The Inevitable Journey

After an absolutely wonderful weekend, so commenced the journey home.  If you stick to the superslab, it’s a mere 520 miles or so.  That said, I was in no rush.  I know Wisconsin is worth getting lost in, and there is this incredibly important, powerful, and beautiful river that flows down to the Gulf of Mexico.  I decided to follow it.

Buzzing down from Eagan to Hastings, I wound my way along towards Red Wing, where I discovered Lake Pepin:

Which, apparently, is the birthplace of waterskiing:

I puttered along the Great River Road on the Minnesota side until I got to the crossing at La Crosse.  I went over the bridge and pulled into the rest area to recycle fluids, have a snack, and just relax for a bit.  Stopping to smell the roses, I stuck my pin on the map in the visitor’s center:

A man chatted me up in the parking lot, and we had a nice long conversation about travel, children, and life in general.  Turns out the man was Lin Thompson, who runs Affordable Adventures with his wife.  I told him next time I made it out to the Black Hills area, I would be sure to look him up.

We parted ways after at least half an hour, with Lin heading east to Chicago to visit his daughter and me picking up the Wisconsin’s interpretation of the Great River Road.  That lasted until right around Genoa, where I got inspired to leave the river behind and head east through the Wisconsin farmland.  Picking up 56, I settled into the enjoyment of the curves and hills Wisconsin has to offer.  Lightly trafficked on a sunny Monday afternoon, I was rolling along and having a great time.

I made a mental note to swing by New Glarus, specifically the New Glarus Bakery:

Why the bakery when New Glarus is also home to a most excellent brewery?  Why, to pick up an order of nut horns, of course.  What are nut horns?  Pure delight.  You can read about them or order them here, but I recommend going in person - it’s a great excuse to go riding!

My destination for the day was Chicago to have dinner with my brother and sister-in-law, so I continued east/southeast.  No route, per se, just following the smallest roads possible.

My brother was still working when I got to Chicago, so I swung by.  His boss came out and congratulated me on the BBG (the Spot link was a favorite of the entire place on Friday), and said, “Man, your bike is destroyed!  Pull it in and I’ll have one of the guys wash it!”

That was about the kindest thing I’d heard all day.  The Minnesota Bug Storm had encrusted the front of the FJR with about ¼ inch of residue, and the journey east in the sun just baked them on.  I appreciatively pulled in with my disgusting bike:

I relaxed, had some water, and looked at some really cool cars:

I just have a thing for blue:

When my brother was ready to roll out, I went and got my bike.  Little did I know someone had taken away the old one and replaced it with a brand new 2006 FJR, modified just like mine!

The guys did an absolutely amazing job - the old girl still turns heads and cleans up pretty well.

We danced through traffic on the way downtown, where his wife had made an absolutely killer feast - pasta with prosciutto and leeks, cold cuts, and these insane cream cheese brownies.  Amazing.

I originally planned on riding home that night, but the conversation, company, and meal conspired against me.  I gave into temptation, accepted a beer, and just unwound completely.  Just a fantastic evening!

The next morning, I woke up and was rolling by 05:00 CST, beating the Chicago traffic and heading east.  I headed straight home, pulled into the garage I had left about 100 hours and 2700 miles ago.  Darted inside, shaved, showered, and headed to work.

The entire day seemed like it passed in slow motion.  Hard to get back into daily life after an extended weekend behind bars.

What lucky, lucky people we are to live in a time and place where we can enjoy machines like these, which transport us to unknown places, to people both familiar and unfamiliar, and home again.

Here's the trace for the journey home.  Until the next adventure...