Monday, October 11, 2010

10-10-10 Day 1 Grand Rapids to St Louis

RobT:  Odometer read 24,947 km when I left Cambridge.  This morning, leaving Grand Rapids it was at 25,445 km. We rose at 6am, coffee and suited up.  Tried doing some video footage so we have something to submit to One Day on Earth.  Hopefully is ok.


RobT: Shortly after this shot, RobC's bike wouldn't start.  Dead battery.  I know, someone is trying to tell us something.  Anyway, a boost and we were off at 8:10 am to meet with some riders at the gas station down the street.  They accompanied us to South Haven where we stopped for breakfast or just plain coffee.  Gala was the videographer with a GoPro mounted on her bike.  Have yet to see the footage.

Had a near mishap along I-96, RobC's prosthetic wood extension block for the kickstand dislodged, wrapped around the rear tire and wedged itself behind the rear brake and disc snapping the plastic/cable tether.  Whew!



RobC: I was keen on driving through Lowell, Indiana, where I landed as an 18-year old immigrant in 1962. Downtown was still as I remembered it and the surrounding farm still grow lots of corn and soy beans. Great memories of my 2 years on the farm - best education I ever had!

Met some Kankakee (Illinois) RIDE club members outside Grant Park and rode through Momence (Est 1832) and along a nice twisty road along side the Kankakee River to Dwight and the historical Rte 66. Thanks for the nice ride Mark!



Ambler's Texaco, Dwight Illinois.


Some of the old highway was still intact, albeit abandoned aside from some weeds which seem to be the only life form in the cracks. Didn't get a shot of the multilane but the above shot was of the 2-lane Rte 66 which is still in use.




Mrs Jones, caretaker of the Texaco in Dwight, Illinois, along Route 66.


Standard Oil gas station,  Rte 66.


Rest stop somewhere on I-55 about 2.5 hours north of St Louis. We finally parked our bikes after a long and eventful day in the saddle at a urine-scented Motel 6 around 8pm on the southside of Saint Louis. Went out for some down-under food at a nearby Outback with a couple of RobC's colleages, Dick and Anja Lodge. Pleasant dreams ..........




Posted by Robbie Todorovich at 12:53 AM

5 comments:

  1. MigsOctober 11, 2010 at 11:12 AM

    How do those bikes ride with all that gear?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dick LodgeOctober 11, 2010 at 11:30 AM

    RobT's colleagues???

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownOctober 11, 2010 at 8:35 PM

    What kind of weather do you have over there?

    RobC. Heb je een kussentje onder jouw kont? Of heb je geen last van lang zitten? Je mag het ook aan RobT vertalen :-))

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rob CroeseOctober 13, 2010 at 12:52 AM

    Mig, the bikes roll along beautifully and are fine in the corners at high speed, but they are heavy to handle when parking at gas stations, etc. Yesterday I had my bike on the center stand at a park on some uneven gravel and when I tried to get back on the bike and swung my leg over the luggage, the bike came crashing down and I went rolling into the grass. :-)

    Gala, no problem sitting on the bike for long hours. Both of us have Sargeant after-market seats, which are very comfortable. My ears are another matter, the outer edges start burning after awhile. I may have to modify the expensive Arai helmet on the inside to have a comfortable fit.

    Dick, sorry about the typo - it has been corrected and amplified. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. phoenix graceOctober 15, 2010 at 7:07 AM

    dude you are awsome, and that is after I heard about it from your daughter-in-law.

    ReplyDelete

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