North America 2007

This is the summary page.  A link to the first post is here:  Episode 1: The Preparation

 

I'm Aaron Sylvester and this blog documents my five-month, cross-continent adventure on a 21 year-old motorcycle: A Honda Goldwing; affectionately referred to as The Old Wing.

Since this was a motorcycle trip, all the pictures on this page are a summary of the many motorcycle pictures from the trip.  As you read about the adventure, not-to-worry, there are plenty of non-motorcycle pictures.

If you enjoy reading the stories or viewing the pictures, would you kindly take the time to sign the guestbook? The journey was amazing, but documenting it was quite laborious and I'd appreciate a quick comment.

Care to contact me? oldwingadventure ... at ... yahoo ... dot ... com

For the vast majority of the miles ridden, I stuck to two-lane roads. Often, roads without lines or predictable pavement. I avoided cities and interstates. Many of the pictures you're about to see were taken from the saddle while riding. Sometimes, I'd pull over to capture a picture of landscape. For five months, I rode and walked with my camera around my neck. I hope you enjoy the photographs.

A sincere thank-you to everyone who gave me a place to stay, a bite to eat, a place to escape the rain, or a memory-making conversation. If you bought me a beer, helped when I broke down, offered directions or wrote me speeding ticket, it was nice to meet you and I thank everyone but the officers.

Enjoy,

Aaron and The Old-Wing

 

 

The States I didn't ride through on this trip:

Hawaii, Nevada, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey.

Canadian Provinces Visited:                      New Brunswick, Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan McKenzie wrote a story about me and published it in the Daily Progress. Click here to check it out.

The Great One, Denali, Mt. McKinley. It's spectacular at over 20,000 feet. This photo was taken at Wonder Lake.

Here are a few bikes from my past (though I didn't get to ride the Ingersoll-Rand Chopper and the Screamin' Eagle Road Glide was only mine for a few hours, per the rental agreement.)

The V-Max is an '85.  The first year of the now cult-classic hotrod. I put over 10,000 miles on it across a half-dozen states.

And now... let the adventure begin!

Donald Flock.  Son of two-time NASCAR champion Tim Flock

Trikes are cool!  That's right folks, you heard it here first. 

What's better than a V-Twin in a custom motorcycle? How about TWO V-Twin's in a custom motorcycle?

Riding the Tail of the Dragon in Western Carolina & Eastern Tennessee.

Evel Knievel's bike from 1970. Evel passed away a few months after this picture was taken.  He was 69 years old. Ride on Evel!

I like big bikes. The 1,000 pound Goldwing wasn't big enough, so I had to climb aboard this monster.  It really runs. No kidding.

Check out Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, NC.

 

 

 

 

 

It's Skip from Oregon at the Blessing of the Bikes at a French Parish near the Quebec border. Skip was also taking a Goldwing on a very long cross-country adventure.  Skip is a lone-wolf. No club or affiliation. He's a heck of a guy. 

Great to meet you Skip!

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From high atop Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

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Oops.  Guess Goldwings aren't meant for riding single-track hiking trails.  Who knew?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Badlands are spectacular!

Three couples from Ohio on Trikes. Trikes are cool.

Check out Panhead Billy's bike.  What a legend!

How about Jerry Lee on the '84 Goldwing?

What's up buddy?

That's Brother Harry at the Sturgis Harley Dealership. He was at the Blessing of the Bikes weeks earlier. Small world.  Howdy Harry.

The Motorcycle Trailer with Quebec tags was in Montana on Beartooth Pass. A long way from home. What nice people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the pictures from Evel Knievel Days in Butte, Montana. 

 

 

 

    

A quick oil-change before getting on the Al-Can.

The story of the Alaskan leg of my trip: The month I spent in the Yukon and Alaska, I saw few bikes other than BMW dual-sport bikes. Bikes that are on-off road and designed to handle the rugged and frost-heaved roads. Everywhere I went, I was a riding spectacle. It seemed like everyone felt compelled to comment:"you know that old thing wasn't meant to be ridden up here." The comments never ceased to crack me up.

An extra two-gallons of fuel strapped to my floorboards while riding the Alaska Canada Highway. The Al-Can is 1,500 miles of nothing but beautiful scenery and an occasional fuel pump.

The couple shown below drove the Al-Can in an car from 1911 . And people thought I was nuts.  I think that neither of us nuts.  Just determined.

 

That's right. 1,000 pounds.  You can see the 950 in the distance. It wavered back and forth between 950 and 1,000 but my tank wasn't full and my water supply was nearly gone. To all who insisted that I should be able to pick up the dropped bike from a dead stance... you try it!  Unless you're 6'3 and a solid 200 pounds, my money is on the Old-Wing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trike belongs to the Park Ranger. He uses it as his workhorse. Trikes are cool.  So are trailers. Perhaps I'm not? Oh Well.

Check out me on the chopper!

How about Kyle on his Aprilla. If you've ever raced in the Mid-West, chances are, Kyle's beaten you.

How about Sturdy's classic '78 KZ1000?  It was the Aprilla of it's day.

The irony of the LEO eluding Aprilla next to the Taos Police Edition BMW.

A couple of 1940's Panheads in West Virginia with Massachusetts tags.  Dell and Joe really ride.

Great to meet you guys!

I test-rode this 2008 Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider at Waugh Enterprises Harley-Davidson in Orange, Virginia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I finally got to ride a sport bike.  A super sport bike. A 2007 Honda CBR 1000. Scary. Thanks Scott. I put over 100 miles on it and can say little more than "wow!"

 

 

 

Click here to visit Episode 1