436 Miles
4263.5 Total Miles
TennesseeWe're home. Through thirteen states and one province, over 4200 miles in sixteen days, Nova Scotia 2008 is over.
It was a great ride.
We started the day in Roanoke, Virginia. After the 450 mile ride yesterday, bedtime came very early last night. As a result, we were up and ready to be on the road by 6:30 central time.
Packing up the bikes for the last timeWe began our ride under clear skies with temperatures in the 60's. We rode through dense fog for the first hour as the temperature dipped to 60 degrees at one point in the morning.
According to the GPS, Nashville lay 435 miles away. We decided to go ahead and wrap things up.
Today's ride was just like the one we had yesterday, except for a major difference. Instead of finishing up the day in another cookie cutter motel room, we would end the day at home and get to sleep in our own beds. That's a lot of motivation.
We split the day into 100 mile sections. Ride 100 miles, then stop at a convenience store for a little R&R, a soft drink and fuel. Then repeat. Our last stop was at a rest stop on I-40 about 60 miles from Nashville. By then the temperature was over 90 degrees.
Jim cruising down I-81
Bo survived the ride by depending on the nicotinegum holder he attached to his handlebars
We rolled into Nashville at 1:45 and radioed our goodbyes on I-440. Just a few minutes later the trip was over.
Bo's bike at home after a long rideAnyway, it's great to be home. The allure of the open road is strong but family, friends and even that dreaded thing called work are even stronger.
The dogs are happy everyone is home safeNow it's time to think about next year. There's talk of riding to Banff, in the Canadian Rockies. We're also thinking about going international in a serious way. Jim mentioned Italy and Bill likes the Alps. Bo is interested in New Zealand but isn't sure how comfortable it would be to spend a couple of weeks riding on the wrong side of the road. The early favorite is Banff.
See you in 2009.
