Like most other days, today began with a cup of coffee, the news, and a bit to eat. After the caffeine hit, we packed up the bikes and headed south towards home. We got an early (for us) start to the day and managed to get sucked into the usual time vortex on the way home. It never fails.

We were on the road before 0900, which is good for us, considering we’re usually up and running by the crack of noon. (Did I ever mention that I’m not a morning person?) Anyway, by the time we stopped for gas and a bite to eat in Edgemont, SD, it was getting warm, so some of the gear came off. This year, we did the gas math and decided that we could forgo one of our usual stops, which should have saved us time. Neither of us wanted to wait in the fustercluck surrounding both stations.

Journeying on, we discovered that we could skip that particular stop. Good to know for future excursions to the Rally.

About halfway to another regular rest stop, some joker in an undersized semi (the kind used to haul fifth-wheel trailers) decided to get cute and try to run me off the road. Then the waste of human DNA thought it was time to play road games with the traffic behind him by slowing way down. When someone could pass, he would race them. I just hope his Neanderthal attitude didn’t get someone killed. I wish I could’ve snapped a picture of his license plate. I would have turned it into the State Patrol.

Not long after the idiot tried to cause accidents, we ran into the storm we’d been watching in the distance. Pulling to the side of the highway, we donned our rain gear for the final thirty miles into Cheyenne and continued riding. The next half hour was cold and wet. By the time we turned off onto the business route through town, my hands were getting cold, and my fingers were stiff.

We pulled into the first fast-food joint we saw to get out of the weather and warm up. It was just in time, too. As we peeled off our outerwear, we watched the deluge increase in intensity. Figuring it was a good time for a bite to eat, I ordered a burger, fries, and a shake and watched the rain through the window.

Half an hour later, we were back on the road. After a quick gas stop on the far side of town, we pointed the bikes south again. With the weather a bit dicey, we decided to take the slower highway south rather than the interstate.

Despite our best efforts, we got sucked into the time vortex, and it was still a ten-hour trek home. We arrived at the house just before dusk and got the bikes unloaded just before the next round of rain began to fall. My body is still in travel mode. As I sit at the keyboard, I can still feel the strap of my helmet across my chin and the slight “floaty” feel of traveling 70 mph (113 kph) on a motorcycle.

It’s the vacation we look forward to every year. And yes, we have already booked our cabin for Sturgis 2023. 😉