1,442 miles

Day 1 - Straight through

The plan, like all great ones, was simple: Jump out of Michigan toward Colorado, and loop that magnificent state.

No reservations. No agenda. No highlighted road map. No previously-inputed waypoints.

A single, solitary item on our mutual "To Do" list: Get Todd's 1986 R80RT to roll over to 100,000 miles, somewhere, out there. And report on the experience, in real time, via the Web, with nothing but a Nikon and an Apple laptop.

Welcome to our homework assignment, "What I Did On My Summer Vacation, 2007."

Here's our late start, after Michael done forgot his card reader for this trip. Note the newspaper refers to the Hindenburg, that's how long Todd was sitting around, waiting ... waiting ... waiting.



Good natured banter on the deck, Thmpa taking the snaps with the new glorious Nikon 18-200mm lens. (Thanks to Michael's wife, Tammie, for pre-trip investment authorization!)



Todd's eldest son puddles up about not being able to go (dislocated shoulder, doncha know):

Indiana wants me

we are near muncie, hit the indiana border about 9:30 a.m.



We are not making much time!

We started late because Michael forgot his card reader.

We are later because Todd left his cash at home. Here is Todd trying make a Verizon connection work:



And being an unsuccessful WiFi hunter outside a Motel 6:



But the weather is nice, and the R80RT is nearing 97,000.



Here's a succesful Panera wifi hookup:



Dawn patrol

Well, quite a productive night! and we have war-ridden to someone's unsecured WiFi here at the first colorado rest stop!

Michael hit a new PR, with about 1,200 miles in 24, his first 1000-in-1 on a motorcycle.

Todd hit a new PR, with 1,100 in 24, besting his 24 year old record of 1,044 in 24.

Illinois flew by:

St. Louis was misery. We took an East St. Louis detour because I-70 was a parking lott in 100 degree heat. And were were next to a swine-hauling rig. P-U! Here, Todd explains how he would have used his "mr. friendly" personality on the uh, lovely, ladies, walking the streets in E. St. Louis.



Michael was nervous about East St. Louis, but I'm from Flint, it felt like a suburb! And no, he knows NOTHING about why the BMWMOA HQ was T-Ped. (tee-hee)

Michael told his wife we were eating in gas stations that sold live bait. Which was true until Blackwater, Mo. where we found a four-star restaurant in Blackwater, pop. 199. The food was stupendous. But why is origami master Michael holding a paper replica of the Eiffel Tower?

Well, quaint, historic Blackwater was established 150 years ago, on Bastille Day, of all things. So the Iron Horse was celebrating with the rest of the town. (Todd doesn't eat at no steenkin' gas stations!)




The Iron Horse is also a B&B and we were nearly tempted to stay there. (Versus the lovely ravaged hotel surrounded by skinny blonde women we saw in E. St. Louis.)

The night cooled off nicely, but we kept running out of mental and physical gas, resulting in a multiple stays at the Missouri and Kansas Iron Butt Dee-Lux Motel. Shown are the non-smoking single rooms, with a view. Rates were by the hour.



Despite a grueling night, not stopping paid off in an unbelievable manner.

Keep on a'reading ...