Day 11

I DID IT!!! Planned and rode all the way to CO and back by myself!!!
Made it home at 5:30 today. It was a hot ride today mixed with some thunderstorms. A total of 4256 miles, rode in nine different states over 11 days.

I didn't 'find' myself nor am I forever changed. I am still the same old cynical, passionate, energetic smart ass. heh heh I do have some deep thoughts on the ride, though.

Being alone on the road with my bike for that much time was awesome and the scenery was breathtaking. Really, like with anything else, it is about the people. While it was just me with the bike, there were the people that I met along the way, the friends that I looked forward to seeing again and of course, the friends and family that stayed behind, supporting me all the way. So, I was not really alone.

People were genuinely nice and interested. There was the lady that gave me the thumbs up and said "Nice bike." Although, she probably didn't know one bike from another. The sweet cashier in MS, with her southern drawl, "Look at you little lady riding that big ol bike by yourself, aint you sumpin?" A guy that walked by as I was pumping gas and said "I just bought a Road King, I hope to go on trip soon." He wanted me to know that we shared that common bond that only riders understand. When it started raining yesterday in MS and I could not see three feet in front of me and there was no where to pull over, a trucker stayed close behind while others passed me, was he 'watching' out for me until I found a spot? It seemed so. The high fives I received from my VROC Brothers and Sisters at the rally for making the trek alone made me proud. I could go on and on..............

One of the funnier incidents happened today. Just last night over the phone I told Greg that I was road weary and looked that way, too. Today I started in my usual summer riding attire, tank, jeans and tall boots. It was really hot and miserable today. I spent about three hours on I10, shared by many semi trucks. I got off the interstate at one point to get some gas at the Fyling J truck stop. A guy came over after I finished pumping gas and asked me "Would you do us all a favor?" I was thinking he was a panhandler and going to ask for money. "Who is all of us?" I asked impatiently. "Us, truckers" he said "You need to go to the nearest Wal Mart and buy some coveralls." "Why would I do that", I replied. "You are going to make us drive into a ditch because we can't stop looking at you." LOL!! What a nice thing to say, especially when I was not feeling too good about the way I was looking.

Thanks again to those that have followed the blog, I really enjoyed your comments and emails. Susan, (my sister-in-law), you were my biggest fan and the comments you left were always good for a chuckle.

Until the next ride...........peace to you.

Susan

Waiting out the rain in Hattiesburg, MS.

Day 10

Finally got out of Texas today, really tired of smelling cow manure. :-) rode in TX LA, MS, AL & FL. Got rained on for the first time today, can't believe how lucky I have been. I was near Hattiesburg, MS. It was bad enough that I had to pull over and wait for about an hour for it to lighten up. I stayed dry after that right up until I got close to Mobile, AL.

Transferring from I65 to I10, you go through downtown Mobile. Try doing that at after work rush hour while it's raining, guaranteed to grow hairs on your chest.

The plan was to stay in Pensacola for the final night but all the hotels were filled due to workers for the oil spill staying there. The next big town was Crestview just
east of Pensacola.

Tomorrow will be the final day of my trip

Day 9

Another 520 mile day. I had planned to take a quicker route home, I40 from Amarillo all the way to Memphis in three to four days. I left at 7:00am this morning, it was overcast and chilly, I had on my leather jacket with line, was still cold. After stopping for breakfast, I checked in with Greg and he told me about some really bad weather in OK City that stretched out for a long way. To avoid this, I had to changed my route, a longer route as I am still in Texas tonight, barely, just at the AR line in town called New Boston.

Two more days and I will be home. Above is a pic that I took in OK today. I did not actually go into the park, it just happened to be where I took off my rain gear. Speaking of which, after nine days, I still have not gotten wet, what luck.

Day 8

Left Cortez @ 8:00 am, Sunday. Sure was hard to say good bye to friends that I won't get to see until next year at a rally. I had such a good time.

Made it to Amarillo, TX around 7:00, about 530 miles. As I was leaving the The Big Texan restaurant, I ran into Cheap B and his grand daughter from the rally. They are making their way back to AL and stopped to eat there. It's a small world.

This is a hat that Rainman gave me. He won it in the raffle and already had one.

Day 7

We woke to rain on Saturday and that was pretty much the way went all day. Margot, Melanie and myself had a horse trail ride planned for that day. A guided tour into the canyon. You are allowed to get off the horse and explore some of the Indian ruins. Sounds like fun, too bad it got rained out. The owner called and canceled saying that we would be crossing streams and there was always the chance of flash flooding.

Slept in a bit, socialized and drank some bloody Marys with Margot. We had a group dinner that night and then the raffle. Everyone turns in early that night with the anticipation of an early morning departure.

A pic of the riders.

Day 6

Had a great ride today, saw some beautiful countryside. Thanks to to Joel (Waterman)
for planning, leading and letting ride with him so I could enjoy looking at at all the scenery and not have to worry about the heights. There were five of us on the ride.
We went the San Juan National Forrest and on to Telluride for a nice lunch.

Friday night, lemon drop shots with the gals. Do I have to bother to mention how much fun we had?

Entering CO, whoo hoo!!

Pic from Thursday ride into New Mexico

Day 5

Left Amarillo at 6:00am on Thursday. It was a great day of riding for me as I finally crossed into to NM. It so scenic there, even riding on the interstate. It was hard not to pull off every five miles and take pics of all the landscape, it changes so fast in NM. I also made to CO and the rally. So good to see all my friends that I have not seen in a year, especially after being alone for several days. Only a couple of people knew that I was coming, so they were surprised. A large group of went out for dinner and then the back to the hotel parking lot for drinking and BSing.

Can't believe that I am up at 6:00am this morning, can't seem to adjust to the time changes. Hope to maybe go for ride today but considering the roads and my fear of heights, it will probably be on the back of a friend's bike.

The internet connection at this motel is really bad, can't even load up any pics. I will try again later

This was a sign at a rest stop in Texas.

Here are some pics from Wed.

Day Four

All is well, made it to Amarillo. No Wi Fi at the motel, next door at bar, battery is about to give up. Will update tomorrow if time allows. 560 miles to Cortez on Thursday, going to be a long, hot day.

People in Texas sure are proud of their state and the shape of it. It is everywhere. This is a stepping stone outside of the DQ in Clarksville, TX. I thought is was funny.

Today I finally got my 'Road Food' must have. I don't know what is up with the folk in AL, MS or AR but I never saw a DQ, they have lots of them in Texas. Can't believe that I have gotten in over 1300 miles before I got my chili dog. LOL

There was no where to pull over when I crossed the TX line but I did manage to get a Texas road sign.

Day 3

Left the motel at 8:00 this morning and landed in Wichita Falls, TX @ 4:00 pm.
Just got done with a swim, felt good to cool off after riding all day. Got in 331 miles today, have I mentioned yet how hot Texas is, maybe even hotter that FL?

Another dry day for me,how long can my luck hold out, I keep wondering? 82 was all two lane road except for an area where it would go four lanes for passing. A lot of semis use this route. It was very nice through AR but the scenery in this part of Texas looks a lot like the scenery on Rt 60 in FL. Lots and lots of pasture land, just a bit more hilly.

Tomorrow will be my shortest day, only 231 miles to Amarillo, where I plan to stay the night and re-visit the The Big Texan. Was there a couple of years ago and it was a hoot. A tourist trap but a fun tourist trap, none the less. I don't think I will be taking on the 72oz steak challenge though. http://www.bigtexan.com/

Thanks for the emails regarding this blog and those that joined as followers.
I appreciate your interest.
P.S.for my 'gun friend': No worries, the 38. is fully loaded and in the tank bag or next to my bed. :-)

Day 2

Today was total opposite of the ride yesterday. Got started later and did not get in nearly as many miles. This was a better day of riding, while 82 is a major road,
it is much more scenic than 175 or I10. Sometimes it four lanes out in farm country and you can run 65mph, sometimes it is two lane with a few sweeping curves. Yahoo :-)
One portion of the hwy (about 50 miles) had terrible road joints. Imagine going 65 over mini speed bumps every quarter mile. This wreaked havoc on my luggage, every jolt made the luggage slip, no matter how tight I tried to make it. This caused me to make
several stops which ate up a lot of time. It's all good, though, as this is not an Iron Butt Ride.

Rode along the MS River for a bit, that was very enjoyable. BTW, I don't think MS men have seen many women on motorcycles, I can tell this by all the horn honking I received today. LOL!!!

Total mileage today was only 323. The weather gods smiled upon me again, bright blue skies with no rain in sight. Started out cool at 8:15 but was rather hot by 2:00pm. Stopped about 4:30 in El Dorado, AR. Time for a shower and get some dinner

Day 1

Only one picture taken today but a very important pic after riding 696 miles in the heat. Left the house @ 6:45, hit Lake City at 10:30 and with the central time change, I was in Pensacola @ 2:30. That was way too early to stop and I heard from
a another rider at a gas stop how bad the traffic was in Mobile. I did not want to get into that on a Monday morning, so I kept going. Took a little detour...........OK,
I got lost after that. Cost me about 50 miles all in all. Once I got back on track, I was out in the boonies with no motels until I arrived here, which is Meridian, MS.

There was a strong head wind going across the state on I10, my gas mileage sucked, I guess having a 100 lbs worth of luggage doesn't help either. :-) My gas light would come on 122 miles instead of 144.

I dodged a lot of rain today, never got wet but rode on a lot of wet roads, so I feel lucky. It was an awesome day of riding, I was at one with my bike. Probably will sleep in a bit tomorrow, not sure where I will be stopping. Life is good.

Here is a map of the route I plan to take to Co. My tentative plan is to make it to Pensacola, FL, Sunday evening.

BTW, you can click on each pic in the blog to make it larger.