Terry & Mark's 4 Corner Tour

last entry

2008-10-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Safely home and tucked into the garage at 11 pm

Only a few pictures to close the blog, I made a dvd of their pictures and Terry & Mark received a 3 ring binder with their postmarks and paperwork. I am going to put their pictures into sleeves and put them in there too.

Terry & Mark received Certificates of Completion from the City of Blaine, WA.

They finally accomplished one 1000 mile day on their last day.

Terry had a goal of at least 2-3 days of getting 1000 mile days.

He was so pleased that when he pulled in the garage, he pointed it out to Mark and said at least they got one day in.

Hope you all enjoyed the trip with them.

Call or stop in on your way through.

Would love to hear from you.

twecle@aol.com

September 18, Thursday

2008-09-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

I guess I never finished this entry. Now to try to print where the pictures are not split in 1/2.

Day 14, Friday, September 12

2008-09-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

They made it in around 11 pm. 1001 miles From Lacey, WA to San Luis obispo, CA and in the garage. Heard allot of stories with more to come. It is after midnight. Time for these boys to go to bed. More pictures will follow over the next few days, with some stories.

Mark still has his last leg of the journey to make tomorrow.

Good night from SLO town.

Day 13, Thursday, September 11

2008-09-11T18:35:00.001-07:00

End of Day 13 and they made it to Lacey, Washington, about 10 miles north of Olympia.

Said they froze their axxxs off this morning. Hit some spots at 26 degrees. Oh man! that's cold!

They were hoping to stop and see his aunt & uncle in Oak Harbor, but decided to blow by and start heading for home. Uncy says he is "barn sour"

heard-bound; a dislike of leaving the company of other horses, or of leaving the stable.

funny thing is, Terry used the tern, "barn broke" and I asked if his uncle told him about it and he said no, Mark told him!!! hee haw!!! too funny!

They did 815 miles today. From Olympia to SLO it is 960, apologized he won't make it home in time for date night, but will be home tomorrow night. Mark will spend the night and head home on Saturday.

As you can see I received the cd today, with quite a few pictures. So I picked some out for all of you to see. They have made their 4th and final checkpoint and was even issued a Certificate of Achievement by the City! That was unexpected! Terry called around 5pm and said they were going to ride for a couple of more hours before they call it a day. Now I know he will be home tomorrow!

This is the marker between Canada and the US, in Blaine, WA

I am still somewhat a "newbie" when it comes to posting in the blog. And I may have some of the pictures mixed up. Sorry.

San Ysidro, Ca

Riding through the Keys in Florida

Still have paperwork to do! this is what they filled out to send in for the checkpoints.

I guess they can't go any further south!

Check out the reflection in Mark's glasses!

Madawaska, Maine marker

Terry's nap in the church parking lot.

I might add a bit more later, after they check in. One more day, one more longgggggggggg day!

in between entry, Thursday morn, 9/11

2008-09-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Kieth emailed this link to me this morning that I had forgotten about. to. This is the official body for the 4 corners tour.

www.usa4corners.org

It shows the "official" status of the boys.
Have not heard from them so far today, I am sure they are making a run to Blaine, WA. Terry expressed his desire to be home on Friday for our "date night". We will see. They certainly have the mindset for long miles. Will be good to see them back. ttfn for now.

Day 12, Wednesday, September 10

2008-09-10T20:17:00.001-07:00

Terry said the day started off cold, thought they were going to skirt the rain, but they got wet pretty much all day. They went into Glacier from the east side, makes sense and took the Highway to the Sun through the park and on down into Whitefish, MT where they are spending the night.

Terry said it was more spectacular than he remembered. We were there 20+ years ago with our friend David. And it was breathtaking.

It is great seeing what images you can come up with on the internet. This is Terry & me!

Unfortunately the pictures did not show up today. Maybe tomorrow.

Day 11, Tuesday, September 9

2008-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

It is now 8 pm Pacific time and I believe 9pm in Miles City, Montana. I made the boys a reservation ahead of them. They called from Glendive, Montana and the rooms were sold out, so they asked me to find a room in Miles City, 70 miles west on down I 94. I found a room for them, after calling around and finding out that there is a convention in town. Go figure. But I found a room with double beds, non smoking and Jean assured me she would hold it for them, with no credit card. After a second assurance, I let it go. I will confirm they actually arrived as soon as Terry calls me. I estimated them to get there about now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_City,_Montana

Miles City, Montana

And this is the only Hotel I could find a room in.

Just Kidding!!

But it is in Miles City.......

Good ole Rand McNally has the mileage at 822 miles from Ironwood, MI (last night) to Miles City, Montana tonight. That is a long day in the saddle.

If I added the miles that I have been keeping track of, it comes to 7642 miles to date. Will be interesting to see what the GPS logged in.

Still waiting to here from them.........

tap, tap, tap......this is me patiently waiting for my phone to ring......

ok, I can relax, they made it and now they can too.

A quick recap and then I am off to bed.

Terry said they were directed to the 4 B's restaurant and that they had killer tomato soup. Found this little blurb:

4 B's Restaurant is located off I-90, the second exit for Miles City. We offer family style dining. We also offer a children's menu. We are known for our famous homemade cream of tomato soup served daily.

They saw Buffalo today and a flock of some type of Heron, not sure. Appreciated the call ahead on the room. Other than that and the comment about what great country they are riding through and would be good to hook up the trailer and spend a month traveling up there. Who knows, one day maybe.......

I am out of here, hope you are enjoying the "Great Adventure of Terry & Mark", until tomorrow.....

Day 10, September 8, Monday

2008-09-08T20:07:00.001-07:00

The end of another great day in the adventures of Terry & Mark. They went from Mattawa, Canada to Ironwood, Michigan. Back in the good ole USA!

Below is a picture of the Air Hawk seat that Terry picked up in Florida and finally realized that it must be working because he is no longer thinking about his sore backside. He was skeptical at first, but now realizes that it is the beemer seat with the problem and not his jeans.

And I finally got a picture of what Mark's bike looks like, well, minus one saddlebag. This is NOT his bike, but the same model. He (Mark) said he felt "bitch slapped" by Terry's comment that he (Terry) has to fight off falling asleep on the beemer when the miles drone on. Mark could not fathom that because of the vibration of his bike is enough to vibrate his feet off the pegs, hit the ground, turn his leg around and kick him in the butt!

Mark downloaded the pictures off his camera, Terry did not have his with him, and he is sending the CD on to me. So, when I get them, I will put some on the blog. Can't wait.

Mark also said that Terry is his new hero. That after climbing into bed last night, with sweats on, and in the fetal position, to get past yesterdays incident, that he realized that if it had not happened, that he would have been hit by the cars coming through the intersection!

Terry told him that "God has a way of throwing a brick wall up to save your life!"

The weather is allot cooler, never reached above 60 degrees, and was in the low 50's towards the end of the day, they put on rain suits to stay a bit warmer.

So tomorrow, they plan to get to I94 and head towards Glacier National Park, then on to Washington with hopes of connecting with Terry's Aunt and Uncle in Oak Harbor. But that is still a couple of days out.

Both sound ready to be home soon. Will be glad to have him back. But what an adventure to share with everyone. So stay tuned, it's not over yet!

Day 9, September 7, Sunday

2008-09-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

They ended up in Mattawa, Ontario, Canada tonight. Not sure of the miles they did. They decided they have had enough of 2 track roads and the French and will head back to the states tomorrow and into Michigan. They are headed back to the West Coast, by way of Glacier National Park.

http://www.nps.gov/glac/

http://www.transcanadahighway.com/Ontario/Mattawa.htm

They had a bit of an incident today. Well, more then a bit, but as Terry said, "We aren't bleeding and we are standing, so it is ok". What happened was, As they were getting ready to turn right to get on an on ramp, Terry was leading, after turning caught a red light and managed to stop 10-15' over the line before rolling it on up the onramp. Unfortunately, in the time it took Mark to check traffic for himself, had his head turned and did not see Terry power down to a stop. And there we have the unfortunate accident of Mark swerving to avoid Terry but his left side luggage hit the back of Terry and they both went down.

Both are ok, but had to assess some bike damage and Mark left behind his left bag, unable to attach it.

Some rattled nerves, but again, both are ok.

So, some advil, hot showers, a good night sleep and they will continue on with a new day.

Since my cell phone decided to dive into a bucket of water this morning, it is out of commission for a couple of days, hopefully drying out, so until then they or you can contact me by landline at home or at work.

Day 8, September 6, Saturday

2008-09-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the color, I guess my cut & paste wacked out. The whole entry is off. Sorry.

Wow, the 3rd checkpoint has been completed in Madawaska, Maine.

Madawaska
Madawaska, Maine serves as one of the Four Corners of the United States, as it is the most Northeasterly town in the country. It is situated on the International Border, across from Edmundston, the largest city in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. Madawaska is the industrial center of the St. John Valley and Home to the internationally known Fraser Paper, Inc., the Northern Trading Cosmetic Company, and a exceedingly hardworking and dedicated labor force. Madawaska holds great potential for economic opportunity and growth.

The town is home to a strong agricultural community, which is responsible for growing famous Maine potatoes, known all over for their consistently high quality. With each fall brings another potato harvest, when local schools provide release time for students to help with the work.
Maine State records show two separate acts of incorporation for the town of Madawaska, the first in l831 and the second in 1869. The original territory encompassed an area more than 4,200 miles, known as the Madawaska Settlement. It was more than 118 times the size of the ordinary Maine or United States Township; no other town of such magnitude has ever been created in Maine or any other state. The name "Madawaska" was actually derived from the Iroquois Indian word, which literally translated means "Land of the Porcupine".

Today, Madawaska is a vibrant community of just under 5,000 people, most of whom are of Acadian descent and speak fluent French. Year round festivals and events including, the Acadian Festival, and the International Snowmobile Festival are not to be missed.

They arrived after dark, very carefully, after being warned by a local that the last 20 miles to be on the lookout for moose. So in the late dusk, they rode and when they got into Madawaska, they found there are only 2 motels, the first one was booked, and the last one had 2 rooms, which they took. I commented on their taking 2 rooms and not sharing, and Terry said they only had single beds and Mark was bigger than him and he didn't want the floor.
They completed their paperwork over dinner, did their pictures in the dark, and found out the town is all in support of the 4 corners tour. They even made a park in its honor and everyone in town knows about the "4 corners"!

Madawaska Four Corners Monument Park - Main Street
The main goal of creating a Four Corner Park and Monument is to attract tourism. It is also to promote our town as the most Northeastern town and one of the four corners of the United States. The project committee plans to prepare an actual implementation plan during the winter of 2005. Work could begin once the ground is thawed and completion of the park is expected for spring 2006. For more information on the Four Corners Monument Park go to: www.madawaska.org

Well, I guess that article is a bit old. The park is complete and Terry and Mark both went there and took some pictures, again, this was about 9ish their time.

As they stand now, they plan to ride into Canada and over to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior, then decide whether to continue on in Canada, or drop back down into the states.

What a day !!

2008-09-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

Mark tried to impress me with a fish tail out of the toll booth, but I wasn't. He looked like he had just had a stroke. The Harley seems to be holding together. The new pipes did wonders. They are the only thing that looks clean. It seems the the only time the Harley gets cleaned is when it rains, (hasn't rained for 3 days).

Major fopaw (2) today, I am trying to read the GPS and watch the road signs, I'm so confused, missed the 95 turn and ended up at the Pentagon. Mark saved me and lead me on a scenic tour of downtown Washington D.C. He said he had never been there before, but he knew his way out, go figure. Lots of surfaces streets and traffic (great tour guide) but he found his (and mine) way out of D. C. back on the Interstate. Got to see the Bronx (sp), I told Mark that we were taking on some local color but I was sure it would wash off.

Day 7, Friday, September 5

2008-09-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, here we go. They are starting to feed me some things to put in the blog, and they are going to see if they can upload some pictures to me in awhile.

First thing said," it was another excruciating day". Having to travel through the major cities like Washington, DC, Terry said he made a major blunder with the GPS and dropped them at the Pentagon and then had to wind around surface streets, like by the Washington Monument, etc. which Mark enjoyed seeing. Lots of traffic and not the way to put down the miles.

He said that taking 95 through New Jersey was a joke. And allot of toll roads, with "slime", that wonderful combination of coolant and oil from the cars, which is slicker than snot to try and balance your bike while getting out the money. Then Terry is still trying to figure why out Mark only had to pay .40 and he had to pay .70! Then while Mark was impressing the toll operator by grabbing a handful of throttle, generated a slight heart palpitation when his bike fishtailed away!

Then, Terry dropped the bike, at a standstill, while pulled off on the side at an off ramp to adjust the seat. The bike rolled forward and off the side stand! And that bike is a heavy pig to pick up.

So for now, they will do a bit of laundry and go look at another beemer that Terry spotted on ebay before he left, and yes, that is in Rhode Island. Who knows, if he buys it, ...well, hard to say...

Let's see, oh yes.....Terry wanted me to post that apparently Subway Sandwiches bring out an aggression in Mark, give him a Subway, and that throttle gets twisted and off he goes!

And, then Mark called me to tell me about a little story today. Sometime this morning, Mark follows Terry off the freeway, towards a church, and he is not quite sure what is going on, Terry says, just give him a minute, (Mark not sure what is going on, did he need to go into the chapel?) but Terry says he can't go further without a quick nap, Terry neglected to tell Mark that he can power nap, and in 10-15 minutes be ready to run.

So, they pull into this "deserted" church parking lot. Terry rolls up his jacket, sticks it under his head, on the asphalt of the parking lot. So Mark pulls out a Power Bar and eats a snack while Terry regenerates. Now Mark says there was a school there, unbeknownst to them and a firedrill commences and out comes all these kidlets and spots this guy lying on the parking lot and one leaning against his bike snacking. Terry said he could hear some commotion, but it wasn't until he opened his eyes, that he say the kids staring at him and the Principal asking if he needed assistance! Mark was rolling!

Day 6, 9/4 Thursday

2008-09-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

They got a few more miles in today, with great weather. They are ending the day in Dunn, NC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunn,_North_Carolina.

They stopped at a Harley Dealer

www.brucerossmeyer.com

close to Daytona Beach, FL so Mark could put some new pipes on. And apparently they are getting better gas milage and the Harley is running great. And I believe he got a service in on it as well. So, for those in the pool, Mark is still in the game!

Tomorrow, Terry has an appointment for service on the beemer in Falmouth, Maine. www.town.falmouth.me.us

www.streetcycles.com

Rand McNally gives me a milage count of 850 for tomorrow. He says it will be no problem. With the miles they did today, that included 3 hrs at the Harley Shop.

And from there it will be an easy sprint to the 3rd corner, Madawaska, Maine.

Day 5, 9/3

2008-09-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

The recap for today is they made it to Key West, FL. YEAH!! to checkpoint #2. It was a long, slow, hot ride down and back. On the way down, they came across their first road kill...a 6' alligator! The rangers were there to remove it from the roadway. They were told that they (the alligators, not the Rangers) come out at night and it wouldn't have been good if they had hit it. Mark remarked later to Terry, that if the Rangers had not been there, he would've strapped that puppy to the bike and kept going!

They did 433 miles in 9 hrs and averaged only 47 mph. Excruiatingly slow and so hot and humid.

They are 3-4 miles out of Fort Lauderdale and will continue now all the way up 95 if it continues to look like the most direct route.

Now they will need to maneuver around the asphalt jungles of Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.

Looks like Hannah is a tropical storm and not a threat as previously expected.

Onward boys! Vaya con Dios!

Day 4 complete

2008-09-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, here is to modern day communications and my skills to communicate. Terry called this evening from Naples, FL. My concerns were only due to lack of connecting. They ended up staying in Nasheville, TN last night and he forgot he said he would call. Apologies...and they got up or left at 4:30 am this morning, as I suspected to make a good day of it. They did not hit any rain until after noon. They are tucked in, bellies full and they will make it to Key West tomorrow. They do not have to push to get up too early, as they want daylight to cross the Everglades and take in the scenery. I cannot imagine what they will see tomorrow. He says it will take around 3.5 hrs in and then the same (duh) out.

So far this is what they have done:

Day 1, 8/30 Sat...SLO to San Ysidro, Ca to Tuscon, AZ...750 miles

Day 2, 8/31 Sun...Tucson, AZ to Shamrock, TX...779 miles

Day 3, 9/1 Mon...Shamrock, TX to Nasheville, TN...826 miles

Day 4, 9/2 Tue...Nasheville, TN to Naples, FL...925 miles

They figured they added an additional 463 running north from Gustav, to make a total of 3280 miles so far.

This is what they fill out and mail in for confirmation of their having been at each corner.

Tomorrow's destination.

Sept 2

2008-09-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

Waiting, waiting, waiting.....
The last communication with Terry was yesterday, on the 1st at 5pm our time, 7pm theirs. They were stopping for gas in Nasheville, TN and he was hoping to do another 50-60 miles. I anticipated my nightly phone call after they had dinner to recap on their day and get their projected route for the next day (today). But it did not come.
So, here we wait, l have left 2 voice mails and Karen has left Mark a message too, though he doesn't keep in touch quite as often. So I surmise that they rode late last night and off early today to beat Hannah to Key West, FL.
I will post again when I hear from them.
Oh yes, I understand that yesterday, up unitl I spoke with Terry, was their first rain free day!

Day 2

2008-08-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, they made it as far as Tuscan, AZ at the end of Day 1. Decided to cut it short, had alot of heavy rain. The plan for Day 2, August 31 was to head to Las Cruces, NM and head up to I40 to get north of Hurricane Gustav and the evacution taking place. Good idea!

Heard from Terry at 7pm our time and 9pm their time. They decided to go as far as Shamrock TX, just west of the Oklahoma border on I40. They encountered more rain throughout the morning, but ran into dry and sunny skies as the day progressed. They had dinner and were going to watch the weather channel to decide their next step. Said they ONLY got about 780 miles, short of the 1,000 miles they wanted to accomplish, but the weather decided otherwise.

So tonight they will calculate how far to Key West, Fl and when Hurricane Hanna will hit and with what intensity, aye yi yi......

So we will see what transpires tomorrow!

Day One Leaving home....

2008-08-30T10:09:00.001-07:00

Here is Terry in the garage at 5:20 am and ready to roll it out the door.

It is foggy and cold, but many different weather changes will occur shortly......

One last glance, Goodbye Love, make great memories!

And off he goes.....

Day One- San Luis Obispo to ?

2008-08-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Mark made Terry a custom "helmet cam" just for the trip! As one of our friends said, "hope he doesn't catch a side wind!"

Mark had to try it on as well! Too funny

After a short set back, Terry & Mark are off and running, well, riding. Terry left at 5:30am to meet up with Mark off of I-5. They will head to the first checkpoint in San Ysidro. This blog might be somewhat boring because I will not have any pictures unless Terry can take some time and upload then to me. So we will see.

Of course the biggest concern of everyone, is the Southern route they chose is in the current path of Hurricane Gustav! Yikes, well there are alternate routes and I will facilitate what I can from the "home base".

As soon as I get my card reader to work, I can upload at least the picture of him leaving this morning.