October 31, 2022 - Bermuda

We made it to Bermuda. We flew out of Gainesville at 6:30 am, flew to Charlotte and then to Bermuda around 1:30 pm eastern. Temps were upper 70s with a nice breeze. Of course I was delayed going through immigration thanks to my traveling and life partner mentioning I was in Bermuda to work the triathlon which triggered me having to go in the back room and be interviewed. Once they realized I was not getting paid in Bermuda I sailed through. 

We took a cab to the hotel, went grocery shopping and walked the beach right outside our room. 

View from our room

Bermuda Triathlon 2022

Sooz and I will be leaving Monday, October 31, 2022 for Bermuda. I will be a Moto Pilot riding the video media crew on my motorcycle while they film the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series. My brother Ted and I have done this several times in Florida for other triathlons.

Unfortunately, Ted cannot make this event due to problems shipping his motorcycle to Bermuda. Sooz and I will be staying a week. I will be working the event Nov 5-6, 2022. The rest of the time we will be playing tourists, even renting a scooter to tour the island before we return to Florida Monday, November 7, 2022.

I will be using our GPS tracker only when I'm on the bike during the event. We have rented a scooter for the days I'm not working so we can explore the island a little better.

This is the link for our GPS tracker that will be active Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 4-6, 2022.  Click HERE

 

This is my bike and my brother Ted's bike loaded in a shipping container in Fernandina Beach, Florida.  Unfortunately, Ted ran into some shipping problems that prevented his bike from being shipped resulting in Ted not traveling to Bermuda. 

July 29, 2022 - Gainesville, FL

After over 2 months and 13,595 miles Susie and I are back home in Gainesville from our Alaska adventure. Susie decided to ride home with me on the motorcycle meaning she rode over 9,000 miles with me on the bike after meeting me in Anchorage. 

The last 2 weeks were brutal. The heat took its toll. We cut back on riding time due to the extreme heat. It reached 100 degrees or more each day for the last 2 weeks. Everyday we would evaluate our condition and decide if we wanted to keep going. We did continue but shortened our days in the saddle which made it tolerable. 

Random thoughts:

- I am a little surprised and very grateful that we rode over 13,000 miles and did not have any major incidents. There was discomfort and challenges but no injuries or mechanical breakdowns. The motorcycle was flawless. 

- Alaska lived up to its reputation of being a rough, wild, beautiful, intimidating, challenging adventure. 

- We did not see an Amazon, UPS or FedEx truck at all in Alaska.

- How frequently people came up to us because we were on a motorcycle to ask questions and tell us their own stories.

- How deliveries are limited in Alaska.

- How large and undeveloped the U.S. is. 

- Difficulty finding fresh vegetables in many areas, but some areas of Alaska had a wide selection of locally grown vegetables - it varied wildly.

- Prices in Alaska were very high for everything including food, hotels and gas.

- How much Susie and I enjoyed riding together. We were both surprised that we did not individually listen to music or podcasts. We used our bluetooth intercoms to chat about all kinds of topics or silently take in our surroundings. 

- How much of our Country we still have to explore. 

- We thoroughly enjoyed our niece CD and Mary's wedding and getting to have a family reunion in Portland. 

Back home in Gainesville 

The motorcycle trip meter showing a total trip of 13,595 miles (and 100 degrees in our driveway) 

Our complete route

July 27, 2022 - Dothan, Alabama - 211 miles

We had another early start this morning and arrived in Dothan around noon. Our room wasn't ready so we randomly picked a restaurant in downtown Dothan called KBC.  As it turned out it is a comfortable, upscale Southern food restaurant owned by Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark. We enjoyed the food and surroundings filled by local movers and shakers of Dothan. We got some stares walking in with our helmets and full riding gear but they let us stay.

Tonight is our last night on the road for this trip. We have packed a lot into a little over 2 months. It's been a wonderful and exciting adventure. 

But I did want to thank all of you who have traveled with us in blog and spirit. I also want to give special thanks to people who have spread awareness of the good work being done by GNV4ALL and contributed money to that deserving organization. 

I'll add some final thoughts tomorrow or the next day including total trip mileage. 

July 26, 2022 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama - 211 miles

I finally got it through my thick skull that we needed to shorten our daily rides in this heat! We rode 211 miles, checked into our hotel right when the temperatures started getting really hot. We both feel a lot better because of it. We should be home Thursday. 

Most of our riding was in the mid to upper 80s, humid and and cloudy. I never thought I would say the mid to upper 80s and high humidity would feel comfortable but it did.  

This is Pat who, with Jason, checked us into our hotel room and agreed to have her picture taken. She was fun to talk with, very helpful and curious about our motorcycle trip so I gave her a few GNV4ALL Goes to Alaska cards which she appreciated. (Jason had stepped away by the time I got my phone out to take the picture)

July 25, 2022 - Memphis, TN - 345 miles

We rode 345 miles today and the temperature reached 100 again. We think that makes 12 consecutive days of 100 degrees or more. One picture below from the the Woolaroc Museum taken a couple of days ago. We are probably going to dial it back the last 2 or 3 days going home due to the heat. 

July 25, 2022 - Eureka Springs, Arkansas - 164 miles

Today is my 2-month anniversary of leaving Gainesville for Anchorage. It feels like 2 months or maybe 2 years. Time has taken on a different dimension. 

Today was a short and hot day. We didn't take any side trips and got into ES around noon. It was 98 degrees and full sun when we got into town and right now at 7:15pm it has cooled to 95. About the only thing we did was walk to a market and that about did us in. It's just too hot to do touristy things.

Tomorrow we are going to play it by ear. The heat will dictate how far we go. We have about 1,000 miles to go and it may take us 3, 4 or 5 days depending on how we feel.  

This little girl and her parents were looking at the bike and talking with Sooz. The girl was not intimidated at all so we asked her (and Mom and Dad) if she wanted to sit on the bike and she did not hesitate. 

We saw a couple of Jack Russell's for sale at a gas station so Sooz decided to try to teach one how to use social media.

He's grabbing Susie's phone