Nova Scotia 2015: Day Two

You know I'm tired when I jump on the back of Paul's bike to find dinner...after half the day in the rain, and wrestling Bessie in an 8 mile back up in NB81...I was whipped. He likes it when I do that anyway😌.

The day started early with cool, damp weather. The goal was to ride north of Charlotte before stopping for breakfast. Once we got to Rock Hill, the traffic quadrupled...it was insane! 580 around Charlotte was somewhat better...interstate travel sucks.

Just as we got into Virginia - and just after the photo at the welcome center - it started to rain around 1130a. Did we have our rain gear on? No....I just like to ride around w a $300 rain suit in my saddlebag while getting wet. Pulled into our favorite place - Walmart - to don rain gear. It basically drizzled all day, just enough to sting your knuckles at 70mph, not the drenching rain that fills your boots!

Exited near Roanoke for lunch....tried a 'Red Robin' restaurant...gourmet burgers. Translation: overpriced burgers served by waitress w attitude. It was terrible, we wasted an hour AND $25. The rain picked up as we connected w 81N. About 20 miles south of Lexington traffic was backed up and had come to a full stop. Not good....we jockeyed the bikes in stop go traffic for about a half hour, with no relief in sight. Bessie decided to go 'off road,' I eased onto the break down lane ( w Paul following Bessie's lead)' and cautiously scooted toward the exit. I got to an 'on ramp' stacked w trucks who could go anywhere. One of the truckers stopped me, to tell me the back up was 8 miles long and it would be easier if we went down the on ramp and connected w the frontage road. I backed Bessie up, went the wrong way on the on ramp, cut over to frontage road and said 'yeehaw, we're finally on Virginia back roads!' We had to run 30 miles north on SR11 before we could see traffic moving again on 81. By now it's a steady drizzle and I'm frazzled, we decide to call it a day in Harrisonburg VA....at a Holiday Inn Express no less.

The desk clerk mention a Greek/Italian restaurant just a quarter mile down the road....the Mousaka was fabulous!

Best vanity plate I saw today? BATBLZER on a black Blazer ( duh) with Gotham City stenciled on the rear window.

Comments

I Knew Better

July 3, 2013 Typical Pennsylvania Road I always hate saying ‘Goodbye’ to my Dad. He won’t travel since Mom passed several years ago, which means I don’t see him except in the summer when I travel North - or every few years during the Holidays. I’ve learned many things from my Dad; some of the lessons came hard, some of the lessons were difficult, and unfortunately, most of the lessons were learned much later in life. Had I paid attention the first time, my journey would not have been as rough, and my ability to grasp the many opportunities presented to me would have been easier. As my Dad and I both age, we get a long better, and our relationship had deepened after my Mom passed...for this I am grateful. I left Indiana early this morning - taking 35S - the fields were shrouded in a chilly mist as the sun cast a pinkish glow to the East. I was filled with anticipation that I was going to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘Falling Water’ home south of Pittsburgh. Wh...

Summer Road Trip 2014_Final Thoughts

I awoke Friday morning exhausted; as if someone had put on boxing gloves and gently but consistently pummeled me from head to toe. I dreaded the long journey ahead of us. Since arriving in Indiana early Wednesday morning, it had been a whirlwind of responsibilities. Mine were minimal compared to what my brother and sister had already had to do to arrange the funeral, tie up loose ends, and cover all the bases that need covering when a parent dies. After the service and dinner at the church, I think we all felt a foreboding. Our Grandparents were gone, our Mom was gone, our Dad was gone…..who does the family gather around from this point forward? We were all at loose ends. The trip back to Florida would be another ‘get on the super slab and ride’ kinda trip….the worst. I-75 South is congested with traffic, and the Weather Gods were not going to be in our favor today. We gulped a cup of coffee, my brother gave me a hug and we TRIED to sli...

Plan? What Plan?

"Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have titles until much later." In the last few months I've been asked from several readers and followers, 'How do you plan your trips?' I also see the question asked numerous times (like over and over and over and over...) on the various biker-related groups on social media. Penny Tours I confess: I'm not much of a planner! I ride in the spirit of the intrepid Bessie Stringfield, a pioneer of the sport of motorcycling who in 1930 became the first black woman to ride solo across the U.S.. Bessie was notorious for her 'Penny Tours.' She would toss a penny in the air and wherever it landed on her map of the U.S.....that is the direction she would travel. And yes; I've done the Penny Tour many times. Just a few weeks ago in Indiana; I had a 'free' day between events and tossed the penny on the map of Indiana. It landed in the northern part of the state near the ...

Bessie and Me: Shifting Gears

Search This Blog