Jackson
Well-known member
I just returned from a 5,900 mile, 16 day trip around much of the eastern 2/3 of the US. One of my goals was to qualify for the IBA "National Parks Tour", which requires visits to at least 50 National Park Service sites in 25 states in less than a year. I had been considering doing this for some time, but finally, after much planning and a new set of Michelin Pilot Roads, left my South Dakota home on June 19.
The IBA National Parks Tour requires that an imprint of the rubber stamp that each park has in their visitor center be collected. You can purchase a "Passport" book where the stamps can be kept.
Before I left home, I had already visited and collected the stamps from 5 parks in the greater Black Hills area--parks in SD, WY, and ND. So, I set out to get 45 more parks in 22 more states. I headed south, to visit some parks in KS, CO, NM, OK, MO, AR, then MS.
Here's a lonely road in northeast CO.
I have family and friends in MS, so I spent three nights there. I got to see some cousins that were visiting from out of town that I had not seen in decades, and went on a local afternoon ride with buddy. That same buddy and his pillion then rode with me for half a day, from Columbus, MS up to Corinth, MS, where we checked out the visitor center for Shiloh National Military Park.
Here's a rough approximation of my route.
After I left my buddy in MS, I continued alone up through TN, AL, GA, visiting parks all along the way, and then stopped to see my brother in Charlotte NC. I got on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while before stopping at Appomattox in VA, where the Civil War ended.
Of the 370+ NPS sites, some of them are small, out of the way, and under-visited. For example, in Richmond, VA, there's the Maggie Walker National Historic Site. I was the only visitor there and got a special one on one tour.
The Friendship Hill site in PA was the home of Albert Gallatin, a protege of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The driveway to the site (below) grabbed my attention.
You may never have heard of the Dayton Aviation Heritage site, in Dayton, OH. It documents the early history of aviation, including the Wright Brothers adventures.
And yes, there's even a park in Iowa....the birthplace of Herbert Hoover and his presidential library.
I have to admit, that the rest of Iowa, well, .... if you've seen one corn field, you've seen them all. But I did enjoy driving by the new race car track in Iowa. They have already had an IndyCar race there, and I think there will be (or has been?) a NASCAR race there this year.
But, I had a great time. I rode on some great 2-lane roads that I never would have seen otherwise. Sixteen days on the road... on my '06 FJR. The FJR performed flawlessly. Never a problem of any kind.
I like the bike even more now than I did before the trip. I met some great people, saw some close relatives, and saw and others that I had not seen for a long time.
Here are some things that went well:
--Skyway's hydration kit. I did not hook up the drinking tube, but the 1/2 gallon water cooler was great. Every morning I'd fill it up with ice and top it off with water. By the end of the day there would still be a little ice left, and the small amount of remaining water would still be cold.
--Garmin GPSMap 378. I got this unit a couple of months before I left, along with the XM radio receiver/antenna. I splurged and subscribed to the XM Radio weather system. I found it very useful to view the NEXRAD radar overlaid over the regular navigation map. A few times I was able to choose an alternate route when the radar showed a major thunderstorm ahead. Or, if I drove into a thunderstorm, I knew it was there, and I'd stop and put on my rain suit before getting wet. I hate putting a rain suit over clothes that are already wet.
--MiraCool vest. This vest has "cooling crystals" that absorb water and stays wet for hours, but it's most effective for about 90 minutes. Then, if it's really hot, it helps to recharge it with water again. It actually takes days for it to completely dry, but after 2-3 hours, it doesn't cool you as much. I have used another vest that dries out completely in the front in 45 minutes.
Things that did not go so well:
--The bracket for the GPSMap 378. It was made by Ram but came with the Garmin GPS unit. The bracket broke while I was in MS. It has a "lifetime warranty". I called Garmin but they have none in stock... probably because they are constantly breaking. I was able to secure the GPS unit in the broken bracket for the rest of the trip using foam-backed double stick tape and a long zip-tie. What good is a "lifetime warranty" if the company can't replace the damn thing?
--I sure wished for an electronic cruise control. I had some occasional discomfort in my right hand, wrist, and arm.
Here's the cumulative result as computed by the GPS unit:
And, now I have the stamps from 52 parks in 25 states! IBA, Baby! :yahoo:
The IBA National Parks Tour requires that an imprint of the rubber stamp that each park has in their visitor center be collected. You can purchase a "Passport" book where the stamps can be kept.
Before I left home, I had already visited and collected the stamps from 5 parks in the greater Black Hills area--parks in SD, WY, and ND. So, I set out to get 45 more parks in 22 more states. I headed south, to visit some parks in KS, CO, NM, OK, MO, AR, then MS.
Here's a lonely road in northeast CO.
I have family and friends in MS, so I spent three nights there. I got to see some cousins that were visiting from out of town that I had not seen in decades, and went on a local afternoon ride with buddy. That same buddy and his pillion then rode with me for half a day, from Columbus, MS up to Corinth, MS, where we checked out the visitor center for Shiloh National Military Park.
Here's a rough approximation of my route.
After I left my buddy in MS, I continued alone up through TN, AL, GA, visiting parks all along the way, and then stopped to see my brother in Charlotte NC. I got on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while before stopping at Appomattox in VA, where the Civil War ended.
Of the 370+ NPS sites, some of them are small, out of the way, and under-visited. For example, in Richmond, VA, there's the Maggie Walker National Historic Site. I was the only visitor there and got a special one on one tour.
The Friendship Hill site in PA was the home of Albert Gallatin, a protege of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The driveway to the site (below) grabbed my attention.
You may never have heard of the Dayton Aviation Heritage site, in Dayton, OH. It documents the early history of aviation, including the Wright Brothers adventures.
And yes, there's even a park in Iowa....the birthplace of Herbert Hoover and his presidential library.
I have to admit, that the rest of Iowa, well, .... if you've seen one corn field, you've seen them all. But I did enjoy driving by the new race car track in Iowa. They have already had an IndyCar race there, and I think there will be (or has been?) a NASCAR race there this year.
But, I had a great time. I rode on some great 2-lane roads that I never would have seen otherwise. Sixteen days on the road... on my '06 FJR. The FJR performed flawlessly. Never a problem of any kind.
I like the bike even more now than I did before the trip. I met some great people, saw some close relatives, and saw and others that I had not seen for a long time.Here are some things that went well:
--Skyway's hydration kit. I did not hook up the drinking tube, but the 1/2 gallon water cooler was great. Every morning I'd fill it up with ice and top it off with water. By the end of the day there would still be a little ice left, and the small amount of remaining water would still be cold.
--Garmin GPSMap 378. I got this unit a couple of months before I left, along with the XM radio receiver/antenna. I splurged and subscribed to the XM Radio weather system. I found it very useful to view the NEXRAD radar overlaid over the regular navigation map. A few times I was able to choose an alternate route when the radar showed a major thunderstorm ahead. Or, if I drove into a thunderstorm, I knew it was there, and I'd stop and put on my rain suit before getting wet. I hate putting a rain suit over clothes that are already wet.
--MiraCool vest. This vest has "cooling crystals" that absorb water and stays wet for hours, but it's most effective for about 90 minutes. Then, if it's really hot, it helps to recharge it with water again. It actually takes days for it to completely dry, but after 2-3 hours, it doesn't cool you as much. I have used another vest that dries out completely in the front in 45 minutes.
Things that did not go so well:
--The bracket for the GPSMap 378. It was made by Ram but came with the Garmin GPS unit. The bracket broke while I was in MS. It has a "lifetime warranty". I called Garmin but they have none in stock... probably because they are constantly breaking. I was able to secure the GPS unit in the broken bracket for the rest of the trip using foam-backed double stick tape and a long zip-tie. What good is a "lifetime warranty" if the company can't replace the damn thing?
--I sure wished for an electronic cruise control. I had some occasional discomfort in my right hand, wrist, and arm.
Here's the cumulative result as computed by the GPS unit:
And, now I have the stamps from 52 parks in 25 states! IBA, Baby! :yahoo:
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