YEE HAW!!! DAY ONE....600 MILES!

Hey Folks,

Day one went off with only a couple of small hiccups. (I forgot my shaving kit & Steve forgot his chaps & jacket) We both are having them shipped to WI. I was about 20 minutes late out of the gate from home. Not a biggie. The first 180 miles was all solo. Steve was up at his farm in VA. We had planned to meet just north of Hwy 77/64. That worked out fine. He only had to wait about 20 mins due to my late departure.

The late departure had nothing to do with my brother Randy, my good friend AWOL (Whiskey Delta), Joe (girlie beer), his friend Tony, Hired Gun and my neighbor Walt (EPA Agent) all stopping by to watch me wax and pack my bike. I just want to know what the hell happend to the case of Yuengling I was taking to WI? Did one of you drink it?

It was the PERFECT day for riding. The temps never got above 80. In fact, it was a little cool most of the day. When Steve left his farm in VA it was 45 degrees this morning.

The first 180 miles riding along was actually pretty nice. It gave me a chance to settle in, thank God for just being so lucky to do such a trip.

If you are a biker, there is nothing that compares to a day like today. The smell of fresh cut hay, the sweet nectar of honeysuckles as you pass, the sensation of a creek as you ride by in conjunction with the moisture it holds to give you that natural air conditioning on a hot day. Later in the evening as folks are staring to grill, you ask yourself...burgers, chicken, or steak? Every now and then you get the wisp of dryer sheets.

Our original plan was to layover in Columbus, OH tonight. Our pace put us in Columbus a lot earlier than expected. We were there at approximately 230 PM. Steve suggested we continue to ride with the weather being so perfect and plenty of day light ahead. I agreed. Unfortunately I had to cancel dinner with a friend of mine in Columbus due to the change of plans.

We actually made it all the way to Ft Wayne today. 600 miles! Tomorrow we head up the eastern coast of Lake Michigan. Again, that plan has changed as well. Our original plan was to spend the night in Muskegon as to wait on my friend Terry from Milwaukee. Unfortunately he had a bad bout with kidney stones this week. He will not be joining us. With that said...we will press north until Happy Hour rolls around again. My friend Steve who is an attorney and lives north of Muskegon has been gracious enough to allow us to spend the night at his house. I need to see how far north we make it. I want to enjoy the ride without feeling like I "have to" make it to point B.

Only one picture today. We stopped right before we crossed the OH river.



Until tomorrow....

Rick (MDD)