After a bit of a scare in Detroit, the rest of the journey was uneventful. The shuttle to take us to O’Hara developed a faulty de-icing valve and had to be repaired before we could go. Fortunately they were able to fix it and we were on our way to Chicago. I had a huge 7 hour layover in Chicago so I wasn’t too concerned. Hell, if I had to, I could drive to Chicago and still make the next flight. Since I had a lot of time, I grabbed a seat at the bar and struck up some great conversation with several guys. The beer and dinner wine allowed me to sleep soundly for most of the night. I grabbed my Kindle and started a new book and before long, I checked and only had 2 hours before arrival. This is not so bad.
I arrived at the hotel to see a bunch of folks milling around the entrance and a bunch of bikes parked all around. This must be the place. Some quick introductions and I was part of the group. It was only 9:00am and I had the day to myself. After breakfast and a nice shower, I took off to explore the area. We were to meet back at 4:00 to get checked out on the bikes and sign the legal documents. I learned a long time ago that in order to minimize jet lag, it’s important to get into the new time zone as soon as you arrive. No naps, and stay awake until it’s time for bed at the local time. I finally went to bed about 9:00pm local time which was 3:00am back home. A long day for sure.
Tomorrow, we’ll meet at 10:00am for a shake down cruise out to lunch North of Auckland. The ride will be about 4 hours. Then later that night, it’s time for social hour at 6, dinner at 7 followed by instructions from the tour guide. The tour doesn’t officially start until Tuesday morning. I’m anxious to get on the bike and go riding.
There’s a few photos in “Trip Photos”. I’ll do my best to post on a regular basis. We’ll see how it goes. If I remember to turn on my tracker, you can find out where I am by clicking on the “Where am I Today” link in the menu.