"There's a road I'd like to tell you about...

[veech_imp]

A big shout out and tremendous THANK YOU to EmptySea! :worship:

The type of meticulous detail and charming wit you see in this thread was exhibited in spades on this ride by Matt. He was the consummate professional in keeping the ride organized as well as keeping everyone entertained with his charisma throughout the day.

It was also a great pleasure to meet the other boys on this ride:
Stratus (Richard)
Specialist8 (Dave)
Fritzwilliger (Bill) - thanks for helping the group stay hydrated!
Todd_K (Todd)

All are passionate about the CB, motorcycles, and life in general, and most importantly are truly a great group of guys, both young and old. I know there are some long term friendships getting forged from this gathering, and I for one am looking forward to the next one!

Fritzwilliger and I arrived early and decided to scout out where our next photo stop should be. Believe it or not, this spot was rejected as not being picturesque enough....

As you can see, there's more than one way to travel on two wheels in Chicago. Should we have given them "the wave"?

Fritzwilliger spent quite a bit of time at the early stops making note of the differences between the 2013 Standard and the 2014 DLX. Recalling The Ferret's extensive list, I was able to point out some of the less obvious ones, but even I didn't know that they added a kickstarter to the DLX version...

Bill and I returned to the meet up spot and most of the rest of the group was already assembled. Introductions were had and much attention was paid to the two bikes most different from the rest: Todd's black 2014 and Vic's Comet-nosed 2013. I would like to say here that while I made several disparaging comments about the black bike, those comments were in jest and the black Standard is a truly a beautiful machine. For anyone considering the Road Comet, it is a perfect fit on this bike. Pictures do not do it justice.

"Make no small plans" - Daniel Burnham
"Form ever follows function" - Louis Sullivan
"Less is more" - Ludwig Mies van der Rhoe

Since 1871, when high winds, dry conditions, and a spark combined to burn down virtually the entire city, Chicago has become known for its magnificent architecture, and especially for its skyscrapers. In this picture, the more picturesque spot found in our pre-game scouting, you not only see six of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, but also at least 5 of the 100 tallest skyscrapers in the world. For fans of architecture, particularly large-scale architecture, this skyline is one of the most beautiful horizons ever created by man...

One very minor correction: Mine is actually a '13 CB1100A with ABS, not a '14 DLX, in case anyone was interested. You don't find many '13s with ABS, which makes it a bit confusing sometimes. It also has a 30L Givi topcase, which is the smallest they make, but it still fits my Bell Mag9 helmet. I only mention this because of another thread that was asking about Givi case sizes. Mine is the second from the front in this pic if you want to see how it looks on the bike (our fearless leader EmptySea's bike has the Route66 sticker on it ). Stratus has the '14 DLX (fourth one back in this picture) which was a very sweet ride.

Another comment: The Sena communications Stratus & I used worked really well and made for a very enjoyable day, although when we got up to around 65 mph the wind noise got to the point it became a bit unusable (probably because of my 3/4 helmet). I would say these are best for non-highway use unless you are rockin' a full face setup.

Finally, it was really fun putting faces to the posts we have been reading (oh, that was you?!?)

Anyway, thanks again Matt for the fun filled day. All in all, I logged a total of 187 miles.

 

[widude]

Nice looking CB's Veech. I do like red.

 

[emptysea]

The ride north...

It would have been nice to have a rear-facing GoPro for our departure from the sidewalk in front of Buckingham Fountain. Oh, yeah, Forgot to mention: as we arrived at the fountain, I was prepared to have us park with our back wheels to the curb and snap a quick picture or two and get out since it's a no parking zone and there is through traffic in the curb lane where we'd be parked. Veech, the consummate Chicagoan and the rider to my immediate right, says "Wanna go on the sidewalk?" The curb is nothing more than a crack that separates the street from the walk, so sure, the sidewalk it is. We just acted like we had permission, parked, posed, and left. So, the GoPro. Our bikes were parked in our riding order, with Todd graciously volunteering for sweep duties (Chimney-sweeps are in all black, right?) at the opposite end of the line from me. With everyone signaling "ready", I pulled out and could see in my mirror that everyone else pulled out in order and fell perfectly into line. We were like the Shriners, sans fez. It was a little thing, but it was still a pretty cool moment.

There was a notorious section of Lake Shore Drive called "The S Curve". Up until 1937, there was a north section and a south section of Lake Shore Drive and they both ended at the Chicago River. However, the two ends did not meet up, but were offset east to west by about a quarter mile. In 1937, the Link Bridge was opened, continuing the north end of LSD south across the river. A connecting piece of road was built running west from the bridge to the south end of LSD. I'm not sure why they thought it would be a good idea to bend an eight lane road 90 degrees twice within the space of a couple of city blocks, but that's how The S Curve came to be. I have always thought that it should have been called "The Z Curve". It was a nasty little section of road to on which to drive, with cars routinely crossing what remnants of lane lines were there. I can only imagine what it would have been like on a motorcycle. In 1987, a reconfiguration project was completed and a softer S Curve was opened with exit ramps to Navy Pier and Wacker Drive. The Link Bridge was the widest, longest, and heaviest drawbridge ever constructed at the time and is still in operation today.

The new S Curve is much more motorcycle friendly, but there are still plenty of folks who cannot stay in their lane...


A car to my right blocked me from getting a good picture of the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier, but I was able to catch this view north as we came off Link Bridge...
[url=http://s1318.photobucket.com/user/emptysea43/media/LSD%20Trip/ce3e5370b4c16ac3033f3f71c2e7dee3_zpshe01wbxz.jpg.html]

Fun Fact: The first ever Ferris wheel was built for the oft-mentioned World's Columbian Exposition.

Trivia: Lake Shore Drive is part of U.S. 41 which was also immortalized in song. Name the song, artist and quote the relevant lyrics.

 

[specialist8]

MTC, if you ever want to quit your day job, you should charge people to chronicle their seat time adventures. This thread is darn near poetry haha awesome storytelling. Can't wait to hear more. Keep 'em comin'!

 

[veech_imp]

Nice looking CB's Veech. I do like red.

Thank you Sir! That is one of the beautiful things about these bikes-there are so many ways to go with them.

 

[the Ferret]

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.. US41 Song..." used to see him walking home on US41"

 

[Todd_K_imp]

...and don't forget the Allman Brothers - "ramblin man", "I was born in the backseat of a greyhound bus, rolling down hwy 41"

 

[emptysea]

Ferret....Nicely done, but that is not the song of which I was thinking. There appears to be more than one correct answer.

...and don't forget the Allman Brothers - "ramblin man", "I was born in the backseat of a greyhound bus, rolling down hwy 41"

THAT is the song I was thinking of!

Wonder if there are others.

 

[drodg33]

US 41 is in North by Northwest the movie with Cary Grant. Great photos and it looks like it was fun for all of you . I wish I could have made it. Oh well I will make the next one.....

 

[Setchman_imp]

US 41 is in North by Northwest the movie with Cary Grant. Great photos and it looks like it was fun for all of you . I wish I could have made it. Oh well I will make the next one.....

+1

Great pictures! Looks like the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

 

[the Ferret]

BTW US 41 runs nearly the entire length of the country North to South. in 2010, my son and I and his FIL Jimmy rode to the northern Terminus in the UP of Mich as far north as you can go before hitting water (way up there) and I took this pic

 

[emptysea]

No more photo stops on Lake Shore Drive, but not for the lack of opportunity. We could have stopped at The John Hancock Building, the black, monolithic building with the twin antennae. It was the tallest building in world outside of New York City when it was built in 1968. While there, we could have taken a peek at the deco-styled Palmolive Building which was one of the tallest buildings in the city when it was built in 1927. The single spire atop this building is capped with the Lindbergh Beacon which for decades guided aircraft to Chicago's Midway Airport. The beacon was ultimately shut down when residence in neighboring buildings complained. In the 1960's Hugh Hefner bought the building and it was known as Playboy Tower for 30 years.

After the architectural tour, we could have shopped the Magnificent Mile which isn't exactly a mile, but is actually quite magnificent. The Playboy Building...er..Palmolive Building and the Drake Hotel stand sentinel over the exclusive Michigan Avenue shopping district called "The Mag Mile". The Chicago Water Tower, which did not burn in 1871, is just down the street from these buildings, too.

Or Oak Street Beach is there, just off to the left. I think Veech was checking out a cute jogger or beach volleyball player in his mirror when I took this shot.

On the right, beyond the trees, is the "Inner Drive" and the buildings that you can barely see are among the most valuable properties in the entire city. It's part of what we call our Gold Coast.

We could have stopped at any of these places for a photo, but the sun was out, the traffic was light, and it was time to leave the tall buildings behind and head to the North Shore....

BTW US 41 runs nearly the entire length of the country North to South. in 2010, my son and I and his FIL Jimmy rode to the northern Terminus in the UP of Mich as far north as you can go before hitting water (way up there) and I took this pic

[url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/theferret111/media/DSCF0261_zps3x2qlkjy.jpg.html]

Yes, we took 41 home through Indiana on our way back from Deal's Gap. Straight and flat, but beat the heck out of I-65.

 

[specialist8]

BTW US 41 runs nearly the entire length of the country North to South. in 2010, my son and I and his FIL Jimmy rode to the northern Terminus in the UP of Mich as far north as you can go before hitting water (way up there) and I took this pic

A U.S. 41 trip up north sounds like a good trip in the making.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

[Cormanus]

It can be very hard for a non-American to figure out your roads as they often have lots of numbers. Am I right that they are often route numbers as much as road numbers? So, if you get on US41 north, it will take you from Florida to Michigan? I think I rode on it in Marietta recently. Amazing really.

 

[Elipten_imp]

Interstates are the big 4 lane minimum divided highways to superslab long distances fast with controlled access points (on and off ramps). Routes are the old highway system various configurations, open access, go through towns, stop lights and etc. after that local roads. Interstates were the dream of president Eisenhower from his experience in an army convoy movement coast to coast. Great man if he did nothing else. Odd numbers go north and south, even numbers got east and west. I-10 is interstate going east and west, I-35 runs north south.

Famous highways, Rt 41, Rt 66, Rt 1 and there are others.

Correct me gents if I got any of this wrong.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Cormanus]

Thank you, Elipten. That helps me understand the differences. I'm still struggling though to work out how to find anything other than the Interstates easily on Google Maps or Apple Maps. For example, it took me quite a while to find route 41 in GA; and I've really struggled to find the start of route 66 in CA. Doesn't matter, I guess, but I quite like looking at maps.

 

[emptysea]

The Edgewater Beach Hotel was a popular gathering place and getaway for Chicago's social elite since the day it opened in 1916. It was built far enough on the outskirts of town to be a nice weekend retreat from the mansions and luxury apartments on Gold Coast, yet it was close enough to downtown to serve as a perfect spot for visiting celebrities and other dignitaries.

The hotel was Chicago's only beachfront resort. Back then, a wide promenade called "The Beach Walk" and a small sliver of beach was all that separated the hotel from Lake Michigan. Later, after the city filled a portion of the lake to the south of the hotel, a large sandy beach established itself (mostly naturally) providing the rich and famous more space to sun themselves. Guests could even hire a seaplane to shuttle them to and from downtown Chicago. Celebrities like Shirley Temple, Babe Ruth, and Marilyn Monroe slept behind its pale pink walls. When they weren't sleeping, they very likely could have been enjoying the music of Tommy Dorsey or Xavier Cugat or Nat King Cole. In 1963, The National Conference on Religion and Race met at the hotel and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech and held a major press conference on racial equality.

In June of 1949, a 29 year old baseball player named Eddie Waitkus was in town for a game against his former team, The Chicago Cubs. A young woman, 19 year old Ruth Ann Steinhagen, had become infatuated with Eddie in 1948, prior to his being traded to the Phillies. She checked into the hotel using a name of a high school classmate of Eddie's and left a note for him stating that the friend needed to see him on a matter of some urgency. When Eddie came to the room, she shot him with a .22 caliber revolver. He was seriously injured, but recovered and after returning to baseball, was awarded the Comeback Player of the Year. This story became the basis for the novel and movie "The Natural".

Twelve years after it opened, the resort completed construction of its third building (the second building being an annex to the main hotel). This new building, the Edgewater Beach Apartments, completed the resort complex and provided year-around residents the feeling of being on vacation every day

The resort complex served as a landmark to me as a kid when we'd drive from our north side apartment to visit my grandparents on the south side. I knew we were on our way when I'd see it on the right side and I knew we'd be home soon when I'd see it on the left.

In 1951, Lake Shore Drive was extended from Foster Ave. to Hollywood Ave. cutting the resort off from Lake Michigan. I feel this was a flaw in the road planning, but unlike the flaw of the S Curve, this one would not be corrected and I believe it strangled the life from this wonderful property.

The apartment is the only building of the three that remains today, the other two being torn down in 1971. It still serves to remind me of a great trip to come or a great trip that was just had...

Now, our gang of six would ride along Sheridan Rd. through what remained of the city and proceed to travel through some of the wealthiest communities in our country...the REAL 1%ers live here. This leg would also give my new friends a chance to ride on "My Road", the 1/2 mile or so stretch of Sheridan Road called "The Ravines".

 

[veech_imp]

Interstates are the big 4 lane minimum divided highways to superslab long distances fast with controlled access points (on and off ramps). Routes are the old highway system various configurations, open access, go through towns, stop lights and etc. after that local roads. Interstates were the dream of president Eisenhower from his experience in an army convoy movement coast to coast. Great man if he did nothing else. Odd numbers go north and south, even numbers got east and west. I-10 is interstate going east and west, I-35 runs north south.

Famous highways, Rt 41, Rt 66, Rt 1 and there are others.

Correct me gents if I got any of this wrong.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Holy crap, I'm 52 years old and NEVER realized that odd numbers go north and even go horizontal. You learn something new every day!
BTW, I wanted to mention EmptySea's amazing riding dexterity which he demonstrated aptly on this ride. We didn't have a GoPro so he was using his Canon for all the action shots you see in this thread, literally shooting over his shoulder while riding. While this is impressive enough on its own, he would continue to do this even through the twisties! We were all thoroughly impressed. :worship:

 

[specialist8]

Veech, keep in mind that those even/odds rules apply to the majority[\b] of how the route/highway is laid out. For example, I90/94 clearly goes north and south for a good stretch in Illinois, but the majority of the route lies east-west. Also, wikipedia has some insightful info here:

Freeways that go into cites are called spur routes and start with an odd number. Freeways that go around cities are called loop routes and start with an even number. The last two digits in a spur or a loop route are the same as the freeway it started from.

 

[veech_imp]

Thanks for the additional explanation Specialist8. You clearly have a better grasp on the numbering scheme than I do. I feel better now as I'm back to my normal confused state again.