Tuesday, May 29, 2012 @ 7:00 PM in General Travel
Today I awoke to the sound of thunder rather than my alarm. I saw yesterday that there was a chance for some early morning thunderstorms rolling through Indianapolis but figured they'd all be done by the time I was ready to set out. I got up around 5:30am and got dressed and finished packing up my stuff. I finished eating breakfast a little after 6 and the storms weren't letting up yet. Fortunately they were heading east pretty quickly so it was only a matter of time. I finally decided that i should be safe leaving a little after 7am which is what I did.
I left in some rain and had to deal with steady rain and traffic for the first 45 minutes or so while I was riding west out of Indianapolis. Soon enough the dark clouds turned into white puffy clouds and then they eventually broke into sun. I hit a couple more small patches of light drizzle but was able to take my rain gear off by the time I stopped for lunch.
For lunch I had packed a smoked turkey sandwich, some carrots, apple, cookie and brownie. I ended up at a TA where I went inside and sat at one of the restaurant tables to eat. Things were really starting to warm up now and all the rain gear was getting even more uncomfortable. I took off the jacket's rain lining but left the pants rain lining on.
On the way home I decided not to take the bypass around St. Louis and instead wanted to continue on I-70 through the city so I could see the arch. There was a little bit of traffic due to construction but it wasn't enough to make me regret taking that route.
The riding was pretty uneventful interstate riding for most of the day. By the time I got to Kansas City I was really starting to feel tired. I took a little side route down US 169 in order to avoid toll roads and ended up back on 54 which I took into Wichita.
About 20 miles from Wichita I noticed several cars swerving all over the road like they were being driven by drunks. As I got a better look I realized it was just people on cell phones who had no idea how to drive. It must have been some kind of requirement that to operate a car or truck in Wichita that you must talk on your phone and swerve at least 2 feet over the line both directions a minimum of twice every minute.
Rather than camping this time around, I figured I'd stop at a hotel so I could get a proper shower and also make a little more distance on day one. I looked online and found the Wichita Inn which had the lowest price of $58 while still looking fairly reputable. I made my way here and got a room. After hauling up all of my gear I set about eating, showering and getting ready for bed.
In total today was just over 700 miles and I'm definitely feeling it. Tomorrow is going to be just under 600 miles so I should be back to Albuquerque in the early afternoon. I'm planning on getting up at 5:30am again tomorrow morning so it will give me a nice early start.
Teaser photos:
Tags: motorcycle, indy 500
Posted from: United States