Final Days

Alright, it's wrap up time! While at my sister's last Wednesday, I had issues connecting to the internet and when I got home, I just sat around the house and relaxed.

It's been almost a week since I've ended traveling and it is really hard to believe what I accomplished, where I have been and people I've met along the way. Before I get to some reflections, I need wrap up the last two days of travel.

Well starting out Wednesday morning, it was nice knowing there was no hotel/motel room waiting at the end of the day. My sister's place was the last step before home and even though it wasn't home, it sure felt like that was where I was headed.
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The morning was nice and overcast and cool. Imagine the weather being cool on this trip. Baffling. While loading our bikes it started drizzling. Looks like the day was going to start out pretty wet. Me and my dad got out on the road and it started raining. Luckily it never really picked up that much.

We took a break and I added on another layer of clothing because it was really cool out riding. I wasn't expecting it to be this cool. Most of the roads were pretty straight and lots of off and on rain. Nothing too hard but just enough to be annoying. I think at this point I had lost my drive to capture pictures. Everything was looking the same at this time.

Grabbed a quick lunch and pushed on that 120 miles into Canton. Those were some long 120 miles. Most of the roads that we were traveling were narrow two lane roads and by the time you start rolling along, you were hitting a stop sign and making a turn. This went on for about an hour or more. That kind of riding hits you hard and really starts to wear you out.

The final push was on and had a pretty easy ride into my sister's place. We arrived and it felt good to be done for the day. While it was only a 260 mile day, it felt like a 350 mile day instead. It felt good to see family and it felt good to be in a house instead of a hotel! Oh yeah, and to sit on a couch for the first time in 5 weeks.

My sister really made a fantastic meal. She made some ribs (best ribs I've EVER had), a pork sirloin (with pineapple salsa), some baked beans and a nice pasta salad. It was heaven. After dinner we enjoyed a wonderful dessert; pumpkin bread pudding. Wow was that tasty!

After some extended visiting in the evening, I hit the sack and passed out. Six o'clock came really early the next morning. I probably could've had about another 3 hours of sleep, but there was 360 some miles ahead of us and an early start would be the best.

The day was pretty nice. Some clouds, but it looked like it was going to be sunny and some what warm for the day. I was hoping that my last day of riding wouldn't be like my first day of the trip. Looks like I got my wish.

For the most part, the ride home was pretty uneventful. Me and my dad blazed down I-275 and I-75 and weaved our way east of Toledo. Instead of taking the turnpike, we took US 20/18 east and it pretty much paralleled the TPK. We made pretty good time the whole way and hit Canton, OH by lunchtime. I was pretty happy about that. Almost at the PA border by lunchtime, should be home around 3:30 or 4 at this rate.

That was until we ran through the last few miles of eastern Ohio. Congestion, loads of traffic and stop lights and construction. I think it took us around an hour to go about 20 some miles. It was pretty painful, but it ended before we got to PA.

There was one sad little moment around here. We crossed into PA and I felt something hit my thigh. I knew it was a bird. I've had several near misses and have killed one or two other ones along the way. I looked down and didn't see anything at first. Then I thought, "Heh, bet Dad got a show there. Feathers bursting in the air and all that. Hmm, wouldn't it be something if it was in my lap?" So I looked down and sure enough in my lap was the dead bird laying there. A little goldfinch laying there in my lap. I felt bad for the poor fella.

We stopped for gas in Mount Jackson, PA and I picked up his little body and carried him off to a trash can. An odd thing to happen here on the last day of the trip. At this point, it was the last fuel up for the trip. Kind of funny that it was all coming to an end.

Got on 422 and rode it on into Indiana, PA and took a break just outside. One last rest and the final push into town. There was no traffic on the way into Johnstown and I'm not sure how I was going to feel about coming home. I think I was pretty ambivalent riding into town. I wasn't relieved to be home and I wasn't excited to be home. I'm not sure what it was that I was feeling at this point. It was kind of nice being home and it was kind of sad being home. What I did find interesting was that home was just like any other place I was on the road.

Turning up my street seemed very foreign. I recognized it, but something just didn't seem quite right about it. I pulled into my driveway and got off the bike, took off the helmet and just kind of stood there looking at the bike and the house. Wow, I left here went across the US and made it home in one piece. I went and opened the door to the house and felt like a stranger. So I tore the bike down for the last time and instead of pulling the gear into a hotel, it was coming home after 5 weeks of travel.

Met up with my friends for dinner and it was great seeing them again and it was like I had never left. Later that night when I got home and just sat there on the sofa and I didn't know what to do with myself. I actually pulled the laptop out and figured I better get the route for the next day laid out and loaded into the GPS. I had to laugh at that one.

The rest of the weekend I just relaxed did some house work and visited with my brother and his family and have been organizing the video.

So that's the final days of the trip. I expected this to be a little shorter, but it looks like I ran a little long here. One more post to come. A reflection of the trip and some thoughts. Nothing too terribly exciting. So for those who were wondering if I made it home, well, now you know!