Day 20 Tifton, GA to HOME 296 Miles
I’m a few days late in posting this last entry, needed to rest up and completed some stats. The laundry has been done; Big Red has been washed and polished so now lets complete the Blog.

The finale day on the road was sunny, warm and dry. No rain covers on my travel bags, no Gore-Tex rain gear required. It was a simple route I-75 south to I-275 to Roosevelt and I’m home.

Pulled into the car port and checked the odometer, 4,429 miles in 20 days. Not to bad for an old guy on a Trike. This was the motorcycle tour of my lifetime. I rode through 15 States and absorbed the sights, sounds and smells of all of them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “What a beautiful country this America is.”

Statistics: Total miles 4,429 – MPG Average 31 – Cost to travel per day $150

Would I do it again? I think there’s at least one more Grand Tour left in me and Big Red.

Thanks to all that followed the Tour, I appreciate your interest and support.

Till next time,
Dick (Tonto) Pritchard

Day 19 Chattanooga, TN to Tifton, GA 313 Miles
Awoke this morning to clear skies and 78 degrees, my only challenge was going through Atlanta. Here is a bit of advice, if you have to go through Atlanta, don’t. Take the by-pass, I-258. I should have known better but I landed in downtown Atlanta right in the middle of morning rush hour.

As I said my only challenge was getting through Atlanta. The rest of the day was a piece of cake. Just keep Big Red pointed south and every hundred miles or so fill the tank up.

It did get warm today, in the nineties. Just 10 days ago I was riding in snow flakes; it is a magnificent country, so vast, so diverse.

I wish there was some way to plug a cable into a USB port in my head and down load all the images I have stored away and project them on a screen and while I’m at it an IMAX screen. What a show it would be. I’d play, what I believe should be our national anthem “America The Beautiful”, for the background music. This is truly how I feel about my experiences of the past 19 days.

I’m home tomorrow and to quote my favorite Dorothy, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.”

Day 18 Paducah, KY to Chattanooga, TN 266 Miles
A day without wearing rain paints and a rain jacket is …even better and that’s what today was like. The Weather Channel indicated some storms west of Paducah that where moving southeast. As Chattanooga is southeast of Paducah I could see that my job for today was to stay ahead of the rain and that I managed to do.

I rode through Nashville listening to an NPR station playing classical music. Well, I’ve always followed a different drummer. Not to say I don’t like Country music. In fact I picked up a couple of new favorites on this trip, “My Butts Too Big for One Pair of Jeans” and “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”. There’s not much else to listen to in Montana.

Anyway, I beat the rain to Chattanooga by an hour. It’s now about 6pm, the weather has cleared and I’m heading out for dinner. Tomorrow it’s I-75 to Tifton, GA and by Friday night I’ll be home. I miss my Judy like I never thought I would. It’s been truly the ride of my lifetime and I wish she could have been with me. I do miss her.

Day 17 Columbia, MO to Paducah, KY 295 Miles
A day without wearing rain paints is like a …good day!

This is a most amazing country that we live in. In the past 17 days I have seen Hill Country in Texas, Red Rock landscapes in New Mexico, Snow capped Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Wide open spaces in Montana, the rolling Plaines of Nebraska and Iowa. I’ve crossed the Mississippi River twice, The Missouri River twice. The Rio Grand, the Pearl, the Santa Fe, the Crow and the Lodge Pole rivers. I’ve seen shuttered towns that time has past by. I’ve seen thriving small towns where people are born, grow up, marry, raise families and die without ever traveling 100 miles from home. I’ve seen cities like Santa Fe where everyone is from some where else except the natives and I mean the natives, Native Americans who have taken on the American entrepreneurial spirit with gusto. I’ve been in 12 states and I’m not home yet.

Today it was farm lands of Missouri, St. Louis and the Great Arch and the farm lands of Illinois. It was a good day.

Tomorrow I’m off the Nashville and Chattanooga.

Day 16 Des Moines IA to Columbia, MO 315 Miles
It rain through the night but by morning the rain had stopped and the day looked promising. I took I-35 S out of Des Moines and headed for Kansas City, MO. Here’s an observation regarding Interstate Highways; East and West routes are heavily traveled by 18 wheelers and auto traffic. North and South routs are, for some reason, almost vacant of trucks and appear to be the less traveled routes. Just an observation.

Rode in and out of a few showers until I was just north of Kansas City, there the sky cleared and except for one huge traffic jam crossing the Missouri River again in downtown KC. The other side of the river I picked up I-70 and cruised under blue skies into Columbia, MO and a 5 story Hampton Inn and had dinner at a Cracker Barrel next door.

Tomorrow I head for St. Louis and Paducah, KY.

Still have not been able to solve the link problem with Flickr.

Day 15 Kearney, NE to Des Moines IA 308 Miles

"Oh What A Wet Sloppy Morning"... same tune as yesterday but a very different feeling. I awoke to rain and fog. Well so much for fair weather. My close companion, The Weather Channel, did not give me much hope. The green (rain) blotch covered I-80 from Kearney to Des Moines and beyond. So I pressed on. Actually, I’m getting very good and waterproofing my gear and myself and call me crazy, but I still believe that I’d rather spend a day on my Harley in the rain then a day sitting in front of a TV watching ESPN.

The highway was foggy and misty with light rain until I crossed the Missouri River. There was an unearthly glow in the clouds that I soon determined was the sun. The further east I rode the better it looked. 50 miles west of Des Moines I stopped and took of my rain suit and rode into the West Des Moines Hampton Inn looking cool.

Oh, here's some news, I just got back to my room after being evacuated to the main floor lobby due to a Tornado warning. I have not missed much weather wise.

Forgive the lack of pictures the last few days. I’m having a problem with the link with Flickr. I’ll try to solve that ASAP.

Tomorrow I’m off to Columbia, MO. I plan on making it home by Friday June 12.

Day 14 Cheyenne, WY to Kearney, NE 334 Miles

“Oh What a Beautiful Morning”…I’m on the road again and singing show tunes! It was a beautiful day on Interstate 80. American business truly does run on 18 wheels. Today I saw convoys of up to 15 semis in a row carrying the life’s blood of the country, commerce.

I stopped in North Platte, NE and visited the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park. Well worth the time. My Father use to tell me about seeing the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show when he was seven years old in 1902. At the Ranch they show some old film footage of the show in New York at about the same time that my Dad was there. What a treat. Just down the road in Gothenburg I visited an original Pony Express station. I’m right on track with the cowboy part of my trip.

Checked into the Hampton Inn in Kearney about 5pm, was greeted at the front desk like my name was Hilton and was told they had upgraded my reservation at no charge. I have a room almost as large as my living room at home with a Jacuzzi in the bath and a couch and lazy boy in the sitting room. The Venue Restaurant & Lounge was recommended for dinner. When I walked in I was greeted by name and received a 10% discount off an excellent steak dinner. The 2 Jack and Waters were on me.

I’m off in the morning for Des Moines, IA. There is a storm warning posted here until midnight. Hopefully it will be clear in the morning.

Click here for some photos

Day 13 Cheyenne, WY
I’m rested and ready to get back on the road. Tomorrow I’m on my way to Kearney, NE, about 318 miles east on I-80.

My stay here was made comfortable by the staff at the La Quinta and The Village Inn next door. These folks could not have been nicer.
The weather was perfect today, cool, slightly overcast and so far no rain. I hope tomorrow is this good.

Note: there was no Day 12 entry.

Click here for some photos

Day 11 Cheyenne, WY
Well gang today was the day for the big decision. I promissed Judy that if I reached a point where I was getting worn out, I'd rest up for a few days and come home. I've reached that point. Looking at the next few days in Deadwood shows nothing but rain and cold. So this morning I made the big decision, I canceled Deadwood and on Saturday I'll be heading home.

The weather has been miserable. Yesterdays ride beat the crap out of me. Lots of rain, wind and cold. It's more then I can cope with.

I left last nights Super 8 and moved down the road to a very nice La Quinta. I'll be ret here for 3 nights while some of this weather blows through. I/m working on a route home that will get me there by Friday June 12.

The trip was a grand plan and I fell in love with New mexico and Santa Fe. I'm dissapointed that I missed the places that where the basis of the tour, Four Corners and the Black Hills. But the weather, rain, wind and cold where more then I could manage.

The hardest part of this is admitting that it was more then I could do.

Day 10 Alamosa, CO. to Cheyenne, WY 333 Miles

Rain, wind and cold! That’s it in a nutshell. From Alamosa to Walsenburg it looked like maybe the weather would clear. That hope ended outside Walsenburg when I got on I-25 N. For the next 258 miles it was rain, wind (20MPH to 40MPH right on the nose of Big Red) and COLD (45 to 48 degrees). I persevered and made it through to Cheyenne.

Now I’m setting in a Super 8 wore out and ready for bed.

Please note: The wind speeds stated above are a guess. Whatever it was it decreased my gas mileage by 10 miles per gallon. Oh and the picture, that’s Rich from Mineral Wells, TX and his baby Munchkin a Skiperky.

Day 9 Santa Fe, NM to Alamosa, CO.
It was great getting back on the road again. The route was simple; US285 North, the day was complex.

First the terrain, the ride north started in the red rock and scrub brush area that surrounds Santa Fe. Then the road started a gradual climb in elevation and more grass, jimsome and trees appeared. Still climbing, it flattened out on a plateau where cattle grazed and Elk crossing signs popped up at roadside. Climbing again I cross the Colorado State line and I got my first view of real mountains with snow on the peaks.

Second the weather, when I left Santa Fe it was 56 degrees with a brilliant clear blue sky. It didn’t get any warmer. As the elevation increased the clouds began to gather and the temperature began to drop. This process continued and two storms appeared on the horizon. As I got closer to the storm clouds, both in elevation and distance, I stopped and rain secured my gear and me. The storm on my left was scary, big and black with lightning and wind that pushed Big Red around. The one on my right was not as dark but I could see lots of rain pouring out of it, when the wind on the left let up the wind on the right pushed in the other direction. Magically the road seemed to go between the two storms.

I beat both storms into Antonito, CO and stopped for fuel and grub. Lunch was at the Windmill Restaurant where the cute, recently graduated from High School, waitress thought it was so cool that someone my age would be ridding a Harley around the country. A cup of coffee, a Coke and a very good Club Sandwich and I was fit to get back on the road. A light rain had started while I was eating. Exiting the Windmill it began to hail, very light but still hail. I rode out of the hail in short order, but the temperature was still dropping. As I came into Alamosa, CO it started to SNOW! Again very light but still snow. It was coming down in good form when I reached the Best Western, I was hoping to get a picture of Big Red with a covering of snow but it didn’t last. As I write this it’s 39 degrees outside, so I guess it’s warming up.

Take a look at todays photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157619029441703/

Day 7 Santa Fe, NM

I changed my plans a bit. I was to leave Santa Fe today but the weather conditions out in the Farmington area were really bad. So, I am staying here one more day and will leave for Alamosa, CO tomorrow.

Santa Fe is and art center. Galleries and Museums abound. There was a Fine Art Show in the park. I headed over the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. I have enjoyed her work fir years and the opportunity to see it up close, could not be missed. If you are not familiar with her and her work, google her and learn.

I spent the rest of my walk recording examples of Santa Fe art, it’s everywhere.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157619063948974/

Day Day 7 Santa Fe, NM
Today was my day to see Historic Santa Fe. But first a visit to the local CVS Pharmacy. I needed to renew two prescriptions that my HMO would not fill before I left Clearwater. I called in the prescriptions yesterday and picked them up this morning. No problem, they took care of it just like the Clearwater store said they would.

My first stop was Historic Plaza and the Palace of the Governors. The Palace of the Governors has an Indian market under the long porch every Saturday. They line the porch displaying jewelry, blankets and baskets. I asked one couple if I may photograph them, they declined and I politely put my camera away.

The Palace of the Governors is also a History Museum. Upon entering, I was informed that today admission was free and as a bonus I was invited to a preview of the beautiful 3 story new museum, located directly behind the Palace of the Governors. The Grand opening is tomorrow. Sorry no pictures were allowed.

I did shoot some photos as I wandered around some of the old streets. The architecture is fascinating, a smooth soft look prevailed and colors are the colors of the earth.

Lunch, as food is very important, was at the Coyote Cantina. A Southwest Burger and a Corona went down very well. Then it was back to the hotel and a nap.

Just got back from dinner at Cowgirls Bar-B-Q. Excellent Bar-B-Q and an interesting history. If you want to read it click here: http://www.cowgirlsantafe.com/history-photos

See todays photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157619019627602/

Day 6 Roswell, NM to Santa Fe, NM 254 Miles
Today was all about what I started this trip for. I have often dreamed about wide open roads that you can see the horizon looking in either direction and not see another vehicle, let alone another human. There were times when I didn’t see another car for up to 30 minutes. I stop along the highway, turn of Big Red, sat down on the shoulder and listened. The only sound was the wind, as close to total silence as I have ever experienced. Oh, and I started to see trees! Juniper trees growing along the river are almost real trees. I must be adjusting to this magnificent country.

I changed my original plan for the day, which was to ride the Turquoise Trail. That would have been yet another 300 plus day. I opted for a shorted day and by pure luck rode a great Scenic Trail that took me through Lincoln County, Billy the Kid country, aliens yesterday and cowboys today. I stopped in the town of Lincoln and shot some pics. As an extra bonus I also saw Smokey the Bear standing at the road side. This is also Smokey country. The little guy was found here after a fire burned through the area. Speaking of wildlife, I saw wild turkeys, not the drinking kind, eagles and deer, no road kill.

Rolled into Santa Fe about 2 o’clock and checked into the Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza Hotel. The hotel was built on the site of the Ortiz Hacienda built 300 years ago. Some of the original adobe was used in the hotel construction. I wandered about a bite took a few photos, rested and had dinner at the hotel
Now it’s bed time.

To see todays photos click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157618985364638/

Day 5 Abilene, TX to Roswell, NM 314 Miles
Today I said goodbye to trees. From Abilene west there are no trees. They have these scrubby looking things scatter about the landscape, but no real trees like pines or oaks. You know, real trees.
What they do have are windmill farms. They are huge 3 bladed windmills that generate electricity and there are thousands of them. They line US84 from Roscoe to Post, which is where I got onto US380. Farming must be pretty good because not only are they harvesting electricity but they are also pumping Texas Tea (oil that is) out of the ground. Every where I looked those little rocking pumps where pumping cash out of the ground.

Activity thinned out as I headed west on US380. Please note when traveling this road don’t miss the gas station in Tatum, NM cause there aren’t no more till your in Roswell. Jim Wattam gave me a good tip about riding this part of the country, don’t past up a gas station cause you might not see another one till morning. With that in mind and the fact that big red is guzzling fuel, I stopped in the Brownfield Wal-Mart and bought a 1 gallon gas can, filled it up and packed itin the trunk. What I bought was peace of mind.!

The weather was beautiful. That translates to NO RAIN.

I got into Roswell early enough to stroll down main street and see the sights, including the world famous International UFO Museum & Research Center. I took a bunch of photos, visited the visitor center and meet a cute Zuni girl who told me all about Roswell.

Dinner was a pleasant surprise. An excellent Italian restaurant called Pasta Café. It’s first class in food and service. I highly recommend it. Check it out at http://www.pastacafeitalianbistro.com/ .

Take a look at the days photos, just click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157618896076889/

Day 4 Marshall, TX to Abilene, TX 331 Miles

A day without rain is like….well it’s like today! Last nights Dopler views showed a huge rain storm west of Dallas and I mentally prepared myself for yet another wet day. Checking again this morning, I saw that fortunately the storm had blown through during the night and the west was clear, my first rain free day of the trip!

I-20 west to Dallas Ft. Worth is pretty much standard super slab. Lots of 14-wheelers and the truck traffic have taken its toll on the almost 60 year old concrete. Once through Dallas/Ft. Worth, I-20 swings south west and becomes an entirely different experience.

Signs keep referring to Texas Hill Country. Geographically, I don’t know where Hill Country begins or ends, but it does get hillier and hillier as the miles roll by. Yahoo, I like Hill Country.
Got into Abilene and the very new Hampton Inn, which by the way is across the street from the La Quinta Inn we stayed in during our big Texas tour in 2002.

I had a great dinner at the Lytle Land & Cattle Restaurant. One of the best steaks I’ve ever had. The staff was friendly and fun. If you ever in Abilene, don’t miss dinning atthe best steak house in town.

Take a look for yourself,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157618807736323/

Day 3 Hammond, LA to Marshall, TX
Howdy Buckaroos, I made it to Texas! Big Red and I cranked out 340 miles today, and may I say it was a far better ride then yesterday.

I took I-12 out of Hammond, through Red Stick (Baton Rouge) where I reconnected with I-10. It was I-10 to Lafayette, LA where I turned north on I-49. As far as Interstate highways go, I-49 seems to the road less traveled and I traveled 200 miles of it. What a great day!

When I stopped for lunch and fuel in Natchitoches the first drizzle of the day caught up with me. Found another little one just before Shreveport, nothing that required Gore-Tex.

I encountered that at the Texas state line on I-20. Man it got dark and ugly real fast. I got off the I road and into a Loves Truck Stop. I suited up under the fuel pump canopy, the wind blew and the shit flew while I sat it out under that beautiful canopy. When it slacked off I rode the last 22 miles to Marshall and a room for the night.

Here's a few pix I took today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157618761431767/

Day 2 Marianna, FL to Hammond, LA
Swimming on a Harley
I would like thank Mr. Gore for inventing Gore-Tex. After today’s weather I am a believer.

The Weather Channel, this morning, showed some heavy rain squalls east of Pensacola so I left my motel fully suited up in that miracle fabric. Rain covers enveloped my T-Bags and my new HJC helmet with a drip proof face shield and stow-a-way sun shield completed my foul weather regalia. (Sounds like a commercial for Fletcher's)

Ten miles west of Marianna, I started running into brief showers. By the time I reached Pensacola it was a white wall of water. All you can do is follow the faint tail lights of the cars and trucks ahead. I rode in and out of these squalls for next 275 miles.

As the Bard of Avon once said, all’s well that ends well. I got through it safely with out even a “Oh Shit”. I stayed dry, my travel bags stayed dry and just east of Hammond, LA the rain stopped.

Sorry, no photographs today. But then you know what rain looks like.

Day 1 The Adventure BeginsBill Frederick offered to accompany me on this first day of the Bucket Tour. When I got to Bill’s home at 7:30 am, Ed Ketcham was waiting to ride with us also. When we arrived at Caposey’s Restaurant in NP Richey, Dick McCall was waiting for us. What a great surprise! You’ve heard of the Over-The-Hill Gang, well the four of us make up the Above-The-Sod Gang.

The weather was beautiful and after breakfast we headed North on US19. The miles fell behind us and soon it was re-fuel time in Chefland. Ed and Dick left us at that point to go and look for squiggly new roads and Bill and I pressed on for, what else, lunch in Perry. We opted for Pounce’s instead of Swain’s. We left US 19 for US98 and headed west.

I have ridden through the Apalachicola National Forest on many occasions and every time it rained. Today was no exception. We almost made it, but the rain caught up with us about 35 miles out of Marianna. We sat out the most of the storm with Jessica at the Amoco station. Thanks Jessica.

After about an hour the rain eased and we rode off into another downpour about a mile down the road. Such is motorcycle touring.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157618748320164/

The Shake Down Cruise
Fletcher’s H-D completed a 30K service on Tuesday May 12. Pete gave Big Red a through going over to assure that my Bucket Tour will be as trouble free as possible and to put it to the test, we went on our H.O.G. chapter overnighter to Ft. Myers and the Murder Mystery Dinner Train Ride. The Chapter almost filled the dining car and what a great time we had. The best part being that the ride down and back was uneventful. I hate those “EVENTFUL” rides. However, I did find out that it’s possible to put 5.012 gals in a 5 gallon Harley fuel tank! That Gas Station in the middle of nowhere sure looked good!
Note to self: There are no Gas Stations on SR31 between Arcadia and Ft. Myers.

You may view more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickpritchard/sets/72157618332686877/

The Bucket Tour will start Sunday, May 24 2009. What is the Bucket Tour? It's the motorcycle tour of a lifetime, at least in my lifetime. I'm an old guy and I've been riding motorcycles for many years. I have traveled through every state east of the Mississippi River plus Texas, Arkansas and Missouri on the other side. Now as I draw near to three-quarters of a century in age, it's time to head west and visit places I have wanted to see since I first threw a leg over a motorcycle. So, I'm going West to see those places before I kick the bucket!

I invite you to travel along with me, by viewing my blog as I make daily entries and post pictures.