Finish mileage 118,401
Starting mileage 117940
Total miles for day 460
Start time 7:30 am
Finish time 4:15 pm
Up at 5:00 am to start the day. Misty outside and still dark, cold and not great, but a lot better than I had originally expected.
Started the day in the usual way with coffee and newspaper. Then a shower and dressing. Followed with packing remaining items used this morning and required to go along.
Breakfast was my usual banquet of egg omelette and toast. Don't forget the pickles. Love stinky pickles. Tried to do my dishes but the wife said she would not allow me to do them since I had so much to do today. Bless her heart!
Bike packed, trailer packed, bike drifted down the drive to wait on trailer. Attached both and tested lights and turn signals. All working good. Ready to go with my rain pants and long johns on for the duration of today's ride.
Left Dillsburg at 7:30 am on a wet misting cool morning but still looking forward to a great days ride. Up 74 to I 81 and turning south heading for Kingsport, TN. for the nightly stop over.
Fortunately the ride thru PA was uneventful except for mist and rain. Leaving PA and entering Maryland it started to clear up. Still overcast but rain stopped, wet roads stopped and dryer roads were now the norm.
Today was a windy day with headwinds all the way. That meant the miles per gallon were not as good as they might have been for pulling a loaded trailer. After stopping for gas three times today the overall mileage was in the 32 mph range. Not near as good as I have logged on prior trips with a loaded trailer.
Entered West Virginia then Virginia to discover continued dry roads for a while. Then the clouds started to turn very dark. As I rode on I closed my Air Wings that guide fresh, cool air onto the rider or if needed blocks cold air from the same rider. Now I wanted some protection from the rain that I felt sure was about to start. I zipped up my coat and hunkered down in the seat behind my very high windshield. It started to rain, then it poured, then it turned to blinding rain and I had to pull over under a bridge. As a place of refuge this was drier but my goodness was it noisy and I was showered with tons of road water every time a semi went past. While there I thought about making lemonade from crushed fruits and decided to make lunch while waiting for the rain to stop. I got out my trusty cheese, Lebanon baloney with mayonnaise and mustard and made two nice sandwiches. Also a container of yogurt. While preparing the meal I had to keep all ingredients inside the cooler because the semi's I mentioned would blow the sandwich fix-ins around and blow them away. As I started to eat I remembered the last time Jeff and I stopped along a highway the state police made us move on since there was no stopping on the inter-state. I hurried up to finish and got back on the bike since the rain had stopped and before any state police stopped for me.
A few miles down the road the rain stopped and it was a very uneventful ride after that.
I did stop for coffee and walked out to the bike to enjoy my coffee when I noticed this guy coming right up to me and started talking about his bike. It was a 2005 Road King Hardley and he triked it. He had never done a long ride on this big bike yet. He is still working and will have time a little later when he retires. His wife however has back issues and is always in pain but she now wants to ride with him. He thought taking her on a 100 mile trip would find out if she can put up with the considerable bouncing around on the trike. I added I thought that was a good idea and hoped he would have success with this ride.
As I got closer and closer to Kingsport my fuel gauge kept getting closer to the big red "E" at the bottom. I kept riding to see how far I could get, remember the lower gas mileage for today. I am carrying an extra can of gas just in case, as I do on long trips, but finally decided with just eight miles to go that was close enough and stopped at a very convenient Shell gas station. All full of gasoline and ready to hit the motel.
Followed the Garmin instructions and pulled right up to the Colonial Inn.
Wow was I glad to get off the bike. Checked in and drove around to my room.
As the parking spaces were ones to pull into head first I thought I might go around and try again. You see I have never been very good at backing my bike with the trailer so I thought I would back into the space so I could just pull out in the morning. Good thinking on my part. I wish I would have thought to have someone film this effort. After about 5 or 8 tries I did pretty well. One small issue was that I placed the rig in the spot for the next room not mine. I thought, to heck with that and said it was staying there.
Unloading the bike and getting out of my very hot clothes was wonderful. I tucked in the bike for the night with a tarp over the cloth seats proceeded to dress for dinner.
The place next door was Mexican and the Inn Keeper told me it was rated the best Mexican in town. I tried it and ordered the shrimp tacos. I had never tried them before. They were excellent, the Mexican beer was delicious and cold.
I walked two blocks to Ingles, grocery and pharmacy, for some take out cans of cold beer. Miller High Life when cold is great and cheap too!
Walked back to motel and got comfortable. What a first day and Wow looking for more tomorrow. I will have to research the ride to the other side of Tennessee where I am staying tomorrow evening. Hope it isn't raining again.
TTFN
No comments:
Post a Comment