USA Postie Coast to Coastie

[dmonkey]

I appreciate the kind words.
Details on my rear top box can be found here: https://hondatrail125.com/index.php?threads/expedition-134-top-case-storage-box-for-rear-rack.944/
The side box here: https://hondatrail125.com/index.php?threads/japanese-market-rear-carrier-side-box-and-decals.2222/
Neither are easy on/off in that they require tools to remove them.

There are some both side removable panniers mentioned in this thread, some of which would be easily removable: https://hondatrail125.com/index.php?threads/right-side-support-luggage-exhaust-side-bracket.449/
If you just wanted to add one to the non-exhaust side of the bike, there are a few side rack options available that a soft bag could be strapped to for easy removal.

Thank you for the recommendation. I'll have to try to work that into a future road trip. I've seen the Curtiss V8 motorcycle at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., it's an impressive machine!

 

[G19Tony]

Great write up. I like your fire protection, I will be getting one. Man, my throttle control failed on day 3 or 4. I rode with my wrist WFO for the rest of the SCB. I powered through it, but I couldn't feel my hand for a month afterward. I took a while, but it's back to normal. I thought it might be permanent.

Well done! What a trip!

 

[mcmd]

2023.09.11
Alcoa, TN to Clarksville, TN
Another dewey and foggy morning. First thing in the morning I headed to an Ace Hardware and picked up the longer screws needed to fit the Dragon license plate frame.
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I caught up with some of the Cannonball bikes that had issues during the day, one Indian single swapping a tube for his second flat of the day. I passed through Cumberland Mountain State Park and rode over this stone arch bridge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It amazes me how many structures and feats of engineering built as a result of the New Deal are still around and in use to this day.

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Today was going to leave me with time to kill so rather than spend it all at the Harley dealer that the Motorcycle Cannonball was stopping at in the evening I rode to Nashville. It got really hot out in the second half of the day but luckily there was some shade on the slow winding back roads.

My first stop in Nashville was the Ryman Auditorium, the old home of The Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast.
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From there moved on to the Marathon Automobile plant which has been converted to a Marathon Motors museum and indoor mall. I highly recommend the visit if you're into old cars or tools, many of the tools from the plant are on display. Antique Archaeology from the TV show American Pickers also have a storefront inside the mall, with their other location right by the Mississippi River in LeClaire, IA.

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My dad's JD is still running strong. The Moto Guzzi with a broken valve stem wasn't able to get a replacement valve in time so they bought a Harley UL at Wheels Through Time and set aside their metric tools for imperial ones. Jonas, the rider, got his first full stage completion today since the prologue so things are looking up for him and his team.

Great post! Very enjoyable.

 

[bryanchurch06]

Amazing trip, congrats to you and your father for sharing it together. I said at the end of the Cdt trip I was surprised how quickly things started to fade away and I had to go back and read notes to remind myself. Probably just an age thing I suppose but are you experiencing that at all? So what's the next adventure?

 

[dmonkey]

A stationary company out of Chicago that I've bought some of my pocket journals from, FIELD NOTES, has a tagline that resonated with me: "I'm not writing it down to remember it later, I'm writing it down to remember it now." I think that approach of writing things down and framing camera shots helps me to ingrain memories because I remember traveling better than many other things, but that could also just be the nature of the travel experience. I'm not counting on my memory to stand the test of time, but I enjoy reflecting in the moment while I'm documenting travels, and at the least I'll have something to reference later just like your notes.

I've had the Lake Michigan Circle Tour on my mind for several months now, so I'll likely give that a go once it warms up. If I take the CT125 I'll certainly make it a leisurely multi-day ride. No firm plans though, I'm often a bit of a last minute adventurer.