Mark Loves to Ride!

Ohio Trip 2011

Arizona - Ohio - Arizona
June 12-22, 2011

Well, I returned safe and sound on a Wednesday night just after midnight. I wasn't really planning to come back that soon and wanted to visit a few more people on this trip, but . . . things happen. Let me just recap the trip:

Day 1 June 12,2011 -- Pulled out of the driveway in Hades . . . I mean Gilbert, AZ on Sunday, June 12 @ 1445hrs. Much later start than I wanted, but it was what it was. I wanted to ride through Dean's (a friend) neck of the woods (Show Low and Springerville, AZ), but the fire he started up that way (just kidding . . . he had nothing to do with it) had all those roads closed, so I did the Payson-Heber-Holbrook and I-40 route. I made Alubuquerque, NM shortly after sunset and stayed with a friend's Uncle for the night. 434 miles in 7:29:16

Day 2 June 13,2011 -- Left Albuquerque, NM around 0715hrs in an attempt to beat rush hour. I had to shop just east of town to get coffee and make a change on my mobile phone plan. This, of course, caused my phone to malfunction. An hour later, I was back on the road, only taking fuel and bathroom breaks as needed. I stopped in Abilene, KS long enough to call a friend in Manhattan, KS to let her know she had an hour or less to have the fridge stocked with good beer. I narrowly avoided a “performance award” courtesy of the Kansas Highway Patrol and made it to my friend's before sunset. 701 miles in 12:33:13

Day 3 June 14,2011 -- Cruised around Manhattan, KS visiting with friends from my college days. Nothing too exciting, but a day to relax some. I had been chasing a storm front and wanted to let it move far enough that I wouldn't be riding in rain. 80.2 miles

Day 4 June 15,2011 -- Left Manhattan, KS via US-24 through Kansas City, then I-70 towards Ohio. I just wanted to make time to visit my old stomping grounds. I stopped in St. Louis, MO to “disarm” so I could cross Illinois legally and the road construction delay of half an hour just across the IL/IN border in Terre Haute, IN gave me the opportunity to rearm for the rest of the trip this day. (Yes, I'm a strong believer in our 2nd Admendment rights and carry concealed most of the time.) The stop on the side of the Interstate in Terre Haute, IN included trying to breathe with a major insect attack. NOT fun! Once I hit the Dayton, OH area, I had caught up to the storm. I was only 1.5 hours from my destination, but it was now dark, so I decided to get a cheap room for the night. 717 miles in 13:11:49

Day 5 June 16,2011 -- Left Dayton, OH just before 0900hrs. There was still rain in the Columbus, OH area, so decided to head up North to hang out with friends for the day. I stopped to visit some of my best friends outside Dunkirk, OH and spent the day catching up with them. I headed out in the early evening, stopped in Johnstown, OH to get beer (I think I'm sounding like an alcoholic) and arrived at my sister's in Alexandria, OH (a little podunk town) just before sunset. I parked and covered the bike to keep her dry. 167 miles

Day 6 June 17,2011 -- Chilled around Alexandria, OH with family. 0 miles

Day 7 June 18,2011 -- Rain in the forecast for the day, so I rented a car ($20/day) from a local repair/sales lot. No paperwork. They weren't even there when I picked it up. They just left the keys under the floor mat for me. Isn't small town midwest living great! I went to my hometown in the Northwest of the State via “cage” to visit some of my old haunts. It was good to be “home”, but it started to pour down rain, so I headed back to my sister's in Alexandria. 0 bike miles

Day 8 June 19,2011 -- Father's Day. I hung out with family. My father spends summers in Ohio and this is the first Father's Day in years that I have spent with him. It was a good day to chill and relax. My plan was to leave the next morning, but forecasts of storm fronts rolling across the entire Midwest looked to delay my departure until at least Thursday. 0 miles

Day 9 June 20,2011 -- Hung around Alexandria & Granville, OH watching the forecasts. Late in the day, it began to look like I might have a split in the storm fronts allowing me to start my return trip the next day. 0 miles.

Day 10 June 21,2011 -- The weather forecast showed a break in the front. I decided to take the chance and head west. Storms in the Central Ohio area weren't supposed to hit until later in the day. I figured I could make it to St. Louis, MO and then head southwest towards Oklahoma City, OK and miss most of the storms. I loaded up and headed out around 0815hrs. Half an hour later, I had made it to the west side of Columbus, OH (Hilliard, actually) when the skies got black. I needed fuel anyway, so I stopped. During this fuel stop, the skies opened up for half an hour. I could see it was clear to the west, so I waited it out and slipped into my rain suit during the down time. I took off west on I-70 in a slight drizzle for a few minutes and made St. Louis, MO before I saw any more rain. There were just a few sprinkles where I hooked up with I-44 west. I made it as far as Tulsa, OK before stopping for the night. 846 miles in 15:02:32

Day 11 June 22,2011 -- Left Tulsa, OK just after 0800hrs, caught I-40 west and made good time . . . until I was just outside Amarillo, TX. No, I didn't have a breakdown. I was granted a “performance award” by Texas DPS. 85mph in a 70mph zone. From that point, I was more vigilant in watching my speed. I caught AZ-77 in Holbrook, AZ to AZ-377, then AZ- 277 into Heber, AZ-260 west to AZ-87 in Payson and home to the “Valley of the Sun” just after midnight. 1070 miles in 18:09:33

Totals: ~4015 bike miles in 7 riding days over an 11 day period