I can’t sleep anymore.
It’s 4am and I am anxious to get on the bike. I try to go back to sleep and to some extent I guess I did because next time I look at the clock its 530am. I get up, get dressed and quietly head downstairs to begin my next day.
I set the coffee pot for the largest setting, use the strongest grounds I can find in my buddies collection of coffees and head to the garage to prep the bike.
Yesterday’s rain left the motorcycle looking pretty shitty, so I break out the clean rags and some bike cleaner I packed and go to work. An hour later, she’s looking fine, packed up and ready to go.
Today I am heading to West Virginia to visit some friends. The weather looks good and being that it will be in the low 70’s most of the day, I put on some layers to keep me toasty. The ride is roughly 280 miles which in a car is about 5 hours. For me, I am planning on at least 7 hours in the saddle, which will probably destroy me.
Today’s aromas are as follows; hay, freshly fried funnel cakes, burning wood, corn and horse manure. Yes, all experienced from the seat of my motorcycle while traversing 4 states. The Amish are responsible for pretty much all of those as I experienced them during my ride through and around Lancaster Pa. This is one of my top 5 reasons I love motorcycling. You just can’t experience aromas whether good or bad, from a car like you can from a bike. You’re out there in the middle of it all. No air conditioner to cleanse the air inside the vehicle. The best was the funnel cakes. Wow!
I get 5 hours into my trip and I’m feeling pretty good so I decided to ride through the next 3 hours the GPS says I have left. Big mistake. After an hour or so of riding behind a tractor trailer on a one lane road with no passing lines, I start feeling tired and sore. Now it’s too late since I have already committed to making this one-day ride. Another lesson learned.
I’m going to rethink my routes from this point on and plan to ride no more than 5 hours a day unless I get a significant break in between. I guess my age has caught up to my ability to ride excessively.
My high points today; Beautiful weather. Terrific mountain vistas. A wind farm set atop a mountain where the more I climbed the bigger the windmills became. Great curvy roads with twists and switchbacks. The aromas!!
The low lights; way too long a ride. Getting stuck three separate times behind semis on a one lane road (probably added an hour to my day). Wind noise inside my helmet. Soreness EVERYWHERE.
All things considered, I’ll always remember this day because of the good and the bad. Ride on!
Just one mans opinion..
Quite the adventure.