Alaska 2012
 
 

Day 01

July 5

 
  
 
 
 With the temperatures well past the 90s, I've been both dreading this day and looking forward to this day. There's nothing that compares to being on the road, even if it is uncomfortably hot. SweetTreat is all packed and ready to roll and so am I.  
  
 It's so hot even in the early morning that Lady Bug is in her house not even moving her tail. 
  
 I originally planned on leaving really early but decided I'd better get as much sleep as I could. So the sun beats me up as I pass by my usual exit to go to work. 
  
 It's a short ride over to I24 and I can't help but think how blessed I am to be headed out on a vacation instead of heading in to a job. 
  
 It's just bone dry and hot and the landscape reflects it. The tough thing about riding in this type of weather - especially in the South - is that you can dehydrate very quickly. The heat makes you sweat profusely but the humidity keeps it from evaporating and cooling you off. So you just keep sweating and sweating until you get in trouble. Even dumping water on you does not help much at these temps. 
  
 I try to remember how many times I've made this river run but only 'a bunch' comes to my mind. I'll cross the Cumberland, the Tennessee and the Ohio Rivers before I pillow my head tonight. 
  
 I'm a big breakfast eater, so I already know there's a Bob Evans in Paducah. Cracker Barrel or Bob Evans are always good places for pig meat and hen fruit and this morning is no exception. 
  
 After breakfast, it's a short hop to the Ohio and ... 
  
 the home of Superman - Metropolis! 
  
 And unfortunately, it's not too long before I hit the first of many construction zones on this trip. 
  
 Because of the heat today, I can't safely do my usual 'tank to tank' runs. I do about a hundred miles, then find a nice cool store that I can rehydrate and spend a little time in the cool. 
  
 

But if I plan to getting to Wisconsin tonight, I cannot tarry long. I see this lovely memorial and notice that it is the same organization that has one in Amarillo on I40. They are always tastefully done and good reminder of the old Gospel song -

'This world is not my home I'm just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore


Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home then Lord what would I do
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore'

 
  
 As I move northward, the landscape flattens and the fields seem to go on as far as my eyes can see. And I see some other 'interesting' things. Up ahead I notice that a car is doing the old 'weave and bob' routine, so I pick up some speed to get around it. As I look over at the driver, I see the reason. With one hand she is texting, with the other hand she eating, and I presume with some other appendages she is driving. That's why I call them mobile phone booths and restaurants, not cars. Needless to say, I do not tarry long because they can commit suicide if they like, but not homicide on me. 
  
 And occasionally I see a 'crop' of wind powered generators. I like the idea behind them, but they sure do clutter up the landscape. I wonder if they painted them blue would they be as noticeable. 
  
 The heat is wearing me out as it stays between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It's a lot like riding in a forced air toaster oven. So it's time for another 'drink your fill and try to chill' stop. 
  
  As I get farther north and west, the freight trains seem to get longer and longer and the road does too. Fred (Frustrating Rebellious Electronic Device), the new GPS, is telling me my arrival time and remaining miles and I don't like the news.  
  
 I have to chuckle at this sign because my grandbabies call me 'Pee Paw'. I guess 'Paw Paw' is pretty close in a pinch. But one thing I also notice is the vast number of Illinois State Troopers out and about. I guess since it is a holiday weekend they get the 'privilege' of working. 
  
 Finally I reach the Wisconsin border and remember this sign. When I was doing my first round of state line signs for RedBird I came up this way to get a Wisconsin sign. This one has no way you can get a bike anywhere near it without being arrested, so I was really disappointed. Fortunately, I found one in nearby Beloit though I had to jump the bike up on a sidewalk in front of a police station to take it. 
  
 There just seems to be no relief from the heat so I take another break.  
  
 The sun is starting to go down, but the temperatures are not. This will be one day that I will be very happy to see the motel room. 
  
 When I pass this field, I am almost tempted to pull off and go sit under the sprinklers for a while. But if the water temperature is like what is in my water bottle, it would be hot enough to make a pot of coffee. 
  
 Finally I reach my destination in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the Super 8 that I have booked. I can't get out of my monkey suit and into a nice cold shower fast enough. I crank the air up cold enough to hang meat and chill for a little while til the sweat and the water dry up.  
  
 

The next order of business is to find a place to feed the beast. On days like this I usually eat breakfast and do not eat another meal until supper. So my stomach is telegraphing my brain to see if my throat's been cut. The desk clerk recommends Randy's right across the street as the place to solve my problem. Then I ask the question that I usually ask about such advice -

'Do you eat there?"

The quick response and smile gave me the answer I was looking for so off I go in search of a culinary adventure.

 
  
 The food is good and the air conditioning works, so what more could a feller ask for? After laying waste to the plate, I settle up and wander back across the road to pillow my weary head. Eight hundred plus miles in the heat makes for one weary boy and I'm out faster than a candle in a hurricane.