End of the Trail :(

Well, that's all, folks! Kelly came to get Ken and me in Dahlonega, GA, and we returned home. I was beyond sick, unable to breathe, stuffy head, etc. After we got home, I was tested and found out I had COVID-19. I am so tired of the virus and how it has ruined everything for the past couple of years. I hope and pray that we will have another chance on the trail one day. 

Location: Greeneville, TN, USA

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This Week!

Pacific Northwest (Second Corner!)

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Friday, 6/27, I rode from Helena, MT to Clarkston, WA through the Clearwater canyon. Beautiful scenery and 100+ miles of nice smooth winding roads (aka “twisties”). Truly a motorcyclist’s dream. I enjoyed HWY 12 through Clearwater in 2017 going in the opposite direction. It was better this time, from the ascent to Lolo Pass into Idaho and then along the river. The pictures are good but don’t do it justice. I stayed the night in Clarkston, resting up for the long Saturday ahead where I will go diagonally across Washington State. (I road the Cascades last time I was out here).  Yesterday was a beast and I was beat! So glad today was a rest day. Very thankful. I road from Clarkston to Port Angeles, WA. (Yes I crossed the Puget Sound on the ferry!) Beautiful ride all around… taxing when going through Seattle and Bellevue. The traffic was miserable.  View of the Olympic Mts on the way to church. I was good to be with Gail and Doug Wheatley and their family again. The last time I sa...
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Sunday in New Orleans, LA

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I went to worship this morning with Anne & Will at St. Martin’s - Metairie, LA. It was an enjoyable Trinity Sunday and a treat to worship with Anne and Will. The Church was a beautiful and welcoming space. The people at St. Martin’s were very friendly and hospitable.  Magnificent Carved Doors The service was a Rite II Eucharist (Prayer B). I was struck by some of the simple liturgical differences. Good, just different (not my style). They sang some hymnody out of Lift Every Voice and Sing (I love that hymnal!) The sermon was interesting and engaging. Overall, a great worship experience. Anne and Will seem very happy there.  After church we went to the Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art in the park and walked  around. It was a beautiful garden park with awesome art creations on display. Needless to say, New Orleans is hot and humid this time of year and subject to pop-up thunderstorms in the mid afternoon.  Tomorrow, I leave for Texas. It has been a...
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Avoiding Big Sur Landslides and Forest Fires!

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Today (7/19), I rode "inland" up into California rather than hug the coast. It was my plan, as much as possible, to go up Hwy 1 as far as I could. Mother Nature had other plans. The recent land slides at Big Sur and the Forest Fires kept me off of the southern coast of California. It was disappointing, but I decided to do other stuff instead. I set a course to the Pinnacles National Park in central California. I was contacted by Ruth Greer, who wanted to catch up with me on the journey. I worked for Jerry Greer who was the Radiological Controls Operations Supervisor at Westinghouse/Bettis Atomic Power Lab in the early 90s at NPTU Charleston. I haven't seen the Greers since I left Westinghouse in 1994, so it's been 23 years. I thought originally that they lived in Utah, and was planning to see them on the return trip, but they had moved to Bakersfield, CA a few years ago. So, I routed today's trip through Bakersfield and had lunch with Jerry and Ruth Greer. It ...
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Spending the 4th in Wine Country! 🍷

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Yesterday, I road to Santa Rosa, CA, the heart of wine country. I’d taken the PCH before in 2017, so I decided to come down 101 into Santa Rosa. Grape vines EVERYWHERE!  The ride today started off chilly, but warmed up as I approached the city. It’s amazing what concrete will do to ambient temperature. Beautiful landscapes of water, awesome bridges, cows, grape vines, etc… There is no question that this is wine country! I didn’t buy any wine because it would be difficult to carry on the bike. I decided to stay in Santa Rosa over the 4th and leave Saturday. This would keep me off the roads on the holiday. It also allowed me to get my stuff straightened out after two days of camping. So, today I washed clothes, repacked gear, washed bike, etc… (oh, and I got a new camp pillow at REI!) 😉👍 It feels good to decompress for a day, rest, and clean. Before I left the coast, I did find a Post Office in Eureka and mailed my first box home, mostly containing gear I didn’t need or want. This ...
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First Corner! Key West, FL

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Today I road to the first corner (Key West) to pray a litany I prepared for the four corners. Today’s ride was ~120 miles there and 120 miles back from Homestead, FL. The keys were amazing. The weather ranged from 84-93° (warm in the direct sun!) I noticed a few things. One was the amazing colors. The water seemed to be different colors in different places. Another thing that I noticed were the old dilapidated bridges. Some were used as fishing piers and some were just falling down. One actually had a tree growing up in the middle of it. The last thing I want to point out that I noticed were the boats. Hundreds and hundreds of boats. In the water, at the marina, pulled by trucks and cars. All sizes, all shapes, all kinds. I’m starting the feel the clarity and freedom that I feel when I ride. It’s euphoric. Knowing God created all things, I wonder why the wonderful vivid colors were reserved for places like Key West and Key Largo and Long Key… and the multitude of all the key islands I ...
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Overnight in Camas, WA

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Today I road from Port Angeles, WA to the Washington / Oregon Boarder at Camas, WA to the home of Gary and Mari Osterhage. Marni and I graduated from FMA together in 1985, so we’ve been friends for 44 years! It was good to spend the evening with Marni and Gary and catch up. Marni is a children’s pastor at a Four Square Gospel Church, so of course we talked shop for some of the evening. The ride today was great until just outside of Portland, OR headed to Camas, WA (on the boarder). I road down the Hood Canal (Hwy 101) and the Columbia River. Beautiful scenery.  Marni and I were talking about God and relationship. She recently passed her licensing and ordination for her denomination, so she was telling me about her process. One of the questions was about Trinity. I shared with her the “master class” sermon that Heather Holland gave at St. James on Trinity Sunday. I appreciated when Heather told the congregation that the preacher would be better off sharing photos of Kittens during t...
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Weekend in Kingman, AZ and Las Vegas, NV

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It has been an incredible (and an incredibly HOT 🔥) weekend! Kingman, AZ, with temps at 112 degrees and Las Vegas, NV with 122 degrees!! I have never ridden in such heat! I described it on Facebook... Riding a motorcycle in this heat is like riding a lava flow in a convection oven through the armpit of hell. Keep in mind that my bike is "air cooled" which means, hot air don't help too much! Glad the Harleys are tough!! The bike performed very well... only praises for the Road King! However, I did stop in Henderson at the Harley dealership and bought a cooling vest. It works wonders... You wet it down and wear it under a mesh riding jacket and it acts as a "swamp cooler." The heat was beat! The first stop on the way to Boulder City and Vegas yesterday 7/15 was of course, Hoover Dam (aka Boulder Dam), put up in 1933 in the Black Canyon of the Colorado river on the boarder of Arizona and Nevada. It was a magnificent site. It took 6 years to build it (1931-193...
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