Day 6 - Kancamagus to Stowe

It is a wonderful thing that today only required a ride of about 160 miles. Check-in isn't until 3 p.m. at the Ten Acres Lodge, where I'm spending the night, so I didn't plan to leave Brownfield until around 11 a.m., which would put me here around 2:30 if I didn't stop for anything.

The temps this morning were about 15 degrees warmer than yesterday, and the sun poked out pretty good, which always makes things better. I puttered, I moseyed, I meandered, and finally had things ready to hit the road around 11. When you pull out of Frank & Trina's driveway, you're on a hill with a nice vista of mountains in the distance. It's still a dirt road, though, so I couldn't enjoy the view too much, as I was making sure the bike didn't want to skitter around in the dirt and gravel.

Back on the main state road, I headed west into New Hampshire. I went through what seemed all of the Conways (East Conway, Center Conway, North Conway) and branched off onto Rt. 112, also known as the Kancamagus Highway. I'd been on it once, 10 years ago in early September, before the leaves had changed, and this time, I was just in time to be there after the leaves had changed. There were still some nice oranges and yellows along the highway, but the flanks of the mountains were mostly left to evergreen. The sun was nice and shiny on the eastern side of the pass, but as the elevation rose, so did the cloud level. I crested the pass at 2855 feet elevation and it was stinking cold. Right where the sign for the pass was, I pulled over to take a picture, and found out the batteries for my camera were toast. I knew there was a spare set of batteries in my tank bag, but they eluded my road side searching. I used my cell phone to snap a quick pic, but alas and alack, the ensuing 100 miles were without the benefit of photographic proof. I made one quick stop at the Vermont welcome center to blow my nose (desperately needed) and brace up for the last hour of riding. Breathing through my nose was pretty much not an option from the congestion I've now got, but thankfully, the changes in elevation weren't excruciating.

The clouds had settled in for good, so the latter part of the trip was chilly. For the second day in a row, I left off a layer I needed. I don't plan to be chilly tomorrow.

Following my Googlemaps directions got me so far today, but I ended up turning off a hair before my '13.8 miles' were up. I was sure I was heading in the right direction, so I punted. I knew they were located just south of the village of Stowe, and the website said there were signs pointing them out. Happily, all of the above was true and I pulled up at the house at 2:35. I came in to see if I could at least get the check-in paperwork done, and Frank (the husband of the couple who runs the place) was kind enough to let me get all settled in. He was heading out shortly, so my timing turned out to be pretty good. I lugged everything up to Room 3, which has vertical pine paneling and a squooshy looking blue duvet. I had to flake out on the bed for a few minutes before I could face going back out on the bike. I had a cup of tea this morning, with honey, but other than that, I had no appetite and ate nothing, so I was on fumes. The bike had a good run, too, and while not on fumes, I wanted to fill it up in preparation for tomorrow's departure.

There is a highway about four blocks down that takes you into Stowe the back way, and I saw a Shell station within a mile, and pulled over to top off. The station was a nice convenience store, and had a Subway in the back, so I decided to take the easy way out and grab a toasted sub. I felt like I was being a bit of a dud to go with a franchise meal, but it turns out to be a good thing, because I couldn't taste a bit of it. I'd have been bummed to get some tasty local food and not be able to tell!

Once I finished the sandwich, I headed right back to the Lodge and got into some comfy clothes. As an afterthought while packing, I threw in a pair of slippers for when I was at folks' houses. Turned out to be a dang good idea, and my tootsies are toasty right now. I played a little of the poor, pitiful me card, and asked if I could have a fire in the living room fireplace tonight , even though I'm the only guest in the main lodge. Frank felt sorry enough for me, he went ahead and built one up (see pic above), and it's been nice to flake out by the fire right now (still breathing through my mouth), but anticipating a Mucinex-D dosage that has my name on it for bed time.

Breakfast is served from 8:00 to 9:30 tomorrow morning, and I really hope I can taste the Vermont Maple syrup I plan on enjoying! I'm aiming to be on the road by 10, which will land me at Kathi's house tomorrow night by 5:30 p.m., Lord willing. I was hoping to go through the Adirondacks on my way over there, but that adds an hour to my travel time on what will probably seem like a really long day. The way I feel, I may even have to bypass going to Niagara Falls so I can go farther on Friday and shorten the ride for Saturday. That's a bummer, but there's no sense in running myself into the ground when I feel like horse puckey. I bet the waterfalls will be there in a few years if I want to come back. I'd bet a lot!

At any rate, that's it for tonight. I'm calling it early and might, just might, watch a little TV. (If that doesn't seem noteworthy to you, you probably don't know that I don't own a TV. And yes, I am an American.)

Day 5 - The Maine Event

Today was the day I had to take a leisurely road trip across the back roads of Maine. No luggage on the bike, no big deadlines, no rush, just meander around. Today was also the day I woke up with a sore throat and the general strength of a wet dishrag. You've known some strong dishrags? Well, la-dee-dah, aren't you special? I haven't, and I was having a bit of a time convincing myself to stay vertical this morning after breakfast. Not much breakfast (biscuit and honey, with hot tea) and not much interest in moving after that.

I'd wanted to get an early start so I could go by our branch in Oakland, see folks, and then head back down to Bucksport, and down Route 1 to see cool stuff before returning to the wilds of Brownfield. Seven-thirty rolled around, and I wasn't going anywhere. The fact that it was 29 degrees outside didn't help too much, either. Eight-thirty came, and I was starting to make progress. I finally rolled back down the driveway a tad before 9 a.m., directions tucked into my map pocket and feeling a little better. If it was 29 degrees at 7:30, it had probably warmed all the way up to 30 by the time I left. At one point, it was cold enough I could see my own breath fog inside my helmet, but my pinlock lens for the faceshield stayed clear as a bell. Yay, pinlock!

There is no fast way to get from west to east in the state of Maine. If it doesn't somehow follow I-95 that runs diagonal, you have to take eleventy seven different back roads to connect this to that to there. There were probably 17 steps for me to get 95 miles to the branch, and I was averaging about 40 miles per hour. It was pretty, for sure, but it was cloudy gray, it was cold, and it seemed to go forever. By the time I got on 95, after seeing one horrible sign, I decided to stop at the first Starbucks and defrost. About 15 miles down the road was a service center, and I stopped in there to warm up and regroup. Once I sat down, though, I wanted to lay down. I still wasn't feeling great and the warmth lulled me. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I got back out there, and finished the run to the branch (which, incidentally, was only 20 minutes away).

As crappy as I felt, though, it was all worth it to be able to meet a couple of guys at the branch who I've dealt with a lot and have developed a friendship beyond just calling up to fuss about work stuff. They were the main reason I was willing to come this far north, and I really enjoyed spending time with them. Charlie (who had the cabin I was originally going to use in Mariaville) took care of me when I got there, and heated up half of his homemade chicken and vegetable soup, and gave me some bread and dessert to go with it. As puny as I felt, that was probably the perfect thing for me to have. I'd asked Dan to plot out a route for me to get to the ocean and back to Brownfield, but when I sat across from him at his desk, I know my eyes had a glazed look. I had no interest it getting to the ocean...I wanted a pillow, a blanket, and a corner to hunker down in. I really just wanted to sit there for about three days, but that wasn't an option, and since Dan said he couldn't teleport me, I eventually did get back on the bike, around 3:30. By that time, the clouds had broken up and the sun was shining, giving a faint warmth, which was heartening. I got a couple of pictures with my guys and then headed back down the road. Now that I was finally underway, I was feeling better, and when the exit for Portland came up, I was sorely tempted to take it and head to the beach. However, my saner side prevailed, and I stuck to my route for Brownfield.

Coming back, I took a route that was simpler, and it seemed shorter, mainly because I'd traversed half of it on the way out, so I knew what to expect. The sun was starting to get lower, and I was riding in chilly shadows by the time I pulled up the driveway tonight, arriving at 5:45 p.m. It was heavenly to come in and have Trina offer me a cup of hot tea with milk and honey. My throat has gotten more unhappy as the day has progressed, and that was soothing. Supper tonight was awesome spaetzle with ham steaks and gravy, along with a funky squash with an edible skin. The ham was from a pig that had gone to the local steak maker last year, and it was very tasty. I was able to wash my one load of laundry, and most everything is packed for tomorrow. Thankfully, tomorrow has less than four hours of riding scheduled, so I may lollygag around here kind of late before heading to Stowe, VT. Once I get there, I'll probably just hole up for the night, trying to rest as much as I can. A couple upcoming days have a high mileage count, so I need to hurry up and feel better. Now.

Day 4 - Brownfield, ME

The doom and gloom of the weather forecasts all were for naught and today was a beautifully sunny day. Cold, yes, but even that was moderate. I planned on being the layer monster again, but when I was outside this morning, prepping the bike, it felt too nice to have to bother with so much, so I pared down a teensy bit. I was totally comfortable all day, and only turned on the grips and vest after I started chasing shadows in Maine.

First stop after leaving the house was to top off with gas, since I hadn't filled up since Philadelphia. One of my trip meters is acting squirrelly, so I had to change which one I use for measuring gas consumption. I got away about 15 minutes later than I'd planned, and the fuel stop added another 15, so I wasn't heading north until 9:30 this morning. I got onto Cross Island Parkway to get off of Long Island, and it's pretty hairy in its own right, but when you have a disabled vehicle blocking an entire lane, it gets teeth and claws. I have been surprised, however, with the traffic that I see and people merging in where there is NO room, I've only heard someone use his horn once, and that was in a rest area and not on the congested roads. About 30 minutes later, we finally got by the car that was broken down in the road, and things really picked up. I headed out on the Throg's Neck Bridge and picked up 295 to 695 to 95. Once again, my EZPass proved to be worth the bike's weight in gold. It will be interesting to see how much all of these tolls add up to be once I'm home.

I started working on my left handed picture taking skills today, lashing my camera to the handle of my tank bag. I took about 175 pictures, and might have 10 that are interesting. Occasionally, the selecter dial would get bumped, and I would think I was taking a picture, when I was actually set to video mode, so I've gotten a few random movies that don't make a lot of sense...deleted. I got to go on some cool bridges today and got a couple of shots there.

My first people stop was in Lakeville, MA, where I stopped off at our branch to meet folks that I've dealt with on the phone. Maria was excited to see me, and came out to meet Mr. Crunchy :) I got some good advice from Bruce and Tom (thanks, guys!) on where to get off in Boston for a quick photo op, and I even met one of the drivers in the branch, and answered a question he'd had about how to send a message from his truck (using PeopleNet). I grabbed a quick 'lunch' while at the branch, which consisted of a Zone bar and a Starbucks Doubleshot. I'd had a pretty good bite before leaving Ben and Sarah's in the morning, and since I figured I'd be up at Frank and Trina's by 6 p.m., this snack should tide me over. (I also chatted with one other lady at the branch, but can't think of her name!)

I stayed at the branch about an hour, and needed to head on out, because traffic in Boston would only be getting worse, and that was my next hurdle, 40 miles north. Maria walked me out and wished me well for the rest of the ride. She might have had a misgiving or two when I rode past the exit of the branch and had to circle around before finding my way out. I did manage to get back on 495 without mishap and started towards Boston.

About 13 miles outside of town, traffic started to utterly creep. It was slow and stop and slow and go and stop and slow. I saw a lane that was moving, and hopped into it. Turns out, it was heading off on a different road split, but I was able to stay moving along until a little before the point of no return, and then hopped back over onto 93. Again it was slow and go, but not as bad as it had been. Once it got closer to the city, it actually opened up pretty well, but the lanes going out of the city looked positively hideous. I took the exit prescribed by the guys at the branch and rode around some in the north end. It reminded me a lot of Manhattan...tight, twisty roads crawling with pedestrian traffic. I wandered my way over to part of the harbor and took a couple of shots before trying to find my way back where I'd gotten off 93. I went right back to within a block of where I'd turned off and got back on 93, going over another pretty cool bridge. From there, I might have had one more quick bit of congestion, but the worst was definitely past.

I rode for a few more miles, and then stopped for gas at Wakefield, MA, at 4:15 p.m. My goal was to be in by 6 p.m. that night, and I had about 115 miles to go. I thought I'd be pretty close, and headed back on the road. Just past the New Hampshire border, I did stop at the welcome center to use the facilities and change out the pinlock lens on my faceshield. The sun was starting to set, and I didn't want to get darked on with a dark shield. I'd also used up all of my battery juice in the camera, so I switched out batteries then as well. Once I got back on the bike, it was time for the final push into Maine (with a cool border bridge). It wasn't long before I was taking the exit off 95 at Saco and starting to find the country roads. All of the route was through pretty heavily wooded areas, and as the sun sank lower, my eyes started opening wider to adjust.

The road itself was pretty horrible, actually. It had a high crown in the middle, lots of places with frost heave and a good many tar snakes. Add darkness to that, combined with annoying headlights behind, and it makes for a tense ride. Make two wrong turns and things get even better. For a final touch, have the final approach road be a mix of dirt with gravel, and no lights to show where houses were sitting far off the road, and it makes for a fun night altogether! I did manage to make out the small sign with the house number and last name that was nailed to a tree at the foot of Frank and Trina's driveway, and made it up the last bit of gravelly road, turning the bike off at 7:30 p.m. Just a touch later than I'd planned :)

However, all's well that ends well, and I had a warm welcome and a bowl of some fabulous black bean soup, topped off with a nice piece of spice cake. I'm hoping to get out early tomorrow and head up to our branch in Oakland to see the boys up there, before heading to the coast and meandering my way back over here again tomorrow night. Before dark.

Day 3 - Good Times in New Hyde Park

Several years ago, there was a soon-to-be-married seminary student who started attending Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church (where I'm a member), and within a few months of him starting school, he flew out to Washington state to marry his love (after a storybook meeting and courtship) and bring her back to South Carolina. Ben is one of the most intense and passionate people I know, especially when it comes to his love for God and for his flock. Sarah is a perfect mate for him, his calm harbor and helpmate and I became good friends with both of them during his seminary stay. The day I got the call from a temp agency to start my job with Guardian was the same day I was helping Ben and Sarah pack up from their small duplex apartment for them to move back up to New York state (where Ben hails from) and start working at a church in New Hyde Park, NY. In the four and a half years since they've moved, I've seen them once, when they came in to town for a short visit. When they moved, they had two young children (under age 3), and at the time of their quickie visit, she was shortly due to give birth to child #3.

In the intervening years, the children have all grown quite a bit, and one of the delights of this weekend, beyond getting to meet back up with Ben and Sarah (who, incidentally have had a jam packed schedule) is to get to know the kids. They are each unique....and thrilled with my digital camera :) I never thought about it, but it's great to have one when the kids keep asking if they can take a picture. Katie took a picture of Andrew and Kenton. Kenton took a picture of Katie and Andrew, and Andrew took a picture of Katie and Kenton. I believe that could have gone on for hours...and no film wasted! I did get all three of them together for a great shot, and there was a surprise shot that Katie took by doing a self portrait, holding the camera out at arm's length and aiming it back at her and Andrew. Kenton wanted me to get a shot of Herbert, his elephant. And a picture of his sippy cup.

Little did I know at the time I asked to stop in, this is a full house right now. Sarah's sister "Auntie Becca" and two of her cousins (another Sarah, and Jenna) are also living here presently, so the little house you saw with the bike in front is currently housing six adults and three kiddos. Surprisingly, it's a fairly well ordered chaos (although poor Ben is surrounded by females!), and I feel a high honor to have been allowed a bedroom all to myself. The weather today was about a picture perfect definition of miserable. It was raw, rainy, windy and k-o-l-d (perfectly shown in the background of this picture of one of the ritziest McDonald's I've ever seen, located in Garden City). I was soooo thankful to be riding in their minivan to church this morning, enjoying the heat. At church this morning, I met Tarayn who'd been a bridesmaid with me in a mutual friend's wedding...haven't seen her since Amanda got married, but it was nice to have that common link. She is due to have her second son any day now...just so long as it is after the Brad Paisley concert on Wednesday. She's one of a small minority of country music listeners up here. Sarah said there's not even a country music station around here, which is a sad thing indeed!

Ben preached this evening from I Samuel 3 about Samuel's call, and communion was served afterwards...the church has a very close-knit feel to it. It's not a large congregation, but I believe it is a close family. I enjoyed talking with several members while I was there, and was very warmly welcomed. This afternoon did afford the blissful Sunday afternoon nap, so I'm starting to be able to think about getting back on the road with a sense of being refreshed. The weather is moving out of my way (praise God!) and temps are staying above freezing (daytime, anyway). I'm going to try to get some decent shots...tomorrow is a lot of 'gotta get there' riding, but Tuesday through Thursday should have some nice rides ahead.

Day 2 - Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It was a dark and stormy day.

Among other things.

Today was the day I pulled out the bear ammo, and prepared for the worst. Good thing, too, 'cause there's bear in them there woods. When I left Hagerstown, it was 39 degrees outside with a forecast for rain possibly mixed with snow. I lingered over my coffee this morning, enjoying the warmth, and my state of dryness and mobility.

I left off the top several layers of my gear when I was going back and forth from the house to load the bike, and when it was time to get everything on, I took my arms full of clothes out to the garage and began the process. At the height, I was wearing twenty one separate items (including helmet and boots). When I was about to put my helmet on, I realized my ear plugs were still zipped into my jacket pocket. Which was under my rain jacket. And I was wearing gloves that were bulky. Sigh. Sharon came to my aid, however, and was able to rescue them for me, and I headed out shortly after that, following her van to Interstate 70 for my next leg.

First exit had a Shell station so I got off to fill up and put on my last layer, which was a pair of rubber gloves to go over my riding gloves (think of oversized dishwashing gloves). They are totally waterproof and super cheap...easy to replace. Not so easy to put on when you're already wearing bulky gloves, however. I got the first one on ok, but when it came time to pull the second one on, I was having problems pulling the cuff over the sleeve of my jacket, so I went to the guy filling up his SUV at the next pump and asked if he'd pull the cuff up for me. He looked somewhat askance, but did comply. After that, I headed out on the road. My 21 layers kept me warm enough, I didn't need my heated vest at all, although I did crank up the grips. And it was raining. Never a blinding downpour, thankfully, but it rained steadily until just south of Philadelphia. Traffic was actually pretty good. It moved quite well, and it seemed that folks were paying attention pretty often...I'd see a turn signal get activated by someone who would be coming in front of me, and then it would go off, and they'd stay in their lane while I passed.

With as nasty as the weather was, and as layered up as I was, I was singing hallelujah the first time I went through a toll booth and the sign said “EZPass Toll Paid.” I decided to get an EZPass for this trip after I had to deal with multiple tolls in Chicago back in May, and I found out today the convenience of having one is practically indescribable. My list of the 'best idea ever' for this trip keeps changing as the trip progresses. First it was the grips. Then it was the vest. Now it's the EZ Pass. Without any one of those, this trip would have been somewhere in the miserable range.

I only wanted to stop once between Hagerstown and New Hyde Park, which is a 300 mile trip, so I waited until past Philadelphia to stop for fuel. If I had a helmet camera, that would have gone onto my 'good idea' list, too (though its absence does not make the trip miserable). The thing I remember about Philadelphia are the bridges. I think today was the first time I've been on a double decker where traffic was moving in opposite directions on different levels. The other happy thing about Philadelphia was the fact that I actually saw my shadow on the ground. I looked up and saw bits of blue sky peering through the cloud shreds that were being blown around. When I stopped for fuel, I stood outside enjoying the radiant heat of the sun on my black clothes. I'm not sure what the temp was there, but when a cop walked past me standing by the bike, he asked if I wasn't freezing. I told him I felt fine, and even though I had taken off about four layers at that point, I still was quite protected.

I did have a cartoon moment at the gas station, however, when I took off my outer glove covers. The first one came off, and I noticed my inner leather riding glove was soaked on the outside. Out of curiosity, I held the rubber glove up by the fingertips and about a quarter cup of water poured out of it. Same with the other glove. Apparently, I should have tucked the end of their gauntlets under my rain coat cuffs to avoid having water run down into the gloves from my sleeves. I thought the wind from interstate travel would have kept the water out of the gloves. I thought wrong.

Random guy Danny was my bike conversationalist at the gas station today. He asked where I was riding (if I didn't mind telling him), where I was from, if I'd been riding long. It was about a 10 minute chat...he said he'd ridden for many years, but didn't have a bike any more. He admired the color of the bike, which gave him points in my book :)

From there, I called Sarah, my hostess for the night, to let her know how far out I was (it was 1:30 at this point) and check the weather in New York. When I left the station, I put the rubber glove covers into my luggage and just left my regular gloves on, but left the rest of my layers intact. When I got into New Jersey, the turnpike was hopping right along and my biggest concern was just staying out of the way. I had printed out google directions to my house for the night, and the fun started, as I had to start reading what my roads and turns were going to be while paying attention to the roads and traffic around me. One of the coolest parts of the ride this afternoon was seeing the Manhattan skyline (first time I've seen it in person since 9/11 ), and getting to go across the Verrazano Bridge. With only one stop, my pictures were limited again today. The first 200 miles weren't anything much to see anyway ((rain, fog, more rain), but coming into New York had some coolio stuff. The skies did cloud back up after I left the gas station, but I didn't see any more rain north of Philadelphia.

Once I made it to my haven for the night, I was glad to change into jeans and a sweater, and evaluate how well my rain gear did. Surprisingly enough, the jacket did fabulously, but the pants (which feel bomb proof) got wet through the sides. However, the advantage to wearing a bazillion layers is that if the top one or two get wet, the bottom ones still stay dry, which makes for a good ride.

If anything, I'm sure I made several people happy today, as they saw me riding along in the rain. They got to appreciate the fact that they were warm, comfortable and dry in their automobiles as they cruised on past the chick on the bike. I'm glad tomorrow is Sunday. 'Twill be a dearly valued day of rest!

Day 1 - The Little Ninja That Could

All's well in the land of motorcycle road trips at the end of the first day. I'm in Hagerstown, MD, at the home of Greg and Sharon who have been wonderful hosts and I'm filling this in before hitting the hay.

The alarm went off this morning at some unearthly hour (6 a.m.) and I wasn't terribly pleased, since I'd had the late night before. However, I knew I had to start somewhere, so I finally rolled out of bed about 6:20 and started the last minute rituals. Had my list and was checking everything off...unplug space heaters, pack up the computer and charger, turn off water at the dripping kitchen sink faucet, check tire pressure. Started to layer up for the ride...biker shorts, long underwear, quilted liner, riding pants, undershirt, long sleeved shirt, quilted liner and jacket. Going back and forth from the bike to the house got me a little overheated with the layers I had, so I initially packed my electric vest on the back under the bungee net (wonderful invention...give the guy a raise!) I had to get gas before heading out, and once I took care of that, it was just after 8 a.m. when I was going north on I-85 out of Greenville.

I noticed that, while I didn't need the vest on while packing the bike, I was going to need it for riding, and made it about 30 miles before I pulled off at a rest area to put that next layer on. While there, I did an inter-trip inspection for load securement (per FMCSA rules, of course) and it all looked good. One guy walking by asked where I was heading and he did a double take when I told him my eventual destination was Maine. Another guy (truck driver) came over and talked for a minute. Said he had a BMW that had larger fairings that made for nice touring. When he found out my northern destination, he said it looked like I had good gear...said it would be nice if I had some heated stuff I could plug in to the bike, and I picked up the ends that connected for my vest, and said, "Like these?" He seemed surprised, that I'd have those. I was thinking later that a sport bike with heated handgrips does seem somewhat of an anomaly. Sport-touring...yeah. But Mr. Crunchy is rather jack legged in the touring department.

Once I got on the road with the vest on, I made it up through Charlotte (where I did see some sunshine and a bit of blue sky, albeit briefly), and didn't stop until I got to Jonesville, NC. There, I stopped for fuel, and for a stretch/bathroom/water break. While I was walking up to the store, a guy was walking over to intercept me and asked (paraphrased) what was a woman like me doing riding out there all alone? He was the chatty type, and asked where I was coming from, where I was going, if that was my only bike, and how long I'd been riding...all before I got to the entrance to the store. When I came out of the restroom and bought a water, he was at the cash register in front of me, and pretty much just wished me a good trip. I walked back out to the bike, and stood there, drinking the water. He walked back over, with an intro something like, "You're going to get tired of me bugging you, but..." and proceeded to ask more about the bike, and tell me about his bikes (FZ1, R6 and a Sportster) and even had a picture on his cell phone of him on a track day, where he definitely got a knee down. Said he'd run a ZX-14 into a tree and broke 10 bones and ended up with a blood clot in his lung. His brother had (or still has?) a Connie, and his old girlfriend started with a GS500 he bought her ("that thing wouldn't pull a greased string") and moved up to a 2000 SV650. Had an interesting take on why some guys didn't like to have their wives ride along with them. He drives truck and was hauling some wood for Weyerhauser. He gave me his card and said if I ever wanted to meet up to ride, he'd be glad to, although he doubted I would call. I gave him my card with the blog address, so if you're reading this, Al, hope you enjoy :)

Once I got back on the road, I realized I hadn't had a snack that I'd intended to while at the gas station, and I could tell. Hadn't had breakfast either (not the best plan). I did, however, have the real, live Starbucks doubleshot that I like, so there was at least some sugar and caffeine floating around in me. Once I crossed into Virginia, I headed up a mountain pretty much into a cloud. Many times there were pictures I wish I could have taken from the bike, but it wasn't possible. One of those would have been the sign that said "Dense Fog Area" with the background of a swirling gray mass that had cars disappearing into it.

Rain-wise, I only had a very few incidents where my shield would get fuzzy with the micro specks of rain, but would clear when I turned my head left and right. The trees in NC were starting to turn, and in Virginia there was everything from green leaves, to fluorescent oranges, to nekkid branches. I got some pictures, but will have to upload them later, since I'm not on my own computer tonight.

I stopped in Roanoke at a Cracker Barrel for lunch, and it was a good break to sit and get warm and get fed, both of which I needed. Once I got back on the road (around 2), I realized my schedule was getting really tight. I'd told Sharon I would be in Inwood at 5 p.m., and after my fuel stop past Roanoke, I was down to the last 145 miles. I decided to push through without any more stops so I could hone my time. I don't have a clock on the bike and couldn't see my watch, and I knew I was running later than I wanted. When I finally got to the branch, I had to call in so the gate could be opened, and I looked at the time on my phone. I made it there at 5:03. Yee haw!

After a quick break at the branch, I followed Sharon home to Hagerstown, MD, and got to meet her husband Greg and their rather hyper Westie named Daisy. Dinner was at Barefoot Bernie's, and was quite yummy with Maryland crab specialties. Both Sharon and Greg are early to bed types, so by 9 p.m., they were heading downstairs to their room and I was going to do battle with the tangles in my hair. I got a good, hot bath in tonight, which makes me feel almost human again.

I have to say, heated gear rocks my world. There is no way this trip could happen without the vest and grips on the bike. I wouldn't mind having the pants, either, but I doubt my alternator could handle the load. Tomorrow will be a run up to New Hyde Park, New York, and the rain that didn't show up today might make an appearance then. I'm taking it one day at a time, and right now, this day is done.

Last Minute Hurdles

11 p.m. and I'm finally about to hit the sack. I wasn't planning on being up this late, but my dog had other plans. He had to go to my mom's for the duration, and when I went outside to start loading up the parts for his crate, he pulled a Houdini on me. He usually will visit the neighbors, but not go too far, so I wasn't keeping close tabs on him. Got the crate loaded up (minus three of the four pins needed) and started calling for him. Called high, called low, called loud. No dog. I did some more searching for the pins and couldn't find them, so I went out and hollered some more for Riley to make an appearance. Nothing. Rer.

I headed out in my truck, driving slowly and calling out to him as I drove the normal route of our walk. Crisscrossed side streets, back tracked, backed up. No dog. When I completed the circle of our normal route, I went over the first part of it in the opposite direction, which brought me back around eventually to my house. My neighbors across the street were out and I asked if they'd seen him, but they hadn't. I looked over again at my house and saw a furry form in the shadows who looked very much like one Riles P. Skellenger who had gone AWOL. I pulled back into my driveway (running over my reflector/marker thingy), and he came over. Smelling like spaghetti. He'd either found some trash or found some other dog's food, or someone thought he looked underfed (yeah right!). He did look a little guilty, but I didn't give him too hard a time, since I was glad to see him.

Got him loaded up and headed to Grandma's house, with a quick stop at Home Depot for a new reflector, and to look for some suitable replacement pins to hold the walls of his crate upright. On a hunch, (hey Quasimodo!), I checked and found that the reflector marker for the driveway was the correct size and of ample length to substitute for the drop pins, so I picked up four and was out the door in a snap.

Back in the truck, Riley whimpered occasionally, and I thought it was because he knows I'm leaving. He's seen me packing and cleaning the house, and knows from experience what that means. I got to mom's house and left him in the truck since it was really damp out, and went ahead and got the crate components into the laundry room and started to assemble them. The reflector markers are about 8 inches too long, but that's fine...they do the job. Three of those went into the corners, with the correct pin going into the fourth corner. Turns out I didn't have the roof of the crate in what I brought. I doubt he'll try to get out...this is more for a night measure since it's getting chilly and has been really damp. Daytime, he'll be out in the fenced yard, so most nights, he'll sleep like a baby in his crate.

After finishing the crate assembly, I went out to the truck where Riles was waiting and reached in the open window of the back seat to discover (rather suddenly and uncomfortably) that he hadn't been able to keep his Italian snack on his stomach, and had made a bit of a mess on his pillow. Now he really looked guilty. My mom brought out paper towels and a trash bag, and I got to clean up the mess while she backed off, trying not to dry heave. Thankfully, the pillow case, and his two stuffed toys were easily washable, and by the time I left, they were clean and tossing in the dryer.

So my short jaunt to drop the dog turned into almost a three hour excursion. And it's now 11:30. But the house is clean, the bags are ready, my clothes are laid out and the weather is looking good for the start of the day. The excitement is there, so I don't know if sleep will be to accessible. Hope so!

I do keep smelling a marinara sauce, though...