"Never go on trips . . .

with anyone you do not love." - Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

well, it's been two weeks now since we arrived back in bella vista. we've settled back into a somewhat normal routine, though, after that trip, one can never be totally the same.

first, i've learned (the basics, anyway) how to do a blog. (thanks, john!) i have much more to learn. if you look closely, you'll see that i lost two major entries (one being the account of the ride down the entire west coast!) while adding photos and editing. still can't figure out where they went!!

i also learned that i'll need to take better notes the next time. what seems like an unforgettable sight or experience in the moment, can fade if not documented. trust me!

the last leg of our trip included a stop in phoenix to visit with son, john, and several other herricks that were able to join us for dinner. we were able to meet john's new friend, kimberly kelly, who we look forward to getting to know better!

double rainbow after a long, hot ride from phoenix to placitas, nm.








last stop of the trip was a quick overnight visit with sister-in-law, cindy, in placitas, new mexico. a comfortable bed and a home-cooked meal were quite welcome as we prepared for the final 800 miles back home.

we averaged 42.1 miles per gallon over the entire trip.

postcards - $18.04

bottled water - $97.04

269 gallons of gas - $1148.61

you got it - memories, PRICELESS!

i will now close this post, but not before saying that i would like to continue to use this blog to share our on-going experiences on the motorcycles. just this week, we've done 3 patriot guard missions, covering many miles, and supporting many grieving families and their friends. please don't forget them - they continue to sacrifice long after their soldiers have been buried.

hope you enjoyed the journey.

We're Home!

short version: 36 days, and about 11,300 miles   long version: soon (stay tuned)!

Mission Accomplished!

today's highlight was arriving in san ysidro, ca, the most southwestern corner of the united states, and the fourth and final destination of our anniversary trip. driving through los angeles and san diego, even on a saturday, was somewhat stressful for paul, but he continues to do a fine job. not a whole lot to document in san ysidro. it's obviously a border town before entering mexico, but we did get a picture in front of the library, then also the marker just before getting back on the freeway. paul was none to eager to be heading east - finally! and a good thing we did as the temperatures did nothing but climb! at one point the bike thermometer registered 105!! our destination for the day was el centro, ca, where we arrived about 1:30 p.m., ready to cool down and rest. * * * a few notes from yesterdays ride, as, even though there was high traffic to endure, the sights along the way were interesting. we were north of san francisco, i believe, when a pick-up truck loaded with furniture passed us, and we were reminded of the beverly hillbillies. the wooden rocking chair was on top, up-side-down, and the dog was near the tailgate, enjoying the breeze. only think i didn't see was granny! we passed through the san joaquin valley, a major agricultural area of the state. it seemed one could just pick up things along the way, and end up with a complete meal at the end. i'd mentioned earlier the assortment of crops but we also passed an almond orchard for sale, and pastures of livestock. then when we passed more olive trees, then a patch of aromatic onions, i just started imagining it all together, a fresh meal with a glass of california wine . . . passing by the many orchards, i noticed that some had small, white pipes at the end of rows, i'm guessing as a marker of some sort. others used orange flags on a small, wooden post. but the ones i liked best were the ones that someone had planted a flowering bush for the marker. a sign along the way shows one farmer's philosophy: pastures, trees, irrigated crops, all is not lost if something flops. our choice for dinner was a local italian cafe within walking distance of our motel. spinach tortellini in a light cream sauce with fresh peas, mushroom and onions was my choice, accompanied by, you guessed it, a glass of california cabernet. today is day 31 of our trip and we will head to tempe, az, tomorrow (leaving bright and early to beat some of the heat). we'll stay a day or two with our son john, before continuing on toward arkansas. before i forget, i want to thank all who have kept us in prayer while we're traveling. we couldn't have asked for better weather and we have been kept safe for many thousands (almost 10!) of miles. i'll continue to give updates until reaching bella vista.

3 Corners Down, 1 To Go

made it to blaine, washington, mid-day today, the most northwestern corner of the country, and the last u.s. town before crossing the bridge into canada. took a few pictures, then got back on I-5 heading south back to seattle. it was a chilly ride (again), even though the sun was out quite a bit. total miles so far is 8,211. today is our 27th day out, but only 22nd day of riding. plan to end up somewhere in southern oregon tomorrow. more soon.

Chilly Northwest

it was a cool 52 degrees starting out. and, even with the extra layers, i never quite got comfortable until afternoon, when we were almost to our destination. there were some brisk winds going through the mountain passes and i was wishing i had on just one more layer! the climate was not the only change we noticed. the terrain also changed into flatter, rolling hills and farmland. but we soon saw the "welcome to idaho" sign. (interesting sign along the way in idaho was: "leaving apple maggot quarantine area". hmmmmm. i thought washington was the apple state! and what are apple maggots?) we stopped for gas and hot coffee at coure d'lene and were in awe of the scenery along the area lake. beautiful country! next, we were in washington. some of you may wonder what i do all day on the back of the bike. well, here's an example of what occupies my mind while paul concentrates on the road. shortly after passing spokane, a road sign read, Crop names posted on fence line Next 14 miles and, sure enough, blue, individual tourist attraction-type signs started appearing every mile or so, on both sides of the highway. first, it was "potatoes" then "alfalfa" then "peas" followed by "pasture", "timothy hay", "sweet corn" "carrots" and "field corn," each one presenting acres of the named crop. but the most surprising was a field of darkest green, identified as "peppermint." so, looking for the signs held my attention for a good, oh, 10 or 11 minutes. then, the questions filled my mind. "why are these signs here?" "are they intended to entertain me, the traveler?" "is this the state of washington's way of educating the average traveler?" you get the picture. my mind wanders for another 8 or 9 minutes and before you know it, while not having come to a conclusion, we're 20 minutes farther down the road! one last comment. i had said earlier that this trip is not about sight-seeing or specific destinations. but in all fairness, paul is good about stopping, as he did today when i had a feeling something spectacular was just around the bend. sure enough, a "scenic overlook" sign appeared and he pulled over and we spent time enjoying a fantastic view of the columbia river! what a sight! i could've spent a lot more time, but am happy we were able to enjoy it briefly. a special memory!

124, 101, 116, 107 . . .

yeah, it's a daily brain challenge trying to remember what motel room number we have each night. we're staying in comfort inns along the way, so the floor plans are pretty similar, but each time i leave the room i have to remember which way to go, then which room to return to! one observation: there sure are a lot of motorcycles on the road out here! way more that we've seen anywhere else accept in the florida keys. anyway, the trip is going well - still! we're certainly enjoying the ride and the scenery is a daily surprise. today we logged about 500 miles, leaving sheridan, wy, early this morning and arriving in missoula, mt, mid- afternoon. total miles so far is just about 7,500. today's ride was anything but boring. shortly after entering montana there were snow-peaked mountain tops in the far distance. when i asked paul what they were, he said, "the rockies!" i didn't remember them going as far north as montana. so, guess this trip is educational, too. we crossed the continental divide (el. 6,393 ft). it was amazing to watch the sky change in just a short amount of time. patches of clouds at different altitudes can sure create some dimensional artistry. picture-taking almost got out of hand! i told myself 15-20 pictures of the mountains were enough, then, turning a bend a whole other scene appeared. the mountains are almost mystical as a few seconds later, changing light and perspective creates another photo-worthy sight. oh, and speaking of pictures - i haven't been able to download any. many of the motel computers have signs requesting no downloads. so, if you are patient, i will get pictures posted later. had a few sprinkles, but paul cranked it up a little and put them behind us. also had some spots of heavy wind while crossing over some of the passes. and inhaled some nasty smelling rubber fumes going down a long, deep slope behind a couple of semis. we're anticipating pulling out the insulated underwear for tomorrow's ride as it'll only be in the 40's in the morning. hope to get into washington state. gotta go write some post cards. thanks for looking in on us!

Harley Group Escort

We, indeed, rode with my brother's harley group for their father's day ride from kalamazoo (mi) to south haven, about a 50 mile ride, ending at the local american legion for a pancake breakfast. (pictures show my brother, colin and wife, sue, ahead of us, and then, sue, on her harley, next to us at a stop sign).

how many gold wingers (honda) have been escorted by a harley group!! we thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and their friendliness and interest in our adventure.

the weather went from sunny skies at the beginning of the ride to possibly threatening clouds later, so said farewell to colin and sue. then, after breakfast, found our way to my high-school friend's home on lake michigan.

fran and her husband are the only year-round residents in a 49-home-development on the lake. what a view and location. enjoyed a nice dinner with them at the marina and sitting on their boat before calling it a day. a very interesting style of living.

monday morning found us hitting the road again and heading over to rockford, illinois, to a favorite lodge on the rock river. if you want a quaint, hospitable, clean, relaxing spot like none other, let me know! the waters were high but leveling off, to their relief.

we rolled into burnsville tuesday afternoon. our ol' stompin' grounds, you might say. checked into the comfort inn in savage as son jim and family are surrounded by piles of boxes as they prepare to leave next week for west palm beach, florida.

for the first time in many years, there will be no herricks in minnesota!!

(picture above of jim, meshell, lindsey, allison, meghan and carter just before we left minnesota)

for our many friends in the area, we hope you understand about not hearing from us this trip. our two days here are just flying by and we wanted to spend time with jim, meshell and kids as once they move, they will not be just a days drive away. a little sad, but we're happy for them and the new opportunities and adventures ahead of them.

ok. details of the trip. all i know is we've gone about 6,000 miles thus far. we left bella vista three weeks ago today. still have had no rain days and the bike is running fine. and we can both honestly say we are not tired of riding.

we'll head west in the morning. till next time . . .