Day One

Well I made it to Saline KS at 8:00pm. It was a twelve hour day of riding. Thank god for the beautiful weather. It couldn't have been a nicer day. The bad news is that most of the day I drove on the interstate. It is the best way to make time. I had high hopes of getting a super-early start to the day, but a misplaced bike registration forced me to go to the Springfield DMV for a new one. Apparently the Canada border is pretty strict about having a vehicle registration. Not being able to enter Canada could really make it hard to get to Alaska on a bike. I'm pretty creative, but I do have limits to my navigational still set. Well as I said earlier the drive was good. I averaged about 75 all the way. I had lunch today at Brookfield MO. What a wonderful Walmart. :-)

The bike ran really well. I have done a ton of work on it and was a little worried about how it was going to run. New tires, brakes and oil were knocked out by yours truly. I was the first time trying my hand at tires, but with the help of a couple of YouTube videos it proved to be nothing too tricky. I will admit, the back tire took me 2 hours longer than the front. Those fat rear tires are like wrestling a snake. Live and learn. The only really alarming problem I ran into was the oil. I went for a test run to Walmart and when I return to the bike, I discovered a puddle of oil on the ground. The thought of a leaking engine seal can really rain on any one's parade when they are planning a trip. So I went home and removed the fairling. "What a drag!" I discovered that all the bolts and seals were working perfect. In my quick oil change, I forgot to tighten the filler cap and when the bike was running down the road at high RPM it blew about a pint of oil out. Once again, "Thank you god!" I hope that is the only issue I have.

I am riding with a high school buddy named Evan Norton. Evan lives is Edmund, OK and was interested in riding partway up into Canada with me. I am glad to have the company.
Riding alone is nice for a while and then it is a little boring. Salina KS was the chosen merge point to start the trek together. We are crashing at a K.O.A. tonight. It's a nice, family owned campground. I'm just happy they have wireless. It's the little things in life that keep me going. Tomorrow, we are headed out for Colorado Springs, CO. I have a cousin that is stationed there at the Army Base. I chatted with him last night on facebook and he invited us to stay with him for a night. Way cool! Don't get me wrong, I love camping but AC, a shower, sheets, no mosquito and free. Sounds great to me. I am also looking forward to the visit - Adam is a great guy that I just haven't had a chance to visit with in quite a while. Hanging with family is always good.

Well I had better call it a night.