In the last post I forgot to include the statistics, so let’s start with them.

Day 30, Tupelo to Marianna – 373 miles.
Day 31, Marianna to Home – 362 miles.
Total for Part A – 7,189 miles.

Today, Day 35, Home to Statesboro, GA – 374 miles.

My friend, Jim, asked me to compare the 2025 Harley Tri Glide provided by Southern Thunder HD for our trip to Spokane to my converted Road Glide.

The Tri Glide’s 114 cu. in. motor and transmission provide instant acceleration. However, the trike has low profile tires and a solid axle yielding a harsh ride on bumpy roads. The trike I was on had stock handlebars. I had to lean forward to hold the grips comfortably. My back was very sore the first few days of riding the Tri Glide because it didn’t have a back rest. I had to get creative to provide good back support. I stuffed a bunch of soft items in a seal bag and bungeed it to the back seat.

My Road Glide conversion has a 103 cu. in. motor which is powerful, but not as snappy as the 114. The EurowingUSA trike kit on my RG has wishbone independent suspension, which absorbs the bumps better. My trike has a back rest and handlebars that are more comfortable. The Harley trike can be fitted with “Reach” bars and a back rest.

Part B

Now, on to the first day of Part B – going to Shark Week XV in Asheville, NC.

I’m now riding a 2018 Harley Tri Glide that I purchased earlier this week from one of Beth’s Motor Maid friends on Florida’s east coast. Our Harley dealer, Bert’s Barracuda, completed a few minor repairs quickly, enabling us to stay on schedule.

We loaded up the bikes this morning after breakfast. Since we don’t have the trailer with the refrigerator, I’m carrying a cooler on my back seat. This RTIC brand is supposed to be very good.

It was warm and humid from the get-go this morning. By the time we took our first break at the Love’s/McDonald’s in Hawthorne, Fla., the temperature was in the 90s. We cooled off in McDonald’s with coffee and apple pies.

Beth spotted a park just off US-301. We did a U-Turn and had lunch on a picnic table in the park. The park is setup for baseball with bleachers and a snack bar. Restrooms in the snack bar building were air conditioned!

For a quick afternoon break we stopped at another roadside park along US-301. This one was very shady and provided some relief from the 95 degree heat.

Modern Harley touring bikes have ambient air temperature sensors. There’s a six-degree difference between our two bikes. While Beth’s read 95 deg., mine read 101 deg. Weather bug was the tiebreaker with 95 deg. Somehow, that lower reading didn’t make it seem cooler.

Beth got us a salad and dessert at Walmart. I stayed with the bikes and tried to squeeze into the shadow of the bike.

I often forget to look at the lens when taking a selfie.

While I was writing this post, Beth discovered a real phone book in the nightstand drawer. Paper phone books were easier to use, but more limited than a Google search.

This is a typical view of me writing the blog posts.

On to Asheville tomorrow.