Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-jig

I am quite happy to report that my dear Hubby made it home safely from his “little” ride around the USA.

Complete Loop
Just a little loop around the USA.

It seemed like he was gone for a really long time. Unfortunately, between the extra-busy load at work and a rather long to-do list of chores, I didn’t have much time to kick back, relax, and enjoy the single life. Not that I would prefer being alone all of the time, but brief intervals of being able to do what I want to do, or not do, according to my own schedule and/or preferences does have its perks.

Anyhoo… I was a happy girl when Mike pulled into the garage on Sunday.

Mike in Madawaska, Maine (the fourth corner)
Mike in Madawaska, Maine (the fourth corner)

In all, he rode 10,116 miles (16,280 km) in 14 days. He was gone for 17 days, but spent a day in San Diego with Shannon (our eldest) and her boyfriend, Chris. Then, after making his way north to Washington, he spent a couple of days with Amy (middle kid), her husband, TJ, and the grand kids. (Riding to Spain to visit Eric (our youngest) and his wife, Kelsey, is not an option.)

with_shannon
Shannon and Mike

 

with_amy
Amy and Mike

 

lloyds
Gaige, Amy, TJ, Brianna, Mike, and Joey

He didn’t take nearly as many pics as I would have. But he did capture some especially for me.

Safeway sign in Lakeview, Oregon
Safeway sign in Lakeview, Oregon

Look closely and you’ll see his motorcycle in front of that sign.

bigfish2
Big Fish Selfie in Ashland, Wisconsin

 

bigfish
How about that for a mount?

Then, a couple days later, he shared this pic of him with the Babe he found in Rumford, Maine.

babe
Mike and a Babe

Ok, it was some other guy’s Babe.

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Paul Bunyan Selfie

Those selfies made my day, of course.

bunyan&babe
Paul Bunyan and Babe

He and I stayed in touch via text messages and phone calls, and we entertained each other with random pics during his trip. Like the next one.

Rain gear, again.
Rain gear, again.

He could’ve just said, “It’s raining. Again.” But pics are more fun.

It pretty much rained on him, more on than off, from around Wallace, Idaho (near the Montana border) to Madawaska, Maine. It was cold, too. He wasn’t a happy traveler. But he persevered. He didn’t really have a choice, though, did he?

At least it wasn’t like the torrential rain he drove through in East Texas. Or the tornado-spawning thunderstorm he sat out in the wee morning hours on May 25 in Del Rio, Texas.

He knew, but didn’t tell me at the time, that that tornado hit about six miles (9.65 km) from his hotel.

Thick fog in Duluth, Minnesota.
Thick, Superior fog in Duluth, Minnesota.

That fog was courtesy of Lake Superior. He says it looked much thicker in person.

He did come home with a pretty interesting tan.

hands
Tan Lines

And here he is with me, shortly after his arrival back at the Virginia homestead.

IMG_0908
Yay! He made it!

Now we can get back to relative normalcy.

I wonder what’ll be next?

Four Corners Tour, Complete
Four Corners Tour, Complete

If you enjoyed following along and wondered how the tracking was accomplished, here’s the scoop.

He used the SWConnect for iOS phone app and the SpotWalla personal location manager. You can learn more on the SpotWalla site.

I think I’ll try it out on my next adventure. 🙂

15 Replies to “Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-jig”

    1. Richard, agreed! Yesterday, when he said to me that he’s not sure how his bike could get any dirtier I said, “Ride to Alaska!” He told me that the three miles or so of dirt (construction zone) on the Trans Canada Highway was enough to convince him that a big-ass bike like his doesn’t need to be on the Dalton Highway (is that the right name?).

      1. Dalton Hwy, he’s right. Folks have ridden all the way up on Goldwings and Harley’s but only in dry weather. The Alaska Hwy would be no problem except for boredom. It’s all paved except for construction areas.

  1. Wow, he really rode the distance. That is over 722 miles per day average. Good thing he has the comfy bike.

    I enjoyed the virtual tour with him. I agree with Fuzzy, you’re corrupting him – he found all those roadside oddities for you.

    1. I know, B. That’s a lot of miles. I’d be wiped out after a day. If I were REALLY corrupting him, he’d have taken lots more pics. 🙂

  2. Quite the mileage ramped up in a bit over two weeks time. I’d like to take that route and spend three or four months doing it the slow way round 😉
    Good to hear he’s back safe and sound.

  3. Way to go, Mike! What a freaking awesome ride.

    Mike was around Fargo one of the times I checked his progress, and it got me wondering: He had just ridden some torturously straight (and presumably flat) stretches of asphalt–hell on earth for most motorcyclists. Did he simply get sick of those stretches, or did he find them (maybe their scenery) interesting and engaging in their own way?

  4. All –
    I’m working on a “guest post” ride report.

    I’m on day 12 now, and hope to be finished after the weekend. I’ll try to make sure that I answer all of your questions.

    Mike

  5. I love this, that Mike did the ride he wanted to do! I am with Kathy, would much rather take loooonnnng slow trips, but the hubs would do this, I think. It’s not on his bucket list or anything, but he would still probably like to do it.

    Looking forward to Mike’s guest post…it’s probably there now, so I am going to look!

    Cheers, Lynne

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