Days without incident - 8/9
Days without rain gear - 18/19
We left St. Louis Monday to a cold and overcast morning but saw no rain. We had turned the horses to the barn, so to speak, as we headed for home. Now traveling on Interstate 70, one's concentration must now shift to other matters. Taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the surrounding countryside, has been replaced by keeping an eye on that semi you're about to pass, or the one about to pass you. The sounds are now of tires humming along the asphalt at 70+ miles per hour. And the smells are of diesel and gasoline exhaust.
There are times though when you can let your mind wander and think of all the things you've just done, and the people with whom you have shared them. This makes the time pass as you white knuckle your way across the remaining three States before coming back to Pennsylvania.
We finished the day about 360 miles to the east, in Dayton, Ohio. We spent some time in the hotel pool and hot tub before going to dinner...our last day of hotel accommodations on this trip.
Tuesday morning's temperatures were no warmer than Monday's and the skies were even more threatening. Fortunately, It's been 19 days since we last had to put on the rain gear, and as dismal as it seemed, we saw no rain. That in itself is a great stretch of luck. Putting on an extra layer, we started out on the final leg, which consisted of just under 300 miles.
More of the same interstate as we rode through the remainder of Ohio, then West Virginia and into Pennsylvania. We reflected on what we had done and were a bit saddened by the "lasts" we were now experiencing. We made our last diner stop, got our last gas, and rode the last miles before we pulled into the garage at home.
Even as uneventful the last two day may sound, they are part of the entire package. They will become part of the stories we tell when we reminisce or recall for friends (who I'm sure we will bore to tears with the stories).
It's good to be home, but it was VERY good being on the road, especially with the people in our little H.A.R.P. Group.
When it was all said and done, we traveled through 23 states (6 of them twice), and the District of Columbia. We clocked 7,920.2 miles from the time we left our garage until we pulled back in today. I'd say that was a pretty fair bit of riding!
Don't forget, we would love to hear your comments on the blog.
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