Journey to the Old World

Saturday June 25, 2011

Well, today's the day. After months of planning, emails, phone calls, logistical problems, stress, and - well, you get the picture - I'm sitting at Little Rock airport waiting to board the first of three legs in my first journey to continental Europe. The purpose? Two weeks of touring through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and France.

The protagonists for this trip include ME of course, and my lifelong friend and riding partner Ron Rogers. If you have read any of the previous entries in this literary masterpiece, you'll recognize us from our last 2-wheeled get-together back in the summer of 2006. Ron has been living with his family and working in southern Germany for several years now, and has spent the entirety of the time pestering me to visit and enticing me with volumes of photos of stellar motorcycling roads. It took a very few moments to convince me to come, and months to make it happen. Regrettably, my son Connor opted to stay stateside and though I'll really miss his being here, he had his reasons to opt out I guess.

Flying wasn't a great joy BEFORE 9/11, but it is a real chore these days. Of course, as time has gone by we've adapted to removing our shoes and getting through a vacation with only 3 ounces of deodorant and shampoo. (the latter not so bad for me!). Just because we can do it doesn't make it enjoyable. The only thing to advocate for air travel is getting there quickly.

So I sit, jealously guarding my phone-charging spot here at Washington Dulles while I wait for the coveted "100%" indicator, and pondering the aftermath of the Wolfgang Puck airport pizza I tossed down quickly at Chicago - O'Hare. Next stop - Zurich, Switzerland.