We really got off to a slow start this morning.  There was fog hanging around and temps were hovering near 50 in Elmira, NY.  We ate a leisurely breakfast and finally got everything loaded up about 10:00.   Off we went in bright sunshine and clear blue skies.  We were quickly headed out of town and toward US-6.   We had some less than perfect conditions before on that road but I was hopeful that today’s route would be better.

It turns out that both the weather and the road were near perfect.  (I say “near” due to the amount of road construction but otherwise – great.)  The road was just the type that I really like – open the throttle to about 60 and enjoy the left-right-left rhythm of the concrete.   There weren’t many opportunities for pictures so there is very little evidence of exactly where we went.  The route (US-6) took us through the area of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  It was the kind of road / scenery that stays in my mind.

Please indulge me while I get a little off track here.   There used to be a show on TV called “Get Smart”.  On the show they used something called “The Cone of Silence”.  It never worked like it should but the idea was good.  A thought kept running through my head today that involved that Cone.

Something happens to me when I strap on the helmet.  I become hyper-aware of my surroundings.  The helmet is my cone of silence because it helps block out all of the unnecessary things from entering into my brain.  There is another device that is supposed to accomplish that except it blocks any attempt to steal your thoughts – the tin-foil hat.  The two devices (cone and tin-foil) each block something out – one is good, one is bad (silly).  I’m still trying to decide if my helmet becomes my cone of silence or my tin-foil hat.  Either way, I’m not hanging it up anytime soon.

I can tell you this – after 240 miles of US-6 I’m glad that I have a trike waiting for me.  I was exhausted.  Of course the end of the day always includes heading to the motel which are frequently on the outskirts of towns.  I’m tired, ready to get off, and somewhat impatient (more than usual).  That’s about the time we hit a lot of traffic and traffic lights.  I try to deal with all of that and my lack of familiarity with where I’m headed.  We made it.

We actually went to dinner and had a real meal at Chovy’s – an casual Italian place.  Having dinner like this is something we haven’t done since late March.  I had forgotten how great it is to relax and get some enjoyment out of eating.  That needs to happen more often somehow without reversing all the hard work we’ve done on the weight loss front.

There are a few pictures here but they just don’t do justice to the sun and the roads that we had today.  The next 2 days are going to be spent getting home.  We’ve been this way before and there won’t be a lot of excitement (we hope).

A nice picture of my mirror. The mirror seems to be working perfectly.