This morning we left the house about 8:02 a.m. right on schedule. It was a little cool though as the temperature was only in the mid-forties. As the day progressed and we made our way into Indiana, and temperatures climbed into the high-seventies adding to the beauty of the ride. Our only plan for the day was to make it to Sellersburg, IN, unfortunately after 496 miles we decided to stop off in Scottsburg, IN rather than push on any further, so we pulled into a Super 8 and got a room for the night. After unpacking the bike, we ordered a pizza and settled in for game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Having set no alarms, we awoke at 6 a.m. Our first order of business was to confirm that the Wings won by a score of 5-0. After they scored the 5th goal last night, we both quickly fell off to sleep. Apparently we were a little more tired than we thought. Oh well. Today we are planning to stop off in Cave City to visit Mammouth Cave, and then we are going to make our way to Jacksboro, TN. We headed out from the hotel about 7:45 a.m. making our way toward Cave City. After grabbing a quick bite at the Cracker Barrel, we stopped off at Mammouth National Park, only to find that the only way you can experience the park is to take either a bus or walking tour. Neither of us was in the mood, so we walked down to the historic entrance of Mammouth Cave snapped a couple of pictures and made our way back to the bike so that we could make tracks for Jacksboro. We jumped on the Cumberland Parkway and made our way across Kentucky. The sights were absolutely beautiful. Eventually we crossed into Tennessee, where the mountains were covered with lush plant life, not the usual snow that we are accustomed too. After a relatively short ride, we rolled into Caryville, TN just 3 miles outside of Jacksboro which is where we will be staying for the evening. Tomorrow morning we have a 9 a.m. appointment at Bushtec to get the bearings done on the trailer. Our total miles for the day were 351.
I have to start todays journal entry with an addendum to yesterdays entry. I forgot to mention that as we were traveling across Kentucky we happened upon a pile of manure with a sign indicating $5 for a large shovel full. Only in Kentucky. This morning we slept in until 6:30 a.m., then we sat around and drank coffee killing time until heading out for our 9 a.m. appointment at Bushtec. True to their word, Bushtec got us in an out by 10m a.m. so we headed out for Gatlinburg, TN and the Great Smoky Mountains. The sights along the way were amazing. We drove through Pigeon Forge, which was far larger than we could have imagined. We stopped and snapped a picture of one business that looked like a hotel that survived an earthquake. In fact it was completely upside down. Just down from that, there was a crew working diligently to reconstruct the Titanic for what appeared to be the same exhibit Craig and I visited in Branson last year. Then we got stuck in traffic because of lane closures for bush work. Once through the work zone we proceeded to Gatlinburg. What a great town. It reminded us both of Lake Placid. We navigated through town and eventually made our way up through the Smoky Mountains. Though not nearly as tall as the Rockies, the Smokies were just as impressive. We quickly stopped at the peak for a couple of pictures and a bottle of water, before proceeding to North Carolina. About 4 p.m. we pulled into the Best Western in Hendersonville, NC. No sooner had we unloaded the trailer and covered the bike, when we started to hear thunder off in the distance. Upon checking the Weather Channel we learned that we were under a severe thunderstorm warning for the next hour and a half. Let me tell you they were not kidding. All of the sudden the flood gates opened, rain poured down and the wind picked up. We learned later that 3 inches of rain fell within just a couple hours, and more is expected. This prompted a flash flood warning to be issued. Thank goodness we are on high ground. Oh well. Between showers, we walked over to the Mexican Restaurant at the hotel where we had the absolute best Mexican food that we have ever eaten. Stuffed we walked back to our room to settle in for the night. Total miles traveled were 188.
This morning we hit the road a little after 7 a.m. Temperatures were only in the 60s so we donned our jackets, though we knew this would not last long. Our goal for today is to make it as far as Georgia. We had thought about pushing on to Florida, but temperatures are expected to reach into the 90s. Upon entering South Carolina, we stopped off at a Waffle House for a quick bite to eat. While there we also took in some of the local color as several gentlemen were discussing the current state of affairs in the world. Once back on the road, we both commented on how much the landscape had changed. Suddenly we began seeing marshy areas and trees covered with Spanish moss. Did I mention that it was hot, real hot??? Our next stop was the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah, GA. From the expressway we could see a B-47 sitting all by itself. We pulled in, parked and made our way into the museum. The air-conditioning was a welcome relief from the soaring temperature outside. The displays were impressive. We sat through a 30 minute movie in which we experienced an actual bombing mission. They sat us in a room with multiple screens, and lights flashing as if we were taking flak. When the doors opened so that the bombs could be dropped, air rushed into the room. It was amazing. After the movie we walked through the memorial garden reading several of the plaques that adorned the walls. After about an hour, we got back on the road and headed for our final destination of the evening, Brunswick, GA. I hear laundry calling me tonight, then hockey. Go Wings!!!! Total miles traveled today 375.
This morning we headed out early, in an effort to put a lot of miles behind us before temperatures get too hot. We left Georgia and crossed into Florida. Making our way toward the Gulf, we stopped frequently to seek out a shady spot to cool down with a bottle of water. We had hoped to get off the road before it got too hot, unfortunately we both forgot about the fact that we would be changing time zones. This means that we need to kill another hour before checking into the hotel. We made a stop in Tallahassee to gas up the bike and get a bite to eat. The air conditioning at Shoneys was a welcome relief. From here we headed out toward DeFuniak Springs, our stopping point for the day. By the time we arrived at our hotel, temperatures had soared to 98 degrees with a heat index of 110. We struggled to get our bags into the room, before literally just crashing from heat exhaustion. After taking showers we decided not to venture out for dinner, instead we ordered in and turned in early. Total miles traveled today were 358.
This morning we hit the road at 6:30 a.m., and made our way toward Destin and the Emerald Coast. Driving along the coast, the sights were simply amazing. Hotels, condos and white sand beaches as far as the eye could see. It was a true tropical paradise. After our island hopping, we continued down the road toward Pensacola. Our plan was to make it to Mandeville, LA so that we could take the 24 mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway into New Orleans. It was awesome; there was nothing but water everywhere. At the end, we slipped into New Orleans. It is no wonder there was so much damage following Katrina. Everything is built on water including the roads. By now temperatures were getting into the low 90s. Thank goodness our hotel is less than an hour away. Once in Gonzales, we filled up the tank, grabbed ice and checked into the hotel. We showered up, and then went down to Mike Andersons Seafood Restaurant for dinner. The food was superb. Total miles traveled today were 383.
This morning we got an early start. We were all packed and on the road by 6:30 a.m. As we made our way across Louisiana, we were amazed at just how much of the state is covered with water. Their swamps make any of the swamps back home seem pathetic. Throughout the day, temperatures began to soar into the 90s. We made frequent stops along the way so that we could climb off the bike, get into the shade and have a bottle of water. After driving 400 miles we pulled into Henderson, TX and checked in for the night. According to the Weather Channel, the temperature outside was 94 and the heat index was 124. Once settled into our room, I decided to do a couple loads of laundry before the hockey game starts at 7 p.m.
We left Henderson this morning about 6:30 a.m. and headed for Little Rock, AK. After a short time we approached Texarkana and crossed into our 48th state. We pulled into the Welcome Center so that Craig could take a picture of the Arkansas sign to commemorate the occasion. Back on the road, we passed by the birthplace of William Jefferson Clinton. I had everything that I could do to keep Craig from stopping in for a quick visit. Ha ha ha. One of the next towns that we came across was Arkadelphia. Though the name was intriguing, we decided to drive right by. Temperatures were running around 86°, however the humidity was unbearable. Eventually we crossed into Tennessee and made tracks for Memphis. The first experience with our hotel was a positive one. The main lobby was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately for us, our room was located on the fourth floor in the older section of the hotel. Oh well. We unpacked and settled in for the night. This is when things went south. As I was attempting to get cleaned up for dinner, I realized that we left our toiletry bag in Texas. Yikes. No toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, razor, prescriptions, etc. I quickly called the hotel. They were able to locate the bag and will send it out first thing Monday morning. This means we get to go shopping tomorrow. Thank goodness the hotel can provide some things to get us through until then. Then, just as Craig finished his shower, the electricity went out. Since our room is on the fourth floor, it quickly started getting stuffy. After about 10 minutes, the power miraculously came back on. After this little drama, we went down to the Memphis Belle, the on site restaurant, for dinner. This proved to be a huge mistake. There was only one waitress working on a Saturday night. It took forever to get our food and even longer to get our drinks. When we requested our check, the waitress had to ask what we had. Oh boy. Finally we got our check and made our way back to the room for the night. Tomorrow can only get better. Total miles traveled today 415.
This morning we awoke only to learn that we were under a severe thunderstorm warning. Craig saw lightning off in the distance, so we decided that we would sit around the hotel until it blew over. After last nights power outages, I decided to get my shower and pack up as much of our stuff as possible. Craig kept gazing out the window watching as the front moved into Memphis. The sky was ominous and the wind was gusting. Several trees got damaged, and the cover nearly blew off the bike. Finally around 10 a.m. the rain subsided and we decided to pack up and hit the road. About 10:30 a.m. we pulled out of Memphis and made our way toward Nashville. Along the way we stopped by Wal-mart and picked up those items that I left in Texas, then back on the road we went. Twenty miles outside of Bowling Green, another thunderstorm came rolling through. Rain was coming down so hard that we had to pull over under an overpass with three other bikes. Thank goodness the rain only lasted for a few minutes. We quickly got back on bike and made our way to the Super 8 in Bowling Green, KY. Total miles traveled today were 288.
We this morning we are making our way toward home. We had hoped to make a stop at Cave City first, however all tours for the day are already booked. That means that we will make tracks for Indiana and see how far we get before calling it a night. The weather this morning is a little humid, but otherwise there is no rain. Around 3:30-4 p.m. we decided to find a hotel and call it quits for the night, so after we gassed up the bike, we made a reservation in South Bend, Indiana. Much to our surprise when we got to our room, there was a huge heart-shaped Jacuzzi. I immediately got excited at the thought of being able to relax, especially after 10 days on the road. When all was said and done, we had traveled 386 miles.
This morning we slept in a little, but still managed to get on the road by 7:30 a.m. Our only goal for the day is to get home. We were not on the road long before we crossed into Michigan. The feeling was bittersweet. It meant that our adventure was coming to an end. Oh well. How many people can say that they have ridden the same motorcycle in all of the lower 48 states? Besides, we still have a Canadian Province or two to get. We pulled off for a quick bite in Big Rapids before making tracks for home. After 256 miles, we pulled into the garage. Home at last.