TRAVERSE 172
challenging , but being caught in the eye of the hurricane was worse .
The eastern seaboard is a long trek with a void of national parks after leaving Virginia , and very picturesque Shenandoah National Park , all the way to the north-easternmost park , Acadia National Park . Now that the hurricane had passed , and I was enjoying New England , I felt like I had gotten over the most challenging aspects and could now enjoy days of sunshine and the night skies . While approaching a newer national park to the system , Cuyahoga Falls , I ran into what started as a common rainstorm . It quickly developed into thunder and lightning , and I was stuck on a toll-road without an easy exit . I could see that it was time to get off the road and into shelter , but the lack of exits made this impossible . The rain increased and the thunder louder . The volume of rain that was coming down made riding extremely dangerous as the roads were flooding . I could see active lightning strikes hitting the ground close to the toll-road . In seeking a quick exit , I then heard the loudest thunder of all , and my right hand started to tingle , and this sensation moved up my right arm until it reached my shoulder and then moved through my entire body . What was happening to me ? I could feel something I never felt before and , looking at the electronics of the motorcycle , which were completely dead and inoperable , I now made the quick connection that I was hit by lightning ! Could that be true ? It was the first , and hopefully the last , of my lifetime !
With the motorcycle no longer functioning , I pulled over to the side of the road , got off , and sought shelter under a bridge . Not understanding the medical issues surrounding a lightning strike and after a trip to the emergency room to check my heart for any residual lightning-strike damage , I began to wonder if earning a World Record title was worth risking life and limb .
The long western push took me through so many fascinating national parks , some which I previously visited , and ones that were a new awakening to the vastness and diversity of the national park system . I had a wonderful surprise in Colorado where my childhood friends , Chris and Denise , met me along the side of the road with Burma-shave signs , treats , lunch , and lifetime friendship to be relived . Once again , in the prairies of Montana , I encountered thunder and lightning , but this time I attempted to practice my new found knowledge I extracted from a park ranger in the Rocky Mountain National Park as I put off my entry due to lightning in Colorado and being a bit on-edge . I pulled over to the side of the road and parked the bike , sought the lowest point in the dirt , and waited for the storm to pass .
TRAVERSE 172