The Long Ride Home

Waiting out yesterdays rain under a bridge

Johnny Cash's Tour Bus

End of the night at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame

This morning in Cleveland, it was "kickstands up" at 6 am. It was cool and seemed strange to be putting jackets on. We looked at all of the weather reports and were sure that we were looking at riding in the rain at least part of the day. As it turned out, we rode with a storm behind us, had a few miles of wet roads in Buffalo but made it all of the way dry. We got to Mexico at about 1 and bid our goodbyes to Charlene-O'Canada- as she still had a 3 to 4 hour trip to get home north of Ottawa. She and Skip-the retired lawyer from Michigan were great riding partners on this trip and I hope to have other opportunities to ride with them.

Poeple magnet!!!

One of the best parts of taking these trips and owning a Harley, and the most fun for me, is the people. Almost without fail, any time you stop be it at the hotel, a rest stop, getting gas etc. people always stop to ask about the bike, where I am from, where I am going and lots of times, how they wish they were along fo rthe ride. It was so neat that when we were staging for the CMA parade in Nashville, people came out of the nearby buildings just because we were there and then when we left they stood on the curb and cheered. Stuff like that happens all of the time and it is so neat!
When I set out on this adventure, I really only had last years Rte 66 trip as a point of reference. As it turns out, this was quite different. While each day of rte 66 was filled with numerous stops along each route, this trip found most of it's interest in each city that we visited and long trips in between. Both trips provided fabulous reminders of the beauty of this great country and a thirst to see more of it. The ride along Skyline and the Blue Ridge are unforgettable both for the challenge and for the beauty of it.  From the almost naughty attitude on Bourbon Street to the genteel southern atmosphere of Memphis, Nashville's country playfulness and the rollicking rock in Cleveland, the trip was day after day of "good vibrations". I'm glad I did it, glad that you shared the adventure with me and as always, glad to be home.

Rain and Rock and Roll

No pictures tonight, left the computer on the bike and too lazy to go and get it. I'll make up for it tomorrow.
Our day started early not to avoid the heat this time but rather to out run the rain. In fact, when we got to the higher elevations this morning, we had to stop and put jackets on, a real departure from the heat of the past 2 weeks.
On the way we saw that there was a dealer called Adventure Harley. Since I am always talking about going on adventures, I had to stop and get a shirt. As it turns out, that was probably the difference that caused us to have to ride the last 30 miles in the rain. No harm though except that the bike needed to be washed-again.
There was a nice reception for us at the hotel this afternoon, drinks and snacks and another chance to compare notes on the tour. Tonight was the grand finale though, a private party at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We had the hall all to ourselves for the entire night and were seved all kind of sinful food-ice cream sundaes, cookies, brownies- you get the picture and we were treated to a night of rock music by one of Cleveland's best bands. The venue could not be more appropriate to the tour though as the roots of rock are found in the other genres that we explored, country, blues and jazz. The Rock and Roll museum is absolutely fabulous and is much more than we could have ever seen in just the few hours that we were there. It is 6 floors and covers everything from the early days of American music to the hip hop of today and explains how it all ties together. The featured exhibit was a crinclof the women of rock and roll which we did go completely through. The museum is another treat from this trip that needs to be included in a future adventure.
Tomorrow it's head east and make a mile home after a dealer breakfast that ends this tour.

Travel Day-Charleston, WV

Today was scheduled to be a travel day that takes us from the Country Music theme that Nashville offered to a Rock and Roll party in Cleveland, with a stop over in Charleston West Virginia.

Very dirty motorcycle!

We started out early again as we were promised more 90 plus degree weather this afternoon. We also decided to "take to the hills" instead of traveling on the interstate. Our route took us up into the hill country of Southern Tennessee, into the Daniel Boon National Forest, and through the coal mining areas of  Tennessee and western West Virginia. It was a really nice ride and we achieved our goal of avoiding the worst of the hot weather. The only problem that we had was a rain storm that lasted for about 1/2 hour. It seems that because these roads are constantly travelled by large trucks hauling coal, they have a coating of coal dust on them and when it rained, our bikes and clothing got coated with a thick grey film of coal.  

When we arrived in Charleston this afternoon, the local dealer hosted a really nice party for us and fed us another meal of barbecued pulled pork with all the right fixings.

So, about the dog I mentioned last night, today, we saw the dog riding on the bike with the guys wife. They tell us this dog is a service dog, we have decided that the dog is running the show.

Tomorrow it is off to Cleveland, a trip of around 250 miles and the last stop on the tour.

Now it's time for Patti's Perspective:

I have just a few words on the highs and lows of motorcycle touring;

Exhilarating and Exhausting; all the beautiful bikes, the speed the wind, meeting new people; the heat, the miles, the long hours

Nirvana and Numb; beautiful scenery, smells and adventure; how your face feels after several hours of hot wind pounds against it and how your legs feel after not moving on the back of the bike.

Contented and Cantankerous; After a long day and you've showered and can go to sleep and reflect on the good things; after the 10th time you get off the bike and your legs don't work and you're hot and tired and the guy you've been sitting behind all day is really getting under your skin but then you remember he's got the keys.

That's it for now, just a few reflections. All in all this is a wonderful experience and the ride has been fabulous!