After my four hours sleep I feel much better and like I can write something of value instead of last nights placeholder. It looks like I am about 475 Miles approx 7 ½ hours from home. This is of course bitter sweet, it will be really nice to be home, but I will of course miss the miss the road, and I will miss the isolation in many ways. There are few things like tranquility of 12 hours within your helmet with no interruption.

I did ride further then I planned last night, my intention was only to go as far as Lexington, but once I got there all the hotels were taken, so I rode about another 60 miles. This was not pleasant at the time, as I was approaching Lexington near 2am, and Louisville around 1am traffic was erratic, I can never tell if the Friday night kids playing in their fathers cars, drunks driving, a full moon or what is happening. Probably a component of all three.

I did get to meet a character named Jose at a gas station yesterday, he started telling me about his bike, a Gixer, and when he asked how long I had been riding and when I told him he almost fell over. He then said I would likely walk like I had been raped at the end of the trip, as he had done after three days riding horses in Mexico. He also mentioned that he was going to have to learn to keep it in his pants, as hid kids are scattered all over the place now, and it is getting expensive to go see them. Finally we discussed problems with fhis transmission, and if it were not under warrantee, he would have done a Mexican repair, and just downgraded it to two wheel drive. All in all, he was a lot of fun.

I did notice in the past that after you go a certain amount to the west, the high test fuel drops from 93 Octane to 91 Octane I seem to recall when I was in the middle of nowhere last year that it dropped even lower. The breaking point on the return this year was just past St. Louis. If anyone knows why that happens, please let me know

It seems to me like it is time to load up the Bapper one last time, and burn out the 750 miles to home.

Take Care

Brian