Bill and Glen's Annual Harley Ride 2012 Part I

The 2012 tour has come and gone. It's been a great ride. The ride this year was centered around a Colorado tour. Glen lives in Minnesota, I live in Oklahoma. Colorado was suggested and plans began. We agreed to meet at an approximate halfway point between our homes. We decided to meet in Norfolk, Nebraska.

One of the guidelines we agreed upon when we started this was no agenda. No reservations. If we run across something we want to see we go see it. If we see rain in front of us we can change our route on a whim or put on the rain gear and ride on! We pack tents and sleeping bags but hotels or motels are never out of the question it just depends on what we decide later in the day. Fuel stops occur about every  150-180 miles so breaks are quite often with photo stops between fuel stops. No hurrying. Food is always a priority, we like to find places we've seen on Food Network and particularly from the DDD show. For some reason we missed all of the show stops this year. I think we got sidetracked with the visual attractions and scenery.

We ride Harley Davidson motorcycles. Before you start all your stereotyping we also took a friend on a Kawasaki Concours this year. SO really it's about the company and not the brand. Glen rides a 1990 Ultra Classic, I ride a 2011 Street Glide. It doesn't matter what you ride as long as it fulfills your desires.We always pack with everything on the bikes which can be a challenge. You have to decide what you can and can't do with or without. This year we decided trailers are in order for next year. (I really miss my pillow and a lawn chair!).

Lodging expenses are split evenly among all of us. Some campgrounds allow two or three motorcycles and tents to occupy one campsite others don't. If two campsites are required we add the cost of both sites and split it evenly. We accept the campgrounds rules as they are, no complaining. If we don't like their rules we ride on, always polite. One of our camping limitations requires electricity at night. Glen uses a c-pac(sp?) to assist his breathing at night. We have been brainstorming to find ways to carry a power source with us that is easily rechargeable but not use the power source on the bikes so one of us doesn't end up with a no start situation in the morning. Again trailers seem to be part of the solution. We can put an extra motorcycle 12 volt battery in the trailer for a power source and devise a charging solution as we travel the next day. We have looked at solar, mounting an alternator to the trailer wheel allowing the battery to charge as long as the trailer wheel is moving. This would give us the opportunity to camp in national forest service campgrounds and various other campgrounds that have tent sites without electrical access.

I need to divert from the subject for a moment. If you are considering motorcycle touring I highly recommend taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation(msf-usa.org) "Basic Rider" course before you begin. Doesn't matter if you've never ridden before or if you've been riding for 20 years, I can guarantee you will leave the course with new riding fundamentals that will completely change the way you ride. You will be safer and better capable of handling emergency situations than you could ever have imagined. The course I took was $200 and was offered through Tulsa Technology Center, Broken Arrow campus. They provide the motorcycle, you provide a helmet, leather or motorcycle gloves, boots (I do not recommend leather soled boots!), long pants, long sleeve shirt or jacket and a willingness to learn. You'll have to check the course schedules to find one that fits you. The motorcycles are provided by area dealers and are more than adequate to provide an opportunity to experience motorcycle riding under a very controlled environment. Thanks Guys at MSF Broken Arrow campus!

Back to the adventure... All of our rides have been open invitation for friends and family. If we haven't asked you to join us feel free to ask us. Our guidelines are; have fun, be responsible, no rudeness to humans or animals, we can tolerate a little complaining but excessive whining may find you on your own in the middle of no where, patience is an absolute requirement (if you have no patience don't even think about going), if you don't like where we spend the night it will be over in the morning, when we stop to eat there are usually numerous eateries in the area and as long as we continue the journey together you can eat where ever you like. We try to pick landmarks that appeal to all of us but there will be days you may not have an interest, exercise patience it usually pays off. If the group gets large we reserve the right to be the directors of the trip. Large groups are hard to manage and it's impossible to keep everyone happy all of the time, if you can't trust our choices or want to take over, don't go. We'll set trip dates at least 6 months in advance. Last year we rode around Lake Superior through Canada and the surrounding states, this year it was Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma, next year we're looking at the Great Smoky Mountains area (not set in stone yet).

Next post... Oklahoma to Norfolk, Nebraska and beyond....