Friday June 3, 2005 8:30pm
Ick! Skyline was in the clouds and so was I for way too long. It is hard to ride in the rain/fog, let alone on Skyline drive! I am glad I went in, but it was exhausting to ride in the soup.
A shot off into the fog from a pullout.
Obilgatory Bike Pics
I decided to give up on the parkway for now and went south. I traveled down Rt309 for a while and as it cleared up I enjoyed the ride in the valley. It was about 6pm when I went by a camp ground in Waynesboro, VA… I pulled a U turn and $21.95 later I have a camp site. I set up and headed out to the grocery store. Charcoal and aluminum foil pouch diner. Yum! Tent is roomy and easy to set up. The kids next door seem to be settling down. The head band light really helps to type in a dark tent.
The Tent Site
I only made it a few hundred miles south today. The fog up on the Skyline drive was brutal and exhausting. At one point I came upon a BMW nearly stopped in the road, a very dangerous way to drive. I also nearly became a part of the rear of a tour bus. So while the visibility was poor, the roads were mostly clear.
I should admit to something, not that I want to, but eating crow must be done. I dumped the bike today. It was preventable and one of the stupid things we do that we wish we hadn’t, and that we didn’t have to admit to have done. I was taking a break at a pull-off. I made two huge mistakes, both of which were very preventable. I parked on a slight downhill and I didn’t have it in gear. I have been very good in the past about both of these things. The bike went down when I pushed on the rear to get a case closed, and the bike started rolling down the incline and off the stand. Next thing I know it was leaving paint on the tarmac… Boo Hiss… I tried to right it, but had to remove the baggage in order to get it vertical. The clutch lever took it hard, and I will need to get a new one… I haven’t called the dealer here in Orlando yet.
Evidence-Order The Touch Up Paint!
So I ended the day earlier than I would have liked, but the camp site is OK…. Except for the occasional TRAIN.. rumble… I ate dinner, drank a bit o scotch and relaxed. Actually by the time I had dinner and cleaned up a bit, it was dark-thirty and was time for some shut-eye. My mood ended that day as ones would, having eaten some rather un-tasty crow. But the day is past and the road goes on.
[ This message was edited by: JasonS on 2006-01-30 19:44 ]
