The World is a Book, and those who do not Travel Read only a Page

It has always been my curse to be the last asleep and the first awake.  Or perhaps it is a blessing.  Here in Columbus, Ohio, the morning air is cool and fragrant and filled with the melody of birds.  After last night a dose of tranquility is just what the doctor ordered.

We intended to leave yesterday evening for Indianapolis but no sooner had we packed our bags and roared westward than the skies opened up, pelting us with drops of rain that stung like pricks from a needle.    We took shelter beneath an overpass to discuss our next move and there met a number of bikers,  one of whom pulled up on a beautiful Harley, wife on back, and posed for with us for a very soggy picture before struggling into his rain gear.  

The weather was an omen.  We were not meant to leave Columbus just yet.  So we turned our bikes around and rumbled back to enjoy the immensely appreciated hospitality of Ivan's old high school friend, Paul.  The moment we reached his home the skies cleared, the sun shown warm and bright and the day was absolutely gorgeous.  Perfect riding weather.  However, had we suited up and set out again Nature would no doubt have seen fit to drive us back so we stayed.  

Seeing as we were stuck in town another night we decided to knock on the door of Paul's very lovely neighbors, Erica and Ashley.  Paul, if you're reading this shame on you for not getting to know them sooner.  We threw together a party that shot by in a blur of beer pong, fist bumps and new faces.  A trio of black women strutted in, dressed so sumptuously they looked like a doo-wop group. They drank our beer and left, prompting a late night beer run.  I didn't mind. The eye candy was worth it.  There was Eddie with the long and wildly unkempt hair, Andrew the Microcenter manager who had to work the next morning but played a round of pong and partied with us anyway, and a slew of others whose names have left me but whose faces remain.

It's an absolute joy to meet so many new people but it's bittersweet knowing these are folks I'll probably never see again.  We've struck Indiana from the list.  Today we ride hard for Chicago and another of Ivan's friends.  Chicago, Columbus isn't much, but her people are amazing, and although their beer pong rules are whacked out beyond comprehension they know how to party.  You've got a lot to live up to--assuming Nature has seen fit to let us leave.