O, To Be Stuck In The Middle

I am a middle child, third in a line of five sons.  Not the oldest, nor the youngest; comfortably cushioned in between, sometimes feeling lost and forgotten in the shuffle of life.  It's not a bad place to be; it's average, neither the top nor bottom of the pile, not the fastest nor the slowest, the first nor the last.  It's the middle.  One of our favorite shows is called "The Middle," about a very middle class family that humorously struggles with the gritty parts of life that most of us experience at one time or other.  This post came about quite unexpectedly and spontaneously today as a result of a fortuitous alignment of events.

Update - I made it home from my awesome motorcycle trip to Florida.  15 days - 3395 miles - a few pictures - many small towns and lots of memories.  Yes, I would do it again!

After my trip, I knew I should get back to writing about the issues that concern me but still couldn't decide where to start.  I've read several books in the meantime about various concerns but couldn't focus on any particular one.  "Too Big To Fall" is about America's failing infrastructure.  "Catastrophic Care" explains what's terribly wrong with our healthcare system and, specifically, how we pay for it.  "The Big Short" describes how a few Wall Street insiders managed to dupe an entire financial industry (and by extension the public) into betting on bundles of highly risky mortgages while those insiders raked in billions for themselves.  All of these issues need to be addressed and corrected if America is to have much of a future.  However, it is the book I am currently reading that has prompted me to write today.

I also happened to catch part of President Obama's speech today from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, which spoke to the exact issues that I had been getting fired up about in the reading of this book.  These are the events that aligned properly for me today, and it is what got me thinking about the middle, as in "class".  Here is the issue: America's middle class is disappearing, or at least dwindling, at an alarming rate and our policymakers seem not to notice, nor care.  Furthermore, it is the spending of a large and thriving middle class that drives the economic engine of America, buying our manufactured goods and services, not the spending of the wealthy few.

For the past 30 years we have heard:

• The market will take care of itself.
• Make the rich richer and they will create jobs (trickle-down economics).
• The government is too big; it should leave us alone.
• Everyone should be able to own a home.
• Everyone should be able to go to college.

Some of the above are right-wing ideologies, and some come from the left.  All have contributed to an eroded middle class.  We have all grown up with the American dream of having a better standard of life than our parents, and they than their parents, etc.  For a century or more that has largely been the case.  However, over the past 40 years or so, the middle class has been falling behind in purchasing power, losing out to the elite as a disproportionate  degree of the nation's wealth has been accumulating at the top.  We have managed to keep up for a generation by depending on two incomes for most families, working longer hours, draining our homes of equity and finally taking on debt to attain the lifestyle which we felt we deserved as "middle class families."  But the bottom has dropped out of that scheme: families have lost one or both incomes; homes have lost value, i.e. no more equity to draw upon; good jobs have been automated or moved overseas; employers and governments at all levels have cut back and left Americans largely to pay the balance.

Today President Obama spoke to the heart of these issues, and while so far they may just be words there is hope that Washington may come to recognize the peril of a lost middle class in time to do something substantive about it.  He spoke of the key cornerstones of the middle class life as:

• a good honest and dependable job,
• a good education,
• a decent home,
• a secure retirement,
• good affordable health care,
• equal opportunity for advancement.

He spoke well, with enthusiasm and sincerity.  He dedicated every remaining minute of his presidency to reviving the middle class.  It's good to be in the middle; it's the American dream.  At least that's what we've always believed.  Maybe hope is not lost, if only we can bring Washington out from under their dome and back into the middle of America.

God bless the president, the U.S.A. and all of us in the middle.

Day 14 - Nearly home

Today turned out to be a long day even though I only made about 170 miles. For starters, since I knew I didn't plan on driving a great distance, I allowed myself to sleep in a bit. After talking with some bikers from Indiana over breakfast, I got on the road about 10:00.  I then took a small detour to enjoy the horse farm area around Lexington. The family will recognize one of our past vacation spots here. 

I talked with a father taking a picture of his daughter in front of the sign and told him we visited the park when our kids were her age. They came from Ireland just to attend a special program here later in the week and were enjoying the beautiful countryside. 

I followed US 25 north as it paralleled I-75 all the way to the Ohio River. I took my time and encountered little traffic, taking in several more small towns along the way. The sun was shining most of the way, so it was a hot ride, especially whenever I stopped whether at a stop light or for gas. As I approached the end of this road in Covington I felt a drop.  That's when I noticed the sky had suddenly become much more cloudy. As soon as it actually began to rain on me, I cut into a parking lot hoping for shelter.  There happened to be a bank where I could duck under a covered ATM area.  I waited it out and continued on over the river when the rain ended. I have now driven across four bridges between Cincinnati  and Covington. Cincinnati was very slow going. Originally I planned to take the interstate at this point, but I noticed I could take another federal highway at least for a while. US 127 runs northwest out of town through many suburban communities. There were some nice areas and some less nice ones.  But there was lots of stop and go, and that also made this a long day. I made it to I-70 and took that a little way toward Dayton, and tonight I find myself in Brookville, OH, just west of Dayton. Tomorrow I will take I-75 the rest of the way home, mow the lawn if it needs it and give my motorcycle a very needed bath.

I met a guy here at the hotel from Lake Orion, MI, also a biker, who couldn't believe I rode to Miami and back. So maybe it was a crazy idea from the start. I'll have to think about whether I'd want to do a similar trip again. I do know I've enjoyed every day of this one, the Lord has blessed with safety and my bike has performed flawlessly. I've enjoyed having a pretty loose schedule with the ability to change plans if I felt inclined. This trip was defined by the objective of riding the entire length of two major highways. Maybe it would be better to define a trip to include more sightseeing of some sort. 

Well tomorrow is not expected to be a very interesting ride, as I'll just be zipping up 75.  So this should be my last post.  If anyone has read these daily accounts of my trip, I hope you've enjoyed them. Remember the title of my blog says that each of us is unique.  This has been a special time for me and has already given me a very unique summer vacation. 

Day 13 - No Rain

Having completed the entire length of US 441, today I began riding north on US 25.  Much of it was just like yesterday's ride, taking me through the Tennessee and Kentucky mountains. This was indeed very much like the road I remember from childhood trips to Florida as it often followed the river and the RR tracks through the valleys and gorges. I missed a turn once and went about ten miles in the wrong direction, but that just meant more mountain riding. 

I guess there was nothing especially remarkable about today's ride because I didn't take any photos. I made it to Lexington, KY, and tomorrow I expect to be in Dayton, OH.  I should be home by Thursday. I think the exciting part of my trip is behind me now; the rest is just making my way back home. 

Day 12 - Monday, July 15

The forecast looked good, but I woke to cloudy skies - then it poured during breakfast. I was glad to be at the Hampton Inn where my motorcycle was under cover and I could enjoy a nice breakfast while I waited things out. Once again I began my day with the rain suit on, but it never rained real hard after that. Nevertheless the clouds threatened all morning as I rode north toward the mountains. About 1:00 I reached the southern entry to the Smoky Mountains in Cherokee, NC. I removed the rain gear for lunch and didn't need to put it on again. 

The road over the mountains into Gatlinburg is 35 miles of winding curves and rising and dipping hills. It really gets fun when the hills and curves happen together, which is most of the time. I stopped several times to take in the awesome views. Looking down at the misty valleys makes one feel on top of the whole world. This overlook happens to be right on the NC/TN line where the Appalachian Trail cross the highway. 

Gatlinburg was surprisingly uncrowded, I thought, for mid-July. The next 50 miles were not fun as it became quite hot and I had to contend with the traffic of Pigeon Forge and Knoxville. Near the end of my day I was treated to another stretch of beautiful, park-like riding through shaded hills and twisty turns. I've developed a fondness for picturesque churches wherever I go. This one leaped out of the shadows at me as I rounded a bend. 

Finally, a few miles before my destination for the night, my road crossed over the Norris Dam, built in 1936 and one of many in the Tennessee River Valley system. 

I stopped for the night at Lake City, TN - Another $35 room and a Mexican restaurant, neither with WiFi. It was a pretty good day, especially as it ended in sunshine. 

Days 10 & 11 It'a a rainy night in Georgia

The only days I've had completely without rain were the two days and three nights in Hollywood Beach.  Today I tried to resist getting out the gear, hoping I could endure a few light showers.  Within 20 miles of my destination it just started coming down too hard and I had to succumb. I didn't post a report yesterday because I couldn't get an Internet connection, so I'll try to recap two days of riding here. North of Orlando, US 441 is a very nice road to enjoy. I especially liked the area around Leesburg, FL, which has many lakes and is centrally located in the state. All the way into Georgia the road varies from rural to suburban to small town Main Street, and from divided highway to 2-lane pavement. US 441 often shares its roadway with other highways:

One of those routes should look familiar to Michiganders. 

Saturday night I made it to Douglas, GA, because it was big enough to have a Hampton Inn and a Holiday Inn Express, and I was ready to treat myself to a decent hotel for the night.  When I arrived, however, I still opted for the local, cheapo, $35 bed-in-a-box motel because it was nearest to the only restaurant around and it was raining. Neither the motel nor the restaurant had WiFi.  The lodging was clean but really bare bones; the eatery was nice with Christian praise music playing and a waitress named Shandy, plus a free scoop of ice cream with every meal.  I had this Ribeye Steak, medium done:

Looking ahead to my ride over the Smoky Mountains, I wanted to get far enough on Sunday to be able to easily get all the way through to Gatlinburg and beyond on Monday. I also wanted to aim for a town that would have a decent hotel once again. This time I'm using it, as I arrived at the Hampton Inn at Cornelia, GA around 5pm. Strong WiFi, lots of coffee, great room, plus the kind lady let me leave my motorcycle under the entry portico, out of tonight's rain. Gatlinburg is 120 miles from here; Lake City, 185. I'd like to make it to Lake City if I can, but I want to enjoy the mountains, too. That'll be my birthday present to myself. If the weather forecast looks bad I may stay put and wait for a better day. 

I don't know if I'll want dinner tonight, as I had a pretty nice lunch. Since I felt I had plenty of time to reach my destination today, I opted not to by-pass most of the towns and took the business routes instead. I found some really lovely towns in Dublin, Milledgeville, Eatonton, and especially Madison, GA, which I reached just about lunch time. Madison was founded in 1803 and named for James Madison.  It's a very lovely, quaint old town that appears prosperous and well kept up and is where I found a wonderful Chop House that served a unique Grilled Peach Salad. Mine came with a cup of French Onion soup and a glass of Chardonnay, all enjoyed in a nice patio eating area. I wanted to photograph the entire town; these few shots do it no justice whatsoever. 

Old Chamber of Commerce building. 

County Court House. 

This tree has been here a while. 

Some of you may wonder how I pass my time all day riding alone with no music for entertainment. Well since I'm one who can't do two things at once, it could be dangerous for me to do anything other than drive, but I do have time to think.  I try to think about the Bible verses I read in the morning.  I also have plenty of time to write or arrange music in my head, by singing it over and over.  I also like to find humorous or interesting signs along the way, like the street I saw called "Ice Cream Lane." Here's a building I found amusing. 

I've seen a lot of things I've enjoyed like that, but I can't remember them, nor can I stop to get a picture of them all.  I think my favorite one of all, however, was the billboard that screams at you:  "YOUR WIFE IS REALLY HOT!!!", then adds, "It's time to fix your air conditioner."

OK, it's time to call it a night.  I'll wake up in the morning another year older, ready to ride the mountains.  Actually age is one of the reasons I decided to do this trip this year at all.  If I keep waiting, I may not be able.  I share the sentiments of my father-in-law when he told me, " When the day comes when I can't ride my motorcycle anymore, well . . . ."

Day 9 - Heading Home

This is the day I start riding north. I was concerned that the day would be filled with more rain.  However, not only did I wake up to find dry pavement, but this was the view on the beach at about 7am:

Here's a picture of the fine old hotel I stayed at:

I got an early start and was really excited about driving under sunshine. US 441 runs straight north about ten miles from the Atlantic coast and then heads west over toward Lake Okeechobee.  This lake is surrounded by a levee that rises above the highway, so it's hard to actually see it from the road.  I did get a great view, however, when the road took a high bridge over a canal.  This is one big lake!  It may as well be the ocean, since you cannot see the other side.  I do believe it is very shallow though. 

Well I drove 200 miles before having to don the rain suit.  I really thought this would be the first day without it. As I approached Orlando I met the wet weather, but it was not a hard rain this time. I made it through Orlando and stopped for the night in Apopka, 258 miles for the day. I'm not far from Sanford where the Zimmerman jury began deliberation today. I should make it somewhere near the Georgia line tomorrow. Part of my route will follow US 27, which was my route going south.  I wonder if I'll recognize anything. 

Here's a little summary of my trip south over 6 days:

Total miles:      1631

Avg miles per day:     271

Total gas purchased:   40.4 gal. 

Average mpg:       40.37

Total cost for gas, food & lodging:   $659.76

Average cost per day:   $109.96

Days 7 & 8 - Relaxing in the sun

It's already Thursday evening now, and I'm due to head home tomorrow. These two days in Hollywood have indeed been relaxing, and there's been no rain although it always seems to be a threat. I've spent time by the pool, walked down the beach, bought my coffee & pastry at the same shop each morning and had dinner in the same patio restaurant every night. As I said before, I have everything I need right here. Laundry facilities are right down the hall, so I took care of that chore this morning. Plus I've made some changes to my plans. I've been keeping an eye on tropical storm Chantal, which has been downgraded but is due to bring rain to the area Friday morning. I thought about leaving here today to try to stay ahead of it, but I realized I really needed this day to rest.  Now it looks like if I depart late in the morning I may be lucky enough to ride behind the storm.  I don't know if that will mean less rain or not. As always, I'll just have to see how it goes. I did, however, decide to complete my first objective today rather than tomorrow, and I'm glad I did, as it took a good part of the day to drive into Miami and back again.  I finished the final length of US 27 and started the first part of my return route which also begins in Miami. I had to take this shot for the record.

Speaking of my return route, I've made some changes to that plan. So my original idea was to ride US 27 from Fort Wayne, IN to Miami, then take US 41 from Miami to Copper Harbor, MI. As soon as I arrived here I knew that I was not going to ride to the U.P.  That's just too far to ride, especially alone. So I've found another road I can ride from end to end: US 441. This road also begins in Miami (I rode the first portion today) and ends in Tennessee as it meets US 25W in Lake City. Then I'll follow US 25 till it ends at Cincinnati.  I think this is the highway that my parents and grandparents used to take to Florida before I-75 was built.  It runs very close to I-75 all the while I'll be on it.  When it ends, I'll probably hop on I-75 the rest of the way home. I am excited to take 441, though, because that is the main road through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park into Gatlinburg.  And that means great mountain riding.  I may even detour onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles, just because it's there. 

I need to see my dentist again as soon as I get home. I had some work done about 2 months ago, and after a few weeks that tooth became sensitive to cold.  I returned and he fixed that just before my trip. Now the same tooth seems to be sensitive to pressure, as in chewing.  It also sometimes just feels like an old fashioned toothache, the likes of which I've never felt before. I hope it doesn't progress too rapidly over the next week. 

I got up with the early risers one morning to try for a sunrise picture, but it was too cloudy to witness that event. 

Day 6 - Arrived!

Well after all the rain it was great to open my door at the Day's Inn this morning to see this!

I rode in sunshine till 1pm when I felt the gray clouds were just getting too close. Sure enough within minutes of putting on the rain suit I was in another deluge.  But I'm tired of talking about rain.  I made it to my destination, and sooner than I had expected to.  A good portion of today's ride was on open road with little traffic to contend with. I called the hotel in the morning to confirm my reservation and of course they didn't have it.  Another call, however, straightened that out and everything was good when I arrived. I'm in an old hotel from the 1920's right on the beach in Hollywood, FL.  It has a great pool and there's a long boardwalk (more like a brick walk) along the beach with shops, bars and restaurants. 

After six days of riding I discovered I was indeed very tired. I checked in, showered, had a leisurely dinner while relaxing, and went to bed intending to sleep as long as I wanted. I really don't want to get on the motorcycle for the next two days.  There's nothing I want to go into town for, as I have everything I need right here.

I still haven't quite accomplished my goal of riding the entire length of this road:

The end of the road is in Miami and Hollywood is 20 miles north.  Since weather was threatening and it was near the end of the day, I decided to turn off at the Hollywood exit.  I'll complete the road Friday when I begin my trip home.  Here is the sunset from my window.

Day 5

I left Columbus this morning hopeful that I might drive all day without rain.  The roads were a bit damp but it wasn't raining.  Soon the sun began to come through and I was able to ride in my cool Honda t-shirt. 

For quite a while I was on a divided or limited access highway with very little other traffic.  I felt like I had the southern half of Georgia all to myself.  At some point in my trip I had to decide whether taking the Business or Alternate routes would violate my goal of riding the entire length of the road.  I decided it would still count, as I wanted to take several Bus 27 spurs so as to go through some of the towns I would otherwise have missed.  I enjoyed doing this and always found something different to appreciate. Here are a few typical southern shots from one such town.  

Notice the town square with the gazebo, Spanish moss, war memorials and courthouse with the clock tower that rang out 12 bells just for me.  I've passed through several states now, and the state lines haven't always been indicated like on the Interstates. 

However, this one was special because it's the last state on my map.

This was a long day; I drove 359 miles to get to Ocala, FL.  Perhaps I allowed myself too many leisurely rest stops because it was nearly dark when I arrived about 8:45.  Tomorrow, another long day to Miami, then two days of rest.

Day 4 - Visiting Relatives

Another day in and out of rain, but I'm right on schedule due to my determination to drive through the precipitation. I drove through some nice forests and several towns, but the highlight of this day, even more than the delicious WH pecan waffle I had for breakfast, was getting to visit my daughter's in-laws in Columbus.  She married a great guy from a wonderful family and I enjoyed seeing them again. We went out for a good BBQ dinner, then they gave me a nice guided tour of Columbus.  It was great to visit and of course I forgot to take a single picture. I do, however, have this one of myself after I let it slip that my birthday would be next week.  After dinner a chorus line of servers appeared at our table to perform their birthday embarrassment song for me (which I enjoyed) and deliver this mountain of lemon meringue pie.  It was delicious.  

I said good bye with an invitation to call again if I ever pass this way on another trip. I hope I will. The next two days will be the longest of this trip, as I need make over 300 miles each day to arrive in Miami on Tuesday.

Day 3 - Rain, rain, rain

When I started out this morning I whispered the same prayer that I made the morning I started: "Lord, keep me upright," recognizing the double meaning as soon as I said it. 

I hate to dwell on the rain during my trip, but it did dominate the last two days.  Today I rode in rain all day long, with only brief moments when it let up a bit. During one of those interludes I was thinking of where to take a photo to typify today's ride when a broad, sweeping, downhill curve opened up before me.  And when a little church appeared around the bend, I knew I had to take the shot. 

I did have an hour or so of beautiful mountain roads and passed several motorcyclists going north.  It was good to know I wasn't the only crazy rider out today. Around noon the rain really came down hard and looked liked it wasn't going to quit.  Just then I passed a Sonic Drive-in and noticed the covered parking spaces.  I decided it was lunch time.   

Just south of Chattanooga I went through a very beautiful Civil War battlefield site in the Chickamauga Military Park.  There were many monuments and canons on display throughout the park.  I felt a call to stop and give this lovely park it's due attention, but that would take several hours which weren't in my plan. 

Tonight I'm in Summerville, GA, it's 10pm right now and it still is raining.  I'm hopeful that it will let up during the night.  With my rain suit I really don't mind riding in wet weather, but enough is enough. 

Rain? No Problem.

Like the day before, I only saw the sun for a few brief minutes in an otherwise gloomy day.  Unlike yesterday the clouds delivered rather than just threatened. I rode the entire day in my rain suit so when the showers came, I was ready.

I crossed the mighty Ohio River from Cincinnati after circling the riverfront stadiums a few times (I'll explain later). Most of the rest of today's ride to Lexington and on to Somerset, KY was on a nice hilly, winding highway that alternated from a 2-lane to 4-lane to divided hwy to limited access roadway, nearly all with a limit of 55. I rode through a couple of major college campuses: Miami U, in Oxford, OH, and U of Kentucky in Lexington. In the morning I saw many more cornfields, but as I approached Lexington I rode through thoroughbred horse farm country. Then there were a few Black Angus cattle farms. All of this would have been much more pleasant without the rain. 

So I had originally figured I wouldn't get lost if I just followed one road. I've discovered that depends on all the proper signs being in place, which they sometimes are not, especially in bigger cities.  That's how I came to spend an extra hour or so in downtown Cincinnati trying to find my route. It sure helps to have a smart phone handy at those times. 

Tomorrow's ride should be a lot of fun as I ride though Tennessee mountains toward Chattanooga. Uh-oh, I just checked the weather -- rain all night and all day tomorrow.  I'll have a decision to make in the morning. 

Day One - Happy 4th!

We got home late from fireworks at Greenfield Village and I didn't sleep very well, but I managed to leave home by 9:00 this morning. My first goal is to drive the entire length of US 27, so I had to get to Fort Wayne, where it starts.  The entire day was cloudy and around 4:00 I put on my rain suit to endure a brief rain shower.  Otherwise the day was dry.  I rode first to Toledo, then west to Fort Wayne and south from there.  Western Ohio and pretty much all of Indiana are pretty flat and filled with farms and small towns. Despite passing a sign pointing down a side road indicating the "highest point in Indiana", it looked pretty much flat to me. I saw a lot of standing water in the fields but most of the corn was still more than knee high. I saw several Amish families out for a holiday buggy ride. I don't know how they live that way; I was glad to have a throttle in my hand. 

I reached my destination for the night, Richmond, IN, around 5pm.  I drove around the town but it was really empty, hopefully just because of the holiday. Checked in to the local Super 8 and had dinner nearby.  I'll try to make up for last night's restless sleep and get an early start tomorrow. All in all, a pretty good day.  I made my quota of miles and took enough breaks to avoid excessive fatigue. The clouds made it feel like a gloomy day but also staved off the heat.