The SCMA USA Four Corner Motorcycle Tour website has been updated to include Erik as the 73rd official 2011 Finisher.

Erik is the 11th Idahoan to finish the tour according to the website’s finishers log which dates back to 1983.

The tour is run by the Southern California Motorcycling Association (SCMA) and is recognized by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) as a sanctioned event.

Here is a list of all Idahoans to date to have completed the tour:

• 1987 - Kyle Mabe (Post Falls, ID)
• 1989 - Bill Pharness (St. Marie’s, ID)
• 1990 - Robert Palmer (Lewiston, ID)
• 1994 - Billie & Gloria Cothern (Dalton Gardens, ID)
• 1997 - Darrel Beamish (Nampa, ID)
• 1997 - Ron Brown (Boise, ID)
• 1997 - Eldon Janzen (Nampa, ID)
• 1997 - Paul Ambeau Jr. (Homedale, ID)
• 2007 - George June (Post Falls, ID)
• 2011 - Erik Goodlad (Boise, ID)

Three Bikes

Troy riding in Yellowstone

Yellowstone is huge. We maybe rode about 1/3 of the road available in the park. Every inch of it is magnificent.

Riding through it was both extremely satisfying and yet at the same time left me wanting more. I could stop on every scenic turnout and take a dozen photos if I had the time.

Leaving Florida on Day 13 I went through 6 rain storms.  All brief.  This one I had my helmet cam running and caught pretty good.

You can see cars and trucks turning on their emergency lights and pulling off the road.

I figured that the best thing to do was to ride through it as fast as I could… which was still pretty slow - I think I want all the way down to 2nd gear.

I did not have any of my rain gear on, and by the end of the 2 and a half minutes of rain I was completely soaked.

Kent and Troy hit this same storm as they passed through a bit later in the day, but they had pulled off and got under some shelter until it passed.

US Highway 129 “Tail of the Dragon” (Preview Video)

Here is a quick edit of some of my US Highway 129 or “Trail of the Dragon” video.

Thanks to Kent/Troy for encouraging me to mount the camera facing back.  After reviewing the footage I wish I had mounted my other camera down low or tried a view more angles… to have a nice selection to mix together.

It was probably best that I did not mount it low as a few times I went so far low-side that I was scraping metal on the pavement.

This was so much fun to ride.

Friend of the Bike: Tony I met Tony in Lake City, FL when I pulled over to get get some WiFi and book a hotel for the night. He and his wife pulled up at the same time and I asked about some upcoming cities on the highway. Tony just recently got his first bike, a 650cc and his planning his first road trip. He asked what I thought was most important and I said to not run out of gas in the middle of nowhere (know your bike’s range) and that I could not imagine doing this trip without cruise control on my bike. His bike does not have cruise control but I told him you can get an accessory for your accelerator that will lock it in place. It’s a must so you can give your right hand a break every so often and circulate your blood.

With over 7,000 miles behind us on this trip I was overdue to get my bike serviced.

I called ahead to Bost Harley-Davidson in Nashville, TN and they said they could fit me in for service.

Going to grab lunch and hopefully be on my way to meet back up with Kent and Troy in Kansas City (they rolled out about 30 minutes before me to get their bikes serviced too).

Tail of the Dragon

Kent and I only counted 317 turns, so we had to ride it a 2nd and 3rd time to be sure.  Yup, 318 turns in 11 miles.

It sure was fun.

Friend of the Bike: Fred

Fred rides with Soul Rebels out of Chicago, IL.

When I rolled into Washington, DC I realized my bike was low on oil so I stopped by a gas station to put some in.  It was around 2AM and the clerk had locked up the shop area, but after explaining I need some oil badly he unlocked the doors.  I felt pretty bad cos while he was ringing up my 2 qts of oil about 20 more customers had come inside (New York Ave in DC is a happening place at night).

After I got the oil in my bike a guy came up and asked what “4corners.us” was.  I started to explain and he yelled out “Hey Fred, get over here, this guy just rode in from Canada!”.  I started telling them both more about our ride and where we had been and that I was making my way down to the Florida Keys when Fred said, “stop right there, I’ve heard enough, I’M BUYING YOUR GAS TONIGHT!”

Fred then put $25 on my pump and he and his friend held my bike up straight so I could fill it up as much as possible.  He then asked if I wanted a drink with the change.

We talked about their bikes and rides they have done. They noticed that my highway foot pegs had rattled lose and fell off - and recommended getting some Loctite (something I have learned all too well on this trip).

Fred said I had a jacket like “Wolverine” and then I asked if I could get a photo with him - thus making Fred the first “Friend of the Bike”.

Thanks Fred!

Note to all others who want to be a “Friend of the Bike”: You can buy me a tank of gas too!

Today we are set to ride The Tail of the Dragon.