2024 Milwaukee Run – Day 1

Another year has passed and it is time once again to head out on the open road. Only this time there is one minor change. Libby will not be making the trip. She has been with a newer model, Laurelin. She’s a gorgeous black and gold Road Glide Limited that I got a really good deal on. So, after waking everyone up to say goodbye, Laurelin and myself were off on her maiden voyage. Well, voyage of more than a couple of hundred miles at least.

The day started overcast which had me a little concerned. Wasn’t worried about bad weather but getting wet early on the first day is never fun. We never saw any precipitation and by the time we reached Waco (about 40 miles) the cloud cover had broken and the sun began to show its glorious face. First stop is the Czech Stop for a fresh sausage kolache, a small but quick breakfast and a good chance to check for any shifting in my loadout.

From there we head up towards the Dallas area. Garland is our current destination and one of three scheduled stops we’ll be making before heading towards our final destination for the day. Dallas Harley-Davidson is the dealership that sold me Laurelin. As I mentioned, they offered me a great deal and we willing to give me more for Libby than our local Horny Toad Harley-Davidson. Their offer was downright offensive. Granted Libby was Dad’s bike so there was some sentimental attachment there but even without that, it was an offensive amount.

Our three stops are Harley-Davidson dealerships in Texas that are on our route into Oklahoma. Here’s why – all 48 states have been done so now I’m redoing the rides that Dad and I took together. Doing this will take me through several states for a second time. Now, to my knowledge, every Harley-Davidson dealership has its own poker chip that you can buy, never more than $5. I want to visit at least one dealership in every state and get a poker chip as proof. I also want to visit every dealership in the state of Texas, 43 of those from what I can find. But for the states chips I’ve got a problem and I’d like your feedback on. Normally Dad and I would bounce this back and forth to make a decision but now you’re all I got. Many dealerships are closed on Sunday and Monday, that’s four days on these trips and who knows how many states being passed through. So my thought was that I could still visit a dealership, snap a photo of the bike in front of it as proof (as if anyone will ever contest it) and then just order one of their chips online. So my question to you, dear reader, should visiting a dealership count regardless their open status or should a closed dealership be considered a miss since I couldn’t go inside? Really would appreciate your thoughts on it, probably best to comment in the Facebook post for this entry.

Back to the actual trip now. We finally make it to the Dallas Harley-Davidson dealership with no major traffic issues. And I gotta say, I still absolutely hate big city driving, especially Dallas and Houston. Walking into the dealership I immediately see Tarzan, the salesman who sold me Laurelin. He’s talking with George, the finance manager who cut me the deal. They both recognize me immediately and I begin telling them of my ride and goals for Texas dealerships. George tells me to hang on a second, walks behind his desk area and returns with two poker chips, free of charge. They would have cost me less than $10 but the gesture spoke volumes. Tarzan and I spoke a bit more outside as he looked Laurelin over. I told him about all the things I’ve already added or changed on her. Then we said our goodbyes and we were on the road again. A short while later I received a text, “It was great to see you again. Thanks for stopping in. Have a safe trip.” Again, a nice gesture.

Our next stop is just a 30 minute run into Allen, Texas – the Black Gold Harley-Davidson dealership. Dallas has about 400 used bikes for sale, all that get pulled outside every morning and pulled back inside every night. Black Gold has a good bit, but a lot less. It’s a nice dealership with ample covered motorcycle parking. Covered parking is very nice in Texas, motorcycle seats get quite hot in the Texas sun during the summer and even a good pair of jeans isn’t going to help. I make my way inside and make a beeline for the merch counter, once I locate it. I purchase two poker chips, George gave me two so I figure I’ll get two at each stop, just in case. Then it’s on to the third stop.

Stop number three is another 30 minute jaunt up to Sherman, Texas – Texoma Harley-Davidson. This shop is smaller but still hosts a nice selection of bikes. There’s a taco truck out front and its lunch time but I really want to sit down somewhere, its hot and a cold beer sounds really good. I walk inside and am immediately greeted by a couple of sales people. I tell them I’m just looking for some poker chips and they point me in the right direction. They then ask where I’m riding in from, must have notice the load on Laurelin. I tell them and give them the quick version of why I’m out here on the road then head to the sales counter for two more poker chips. I ask the young lady behind the counter for a good local place to grab a decent lunch. She points me towards a Mexican joint which sounds good but it’s Texas and there’s easily two dozen Mexican joints in my hometown of Temple. She also suggests a place called Cellerman’s. Cellerman’s is a decent place, plenty of outdoor seating but the inside is a bit cramped. But the bar area has a TV with football on so I can catch a quarter or two of a game. I order a philly cheesesteak and a couple of beers. The sandwich was good but I’ve had better but the beer was just what I needed after a few hours in this Texas heat.

After lunch we head north into Oklahoma. It’s all been mostly city riding after arriving in the Dallas area but Oklahoma turns into open fields and tree lined highway. I checked the radar this morning and could see I would be hitting some weather but nothing major until we approached Sallisaw, OK, our final stop for the day. We run into a couple of quick, sunny, misty rains but nothing worth donning rain gear. However, it’s not long before we start to hit some heavier rain. I decide to pull off and suit up as it starts and spend the rest of the day in my suit, not that it really did any good in the end.

The heavier rain comes in patches of just a couple of miles but is enough to soak you. It’s enough to slow me down to about 60mph but nothing worrisome. We’re less than 100 miles from camp when I start to get a bit drowsy. But I also need gas so we pull off in Eufaula. There’s a ton of water we’ve crossed over here. One massive lake system which is probably several lakes but the all look to be connected. At Eufaula I gas up Laurelin then head inside for a restroom break, fresh water and some sunflower seed. Sunflower seeds help wake me up out on the road. I forget to buy them but it doesn’t matter, I have no way to access them with my rain suit on. Usually I’ll pour a bit into one of my front vest pockets but the rain jacket covers that. No worries, we’re not too far out and I’ve taken time to stretch and walk about some. I’ll be good to go for the remainder of the day.

It’s just a few more miles before we cut east towards Fort Smith. 40 miles to go at this point but it’s going to be a long 40 miles. We hit a couple of more quick bursts of rain but about 20 miles out, the sky opens up for real. It’s several miles of an absolute deluge. I can barely see the road (no windshield wipes) and try to stay close enough to the cars in front of me to get a good bearing. There’s nowhere to pull off out here. Eventually we really get into it and the wind starts to pick up. I’ve already got the hazards flashing and have had to slow to about 30mph. The wind blows at me from the left and pushing me all over the place. I pray for trucks to pass so I can have a few seconds of relief. I never see any lightning or hear any thunder but I’m terribly focused on not only staying between two sets of lines I can’t even see, but staying upright as well. I say a lot out loud during this seemingly hours long ordeal – none of it kid friendly, hell, most isn’t adult friendly.

Finally the wind begins to subside. The rain subsides as well and we make our way into Sallisaw. There’s no rain here at the moment but I’m soaked through and through. Even with the best rain suit, that much rain is going to get you. I check in with the office and try to decide on setting up camp or waiting until after dinner. There’s more rain coming and if it’s this storm I just outlasted, I don’t want to setup a measly tent that might not be there when I return. But a quick check of the weather shows just some fairly light rain for the next couple of hours so I opt to get everything offloaded and setup. But while setting up my tent the rain starts. It’s now a race to get it up and everything inside.

I’ve purchased a new bag that sits perfectly in the backseat. This bag came with a rain cover that held perfectly and the bag frees up space in the trunk, the main compartment I need to get into on the road. Everything that is strapped on the bike gets packed ready for rain, sleeping bag is in a plastic bag and this bag has its cover on. You do this so that if you do hit rain, you only have to worry about covering yourself, not your gear. Well somewhere in the last ten miles, that rain cover flew off. So now I have to get this tent up. All of my clothes, my lap top and my jacket are in that bag, they can’t get wet because I can’t dry them out later. The tent gets up before any of the heavier rain hits and I get everything off the bike and stashed inside. The tree cover helps but will be a pain later in the evening. I don’t want to head out to eat while it’s raining nor do I want to sit in a tent with nothing to do so I head into the clubhouse to hang with the staff. They’ve got football on and are prepping for tonight’s events. They’re having live music, just an acoustic show, and some stuff for kids.

I finally decide to just throw my rain jacket back on (pants haven’t come off yet) and head to JD’s Cowtown, a local steak joint recommended to me. It’s not to far off, just a couple of miles and the rain is light, more of a heavy sprinkle. There’s not a whole lot to Sallisaw, at least not what I saw. Downtown is small town downtown. Not sure that I would call JD’s a steakhouse but it’s a decent small town joint. I’m the only one at the bar and get to watch a little bit more football as I enjoy a very good pork chop sided with sauteed mushrooms and mashed potatoes, all for quite cheap.

ON my return to camp the rain has subsided to a drizzle. Annoying really. I’m ready for it to stop and it will. I have to make a couple of trips to the office before sitting down to write tonight. I forgot to bring a koozie, knew I was forgetting something! But, free koozie at the office. Then I need a towel to wipe down the picnic table. This KOA has a pool so I figure they’ve got to sell towels, right? Nope. But they do have a small collection of towels left behind by other campers and I can have one, for free. I love staying at these places.

I’ve only met one other set of campers here. A young couple from around Tulsa if I remember right. Testing out their “new” 1994 popup camper with their two very young kids. Mostly weather talk with them.

We should be in Dover, Arkansas tonight. That’s where Dad and I stayed on this trip back in 2015. But that campground is in the middle of nowhere. Food is probably an hour round trip and it’s a dry county and that ain’t no good, I need a few cold ones after a hard day’s ride. They also have a two night policy. The cost for a night is only $20 but if I have to pay $40 I’m going to do it at a KOA, not some small mom and pop that only offers me a patch of grass. When Dad and I stayed there we got in late so the office was closed. Generally if that happens you just find an empty spot and settle up in the morning. But we woke up and hit the road before the office was open, so we didn’t pay a dime. I suppose I could have done the same, made sure to show up late and got up early enough to hit the road, but I’m too honest. I did that a couple of years ago. Stopped at a KOA after hours, found an empty spot and setup camp. When I woke and left the office wasn’t open yet so I left without paying. I called later to settle up and they had no idea I was ever even there. I don’t recall if they made me pay or not, I’ll have to look back on previous posts.

Camp has quieted down, not that it’s been busy, pretty quite since I arrived. Lights have started to darken and many are tucked into their campers or cabins. I am the only tent tonight it seems. The rain has stopped but the trees are still raining on me. Big fat drops onto myself, the table and my laptop, free towel comes in handy here. But now it’s time for a fire and some reflection.

Tomorrow we head for Missouri and Mark Twain National Park. I’ve got a campsite booked there so it’s a must hit destination. I learned a few years back to book the first weekend because of the Labor Day holiday. This is the same park that we stayed in on night two of our trip before. Monday we’ll head into Rochester, Minnesota and then to Milwaukee to see the Harley-Davidson Museum. After that I’m kinda just winging it with a few definite memory stops. I don’t have a lot of info in my saved stuff to hit exact locations. But that’s OK. The point of the whole thing is to bring back memories of this ride Dad and I did back in 2015.

We covered 411 total miles today, Laurelin’s first. And she rode like a dream, when she wasn’t getting tossed about at least. But even then she kept me up. Good night and please, let me know your thoughts on the poker chips.