100 Days 48 States - The Journey

"Life is ours to be spent, not to be saved."
– D.H. Lawrence

TODAY’S ROUTE:
St. Louis, MO to St. Louis, MO: Market Street to Forest Park Drive to BMW Motorrad. Kings Highway to I-44 to Grant Farms. US-30 to Jefferson Avenue to Market Street. (MAP)

THE DETAILS:
Every 10 days or so I’ve scheduled a short day or a layover so I can rest a bit. Riding all day, every day, for 100 days can be a bit tiring. So my first rest stop is here in St. Louis. I’ve checked into a comfortable hotel suite and it’s time to stop, get some rest, and regroup.

It’s also time to have the motorcycle serviced. Every 6,000 miles the bike needs to be checked out and have the fluids changed. Working this into the schedule is difficult but I’m happy with my choices for service stops. The bike will be worked on a total of five times during the 100 days. The stops are BMW Motorrad of St. Louis, BMW of Denver for the 12,000 mile service, Cycle-Logical BMW in Eugene, Oregon, for 18,000 miles, Lonestar BMW in Austin for 24,000 miles, and probably Bob’s BMW in Jessup, Maryland, for the big 30K. The service isn’t exactly a bargain but it is worth every penny. After all, the bike is my lifeblood on this journey and without it my trip would be over.

I’ve always wanted to see the BMW Motorrad shop, and my visit is no disappointment. I get there shortly after they open at 8:30 AM and am greeted by Dave Clark, the service manager. I made the appointment with Dave about a month ago. Besides the 6,000-mile service I’ve opted for a few extras. These include having a Throttlemeister installed (kind of like a cruise control), hardwiring the GPS so I don’t have to unplug it every time I stop for gas and move the tankbag, and a new set of tires. The tires have plenty of tread left, probably at least 2,000 miles, but I don’t want to stop for service again until Denver and I’ll be riding through some areas where BMW Motorcycle dealers are hard to come by. In case you were wondering, there are 158 authorized BMW Dealers in the U.S., but none in North Dakota or Wyoming.

Tom Donovan, a BMW Certified Level II Technician works on my bike. Basically he is one step away from a Jedi Master. Like most of the great BMW mechanics, he’s a terrific guy – friendly, informative, and meticulous. He answers all of my questions, not just with quick responses but with detailed explanations. He also doesn’t mind me videotaping him as he works on the bike.

BMW Motorrad is one of the great dealers. Besides BMWs they also sell Kawasakis and they have lots of bikes. I spend part of the day speaking with Bill Heggarty, a co-owner of the shop and Lee Birdwell, the Parts Manager who has been in the business over 30 years. These are real nice guys who have some fun stories and interesting suggestions for places to stop along my way.

By mid afternoon the bike is ready. Dave takes her for a quick test ride to break in the tires a bit. I’ll be very careful riding on new rubber. It can be slippery for the first 150 miles of so. Believe it or not, one of the most common places for a motorcycle accident is right outside the dealership. The customer takes off on the new tires, banks hard out of the parking lot, and the slippery rubber takes the bike down. I'm determined not to let that happen, and I try not to lean too much into my turns for a while.

I head southwest through the city for a quick stop at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. This site is still being developed so there's not much to see. I get the stamp and bolt. It’s hot out and I want to get back to the hotel, rest and reflect on where I’ve been and look ahead to where I’ll be. It’s been a very exciting and interesting trip thus far. I’m enjoying myself immensely and I can’t wait to get out west. I've also enjoyed writing these journals and getting the tremendous response from all of you. The stories you have all been sending back to me about your travels and journeys have been fascinating. I think I’ll share them with everyone at some point down the road.

THE DAILY TAKE:
Miles Today: 25.1
Total Miles: 3616
Time on Motorcycle: 51 Minutes
States Visited today: 1 (MO)
Total States Visited: 14
National Park Service Passport Stamps: 1
NPS Stamp totals: 40 Stamps, 11 States
Weather: Hot, Hot, Hot
Total BMW Service Bill: $836.89

RANDOM PASSINGS:
My hotel in St. Louis is just down the street from St. Louis Union Station. This was once one of the world’s greatest train stations and the largest train yard in America. As a central hub for the country, millions of people traveled through the station, from east to west and back again. After World War II passenger train service slowly disappeared with the development of the Interstate Highway System and modern air travel. The last train left Union Station on October 31^st, 1978. The giant station remained vacant until 1985 when a public and private development group reclaimed the property and transformed it for a new use. The station now houses the Hyatt Regency Hotel and a beautiful mall with shops, restaurants, and a movie theater.

As the station was reopened, the local newspaper asked people for their memories of the old station. The letters sent in are collected in a display area within the mall. Below is my favorite: a poem written by a local resident.

St. Louis Union Station by Betty Hunter

"Union Station was part of my past.
The memories were old but they will last.
My young heart broke within those walls
That echoed with the "all aboard" calls.
Masses of people churned about,
Their laughing and calling muffled my shout.
The steam and steel help sear the scar
When my Daddy went off to war.
The years were long and very sad,
A silk scarf in the window replaced my dad
And the baleful wail of a distant train
Would add to the loneliness, flesh and the pain.
Now Union Station brings thoughts of cheer
For I returned after many a year
To stare down the tracks for a special car
That was bringing my daddy home from the war."