When to avoid the I495 Beltway

After a good night’s sleep at the Super 8 in Warrendale, PA, Karen and I packed up the Cruiser and headed back out on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on our way towards the 2011 MAMMARY Run.
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Wet, but not so wet

I was able to leave work around 4:30pm and headed north out of downtown Detroit to go pick up Karen, who had escaped her employer around 4pm. The rain in a huge system heading northeast had already arrived in the greater Detroit Metropolitan area so I donned the rainsuit for the trip out to Karen’s.

A quick check of traffic (I love the Google Maps app on my iPhone) revealed I75 north to be its usual parking-lot state so I rode up Woodward Avenue to Royal Oak. Karen was already changing into her Leathers and put on her rainsuit while her parents joked about there being “dryer modes of transportation”. Aren’t they hilarious? 🙂

The weather radar showed a steady line of rain down to Toledo, Ohio, but then a break between that and another long line of heavy rain near Cleveland. Lurking off to the southwest of Youngstown, Ohio was another string of nasty yellow and red on the radar image, denoting some heavier weather that was slowly marching towards our path to the Pittsburgh area. It looked like it was going to be a dicey ride.
Continue reading Wet, but not so wet

Just ride, baby

Truth be told, this was a fairly uneventful day.

I got a late start because I took the time to write up the previous day’s post during breakfast (Texas waffle out of the Super8 waffle maker). It was still a little chilly with temps in the upper 40s (F) and broken clouds in the sky. The wind was in my face but not oppressive like the winds I encountered during the ride down.

I knew there was some weather in front of me. There was rainy weather out in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Joplin, Missouri and that system would be moving east-north-east, or basically directly along my path of I44. The question wasn’t whether I would catch the system, but when.

So, the day passed, the Vector droned on, and the miles rolled.
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A long, cold, day

The morning in Superior, Arizona was cool and clear. Checking the forecast for a few cities and towns along my route, it looked like there was a good chance that the nasty winds that I encountered on they way down were waiting to torture me on the way back too. It also looked like it would be chilly, with temperatures in the 35-50˚F range.
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Lessons in the art of motorcycle touring