GOE XX, Day Four: The Final, Wet Leg.
June 20th, 2016
From the time we arose from bed at my parent's house on the north side of Indianapolis it appeared the theme for the day would be rain. After all it was Indiana, and while leaving under Carolina Blue Skies, we often remarked about the grey that held in Hoosier Skies for what seemed like everyday.
After breakfast, we loaded up the bike with lots of of items from Kasey's Explorer, and suited up with our rain gear. It was not wet out yet, but we knew we were going to hit it soon anyway.
We started heading north on Westfield Boulevard into the city of Carmel. When I grew up her, Carmel was only town. I'm happy to say it has grown out more than I have over the years, and ballooned in a sprawling city suburb. Where field of corn use to grow, the area is covered with pavement, concrete and brick.
At 116th Street, we turn right, and head east. These are roads I have actually been on thousands of times. When I was a teenager, I cruised my 1972 Mustang along this route on my way to work at a True Value Hardware Store. I'm so glad I avoided the Fast Food Industry for employment.
We would continue to head east through Fishers, which back in my youth wasn't much more than a McDonalds along Highway 69, a boat store across the street, and old general store. This sleepy town also became a bloated city, and just about every store you can imagine is in the area.
Eventually, we run into Geist, and the reservoir for which it is named. The homes here are luxurious, and the ones along the water's edge could be called mansions. I little bump in the road changes the name to 113th Street, as we are slightly south of our most recent direction.
The road comes to an end, and we have to jog on a couple of roads to make our way to State Road 13. We make a left turn, and begin the meat of our journey heading north. We cross Interstate 69, and make our way into Lapel, Indiana, where we make a jog to stay on the State Road with the unlucky number.
Our first stop is where SR 37 crosses SR 28, and a gas station in the town of Elwood. SR 13 had split off, and went through town, while 37 is like a by-pass.I had an Aunt and Uncle who lived her for years. It was my dad's oldest sister and her husband. I have no idea where the house was located, but I do remember being in it for several family gatherings including those cousins' weddings.
The rain had been dousing us for a while, and it was picking up a bit in intensity. We lingered under the canopy checking our the radar on our phones. Lighter rain, shown as faded green on our phone seemed to lay north of us, so the more we move, the better the chance of getting out of the liquid sunshine. Of course this is Indiana, so all that could change before we get to that region.
We also had a bit of a schedule to keep. Kristen was the newly elected National Treasurer, and we had to get her the ability to sign checks. We were meeting Chuck, the National Director at the Wells Fargo Bank in Fort Wayne. SR 37 was our road, and made our way north, and also in and out of rain. There would be no sun, just a thick blanket of grey skies that would randomly dump moisture on us.
We rolled into the sizable town of Marion, and knew that beside making change of road, we also need something in our bellies. We were on schedule, so we stopped for a bite to eat. The fuel tank on my VTX 1800 was hungry, too, so it was filled, and we made our way out of town on SR 9.
We made our way through the corn fields of Indiana, satisfied that that all the corn was passed knew high before the forth of July, an annual benchmark, with the fields only being broke up my the occasional town, or body of water that was surrounded by a state park.
In Huntington, Indiana, we changed roads one more time, and were now riding on SR 24. The rain was pouring as we made our way into the bank parking lot. We stood in the lobby entrance to let the water roll off before we took seats in the lobby. The paperwork was done, and bid Chuck a short farewell, as he would be seeing us again at the host hotel.
Just our luck, and the skies would dry out for the final few miles of the trip. We checked in and unloaded the bike, hanging up the rain gear to dry out. We thought we were spent and done for the day. Traditionally, we have a Monday Night Cook Out for those who have arrived, but with no way to cook out at the Hilton Garden Inn. So one of the locals lead us on a ride for dinner, 25 miles away. No rain, the food was good, and so was the ride, but we were ready to put in for the night.
From the time we arose from bed at my parent's house on the north side of Indianapolis it appeared the theme for the day would be rain. After all it was Indiana, and while leaving under Carolina Blue Skies, we often remarked about the grey that held in Hoosier Skies for what seemed like everyday.
After breakfast, we loaded up the bike with lots of of items from Kasey's Explorer, and suited up with our rain gear. It was not wet out yet, but we knew we were going to hit it soon anyway.
We started heading north on Westfield Boulevard into the city of Carmel. When I grew up her, Carmel was only town. I'm happy to say it has grown out more than I have over the years, and ballooned in a sprawling city suburb. Where field of corn use to grow, the area is covered with pavement, concrete and brick.
At 116th Street, we turn right, and head east. These are roads I have actually been on thousands of times. When I was a teenager, I cruised my 1972 Mustang along this route on my way to work at a True Value Hardware Store. I'm so glad I avoided the Fast Food Industry for employment.
We would continue to head east through Fishers, which back in my youth wasn't much more than a McDonalds along Highway 69, a boat store across the street, and old general store. This sleepy town also became a bloated city, and just about every store you can imagine is in the area.
Eventually, we run into Geist, and the reservoir for which it is named. The homes here are luxurious, and the ones along the water's edge could be called mansions. I little bump in the road changes the name to 113th Street, as we are slightly south of our most recent direction.
The road comes to an end, and we have to jog on a couple of roads to make our way to State Road 13. We make a left turn, and begin the meat of our journey heading north. We cross Interstate 69, and make our way into Lapel, Indiana, where we make a jog to stay on the State Road with the unlucky number.
Our first stop is where SR 37 crosses SR 28, and a gas station in the town of Elwood. SR 13 had split off, and went through town, while 37 is like a by-pass.I had an Aunt and Uncle who lived her for years. It was my dad's oldest sister and her husband. I have no idea where the house was located, but I do remember being in it for several family gatherings including those cousins' weddings.
The rain had been dousing us for a while, and it was picking up a bit in intensity. We lingered under the canopy checking our the radar on our phones. Lighter rain, shown as faded green on our phone seemed to lay north of us, so the more we move, the better the chance of getting out of the liquid sunshine. Of course this is Indiana, so all that could change before we get to that region.
We also had a bit of a schedule to keep. Kristen was the newly elected National Treasurer, and we had to get her the ability to sign checks. We were meeting Chuck, the National Director at the Wells Fargo Bank in Fort Wayne. SR 37 was our road, and made our way north, and also in and out of rain. There would be no sun, just a thick blanket of grey skies that would randomly dump moisture on us.
We rolled into the sizable town of Marion, and knew that beside making change of road, we also need something in our bellies. We were on schedule, so we stopped for a bite to eat. The fuel tank on my VTX 1800 was hungry, too, so it was filled, and we made our way out of town on SR 9.
We made our way through the corn fields of Indiana, satisfied that that all the corn was passed knew high before the forth of July, an annual benchmark, with the fields only being broke up my the occasional town, or body of water that was surrounded by a state park.
In Huntington, Indiana, we changed roads one more time, and were now riding on SR 24. The rain was pouring as we made our way into the bank parking lot. We stood in the lobby entrance to let the water roll off before we took seats in the lobby. The paperwork was done, and bid Chuck a short farewell, as he would be seeing us again at the host hotel.
Just our luck, and the skies would dry out for the final few miles of the trip. We checked in and unloaded the bike, hanging up the rain gear to dry out. We thought we were spent and done for the day. Traditionally, we have a Monday Night Cook Out for those who have arrived, but with no way to cook out at the Hilton Garden Inn. So one of the locals lead us on a ride for dinner, 25 miles away. No rain, the food was good, and so was the ride, but we were ready to put in for the night.
Comments