I made it home

I know I should have written this post 3 days ago but I got caught immediately in the vagaries of my normal life.
The trip from Pennsylvania was a relaxing one. I took mostly back roads to get home. After having the breakfast of champions, Steak and Eggs, I started the trip with an unusually warm weather. I opted to wear my thermal underwear  just in case I get chilly on the road. After 4 hrs roaming the hills of the Allegheny it was obvious that I didn't need the protection and I removed my jacket liner.
I left the restaurant at 9:00 AM and by 12.32 PM I was refueling in Snow Shoe, PA. When the clock hit 1:00PM I had enough of the back roads and an overwhelming desire to get home filled my head and I jump on I-80 all the way home. One more refueling stop in Tannersville after 172 miles and express to home sweet home.
At 5:13 PM on May 28 2011, I was switching off my bike and taking the first steps in to the life I left behind 25 days ago. The grass was high and the leafs every wear but I didn't want to think about it. All I wanted was to kiss my loved ones and tend to my right shoulder. It never stopped bothering me since Gary, Indiana. Today, May 31 it feels a lot better. I can move my arm and sleep without pain.
After crossing the continental divide twice and twice the 4 times  zones. After crossing the mighty Mississippi and the Rockies. Through vast deserts and plains, across snow and bugs. After taking a quick look at the other face of the United States. Now, It's time to digest all the memories and pictures from this wonderful country, the calamities of the floods and tornadoes. The deafening sound of the deserts and the cool chill of the mountains. What a trip!

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Cloudy Sky all the way to Pennsilvanya

Today, I woke up early again. I wanted to get home so bad. It was forty, freaking, eight degrees in Indiana when I left the hotel. But at least it was sunny. It would be all the sun I will see the entire day. When the clock hit 9:00 AM the clouds came and made the day sad and cold. I hit rain sporadically in Ohio and the wather warmed up a little when I was passing by Cleveland. I was not shivering any more.

Indiana and Ohio are beautiful states, I will have to come back and do a two day trip to each state. I took I-80 all the way to Pennsilvanya. Tomorrow, I will take back roads through the Northern part of PA all the way home.

My last two stated to complete the trip. I passed by Pennsylvania on my way out West so no pics of PA

The trip of the day.

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Tomorrow, I hope to be home :)
My location in the country,closer to home than ever.


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A Windy Day

As promised, I woke up at 5:30 AM ready for a long day. I had breakfast and at 6:30 AM and with a clear sky, quiet wind and 40 F I left Ida Grove,IA and headed East through the Iowa farm land. An hour in to the ride, I got a sample of what the rest of the day was going to be. The wind started to pick up speed and soon after I was being blasted from the North at 35 miles per hour.

All I could see on both sides of the road was farms land, flat and barren. Not on tree or hill to protect me from the wind.

After I got to Des Moines, I took I-80 East to recover from the time lost yesterday. I did pretty good on the highway but the wind was a drag. My left arm was bothering me and at times the wind was pushing me off the road. By noon the temperature dropped considerably about 100 miles from Chicago. I saw on one of the billboards  on the highway the temperature was 48 F degrees. I got stuck on a few traffic jams due to construction on the road that set me back 35-40 min. My first encounter with civilization.

By the time I crossed the state line with Indiana at 5:00 PM, it started to rain. I had enough for the day, time to find a hotel and warm up. I made Hobart, IN my home for the night

Actual route from Ida Grove, IA to Hobart, IN

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My progress May 26 2011

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A Day of Rain and Wind

This morning I woke up to heavy rain and winds of 40 miles per hour. I hanged out in the hotel as long as I could and while at it I made arrangements with the local BMW dealer to change the engine oil on my C.
By 11:00 AM and under heavy rain, I decided to head to the dealer and change the oil. After the oil change, I wanted to push on towards Des Moines, IA but the wind was too strong to drive safely under the heavy rain. I took route 20E to avoid the heavy traffic of I-29.
For the first 30 miles, the road was only two lanes. The cattle trucks passing by were fast and almost knocking me off the bike. The wind gust were 40 miles and it was a struggle just to whole on to the bike. Soon the plan was trying to find a hotel to call it a day and wait until tomorrow when all this rain is supposed to pass.
I arrived at Ida Grove, IA for a total of 58 miles, checking to a Super 8 and put my things to dry.

Tomorrow, I will wake up at 5:30 AM and leave the hotel by 6:30 AM  to cath up with the time lost today.

Today's route

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Finally the rain caught up with me

The day started cloudy and foggy, visibility about a mile. Fortunately, the drive to get home made me put my rain gear in a second.

I took I-90 E, after all, highway or not the view would be the same (flat land).
For 5 straight hours, I was under the rain and cross winds of 20 miles per hour. the first couple of hours were a test to my patience and endurance. I just wanted to stop and get into a motel but I pushed on. My feet were wet, my hands numb. It was flat as far as the eye can see. The highlight of the day?: I passed by an 1880 town replica and by a place where they have all the props for the movie Dances with Wolves which was filmed in the area.

After lunch, I decided that I could make it further than Sioux City, South Dakota and continued to Sioux Falls, Iowa.
So I am here after a day of rain and wind feeling like I was commuting home. No fun at all but with a huge desire to get home.

Tomorrow, I will try to change the engine oil. I am over 4,500 miles without a change. I got this shop located in Des Moines. I hope they can help me.
I know the pictures below look the same but I had to take them just to show what the road was like for 6 straight hours. Tomorrow I should me having more of the same

Today's route to Sioux City

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What a Boring Day!

The plains of Wyoming are hypnotizing and incredibly boring. The day was overcast and the thermometer indicated 66F. The winds were calm and I am glad for that. In Wyoming, they close entire highways for high winds. I was told mainly in the winter but with this foul weather you never know.
I decided to visit Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and half way down the road I was about to change my mind. The plains are endless and the monotony of the yellow grass was outing me to sleep.
I was tired from last night. I went to bed at 1:00 AM from doing my laundry and washing my riding gear. My riding jacket and pants were filthy with bugs I picked in California and Oregon.

At 9:34 AM, I left Casper, WY and took 25 E towards Keystone, SD. An hour and a half in the road a little rain caught me. I stopped under a bridge to put on my rain gear but the rain didn't last long. I stopped in Manville, WY for gas. It was 11:26 AM. Three hours into the ride, I started to see pine trees and rolling hills. Now things started to change and I was getting into the Black Hills. At 1:42 PM I was in Custer, SD 22 miles away from Mount Rushmore.

As I climbed Mount Rushmore, the weather started to get ugly and shortly after I got in the park it started to rain. So for $11 dollars, I got to see the sculptures which look rather small and take a few pics.

The Black Hills are amazing. It was the highlight of the day. The only bad thing is that big dark clouds started to gather on top of Rushmore and the temperature dropped to 55F. I was cold but I knew it was because I was hungry so in Custer I picked up one of my new to my diet,Corn Dog and Chocolate Milk. I didn't know corn dogs were so geewd!

Tomorrow, I am heading for Sioux Falls, SD and I am ready to go home. I am in my going home mood. I think I was in that mood since early in the day.
Today is the first day when I really feel I want to go home. I am already 20 days on the road and this packing and unpacking thing is getting old.

TOMORROW MORE FLAT LAND!!!

Yeah, It's the South Dakota welcome sign

Today's exact route to Mt. Rushmore.


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My general location in the country


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A day in Yellowstone and Grand Teton

This is my general location in the USA. The smaller map is the exact route I took during the day.


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Exact route West Yellowstone,MT - Casper,WY


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Sunday May 22, I left the hotel at West Yellowstone knowing that it was going to be a little colder than before but I was not expecting to the day to be so cold and with so much snow. Not on the road but on the ground.
I liked Grand Teton much more that Yellowstone. Teton is more dramatic and with better views
I went straight into the park at 8:48 AM. $20 clams to get in for motorcycles $25 for cars and the ticket last for a week and Grand Teton is covered too.
I finished both parks at 2:00 PM, made a gas stop in Moran, WY and continued to Casper, WY.  following RT 26 to Shoshoni and the 20 E to Casper.
When I exited the park I started climbing the Rocky through a mountain pass that put me at 9,600 feet of altitude. It was incredible the amount of snow on the ground.
Going down the mountain I got hit with my first speeding ticket in the town of Debois. The Sheriff was easy on me. $100 dollars ticket for doing 40 on 35 in town and not for doing 73 in 60 outside town. I was expecting some points too but nothing.
The scenery changed from woods to grass and plains. The kind of flat plains I don't like.
I am now in Casper, WY hoping to make it to Mount Rushmore tomorrow. I will try to change my oil as well I already put 3788 miles since the last change of oil in Oklahoma City

Yellowstone plains

I thought this was going to be all the snow I was going to see. But what a surprise when I got to into the Teton

Thermal pool in Yellowstone.

Right thumb on lake Yellowstone. It was still frozen for the most part.

The Tetons in background

Look at that wall of snow. It was taller than me and probably 7.5 feet easy.

There was like 8 feet of snow here. I was at 8.800 feet altitude. The highest was at 9,600 feet

This was weird, on one side of the street you see this desert like view. On the other side it was normal grass and trees.

On my way to Casper,WY. I then again enter the plains

Yellowstone Park

The Grand Teton

Waiting for my ticket to be written in Dubois, WY

Following the Oregon Trail

On top of Castle Rock, Idaho. The road in back, and the one I road, is part of the Oregon trail.

Saturday May 21, I left Mountain Home, Idaho for the cooler air of Yellowstone. The map indicated RT 20E then 33E and then 20E again :)
As I left the hotel, I started climbing the mountain following the Oregon trail a 2,000-mile (3,200 km) historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.
These mountain passes are absolutely beautiful. All along route 20E, I was under constant watch of the snowed covered mountains while I ripped the tar below at 80 miles per hour on the long, lonely flats.
The temperature was a cool 50 degrees. It got lower as I climb higher altitudes. I would say higher 40's. The winds were calm. lots of sun on my face and the potatoes and onions carpeted the valleys to my left and right. I made a quick stop at the Craters of the Moon national monument.I made a quick stop at the Craters of the Moon national monument. I checked the extinc volcano and continued my journey East to Yellowstone.

As I passed Ashton, Idaho I entered Targhee National Forest. The temperature drop considerably and the forest got thicker. The smell of pine trees inside my helmet. Soon I would be in Yellowstone.

Craters of the Moon national monument

The view from my window. Can you believe this was a Super 8 motel?

The good thing about this ride is that I was always with the mountains on my side.

I got the official photo entering Montana

Of course, Montana is on the list too. I was 10 miles from Yellowstone

Exact route of the day:

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View of the Rocky Mountains

I made a quick stop at Craters of the Moon National Monument. It used to be an old volcano that broke its caldera.

Part of the lava flow from the collapse

15 miles to West Yellowstone, the mighty Rocky in the background. It was very cold about 45 degrees fortunately I was almost there

My noble steed C, I have to give it some camera time:)

This was dinner for the day. I was not very happy with the price $23 clams for the steak. Then again this is Yellowstone. The beer was good

There she front and centre. A picture of the restaurant I visited and of the town West Yellowstone

I almost ran out of gasoline

It was a chilly morning as always 51 F according to the news. I left Alturas, CA at 8:45 AM on RT 395 North. I filled my tank and headed towards Boise, Idaho.The air was clear and the road interesting. Lost of trees and state forest around me.
Everything was fine until I got to Lake View, Oregon. I was enjoying the ride as the road takes you around Lake Goose, a weird alkaline lake with beautiful views.
The thing is that I did not notice that the next gas station was going to be 111 miles away. Hopefully, I had my tank full and for the next 163 miles I was going to be crossing through some scary desert wondering when I was going to run out of gas.
At the end, where RT 395 intersects 20, I found a tiny little town of 100 people called Riley. I finally saw the light. I filled my tank again when I was 8 miles into my gas reserve. The next town was Burns 21 miles away. I don't think I was going to be able to do it if I didn't find Riley.

I followed 20 until I found I 84 to take it express to Mountain Home, Idaho passing by Boise. Tomorrow, I am hoping to be in Yellow Stone and take a look at Old Faithful.

Beautiful building from the 1700's in Alturas, CA

395N still in California. Altitude 4,000 feet beautiful forest around me

Lake Goose, an alkaline lake between California and Oregon. Altitude 4,500 feet

Official photo entering to Oregon. I could not take one entering Idaho.

Lake Goose

And here boys is what I saw for 111 miles. I thought I was going to run out of gas. It was so disappointing to climb up a hill and then see something similar to this picture again for miles.

Sage brushes left and right. I was almost peeing on my pants. My head planning what was I going to do if I run out of gas. Pretty intimidating!!!

In Oregon, I started to go down hill towards Idaho.

Temperatures started to climb again to 75 F but felt comfortable.

Along canyons and following the Malheur River (a tributary of the Snake River).

Snake River and the Snake Valley. Lot's of potatoes and onions here. I was already in the Idaho side.

Today's route:


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Map of my general location in the country.



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