3 days deep and 900 miles wide

Wednesday morning it was time to get this show on the roads. Detroit to Beckley WV.  I'm an unbiased third party, but WV roads are much nicer than Southeast Michigan roads.  My good buddy and brother from another mother Brian Sandon dropped me some Diamond Club points and put me up at a Hampton.  Brian rocks, but more about that later.

While there will be a lot to learn about myself on this journey, I've managed to tune out the little voice in my head and pick up a glimpse or two of things I wasn't aware of about myself.  I now know when selecting waterproof pants, extra padding in the ass isn't unflattering, it's fantastic!  Now I also know that my skills on a bike aren't bad, but will improve.  Cruising along at a steady 70 mph on the highway, no respect is given.  Let's not forget that a bike has none of the comforts of a vehicle with 4 wheels.  Pass me if you must, just know that maybe I've been riding for 7 hours, dodging rain (sorta) and a tore up shoulder is throbbing.  To that I've learned I don't care.  I'll ride my ride, I won't ride yours. The machine I ride was born to roll, it does not want to sit still.  A motorcycle will fall over if it sits still (without side stand down).  Rolling it's like a gyroscope, and just wants to stay up.  Trust is growing between the bike and I in the curves and the straights.  People cross the country on bikes all the time, many of them on German built bikes. 

The Human GPS known as Brian Sandon met me in Galax VA.  Exit 8 was the plan, off of 77.  Well, I'm not sticking to the well traveled path if I can help it, and my GPS doesn't have a mile marker option.  So I set off on M52 as suggested by a gas station attendant.  When in the middle of nowhere, why not go for it?  Cue Deliverance Banjo's here. So after a very successful run on 52, it took me right into Galax.  So who needs to know where exit 8 is actually located?  Turns out, I did.  Galax wasn't at exit 8, but exit 8 wasn't really a town...So after an hour, Brian and I connected and off to the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was about 2 miles from the gas station where we filled up (to the brim I might add).  Never has there been on a more amazing stretch of asphalt to my eyes!  Brian and I put about 325 miles in that day - About 125 meeting (umm at Exit 8), and 200 on the Blue Ridge.  To explain it....No traffic, except the occasional motorcycle, possibly a Subaru or camper.  If you see a house or crossroad, it's about every 10-15 miles.  One mom and grandma knickknack store, that sold no gas.  Happy I topped the bike off 100 miles earlier. 

Brian Sandon - Can cut the curves with the best of them. Apparently he thinks I'm good luck, as he  noted he forgot his rain gear, and he always gets caught in the mountain rain.  Not this time.  I asked for no rain and believed it....No rain.

We've arrived in Tega Cay SC Friday, where I'll be hanging for a few days, but I have to give you a quick Brian Sandon (the Human GPS) story to provide those that don't know him, a quick peek into his mind.  Sandon burnt a few more of those Diamond Hampton points, and we rolled in about 7:30pm hungry.   We parked the bikes beneath the Hampton canopy, bag drop/check in if you will.  By no means were they obstructing guests or vehicles (including, if necessary, a fire truck and or paramedics).  I mentioned that our bikes added a bit more class to the entrance.  So we hit the room, dump our gear and catch a cab to a vibrant Ashville NC downtown scene.  During dinner, Brian's phone rings with an Ashville area code.  Brian heads to a quiet area to listen to the v-mail, and find it's the hotel.  Brian calls them back, and catches the manager, who tell him 'we need to move our bikes'.  Brian in the blink of an eye returns the 'order' with "would you like me to put them in the lobby?" to the stunned hotel employee.  A few more volleys progress with Brian finally trumping with "write me a ticket and I'll pay it."  I should also mention it was now pouring rain, and our bikes current location kept them dry.  Needless to say we didn't move them, and no ticket was written.

The world could use a few more Brian Sandon's.

I have a shower and a shave in and now I'm looking at my next routes and following the weather like a beagle on the tail of a rabbit.  

Here's a few pics from road...Notice Brian's bike as well as mine at the Hampton..Plenty of room.

Brian and I on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Bikes at the Hampton...Plenty of room

Cheers to the road.