From the Library

[Biggles]

Jim's first experience with one of the infamous steel-grated bridges along the Alaska Highway with their deep grooves running in the direction of travel came that morning while crossing the Peace River.  The grooves can be disconcerting to a motorcyclist and even turn the knuckles a little white if they're not expecting it, and Jim wasn't.
We ran through our first cold, zero-visibility fog bank in Fort St. John that morning.  Truck traffic was stop-and-go and exceptionally heavy in town, causing us to lose about 20 minutes riding through a half-mile of thick fog and heavy traffic.  I eventually had to flip the face shield up, remove my glasses and ride with I bare eyeballs in order to see anything at all as we felt our way through town.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 46

[Biggles]

I instinctively locked both brakes with absolutely no hope of avoiding the inevitable because I was already less than 75 feet from impact when I first spotted the sheep- and there was zero time for me to change course or to do anything other than lock the brakes, hang on and leave the rest to God.
It's the moment that we all dread and hope will never happen to us.  It comes with a feeling that's hard to describe, but once you've experienced it, you'll never forget it. The trouble with this particular feeling is that most people aren't around to describe it afterward.  There was zero time to pray.  The locked brakes threw the bike sideways a split-second before the headlight and windshield made initial contact with the head of the lead sheep.  Meanwhile, the rear end of the bike whipped around and whacked the sheep full broadside a split-second later.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 50-51

[Biggles]

The powerful collision sent the sheep tumbling down the highway as I clung desperately to the handlebars as tight as I could, maybe even with super-human strength.  I'm guessing that my speed at the time of impact was still around 50 mph, with the bike fully sideways and still perfectly upright. The force of impact almost tore me clear off of the seat sideways, but I was somehow miraculously able to hang on.  My left leg got squeezed between the bike and the sheep's belly at the same instant that the left tank pannier, directly in front of my knee, took the brunt of the impact as it struck the bony area of the sheep's front shoulder.  Luckily the pannier, which holds my overnight bag, was a few inches thicker than my knee, and it was fully packed, which is what saved my leg that otherwise would have taken the force of the crushing blow and probably broken it, and maybe broken my knee too.  It was a miracle in itself that my leg and knee connected with the sheep's belly, which felt like a huge cushion.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 51

[Biggles]

The impact threw the tail end of the bike back to its original straightforward position, and I suddenly found myself facing forward again with the bike now rolling only about 10 mph or less, I was still hanging onto the bars as tight as I could.  The whole incident took only a few seconds.
In spite of being in a slight daze and even before the wheels stopped turning, I thanked God, I thanked my angels and I thanked my family and friends who pray for me.  I was convinced that God had just bestowed one of His greatest miracles on me.  It was certainly one of the greatest I had ever known, and I've had a few real beauties in my lifetime.  I could hardly believe I had come through totally unscathed.  It seemed that the end result for me was simply a slightly sprained ankle - the only physical injury I got from it, other than having the wind knocked out of me - and it certainly scared me half-to-death.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 52

[Biggles]

Twenty miles out, we went through another cold fogbank and for the next ten miles I rode with bare eyeballs and no face shield again, and this time it was with no windshield either.  I could barely see well enough to hold the 60 mph that we were travelling.  My eyeballs couldn't handle the cold dense fog at any higher speeds, nor was it safe to go much faster with the limited visibility.  Fortunately the bugs weren't out that early to get into my eyes.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 68

[Biggles]

About 10 miles out of Meade the wind got so strong that it was picking up dirt and sand from surrounding prairie and it was blasting the side of my face with it.  It soon increased to a frightening velocity and I realized I was caught out on the open prairie in a full-blown sand storm with no shelter from it.  The first thing I thought of was to stop at the edge of the road to remove the duct tape and close the faceshield.
After stopping, my feet kept slipping and sliding on the sandy surface and I didn't have enough hands to hold the bike from blowing over and to work on the shield at the same time.  The road was totally covered with sand.  I tried to turn the bike into the wind but the sand was making the surface so slippery that my feet kept sliding out.  I was miles from anywhere and there was no place to duck into or get behind.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 117-8

[Biggles]

After getting underway, I thought the safest speed might be between 50 and 55 mph because anything less wasn't offering enough gyroscopic action for the wheels and the wind was throwing the bike around a lot on the sand; and I figured that anything faster wouldn't leave enough weight on the road for adequate tire traction.   
Meanwhile, the temperature was up around 100° and it was drying me up like a prune, especially after having taken my diuretic medication.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 118

[Biggles]

Around noon the next day I stopped in the small town of Beloit, Kansas to inquire about US Rte 36, a road I had been looking for and thought I might have passed.
The road I was on was very lightly travelled and it went straight through the town, like in many small towns on the prairie.  I parked in front of a Case-International tractor dealer and walked inside to ask for directions.  There was no one around so I called out, "Anybody here?"  No one answered and I repeated it a few times.  My voice echoed inside the building.  There were many farm tractors and pickup trucks inside, and at least three offices, but there was not a soul around.  It looked like someone could walk off with the place.
I went next door to an open hardware store and called out again: "Anybody here?"  There was no one there either.  I walked across the deserted street to a gas station that I found to be closed and locked.  I stood for a minute and looked around.  Nothing was moving anywhere, and I saw no one.  There was just dead silence.   
I was beginning to get an eerie feeling that maybe there was no one in the entire town - like on the old TV series "The Twilight Zone".
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 136

[Biggles]

I went back to the bike, got on, and drove off slowly, looking into every yard for someone to ask.  As I was about to leave the north end of the town, I saw a diner with at least 15 to 20 pickup trucks parked outside.  The place was packed.  I parked the bike and went inside.  The loud din of voices that I met suddenly fell silent as everyone turned to look at me. 
I said, "Could anyone please tell me where I could find US Rte 36?" After a brief pause, I heard a gruff male voice say, "Up the road about 12 miles."
I said thanks, and I added: "Does everyone in this town go to lunch at the same time?  I couldn't find a soul anywhere."  I left while they were all laughing.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 136-7

[Biggles]

I said, "Could you tell me where I might find a gas station?"  He looked puzzled and answered that he didn't know but his dad or mom probably would. I asked if they were home.
"My mom's home," he said.
"Would you mind getting her please?"  He got off the mower and disappeared into the house.  Moments later an attractive young woman appeared, wearing shorts, a halter-top and sandals and I repeated the question.  She answered smiling, "We have a gas station right here."
"Really?  Could I possibly buy some? I'm about to run out."
She said, "Yes, of course.  Follow me," and she led me across the farmyard to a pump that was probably used for filling the farm vehicles.  I asked if it had a gauge and she said it probably does but the glass is much too cloudy to read.  I said I needed around five gallons and I asked if that would be OK.  She handed me the hose and turned on the power for the pump.  Gas began to flow into my tank as soon as I squeezed the handle, but seconds later she noticed that the hose was spewing gas at the other end, and she said, "Oh my goodness, we're getting more on the ground than in the tank," and she turned the pump off.  I looked into my tank and could see that I had already gotten almost a half-tank.
I said it would probably be enough to get me to a gas station.  I reached for my wallet and handed her a $20 bill.  She said, "I don't know what to charge. I don't know how much gas is going for nowadays, or how much we pay for it."  I answered that if the $20 isn't enough, I'd be happy to pay more.  "Oh no," she said, "I meant that I don't know how much change to give you."
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 192-3

[Biggles]

"Please don't be concerned about change.  I'm very happy to get the gas and I would like for you to accept it."  I had no idea how much had spilled on the ground she might be in big trouble for using the gas pump with a broken hose and wasting so much.  She took it and offered her hand to shake hands and said, "My name is Ann."
I said, "Hi Ann. My name is Piet.  I'm very happy to meet you."  She saw my license plate and asked, "What in the world are you doing in this little farmyard in North Dakota?"  I told her a little about my trip and we chatted for several minutes.
Needless to say, it was another of the nicest encounters I had on the trip.  I thought after leaving that maybe I should keep wandering around this beautiful country meeting nice people like that along the way, and the thought crossed my mind - do I really have to go home?
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 193-4

[Biggles]

I was totally exhausted and I hurt all over, and that fatigue and pain stayed with me for almost two weeks afterwards.  My eyesight, which had been in poor shape for years, was never worse than it was on this trip.  But I'll say to anyone who might ask, "So why do you do it?"  One of the things that comes to mind is Winston Churchill's famous quote during World War II, at the height of the Battle for Britain, soon after a horrendous air raid blitz inflicted heavy damage on the city of London - he said, "Never, Never, Never give in." Herb Gunnison was much more blunt in his book "Seventy Years on a Motorcycle" when he said, "Don't ever let the bastards take it away from you."
I feel much the same about my long distance riding.  Giving up something I've loved doing for most of my life is like surrendering to life itself, which I have no intention of doing - if I can help it.  Travelling alone on the byways of this beautiful country is what I intend to continue doing for as long as I can get my leg over the machine; and for as long as I can still handle the pain - and for as long as my eyesight holds out enough to find my way out of the driveway.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 199-200

[Biggles]

I was up at 4 AM, packed, loaded and out for breakfast by 5:45.  It was cool when I left town with the morning sun glistening on the dew-covered alfalfa fields.  I love smells of early mornings in farm country, especially on a nice two-lane bike road with long vistas and sweeping curves.  The smell of honeysuckle was in air, intermingled with the sour smell of fermenting silage and other odours from the barnyards, and from the crops being exposed to the heat of the morning sun. It was one of those mornings when it feels good to be alive - and riding a motorcycle.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 214

[Biggles]

My most serious problem of the day was when the early-morning sun blinded me so much I couldn't read any of the signs during rush hour traffic coming into Atlanta where I-20 meets the beltway. It was a challenge for my eyesight when all four lanes of traffic were running bumper-to-bumper at a steady 80 mph and I had to switch from I-20 to I-85 without having a clue where the split was, and I was unable to read any of the signs.  It actually went well though.  I relied on my faith to be in the right lane when the time came to dive out of the 80 mph stream of madness into the relatively sedate cloverleaf at the last split-second.
It's tough when you get old, but even tougher when you can't see!  Fortunately, I made some good guesses on which lane to be in and at what split-second to dive for the exit or entry ramps.  I learned a week later that well-known Iron Butt competitor Eddie James was killed on the same highway only a few days before I came through.  Some of the speeds they were travelling are scary, especially when you realize that many are kids still in high school; and others are older people, bordering on senility - all running bumper-to-bumper, four-abreast at 80 mph with the trucks.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 243-4

[Biggles]

The bike was hard starting with the temperature around 14°, and the front brake calipers were frozen, causing the brakes to drag.  The interstate didn't seem that bad, but when I got to the gas station, I couldn't turn the ignition switch off because the lock was frozen in the 'on' position and the key was frozen in the lock.   
My spare key was at the motel, making it impossible to gas up.  So I went back to my room and thawed the lock with a hot wet towel and got the key out, and I decided to deal with the problem in the morning.
The temperature Tuesday morning was 3°, with a wind chill of minus 12.  After walking to breakfast, I loaded the bike and got totally suited up before trying to start it.  I used a hot wet towel to thaw the lock enough to get the key in and turn it.  The starter barely turned over, and I was concerned it would run the battery down before it started.  For at least a full minute, it just popped once and failed to catch.  It took eight or ten tries before it finally started.  When it did, I left the motel wearing just about everything I had with me.  Thank goodness for the electric vest and gloves.  I wore my heavy woolen knee warmers under the riding suit.
Keep Going!  Piet Boonstra p 269-70