Day 14 - Skirting the Rain in Kentucky

The little Wickliffe Motel was a perfect place for this weary traveler and it's $35 rate (tax included), free wireless, comfortable recliner and parking within an arm's reach of the door -- well, it was my kind of place when traveling by motorcycle. So, with a great night's rest, I was ready for today -- the first day of the trip that weather dictated a major change in plans.

My first stop though was to get a picture of city hall of the Kentucky city with the same name as my Washington hometown - La Center. Both cities share this history -- incorporated in early 1900's when founders believed they would continue as centers of commerce in the area. Neither one did. I happened to arrive at the city hall and was taking a picture when the Asst. Clerk of the City arrived at work -- and she graciously agreed to take my picture.

I had originally planned to visit the nearby scenic Land Between The Lakes and then proceed across the top of Tennessee however rain forecasts for southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee prompted me to have backup plans for more northernly routing after taking the scenic "Trace." And that's just what I did but not before running into a road/bridge closure that would require my second use of an interstate during this trip. I even stopped and tried to figure out an alternate routing -- but there was none and so I ended up taking another 4 miles of interstate.

I did ride though some light rain today in a couple different sections -- but nothing uncomfortable or serious (didn't even need to use my rain gear). The only other challenge I faced was in routing as there seemed to be no end to wonderful motorcycling backroads in every direction. This was also the first day of the trip that I had not pre-arranged where I would rest my head -- and that led to the condition that I've experience before --not knowing where to stop because I don't want to stop the fun of the roads. The GPS track of my routing certainly doesn't look like I took the most efficient path to my stopping point - Springfield, KY - but I sure enjoyed many wonderful roads as I put 311 miles on the bike today.

Tomorrow I set out for another stopping point - Deb's childhood home in West Virginia where her Dad, three of her sisters and a brother live. Plans are set for Deb to be there tomorrow as well -- she flew to Richmond, VA yesterday and is driving in with one of her sisters. Neal/Anna are arriving also as Deb's family has a reunion scheduled for Saturday.

Unfortunately, the forecast for tomorrow is for significant rain from where I am in Kentucky -- on in to West Virginia. I'm already making plans that may require me to jump on the straighter interstates in order to make the motorcycle travel easier in the rain. We'll see.