Rewind, reload....RECAP

Wow...where does the time go? I used to blog every day....LOL! To rewind the days, reload my brain from my calendar notes, here is a recap of the last almost week.

We left you in Jamestown, ND where we picked up my new motorycle...who now has a name. She is Gypsy....this is the first "girl" bike I have ever had.

• My first motorcycle was a 2001 HD Sportster Hugger and was named Jeremiah (think "Joy To the World". 
• My second bike was a 2002 HD Dyna Low Rider named Benni (long story...think West Side Story, Sharks & the Jets and then Elton John with Benny and the Jets). 
• After two years I moved on to my 2005 HD Softail Deluxe who was named Rex (a combination of Retro and excellence, with Retro in honor of a good friend who died of cancer thanks to Agent Orange as well as the bike's retro stylings).
• Then along came a 2006 BMW F650GS that never got named...I never bonded with the bike.
• Last August we added Twister to the household, a 2008 HD Sportster Nightster.
• Now we have a 2011 HD Sportster SuperLow named Gypsy (and of course our second iteration of Big Red for Stu)

Sorry for the rambling there...thought someone might be interested...figured anyone who isn't will skip over it. LOL!

Back to the recap...we left Jamestown, ND and headed east. Our first night was spent at the Governer's Inn & Campground in Casselton, ND just outside Fargo. This was the same place I stayed 5 years ago on my motorcycle tour. That day was dark and rainy with hail and severe thunderstorms. For us it was sunny and windy. The park was nice and level and wide open for satellite. We'd definitely stay there again.

On Sunday we stayed at Irvington Campground in Menomonie, MN. A bit off the beaten track, it was a fairly new campground with room for a rig as big as ours. Another, we'd stay again..although we had to use the antenna...too many trees for our satellite dish.

Monday found us outside Milwaukee at the Bark River Campground in Jefferson, WI. Mostly a membership park with long term rentals, they also rent a few other spaces. Since it was a Passport American park we got a site for $15 a nite. The site was pretty unlevel and no sewer (although there was a dump on the way out). But for the price...it was fine.

Tuesday we did some chores and road to a neighboring town to see a movie. We had been wanting to see "The Expendables" and this was our chance. A lot of action and nice to see so many action stars in one movie. A full moon ride back to the campground...nice!

Wednesday was the first time out on my new bike...we rode 50 back road miles into Milwaukee to visit the Harley-Davidson Museum. What a great day! I got my initial 50 mile break-in done, we got to not only see the museum (very nice!!!) but we had the bonus of visiting the Evel Knievel exhibit AND the Wall That Heals - There are several versions of this moving tribute to those who lost their lives in Vietnam...the Moving Wall, the Traveling Wall, The Wall That Heals. They all are very powerful and moving tributes to those who fought and lost their lives.

We took the interstate back...60 miles with a little traffic around the stadium, but not bad. Now have 110 miles on the bike...390 miles left for the next break-in stage. LOL!

This morning we packed up and headed to Elkhart, IN where we will spend the next 9-10 days. We started in WI, moved into IL (and the AWFUL construction in Chicago), then to IN, darted up into MI and then back to IN. What a day...LOL! We arrived at Elkhart Campground around 6:30, got our site (#724, next to Nick & Terry...for those who are here or will be) and got at least a half dozen hugs from friends old and new.

Tomorrow we'll unload the bikes and the bicycles, set up the lawn chairs and then run some errands before coming back to socialize and meet up with more new and old friends. We'll be checking with Nick & Terry to find out what we can help with during the rally. (For those who may have missed it, we are here for the Eastern Gypsy Journal Rally...our #1 favorite RV rally).

So over the next 10 days, I suspect I won't be blogging much...I'll try, but no promises! Oh, the photos from our museum day are here: 2010 Visiting Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee WI

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu

It was meant to be?

Sometimes the wind blows us in strange directions. Take all this into account:

• Stu had never been to North Dakota
• Stu needed a Harley-Davidson t-shirt from North Dakota
• We were already in South Dakota, ready to head east to Milwaukee
• We bought land in Jamestown, TN
• I bought my first Harley in Jamestown, NY
• Jamestown, ND was due north of where we were in North Dakota
• We had several days leeway in our time table for getting to Elkhart, IN

See? Everything was conspiring to get us to the Harley dealer in Jamestown. So we routed a slight detour (ended up adding 435 miles to our trip) and headed north. We made it to the Harley dealer about 5:15 (they closed at 6:00).

As soon as I walked in the door I saw it....I heard it calling my name....I was entranced. Ever since I read the review in our H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) magazine about the new, improved Sportster...the SuperLow...I was hoping to get a look at one.

Not only was it a SuperLow, the color combination drew my attention immediately. The colors on the Harley website just hadn't done justice to the two-tone orange and white bike. I had to sit on it. I had to touch it. I had to drool over it.

After Stu dragged me away from the bike, we picked up our t-shirts and asked if we could stay there for the night. They have a huge gravel parking area where we had parked, perfect for an overnight. They said sure and we told them we might be back in the morning.

We talked a lot last night, checked out the HD accessory book, talked some more and left it that we would see what they might do for a trade-in on my bike.

Fast forward to 4 pm today....and Stu loading my brand new 2011 Birch White & Sedona Orange Harley-Davidson SuperLow motorcycle. I got a fair trade-in and a discount on all the accessories I wanted...unfortunately they didn't have any of the bigger accessories in stock so those will come later.

So why a new bike? I'd only had my Nightster for a year (7000 miles worth). Well, we want to ride Route 66 next spring. My old bike had a 3.2 gallon gas tank, the new bike has a 4.5 gallon. That means we can ride close to 200 miles before stopping for gas instead of the current 100 or so miles. (Some of the difference is the new bike has a smaller engine.) The other is a completely redesigned motorcycle...all lowered bikes have rougher rides. Harley made some major improvements in this area and from all the reviews, I think my back is really going to appreciate the softer ride. Add in a better seat and a brand new 24 month, unlimited mile warranty...just makes sense.

I'm looking forward to many miles on my new ride....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna and Stu