Getting out of the driveway

April 30  Saturday

Temperatures at 43 deg which makes it 33 on our bikes. Cold air when moving makes it feel about 10 deg colder. Not a good start to our trip but we get off as planned at 6am and with no rain, so why complain! Getting out of the driveway is going to happen.

The plan for today is simple. Get to Lorton Va by 2p for the auto train. By car its a 4 hr trip, by bike it turned out to be about 6 hrs. Being it was so cold we stopped 3 times to eat, thaw out and get gas. All things considered, we got here safe and that’s all that matters.

This isn’t a room, it’s a closet

The auto-train is interesting and being I never rode a train like this it is also pretty cool. They put our bikes on a pallet, tie them down then load them on an empty train car. Leave at 4p arrive in Fl at 9a next day. I booked a sleeper “roomette” which turns out to be a closet with two fold down beds. Quite a laughter since both of us sitting in the room face to face means our knees touch. Good news is the bottom part of the train where we are is empty so we have the whole car for ourselves which means we can stretch out in another room.

Annette, who is in charge of our car, is very helpful and informative and offers to set up our sleeping arrangements for at a time of our choice. The ride so far has been smooth with a few towns to look at as we pass thru. Dinner was nothing to talk about, kinda like plane food but slightly better.

People always seem intrigued by motorcyclists. First they tell you how dangerous they think it is and then they want to know all about the trips. Always curious why we take them. I have to say that one reason I do it is for the laughs. The strangest and funniest things always seem to happen on these rides. This trip will be the longest and furthest I have ever been on and should provide quite a few crazy events to say the least. Already the cold itself inspired some choice words and laughter to follow. But its the sense of freedom and simplicity that makes motorcycling so great. Traveling by car you never see and feel the world like you do on a bike. It sounds cliche but its true and you won’t get it until you ride your own bike. There’s such a feeling of accomplishment when you make it thru another day that is so taken for granted from behind the wheel. Your senses are constantly being challenged by so many things that go unnoticed on four wheels.

Waiting for the bikes!

Anyway, day one in the books! I still can’t believe I made it out of that damned driveway…..

Just one man’s opinion
The Regular Guy