Ride log for Sunday, August 22, 2010
We weren't in much of hurry to wake up and get on the road today. After all, we already had breakfast this morning...at Midnight! HA! But we ate this trip's final free hot breakfast before packing the bikes and making the long, hot trip home.
We left the hotel and fueled the bikes at the gas station just around the corner, where we had our final "gas station meeting". We discussed that Mike and Steve would be riding home a bit faster than Dad, Bruce and I were wanting to, so handshakes went around as we said our goodbyes. While it's always sad when good trips and good times come to an end, I found myself feeling a little more sad than I expected.
This is where I realized how important these "gas station meetings" had become. Since we weren't using any bike-to-bike communications, fuel stops were when we would talk about where we had just been and where we were going next. Between fuel stops, I rode "alone in my own helmet", making mental notes about things to discuss at the next fuel stop. There were a lot of times when we would start talking to each other before our helmets were completely off our heads! Fuel stops had become sort of a mini-debrief where we would talk about that elk that we saw, that tight-turn we narrowly survived or that car-driver that wasn't paying attention. Fuel stops had become more than just a necessity to keep the bikes rolling, they had become an important social aspect of the ride.
We left Hays and Mike and Steve quickly disappeared in the distance. Bruce, Dad and I rode at a comfortable 70 mph to Junction City, where we fueled-up one last time before hitting our respective driveways. After getting gas, we agreed that ice cream and a cold drink were in order. The Dairy Queen just off the interstate in Junction City was now a used car lot, so we headed to Sonic. We spent nearly an hour in the shade, enjoying our refreshments and good company. It seemed that none of us was quite ready for the trip to end.
I rolled into my driveway at about 4:30 pm, one week and 2,871 miles later. I learned a lot on this trip, and most of the lessons learned were about myself. I learned to have more trust in my riding abilities and my motorcycle. I learned how great it is to spend 7 solid days with my dad, something I haven't done since I was a kid. And I learned how much I truly value my wife and children; I was overjoyed to see them when I finally got home. A big hug and kiss from Jennifer was a great way to cap the trip!
Most importantly, this trip reinforced a lesson that my wife has helped me learn over the years: It's the journey that's important, not the destination. I'm already looking forward to the next motorcycle journey.
Ride safely,
Craig
Click the following link to see all the photos I took on the trip:
 |
| Colorado Trip 2010 - All Photos |
And Bruce's photos can be seen here:
 |
| Bruce's Colorado Trip '10 Photos |
