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[04se103]

Chappy that's great news with you bike being fixed waiting to here about your trip 

[chappy]

Well, I am home safe and sound!!
When all was said and done, it turned into 14 days on the road. 14 great days on the road!
Todays log; 554.7 miles on the OD with 10 hours and 15 minutes in the saddle.
I missed the mark of 5000 miles by 593, but a 4407 mile roadtrip works for me.
My favorite rides are long distance rides and this was that! For sure!
Left Inwood, West VA at 9:15 am.
Dark and cold as I pulled into my driveway in Sunapee, NH.
I-81 to Scranton, PA West on I-84 to Hartford, CT, North on I-91 to Springfield, VT then Rte 11 all the way to Sunapee, NH.  yeeeha!

The bike ran great after the repair yesterday
The bike is now unloaded and Mama is a sight for sore eyes.
I’m sure I’ll sleep good tonight.
Thanks to all of you.
You all made this a worthy roadtrip indeed.

I’ll fill in some blanks with details later.
Your friend
Sam  aka  chappy

PS: A very special Thanks to more than I can name, but you know who you are!! THANK YOU MUCH!!!!

[sadunbar]

Sounds like you had one great trip...  Glad you made it home safely.... 

[MIKEYTEE]

Sam,
Good to hear you are home safe and sound.
Mike
 

[MAT]

Very, very, very glad you had a good trip and made it home safe and sound.   

[chappy]

Sorry folks but this is a long one, lots to cover, please bare with it, Since this is longer than the max allowed, I’ll have to post this in more than one post .  Again soory how long it is.  post 1 of 6

To my Family and Friends,

Here’s an update of what starts tomorrow, but mostly what has taken place in the past days.

Tomorrow, I’m back on the needle with chemo at the Veterans Hospital in WRJ, VT. Starts all over again at 8:00am, Monday for 8 hours, Tuesday and Wednesday 5 hours each. Then it happens again every three weeks till the Doc’s say I’ve had enough. Once again, I have to take their word for it, although, that task is getting a bit harder to do. It would be an easier task if all the Doc’s were on the same page, but it seems that they’re from different schools of thought. At least, that’s my thought on the matter!  lol

But, on to something of more interest, this past Wednesday evening I got home after a 4500+- mile road trip on my Harley Ultra. I left on 29 September 2010 and rolled into my driveway on 13 October 2010. Every great trip has it’s set backs and this one was no exception to that rule. I had the usual little stuff, a Dee part of the rear latch on the tourpac and replaced it at the Heart of Dixie Harley Shop in Alabama. Next was the cable that holds the tourpac lid from falling over the top and last was a battery for the security system. I bought these parts at the Savannah Harley Shop and put in a set of new plugs while I was at it. Then came the big one, I saw my engine light come on and my Volt Meter was down to less than 10. Not good for a bike that likes at least 14.5 volts going back into the battery as it rolls along. So I shut down everything that could be shut off. And headed for the next exit off the Skyline Parkway. I went west down the big hill to Elkton, VA and called AAA for a tow. I also called the Harley shop to let them know I was coming and what to expect. The tow came and got me to Shenandoah Harley Shop within a couple of hours and to my surprise my bike was on the lift within 15 minutes. Turned out to be my voltage regulator, my stator and a battery. All parts, labor and the extras came to 800 and some change just 3 and a half hours later. Back on the road and she run great all the way home.

[chappy]

Post 2 of 6

Now back to the count down to the day I left home. I had the usual get stuff together and hope I didn’t forget anything. And for once, I didn’t forget to bring anything and as usual again, I had more than I needed. What’s even funnier than funny, I had a hard time remembering where on the bike I packed the stuff I did bring. A very close friend of mine stated to me on the computer that he would ride with me anywhere and any time. As someone that loves road trips as much as me, that meant more to me than words could say. But this was a trip I needed to take and leaving alone was part of it.

I tried to arrange my loop to the Southland to include a few stops to see folks along the way. One I hoped to see was MikeyTee. He lives in SC not to far off the pike that I thought I’d be on, so I wrote. Let me tell you what a guy he is. He was willing to cancel his plans for a ride just so he’d be home to see me when I got there. That in it’s self should explain why this is a guy I wanted to see, a man I’m proud to call Friend. Anyway, as we shot messages back in forth; I realized that he was headed for Maggie Valley, NC. A beautiful Valley nestled high in the Blue Ridge Mountains not to far from Ashville, NC and the famous Blueridge Parkway. Just incase you don’t know it, them hills are the best reason to ride a motorcycle east of the Mississip. If you haven’t been there yet, a true must see before you cash in your chips. Well back to MikeyTee, I told him don’t change your plans, I’ll just turn my loop around the other way and meet up with him, and as it turned out, meet up also with more CVO Harley members than I could count. What a fortunate turn of events. Now, writing these words back and forth caught the eye of another man I know, named Howie. He’s known as GH  aka  Good Howie I found out while in Maggie Valley. Now Howie, and I touched base and we worked it out to meet up in Scranton, PA to roll into Maggie Valley together. Man, what a ride. We rolled in good fashion down I-81 (now I’m not admitting anything) just a tad over the speed limit. Made good time. The second day was wet, wetter and wettest. The weather did slow us down to just a slighter tad over the speed limit. We rolled in late, but if you got to know it was because of the late start in all. Ask GH about the missing keys sometime. I actually stayed at that same place on the line of WV and VA on the way home and asked the lunchroom lady if she lost her keys again. She remembered that SHE forgot. lol   The two nights I stayed in MV was a couple of great nights with great friends. We parted ways better friends than when we arrived. My special thanks to Charlie aka  Longtimehdrider. The shared a room with me and is now a friend I wish I had met long ago. Speaking of long, I bet if he knew how many times he’d have to type his screen name he would of picked a shorter one. Lol  I went with 1 group of CVO members for a Saturday ride that must have been 200 to 250 miles. A great ride on some of the prettiest roads in those parts. Saw a black bear must have been 300+ pounds easy, just walking in the field in the middle of the day not far from Gatlinburg, TN. Later, just as we took the first turn on the Dragon’s Tail we saw another Bear, and it made for an interesting corner to watch from where I was putting.  WOW, what a save, thought for sure he was going down. I don’t think the County Bear could believe her eyes either. A true piece of masterful riding indeed. Yippy Eye O!!   Speaking of Bears, how about that smokie incognito at the Dragon’s round top. I don’t think he fooled anyone. Lol, well maybe his wife. Lol

I greeted my friends with a screen name and parted my face to face friends with handshakes the next morning as I headed for the next stop, Chattanooga, TN. As I headed over many of the same roads I’ve biked on before this time was different. I was a bit sad to leave MV behind with the group that had given to me so much encouragement to go on. And go on I must. So to you guys and gals, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers I’m proud to know you and know you even better. I hope I will remember all your names, but if I don’t, I will remember all your faces.  Ride safe my family and friends at CVO.

[chappy]

Post 3 of 6

I think it was under 200 miles to Chattanooga, TN where I met up with my friend and brother JohnTN. We first met in Effingham, IL at the first annual Barn Bash at Legacy Harley Davidson. I somehow saw that such a party was going to happen. And I thought it would be a good idea to ride the 1200 miles to let them know that the right way to spell LEGACY was actually Legasse and I had the name to prove it. I asked my best friend Delta  if he would like to take a ride to get a tee shirt. He said ok, Where? I told him Effingham, IL. He said, OK. By the way, Legacy Harley didn’t care how I spelled Legasse. Lol  So, I bought the Tee shirt. Delta and me rode out there the next year too. Back to JohnTN, he rode to Effingham from his home in Tenn. John, Delta and me hit it off pretty good so, on another road trip Me, Sue and Delta stopped by Johns in TN and met his Mom, the sweetest Mom you ever met. Hey John, tell chappy said hey!! Me and John sat around the Chattanooga HD for a while then headed to a place to get some lunch. As john puts it, it takes an out of Towner to show a local where to eat someplace new. Lol  Thanks for the belt buckle, nicest I've ever had. From a friend even makes it better. Me and John headed south down the pike for a while before he turned off to head toward home. So long buddy, see ya next time. But, some rides fate don’t work as planned. Me and John were going to meet up in Atlanta with another member of HDForum and her husband. But, other than saying sorry, I can only say, we’ll have to do it next time for sure. Till then, Georgia Girl and Todd and John, ride safe and be well my friends. I stopped for the night near Pelham, Alabama so I could replace that broken Dee latch on my tourpac. The dealership call Heart of Dixie actually broke open a package to sell me just one latch part and not the whole thing. $3:00 USD can you believe that. Now that’s a dealership I highly recommend. Thanks.  

I got back on the road after I fixed my latch and was at my next stop late afternoon or early evening, the Panhandle Florida. This was a long over due visit with my brother Bob, Sheila, Vince, Tom and Angelic & Joe and nephews and nieces I’ve never ever met. It was determined by Vince that 28 years had gone by. I’d ask each of you, never let that happen to you. Thanks for that great sausage, man o man, I lick my chops thinking about it. Thanks for letting me do my laundry, nothing like a hot shower and clean clothes to put on. I’m glad I got to see all of you, next time it will be for longer I hope. Till then, I love you guys!!

[chappy]

Post 4 of 6

I rolled out the next day on I-10 east to I-75 south to get to see my US Marine Rider riding partner from my home state NH. He’s in Florida living with his Mom  Nellie and sister Girt. Now these are two of the finest women you’d find. My friend Panther is very fortunate to have them caring for him. He suffered a roadside bomb blast in Iraq on March 03, 2006 and now lives very close to a Veterans Hospital that specializes in head and brain injuries. He looks so much better than the last time I saw him. I visited for about 5 hours and Panthers Mom made me a lunch and I was soon on my way. One regret, I didn’t get to see Girt. Hey Girt, next time, OK. I miss you guys. God bless our Warriors and their families!!!

I took I-75 north to I-10 east to I-95 up to Savannah. I got a room just south of the Florida line. What a dump. There was a hunk of hair and flesh stuck on the edge of the desk where someone’s head must have been smashed at one time. It’s the kind of place that you shower when you’re leaving. Lol I got to Savannah Harley shop and that’s where I did the few fixes, the tourpac cable, the security battery and a set of plugs. I had a long lunch right next door at the Hooters with my sister-in-law. It was a good visit, we talked mostly the old days and then the kids. The hard part was while I brought her up to date with the whole fight that I have been in for the past year. We parted ways with a tear or two, I will always miss the good o days of Christmas’s, Thanks Giving’s, Birthdays, cookouts and such. Even those days that weren’t so good, you were there for me & Sue. Thanks, Love ya!! I spent the stayed the night with my brother Dave and Carol and Dave brought me to Fort Pulaski, a must see if you ever get to that area. Dave & Carol it was a good time seeing you. But you wore me out, by the way thanks for letting me stay another night. You said you ate more in those 2 days than you usually eat in a week. Yup, me too. Or maybe it’s just my clothes shrunk after washing and drying them while I was with you guys. I especially and glad I got to see Amanda and Steffan and also meet your friends. I still can’t get over that they all put together such a nice meal for me. Such acts of pure generousity is rare to see, but on this road trip I was greeted with such generosity I had to fight off tears many times over. Thank you to all of you, please give each other a big hug from me.  Hope to see you all again soon. Thanks for all your prayers; I know they have been heard. Again Thanks so much. Love you guys too.

After breakfast with Dave at Denny’s I fueled up put on some road threads and hit the highway again. This time toward Atlanta. My GPS was giving me trouble along the way and by this time it had stopped working. So, I was glad I had brought along my map. I made it to the Lawanceville, GA motel just as Union Jack and his group pulled in. WOW!! I was going to try to meet those guys at The Atlanta HD shop but decided I would miss them. So I kept going toward Lawanceville. It amazes me how meetings just fall together the way they do. Now, as it happens, I had the pleasure of meeting my first fellow HSOA member just as I pulled in to the motel and again, It was Union Jack. I got checked in and as I was going to move the bike, the group was ready to head over to the cookout for supper. Yummm, I was hungry too. How’s that for double time timing!!  Lol

[chappy]

Post 5 of 6

That was Friday night, met so many members of HSOA I couldn’t begin to name them off. But you guys know who you are, without my 2cents. After eating and chatting with so many, I was ready for to hay, so off I went to the motel and a good nights sleep. Got up at 0600 and had a bit in the lobby and jumped in the saddle by 0700 to meet up for a 200 to 250 mile ride through the North Georgia hills. I never knew it was so pretty there. On other road trips I usually turn a loop east or west about the Georgia line back to NC or TN. I had missed out on some real nice twisty roads on Mountains and around lakes and into valleys. How did I miss all this before? Glad I met up with the group for this ride. We got back to the home front and the BBQ was on. Man What a great bunch of folks. The presented me with a book that they had put together of the entire thread of my journey. A journey that they too had walked with me. They were there for me to lean on and they encouraged me all the way and more. I don’t know when I have felt more welcome. I knew I was home with this bunch. Many of them met me at the motel on Sunday as I was leaving just to give me a hug. Talk about a hot lump in the throat and burning eyes. My family of the road. The Living Legend, Heritage Springer Owners Association, you have done me proud. Thank you very much. I’m afraid to start naming names because I don’t want to leave any of you out. But, to say thanks without saying Ace would be impossible, because Ace is who opened the thread that told you guys what I was dealing with. So, again, because of Ace, we were all able to become closer than ever would or could if it had not been for his caring about a fellow member. God bless you Ace and all of have to know that if I started with the special thanks, I’d need several pages. So please except my sincere gratitude and many thanks. I am your friend and you are mine, and it shows so clearly to be a fact, because NOW I have a Leather bound note book with every post on the thread that Ace posted just about a year ago. It starts off with a poem that Sue or I have yet to be able to read through. It's now a prized possession to be treasured by me & Sue and my Posterity. The mere words, "THANK YOU!" doesn't even touch the deapth. WOW!!

Now back to the ride. Me and Mud and his Mrs. rode north on some beautiful roads together. Mud has said he slowed me down, nope, he didn’t. I think he wants to believe it was my ride, but, nope again, it was our ride, and a great one at that. Even though my GPS wasn’t working any more, out of the blue it started to work, right when we needed it the most. We were on the Blueridge Parkway south of Ashville and we wanted to get to Boone, NC. The Parkway would have brought us to Blowing Rock, just 5 miles from Boone but that was at least 5 plus hours away. So, back to the GPS turning on, it picked us the fastest route to Boone in just 2 hours 8 minutes. On roads I never would have been able to figure out on a map. We got to Boone in just about 2 and a half hours and checked in and had a steak across the road at Peddlers Steak house. Yum, I’ve eaten there before, always great food. Even though they ran out of sweet potatoes just when one was suppose to land on my plate. Oh well, that’s why they make sweet stuff for after the meal. I couldn’t even finish that. I’m full just thinking about that meal. Delta asked if I ate at Peddlers, I told him, sure did!! That next morning we headed up the Blueridge and rode to Afton, VA. Right at the joint of the Blueridge Parkway and the Skyline Parkway a place right out of days gone by, in fact, I think the cleaning lady is still back in days gone by too. What dump!! Sorry Mud!!  Well, we got and got gas and indigestion and off to the skyline parkway. After only about 30 miles and my voltmeter gave a sad report. I pulled over and Mud followed my lead. I told him what was going on, so we headed down off the hill to Elkton, VA. I called AAA; they got there in about 2 hours. I called Shenandoah HD to let them know what was coming their way. Once the tow was there me and Mud and his better half parted ways. He gave me a call later to see how things were in all. Hey Mud, how about that Rte 151? Some twistes!!

[chappy]

Poast 6 of 6

At Shenandoah hd, turns out the owner, a real down to earth guy, has family in my town back home. I hope he looks me up when he’s up this way. Back to the repair, 3 ½ hours and a new voltage regulator, stator and battery and the extras that totaled $800.00 plus and out the door. I rode up to the first exit in West VA and got a room for the last night of this road trip as was the first night. At that point I was 554.7 miles from home that took me 10 hours and 15 minutes. But of course, that also includes gas stops and a sit-down meal. Lol true biker talk lol Today, Sue took a call from Shenandoah HD to see how I was doing. At that time I was snoring after a long day of chemo. My many thanks to the crew for the caring service and follow up I received. See you guys next time. Bob, you are welcome in my home. Stop by next time you’re in Sunapee.

I’m sure I have forgotten more than I typed, but by now you’re probably glad I’m done.

For now, good night

[MAT]

Thanks for sharing Chappy, it sounds like a WELL deserved trip you had. I just wish I was a part of it and had enjoyed just a small amount of that adventure along side of you. All I can wish for is the time in the future that I could share with you. If your ever out this way my house is your house. I ( we ) will be praying for you and that your treatments go well, Sincerely Mike ( MAT )

[chappy]

Hi Mat,

Thanks for the heart felt words.
Hey you know it's only a hard 3 day ride. See ya Saturday!!  just kidding, I'm on some downtime right now, But hopeing for the next summer and any rides that will pan out then.

I too hope to ride with you some time in the future.
I hope I did bore you to much with the read. It really was hard to limit it to that amount  lol
It certainly was a thrill to put faces to so many riders that had touched mine and Sues life.

Thanks to you and others the needle on my hope meter ran very high
your friend
Sam

[Fired00d]

Chappy thanks for sharing the report, and even more glad you had a good trip. When you get back down to Afton/Staunton/Charlottesville area please let me know.... and I guess I need to make a ride back up to NH too that's only fair.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[chappy]

Chappy thanks for sharing the report, and even more glad you had a good trip. When you get back down to Afton/Staunton/Charlottesville area please let me know.... and I guess I need to make a ride back up to NH too that's only fair.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

I will get there again and hope to meet up with you.
When you get up to NH and if you should see a bumper sticker that reads, "WELCOME TO NH: NOW GO HOME!!". 
Don't believe ti, you're always welcome at my home.

your friend,  and thanks for all you did for me.

Sam  aka  chappy