Day 14

Home Sweet Home...3,890 miles in 14 days...no wonder my rear hurt so much. Fortunately, the motorcycle ran good... except for the battery problem on Tuesday...and I had no lasting injuries or physical problems.

Day 13 was spent recharging my batteries at Courtney and Ethan's house in Arlington. It was extremely hot...hit 100 degrees I believe...so we ran a few errands...staying mostly in the air conditioning...and then went back to the house to cool down.

I got off this morning at 9:45am when the McDaniels headed off to church. I had packed my motorcycle earlier and was ready to go...I thought. As they drove off, I reached for my helmet...no helmet! I had left it in the garage and all the doors were locked. I quickly called Courtney and got the code for the garage door but she didn't answer. I then called Ethan and she answered and gave me the code. As I was putting the code in, they drove into the driveway. Apparently, I had gotten through to Courtney but for some reason we didn't communicate so they turned around and came back.

I retrieved my helmet, put it on and hit the road. The McDaniels continued on to church...sorry I made you late today.

I chose to go home via I-35E to Waco and then Hwy 6. I've traveled that highway so many times over the past 15 years that I can almost do it with my eyes closed. However, today I kept them open. The highway was relatively uncrowded but those folks who choose to drive 80-90 miles an hour cause one to keep their eyes open...and then there are all the trucks.

A few days ago I was making fun of the funny names along my route. Today, there weren't as many funny ones but there were some interesting ones, such as West (home of the world famous Czech Stop), Rosebud, Turkey Creek, West, Alligator Creek (think there were ever any alligators?), Riesel (big speed trap), Calvert (another speed trap) and Hearne (sometimes a speed trap). Of course, Texas is full of towns with strange names but today my route didn't take me through any of them.

Once I was on Hwy 6, I began to see what always reminds me of this part of Texas...farms and fields with various crops growing...as far as the eye can see sometimes. Us city boys can't tell you what the crops are but I can tell you that they are crops. Pretty scientific, don't you think. Anyway, I took a picture.

The road home may not look like those in Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and other areas I've seen on this trip, but it look pretty good to me. The leg home was only 3 1/2 hours today but it seemed shorter...thank goodness.

The road between Waco and College was really familiar. The exit for Bremond, the prison just outside Waco, the large power plant in Riesel, the little town of Reagan...now being bypassed by Hwy 6...and one of the most familiar sights to anyone traveling south on Hwy 6, just outside Calvert, the red barn painted with all sorts of Texas A&M traditional sayings (see picture). Once I saw that barn, I knew I was headed the right direction...as if there was any prior doubt.

The last leg, between Hearne and College Station, really looked good...see picture. Then before I knew it, I was in College Station and then pulling up in front of the house...Home Sweet Home. It's always good to get home, isn't it? Even though you may have stayed in some great hotels or really nice houses of your friends and family, it's still good to get to your own home...it just feels right...homey even.

Well, tha, tha, tha, that's all folks! I've enjoyed keeping everyone informed of my trip activities with this blog...I hope you enjoyed it as well.

Day 12

On to Arlington and home to Texas...I was ready. Today started at 7:45am. I wanted to get off fairly early because it was going to be a long day and I knew that I wanted to take the winding Hwy 9 out of Melbourne, which would take me south down to Conway, AR rather than the more conventional route over to Batesville and then south to Little Rock. I think I made the right choice.

The view of the valley from the road was outstanding. Check out the picture of the low hanging clouds in the valley with the mountain tops peeking through. I basically had the winding road to myself, allowing me to take my time and enjoy the view...when possible. I even had the opportunity to stop several times along the way to get a better picture. I only had one car pass me the entire distance over to Moutain View and that turned out to be Christopher going to work. I thought it looked like his car but didn't realize it until he told me after I arrived at Courtney's house in Arlington.

Hwy 9 eventually merged with another highway...don't remember the number...that took me south to Conway. It was a nice, smooth, mostly straight highway that allowed me to make some of the time lost on the twisties earlier. Once pat Conway, I intercepted I-40 but had to headed back east for 20 miles or so to intercept I-30. It was really hard back-tracking like this but since I was following the GPS, it was about the only choice I had.

I skirted the western edge of Little Rock and and merged onto I-30 headed west. Road conditions and the weather cooperated most of the day so I made good time, stopping only for fuel and food...except for a couple of times to give my rear end a break. The distance to travel today was about 480 miles and it took me 10 1/2 hours...counting an hour stop for lunch...much needed. The only problems encountered today negotiating around all the trucks on the interstate and hassling with the stop and go traffic in Dallas. My timing today was not good as I hit the Dallas area at exactly 5:00pm. Even then the traffic was moving well until I got on the south side of Dallas and hit a snag. Apparently, there had been a small fender bender somewhere in front of me and the traffic became stop-and-go for the next 10-15 miles...not much fun.

After I got on I-30, there wasn't much to see but since I was getting closer and closer to Texas, I didn't much care. I was looking forward to seeing the "Welcome to Texas" sign at the state line but there wasn't one. Since the state line is in the middle of Texarkana and the whole area is under construction, perhaps the sign has been taken down or I just didn't see it. I did pull into a rest stop where the Texas Visitor's Center was located and took a picture of a large image of the State of Texas.

Oh, I almost forgot, I passed Hope, AR...the childhood home of Bill Clinton...but I didn't think it was worth the time to stop and see it...sorry Bill.

Further down the road, just east of Greenville, TX, I saw signs for the Audie Murphy Cotton Museum. I don't exactly know what the connection between Audie Murphy and Cotton is but I pulled off and got a picture of his statue.

Well, I pulled into Ethan and Courtney's driveway at 6:15pm...a long time since I left Melbourne, AR, this morning. I was really ready to get off the motorcycle. The combination of temperature, heat from the motorcycle and the stop-and-go traffic made the shower I took soon after arriving feel very good indeed.

I'll be spending the day with the McDaniels in Arlington tomorrow so there will be no posting...next, and probabaly last, post will be on Sunday after the final leg of my trip. Until then, have a great weekend. On Monday, it's back to work.

Day 10

Finally, a day with no problems. The weather was great all the way from Nashville to Melbourne and traffic was light.

I left the hotel about 6:45am, gassed up and was on the road headed west by 7:00am. I made pretty good time, keeping my speed up and trying not to stop too much. The first hour or so went well but then I started to see interesting things that I thought I should check out. First, there's was Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch and several other establishments with her name on them. I exited the freeway and found that everything was 17 miles further up the road. Not wanting to take that much time, I turned around and headed back to the interstate. I did stop long enough to take a picture of a huge buffalo...the town's namesake...in front of the Loretta Lynn Cafe. I didn't take long enough to check out the inside.

A little further down the road, I came to a sign advertising the Shiloh battlefield. Well, this I thought would be important enough for me to take the time to see it. However, when I exited and saw the sign, I discovered it was 50 miles away. I decided not to drive the extra 50 miles as I still had over 300 miles to go. I tried to visit a visitor's information location but it was only 8:30am and it wasn't open yet...so back to the interstate.

About 15 minutes later, I saw a sign advertising the home of Casey Jones and a railroad museum. Although it would be interesting, I passed by without stopping. Next stop, Jackson, TN.

The road between Nashville and Memphis had some interesting sights but there were also some interesting city/town names, such as Buffalo, Cuba Landing, Paris, Parkers Crossing, Whiteville, Alamo, Brownsville, Somerville, and who could ever forget Bucksnort.

I did make a short stop at one of my favorite places on the road...Love's. I topped off the tank, went to the bathroom and got something to drink...mostly I needed to stretch my legs. The next leg wasn't that long but I started getting into Memphis city traffic and had to slow down. I followed the course my GPS suggested and headed north on I-55 towards northern Arkansas. I skirted downtown Memphis and crossed the mighty Mississippi River into Arkansas. Shortly after crossing I came to West Memphis and decided it was time to eat lunch...it was only 11:30am. I found a gas station with a McDonalds co-located and stopped for a while. I had a leisurely lunch and then hit the road.

By the way, did I tell you my GPS does not like Washington D.C. and the surrounding area? Well, it doesn't. Once I was out of that area, I had no problems with its directions and I arrived at Winston-Salem and Nashville in fine shape. So, today I was following the route the GPS suggested without hesitation.

About 20-25 miles north of West Memphis, I was directed off I-55 onto State Hwy 14. I remembered from the map on Google the night before that this would take me across the middle of the State over to Melbourne...but that's about all I remembered. I was trusting the GPS to get me there. I only made one correction to the suggested route and that was not taking the scenic route to Batesville from Newport. I wanted the straightest and fastest route at this point. It worked out fine.

Hwy 14 had some interesting town names as well...Harrisburg, Waldenburg, Salado, Maple Springs, Mt. Pleasant, Grubbs and Oil Trough...yes, that's right, Oil Trough! I actually stopped in Oil Trough at a very nice little picnic/park area overlooking the White River...it was quite a view.

Another interesting sight was when I crossed what looked like a river...about 50 yards across and full of water. The sign before the bridge said, "Ditch #60". I wonder if there's 59 nine other ditches like #60. Maybe they ran out of river names.

Another interesting sign I saw along the way in several locations said, "Road unsafe when under water". Well, duh!

Hwy 14 was a pretty good road...small two lane with not much shoulders, but the traffic was light and I never had to pass anyone. What really surprised me about the area all along Hwy 14...about 80 miles of it...was all the agriculture I saw. There was a lot of rice and wheat...mostly rice. The area could have passed for a lot of places in the Brazos Valley. I didn't expect to see such a large agricultural area.

Once I arrived in Batesville...25 miles from Melbourne...I didn't need the GPS anymore. The road between Batesville and Melbourne is full of twists and turns and has an excellent surface. It was the most enjoyable leg of the trip today...by far.

I had dinner at the local Pizza Inn with Merinda's grandparents, mom and brother's family and had fun watch Jude eat. We're back home now relaxing and waiting for the kids go to sleep. I've already read 5-6 books to Penelope and I'm sure there will be more tomorrow. I'm planning on resting up tomorrow and hit the road early on Friday, headed for Arlington to see my third grandchild, so no post tomorrow...back on Friday.

Day 9

Day 9 did not start well. The weather looked like it was going to cooperate so I packed the bike and joined the Benfields for breakfast. I finally got on the bike at 8:30am, got everything adjusted and hit the starter...nothing! I didn't know what the problem was but since the Benfields had a very steep driveway, I let the bike coast down to the bottom and popped the clutch. Even though the manual says not to start it that way, it works. I waived good-by and headed for the interstate.

I made good time, easily keeping my speed up without having to worry about anyone else. My gas mileage has been better than in the past...averaging around 41 mpg...so I thought I'd make good time today...if my rear end cooperated.

I stopped for gas in about an hour and then quickly got back on the highway. The interstate between Winston-Salem and Nashville was very scenic, passing through the Pisgah National Forest, the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest. Evelyn had told me that if I had time I should stop by and see The Cove, Billy Graham's training center in Asheville...so I did, although I couldn't get through the gate. However, the surroundings are beautiful. His estate is around there somewhere but I didn't take the time to find it. A few miles prior to Asheville, I stopped at Ridgecrest, the Baptist encampment. I went there when I was in high school...on a choir tour believe it or not. It wasn't as nice as I remember but then it's been a lot of years since then.

Oh, I almost forgot. Last night, Ray mentioned that I-40 between Winston-Salem and Tennessee was now open. Apparently, rock slides on the twisting mountain road had closed it for several weeks. Even today, crews were still busy trying to bolster the sides where the roadway cut through the mountain. There was a long stretch of highway that had the outside lane closed so that they could try to make repairs. It looked like they were anchoring large sheets of what looked like chain-length fence onto the side of the mountain. In some places, they had covered the fencing with other materials. Perhaps they are trying to get something to grow over or through it. Anyway, there were no rock slides today so except for the delays with lane closures, everything went smoothly...until later.

Just after crossing the Tennessee state line, I decided I was hungry and could use some gas so I pulled off. The little town of Hartford, TN had a gas station, a couple of restaurants and a large white water rafting place...and it was very crowded. I pulled up to the pump and filled up. When I hit the starter...again nothing! This morning at least the started turned over a little. Now, I didn't even get that.

I pushed my bike over to the parking area and went inside to get some lunch. I had a very good pulled pork sandwich while thinking over my options. I could call AAA, I could try pushing it down the hill and popping the clutch or I could get a jump from someone. I opted for the latter.

I unloaded everything, got my tools out and took the seat off to access the battery. I hooked up the cables and then looked around for someone to ask. For a while I stood there looking very dejected but no one asked me if they could help. Finally, after about 15 minutes, I approached a young woman, who had parked next to me, and asked her if she had time to give me a jump. She said sure so I hooked the cables up and hit the starter...it turned over right away. As I was taking the cables off her car, my motorcycle died so I did it again. Once I had it running strong...with the throttle cracked a bit...I disconnected and closed her hood and thanked her.

I loaded up everything...all the time leaving the engine running...and hit the road. I had lost time to make up for, although I only was there a total of an hour. Not bad considering the mechanical problems. While I was standing there waiting for some help, I decided that my problem might be the running lights I had installed before the trip. Riding in the group, I hadn't used them very much, but on Monday they were on longer. Perhaps they had drained the battery more than I anticipated. As a precaution, I did not use the lights all day.

What was I going to do the next time I needed fuel? Should I turn the engine off and risk having it not start again? Well, after about 130 miles, it was time to make a decision. I pulled off the highway and pulled up to the pump at a large truck stop in Crossville, TN. I decided to refuel while the engine was running. Thankfully, there was no explosion or fire. I drove up to the store and parked in a place conveniently right in front of the door and left the engine running while I went in and used the facilities. I guess I was gambling a little bit, leaving a running motorcycle in front of the store but I figured no one would steal it because they wouldn't know if the owner was looking out the window or not.

All's well that ends well. The bike was still there when I came out so I hopped on and headed west. If I remember correctly, Crossville was pretty close to Knoxville so I didn't need fuel again until I got to Nashville. I hit the eastern edge of town at 4:30pm...the beginning of their afternoon rush hour...and decided to fight the traffic through town to the west side before finding a hotel. I had really wanted a nicer place this time, that might have a whirlpool, but I also needed one within walking distance of a Walmart...in case I needed a battery or charger...and a restaurant.

I plugged in Walmart in my GPS and drove to the nearest one. There was a Super 8...not a nicer one with a whirlpool...and across the street was a Cracker Barrel and it was only 2 blocks from the Super Walmart. I decided it was a good place for the night. I left the motorcycle running while I checked in and then drove down to the end where I had a ground floor room. I turned the engine off and unloaded everything, then I tried the starter...it started right up! It must have been the running lights after all.

I rode over to Walmart to purchase a couple of other items. I figured that if I needed to purchase a battery charger...which I had decided would be the cheapest fix and I could give the charger to Christopher since I already have one...if the engine didn't start again. However, it started just fine so I drove over to Cracker Barrel and had a very nice meal...a new menu item called Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad.

I returned to the room, took a shower, and now sit on the bed writing this blog. It's up early in the morning and on the road by 7:00am. I think I have almost 400 miles to Melbourne so I need to make good time to get there at a descent hour...like dinner. Thus far I've traveled 2,818 miles since leaving College Station on May 24th. I probably have another 1,000 miles to go.

Tune in tomorrow to see what Day 10 holds. Until then...

Day 8, First day of return trip

We departed Alexandria at 7:00am sharp...as planned. Five minutes later we had lost our first rider...just lost, not dead. One of the newer members apparently became impatient and decided to go get gas on his own. He may have told our Road Captain where he was going, but the message was not communicated for some reason. The rest of the group tried to catch him but numerous stop signs and red lights prevented that. By the time we reached our turn and started down the street towards the interstate, he was long gone. We carefully checked every gas station on the street, but no lost rider.

Since he had purchased a new GPS the previous day and now thought he knew how to get around, we decided that we would press on following the briefed route. We had also agreed that if anyone got lost or separated from the group, they should call Chris...the young man driving the truck and trailer.

We headed out of Washington DC on I-95...along with hundreds of other folks. It was almost wall-to-wall vehicles for the first 50 miles. Once out of the city, we pulled off to get gas and see if our lost rider had made contact with Chris. As we refueled, we discovered that two or three guys had been contacted but not Chris...the one who could actually answer the phone. After repeated calls and left messages, we made contact and found out that our missing man had decided to follow another route...the one his GPS told him was faster...and he wasn't anywhere near our route. It was decided that the group would meet him in Knoxville...the planned stop for the night.

After solving our problem, we got back on the interstate and headed south. Before we left the station, we told our Road Captain...who did not have a GPS or CB...that our route to Knoxville was I-95, I-85, I-40, in that order...pretty clear and pretty simple. Just after passing through Richmond, VA, I-95 split off to I-85. Our married couple was to depart the group at this point to continue down to Charlottesville to visit friends. They pulled out of line and accelerated up to the front where they waived good-bye as the rest of the group veered off to the right to get on I-85...including the Road Captain. Then at the last moment, the Road Captain made a violent turn back to the left and followed the couple. It was too late for the rest of us to follow so we continued onto I-85 and exited down the road about 3 miles.

While waiting for the Road Captain to contact us, we refueled and then went down to McDonald's for a little breakfast. After a while, we finally made contact. We told our lost friend where we were and that he should take exit #63b, get fuel and meet us at McDonald's. About 15 minutes later, we got another call and he said he was at mile marker 68. We told him we'd get back on the interstate and catch up with him. Unfortunately, as we got back on the highway, we noticed that the first mile marker was 65 and the numbers were getting smaller...not larger. Our friend was behind us and waiting for us. We pulled off into a convenient rest area and called him. Thankfully, he answered and we were able to tell him how to get to the rest area. Ten minutes later, we were all together once again...except for the one headed to Knoxville via another route.

While sitting at the rest area, I reminded everyone that I'd be leaving the group in Winston-Salem, taking exit #189. As we neared Winston-Salem, the sky began to darken and the crosswinds got stronger. Finally, about 30 miles from my exit, we exited the interstate and found a gas station, where we topped off our tanks and put our raingear on.

Five miles down the road, the rain came, but we continued on, hoping we could outrun the rain. Seeing through the windshield was difficult at best and water began to leak inside my sunglasses. I tried taking them off but that made conditions worse as the rain hit me in the eyes. I managed to put the glasses back on and it helped a little.

About 12 miles from my exit, the Road Captain started signaling that he was getting off. I waived good-bye and continued straight ahead. I didn't want to make another stop so close to my destination. By the time I exited the interstate, the rain had all but stopped. I pulled my GPS out of my bag and followed it to the Benfield's house without any more problems. The garage door was open so I pulled in and unloaded. When no one came to the garage, I knocked and went in. Finally, they heard me. They were in the living room entertaining one of their grandchildren.

We talked a long time until their daughter-in-law came to retrieve her daughter and then we decided to clean up and go out to dinner. Before we went to the restaurant, Ray gave me the nickle tour of some of the highlights of Winston-Salem. We drove by Wake Forest University, the R.J. Reynold's cigarette factory, their minor league baseball team's new stadium, their old church and other points of interest.

We eventually arrived at a little restaurant called "Cities". I'm not sure why they named it that but the dining room we were in had huge pictures of some of the world's cities projected on a huge screen and they rotated every minute or so. The food was very good and the place was quite enough to have a conversation. We caught up on several of the people who were in Greece at the same time we were. I found out that two of them live in Ft. Worth and work at Southwestern Seminary. I might have to drop in on them one of these days.

After arriving back at the house, we talked some more and looked at some pictures of Greece. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize too many of them but it was interesting anyway. I did recognize some of the scenery. I finally had to got to bed about 9:30...old man!

The plan for tomorrow...Day 9...is to hit the road about 8:00am and head towards Nashville on I-40. I don't think I have the energy...or time...to make it all the way to Melbourne in one day. It's about 470 miles. Day 8 was only 350 miles.

PS I've added a couple of pictures since first making this post. I wanted to point out the older gentleman in the blue blazer. I didn't catch his name but he is a Korean War Veteran and was a POW in that war. He rode on the back of a motorcycle at the front of the parade on Sunday. He will also have the honor of laying the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier today.