Ride Day 1: Home to Savannah, GA – 265 Miles
I left the house just after 7:00 AM – I had a lunch date at 11:00 in Savannah with Christy. Christy had been attending SCAD for a week and let me know that she could have lunch with me on Friday. That was all I needed to know. Originally I had planned on arriving mid afternoon, but with lunch with Christy on the line, I was off.
The ride was pretty straight forward until I tried to get gas south of Columbia. My credit card gave me 1.5 gallons of gas and then shut off. I tried again with the same result. Now I had a very narrow window to make the ride on time and having problems with the pump was not in the plan. I calculated that with 3 gallons of gas and reserve I had about 150 mile range. I was back on the bike and cruising to Savannah.
I made it to the turn off from I-95 before the gas light came on. A quick fill up and I had 15 minutes and 18 miles to go. No problem until, just as I was leaving the gas station a police car pulled out in front of me and did the speed limit all the way to the South Carolina/Georgia boarder. The speed limit and I had a lunch date…
I arrived just as Christy was coming out of the dorm. We had a quick walk to lunch (she had picked the place) and then another quick walk to desert (large ice cream) and then back to the dorm as Christy wanted a nap before her afternoon class. I decided to get adventurous and ride down River Street. River Street is all cobble stones and made the bike slip and slide all over the place. Crazy but I soon found myself at our hotel. As I could not check in I dropped my stuff and went and had a beer and cigar at the local British Pub.
All in all a great day.
Ride Day 2: Savannah, GA to Williamsburg, VA – 478 Miles
The first 10 miles are always the hardest. I left Savannah around 10:00 AM with 1 ½ days to get to Washington, DC. 577 miles and mostly highway so I was relaxed. Should be easy going.
It was until I hit rain. I did not know it at the time but I was on the fringe of Tropical Storm Cristobel. The cars had slowed down to a crawl and it was the hardest rain I have ever ridden in. I was concerned about my tires as 11,000 on a set is a lot and I had already decided this was the last trip on this set. After about 30 miles I realized the tires were sticking like glue and my confidence grew. I cannot explain why I found myself laughing in my helmet as I was doing 40 mph, being pelted with rain and trying to be as “BIG” as possible so the cars would see me. Maybe it is the feeling of accomplishment or realizing that all those miles have taught you something or maybe fear…I don’t know. I can share I was having a great time.
Once I hit the VA boarder the GPS was telling me if I took a 60 mile detour I could spend the night with a great friend. A quick call to make sure he was home and I was off. It was not long before I had a Scotch in my hand and a streak on the BBQ.
Ride Day 3: Williamsburg, VA to Washington, DC – 153 Miles
With the punishing ride on Day 2 I was glad I only had 153 miles to Washington. The traffic got heavy around DC but I checked in at 12:00 and had time for a shower before my first meeting. The bike was under cover and would remain that way for a few days.
Ride Day 4: Washington, DC to Big Meadows Campground, Skyline Drive, VA - 85 Miles
I left the hotel around 3 and headed west. As I mentioned before the first 10 miles is the hardest and I had to force myself not to just jump on I-95 and head south. I rode the 40 miles on the highway and then had a very pleasant ride through rural VA and up into the Shenandoah Valley. My plan was to camp at the Big Meadows Campground on the Skyline Drive.
I arrived at the camp site and talked to the ranger about a camp site. The Ranger recommended I checkout D142 and come back to pay. It looked good, but little did I know.
I was in the middle of pitching my tent when I had a visitor. A deer walked right into the site and started eating. At first I was a little apprehensive. Then the babies should up. What was this? An all you can eat buffet for deer? The two bucks showed up…this was getting a little crowed. I sat at the table – Queen Mom in hand – and just watched as this group munched their way around my camp site. After they left I had a quick dinner before diving into the tent as the thunder storms arrived.
Ride Day 5: Skyline Drive, VA to home – 419 Miles
Climbing out of my tent I was greeted by a deer lying in the woods not 10 feet away. Eating again but my this time I was used to them. She did her thing, I did mine. As the tent came down, the coffee brewed and the bacon cooked we just watched each other. For the record I did not share my bacon.
I left the camp site at 8:00 in a slight drizzle. I soon found myself the only person on the Skyline Drive. Puttering along at 45 mph for an hour I still had not seen anyone. OK, this was too much of a temptation. Soon I was swing the Wing from one corner to the next, grinning and signing to the radio. I rode for another hour before I saw a car. If a trooper had come along I am sure he would not have seen the humor in my ride but sometimes you just have to break a rule or two. We will leave the speed question to everyone’s imagination.
I rode till 12:00. Then, after a quick stop for a cup of coffee, I realized it was time to head home. I hit the ‘Go Home’ button and with 275 miles to go, dropped off the mountain and headed south.
A great trip.
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