Skip to main content

SummerRoadTrip_2013_DayOne


June 21, 2013

Summer Road Trip - Day One

I went through endless mental masturbation trying to leave for this jaunt; lots of reasons ‘why,’ none of which I have any control over. Doesn’t matter if I’m sitting in Winter Haven or cruising on Bessie2 - I still don’t have any control over circumstances - it’s not inside my hula hoop.

The weather Gods were with me today; looks like hell in many other parts of the country, but they smiled on Bessie2 and I today. Left Winter Haven at oh-dark-thirty, just as the sun was coming up. I don’t have to tell you about my trip across I-4 ....if you read my blog on a regular basis (which virtually no one does), you know I loathe I-4. After clearing the endless construction, I connected with 95 only to be immersed in ‘pea soup-like’ fog. Just north of St. Augustine it finally cleared up and it was smooth sailing until we hit rain south of Savannah.  I stopped in time to cover the pack and reluctantly pull my gators and slicker from the bags. I hate rain gear; rain gear is for pussies. I would rather just stop; of course if its the kinda rain that stays, ya gotta ride.

It was a fairly uneventful day; I stayed on interstate until Statesboro Georgia (Home of Statesboro Blues!), then went north on 25 - thank you God for two lane state highways! The yummy, refreshing smell of Georgia pine and hardly any traffic at all.  Cruised around the west side of Augusta and landed exactly where I needed to be - on 28 - which is the Savannah River Scenic Byway.  

Tired, just very tired.  
Thank you God for Safe Travel today.



“In a car you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. 

On a cycle the frame is gone. You're completely in contact with it all. You're in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.” 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

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 slip out quietly…

#Scattered: The Hike

Setting the scene: Della, Tish, and Ann have left Chicago on their bikes on a journey west to scatter their friend Bree’s ashes in Sedona. A trip along Route 66 from its origin in Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier in L.A. on their motorcycles was the foursomes’ dream. When Bree was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer her dying wish was for her three friends to make the trip in her memory with a stop in Sedona to scatter her ashes among the mystical red rocks. This scene picks up on the three women – Della - who carries Brees’ ashes in her tour pack, Tish and Ann – approximately 300 miles west of Chicago on their first day out. ~ Della thought a little commune with nature would do everyone good. At the previous rest stop (Jesus… how many times would Ann signal she needed to pee?) Della suggested a little side trip to St. Genevieve outside of St. Louis to enjoy a short hike and a stretch.  Ann: Oh! how fun!  Tish: (after a major eye roll in Ann’s direction) Sounds Great! Della tapped the co