Bike Report Day 3, Time To Head Home

Are We Almost There Yet?

After a good night sleep and off to an early start, we packed the bikes and headed out. Before leaving, we were relieved to see that the isolated t-storms had cleared up around Chicago but there was still a chance that we could encounter some rain. What we did not expect was constant winds north of Indianapolis.

Unlike the trip down, we decided that we would stick to the interstate all the way home, also known as "slabbing it" in a biker talk. We were making real good time and the miles were just flying by. We came up on Indy and just marveled at the city. They city is rather small so it only seemed we were through it in two minutes. OK, maybe three when we saw that cop hiding under the viaduct.

As we got out of the city, a steady wind was hitting us head on. The weather was still kind of warm but we moved on at our fast pace. It was not too long after that I had experience deja vu with my bike.

The winds picked up and it was gusty. Not as gusty as when we were in Wisconsin in the storm but pretty close. The high wind would not die down.

We kept riding and the wind kept hitting us now from the side. I ducked in pretty low on the tank, almost riding on top of it. I kept my eyes right above the front shield, letting the wind roll over me and my helmet.

Pat on the other hand was hating life. Pat does not have a screen so he could not escape the wind. It just pounded him really hard, square in the upper body. I give him a lot of credit to that he kept going. I know I would have been a whiney bitch.

Somewhere about an hour south of Merriville, we hit a cold front. The sky turned grey and the weather dropped twenty degrees. I am not sure of the exact temperature but I would say we hit mid 40's. We kept going until we found a rest area. We pulled over to warm up and get the rain and warmer gear out.

We stopped again about 30 minutes out to fuel up and eat some lunch. As we got ready to get back on the road, we were greeted with some drizzle. Cold drizzle that is. From this point, this would be our last stop. With Pat living farther west than the Bandit Brothers, we said our good byes and departed off.

As we got to the state line, the rain picked up more and it got dark out. Traffic picked up as well. My helmet started to fog up which made it difficult to see. I have the knack of picking the time for things to go wrong when out on the bike. Luckily, the weather cleared up as we got near O’Hare. Pat splits at Interstate 290. Matt and I then race home.

Hitting Lake County, meant more rain on top of us. It never really came down heavy but enough to make the roads slick. At this point, we are not stopping.

We then rolled into our town. There is lots of traffic out for a Sunday. Almost like evening rush hour. I just want to get home and I can't see what the hold up was. I thought maybe it was a train but then I saw what was causing the congestion. It was a farmer bringing his stack of hay overloaded in the back of his pickup truck. Didn't I just leave all that in Indiana?

We got home in one piece early afternoon. I was happy to be out of the rain but there was part of me that wanted more riding time in southern Indiana. More time to just stop and see the scenery. More time to just relax between rides. More time to spend with great friends. As they say, all good things must come to an end. That does not mean I can't schedule another ride in the near future.

Thanks for reading....