Travelogue - Friday 8/8/08:
Well, Friday finally came and today is the day. I am a bit bummed today as I have been planning this trip for months, and when I woke up today I had a severe pain in my left foot. I get gout-like pain in my big toe joint sometimes, and today was one of those days. I think all the crawling around on the floor on Wednesday did my foot in. I noticed a twinge of it last night and had taken medication for it, but it still was bad today. It was hard to walk so I wasn't sure if I would be leaving or not.
Work took forever and by the time I got home about 4pm I had pretty much decided not to go today. My foot was really in pain, and I knew it would get better with time, but it really hurt to shift. Oddly enough the most painful part of my foot was right where my left foot hits the shifter, so every shift up hurt. I wasn't concerned about being able to ride, but if I broke down I wouldn't be able to walk to get help - at least not very far. And I couldn't get my riding boots on, so that seemed to seal the deal.
My wife suggested I try a different pair of shoes and just pack my boots for later days down the road. I wear this pair of brown tennis shoes most of the time when riding as I usually am only commuting to or from work. I had wore them all day and after I had a couple of Tylenol in me my foot felt better. I packed up the boots and got everything loaded onto the bike, and by 6:30pm I was ready to go.
Another factor in my decision to depart was that I had signed up for towing insurance through Motorcycle Towing Service of Denver, IA. That way if I broke down I only had to call an 800 number and then wait for the tow truck. Their website is here - http://www.mtstowing.com/, and I recommend the product if you will be going on the road as I had the confidence to depart knowing that I would have assistance if I did break down.
I was on the road by about 6:45 and headed south from Inver Grove Heights towards Rochester on hwy 52. I got gas in Rochester and continued on to La Crosse, Wisconsin where I fueled up again and had dinner at Famous Daves. It was about 9:30 when I got back on the road and headed up I90 towards the Wisconsin Dells. I got into the Dells about 11:15 or so and got a hotel room. I had planned on driving all the way to Madison, WI on this first day, and then camping at one of the county park campgrounds there, but it was late and I was tired. I didn't think I had 60 miles left in me, so I called it a night. I was happy to be on the road finally, but I was disappointed as I had gotten a late start and was already 60 miles behind schedule. I had planned on driving to Chicago the next day and going to the Cubs game at 3:00pm, but I pretty much decided not to try and do that. My destination the next day was a campground at West Lafayette, Indiana, and I was going to make that with nothing to stop me. My route tomorrow would still take me through the heart of Chicago and avoid toll roads, and I would likely get close to Wrigley field, but I have seen a game there before, so I didn't need to do it again.
Total miles on 8/8 - 234.4. Not bad for day one.
Off to sleep and more tomorrow...
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