(09-05-2014, 11:06 AM)EmptySea_imp Wrote: Preface
On Thursday, the nineteenth of June, at a little after nine in the morning, I eased my CB1100 onto the I-294 ramp and began my second trip to the Smokey Mountains in as many months. This one would be quite a bit different than the previous one. The first trip was a vacation with friends with a side trip for lunch with my life-long friend Kelly, who had been sick for a long time with heart and kidney disease. This trip was to attend his funeral.

Somewhat ironically, he sustained injuries, ultimately fatal, in a car crash pulling into his doctor's office to discuss a new heart procedure.

This ride report is not going to be some somber reflection on his life or how I miss him in my life. Like the testimonials and eulogies at his funeral, he would want me to discuss the life in my ride and not dwell on the death that made it necessary. So, the following report is written in that spirit.

Part I
It took a little bit of convincing to get my wife on board with me riding solo for 4 days. She was much more at ease with my plan once I informed her that I would meet up with our new friend, Mickey (The Ferret), with whom we rode 6 weeks prior (see [url=http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2865]Tales of the Dragon) She somehow got the notion that I would be safer riding with him than alone because he's a careful rider and a nice guy. I think he's like Eddie Haskell and puts up this kind and concerned front which belies his innate mischievousness. In any case, I contacted Mickey and planned to meet him for breakfast and a ride on Day 2. I really do think it's safer, and often more fun, to ride with someone else so I was very pleased that he was available.

I planned my route to allow me to hop on an interstate if I lost time due to weather or mechanical issues. If the motorcycling gods were with me, my route would also allow me to spend a little more time wandering around northern Kentucky with Mickey and maybe even hit some of the wonderful roads in and around the Smoky Mountains. There was a little weather--it rained a little, and some times a lot, on both Thursday and Friday. The brand new Michelin RP3s handled all the conditions flawlessly.

I learned from my last trip that if I mounted my bags the right way, they would provide a nice back rest for me on the long straightaways. I had to pack a little more carefully, since I needed dress pants and a dress shirt for the main event, but everything I needed for 4 days fit easily in my duffel/drybag combination. I know many of you like luggage with saddlebags and such, but I think a couple of bags strapped on the back of the CB1100 just completes the retro look.

Packed and ready to go:


I am here to tell you that there is no, and I mean NO, interesting way to get out of the Chicago area and still maintain some level of speed. So it was I-294 to 80/94 to 394 to a couple of small roads to US 41 south. I will comment on the "couple of small roads" though: The intersection of 109th and Calumet Ave in Indiana is called "Shoe Corner" I had been through the intersection twice before and noticed the shoes on the road, but it wasn't until I was home from this trip that I was curious enough to try to figure out what the deal was (which is why there are no pictures). It seems that folks drop off old shoes at this corner on a regular basis. One legend has it that people started leaving shoes there for a poor family who was too proud to accept charity. You can read a little more about it here. [url=http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/mystery-shrouds-shoe-corner/article_eeaa5082-cc8a-558b-a683-d4d0272b3d86.html]Shoe Corner

I wonder now why a poor family would need the pair of women's gold platform shoes I saw as I passed, though.

US41 is straight and flat, but it beats the hell out of I-65. "The Shoe Corner Bypass" allowed me to avoid a couple of towns and a couple dozen stoplights and is more scenic than the interstate; there are even a few curves before turning onto 41.

Damn! I forgot to pack a cigar or two!

I realized this major gaff as I pulled out of a gas station in Cedar Lake, IN. Oh well, I could stop in Morocco. They have a great big fancy sign saying "Welcome to Morocco". Surely they must have a place I could by a cigar. They did. Sort of.



The nice and modestly attractive woman at The Butt Shop was as helpful as she could be, pointing me to my choices of Swisher Sweets or berry-flavored Backwoods Smokes ("How can anything that looks so wild, taste so mild?"). Well, they had the "cheap" part down in any case. I opted for the Backwoods Smokes and headed for the door. She followed me out. "We don't get many out out-of-towners around here, especially on bikes", she said. She asked me a few more questions about the CB, where I was from and where I was heading, and I rode off with the distinct impression that she just wanted to talk to someone from someplace else. Selling lottery tickets and Luckies to the same people everyday probably gets old after awhile.

I would take US41 to US52 into Lafayette, IN and stop for lunch at the famous Triple XXX Family Restaurant for lunch. I love this place. Make sure you get a root beer, if'n you like root beer. I was in Purdue country so I had the Boilermaker Pete (a double cheeseburger and yet so much more than that). It's on a hill and the canopy was leaking from an earlier rain, so parking was a little adventure, but it's definitely worth the effort. Just remember: it's cash only.



After a weaving around a couple of one-way streets, I picked up US231 south out of Lafayette. A fairly uneventful stretch for me through Greencastle, home of DePauw University and then east on IN46 to Bloomington, home of Indiana University. I had unintentionally taken a tour of some of the best colleges in the region. In Bloomington, I picked up IN446 south and stopped for a "comfort break" at Lake Monroe. Temps in the 80s this day proved to be the coolest afternoon of the entire trip. It felt good to be off the bike for a few minutes, especially with the scenic views of the lake.



From Lake Monroe, I took 446 to IN58 to IN135 to US50 east. 446, 58, and 135 essentially border Brown County Stat Park on the west, south, and east. They are nice roads with some curves, but nothing too challenging. Very pretty ride around the park. I didn't get to ride it this time, but 135 north of 58 is very scenic and a road worth taking if you're in the area. I spotted this sign along in here someplace and I swore it said "IDIOT PARKING". There are probably some Indiana riders that think I read it the correct way. LOL


I stopped along US50 at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge mainly to get my bearings. Seemed like a great place to spend a couple of hours. I'll go back there someday. The only picture I have from there is a selfie of me in front their information sing which I sent to Cheryl to let her know that I was not in s ditch someplace. No need to show that here.

Got my bearings, but somehow still managed to miss the turn for US421 which should have taken me to Madison, Indiana. I don't suspect there is much to see in Madison in June, but I thought I would check it out for a bike trip I'd like to take in July, 2015 to see the Madison Hydroplane Regatta [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Regatta]Madison Regatta. In any case, it was starting to cloud up a little and going to Madison would take me south and west of Cincinnati, my destination for the night.

My plan was to follow US50 along the river into Cincy and then take 75 north to the Quality Inn, Sharonville. It would have been a nice ride with the sun setting over my shoulder, but it started to rain. Not enough to put on rain gear, but enough to make me anxious to get to the hotel. I should have just hopped on I-275 at the Indiana/Ohio border, but hindsight, etc.

Quite possibly the worst highway signage in the country exists (or doesn't) to guide one from US50 east to I-75 north. Plus, there was a detour. I wound up stopping at an intersection to check my map and in the 10 mintues I was there, I saw exactly three other vehicles. In a fairly large city, it's a bit disconcerting to be on a motorcycle at dusk in an area with very few people around. I figured out my route, snapped a quick picture, and hopped back on the bike.



Rode in a light rain in a construction zone for most of the remainder of my trip to the hotel. I charmed the nice woman at the Quality Inn into letting me move a few of their outside tables and park my bike on their "porch"


I dined at JW Sports Cafe just down the street from the hotel. We ate here when we passed through before and it was pretty good. I had a cheeseburger and fries, a Yuengling, (and some sort of shot of Fireball mixed with some other liquor that the guy on the stool next me paid for), and my bill, with a generous tip, was $13.00. Not bad.

The Quality Inn was clean, quiet and convenient. I fell asleep looking forward to Friday's breakfast and ride with The Ferret.