...You and me Sunday driving, not arriving, on our way back home....
Last planned day on the road. Nothing to really see and do but ride, as this is a familiar North-South route for all of us (15S to 29S to 86S and home). We loved a lot about this whirlwind tour, but are feeling the heat and humidity build already this morning, and are ready to be home with loved ones and snug in our own beds.
Its a relatively quick shot home from Harrisburg, about seven hours, so we wait till the free hotel breakfast opens up at 7:30am, leisurely check out and are not on the road till after 9am. Its already quite warm and humid though, and weather reports say we'll be in the mid-nineties today before long.
With the long burns free of sightseeing yesterday and today, I've been playing my helmet tunes again, starting out with some ballads all running together:
...trust I seek, and I find in you, everyday for us something new-hew...
...I was cold and you were fire, and I never knew how the pyre could be burnin' on the edge of the ice field...
...shot in the dark, one step away from you, just a shot in the dark, nothing you can do...
Every once in awhile, Bro pulls up to me and I also catch whatever song's playing on his (real) radio:
...you can't start a fire without a spark, this guns for hire, even if its just dancin' in the dark...
...I hear the train a'comin, rollin' round the bend, and I ain't seen the sunshine since...
The heat's taking its toll, and by the time we're around Charlottesville Virginia, we're ready for a cold water, Clif Bar and air conditioning break. Back on the bikes, my mental helmet-tunes gets stuck on Pearl Jam for quite awhile.
...once I saw her, on a beach of weathered sand, and on the sand, I wanna leave it again...
Just south of Charlottesville, the sky gets very dark and we run into the first real rain of the whole trip.
Now, rain in the summer heat is always a toss up when you're on a motorcycle: You can put on your rubber rainsuit and sweat inside it, getting pretty wet anyway, or you can risk hypothermia and just take the stinging rain, trading comfort for the temporary cooling the pain might give (rain pellets at speed can really sting if you're not protected). Either way, you end up pretty much the same - soggy, hot, miserable, and dangerously uncomfortable.
...some things are so much clearer, once you're in my-high, my rear view mirror...
Being that Bro had recently ditched much of his protective riding gear in favor of a short sleeved shirt due to the heat, I feared the rain might be pummeling him too much in his shortie helmet, so I pulled us all over to don rainsuits.
Of course, as is almost always the case when I do this, once we had donned our "sweatin' with the oldies" gear and got back out on the road, the rain stopped and we saw no more of it. So, 2 miles of rain out of what would be 3,000 miles total ain't too shabby. We're feelin' pretty lucky weatherwise on this trip.
...and now my bitter hands, cradle the broken glass of what was everything, tattooed all I see, all that I am, all that I'll be...
Traffic was moving along well, and we were making good time, so I figured we could suffer the heat of our extra gear till we reached Lynchburg for our next anticipated gas stop.
...she once believed, in every story he had to tell. Then one day she stiffened, took the other side...
When we do stop for gas in Lynchburg proper, we also squeeze in a late lunch at the KFC across the street from the gas station. We appreciated the air conditioning more than the food at this point.
...I seem to recognize your face, hauntingly familiar, yet I can't seem to place it...
From Lynchburg, its a quick 2 hours home and before we know it we're pulling into Dad's driveway. Shortly before arriving, I indicate to the others behind me when my tripmeter ticks over 3,000 miles by placing three fingers into the air and tooting my horn. When we pull in and shut the engines off, the trip reads 3,025.7 miles since we left last Friday, with Bro getting to add another 80 miles or so for his extra miles getting to and from Dad's house.
Not any kind of record by any means, but a pretty good achievement for us, and even though we missed a couple of things and rushed the last days home, we're each fairly happy with all we were able to do and see. I'm especially thankful for a safe ride, and the time spent together. Thanks for sharing this trip with us.
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| Back where we started, safe and sound |
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