At our last stop before our end point, we came across some hardcore Harley folks. Boy were they fascinated with all the farkles on Rali's bike, especially the GPS. One even commented that the Viffer didn't even "look like a motorcycle anymore," but more like a spaceship! They were a cool bunch.

The bad part came up after we got into Palm Beach County - a traffic jam on the turnpike had us at a temporary standstill. After making our way through it, Rali and I somehow got separated and I ended up taking the next exit to jump to I-95. I wasn't about to get bogged down in a turnpike jam! Of course, on I-95 there was yet another jam just past Commercial Boulevard, so I got off that and went to US 1, then got back on the highway at Oakland Park Boulevard, a couple of miles down. After that, it was a straight shot to the Palmetto and then to our end point.

Unfortunately, Rali and I ended up doing separate end points, but we still congratulated each other over our cell phones. I finally made it home at 11 PM, having ridden over 1100 miles in 22 hours - it would have been closer to 20 were it not for all the traffic - and up for about 26 hours straight.

But hell, we did it. I had calculated about 18 hours, but some stops were longer than others, plus we got a little turned around once or twice, yet I think we did OK. Next time I would make the 1000 miles one way to a cool destination somewhere. I had a good time, and it felt damn good to have set that personal bar just that much higher.

Rali was a great partner. He was the main photographer for this ride, too. I somehow couldn't find the energy to whip out my big ol' SLR too much, save for a couple of shots. We'll be sending in our docs soon, just have to sort them out now. A ride like this isn't about certification, but it will be nice to slap that plate back right behind my tag, knowing I damn well earned it!