Thursday, May 14, 2009
A Graham Update
Graham had surgery on Monday, May 11. Everything went well and he is home recuperating. He will be wearing a brace for 4 weeks and then will start rehab. His doctor hasn't verified this yet but I'm sure that motorcycle riding will be included in his rehab exercises - very therapeutic. He is already bored sitting around the house and watching movies. Right now we are still on schedule to leave on or around July 7.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
May Update
Spring has finally arrived! There is not much to report ….except…. we may have to adjust our trip schedule. Graham has had difficulty with his right shoulder coming out of place. Until recently, he has been able to put it back in place by himself. Three trips in 72 hours to the emergency room to have his dislocated shoulder put back in place has finally convinced him that surgery is needed. On May 11 he will have a routine arthroscopic surgery at Methodist Sports Center in Carmel. He will wear a brace for 4 weeks and undergo therapy. Obviously, he won’t be riding his Harley during this time.
Graham’s surgery and rehab schedule will determine our departure date. We’re fortunate that we have some flexibility. If we have to, we will reverse our route so that we can hit Sturgis and/or meet up with Susie and friends in the Jackson Hole, WY area.
Graham has been riding his Deluxe whenever he gets the opportunity. He had a close call last week. As he was turning off the highway onto a side road, an elderly lady, who didn’t see him, pulled out and clipped the rear of his bike. Fortunately, all that was damaged was a tail light lens and a small scratch on the rear fender. A split second earlier and he would have taken a hit in the side.
The following picture of him was taken recently on one of our nice spring days.
It will be a busy May. Graham will be going to the prom. Surgery. There are several “projects” around the house that need to be done in preparation for Graham’s graduation (my back willing). We’ll be making a couple of trips to St. Louis to see Tara, Jess and Jackson and take in a couple of Cardinal games. Graham’s high school graduation is Sat., May 31. We are still planning a couple of test rides but they will have to wait until his shoulder is healed. Until then, ride safe and we will do the same.
Graham’s surgery and rehab schedule will determine our departure date. We’re fortunate that we have some flexibility. If we have to, we will reverse our route so that we can hit Sturgis and/or meet up with Susie and friends in the Jackson Hole, WY area.
Graham has been riding his Deluxe whenever he gets the opportunity. He had a close call last week. As he was turning off the highway onto a side road, an elderly lady, who didn’t see him, pulled out and clipped the rear of his bike. Fortunately, all that was damaged was a tail light lens and a small scratch on the rear fender. A split second earlier and he would have taken a hit in the side.
The following picture of him was taken recently on one of our nice spring days.
It will be a busy May. Graham will be going to the prom. Surgery. There are several “projects” around the house that need to be done in preparation for Graham’s graduation (my back willing). We’ll be making a couple of trips to St. Louis to see Tara, Jess and Jackson and take in a couple of Cardinal games. Graham’s high school graduation is Sat., May 31. We are still planning a couple of test rides but they will have to wait until his shoulder is healed. Until then, ride safe and we will do the same.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
More Updates
I have been busy tentatively mapping out our month long motorcycle trip, continuing to acquire misc. items for camping, reading GPS reviews and searching eBAY for accessories for Graham’s motorcycle. I think I have finally convinced Graham that a windshield is a necessity for a long trip such as this. Rain drops, blowing sand and bumble bees hitting a person in the face at 70 mph is not fun. I believe he will thank me for my persistence on this issue somewhere during the trip. Graham wants a deeper, throatier (is that a word?) out of his Deluxe – so we are looking at some slip-ons that won’t require remaping and a bunch of extras.
I have included a map outlining our tentative route, estimating total mileage of approximately 7,200 miles. We plan on visiting 8+ National Parks. I was surprised to learn that the annual National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass is just $80 and will allow two motorcycles to be admitted under one pass. That is a good deal! I placed my pass order this week.
We had dinner a couple of weeks ago with friends, Kent and Brenda Brocksmith of Freelandville, IN. We plan to spend some time with them as we pass through Jackson, WY and while they are on vacation. Hopefully, Susie will fly out and join us for 4-5 days and enjoy the Tetons, Yellowstone and all the recreational activities in that area. I recall that in an interview with Joe Tiller, recently retired Purdue University football coach, he invited anyone to stop in and visit if passing through his retirement home in Buffalo, WY. We might just stop in on our way from Jackson, WY to Sturgis, S.D. to get a few trout fishing tips from Joe.
I have included a map outlining our tentative route, estimating total mileage of approximately 7,200 miles. We plan on visiting 8+ National Parks. I was surprised to learn that the annual National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass is just $80 and will allow two motorcycles to be admitted under one pass. That is a good deal! I placed my pass order this week.
We had dinner a couple of weeks ago with friends, Kent and Brenda Brocksmith of Freelandville, IN. We plan to spend some time with them as we pass through Jackson, WY and while they are on vacation. Hopefully, Susie will fly out and join us for 4-5 days and enjoy the Tetons, Yellowstone and all the recreational activities in that area. I recall that in an interview with Joe Tiller, recently retired Purdue University football coach, he invited anyone to stop in and visit if passing through his retirement home in Buffalo, WY. We might just stop in on our way from Jackson, WY to Sturgis, S.D. to get a few trout fishing tips from Joe.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Overview
Welcome to the Singleton Travel Blog! This blogsite is dedicated to the motorcycle travels of father (Joe Singleton) and son (Graham Singleton). The idea of a father/son cross country motorcycle trip began almost 4 years ago when I (Joe) promised Graham, that upon high school graduation we would take a month during the summer and ride to the west coast. Although this was to be an award for graduation, I have to admit that it has been a “bucket list” item of mine since I was his age. I have been riding motorcycles since I was 15 – beginning with a Honda 160 dream. My first Harley, a 1976 Sportster, was purchased in 1979. The purchase of a home and the birth of our first child, Tara, prompted the sale of the Sportster in 1983. It wasn’t until 1992 that the Harley itch needed scratched. I became the third owner of a 1967 Electra Glide with less that 15,000 mi. This was my primary motorcycle until 1996 when I decided to buy a more reliable, safe and comfortable ride – a 1993 Electra Glide Classic 95th Anniversary. This bike served me well until the 100th Anniversary models came out and I was able to sell the ’93 and buy a new ’03 Electra Glide Classic. In anticipation of traveling, I purchased a BushTec trailer to pull behind my bike.
Graham has been riding motorcycles since he was 12. His first bike was a Yamaha 125 dirt bike. My requirement for him to ride a street bike was to attend a motorcycle safety course. We both completed the ABATE Beginners Motorcycle Safety course in April of ’08. In December of ‘08 Graham fulfilled the requirements for high school graduation and we started getting serious about planning our trip and looking for his motorcycle. The next addition to our Harley family came in January of ’09. Graham finally narrowed his choice of ride to a Softtail Deluxe. On January 5 we were fortunate to find a reasonably priced ’07 Deluxe with less than 6,000 miles. We found a decent mid-January day to take the below picture of Graham and I on the two bikes that we will be taking on our summer trip.
U.S. Highway 50 from Washington, IN to San Francisco, CA. with stops and side trips in: Colorado to cousin Brooks Harting’s cabin in Taylor Park, Utah at Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, California at Yosemite National Park and San Francisco at Alice’s Restaurant, Haight-Ashbury District and the Golden Gate Bridge. The plans are to continue up the Pacific coast on Hwy 101 to the Portland, OR area. In the area surrounding Portland we will take in some Lewis and Clark history, Mt. St. Helens and the Hood River area. Our return ride will begin with a trip across the northern part of Idaho to Glacier National Park in Montana. From Glacier we will ride south to Yellowstone and the Jackson Hole area where we will meet up with my wife, Susie, who will fly out to Jackson. We will join up with family friends that will be vacationing in Jackson and do some rafting, hiking and relaxing and recovering. The final leg of our trip will take us to Sturgis, South Dakota for the famous motorcycle rally. After a couple of days in the Sturgis/Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills area we will stop a day or two in Parkston, S.D. for a visit with family and friends. By this time, I’m sure we will be ready to get home and will most likely make straight to Washington, IN. We estimate that the total mileage will be 6,000 – 6,500 miles.
Although the route planning is a chore, the difficult part about planning the trip is the “stuff” that we need to take. We will be camping most of the time – which means tent, mats, sleeping bags, cooking utensils and supplies, clothes for all kinds of riding conditions, etc., etc. We have been researching, accumulating and acquiring needed items – still some things to get but we are making progress.
Future postings will depend on the weather. We are planning 2 or 3 pre-trip rides to get our rear ends in shape, test drive our camping equipment, set-up and tear down techniques and make sure we have all the basics purchased for the trip. We have visited many websites, read books, purchased maps and consulted with other travelers but we could still use any helpful ideas. If you have some advice about sites along the way, camping or traveling tips or resources we can use to make our travels more enjoyable, please contact me through this blog or email me at: mecllc@rtccom.net
Graham has been riding motorcycles since he was 12. His first bike was a Yamaha 125 dirt bike. My requirement for him to ride a street bike was to attend a motorcycle safety course. We both completed the ABATE Beginners Motorcycle Safety course in April of ’08. In December of ‘08 Graham fulfilled the requirements for high school graduation and we started getting serious about planning our trip and looking for his motorcycle. The next addition to our Harley family came in January of ’09. Graham finally narrowed his choice of ride to a Softtail Deluxe. On January 5 we were fortunate to find a reasonably priced ’07 Deluxe with less than 6,000 miles. We found a decent mid-January day to take the below picture of Graham and I on the two bikes that we will be taking on our summer trip.
The Trip
We are in the intermediate stages of planning our calendar and route for the July 7 – August 8 trip. Here is a tentative route:U.S. Highway 50 from Washington, IN to San Francisco, CA. with stops and side trips in: Colorado to cousin Brooks Harting’s cabin in Taylor Park, Utah at Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, California at Yosemite National Park and San Francisco at Alice’s Restaurant, Haight-Ashbury District and the Golden Gate Bridge. The plans are to continue up the Pacific coast on Hwy 101 to the Portland, OR area. In the area surrounding Portland we will take in some Lewis and Clark history, Mt. St. Helens and the Hood River area. Our return ride will begin with a trip across the northern part of Idaho to Glacier National Park in Montana. From Glacier we will ride south to Yellowstone and the Jackson Hole area where we will meet up with my wife, Susie, who will fly out to Jackson. We will join up with family friends that will be vacationing in Jackson and do some rafting, hiking and relaxing and recovering. The final leg of our trip will take us to Sturgis, South Dakota for the famous motorcycle rally. After a couple of days in the Sturgis/Mt. Rushmore/Black Hills area we will stop a day or two in Parkston, S.D. for a visit with family and friends. By this time, I’m sure we will be ready to get home and will most likely make straight to Washington, IN. We estimate that the total mileage will be 6,000 – 6,500 miles.
Although the route planning is a chore, the difficult part about planning the trip is the “stuff” that we need to take. We will be camping most of the time – which means tent, mats, sleeping bags, cooking utensils and supplies, clothes for all kinds of riding conditions, etc., etc. We have been researching, accumulating and acquiring needed items – still some things to get but we are making progress.
Future postings will depend on the weather. We are planning 2 or 3 pre-trip rides to get our rear ends in shape, test drive our camping equipment, set-up and tear down techniques and make sure we have all the basics purchased for the trip. We have visited many websites, read books, purchased maps and consulted with other travelers but we could still use any helpful ideas. If you have some advice about sites along the way, camping or traveling tips or resources we can use to make our travels more enjoyable, please contact me through this blog or email me at: mecllc@rtccom.net
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Upcoming Travels
Future blog postings will be for a month long father/son cross-country motorcycle trip beginning early July 2009. Stay tuned.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
