Saturday, June 22, 2013
This trip has reinforced the fact that I am fortunate to be blessed by a wonderful family and friends.
I just found out that my family and my neighbour, who is nice enough to mow my lawn while I’m gone ( and it’s a big lawn), took it upon themselves to replace the mower belt that had broken on my lawn tractor while I have been gone. I had neglected the replacement of the belt because I had ‘ assumed ‘ that it would last for quite some time yet, or at least until I get back. But we all know what happens when you ‘ assume ‘. Oops! Sorry guys ( and gals ) ! I owe you big time!
Also, all of the friends that I have visited, have humbled me with their hospitality and generosity. Although the bar has been set very high, hopefully some day I can return the favours ( notice that my phone automatically corrects to the Canadian spelling of words ). I have been wined and dined to the max! Last night and this morning were excellent examples of the top notch treatment I have received. Don and Carey made me feel ‘ at home ‘ by showing me ‘ good ole ‘ southern hospitality. They are excellent ambassadors for Arkansas.
After a relaxing sleep, I got up early, had a good breakfast, a short visit, we said our goodbyes and I left refreshed and ready for the upcoming ride.
I headed northeast through Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Bowling Green and Louisville, before stopping for the night, 30 miles east of Louisville, Kentucky. I have driven this route several times before and I enjoy the scenery of the rolling hills covered with trees.
The temperature reached 32 C ( 90 F ) before I reached Memphis and stayed there until I reached Louisville, where I was refreshed by a little bit if rain which cooled down the temperature significantly but it was short- lived and I was completely dry 10 minutes later.
There were more dead animals on the road….an armadillo, a fox, deer and some unrecognizable animals, but the most common one was the dead tire. They’re everywhere. I’m going to have to invest in tires because there are a lot to be replaced. Even my bike tires that I have only had for a year, need to be replaced.
I passed into the eastern time zone about 50 miles southwest of Louisville, so I lost an hour of daylight travel time. However, I covered a lot of distance even though Charlotte, my GPS, ‘ recalculated ‘ my route several times. According to her, it is 320 miles and will take 5 hours of driving time to get to the Cleveland BMW dealer for my appointment on Monday morning to replace the tires and give the bike its scheduled tuneup.
Ralf Hamm 