Hopefully I will be able to log some interesting details and have some decent photos for your enjoyment.
So, with just about a week to go the bike is all set to go. I have to go over my check list of things to bring so I don't forget anything.
Took I-80 a short bit to I-287. I took that to I-78 west until I picked up I-80 south. I followed I-81 south to I-68 in Maryland where I also headed west. Got off of I-68 onto I-79 south, which took me to Charleston, WV. At Charleston I got on I-64 westbound. A few miles west of Charleston I stopped in Nitro, WV for the night.
The weather this day was a mix of rain and sun. Had pretty good weather until somewhere near Hagerstown, MD. Got stuck riding in some pretty heavy downpours! Somewhere along I-79 the sun came out anb then my face got sunburned.
For dinner I had a bowl of spaghetti at a restaurant next door to the hotel. There was also a wonderful of the local Nuclear Power Plant from my hotel window!
Very overcast day. Another day of both intermittent rain and sun. But nothing too bad that I had to stop. Got back on I-74 westbound to Lexington, KY where after making a wrong turn I got on the Blue Grass Parkway which headed in a south-west direction. Pretty neat countryside.
After getting a hotel room, I then had dinner at the adjacent restaurant named Miss Scarletts. Pretty good steak!
Continued on the Blue Grass Parkway, which for a time becomes I-24 and the Purchase Parkway to US-51 in Tennessee. I followed this fairly scenic road to Memphis, where I picked up US-61 south into Mississippi.
The northern park of MS had quite a few casinos. It was also mostly flat, but did have some hills. The countryside grew more green and hilly the closer I got to Vicksburg.
Like I said before though. As I got south of Memphis, I got out from under the cloudy weather and was now in mostly sunshine.
Got my room and went out and got a quick dinner.
Woke up pretty early and watched the weather channel for a bit. I then availed myself to the free continental breakfast at the hotel. I was basically taking my time.
It rained a little on and off during the day, but wasn't a real stopper. I had stopped at a few rest areas along I-20 having either coffee or Coca-cola. Tried to call Ashley a few times, but she was on another line. I figured if I didn't get a hold of her, I'd continue west to Shreveport. But at a rest area about 20 miles west of Monroe I got a hold of her. We made plans that I'd double back and give her a call about 6pm and we'd go out for dinner or something.
With that in mind, I took my time and rode back to the West Monroe area. Got a room at a La Quinta Inn about 1pm. Unpacked and figured I'd use the pool for a bit. Afterwhich I went to my room to shower and change about 4/4:30. Vegged out and watched TV until 6pm. Called her at home and got her sister. I left my room number and waited until 7pm. Yup, she stood me up! Oh well...
Looked in the guest directory in the room for a place to eat. A place called 'Captain Avery's LA Restaurant' looked pretty good. So I went there. Sat at the bar to eat. My waitress/barmaid's name was Courtney. Cute young blonde thing. When I mentioned that I was on sort of a Karawakian adventure she was floored. Had a real nice time talking with her while dining. Had an awesome cajun style steak and bbq'd shrimp, with some jumbalaya on the side. All in all a good day, and had some decent company even though Ashley had blew me off.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the scenery. Rolling hills, lush green woods and grasslands. It was quite a nice ride. I believe I stopped for lunch in a little town called Lufkin for lunch.
Once in Houston I wanted to hook up with I-45 south to Galveston. But construction had I-45 southbound completely closed! And signs informing the general populace were obscure or nonexistant. Found out I had to double back north to the I-610 loop, then follow that around to I-45. What a pain in the butt. I must say that drivers in the Houston area reminded me of being back home in NY! ==8-{ }
Hit a little rain on the way from Houston to Galveston, but not much. Got a room at the Galveston Best Western and walked a few blocks up and down the strip. The area reminded me of the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina. Had a beer or two on a fishing/sightseeing pier and then went to the local Landry's Restaurant for dinner. Not a bad day.
Heading back north along the strand I saw a water spout come off the gulf onto land and become a tornado! It was quite a scary site being only about 10 blocks south of where it hit. Not alot of damage but there were some broken windows, collapsed carports/canopies and that sort of thing. But still scary.
Hung out on the fishing pier for a while and ended up talking to one of the locals for a while. Then headed off to dinner.
The ride back through Houston wasn't as bad as the trip down. Took I-10 eastbound out of Houston and headed towards Louisianna. The weather also was pretty warm and sunny. And passing the various bayous and swamps was pretty neat.
Somewhere just past Baton Rouge I stopped in a rest area to check out the Best Western hotel directory. I called the Best Western right in the quarter (The Inn on Bourbon St) and after finding out that I would be able to find a good place to park the bike I reserved a room. I figured if I didn't stay right in the heart of it all I wouldn't see as much and then I'd regret not doing it upon returning home.
Just outside of the city it started to rain, and I mean rain. Before I had a chance to pull over and put on my rain coat I was soaked! And because of the rain I missed my exit and had to double back, getting even more wet. But I found my exit and got to the garage entrance of the hotel. The Inn on Bourbon Street has valet parking but does not park bikes. But the valet guy talked to his buddy at a hotel across the street and I was able to park my bike there for the day. I checked in and changed into dryer clothes. And by this time the thunderstorm had passed.