The Quest to Get the ST1100, part 3

I spent the entire day on the interstate on day 3.  Ohio turnpike to Indiana turnpike to the Chicago Skyway, to the Kennedy, to the Northwest Tollway, through Janesville, Madison and on home.  Clearly it allowed me the most miles in the fewest hours of the trip.

Describing the states I crossed would be pretty easy.  If I had to characterize Ohio in one word, it would be wet. It was wet basically from just west of Cleveland to the state line. If I had another word, it would be cold. If you were really generous and gave me a third word, it would be windy. So basically I rode across the state of Ohio in a cold (45 degrees), windy, rain. It was so cold that even the heated grips wouldn't keep up. My fingers (even with my wisely packed Ex-Treme winter gloves) still froze to the bone. The wind gusted so hard that at times my butt was counter-weighting the lean necessary to keep it going straight. The ST wasn't as rock solid as I wanted it to be, but oh well, it did fine.  What I mean by that is that it felt as if the right gust of wind could blow the thing right out from under me.

I normally characterize Indiana in a sentence that goes something like this, "a bad experience on the way to Florida." On this day, Indiana was a reasonably good experience. It was still cold and windy, but the sun came out and the trip across the state was easy and completely uneventful.  There was one interesting thing that I saw.  I would say that about 1/2 of the distance of the turnpike was fitted with animal warning systems.  There were signs with flashing lights that said something like, "When flashing, Animal present."  It looked like there were lasers of some sort that were linked and my guess is that if something (like a deer) broke the line, it would set off the lights.  I'm not sure if they really work because none of the lights were flashing and I didn't see a deer.  The system probably only works on very straight stretches of road, but it is something interesting to ponder.

I've been through Chicago in a car dozens of times and generally speaking, I don't mind it.  I've only been through on a motorcycle a few times and none of them have been great experiences featuring getting cut off, stop and go traffic, long delays, etc.  I am convinced that today was one of the best rides possible through the great city.  The sky was blue, the air was cold and there wasn't a bit of haze.  Simply put, the skyline was spectacular.  I don't remember the last time I saw it with such clarity and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The only real problem I had was with the darn toll booths.  I have never figured out a way to drop 50 cents into a bucket quickly when riding a motorcycle.  I always have to stop, pull of a glove and dig a little bit in the tank-bag.  Perhaps one day, I'll figure out a better way.

Illinois and Wisconsin were basically uneventful and I met my family at a restaurant in LaCrosse.  Other than the obligatory (and much enjoyed) giving of rides to all of my children, the day and the trip were over.  As I rode into western Wisconsin, I thought about the entire trip and all of the things I had seen, especially the scenery in New York.  When I looked around, I again realized that I live in a beautiful part of the country with great roads.  As the 1000 foot bluff that guards the Mississippi came into view, the majesty of the area hit me once again.  A great trip, on a great bike, but home's as good a place as any.

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