September is usually a month when the Midwest begins to feel like fall, but we woke up to a hot and exceedingly humid morning. It felt more like late July than early September. A quick check of the bike and some hotel instant oatmeal, and we were on the road.
The interstate is probably the least engaging way to get anywhere - actually an airplane is the least. But we were ready to be home. We were not ready for the adventure to be over, but it was hot and humid, there were some fairly energetic storms headed through the Midwest, we missed the dogs, etc.
And so we prepared ourselves for a day of the superslab.
If the weather had been more temperate, and/or the forecast better, we may have diverted down to the Ozarks for the trip home. There will be other opportunities for that.
Getting through Kansas City during the beginning of rush hour was not too fun, nor was it too terrible. We were soon in Missouri. Even on the interstate the sunrise can be pretty.
The miles went by pretty fast in the morning. Although it was muggy, the temperatures were nice. We motored on and soon enough crossed the Mississippi river - some time I'll have to try to figure out how many times I've crossed it on two wheels.
As the day wore on, the bike racked up more miles and it got very warm and sticky. In the western dryness, it is possible to soak the t-shirt and have evaporation cool very effectively, but when humidity is already very high, this doesn't help at all. Clouds did start to form which helped temper the weather a bit.
I never hit "the wall" where it felt like we weren't getting anywhere, but it was a long slog of a day. A few mind games did help though. On the first day west, I hit 50,000 miles on the bike. It was fitting that on the last day on the road I hit all 5's 55,555 miles.
Once through Indianapolis, it felt like we were almost on our home turf. The final hour on 2-lanes to home was a nice change from a long day on the interstate - and fitting end to the road trip adventure.
Totals for the trip:
19 States
5897.1 Miles
1 Rear Tire
1 Oil Change
Uncountable elevation changes
I rolled into the driveway to a ferociously long lawn. With a bit of luck, I'll get that taken care of soon. We had nearly two weeks without any rain, which is not only lucky, but also results in a disgustingly grubby Goldwing. With a bit of luck, I'll get that taken care of too.
It was good to be home even if we did get back too late to get the dogs. I've read in various magazines about people talking about the motorcycle tour of a lifetime. I've been very fortunate to have many motorcycle tours of a lifetime and this one is no exception.
Even better, this trip has given me yet even more ideas for future adventures.
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