You are my sunshine...

The sun did come out for a little while today...but it was after we all got soaked on our Saturday ride. The weather was OK when we left the motel, but only the naive among us thought that would hold out. :)

This is definitely the kind of riding I most enjoy. Hills and valleys, twists and turns, stopping for a good meal and to see some beautiful sights. Had it not been for the rain, it would rank as an almost perfect day.

What's interesting is that I can ride through this type of terrain in Michigan...only it takes longer to get to it than it does to get out here. The western and northern UP have very similar natural characteristics to this area, but it's just as far away from home (well, maybe not exactly, but it feels like it.)

As a lifestyle/hobby/whatever I find one of the things about riding that I most enjoy is that even when you're riding with a huge group of people, you're still a little bit by yourself. You're in a group, but independent of the group. The solitude is a great time for thinking/pondering/dreaming.

Here are some pictures from today's ride.

Pretty bikes, all in a row.


The covered bridge we stopped at for a little gawking.


One lane, you must take turns!


A beautiful view of the river from inside the bridge.


Folks getting ready for the rain, which came down in spades after we left the bridge.


All in all, it was a good day. There were a few minor issues on the ride, but I'll save those stories for another day (or not, since they'd just make some of you worry.)

Tomorrow is a short ride day to the greater Boston area. It will be nice to get some laundry done and have dry pants to wear when I leave for Maine on Monday morning.

Tomorrow is another day, and another road.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:S Main St,Orange,United States

Pictures

Joel & I getting ready to leave his place on Wednesday.



Lunch with Slimbone, Sister Moo, Studly, and me.



Quabbin Reservoir Tower





Slimbone...in profile.



Picture of the picture taker, a must have photo op.



Listening to the Quabbin Reservoir ranger tell his tales.








Back at the Executive Inn, just hanging out.




Finally got my highway peg extensions installed!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone & iPad

I dub thee...

Wednesday and Thursday are behind me...which is for the best. You already know about Wednesday night, but Thursday was just a long hard day.

Let's just put it this way...this is going to be a short trip if the weather doesn't change for the better.

When we finally rolled into Massachusetts, the sun had set. It was getting dark and it started raining again. Then to make matters worse, it got really foggy. We struggled along I-90 for what seemed like forever before we finally got to a travel plaza. After asking around and looking at our maps, we realized we had 10 miles to travel until the first/next exit, where we could then take backroads the rest of the way to our destination. We got back onto the highway, traveling as quickly, but as safely as we could...which means we were doing about 35 to 40 while semis and cars whipped by us at 65. I was riding in back; most motorcycles don't have flashers, so every time a vehicle started approaching us from the rear, I started pumping my brake, hoping to get enough attention to divert them to the left lane instead of plowing into us. We had gone about 3 and a half miles this way when God sent his angel. A good Samaritan pulled in behind me, turned on his flashers, and followed us all the way to the exit. I'm sitting here crying just thinking about it. I have no doubt he may have saved our lives. He never stopped to accept my thanks, I pray that God blesses him tenfold for his great act of kindness.

I'm finding I'm going to have to change my travel plans for another reason, too. There's just no way I can ride 500+ miles per day on this motorcycle. This is my first big trip on it, and I've learned that the kind of travel I had planned, with the hopes of riding out west, are just not going to work. Instead, I will probably grab a hotel in an area for a couple of nights and ride the local roads. I have a feeling that's going to be better anyway. The short ride we took today was a great reminder to me that I really enjoy riding through the hills and valleys, enjoying the scenery, and stopping often enough that the body and the mind have time to relax and unwind. Unfortunately, for me, the Triumph just isn't going to be a good long distance bike. Some guys like to name their motorcycles...Sally, Sue, etc...on long trips, the Triumph has earned the name "Vasectomy."

Pictures are on the way, I promise.

Tomorrow is another day, and another road.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:S Main St,Orange,United States

The rain in Spain...

They say that a journey of one thousand miles begins with a small step...apparently it also begins with cold rain. I don't mind the cold. I don't mind the rain. I hate the combination.

It rained all the way from Jackson to Livonia where I met my riding partner, Joel. We were pretty free and clear of the wet stuff all the way to Toledo, but as soon as we got on the Ohio Turnpike, down it came.

I was thankful many times today for having heated hand grips.

Today totaled about 250 miles, the most I've put on the Triumph in one day. It's a very different motorcycle from my Honda, and I'm going to need to take my time and "learn" how to ride it.

We finally pulled into the hotel about 11:30PM, full of pie (thanks Dave and Cathy) and crossing our fingers hoping that the rain will find some way to leave us alone when we pull out of the parking lot in the morning.

Tomorrow is another day, and another road.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:E 65th St,Cleveland,United States

9...

There's just a little over a week left until launch day arrives.  Not much to write about between now and then.  The burn on my leg from my exhaust is looking gross.  I won't post a picture of it, but it was a little worse than that first picture I posted makes it look.  I'm keeping it dressed and hoping the skin grows back before I leave next Wednesday...or at least grows back enough that I don't need to dress it as well as I am right now.

You may have noticed the map at the top of the blog.  I've had this tracking app on my phone for a long time but never used it.  I was checking it out the other day and realized it would be a great way to help people know where I'm at during my travels.

I still haven't decided if I want to give up any of my packing real estate to take my laptop or not.  I've got my iPad, and I bought a keyboard for it while I was in Louisiana.  It makes it just about all I'd need, with a couple of exceptions.  If I can figure the exceptions out between now and Wednesday, laptop stays home and iPad wins again. :)

In different traveling news, I've been spending a lot of time on the road, even if it hasn't been on my motorcycles.  I got a new truck at the end of March.  In less than 5 weeks I've managed to drive almost 5,000 miles.  For some people that may not seem like much, but over the past 14 years, Sara and I had never put more than 7,000 miles on a car/truck in a year.

Tomorrow is another day, and another road.

Sitting in my big chair...

The first day back home, it's relaxing and comfortable.

The past 6 days included almost 4 full days of driving, over 3,000 miles on the road (both in the truck and on the bike), way too much fast food, a lot of good conversations, fun, and more than a couple hard moments in processing being away from home, the things that were going on back here, and coming back home.

It also gives me a little perspective on what I'm setting myself up for, if I really intend on spending 6 weeks traveling starting 15 days from now.

Things I have to consider:

• Staying in cheap hotels usually means bad beds. Staying in hotels with nice beds will cost more, which I OK, just need to be aware about it upfront.
• I need a better food plan, which might be easier traveling by myself on the bike. Mobility with a truck and trailer really makes finding places to eat that aren't right along the highway less appealing. Riding is more physically exerting than driving, so I'm not as worried about the days I won't be at the Y walking my 3 miles per day.
• I need to find at least one "touristy" thing to do each day. Just riding, sleeping, and eating will end up not being very fun.
• I may not be able to ride as far or as much as I thought I was going to be able to. I think I need to cut my target down from 500 miles per day to about 300. This would allow me to travel at a slower pace and stop to enjoy where I am more often. Trying to make 500 miles per day just means I'm trying to get someplace different than the place I was.
• I probably need to take a couple of long day trips over the next 2 weeks to get ready.

I'm still looking forward to traveling, but the excitement has been tempered a bit by the expereiences of the past week. Fortunately I'm not really on many hard deadlines in terms of travel. At any point I can change my mind, change me path, and change my destination.

Tomorrow is another day, and another road.

Back in the saddle...

Well, up and at 'em. Only 6 hours of driving until we get to my house and drop my bike off, then it's over to Detroit to take Joel home, those extra 3 hours of driving are necessary...and I figure since I like Joel I won't just boot him out and my house and make him ride home in what likes like might be rain. :)

We drove through Alabama on our way home yesterday...wow. The damage from those tornados is just horrific, and I'm sure what we saw along the highway was just the tip of the iceberg. Louisville has apparently had a lot of rain, too. We're staying at the Holiday Inn and when we arrived they said we had to park out in front of the building because the parking lot closest to our room was completely underwater. Eek.

This 6 days from home as been interesting. It's been good to get out into a "new"/different environment. I didn't realize it, but the night I spent in Midland last Friday was the first night away from home since I was at the hospital with Miranda.

The hardest part of the trip (which you'd think would have been the 2,000+ miles I've already driven) has actually been realizing that when I get home, it's just me getting home. No Sara waiting at the door, wanting a hug, a kiss, and a good snuggle to make up for being gone. It's the emotional toll of travel that I've been expecting, and yet, when it hit, it was not easy to handle. It gives me some perspective on my six weeks travel plans that I didn't yet have.

It's raining here today. A quick look at the weather map tells me it's going to follow us at least part of the way home. Another day where it's good to be in the truck, pulling a trailer with the bikes, and not on the bike wishing I was in the truck. :)

Tomorrow is another day, and another road.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:W 10th St,Clarksville,United States