We Have Lift-off
After packing, unpacking, repacking, reunpacking, and rerepacking, Nina and I finally hit the road at 1pm. The original goal was 11am, but anyone who knows me won't be surprised much that I was running late. That's how I roll. Let's move on.

Once on the highway, it became abundantly clear that the "skip resistant" CD player I bought was not gonna hack it. After 20 minutes of listening to Behind the Front -- 2 seconds at a time -- I pulled over and shut 'er down. Once I start feeling a bit better about my progress, I'll rearrange where I'm keeping the walkman and try again.

Other than the Great CD Fiasco of 2006, the riding went pretty well. I stopped four times on my way to Springfield. The first two stops were primarily to check my packing job. I was very nervous about all my belongings flying off the back of the bike at 70mph. The other stops were for gas, snacks and drinks.

Springfield. Springfield was my fall-back plan. I thought that if I had a really good day, I could make it out of Missouri on Day 1. But at the very least, I wanted to make it to Springfield. By the time I rolled into Springfield I was ready for a break. The sun was starting to drop, and it was getting pretty chilly, but I just had to get past Springfield. I didn't want to resort to my "very least" scenario on the first day of my trip. So I pushed on just past the last Springfield exit, and got off the highway as soon as I saw a sign for a motel. Of course as I'm following the signs to the Best Budget Inn I see "Springfield city limits". Alright, I guess I'll stay in Springfield.

(I'm posting after the fact, as the Best Budget Inn did not have WIFI availability. Go figure.)