Heading home from the 'Wall'

I took these two pictures at a rest stop in eastern Illinois as I was on my way home from Washington D.C. The trip had been long overdue. I had been putting off going to the Vietnam Memorial for years. It was one of the major healing steps I have taken in my long battle with PTSD. I had to many of my friends names carved in the granite. Seeing and touching the Wall had a profound effect on me. As you can see, my bike is loaded. I took way to much stuff with me. It did provide a good backrest however. That is the main reason for this stop. As I leaned back and flew down the road I found myself dozing off. So I stopped and took a knap on one of the picknic tables, which seemed to energize me enough to hit the road again. On that last day heading home I rode from eastern Ohio to my home. One of my longest days spent on a bike. Sort of an iron butt ride. I wouldn't recommend doing it. As you can see, my face shows the wear and tear of the 10 day trip. Xavier