Back On the Road

Good News. Mike my Son is getting better with the good care of all the Doctors and Nurses along with his friends and family. I got back to Asheville on Wednesday evening and we headed north with no particuliar destination. After a a stop for the photos of the state line of Tennessee we decided to stop at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is much bigger than I had imagined. While there trying to get a photo we met up with Keith Wynn of Wynn Wood Wildlife Rescue. He was there picking up an injured bird to transport it back to Elizabethon, Tn for some rehab. He obliged us by making our photo and then took off with the bird in a box strapped to the back of his Harley. Off we go on the backroads to avoid the interstate highways. With directions supplied by Keith we ended up on a couple real twisty roads called the "The Snake" and "The Crooked Road" with a stop at Shady Valley for a burger and drink. We traveled about 150 miles of twisty and curvey roads that had a million miles of beauty. After a couple stops to for more photos of us and the bikes at various landmarks we met up again with Keith who was on his way to release a couple of Bobcats he had rehabed. Keith volunteered to make yet another photo of us and show off his soon to be free Bobcats. We rolled onto Hillville about 5:30 PM just in time to hit with a downpour. Into the rainsuits we go and of course the stops soon after. The is a bike rule that says "the sooner you put on your rain gear the sooner the rain will stop" and so it did. We grabbed a room, called to check on my son, ate some great Mexican food and called it a day. One word of advice about traveling in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virgina. Leave early and stay off the Interstates and hit the back roads. You will love it. Tomorrow it is off to Front Royal, Virgina and some touring around in the north part of Virgina. Hope to see some Civil War histor. I'll let you know tomorrow what we find.

A Scary Phone call puts a halt to the trip for now

     We received an unexpected and scary call Sunday. My son Mike was discovered to have a pulmonary embolism and admitted to a hospital  ICU in Tampa, Florida.  Pulmonary embolism  (PE) is a sudden blockage in the arteries of the lung.  The trip is off for now as I left North Carolina this morning and flew to Tampa to be with him.
     I'll post an update once everything settles down.

Still in a Rain Delay

     Not much to report except one more day of keeping the bikes dry as rain storms continue to surround Asheville, North Carolina.   We did what seemed the second best thing to do.  Open a bottle of wine and burn some steaks.
     Chef Dan cooked them to perfection and we feasted with hopes of hitting the highway the next morning.
     Tomorrow is a new day and we're expecting better weather.

#$@^!

     All great plans are subject to fail.  Fail it did!  A huge storm covering an area from Birmingham, Alabama to almost the Great Lakes area is making its way through Asheville.  Riding a motorcycle in this kinda weather isn't advised. It's one thing to get caught in the rain while riding but to begin a day-long trip in the middle of a storm isn't my idea of fun things to do on a Sunday afternoon. The bikes will stay dry today as we lounge around. There's always tomorrow.
     Ain't retirement great?

Here I Go Again

     Not long ago back in 2010 I took off on a solo motorcycle trip to Illinois, Texas and all states in-between before  the return trip to Tampa, Florida after chasing my past.
     It was a great trip, but my bragging rights have now run their course and now I've  nothing more to add to my last adventure.  That said - Here I go again.
     Tomorrow morning I leave Asheville, North Carolina for a week or so of exploring the back roads of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.  I'm not going alone this time as my friend, neighbor and motorcycle riding buddy Dan is coming along. On our agenda are some great motorcycle roads, strange places and some serious historical Civil War sites.
     Dan and I have talked about, planned and re-planned the trip and now on the eve of the launch we see lots of rain in the forecast.  Rain or not, we're going to attempt to keep on schedule with the first stop in Roanoke, Virginia if we can beat the rain.  If we hit a wall of rain, we'll go as far as we can paddle.
     Tomorrow evening I'll have a riveting report complete with photos on where we went , who we met and what and where we ate.

That's all folks

I arrived home Sunday afternoon after a long ride from Panama City Beach. I elected to take the back roads and not the interstate. I was rewarded with a beautiful albeit hot and slow return to Tampa. I followed U.S. 98 most of the way until I hit the Sun coast Parkway.

Did I say hot? Hot doesn’t seem an adequate term. Hotter than Hell seems more like it. I went through a lot of water., drinking and just pouring it on me. I kept wishing all morning for rain to cool me down and got my wish but I was only five miles from home.

The bike ran well until I pulled into the driveway. The electrical system decided to go south and now it’s in the shop.

I can say it was a great adventure and easier than I thought it would be. There is something about being on the motorcycle all day as the countryside full of sights and smells that never seems to get old.

The trip is over and my Bucket List has one less item so it seems as I should be adding to the list. Can’t say what it is just yet as my wife reads this blog.

My adventure by the numbers


4130 miles traveled

12 states

80 or so gallons of gas

50 miles per gallon approximate

10 different beds (Alone. Ok there was one night with a dog).

16 family members I shared a meal with

2 people who stopped to offer assistance to me when I ran out of gas and had a minor mechanical problem

3 horses, 2 mules, 5 dogs, 3 cats, one plastic elephant and Zirky received a pat on the head and a scratch behind the ear

Too many detours to count ( I took a lot of right turns just out of the blue to see what was down the road. (My thanks to Dick H who suggested that)

Bugs on windshield were too numerous to count

1 submarine visited

1 laughing horse

1 30-foot tall Harley guy

1 spaceship

1 airplane made of hay

1 Longhorn cattle drive

1 scooter ride in Hannibal, Mo

1 embarrassing chicken dance

49 degrees the coolest morning

100 degrees the hottest day

1 person who mooned me

1 house found with 2 airplanes, submarine, and helicopter sticking out the walls.

1 photo of me in president Clinton’s the oval office.

0 accidents

4 of my friends standing in a cornfield with me

many mistakes by Zirky my plastic frog that was blamed on me.

1 really great trophy presented to me by my daughter Kellie. (new photo)

Thanks to all my family and friends who supported me in this trip ,especially my lovely bride Monique.


Mike Pease

ps. It was about time.

Family pics, New Orleans, big guns and an ass and heading home

Finally got to a place where I could get some family photos uploaded. Made it to my Daughter Toni's house in Justin, Texas. She also invited my daughter Kim, my grand daughters Meghan and Bailey. Also there was Collie, Toni's husband, grandsons Noah and Thomas and Kim's boyfriend Mo. There was also the assorted dogs, cats and horses. Thanks for a very nice evening.

After Texas I arrived in Alexandria, La. in good shape. Another little know fact. I was stationed in Alexandria a long time ago and went looking for recognizable places after I checked into the motel. Nothing found. Even the Air Force Base was gone and the house I once owned was gone. Gotta say Alexandria is very low on places for excitement and fun. A quick dinner and back to the motel and early to bed.

An early start for New Orleans got me there before noon. Found the Condo (Thanks Lynn) located in the French Quarter, checked in and walked the streets in the quarter looking for some entertainment. Saw a guy advertising 'Big Ass Beers'. Sign should have said Big Ass Guy selling Big Ass Beers.(photo) I also saw the assorted sax players, hookers, drummers, hookers and Mule drivers but the best was one was Uncle Willie and his stuffed toy dog Little Willie. Uncle makes his money by wearing a white tux and posing with the dog at street corners. He was one of the best I've seen in the quarter. (photo)
The Rains didn't spare the French Quarter. A downpour scattered tourists and locals and of course the hookers.(photos)

The next morning I left New Orleans at 5:30am heading for Panama City Beach. Thick fog covering the highways (photo and yes I stopped to make the photo) and a pretty sunrise was a nice surprise. Then the rains came. I changed into and out of my rain suit so many times I thought I was Mons Venus stripper. I did Make a tourist stop in Mobile to check out the USS Alabama and assorted military plans, tanks and submarines. It's Worth a stop if you ever go through there.

Panama City Beach greeted me with temps in the very high 90's. God I hate hot weather. Went to the beach to see if there was oil. Beautiful sand and no oil. Made a photo of condos lining the sand and an artsy photo of a Gull.

Pizza and beer in the room tonight and an early start for the last leg to Tampa. I am about ready to finish this great trek. I'll publish a wrap-up when I get back.

Cheers