Day Four

On the road again... right after a quick checkup. A fellow rider from the Hershbergers' church pointed me to Leheman's "The Big Open Road" motorcycle shop about a half hour along my way, so I decided to stop by them and have my bike checked out just in case. Their actually a Christian business, which is really cool for a bike shop, and they also specialize in older honda and japanese motorcycles.

Perfect!!

The owner himself looked over my bike, replaced a flimsy tube of some sort, taught me how to replace the chain should I need too, and gave me a wrench of the correct size. He also took her for a test ride and eased my mind about the condition of my bike.

All completely for free.

So, all you people praying for me(which I do really appreciate) it would be completely awesome if you all could take a moment and pray that Leheman and his business get blessed ten times as much as they blessed me.

The fourth day was really when the trip felt like it began for real. The weather was perfect and the scenery was beautiful Amish country.

It wasn't completely with challenges, as my speakers started to fade out. So I saw a dollar general store and pulled over, and lo and behold, there was a MASSIVE antique store. Seriously, it was bigger than a Walmart.

I wish I could remember the name of the place, but I wandered around that store for a good three hours. They had an awesome selection, and I talked to the owner's wife about my trip for about a half an hour too.

Of course, I also completely forgot about why I stopped in the first place, right up until I got back on my bike, then immediately got off and walked back to the dollar general. The headphones were right in front; it was the first thing I saw. They cost about five dollars and the back headband broke off exactly how I wanted them too. With a little bit of double sided tape the antique dealers wife gave me I attached the now plain speakers into the slot in my helmet.

Oh. My. God.

I've been so tired of the ear pain caused by my other headphones, this makeshift in-helmet sound is a true God send.

The rest of the ride was just really relaxed and really pleasant. Especially with the new sound system.

Day Three

Sunday, the day of rest. I really appreciated having the day off, just to relax. I went to Urie Hershberger's church where he preached a great sermon on spiritual strongholds and warfare. It was cool. Other than that the day was really chill, which is exactly what I needed after a stressful couple days travel.

Not much more to say about that...

Day Two

You should all get used to reading about me getting lost. It happens frequently. Today was really very similar to yesterday, though the major highway intersections this time around had considerably more adult novelty stores. There were several as opposed to none. I did not go in to any of them. There are limits to even my curiosity.

Canton Ohio is not the small town I was led to believe. It is actually a good sized university town. And yet again the road I was meant to turn down does not exist. I can only pray that this is not a continuous trend on the trip.

Somehow, I managed to complete what should have been a four hour drive in a mere ten hours. I did not take many long breaks, and did not get monstrously lost. I have no idea whatsoever how I managed this, but it was completely exhausting.

On an unrelated note, the odd noise and poor engine performance of my poor overworked bike has gotten worse. I think I’m gonna find a bike shop in Canton and have her looked at tomorrow after church.

Day One

           Well, first day out. It went a little rough. Leaving home when kind of emotional (yes mom I know I didn’t act it). Then riding was quite a bit colder then I expected, so I pulled over at a random convince store. Ironically it was closed for an hour, which many people found terribly inconvenient. Anyway, I then changed into my windproof suit, which while warm is not very flexible. Oh well.

Then I got lost…somewhere. Eventually I found a sign that pointed me towards Bedford, which got me headed in the right direction, but still very lost. Eventually a very nice old pharmacist pointed me to the right word.

Following these directions got me right past the Halborsons’ home, and to the White Sulfur Springs OCF lodge. There is no sign for the road Indians Greene Road, despite Google map’s believe to the contrary. Anyway, the receptionist was kind enough to give me proper directions. I still missed the road and had to go back to try again. Third times the charm and I found my way here.

Mr. Halborson gave me a great tour of their property, which had a gorgeous sunset view over golden fields. Then ice-cream!

Oh, and are tires supposed to click and thump while they turn?

Going Away Party!

Monday night I got a rather fun (or maybe just funny) send off from the friends and family still in the area. It was a Biker theme party, so everyone had to wear leather and bandannas or get a temporary tattoo.

It was a good way to see everyone before I head out. If you didn't make it you did miss out on a good time, but don't feel too bad, it was pretty last minute.









Oh, and I was surprised how many of the girls I know have a biker babe hiding inside of them.

Still, I think this was the prettiest girl at the party

The bike that is. Not me.

Saying hello before I say goodbye.

I haven't done much public writing so I don't know how entertaining this is going to be. I'll try and find a way to make the story of a trip across the country on a motorcycle, avoiding highways and hotels, interesting.
Some how.

Anyway, first off I want to thank everyone reading this blog. I don't usually say much about my life, so this is going to be a trial for me to record and tell everyone about the goings on in my life. I especially want to thank my mom for being a lot more supportive of me leaving than I thought she'd be. I'm not sure how comforting that is. I also really want to thank the people I'll be staying with along the way! And finally I want to thank Dee Powell for helping me work on my bike, for all the equipment and gear you're letting me take on the trip, and for being such an awesome blessing in general.

There's the first post. Feel free to say hi in the comments, I'll try and check this between now leaving. I'll plan on my next posting being September 10th, the day I take off on this adventure!