Determination, Dedication
and Rebirth
 |
| Musings of a Long Distance Rider |
Yesterday I pronounced the Janus essentially out of the
ride, non-functional and without the basic motorcycle workings to carry
on. The bike and its’ rider, Richard
Worsham, had been escorted back to Rock Springs, WY by fellow rider Joe “Dirt”
Green to overnight and contemplate their fate.
By early morning Richard had the bike completely repaired and on the
road headed eastward. I am not the best
at “wrenching” when it comes to repairs and I do much better at writing checks
for repairs than actually making them.
Richard on the other hand knows his stuff. The intake manifold bolt repair included
tapping the original hole to get rid of the stripped threads and then
installing a Heli-Coil thread repair device to make the new bolt hold
securely. I’m not going to make myself
look more stupid by trying to further describe it. Google it if you need more info.
I guess if you’re the manufacturer of the bike you know a
thing or two about what makes it tick.
Richard clearly did and by the time our ride group left the Sherman Summit
Wednesday morning he and the Janus had made up enough time that the rider/bike
duo may rejoin the group by the end of the night. At any rate he stands a good chance of
rejoining the group in Naperville, IL for the Thursday night Rendezvous. I will make no more outlandish predictions of
doom when it comes to Richard and his fine Janus motorcycle. The man is determined to say the very least.
 |
| 604.1 Sherman Summit |
Wednesday morning bright and early our full team, minus
Richard of course, mounted the Sherman Summit joined by last night’s guests
Randy Huff, John Cooper and Matt Wise.
All were on hand to witness the dedication of the Wyman Memorial plaque
and Waypoint sign that had been erected at the highest elevation point of Wyman’s
transcontinental trek. For me it was a
special stop as long ago I had picked that spot with Tim’s assistance as the
place for my sponsored plaque. Something
about seeing it for the first time mounted and on full display for the
traveling public with so many close friends there to share the moment made this
morning one of the highlights of my riding career. I want to thank everyone who took the time to
stop by on what was a really long ride day.
It was awesome. Thanks.
The weather was good compared to some of the cold temps and
rain from the first two days. Winds were
fairly calm, temps were cool in the morning and it warmed up nicely by mid-afternoon
only to cool off again as the sun went down.
It was almost perfect riding weather and everyone that checked in with
us during the day seemed to echo that report.
Tim and I made stops today in Cheyenne, WY, Paxton, NE and a side trip
to Julesburg, CO to tend to Wyman business.
The never ending work to enhance the Waypoint locations and move the
cause forward is constantly on Tim’s mind.
I’m amazed at how many people know his name and recognize him when we
walk in. Gary Huff even reported that a
couple of gentlemen at a Waypoint site asked if Tim would be stopping by to see
them. Amazing.
Tonight we had one lone visitor at the Rendezvous point in Council Bluffs, IA. Paul Meyer decided he needed to put some miles on his new (to him) Triumph Trophy. After an unplanned get off in the Heart of Texas rally he went on the search for a replacement bike to farkle up for some future long-distance rallies he’s eyeing. After explaining each and every minute detail of his plan to a small parking lot gathering comprised of yours truly, Gary Huff (always first in the barn), Joe “Dirt” Green and Tim Masterson, we all headed into to the Cracker Barrel restaurant for some good home cooking that needed to be consumed.
The rest of the riders were still out bagging Wyman Waypoints mostly along Highway 30 heading from Grand Island, NE to our Wednesday finish in Council Bluffs, a stretch of road that is one of the most interesting of the Wyman ride. John and Nadine Huval made it to the restaurant after nine o’clock having called in earlier to say they were having so much fun they would be late due to their desire to bag more sites and enjoy the cool evening temps. Such is the essence of the Rendezvous concept. Plan your own ride and ride your own plan, theoretically.
 |
| 'Waypoint Groupies' 608.3 Maxwell RON |
Tonight we had one lone visitor at the Rendezvous point in Council Bluffs, IA. Paul Meyer decided he needed to put some miles on his new (to him) Triumph Trophy. After an unplanned get off in the Heart of Texas rally he went on the search for a replacement bike to farkle up for some future long-distance rallies he’s eyeing. After explaining each and every minute detail of his plan to a small parking lot gathering comprised of yours truly, Gary Huff (always first in the barn), Joe “Dirt” Green and Tim Masterson, we all headed into to the Cracker Barrel restaurant for some good home cooking that needed to be consumed.
The rest of the riders were still out bagging Wyman Waypoints mostly along Highway 30 heading from Grand Island, NE to our Wednesday finish in Council Bluffs, a stretch of road that is one of the most interesting of the Wyman ride. John and Nadine Huval made it to the restaurant after nine o’clock having called in earlier to say they were having so much fun they would be late due to their desire to bag more sites and enjoy the cool evening temps. Such is the essence of the Rendezvous concept. Plan your own ride and ride your own plan, theoretically.
At 10:39PM local time Robert Rehkopf sent a message that he
and Doug Vance bagged all the bonuses today except Waypoint 612.2 Douglas
Street Bridge which was closed. By
sending in a pic of his bike in front of the barricaded road he secured the two
the bonus award and thus completed the running of the table for Day 3. Richard Worsham and the repaired Janus appeared
at first to have stopped short of Lincoln and looked to be bagging it in for
the night. A check of his SPOT at 10:57PM
showed him moving again and by the end of the night he was in a hotel nearby
our Rendezvous location. He had covered
over 750 miles, a personal best twice over, an amazing rebirth. Go Janus.
Which brings us to the Rendezvous gathering for Thursday
night. In Naperville, IL at 7:00PM (ish)
we are to be joined by Mike Kneebone, Mr. Iron Butt himself, at the Maggiano’s
Little Italy restaurant. Mike has sort
of a cult following due to his status as the head of the Iron Butt Association and
through his connection with the Iron Butt Rally. We suspect there will be “groupies” of one
sort or another that will come out simply to see “the man”. The riders plan to be there as well in case
anyone wants to hear their tales from the road.
In all seriousness, we are genuinely pleased that Mike is taking the
time from his hectic schedule to greet this group of battle tested riders. I hope you will come out to join us if you can
make the trip. The reservation is under
the name of George Wyman, who else? See
you there.
 |
| 'Rendezvous' Dinning |
