Cavity Wars

The number on the left is the number of miles we did on the bikes. Add the 1050 on the ferry and you get over 11,000 miles traveled in the past 38 days.



Ember



Mike and I high fivin' in my driveway when we got home. WE DID IT!

SATURDAY August 7th

THE RIDE is Done! I got home at 6:23 this evening! It feels really good to be home but really weird that the ride is over. I will probably get up in the morning, pack the bike and get ready to leave....nah, I am ready to be here and not go anywhere for a month or so (I have a ride planned for Labor day weekend to Coeur d'Alene).

I guess I should update the past two days, as I didn't blog last night. So, back to

FRIDAY August 6th

We got up, did our morning devotionals, had breakfast and just hang out on the deck enjoying the view and the company (Rose and Al). The plan was to meet my cousin Dennis, AKA Neon Ron, in Madris and then he was going to ride his Harley with Mike and myself to Hood River. However that was kind of up in the air as he had called last night to let me know his bike had died. He was taking it to the shop this morning and hopefully it would be repairable. Around 11:30 I called to see what was going all and learned that after 2 and half hours of trying to figure things out, they checked the battery (shouldn't you do this first?) and that was the problem. So we meet him at the shop in Redmond, OR, followed him to his place where he quickly packed and off to Hood River we headed. A few miles out of Madris, as we decended the grade toward the Dechutes River, Dennis indicated he needed to pull over. For some reason his shift linkage had come off. That was a quick fix and we were on our way again.

The ride to Hood River along the base of Mt Hood is a very nice ride, through the woods, nice sweepers and great views of the mountain. We skirted the east side of the mountain and dropped into the Hood River Valley, my childhood home. We headed to my Mom's in Hood River and unloaded for the night. Then over to my cousin Susan's and finally back to Mom's and then being picked up by Gary and Susan and off to a very enjoyable dinner out with the 6 of us. Gary was very gracious and bought dinner for all of us. Thanks again Gary.

Back to Mom's for a bit of visiting and then to bed.

Up a little later than usually this morning (6:30 AM), and Mike and I went to the store for breakfast (mixed fresh fruit, yogurt, granola and scones), and then back for a meal.

After breakfast I made chicken curry to take to the family reunion at Susan and Gary's. Then we went to Walmart to get a flexible tube to vent Mom's dryer and to meet up with Joshua, Stephanie, Karrek and Noah. We all headed to Sue's and a few of us went and picked blueberries (Gary and Sue raise them, a number of acres). Back to their house and the family reunion. My other son Jacob, Felicia, and Ember showed up. She is getting so big.

At 2 PM, Mike and I mounted up and headed home. It was pretty nice for the first 80 miles but then it started to rain, for the next 80 miles. Once we got off I-5 it wasn't to bad until about 10 miles from home and it got misty and foggy (just like we had when we first left Skagway, so kind of appropriate).

So now I am home, enjoying my family and my recliner. Looking forward to getting up in the morning and sitting in the hot tub, then going to church.

This has been an amazing adventure and I will have great memories. Mike was a great travelling companion and it was good to have him along. We travel very well together. God really blessed the both of us by allowing this opportunity.

Good night, sleep well, and God bless.