State College PA – Marshall IL
Wed Jun 29, 2022
(~1140 miles)

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
― Abraham Lincoln

Another early morning meeting, but better than a day at the office! There’s a fresh new leg of rallyin’ being served this morning! Up at 03:45, coffee, shower, etc. I heard bikes starting up outside to head over to the rally hotel as I got things together. I brought my java outside to sip while I wiped off the bike a bit and got ready to head over for myself.

Before I forgot, I pulled out the electrical tape and covered the electrical contact points on my GPS cradle. Mounting the GPS into the cradle and flipping the ignition didn’t wake it up – perfect! Now I should have reliable uninterrupted power via the USB cord (only) for the remainder of the rally. Fingers crossed.

Time to get a move-on! It was still full dark while I scooted down to the hotel, found a spot to park it and headed in to join the meeting.  Paul looked tired – Tara mentioned last night that the rally camper they all rode down in hadn’t been the most ideal of conveyances, and I was grateful to be enjoying my own journey on just two wheels. 😛  At 04:30, he got right to the point of the meeting with no costumes or fancy pageantry. Beautiful rally books for Leg B, styled identically to the first leg book, were distributed.

Continuing the multiplier idea into this leg, riders could now choose to visit any number of sites related to Abraham Lincoln. The stakes were higher this time, with each successive Lincoln increasing a multiplier to the full points of any non-Lincoln bonus claimed after it. After the first Lincoln, all bonus points would be x2, after two Lincolns it would be x3, and so forth. All Lincoln bonuses themselves would just be face value. This change really ups the stakes from the first leg, though I didn’t quite consider the overall significance just yet.

Our rally would be ending in Cheyenne at high noon on Saturday, right at the seven day mark, with penalties starting to accrue at 11:30. Rest bonus points started at 8/minute for this leg with the same exponential multiplier for taking meal breaks. They suggested a planning goal of 100,000 points for the leg to achieve finisher status. Paul also called attention to a time-limited bonus in Worcester MA (my hood!) that involved meeting “someone from the long distance community” at a statue of one Senator Hoar. That one would only be available to claim from 2 – 5 PM this very day!

The current standings for the rally hadn’t been mentioned at this morning’s meeting, but were posted in the Hilton lobby shortly thereafter, apparently. For those of us down the street, we weren’t coming back, so Paul finally sent them out via email in an unofficial format so we could have some idea where we stood. Here were the official standings after Leg A:

Thrilled as I was to find myself in second place on the leaderboard with some impressive riders’ names close by, the scores were bunched pretty tight and there was a whole ‘nother three days of riding to get through. Still, it’s a nice boost to know when you haven’t completely missed the boat.

Without further ado, we were released to plan our routes and head back out on the highways of America when we were ready to do so. I grabbed a bonus claim form for Leg B and headed back to the Country Inn to figure out a plan. I grabbed another cup of coffee in the lobby en route to my room and then got down to processing the bonus data. Once that was done, I took a short break to retrieve a plate of breakfast food from the hotel cafe along with more coffee, retreating back to my room to start routing.

Once again there were six combination bonuses for us to consider while planning our attack: Martin Luther King, Fifteen Lincolns, Cpt John Mullen, Father Marquette, Madonnas of the Trail, and Albert Einstein. I knew that once again I’d be targeting the 15 Lincolns, and that the new multiplier was going to make for some much higher scoring possibilities. I had set a goal for myself to try to be on the road by 0800 – 0830 if possible. There would not be enough time to go through 5 or 6 different full routing scenarios for comparison. Trying to learn from past mistakes, I had to quickly identify a good route, or at least the start of one, and then get out to start riding it.

The first route I saw combined the trail of Madonnas, which stretches across the middle of the nation from Maryland to Arizona, with the Father Marquette combo around Lake Michigan, whilst nabbing 15 Lincoln bonuses along the way. It seemed a pretty aggressive route and I wasn’t sure it would be doable, but I liked it in my gut, and I couldn’t see anything remotely close in points in the time limit I’d set for myself. If the schedule got tight out west, there was an option to bail out and grab some decent bonuses in Colorado instead. After a couple quick sanity checks on other possible routes, I focused on tweaking this initial plan, even booking a ferry ticket for Mackinac Island online. I felt committed to the route at this point… now I just had to go ride it!

Feeling good about the plan and focused, I got the data transferred to my devices, packed up, and got out to the bike for departure around 08:15. I was pleased that I hadn’t gotten bogged down and stuck routing into the late morning as has happened in the past. I was consciously trying to be decisive and knew I couldn’t afford to second-guess myself at this point. These wheels had to start turning if I was to have a good chance of completing this route.

I was rolling by 08:23 and retraced my ride from yesterday back southeast along US 322 to US 22. And man oh man, wouldn’t you know it – ANOTHER John Q Law decides to be out on the road today in front of me, doing just over the speed limit! And he was there for MILES.  What IS it with Pennsylvania?! Maybe anticipating the upcoming holiday weekend and making a presence known on the highways? 🤷‍♂️  He didn’t hang around quite as long as the officer from yesterday, and I was finally able to make time down to I-81.

I missed my exit onto US 11 through Duncannon, and traffic on the other side of the Susquehanna River ended up being a bit slower. But I love this river, so viewing it from a different angle with the morning fog starting to disperse was nice. A couple miles on 81, to PA 581, and then US 15 for a good 40 mile run south to Gettysburg. I’ve been in heavy traffic along this road before, but it wasn’t so bad this morning just past rush hour (and probably against Harrisburg traffic anyway).

I hadn’t taken time to look at where the bonus actually was in G-burg, assuming it was probably somewhere in the National Battlefield park area. When I finally exited onto US 30, I realized I was heading into yet another downtown area. There is a traffic circle in the village center here, and I spotted a few other rally riders parked in curbside spaces just before it, so pulled in to join them. I noted my time/ODO, dismounted and grabbed my flag and phone. Then I looked around – OK, so where’s the bonus…? I realized a couple of the other riders were sort of lollygagging, with a couple of them apparently on the phone, so I headed over to ask my buddy Lew what-for.

Lew points over to one edge of the traffic circle saying (best I could hear through my earplugs) that the statue was supposed to be there and then something about them not letting us take pictures. Now that I had a direction to go in, I barely registered that last comment at first. There are rules in place to document bonuses that are inaccessible or missing, so that’s what I’d do, if needed. I removed my helmet in case I needed to ask for more direction, then jogged across the street through the stopped traffic and into the strangest little episode of Twilight Zone.

There was a little construction project happening on the sidewalk next to a parked flatbed truck, with a couple workmen doing something with the cement. I passed another rider close to the scene and asked where the statue was, because I still wasn’t seeing anything that looked like the sample photo of Abe holding his top hat up high. He pointed to the flatbed truck and said that the statue was taken down and they were reinstalling it, but that “they don’t want us taking pictures”. The hell you say? I could see the statue of Abe wrapped up in foam, lying horizontally on the truck and headed that way, starting to unfurl my flag.

Then a frowning woman walked up and sort of got in my path, saying, “They don’t want you taking any pictures of this.”

I blinked at her uncomprehendingly. “What do you mean? I just want to take a picture. Isn’t this a public area?” I was wondering if there was some sort of official security zone established in town for historical reasons or maybe a crime scene.

“It’s a public place but the work men don’t want you taking their picture while the statue is down like this and they’re working on it.”

I half-laughed in disbelief. “But I’m just taking a picture of the statue not them. Actually with the statue down, I’m not even sure yet what I’m going to photograph. If this is a public place and statue, why are you saying I can’t take a picture? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

She replied, “It’s fine to take picture of it when it’s back up, but not when they’re working on it like this.”

I was rapidly losing patience with this lady and curtly asked “Is it illegal?”

“Well, I don’t know if it’s legal or not, but..”

I now recognized this native Karen for who she was, and ignored her completely from this point forward. I walked around her and around the truck into the nearby parking spots to get a better view of the statue on the truck. I took my photo of bonus BPR26 and hoofed it back to the bike, while submitting the bonus.

I texted Jeff about the situation while I mounted up, just to be sure my photo would count. I could see other riders also ignoring the woman and taking their bonus photos as I rounded the traffic circle and headed south out of la-la land. The rally staff was already quite aware of the situation. Jeff texted me back to just get the best photo I could showing where the statue was, then a couple minutes later confirmed that my photo was approved so I wouldn’t have to go back and take another. That whole situation was just nutso – what a way to start the leg! Anyway…with my first Lincoln bonus claimed, I’d now be earning at least double points on every non-Lincoln bonus from here on out.

I hit US 15 again in a couple miles and continued south into Maryland, making good time down to Frederick. Hitting I-270, I took it southeast to Bethesda, just outside of Washington D.C. MD 315 brought me straight downtown, and the traffic was busy. I found a spot to park in the driveway for the Hyatt, because my quarry was right in their front yard. Bonus BPI08 is my first Madonna of the Trail statue to collect for that combo, which would generally be dictating my path across the country. The entire series of 12 replica statues are installed in cities and towns in a path stretching from here to California, following the National Old Trails Road. The series is dedicated to the spirit of early pioneer women.

Thanks to my multiplier, this 601 point bonus had just earned me 1202, and it was only going to get better from here. In planning my attack on the D.C. loop area, it was essential that I carefully order the cluster of bonuses to ensure that I was getting a non-Lincoln bonus after every Lincoln, to quickly increase my multiplier. Lincolns were key to jacking up your points along the way on this leg, though at this point my focus was primarily on the combo that I’d targeted.

I saddled back up and cut left across traffic to circle through side streets and back out to I-495 via MD 185. I followed the Beltway over to the one o’clock position and took MD 295 (a.k.a. the Baltimore-Washington Parkway) back for another swoop into the metro-morass. Fort Lincoln Cemetery is on nice hilly acreage in Cottage City MD next to the Anacostia River greenway, and right on the border with D.C.

As I pulled into the cemetery to seek out the next bonus, I was struck with memories of visiting Ft. Indiantown Gap on previous Memorial Day weekends while running the Mason-Dixon rally. Of course this place wasn’t all decked out in US flags, but I did actually pass by another MD2020 rider, my pal James Epley on his way out of the bonus as I was navigating through the narrow lanes. We waved in passing, each focused on our next steps.

At an intersection of lanes atop a hill, I pulled up near bonus BPR28, a bronze statue of President Lincoln in his fatherly pose, seated in a chair. My multiplier is now at 3x.

Riding back out the way I’d come, I pulled over by the cemetery entrance a for a couple minutes to punch in my next bonus on Google Maps, especially being in an urban area now. Continuing a short way on Bladenburg Rd and just over the border into D.C. proper, I took South Dakota Ave down to US 50, across the Anacostia River and back out to MD 295 south. Almost immediately, the traffic slowed to a crawl and then a stop. It was  a bit past noon and getting quite warm out, so sitting around in traffic was extra uncomfortable in addition to the rally clock ticking in my head.

I tried escaping via one of the small local roads hoping to find a shortcut, but got trapped in a dead-end residential neighborhood between the highway and river. I got back into the traffic jam, then tried using an access road to bypass some of it, but the police had most of the onramps blocked off so I was forced to exit onto Benning Road towards the city. Traffic was a mess here as well, from overflow. At the first stop light, I was luckily able to U-turn through the traffic island and get right back onto 295.

The cause of all this backup was full-width road construction, with the single allowed travel lane traversing torn pavement, dirt, and piles of gravel. I had to focus and hang back from the car ahead of me so I could react to the road surface in front of my tires. It was the sloppiest, most disorganized construction zone I’ve ever been through. When we got to the active part where they were paving, there was evidence of a recent asphalt spillage across our lane and it was all I could do to avoid riding through steaming black sticky piles of goo. The place was simply a disaster zone, like a bunch of guys decided they were going to stop drinking beer, form a road crew, and just go rebuild a local highway on a lark. It didn’t look like anyone was in charge or had a plan.

The torture finally ended at East Capitol Street and I had solid pavement under my wheels, while continuing to dodge wet asphalt drippings and stains in the roadway for a bit longer. Right after the construction, I saw many cars pulled over, with people trying to scrape half-dried tar off their car wheels and from wheel wells. What a joke! It had taken about 20 minutes to cover just 2.5 miles. I was so relieved to have this death march behind me at last!

Now the traffic opened up a bit (everyone was stuck back there!) and I made better time down to Oxon Hill, just past the southern side of the Beltway. From the interstate, I followed a wide boulevard a half-mile before turning onto the local streets of  a mixed-use planned community called National Harbor, right on the banks of the Potomac River. Everything was neat as a pin and modern-looking, with lots of office buildings, hotels, shops, and restaurants lining the small grid of avenues. Large art installations adorned well-landscaped plots dotting the sidewalks and waterfront. People were out and about strolling, jogging, or cycling probably on lunch break.

This community (like Rapid City) seemed to have an affinity for life-size bronze sculptures lining their sidewalks, including famous politicians, activists and performing artists. Many are displayed in the park-like median of a central brick-lined boulevard. Bill Karitis was already here getting his bonus photos, so I had no trouble spotting where to go. The wind was causing Bill some trouble hanging his flag, so I held the corner of it for him so he could finish his pic and get on his way.

This was another situation where Paul had overlaid two bonuses on the map, literally about a yard apart from each other. I had almost missed the fact that there was a Lincoln bonus here, alongside the other. Spotting it allowed me to justify making this entire loop around D.C! Since I had just claimed a Lincoln bonus, I was very careful to ensure I next collected bonus BCR01, a statue of abolitionist and founding father of civil rights, Frederick Douglass.

Turning slightly to the left, I now snapped a photo of BPR27, Abe Lincoln depicted in a very poseable handshake. Now I’d be leaving the D.C. area with my multiplier already up to 4x.

It was a full 230 miles to reach my next bonus back up in Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh, and my primary goal for today was to make good time and reach northern Michigan in time for the first or second ferry to Mackinac Island tomorrow morning. I ignored the two medium bonuses in downtown DC as well as a juicier 800-pointer just west of here at George Mason University in Fairfax (all non-Lincolns). That last one probably would have been worth the extra 20 minutes with the 4x multiplier, but I was trimming all fat from the bone that didn’t contribute to my strategy of “combos & Lincolns”.

As a matter of fact, that 230 miles turned out to be a bit too long, as it gave me way too much time to think. I’d been talking to Char all morning and telling her how good I felt about my plan while expressing doubts about being able to complete it. Typical  self-doubts for the start of a latter rally leg. She always helps to soothe my nerves and energy with her calm supportive demeanor. But for some reason, along this long stretch across Maryland and the southwest corner of PA, I started to second-guess my entire Leg B strategy.

There was a huge 12,000 point bonus in Gerlach NV, and the idea of getting there began to fester there, like an itch I couldn’t scratch away. I started to think that maybe the combos weren’t the correct thing to focus on after all. A decent Lincoln multiplier, even if not maxed out, would lead to a huge payday out west, assuming that getting to Phoenix and then up to Gerlach would be possible within the time limit. This idea started to seem more appealing as I rode, but I just wasn’t sure it would be the right move without running the numbers against my current plan. I told Char was I was thinking at one point and she wasn’t convinced.

“What is the first rule you always tell me?” she said. “Plan your ride, and ride your plan, right?”

“I know, hon, but look, sometimes it has proven to be a good thing to change plans mid-rally and be flexible, right?” I replied, thinking out loud. “I mean, if I’m able to get my multiplier up pretty high, finish up the Madonnas out to Arizona, then grab Gerlach for base 12,000 points times my multiplier, that’s like a jackpot!”

“Well, I’ll support you no matter what you do, but maybe you should think about it more. Maybe take a rest or something.”

“Yes, that’s exactly my plan. I have to ride this part of the route anyway, to keep heading west. I’ll need to decide before the point where I’d turn north towards the run up through Michigan, and I have a meal bonus to take today. I’ll use that time to figure it out.”

Still skeptical, but trying to be supportive of my excitement about the new idea, she wished me luck and we clicked off that particular call.

I’d stopped for fuel in Cumberland MD and then US 40 turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag, slowing things down quite a bit through many small towns as it cuts through southwest Pennsylvania. The PA 43 turnpike was a quick divided highway between Uniontown and Brownsville and helped keep the rolling average from dropping too far.

A few miles after Brownsville, I pulled to the side at the top of a rise in the road near Beallsville. Bonus BPI07, my next Madonna statue was standing tall on the hill above the road, in a small park area up a short flight of concrete stairs.

After that quick stop and another 10 miles, I rejoined the interstate system on I-70 around Washington PA and headed to parts west. It struck me that I had just ridden through this corridor yesterday morning on my way east toward Pittsburgh in the wee hours. It seems I’d be visiting a lot of the same mid-west cities from Leg A on my journey west in this leg. Oh joy.

I missed my exit in Wheeling WV, but caught the next one and circled back on US 40 again to another small roadside park with a gravel drive. It was a busy location as I saw one rider pulling away as I arrived, and then the Vooks rode in while I was getting my photo of the next Madonna of the Trail, bonus BPI06.

Now I had 175 miles across Ohio to the next bonus. All I could think about was finding a suitable location to take my meal bonus and figure out whether I’d be changing my leg plan or not. Usually, the Loves truck stops with a Subway have plenty of available seating, are fairly quiet, and make a good stop. I mistakenly thought Pilot stations might be similar and ended up wasting time exiting for two of them, in Cambridge and Hebron, only to find they just had a Subway to-go counter and no seating. Each time I got back on I-70, cursing myself for the waste of time, especially the first one which required crossing over the highway through two traffic lights, the type of situation that haunts the mind of the efficient LD rider.

It was a blazing hot day out, and I was sweating up a storm whenever the bike wasn’t moving. I needed some air conditioning at this point, just as much as I needed the planning time. I struck out for a third time at a stand-alone subway in Etna (wrong side of the highway again) – I walked in and there was just nobody around, no food out, no customers, no seating, nothing. I was fed up at this point and saw a Loves across the street with a Hardee’s attached. Well, beggars can’t be choosers, and all this searching was eating into my moving average.

Crossing over, I decided to also get fuel while I was here, to minimize stops once I got going again. I started my meal bonus timer in the app as I pumped gas, thinking to be able to get back on the road that much quicker if possible.  Then I pulled over and parked in front of the restaurant and headed into the air conditioning around 19:00.

I stood at the counter waiting to be served for a full five minutes, with none of the teenage workers in the back showing any interest in coming to get my order. A line started to form behind me as we all looked at each other and shrugged. I could feel the minutes draining away from my bonus timer, adding to my already-high stress level. C’mon now, I got important decisions to plan!

Enough was enough, so I finally left the line and went next door into the Loves, purchasing a chicken wrap, cold drink, and some Funyuns – don’t know why, they just grabbed my attention – haven’t eaten them in years! Maybe feeling a salt deficiency…🤷‍♂️ Rallies can bring out unexpected food cravings, I guess.

I went back into the crowded Hardee’s dining room and found a spot by the window, having to mess with the window shade to block the blazing sunlight on my laptop screen. I got the receipt photo with my flag and proceeded to scarf down my tasteless lunch while starting to plug an alternate route into Basecamp that included Gerlach.

Due to the rally clock pressure this morning, I hadn’t jotted down bonus ETAs. So I couldn’t judge how my ride was going so far. The biggest delay had been that horrible construction zone in D.C. Turns out later I was only running about a half hour behind schedule at this point. The heat and sweat of the past couple hundred miles had sapped my mental focus, and I was having a hard time concentrating at the moment, trying to focus on my laptop in what turned out to be a pretty noisy and crowded dining area. I guess more people (and certainly more kids) dine-in at the junkier places compared to Subway. 🤷‍♂️

I created a new “Big Rocks” route in which I rearranged the order of bonuses in Indiana, setting up a straighter shot west along the Madonnas route, picking up whatever Lincolns I could along the way. This would mean giving up the Father Marquette and 15 Lincolns combos. After the Madonnas and Phoenix, I’d be headed for that massive bonus in Gerlach with a 11x multiplier. That should surely make up for all the combo points! Right?

Well, it sounded good at the time. In fact, I felt that the points swing would be big enough to even sacrifice a good chunk of time from my rest bonus, which would be necessary to pull this off. By the time I got this far, my 45 minute meal bonus timer was already past due, and I was feeling pressure to get moving again. Going back out into the heat, I didn’t feel rested. If anything, I was more stressed now, feeling disorganized and still undecided on my route. I still hadn’t had enough time to carefully compare the math of both routes. The points/timing of the Gerlach route seemed to be in the right ballpark, and heck I wasn’t even sure I could pull of my original route anyway. I still had a few hours before I had to make a final decision in Indiana.

For now, I hopped back on I-70 after a total stop time of 75 minutes (!) and continued west, through Columbus and out to the city of Springfield OH. Once again taking US 40 straight through the city, I made a short detour around a couple city blocks to find my next Madonna, bonus BPI05 at about 21:00. You have to love the long daylight of early summer!

After rejoining I-70 for a couple miles, I veered south around Dayton on I-675 then I-75 to Cincinnati. I chatted with Char once more before her bedtime, discussing the unsatisfactory meal/planning stop, and where my head and emotions were at. She was supportive, though I could tell she still thought I was crazy for thinking about changing the route that I’d been so committed to this morning.

Approaching Cincy, I took the OH 562 connector over to I-71, into downtown. I had to circle around through some neighborhood streets to reach Lytle Park, right next to the interstate. Bonus BPR21 would make my third Lincoln bonus, raising my multiplier to 4x. My little pocket-clip light came in handy again here to ensure both my flag and the statue were illuminated for the photo, without requiring an extra hand.

It was past 22:30 so traffic wasn’t too bad leaving the city, taking interstates 75 and 74 over into Indiana. I exited just over the state line, taking a series of two-lane highways north through Brookville and Liberty in the dark, up to Richmond. There I once again stepped through that thin veil between dimensions and entered the Twilight Zone. Route 27 was split through the city into one-way double-lane streets a block apart. There was a major road construction project in my right lane – like, the entire right lane was an open ditch for several blocks. Problem was, the bonus was off to the right and my GPS was freaking out, trying to get me to turn right, but all the street entrances were blocked by this ditch, and there was no shoulder to pull over for several blocks. Gahh!

Coming up to the main downtown area, I found a spot to pull over and zoomed out on the GPS to get a sense of the detour. The next major right turn was my old friend US 40, which happens to be Main Street here. However, after one block, I faced a Road Closed sign for more construction. Yes, for Main Street right in the center of town. WTAF, is every single road in this town under construction or one-way? Or both? I cursed the local planning and highway departments, as I then navigated my way through the maze of more one-ways. 😒

After turning the wrong way down one of them, likely earning some profanity from the local in a car approaching me head-on, I managed to get back onto the two-way section of Main Street. In another half-mile, I arrived at my fifth Madonna bonus, BPI04, at the entrance of what looked like a large municipal park.

Between feeling annoyed with the entire town of Richmond and just plain tired from the day of riding and indecision, I needed a break at this point to assess my next move. I was almost at the point of no-return for choosing one route plan or the other for the remainder of Leg B. My original plan was to hit Indianapolis next, then run up through Wabash and further points north. If I go with my crazy new plan for Gerlach, I will reverse those two, to put me in position to continue along the Madonna trail.

So, after relieving myself behind a nearby tree in the cover of night, I parked the bike by a short concrete wall along the park’s driveway, and broke out my laptop for a quick planning session. I was still feeling latched onto the new plan heading west, so I jotted down a cheat sheet for my tank bag based on the new route, though I still didn’t take time to calculate ETAs. I was basically ballparking the timing at this point, which sounds totally insane now as I sit recalling the tale in the warm lighted comfort of my home. 🥴 🤪 The idea of detouring north to circle Lake Michigan just seemed like such a monumental task at the moment, while sitting there on a wall in the middle of a strange city in Indiana. Surely it was smarter to just continue pushing west and go for fewer bonuses valued around the same (or more) points?

At one point, a car came cruising by with some local yutes who felt the need to shout something at me as they passed. Probably admiring my intensity and work ethic while hunched in the glow of my laptop screen. 😉  After about 15 minutes, I felt 95% in favor of the new plan. It turned out being much easier finding my way out of Richmond than it had been getting in. I followed I-70 10 miles west to the exit for Indiana SR 1, which would take me north towards Wabash. Ah, the moment of truth!

Turning off the ramp, I pulled to the side of the road, literally unable to twist the throttle any more as my mind jammed up, racing through the two different courses of action I could take. I thought briefly about hedging my bets, hitting the Indy bonuses first, then go north and maybe come back down if needed. But, no I could see from the map and the miles to Wabash, that that wouldn’t make much sense. I actually turned around and started to head back onto I-70 to discard the new plan, but then pulled another u-ey and stopped again, fighting myself. And then, just like that, I made the call, my throttle hand twisted, and north I rode on route 1, committing myself to this new plan, with Gerlach NV my new bright shiny object on the horizon.

This was my original route for Leg B, may it rest in peace.

I zig-zagged my way north via US 35, I-69, and IN 18 to the center of Marion, then finally IN 15 up into downtown Wabash. Cruising slowly down several blocks, it was past 02:00 when I pulled over to snap my fourth Abe Lincoln bonus, BPR19, upping my multiplier to 5x.

Knowing I was going to need fuel soon, I jogged west to pick up the larger roads. US 31 was a fast divided four-laner that took me south all the way to Indianapolis, with a quick fuel stop in Bunker Hill IN. Well familiar by now with the I-70 closure through Indy, I used Google Maps as my primary guidance to get into the city. The two bonuses here, a Lincoln and non-Lincoln, are within a couple blocks of each other, so yet again the correct order was important to keep that multiplier growing.

There is a huge brick-lined traffic circle/plaza in Indianapolis called Monument Circle, dominated by the tall Soldiers & Sailors Monument. At night, the whole plaza is bathed in the glow of purple floodlights, creating quite a striking and otherworldly sight.  I entered this big open space circle slowly, marveling at the quiet and feeling of solitude that this late (early) hour could bring even on a multi-lane roundabout in the middle of a huge city. I pulled to the outer curb to park the bike across from the bonus. There were a few other cars parked here and there idling, likely taxis or Uber drivers waiting for their next fare. Fellow creatures of the night, taking care of business.

BST50 is a statue of George Rogers Clark, who was the highest-ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the Revolutionary War, and brother of William Clark from Lewis & Clark fame. He was instrumental in the cession of the NW Territory by Britain in the Treaty of Paris and was rewarded by the fates by a life plagued with infirmity and obscurity. I cut the engine so I could park in gear along the sloped shoulder by the curb, and and the silence seemed deafening. Just a cool moment.

Now I rounded the circle and head back north two block to University Park. I pulled to the curb and quickly found my fifth Lincoln, BPR19 at one corner of the park, another sitting pose. Multiplier at 6x now.

Turning on Pennsylvania Street, it was now just past 04:00 EDT. I followed it due south to good ole I-70 once again, heading westbound to leave the city behind me. I’d been exchanging calls with Ken throughout the evening, as we both worked our way through the Mid-west via different routes. He now gave me the sad news that he was dropping out of the rally because his FJR’s rear subframe had broken once again. My money was on the cause being that terrible stretch of I-81 in New York yesterday that probably hammered things to the cracking point. Regardless, he was turning back east, then taking a couple days to limp home safely with the frame held together with ratchet straps. It was tough to hear all this in the middle of the night, and I felt sad that we wouldn’t be having more late-night moral support chats or get to celebrate at the finish together.

As I finished my transit of the Hoosier State into Illinois and clicked back an hour in time zones, I began to feel the pressures of the past 24 hours since the rider meeting wearing me down. I needed a nap, and pulled into the rest area in Marshall IL to take a break around 04:30 CDT. The place was pretty jammed, with lots of trucks and even cars with sleeping occupants parked everywhere. I found a spot close to some concrete picnic tables under pavillions to the rear of the area and cut the engine. After a quick wash in the restroom, I set the alarm for 30 minutes on my cell and laid down on one of the tables, using my jacket as a blanket and something behind my neck. I was out before I knew it.

Bonus Stops: 13