On the Road Again, Goodbye and Hello Mary Ellen

Fremont, IN

Although it was surely against the parking lot rules at Windhaven Assisted Living, I spent the night at the curb just outside Mary Ellen Dreier’s window – my namesake asleep just a few yards away.

When it comes to motorcycles, MED has an opinion that is succinctly pointed. “I just don’t like those noisy brutes,” to be exact. Well, I know she doesn’t feel that way about me. The first time we met in 2008 Old Danny Boy parked me in this exact same spot and brought his mother out for a proper introduction. By then, I already had her signature painted on my gas tank. My Rider got to talking with some other residents and momentarily lost track of his mother. When he turned around to see where she’d gone, he found her sitting sidesaddle on Yours Truly! She had asked no one to help her. She just assumed it was safe to climb aboard, I guess. But there she was, beaming proudly over her accomplishment.

It was way too early this morning when ODB came out to get ready for the day’s ride. He woke at 2 AM and could not get back to sleep. He got up at 3, had some coffee, and then brought out his stuff. He was packing it away when we heard tapping from MED's window. Sure enough, there she was, waving to us.

He finished loading, and then went back to her apartment. Although they said their goodbyes last night, they had another round at 4 this morning.

I-80 over Thornton, Illinois aggregate quarry

Then we were off into Iowa’s warm and humid dark before the dawn. I tried my best to avoid sounding like a noisy brute, but was unsuccessful. Sorry, Mary Ellen.

This day’s ride was purely business. Freeway all the way so thick with semi-trucks it was downright weird when there wasn’t one nearby.

We hit our first toll road today, as well – $6.90 for the first 125-miles into Indiana.

 It was warm today, 80 by 8 and 90 by 9. Later, we dodged storm clouds that dropped some rain. We did travel several miles of wet pavement – so much for “It’s good to be clean."

I’ll tell you what; it’s good to be rolling again, clean or not.

(Google Map Update)