More drama today but not mine

This morning the skies looked a bit threatening so we sort of goofed off, visiting, and just hanging out waiting at Ted and Wanda's house for a few patches of clear sky before heading east.

Finally it looked like a go so we loaded up the five bikes (Dale and Vicki are two up) for the trip. We moved the bikes out of the garage/shed to the drive way - except for Dale. His Goldwing wouldn't start. David brought out the battery charger. Dale now had lights and horn but still nothing when the starter was pushed. Sound familiar? I was just glad it wasn't my bike this time. Dale even called his son in Florida (who also owns a Goldwing) for suggestions. Finally someone asked if he had it in neutral. Apparently Goldwings will only start in neutral. Voila! It started! Now we could head out.

Unfortunately the skies once again darkened. We got a bit of a misty rain right away but a more steady rain within a few miles. We pulled over and got out the rain gear. We were starting to wonder if this was going to be a repeat of last summer's swim/ride through Michigan! However, the rain did not last and by a mid morning break, we were able to pack the Frogg Toggs back into the saddle bags.

One highlight of the day for us was a ride through Akron. David and I and the kids spent several years in northeast Ohio and specifically Akron. We moved to Kentucky in 1992 and except for a trip back in June of that same year, we had not been back. It sure brought back some memories and if anyone was listening to our CB conversation, they probably thought a couple of nuts were on the radio talking about this road or that road and remember this and remember that.

We ate lunch in Youngstown. For all the years we lived in Ohio, we never really went to Youngstown, mostly went past Youngstown.

Soon after lunch we were in Pennsylvania. Once the mountains started, the winds picked up - and the winds today were wicked! By the time we got to our motel in Clarion, Pennsylvania, my arms and back were tired from fighting the wind.

Traffic today was a bit heavy. Dale thought Akron was bad but it was mostly like I remembered it so it seemed normal to me. Pennsylvania traffic wasn't too bad but the semis were having a difficult time with the up hill portions and we would have to pass them. Next would be a down hill grade and the semis would then fly around us.

Tomorrow we may make it all the way through Pennsylvania or stop just short of New York. A lot will depend on how we feel. Remember, we are doing something totally out of character for us - we are traveling without much in the way of set plans or reservations. We will see how that goes......