Dec
03
Oops, I did it again! The title of a current hit by
a young blond pop star of our time. Only this time it applies
to me and my motorcycle life.
The Bandit
was sold and it was mid November. I wanted to get another Goldwing
as soon as possible but it was very much winter in most of the country. Tie
that to the fact that money is always an issue, I was a bit picky
on the color, the features I wanted, how much accessories and possible
pinstriping the previous owner had installed and the mileage
on the bike. I decided I would do some shopping but unless I
found a super good deal that just couldn’t be passed up I would wait
till Spring.
After spending a couple weeks
looking every day at all the online classified ads and being frustrated
at the ridiculously high prices people wanted for their bikes I was
getting comfortable with the idea it was going to be awhile.
While perusing the bike ads one day that seemed no different than
any other day I finally came across a bike that sounded like it just
might meet my needs and demands. I read and reread the ad. I checked the price against the NADA book and loan value. I
emailed Sam and asked him several more questions about the bike and
where it was located. His answers were all the right ones. The bike, however, was currently living in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. A quick check online of Mapquest told me that it was a little over
1100 miles from Tulsa. I emailed again with a couple more questions
including what his phone number was. I called him on a Tuesday
evening and talked more about the bike and how I might come see it.
Working for an airline is very helpful
for such long range searches but even still we don’t fly into every
American city. Such was the case here. The closest airport
I could fly into would be Raleigh, NC. Elizabethtown was 100
miles due south of Raleigh. We talked about him getting the
bike to the airport for me so I could check it out. If it was
good I give him a check and leave from there. If its not what
I wanted I hop back on a plane and fly home. Simple. Unfortunately
poor Sam had a broken hand and his right wrist and hand were in a
cast. He checked around to see if one of his buddies could either
ride it up to Raleigh for him or maybe they could trailer it up. Nothing could be worked out. That meant only one thing. I had to rent a car and drive the 100 miles to his house to check
out the bike. This was getting complicated. Now if I wanted
the bike I would have a rent-a-car to deal with. After my wife
performed a bit of internet research for me it was learned that I
could drop the car in Fayetteville, NC only thirty miles from Elizabethtown.
The next issue would be the weather. December
means winter. Again using one of our most modern and useful
resources, the trusty ole computer, I logged on to “The Weather Channel”
and checked the weather all along the route home. This whole
thing was looking more and more like it was meant to be and was going
to happen. The nights would be in the high 20’s and low 30’s
but the days were going to be in the low to mid 50’s depending on
where I was along the way. I already had a thriving cold and
cold riding conditions wouldn’t do me any good.
(Dec 6, 03) After a few more calls and arrangements at the credit
union and some light packing, Saturday morning arrived, the day I
wanted to fly out to see this Goldwing. Sitting at the airport
waiting to board I visited with some friends from work. This
couple was flying somewhere, I don’t know where, to look at a horse
to buy. Man is that crazy or what? Then after boarding
and sitting there for a bit another couple from my ward came aboard
and sat behind me. They were headed to Florida to look at a
car and possibly drive it back. Boy I can’t believe that all
these people shamefully take advantage of a day off work and an airplane
ride to go look at such frivolous material things to buy.
I landed at Raleigh/Durham airport at noon and quickly found the rent-a-car
center and was on my way south to Elizabethtown. Its true what
they say. North Carolina is beautiful. All the trees,
deciduous and pine trees covered the country side.
It was about 2:00 o’clock when I arrived at the home of the people
that were taking care of my new Goldwing. Boy were they ever
from North Carolina. They were very friendly and did they ever
have a strong southern accent. Well I checked the bike
over good and took it for a spin. It was in excellent shape. The finish on it was almost perfect. It has some pinstriping
on it which I have never liked on any other bike but it was so minimal
and simple that I actually liked it. The bike is teal with some
very moderate chrome trim pieces. I decided that this bike would
suit my needs and desires.
While Sam followed
me to Fayetteville, 30 miles away to drop off the rent-a-car in his
car his wife took the title over to a friends house to be notarized. We got the car dropped off and after returning and getting my clothes
changed and the bike packed the sun was just setting in the western
sky and it was cooling off. I had hoped to make it to Augusta,
Georgia that first night but I knew that would be difficult now.
I got on I-95 and began my trek home heading southwest
for about 55 miles till I crossed over into South Carolina and met
I-20 turning due west toward Columbia, SC. It didn’t take too
long to get cold after it got dark effectively ending my first day,
after riding 165 miles to Columbia, I put in for the night at 8:00
p.m. I was already cold and hungry. It had been a long
day getting up at 4:00 a.m. to catch my flight. I knew the next
day would be long also. I gave some thought to riding all the
way home the next day but I knew that would be difficult with the
short days and probably 1000 miles to home.
I
had some KFC before checking in to what looked like a quaint little
hotel. The longer I spent in that disgusting room the smellier
it got and the more sick of the whole place I became
At
3:00 a.m. I woke up all stopped up, dry mouth, stinky room. I
sat on the edge of the bed for a bit feeling sorry for my hopeless
self wishing I could just go ahead and hit the road but it was just
too cold for that. I finally managed to get back to sleep but
I awoke again at 5:00 o’clock and that was close enough.
I
packed, dressed warm and hit the road. I was cold. I rode
about 50 miles before I just had to stop. I hit a Waffle House
for breakfast and the chance to warm up a bit. After getting
my tummy full and my toes warm I was back on the superslab again. This
time I only made it about 45 miles till I was looking for another
warm holdup. I made my way to a small gas station in a little
town where I stood around inside for awhile until I didn’t feel welcome
anymore by the crusty old lady behind the counter. I went back
out to the bike to add another pair of socks to my ensemble to protect
my toes. By now the sun was coming out and I was warming
up nicely while standing around by the bike at the edge of the woods
near some picnic tables. After about a 15 minute warm up break
I hit the road again. It was cold at first but as the sun began
its work it got warmer and warmer and it was finally time to
stay in the saddle with cruise control locked on 75 mph for the rest
of the day.
I passed on through Augusta,
Georgia and shortly put Atlanta in my rearview mirror. A couple
gas stops later and I was filling up in Alabama. The riding
was now quite nice, the country side beautiful as even the freeway
wound through the trees over and around hills. There was about
a 100 foot swath of trees between the east and west bound freeway
lanes so it was always scenic riding. I passed through Birmingham
where I made a slight direction change getting on highway 78 that
would take me northwest and through a portion of Mississippi
and eventually up to Memphis, Tennessee.
Traveling
from state to state and city to city, sitting in that saddle hour
after hour one needs some sort of entertainment. As I crossed
each state line or neared cities my mind would sing the songs of those
city or state names that had made their way into popular songs. Sometimes my lips became involved in rehearsing those lines too.
I arrived at Memphis just as darkness had covered
the land again even though it was only 5:00 o’clock. I was still
probably 400 miles from home so the chances of getting home that day
were pretty remote. As my mind repeated directions to myself
in an Elvis voice I found my junction and hopped I-40, traversed a
huge bridge spanning the mighty Mississippi River and slipped over
into Arkansas. Home was only one state away.
I
had actually thought before hand about the fact that I-40 was a major
artery for traffic and trucks crossing this great land of ours known
as the USA. My thoughts proved more right than I would have
liked as it seemed every truck in the south was on that road. I
had to really watch them and myself as I rolled past truck after truck
while they dove in and out of lanes passing each other trying to keep
their speed up and I’m playing the virtual reality game of Frogger.
I was tired and the cold was beginning to take its toll on me. At 8:00 p.m. and 763 miles on my tires that day I put in at Little
Rock, Arkansas for the night. This time I told myself that I
was going to inspect the room as soon as I walked in and if it didn’t
meet my expectations I was going to check right back out. The
room turned out to be clean and nice.
I called
work and told them I would have to come to work on the afternoon shift
the next day instead of my scheduled morning shift. Luckily
my bosses are bikers so they were quite obliging to my needs.
The next day would be a relatively short day in the saddle. I was up early again with wheels rolling at 75 mph by 6:00 a.m. In a couple short hours I was singing OKLAHOMA while passing the “Welcome
to” sign. The sun was warming up nicely and after another hour
I was turning north on my final leg toward home on the Muskogee turnpike. Ah yes, the turnpike, I was home. The first distance sign
I saw for Tulsa I checked my watch, figured in a gas stop and probably
two toll booths and determined I would be home at 10:10 a.m. After another hour and 20 minutes I pulled up to my Goldwing’s new
home at 10:09 a.m. after covering another 277 miles on this last day. I need practice with my travel time estimations. I was a minute
off.
The bike ran virtually flawless
over the last 1205 miles. It is really really pretty and with
only a few minor personalizing touches she will be the best and prettiest
motorcycle in the heartland. And here she is......
