Day Seven: Colby, Kan., to St. Joseph, Mo.

Miles covered: 415 miles

You want to know what it feels like to ride a motorcycle through western Kansas? Go run a marathon against a stiff wind while wearing a leather jacket on a hot, humid day.

It was a grueling trip home. Me, my wife Chris and the Villhauers, Denny and Melissa, were ending our week-long motorcycle trip through New Mexico and Colorado.

Western Kansas is often described, unfairly I think, as being a flat, featureless territory. I actually like the range land and irrigated fields. But what I hate, what just grinds me into the dust, is the wind. No matter which direction you’re riding, it’s relentless.

Outside of Salina, Kan., we saw a huge wind farm with dozens of huge, white windmills. With the steady gale blowing our bikes all over the highway, all the propellers were churning.

But we rode hard, stopped for gas in Hays, Salina and Topeka and rolled into St. Joseph by late afternoon.

All in all, it was a great trip. According to Denny’s odometer, we covered more than 2,100 miles, rode through parts of five states and saw four mountain ranges. We rode in elevations over 12,000 feet and scooted along the flat prairies of Kansas and Oklahoma. We ate plenty of good food, drank lots of cold beer and slept in some soft -- and not-so-soft -- beds.

Seeing new places and talking to interesting people may be some of the best parts of a vacation. But after being gone a week, nothing compares to being at home.

Thanks for following us on our vacation.