Rest Area Wisdom

June 28^th, 2004

Continuing my pursuit for eternal wisdom, I have tried to use each of my rides as a "learning experience." In between the constant scan for road hazards and soaking in the scenery, I've tried to make mental notes about the memorable aspects of the ride. These are my latest gems of wisdom.

Note #1: I like nice people. This is sort of the same thing as those bumper stickers that read "Mean People Suck". The difference is I'd rather talk about the nice people. I'm not talking about my close friends or people with whom I work. I'm talking about those strangers I meet during the day who are nice just because they decide to be. I met some nice people the other day on a ride up VA 5. I started my ride early and was making pretty good time. Once I got past Williamsburg, VA 5 turned into a nice country road with light traffic. As I was tooling along, I came up behind a group of about 10 riders. Not wanting to invade their territory, I kept a respectful distance behind them. At a stoplight, I pull up to about a bike's length behind the last rider. The rider and passenger noticed me and gave me a wave. When the light turned green, the group started up. Since most of the bikes ahead of me were Goldwings (6 out of 10) and I was headed for a HROT Grand Tour site (Shirley Plantation), I thought I'd be behind them for the rest of my trip. So, I settled into their pace. A little further down the road, I noticed that the rider ahead of me was passing along group signals (pot hole, caution left / right, slow down / etc.). He didn't have to do this and I certainly wasn't expecting it. He was just being nice. As we approached the turn off to Shirley Plantation, the group continued north on VA 5. I gave a quick horn toot and waved good-bye. I don't know who the group was or where they were from, but like I said, "I like nice people."

Note #2a: It's chilly in June. After my rain ride a month ago, I always check the weather channel before I leave on a ride. Sunday was no different. I was pleased to find out that there was no forecast for rain, and that there would be some clouds to block the summer sun. I put on my best (clean) Virginia Beach Bike Classic T-shirt and long sleeve denim shirt, and headed out the door. I decided to visit Valentines, VA (another HROT Grand Tour site). Scooting down I-64 to 58, I had a great ride. Looking cool on my purple bike, I was happy to be cruising at the upper limits of traffic flow. Heading into Suffolk, the cloudy skies turned to overcast skies. The sun was nowhere to be seen, but I was enjoying the ride and it wasn't raining. As I turned on VA 46 toward Lake Guston, it seemed like my handlebars were vibrating more than usual. When I stopped for gas (just north of Valentines), I realized it wasn't vibrations I'd been feeling, but I was shivering. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't winter cold or beer temperature cold, but it certainly felt like I was sitting in an air-conditioned movie theater wearing a tank top. The lessons: (1) check the weather for where you are going, not where you are at; (2) a rain jacket in the saddlebags is good insurance for rain or a wind chilled June day.

Note #2b: Be ready for the unexpected. Heading home I decided to travel along NC 158. It is a great road. For almost 45 minutes there wasn't another vehicle within ¼ mile of me. Along the way, I found surprise #1 - Garysburg, NC. It was nice to see that my home state recognized the importance of a strong name. Traveling up Highway 13 just north of "Justin's" on Military Highway surprise #2 found me - a small fawn (deer for you city slickers) jumped out of the trees and ran across the road in front of the SUV ahead of me. Like Bambi looking for his mother, the fawn never slowed down. The SUV came to a complete stop to keep from hitting the deer (and so they could get a better look). I applied both brakes and luckily my safety cushion had been large enough. I can't be too mad at the people in the SUV, if I'd pulled in front of it on Highway 13 instead of behind it, I would have been faced with the charging fawn and an SUV closing on my backside. Be ready for the unexpected.

Back to "Muse from the Rest Area"

Back to More from Gary