Day 2, Murdo, SD to Alliance, NE

Today, things got a lot better. We got up and went to breakfast at the GTO Diner in Murdo. Good breakfast, but the family behind me was pretty funny. I couldn't see them but I could hear them. She was complaining that there was nothing on the menu she could eat. He was crabby as hell and wasn't too sympathetic. Someone else was crabbing that the sun was shining on her and burning her. It was funny to listen to, all they could do was bitch and complain...
After breakfast we went back down 83, then west on 18 in South Dakota.

I really like being in the middle of nowhere.



That took us through a very impoverished looking Rosebud Indian Reservation. We stopped for gas in Martin, SD. We followed 18 for a while, then went south on 391/27, through Gordon, NE. West on 20 to 87, then south into Alliance. We stopped just before town to check out Carhenge.





We walked in to the Carhenge Pitstop and the first thing John sees is a penny masher.






Here's John at Carhenge.



Me too.



After taking in all that Carhenge had to offer, we drove the 3 miles to Alliance. We got a room at the 1st INN. Yesterday we drove a little over 600 miles. Today we quit at 220.



Tonights weather looks like rain, so we pulled the bikes up under the walkway.

Sturgis Vacation, Day 1, The day of the performance award

Well, the day started ok... We made it down through Iowa and South Dakota, then into Nebraska.



I had been thinking that I hadn't seen much in the way of the Law Enforcement community. Well, John and I got to meet a fellow member. I'm glad the meeting wasn't 10 minutes earlier or things wouldn't have gone as well as they did. We met up with the Keya Paha County Sheriff himself, a very nice guy.



As if that wasn't enough, there wasn't a hotel room to be found within 80 miles of Valentine, NE. It's a small town and there was a rodeo near by. We ended up driving north up to Murdo, SD and got a room at the Anchor Inn.

I hope this isn't a sign of how things will be on this trip.

The Night Before

Ready to go. I'll leave about 0800 and meet John about an hour later outside of Northfield, MN.


Rudy is checking out my ride! I'll miss all of my 5 cats, Nancy too!!

2 Days to go!

I've spent the last two nights in the garage getting things ready. John and Wendie came over last night and John helped me change the tires on my Zx-14. We put on a new set of Michelin Pilot Road 2's. Thanks John. The oil and filter have been changed, the chain has been adjusted and lubed. I just have to put on the soft luggage, pack, strap it down, and I'm ready! I'll leave saturday morning with 8300 miles on the Zx-14.

I had a good one hour meeting with the Public Employee's Retirement Association (PERA) today. They provided me with 5 pages of forms to fill out and send back. All that's left to do is pick a date and send them back. It seems like such an easy decision to make, until you have to sign your name to all the paperwork. It's more then a little scary to think that I'd be done there after 21+ years.... Now what? I guess I could spend a lot of time on my motorcycles. I told Nancy that we could get a trailer and pull a bike down to AZ or NM during the winter for a little vacation. She thought that sounded like a great idea. She can't wait for me to be through with the county so we can spend more time together. Sounds like a good plan!

9 Days Until Vacation!

I have just 9 more days until I head west with John for our annual road trip and visit to the Sturgis Rally. John and I will leave on the 31st to meet up with his cousin Paul that will be ridding up from Phoenix. We should meet him somewhere near Cheyenne, WY on Monday the 2nd. John and I have plenty of time to get there. I told him I wanted to stop in Alliance, NE and see Carhenge. We should be able to do that.

This weekend I have a lot to do. I have a set of Michelen Pilot Road 2s to put on the Zx-14. I have a Stop and Go tire repair kit to pick up from Bob's Cycle in St. Paul and a couple of extra fairing bolts to pickup from Cities Edge Kawasaki in Shakopee. I have already installed the Ram GPS mount on the Zx.

By next Friday I hope to be all set to go!

Pre Sturgis and Points West...

As of 7-3-10 There are now 8060 miles on the Zx, that means there's 7040 miles on the tires. I hope to put a few hundred more miles in the tires before it's time to head west. I have ordered a new set of Michelin Pilot Road 2's from swmototires, they should get here by the 9th. I'll swap out the tires just before the trip, so I can put many thousands of miles on fresh rubber.

I also picked up a Garmin Nuvi GPS. I have finally entered the modern age. I used it last week when we took a prisoner back to CA. There is no way I would have been able to make the 2+ hour drive from San Francisco to Jamestown in the dark without it. I'll be looking at ways to mount it on my bike.

I've talked to John and I think we have maybe picked a route. We'd leave 7-31-10 from home and go to CO to meet his cousin. Then up to Belle Fourche, SD for part of a week. Then a loop through as many as 10 western states before making for home. I hope to be gone almost 3 weeks and return to work 8-23-10.

I have not made it official yet, but I might return to work for 11 working days, work 1 day past my 50th birthday, and then retire. 21 and 3/4 years has taken it's toll on my mental and physical health. I have to leave for my own sanity.

Oil change

Zx-14, 7606 miles, 5-30-10. Tires good, just showing a flat center in rear tire. Now 6426 miles on tires!

Day 6, 5-17-10

Again!!!



We left Bethany, Missouri about 9:30 and stopped for gas in Clear Lake, Iowa at 12:50. I split off from John at hwy 19 and made it home at 3:30



Total miles = 1601
All 6 days with rain

Day 5, 5-16-10

Woke up to this.......



Then, right after breakfast...



So we waited a while and took off. We drove in a light rain most of the day. We stopped in Bethany, MO for the night.

Day 4, 5-15-10

Today, we took a ride on the bus/trolley system, then had lunch downtown. It rained all morning and into the early afternoon. We didn't get much riding in today, just a quick trip around town and then stopped to gas up the bikes.
We will head for home tomorrow.