Day 2: (Tuesday) Got whacked by rubber parts from exploding tire while passing tractor trailer. Lost rain jacket from unbuckled pack pack. Betsy's taillight got fixed while I tried on every rain jacket at Hale's HD in Mansfield, OH. Fed abandoned kitten under highway bridge. Rained most of the day. Stayed in Van Wert, OH - 380 MI
Day 3: (Wednesday) Breakfast at Cracker Barrel Restaurant while lightning crackled outside. Rode Lakeshore Drive in Chicago. Watched a beautiful sunset. Made it as far as Janesville, WI. More sunshine between scattered showers. - 400 MI
Day 4: (Thursday) Watched an eagle soar over the highway (They're huge!). Took pictures of a cool rock formation. Betsy had problems with her front tire. Mostly sunny with only a couple of brief showers. Found a room in Albert Lea, MN. - 320 MI
Day 5: (Friday) Got hassled for loud pipes. Helped a Sporty rider fix his leaky gas line. Long hot day of riding. Betsy's tailpipe bracket broke. Checked in to Time Inn Motel, Rapid City, SD - 500 MI
Day 7: (Sunday) Rode out to the Badlands with Betsy, Bernie, Jeff, and Jeff. My tranny got stuck in 5th gear. 80 miles back to Rapid City HD in 5th gear.
Day 8: (Monday) Rented a new SoftTail for the day. Rode with Betsy and Jeff out to Hill City. Serious hail storm came out of no where (no rain forecasted by The weather Channel). Back to Rapid City with no rain gear in a driving rain. Nice Mexican dinner at Casa Del Mar.
Day 9: (Tuesday) Nice day of riding with Betsy and her friend Brad. Lead, Deadwood, Pactola Lake, Needles highway, the wildlife loop, Pigtail highway. Ran out of film on needles highway and missed out on great pictures of Bison, deer, prairie dogs, Etc.
Day 10: (Wednesday) Out to Hulett, WY with Bernie, Jeff, Jeff, and Bob. Lots of pictures of Devil's Tower and partying at Hulett.
Day 11: (Thursday) Hot day... Headed up to Deadwood with Bernie, Jeff, Jeff, Tim and Monica. Bought some nice Black Hills Gold jewelry for Effie. Met some RMH newsgroup people IRL at Rapid City gathering. Dave and Anne stayed over on the sofa bed.
Day 12: (Friday) Another really hot day (record temp. of 102) Went up to Mt. Rushmore with Bernie, Jeff, Tim, and Monica. Got back to motel just as a huge lightning bolt came out of a clear blue sky followed by an afternoon of heavy rain.
Day 13: (Saturday) Everyone's gone except Tim and Monica. I hang around Rapid City and run errands. Ship extra clothes home. Get a haircut and a shave. Have another great Mexican dinner with Tim and Monica.
Day 15: (Monday) We coincidentally stop at same Country Kitchen restaurant for breakfast that we visited for lunch on the way out. My apprehension about the 65 M.P.H. speed limit in WI led me to part with Betsy and Crash by late afternoon. I backed off to a more comfortable 70 and continued on without them. I stop to change the plugs in Madison. The plugs were loose as well as fouled. The sun disappeared behind the clouds followed by a beautiful dark orange moon rise. It transforms itself into a pale magenta before I quit for the night just outside of Chicago. - 540 MI
Day 16: (Tuesday) An early start provides me with another view of the full moon before it sets. With foul weather forecast for later, I blast across Indiana and Ohio to stay ahead of it. I stop for the night at the same Red Roof Inn we found in Danville, PA on the way out. - 680 MI
Day 17: (Wednesday) Nice ride across Route 6 in CT puts me home at 3:00. Effie's pretty happy to find me having a beer on the front steps when she gets home from work. - 350 MI
