Category: Bucket List

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Lake Superior HOG Touring Rally

I’ve never seen a bear climb a pole before. Have you? Before you get worried that we were in danger, we were watching this unfold from the viewing deck at the North American Bear Center in Ely Minnesota, one of the intentional stops we made along our motorcycle path. Somewhere in the middle of Superior National Forest is a home to some rescued black bears, and some wild ones as well. We saw a squirrel do this just a few minutes earlier, but much faster 😂😂. It’s worth the 23 seconds to watch…

I learned a lot about black bears. For example, they don’t attack humans. They might chuff and stomp and throatily moan, but they do not growl (wolf sound effects are dubbed in for the movies). And they even have a white coat in some parts, unrelated to the polar bear and, no, they are not albinos. Lots of things to read in this place. The bear in the video is Holly. She is the matriarch of the bears at the Center.

Riding to the HOG rally, Duluth MI, our last day.

For the past decade we have looked forward to a big ride every summer. Some years we have gone on more than one trip. At the end of the ride we immediately began planning our next one. Last year we rode two bikes to Colorado, Lake Michigan, and Tennessee on three separate trips.

In December we sold the bikes.

We didn’t experience any remorse when we sold the bikes. We had ridden in all 48 states on two wheels. We’ve experienced rain, heat, hail, perfect days and not-so-perfect days, break-downs and bumps in the road that nearly fling you off your seat. We’ve seen a lot of sites. After our Tennessee trip, we didn’t immediately start planning another trip like we had in the past. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

After two days of riding home in the cold rain (insert claps of thunder sounds), perhaps we were burned out. Or maybe we just felt like we had accomplished our goal. Our bucket list was complete. In all reality, we aren’t really sure why, but we decided to do something different.

We plan to travel more using our Airstream. And, we will rent a Harley in far away places, where we can’t ride to (or don’t want to take the extra days to ride to). We will likely buy one someday in the near future.

Some people might wonder what this has to do with metastatic breast cancer. After all, that’s the purpose of my blog. It’s about living with metastatic breast cancer. We decided a long time ago we would not let life pass us by. We will continue to live life to the fullest as long as I have breath and energy to do so. We are taking John 10:10 literally, embracing the abundant life Jesus has given us.

The Ride. When they announced the national HOG touring rally was going around Lake Superior, we signed up as soon as registration opened. It’s a follow-up to the Lake Michigan tour we went on last year. It’s fun meeting up with other HOG enthusiasts as well as some executives who keep Harley-Davidson in check. We mapped out our route, and found the nearest dealership to rent a bike. We joined Eagle Rider to save on the rental cost.

Coop, meet our ride for the week! I promise she isn’t snubbing you, she’s just sad she can’t go along for the ride. 🤪😂

We rented the gunmetal gray Road Glide Limited pictured above from Harley-Davidson of Madison (Wisconsin). That’s a wonderful dealership. They stored our car for us as well. They are super nice and helpful people there. Alissa helped us with the rental, and another worker also helped connect Tim’s phone to bluetooth.

A sales guy tried real hard to sell Tim the CVO when we came back through. Tempting!! 😁

Because we were renting, we could not take the bike into Canada. That was a bummer, as it was part of the reason we chose this rally. I suppose we could have just tried it, but Eagle Rider wouldn’t cover any costs if there was an accident. Better not to risk it. We met the rally in Marquette Michigan, then went on an adventure of our own. They headed east to circle the lake counter-clockwise. We headed west and planned to meet them in Duluth.

The weather was beautiful from Madison to Marquette. The next day we rode west. Saw another Wisconsin sign, through Duluth, and on to International Falls through the national forest. Got rained on that day, but we did make it all the way to Duluth without getting wet.

Sad News. On the way to International Falls we got a call from Tim’s brother and sister. We were on a back road and had to find a place to pull over. His mom fell asleep with a cigarette in her mouth, while hooked up to her oxygen. She burned her face and tongue pretty badly. We stayed on course as they said Hospice was taking care of her. (She was already on home Hospice and was not given long to live.) We had planned to stop by on the way back through, and they thought she would be okay in a few days.

The next day we were on our way to Grand Portage Minnesota (by the Canadian border) when we got the call that his mom had passed away. I think this was just about the time we stopped at the Bear Center. Apparently, Hospice transported her to a Hospice House where they planned to care for her a few days. They gave her some morphine, and less than an hour later she was gone. It was July 27, 2022. She was 77 years old.

We have since learned the smoke inhalation (combined with her COPD and heart problems) lead to her death. They ruled it an accident. It’s a sad and traumatic way to die. She may have lived a few weeks longer had she not had the accident, but we are comforted by the fact that she was ready to go. She has been ready for a while now.

We were also happy we got to see her and spend some time with her on the way up. We played Yahtzee, had lunch together (she ate a whole meal with dessert), and chatted on the front porch. She talked about meeting Bill in heaven soon. Our last memories of her were positive, and we felt encouraged. She was a wonderful mother-in-law, and I will miss her.

Of course, this news put a bit of a damper on our motorcycle trip. We decided to cancel the last leg and head to his mom’s house from Duluth so Tim could meet with the family regarding arrangements. Canada is a long way up there! We had to return the motorcycle, so it wasn’t exactly a straight path. It would take us three days from the time we left Grand Portage.

We met with his siblings on Ruth Ann’s porch Sunday afternoon (yesterday), and went over the memorial and burial arrangements. It’s always interesting when family gets together 🙄.

Left to Right: Rick, Deidre, Deborah, Tim

Ruth Ann wanted to be cremated, which is probably a good thing given her condition at death. The coroner held her body to do their investigation, and finally released the death certificate this morning. On our way out of town, we met with the probate office, the funeral home, went by the cemetery, and stopped by the house to pick up some paperwork. We said our final good-byes (see you in a couple of weeks) to his siblings, then we headed home. We drove straight through.

Her memorial (celebration of life) will be in two weeks. Peachtree Village in Farmington Arkansas has graciously offered their facility, and they will provide food as well. Ruth Ann worked there for a while, and they loved her. Everyone did! Her memorial will be held on Sunday, August 14 2022 at 2:00 PM. After that we will move to Lincoln Cemetery for the internment of her ashes.

You never know how someone is going to die. I was told 6-9 months when I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2016, and I’m still here. One of my breast friends was deemed cancer free and she died in an accident. Tim’s mom was told 6 months, then she died from an accident. Tim’s dad also died from unexpected, strange circumstances back in 2003. You never know. We just live this little mist called life to the fullest every day, trusting God for the outcome–whatever that may be.

What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears.

James 4:14 (CEV)

Memories. It seems a bit odd to be posting a blog about fun and sadness all at the same time. But that’s the way life is sometimes. It’s filled with ups and downs. The line from Forrest Gump is so true…Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

If you’re my FaceBook friend, you can see a bunch of photos from our motorcycle ride. It’s hard to pick just a few, as there are so many photos and videos to choose from. Here are some of my favorite moments from our trip.

Paris…Texas that is!
We’ve decided to start visiting all the Airstream Dealers. Most of them have no inventory right now.
Finally got to go there. See Tim disappearing into the cornfields?!
Loved laying on the soft, northern grass beneath the large shade trees.
That was a beautiful day for a ride! Welcome to the Rally. Here’s your swag.
No rain to Duluth, then it hit! 😫😭
We stayed in Ranier, which is a quaint port town with an award-winning hotel just outside of International Falls.
Another beautiful day for a ride! We did get spit on a few times, but missed the deluge.
Six miles from Canada! We took a walk and it was much longer than we anticipated!
Windy! See the flags? Enjoy the ride!!
We could have gotten a challenge coin here! Totally missed it. 😫
This was a beautiful stop. Two lighthouses at one location!

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

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Again and Again…Darn Pandemic

This time it was Tim. He was away from me for several days, so we don’t think he caught it from me. I was no longer having symptoms.

We had our last day of worship at Parkgate Community Church on July 10th, and they gave us a nice reception to say thanks for the work we’ve done over the past nine and a half months. Tim was their Interim Pastor; I helped with worship and kiddos, as well as revising the bylaws. Their new pastor starts next week.

We packed up our Airstream on Monday July 11th and put her in storage. We’ve been living there half-weeks while Tim was Interim pastoring in Pasadena. Everything seemed to be going well until Tim started feeling a little under the weather later that night. He tested positive for Covid the following day. I tested negative.

No RV to quarantine to this time and I really didn’t want to go to a hotel. So we set up a barrier between us and steered clear of each other until he got better. He had congestion, cough, and fatigue for about a week. Then he had fever blisters that lasted another week. No kissing! 🤪😳😂😭

We were supposed to leave on our big trip Wednesday, so we had to make some last minute cancellations. Our original plan was to stop over and see his mom in Arkansas, then drive northeast to Villanova for our research residency, head west to Wisconsin and ride a rental bike in the Lake Superior Touring Rally, then head home. That all changed.

We postponed the visit with his mom and ended up doing our residency by Zoom (three days of listening to research projects). We weren’t the only ones who were recovering from Covid, or feared being in person, or for whatever reason didn’t want to make the trip. They opened up the option to everyone, which was super kind of them. About half the cohort was on Zoom.

Tim was feeling much better by the time his quarantine had ended, just in time for us to make the second half of the trip. The bike rental was non-refundable, so we really didn’t want to cancel that one if at all possible. We drove the Mini Cooper (“Coop”) to Arkansas where we visited with his mom, then on up to Madison Wisconsin where we picked up the bike and rode to Marquette Michigan for the start of the rally. The next day we rode to Minnesota where we stayed overnight in International Falls and then on to Grand Portage. Back to Duluth to catch up with the rally. We cut the trip short when we heard about Tim’s mom passing. More on that in the next blog.

Not everyone who has cancer is as fortunate as me. My treatment is keeping the breast cancer at bay. While I still have problems with neuropathy, brain fog, and fatigue (to name a few), living with metastatic breast cancer doesn’t mean I have to sit on the couch and watch television all day. Although it is tempting at times! It is tempting to use cancer as my excuse for doing nothing. Sometimes I do rest, purposefully.

I recently joined a class “Active Living After Cancer,” as a boost to my motivation to stay active. It was really hard right after surgery, and during Covid, but now I’m ready to get back into it. I am reminded of Paul’s words in his second letter to the Corinthians; these are “light and momentary trials.” We are still living life to the fullest.

On our motorcycle trip we looked for famous landmarks, took long walks in the evenings, and ate the local cuisine. In the daytime I used my muscles to stay on the bike. (Check out my next blog for more pictures from our motorcycle trip.) We fought the rain and cold, looked for healthy food options (always followed up by an ice cream of some sort 🤪), and enjoyed hot showers after every day’s ride.

Traveling or not, we often find ourselves sitting in a Panera Bread while working on ideas for future books, professional efforts, writing children’s books, or whatever job Tim has going at the time. I’d say we are pretty active! Nope..we won’t let this darn pandemic get the best of us.

À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

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2021 Year in Review

the metastatic breast cancer journey banner

Whew! Another year is gone, and a New Year has come. 2021 seemed to fly by like a bullet train, especially after the snail’s pace with which we met 2020. We all thought it would be a better year. We had high hopes for 2021. Somehow we thought it would rush in like Superman and save the day.

Well, the pandemic stuck around and even brought some nasty variants. It did seem to have some rough patches, but as I looked back through the year I discovered 21 milestones/achievements/new experiences. Some of it is personal, and some of it we did as a team. Here is my 2021 year in review…

  1. Read the whole Bible using a Bible Plan on YouVersion. At times I fell behind, but I managed to catch up and I DID IT!
  2. Lost some weight–about eleven pounds this year.
  3. Finished in the top tier on Duolingo, and completed a 602 day streak (learning French).
  4. Walked 203 miles (that we counted).
  5. Spent about 40+ nights in the Airstream: north Texas (Grapevine) at the AS workshop, Bridgeport, Lake Whitney, west Texas (Odessa), south Texas (Donna), and the Jetstream RV Resort at NASA, (south Houston).
  6. Took three long trips on my motorcycle, and a fourth on the back of Tim’s. Earned my 100,000 mile patch. Rode over 10,000 miles through 23 states this year alone. We have accomplished our domestic motorcycle bucket list. Time to do some fly and rides!
  7. Served as a CNS officer (editor).
  8. Painted feature walls and upgraded our shower. Turned our guest room into a playroom for the grandchildren. Sold our bikes and reclaimed our garage.
  9. Awarded a research fellowship and attended our first residency at Villanova University.
  10. Bought a Mini Cooper, then traded and upsized to the Countryman.
  11. Our fifth grand baby Mikayla was born! We also learned we are expecting #6! Spent a lot of precious time with the grandkids last year.
  12. Tested positive for Covid-19, Omicron variant. Yucky stuff!
  13. Sat in a DeLorean time machine!
  14. Fostered and rescued a dog.
  15. Tim started a new job, and ended his work with TXM.
  16. Published my first children’s book. We published a second book for sermon notes as well.
  17. Wrote a few songs.
  18. Cooked some new meals.
  19. Watched a Carolina Wren raise her babies.
  20. Completed our first Escape Room.
  21. Big SNOW in Conroe that lasted a whole week in February.

I suppose I could add one more…stayed alive. I have made it to the five year mark since my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, a day many professionals didn’t think we would see. I’ve already blogged about that, but it is certainly a milestone!

Our theme word for 2022 is “simplify.” We have already begun looking at the calendar and making plans for the new year. I am hopeful this year will be better than the last two. However, looking back on all we have experienced in 2021, I can’t complain.

Forget what happened before…I’m making a new thing.

Isaiah 43:18-19

À la prochaine…see you next time!

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No Longer Employed

It’s official! I am no longer employed. (Insert Fanfare and clashing symbols.) Thus ends the last decade and chapter of my life.

I’m calling it “early retirement,” since that’s how it feels. I have previously blogged about being disabled yet not always feeling disabled, and taking time off for self-care. You may have read some of those. To recap, I have not been working as a full-time faculty this entire year due to my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. I did work for three years from 2016-2019 while undergoing treatment, but I found I just couldn’t keep up the same pace I used to do. Workloads were increasing as well as demands, and there was no reprieve in sight. My body was constantly feeling stressed and needing a break.

Honestly, it’s a full-time job just keeping up with my doctors and scans and treatment. Some weeks I have three or four visits in a row. And while other weeks I have none, brain fog sets in or my back hurts or I get tired and just need a nap. I don’t typically complain about it, but it is reality. We decided it is better for me to spend the energy I have with the hubby, doing ministry, playing with the grandkids, and enjoying life rather than grading papers. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of spending time with the important people in my life.

“At twenty-one, so many things appear … permanent.”

Orson Welles

Through our 35 years of marriage, my husband and I have learned to value change and transition in life together. We began the process of downsizing last year in preparation for this moment. We moved to a smaller house and paid off debt. I filed for disability at the beginning of this year, which progressed from short-term to long-term to SSDI (Social Security Disability Income). Our income has drastically decreased, but we are making it. We have stepped out in faith to begin a new ministry, and we know God will take care of us. He always does!

Aside, long-term disability insurance is well worth it. If your employer does not pay for it but provides it as an option, take it! If you never use it, you are blessed. But if you need it, you will feel doubly blessed!

FMLA ran out in March, but my company kept me as an employee on an ADA accommodation in case I was able to come back. They wanted me to come back, but I don’t see how I could. It has been an emotional process, honestly. One spends a lifetime developing an identity, career, and sense of self. Admitting I have a terminal illness and will not go back to work has been a bit daunting. Yet, I know how important it is to take care of myself. I imagine the questions I have been asking are very similar to the a retiree’s experience, so I consider myself retired….

🤔🤔 What do I do now?? 🤔🤔

You’ve probably been our Airstream videos…so that’s one thing. 😁

In retrospect, I left my job at just the right time. God’s timing is always perfect, and I don’t know why I sometimes fail to listen better. He knew what He was doing when He prompted us to downsize and stop working in January. He knew the plans He had in store for me, plans to give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)!

He also knew the pandemic would have been a challenge to navigate as well! In the last few months, as rumors turned into reality my employer started downsizing. One might think online education companies would be booming during a pandemic, but apparently people are not enrolling at the same rate because they are not working. It seems every change in these “unprecedented times” results in a very large snowball affecting many more people in its path. My university has gone through multiple changes — even more since the beginning of this year — which means heavier and heavier faculty workloads amongst other things that concern me. They started downsizing.

My separation from the company is voluntary. I’d love to tell you all about it, but I am bound by a confidentiality clause: “Unless required to do so by subpoena or as otherwise required by law, you agree not to disseminate or disclose the fact of or terms of this Agreement, the discussions leading to this Agreement, or any subsidiary undertakings required by this Agreement, except to immediate family, government agencies, legal counsel, or tax advisers as may become necessary.”

🤔🤔🤔 Hmmmm. It didn’t take long to decide. I would have been terminated anyway, due to my FMLA running out, so this was kinda a “no brainer.” I’d rather leave voluntarily. Suffice it to say, my full-time career permanently ended yesterday. Permanent sounds so…final. Perhaps my full-time job has ended, but I will never cease to learn and grow.

“We are by nature observers, and thereby learners. That is our permanent state.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

October 16th. My mother who is now in Heaven would have been 80 years old on my last day of employment. It was her birthday. Ironic how important dates seem to intersect across one’s lifespan.

I feel blessed to have worked for a company over the past eleven years that provides good benefits, in addition to working for previous employers who provided retirement benefits. As I said before, God is good and He will take care of me and my family. If there is anything I learned from my mother, it is to have faith in God. He will supply all your needs.

This may sound a bit strange, but in some ways I consider myself “lucky” to have this diagnosis (as opposed to alternative options). I feel pretty good overall (always subject to change, of course). I generally have strength and energy to do things I love. I get to spend time with my family, compose music, go on bike rides, write blogs, take walks, learn French, write books, travel, draw, enjoy nature, check off my bucket list, and do things I want to do. More importantly, I am looking forward to pursuing deeper meaning and purpose by listening to what God wants. I wish for the final years of my life to glorify the Lord, serve Him, and point others to Him…whatever I do. I may be no longer employed, but I will do the Lord’s work for the rest of my life.

“Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.”

Colossians 3:17 CEV

Á la prochaine…until next time…

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Onomatopoeia Update

I just received the first draft sketch of the book cover for my children’s picture book, One Day I Tried to Rhyme a Word With Onomatopoeia! I am pressing on with publishing, but I decided to use a professional illustrator. I am so excited! Once the cover is complete we will be able to take pre-sales. The whole book should be published within the next two to three months. It is cutting close for Christmas, but I am hopeful!

Now that I am not working full-time, I am able to check off items that have been lingering on my bucket list, like writing children’s books. Do you have any to those? I’d love to hear in the comments below. If you could do one item on your bucket list in 2021, what would you do?

Á la prochaine…until next time.

In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.

Abraham lincoln

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Another New Adventure

Today was #chemoday. Truthfully I am on biotherapy, but most people don’t understand what that means. So, we call it chemo. It’s maintenance drips of Herceptin and Perjeta, which I get infused in the chemo room at MD Anderson, given by the chemo nurses every three weeks. No major side effects to date, and I’ve had more than 50 of these.

They got me in for treatment and even finished early, so we jumped in the car and took a drive to Dallas to look at an RV — a 2021 Airstream International 30RB Twin to be exact. If you haven’t been following the RV industry lately, it is hopping! It’s nearly impossible to find anything locally, or anywhere for that matter, as people are working from home and staying in the USA due to COVID, meaning they are buying up recreational vehicles.

We are in the process of launching a new ministry, where both of our skill sets will be vital to its success. We love doing ministry together, and we love challenging people to a spirit of adventure. We will be sharing more about this ministry as it unfolds, but the ride up and back included dreaming and planning how an Airstream can help fulfill our ministry goals.

We were “full-timers” about 8 years ago, in the latter half of 2012. We lived in a fifth-wheel with our then 9th grade daughter and our little dog Midge, traveling from location to location where we served the churches in Texas. We learned a lot about the RV lifestyle. This was brought to a screeching halt when I was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time. We sold the fifth wheel in exchange for chemo, surgery, radiation, and more treatment.

We have always dreamed of going back on the road, and God seems to be saying “now.”

No, we aren’t selling our house. No, we aren’t going full-time on the road. But, yes, we will be doing life and ministry together and it has the potential to happen in a silver RV.

A fifth wheel requires a lot more set-up than a travel trailer, is heavier to pull, and in general has more potential for things to go wrong with it. We crossed fifth wheel off the options. Our final debate was between a Class A motorhome or bumper pull. We really wanted the motor coach, but could not justify spending the money. We looked at cheaper travel trailers, but most bumper pulls as well as fifth wheels are made with formaldehyde (we can smell it and it burns my sensitive eyes!).

In the past two years we have done a LOT of research, and the Airstream checks the most boxes in our “must have” list. It has quality parts as well as an iconic history. Without the challenge of navigating slides, we feel this will give us the most flexibility as well as comfort on those longer road trips. Our research shows it has the highest resale of all products on the market as well.

This is definitely a leap of faith, and we are looking forward to seeing what God has in store!

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)

Á la prochaine…until next time!

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Day 11 (and final day) of our 35th Anniversary Ride

208.8 miles today…. in the rain. 🌧 Cleburne, TX to HOME (Conroe, TX)!!

Today was our last day. Sad the trip is over but we are so glad to be home. We purposefully rode further yesterday to make today a shorter day. We kept watching the weather and there were thunderstorms all around us. But we decided to press on and prayed the whole way. It rained, but the visibility and temperature were manageable.

It rained for the first two hours—we were soaked to the bone—so we stopped in the new Sonic in Hubbard for a reprieve. It’s an indoor Sonic, not a drive-in like you typically see. I did not want to get back on the bike, but the show must go on!

After that we debated our route and decided to get home the fastest way possible. On to the interstate! From Buffalo the ride home was rain-free!

Total trip miles…3,008.8 (some 2-up, and some on two bikes). On my bike I rode 2759.9 miles!

Time for the 10,000 mile service!

As I reflect on this trip, I am grateful to the Lord for so many things. We made it, and we made it safely. (I did lay the bike down once, but that’s par for me.) I am thankful for a husband who supports me in my cancer journey, and even helps me get the bike into a good position for pulling out of parking spots. I am so blessed to have a stable body, with the ability to ride my own ride and go the distance. While I may get tired a little easier, I still have the ability to ride. We may sell my bike at some point and go back to riding 2-up on all the trips, but at least I can ride! God has blessed me with so many things. I can’t complain.

Thankful for a safe ride, for all the wonderful sites we saw, and for the joy of being together to celebrate our 35 years of marriage. Like I told Tim, this trip mirrored our life in many ways. Ups and downs, rain and sunshine, beautiful sites and some boring as well, life on the wild side, frustrations and love, laughter and tears, education and recreation, yummy foods and boring breakfast bags, exhausting but exhilarating, and so much more. We hope there are at least 35 more!

Á la prochaine…until next time!

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Day 10 of our 35th Anniversary Ride

370.5 miles today. Zig Zag route from Woodward, Oklahoma to Cleburne, Texas.

KSU 6:30 AM. We were trying to get ahead of the storm. It was still dark when we left. Unfortunately we never saw the sunrise because it was sooo cloudy all day. 😪 Very few patches of blue sky. I wore my clear goggles all but the last thirty minutes of the day.

It’s always an adventure!

We had planned on going one route, through Elk City, but my GPS had other plans 😂. At one point we were zig zagging through the countryside on Oklahoma county roads that didn’t even show up on Tim’s nav. Similar to when we rode through Kansas, these roads turned into dirt roads right after we turned off, so we were sweating bullets at times! It may have been an angel 👼 preventing us from the big storms which we could always see in front or beside us, but we did not ride under.

We ate breakfast at Love’s because we are so tired of the COVID- bag breakfast in the hotels which only offer a muffin at best. The Love’s cashier was an interesting lady. She rides this trike to work every day. She converted it to power with a 1-gallon gas tank all by herself. I love meeting people on our trips as they lead such fascinating lives!

We finally saw the sun! Somehow we managed to ride between the storm clouds for most of the day.

We did get rained on, only briefly, but we managed to avoid riding through the bad thunderstorms. We pulled into a roadside (covered) picnic area for a snack in Olney, Texas off 281 and the rain stopped. This is a new road for us but we have noticed Texas has lovely picnic stops. Incidentally a Sheriff pulled in the spot next to us, eating his BBQ lunch. We made sure to STOP as we were leaving 😂 (our last trip we both got a ticket for not stopping completely at a stop sign).

When coming through Wichita Falls, the temperature changed from a very cool 78 to a hot 90 in about one minute or less. Sudden changes like that are not usually a good weather sign 😳. A supercell formed to the east of us bringing heavy winds… so we kept plodding along.

We arrived at our hotel in Cleburne Texas just before the sky opened up. It did finally catch up to us after we checked into the hotel, so we ordered food from DoorDash. Wicked storm for sure!! We scored with an upgraded room and upgraded snacks. 😃 They talked us into trying the local root beer, and it was delicious! I would definitely have it again.

Flash Flood warnings – we are so glad to be inside! This storm looks like it will be hanging around a while. We have a short ride home tomorrow. About four hours. They are expecting more thunderstorms all day 😢😢. Praying the weather changes or we may have to hang out here in Cleburne until it passes. We are debating whether to just leave my bike here or grin and bear it. I admit I am a little scared! 😱😱

Á la prochaine…until next time!

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Day 9 of our 35th Anniversary Ride

(Life 360 App)

391 miles today. North Platte, Nebraska to Woodward, Oklahoma.

KSU was 8:00 AM, a little later than normal since it was 54 degrees. Brrr! Bundled up, layered up, buckled up and… eventually it warmed up to around 80 and the layers came off. With the exception of those two massive construction delays 😤, it was, as many folks along the way commented, “a beautiful day for a ride!”

This flagger was quite chatty. But she would not let us put our kickstands down for our FIFTEEN MINUTE delay. She said the blacktop was too soft, so we had to hold the bikes up in the wind. The trucker behind us got out to ask how long, and then made a snide remark about being a female on a construction crew. 🙄 She ended up switching to our pilot car driver after the wait, of which we were thankful because the other driver was really slow.

It was a super duper wicked windy day…and has been for the past several days. 💨

Tomorrow does not look as promising. For the first time in ten days, it looks like we are heading into a storm. Yikes!

Á la prochaine…until next time.

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Day 6 of our 35th Anniversary Trip

Site seeing around Rapid City, South Dakota. Some people trailer their bikes, then ride around when they get there. Not us. We rode our bikes to South Dakota and then rented a truck 😂😂. It’s not quite the same thing as those trailers. After all, we do ride! But we wanted to see more than we could accomplish in a day on a bike. We went all the places we missed (or didn’t see as completely) when we came here before. 

Stop one … Mount Rushmore.

Last time we came through the Black Hills, we pulled over on the motorcycle and took a picture, but we didn’t go in. This time, we went inside and walked all those steps. 😳 My legs were just beginning to feel normal after that climb at Happy Jack’s Peak, so I felt a bit of a burn on the thighs. However, these steps were not nearly as intense as the Peak. Of interest was how the sculptor chose the four presidents according to birth, growth, development, and preservation. We also remembered seeing Nicholas Cage on these same steps in the movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Mount Rushmore is an amazing wonder!

Next…a drive through Custer State Park.

After Mount Rushmore we drove through Custer State Park and the Needles Highway (SD-87). The bison had just walked through some wildflowers, so they had a lot of hitchhikers. (No, those aren’t bees LOL). One of my FaceBook friends said she wants to brush the poor thing. I agree; but, I don’t want to get any closer than my camera lens will take me. They did walk right by the car but generally left us alone. We saw lots of wildlife, in addition to the donkeys 😂, one-lane tunnels and magnificent views. We went to Custer State Park last time, but this time we drove on the extra tiny roads. We ended up on the Needles Highway somewhat by accident, but it was well worth the drive! A local told us about an RV who had to drive in reverse all the way back down that mountain, as the tunnels on SD-87 are too narrow and clearance too low. There’s an example of poor planning! I said to Tim multiple times while spinning around the 10 mph hairpin turns and narrow roads cluttered by traffic, “I’m so glad we are not on the bikes!!” Yikes! We had “plenty” of room, but we did fold in the mirrors on that big truck, just in case. A bit claustrophobic at times. To sum it up…Wow! Go there!

Crazy Horse Memorial was a quick stop for a photo but we didn’t go inside to save time. My great-grandmother was Cherokee, so I am always interested in learning more about Native American history. Maybe you know the story about the negotiation for Mount Rushmore. This was the Indian alternative to the other mountain sculpture. They declined government funding. The sculpture is still under construction. 

Next we took a ride on The 1880 Train.

It’s a steam engine, round trip ride to Hill City from Keystone (a very crowded city, so we were glad we didn’t wait until Saturday to do this one). We saw beautiful sites, more wildlife, and smiled at the joy of children on the train reminding us of our grandkids.

We learned lots of fun facts about the Black Hills from the narrators, but our favorite story revolves around “The letter Q.” If you’ve ever wondered why a train does too long whistles followed by a short whistle and another long whistle at the crossings, it is Morse code for the letter Q. Why? Because this was the signal ships would use when the Queen was on board, signifying she had the right of way. This remains the signal at Railroad crossings today, and of course a train always has the right of way.  Don’t debate it. 😂 😂 It was a refreshing ride in the warm afternoon.

Our last stop was Bear Country USA. We have never seen so many bears in one place!! I especially loved, loved, loved the bear cubs, and learning the different brown and black bear 🐻 subspecies. We also enjoyed watching the Timberwolves playing. This was a fantastic stop with lots of wildlife on the drive through safari. It was well worth the money.  We could not have done that on a motorcycle (not because we wouldn’t, although one might be a bit mental to try it, but because they do not permit it.)

I took many, many pictures! These are only a few. I love ❤️ checking items off my bucket list. I don’t know if I will ever finish the list, but traveling to these great icons and spending time with my honey is such a wonderful treat.

The weather was perfect. Nice and cool, breezy, and sunny. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. 🌞 

Á la prochaine…Until next time!

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