Nywaca, my 10678 mile motorcycle ride.
by Paul Heydemann
I've got a habit of giving things silly names. This trip's "corners" would be New York, Washington, and California - therefore, Nywaca. It's also a great fake martial arts yell, particularly inside one's helmet...ok, never mind.
I started on 7/21/05 from home in Mijami Floriduh, hopelessly behind in trip prep, partially due to this @$#@$ slow 'puter. My '01 Kawasaki Concours had been slowly attaining rodent status at ~88k miles. I gave it a thorough service including new tires, and considered but blew off replacing the spark plug wires. Most likely Homer (D'oh!) Simpson was my imaginary assistant during that phase of the work.
to Galax VA, 861 miles, 14:30 - Right from the get-go Krome Ave, my urban escape route was closed, just like on last summer's 10859 mile Megacruz. A 30 min detour for impatient yours truly. Only ~100 miles later near Lake Okeechobee, the bike starts running rough intermittently. Thinking "I don't wanna deal with this BS for 3 weeks" I came *veddy* close to turning around & canceling the whole shebang. But the problem was sporadic enough to permit me to putt onward. At a gas station in GA, I removed my aftermarket fuel filter, but that didn't solve the problem. In NC I decided to punt & made arrangements to stop at a dealer tomorrow (it's under extended warranty) in VA & have them give it a whack. At the hostel on the Blue Ridge Parkway I was the only guest, which allowed for a nice relaxing long gander at the full moon-lit hills from the breezy porch, in the buff.
to Gardners PA, 480 miles, 13:00 - At first light I made my way outside & drained the carbs to unstick the floats, a trick I learned from Larry. Success! For my 2 cents, the Parkway is a slow but pleasant "meander". One of the roads I wanted to ride for the 1st time was Skyline Drive. I'd forgotten my National Parks pass (there's Homer again) and Skyline was just more of the Parkway, only with a 10mph slower limit. The claim to fame at tonite's hostel is the nearby Appalachian Trail. Many hikers stay over, including a young feller that got all bee-stung & was having an allergic reaction. The EMTs taking him away provided tonite's excitement. Thankfully he returned later after treatment at the hospital.
to Cape Vincent NY, 383 miles, 11:00 - One of the main objectives on this trip was to visit my son Bryan, an Army Seargent who just returned from a very difficult year in Iraq. He's fit as a fiddle, tough as nails, and has his act together. A rider from Cleveland pulled into the lighthouse-hostel that nite after doing a ride for Iron Butt certification & we had a nice yak.
to Sault St Marie ON, 582 miles, 11:00 - Since I was also up here last year, I varied my route to the Trans Canada hiway. Not much to report for today except for a few hours of rain, which thankfully put a dent in the bad heat wave. I did get a slack-jawed look from a couple on Harleys that were shocked that I'd ridden (vs. trailered) up thar. Whatever.
to Lake Itasca MN, 591 miles, 11:30 - I've never been to MI, WI, & MN - today's ride changed that. Hiway 28 in the UP had fair amount of construction which diverted me from a falls that I wanted to see. My drink reservoir was leaking so I decided to stop at Riderwarehouse (authors of the kewl Aerostich catalog) in Duluth to replace it. No luck there, but they directed me to a ski/bike outfitter that hooked me up & also pointed out a big weather front that I was headed towards. Things got pretty wet for a few hours but I wasn't really uncomfortable. Now, the fellers on sportbikes huddled inside a gas station I stopped at - they had a different story. Lake Itasca is the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi, and the hostel there is downright nice. My interesting English roommate Ken was 3k miles into a solo British Columbia-New Brunswick tour on his bicycle. Inside he was happy as a clam, but seeing his ilk struggling up the grades during the day made me really appreciate every one of my 997 ccs.
to E Glacier Park MT, 985 miles, 14:00 - I got underway early in the cold predawn, on hi-alert for deer & other critters. Count = zero, none that I saw with my cheesy lites anyway. ND was another new state for me, which I traversed via construction-plagued I94. Bleah. An efficient blitz down US2 got me to the rustic hostel with hours of daylite to spare, a great thing for us unorganized over-packers. I'm probably just a faster version of the homeless guy shuffling down the sidewalk, pushing his plastic-bag-laden shopping cart. As deep as I am into this riding nonsense, I may be in a similar status soon enough!
This was my 1st multi-nite stop, so today will be a non-riding one. I hookered up with Miguel, a fella staying at the hostel looking for somebody to hike the Pitamakan Pass trail with him - to make more noise to keep the bears at bay. Since he had a rental car to get to the trailhead at Two Medicine, that was a no-brainer. We were warned about the mama bear with her cub that caused a campground down by a lake to be closed. The park rangers and most of the ~8 hikers we came across that day carried a can of bear spray. On the way back down, a young couple ahead shushed us. The girl looked pale as a ghost as the guy told us about a griz that had just surprised & made a false charge at em - before he could draw his spray. We caught a glimpse of Yogi thru the dense brush. The couple was with 2 pals that had cluelessly walked onward only ~50 ft ahead of the action.
We hoofed it 17 miles in all today (whew) but it shore 'nuf was beautiful!
to Grangeville ID, 361 miles, 7:00 - The S side of Glacier NP was cool & scenic with a few curves. A bit less traffic up to & including Missoula woulda been nice too, but I guess ya can't have it all. US12 is aka Lolo Pass, one of them "gotta ride" roads. It was long and enjoyable but didn't exactly rock my world. A few miles of twisty SR13 approaching Grangeville almost made up for it. Today's main mission is laundry...thankfully nobody blew the whistle on me for wearing Speedos to the laundromat. I had my "Honest, Occifer, this is the only clean thing I got left!" line ready just in case.
265 mile loop, 11:00 - Local good-guy fellow COGger (Concours Owners Group) Mike took a day off worky & led me around some bodacious ID roads. I thought the best were Elk City (with its cast of local yokels) and Idaho Grade.
to Portland OR, 542 miles, 13:00 - Holy cow, the tight switchbacks S of Asotin WA sure got my attention. That was followed by Rattlesnake Grade, parts of it appearing to be covered in oil & gravel. Suffice it to say that the prospects of doing a Wile E Coyote swan dive into the deep canyon had me poke along rather tentatively on my Acme touring tires. Mike & I got lost in La Grande OR but eventually got back on track with the aid of a helpful postman. We enjoyed more than a few miles of fun on 244, 53, & 206 before we split up at Biggs. I84 along the Columbia River wasn't bad for an interstate & I lucked into arriving at my good ole pal Terry's crib during their annual block party.
Terry kindly played tour guide as we wore off some shoe tread walking around pleasant Portland. 'Twas an enjoyable day fer sure!
to Centralia WA, 250 miles, 8:00 - My 1st stop today was a swimming hole & falls N of Washougal, suggested by a waitress at lunchy yesterday. Local COGger Dan had sent me directions for today's hilight: a run along the desolate E side of Mt St Helens. In a word: yeeha! Centralia is the site of this year's national COG rally, & as I drew closer I crossed paths with quite a few fellow scofflaws.
414 mile loop, 11:00 - I headed out the next morning with the infamous CO Rick & BC Dave for a day's sampling of inland twisty roads. But I broke away from the fellas after I remembered that it really was the *coast* that I wanted to ride. You see, it was the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) on a car trip in '00 with my daughters Melissa & Sarah that inspired me to get a capable sport-touring bike in the 1st place. After I got sucked into the long-distance riding culture shared by some Conc riders, things have been going steadily downhill ever since.
486 mile loop, 13:00 - Today it's the Olympic National Park peninsula. I had a placid brekkie stop by Lake Quinault, and snapped some nice pix at Ruby Beach & Cape Flattery. The latter is at the tippedy-tip NW corner of the US. There's 5 miles of gravel road & a 3/4 mile hike to get there, but it was worth it. From here E to Port Angeles, 112 was one of the funnest rural roads I've ever ridden. For example, there's a 1 mile stretch with a 15mph limit...whee! The road to Hurricane Ridge was pretty nice 'till I got behind a Park cop going the (slow) speed limit. Fortunately he didn't see me earlier dispatching the other slow cars. A few miles E of Port Angeles traffic was stopped for miles. I got away with a long illegal slow poke up the shoulder, finally passing a fugly crash scene where a semi had crushed a car. Just before nightfall I got back to rally HQ, where the retardo motel staff still hadn't fixed my broken door lock.
After I gassed up last nite the Conc seemed to be sputtering again. So I decided to not ride today & planned to look for assistance from some tech-savvy COGgers. But instead I got distracted (which doesn't take much these days) & just hung out & attended the banquet. Greg Fraser gave a very entertaining presentation on his world travels on 2 wheels.
to Klamath CA, 487 miles, 12:00 - JR from Chicago joined me in a slow cruz down the PCH, which we picked up in Astoria OR. Looking down the coast above the fog bank was quite a sight, not unlike the view from an aircraft above a blanket of clouds. We got turned around briefly & separated near Netarts but met up again at the hostel. ~10 miles before getting there, the giant redwoods started. You really have to experience their awesome majestic presence in person. I promised myself a swim in the Pacific & today would have been the day - it was laundry time (down to only Speedos again) & the beach was just across the PCH. But the water was ~50 & the air not much warmer. I totally chickened out.
to Sausalito CA, 397 miles, 12:00 - Improbably, the coastal views got even better than yesterday, at least When the fog cleared. We took the 30 mile Avenue of the Giants, where the sunlight is virtually obliterated by the humongous twees. And then, finally, my little piece of Ultimate Asphalt Nirvana: Highway 1, starting in Leggett. I was giggling too much inside my helmet, not a good thing due to this scenic twisty road's demands of full attention. It was Saturday & by the end of the day the traffic slowed down to almost a funeral procession pace. I passed scads of these slugs & in the process lost JR for good. He's a good guy but I won't miss his snoring at all. Unfortunately his buzzsaw breathren were at the hostel, making for another poor sleep. I finished the nite on a couch in the common area.
to San Luis Obispo CA, 307 miles, 10:00 - Leaving San Fran the fog was serious, with visibility less than 100'. I farted around touristy Monterrey awhile & snagged some earmuffs from an outdoor store. Along with my extra-strength earplugs, I was now ready to take on any & all late-nite snorers & noise makers. I headed up the twisty road to Ft Hunter Liggett, but turned around after a few miles - too many cars, too narrow, too much gravel, & too hot inland. Arriving with lots of daylite remaining gave me a chance to traipse around the 'hood, check out the unusual foliage, & hike up a hill for a decent panoramic view.
to San Diego CA, 385 miles, 8:30 - Altho a few sections (Gaylota & Ventura) were alright, CA 1 uglied up & joined 101 for the headlong morning rush into LA. Construction around Oxnard got me turned around but I finally got good directions at a gas station. A GPS would've come in handy here but for the most part my AAA maps were sufficient. I wanted to break at 1 of the numerous state parks on the coast, but all had the dreaded entrance gate & fee...this cheep bastard sez no thanx! I wasn't looking forward to inching along the slow coast road in LA, so I took I10 to I405 and returned to CA 1 at Seal Beach. 'Twas pretty much clear sailing - no need for lane splitting, a tactic I was not looking forward to with my porky Conc. San Diego appears to be a good place to be a doggy...numerous salons, shops, and a beach just for them. After I finally got my Pacific dip, COGgers Dave & Debbie kindly took me out for fish tacos, a local specialty.
to Scottsdale AZ, 487 miles, 11:00 - I got on the road ~6am today in an attempt to avoid the desert heat & ride some roads that Dave suggested. A few mins out of San Diego, I almost shat myself as a cop riding a BMW swooped around me from out of nowhere to pull over a speeder. I hit a rest stop that was a memorial to 11 firefighters killed in a 60s wildfire. Among other things, it reminded me to be thankful that my route so far had been fire & smoke free. 79 was fun & twisty S6 to Mt Palomar was teriffic! Unfortunately S22 was closed due to a landslide. Heading E and into lower elevations the heat went way up, so I donned a wet tshirt & neck wrap. This scheme helped but it needed a water recharge at least every ~100 miles. I noted emergency radiator water dispensers every so often. Please, no breakdowns here! Fortunately it was monsoon season in AZ and the 3 big ones I rode thru took temps down from 100+ to ~60. Ahhh! My mesh gear got wet but dried out in a hurry. It's really not the best stuff for desert riding but overall versatile & comfortable for the varied conditions on this trip. I pulled into my fellow Conc rider pal Len's place just as she was getting home from worky. Altho she really wanted to give me a local scoot tour, wet roads dictated the use of her car for dindin.
to Ft Stockton TX, 637 mi, 13:00 - US70 was a nice alternative to I10, and saved a few miles to boot. The Conc started stumbling again after a rest/gas stop, but thankfully I had a shady spot to fix the problem. The scenery gradually degraded to a humdrum wasteland all the way to my destination. Calling this place a dump would be an insult to landfills everywhere.
to Austin TX, 395 mi, 12:00 - Today was gonna be a fairly long one to Lafayette LA, over 700 mi. But the Conc sputtered straight away - only this time my field-fix didn't help. The bike could run at interstate speeds, just not smoothly - plus MPGs were poor. Toss in a sunrise that was over an hour away made for a flustered Paulie. I contacted 2 dealers that were a few hours ahead in San Antonio, but they were too busy to help. But a San Angelo dealer said c'mon over, so I took an ~80 mile detour there & spent some hours waiting for the good ole boy tech. He took his sweet time finishing an ATV service, but worked in earnest on my sled & let me pitch in. After cleaning the carbs with no improvement in operation, he determined that a plug wire was bad. This was nothing more than a simple maintenance item I'd skipped before the trip. As mentioned earlier, D'oh! A short snip off each end & bada-bing, the bike ran much better. I thanked the nice dealer guys, reassembled the removed plastique & hustled over to the Austin hostel via hill country roads. They weren't bad, especially their 70mph limit.
to Milton FL, 704 mi, 13:00 - 6am in these parts is still pitch black, not my favorite conditions for touring. This departure time got me to rush hour in Houston, which was at least tolerable thanx to the HOV lane. But the last one managed to spit me out downtown. Thankfully, my strange appearance & geek bike didn't scare off a driver that agreed to lead me back to I10. Crossing the FL state line was cause for a minor celebration. And it was great to visit my gracious rider-host friend Denise again after last year's Megacruz. Once again however, 3 weeks and 10k miles on the road had taken their toll. I wasn't quite burnt meat on a stick, but my usual sparkling wit & humor (?) were somewhat lacking.
to Mijami, 679 mi, 13:00 - After ~400 miles of interstate my backroads route was engaged & enjoyed. That was tempered by a slew of law enforcement on the prowl. Still, there were no flashing lights on my butt. Furthermore I never encountered any really bad drivers or awful weather anywhere on this long cruz. It's been a swell trip but it's great to be back homey...woohoo!