The Trip Home

On Sunday morning, the sky in Marble Falls was gray and rain looked unavoidable. We watched the Weather Channel and brought up the local radar on my netbook. It looked like if we started out on our way home a little later in the morning, we might be OK.
We were headed straight north (up) from the red dot on the map... We ate breakfast and checked the weather again. It wasn't raining where we were, but it was near by. We had the bikes loaded and ready, and we decided to go with rain pants only, and leave the rain jackets off until we needed them. It's easier to put on the jacket by the side of the road, than it is the pants. That turned out to be a good decision. We rode for a little over 3 hours and then stopped for gas in Lincoln, MO. We had avoided almost all the rain, and just had a little sprinkle here and there. I took of my rain pants and packed them away.
Once we were back on the road, we continued north on US 65. Around 3:00 p.m. we stopped at the Taco Bell in Chillicothe for a quick bite to eat, then it was back to riding.
When we crossed into Iowa, US 65 became a rough ride. The repairs in the concrete left the surface really bumpy. A few of the asphalt patches were bad enough to send you off the seat, then pitch the bike up into your butt. I was sore! By the time we got to Humeston, I needed to get off the bike for a few minutes. There was a small park in town with a nice M60A3 tank!
We stopped for the night in Oceola, IA, and we got a room at the Evergreen Inn. It was a nice little Mom and Pop motel, very clean and well maintained. The only issue I had was no Wi-Fi, so I couldn't update the blog. The owners live across the street in a restored Victorian style house. They seemed very nice. John and I had diner just down the street at a Mexican restaurant and we gassed up the bikes before returning to the motel.


I had been joking with John about getting on the road by 4:30, it turned out the we were actually ready and moving by 6:45. We had a short stop at McDonald's for a quick breakfast, then we were on the way! It seems like every time we go on a trip, we always say were going to get going early every morning, but the reality is that we only get an early start on one of the days..... usually on the way home...
We took I-35 north from Osceola, and got gas just outside of Albert Lea, MN. In Iowa, gas was $3.199 and in MN it was $3.599.
I split off from John at the I-494 exit off of 35E. He continued to St. Paul and followed 494 to 94 into WI. I stopped in Baldwin to call and tell Nancy I was on my way home. I didn't stop again until Hayward. I gassed up with the most expensive gas of the trip at $3.699. I got home around 2:45.

I spent $136 on gas this trip and traveled 2295 miles. There's now 29,502 miles on the FJR.


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I want to put the new tires and the chain and sprocket set on the Zx-14 and head out again!!!!