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| By Brian P. Day 1, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2000 The big day had finally arrived. I would be heading to Orlando, Florida by motorcycle for a work conference followed by a trek to Daytona Beach for the annual Biketoberfest rally. Return would be via the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Smoky Mountains. I packed up the bike and headed out from Anamosa, Iowa at 7:20 am, riding my 1996 Heritage Special, Mystique Green and Platinum Silver. The skys were overcast. This would be my first long trip completely alone. I have ridden to Sturgis twice, in 1999 and again in 2000, but each time followed by my wife Ellen, carrying our gear in the Suburban. I took Hwy 64 west to Hyw 38 south, through Olin, Stanwood and Tipton. In Tipton I got on Hwy 130 west passing through several small towns to Davenport. There I picked up I-80 east then I-74 east and crossed the border into Illinois. Early on I-74 I felt a few sprinkles, but not enough to even mess up the bike. Made my first gas stop in Brimfield, Il at 9:55am CST (150 miles elapsed, 39.5 MPG). By the time I get to Peoria the skys were beginning to clear nicely. My plan was to take US 51 south in Bloomington, all the way down to I-64. However, I missed the exit and ended up riding to Champagne, where I got on I-57 south. Made my second gas stop on I-57 at exit 190 near Mattoon Il at 12:30pm CST (306 miles elapsed, 34.8 MPG). Nothing of note comes to mind during the ride on I-57, just lots of farmland, corn and beans, a lot of fields already picked while others being worked on as I rode. I rode and rode, finally reaching the junction of I-24 east. Shortly after getting on I-24 I made my third gas stop at exit 7 at 3:15pm CST (460 miles elapsed, 34.3 MPG). Continued riding down I-24 passing into Kentucky for a short while, then into Tennessee. Noted that the scenery on I-24 was getting a bit more interesting, if not exceptional. Stopped for gas at exit 19 near Adams, Tn at 5:40pm CST (605 miles elapsed, 34.3 MPG). Got back on the road wanting to get past Nashville before calling it a day. I hit Nashville shortly thereafter, around 6:00pm CST, to what seemed like rush hour traffic. Saw some familiar landmarks from past travels, the Briley Pkwy exit, the Batman Building, then traffic began slowing and eventually all five lanes of I-24 became a giant parking lot. Pretty much stop and go for the next 20-30 minutes, I could feel the bike getting hotter and hotter, and start to ping when I gave it throttle to creep forward. I knew from experience in Sturgis, that I was likely to burn a plug if this kept up much longer. I managed to work my way over to the far left lane and finally get past the mess. Decided to stop for the night at the next chance. Got off at exit 78, in Murfreesboro and went to a Motel 6. I was 4th in line. I should have been 3rd. All the rooms just sold out. So I walked to the adjacent motels and they were also all booked. At his point I had visions of spending the night in a rest area, something I didn’t particularly relish. Got back on I-24 and off 2 miles down the road at exit 80. Went to a Days Inn that was advertising rooms for $24.95, and much to my relief they had rooms available. Checked in at 7:40pm CST with 672 miles elapsed since I left Anamosa in the morning. Unpacked the bike and rode next door for some Chinese for dinner. Came back to the room, made my phone calls and hit the rack. So ended day 1 of my adventure. Day2, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2000 Got up early and packed up the bike. Didn’t want to wake up the neighbors, so I pushed the bike the 40 yards or so over to the office. Caught my breath and went in to check out. Drank a couple glasses of the free OJ then hit the road, still in darkness, at shortly past 6:00am CST. The ride between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga was the coldest I have ever felt while riding a bike. I have ridden in colder temperatures in Iowa, but for shorter distances and more warmly dressed. After all, this was the south and it wasn’t supposed to get that cold, right? . WRONG! On the bright side, the scenery had gotten much more enjoyable with twisties and the beginnings of the Smokey Mountains. By the time I stopped for gas in Chattanooga at 8:25 EST (762 miles elapsed, 90 miles for day, 36.9 MPG, cheapest gas of the trip with $1.29/Gal 87 Octane) I was borderline hypothermic. I gassed up and went inside to pay and buy a 20 oz glass of HOT coffee. I normally don’t drink the stuff, but it sure felt good going down this particular morning. I was shivering uncontrollably and had to hold on to the glass with both hands to keep the coffee from splashing over the sides. After about 40 minutes I was sufficiently warm to get back on the bike and continue my journey. Soon I came to the junction of I-75 south towards Atlanta and shortly thereafter crossed into Georgia. I had heard all kinds of horror stories about Atlanta traffic, and after the Nashville experience the night before I didn’t know what to expect. Much to my surprise and delight I blasted right through Atlanta this Sunday morning without incident. Shortly after getting past Atlanta I stopped for my second gas stop of the day in McDonough, Ga at 11:00am EST (914 miles elapsed, 242 miles for the day, 40.6 MPG). Nothing much particularly memorable as I continued south on I-75. I made my third gas stop of the day in Chula, Ga at 1:20pm EST (1065 miles elapsed, 393 miles for day, 37.6 MPG). Got back on I-75 continuing south and eventually crossed into the Florida, YEAH! I was looking forward to arriving in Orlando. My fourth gas stop of the day was in Alachua, Fl at 3:45pm EST (1207 miles elapsed, 535 miles for the day, 40.8 MPG). Here I decided to get off of I-75 and get on US 441 to avoid the toll way that runs into Orlando. It was a nice 4 lane road, but also passed through several small towns as well as larger towns like Gainesville and Ocala. With hindsight I would have made better time by continuing on I-75 to Ocala before exiting, oh well. Nonetheless I made it to Orlando and my hotel, the Radisson Twin Towers, just across the road from Universal Studios, at 7:00pm EST (1342 miles elapsed, 670 miles for the day). I was fortunate in that I was able to park my bike not 20 feet from the hotel entrance, where the valets agreed to keep a watchful eye on it through out my stay. I unpacked the bike, checked in, and went to my room where I made my phone calls and then headed down to the conference welcoming reception for free drinks and food. By 11:30pm I was in the rack, anticipating the conferencing activities of the next 4 days. So ended day 2 of my adventure. Days 3-5, Monday-Wednesday, Oct. 16-19, 2000 I didn’t get a whole lot of riding in, as these days were mainly consumed by the work conference, 9:00am-5:00pm, everyday. I did, however, manage to sneak a few miles in here and there, as I was able. A couple of lunch hours I went out riding around Orlando. One day, Monday, I basically just wandered around the neighborhood in the vicinity of the hotel, not knowing the area well, I didn’t want to get lost. I noticed that the bike was idling like crap when I started it up, only firing on one cylinder until it got warm, then it sounded better but still not totally like it should. I was familiar with this, as the same thing happened in Sturgis earlier in the year, after getting stuck in a traffic jam around the Full Throttle Saloon. The bike had heated up and I had burnt a plug. I figured, the traffic jam in Nashville on Saturday night had caused similar damage to the spark plugs. That evening I also took a ride around town. I filled up with gas at 7:30pm EST(1369 miles elapsed, 44.7 MPG) then rode around and found a Chinese restaurant for some dinner. The next lunch hour, Tuesday, I struck out on a mission, in search of the Ha rley dealer on Orange Blossom Trail. I had noticed a few oil spots under the bike at the hotel. Upon closer inspection I noticed a small leak from the derby cover. Tightening the three Torx screws only seem to make the leakage increase, so I figured the o-ring was shot or at worst the cover was warped. I also needed to get a set of spark plugs. After getting lost a few times and accidentally entering a toll way, I eventually found Orange Blossom Trail and the Harley shop. I bought the o-ring and returned to the hotel, then realizing I had forgotten to buy the plugs. That afternoon, after the conference, I took the bike out in the parking lot to change the gasket. I made good use of my conference materials, putting the conference proceedings and my shop manual under the kick stand to level the bike. I removed the derby cover and old o-ring and fitted the new o-ring into the groove in the primary cover. However, after much cussing I concluded the gasket I was sold was too big for my bike. I cleaned the old gasket and the groove in the primary cover off very well, re-installed the old gasket and the derby cover. I took the bike out for a short ride and inspected for leaks when returning to the hotel. The leakage had appeared to stop! The following lunch hour, Wednesday, I returned to the Harley dealer to exchange the o-ring. The counter guy told me I must have been given a TC 88 o-ring. The gaskets they sell aren’t the ones with the nubs made by the motor company. The guy said they have had bad luck with this type of o-ring. The dealer has their o-rings made by a third party source. Anyway he exchanged the gasket, guaranteeing it was the right one. I also bought my spark plugs. That evening we had a conference function at the Kennedy Space Center, so I was unable to change the plugs. That I would take care of in Daytona Beach. I also decided to leave the derby cover o-ring alone as long as it wasn’t leaking again. When/if it started leaking again, then I would do something about it. So ended days 3-5 of my adventure. Day 6, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2000 I got up early and went down and packed up the bike. After checking out, I walked down to the convention center for my last day of the conference. Approaching noon, I was anxious to get on the road, so I skipped out early and at 11:05am CST, I fired up the bike and headed out on I-4 east, bound for Daytona Beach. I was beginning to see a lot more bikes on the highway now, but nothing compared to Sturgis. About an hour later I came to the junction of I-95 north, which I took, then exited shortly at exit 88, for Ormond Beach. I had no idea where my motel was, as the address was in my saddlebag, and I had forgotten to look, for it before I left from Orlando. So I kept riding straight as far as I could go, eventually coming to a road which skirted the ocean. I rode on this for a short distance before exiting for a photo opportunity of the bike in front of the beach and ocean. I dug out my motel information and found that it was located on north US 1. I had passed this a short ways back, so I backtracked and then headed north on Hwy 1. I saw many more bikes now coming and going. I passed by several roadside bar areas with people motioning, trying to get bikers to enter. I rode by Smiley’s Tap, where the RMH get together would be on Saturday. I wished I could attend, but I needed to be back for work on Monday, and had a lot of miles to cover. About a mile or so past Smiley’s I found my motel, the Ormond Beach Days Inn. I had booked this about a month ago through the internet, and was glad I did, as I could imagine motel rooms in the area would now be nearly impossible to find. I checked in, unpacked the bike and lugged my stuff up to the room. It was 1:15pm EST. I changed clothes and was shortly back on Hwy 1 south, headed back toward Daytona Beach, to check things out. I stopped for gas along the way at 1:40pm EST (1511 miles elapsed, 40.5 MPG). Continuing on I found Beach St. and parked just across the street from the Buick dealer. I walked up and down the street, looking through the various vendor stands for an event pin and patch for me and a t-shirt for Ellen. I found a neat pin with gator that said Biketoberfest 2000, so I bought it. Couldn’t find anything else I was looking for, that I liked. I walked across the street and through the Easyriders area. Got a free bandana from a girl at the Dodge exhibit. Listened to the band for a while. Stopped and watched the virtual drag races, two bikes side by side on a dyno, running through the gears, just like a real drag race. Made quite a racket and I wondered about the noise ordinance that Daytona Beach supposedly had. Got back on the bike and headed over the Halifax river. I found Atlantic, then Main St. I turned up Main St from Atlantic. Daytona Beach Main St isn't as wide as in Sturgis. They also allow car traffic on it during the rally. Bikes are parked on either side of the street, not right on the street, but up the curb on the sidewalk. No bike parking is allowed in the center. I didn’t want to jump the curb to park, so I found a lot a block off Main St to park for $3.00. I walked down Main St toward the ocean, stopping here and there looking at their stuff. Stopped at a bar and had a beer. Girls in skimpy bikinis were selling beer out of ice filled tubs at the entrances. Walked back to the beer garden and listened to the band for awhile. Finished my beer and continued on down Main St. The sidewalks were crowded. I stopped and took a few pictures along the way. Walked down all the way to the pier and took some more pictures. I walked back up Main St on the opposite side, stopping at a clothing store. They had a keg set up and were giving away free beer. I had a glass while I looked at their stuff. Found a nice sweater for Ellen and had a Biketoberfest design put on the front. Also found a t-shirt for myself. Had another beer and continued on up Main St. Stopped in at the J&P Cycles store and saw a few people working that I know from Anamosa. More walking and I saw a guy in his 60’s in an Uncle Sam costume and very tall top hat, riding down the street with a very large US flag on the back of his bike. Couldn’t get my camera out fast enough for a picture. The sun was starting to go down and I wanted to get back to the motel before dark. Found the bike and put all my stuff away. Then a guy next to me with a special construction bike asked if I had a spark plug wrench. Dug all my stuff back out and got my tool kit. I thought about changing my plugs here too, as long as I had the tools out, but the guy running the lot wasn’t too keen about people working on their bikes there. So I loaded up my saddlebag and headed back across the river and on to the motel. Stopped at the Dairy Queen next to the motel and bought some food to take back to the room. Ate dinner and made my phone calls. Gapped my plugs and went down to install them in the dark. Mission accomplished, I went back up to the room and hit the rack. So ended day 6 of my adventure. Day 7, Friday, Oct. 21, 2000 Packed up the bike and fired her up. She was back to her old self … potato, potato, potato, great! After warmed up, pulled out of the motel and on to I-95 north at about 7:30am EST, under cloudy skies. By the time I was 30 miles south of Jacksonville, it started to sprinkle and soon I was riding through a real frog choker. Without a windshield, my full face helmet was a god send. Couldn’t imagine riding through this stuff without it. The rain had come up kind of sudden, before I was able to get stopped to pull on my rain suit. Before long I was soaked and cold from head to toe. The rain tapered off by the time I reached Jacksonville, so thankfully I didn’t’ have to deal with the rain and the morning traffic at the same time. Crossed into Georgia and soon stopped for gas at exit 3, it was 9:30 am EST (1660 miles elapsed, 120 miles for the day, 38.3 MPG). Paid for my gas with soggy bills and tried to wash as much of the dye off my hands, from my gloves, that I could. Put on my fingerless gloves and got back on I-95. Shortly thereafter, I exited I-95 and got on US 25 north, at Brunswick, Georgia. I had decided to take Hwy 25 because it was a more direct (and likely more scenic) route than continuing up I-95 and then getting on I-26 east. Highway 25 is bordered on both sides by mile after mile of pine trees, mostly natural growing, but occasionally by trees meant for later cultivation as Christmas trees. About midway up through Georgia, the cloudy sky gave way to patches of blue sky and sunshine. I stopped for gas for the second time of the day in Millen, Georgia at 1:45pm EST (1827 miles elapsed, 287 miles for the day, 46.7 MPG). I continued north eventually reaching Augusta, where soon after I crossed the border into South Carolina. I continued on north along Hwy 25 along side cotton fields and ever changing and gradually more colorful autumn foliage. In Greenville I stopped again for gas at 4:30pm EST (1988 miles elapsed, 448 miles for the day, 47.8 MPG). I continued my trek north on Hwy 25, and not long after reached the North Carolina border. The route was becoming curvy and the scenery more picturesque as I entered into the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. I soon reached and took I-26 east toward Ashville and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Soon after, I passed historic Hendersonville, and decided to find a place for the night before it became dark. I stopped at a Days Inn, that had a few smoking rooms available for $99.95. I rode over to the Comfort Inn next door and they had one smoking room available for $139.95. I left with dejavou (sp?) of Murfreesboro. At the next exit to Fletcher, I spied a Budget Motel, so I pulled in to see if they had any vacancies. They did and at the bargain rate of $81.75 including tax! Desperate, I took the room, not knowing what if anything (and at what price), was down the road. I unloaded the bike, and went inside and washed the rest of the glove dye off my hands. I then walked next door, to the Golden Arches, picked up some food and headed back to the room and ate dinner. I was more or less dried out by now from the morning downpour. I laid my boots and gloves on the air conditioner to finish drying out completely. I took everything out of my wallet and laid it on the dresser to dry. Made my phone calls, watched a little TV, then hit the rack after 2038 miles elapsed and 498 miles for the day. I was less than 10 miles away from my destination for the next day, the Blue Ridge Parkway. So ended day 7 of my adventure. Day 8, Saturday, Oct.22, 2000 I got up and had the bike packed up by 7:15am EST. It was still dark and appeared to be foggy from the glow of the street lights. I waited around in my room for dawn, as I wanted to do the parkway in daylight. By 7:45 it was light, but still foggy. I pushed the bike away from the room and farther out into the parking lot so I wouldn’t wake the neighbors. I fired up the bike and let it warm up. As I did, I noticed this possum begin to scamper around the parking lot. Guess the bike must have woke the little guy up. Soon I pulled out from the motel and onto I-26 west. The fog was really light and not a problem. Before long I had reached the exit for the Blue Ridge Parkway. I entered the parkway and before long had come to the first scenic lookout. I don’t remember the name, as there must be hundreds. I stopped and took a picture. I did the same thing at the next couple of turnouts that I came upon. I decided then, I would start being a bit more selective with my photo opportunities. It was apparent that I could easily spend weeks and hundreds of rolls of film, if I stopped at every turnout. I wanted so much to capture the beauty of this place. The B.R.P. is definitely a motorcyclist’ s dream ride, with mile after mile of twisting roadway, through some of the most breathtaking scenery that you can imagine. Really, words or even pictures can’t begin to describe this place. The parkway is the ultimate fall leaf ride. I really envy the people that live in this area. Ellen and I will definitely come back here in the future and spend much more time here, than I can afford on this trip. Up the road a ways I come upon a gas station. I didn’t really need gas yet, but decide to stop anyway, as I had no idea when my next opportunity would be. It was 8:45am EST (2073 miles elapsed, 35 miles for the day, 40.5 MPG). I continue on down the parkway enjoying the ride and the scenery. There are a fair amount of tourist, many on motorcycles, even at this early hour. I stop here and there and take pictures. I come to one lookout proclaiming to be the highest point on the parkway, at 6053 ft above sea level. I take a picture of the bike with the sign in the background. At another lookout a couple asks me to take their picture. Then they ask if they can get a couple pictures with each of them standing by my bike. I eventually reached the junction with US 19. To the north is Maggie Valley, North Carolina. It had been 28 years since I last visited this place. As a kid, I took several summer vacations, where we would meet up with friends from North Carolina, and spend a week vacationing in a Maggie Valley motel. I wanted to see if I could by chance, find the motel where we used to stay. I rode the 7 miles to Maggie Valley and find it has turned into quite the tourist trap. Roadside stands everywhere selling antiques, souvenirs, fireworks, fruits and vegetables, and you name it. A popular item in this area seems to be “boiled peanuts”. There appeared to be some kind of festival going on at the time. There were tourists everywhere, much traffic and many motorcycles, especially Harleys. I rode along down the Hwy 19 strip not recognizing anything in particular, it had been a long time! M.V. is definitely much bigger and more commercialized than I remember. I remember that there used to be a Copper Kettle restaurant next to the motel where we would stay. The motel was just a small 7 unit affair. Up ahead a ways I see a Copper Kettle on the left. Hmm, It didn’t seem to look the same as I remembered. The motel next to it was a modern two story with 30-40 units. I knew this couldn’t be the same motel, oh well. I stopped and took some pictures, anyway, to show later to my parents. Maybe they would recognize something. I had not yet reached the end of the strip, but I needed to get home the nest day, and had a long ways yet to ride. Reluctantly, at going on 11:30am, I decided to reverse course and head on down the road and closer to Iowa. I got back on the parkway and before long had reached Cherokee, the end of the line for the parkway. Cherokee is another big tourist town. It took a while to fight my way through the stop and go traffic, but finally I was free of it and continuing south on Hyw 19. Shortly, I was noticing lots of activity, cars parked along side the road, and people walking, some with helmets and outfits that reminded me of bicyclists. Then I noticed down in the ravine on the left side of Hwy 19 was a river, bordering the road. Later, after looking at the map, I believe this river must have been the Little Tennessee. I could see lots of activity on the river, people in rafts, kayaks and canoes. Apparently river sports are a big tourist draw in this area, also. I continued on down Hwy 19 past the junction with Hwy 129. Before long I hit 4 lane divided highway at the junction with Hwy 74. I ride along Hwy 74 enjoying the scenery, eventually crossing into Tennessee. Shortly thereafter I stop for gas as 1:20pm EST (2233 miles elapsed, 195 miles for the day, 49.9 MPG). I mount up and continue west on Hwy 74. Around Cleveland, Tennessee I reach and take the junction with I-75 south. Within a short distance I come upon and take the junction with I-24 west. I passed by Chattanooga and before long I cross time zones, I’m back on Central Time! I ride and ride along I-24. The slabs dull scenery, paled to that which I had just experienced. At 3:15pm CST, I take the exit 80 off ramp for Murfreesboro, under ever increasing cloudiness, looking for my next gas (2400 miles elapsed, 362 miles for the day, 41.8 MPG). I thought about what lay ahead. Nashville was 32 miles ahead, I’d hit it about 4:00pm, I wonder how the traffic would be? About this time it began to rain and I made my decision, it was simple. I’d call it an early day and find that same Days Inn which I’d stayed in the week before. I check into the motel and unpack the bike. By this time the rain had slowed to a drizzle. I decide to just ride a round a bit to see what I can see. Nothing much exciting as it turns out. I pulled into Burger King, bought some food and returned to my room to eat dinner. Afterwards, I went outside and surveyed the bike. I tighten a set screw on my rear axle nut cover. I had noticed it loose and could hear it rattling earlier. I also noticed that the derby cover was seeping again, but screw it, I’m not laying in the water to fix it. I go back into the room, watch some T.V. and make my phone calls. The first game of the World Series is on, and I want to watch it. I also want to leave very early tomorrow to get home at a decent hour. I hit the rack around 7:30pm CST, but toss and turn, thinking about the damn derby cover. I finally get up and dress and go outside to fix it in the dark. I had a little illumination from the light just outside my room. I take off the cover, clean everything up and try the o-ring gasket I had bought in Orlando, the one that was guarantied to fit. Guess what? The damn thing was too big, too! but I had expected as much. I cleaned off the old gasket, put it in and button up the cover. I was cleaned up and back in the sack by 8:30pm, anticipating tomorrows ride and anxious to get home. So ended day 8 of my adventure. Day 9, Sunday, Oct, 23 2000 I wanted to get an early start, so when I woke up at 1:15am CST, I decided to get up. With any luck I’d be home by early afternoon. I packed up, unlocked the bike, and pushed it up to the motel office to not wake the neighbors. After checking out and warming the bike up well, I pulled out of the motel parking lot, and merged onto I-24 west, on the final leg of my journey. It was 2:00am CST. I hit Nashville about 2:30am to light traffic, but still more than I would expect at this early hour. Not long past Nashville I started to hit the beginning of the fog. Isolated patches at first that would come and go, then progressively more dense, till the visibility was no more than 40-50 yards. Fog itself would be bad enough, but the darkness added to the problem. The moist air condensed on my visor and I was constantly wiping it off with my gloved hand. I lifted my visor to see if visibility improved. It did for a while till my glasses were covered inside and out with condensation and impossible to see through. I pushed the glasses down on my nose and peered over the top, puting my visor back down so I wouldn’t get any bug strikes in the eyes. Of course the visor was covered with condensation, which I tried in vain to clear with my gloves. With the visor up, the vapor had condensed on the inside also. This I couldn’t clear while on the move. I put the visor back up and just kept plugging along, watching my rear view mirror, and hoping I was visible to the traffic behind. You never feel more vulnerable, than in dense fog. Occasionally, I would be overtaken by faster traffic, and I wondered how in the hell they could see, to go so fast. Once or twice I was able to tag along behind a vehicle and use its tail lights as a beacon. However, they would be generally traveling faster than what I was willing to go in these conditions, and I would lose them in the thick soup. I crossed the border into Kentucky and was soon ready for some gas and a break. The extreme concentration required was fatiguing and the dampness chilling. I was able to make out a lighted sign for a service station up ahead, so I took the next exit. I pulled into the station and gassed up, it was 3:45am CST (2520 miles elapsed, 120 miles for the day, 37.0 MPG). I bought a coke and sat outside to rest. After about a half hour I was ready to head back into it. I wiped my glasses and visor off well, and was off again, slicing through the darkness and fog on I-24 west. I had learned a valuable lesson on the leg up from Murfreesboro, Don’t Lift The Visor In The Fog! I am used to doing this when the visor fogs up due to my breathing, and it works, but in fog it is a no-no. There was more traffic now and I was lucky enough to hook up with several vehicles going about my same speed. I’d keep behind them close enough so that I could see their tail lights, yet with enough room to react safely if need be. This worked well, using their tail lights as a beacon made the ride much less fatiguing. I kept the visor down, constantly wiping with my gloved hand. Windshield wipers would have been nice to have. I ride through the night, eventually crossing into southern Illinois. I get to Mt. Vernon, Illinois and hit the exit as the first rain drops begin to fall. It is 6:25am CST. I gas up (2675 miles elapsed, 275 miles for the day, 33.4 MPG), and buy a 20oz coffee to warm up. Then I head back out to the bike and pull on the rain suit. It should keep me dry and help keep me warmer as well. I merge back onto I-24 west and very shortly come to the junction with I-57 north. I continue up I-57 north. Its becoming lighter and lighter now. I ride along continuing to follow behind other vehicles, using them as beacons as before. The fog shows no sign of letting up. But at least now it was daylight. Riding along I calculate in my head the miles remaining and when I should arrive. I’m happy that I’m making good time despite the weather. The rain isn’t of much consequence today, mostly just a drizzle. In Champagne I stop for my third gas of the day, at 9:15am CST (2826 miles elapsed, 426 miles for the day, 34.4 MPG). The rain has stopped by now, but I elect to keep my rain suit on for the warmth. Soon I’m back on the highway and approaching the junction with I-74 west. I continue west on I-74. After about 20 miles or so the fog begins to become patchy and clear up. Hooray! There is even an occasional patch of blue sky here and there. I ride along unimpressed with the bleak scenery. I have been spoiled from all I have experienced over the past week. I stop for the forth and final gas of the day, just east of Davenport, in Colona, Illinois, at high noon (2991 mile elapsed, 591 miles for the day, 38.1 MPG). I call Ellen and tell her I’m only about 2 hours from home. She ’s surprised to hear that I’m so close to home already. I get back on I-74 west and shortly cross over the Mississippi, into Iowa. I have returned! I –74 changes to I-80 and about 45 minute later I take the Tipton exit. I’ ve traveled this route often. Hwy 38 north through Tipton, Stanwood and Olin. Then west on Hwy 64 to Anamosa. At 1:45pm CST I turn into my driveway as the garage door is going up. Ellen has heard the bike and is waiting for me. I give her a big hug and kiss, glad to be home. I had rode 3078 miles since leaving from Anamosa a week ago, Saturday. I finished the day with 678 miles, under my butt, about 400 miles of that through dense fog. It was a long, but rewarding trip for me. Mostly good weather, a little bad, and with virtually no trouble on the road. A trip which I will long remember, and hope to repeat again soon (but maybe on a bagger :-) So ends my grand adventure to Orlando, Biketoberfest 2000 and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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