Day 19 Homeward Bound

July 1st. With great regret and excitement simultaneously, we set out for Ohio today from Bay City , MI. What was supposed to be a short day turned into 330 miles because we were detoured about 5 times. I actually lost track. There were 2 or 3 detours just on route 13 as we were leaving Bay City, which took forever, and then a few others later. Going around Toledo was pretty stop and go traffic, and I was glad we weren't closer to the city, or worse going through it. We were on US 20 and the contrast between the US routes in Ohio compared to the US routes in Wyoming, S. Dakota, or Montana was extremely dramatic. We were both exhausted the whole time. I think because it was our last day our bodies finally gave into the fatigue, not to mention that we somehow ended up riding about 40 miles more than we were supposed to. We took US 20 which got better after the Toledo suburbs, to US 18 through Medina and down Market Street in Akron, arriving home safe and sound at about 8:30 in the evening. We were glad to see home and the dogs, but sad that our adventure was over and it was time to face life again. I got most of the attention because of the size of my bike. More than once someone commented on the fact that I had ridden a "dirt bike" from Ohio, or just commented on my general fortitude. I actually enjoyed my little bike immensely. I liked the upright sitting position, it performed amazingly, and I don't need to go any faster. We covered some 4800 miles, saw some of the most amazing National Parks and just generally amazing landscapes in all of the US and we did it at a rate where we could actually enjoy it. We camped about half the time and did motels when we needed to because of weather or rest. We stayed at some great private little motels and got some great bargains and felt cozy and safe. We left our helmets on our bikes when we ate, and only felt like we had to lock and alarm the bikes twice on the whole trip. It was an amazing journey and we are already planning our next one.

Ps. Check out the wear on my tires after 4800 miles.