There's nothing like the feeling of seeing that home state sign when you're on a trip. My whole attitude changes in the distance of a mile. There are lakes around every corner and the skies have some of the most interesting cloud formations you'll ever see. I live within a couple of miles of the 3rd highest point in the state and some of the best roads. Millennia ago the hills around central Florida were the sand dunes or a great sea. Granted, they aren't Pikes Peak, but they do give nice views and interesting riding, especially in winter when most of the country is shut down.

Even though I didn't make it up to Maine and judging by the weather systems I made a good choice, the trip was great. The surprising highlight was riding through New York City Sunday morning. Now I can put the images I see in the news and on TV in context.

 The bike ran great. Except for a slight backfire I've developed. It was ready to go every time. I've checked the throttle body boots and will dig deeper as I scrap the bugs off. Eight days turned into 3,200 miles. This was one of my shortest summer trips and turned out to be a great one.