Nancy Webb...Pat Bonetar

Yesterday I had two problems: a slip in the mud that was solved with my jack and the music stopped playing that was solved with a work around. The workaround kept working all day today, and I haven't had any more opportunities to play in the mud. Unfortunately, Problem #3 began this afternoon.

I stopped for gas and when I restarted the bike, my auxiliary lights no longer worked. The bike also had several codes for the BCM, ABS, and RAD. Some historic, some new. I took a picture of all of them along with the mileage so I can discuss it with Powder Keg Harley-Davidson tomorrow morning.

Man, it totally sucked not having my lights tonight. Even running my brights all the time barely shows the pavement. I got really lucky and just barely missed a skunk, a giant skunk, that may or may not have been dead, but that had just been hit. The smell was a thousand times worse than when you smell a skunk by the side of the road, so it was very fresh. It was on the left side of the lane and I just happened to be on the right, and I never saw it until I was right on it. I did swerve and dodge several massive potholes, though, so it worked out. The trucks couldn't see me as well, so I had a few close calls yet again. I have to get these fixed now.

One of my stops today was at the Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green, KY. I went to take a picture of an aircraft, and was absolutely floored by what I saw 😲. That aircraft turned out to be an F-4 previously stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England with the 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and it had participated in Operation El Dorado Canyon, which was the US's incursion of Libya in 1986. From 2000 to 2003, I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath as the Wing Historian and did a lot of research about that operation for articles and pamphlets. The 495th was deactivated by the time I was in England, but I had many dealings with its sisters, the 492d, 493d, and 494th.

I had lots of other stops, but none like that one. So cool.

The only other thing of significance today was the weather. I was up at 0500 and inside McDonald's before 0600, where I waited for some daylight. It did turn very cold last night, and I used the battery packs on both my hoodie and my socks. I needed the daylight because it was so foggy, and it was that super cold fog that's almost freezing. Everything was cold and damp, including me.

I put on all my cold gear this morning except the insoles because I used my cold weather boots. I cranked up the gloves, but I didn't need to turn on the jacket or pants. Just having the gear on underneath my riding suit was enough to keep the cold out.

I switched out the plug in gloves for my lighter weight ones sometime during the morning, but I had to get rid of the rest of the gear at my noon selfie stop. I also put on my stubby gloves, but those only lasted till the next stop. The wind chill was just too cold for fingerless gloves. And it didn't get warmer. By the time I got to the Louisville area, not only was I putting on my heavy gloves, but I was pulling out the cord so I could plug them in because my hands were so cold. But that did the trick and I got to Powder Keg Harley-Davidson about 2030 tonight.

I had a sandwich and a beer while charging my phones at the restaurant across the street and I'm now camped in the Powder Keg parking lot next to a light pole that has an outlet on it, which means I get to use my space heater tonight 👍😁. This little heater rocks. If I leave it on the high fan and hottest temperature, it will sweat me out of this tent. I love it, but I don't get to use it very often because I'm not usually by an outlet. Winning!!!!

Hope to see you on the road! Remember, NO WHINING! ✌️

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2026 starting odometer: 46667
Starting odometer: 49066
Ending odometer: 49675
Daily mileage: 609
2026 miles total: 3008En savoir plus