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Published: October 26th 2009
Early Morning
We meet at the Huddle House on I-20 exit 11The alarm clock went off at 4:45 a.m. This usually would not be a problem but I am currently on night shift at the PD and this is the time of morning that my body is getting ready for bed, not getting up. On top of that, this is the first out of state trip I have made on the bike since my accident and I was a little nervous; causing me to not sleep very well.
I was scheduled to meet my friend Andy in Graniteville, SC at 7 a.m., which meant that I had to be on my way by 5:30. When I went outside to get on the bike everything was wet. It had been raining a good part of the night and I was glad that the rain had stopped. The weather was warmer than I had thought but still a not so warm 54 degrees.
I left five minutes early and headed west on Hwy. 378 to I-77 south. I-77 dead ends at I-26; which I took towards Spartanburg. The traffic was light and I was making really good time even though I was riding more careful than normal because of the roads
being so wet. At US-1 I took a short cut over to I-20 and road that to exit 11 where I was scheduled to meet Andy. About five miles short of my exit the Shadow started to sputter and I had to pull in the clutch and coast to the emergency lane of the highway. I tried to start the bike and it would run for a few seconds and then cut off. I checked the gas tank and it was empty. Five miles was a long walk and I was not happy. Then I thought to check the aux. fuel tank. It was full of gas but the tank was turned off. A quick turn of the valve and the gas was flowing. I hit the starter and away I went. A short time later I pulled into Kent’s Truck stop and filled up with gas. Huddle House was next door and Andy’s BMW was parked outside. We had coffee and since I was early we had a few minutes to talk.
As soon as we left the Huddle House the rains started to come down. This gave me a chance to try out my new Frogg Togg
The MTF Riders
About 15 of us showed up. rain gear. Both Andy and I put on our rain gear and headed out. Andy had some three fingered glove covers that were really cool. We followed I-20 into Georgia and got off on US-441 which was a lot of country two lane and a really beautiful ride. As soon as the sun came up the air got cooler, this must be because of the rain. After about an hour of riding, the rain stopped and when we got to St. James United Methodist Church in Athens our rain gear was dry. The Frogg Toggs performed as I had expected. However, I did find out several things from this adventure in the rain. Number 1 - no matter how great and thick your socks are, they will not keep your feet warm when they are wet. Number 2- I need some of those three fingered glove covers because wet gloves will not keep your hands warm. The rest of my outfit was dry. Note to self - get some boot and glove rain covers!
The church was hosting a Pancake fund raiser and we meet about 13 other riders from the Motorcycle Tours forum there. We spent about two
hours visiting with friends and kicking tires. During the breakfast it was determined that I had traveled the furthest distance (191 miles one way). Most the riders that made the trip were on BMW’s and I am happy to say that not one of them had a FINAL DRIVE issue (inside joke for all those LD Riders out there).
The ride home was much nicer. The air had warmed up and the skies were crystal blue for the ride home. Crystal blue means NO RAIN!! I enjoyed riding the Georgia two lane country roads on the way home.
Just outside of Lexington, GA I saw a really neat Halloween display. Some farmer had taken an old truck and some hay bales to make a cool black spider/witch display. I had to stop for a closer look. Then as we passed through Washington, GA I saw a two or three story man in blue pants. Not sure what the tall dude was doing but I had to stop and investigate. I could not figure what this big dude was trying to sell, I mean he was no Shoney’s Big Boy and the store he was in front of was
vacant. I will have to say Washington was one of the most beautiful small southern towns I have ridden through.
Back on I-20 we headed home. We stopped at the same Huddle House and had lunch before we parted. Andy was nice enough to pay for lunch, thanks!
I rode the last hour and half home by myself without incident. What a great trip! I got to spend the day with friends and riding my bike. Now it is time to plan my next trip. Oh where to go?
Total miles = 382.4
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Cindy Dietz
non-member comment
Awesome ride report yet again.
The three finger gloves are great. I have a pair of RainOff over gloves and they are great for wet and cold weather. Wet socks are a bummer!