finished my 4-corners odyssey, as mentioned in previous posts (march and may 2015) i was doing the 4-corners in stages as time and spousal consent allowed. From my domicile in Virginia I soloed to key west, FL, rode tandem to Madawaska, ME, soloed to Blaine, WA and San Ysidro, CA, met my spouse in LA, CA and we rode tandem back east. As I completed the trip in stages my mileage was a bit more than it would have been had I rode the corners in one continuous trip. My total mileage for the three individual trips was 14,380, this included a bit of meandering and side trips along the way.
Trip didn't go quite as planned, had some route changes along the way, missed some connections in order to accommodate others but it all worked out as it usually does.
Left home with Michelin PR2's on the rims, changed rear tire (to PR3) in LA, CA and front tire needs to be replaced now. Both mileage and handling has been outstanding, I'll stay with this particular series of tire as long as I can get them.
Some random highlights: My personal reflections, you should visit and see for yourself!
best "corner" was Madawaska, ME. these folks have embraced their geographic anomaly as a corner.
corner not worth the ride was San Ysidro, CA, it's a border town with little reason to visit.
most disappointing corner was Key West, FL. ride from miami to key west is a 160 mile strip-mall even with the ocean/caribbean on each side of the highway the ride was horrible. Key West was full of frat-boys young and old, crowded and anything but quaint in defense: it was March hence spring-break and middle of tourist season.
biggest surprise was Blaine, Wa. what a delightful harbor town, had i known i would have planned to spend a couple days there rather than stop by for a photo-opportunity.
best ride is a tie! traversing ID on route 12 and the ride across WA on route 20.
best critter viewing, also has multiple locations: moose in Maine (everywhere), buffalo in SD, Elk in WY and MT.
most scenic, this is a hard one but riding through the north cascades nat'l park in WA was breath-taking.
best meal? ethanol free premium petrol, found in many mid-west states, a "happy-meal" for the Brick.
best deal? used cow lot somewhere in MT, who knew there was a market for used cows?
worst moment was making friends with Colorado state trooper, classic speed trap on route 10 just west of Hawley, got me! Spouse showing her displeasure, glad she was on-board to bear witness to speed-trap! she never would have believed me!
Scoot (94 K1100 LT) ran flawlessly and I experienced no mechanical issues, replaced tail-light bulb and consumed 1 quart of lube-oil. Amazing for a 20 year old!
