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July 9^th, 2008
The Adventure Begins

muse@bikerenews.com

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There I was, bag packed, tank full, and three days to complete the Honda Riders of Tidewater (HRoT) 2007 Virginia Grand Tour. My hope was to complete all 15 stops in three days (Friday - Sunday). Fortunately for me, most of the stops were laid out along the Virginia Triangle. You know, Virginia Beach, to Leesburg, to Bristol, and back to Virginia Beach. With only three days, I knew I’d have to hustle to make the stops.

With a 7:00 AM start, I decided to head north first. I put a little safety margin in my plans by deciding to skip the stops at Yorktown and Studley (northeast of Richmond). I figured that if I had enough time on Sunday, I’d detour up to Richmond and catch them as the final stops. If I didn’t have enough time, I could easily pick them up on a day ride.

The first stop I made was at Guinea (between I-95 and Fort A.P. Hill). It was good to get off of I-95 and onto the secondary roads. I made good time and the weather was cooperating. I headed north until I came to US-17 and took it west to the next stop.

The second stop was at Summerduck (a few miles off of US-17 about ½ between Fredericksburg and Warrenton). Everything was going great until about a mile before I reached the stop. I started to notice that the rear of my bike was starting to sway a little. At first, I thought that since it had been so long since I had made a trip with a packed bike, the weight was affecting the handling. Unfortunately, I was wrong. As I pulled up to Smith’s Antiques (the second stop) reality hit me. I had a flat rear tire. I knew my trip had just been cut short.

It was 11:30 and I knew things were going to go down hill from there. I walked into Smith’s Antiques and asked if there was a gas station with an air compressor near by. The owner told me she had one in her woodworking shop and I was welcome to use it. Well, as we pumped up the tire, we could hear the air escaping. I asked the owner if she knew of a Honda Motorcycle Shop near by. She told me she had recently bought an ATV from the Honda dealer in Warrenton, and looked up the number for me.

The Honda dealer did not have a tire to fit my bike in stock, and told me they couldn’t get one until Monday. I decided it was time to use my Honda Riders of America membership to rescue me. I gave them a call and they set up a tow truck to take me back to Fredericksburg Motor Sports (FMS), who said they had the tire in stock and could change it as soon as the bike arrived.

Honda told me that the tow truck would be there in about 45 minutes. It took about 90 minutes. The driver told me that the dispatcher had failed to mention that he was picking up a motorcycle, but when he was about half-way to me, he realized from the destination that the vehicle only had two wheels. He had to turn around and pick up his motorcycle chock. I was glad he did, because I would have been really frustrated if he had shown up and then had to leave me there.

After the bike was loaded, I said good-bye to the folks at Smith’s and thanked them for their kindness to an old biker in distress. If you’re in the market for some antiques, check out their website (www.smithsantiques.net). If you decide to visit, tell them you were referred by a grey-headed biker with a flat tire.

At 1:00 PM, the truck headed south for FMS. I was already calculating the travel and repair time. In my head, I knew I’d be trying to cross Fredericksburg during rush hour (something I’ve done before and didn’t want to repeat).

When we arrived, the Service Rep remembered the call from Honda Riders of America. He quickly filled out the paper work and rode the bike around to the service area. I decided to make a trip around the showroom floor. While most of the space was devoted to dirt bikes, ATVs, and Yamahas, I did spot an ST 1300 that I visited (and sat on) a few times.

Since I was worried about my time schedule and rush hour traffic, time seemed to drag on a little too long. In reality, the folks at FMS got me in and got me out in less than two hours. In my book, two hours for emergency voyage repairs is pretty good. With all the papers signed and bills paid, I got on the bike - it was 3:30 PM. Check out FMS at www.fmscycles.com.

I ran into a little early rush hour traffic, but pretty soon I was back on US-17 heading for US-15. The next stop was at White’s Ferry north of Leesburg. For those with a taste for trivia, this ferry is the only one that operates on the Potomac River. The interesting part is that it is a cable ferry.

As I was going through Leesburg, two things happened. First, the sky started to get dark and moisture started to fall. It wasn’t a hard rain, just enough to soak my jeans from the knees down. I was reminded that if you ride long enough you are going to get caught in the rain. However, I have come to believe that rain suits are a little like washing my bike. When I put on rain gear, the rain stops and I get wet from my own sweat. Therefore, rain suits should be reserved for rain that is getting you wet behind the windshield.

The second thing to happen was a fellow biker with a custom HD pulled up beside me. We had a quick stop light conversation. As he pulled away, I noticed his T-Shirt. He was wearing a HD Malaga T-Shirt. When I caught up with him, I told him I liked his shirt and asked him where he had gotten it. He told me that he had gotten it in Malaga. I quickly showed him the crossed U.S. and Spanish flag painted on my helmet (my wife’s from Spain). As the light changed, he gave me a big smile and a thumbs-up. Before we reached the next stop light, I had to turn to get to White’s Ferry. Ain’t it funny how an unexpected event can bring back a memory.

After getting my answer and photo at White’s Ferry, I had a decision to make to head south back into dark clouds and ride through downtown Leesburg, or to head north to Maryland. Simple, I headed north.

I took US-15 up to where it intersected with US-340. I rode through Harper’s Ferry (of John Brown fame), and took it back into Virginia until it intersected with I-66. I wanted to get at least one more stop in before calling it a day.

The next stop was off of I-81 south of Strasburg at a place called Mount Olive. After finding out what the name to the local General Store (Baker’s), I decided to ride to Luray (on US-211) so I would be able to get the next stop out of the way first thing in the morning. I got something to eat and pulled into the motel at 8:30 PM, 13.5 hours after I had started.

So, what did I learn? First, stuff happens. You can accept it when it happens or decide to never go anywhere. Second, motor clubs are worth the price of membership. Third, people are interesting, but friendly people are a treat to meet. Fourth, I was happy to back on the open road. Me riding the bike, and John Lee Hooker singing "boggie chillum."

I’ll finish up the story in the next article. Until then, remember that it doesn’t take a lot to get a smile from a stranger. Ride safe.

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