids, MI to Merrillville, IL. We’re waiting for a storm to pass through the bottom of Lake Michigan area. By 10 AM the coast will be clear!
Merrillville is approximately 45 minutes to the start of Route 66 in downtown Chicago. We plan to be in downtown Chicago at the crack-of-dawn Saturday morning to start our Route 66 experience. This crazy plan is in hopes that we’ll avoid bumper-to-bumper, stop-n-go traffic in the universe known as Chi-ca-go.
We’re trying something different…a Route 66 Navigation” iPhone app that announces turn-by-turn directions. Gary installed on his iPhone and will give him verbal directions via SENA 30K headst ear speakers. It might be good for motorcycle riders. Or not!
Dundee MI to Grand Rapids MI
Breakfast at JannieV’s
It was a quick 40-minute ride from Dundee Michigan to JannieV‘s house in Manchester, MI. Jan & Dennis are JimmyVs big sister. 24 years ago JimmyV & I was riding our first USA Four Corners and stopped here to have lunch and do laundry!
With Team 60s meandering in Vermont, I had to stop here to give JannieV a big hug! The Valentine sisters are always big supporters of our wondering!
JannieV cooked a wonderful breakfast of bisects & gravy, eggs & bacon.
With full tummies and freshly folded laundry we packed up and headed to Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids is the home of Dean and Gary‘s second cousin Mikki Cronkhite,
We had a great ribs & pulled pork at Smoky Bones.
Tomorrow we queue up for Route 66/Chicago & rain.
Day 21 Video Summary Team 60’s
Let my brother-in-laws to head out to visit my college roommate Lee in MA and then to Wells VT to visit my niece Liz. It was a clear day today, but muggy
Riding around south county in Rhode Island.
Well Team 70’s had an impressive 500+ mile day, but I think Team 60’s had more calories per mile today.
I use to live out here from 1981-1984, so I visited with my brother-in-law and then toured some of my old stomping grounds, visited my racing sailing friend and then took Bob out for dinner. Didn’t take enough pictures though..
Enjoy the summary video
Repositioning Day – a day on the road to Chicago
We rode 500 miles today from Scranton PA, through OH, to Dundee MI.
Riding West through western Pennsylvania, and all of Ohio was through lush green forest areas. The morning fog at the mountain passes was wet with heavy dew. We crossed 100+ of these low but wet passes.
The traffic is very heavy with freight 18-wheelers. Some tractors are pulling triple trailers! It seems the 18-wheelers speed limit is the same as cars! And tractor/trailers are allowed in the fast lane!
Dinner was at the Bricktown & Coney Island Diner, Dundee MI.
Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast at JannieVs!
Teams 60s and 70s split after the 4th corner to explore different areas as Rick has never been to New England and I want to visit my brother-in-law Bob in RI. Both teams check in at the end of the day to find out what’s going on with each.
Teams 60’s took its time explore typical ME towns along the coast for a good part of the day then late in the day made a beeline to RI. Great to see Bob again!
Team 70’s USA Four Corners is History!
Gary and I rode South from Madawaska all the way down through Maine to Manchester New Hampshire. We stayed at the same Super Eight that we were at three days ago.
Wed, 7/12/2021-Manchester, NH
My Honda CB 500 needed an oil change and I was experiencing gearshift clunking in 1st and 2nd gears. Gary found Nautt’s Powersports a couple miles away from the hotel. I rode over at 8AM to be the first at the service door.
This was the local Honda and Suzuki dealer. I explained I need an oil change and that I had some stiffness in my gear shifting and there was clunking sounds!
The service manager’s analysis was my shift linkage was too loose. I was there about 3 hours. When we ride away in light rain, the little Honda shifted like grease lightning! No more clunking noises!
We rode casual to Scranton PA. Found a Japanese food shop and had Bento boxed.
Because of shop error we ended up with double order of tempura!
The run from Elsa is over!
Today is Day 16. The USA Four Corners must be completed in 21 days. Counting today we have six days to go approximately 425 miles to Madawaska. We are so far ahead of schedule, because of Elsa, that we can really smell the roses now.
At 7AM the morning was overcast with high clouds. Elsa has dissipated off the east coast. Steve meets us in his rental CBR500 and takes us northeast through the countryside passing through small towns, rolling green hillside farms and cemeteries. After 40 miles of country backroads we stop, shake hands, do manly hugs, say our goodbyes & thank you’s.
The two Teams ride East, Steve returns to Villa Milagro Winery.
After the wonderful back roads ride we get on the interstate and head for Manchester, New Hampshire.
Oh, the interstate toll roads use FasTrak. The same FasTrak that we used in California, so far as I pass through the toll detectors I’ve gotten green lights.
Tomorrow…Maine!
