Home Sweet Home

Valdosta, GA to Lakeland, FL: 2 states, 235 miles, 4 hours on the road, 3.5 in the saddle.

After traveling through 16 states and over 3700 miles on the Harleys, we made it home safe and sound.  The bikes ran great, we had only a smidgen of rain, and we rode down miles and miles of beautiful country
roads.  We enjoyed visiting with a dear friend we hadn't seen in a while and we met some great people along the way.  We enjoyed Harley's 110th celebration and even met up with some of our Florida friends.  After 12 full days, we have returned home happy, refreshed and ready to start planning the next trip.  With all the wonderful small towns we rode through, there are many we would love to travel back to and spend more time visiting.

We want to thank all our family and friends for their thoughts and prayers that kept us safe (and dry) during our travels.  We were blessed with great weather and great hospitality everywhere we went.  I love this country and I love experiencing it from the saddle of my Harley!

Woke Up to the Sound of Thunder

Asheville, NC to Valdosta, GA: 3 states, 405 miles, 9.5 hours on the road, 7 in the saddle.

When the crack of thunder woke me up at 5am, I knew there would be a rain delay to today's journey.  So, we enjoyed the morning talking to a few other riders staying at the hotel who were heading over to ride the "Dragon's Tail".  We finally got on the road about 9:30 to a bit of a chilly start, which was expected since we were up in the Smokey Mountains and the rain had just passed through.
 
Before hitting the road, we checked the weather and planned our route for the day.  The rain looked to be to the west of us, around Atlanta, so we headed south but kept to the east.  We managed to stay off the Interstate all but 50 miles and enjoyed some more back roads through South Carolina and Georgia.  Plus, we managed to dodge all the rain and thunderstorms in the area and arrived at the hotel dry. Very nice!

We rode through some more great American farm country today and not just corn fields.  We also rode though several cotton fields.  I had to laugh at myself when we rode by a cute little plantation looking house with a sign identifying it as the "Cotton Patch".  Being that I grew up in Nevada, cotton fields was not my initial thought.

We're down to the last 230 miles or so of our trip.  Hopefully, we can get an early start tomorrow so we can get home in time to pick up the dog and cat. It's been a wonderful vacation but I'm ready to sleep in my own bed.

Highways and Byways

Madison, IN to Ashville, NC: 4 states, 370 miles, 9 hours on the road, 7 in the saddle.

Today was all about enjoying the journey through this beautiful country.  After about 75 miles of riding through some great back roads of Kentucky, we jumped on the Interstate for about 75 more. Although it was the Interstate, the scenery was beautiful as we rode through the Daniel Boone National Forest.

When we left the Interstate we traveled through the little town of Corbin, birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken, and continued our ride on US 25 E.  Wow!  What a beautiful ride.  If you are ever in the area and looking for the scenic route, this is the one.  So beautiful with forests and valleys and lakes and rivers.

We had about 30 seconds of rain as we passed through Prineville, Kentucky, and those 30 seconds of rain managed to soak my pant legs.  No worries, though.  After we dropped down into the heated valley, they quickly dried.

As we passed through the tunnel into Tennessee, we came into the town of Harrogate, home of Lincoln Memorial University and the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to stop and hope to come back sometime.  

We had one road construction detour that took us off course several miles but through some more beautiful winding roads.  Sometimes the unplanned can be worth the extra time/miles.

Today, like most days when the sound of the wind is going through my helmet and I'm off in my thoughts, I got to thinking about when I was a kid and the road trips my family would take. Sometimes we would go just for a weekend, sometimes across the country.  I didn't appreciate the beauty of our country back then.  My mom tried to get us kids to enjoy it and now I understand why.  It's just breathtaking. 

Also, during those family road trips, my dad would always tell us about the lost Indian and, after all these years, they are still looking for Falling Rock.

Small-town U.S.A.

Milwaukee,WI to Madison, IN: 3 states, 420 miles, 10 hours on the road, 7.5 in the saddle.

Before heading out of Milwaukee this morning we headed over to Harley headquarters for a quick photo of our bikes next to the "shed" replica where Harley-Davidson all began.

We hit the interstate to try and get some miles under our belt but after 220 miles on the interstate and paying for two toll roads, we hit the country back roads for another 200 miles.  Sweet!  The speed was a lot slower, so it took us longer but that just gave us more time and opportunity to enjoy the ride.  Winding through the country and smelling the smells is what it's all about.  Sometimes the smells are sweet, sometimes not so much.  Such as, the smell of the dairy farms.  But, while the aroma of a dairy farm may not smell so nice to me, for the dairy farmer it's the smell of money.  Something a dairy farmer once told us.

Our small-town U.S.A. ride took us through some great little towns such as Crawfordsville, home of the author of Ben Hur, and Bloomington, home of the Indiana Hoosiers.  We finished today's ride in Madison, Indiana.  A great little town with lots of shops and antique stores.  We enjoyed dinner on the river and watched the sun set.  I love this beautiful country and can't wait to see where tomorrow takes us.