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Pistol Pete's "Bucket List" When I was a younger fellow, I had many interests and desires. The usual things like a wife, kids, home, etc were those that seemed a part of the American Dream. Many I have done, some more than once and now that I am somewhat older, I have a list of things that I want to do before....well you know, before I kick the bucket. If you have seen the movie then you know what I am eluding too. The things that I wish to do now are for me and not the American Dream, just my dream. I won't divulge the list to you but I will tell you and show you when I have finished one.
Here is the first. (Scroll down for more)
"Traveling hard and fast on a professional race track"
Two summers ago I was invited to go with a good friend, Ken Gray and my daughter, Chris Terry to take laps around the BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY near Bristol Tennessee. BMS is part of a NASCAR circuit track where the cars can reach speeds well in excess of 120 MPH; all on a one half mile (.533) oval that is completely surrounded by a stadium holding more than 150 thousand fans. The 30 degree banked turns and 10 degree straight track of asphalt and concrete is a splendid tribute to engineering a surface where 20 or more cars can race against each other at exceptional speeds all the while the entire action can be observed by all of the fans.
May 31, 2008:  Here I am seated on "Pennie Lee" and ready to ride this wonderful track. Ken, standing behind me has prompted me on what to do and the rules of the track. No one can race each other; no one can pass another (unless the other bike is on the apron); You must follow the Pace car and if you feel you are holding someone up, you can go down onto the apron. Each machine must be safe to ride and you should be courteous to other drivers. Ken's advice was to get up to the Pace car and hopefully persuade its driver to increase his speed to a fun pace. Here we go:
In this shot you see me right behind the Pace car with Chris (on the back of Ken's GoldWing) taking the photo and as you can see before long we have caught up to two of the slower drivers. It seems that the Pace car will not pass another bike even if it is onto the apron so this was quite slow going for a while. Also please notice the cool banked left turn ahead and just how inviting this track is to let er rip. We were able to slow down to a speed even slower than the car was traveling and then with a burst of power we managed to reach 70 MPH at one point. What a rush. Pistol Pete's ride:
Chris and Ken were able to get this shot of me just as I was part way into the Bristol name on the track. I would say that we were traveling around 50 to 60 MPH when this pic was snapped. This was more fun and unlike anything that I had ever experienced before. Five laps of pure fun:
You pay $10.00 for 5 laps and the proceeds go to my favorite charity; St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, TN. Even if the price would have been more, I would have been here to ride this track. We went out 4 times and completed 20 laps total and I must say that it was exactly what I wanted to do. Here I am coming out of turn two and I had just rolled off the throttle so as not to get yellow paint on Pennie. During this run, I was able to get to nearly 90 MPH and the feeling on the banked turns has to be one of the greatest that anyone could imagine. I envied the NASCAR drivers for making this an exciting sport. 90+ MPH:
Ken, Chris and I were all on the track during the 4th and final run and we remained at the back of the field and the Pace car caught up to us. It was at this point we were able to power on and I was able to get Pennie up to 90+ MPH in this straight away and 70 MPH in the turns. Because the entire field was well ahead of us we could test ourselves against the track. If you looked closely at my face during that time, my smile went from earpiece to earpiece and I'll bet it was a toothy one at that. Pennie Lee performed without flaw during the runs and with my performance carb set installed she had an intake growl that could be heard in the entire infield. I like to call it "naughty noise" and I was feeling just a little shameless at that time as well. Waiting to exit:
In order to beat the rain that was threatening in Knoxville, we decided to get back on the road for an hour and one half of interstate ride back home. We were the first ones to line up at the exit gate from the infield and soon many more pulled up and we swapped stories and enjoyed each others experiences. To track my total fuel consumption, I filled up before I left home and then filled up once more before we got to the Bristol Speedway. My fuel economy was quite good at 45.8 MPG averaging, according to my GPS, 63.8 MPH on the trip up. It was however somewhat off of that on the trip home at 37.7 MPG, but considering the 20 laps of sheer fun and the average home trip speed of 67.2 MPH and the high price of fuel......who cares, it was well worth it. If you would like to enjoy riding the track at Bristol Motor Speedway, I believe that this is offered to anyone and usually on or around the 31st of May each year. I hope to see you next year and that you have included this on your "Bucket List".
********************************************************* To travel into each state that surrounds Tennessee and do it in 24 hours or less.
Missouri and Tennessee are the only two states that have eight bordering states that I am aware of. The eight states that border the state of Tennessee are; Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri. In order to travel into each of them and be back home within 24 hours, I had to plan carefully the route that I would take. Since I would be traveling during the dark for some of the trip, I decided to go to the states that were closest to me so that I could travel over familiar roads. I pulled up Map quest and began to plan a route. Starting at my home, I programmed the first leg to go to Cumberland Gap, TN. From that way point I could ride into Virginia ant then to Kentucky with both within two road miles of each other. The next way point needed to be close to the North Carolina line but an easy transit on the way to Chattanooga, TN. A small side road near Farner, TN on hwy 68 south was the spot I chose. Georgia and then Alabama were next on the list and I would be able to get to both of them near Chattanooga. Mississippi was the next state and the route took me through the upper portion of Alabama. With Mississippi,being the sixth state, I routed to Arkansas and Missouri. Map Quest directed my route through Memphis but I wanted to avoid that congestion on the bike, so another route was chosen. Once I had routed into these last remaining states, all I had to do was to plan the ride back home and hopefully inside the 24 hour time limit. Map Quest had the mileage at 1115 and the time was 19.5 hours. Boy that didn't leave much time to fuel up and to grab a snack or two. You only live once so I decided to try it. I set the alarm for 2:45 on the morning of July 2nd, 2008. I had packed my take-along's in the trunk and in the 12v electric cooler attached onto the passenger seat so all I had to do was get up, dress up, start up and ride off, which I did at 3:08 AM. I had programmed the GPS with all of the way points and I let it plan the route to take. One hour and 15 minutes later I was inside the state of Virginia.
Traveling on Hwy 231 and Hwy 116, I turned left onto US 25W at Lake City, TN. I 75 north took me back to 25W and then to Hwy 63 east. I took this shot of the Daniel Boone Trail Center sign and hopped back on the bike and rode through the tunnel on US 25E into Kentucky towards Middlesboro, KY. As I exited the tunnel I found that I was in the wrong lane and I had to drive past the Kentucky state sign.
Fortunately the sign above for the entrance to the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park was at the turn around point so I snapped this image instead. When I left home earlier the temperature was 56 degrees but in Virginia and Kentucky it had dropped to 53. As I headed back into the tunnel to go south to Farner and North Carolina the temp was warmer by 5 or 6 degrees until I exited out the other end one mile from the entrance. Man it was chilly and I began to look for a place to get some hot coffee. About 4:35 I located a bait shop on the road south and stopped for a cup of java. The store clerk was an opinionated fellow by the name of Leland. He and I shared stories for a short time and then it was back on the road. US 25E to Hwy 33 south and on to Knoxville, TN.
The state line of North Carolina was near the village of Farner, TN but I had to navigate through the city of Knoxville first. My GPS didn't know that Interstate 40 through the city was shut down so I had to find the best way through it myself. As I said before, familiar roads first. Traveling south on US129 and then onto US 411 south, I made a breakfast snack stop at Vonore, TN at Hardys restaurant and my first fuel stop next door. The odometer read 175 miles and I put in 3.76 gallons. It was still pretty chilly at 60 degrees when I left but I knew that it would soon warm up. At US 68, I turned left towards the mountains and North Carolina.
Further south at Copper Hill, TN I turned right onto US 74 and traveled west past Ocoee Lake and on to I 75 South at Cleveland, TN. The traffic was fairly light and the temperature finally made it to 70 degrees. Turning right onto I 24 West and negotiated through the traffic in Chattanooga, TN. At mile marker 171, I 24 dips down into Georgia for about 3 to 4 miles then back into Tennessee.
At the exit to South Pittsburg, TN on I 24, I turned left onto US 72 and continued to Alabama just south of South Pittsburg. The state began to flatten somewhat as I headed towards Huntsville, AL. The roadway was 4 lane for most of the way and I was able to make pretty good time. My goals were to travel from fuel stop to fuel stop without any other stops unless it was to take a picture of a state line sign.
At Scottsboro, I stopped for my second fuel stop. I had traveled 361 miles and put in 3.93 gallons. As you can see I was traveling light with a few tools plus a change of gloves and socks in the trunk. The gray case on the passenger seat is an electric cooler which contained celery sticks, cheese, water, boiled eggs, milk and chicken salad. Venita and I chose these items because they are easy to unwrap and eat plus they contain good amounts of protein. Here at Scottsboro I munched out on the celery sticks, a boiled egg and about 8 oz. of water.
Back on to US 72, I headed east through Huntsville, AL. Huntsville is the home of the Redstone Arsenal as well as the towering Air and Space Museum on the left side of I 565. At Huntsville, I picked up US 72A and continued on to Mississippi near Iuka, MS. For some strange reason, my GPS routed me onto a side road that took me through Iuka but it also paralleled US 72. I probably lost 10 minutes or so but when I rejoined 72 the sailing was smooth and I could again resume my speed of 65 mph.
At Corinth, MS I turned north onto US 45 and back into Tennessee. US 45 also took me to Ramer, TN where I filled up for the 3rd time. At that time I had traveled a total of 534 miles and put in 3.70 gallons. At Jackson, TN I made a few jogs on roads directed by my GPS and then onto Hwy 412 towards Dyersburg, TN. Hwy 412 ended at I 155 west and took me over the bridge on the Mississippi River and into Missouri. I was amazed that the Mississippi River basin stretched back up the highway for about 8 miles and into Missouri for at least that many miles. What a river that must have been many eons ago, kinda cool I thought.
The second exit on I 155 was State road "U" and I turned left for about 2 miles. I picked up I 55 south and about 10 miles later I entered Arkansas. A short distance further was Blytheville, AR where I exited, crossed the interstate and then back north onto I 55 to Dyersburg, TN. Just after the Missouri state line I stopped at the rest area to eat the remaining snacks in the cooler. I spread my jacket onto the grass and ate my supper. The local time when I left the rest area was 6:30 PM and that meant that the time back home was 7:30. At Dyersburg, TN I fueled up for the 4th time and the mileage thus far was 514 miles and I put in 4.33 gallons. I was cutting it a little close with a 5 gallon tank. I headed back down Hwy 412 to Jackson, TN and then I 40 east to Nashville toward home. My 5th fuel stop was at Fairview, TN with 865 on the clock and it filled up with 3.67 gallons. At Crossville, TN I filled for the last time at 1002 miles and 3.35 gallons. I arrived home at 1:06 AM and I had been on the road for 21 hours and 58 minutes and a total distance of 1054 miles. Epilog: When I had put the bike in the garage and kissed my wife goodnight, my thoughts were "Man, I will not have any trouble falling to sl..........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I must give credit to the makers of our Corbin dual seat. During the whole trip, my butt never got sore and I attribute this to the expert construction of this seat. Hats off to the Corbin folks. Even though my GL is nearly 34 years old, she performed perfectly and during the whole trip I averaged over 44 mpg which is pretty decent in my opinion. I hope that you enjoyed reading about my trip and I also hope that you too will plan and ride a cool road trip and tell me about it. Would anyone be interested in a Missouri ride? Here is number three, I hope you like it.....
To ride the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway in a Pulse GCRV
Late last year Pistol Pete accepted a task from an owner of a Pulse GCRV (Ground Cruising Recreational Vehicle) to refurbish and rebuild the drive train of the Silver Bullet [see home page] We completed the "Bullet" and then we worked on another Pulse for another customer. In the late summer we began work on a great looking Pulse owned by Doug Minert of Michigan. We completed Doug's unit in mid October and was given permission by the owner to "check it out" and take her for a real test run. We decided to ride about 200 miles and to make sure that all components were working properly. Tennessee and North Carolina has some of the greatest roads east of the Mississippi. We selected highway 129 "the Tail of the Dragon" and Cherohala Skyway.
We left on a chilly 45 degree Monday morning Oct. 27, 2008 around 10:45 AM. With the canopy locked forward I gave Chris Terry, our daughter and chase vehicle, the signal to lets get rolling.
Pulse number 323 was on the road and ready to turn onto the highway towards 129. It was about a 65 mile trip to get to the base of the Dragon and we were finally underway. Chris had loaded her car with a huge assortment of tools, a mat for working beneath if necessary, a full portable air tank for the air shocks, a jack, flash light and extra fluids just in case.
On the road and becoming more at ease with the controls, we settled down for a great ride and confident that we would have a good one. With the air shocks set at optimal [see the air gap under the left rigger wheel] the strange handling Pulse acted as it should for the entire trip. There is no other vehicle like this wonderful little 1980's built Pulse. Made in in Owasso, Michigan, the 360 or so that were built will forever be a great collector vehicle.
Being a work day the usual crowd of motorcycles were absent from the highways, but we enjoyed many "thumbs up" signs as we met oncoming traffic. Here we are passing over the Fort Louden Dam on highway 231 towards Maryville, TN. I had the canopy rolled back here but it was just too cold and it was closed shortly after we crossed the dam. Highway 321 and State route 335 will take us south of Maryville and US129.
At 129 we fueled up. Later in the trip we had gotten 43 miles per gallon. Not bad for some pretty serious mountain roads.
Fueled up, and with Venita in the passenger seat were once again on the road. At this point we had 48 miles logged on the clock with no problems. In 12 more miles we would be on the Dragon and the cool twisties.
This was the first time that we had ever driven the Pulse on the hard turns and curves of 129 and I must say it was certainly an unforgettable experience. In order to execute a left turn the right rigger wheel would firmly plant itself on the pavement making steering a strain on the arms. As you can see in the picture the left rigger wheel has daylight beneath it and when a hard right hander came up it would thump hard as it rediscovered the pavement.
Arriving at the first turn out of 129, there were about 6 or 7 bikes parked there and they all smiled broadly as we pulled onto the overlook parking area. They all took an immediate interest in our ride and soon we were barraged with many questions. It seems as though most folks want to know some obvious questions like; did you build it, how fast will it go, what's the power plant, what kind of mileage does it get or is it a motorcycle or a car. But the best question that gets asked right along with all of the others is; will it fly.
Everyone, young and old, just loves this cool little fun machine set apart from any other by its aircraft shape wing-like outriggers. It is as much fun to talk about as it is to drive. All day long the fun abounded as we met each challenge of the road and hopefully captured the hearts of many who enjoyed seeing us there.
After 129 we stopped at the 129 M/C Pit Stop for a cool drink and at this point we had gone about 40 more miles and had met as many really cool people. Now it was on to Cherohala Skyway. Turning on to Highway 72, we headed west to US411 south. At Vonore, Tennessee. We then turned south onto highway 360 towards Tellico Plains, TN.
At the end of TN360 we turned left onto TN165 and the Cherohala. I pulled over at the first turn out and just before the ascent onto the Skyway, I wanted Venita to ride with me as we climbed our way toward the top of this wonderful new road through the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains. The colors were getting more pronounced as we made our journey up the mountain sides and we were both very glad that we made the trip.
Wider than the Dragon, the roads of the Skyway were easier to traverse as the ascent continued. We were in no hurry and some folks seemed to be eager to catch us then follow and watch as "the little Pulse that could" climbed steadily up the mountain. The Skyway was a real pleasure to ride on as there were no hairpins to worry about so Venita and I just enjoyed the drive and the splendid views.
The red Pulse seemed to be at home with the fall colors as this shot attests too. Traffic was scarce because of the 40 degree temperature but there were a few folks on bikes and cars who braved the cool to see the views. I believe that this is a nice view, don't you?
The fantastic scenery abounded all along the Skyway and we were able to take many wonderful pictures as we traveled. This one is the Tennessee Valley and in the distance lies Maryville, Alcoa, Knoxville and Oak Ridge. On clearer days some of the structures in each city can also be seen. You just gotta love these old Tennessee hills, I know we do.
We made our way back down from the Skyway and stopped at Tellico Plains for a final fuel stop. When we arrived back home just before dark, we had logged nearly 250 miles on Doug's Pulse and never touched any of the backup tools or supplies. Each of the three units that we have worked on have personalities that differ from each other but the clicks and clacks, bumps and thumps of each of them are just a part of the enjoyable experience of owning and driving one of these unique vehicles. Thanks Doug for letting Venita and I drive and enjoy your fantastic little red Pulse.
During the Fall of 2009 Maggie and I went on a Dam trip When we rode the "Coastal Trip" Maggie Mae and I pulled our Bushtec Turbo+2 trailer and we carried the gear for 4 people and 11 nights on the road. As I had found in the past when this trailer was pulled behind me it performed exceptionally well. It never tried to overpower the bikes handling even though there were many times that it was tested. This last fall of 2009, I wanted to visit several dams in Tennessee and North Carolina, so taking along some gear was only possible if I pulled the Turbo+2. All of the Dams (4 in all) followed the famous 129 Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee and North Carolina. The first was Chilhowee Dam, then Calderwood Dam, on to Cheoah Dam (more recently dubbed Fugitive Dam after the filming of the Fugitive) with the last one being Santeetlah Dam. They were pretty cool to see but it was the trip back home that was the coolest... Traveling back from NC to TN; the Dragon was the fastest way and the most fun. When I was approaching a right hander near mile mark 7, I became the object of a photographer taking shots of bikers rounding the bend. He works for a photo group called Xtreme Sports Photography. When I went online a few days after the ride This is what I pulled up. Thanks www.photoreflect.com for the cool shots.
What a fun ride and I hope that you enjoyed it too. If you have questions on this page please email me at petesgl@comcast.net and mention the Bucket list or list items. We would love to hear from you. More to come so check back often. Pistol Pete
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