Jared & Ross & Randy & Doug's Excellent Adventure

    Quote from kev

    Heh man, SlingLow it,s like I told you Canadians are fun people eh ? I told @KayTwo he wouldn't ever feel the need for a side arm here , hope I was right ! I don,t know that its that we have lesser problems here ,but having lesser people and greater spaces, seems to keep them farther away I guess.

    I have been all over the U.S.A. much of Canada and several countries in Europe and I have never been anywhere that I didn't feel the need for a side arm. It's like my pants, if I'm not in the shower then it's on me and when I'm in the shower it's close. I also have fire extinguishers and insurance, you know just in case they are ever needed. :)


    Tim "Ghost" Ganey
    Winfield, Alabama
    205spam412spam2868

    Azura and I are home safely. 495 miles on the last leg today, 9 1/4 hours in the saddle. IN to OH to KY to TN to NC to SC. In and out of the rain the last 4 hours, and a downpour the last 30 min. Sucked. Oh, well. Start in the rain, end in the rain.


    13 days. 13 states plus 1 Canadian province. 3 epic mountain roads (Chief Joseph, Beartooth, Going To The Sun) and a host of other great rides. 4 national parks. 3 riding partners I'd ride anywhere with. Countless wonderful people I met or got to know better, who helped make the experience so memorable. 45 degrees Fahrenheit swing in a single day. 21,494 insects removed from the gene pool. 237 mental calculations back and forth between kilometers and miles so I actually knew how far I was driving or how fast I was going. Let's see....what else?


    Ah, yes. 6395 miles driven, by my odometer, which is a bit less than actual due to the size offset on my rear tire, but that's what I've got, so that's what I'm going to claim.


    6395. Let that reverberate in your head for a minute. If that seems a bit unreal, well it seems that way to me too. If it seems impossible, I promise you it isn't. Just awesome, and exhausting, but worth it all.


    I'll have some more thoughts in the next couple days, things I learned, essential gear, that sort of thing. For now, I'm just glad to be home. I may need some help cleaning my Sling this weekend, though.


    Before I go, I want to send out some thanks. I'm worried I'll miss a name, so I'll just say thanks to my riding partners, Ross, Randy, and Doug, for the brotherhood and acceptance they showed me (and Ross and Karianne for letting me crash a few nights). Mark and Shawna and their whole crew, for the event they put together and the way they welcomed us. All the other attendees, for a great event and their flexibility throughout. The Indiana Sling crew for dinner last night and a place to sleep on my last night. It was a great run....and I'll be taking a break for a few days, no question. Be safe out there.


    Home safe.



    Raingear most of the day.



    I drove through this mostly unscathed.


    Quote from KayTwo

    Oh, and this just happened in Alberta two days after we left.


    @SlingLow, bet you didn't have gear for this either, did you? :00008172:



    Oh hell yes! Long johns and layers I had. Good to 33 degrees. Just not ready for rain. I'm not going to live this down am I? Wait 'till next time - I'll have tracks too. Does that look like about 4" of snow? Hard to believe - that is a game changer. It sounds like you got a little wet today - glad you kept 'er on the road. Congrats on the most EPIC journey I've followed and participated in. You are a gentleman and livin' large. Good on ya!

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    Hopefully you guys and gals aren't sick of our epic tales as I will start mine tonight and hopefully every couple of days add to it as I get through the thousands of photos I took with my cellphone, camera, and dashcam


    I want to thank all of you for your interest and support but I want to start with a thank you to @KayTwo @exharleyrider and @SlingLow for their open hands and hearts on this trip - this family is the best group of folks anyone could hope for. I had met @KayTwo once before and had a couple of phone conversations but without hesitation he invited me along on this journey and let my OCD offer up plan and after plan - route after route - hotel selections and gas stops and all the crazy junk that comes along with the hardcore planner in me. @exharleyrider - wow - what an all around nice guy who had terrific insights, excellent suggestions, an iron ass in the saddle, and just an all around fun guy. While I had n3ver met him before I would be honored to ride with him any day of the week. Then there is @SlingLow - this fellow is smart as hell and even funnier than he is smart - another top notch guy that I could listen to for hours and would follow in a Slingshot anywhere he wanted go (yup I would even pack extra rain gear for him). EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE GUYS IS A BAD ASS GENTLEMAN TO THE CORE.


    Before we get into further details about the Panty Droppin Posse, my adventure begun Sunday morning - July 22, 2018.


    @KayTwo had come up to Wisconsin a day early so that he could join me at the Wisconsin Ride for Kids - that folks, is the definition of a caring and selfless soul


    We headed out early in the morning with dark clouds in the sky and the thought of rain on our minds - but we knew from @EjFord that the joy we would bring to some Stars would be worth wet clothes and wrinkled skin.


    We arrived early so that we could complete our registration and make sure that the organizers knew we had room for kids or family members in need


    @bjk81 had already arrived - he drove up from Central Illinois in weather that would have had most grabbing another cup of coffee or rolling slowly out of bed - but not our @bjk81 he was there to support the kids - Brody, sir, you are one hell of a man and you have my gratitude.


    With the rainy weather, the crowd was less than we had hopped but our shoulders were broad and ready to do our part


    We were each blessed with a Star to ride along with us





    I was blessed to have Sarah. A very quite and shy girl who wasn't sure she was comfortable riding in the Bader Badger but I promised that if in two blocks she wasn't having fun that I would turn her right around and bring her back to her sister. Needless to say Sarah stuck it out the entire ride and even nodded off a little bit when the rain wasn't in her face. When Sarah grows up she wants to be a chef and plans on going to culinary school this fall. What a great young lady.


    The rain may have slowed our rides but not our mission to give these Stars a fun ride


    The ride didn't last long with the less than perfect weather - you tell me who has the bigger smile, the Star or the Slingshot driver?



    With the spitting rain and the many miles ahead of us we decided not to stay for the presentations but instead to head home and begin our preparations. But not before a quick photo of our awesome rides.


    Before I end this recap of our pre-Excellent Adventure day I want to thank everyone that donated to the Wisconsin Ride for Kids (in no particular order) ....

    • Harvey
    • Doug
    • Phil
    • Marco
    • Larry
    • EJ
    • Philip
    • Randy
    • Jonathan
    • Dieter
    • Anita
    • John
    • Grant
    • Al

    Thank you all for stepping up - you could have simply stashed those dollars away for gas or mods but instead you opened your heart and your wallet. I can tell you that YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE - in my life and in the lives of kids and families fighting brain tumors. If you don't have money to donate or don't like asking for dontations, please find a Ride for Kids event near you and participate