Thunderstorms rolled through overnight which didn't help the sleeping much. But I slept as well as could be expected after a late night (by my standards) with some crazy disruptions to gustatory norms.
I hesitated moving around since it was early, but there was still quite a bit of rain in the general Western Michigan area, so I didn't want to dither before hitting the road. I took a quick shower and Mark was up shortly after that. We solved a couple more of the world's problems over some tea and shared a few more travel adventures. We also decided that even though it has been around 10 years since we saw each other, we probably have more in common now than we did then.
There was a little bit of rain in the general area and I was on the road around 8:00. Temperatures were very pleasant and I didn't bother with the rain gear.
I started out with a mix of 2-lane roads and interstate before heading south on I-69 for a bit of a slog. Somehow I dodged all the raindrops. Early mornings are great and the interstate was nearly devoid of traffic.
I think I needed this trip, short though it may be, more than I realized. I really did need something to break up the routine. I needed a bit of me-time (not that there isn't much of that in other forms, but it isn't the same). I also needed to reconnect with some old friends; work and mid-life friends are necessary, but not the same without the history. They tend to be less genuine. With so much of life now devoted to work and just getting done what needs to be done - what is left over tends to be more superficial. More transient. Maybe I won't think that 20 years from now when I look back? But I guess I miss people who are friends due to more than only immediate circumstances.
For no real reason, I felt determined to wait to get fuel until I was off the interstate. The gas gauge on the Triumph was down to one bar and the fuel warning light was on (which never happens since I'm generally paranoid when it comes to fuel level) when I pulled into a gas station in VanWert. Some young chick in a Mercedes stared at me in a disturbingly odd way when I was getting gas. I'm not sure if she was annoyed that I was taking her fuel spot (there were several others empty) or just that her fine automobile had to exist with us plebeians. It is a screwy world. I ate a pop tart and drank an overpriced iced coffee before continuing south. I was getting ravenously hungry, but I'm not sure if my choice of food helped or hurt in the long run?
I continued south, taking advantage of opportunities to pass when they presented. Traffic remained low throughout the day. There were two detours on the route - Ohio requires that detours be on roads of similar or greater capacity which means those through rural areas end up being stupid-long. I found my own routes, thankfully avoiding any gravel roads.
The flooding in Northern Ohio was evident. Whole fields were underwater and while streams had retreated, low areas were inundated. I felt bad for the area's farmers.
Temperatures began to get hot and sunny as the day progressed. Later in the day I looked at the weather back in the Grand Rapids area and saw intense thunderstorms. Leaving early was a good decision. Soon enough I was back at home. It felt like Sunday the whole day since I had Friday off; I was glad to remember I had another day.
This trip was barely an adventure and more time was spent in the saddle than anything else. Still, I'm glad I made it. It was great to see my old boss and reconnect with a few friends. There were lots of people I didn't get to see for various reasons - that just gives me an excuse to do it again sometime.
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