Miles: 393
States: GA, AL, MS
Leaving this morning around 945 AM EST, we made our way to Birmingham, AL for a visit to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. For anyone interested in motorcycles and cars, this is a must see.
Just a few of the vehicles they have can be seen in the pics I took located here.
Continuing on down the road, we stopped in Jackson for the night. We’ll get up and finish the trip home tomorrow.
Miles: 4-5
States: GA
After arriving Friday evening we spent the weekend just hanging out, enjoying friends, playing Wii, watching Rush Hour 3, playing Wii, defending ourselves from the vicious cats, playing Wii, and just having a good time.
Mileage: 391
States: NC, SC, GA
Knowing that the earliest the cycle shops opened was 9AM, we slept in a bit (7:30) showered, loaded the bikes and got ready to go by 9 when I called and found a Michilen Pilot Road in the proper size at Boone Honda. The didn’t have the Dunlop D220 and the earliest they could have it was Tuesday. So the ST got a PR on the rear.
They wer very helpful and got right on it as soon as we pulled in. An hour later, the ST had a new shoe on the rear, air pressure checked on the front, and the rear member oil topped off.
One of the gentleman there had to wander around my VFR and decided it was “good looking” the kid behind the counter was amazed that I was from Texas. Surprised the service guy when I gave him my address too.
With the wallet $220 lighter, we set off in search of food around 11AM.
After pestering the waitress at Huddle House, we headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway.
BRP is a beautiful road. Sadly the 45mph speed limit hampers the amount of fun that can be had there. I constantly had to watch myself for accelerating out of corners well over the limit.
Jumping off the BRP in Ashville, got directions from some locals and made a bee-line for Atlanta. The chosen route took us down to Spartanburg, SC and then over to Atlanta. Unfortunately it was all interstate, but time was of the essence.
Traffic didn’t seem to have a problem rolling 80-90mph so we made excellent time. And somewhat surprisingly, the bikes loved it too. 46mpg on the VFR, 50mpg on the ST1300 :eek:
Just 9 miles from our exit, the rain started. Couldn’t have been earlier when both bikes temp gauges were reading over 100*F, nope, had to be just before we arrived so we are trapseing all kinds of nasty wet gear into the house. :giveup:
We managed to avoid the maniacs that wanted to run us over, and there are lots of them on I85 and in Atlanta! and made it to our destination about 8PM.
Miles: 320
States: VA, NC
Getting up about 7AM we started loading the bikes. And watching the clouds roll in.
Broke out the VX-7R and listened to the NWS forcast to see what was happening. They said it would be afternoon before anything fell out of the sky. Well, they were wrong. Just after getting the tent broke down, it started raining. Not hard, just enough to get everything wet.
Waiting a bit for it to wash off the roads, it stopped raining. So we loaded up and headed down the last half of Skyline Drive.
Arriving at the bottom, we looked at how far we had to go and how much time we had and decided we needed to make up some time. So we jumped on the interstate and headed south at a brisk pace. But only after getting some food at Shoney’s.
I was pleased to see that they had sweet tea on the menu. Nice to be heading back towards the south again!
After about 3hrs on the Intersate, we were sick of it. And our iPods had died. So we jumped off onto US221. Once into NC, the road got wonderfully twisty. The 2nd county in NC, Ashe, was horrible! The road was still twisty, but the pavement was like a roller coaster! Up and down, left and right, all for no apparent reason, just terrible paving work.
Once through that we found a CiCi’s pizza and had some food.
Deciding we’d had enough for the day, we looked up the local KOA and rented a couple movies.
Unknown to us, there was a BMW motorcycle gathering at the same KOA, so the place is full of Bavarian hardware.
I’d been watching the rear tire on the ST1300 and was hoping it would survive till Atlanta where I had a tire waiting at Cyclegear. Sadly its not going to make it, so we are going to hit the local tire shops in the morning and get a replacement. Hopefully
Mileage: 405
States: MD, WV, VA, PA
Today we were wanting to go to the Gettysburg Battlefield and the HD assembly plant in York, PA.
Leaving MD, we finished out US50 and made it to Parkersburg, VA for breakfast (~10:30AM)
Continuing down the wrong road, we finally made it to Gettysburg around 12:30PM. Seeing as it was on the warm side and we were already hot from the ride up, we opted to wonder around the museum.
Leaving Gettysburg about 1PM we headed towards York, 30mi away, with the plan of arriving about 1:30PM to get a spot for the 2PM tour at HD. Well traffic conspired against us and we didn’t make it to York till 2:10PM. On top of that, I wasn’t sure where HD was.
Giving up on HD, we decided to grab a bite to eat and fill the tanks. This was a challenged because we were in York. York is annoying. There’s tons of streets and lots of buildings, but there’s nothing there! We drove around for ~20min before finally finding a Taco Bell. To that point we still hadn’t seen a fuel station! On top of the town being weird, the drivers are idiots, and I swear we caught every red light in town!
After pulling the map out in Taco Bell and plotting an escape route, we topped off the Camelbaks and proceeded down the road in search of a filling station.
Once out on the road we were making pretty good time. Traffic was moving, sun was shining, nobody’d tried to kill us in the last 15min, it was good.
Then it happened. Traffic came to a screeching halt and the sirens came wailing up behind us. Cresting the hill we discovered that three vehicles decided to get into a physical discussion and had shut down the highway.
While sitting there trying not to melt, a gentleman on a Triumph Thruxton rolled up and chatted with us. It was a beautiful yellow ’06 with a little black fairing around the headlight. Beautiful machine!
About the time all the traffic in front of us had been re-directed onto an alternate route, the cleared the road and we were able to continue down our originally planned route.
We made it to Front Royal, VA about 6:15PM, topped off the tanks and set off for Skyline Drive.
After a wrong turn down a wonderfully twisty road, we made it to the entrance about 7PM. Only to discover that its $10 per motorcycle, $15 for “normal” vehicles, to ride the road. We paid and began slowly working our way down the Drive. (Its 35mph the whole way) Fortunately the road is fairly twisty, but 35 is a bit too slow. Taking advantage of the error in the speedo, we increased speed a bit (45 ) and began enjoying the road more. The scenery is beautiful on the Skyline Drive!
About 2hrs later and 50mi in, we stopped for the night at a campground. Its $20/night to camp, there’s no power at the camp sites and they charge you $1/5min to take a shower. So much for camping being cheaper then a hotel!
Its really pretty here and the skunks are friendly so I think its worth it.
Mileage: 473mi
States: KY, OH, WV, MD
After messing around with the bike-to-bike for a little while and getting the bikes loaded, we finally pulled out at 9:15AM. The goal was to stay away from the Interstate and enjoy ourselves.
Taking US60 we headed East.
If you ever get a chance to ride US50 through WV, you’ll love it. From Parkersburg to Clarksburg is big fast sweepers (speed limit of 65) and then from Clarksburg on its fairly tight and twisty. Lots of S curves and nice little downs thrown in. Speed limit is 55, but I’m only getting there when it’s straight. 40 is about what I’m doing around the corners, but then I’m slow and the bikes loaded to the hilt!
We stopped in MD on US50 at a little mom and pop motel. Rooms were old, and lacked A/C but were very nicely kept and provided a welcome flat spot to lay out on.
I [Nathan] was up in Michigan for a months worth of training to go our as a student missionary. To get up there, I made a 1,200mi, 23hr run to Berrien Springs for an attempt at a SS1k IBA certification.
Finishing training on the 12th of Aug, I headed for Louisville, KY to visit my aunt and meet my brother [Larry]. It took me about 300mi and 5hrs to get to Louisville.
Larry had a 900mi to cover. He left Saturday afternoon, stopped on the W side of Little Rock for the night, then continued on his way in the morning.
Larry arrived about 6PM.
I arrived about 9:15PM.
Larry came up grudgingly on my ST1300 due to his Virago breaking a timing chain just hours before he was to leave.
I was on the VFR in Michigan, so naturally, I rode that...
Monday we made a trip to Cyclegear to exchange Larry’s new Scorpion EXO-700 for something that didn’t hurt his head. After fitting about all the helmets on the shelf, the Shoei RF1000 was the final decision.
Spent the rest of the day enjoying family and scheming for the rest of the trip.
As of about 30min ago, training concluded.
We've been taught how to draw closer to God
We've been taught how to serve the career missionaries on the project.
We've been taught how to step outside of our box, and learn the culture of the people we are going to serve.
We've been taught how to learn new languages.
We've been taught how to work as a team.
We've been taught to deal with conflict.
We've been taught basic medical.
We've made a bunch of new friends.
We've watched as God has worked wonders in our fund raising.
And we wait patiently while He continues to work on the remaining funds.
I thank you all for your prayers and support, its greatly appreciated.
I ask your prayers for a couple of my fellow SMs.
Marjorie Kendall of Collegedale, TN is needing over $1,400 before she can launch. The rest of her team will be flying out on the 1st of September. We believe that God will work and the money will come in so that Marjorie is able to leave with her team. Marjorie is to be homeschooling the kiddo's of a family in SE Asia.
Ebony Daniels, from TN as well, is also in need of more funds, though I don't know how much she needs. Ebony is going to serve Marc and Cathy Coleman in Guinea, Africa.
I believe that the funds will come in according to His timing. I thank you for your prayers and support.
Nathan Seery
seeryn@gmail.com
1200mi + 23hrs + 7 states = 1 long trip
Needing to be in Michigan on the 15th for training, and being in San Antonio for Promise Keepers on Saturday pretty much forced me into making an Iron Butt of a required trip. I’ve been wanting to do it, so why not make the best of a given situation.
Having known this was going to be the situation for a while, I pondered which bike to take. The ST1300 has larger side bags, wider seat, bigger screen, slightly more upright seating position. While the VFR800 has a top case (much needed when you are gone for a month) and is more fun in the twisties for that tour home.
I want a top case for the ST1300 at some point but finances just wouldn’t allow it now, so I took the VFR.
Having ridden the ST to Atlanta and knowing how I felt after that, I don’t think I would have been much more comfortable on that then I was on the VFR. I actually prefer the leg positioning on the VFR to the ST though the slightly more upright bars of the ST are quite nice, but not enough to make me spend the money for the top case when there’s more pressing needs right now.
Arriving home from San Antonio about 6PM left me with a few hours to get packed before I went to bed. Finally got it all done and hit the sack around 2230. Set the alarm for 0200 and proceeded to stare at the ceiling. :doh:
Woke up at 0200, got the bike loaded and headed for Alvarado. I arrived later then I wanted, but I got there just before 0300 to find the nut cases that were seeing me off sitting in a totally dark station. I just [i]thought[/i] it was a 24hr station. So across the street we went.
I really don’t know what they were doing up at that hour :yawn:
Starting mileage
Got the tank filled, paperwork filled out, receipt from the cashier (pay at the pumps never print when you need them too) and finally hit the road at ~0320
Chuck escorted me to the US67/IH30 merge/split. Don stuck with me till just past IH635. I was beginning to wonder if he was going to run with me all the way to AR as he’d discussed at the gas station...
Made it to Texarkana just a bit after the sun came up, grabbed breakfast (Waffle House) and filled the tank.
After topping off the tank on the bike and topping off my stomach, I continued on my way.
Oddly enough, it was incredibly foggy till I made it almost all the way to Little Rock where I caught the loop around to I40 at 0940. Stopped to top off the tank and get a receipt to mark the corner and met a couple guys on a new Connie and a Zuk Boulevard (sorry didn’t get the size). The Connie14 looks better in person then it does in the promo pics. My one thought was that the bags looked like and after thought though.
Turns out the guys were from E TX (they told me the town, but I forgot) and were headed to TN. I should have said something about TWT, guess I was too busy drooling over their machines.
Continuing on my way I made it to Missouri.
Stayed in MO for less then 100mi and made it to Dyesrsburg TN around 1330 where I stopped for lunch. 
In exactly 100mi I stopped in Calvert, KY for gas. I’m so used to riding for 300mi and still being in the heart of Texas, I was almost surprised to see the state line signs so frequently!
Sorry, no pic of the KY state sign as it was in a location I wasn’t about to stop in!
About 2000 I stopped made my first stop Indiana, Terre Haute IN to be specific, at 25,830mi. Grabbed a burger at Wendy’s while I was there, then I made a bee line for Indy.
Arrived in Indy at 2154, where I topped off with gas and made the turn onto I-65N. 
Whats with these northern BP gas pumps :scratch:
Just after midnight (0018) I stopped in Lake Station, IN for a bottled Starbucks Frap and topped of the tank for the final leg.
At 0122 with 26,106 on the odometer, I purchased about a gallon of gas (nothing else was open) to make the end of the trip in Bridgeman, MI. 
For a grand total of 1,189mi by my odometer. Google maps claims the trip is 1,172mi and I know I made a few small circles, rode around a couple gas stations, had to find a station that wound up being 5mi from from the interstate, etc. So I think I’m safe on the mileage ;)
My final destination was another 15mi down the road, but I figured there wouldn’t be anything open at 0200 in a town with a population of 1,800. I was correct.
Made a call and got my room mate for the month (and the upcoming year as an SM) to let me in and I zonked out almost immediately.
There were several turns that were way out in the sticks with nary an exit for miles, so some of those I don’t have documented. Some I was able to pull off and take a pic of the exit sign, but I’m not certain that will suffice for the IBA-required documentation. Assuming they assume (yikes thats a lot of assumption!) that I took the most direct route and trust me that I followed the printed route that I’m going to mail to them, I should be ok. Now to get the packet compiled and mailed in.
1,200mi, 23hrs, 6 states (I coulda swore I was in IL for a few miles, but I didn’t get a pic, and its not showing up on the Google directions).
[url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=Alvarado,+TX+76009&daddr=37.944198,-87.583008+to:Berrien+Springs,+MI&mrcr=0,1&mrsp=1&sz=6&mra=dpe&sll=37.18124,-91.767525&sspn=9.920039,16.918945&ie=UTF8&z=6&om=1]This[/url] is the route I intended on taking. I adhered to it for the most part save one or two, unintended detours. I don’t think they added real miles, just time.
Not a single lick of trouble from the bike. Ran perfectly and returned 42.5mpg avg. I even managed to keep the chicken strips down to my normal 1/4” 
My wrists and shoulders were a bit sore, but nothing worth complaining about. My bum did fine. After ~200mi I would have to get off and move it around to get the blood back in it, but thats also the upper tank range on the bike so its not a real problem. Should I run into an extra $400, I’ll most likely get a Sargent seat for it. Oh, a throttle lock would be nice. Too bad the $18 one from Cycle Gear didn’t work when I bought it a couple months ago.
*all times are CST
Let me get you up to speed on what’s happening. I landed in Berrien Springs Michigan early on the morning of the 16th for Adventist Frontier Missions Student Missionary training. Its a four week course designed to get the SMs ready for service in the field.
Monday through Thursday was mostly spent filling out forms, learning about how to deal with various cultures (this will continue) and learning about the different personalities within the group of SMs and how they relate differently.
Thursday evening we were given eight Tupperware boxes about the size of shoe-box and told anything we wanted to take with us, had to be in those boxes. Keep in mind that there are 17 SMs this year. Sleeping bags and water bottles were the only exceptions.
We dressed in grubby clothes (as instructed) and loaded onto the bus. The first stop on the bus trip was a grocery store for the food we would be fixin’ during the long weekend.
After that we took off for a large piece of property owned by the SDA church up here in Michigan.
At this point I get to a point where I can’t really tell you what all happened cause its kinda secretive, not shoot-you-if-I-tell-you secretive, but we ain’t supposed to tell.
We arrived back on the campus of Andrew’s University at about 1830 local time one exhausted bunch of folks.
About two hours later, six of us had the bright idea to run to St Joseph, MI to get something to eat. We didn’t arrive back till about 2300 even more exhausted, but we had a blast, though I think the restaurant would have been fine if we hadn’t showed up.
The main goal of the event was to build the SMs into a team. A second goal was to push us to our physical limits. The first succeeded incredibly. I’ve only known most of my fellow SMs for a hair over a week and I’m now closer to them then I am to some people I’ve known for years. Its amazing what a proper mixture of trust-building activities and exercises can do for trust.
The second goal succeeded for some of the people on the team. The size difference between the team members is quite vast. Ranging from girls that are doing good to reach 5’4” and might weigh 110lbs if you threw them in the water in winter ski clothes, to myself at 6’2” and 175lbs. There is one other person who weighs more then myself. I”m going to guess, but didn’t ask, about 200lbs.
I’m by no means as fit as I’d like to be, but my long legs made it incredibly easy to maintain a fast walk while the small girls were jogging, thus making it very easy for me to keep pace with the team and not push myself that hard physically.
Please don’t take this as bragging, I’m simply saying that I was expecting to be pushed much harder then I was, but due to the team oriented nature, some of us un-natural freaks had it much easier then others.
While the physical part was a challenge and a fair bit of fun (for me anyway, others seemed to dislike it a bit more ;) ) the team building aspect is what really impressed me more.
We would be given a task to complete and a different person from the team selected to lead for this event. Various restrictions were placed upon us to make the task more difficult. Restrictions ranged to not being able to speak at all, limited word usage, some members blind-folded, English dis-allowed as a communication form, etc. The tasks themselves ranged from physical challenges, to mental challenges, to seeing how we would handle being pushed with time limits, lack of sleep, lack of food, etc.
It was a lot of fun to watch the individual members and the team as whole grow through this experience.
Initially, everyone tended to think as a single individual and as time progressed to the point that when given a task that had the team subdivided into smaller teams, that we joined together to complete the task.
Individuals grew in confidence in themselves, confidence in their leadership abilities, physical abilities, spiritual connection, and many other areas that are kinda hard to put down on (virtual) paper.
Suffice it to say I learned a fair bit about myself and learned a lot about the other SMs.
After this weekend the rest of the training goes back to the classroom. So while we’ll be getting lots of good instruction, it’ll be terribly boring to tell you about.
If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to try and answer them
I thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I greatly appreciate them.
I really didn't die attempting the IB run. I simply got in super early and didn't feel like blogging at that point. and I've been busy since then and am just now getting around to writing a report.
I'll hope fully get that posted in a few days
Till then, here's the generalization
1200mi, 23hrs, 10min of rain, 4hrs of fog, lots of gas, a sore bum, and a great time!
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