11/05/2011 - We all unintentionally slept in on Saturday. We missed breakfast at the hotel, so we thought we'd get a quick morning meal at Krystal's across the parking lot. After waiting for ten minutes to be waited on and weren't even acknowledged by the staff, we said eff this place and just hopped on the road. Dan led the way using his GPS to get us around Nashville to US-31 E on the north side of town. Once we got on US-31 E we promptly stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts for a much belated breakfast.
Our ride on US-31 E was not terribly long and before we knew it, we were in Kentucky. Once in Kentucky we hopped on US-68 and were treated to some really fun and twisting two lane Kentucky back roads. The weather was exceptional which made for fantastic riding. The ride wasn't nearly as peaceful and isolated as the ride on the Natchez Trace Trail but the twists and turns more than made up for it. We rolled into Lexington past lots of horse farms and horse racing venues and made our way to Interstate 75. An hour and a half later we were in northern Kentucky and stopped for our last meal of the trip together. I thought we'd go all out and have something really nice. Since we were robbed of our Krystal's in the morning, I found the nearest White Castle right after I-75 and I-71 merged. We had our meal, and parted ways. Tim and Dan continued to head up I-75 so Dan could go home to Dayton. Kevin and I continued up I-71 to Columbus. We got through Cincinnati and dark fell and it got chilly really quick. To top it off, my iPod battery finally drained just north of the 'Nati so I'd ride the rest of the way home in relative silence. I didn't want to pull over and take the time to hook it up to the charger because it would have just delayed my arrival home and I was ready to be home.
I pulled in the garage at 8:30 Saturday night and was thrilled to be back at my house with my family. I logged 2071 miles on this trip and thus ends my quest to ride to all 48 contiguous United States on my motorcycle. It has been an amazing journey. I've seen and rode places that I'd only seen in pictures and never thought that I'd get to see them with my own eyes in person.
When it was decided that I'd no longer be able to leave Columbus without an escort, I thought that was going to be the end of my travels and that I'd end up leaving Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana on the table. With that in mind, I'd like to thank Kevin, Tim, and Dan for taking time out of their busy lives to accompany me on this final leg of my voyage. It means a lot to me that they'd spend the vacation and take time away from their families to make sure I was able to finish this out.
I'd especially like to thank Laela and Miranda for being patient with and supporting me while I traveled across the US of A. It's been a long year and there have been lots of ups and downs through it all, they've supported me and my silly wish to see all 48 states. Miranda even rode with me this past spring when we went to Florida. They both joined me this summer when I was on the west coast and spent a week with me while I traveled. I couldn't have done any of it without them.
As for a future goal, I don't have one in mind at this point. Last year when I was diagnosed, I didn't think that I'd get the chance to finish this one, let alone get an opportunity to choose something new. For now I'll just be satisfied with what I've done and be thankful that I was able to do it.
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