My Honda Interstate

So, last Friday, we had my old bike loaded and ready to go. When I got home from work, I worked out, fed the girl, showered, packed and waited for the fireman to get home from work. He had taken his last 12 hours off, so he got off at 7pm instead of 7am. The fireman relieving him got there a bit early, though so he was home by 6:35.

He got his shower and we were off!

We dropped off the girl at my parent's house, since they were on the way. She would be bored on the road with us and it would be easier to not have to entertain her. Besides, my parents love having her. They had a great time!
We didn't stop to eat until midnight. I had eaten a bit, but the fireman hadn't and being on the road just makes you hungry. We had trouble finding a truck stop open, and ended up stopping at a Hardees. The rain was pounding down on my old bike in the back. We kept checking the straps, but she was secure.

I tried to get sleep early on, since I knew that the fireman would want to sleep at some point. I wanted to be ready to switch with him and drive without being too tired. I finally got some decent sleep after we ate a bit, around midnight. I woke up and it was 2am. So, I asked the fireman if he wanted me to drive some and he said yes. So, when we found a stop, we refueled and swapped.

What is it about the middle of the night? It just feels different. It's peaceful and quiet. We were far enough along that we could have stopped at a hotel for a bit, got up early and finished the drive. The dealer didn't open until 10am, so we could have got up at 8 and drove the last 2 hours. But I was awake, so I decided to drive on.

We got into Canton, OH about 4:30am. We were only 12 miles or so from the dealer and stopped for a restroom. We found a little Comfort Inn that was cheap for a few hours of rest. We thought about trying to stay up, but sometimes a little rest in a real bed is so helpful.

So, we went to set our alarm clock for 9am and realized that it was 5:45. We crossed timezones on our trip! Which meant we only had, like 3 hours to sleep. But it also meant that we could get back on the road earlier and didn't have to rush home as much. So, we shed our clothes and climbed in the bed without thinking a second thought. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I kept dreaming that we were still in the truck, though.

I woke up to my phone ringing. It was the girl, she had gotten up and wanted to say good morning. She wanted to know if I had gotten the new bike yet and if I loved it. *big grin* It was 8:45am, so she only woke us a few minutes early. And boy, did that early phonecall jumpstart my heart!

So, I told her that we were on our way there and would call back later. We got dressed and left. It was nice that we had both showered before we left home, so we had saved time at the hotel from having to do much more than brush our teeth and wash our faces. 

And I'm not so girly as to need a ton of makeup, I swiped on some mascara, but that was it. Hair in a ponytail and we were off!

This is the parking lot to the dealership, to the right is the main building and it was still empty early in the morning. We were there right at 10am (after a short coffee stop) and found our dealer. They unloaded my old bike, took her for a ride and we made our deal.

 My old bike was a Kawasaki Vulcan 800, decent motor, with after market pipes that make a great *crack-ack-ack* sound. When they started her up, I glanced at the dealer and his eyes got big for a second. I knew they'd want her.

They did try to get me down on the trade-in value, but the fireman stepped in and got me another couple hundred bucks. That's why he was there. I could have handled the drive by myself (I'd have left earlier and slept proper) and they would have helped with the loading-unloading, but when it comes to bike-dealing, it's still very much a man's world. So, he saved me money and we were all happy.

I did see this cute pink bike, though. I took a picture to share with all of ya'll. The girl would LOVE it.

So, we got the new bike loaded up, the paperwork only took an hour or so during all the busy-ness.

Our dealer had 10 people scheduled to show up that day to buy a bike. That was just him, there were other dealers. They had probably a thousand or more bikes. It was crazy-town!

And there she is, all loaded up and secure. She's all "can't I please come in? It looks like rain!" No, not really.

Pretty, pretty.

We stopped at a Waffle House. I used to love Waffle House in High School, in Pensacola, FL, but don't have one nearby. So, whenever we travel, I want to stop at one. I got an awesome bacon, egg & cheese sandwich and big waffle! Yes! Oh, and hashbrowns, how can you not order those? They're awesome, artery clogging, but oh so crispy.

Then, we headed back. We traveled through a lot of Ohio that looked very East Coast. I guess I didn't realize how far East we were. We're from the Midwest, so the countryside and the houses were very different. We were right along Lake Erie and the brightly colored houses and blooming trees were beautiful.

 There was a really cool old bridge, but the picture I tried to take cut off right at the end.

We listened to Billy Joel and old country and Elton John. We had fun chatting and just enjoyed each other. It felt like the day just passed so quickly. We both got a bit more sleep and ended up back at my mom's around 8pm. She had the girl all ready to go, so we grabbed her, let the parent's have a quick look at the new bike *in the dark* and headed home.

Our boys had already gotten home earlier and were waiting for us, so we drove through McDonald's and Subway and got lots of good junkfood for everyone. Not really, cause I had grilled chicken salad from Subway, go me!

We ate, showered and fell into bed by 10pm. Seriously.

I didn't even get her unloaded until Sunday morning. We missed church while sleeping in, and when I took her for a test ride, I was a happy girl.

Here she is. This is a dealer photo. But it's well shot.

The first bike I've seen with a windshield and hard bags that doesn't look like an old-man bike.

I do apologize for those that ride old-man bikes. I'm sure they're wonderful, but I just don't personally like them.

This isn't mine, but I found it online cause it has a backrest. I have one on order, and it should be in in a couple of weeks.

 Yes, she's a pretty girl. I'm not sure if you can tell the color, it's called dark metallic red, but it's more of a black cherry color. There's some burghundy in there, a small bit of purple with a metallic flake that really sparkles in the sun.

I haven't named her yet, but I will..... I'm thinking Ruby?

The fireman and I took our bikes out Sunday afternoon for a ride up the interstate and through a couple small towns. It was a nice ride. She's heavier than my old bike, but much more powerful. I am still a little hesitant around corners because of the weight, but she sure does ride nice and the floorboards are soooo very comfortable! I'm sure it'll be old hat before long, but I'm sure enjoying breaking her in

I got some nice looks!

I rode her in to work yesterday and got to show her off to the guys I work with. They were impressed! Even though she's not a Harley.... LOL!