by Bandit (Len Simons)

For those new to RideMotorcycle.com…the Day Trip patch is earned when 1000 miles is traveled in less than 24 hours. Normally the trip is around Lake Michigan.

I emailed Deadman with my confirmation that I would be willing to go on the trip and asked how many other brave souls would be traveling around the lake in less than 24 hours. I prepared by changing the oil and filter in the bike, checked the chain and sprocket, laid out my riding clothes. Forgot about filling up with gasoline…I would do that on the way to meet Dr Deadman in the morning. Called Dr. Deadman to confirm our meeting place and time in Holland. We would meet at 4:00 am at the 196 exit ramp.

I could not sleep much because of the excitement of the challenge that lay ahead. I got dressed around 2:30 am and watched TV until 3:00 am. Then I packed up my gear and did a once over on the bike again. Sure was cool firing up that bike that early in the morning and waking a few people up at the apartment complex. I have not forgot to mention the weather or temperature yet…I am saving that for later.

I got to the meeting place a little early and decided to make a quick trip to Meijer and top off the tank. Timing was perfect because as I as getting back to the meeting place Dr Deadman was just pulling up. He mentioned that is was down to three of us making the trip because it was down pouring rain in Detroit where the other three were coming from. Well no backing out now so we jumped on the expressway and we no sooner got in high gear and the rain started. I was hoping that Dr. Deadman could see better than I could because it was dark, cold and wet. I was literally watching his rear light to keep it on the road. Come to find out after the rain stopped (45 minutes into the ride) he could not see any better than I could. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.

Our first fuel stop was at the Crazy D's quick stop to meet up with our Kankakee chapter rider Mongo. Oh did I mention yet that it was June 3rd and we were wearing winter gear and close to frostbite.

The sun came out and we were traveling though Chicago doing 80++ on a Sunday morning and no traffic to speak of. It worked pretty well going through the tolls by alternating paying for all bikes at once. Team work is something that is not missing when riding with fellow bikers. Not one cop (police officer) at this point but it is still freezing even with the sun out.

Our next fuel stop was just inside the border of Wisconsin and we also grabbed a quick snack. I can go about 180 miles on a tank if I run reserve, but our stops were pretty consistent at 120 miles so we had no worries of running out of gas.

Wisconsin was the first meeting with radar and they were within two miles of each other and easy to spot. In Green Bay we were joined for a few miles by a group of other riders.

Our ½ hour lunch break was in Escanaba at the Burger King. Time to try and warm up. It sure felt good to sit down on something besides that bike seat and get something warm to eat. We were now froze… no other way to describe it …45 degrees and I am sure we saw snow. Being only half way to completing the trip there was only one choice. We pushed on.

I am glad we did. I mentioned earlier that Chicago on a Sunday morning with the sun was great. Well Highway 2 in the UP is fantastic. They have lots of casino money and keep their roads in great shape and with very few towns so you can really open up the throttle. Now the anticipation of crossing the Mackinaw bridge for the first time was starting to set in. It was going to be an extra challenge because traffic was down to 20 miles per hour over the bridge because of high winds and my hands were still froze. We got in single file formation and just leaned into the wind. The only thing that throws you a little on the bike is the finger joints where the bridge sections meet. Other than that it was not a bad deal at all.

We stopped on the other side of the bridge and took some pictures. Now we could feel the end approaching. However the state police airplane and four cop cars on the highway kept our speed down a little. Still froze but not trying to think about it too much.

As we approached Grand Rapids and we went our separate ways it was time to celebrate our accomplishment of 1000 miles in less than 24 hours. I pulled the bike in the garage at around 8:30pm knowing that nobody could ever take that experience and memory away. Even though it took us a few days to get our body temperature back to normal, I would absolutely recommend this trip.

Thanks for the company, Deadman and Mongo.

Bandit