What is this trip you speak of?

In December, while bemoaning the temporary loss of the bike, I thought about taking some time off to ride somewhere (once it was whole and back in my possession), and had one of those 'two birds, one stone' ideas. A co-worker of mine had moved back to her hometown in Nebraska, and I knew she'd be thrilled to get a visit, and my maternal grandparents only live about 100 miles from her, and I haven't seen them since a cousin's wedding several years ago. The distance for a ride seemed right...half the country away, and the bonus of good visits was nice gravy (or should it go the other way around?).

While thinking about my route, I thought of other stops I might make, and people I might see. Our company has a branch in Fargo, ND, that I deal with on a regular basis. That's only about a six hour ride from my friend Jan, and it would be nice to actually meet the folks I've talked with on the phone. About four hours from there is a company that my job is inseparably linked with, in Chaska, MN, and I added them to the 'maybe' list for the trip. From there, it's only 180 miles to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where our company has yet another branch, and the main guy I deal with there has told me it is a pretty area, so I added that to the itinerary.

That was the dream team of stops, and when I sat down to crunch the numbers of miles per day, rest days, and vacation time banked, the pieces of the puzzle started looking pretty good. When I realized it might actually happen, I started emailing folks to see if they would be around for the times of my travel, which would start the Thursday before Memorial Day, and would put me back home the Saturday after Mem Day. Looking better and better. After examining the route more, I plan to stop in at least one if not two additional branches on the way, which will provide good rest stops and allow for some meet and greet time.

After all is said and done, below is my (mostly final) itinerary:

Thursday, May 21
Leave Greenville, SC
Spend the night somewhere around St. Louis (maybe a little before, or after, depending on how my first day of riding goes...this part is pretty flexible).

Friday, May 22
Leave x and stop in at our branch in Kansas City for a short break.
From there, go to either Fremont, NE for the night to stay with family, or
go to Orange City, IA, which is where my grandparents and another aunt and uncle live.

Saturday and Sunday, 23 & 24
If I only got as far as Fremont on Friday, finish riding in to Orange City on Saturday. Finish the day there, and a rest day on Sunday to go to church and enjoy family time.

Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day)
Ride to Hartington, NE and spend the day and night.

Tuesday, May 26
Ride to Fargo, ND and spend the afternoon and night

Wednesday and Thursday, May 27 & 28
Leave Fargo and head to Chaska, MN. Meet and greet and lunch with business associates, and after a couple of hours' break, head on to La Crosse, WI. Depending on time of arrival, might stop by the branch to say hi to folks, or just head to the hotel. On Thursday, spend the time riding in the area...lots of scenic byways, bluffs, Mississippi River, as well as the world's largest six-pack of beer (La Crosse Lager).

Friday and Saturday, May 29 & 30
Head back to Greenville. Not sure which town I'll make that night...it will be somewhat flexible like the first day's ride was. Maybe Cincinnati, maybe Louisville, depending on which route I opt for. Should be home Saturday night with Sunday another day for rest and worship before heading back to work on Monday.

All told, the trip is a shade over 3,000 miles, and I'll be gone nine days. I plan on taking my little netbook computer with me to be able to put updates on here. In the meantime, more updates about planning and packing will follow. Over the next two weeks, I'm scrambling to get things done at my house before leaving, so it's been a full schedule for quite a while. I always work best with a deadline, and I've gotten more accomplished in my yard in the past six weeks than in the past six years. Might be a post (or twelve) about that, as well. That's all for tonight.