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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

This blog will start off with a Harley Owner's group chapter ride to Helen, Georgia; an annual trip we make. This year, we head out on September 27th. Then the "3M" part comes in -- a solo "shortcut home" through Maine, Michigan and Minnesota. Another name for this trip could easily be my "Looking for Leaves" ride!

Stay tuned. Updates will follow almost daily.

THURSDAY, Sep 27
(AL and GA)

First day of the trip. I hooked up with Calvin and Molly Nelson and Jim Penner to ride to Helen. And it was a great trip. Even though we went right through the heart of Atlanta, the traffic was remarkably light and moving right along. We came up by way of Gainesville, GA, and then back roads the rest of the way. Those "back roads" included the obligatory course deviation. (No, we weren't lost. Our GPSs always told us where we were in relation to where we'd hoped we were. Ultimately, the GPS ladies won the arguments and we found Helen.)

In preparation for Friday night's social gathering, I split from our "group" in Cleveland, GA, and checked out our food sources. An Ingall's grocery has about half of what we need, a nearby Domino's has pizza and wings, and a Subway can make up a party platter. Once at the hotel, we discussed our needs and I ordered our refreshments for tomorrow. A big load off my mind. I'm starting to think we might actually pull this social get-together off!

Overall, a great day. Perfect weather, light traffic, great friends, and had a great time relaxing at the hotel. We finally decided it was time to eat (what, again??) so went next door for some great Mexican foods. At dinner, Tim Russo (our beloved Harley dealer) talked about his recent sporting event -- Goose Fishing. Sorry, you'll have to ask him about that!

We'll take a ride somewhere tomorrow morning, then start getting things ready for our big party.

Yeah, life is good. More tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the photos for this Blog segment at: (This is giving me a hard time...it'll work eventually.)

FRIDAY, Sept. 28

Another hectic but fun-filled day. Several of us were going to take a leisurely ride through the local hills; but when Calvin tried to roll his bike out the parking spot, it wouldn't budge. Flat tire. About 10 of us surrounded his bike and watched as Tim (or dealer) came to the rescue with a tire pump. (Yes, it really does take that many of us to get something done.) We got it inflated, and I followed him about 40 miles to the nearest dealer. He got the tire replaced, and we headed back toward Helen. But at the first intersection, he turned right -- and his saddlebag went straight. I chased it down; but by then it was seriously scratched up. We got it reinstalled, then limped BACK to the dealership to discuss the less-than-perfect work done by their technician in securing the parts back to his bike. Fortunately, the dealer pulled a saddlebag off a new showroom bike and replaced his now blemished bag, and we were finally on the way back.

While sitting around the dealership, the snack machine caught my eye. Having skipped breakfast, one Reese's candy bar looked awfully good. 60 cents. Okay. So I dropped in my money and hit E-9. The money clanked, the machine hummed, the little springy dispenser turned. Then the world got quiet. Nothing moved. Not the money, not the machine, not the little springy dispenser thing, and not the damn candy bar. Banging on the machine only pissed the machine off. NOT to be deprived of my candy bar, I fed in another 60 cents. Money clanked, machine hummed, dispenser turned, and would you believe two candy bars fell out? Well, I thought they would. But NOOOOOOO. Only ONE fell out. So it cost me $1.20 for the damn thing. But I had my prize. Yes, sir. All mine. And all melted. So I sat down and quietly drank my candy bar and sent nasty glances over to that stupid machine. It didn't care.

That chewed up most of the day for us. But we got back just in time to head down to Cleveland, 10 miles down the road. That's where the nearest signs of civilization were noted, and where we ordered the food for our party. We picked up all the fixing's -- 20 pizzas, 250 wings, Subway wraps, veggie tray, cookies, chips and more. Then back to the hotel and hoped folks would show up.

They did. We had about 60 folks show up for the evening's social get-together. Just what we'd planned for. So everything worked out swell. (That means "good," for those of you too young to remember several decades past.) By the way, I think the most we've ever had attend one of our annual Helen outings was about 40-45 people; that was last year, and included a lot of folks from our "sister chapter" in Florida. This year it was just our group -- so 60 really shattered the records. Cool.

So we had a great time all day today, in one way or another. Still, it's not about the motorcycles, it's about the friends. And that's cool, too.

Now, I wonder what tomorrow will bring! We'll see.

SATURDAY, Sept. 29

Another beautiful day in northern Georgia. Weather was absolutely perfect, and Tim led a group of 14 bikes around some of the most beautiful roads in the area -- some roads I've never seen before.

Of course, the day's ride wasn't all perfectly planned. We had numerous U-turns and mystery roads. And at one point, I knew we were in trouble when someone on the radio way up ahead of me said, "Tim, I think we're in someone's driveway!" We were. We were about a mile and a half down this road when it suddenly ended at some guy's house. Oh well. Another U-turn and we were off in search of more scenic roads.

We stopped for lunch at a little restaurant that I'd have never found had it not been for Tim's knowledge of the area. It was built in an old house, and we got seated on a small glassed-in porch overlooking the woods. The food .... That was the most Dear-God-I've-Died-And-Gone-To-Heaven stuff I've seen in years. Great food and a really wide variety. I'd never heard of fried dill pickles, but with dipping sauce, they were truly awesome. They also had another specialty; Sweet Potato Fries with Cinnamon Sugar. Also awesome.

We got back just in time for the rest of the group to go eat -- and they wanted me to join them -- and I was still full from lunch! So I declined and will get this updated on the Internet.

Tomorrow morning we'll be leaving. Most heading back to Alabama. I'll ride with Bill Marshall back into North Carolina where he now lives. Then we'll see where I decide to go next....and when.

SUNDAY, Sept. 30
(GA and NC)

No pictures today, but that's not because there wasn't anything to take pictures OF. What a magnificent drive. I left Helen with Bill Marshall -- one of my favorite riding buddies (I don't want to take sides... -- and his wife Ann (who followed in their monster truck). Aside from the whole "oil slick" episode leaving the city, the trip was gorgeous. The clean, clear air, the clear blue skies, the rolling mountains covered with trees, the hint of Fall everywhere, cool temperatures, light traffic -- what else could you ask for. Until we hit I-40, it was absolutely incredible. Every bit as good as Tim's "driveway ride" yesterday.

We rounded corners that made the GPS get lost, rolled down valleys straight out of an artist's studio, cruised past picturesque homes and streams, and pretty much had the road -- and seemingly the world -- to ourselves. But when we got to the Interstate, we agreed to just "high-tail it" to Statesville where Bill & Ann live. Nearing their house we stopped at a local Mexican food place for a quick bite -- and again, great food. (I'm beginning to think these Harley riders have never heard of Taco Bell!)

And on the ride through the North Carolina countryside, I got to see something Bill couldn't -- but maybe Ann did. Leaves are already falling, and sometimes dozens lay in the roadway. As Bill motored down the road through those leaves, they floated up and swirled in the bike's wake. It was poetry in motion, and one of the little joys of Fall. Wish I had a picture of it....but it'd never do it justice.

Got to their house about 4:00 this afternoon, and spend a couple hours just "chillin'" on their patio. If you want to know what it's like to live in (or near) heaven, stop by and visit Bill and sit on their patio. I felt like I was alone in an exclusive park. SO nice. And they're both such wonderful, sharing folks -- so thanks you two! I really appreciate the opportunity to visit your little "shack"!

Then I headed off, hoping to get an hour or two closer to Norfolk for the night. Ann and Bill have me an early Christmas present -- a "Tenting Guide to North Carolina." So when the sun started to set, I got out the book to find a neat camp site. Wouldn't you know it, all the sites listed were back behind me, and nothing really close to my route. So I had to rely upon points stored in my GPS. I went to the first site, about 5 miles off the highway, only to find it'd closed a half-hour ago. So I searched again, and found one back near the Interstate in Greensboro, NC. So after taking about 6 miles of back roads in what appeared (okay, I admit it was dark by now) to be in the middle of nowhere, I found the site. They were open, had a site, and I got settled. This campground "out in the middle of nowhere" ended up being about 200 yards from the Interstate. I look forward to all sorts of interesting sounds tonight as I try to get to sleep! Well, at least it'll be easy to get back on the road tomorrow! (Okay, I'm making a huge assumption there.)

At the moment, I suspect the temperatures here are in the low 60s, and heading for the high 40s tonight. As I was setting up the tent, I almost kicked myself for carting along my little "ceiling fans" for the tent. At these temperatures, who'd need 'em?!? As it turned out, I've got one going already. Even at 60, this little tent heats up pretty quickly even with just body heat. However, it's SO much more comfortable than the camping I did earlier this summer. I will not complain.

No hot spots tonight, but I may try to find one tomorrow sometime. If so, I'll update this to the Internet. If not, well, you'll have already figured out that I posted it later! Good night, Gracie!

MONDAY, Oct 1
(NC and VA)

Lucky you. Another day without photos -- and little to write/read about!

Set my alarm for 6:30 this morning so I could get a run on getting to Hampton, VA, by lunch. Did you know how dark it is over here at 6:30 a.m.? Forget it. So I went back to bed.

Left in the almost-dark, and in the cold. Finally time to break out the heated gear! At least in the morning. By afternoon, it was shirt-sleeve riding again, and in beautiful weather.

Got to Hampton just in time to take my dear friend Robin Ives to lunch. As with every other trip up here, our discussion started off, "Where do you want to go to eat?" "I don't care; wherever you want to go." "But you should decide. What do you feel like eating?" "I don't know, anything I guess. Whatever you want to eat." ... and on. We finally settled on a Mexican place. But when we got there, she pointed out a new Chinese place, and there was a Ruby Tuesday next to that. "Should we go to the Chinese place instead? I've never been there." "I don't care. If you want to, that's fine." So we proceeded to kill most of her lunch break deciding on Mexican, again. Anyway, had a great visit.

Then I got settled in a local municipal campground. I think there's some 380+ camp sites here. And I think I'm the only one here. Talk about quiet!

Went in to visit my sister in Portsmouth, and stayed there gabbing and eating until after bedtime. Will go back tomorrow for more.

Got back to the campsite and was greeted by three deer. They're still wandering around nearby, just watching me. It's okay as long as they stay outside the tent!

Okay, so I had to get up in the middle of the night. If you have to ask why.... Anyway, I crawled out of the tent and turned on my little light to its lowest setting. There in the dark, four sets of yellow-green eyes stared back at me, all from less than 100 yards. We had a nice chat (I chatted, they watched). Finally I went back inside and they continued doing whatever yellow-green eyes do in the dark.

TUESDAY, Oct 1
(VA)

I started off the day heading to the Hampton Air Power Park and Museum. The museum itself was closed (at 10 a.m.? whatever...) but the outdoor park was open to view. Wasn't sure what to expect, but honestly expected more than I got. A number of interesting aircraft and air/space vehicles on display, but none in good shape. Almost looked like a scrap yard -- except those places take better care of their toys. Anyway, it was an interesting diversion.

Then I headed toward another "Roadside Attraction" (found this on the Internet, too). On the way, I went across a bridge that crossed the bay. Saw a container ship heading out. Huge container ship. I've seen shows on TV about them, and they were huge. But to see one fully loaded in person ... wow. I'm amazed it can even move. Also saw a number of other ships docked around the bay - all very interesting. Saw two ships that looked like aircraft carriers. Either that, or they were two relatively small continents in dry dock.

After a significant drive, I found Mr. Gorilla. He's a "roadside attraction" found at the Ocean Breeze Water Park. Honestly, I'd forgotten what I was looking for, and my GPS's waypoint only showed me the location of where I was going. But when I rounded the corner, all doubt was erased. Can't hardly miss this dude!

Then I headed back over to my Sister's house (yes, and Bill's) for the remainder of the day. While my GPS was showing me a route back, I got to gawking at some of the ships in the nearby yards, and missed a corner. Not to worry, though -- the GPS recalculated a new route and displayed it to me. But by the time I saw it, I'd missed the corner it wanted me to take. By the time I looked at the road and back down, it'd recalculated yet another route.... This thing is fast. But it took me right where I needed to go! (I'm being very careful not to piss of this Garmin lady.)

At Es/Bill's, we had a great time chatting, bird watching, rice-crispy-bar-eating, and eating more substantial foods. Nice way to spend a day!

Back at the campground, I felt completely abandoned. I only saw two glowing green eyes in the dark -- not the several sets of glowing yellow-green that I'd seen before. This time, only a cat watched me back to my tent. I'll survive.

WEDNESDAY, Oct 3
(VA)

Headed west out of Newport News toward Richmond, VA. Stopped at the address where my old boss, Neil Karn, gave me. Nobody home. I'm not even certain he still lives there. But I saw a nice house -- with its cat!

Then I headed west over the little mountains. Along the way, I saw a flock of Canadian Geese flying over the roadway and parallel with traffic. We didn't seem to bother them as we drove under them. And they were so low I could make out individual feathers. You know, with their necks stretched way out and their wings digging for air, they're really large birds!

I got near the southern end of the Shenandoah National Park (a destination for later) and headed south -- to another roadside attraction. It's called Foamhenge. An artist created an exact replica of Stonehenge out in the middle of a hay field using large blocks of Styrofoam. Actually, despite the tacky nature and the obvious degradation and weathering over the years, it was quite interesting. Well worth the stop.

Then I headed back east through a few interesting, twisting back roads to the Blue Ridge Parkway; which I followed north to Shenandoah National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway just must be the best motorcycle road in the country, if not the world. I mean, really: great road in good condition, gentle curves almost every inch of the way with a few tight turn-backs just for fun, awesome views, beautiful trees and foliage, magnificent rock formations, speed limit of a steady 45 mph, NO stop signs or slow downs, no cost to drive it, and relatively little traffic. And it stretches on and on for something like 6,000 miles. And has only one gas station. But it's worth it.

Somewhere along the Parkway I stopped to take a picture of a sign. I pulled off into the edge of a grassy field and stopped. I was suddenly and viciously attacked by a hoard of man-eating butterflies. Okay, so maybe they weren't man-eating, and maybe they weren't so vicious, but they were interested. They swarmed around me, landed on the bike, landed on me, made me feel like I was in an animated movie. I think maybe they were just SO happy to see a large animal that wasn't interested in eating them.

I've got a Golden Access Pass with the National Park Service, so I got into Shenandoah for free - normally a $15 fee. Like the Parkway, this is one long, winding, beautiful road. Speed limit only 35, but that's fine. About 100 miles of awesome riding. Several places I encountered cars parked smack in the middle of the road. After the first incident, I knew what to expect. They were bear watching. I managed to see two bears as I rode along. One was foraging for food in the low brush, and the other was .... well, let's just say he answered that age-old question.

I made it to one of the campgrounds in Shenandoah National Park. I lost count of how many deer I've seen today, and most of them in this park. They obviously are "acclimated" to humans - I got within about 3 feet of one while she stood there eating -- and watching me. So far they've eluded my camera, but I've still got tomorrow morning to try.

Supposed to drop down to 50 tonight, so this should be the coolest campsite yet! Good night!

THURSDAY, Oct 4, MONTH-DATE
(VA, DC, MD, and PA)

Okay, so shoot me. I didn't get to a WiFi spot to upload the latest changes. I meant to -- in fact, I stayed up late last night adding words and pictures. But after "getting my clock cleaned" today in Arlington, VA, I just wasn't in the right mind.

After riding the beautiful roadways yesterday, I started getting to the point where I wasn't sure if I was going up a hill or down a hill -- or just going level. After a while, it all looks relative. That's fine while riding. NOT when putting up a tent. I pitched tent on a gentle patch of ground in the park campground. I realized my blunder when, thanks to a slippery-sided sleeping pad, very slippery sleeping bag, and my other non-sand-paper bedding, I kept sliding down to the foot of the tent. All night. I didn't know it sloped that much. Obviously I was wrong. Duh.

Anyway.... I got up at the crack of dawn today, which seems to be around 7:00. I woke up at 6:15, and damn, it's dark here. Whatever, it gave me a good head start on the day. I had another 20 miles of the Shenandoah's Skyline Drive to finish, so did that. Got some great morning pictures, as you'll see.

One place in particular was "stunning" -- and that's not even close to the right word. As I descended, I started getting into more hardwood forests. At one spot, I found myself driving down a straight stretch of road. On either side, huge, majestic hardwoods - no pines or scrub brush under them. Almost manicured beneath these elms, oaks, and whatevers. Branches forming a complete canopy over the road. Sunlight sifted through the branches in little streams, dotting the roadway for a mile in front of me. Cool, clear air. No other traffic. I was a good 1/4 mile down the road when I realized I'd stopped breathing. I've never had that happen before. It was simply incredible.

Then I headed toward Washington, DC. My primary goal was to see the Iwo Jima Memorial (US Marine Corps Monument). I'd seen it years ago, and was incredibly impressed. This time -- equally incredibly impressed. This is one you just have to see. The detail, the accuracy, the power. You can see veins on the guys' hands as they struggle with the flag. You can almost see the sweat. Amazing.

Next was a quick pass by the Pentagon. Quick. Hey, that's all you need. Seen it in pictures? Seen it in person. Big building.

Then I decided to check out the new Air Force Memorial -- new just a year or two ago as I recall. I followed signs until I saw it, then continued following signs. Then as I rode right below it, I saw the driveway into the memorial, with the guard shack beside it and the hours of operation posted in the window. An SUV ahead of me had stopped to talk to the guard, then rolled ahead inside. The guard returned inside the shack, and I moved ahead behind the SUV. The result was not what I expected.

It seems the guard didn't see me behind the SUV. And it seems this wasn't a public entrance, but a special-permit entrance. And it seems there are huge steel barricades that shoot up from under the pavement when the guard flips a switch. And since I didn't know about those, and the guard didn't know about me ... well, let's just say I came to an extraordinarily abrupt stop. Fortunately I was only going about 5-10 mph when I hit nose-first into one of the barricades. All I remember is a crashing sound and the bike tossing me off to the side. Oh well. A few more bent Harley parts, a lot of frayed nerves, a broken nose, and a rather mangled pair of sunglasses. (I knew I should have brought along a spare pair.) To my luck, an EMT was walking by on his way to a ceremony at the memorial and even helped me pick up the bike. He pronounced me alive and pretty lucky. Anyway, about 45 minutes later, I was up and going again, checking out the new memorial.

Afterwards, I still wanted to check out the rest of Arlington National Cemetery. If you're not aware, the place is huge with lots of special-interest locations. My goals there were to see Kennedy's grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. Saw more stuff on the way. You can check out the photos yourself. Pretty somber place -- "sacred ground" is how they phrase it on their signs. True.

Once back on the road, I headed Out Of Dodge -- getting as much distance from D.C. as I could and as quickly as I could. Busy place, too much traffic, and too many dangerous tourists (obviously, I have to include myself in there).

Decided to stop a bit early tonight to relax. My head still has some cobwebs loose in there. Tomorrow I'll head further northwest into Pennsylvania to the site of the United Flight crash from 9/11. Then back toward the east coast. But for now, sleep. I'll do my best to get this uploaded tomorrow (Friday).

FRIDAY, Oct 5
(PA)

Started riding fairly early again -- about 8:00. Seems like no matter what time I get up, I'm always on the bike precisely at 8:00. I should start sleeping in until 7:50! But this morning, I noticed I was somewhat sore in places that I wasn't yesterday. Guess that sudden stop jolted me more than I thought.

I crossed through an area known as the Laurel Highlands, and I can assure you that Fall has arrived in this part of PA. Beautiful...and it's just starting. The foliage gets better with each passing day and each passing 100 miles or so. While on a side road (I think it was highway 30, called "Lincoln Highway"), I passed the Old Log Church - built in 1806. I just had to stop and take a couple photos. Pretty cool old building; but even cooler grave markers. Many date back to the early 1800s, though some are so weathered that they're now bare.

I moved along to the reason for this westward diversion -- the temporary United Airlines Flight 93 memorial, standing on the original site since just after its downing on 9/11/01. It's a pretty remarkable place. While I got there about 9 a.m. on a Friday morning, I still wasn't alone. Folks there came from New Jersey, Delaware, and a couple other places. It was interesting to see what folks left behind at the memorial. Some wrote messages on the guard rails around the parking lot; others wrote on stones or posts in the area. Some left personal effects, some left gifts (stuffed dolls, toys, whatever they seemed to have at the time of their visit). Some brought specially crafted signs and tributes, others left clothing with messages scribbled on them. Hats, tokens, pins, statues, jewelry, . . . the list is almost endless. And the theme was always the same; "You'll never be forgotten."

Connie, are you still printing this stuff out?

From there I went on up to Mechanicsburg, PA, to see a "friend" of mine. He's a guy I worked with -- by phone -- while I worked at Regions. (Cindi, this was our old acquaintance Patrick Gridley at KP.) We developed an interesting long-distance friendship, so I thought I'd surprise him by stopping in. And he was surprised. He proudly took me around and introduced me to everyone. He said almost none of their clients actually visit their company, so he wanted to show off his "old" client. Made his day.

I also found a WiFi spot at a McDonald's, and decided I'd pony up the $2.95 for 2 hours just to catch up on my e-mails, blog, photos, and other on-line stuff. So I'm very glad you're reading this ... makes it worth spending that much money at McDonalds and NOT getting food for it.

Then I made a short trip to York, PA, where there's a Harley manufacturing plant. I've been there before, but since I was SO close... Got to see (again) where bikes like my Ultra Classic are born on the one-hour tour.

From there, I went straight down the street to the local Harley dealer. I needed my oil and filter changed, and they managed to get me worked right in. While sitting in the customer lounge, it gave me enough time to work on RH's web site. (For those who don't know, I'm now "employed" as webmaster for our District Attorney's web site. The pay sucks, but I get to work with the nicest folks!)

That all pretty much chewed up the day. I headed east toward New York, and stopped somewhere in PA at a campground truly out in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea where I'm at. But it'll do until morning.

Bro, just a follow-up on the micro-fiber towel Ive got for me. It's working great. Dries fast, unless the humidity is 100% like it's been the last two nights. Still, it beats anything else I've used -- hands down.

***A reminder *** The photos can be found at the link way up top of this report.

SATURDAY, Oct 6
(PA, NJ, NY)

Ah, the quiet campground. This place was in the wilderness, and was really dark and quiet. I set up the tent without the shell -- no rain forecast, and wasn't to get TOO cold.

I was awakened this morning at 5:15 -- rudely awakened. **PLOP***!! Big old drop of water right through the mesh top and smack onto the side of my head. As I laid there trying to figure out what'd happened, a few more smaller plops elsewhere inside. No rain. Dew. 100% humidity, heavy fog. And water had started to condense on the leaves above me. So I had to get up and pull the top over the tent. Then back to sleep. But my "tent home" now has a new name -- the Dew Drop Inn. Yeah, I know; not original at all. But did you ever wonder where that phrase came from? Maybe it came from a tenter?

I headed up the Pennsylvania Turnpike until it turned into the New Jersey Turnpike. Want something to keep your mind occupied? Try driving on either of these roads. Heck, any road in New Jersey or New York for that matter. Complete insanity on the highways. The most rude, inconsiderate, aggressive, vengeful drivers I've seen yet. Bar none. Almost without exception, too. And the worse may be the state police, who drive like Rambo on LSD.

All along these turnpikes they have "service centers" where you can get gas, food, and other luxuries of the road without leaving the toll roads. (Spell that "captive audience.") But don't sell these places short. They're a Mecca of activity -- and I'm convinced these New Jersey folks live for their weekend trips to the Service Plazas. Some go shopping, some set up lawn chairs in the parking lot and tailgate, some stand around talking to long-lost friends, some are waiting for the next flight (okay, THEY may be lost), some use the area as their pet exercise and grooming sanctuary, some perform maintenance on their vehicles, and the list goes on. And the people themselves are strange -- perhaps just short of the Twilight Zone. I saw two gals talking to each other in the lobby of the center. Talking to each other. At the same time. All four lips moving, all four arms flapping, expressions going back and forth, two heads nodding ... I'm not sure anyone was listening; but they both said a lot! In short, these centers are like a cross between an International Airport, Disney World, an asylum gone astray, demolition derby, any hobby shop, and any State Fair - including the "sideshow freaks."

And traffic inside these service areas? Complete uncontrolled chaos. No rules. No direction to traffic flow (except the two ramps). Go whenever, wherever. No signals needed, no rights of way to worry about. Pedestrians beware. Heck, everyone beware. Insane. And the fog was still with us, so this make it even harder to identify the drivers who hit you.

But the traffic in New York city is even worse. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the painted lines on the road mean nothing, signs (stop, yield, etc.) mean nothing, traffic lights mean almost nothing (they actually let pedestrians survive here); there are no speed limits, no rules or protocols, and everyone has the right of way all the time. I was once in a single lane of traffic, and had two drivers trying to cut me off at the same time -- one from either side. One had come down off the curb and wanted into the stream with the rest of us salmon, and the other had just stopped going the wrong way down the opposing lane. I guess I looked like an easy target. I let 'em both in.

And the Holland Tunnel. While the tunnel itself is a cool experience, getting into it is another matter. In either direction, you have about 12 lanes of traffic that have to narrow down to the two-lane tunnel. How? I still have NO idea how it's done. There's absolutely NO traffic control devices of any kind -- no lane signs, no lane markings on the road, no lights, no traffic cops. Just un-orchestrated mayhem. Push, shove, squeeze, and honk your horn a lot.

I'm most likely going to suffer PTSD after this little episode.

Anyway, I went first to Liberty State Park -- on the Jersey shore just opposite the Statue of Liberty. Still a bit foggy, and a lot smoggy. So never got a real good view. Was thinking of taking the ferry over to Ellis Island, but they had signs posted that there were "no more entries today" into the Statue herself. Hey, if I can't get into Lady Liberty's skirt, why go? So I opted to save the $18 for tolls. (Which already had cost me more than gas, food and camping combined.)

Then I went on over to Manhattan to find "Ground Zero" of the World Trade Centers. GPSs don't work real well amongst all the sky scrapers; and half the roads are under construction in that area, so maps are useless anyway. I finally got to ride BY the site. Lots of construction, and they've blocked off spectators' views from the sidewalks. If there's a viewing point, I never found it. No matter. I saw the hole, the workers making progress on whatever comes next, and made it out of town alive.

I rolled northward out of New York city and into the upper regions. Had a few scenic roads mapped out to ride. Stopped at another McD's to eat and (at another $2.95 for WiFi access) update my journal and photos.

Again, no rain forecast for tonight. At least, not in the "normal elevations" in the area. Obviously here in the Catskills Mountains it's different, it started sprinkling just after I'd set up in my tent. So out I go, put the top on. Just then the wind came up, so I quickly staked it down before climbing back in. It's been raining heavily now for about an hour. Better now than when I try to ride these roads. Hope it stops before I go take my shower -- I'd hate to get wet after I get clean. (Huh?)

Tomorrow I head further east. I'll see. Haven't finished riding in these Catskills yet!

SUNDAY, Oct. 7
(NY, MA, CT, RI, NH, and ME) [Only VT to go!]

Hey, aside from New York, they're all tiny states!

Got up early this morning and headed out of the park. Partly. Got as far as the gate -- which was padlocked shut. Apparently they don't let people out until later in the morning! No problem. A little grass on either side of the big gate was all I needed, thank you very much.

Rained several times last night, so the tent's soaked on the outside. Hopefully it'll dry tonight. And no rain during the ride today. However, it was mostly cloudy and cold. Had to break out the heated gear again. Still, between the foggy mist, the cloud cover, and the cold, it wasn't the best of days for riding. Still, I made it where I planned to go. Only place I skipped was Hyannis, MA, which I bypassed. A gal I used to work with works there, but since it's Sunday, I knew she wouldn't be around. And I just found out it's also a three day weekend. Where was I when that was announced. No wonder traffic's so heavy.

Just up the road from the campground (still in the Catskills) I ran across a number of local artisans. One had some very unique art projects made primarily from old car parts; but other metals as well. Photos are a small sampling. Forgive me, but I took a lot. Thought they were really cool.

There was some kind of major incident on the main highway I was traveling, and the local authorities waved everyone over onto back roads -- assuming we all knew where we were going, I guess. Not me. But I ended up on some really small, out-of-the-way roads, mostly single-lane, most so covered with leaves they were almost hidden. But SO cool. Beautiful rides for about 40 miles, just going nowhere. I hope the people living there know how nice they have it!

Then I headed for my encounter with Lake Chaubsn.... Chaubugss.... Chaugubugg.... Oh, hell, I don't know how it's spelled. Check out the photos. The lake is unremarkable. The name, however, sets records.

While cruising the back roads around there, I stumbled onto an interesting marker -- actually several. The states used them to identify their borders on back roads. They were created and placed there in 1900, and stand there today, seen by very few people -- since these roads are seldom used and well hidden. Check out the photos, too.

Later, I rode to Boston, then Under Boston, and then beyond. But the under part was very interesting. A tunnel about 2 miles long takes the Interstate under the downtown area. Very nice tunnel - 4 lanes in my direction. But what struck me most interesting were all the on- and off-ramps inside the tunnel. Other tunnels merging and sprouting off of the main Interstate -- apparently surfacing in the downtown areas. Odd to have merging traffic and off-ramps while underground. New one on me.

Made it into Maine, as you can see. Took several attempts to find a campground -- several I'd researched and were going to be open were now "closed for the season." Closed a month or two earlier than scheduled for some reason. But I found one open. And they have WiFi service in the park. So I can update this tonight before bed, and still check my e-mail in the morning before I leave -- and NO spending $2.95 at McDonald's for the service. Hey, I can eat a bigger breakfast tomorrow, now!

Moving north again in the morning. So far, only a slight chance of rain forecast. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

MONDAY, Oct 8
(ME)

Every day I'm glad I took Steve's advice about getting a down-filled sleeping bag. It was sure comfortable last night. Temperatures dropped into the mid-40s. I expected to find ice on the windshield! But inside the bag, it's like the Geico Gecko says, "Mmmmm, Toasty."

Rained a good bit last night, and I've been hearing the drops of water drip off the trees above me for hours. Tends to put me back to sleep. But at 8:30, I guess I should think about moving along.

Quite an awakening this morning. First, the raindrops on the tent. Then the normal sounds of the woods; critters coming to life, sounds of traffic off in the distance. Then the clatter. Started off at the north end of the lake here, and grew louder, nearer. Then they passed by and off to the south. A flock of Canadian Geese chatting and honking wildly to each other as they made their trip. I don't know what they were saying, of course, because -- duh -- I don't speak Canadian. But I think they were discussing possible routes around New York.

Then the lake. The large private lake sits right in front of my tent, and I'm almost at water level. Looking out over the glassy surface, pillows of "steam" (fog) lift up and drift away. I've tried to capture it in a photo; but I'm sure it won't be the same. Sure was peaceful. Hated to move on.

Headed north toward my next night's stay -- in Acadia National Park.

Heated jacket was the rule yesterday. Today I added the heated gloves. First to keep my hands dry. Later to keep them warm.

And just when I thought I'd escaped the oppressive heat of Alabama, here comes a heat wave through Maine. Despite the cold morning and the dreary clouds all day, it quickly heated up to a balmy 53 degrees by mid-afternoon. How do these folks survive. From what I hear, it'll be just as warm again tomorrow.

Took a number of back roads on the way up to the park, in part looking for a "Reversing Falls" over near Penobscot Bay. I found it, but as I feared (and as I was warned in the scenic diversion book) it wasn't that impressive. Tide was mid-way, so the water level difference wasn't much. And the "falls" was covered by the highway bridge, so you could only see a small corner of the currents flowing inland (instead of flowing seaward during low tide). There's another such falls further "down east" that I'll try to find tomorrow; and hope the tides cooperate better.

But it's apparent everywhere that Fall is here and in full swing. Not only are the trees gorgeous (they'd be "spectacular" if the sun were shining), but some groves of trees have already passed their "prime" -- having dropped all their leaves and now stand naked. And one tree I've always enjoyed is the Birch. And in a forest of hardwoods displaying every conceivable color except Blue, a single Birch or two with their snow-white bark really put all those colors into perspective.

As with so much along this trip, there were hundreds of photos I let slide -- sometimes because of traffic or inability to park, sometimes because I knew the pictures just wouldn't tell the story, and sometimes because it's just more of the same incredible stuff. When you come up this way, you can take those photos I missed.

One "roadside attraction" I looked for and found was "The Udder Place." Thankfully it was right next to a McDonald's, so I got my breakfast and my photos at one stop. The Udder Place is . . . well, just go look at the photos. I don't wanna spoil the fun.

Got to Acadia NP early and set out all my gear -- to dry out. Despite being waterproof, it seems everything got soaked last night, inside and out. So I've got crap spread out on the ground all over the site, hoping it'll dry before it rains again. And quiet? This area is so peaceful and quiet, I can actually hear my nose heal.

I've heard so many friends say so many great things about the terrific seafood up in this area. And, of course, seafood restaurants are . . . well, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one. So I thought I'd give this super-deluxe fresh seafood the test today for dinner. And I've gotta say, I'm less than impressed. I expected to sense a special "fresh flavor" (whatever that means) and be wowed by the experience. Not. It left me unimpressed. The Filet-O-Fish at McDonald's honestly didn't taste any better here than in Alabama. So much for Maine's seafood reputation.

Driving around this whole area makes me think of the Nelsons and the Penners. With all the wineries, gift shops, crafts stores, museums, and other cool things to see and do -- y'all better come up here. Just plan to spend a lot more time here than I did!

TUESDAY, Oct 9
(ME)

The weather forecast was for "partly sunny" skies today. If this was partly sunny, I'd hate to see Sunny! Not a whisper of a cloud to be seen. Picture-perfect day....aside from the heat. It reached a sweltering 55 degrees today. So hot, the pavement started to crack; the Canadian geese started heading back north; the sea levels rose due to the melting glaciers; and even my Ex would have warmed up to almost room temperature. Still, a delightful day for riding! So far, over 3,300 miles on the bike just to see leaves dying. Do I know how to live, or what?

And I rode for 6 hours on my "outbound" leg -- only to end up 90 miles from where I started. Obviously I took a lot of detours and stopped for a lot of photos, as you'll see in the photo album.

I started off by heading North up the south coast of the down east. If you're the least bit directionally challenged, this is a terrifying situation. They just don't understand basic laws of physics and compasses up here. The ride was mile after mile of glorious, spectacular (because I did have sun today) foliage all the way. I got a few photos to share, but most of it I just rode past and enjoyed.

While I had a couple "tide-related sites" I wanted to see, I ended up skipping them both due to the tides and poor roads. Still, I managed to get to the Schoodic Peninsula and to the furthermost Schoodic Point. Beautiful ride, beautiful scenery, and astonishing geography.

Then I headed toward Lubec, the eastern-most town in the United States, and to the park located there, the Quoddy Point State Park, which marks the eastern-most point in the US. That was an interesting diversion. I've now been to the western-most, southern-most (both in Hawaii) and eastern-most. Next year I'll try for the northern-most. Photos document my arrival at this particular point.

Likewise, I have photo proof that I also rode further north (or "up west" if you speak "Maine") to the 45th Parallel -- just north of Perry. Perry, named for the explorer in honor of him finding the location half-way between the equator and the North Pole. And the 45th parallel, well, because it's obvious it doesn't take much to amuse these folks up here. I mean really -- there are millions of places you can go and cross the 45th parallel. This is just one of them. But it's also where there's a stone to prove it.

I found it interesting (or odd? Beverly) that they still have SO many traditions and activities that we of my ancient generation grew up with -- or that even pre-dated us. Like public suppers within a small community, street dances, baked bean suppers, Grange Halls and the dances and parties that go with them, decorating the main streets with corn stalks and such for Fall and Halloween. All kinds of neat stuff.

Speaking of Halloween; I knew this holiday was becoming more and more popular, with decorations spending almost equaling Christmas. But up here, they seem to take Halloween really, really seriously. From what I saw, almost half the homes' yards have some kind of decorations; some elaborate, some very subtle. And the cities themselves get into the act with Halloween decorations all over the town streets - corn stalks, bundles of ears of corn, scarecrows, pumpkins, the works. It's pretty cool.

On the way back to the park tonight, I took a ride up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. If you ever come here, this is a MUST SEE place, especially at either sunrise or sunset. First, you get an awesome view of the entire area; about 220 degrees from one side of the mountaintop, and about 180 from the other -- viewing points just a quarter mile apart. I got there just as the sun was going down, and was amazed at the flood of people. Hardly anyplace to park. (Luckily, a Harley CAN park on the grass between cars!) Hundreds upon Hundreds of folks of all ages stood on one of the two sides of the mountains, most with cameras. And a lot of the camera weren't cheapies like mine. Some were obviously high-end professional jobs on hefty tripods. Folks on the east side snapping up photos of the sun's glow diminishing on the eastern part of the region. Folks on the west side grabbing shots of the setting sun over Blue Mountain to the (duh) west. Even though there was some cloud cover to the west that prevented seeing the sun go past the horizon, I gotta say, it was still spectacular. Vibrant colors, clouds lit up like neon, jet contrails looking like always-on lightning. Yes, you gotta stop to see this.

WEDNESDAY, Oct 10
(ME, NH)

** Sorry. WiFi spots aren't just on every street corner up here. Had to search long and hard. **

Got up this morning, and the first thing I did was to check to make sure all my extremities were still in place and not frozen off. Two arms; check. Two legs; check. Two ears; check. One unemployed; check. Okay, I'm good. (Got to 42 last night. That's cool enough for me.)

Heading across Maine today, after a lengthy stop at Fort Knox. No, not the one with gold. This is an old fort built long, long ago to protect the harbors and local villagers from attacks. Apparently there was a big threat from the French navy. Who knew. Anyway, it's a huge fort and magnificently preserved. Spend a couple hours walking through all the different elements of the fort, learning about how they lived back then. Very informative.

Riding today in cool, drizzly, cloudy weather. I suspect I'll hit rain yet today or tomorrow. In the meantime, I press on. My destination for this afternoon is a place called Mt. Washington; I think it's in New Hampshire. Wherever it is, it's about 80 miles ahead of me. I've read that it's a "must visit" on any ride. I'll see.

Photos from today I'll upload tomorrow-- or whenever I next find a WiFi spot.

*********************
WEDNESDAY:
Part 2: (NH, VT)

First, let me apologize for the photo album. I'm not sure what happened, but it suddenly started uploading new pictures and filtering them all together -- not in order. I've tried to straighten it out, but I'm not sure what when wrong, much less how to fix it. So you may have to go back and glance at photos to see if you missed anything interesting. (Geez, it was hard to add those last two words without laughing.)

After leaving Fort Knox, I set my sights on Mount Washington. It's in New Hampshire - you can look it up on the Internet if you like. There's an "auto road" that you can drive to the top. That was my goal. So I found Mt. Washington. First I noticed the large warning signs stating how dangerous the road was; steep, twisted, and sheer cliffs with no guard rails. I also found it odd (or interesting) that there were two lanes for traffic to enter the gate -- one for motorcycles, and one for everyone else. Apparently they take motorcyclists more seriously and give them special attention. For example, the guy warned me that with the recent rains and falling leaves, the roads were extremely slippery for bikes. He also warned of the weather conditions at the top of the mountain -- 36 degrees with a 25 mph wind. (Wind chill would be something close to 20 degrees below Minnesota.)

And today he also had two other tidbits of news. First, the gate was closing soon. He said I'd have just enough time to ride to the top and spend maybe 10 minutes up there. Then I'd have to leave. Of course, while UP there, I wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. Completely engulfed in clouds - he said visibility was about 50 feet. So after all those warnings and advisories, would it still be worth spending $12 to take the ride up and back? Not. I thanked him and turned around.

So I'm now headed west. I did make it to Vermont! That's state #50 for me -- it only took me almost 59 years, but I've finally set foot in every state. And the "me and Harley" team (one bike or another) have now been in all 48 contiguous states. Not bad. Now I can relax. I made it to Maine, and I completed the 48/50 state goal. My trip is now a success -- assuming I return alive.

The FUN part followed. Finding a place to stay. About an hour out of Mt. Washington I started looking for a campsite. For the next 2 1/2 hours I rode and looked -- every campground was either closed for the season or closed for the night. Or they simply weren't where my data said they'd be. (Or maybe they were hiding from me.) In fact, I noticed that for the last 90 minutes of my ride today, I didn't even see any Motels! None. Don't people sleep up here? Fortunately, I stumbled across an undocumented campground (not in my directories or my GPS) that was open. So I'm set for the night. Hope it doesn't rain again tonight -- this place looks like it floods often!

Oh, and Bro -- forget everything nice I've said about the fancy micro-fiber towel Ive got for me. Sure, it's worked fine up until now. But tonight the truth came out - it was worthless. I went and took a nice long 3-minute shower (it's amazing what you can do when you have to drop quarters in to make the shower work). When I got done, that darn "fancy towel" was nowhere to be found. It was sitting some 600 yards away in the tent. What the heck good does the towel do if it isn't with me when I take a shower. I wonder if you can get your money back.

Speaking of showers, I thought it'd be interesting to review the types I've seen so far on this trip. Let's see:
       1. Shower with two knobs - hot and cold.
       2. With one knob - hot and cold combined. You know...
       3. With one knob - hot. (No temperature control)
       4. With a button to push - again, no temperature control.
       5. A chain to pull -- again, no temp control. In fact, if you let go of the chain, the water stops. Okay, have you ever tried to wash yourself with one hand while holding a chain in the other? Must look amusing.
       6. Quarter "magic fingers" variety - 5 minutes per coin. Good luck on temperature.

I can't wait to get home to a real shower!

By the way, the foliage in New Hampshire and Vermont is even more spectacular than in Maine!!

-- Finally. I'm caught up with words and pictures!
-- Now, on the road again.

THURSDAY, Oct. 11
(VT, MA, CT, NY)

Got off to a very slow start this morning. I figured while I was at a nice campground with clean, well-maintained laundry facilities, I'd do my wash. So two hours of riding time lost -- but not foliage time. Lots of pretty trees and leaves ... some photo worthy -- right in the park.

Now under the heading of: "You Gotta Know When To Quit"....

Instead of heading west like I'd planned (Niagara Falls looked interesting), I headed due south. Heavy rains predicted all across northern New York, so I thought I could miss the bulk of them by going south and on into Pennsylvania. And the plan almost worked. The worst of the rains is still north of me, but I caught the edges of the storm about 90 miles back. After fighting the spray off the other traffic (the rain itself wasn't bad), I decided to call it quits, take "a TV Break", and dry out at a hotel. So I found a Super 8 on my route and pulled in for the night. Hopefully tomorrow the worst will pass and I can enjoy the ride again. Unfortunately, the forecast is for large-scale storms moving into Minnesota-Wisconsin-Illinois-Ohio area right when I'll get there, no matter which way I may try to dodge them. Oh well. It washes off.

I did accomplish one thing today, though. I stopped at a small Harley-Davidson dealership in northern Massachusetts. Aldo's H-D. Got them to put on a new rear tire for me. It was due. And quite the dealership. During the 2 hours I spent there, I was the only customer (unless you want to count the UPS delivery guy). They have one guy working parts, service, and retail. And what's parked in the big service bay at the front of the store -- an old fire truck. Go figure.

And Aldo was putzing around in the back room on a couple dirt bikes. He's quite a character, too. Just picture an older version of the crap-mouthed Paul Tuttle from the Orange County Choppers series. He didn't have the strange beard, but he's the only person I've ever met who actually combs his ear hair. No kidding. Looked like something off the top of Donald Trump's head! Just swept back like little hairy fairy wings.

Nothing else worth talking about today, so won't waste our collective time.

FRIDAY, Oct. 12
(NY, PA, OH)

Well, my little "rest stop" paid off. I got out of the rain, got dry, and got to sleep in a real bed. And by 8:00 in the morning, it'd stopped raining and I was on the road again. Just hit a couple minor sprinkles along the way, but otherwise just plain cold.

No pictures today -- just riding. And nothing exciting to tell about. So there. Hey, whatcha want for free?!

Okay, okay. So you want SOME kind of news. Here's something I forgot to mention. Coming down through Vermont somewhere I was on a wide section of busy interstate -- 4 lanes in each direction. A pickup truck was in front of me in lane #2, and I just happened to be way to the left in #4. Traffic surrounding us both. Then the row boat the hillbilly had in his truck bed -- leaned forward up against the cab without any straps or ropes -- (DUH) went airborne, pirouetted once, and sailed back into traffic. Of course, it didn't pose any real threat to me. But all the other cars dodging the boat at 70 mph WERE a threat. It got real tense, and I ended up on the left shoulder. But made it safely. And I didn't see or hear any crunching behind us. (other than the boat) Made me think of Calvin's saddlebag....but I digress.

(By the way, Calvin, when I had my rear tire replaced, I removed and put back my OWN saddle bags. No sense in tempting fate. Besides, I learn well from Masters like you!)

Found a little unmanned State Park in the middle of Ohio for the night. I think three sites are occupied. Supposed to hit 37 degrees tonight. Maybe I'll see frost on my pumpkin in the morning!

SATURDAY, Oct 13
(OH)

Wow, did I sleep in. Temp did get to 37 last night. And do I sleep soundly in the cold? Like a bear. Nodded off around 10 p.m., and woke up just after 8:00 a.m.! Ah, nice.

After about three hours, I arrived at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. I'd been here before many years ago, but only had a couple hours to spend. Today I spent over 5 hours at the indoor museum, and then they started closing things down. They've done a lot of terrific work on the place since I was here. The plain displays are now complete dioramas to make them look like they're in action; complete with very lifelike mannequins and authentic accessory equipment. They've added on a new building for an IMAX movie, and another for their Space and Missile exhibits. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to get to their Air Park (outdoor displays) or the "Presidential and R&D Hangar". I'll have to come back again someday to take those in. It'd be cool to actually walk through JFK's Air Force One.

While at the museum, I took in an IMAX movie, called "The Magic of Flight." Interesting and beautiful, of course. One thing that I found interesting (or odd) was that it focused on the Blue Angels. . . . . . okay, think about that for a moment. It'll come to you.

Once they closed up, I headed out of Dayton, and looked for a campground. Always fun. Found one about 20 miles off the interstate, where I'll leave from in the morning! Heading to Michigan next. Weather's supposed to stay pleasant -- low tonight only about 42, high tomorrow in the 60s. Downright tropical!

SUNDAY, Oct. 14
(OH, MI)

Yeah, Yeah, I know. You're upset because I didn't get any pictures today. Well, tough. I'll take some tomorrow.

Headed out of Dayton, OH, toward Ann Arbor, Michigan. A cool company called Moosejaw has several stores in lower Michigan (plus one in Chicago). They're a serious outdoorsy-type company; camping, hiking, rock climbing, walking in the rain, running, backpacking, long walks on the beach -- that sort of thing. I've done business with them before on the Internet, so thought I'd check out one of their stores in person. (They're truly a unique and strange bunch!)

I'd been wanting to find me a good tent heater -- especially on this trip. And at the Moosejaw in Ann Arbor, I thought for a moment I'd found just the perfect tent heater for me. But, alas, it didn't work out. She was married.

A couple things I've noticed on my trip westward and into the cooler upper Midwest. First is the corn crops. Not unexpectedly, I've seen a lot of cornfields already harvested, especially out across New York and Pennsylvania. Around here, there are still a lot of fields that are brown, but not yet picked. But in either New Hampshire or Vermont I saw a cornfield that was still growing -- beautiful green. This time of year. Go figure.

Second are the bikers themselves. It seems the colder it gets, the more these folks like to give you "the wave" when they pass. I guess they feel that since it's so cold and they're brave enough to be out riding, they want to make sure they get "credit" for riding. Okay; I'll wave back. But no gold stars from me.

And yet another piece of Harley gear dies on me. My helmet headset. AGH! Just for the record (and Calvin may be the only one to know this), this is at least the third Harley headset I've had since I got my new bike that's gone bad. And for what they cost, I'd think they'd last longer than a month -- which is how long this one's survived. I'll be visiting my dealership when I get home -- you can count on that!

Got caught in the rain again today. Fortunately, I stopped at a rest area just before I hit it, so had the opportunity to get "geared up" before moving on. Though my rain gear only protected some of me. I've learned that it's a lot easier to get the rain pants on if I stop and take my boots off first. Duh. Everyone probably knew that -- I'm slow. So I sat down, removed my boots, and pulled on the rain pants in my little socky feet. Then I sat down to put my boots back on. That's when I felt - and heard - a strange "pflizztop". What were my "rain pants" are now truly a PAIR of rain pants - one for each leg, held together only by an elastic band at the top. How embarrassing. But while riding, who knew. . . Other than me, of course, and parts of me knew that all toooooo well. A local Wal-Mart near tonight's campsite helped me remedy that situation. I've a new set of colorful rain duds made of stretch knit covered with some kind of artificial PVC/vinyl/rubber/latex stuff. Should work.

Camp tonight is right on the southeastern edge of Lake Michigan (still just inside the Michigan border). In fact, the only thing between the campground and the lake are huge sand dunes, ranging from 50-100 feet tall. Interesting! And just to see what was on the other side of the dunes (and to get you SOME kind of picture for today), I walked out to the beach for the sunset. Hope you enjoy.

Tomorrow, into yet another nearly deserted town -- Chicago. Wish me luck.

MONDAY, Oct. 15
(MI, IN, IL, WI)

Have you ever had one of those days?
       A day when you had a lot of cool stuff planned out?
       A day when things started going sour the moment you got up?
       A day when everything continued going wrong?
       A day when every plan you'd made turns to shit?
       A day when the wind kicks up and blows that shit in your face?
       Repeatedly?

If I had to do today all over again, I'd just stay in bed until it blew over.

I headed toward Chicago, and encountered no rain, despite the forecast. But somewhere in Indiana, I hit a bump and a slight crosswind, and my favorite little leaf jumped out of my windshield and flew off to meet its fate on the Interstate. I lost a good friend, indeed.

And throughout Indiana and Illinois, one thing remained a constant. Tolls. Tolls. Tolls. Tolls. Good grief. If it wasn't 20 or 30 cents, it was $2.50 (for a mile, by the way). What a pain.

My big stop of the day was to be the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I've heard about it, seen a quick TV segment on it, and knew it'd take me a full day there. So, all day today was set aside for that one stop. My trusty GPS got me right to the entry -- an underground parking garage. As I drove down the ramp, I saw the sign -- $12 for parking. Well, after all the time, effort, and tolls to get here, what's another $12. So I pull up to the ticket vending machine and grab my ticket. That's when a little gal sticks her head out the booth window and waves to me. Thinking she's going to point me to a good spot for a motorcycle, I edge up to the booth. She points to a little sign by the gate (this is after you come all the way down the ramp and get the ticket to park, mind you). The sign reads simply, "No Motorcycles." She instructs me to do a sharp 180 and come back out the exit. I ask where I should park. She gives me a trite little smile, and says, "I don't know. [giggle, giggle]" Shit. So I turn around, hand her my ticket, and feel somehow grateful the snotty little pissant didn't charge me $12.

I looked around the neighborhood for a place to park. Trust me. There's no place IN that neighborhood to park a motorcycle loaded with removable bags -- not if you wanted to see the stuff again. So after 45 minutes of searching for a spot to park, I give up and leave. I won't go back.

So I'll head to my #2 (and final) stop in Chicago. The McDonald's Museum. Yes, there is one; located in the #1 store. So I fight my way through Chicago traffic, wind down strange little side streets, and finally get to it. GPS does its job again. But as I circle that place a couple times, I still can't see how to get in. Finally, I park across the street in a "real" McDonald's and walk across the street to the museum. The place is open only until Labor Day -- in other words, Closed. Crap. I did, however, include a couple new photos of the outside of the museum. It's a let-down, but then again, isn't every McDonald's???

Off I go again. This time to a small town north of Chicago (Burlington) where a company called Rivco has their home office. Their catalog (I've ordered several things from them) says to "come visit us". Who am I to argue. So down country roads I ride, waiting to see some friendly faces at a cool company. When my trusty GPS says, "You're Here!" - I was. I see the sign. I must be there. Rivco. It says so. But that's about all there is. A sign on the corner of a building; no visible doors; just a couple windows (through which I can make out some boxes and spare parts) and an alley that goes back behind the building to what looks like a combination loading dock and garbage collection facility. After a couple trips around that location, I give up trying to find signs of life and head off again. Crap.

I'm not a full day ahead of schedule, just because of these events. But I can still make it to the Harley-Davidson assembly plant in Wauwatosa (Milwaukee), WI, by mid-day. There I'll see some friendly faces, and take the tour of the plant again. So just after 2:00 p.m. (yes, I was in Central time zone) I pulled up to Harley and parked in the Motorcycle Only spots right by the front door. A welcomed traveler, indeed. First Class service for us bikers. So I go in and find there's no waiting. Cool. No, wait. There's also no people! No masses gawking at motorcycles or rifling through the merchandise. When I inquire of the one gal working a deserted counter, she says, "Oh, we stop tours at 1:00." "Of COURSE you do," I said, and silently wandered to the exit -- mumbling a lot of stuff inside. Crap.

Now that I'm a good day-and-a-half ahead of schedule, I figure I'll just head north and find a campsite. My next stop would be to see an old friend in Two Rivers, WI -- just outside Manitowoc, right on Lake Michigan. She ("DJ") and I worked together at Regions -- in fact, when I started at Regions, I took her job in the Training Department so she could move on to another job. We've been friends since Day 1, and we recently got in contact again about my plans to come visit her.

On the way north, I ride what's called the Kettle Moraine Scenic Route. It's a meandering patchwork of roads that goes north of Milwaukee through some of the most beautiful countryside I've seen in weeks. A couple of the roads were so awesome, they put to shame everything I've seen so far on this trip. Foliage and roads that are indescribable. Lazy narrow country lanes through miles of hardwoods dropping colored leaves at every turn, trees vaulting over the roads to block the sun, traffic nonexistent (I saw 2 cars in an hour). The most peaceful drive you can ever hope to take.

Finally at 3:15 I start looking for a campground. By 6:15, I'm already past Two Rivers and heading up the Lake Michigan coast to a State Forest. Fortunately, they're "open" (there's nobody at the gate, but you can self-register for a campsite). So I nab me a spot of ground. Thus, last night I was on the east shore of Lake Michigan; tonight I'm on the west shore. Sure took the long way getting here, though! I thought about taking a picture of the sunset from this angle . . . But to save film, just close your eyes. Dark? Yes, that's how it looks. With the sun setting behind you, it's dark skies meet dark waters out in the middle of darkness. Somehow lacks the thrill of last night's sunset.

Starving, I head back to Manitowoc to find food at about 7:30. While there, I give DJ a call to let her know I'm in town and ready to have lunch with her tomorrow. Nobody home. The way my luck has been going today, she's out of town for the week! In which case, I'll just say "Crap" and head out in the rain tomorrow.

Hey, tomorrow couldn't get worse, could it? (Please say No.)

In the "for what it's worth" department, I saw a sign on a building somewhere along the way here. The building housed both a tattoo parlor and a jiffy-lube type oil change place. The sign read, "Get Lubed and Tattooed. One hurts, One doesn't." I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Apparently, my next stop is Madison, Verona, or somewhere in that vicinity. Sis should be there by now.

TUESDAY, Oct. 16
(WI)

So, did it rain last night? Gee, let's see. Did it rain for Noah? Yes, it rained from 10 minutes before I had to go walk to the bathroom last night (the first time) until 10 minutes after I got everything packed on the bike this morning. At least the risk of forest fire was low.

Got to see my friend DJ today. Spent a couple hours with her catching up on each other's lives for the past few years, plus she gave me a nice little tour of Two Rivers. Pretty cool little town, too!

Then I headed across Wisconsin in search of . . . well, anything interesting. Now, if you want to check my photo site for new pictures, go ahead. There aren't any from today, but you're welcomed to check. I suppose I had a couple opportunities, but let 'em slip past. With the weather threatening rain all day, I just wanted to stay moving.

I went through Markesan, Wisconsin, to find the High School. It wasn't quite where the GPS software said it'd be, but it was close. When we go back on Saturday, I'll be ready. Then I headed for Madison and a campsite. I let my GPS "do the walking" and set my course for a campground I've used before. But this time it surprised me. I was cruising down the highway when it suddenly ended . . . in water. What? I looked at the GPS and the message at the top of the screen said it all: "Board Ferry." So I waited while the Merrimack Ferry came to fetch me and a few other cars. As we raced across the water at a breakneck 5.8 mph, I kept trying to remember from my old high school history classes -- was it the Merrimack or the Monitor that sank? Either way, we made it safely across.

So I'm settled at the local campground here for the next five nights. I'll be visiting my niece (Sandy) and her two daughters (Alice and Mary); plus she flew my sister out here to visit, so she'll be part of the party. Then on Saturday we'll all head to Markesan to hear my brother's quartet from Phoenix sing. (I know, I know. Why would folks in Wisconsin want a bunch of old guys from Phoenix to fly up here to sing. I don't know. But who cares. It'll be a blast.)

In short, posts for the next few days will be scarce. So if you've got more important things to do (yeah, like who doesn't!), go do 'em. This drivel will be here when you get bored.

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17
(WI)

Made my way successfully to Verona to visit my niece and her two daughters (that's Sandy, Mary and Alice), in case they read this. And of course my sister Es/Marie was there, so it was (and still is) quite the gathering. We had a fun day meeting Alice's friends in college, including her adorable, personable, warm, caring, sensitive, compassionate roommate - who, if she does become a nurse, you'll probably want to avoid. We also had the very rare opportunity to see Mary in one of her dance classes - a secretive society of women studying traditional and interpretive African dance. I gotta say, It was pretty cool! (Though I don't have that kind of energy -- even if food and free money were involved!)

And Sandy (above mentioned niece) made some chili that was awfully good. And you'd never know it was vegetarian! Amazing what you can do with veggies, soy root, sea wafers, and Himalayan mountain fungus.

THURSDAY, Oct. 18
(WI)

Ditto yesterday, except different stuff. Got to visit a real "REI" store. They specialize in hiking, camping, and other outdoorsy stuff. I've looked at them before on the Internet, so it was cool to actually hold some of the products. And yes, I spent money.

I know someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Enya has a song called "A Day Without Rain." Well, that's what I'd like to see for once. A day without rain. I've had rain at some point every day since I left Maine. Fortunately, most of it has been overnight; but I've had to ride in it a number of times. Which reminds me -- I gotta get my windshield wiper fixed.

FRIDAY, Oct. 19
(WI)

So shoot me; I slept in again. Feels SO good in the cool air and the warm sleeping bag.

Activities of the day -- same as above. Having fun.

We did go out for dinner (to Subway--Yeah!). Alice rode with me the short distance to the restaurant. It as a tad chilly, so she bundled up in her jacket and flipped up her hood. As we went down the road I looked back and saw a smidgeon of her bluish face poking out from inside the cinched hood. I had to ask if she wanted me to turn down the air conditioner! She said it was "a real rush." Yes, she's a cheap date!

SATURDAY, Oct. 20
(WI)

The "big day" when my brother's quartet performs in Markesan, WI.

In addition to all the normal family fun, we piled into Alice's car and headed to Markesan, WI, where my brother's quartet, "Anything Goes," would perform. Getting there was "a trip" in itself . . . If you get my meaning.

That evening, I'm happy to report that "Anything Goes" won first place! Okay, so there wasn't any contest - just a show. But they would have won if there'd been a contest. The crowd loved 'em. How could you not. Funny show, good music, and my brother on stage making a complete ass of himself. So cool. The fun continued down the road in Manchester where they held the "afterglow" (or "cast party," or "continuation of the music"). Of course, Norm got us lost on the way to Manchester, and he was afraid the group would start without him.

Of course, all this stuff made for a very late evening. We left the area sometime near midnight and didn't get back to Verona (and me to my tent) until 2:00 and 2:30.

Sandy had told me that there would be a meteor shower at 5:00 a.m. if I wanted to wait up for it. I didn't. But I did get to see several "shooting stars" on my ride back to the campground. Pretty amazing to see as many in one hour as I've seen in my entire life!

Oh, and by the way, I got my "Day Without Rain." Yup. One day without rain. I enjoyed it.

SUNDAY, Oct. 21
(WI, MN)

And now the rain is back.

Before heading to Waseca, MN, Norm, Ive, Es/Marie and I took a detour to visit the famed "House on the Rock." If you've ever been there, I don't need to explain it. If you haven't been there, there's no way TO explain it. And if you haven't been there and don't want to go, you can still experience the trip. Just do this:
       1. Take two doses of LSD
       2. Smoke 4 or 5 reefers
       3. Drink 1/2 bottle of tequila
       4. Walk through Alice's Looking Glass
       5. Follow the White Rabbit

Honestly, this is a massive artistic experiment that must be seen to . . . well, okay; I can't complete that with any known word. The place is awesome, weird, beautiful, amazing. Pick ANY adjective, and it'll apply. After more than two hours we'd covered only one of the three available tours. Someday we'll go back. It's too much to take in on any one day, unless you actually like feeling your head explode.

MONDAY, Oct. 22
(MN)

Yup. Minnesota. The third "M" in the trip.

Now - just chillin' for a few days.

TUESDAY, Oct. 23
(MN)

Connie, are you still printing all this junk?

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24
(MN)

More of the same. Chillin out . . . especially with morning temperatures in the upper 30s.

Got my Sister (Es/Marie) to the airport this morning, so she's winging her way -- hopefully toward home. Knowing her, she could end up in the Bahamas.

No pictures, but OH, are the trees here beautiful! (But still no snow.)

THURSDAY, Oct. 25
(MN)

Another day to "chill." In fact, we had frost on our pumpkins this morning. Frost pretty much everywhere. So it gives you an idea of how cool it's getting.

Another relaxing day of sightseeing (touring the old home town, revisiting memories left and right, and looking up old friends) and eating and socializing.

Funniest thing happened last night, though.

First, you have to understand the logistics. Norm and Ive (my brother & his bride) have been staying at the home of John & Marcia Priebe, and using their car -- a cute little Jeep. Yesterday when we'd returned from shopping, Ive said she was going to take the car and go see a friend across town, and got the keys from Norm's jacket. She left.

A few minutes later, she came back upstairs. "Norm," she says, "Is the car supposed to start all by itself?" What? She said she was walking around the side of the Jeep when it just started up. She said, standing there holding out the keys, "It started by itself! And it's running right now, and I haven't even put the key in the car!" Wondering how this "miracle" could have happened, Norm and I both joined her downstairs and examined the Jeep, now running all by itself. As we looked around, the doors were still closed, no key in the ignition, and the ignition was off. We opened the doors, walked from side to side, and were basically puzzled at how it started, and why. And we also pondered the question, "Just how the hell are we gonna turn it off?"

Fortunately, at just that moment, Marcia (who'd just returned from Arkansas a few minutes earlier) walked around the corner laughing. She knew what we didn't. It seems there's a button on the key fob that starts and stops the engine remotely. Though they'd been driving the car for over a week, neither had any idea it had that feature. Ive obviously bumped it sometime and launched what could have been a night-long mystery -- or at least until the Jeep ran out of gas!

Good Night, Gracie.

FRIDAY, Oct. 26
(MN)

Last full day in Waseca. Again, frost everywhere this morning. And supposed to be cooler tomorrow.

Farmers working frantically (24 hours a day, actually) trying to get what crops they can out of the fields. It's just recently ended a rainy spell where it rained 17 out of 19 days. Fields too wet to harvest the crops. Field corn actually sprouting from the cobs still on the stalks! Very odd stuff. So it's a race to salvage the crops before the beans fall to the ground themselves, the corn starts regrowing, or the snows fall.

Marcia was drawing a bathtub of water this morning, and got preoccupied with something else. So she yelled to Ive to turn off the water for her. Ive went in, looked over the ultra-modern tub and fancy fixtures, and yelled to Norm to come help figure out how to turn the darn water off. After an hour or two of pushing buttons and twisting protuberances, I ended up in the bathroom trying to help. Between the three of us, we finally got it turned off before we needed a mop. Never a dull moment in Minnesota.

Tonight is the last "big deal" of the trip - brother Norm and the rest of the Roadrunners quartet will perform at the Past District Champions' barbershop show. Even though they'll only sing two songs, it's worth the 6,500 miles I've ridden to finally get here. Then tomorrow morning I'll head out in some other direction. . . Stay tuned to see where.

Before leaving Waseca, I'll try to take a few photos of possible interest. Will post them in the next day or two if I do -- along with any pictures I take this evening.

SATURDAY, Oct. 27
(MN, IA, SD)

The Roadrunners performed at last night's Past District Champions' show. I'm happy to report that the "Roadrunners" won first place! Okay, so there wasn't any contest - just a show. But they would have won if there'd been a contest. The crowd loved 'em. How could you not. Funny show, good music, and my brother on stage making a complete ass of himself. So cool.

Oh, wait. Have I said that before? Okay. Never mind.

Anyway, it was a great evening. Ive paid for all the tickets (let's see, we snuck into the contest without paying, then we snuck into the Champions' show without paying, so I guess I owe her a bundle). We saw about half the Land-O-Lakes District Quartet Contest, but it wasn't too impressive. That's not why we were there, anyway. But starting at about 10:30 (yes, p.m.) the past district champions took to their stage to perform a couple numbers each. All were good, some were really good. But the Roadrunners -- they were obviously the best. Really awed and entertained the crowd.

I didn't take any "pictures" of the show, though. Shoot me. I decided to try using my camera's "movie" capability and record their 10-minute performance. It appeared to have worked, too. I'll post it when I get home and send a link to anyone who may be interested in actually seeing why I drove 6,500 miles for a 10-minute comic routine.

This morning I headed out, leaving the warmth and congeniality of John & Marcia's home behind. If "fish smell after two days, company after three," I hate to think how badly I stunk up their home! But it was a real treat to spend almost a week inside, away from the cool 40- to 50-degree mornings.

On the way out of town, I stopped to take a few photos of a few selected spots in my home town. If you're interested, they're on the photo site. Gives you an idea of where I came from.

I headed west toward South Dakota, with no particular route in mind. I meandered around country roads, truly enjoying the scenery and smells. The farmers picking their soybeans or corn, some chopping or cultivating, others spreading manure and other breathtaking fertilizers. Some fields still full of crops; others completely barren and waiting for winter. Really felt like home, too, having grown up in these agricultural settings. Fall is definitely a unique and picturesque time in the Upper Midwest. I love it.

By the way, bro. . . I saw several hunters on my way across the state. Mostly on back roads - some off on the gravel side roads I traveled. So there are some hunters left in the area!

I started looking for a campground when I crossed the state line into South Dakota. The very first place I went (just east of Sioux Falls) happened to be open, had a cheap camp site ($10), and has showers with hot water. (And actually one of the nicest shower facilities I've seen anywhere.) So even though it was only 3:30, I decided to stop for the night. I set up the tent, ran into Sioux Falls for chow, then came back to dig in for the cool evening.

Temperature supposed to hit 25 degrees tonight. Yes, you read correctly. I had to listen to four different weather forecasts on the radio before I believed it. So tonight will be the test of my sleeping gear.

Ive, I hope you get rid of your cough. And Norm, I hope you "freed" your fly so John won't have any problems with it! (Okay, so maybe that didn't sound very good. But it's innocent; really.)

SUNDAY, Oct. 28
(SD, IA, NE, KS, MO)

Very cool! I'm pleased to report that not only does the air conditioner on the motorcycle now seem to work fine (even when not running), but the cup holder on the handlebar now dispenses not only ice water but ice as well! Needless to say, with temperatures in the 20s, I really, Really, REALLY, REALLY didn't want to climb out of the warm sleeping bag this morning!

And when I did, what's the first thing that hit my head? (after the cold air, that is) . . . Ice. Between the condensation inside and the humidity outside, I had ice on both side of my tent - in and out. Made it kinda messy taking it down and packing it up! And I'd hung my towel up inside the tent to dry. It was "dry" this morning . . . in a way. It was frozen solid. Never expected to have to bend my towel to pack it.

I'm making a mental note that 25 degrees is about the limit for camping with my gear. I wasn't cold, but it's just not real pleasant when you try to get up.

So how cold was it? Let's see:
       * Balls? Yep, still have them.
       * Ass? Still there, but with substantially less volume.
       * The Witch? Forget it. Let's just say she can hang up her bra.

I headed south this morning, heading more or less toward Kansas City -- with a planned stop at the Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations plant there. On the way, I used nothing but back roads, again taking in the crops and livestock, farm activities and smells, and light traffic. I essentially followed a "Lewis And Clark Trail" all the way into Missouri. So it was only fitting that I'm spending the night in the Lewis And Clark State Park. In fact, I'm staying in exactly the same spot that they camped so many years ago. So far, though, I've not discovered anything that they hadn't already seen. Oh well.

When I went to unpack my tent, I found the rain fly was still caked with ice. Still frozen, and coming off in small chunks. I shook most of it off and am letting it dry before I put it on. The campground attendants didn't know what to think of that -- they had no idea it'd been that cold just a few miles north. (Well, South Dakota IS a "few" miles north, isn't it?)

One thing I don't quite understand is the gas here. Most of the stations I stopped at today had two flavors of gas; regular and super unleaded. And the regular (usually 87 octane) was always more expensive than super unleaded (higher octane). I suspect ethanol content has something to do with it. At the last station I used, regular was $2.87, super unleaded was $2.75, and premium (92 octane) was $3.27. Go figure that!

Tomorrow morning I'll meet up with Becky (my niece) and her new "boy friend" to tour the Harley plant. Looking forward to that! Also looking forward to temperatures above freezing tonight. Cause for celebration!

MONDAY, Oct. 29
(MO)

Got downright hot in the tent last night -- only down to about 35 degrees. After the previous night, I actually broke out in a sweat in the sleeping bag!

I found I was only about 30 miles from the Harley plant, so the next leg of the trip was really short. Got there early, and there was Becky, my niece, waving to me from her car in the lot. I also finally met the "new fella" I'd been hearing about -- Bruce. He's also a biker, and he truly looks the part. (Meaning, he looks like me!) For you Harley folks, he rides a gleaming 1950 Panhead. Eat your hearts out. . . he said he wouldn't trade it for the world. Hey, they just don't make 'em like that.

We had a nice time on the tour. A large tour group right ahead of us kept slowing things down, which meant we had more time to look around and see stuff happening. Admittedly, it was still too fast, but lasted almost a full hour. Got to see a lot more details and activity than I've ever seen in a plant before, too. From frames and body metal to assembly of the V-Rods, Sportsters and Dynas, to the engine build-ups and the Custom Vehicle Ops. Cool facility, and we were blessed to have a really good tour guide.

Following the tour (and the mandatory gift shop visit where Bec relieved Bruce of some of his money), we headed for lunch. Since NONE of us knew anything about the Kansas City area, we turned to my trusty little GPS for advice. It showed several nice places to eat within 5-8 miles. One of which was Hooters, so we decided to go there. For the food, of course. Why else? Had a great visit over fish, steak, wings, and chips - and an appetizer of fried pickles! Very cool way to start off the day. And it was so nice outside, they both agreed they were heading back to Wamego to get on their bike and ride a bit. What a day.

(Bec, tell those folks to stop looking over your shoulder and let you read. . . . .)

On the way out of Kansas City, I mulled over my options. I'd planned to go on down into Oklahoma to try and find a couple spots I'd seen before -- worthwhile photo opportunities, IF I could find them. Or I could go directly across the state and turn south toward New Madrid, MO, and Reelfoot Lake, KY - the last scheduled stop on my trip. And seeing how every mile I travel southward I start getting more and more anxious to get home, I decided to forego Oklahoma for another time. Instead, I stopped at a state park about halfway across the state, and will head the rest of the way to New Madrid tomorrow. Then I'll head toward the house. With still nearly 800 miles to go, I doubt I'll make it all the way without another overnighter somewhere. Whatever. I got nothing but time. I just don't want my pumpkin to expire before I get home!

And the foliage . . . it's beautiful here, too. I guess my timing is pretty good -- I'll see these beautiful colors all the way home.

Hey, one quick observation. I stopped at a rest area along I-70 and found an odd looking "sink" in the men's room wall. Yes, in the wall. There were two, both completely recessed into the wall, with instructions both above and below, in English, Spanish, and Braille. You put your hands together and stick them into this dark hole in the wall. It then squirts a little dab of soap into your hands (a little dab 'l do ya, you know). After a couple seconds, the water starts running -- so be ready to scrub and rinse quickly. Then the water shuts off, and a heated air blower turns on. All in one! Pretty cool.

Warning. If you don't quite get your hands dry before the blower turns off, don't stick your hands back in for more air. You'll end up with another squirt of soap and more water. Then again, you'll have another fun-filled opportunity to get your hands dry the second time! (Yes, I did.) What'll they think of next.

TUESDAY, Oct. 30
(MO, KY, TN, AR, MS, AL)

Yippee, Yippee -- the Final Installment!

As I headed for my final two stops, I did some quick figuring on my GPS. It was possible to get home before midnight if I kept moving; SO, I decided I'd head for home after the last two photo ops.

I found New Madrid, MO, easily enough, and it didn't take long to find a historic marker that talked about the earthquakes that rocked this entire area back in the early 1800s. Then I set out for Reelfoot Lake, just 11 miles away. But it took me an hour and a half to get there! See, there's this big river in between - the Mississippi.

And the GPS routed me along this nice little paved road along the Missouri levies. Of course, that nice little paved road turned into a little paved road, and it turned into a little almost-paved road, and it turned into a lot of gravel-filled potholes joined loosely together by what had been asphalt at one time. But after about 45 minutes of torture, I came across an interesting sign!

Seems "you really can't get there from here" -- at least not without a little help. So I called for the ferry and waited for them to (duh) ferry me across. And I had the entire barge to myself. Seems a waste, but it's what they do. And if you didn't already know, the GPS works fine even on a boat.

Reelfoot Lake made for an interesting stop. I visited the State Park Visitor's Center and Museum, where I got more details about the tremendous earthquakes that caused the Mississippi to change course and the lake to form. Imagine: It's estimated that the earth in this area rose and dropped more than 16 feet during one quake; The quakes measured up to 8.7 on the Richter scale (more than the San Francisco quake of 1903 - or 1906, something like that); The tremors rang church bells and cracked pavement as far away as Washington, D.C.; The tremors could be felt without instruments for over a million square miles, and as far away as Canada. Awesome power.

And while there, I noticed the National Geographic Survey posts the reports on most of the earthquakes that occur in the area today -- and they had 9 posted just for July! The most recent they had posted was for one in September that measured 2.3. Apparently earthquakes (small ones, of course) happen every few days in this area. Anyone want to live there? Show of hands. Didn't think so.

On the way out of the area, I encountered a "combine" of some kind - I think it was for harvesting soybeans. It was coming down the two-lane road toward me. The only problem -- it was more than 3 lanes wide. As we met, the driver pulled the tractor more than halfway into the ditch on his side. The right side of the harvester was hitting the fields to that side. And as I crept along on the foot-wide shoulder of the road, the left edge of the harvester slid past just a few inches from my helmet. I had half a notion to wait and see how he was going to handle the semi about a mile behind me, but opted to press forward instead.

Norm...I found no black apples. Since I took a more direct route home on the freeways, I just never ran across any local stands. Tell Kenny, Maybe next year.

So I then headed for the house. A long trip, but was worth it to get back to my shower and my bed and my furnace. Trip statistics: 8,400+ miles, lotsa states, about 4 1/2 weeks away from my TV. Waiting on me were 15 pounds of mail, 274 E-mails, tall weeds in the front yard, and a half dozen dead cockroaches that must've starved from the lack of my dropped crumbs.

Ah, there's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home.