Buddy & Bob arrived safely in Upper Sandusky, Ohio last night, and are currently eastbound on their MP3’s toward Mansfield…and possibly beyond. Our riders are - amazingly - running ahead of their scheduled stops on their hunt for the Lincoln HIghway. Their full weekend road reports and Day 24 map updates will run as soon as Piaggio Ground Control cross-checks and verifies their tracks. More to follow…
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Arriving in South Bend from the west
Before highlighting the ride today, I’d like to respond to a frequently asked question, "Do you guys have headsets in your helmets so you can communicate with each other?" Answer: "No."
Continue reading ‘Day 23 Road Report: Merrillville, IN to Fort Wayne, IN’
From left: Buddy, Jack Fenten, Liz Fenten, Mayor Jim Waldorf, Bob. Plainfield Village Hall. Photo by Mike Schwarz.
This morning, during our one-course cornflake breakfast in DeKalb, Bob asked, "Who do you think was the first person to ride the Lincoln Highway coast to coast on a motorcycle?" I knew what he was hoping to hear, but I also knew he was tough enough to handle the truth.
In 1916, Adeline and Augusta Van Buren, two young New York socialite sisters, set out to prove women could ride motorcycles across a treacherous country during a time when women still didn’t have the right to vote. They were the first to solo a coast-to-coast trek, via the recently designated Lincoln Highway, on their Indian motorcycles. They contended with unpaved roads, an absence of Holiday Inns, and the extra burden of social prejudice; they were arrested several times for for wearing men’s clothing. I also suspect the Indians required a bit more maintenance than our MP3s. (One oil change in Orem, UT.) The year after Adeline and Augusta rode the Lincoln Highway, Illinois became the first state to ratify women’s suffrage. So while we just missed setting that particular record, Bob was cheered by knowing the glory that shall be ours when it comes to being the first chronologically —though not necessarily mentally — mature men to ride Piaggio’s MP3 500 across America’s historic highway.
Continue reading ‘Day 22 Road Report: DeKalb, IL to Merrillville, IN & Map Updates’
Buddy & Bob have just called in from Merrillville, IN, and after a well-deserved dinner will send us their pictures and road report.
Piaggio Ground Control sends our riders a Happy Fourth of July!
Buddy & Bob’s celebration of the 4th of July will be a little more adventurous than the one at Piaggio Ground Control. Our riders are at this very moment eastbound on their MP3s, heading toward Chicago. More to follow…
Day 21 - Clinton, Iowa to DeKalb, Illinois
Our surrounding world — as defined by the Lincoln Highway’s people and towns — is intrigued by the MP3s and the fact that we’re riding them coast to coast on America’s Main Street. I do not believe that any other vehicle — car or motorcycle — would generate this kind of attention. Oh yes, there’s also two "mature" guys riding them.
Continue reading ‘Day 21 Road Report: Clinton, IA to DeKalb, IL & Map Updates…’
Our intrepid MP3-riding adventurers (also known as Buddy & Bob) arrived safely in DeKalb, Illiinois last night, and have much to share in their Day 21 Road Report, due today, the 4th of July…
