2011 Mid Life Crisis Tour

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I packed the bike last night, so I was ready to roll out before dawn.
I pulled out of the driveway at 6:15 a.m. with the GPS display still in night mode. The sun cleared the horizon by the time I got to Paragould and I spent the next half-hour riding into the blinding sun before the road angled and gave me some relief.
I gassed at Boomland,, stopped for a quick McBreakfast at West Frankfort, Ill., and gassed again at Effingham, Ill.
By the time I got to the Brazil, Ind. exit on I-70 it had become apparent that the rest of the way to Indy would be a miserable slow slog on a road choked with truck traffic, so I rode up Ind. 59 through Brazil to U.S. 36 and then Ind. 136 to Crawfordsville, savoring the twisties of Ind. 47 to Thorntown.
Our renters weren't home, but one of their daughters was and she showed me through the main floor of the house. It was in horrible condition, with a wallpaper peeling job abandoned in the parlor and stairway, paint on the gorgeous living room window woodwork, and hideous gray paint in the kitchen. I also learned the washer/dryer we left them stopped working some time ago and rather than call the 800 number I left them for such emergencies, they just started going to the laundromat.
The exterior of the house is a mess with several missing trim pieces from the sophets.
The only bright spot was a chance to visit with neighbor Larry Parker, who rode over on his mower to chat.
Eager to get away from such a depressing experience, I rode down to BMW Motorcycles of Indianapolis where I ran into Charlie Hennard and Mike Moore, then Dom and Jane LoDuca and several other Indy BMW Club friends. Rich Nathan arrived shortly and we dined on free barbecue and watched stunt rider Chris McNeil abuse the hell out of a GS and an S1000RR.
Rich led the way back to his house on the southside where we drank a couple of beers, reviewed the video he had shot of the stunt rider and I crashed a little after 10 p.m. (EDT) in his basement guest quarters.
I covered 502 miles today.

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Photos

Stoppie on an S1000RR
Stunt rider Chris McNeil abuses the world's hottest sportbike after the barbecue dinner at BMW Motorcycles of Indianapolis.