Day 15, 16 Combo

Days 15 and 16 were combined to complete USA Midwest 2023.  This was not the plan of course, more about this in just a bit.

Overview

Rolled out from my hotel in Peru, IL, rolled south on Illinois Highway 251 onto Interstate 39 South, Interstate 74 East, and finally onto Interstate 57 south stopping off for lunch at Dairy Queen Grill & Chill in Arcola, IL.

From Arcola, IL, I stay off the Interstates for a while because traveling via state and local roads I believe is just way more interesting.  Interstates are great for chewing up large amounts of miles in a condensed timeframe.   But IMO, I find riding on Interstates to be boring but a useful means to an end at times.  I-70 in Colorado however is an exception to this, that is a very interesting ride. 

Riding back roads I work my way from Arcola, IL to Evansville, IN, then roll south via US Highway 41 / Interstate 69 and then roll east to Days Inn in Joelton, TN via Interstate 24.  This was the planned stop for Day 15 for total of 439 miles for the day.

Change of Plans, combining day 15 & 16

Joelton, TN is about 15 miles northwest of Nashville, TN.  As stated above, the plan was to stop here at the end of day 15, 439 miles.  I pre-paid for one night stay for Days Inn via Priceline.   

After checking in, I entered the room to give it a quick look over (something I have become accustomed to having experienced in some sketchy hotel/motels in the past) The room did not appear dirty per say but it was very old & dated, with the carpet looking rough with stains in some areas.  The bathroom however was very clean, and the bedding looked clean (did the bedbug inspection and did not see any).  I did spot 2 small cockroaches though, not good. 

I know that in the southern states, pest control is more difficult.  I was not thrilled with seeing the two cockroaches (I hate those things) but thought to myself that I could hack out one night.  Plus, the room was already paid for.  One bad thing about using Priceline is that if you need a refund, it is very difficult to get one.

So, I decided to stay (it was about 8PM or so at this time).  I went out to Dexter and only brought in my Windows tablet a bottle of Coke Zero, Tabasco Sauce, and a couple of cans of Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs that we still in my pack.  In situations like this where the motel/hotel room is on the sketchy side, I will only bring essential and high value gear.  At this point, I really didn’t bring in anything. 

I sat at the desk in the room and ate my gourmet dinner surfing around on the computer.  Then I saw a small roach scurry across the desk, then another, and another.  There were some on the floor.  Without getting to disgusting, so many “friends” came out of hiding what seemed to be just about from everywhere, there was simply way too many to count, no exaggeration, this place was absolutely infested with cockroaches.

  Time check of when this horror show took place was now about 10PM.  I spent approximately an hour reflecting on my life decisions and considering the possibility of relocating to a more suitable hotel, as I had already determined not to remain in my current accommodation.   Ultimately, I decided to press onward to home in Douglasville, Georgia, another 277 miles to tag onto the already long day timewise and decent mileage of 439 miles.  This would make the total mileage for today to be 716 Miles.

Day 15 and 16 Blur Together

I finally rolled back onto Interstate 24 and rolled towards Chattanooga, Tennessee.  I will say riding past Downtown Nashville at night did look quite impressive with the city lights gleaming from the office buildings.

By the time I was rolling into Chattanooga, TN the riding experience was becoming very surreal and dreamlike with brain fog settling in from the mixture of sleep deprivation and darkness.

I exited onto Interstate 59 south just outside of Chattanooga proper and rolled into Alabama.  I took the first exit to get some junk food and caffeine at an Exxon station in Trenton, Georgia.  The station was closed (it was after 2AM at this point).  I still had some Coke Zero and some more canned spaghetti, this would have to do for now.

So, there I am munching on some cold canned spaghetti (Tabasco helps) and washing it down with Coke Zero leaning up on my motorcycle with time now about 2:30AM.  And out of nowhere, some dude comes walking up and asks me if the gas station is open and if I have any spare change.    Bear in mind that up to this point I had not seen another vehicle or signs of human life since rolling on the Interstate in Chattanooga.  I politely said no to the spare change and informed him the station was closed.  He said OK and disappeared into the night mist.  I wonder, did I imagine the whole thing?  A little awake lucid dreaming? LOL

USA Midwest 2023 Comes to an End

I resumed riding south on Interstate 59 into Alabama and then headed East on Alabama highway 35 in Fort Payne, AL to Alabama highway 9 East back into Georgia on state highway 20.  I rode into Rome, Georgia and stopped again to suck down large amounts of coffee and junk food for sleep deprivation mitigation fuel.    From Rome, I rode south on Georgia highway 101 to Villa Rica, Georgia hopping onto Interstate 20 East to Douglasville, Georgia, home. 

Upon my arrival home some time after or around 8AM, I had been awake for just a bit past 24 hours at this point and a long riding day(s) to say the least.  Day 15 and 16 combined 716 miles.  Being that allot of those miles were small county roads during day 15 and I was taking my time; the time factor was worse than the miles.  700+ miles I think is still allot in a day, but if planned from the onset, it is manageable.  Tagging on nearly 300 miles at what was supposed to be the end of a 400+ mile day was rough, but I survived it 😊

Post Trip Motorcycle Maintenance

During the USA Midwest 2023 Motorcycle Touring Trip, two concerning issues with Dexter came up. 

Issue One was the handlebars became loose.  I could push my handlebars up or down with moderate pressure being applied to the bars.  This was discovered somewhere in Iowa on one of the gravel roads while hitting a large washboard bump and the handlebars were pushed downwards quite a bit post bump recovery.  As the issue became more frequent during the trip, I considered visiting Rapid City or Sturgis Harley for service since I was uncomfortable removing my fairing at a campsite or roadside.   Ultimately, I decided that it was not bad enough requiring immediate service and would monitor the situation as the trip progressed.  I completed the entire trip with no additional issues with the handlebars.  From time to time, I would have to adjust them up (Pulling up on the bars with moderate pressure). 

Issue Two was Dexter’s shocks, they were absolutely cooked.  The ride throughout the trip was noticeably bouncer than normal.  However, it was during the high speed (80-90ish) on the Interstate in Illinois during the return to Georgia portion that it was glaringly apparent that my shocks were shot.  I bottomed out numerous times on Interstate from some of the larger dips in the road.  This would in turn push my handlebars downward post recovery from hard bottoming out.  This absolutely freaked out first as it was not expected.  Once I was aware of the problem, being prepared helped tremendously and will roll back the speed ahead of seen road conditions and allowing me to brace my feet on the floorboards and absorb some of the shock via my legs while lifting myself off the seat somewhat.

Both issues were addressed immediately after this trip was completed.  USA Midwest 2023 ended September 16, 2023, and I ordered Legen Suspension Revo-A-Coil Shocks for Harley Touring 1999-2026 on September 18, 2026, from JP Cycle for $999.99 Not cheap but these were some very nice, I would say premium shocks.

When I purchased these, I was not aware that in 3 years I would decide to trade in Dexter for a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, Bruce.  In fact, even though I decided to investigate purchased the Pan America, I was still planning on keeping Bruce.  However, ultimately, I realized that I didn’t have space for two motorcycles (still don’t) and Atlanta Harley-Davidson gave me a trade offer that was above market price.  So, I went ahead and traded in Dexter.

I only had taken advantage of these premium shocks on one trip, the Tail of the Dragon trip in North Carolina in September 2025.  So, whoever the next one has at least some nice shocks on an old and battered 2005 Ultra Classic.

After I removed the fairing from Dexter my ignition switch disintegrated lol, Dexter was showing his age a bit.  So, during this repair session that was address as well.  There will be videos posted soonish of the Tail of the Dragon and North Carolia / Tennessee riding during the September 2025 trip there where these repairs and upgrades were appreciated.

The last actual ride excluding the ride to Atlanta Harley-Davidson for trade-in took place on October 10, 2025, where DeAndra and I rode from Douglasville to Newnan for lunch.  Dexter was traded in on October,17 2025.  Yeah, I am still feeling a bit sad about that lol.