“…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

Up and out this morning by 8:10 am. Rich, agricultural Illinois.

        This is another 300 mile day. Usually at an average of 50 mph results in 6 hours of riding. Interesting by 9:10 am I had ridden 63 miles, far above 50 mph. Once again the route I took ( US 34 to I 74 to I 474 to US 24 east ) often finds me riding with very little traffic. If I am near a big town, an industrial town, there will be some traffic. Once away from population centers the riding is wonderful, little traffic. 

Little traffic in the Illinois countryside.

        Something that becomes more and more apparent to me is the number of trees I see. There were trees in Montana and Wyoming, but they usually meant a town, or a house. Now, as I ride east in Illinois towards Indiana there are tree covered hills, forests on each side of the road. VERY different than Montana and Wyoming.

At the Indiana border. 

        The morning went well. Easy riding. After lunch things would change. I had been keeping an eye on the fuel gauge. I had gotten 43 mpg on a tank in Montana. Then the mileage went back to 36, 37 mpg. On the first tank today I got 39 mpg. After lunch, as I watched the fuel gauge I saw I was getting very good mileage again. THEN…as I was riding through Watseka IL I noticed the fuel gauge going down to zero. I then saw that the temperature gauge was at zero also. I’ve been through this before. I had blown a fuse. I pulled over to the side of the road in the shade to investigate. I took off the seat and the left side cover so that I could take off the fuse cover. The tail light fuse was blown. As I looked in the cover there was only 1 fuse in there and it was the wrong amp. Luckily there was an Autozone right up ahead. I  bought a pack of various fuses, replace the blown fuse with a new one….and it blew. Not good. I plugged in another fuse, turned the key and the fuse blew again. This is a problem.

More and more crops, and more and more trees. 

        OK.  I checked what was out. No fuel or temp gauge, no lights on the dashboard, not driving lights, no tail lights. BUT…I DID have headlight, brake lights, and turn signals. I could ride home like this as long as I didn’t ride at night, which I didn’t plan to do. OK on to Logansport IN. I lost an hour as I rode east, from the Central Time Zone into the Eastern Time Zone. I got to my motel by 5:30, checked in, went out and had dinner. I got back in time to watch the preason Eagles/Browns game. Tomorrow an east 200 mile day to Galion Ohio.

When I went out to the bike it looked like rain. I followed it all day but never got wet!