tonight's clouds

  

clouds

To compete with Paul's pics, here are tonight's clouds in southeastern Iowa.

still vacationing

Vacation has been fun, so far. Kids have spent hours with friends, swimming, riding 4-wheelers, going to movies, playing at Nascar Speedpark, staying up late, etc etc.

Me I've been riding in the mountains on my motorbike. I've probably riden about 600 miles or so. Lake Lure, Asheville, Mt. Mitchell, and miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in both NC and Virginia. Weather has been most excellent, if a bit hot and sunny.

Up on Mt. Mitchell on Monday it was around 55F, very foggy and extremely windy. I about froze. But back down the hill and it was HOT. Same deal yesterday - probably about 80F up in the mountains, and a scorching 95F down in the lowlands.

Today we are changing home base. Friends of ours have offered us the use of their 38' (yes that's thirty eight feet) long camper that's parked at High Rock Lake. Should be enjoyable, if not really camping.....

Vacationing

So, we are vacationing. Which for me means high-speed internet in hotels!!!!! I am in sensory overload.

But anyway, we left Friday, after work. Of course after several quiet weeks at work, this past week a bunch of stuff is happening, and I had to leave it. Murphy's Law. But the vacation must go on, so here we are.

The drive from Donnellson Iowa to Salisbury North Carolina is what I'd consider a rather long one. 916 miles, to be exact.

It all started with me loading my Honda VTX1300R motorcycle on my little utility trailer. While I've carted my motorcycle all over the country on a trailer in the past, it has always been a rather lightweight sportbike that I've carried. 'Twas a bit of a surprise loading my great big pig of a Honda on the trailer this time. Much longer and heavier machine than I'm used to. But it got on there, and tied securely.

Then Friday afternoon, all the way from Donnellson, through St. Louis and on to Paducah Kentucky, we drove into the most brutal headwind, little Ford Explorer saying 'I think I can' all the way. For the first 90 miles we used 1/2 a tank of gas....holy crap was that a headwind.

The next day, heading east from Paducah towards NC, through Nashville and Knoxville, the aforementioned headwind became a crosswind, wanting to swat us off the highway.

Not until we got to God's Country, (NC) near Asheville did the wind finally calm down.

But we made it. Young son is already installed at his best friend's house. It was the first place we HAD to stop when we arrived in Salisbury. (which was good because I had help unloading the pig Honda and got to park it in the garage there..)

ANYHOW, its time to move along now - the International House of Pancakes is calling to me from across the road......

More later on this Father's Day.....

kennelized

 

It appears that our dog kennel is working....... 

(actually we were in the process of building it to house Izzy the Black Tornado Dog, but old Hankthedumbasaboxofrocksdog decided to use it before it was finished)

All Over

It is finished.

one more day

I have one more day of climbing left.

After that its all downhill.

Better grease the wheels, gonna pick up speed now.

Goodbye 30's, hello 40's.