16 May, 2004 ~ The start, again
The third time is the charm, I hope...another Iron butt attempt...
| At Oh Dark 30 (or about 0504am EST) I got my witness
sheet signed at the Days Inn in Abington, VA, by the nice young desk clerk,
who thought I was a bit loonie, to be sure (who doesn't anymore?).
I promptly ran out to the bike, hopped aboard, plugged in, and went for
gas.
Abingdon, VA, 0519 EDT,
|
 |
 |
Then I realized I hadn't checked my tire pressure,
which I had planned to do. It was low, and I found out the gas station
didn't have an air pump. So off to find a working pump, and the fastest
tire pump job I have ever done.
Then west down the road I go. In the fog. Kind of pretty, actually! And the sun was coming up, too! |
 |
 |
| I caught some of these over my shoulder as I rode. This one caught the truck perfectly. |  |
 |
Eventually I found a new experience. My first
Waffle House (Knoxville,TN)! We don't have these in /\/\onTana! ...yet...
It wasn't bad, and it was rather fast for a real breakfast.
Knoxville, TN, 0715-0745 EDT,
|
| Then it was back on the road. Turn north at
Nashville...
Lebannon, TN, 0927 EDT,
|
 |
 |
Along the way I saw Flower Power in action, a fully flowered-out VW Bug. It looked pretty good! |
| Pretty soon it was time to turn west to Saint Louis,
MO, and points west. The roads were good and the traffic was light,
by eastern standards. I wanted a photo of the arch from below, and
the highway goes right behind it, but in a ditch cut in the ground.
I didn't see a thing.
Lake St. Louis, MO, 1641 CDT,
|
 |
 |
It was on this straight shot across Missouri that
I first started listening to Audio Books, Clive Cussler's Atlantis Found,
to be precise. They sure do make the miles go by fast! Soon
it was sunset and I was approaching Kansas City and the turn north.
Oak Grove, MO, 1944-2010 CDT, 23,979 miles. |
| I took five minutes at a rest area to call home and
let the family know I was OK. At this point I was maybe 30 to 45
minutes south of Council Bluff, IA. The night was warm, the sky was
clear, the road was good. While Council Bluff was my goal for the
night, I thought I might just keep going. It was a great night to
ride!
The torential downpour, bad road and light eating darkness over the next hill made me happy to make it to Council Bluff. 2352 CDT, Council Bluff, IA,
|
 |