Home Sweet Home!

That's where I am. Home. After a bunch of miles and nineteen nights in hotel rooms, I am SO glad to be home, sleeping in my own bed. The adventure has been wonderful, as we experienced so much in these days away. At the end of the three-year challenge, I reflect on the entire 48-state endeavor and marvel at all we have seen. We've seen The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park, and so much more. We have met some of the most interesting people along the way. We have laughed. Relationships with fellow riders have been deepened. We have seen tragedy along the way (more on this in another post). But today, I celebrate home. And I rest.

Here is the final track, recorded by our trusty SPOT Gen3 Satellite Tracker. The 2014 plan was our most aggressive, by far. We had no assurance we would finish the journey, knowing that only with great weather and machines that performed well would we be able to visit each of the remaining states.


End-of-trip report:

• Regarding weather, I experienced about 40 miles of rain on my ride to Port Allen, LA to meet the other riders. On our first day of riding together, there was rain on the weather radar, but we hardly experienced a sprinkle as God kept opening windows through the showers for us. We suited up in Sturgis for about 15 minutes of rain, followed by some wet roads through The Black Hills, and I was rained on about two minutes near Gainesville. Other than these bits of rain, our roads were dry, enabling us to make great time.
• Our machines performed very well. We had one minor issue in La Crosse, Wisconsin with a loose bolt on a shifter that we were able to diagnose and repair in about 10 minutes. No parts flew off of the Harleys - and we were able to stay on schedule.

The result was we finished the course and visited each of the states on the route. Mission accomplished! In terms of miles, there is a bit of a discrepancy. My motorcycle odometer indicates a total trip mileage that is a bit higher than the mileage reported by our Garmin Zumo 665 GPS. Some of the difference can be explained away by quick trips to dinner without all of the electronics - but I believe the Garmin number is probably the most accurate. In either case, we eclipsed the 8,000-mile mark. In an upcoming post, I'll document the actual miles ridden per day. Some were extreme high-mileage days, as we simply had to reach a destination in order to stay on schedule. Others - like our days in The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, as well as at Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore - were shorted, in order to allow time to get off of the bikes and enjoy the sights. For now, let it suffice to say that we averaged 470.85 miles per day over the course of the 2014 Adventure Ride. An aggressive ride, indeed, but fun and rewarding!

Thanks for sharing the journey with us, and especially for praying for us as we traveled. We enjoyed safety, harmony, favorable weather, and were able to experience so much of the beauty of creation.

It's time for a nap. More to come...