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May 09, 2005
2,000 odometer ticks from home
PALM HARBOR, FL -- May 9
As I near the precise midpoint of the journey in terms of both space and time, I realize I've been a bit unfaithful to this blog. Partly because my folks lack a wireless or LAN hub in their broadband setup (this entry was copied to CDRW along with my most recent pix). Partly because this is Florida, I'm not riding, and nothing interesting is happening under the heavy yellow sun. And partly because I'm on vacation and need to rejuvenate for the coming swing back North.
Still on deck is a cross-peninsular run through the best and worst of South Florida, a trip through my hometown Jacksonville, a relaxed coastal venture through Savannah, Charleston, the NC Outer Banks, Virginia Beach, and the Jersey Shore before a victory ride through New York City and a final Catskill / Hawks Nest run along the Delaware River back to my long lost bed, cats, girlfriend, and daily grind. Hence, I promise this will get more interesting once again.
In the meantime, I will hopefully take Diana to the local Honda shamans in Clearwater tomorrow to get her shifter, chain, rear tire, and overall demeanor fully evaluated and cleared for the second half of this adventure. I had a brief spin on her around the massive Lansbrook commune to top off with gas and see if the shifting problems were persistant or merely a symptom of a 500 mile hard run yesterday. As it stands, the shifting was better than the last moments of Sunday's desparation run, but not as smooth as when Diana and I first embarked on this trip. In any event, I think she'll make it to the dealership 10 miles southward.
One of the many threads of this trip are my visitations to four generations of Quintilianos, my mother's side of the family. After seeing the newest leaves in my nieces in Mooresville NC, it was now time to swing to the opposite end of the tree and check in on my grandparents who linger in two nearby facilities down the road from my parents' house in Palm Harbor.
To keep family details to a minimum, suffice it to say Grandma has Alzheimer's and is given the more intimate attention at a nursing home, while Grandpa has a nice apartment in an independent living facility. We had a nice reunion lunch in the latter's atrium, and then it was time to move on. I wonder if I'll see them again.
Later, I attmpted a 4 mile run through the Lansbrook sidewalks to the end of the super-subdivision, only to find my body quitting into a brief walk on two separation occasions before forcing myself back onto it in the 85 degree heat. Somewhere a dozen subdivisions away Diana is growling to herself "You see? this is what it feels like!".
Then it was a nice meal of Mom's homemade meatballs with some fresly grated Pecorino I insisted on buying at the nearby Publix, tri colore tortellini, and many glasses of wine.
I wish I could shake all the uncertainties around this trip, but in many ways the map of United States I've crawled down might as well be stood up on a wall: there's a certain gravity, initial momentum, or what have you, carrying me down to the "bottom" of the map. Now I have to get back up to the top where I started. And there will be a lot less friends, family, and impromptu riding partners to come across.
Maybe that will actually make it better in some ways. This trip has certainly had its moments thoroughly isolated on the road and in nature, but it has had few nights completely to myself where I can read, relax, and explore on foot I'm done riding for the day. Perhaps that is the real vacation, and it's coming on the horizon. If my bike is up to the task. Which I won't know until we actually take her in.
Here's the Gallery for today:
Posted by Todd at May 9, 2005 10:59 PM