Day Twenty Five, Terre Haute, IN to Joplin, MO - 466 Miles

Greetings from the "Show Me' state, Missouri.

We left Terre Haute, IN, at 0730 this morning and hadn't ridden but a few miles before we crossed into Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, and set our watches back one hour. I guess you could say we got an early start this morning through no effort on our part. We motored across Illinois on Interstate 70 headed for St. Louis, MO crossing the state boundary around 12:30 PM. Entering St. Louis we crossed the Mississippi River with its gambling riverboats tied up along the west shore and tried to grab a few quick grab shots of the famous St. Louis Arch as we transitioned from I-70 to I-44 toward Springfield, MO, with the help of the GPS to get us through the maze of Interstate interchanges.

Having successfully negotiated the St. Louis inner city maze of freeways, we set course for our end destination today, Joplin, MO, where we were to meet up with Lane's step-daughter Amanda and her husband Will for supper. Around one o'clock in the afternoon hungries began to creep up on us and we simultaneously spied a billboard advertising Missouri Hicks BBQ just up ahead in Cuba, MO, on the old US Route 66. How cool is that? We get to ride the old Mother Road and have Missouri BBQ too.

We pulled into Missouri Hicks BBQ and carefully negotiated the gravel parking lot. One could smell the BBQ before even walking in the door, and what a great smell it was. We were greeted by the friendly staff and shown to a table in the back room. Perhaps our reputation had preceded us. We had fun chatting with our sassy young server, Cambria, who made recommendations on what to order. She was a lot a fun and a good resource. Our biggest challenge was deciding which of the eight BBQ sauces to put on our meals. I eventually put three different sauces on my pulled pork sandwich. My only disappointment was that I was three months shy of being able to order off the "Old Hicks" menu.

Departing Hicks, we continued into the town of Cuba, MO, where some of the boys once again elected stop at the post office to mail more clothes home, mostly T shirts. Did I mention that we stopped at two more Harley-Davidson dealers today? While the boys (Steve) were harassing the poor post mistress and trying to convince her that ten pounds of T shirts would in fact fit in a five pound box, I went for a stroll about town photographing the great wall murals for which he town is known. Upon my return to the post office, the post mistress wished us a good day and a safe journey, and asked us to drown Steve in the first mud puddle we come to. What can I say, she's a federal officer? We're looking for a mud puddle.

Now the highlight of the day, absent meeting Amanda and her husband, was just a few miles down Route 66. We came across the "World's Biggest Rocking Chair;" we had to stop! I hope you folks appreciate these sights we bring you. One would normally have to drive thousands of miles to see the sights we routinely bring to you free of charge right to your home computer. No need to thank us, it's our duty and obligation. Please enjoy!

Getting back on the road we battled a 15 knot headwind, 95 degree temperatures, and high humidity the remainder of the way to Joplin, arriving about 6:30 PM. A dip in the pool at the Hampton Hotel never felt so good, I just wish we were staying there. Just kidding, we are. We ended our evening with supper at the adjacent Outback Steakhouse with Amanda and her husband courtesy of Lane.

Thank you Lane.

Day Twenty Four, St. Clairsville, OH to Terre Haute, IN - 397 miles

Monday, August 30, 2010

Greetings from the Hosier State, Indiana.

Not much to report today my friends, we're just headed west on Interstate 70, and that pretty much ensures that you don't see anything of interest. We departed St. Clairsville, OH, at 7:00 AM headed for Columbus, OH, in a damp low fog with cool temperatures. However, it didn't take long for the rising sun to burn off the fog and raise the temperature to the mid-nineties for the remainder of the day.

I find the mornings the best time to ride; and, if I may wax poetic for a moment, and I may because it is my blog. I find that my companions like to listen to music while riding either via XM radio, MP3 players, the radio or even CD's. I on the other hand prefer to listen to the sound of the open road, the low rumble of the exhaust note, the wind rustling my shirt sleeves and past my helmet, the Harley V-twin motor making 2,800 turns (RPM) and effortlessly propelling us down the highway chasing, but never catching, our shadow laid out before us by rising sun at our back. My I-Pod player has been stowed in my saddle bag since I left California. It's just an experience that you have to live, and as Harley riders are prone to say, "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand."

We did make one interesting observation today, nearing Pinkeringville, OH, Lane saw a sign for the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Hey, if we stopped to see the Spam Museum and the Corn Palace we certainly were not going to miss the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. And, we're glad we did. It's small, but very well done with several interesting displays and early motorcycles. Furthermore, I found an interesting quote from John Wayne displayed on the wall of the men's room stating, "There's a difference between female menopause and male menopause. Females get heavy and have hot flashes, while men date younger women and get to drive motorcycles." I don't make these things up folks, I'm just your faithful reporter.

We also managed to find two Harley dealers that were open on Monday, so of course we had to stop and shop. Honestly, I don't know where were putting these new purchases, and at the rate Steve is buying T shirts I suspect that he's wearing them in multiple layers. We also managed to fulfill one of Lane's wishes today, we ate lunch at a White Castle hamburger stand. White Castle claims responsibility for creating the slider hamburger that all the trendy restaurants are now serving. I was not impressed by the tiny $.62 hamburger!

After nearly 400 miles today we decided to quit early for a change and sought refuge in Terere Haute, IN, for the night. Lane sought out a massage while Bill and Steve and I went across the street to the Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon for supper. Not many photos today, sorry. We're starting to get like stable horses headed for the barn at the end of the day. I think everyone is ready to go home.

Day Twenty Three, Niagara Falls, NY to St. Clairsville, OH - 332 Miles

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Greetings Enlightened Ones,

Today was basically a one-event day. We departed our hotel, rode a 100 yards and stopped at the nearby pancake House for breakfast. No, that's not the event I'm referring to. After breakfast we rode ten miles to Niagara Falls. Approaching the American side of the falls, one could see the mist rising hundreds of feet in the air. We found parking near the entrance to the Niagara Falls State Park and walked directly to the Maid of the Mist (tour boat) ticket booth, which gave us access to a tremendous elevated viewing area. We then descended to the river and dock some 300 feet below where we were issued plastic rain coats with hoods and boarded one of the Maid of the Mist tour boats. Within minutes we were motoring up river toward the massive American Falls where we were immediately drenched in cascading water. Motoring farther up river we approached the massive and thunderous Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the Niagara River. The sight, sound and experience is absolutely awesome, and wet! We were all so glad that took the extra time to visit the falls. I hope you enjoy our pictures.

Departing Niagara falls at 1:30 PM we rode southwest to Erie, PA, on I-90 and turned south toward Pittsburgh, PA, on I-79 and on to Wheeling, WV, via I-70. Intending to stop for the evening in Wheeling we found ourselves having to press on westward as I-70 was closed at Wheeling. We ended up in St. Clairsville, OH, for the night. After a quick dip in the Holiday Inn Express pool we showered and headed down the street for supper at Wild Buffalo Wings where we sampled a half a dozen different flavors of wings. We're going to try to get and early start tomorrow and get 500 miles under our belts.

Until tomorrow, I wish you all well and thanks for visiting our blog.

Day Twenty Two, Boston, MA to Niagra Falls, NY - 482 Miles

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Hello Friends and family,

This morning before departing Boston, MA, Bob and Jack advised us that they had decided to pass on our planned journey to Niagara Falls today and instead, were going to head directly back to California. We were disappointed that they were not going to finish the trip with us, but we respected their decision. We wish them bon voyage and a safe journey home.

Lane, Bill, Steve and I departed Boston, MA, at 7:30 and shuffled off to Buffalo, NY, but not before accepting an invitation for a homemade breakfast from our friends Candy and Glenn in Northbridge, MA, approximately 50 miles west of Boston. They have a beautiful home with a well manicured and expansive yard. Candy's breakfast was a real treat and much appreciated, including some outstanding ripe tomatoes directly from their garden. We haven't had a ripe tomatoe since we left California. We ate so many we were afraid that we might break out in a rash. Candy gave us a tour of their home and Glenn showed us his cherry 1939 Ford coupe. We also met Chloie, the cute little pooch seen above on Glenn's shoulder. Glenn and Candy are good friends and gracious hosts; many thanks to you both!

We began our journey west and toward home in earnest today straight down Interstate 90, all day long for 482 miles. The interstate is a double edged sword. You can make excellent time on the highway, you can also go from one metropolis to another one without seeing a darn thing except for four lanes, the grass center divider, and never ending rows of green trees on both sides of the highway. Speaking of trees, the fall foliage is just beginning to peek its red and orange face out from among the expansive green forest, more so in New York than in the New England states. In about six weeks the forest will be fully transformed into its full fall glory. I'm sorry that we will miss it. We did see one small notable sight today as we passed Utica, NY, the interstate passed over the Erie Canal.

We enjoyed another beautiful day on the road today, temperatures in the low 80's, positively picture post card perfect (Try saying that three times fast). We pulled into Niagara Falls, NY, about 6:30 PM and checked into the local Holiday Inn. Tomorrow, we plan to enjoy the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride to the falls in the morning.