Road Trip: The Long Voyage Home

I decided to leave before Labor Day, wanting very badly to get back home to the things and people I love, despite having a great time with friends and family on the trip. The last time I went home on the bike, I rode straight back from Victor, NY, to St. Louis, MO, in a single day, and swore I would never do it again. However, common sense once again was thrown out the window, and I decided to do it again.

Starting out in Penn Yan was interesting. I froze during the first 100 miles, as it was in the lower 40’s when I left at 6:30am. Later that day, in Ohio, I was roasted under a sweltering 95 degrees of sunshine. By the time I made it back into central Illinois, it was once again dipping into the 50's. Not bad, except that I had my jacket strapped to the bike and didn't feel like taking the time to stop somewhere to put it on. So, I just shivered.

Not a whole lot of scenic photos on this ride. I just wanted to get back home. I made the obligatory stops at the state lines. No pics of arrival. I was too tired to think at that point. I was pleased to note that Ohio was the only state kind enough to thank you when you were leaving. How very thoughtful!

One other thing... the strange-looking package strapped to the back of the Tour-Pak is a 3/4-size acoustic travel guitar that I acquired while up in NY. The thought of being gone two weeks or more without a guitar was more than I could bear, so I replaced my long-lost Baby Taylor with a cute little cedar-topped Alvarez.

Click here to see the pictures!

Useless GPS Stats:
Miles today: 868 (ouch)
Top Speed: 92.7
Moving Time: 12:43
Moving Average Speed: 68.1
Overall Average Speed: 56.1

Cumulative Useless GPS Stats:
Miles total: 2026
Moving Time: 31 hours, 36 minutes