Up Over

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Turn The Page

Was it all a dream?

Three weeks have passed and the reality of our trek to the Far North and back is already fading. Did we really travel almost 14,000 miles on two wheels, climbing mountains, skirting glaciers, flirting with buffalo, bears and moose?

The last two days we raced the weather home as severe storms and tornadoes followed in our wake. Flying east on route 90 and 80, we cut through the Ohio blandscape in a blur. Pennsylvania greeted us with mountains and a traffic jam. Finally free to fly, we covered the rolling hills of Route 80, stopping in Danville for the night.

Weary of highways, we picked up our beloved Delaware River Road at the Water Gap and meandered toward the end of an unforgettable run. One last picnic at Tinicum saw Jules firing up a grand finale. As we savored the sweet smell of wood smoke and the delicious lunch it created, thoughts of so many other random lunch stops, shrouded in fog, haunted by bears, or soothed by mountain streams swirled around us. Was it the smoke or the bittersweet end of this chapter? We both knew the answer when we saw the tears in each other's eyes.

The joy of reunion, the everyday routine and life beyond Rascal keeps us occupied. At night, we still wake up wondering where we are and what tomorrow's ride will bring. Like seafarers unused to land after a long voyage, we carefully navigate each day, relearning how to ride in cages and acclimating to reality.

We have ridden further than we ever imagined, experiencing what we never believed we could. We conquered the "Last Frontier" but I doubt that it's ours. As the import of this trip fades into a collage of random photos, new frontiers tease us and call with their siren song. I can barely wait!

Ohio blandscape

Welcome to Pennsylvania with a traffic jam

Rest stop art

The Susquehanna

This is what we missed

The Delaware Water Gap

Pennsylvania corn

Easton PA

The serene Delaware

The River Road along the Delaware

Last picnic of the trip

Chef Jules

Crossing to New Jersey

These two saw us to Alaska and back!

Two main reasons we rushed to get home

Happy for many reasons!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

8/23/16 Ten Things About Today

It's impossible to be creative about a run on route 90 through Chicago, so here's a list of the top ten happenings of today.

10. There was more corn

9. We got cheese

8. We had 2 traffic jams ( the only ones we've encountered in 13,000 miles)

7. We covered 400 miles

6. The music was great

5. We got cut off by overly aggressive drivers 18 ( or more) times and survived

4. It was a three state day

5. We only had to ride the Ohio Turnpike for 13 miles

4. The weather was perfect

3. We punched through Chicago

2. We're closer to home

1. No matter where we are, or what surrounds us, I spent another day locked together with the one I love.

From the cow to the Colby

Fill 'er up - with cheese

A mouse in Mauston

An Illinois farm - corn

Overhead entertainment going into O'Hare

Traffic jam

Traffic jam entertainment

More entertainment

We have warped through to another dimension

And then a lot more - but no pictures

Monday, August 22, 2016

8/22/16 A Very Corny Day

We jumped out of South Dakota today and were blown through Minnesota, as cornfields and wind farms flew by in a blur. Accented with the perfume of manure, the smell of money to a cattleman, highway 90 was our venue for the day.

An intense crosswind kept Rascal and Jules on their toes as gusts funneling across open fields yanked at us. Running with tractor trailers and farm boys in pickups, we covered 350 miles today. With no glaciers, bears or switchbacks, I had to be content reliving our trip in my mind as wind tore at my face and clothes.

As soon as we left Minnesota, the corn turned to trees and the wind died down. Wisconsin's personality at this border crossing takes a total about face. After bridging the Mississippi, we saw oak trees for the first time in weeks and felt at home. Miles into the state we called it a day in Mauston.

This phase of our road trips is always ironic. We are saddened to be ending our adventure. We wake up and ride into our day unenthusiastically. There is still that certain bond of togetherness that only comes when we are glued together on the bike, witnessing whatever the day will bring, but now the treats are diminishing. The other side of the coin is the joy with which we look forward to seeing our daughters, their husbands and especially our grandchildren. On these long highway days, we endure wind, heat, and unruly drivers knowing that home is in our sights and we are taking direct aim. So my captain, warp speed ahead. Let's punch through to the East!

Minnesota

Corn for miles

Wind farms planted in corn fields

Guess where we are

Sunday, August 21, 2016

8/20-8/21/16 Making Tracks

At some point you have to admit the party's over and it's time to head home, but there are always distractions along the way.

Route 90 has been our constant companion for two days, except for a few detours. It saw us out of the door in Sheridan and propelled us East. The Wyoming landscape flew by as antelope played by the road.

Turning down route 16, we headed out of Wyoming and into the Black Hills. In recovery mode from the Sturgis bike rally only a week past, small towns along the way hawked half price 2016 rally T-shirts, trying to squeeze the last bit of profit from the event. Instead of 1,000,000 bikes jamming the streets, we rode freely with a few other stragglers. Even the tourist traffic has backed off, a probable result of back-to-school.

Returning to our old haunt, favorite rides beckoned us. Custer State Park, the Spearfish Canyon and Needles Highway wanted riding, but we put blinders on and cruised by. Yet we couldn't pass up Iron Mountain Road. Always the icing on the cake, this engineering phenomenon can never get old. Winding over the Black Hills, the conception of this road began in the 1930's as Rushmore was being carved. Governor Peter Norbeck envisioned a winding road that would focus on the beauty of the Black Hills and highlight the faces of the Presidents. Three pigtail bridges, amazing curves and inclines, narrow stone tunnels framing Rushmore all add to the marvel of a road. Our reunion with this old friend was gratifying.

Rolling off the mountain, we headed down into Rapid City, regrouping for a mad dash across South Dakota after a night's rest.

And a mad dash it was. As the heat roiled up behind us, we ran in front of it with the sun in our faces. Then we were snagged by another diversion -The Badlands. Riding from flat monotonous prairie land into a moonscape that arises suddenly is one of the most shocking geological changes imaginable. Each turn brought new wonders. Castles of sedimentary rock rose before us, striated with millennia of erosion. Deep chasms of naturally carved formations awed us as we leaned into them. The spirituality oozing from this ancient site was well recognized by the ancient Lakota who held ghost dances in the interior.

Too soon we were back on 90, battling the wind and traffic. Corn took over the landscape and I'm fairly sure the next few days will see little change. A day of gorging on miles, we hauled our stiff bodies off the bike just past Sioux Falls. Tomorrow will be another run east. Hopefully there will be more diversions along the way.

As we close the distance to home, I have allowed myself to miss my family. Anxious now to see my grandchildren and children again, our daily dose of highway is not too difficult to swallow. Every mile we travel brings our reunion nearer. But if the road and Rascal decide to swing off course for another side trip of discovery, I will gladly ride along, afraid to miss any nuance of our journey.