Casper to the Keys and back. travel log w/pics

Thanks for the list of stuff you're packing! What make of hammock are you carrying? I had a Hennessy Hammock in the past and loved it. I never used it with a motorcycle but it worked great when I was kayaking in the keys and other places and needed a place to sleep for the night.
 
Thanks for the list of stuff you're packing! What make of hammock are you carrying? I had a Hennessy Hammock in the past and loved it. I never used it with a motorcycle but it worked great when I was kayaking in the keys and other places and needed a place to sleep for the night.

a jungle hammock and a custom make Popeye style hammock. use rachet straps to hang it. all i need is 1 post, can hook the other end to the back of the bike. as long as you don't' get too western..all is good.

no worries, anything for a busa brother.:thumbsup:
 
Well I left me home in the keys, the Almond and headed towards Naples. They should call Key West “Scooter town” lots of drunk yuppies on scooters everywhere. Thought I had better have a good breakfast at the key lime pie factory. Made for a good start for my day. I found my good cousins channel, and took some pics of 7mi bridge as well. The pics do not do the water color justice. Its soo bright blue green. Everything the travel channel showed..lol. I stopped at Wahoo’s for some fish tacos, awesome. I don’t like fish or coleslaw but you can see how much I liked them. I had been to Wahoos in Albuquerque and expected a lame rolled taco, boy was I surprised. Best fish tacos ever. Tasted like it jumped out of the water into the taco shell. And I got to watch kite surfers while I ate. One of the charter boats was playin music and had a white crane on the tuna tower that looked like it was dancing to the music. And the catch of the day was hanging on the dock (not really, it was fake).
Had to boggie before that giant lobster tried to mate with Bessie. Last time I introduced her to a big animal statue she got bad ideas in her head..lol.
Trying to make time I didn’t get too many pics of highway 41. My mom had suggested I take loop road to Monroe. The tribal cop stopped me before I went down it and told me it was bad, but I thought ahh my mom said it was ok. Well she went through a few years ago! It was the worst road I have ever ridden!! What took my folks 30 min took me 3 ½ hrs. at first I thought I hope I see a gator, then it got dark, and the road turned into a trail, and I then hoped I would not see any gators!! Saw 2 poisonious snakes on the road. Think I ran over one! Lifted my legs up way high! Spent 90% of the time standing on the pegs to lower gravity, frogs bouncing off me and the bike. The cop had told me the locals were not friendly so I was afraid to stop. I was so thankful to finally hit pavement again! DO NOT TAKE THAT ROAD ON A BUSA! Unless your some kind of crazy adv rider. Think I earned my adv sticker for Bessie right there. That road is worse than some of the fire trails in Wyoming.
I hit 41 so late everything was closed. No gator wrestling, no gator souvenirs, only gator Indian I met was the cop. I’m still really bummed about that. I REALLY wanted a gator skin vest like crock Dundee. I did stop and poke at some road kill. . There’s always e-bay I guess. Exhausted I stopped at a gas station at the everglades city turnoff and snapped a pic.
The next morning I assessed the damage. Dirty bike, Blanca would be ashamed of, and a very dented canteen.
I’ve been heating up a wet hand towel every night to wipe the bug guts off Bessie.
Boy I’ll tell ya, im going to brag about riding that road for years! Have I seen the everglades? yes I have!
Today I got real intimate with the “love bugs”. Nasty little things. And they taste awful. Caught a couple right on my smiling kisser. Nasty.
All the BP gas handles are green. That’s just wrong! In Wyoming only diesel is green. Just seemed wrong to use a green pump handle to put gas in my bike.
I made it from Naples to Chattahoochee today. 498mi today. Long haul if ya ask me. Got a room for $43, parked the bike inside as it doesn’t seem too safe here. Had a huge dragonfly attack me as I was unpacking. Thing as big as my the palm of my hand. Had a good burger, now I think its time for a libation. So im going to load my pistol and walk down to the stop and rob. Wish me luck. Going to try to get 600mi in tomorrow.
Stop-n-rob was closed but I found a good local bar, full of my type of folks. Bought a bright green biker-t and am callin it a night.
Happy dreams yall.
Thanks for following my adventure in the big game of life.

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It would have been cool . If in either direction to the Keys. You had taken the old route through Card Sound and stoped at .
Alabama Jack's - Welcome
Its a shame also you had to do 41 in the dark . You would have enjoyed those FrogLegs. Better than chicken fo so !
 
made it to Forest Mississippi tonight. only made 412mi today. the road is starting to wear on me. 18days on the road is hard on a person. 3? more to go. im 1574mi from home according to Google maps. going to try to push into Oklahoma tomorrow and stay with some relatives. then its 1000mi home from there. i messed up last night and did not plug in my phone. so no pics of today's ride.:banghead: i tried to take a pic of the Chattahoochee dam, but nope. had just enough juice for an emergency text if i had needed it.
had a kid this morning tell me i had a nice bike while i was getting ready to ride out for the morning. i asked him if he was going to ride when he got older. he said "i donno, if i can afford it." i told him "all it takes is want to." "you can do anything if you want to bad enough." and the look on his face was one of amazement. like no one had ever told him that before. hope i changed his life, if only a little bit.
at a gas station this evening a 10yr old kid was tellin his dad "that's a hayabusa! dad, that's a hayabusa!" i smiled at them and they pulled the car around by me. the father explained his son is a motorcycle fanatic. knows alot about bikes, by no fault of the father. said he came into it all on his own. dad doesn't even ride. future biker right there!:thumbsup:
Mobile alabama is a big place. took me a while to find highway 45. lots of really poor people, and run down businesses along 45 on the way out of town.
held it on 80mph almost all afternoon.

i almost wiped out! i was getting tired 40 something miles east of Mobile and decided to stop for gas and rest for a minute. as i took the exit, it is a clover leaf 20mph, well i didn't slow down enough. tried to take it at 60+, way too fast. i almost lowsided, made a decition and brought the bike upright, braked HARD, AND RODE OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD into the grass yelling "oh no, oh no, oh no!" im luckey the grass was not wet or i would have wiped out. i was tired and not paying attantion to my speed. i was luckey, that time. hopefully there will not be a next time. i filled up the bike and took a nap up against a tree in the park across from the station. do not ride tired!
i rode into the night in the rain til it got so bad i could hardly see so i pulled over in Forest Mississippi and got a room for the night. free breakfast in the morning.
i guess i could take a pic of the bike in another motel room:laugh: yea i guess i'll do that.

found myself wiping the bike down before i even realized it. thanks for the maintenance ritual Blanca. a clean bike is a happy bike. :thumbsup:

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Russ Rosie misses you . Shes wondering where her new friend went .
Very glad you did not go down. (insert whew smiley here)....:laugh:
and yes a clean bike is a happy bike. Also 2-3mph faster on the top..:rofl:

We caught 2 kings and a few schoolie size Mahi Mahi (bullnose Dolphin) today.
Came home a grilled em up. The pics of those fish tacos got the wife thinking.

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ahh i can't sleep. must have been prom night as the wendys was full of p-diddy wannabees taking their dates out for a "nice meal"???. now their driving their "boom cars" around the motel every 5min.
tell you what ladys, if he spends $100 on a p-diddy tux, $60 on a room, and $5 on your meal, don't go to a motel with him.:rofl:
 
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made it to stillwater ok. limited e-access. riding safe. stayin with family. hope to make miles in the morning.
 
I had a good visit with some family in Weleetka, and stayed with my aunt sealy in Stillwater Oklahoma. Rode out late the next day, made good time and miles into Kansas.
Got into Russell Kansas and the Russell Inn had my name all over it! Bike fit nicely in the room, got a good nights rest to the sound of the rain on the window. I woke up earlyish after having the nicest dream about my friend Pam. Had left the bike loaded, just backed out and hit the road. Rode in a constant drizzle for hours, stopping every 100mi or so to refuel, and dry off a little. By lunch I made it to Colby Ks. Pulled the bike under the visitors center shelter. And the nicest folks were inside, made me some coffee, let me peal out of my shell a little. And warm up. She directed me to a bbq place across the way, and the folks in there were nice as can be too. Stuck a Douglas wy. Pin and a casper pin in his map. The 2 gals fed me ribs n beans hushpuppies, and sweet potato mash. They even had some duct tape for me to redo my raingear. Sleeves taped to leather jacket, tape belt around my Gordon fisherman coat, cabalas cold weather gortex shooters gauntlets over everything, 2 hooded sweatshirts, vest, leather jacket, heavy duty raid bib-overalls. I was soo wet and cold. Saw some interesting cloud formation around Colby Ks as I got back on I-70. Hammer down ,and down the road I went.
I got a few moments of sunshine around Limon Colorado. That was nice.
Hit Denver right at rush hour. Roll along, and nail it, hit the brakes and roll along again.
Stopped at gunther-toodys for a burger, they were almost too happy in there. And when in left all 30 employees had to tell me “be careful out there.” And “ride safe.” After about 12 I thought “another one of yall tell me how to ride, I’m gonna yell at ya all!!!” but I didn’t say a word I just boogied out the door. They were just trying to be nice as it was raining hard outside and I’m sure I looked miserable! But at that point I had no sence of humor what so ever. I just wanted to be home.
Between Thornton and ft Collins traffic backed up and down the road I saw a highway patrol in the left lane doing 73mph, no on one would or could go around him. So I worked my way up behind him and flashed my pass light, he sped up, and got to the right, I whipped it up to about 80mph and held it there, well my luck held out. Pushed hard into Wyoming, in Wheatland I picked up my coveralls. 1st friendly faces I’ve seen in weeks. Ang and Art were good to see, had my coveralls in the back if their truck for the last 22 days. I suited up and rode out into the cold wet dark.
I made it home around 10:30pm. Glad to be here!!
All in all. 6307mi, averaging 42.6mpg. last day was 662.9mi in the rain. The cold wet rain. Averaging 43.5mpg. longest hardest day I’ve ever ridden. 22 days living on Bessie my Hayamoosa. Longest I’ve ever lived on a motorcycle. This is my Valhalla story. The tale my friends will tell long after I’m gone. I have lived 2 lifetimes on this trip. And learned countless lessons. Lessons of life and culture. Of friends and living life, And even understanding death.
I feel blessed to have been able to ride this ride. I thank god I made it home safe.

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Russ thanks for the call . It was nice to hear from you and talk again .
I am happy you made it home with zero problems and many memories.
You def have more iron in your butt than I do :beerchug:


Peace and thank your wife again for the nice PM .
 
Wow! what an awesome journey you took. Thanks for letting me live vicariously through your pics and write up.
 
you bet yall! i really like reading trip reports. i figured it was time to do one on my own. im glad you all enjoyed it. it was a pain sometimes to get it posted, as when your on the road you are tired and internet access is sketchy. but im glad i did. now i can go back and read it myself, and remember all the good times i had, when ever i want. if i had to do it again, i would take someone with me, and take more time to do it. but all in all i had a very good time!
thank you all for being there with me.
now get out there and ride!:thumbsup:
 
Next time you will have a partner in the Keys.
I already have a signed permission slip with no exp date on it..:laugh::beerchug:
We will have some 'libations' together.
 
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