Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

After getting lost, I busted out my iPhone to try and find my way....in the distance I spotted a dark, horse drawn carraige....AMISH!!!!! My first Amish spotting on the trip (and only the second Amish encounter I'd had up to the point). They all smiled and waved as I went by. They may be old-fashioned, but damn they have good taste in bikes.



Not being in a group allowed me to stop and take pics of the kind of roads/countryside we rolled through. (And instead of looking for good brake markers and apex/track outs I relaxed and enjoyed the clean air, great weather and beautiful scenery.)

On the way to Madison:









And finally made it to my hosts, Hakan and Michi. Two more really awesome people this trip has given me the chance to meet.

On the way to Indianapolis (where I am now) I spent the night in a time warp. There's a bed and breakfast in Bloomington, IL, the Vrooman Mansion. I'll let you google it, because there's a lot of history to the house that's fascinating, but not necessarily attention grabbing to everyone. It was a time-travel kind of experience, though.

The result of "War Fields"

I spent the night in Leticia Stevenson's room.



And in the morning went to the local cemetery to find where she currently sleeps at night now.



The Vrooman mansion was living history, a living museum, a creaky window back in time. And when I awoke in Letetia’s room with a pillow over my head to drown out the sounds and the light and I realized that in Victorian times houses were not constructed for privacy or silence. Other people and all their activities and whispers and grunts and bodily functions were audible and nearly everywhere you were you were within sight of someone else. The room itself, consisting of a bed, a vanity and a small closet was not a place to retreat—it was a place to sleep and a place to prepare oneself for presentation to the outside world.

It's been said that a man's face is his autobiography and a woman’s her fiction. But I got the impression that perhaps a woman's behavior and outward appearance was fiction that plagiarized someone else’s story of what her life was supposed to be and was reminded of an 18th century suicide note that read, simply, "All of this buttoning and unbuttoning." (Perhaps that's the inspiration for Camus' man moving peas from pan to pan, then back again?)

(Keep in mind this is what I remember flowing uninhibitedly through my head while I was still buried under Victorian pillows around 5 or 6am, listening to the creaks and moans of the house, reminding me that the greatest clarity is experienced in solitude.)

Just awesome man, looking forward to each post!

Truly amazing journey. You're an inspiration to all. You've got me looking into a trip to Denver to visit my sister by ways of the path less taken. Epic journey!!!!!

What an awesome thread! I think a lot of us break their heads about (un)necessary preparations, good to see you just go out and enjoy the ride without worrying too much up front.

That said, crossing the US is different than doing Africa overland, but nonetheless I thoroughly enjoy your thread!

Good luck, have fun & safe travels

Ruud

That really does look like a fat Darth Maul with goat legs.

Great read Anti-Hero! I love the pictures, love the Duc, and REALLY enjoy your philosophical pondering.

Definitely a good write up and experience. You make we wanna go to a dealership and just do it! No pondering whatsoever. Good breath of life.

Great to know the money I spent on "how to sell motorcycles using Jedi-Mind tricks over the internet" course is working!

I'm still in Indianapolis, heading off to farm country in a couple hours. Going to take me a bit to digest MotoGP and get pics/sories up, but for now, here's some eye candy:

AMAZING RR!! One of the best i have read in a long long time. I wish i would have started reading it a month ago, i would have ridden flagstaff road with ya on any day!!!

Hey OT, but do you have any pics or details of your Full-Race S2000? Former Honda guy here!!

Great stuff!

Still loving this RR! Keep up the phenomenal work.

We shall see!

I grew up aboout 70 miles from Indy... Lafayette, IN. Be careful and watch out for the deer!

Flagstaff would have been cool. Do you know where Flagstaff turns into Lakeshore? There's some benches on Lakeshore right by a sign/gate overlooking a lake. Go up there, park by the Lakeshore Park "Private Property" sign and as you walk down the path towards the benches examine some of the big boulders that are about knee height on your left (before you get to the benches) You will see something I left behind in the rock. You'll not have seen anything like it before, and will know it when you see it. Might want to bring a small bit of water to give it some clarity, as it's probably a little dusty. It's worth the drive. :)

Video of me hunting down a GT3 and a GT1 Vette (prior to me gutting/caging the S2000):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAaC9WhWS4s&feature=plcp








And anyone who thinks the Panigale makes an awful commute bike--this WAS what I once commuted to work in:

My bike (the one in the back) made it onto Ducati's FB Page covering the MotoGP! Woohoo!

COME ON MAN! I'm jonesing for some more pics and reporting! LOL

Really nice ride (S2000), always loved those cars.

Sweet! I remember seeing this on Sunday!