I've been remiss in journaling the final leg of my trip back to New Jersey from Redlands California. To my loyal readers, I humbly apologize.
My last day of work on my contract in Redlands was the 13th and I planned my flight to Houston for that evening. I wanted to be in position to leave early Saturday morning. Readers can look at the previous posts to find out how my bike ended up in Houston.
As luck would have it, I arrived on the 13th to the same weather I left - rain, cold, fog and that was forecast to continue through Saturday the 14th. So, I did what any rider who has been severely weathered would do. I sat out Saturday for the forecast sunny skies of Sunday and Monday. As luck would have it, two things happened to make this much more enjoyable.
The first is that the boyfriend of the friend I left my bike with was playing in a band the Friday night I arrived. He plays harmonica, or "harp" and can really blow. After a very nice seafood dinner with them, we went to the bar to relax and hear him play some pretty fantastic blues.
Second was that my friend Steve was in Houston at the same time, so we were able to spend Saturday together. It was great socializing with him and his family. They were preparing to have many people over. In the heights section of Houston, where his aunt-in-law lives, they have an evening where they close off the heights and everyone walks the streets checking out the houses with Christmas decorations. It is very elaborate and goes on for blocks. It seems like every block has a band playing in someone's driveway or porch. It's amazing that there are so many talented musicians in that area. Steve, his wife Sarah and i walked through the town, ate and enjoyed a very festive evening.
Back to the ride. Since I came in late on Saturday night, I slept in until 5am. I planned to leave earlier because I knew that the further north I went, the colder it was going to be and I wanted to get as far north during sunlight as possible. Also because of this, I minimized the amount of time I spent during fueling stops. Unfortunately, with 4 layers of clothing (base, heated gear, riding gear, wind breaking gear), it takes way too long to find things. Summer rest stops take 10 minutes from start to finish. Winter rest stops take 45. Ughhh. The entire 1060 miles was almost completely uneventful except for the fact that I saw the Grinch on I-10 riding on the back of a Harley being driven by a pathetic looking reindeer. Of all the times not to have my GoPro on my helmet!
When I approached Charlotte, I knew I definitely wanted to be on the far side of town, riding away from it, in the morning. There's no need to set myself up to deal with rush hour traffic. When I looked at the map, I saw Concord and thought I might as well get to the other side of that, so I landed on the far side of Concord. Temperatures were in the 30's and I was plenty warm the entire time. Maybe too warm. When I took my gear off, I noted a 2nd degree burn on my abdomen, right where the wires for my gear connect to the temperature regulator. I planned for another layer of clothing in the morning and a phone call to Gerbings when I got home!
Given my position, I wanted to delay my departure until after 7 to make sure I got through Richmond after rush hour. My thought was that if I could do that, then the only rush hour traffic I should hit during the day would be Philly and I might even be able to route around that. Somehow, the ride from Concord to Richmond seemed like it was the longest part of the entire trip; but, I made it through Richmond without any traffic. Once north of Richmond, the traffic just got more and more dense. By the time I made Washington DC, traffic was very heavy. There is lots of construction going on and lots of people trying to get in and out of the Northern Virginia area. Fortunately, the traffic was moving pretty well; but, it was nearing 3pm and I was very concerned that I would hit Baltimore's rush hour and Philadelphia's as well; so, I rode up I-270 into Frederick while I assessed my situation via phone with a couple of friends. Dave happened to be riding north out of Philadelphia and his fiance' was on the phone with us looking at weather maps for me. All things looked good. I wouldn't have any precipitation, temps would be in the mid 20's and the roads were clear of snow and ice. With this route, all I had to worry about was Harrisburg and Allentown - both of which I'd take over Baltimore and Philly rush hour traffic. It was well worth the extra miles. I had about a 5 minute delay in Harrisburg and a 15 minute delay in Allentown. I arrived in Northern NJ by 7pm!
When I arrived, my brother-in-law was home; but, my sister was out with the kids. You'd think that he was a biker himself. He cleared a space for my bike in the garage and had a large bowl of chilli waiting for me. He totally rocks. After 1670 miles in 36 hours, I was ready for that and a hot shower.
I'm writing this on the 30th of December and haven't been back on the bike yet. It's been exactly 2 weeks since I arrived home and it's been so busy. I can't wait to get back on the bike and start riding again...if only the snow and rain would stop!
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