Home.

Well, we did it.  Curt and I began planning this trip while we were still sharing a cubicle at Procter & Gamble, maybe 3-4 years ago.  It started with the intent to be a retirement ride on Rt. 66.  Then, things changed, other trips trumped that plan, and we somehow landed on riding Rt. 50 to California.  Our thought was that we'd complete the Rt 50 ride east to Maryland in May 2012, riding to Rolling Thunder.  Our goal was to ride Rt 50 all the way across the U.S.  As planning went along, Kevin seemed to gain interest, initially asking if we thought he could do it on his Vespa.  How do we let this guy down gently?  He formulated a plan to get a Harley, which he did, and he committed to join us.  Jim and Bob had ridden with us in the past, so they also signed up.  The plan was set in stone.

As I said, well, we did it.  Done.  We've seen America in a way that I wish all Americans could see it:  not through the filters of editing on TV via MSNBC or Fox, or movies; but up close and personal.  A stop at a remote, random gas station in the middle of South Dakota (100 miles from any town of any size), and chatting with folks who stopped in there to have a cup of coffee with their friends is something you can't describe. After fighting 40mph cross-winds for 2 hours, these folks sum it all up when they see you, and nod with, "Yea, it's a bit breezy out there today."  They want to meet us, ask us where we're from, whether we'd been to the Sturgis rally, etc, etc.  Good, hard-working folk, enjoying their freedom and their country.

Interacting with other bikers is especially interesting.  We kept running into this other group of bikers, riding some kind of foofy bikes (not Harleys).  They even stayed in the same hotel we were at in Rapid City.  So, we joined them for a drink, and they decided to record us.  They have been chronicling their trip via YouTube.  Here's the clip they took of us:

 After Rapid City, it was all business heading home.

On the way southeast from Rapid City, we stopped in the Badlands for a few pics.

Very desolate, dry, hot, and windy.  But, in its own way, also very beautiful.

We had to stop at just about every gas station we came to.  Otherwise, we risked running out of gas, as it might be 100 miles before we saw another one.  But, the rewards were great, in that we met some of America's finest people.

In the middle of SD somewhere, we stopped for lunch.  This place is for sale, and I think Bob my buy it.  :)  They advertised having the best burgers on Rt. 18

This has been my office/cockpit for the last 3 weeks:  GPS, stereo, gauges.

Kevin's odometer:  6,154 miles....  yikes.

We have a tradition where we stop in Harrison, OH at the end of each ride, and share a beer before we break off to our respective homes.  This time, Curt brought out a bottle of wine instead.

Curt and me with wine in our water bottles.  End of another great ride.

 For those of you who are computer savvy, you can probably figure out how to access our Picasa Web Albums for all the unedited pics, if you're so inclined.