Skip to main content

Summer Road Trip_2014


“The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.”

Bessie is packed and waiting patiently, like a gentle steed ready to embark upon yet another cross country road trip.  I spent the morning in my classroom, stowing books and supplies for the coming year.  The results of the FCAT Reading were testimony to the tough, but productive year in the classroom I leave for the summer with gratitude in my heart that my students demonstrated significant learning gains.

Bessie and Me (and Paul makes Three) are headed west; checking several items off the ‘Bike-It’ List.  Across the North Coast of Florida, west to Austin Texas and the Texas Hill Country, North to Ft. Worth (to visit family), picking up Rt. 66 in Oklahoma City…Meeting my daughter and niece in Canon City Colorado to ride them across the Royal Gorge.  Paul and I are then crossing the Rockies, checking out the cliff dwellings, the Grand Canyon, and picking up Rt. 66 again in New Mexico. Looking forward to several days of ‘wind therapy!’

Follow Bessie and Me (and Paul makes Three) each day on my blog.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I Knew Better

July 3, 2013 Typical Pennsylvania Road I always hate saying ‘Goodbye’ to my Dad. He won’t travel since Mom passed several years ago, which means I don’t see him except in the summer when I travel North - or every few years during the Holidays.  I’ve learned many things from my Dad; some of the lessons came hard, some of the lessons were difficult, and unfortunately, most of the lessons were learned much later in life. Had I paid attention the first time, my journey would not have been as rough, and my ability to grasp the many opportunities presented to me would have been easier. As my Dad and I both age, we get a long better, and our relationship had deepened after my Mom passed...for this I am grateful. I left Indiana early this morning - taking 35S  - the fields were shrouded in a chilly mist as the sun cast a pinkish glow to the East. I was filled with anticipation that I was going to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘Falling Water’ home south of Pittsburgh.  When I selected

Summer Road Trip 2014_Final Thoughts

I awoke Friday morning exhausted; as if someone had put on boxing gloves and gently but consistently pummeled me from head to toe. I dreaded the long journey ahead of us. Since arriving in Indiana early Wednesday morning, it had been   a whirlwind of responsibilities. Mine were minimal compared to what my brother and sister had already had to do to arrange the funeral, tie up loose ends, and cover all the bases that need covering when a parent dies. After the service and dinner at the church, I think we all felt a foreboding. Our Grandparents were gone,   our Mom was gone, our Dad was gone…..who does the family gather around from this point forward? We were all at loose ends. The trip back to Florida would be another ‘get on the super slab and ride’ kinda trip….the worst. I-75 South is congested with traffic, and the Weather Gods were not going to be in our favor today.   We gulped a cup of coffee, my brother gave me a hug and we TRIED to slip out quietly…

Plan? What Plan?

"Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have titles until much later." In the last few months I've been asked from several readers and followers, 'How do you plan your trips?' I also see the question asked numerous times (like over and over and over and over...) on the various biker-related groups on social media.  Penny Tours I confess: I'm not much of a planner! I ride in the spirit of the intrepid Bessie Stringfield, a pioneer of the sport of motorcycling who in 1930 became the first black woman to ride solo across the U.S.. Bessie was notorious for her 'Penny Tours.' She would toss a penny in the air and wherever it landed on her map of the U.S.....that is the direction she would travel. And yes; I've done the Penny Tour many times. Just a few weeks ago in Indiana; I had a 'free' day between events and tossed the penny on the map of Indiana. It landed in the northern part of the state near the