Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana

AUGUST 23, 2010 - DAY 19 - CLEARFIELD, PA TO GOSHEN, IN

So last night was a first for this trip - I was so exhausted I was the first one asleep!

After breakfast we headed out through Amish country. Our original plans were to take back roads to Goshen but since we weren't as far west as those same plans we had to once again head out on the interstate. Morning has not changed our view of the truckers on I-80: they are insane.

Somewhere in western Pennsylvania we pull off at a gas station for a pit stop when an older woman walked up to our bikes, looking at them longingly. When we start talking to her we learn that her name is May and that "back in the day" she rode motorcycles. Her eyes sparkled when she talked about it. She explained that when she began having children, and she had eight of them, she stopped riding. But her memories were obviously exciting and happy ones, and she was reliving them when she saw us on our bikes. About then her daughter walked up and we took their photos with our bikes. May was thrilled, as were we. Another friend and trip memory made.

At our next pit stop we met Jeff, riding a Beemer (BMW). He was from North Carolina and heading to the West Coast alone to attend Burning Man. We couldn't help but laugh at his license plate which read "NEED 2 P".

Though we are disappointed in having to make up the miles on the super slab Pennsylvania is just such a beautiful state that even along the interstate you can't help but marvel at the views. The hills are rolling green and though we don't go through the towns we can look over at them with their brick buildings and white steeples rising above all the trees. And I absolutely love one of their road signs. It is one of those large yellow highway signs but it reads: "Buckle Up Next Million Miles". How's that for seatbelt safety?!

Amish country isn't just Pennsylvania. It extends into Indiana as well. We have seen some of the people when we've been at the gas stations / mini-marts but it isn't until we are off the interstate and heading into Goshen that we felt we had stepped back in time. We passed several horse drawn buggies, and there were signs at different homes / farms listing their businesses such as blacksmith, dairy, etc. And when we went past some of the stores and restaurants in town we saw hitching posts, along with shovels and buckets beside them. We even saw a couple of buggies tied up.

When we went to check in at our hotel we encountered our first travel glitch (aside from crickets). Seems when I made the reservation on-line I forgot to change the date from what automatically shows up while booking, and apparently I either didn't read the email confirmation or didn't have my glasses on, or both, so they had expected us the week before. Thankfully they had a room and I got the same rate. We grab a late dinner and head back to the hotel and our beds in anticipation of tomorrow. Our days are getting longer and all we want to do when we arrive anywhere is shower and sleep.

Today's stats: 441 miles and 10 hours

South Dakota and Nebraska

AUGUST 13, 2010 - DAY 9 - YANKTON, SD TO OMAHA,NE

I awoke first this morning, something that has become habit just this past week. I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck, then backed over again. It was going on nine o'clock and I was pretty sure breakfast ended about nine. I looked over to Angel's bed and saw she still had the sheets over her head. It appeared as if our defense against the crickets worked, or so we hoped. I woke Angel up to see if she wanted to eat, and we both dressed and staggered to the breakfast room. It was the usual carb affair with waffles, oatmeal or cereal. We were so bleary eyed and exhausted we could hardly see a thing.

It looked blustery outside and we were too tired to try and rush out of there before a storm. But we finally dragged ourselves back to the room and began packing. Despite the news reports in the breakfast room about storms along our route we received a text message from Mr. Clean, a brother Iron Warrior from Omaha (River City chapter) advising us that the radar actually looked clear.

He had also sent directions for the scenic route to Omaha, but as dog-tired as we were and with a threat of rain on the South Dakota side, we decided to once again stick with the super slabs.

Our cricket motel was right on east Hwy 50 and we continued in that direction. I am amazed at just how much farmland is in the United States! It seems that once we left the Bay Area, and with the exception of Nevada, we have seen nothing but orchards, crops or grasses this entire trip, and today is no different.

However we also see new sites. In Vermilion we see a large concrete dome, which is the Dakota Dome for the University of South Dakota. We head south on Hwy 29 and find ourselves traveling along the Lewis & Clark Trail for a good portion of the ride. And as we came upon the turn-off for the scenic route I seriously considered taking it. After all, Angel wouldn't know and by the time she figured it out would be too late. But I am still tired and decide not to be deceptive.

Besides, the reality is everything we are seeing is new to us anyway. And once again half the highway is only two lanes. The only real difference is not visiting or riding through those cute, quaint, little towns on those rural roads.

We are heading first to the Omaha Dillon H-D dealership for service. Mr. Clean has arranged for us to be taken care of, and we are extremely impressed with the care, customer service, and selection of goods. The employees there were friendly, helpful and just all around great. So if you are ever in Omaha and in need of assistance or just want to stop and shop, be sure to visit them!

By the time we got out of there we headed straight to Clean and Ajax' house down the road. They greeted us outside, despite the heat, as we pulled up. We were given time to rest and cool off before heading back out on the bikes with them to meet Strip, Taz and families for a good BBQ dinner. The company was even better than the food. We finally headed back to the house where more good conversation was in order, along with homemade cookies provided by the mother of another IWMC member.

All this and the friendly, tail-wagging Harley to keep us company too. We felt like we were in heaven. It wasn't just sharing someone's home and hospitality as opposed to a sterile hotel environment, it was the way we were welcomed and treated as though we were long-time friends or even family (you know, the good kind) that made it feel so wonderful. It was the perfect way to spend a day after the type we had yesterday.

Today's stats: 177 miles, 2.5 hours, + 75 miles for the dinner ride