We haven't done that in a LONG time...

No, not that.  We still do that.

When questions about the V-Strom came up after posting that I'd have it for sale, I did offer to meet someone "half way" (within reason).  If they wanted to do a "fly, buy, and ride away", I offered to pay for half of the plane fare.  I understand that the Tropical Tip is a LONG ways from anywhere.

The gentleman who said, "I'll take it," after I posted the photos lives in Colorado... and not the close edge of Colorado.  When discussion this situation with friends, Joan said, "Jim is a man of his word - we are going to make a long drive to help get the bike to its new owners."

I'm sure glad she understood.

We hauled ass.  I haven't done that in years.  Joan did it two years ago when she came to Iowa to be with me during my Mother's last hours.  She is tough - she did it with only Izzy for company.  I was fortunate: although I told Joan I'd do the trip solo, she said, "No way - Izzy and I are coming."  We decided to scrap a night in a motel and just make the miles.  It was an "all nighter".

Yeah, amazing what you can do when you do it together.

The highlights:

We left in the dark.  I don't really care to drive in the dark, anymore.  Oh sure, the traffic is less, but there are many suicidal animals out there.  Off we went.

We were an hour out before our first stop...

Little Izzy is a great traveler; she was a bit concerned this trip: there was no 5th wheel or boat behind the truck...

She said, "There's NO WAY the three of us are going to get any rest on that thing!"  Joan had packed Izzy's food and a disposable litter box.  Little Iz could see that there wasn't going to be anything laid back about this trip.  Come to think of it, there was a time or two when I wished I had my own little box along the way... but, I digress.

We met the buyers at a predetermined place; exchanged introductions, got the bike out of the truck, he took it for a short ride, we did the paperwork, helped him get it loaded on his bike trailer, wished them luck and safe riding... and hit the road.

We knew we had a couple hours of daylight left, so we were making miles.  We have covered most of this terrain in the past, so there wasn't any sight-seeing we wanted to do.  I was fascinated by the sheer number of wind generators we passed...

After the sun went down, all the red lights on those huge things blinked mostly in unison.  Quite a sight.

The rest was an endurance run.  We took turns driving.  Mother Nature rained on us... several times... heavy at times.  Both directions.  23 hours of driving.  One hour of "bike swapping."  Quick stops for fuel, food, and potty.  Plenty of time for discussion.  Satellite radio... remember the "old days" of having to switch radio stations every 30 miles?  Yeah, satellite is a much better solution.

The buyers are nice people.  They are planning to use the bike the way it should be used.  There is an old saying about "the two happiest days in a boater's life."  Some could say the same thing about motorcycles... I have always enjoyed the bikes that that have ridden through our lives.  Darn sure I don't intend to be in the bike deliver biz, though.  ;-)