We're HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We arrived safe and sound on Monday afternoon - felt good enough to ride more, but the weather was uncooperative. We would've loved to spend more time in Kentucky (who would've thunk it), but figure it's another road trip!

Some stats:

3,669 miles
1 qt oil
1 helmet
46 mpg average
3 laundry trips (thanks to Timmi for getting us on the road w/fresh clothes!)
9 Harley dealers (maybe more?) = 18 new shirts (we need more hangers)
105 degrees - dessert
67 degrees - Los Angeles

Animal sightings:

antelope
hawks
turkeys
deer
double crested cormorants
armadillos (all dead)
lizards
prairie dogs!
snakes - rattlers and black (all dead, we think)

We slept in late today and did some stuff around the house. Discovered that the water heater's leaking...amazingly, it's still under warranty. Transplanted a tree and cut our phone line...we still have phone service, so it must be because we have Vonage...who knows. It's good to be home and back to the craziness!

Only a couple of days to go!

Too much to do in Memphis to post much lately. As the saying goes "what happens on Beale Street, stays on Beale Street" - that sums it up nicely!

We did a lot while there...toured the city via the Mojo Tour - singing, instrument playing, and laughs along the way. Visited the Harley dealer for a new lid (helmet) for moi, paid to park at Graceland then realized we had to pay to even get on the grounds (we did not), saw the Peabody ducks take the elevator to their Duck Palace on top of the Peabody Hotel, strolled along Ole Man River aka the mighty Mississippi (it's huge AND mighty), listened to the blues up and down Beale Street, ate ribs ribs and more ribs (the Germantown Commissary had the best) - we made the most of the city in 3 days and wouldn't want more. A little bit of Memphis goes a looooonnngggg way.

We left Saturday at 10:20am for Bowling Green, KY. Got to see newly planted tobacco fields, pretty scenery and at least 500 yard sales. We actually saw a couch at one place along the way that has now made it to our hotel via the back of some guy's pickup truck - irony.

We're in Cave City, KY (Mammoth Cave area) for the night, then off to Chillicothe OHIO (YES....OH - IO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) tomorrow. Hoping for clear skies to the end....

Memphis! but first......

A tiny bit about the journey here.

The weather was lovely in Hot Springs, contrary to dire forecasting from the Weather Channel. Randy "took the waters" at the Buckstaff Bath House in the morning, while I chose to sit on the lovely front veranda and read my first newspaper in over a week. Feeling rejuvenated, we hit the road for Memphis. Unfortunately, our helmets also hit the road as they flew off the back of the bike in the middle of I-30. Randy walked back to retrieve them.



Some idiot yacking on a cellphone didn't notice the two big black helmets in the middle of his lane in time to avoid them. Mine took one for the team. Ouch...we'll be buying me a new lid in Memphis.

Got to Memphis around 4pm...blue skies all the way. Went to Beale St for dinner and blues. Randy found an old pool hall and taught me the finer aspects of shooting snooker...crazy. We listened to the Red Garlic Trio until the wee hours and met a bunch of crazy characters...Heath, who was layed over for the night due to mechanical difficulties with his plane, David & Julie from England, who wanted to swap Harley shirts with Randy (Randy wasn't giving up his Sturgis shirt, so they're going to send each other shirts when we all get home), Tonya the barmaid/nursing student, who was writing an English paper while tending to our beverage needs. We walked "home" in the rain and crashed for the night.

Off to tour Memphis today via bus, as it's pouring right now - no problem, 'cuz Sophie's tucked away in the hotel parking garage. Can't wait to see Graceland and the ducks at the Peabody Hotel!

Rain gear...again!

The forecast for today, Tuesday, was all doom and lots of gloom. Fortunately, it was just cloudy and 70 degrees this morning, so after a quick look at the radar we headed down the road. Ironically, the local Harley shop was a block away, so we were waiting when they unlocked the doors. After another clothing purchase for both of us, we hit the road. I must add that our Harley bags have some kind of magic in them, because we just keep adding to them and somehow it all fits.

The skies were threatening as we rode, so Randy pulled under an overpass on the Muskogee Turnpike (everybody sing along: "I'm an Okie from Muskogee") and on went the rain gear. Just a few sprinkles, but glad to have the suits with us. Stopped for gas and Salems, at which point the cashier stated "we don't have Salems, but there's a smoke shop behind Charlie Chicken over yonder" - I swear that everyone's speaking a foreign language on this trip.


We took the back country to Hot Springs. A lot of it went through the Ouachita National Forest - greenery! trees! grass!


In the 90's when we got to HS...booked a hotel, ate an early dinner (paninis and gelatos - yum) and hung around downtown Bath House Row. Lots of motorcycles and old buildings. Grabbed a few souvenirs and rode up something called Mountain Tower - oddly enough, it's a twisty, climbing road up to a panoramic view of Hot Springs. In addition, there's a very very tall observation tower that you can pay to go up into....we did not. The view was spectacular and the ride wasn't bad either! On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at La Hacienda for chips and salsa. I practiced my foreign language skills once again, and the waiters responded! No doubt they are mocking me as I write this, but even Randy told them "gracias". Now our goal is to see how many times we can get a response in a foreign language. We're lame, but I hope you can tell we're having a wonderful journey!

More doom and gloom weather forecast for tomorrow, but we'll be Memphis bound and staying 2 nights. "Walking in Memphis. Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale"

Look for us at The Crossroads!!!!

Words of wisdom from....

a biker on his way home to Montreal, Canada (we met him at a gas stop and had a tough time understanding his French Canadian accent):

"The key to travelling a long way is good underwear."

Now you all know the secret to our successful ride thus far!

Off to Tulsa from Amarillo on Monday - June 1st already?!? Amarillo treated us to an awesome lightning display all night and bid us a fond adios this way:



Fortunately, we now scoff at looming black clouds. Okay, honestly, we were heading to the blue sky, so we were actually sighing with relief rather than scoffing. No problems on the road, and we arrived in good time.

Decided a good Oklahoma steak was in order, so we went in search of a place called The Spudder, which is some oil term (hey, it's oil country y'all). We couldn't quite find the place, so Randy pulled into the drive thru of some Taco Villa or something (picture Taco Bell and asking the kids working the window directions to a pricey steakhouse - they don't even know steak anything can cost more than $1.99). Not to mock the Taco place employees, but after mucho discussion, they decided that none of them had heard of any place like Spudder, so we thanked them and pulled away....upon exiting the drive thru lane, I look across the street and exclaim "hey, look, it's the restaurant...and they have a perfect view of the enormous sign from the Taco Villa drive thru window". Sigh....NOW I'm making fun of them. Anyway...good dinner. We finish up and now zip down the 4-lane thoroughfare to the hotel (picture Dressler Rd by Belden Village) and Randy's glasses go flying past my head to land in the middle of said thoroughfare. My first thought was "oh heck, there go another pair of 89 cent reading specs." My second thought was "oh shit, those were his RIDING glasses and NOT 89 cents". Traffic's coming the opposite direction, there's no place to pull over or turn around, and the poor glasses are just laying a block back waiting to be pulverized by some Okie in a redneck pickup truck. Randy proclaims "I'll just have to stop in the lane right here", which is my clue to hop off the bike and run down the middle of the street to retrieve the glasses. What a sad sight that was...my bra straps kept falling down and I'm frantically watching the traffic stopped at a red light to see when it's going to come at me or the specs or the bike or my husband. As luck would have it, one truck straddles the glasses and avoids me, I reach the spot where they're laying and traffic starts coming at me. So I do the only thing I can think of....snatch the glasses up and hold up both hands to stop traffic. Mortifying, but hilarious (since neither of us got crushed!) As I walk/crawl back to my beloved, cars stop to ask if everything's all right. Other than needing oxygen, I smile and wave them on - with the hand proudly displaying the glasses, of course. We laughed all the way back to the hotel. Bonus: I ran off a few calories from dinner!

Next blog....Hot Springs, AR

Once upon a time, there was a drought in....

Amarillo. Have no fear, the Sloans are here!

Bright and sunny and hot on the way to Palo Duro Canyon (barring a few wayward sprinkles that just seem to come out of nowhere here in the West). Our first view of the canyon was breathtaking and the rest didn't disappoint:



But wait! What's that strange sky formation to the west?!



Could it be a never-ending row of "possible scattered thunderstorms" bearing down upon the adventurous couple once again?



Apparently so. Randy tucked the bike into the overhang of the Visitor Center and we patiently waited out the multiple storms that rolled through. A couple of hours later (!) we rode to home base, where a rainbow greeted us....ironic, eh?



Randy opted for this mode of transportation - no, seriously - to the Big Texan Steakhouse for dinner:



We had a great time at dinner, then watched 2 people try to beat the Big Texan 72oz steak challenge. One of the guys was from a reality show called On The Road In America and had an entire film crew with him. We ended up on film and had to sign waivers that they could use our footage! Of course, the Big Texan also has a webcam to show the challenge, so we called Nan (we knew she'd be awake that late!) and she watched us on the cam. Tough to beat a day like today!!!

Off to Broken Arrow OK tomorrow...