Sun and the coast

Getting on the road early and driving the coast from Alpena, MI to Luddington, MI.  If you look on a map - they may be right across the "street" from each other.  We're gonna take the long way (up north and around to the south) and take in the sights and the water.  It's our first day of no rain.  (fingers crossed)

Smell The Roses

There is a lot of ebb and flow on the Motorcycle Journey.  The ebb of the road and the flow of the weather.  The ebb of settling in for the night and the flow of getting up and packed for the morning.  The ebb of stopping for gas and the flow of starting up again.  The ebb of the country and the flow of its grandeur.  The ebb of what you know and the flow of what you are about to learn.

If you were to ride the Interstates, you can cover a lot of miles at a very fast pace. If you were to ride the backroads, you see this magnificent country we live in.  Riding 322 West from PA to Ohio was just the Motorcycle vision I dreamed of.  (Mike and Rich both said it was some of the best Motorcycling they have  done.)  We drove through the city of Cleveland on July 4th - it was empty - a perfect pass through for us and a fortunate time to be flowing through.

We are now in Jackson, MI and thinking we will see and touch the Great Lakes.  We saw Lake Erie yesterday and hope to make it to Lake Huron.  But hey, you never know, the wind may blow us elsewhere.

We did stop and smell the roses.

Choices...

Sometimes having too many choices can make a decision tough.  It certainly kept the conversation lively and active.  This was our first nights dinner conversation.  Where do we go next? We spent so much time planning to get to where we were at that moment (night 1) - we didn't think about the next steps.  Or maybe, we all knew it would work out just as it should.  We each brought something to share that night.  Rich with his table map of the US, Mike with his Harley Owner's handbook, and me with a book called Motorcycle Journey's across America.  

As conversation continued, what surfaced is that we must get to Iowa. That's where Rich's daughter lives and he hasn't seen her for a long time.  We have a few days what will we do?  It's nice being with a group that wants to explore, have fun, and just easy going.  

And she's off...

Mountains, Interstates, Rain, Tolls (like going thru for the first time), Sun, Friends, GPS, and the best and coldest beer ever

This morning when I got on the motorcycle, I was stiff, nervous, and anxious about the ride.  Mostly about the rain and how would I do?  Would the cases be watertight, would the gear hold, and would I make it to Hazleton, PA?  It seems all the above would be a YES.  And finally at 5pm, we pulled into the Hotel and there was Rich, waiting for the rest of the Road Trip party to arrive.  We hugged, smiled, and talked about the trip each of us just took to make it to this point.  Fortunately, there was a Damon's restaurant just in front of us and the Hotel.  We didn't check in, just walked right to Damon's and made it in time for happy hour and Third Shift Beer.  Delicious and cold.  And I learned something today, my motorcycle has a 6th gear.  There is more possible than we ever imagined.  

And she's off...

T minus 1

It is here...the night before and the bags are packed.  I am ready.  Well, at least I keep telling myself that.  Getting ready has been a journey in and of itself.  And the challenge has been what to pack.  We all agreed that we could go anywhere from 4-5 days before stopping to do laundry. I can go 5 days with one extra pair of socks and undergarments - could push it to 6. I worked hard on my packing list.  And I know they did too. I am wondering what Rich and Mike will bring.  Hopefully, they too have packed joy, laughter, and excitement for what is about to unfold.  Our first meet up is Hazleton, PA - a mid point for Mike and I coming from the North and for Rich coming from the south.  Route 80 is our gateway to the West.  I have no idea where we will go after PA.  Roadtrip, here we come.