SPF 100+

So, I need to give Rite-Aid some props. Here's a shout out for their SPF 100+ sunscreen. I've been in the blazing sun for four straight days, for over 6 hours per day, and I still look like Casper, the friendly ghost. OK, I may be exaggerating a little. Yes, I'm from Michigan (Pasty White skin tone should be an actual color in the Crayola Crayon box in that part of the country), but I'm usually burnt to a crisp after my first ride on a sunny day. I do have a bit of color in my face and arms, but it's a healthy light brown, not the crisp red that I normally wear about this time of year. Yay for sunscreen...

...man I hate wearing that stuff. It's thick and greasy and gets all over my clothes and my motorcycle. The finger prints all over the bike are enough to drive me mad and it takes at least two showers to get it all off, only to have to put it right back on the next day...

...and no sunburns.

I had the chance to spend the night with an old friend from high school last night. Got to meet his wonderful wife and his precocious, and darling, little boy. We had a great meal together and got to watch a great game 7 in the NHL playoffs. I had to get on the road right after breakfast this morning to make my intended target for the day, but it was a great diversion from the hotels. It got me thinking that more of us probably need to spend more time visiting people we know and like...the world might be a better place for it.

It did rain today, for about 3 minutes while I was eating lunch. Just enough to get my bike wet enough to warrant wiping 4 days of road grime off and making it look mostly pretty again. Of course, 3 minutes of rain bumped the humidity up about 1000 notches, but hey, who doesn't like to sweat. :)

I also got to ride through the Chesapeake Bay bridge and tunnel system today. The $12.00 toll caught me off guard, but it was worth it. All those miles cruising along just a few yards above the water with a cool stiff breeze blowing a day of baking in the sun out of your system. The tunnel portion isn't particularly exciting, but is was still pretty neat to think that you're just disappearing below those waves, only to reappear on the other side of the tunnel, ready to enjoy a few more miles of riding over the water.

The trip today gave me time to think about what I want to do in between my next stop, the Outer Banks, and my trip out to Portland (which I've decided I'd like to fly to, rather than ride) and I think I may hear the Blue Ridge Parkway calling my name..

Tomorrow is another day, and another road.

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Location:Gateway Ct,Chesapeake,United States