I Quit My Job & Hit the Road

[melloncollie]

Hey guys, I recently got back from a trip and wanted to share my experience.  A little background first.


I got my FJ at the end of spring, its an 89 with about 47k miles at the time.  Its been a few years since I had a bike, my last was a 77 KZ1000 and an 82 GPZ750 before that.  The FJ was in pretty good shape, but it did leave me stranded 10 miles from home the day I picked it up.  I spent the summer doing some upkeep and light mods; some of it was needed and some of it probably wasn't but it kept me busy.  I'm grateful for this forum and its wealth of topics, pictures, and how to's.  There were a few projects I wouldn't have tackled or continued without it.  It felt like forever since I'd wrenched for fun like that.  I became more confident with the bike as summer went (riding and wrenching); eventually riding from home, near Milwaukee, to Iowa and back one day.  That was the furthest I had ridden at that point, it was about 400 miles round trip.  At the end of summer I quit my job of seven years as a commercial parts manager at an Advance Auto Parts.  Long story short, I had enough of it.  I realized I had an opportunity I needed to take advantage of: no job, no schedule, no responsibilities, and a motorcycle.

Some pics from throughout the summer.

This was earlier in the summer on a ride near home.


Carb work, instrument cluster bulbs, taking a look at the fuel gauge, checking for fairing cracks and trying to get rid of some buzzing


I noticed some play in the relay arm when I took the wheel off to get tires put on.  A lot of the work ended up being "while I'm in here..."  The front got a similar treatment but it looks like I didn't get any pictures.  I finished up this work after I left my job.


I have a friend that works for the state parks and is staying at the Apostle Islands at the top of the state.  I wanted to ride up there and camp with him but those plans never materialized.  Fall was in full swing at this point and it was getting cold anyway, I didn't want to go north anymore.  I remembered seeing a sign while on my ride to Iowa for The Great River Road and looked into it.  It seemed like it followed the Mississippi River all the way south to the gulf, an option if I wanted to go that far.  My thought was: the river curves so the river road next to it must also curve making for some decent riding.  Plus, I'd be going south and it'll be warmer.  I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy a multi day trip, so I didn't want to plan too far ahead just to feel defeated and turn around.  The tentative plan was to get to St. Louis on the first day and Memphis on the second, evaluating how I and the bike were doing along the way and going from there. 

I was a little nervous about leaving, there was a lot of second guessing my work.  I rode around for a week or so waiting for a bolt to come loose that I forgot to torque down or a new noise to show itself.  After delaying my start a couple times for one excuse or another I decided I just had to pick a day and go.  I spent the better part of a day going over my packing list and checking it twice.  Trying to make everything all tidy and nice.  With everything packed I hopped on for one last ride before I left just to see if anything seemed wildly out of place or uncomfortable.  So far so good.

A shot I took on that last ride the day before I left. 

[FJmonkey]

Cool, a trip report in progress...

[melloncollie]

10/26

I optimistically set my alarm for sunrise and managed to get myself out of bed early enough.  It was dipping into the 30s at night and still cold in the morning.  I let the sun warm everything up for a while before setting out.  St. Louis was the "plan" but I'd settle for anywhere unfamiliar. Leaving my driveway not knowing where I was sleeping that night, only that it wasn't in my bed, was pretty dang exciting.  I thought about taking a scenic route right from my back door but I've ridden those roads plenty of times and chose instead to head straight for The Mississippi.  

Sunrise the morning of


My FJ waiting patiently while I dragged my feet


Outside of being a little chilly, the weather was great.  Not a cloud in the sky all day.  I made a fuel stop and a food stop along the way and made it to the river by early afternoon.  I hit some construction near Dubuque and had to change my route a little.  That was okay, I didn't really have anywhere to be.  I followed the river south into Illinois instead of Iowa.  Having driven through Illinois before (granted, on the interstate) you could imagine my shock coming across some fun roads.  This was a pleasant surprise.  

The river road took US 20 to IL 84 which had a good mix of following the river and taking me through some small towns.  After another gas stop I had to resist the urge to stop for a picture at Poopy's Pub n Grub opting instead to be mature and keep moving.  I crossed over into Iowa at Clinton and followed the Iowa side of the river road.  I managed to lose the road somewhere along the way and found myself in some pretty big corn fields with a lot of dirt roads. After consulting the map I set myself in the right direction and pushed on.  

I stopped around sunset to take some pictures along the river just outside of Fort Madison, Iowa.  Man alive, this is a big river.  I don't think there was ever a time I saw the river and thought anything else during the trip.


I regret not moving that garbage out of the shot and into a bin somewhere.


Once the sun set I took US 61 south until I didn't want to ride anymore.  The cold and dark highway riding got to be too much for me around Hannibal, Missouri.  I have a tinted visor which works great in daylight and not great at night.  I brought safety glasses to wear but the open visor was a little cold.  And noisy.  I found a McDonalds to warm up and eat while I searched for lodging.  There was a Motel 6 in town, works for me.  I thought to myself, "four states, not a bad first day."  Although I didn't get to St. Louis I was pleased with how far I made it.  I enjoyed what I had done so far and had no intention of turning back.  The bike seemed happy to come along, no hiccups whatsoever.

[fj1289]

Awesome!   

[giantkiller]

Awesome!   

I double that awesome!! ....

[melloncollie]

Cool, a trip report in progress...

Awesome!   

I double that awesome!! ....

Hey all!  Thanks for joining the thread and reading along.  I'll keep posting as I continue writing the trip out and going through my pictures.  It takes a bit of effort trying to remember everything, I would have appreciated some better notes from myself on the road.  But I know me, its not likely to happen.

[melloncollie]

10/27

Looking at the map I figured the river road must follow MO 79 out of Hannibal and it looked like a pretty good road.  I knew some weather was rolling in soon; I checked national radar and it seemed like I'd find rain either today or tomorrow where I was headed.  Actually, it looked like rain from New Orleans all the way to Minnesota.  Part of my delaying the trip was an attempt to time the weather so I didn't have to ride in the rain.  I have been generally successful in avoiding the rain over the years, save for the occasional light shower on my way home.  There was no avoiding it this time and no amount of looking at the radar would change that.  Besides, what was the point of bringing a rain suit if I wasn't going to use it?

The plan today was to get to Memphis.

Gassing up in Hannibal that morning


I saw a few scenic overlooks, picked one, and pulled off for some pictures.  You're able to just barely see the river through the trees to the left of the bike.


Standing on this hill overlooking the river sparked my sense of adventure and got me thinking of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer.  I completely understood how and why Mark Twain wrote such iconic adventure novels out here.  The infinite possibilities of what might lie further south down the river was electrifying.


I was right, it was a good ride out of Hannibal.  The weather was getting a little warmer, warm enough for me to take off my cold weather gloves and put on something a little thinner and more comfortable.  There were plenty more opportunities for pictures along the way but I didn't want to stop the fun.  Once I realized I was heading into St. Louis I stopped for some gas, a snack, and chose a path through the city.  



I've been to St. Louis before and didn't really have much interest in sight seeing here.  I figured I'd take the interstate through/around the city to get it over with as quick as possible.  I70 to I270 to highway 67/61.  It was a good route up until a truck decided to get in my lane while I was in it.  I saw their blinker but kept my course attempting to overtake them in the left lane.  They showed no sign of stopping their lane change, pushing me into the rumble strip.  Thankfully there was enough room next to the barrier I was able to get around and in front of them.  I decided I had enough of the interstate for one city and got off at the next exit I was able to.  I found 67 in the city and took it south until I was out of St. Louis.  Stoplight to stoplight was a little monotonous but it was better than being run off the freeway.  Reflecting back on the situation, I had enough time and space to slow down and let the truck in.  Regardless of having the right of way that would have been the safer choice.  Lesson learned.  I was a little surprised at how calm I was during and after it all happened.

The next leg of the river road followed US 61 again which gave some good views and some relatively uneventful riding.  Along 61 was the village of Kaskaskia, Illinois.  I read about it the night before and decided to check it out.  Its situated west of the Mississippi River (due to the river shifting east at one point) and surrounded by Missouri on all other sides, making it an exclave of Illinois.  I always found these sort of things and places interesting.  Once the capital of the Illinois Territory and briefly the state capital, the village has a current population of 13.  The village itself felt deserted, like someone set up a model town in their back yard.  Strange feeling.  Here's the wikipedia page if anyone's interested in reading more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaskaskia,_Illinois



Continuing on I hit a stretch of construction that went for 60 some miles.  Traffic was moving fast enough and it was mostly new, not torn up, asphalt so I stuck with it.  Eventually the river road and 61 both joined I55 which took me into Arkansas around sunset.  Knowing rain was possibly coming in, I pulled off I55 in Osceola to get some gas and consult the weather radar.  Definitely rain.  This gas stop was the first time I felt like I was far from home.  Things started to look a little different and there was a noticeable change in accent.  I opened up my tank bag, threw on my rain suit and pushed on into the night.  

Wait.  I realized I'd be riding in the dark, in the rain, with my visor open and safety glasses.  And I'm pretty inexperienced riding in the rain.  Not ideal circumstances.  However, I gave it a shot.  I got a couple miles down the road, but conceded it was not a good idea to keep going.  I didn't know how far the next town was, let alone lodging.  The deciding thought was, "How stupid would I feel if something happened because I was too stubborn to just stop for the night."  On my way back to town (where I saw some hotels earlier) I came up on an accident.  Everyone looked alright and the police were already there, but that felt like validation if I was looking for any.  I didn't make it to Memphis but I was still alive, my bike was in one piece, and I was still generally headed away from home.  Three states today thanks to the short stop in Illinois.

A sad state of affairs at the hotel vending machine in Osceola.

[melloncollie]

10/28

It rained some overnight and looked generally gloomy, but no storms or anything too heavy.  I brought a cover along so my bike was dry.  My oil light came on the night before as I was riding back to town.  I didn't pack a quart with me.  My plan was still to get to Memphis and keep going south from there.  



First priority was the oil, picked it up at a Walmart right down the road.  I shuffled some things around the tank bag to make room after topping it off.  

My hypotheses regarding this route were beginning to fall apart.  "The river curves so the road must curve" and "I'm going south so it'll be warmer."  While it was warmer than home (just barely) it wasn't 70 and sunny.  I'm not sure why I was expecting that or what imaginary line I'd have to cross to get there.  The earth flattened out and the road got pretty darn straight.  It was interesting seeing all the cotton fields, not a sight I was used to.  





I casually made my way through a handful of really small towns, populations of 100-300, and into West Memphis.  I saw an Advance Auto up the road and pulled in to see if they had a waterless wash product I meant to bring with for cleaning off my bike.  I got to talking with the store manager, Joe, who noticed I was from out of town right away.  He asked about my trip so far, I told him I stayed in Hannibal one night and Osceola the next (I had been saying it as ah-see-oh-luh in my head).  He had a good laugh, "Its oh-see-oh-luh, you're in Arkansas now!"  He told me about working for Pierce Manufacturing and his training in Appleton, WI.  He couldn't stop talking about the cheese curds he had while he was there.  I purchased a quick detailer that seemed like it'd work and Joe wished me safe travels.  

I thought about going into Memphis but wasn't sure what I'd do with my tank bag and backpack once I was there.  Maybe a parking garage?  I could get a hotel but it didn't feel like I traveled far enough from my last stop to call it a day.  I kept on south in Arkansas trying to get some miles on while it was only drizzling.  


Came across this machine in a gas station bathroom.  Seems like a good investment for someone that needs a scale and plays the lottery.  


By the afternoon a steady rain developed.  So far my rain gear was holding up, no water getting through.  The river road took me into the Arkansas Mississippi River State Park.  There was some fresh looking asphalt, winding roads, and good scenery.  Seemed like a good place to camp for a future trip, but I haven't really done a lot of camping.





I stopped in the next town to get a lay of the land and eat some food.  I got a few strange looks from people, not sure why.  I settled on McDonalds again (I swear I eat more than McDonalds).  As I warmed up and dried off I considered stopping here in Helena for the night.  

There was a table of people talking about local events and politics.  I think a table like this exists inside every McDonalds.  A gentleman from that table stopped to chat on his way out the door.  He seemed like he was trying to figure out what I was doing there.  Like what purpose I had.  He asked about my stops so far.  Told him about my trip including my ride through the park just before getting to town.  

"Boy, you really are in our back yard.  Are you from around here?"
No, I'm a long ways from home.

"And where's home, son?"
Wisconsin.

"Don't you know where you are?  They call this place hell-town, people get shot.  There's crazy people here.  Where are you staying?"
Well, I was thinking of staying at the Best Western right around the corner.

"No, if I were you I'd consider the casino across the river."
You mean the Mississippi?  Its right across?

"Yeah.  I wish you'd stay there, it'd be much safer."
I appreciate that, thank you for letting me know.

I couldn't tell if he was being alarmistic or if there was validity in his warning.  I decided it wasn't worthwhile to stay here for the night and find out that he was correct.  I finished my meal and crossed the river to the Isle of Capri Casino.  I was now officially in Mississippi, cool.  Not sure why I don't have any pictures of the casino, but it wasn't anything terribly spectacular.  Most of the casino was shut down from covid still.  I did get a chance to wipe down my bike.  I didn't realize how much sand and dirt I was riding in.  I'm not one to gamble so I pretty much stayed in my room and dried out the clothes and gear that needed it.  My clothes in my backpack didn't get too wet and my electronics were in ziploc bags.

Two states today.  Not a lot of miles, but I guess I didn't have anywhere to be.  I checked the map and radar and decided to keep going south tomorrow.  I realized I'd be able to get to New Orleans for Halloween if I wanted to.  That could be fun.

[Dads_FJ]

Thanks for taking the time to post, much appreciated.  Reading posts such as yours helps me get through the winter months.

John from Minnesnowta


Oh, you stopped at an Advance Auto, must not have had too hard of feelings from the place that employed you for so many years.  Or is that all that was convenient?

[ribbert]

Great ride report, thoroughly enjoying it, it's been a while since anyone's posted a trip.

Keep it comin'.


Noel

[Bones]

Keep the stories coming I enjoyed reading that. You have a writing style similar to Cap'n Ron who did a big trip a few years ago which was good to read about as well.

[melloncollie]

Thanks for taking the time to post, much appreciated.  Reading posts such as yours helps me get through the winter months.

John from Minnesnowta


Oh, you stopped at an Advance Auto, must not have had too hard of feelings from the place that employed you for so many years.  Or is that all that was convenient?

Great ride report, thoroughly enjoying it, it's been a while since anyone's posted a trip.

Keep it comin'.


Noel

Keep the stories coming I enjoyed reading that. You have a writing style similar to Cap'n Ron who did a big trip a few years ago which was good to read about as well.

Thanks guys for taking the time to respond.  I haven't written anything since school and wasn't sure how well it'd turn out; happy to hear its been enjoyable so far.  We had some flurries yesterday here in Wisconsin, I know the feeling John.

I didn't want to assume people wanted to hear about my work.  Eventually the stuff I didn't like dealing with outweighed the parts of the job I enjoyed.  Management at the time didn't help.  At the end of the day, no hard feelings.  I learned a lot over the years but wanted to move on to something else.  I still haven't decided what that something else is.

[melloncollie]

10/29

Another gloomy day outside.  It really felt like I was just bringing the cold weather with me as I went further south.  No rain yet and it looked like I could avoid most of it by continuing south like I planned.  I checked out of the casino and looked my bike over in the lot.  Oil level seemed fine, chain seemed a little tight.  I realized I managed to leave my chain lube behind as well.  

As the FJ warmed up I circled around for a final check and heard an exhaust leak.  I crawled under and sure enough there it was right on one of the collector welds.  I immediately got this worst case scenario playing through my head that my exhaust was going to keep cracking and fall apart on me, leaving me stranded somewhere far from home.  I debated between some exhaust cement or getting it welded and decided to try to find a shop in the next town.

A little hard to see in this picture, it closed up quite a bit once the exhaust was warm.  


I got into Clarksdale around 11 and wandered around looking for a shop.  Seemed like a pretty small town and that I was lucky to find a muffler shop.  

A gentleman took a look at the exhaust, "Sure enough, that's cracked.  I don't have a way to lift your bike, but we could turn it on its side."  
I was thinking about that, I could probably take it off if need be.  

"That'd work too, but we're closing up soon.  Are you from around here?"
No, I'm a long ways from home.

"Well, if you're staying in town here I could have a look at it Monday."
I appreciate the offer, but I wasn't planning on staying here.  I'm just passing through.

"If that changes we'll be here Monday and can fix that up for you."

I thanked him for his time but moved on to the next town.  It seemed like a fine town but I wasn't going to stay through the weekend.  On my way back to the highway I got stopped at a red light.  Looking around I noticed the intersection was labeled "The Crossroads."  As in the crossroads Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil.  Huh, how about that.

I had some better luck at the next town, Cleveland.  There was a muffler shop and they were open past noon on Friday.  Someone came out to look at it but told me they can't weld stainless.  There was one guy in town that could, he was about three miles down the road.  I asked if he'd be open on a Friday, "Ya know, I'm not sure.  It is Friday."

I rode out of town for about three miles until I saw a pole barn with a lot of machinery outside.  Must be the place.  There was an overhead door with a regular door on either side.  One door had a sign for Murphy's Welding, let's try that one first.  I got closer to the door and heard a radio playing, that's a good sign.  I knocked on the door to no response.  I poked my head in and asked if anyone was here.  No response.  I tried the other door but no one was there either.  I didn't want to just invite myself in this guys shop.  I checked the door with the sign again, there was a phone number.  Perfect.  But, the line was busy.  I waited a bit and dialed again.  This time it rang and no one picked up.  I went back in the shop and walked around.  Didn't seem like anyone was there.  Back outside, I saw someone leaving the house next door to the shop.  He looked at me, got in a truck, and drove off.  Huh.  A different truck pulled up, maybe this was the guy.  He rolled down his window, "Is he open?" he asked me.  I don't know, there's a radio playing but I can't find anyone.  "Well, it is Friday. Maybe he's done."  The guy in the truck started scrolling through his phone.

Just as I was about to give up someone came walking from around the building.

Are you Murphy?
"Yup."

Are you open?
"Yup."

Awesome.  I explained I was from out of town and needed my stainless exhaust fixed.  I could take it off the bike if needed.  
"Wellll, I can weld stainless.  You would have to take it off for me to look at it.  But there's no guarantee I can fix it."

I don't know that much about welding.  Maybe he was trying to temper my expectations or maybe he didn't want to do the work.  It was Friday afterall.  I told him I appreciated him taking time out of his day to look at my issue.  I opted for a temporary fix on the road and something more permanent back home.  Blue Magic Quiksteel said it was good for 500*F.  Once cured it looked like gum you'd find under the bleachers but it held for now.

I was pretty shocked to find Friday such a roadblock for trying to get something done.  I guess I wouldn't be getting any metal work done on the weekend back home, but I probably could at noon on Friday.  Even the Ace Hardware I went to at 3:30 closed at 4 and didn't reopen until Monday.  I had to pick up a bolt and washer for the left side of my chin fairing.  The plastic below the slave cylinder seemed to be falling apart.  Better keep an eye on that.  

Since the river road wasn't doing me any favors I revisited Highway 61 heading south.  It took me much longer than I'd like to admit to realize I was on the blues highway.  And had been previous days.  Somewhere along the way I caught a persistent section of humpty bumpty's.  About every quarter mile or so was a nasty fairing shaking bump.  The bumps were smaller on the white line so I rode that for a long section of road until the bumps settled down.  Passing through Vicksburg I saw a powersports dealer and decided to stop so I could overpay for some chain lube.  I remembered reading about a teflon based product some forum members recommended that was available at Walmart but I couldn't remember it for the life of me and I didn't see anything that looked like it at the Walmart I stopped at.  

I picked up the Natchez Trace Parkway, which was pretty cool.  It had a lot of sweeping curves, a lot of trees, and no cross traffic.  Actually, not much traffic period.  I found out its a really old trail originally used by Native Americans and bison because it followed the tops of hills and ridges to keep out of predatory danger and maintain good visibility.  Possibly another good camping area for a future trip.  The parkway goes from Natchez, MS to Nashville.  





I needed gas as I entered Natchez and considered staying for the night as I filled up.  According to tripadvisor, lodging was a little higher than I would have liked but the town seemed nice and I was really looking forward to a hot shower.  The first hotel I stopped at was $175 for the night, over double any other night so far so I kept looking.  Next one was $145, but after letting them know I'd shop around they dropped it to $119.  I wasn't really trying to haggle with them, but it worked for me.

Hardly any pictures today, possibly because it felt like I was running errands for most of the day.  I realized I was a little stressed out too.  Maybe from thinking my cracked exhaust was going to leave me stranded?  My better guess was I didn't have a destination in mind when I set off for the day.  I still hadn't decided how far I was going for the trip, but I didn't have a goal for the day either.  I liked that there wasn't anywhere I needed to be; but it sort of felt like I didn't have anywhere to go.  So I decided to get to Baton Rouge tomorrow.  And then New Orleans for Halloween.  From there I could go east or west depending on the price of tea in China.

[Bones]

Can't imagine a cracked exhaust leaving you stranded, noisy maybe but won't stop your progress. Why are Fridays deemed  a slow day there and can't get nothing done, over here in OZ Friday is a normal work day, Saturday half day for some businesses and then Sunday off.

[melloncollie]

Yeah, I was being unreasonable with the exhaust.  Probably because I'd never driven that far from home, car or bike.  It did calm my nerves that I was able to provide a fix, even if it was mostly placebo.  I didn't worry about it anymore and could have fun again.  The vibe I got from the people I talked to was that being closed Friday was a pretty normal thing.  Maybe everyone starts the weekend early when they can or if they want to.  Working automotive retail here I had shifts Sunday from 8:30 to 8:30, we were open 9 to 8.  It would have been nice to be closed Sunday.