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I ended up having to drive to Norfolk (Va Beach area) for work the past two days. Thursday I drove the truck because I had to pick up some equipment. So I decided to drive the bike today. I planned to get up really early, so I wouldn't have to fight traffic (for those in the area I-64 East can be a nightmare) and not to mention the traffic in the tunnels (Hampton Roads Brrdge-Tunnel) which during rush hour can become a parking lot.
So I wake up this morning to the alarm clock, turn it off, and proceed to roll over and go back to sleep......nice. Woke up almost an hour behind schedule, which meant I didn't have the luxury of taking my time, as I had to be there by 8:30.
So I load up, hop on the bike and go.
Did I mention it was still dark? And a bit chilly. Good thing I put on some overpants to break the wind and my Underarmour Hood. I take off from the house and look down to realize I need gas.......lovely. Since I have about 100 miles ahead of me I HAD to stop.
I pull in, gas up, pull to the front of the store, buy a small coffee, drop a few ice cubes in it and chug it down. Got some crazy looks from several people, but I needed that bad....
I hit the road.......took a local bypass to make it quicker to hit I-64 and wouldn't you know it, I have to dig around in the tank bag to find change to pay the toll.....the wife must have raided my wallet.
Still dark, although I'm starting to head almost due East, and I can see the sun coming up, and just the THOUGHT of the sun coming up tends to warm me up a bit.......wishful thinking is great when you're in a hurry.
So I hit some light traffic on I-64 and get to rolling when it opens up. Decided to go a bit faster than normal to make sure I get there. I'm running about 80-85mph, in a 65, when I hook up with a Jeep and we ride a good ways together, taking turns running "point".
As traffic starts to thicken, and the sun is shining, he pulls up beside me and waves....as he's taking his exit. That's when I notice his state police uniform. So HATS OFF TO YOU MAN, appreciate the company....and you not pulling me over.
I hit some traffic, and it slows through the tunnel. Great.......but suddenly my lane picks up speed (tunnel is two lanes and you can't change lanes in the tunnel) because a car on the left is slowing, like it's broke down. Dodged a bullet there.
I come out of the tunnel right into a BLAZING orange sun.......and me with my shades in the tank bag. So I open the tank bag, and somehow manage to slide my glasses on......
I take my exit, and as I'm merging I notice the traffic light up ahead is red. So I slow up, check my six for a commuter who might be preoccupied with their coffee on their cell, making sure I don't get hit from behind.
As I come to a stop, there's a very attractive woman next to me in a Mercedes rag top. And she's putting on lipstick. As I watch (long red light) she drops the lipstick in her cleavage. (NO I am NOT making this up). So without a pause, she simply pulls down her top to get the offending lipstick out. Her bra was blue...and lacy. And as she pulls her top back up, she looks right at me, looking at her. I grin inside my helmet, and give her a thumbs up. She looks to blushing, but flashes me a grin anyway.
I get to my destination, a parking garage near my destination. The bike won't trigger the machine to give me a ticket. I look up a the woman in the booth and she waves me around....so I drive around the gate and look for a space to park at. I spot a row of spaces in a corner, so I park the bike and unload, checking my phone to see I have exactly 15 minutes to walk two blocks, go inside and change into my work clothes / shoes (stashed in my tail bag).
Turns out everyone went to breakfast, and they are running late. So I even have time to comb my hair, change, and grab a cup of coffee. Meeting goes well....and even ends EARLY. So I don't have to fight traffic, I can take the long (read NO Interstate) way home. COOL......
So jog over to get onto Route 10 after getting past the tunnel........with ZERO slow downs, and I'm enjoying the ride when I decide to stop and top off the tank ($3.29 per gallon.....) grab a smoke and take a break...simply because I can. I have triple the time needed to get home.
I gear up again and get rolling, and up ahead I see BLACK smoke rising. Granted this is a two lane highway, going through alot of farmland and countryside, so this is odd for sure. I see a line of cars stopped, and people getting out....I slow and go around for a bit until I get to where everyone is walking to.
I see a cement truck in the middle of a pasture, with what looks to be the burning remains of a pickup truck pretty much attached to the grill. I no sooner get off the road, kill the engine and start taking off my gear to see if I can help when the first fire engine pulls up.
I help direct some traffic (mainly law enforcement and rescue) as BOTH lanes are now blocked.
Turns out the pickup truck actually swerved entirely into the truck driver's lane....at 60+ mph. The driver never had a prayer of stopping. He hit the small truck head on, and ended up in the pasture when the breaks locked. The trucks caught on fire, but the cement truck driver walked aways unharmed...but he's going to have some haunted nights I'm sure....the pickup truck driver (who probably died on impact) never made it out. And the pick up truck went up fast..............
So I'm talking with one of the Police when he tells me that the road will probably be closed for several hours, since they had to call in the Crash Reconstruction team and nothing gets moved until they are done. We're talking when the ME (Medical Examiner) shows up..........
Another county officer, who's local from that area, tells me they are going to detour everyone off the highway, onto a cross road then to a dirt / gravel road that hooks back up with Route 10 several miles down. He looks at my bike and asks if I think it'll make it...I tell him it's worth a shot. He then says he's going that way anyway, so he offered to follow me.
Good thing.
The road was dirt and LOTS of BIG gravel. And did I mention it was SLOPED from the center out to each side? And barely big enough to fit two cars? I ended up having to hold about 30mph to keep it going and just pretty much ride a controlled slide around the all the turns.
As we hit the blacktop, I pull over to thank him, and he tells me he never thought a bike like my mine could do that. He wishes me a safe ride home and we part company.
So the road opens up again, I turn on the MP3 player and try to enjoy the ride. Great scenery, perfect weather, hardly any traffic......as I come around a smooth left-hander, I see an orange sign in the distance warning "Road work ahead" then "1-lane road ahead".....and the smell of FRESH asphalt greets me..........LOVELYYYYYYY.......
So after waiting for the oncoming lane to finish coming through the lead truck leads us off........and after we pass the paving crew, the construction worker driving the pickup waves me around him to take lead, and off I go..........
A few miles down the road I come upon a 90's Mustang GT ahead of me. Speed limit is 55mph (Still nothing but road and grass and trees in this part of the country) and I'm running maybe 65mph or so......
I start to slow as I ease up on the Mustang, see the passing lane is on my side now, signal and pass him. Not a car in sight. I slow back down to my cruising speed when I notice the Mustang gaining. I decide I'm not in the mood to press my luck today, especially with a guy who might be ****ed off already, so I drop it a gear and stretch the old girls' legs for the first time since I got it back on the road.
A few miles up the road I remember that I'm not 18 and invincible anymore and the Mustang is nowhere to be seen behind me......so I slow back down.
BTW....the old girl cruises really nice at 120mph + with the Bandit shock and the stiffened front forks.
I almost make it back home when I hit some more traffic. And as I'm sitting at a light, I spot three guys on sport bikes coming up in my rear view. I nod as they pull up, they nod back, (Shorts, tennis shoes, and $300 helmets and all). Light turns green and the guy on the newer looking CBR goes to take off FAST.......and realizes he's not in first....oops....he stalls it.......his partners behind him do the same when they almost run into him. I smile inside my helmet as I ease the Kat away from the light.
I can see the bikes catching up to me in my mirrors as I spot stopped traffic ahead. I know a shortcut around it though, so there's just enough room for me to get over and turn onto one of my back roads. As I glance back I notice the other bikes just looking at me. Obviously wondering where I'm going.......
As I loop back onto the main road, I come to the light and I See the bike about 5 or 6 cars back on the main road as their light turns red and mine turns green. I see them notice me make the turn onto the road and I smile inside my helmet and wave. Old age and treachery........everytime.
As I pull in the garage my son asks if I had a nice ride.........
I answer......."An interesting one anyway........"
So I wake up this morning to the alarm clock, turn it off, and proceed to roll over and go back to sleep......nice. Woke up almost an hour behind schedule, which meant I didn't have the luxury of taking my time, as I had to be there by 8:30.
So I load up, hop on the bike and go.
Did I mention it was still dark? And a bit chilly. Good thing I put on some overpants to break the wind and my Underarmour Hood. I take off from the house and look down to realize I need gas.......lovely. Since I have about 100 miles ahead of me I HAD to stop.
I pull in, gas up, pull to the front of the store, buy a small coffee, drop a few ice cubes in it and chug it down. Got some crazy looks from several people, but I needed that bad....
I hit the road.......took a local bypass to make it quicker to hit I-64 and wouldn't you know it, I have to dig around in the tank bag to find change to pay the toll.....the wife must have raided my wallet.
Still dark, although I'm starting to head almost due East, and I can see the sun coming up, and just the THOUGHT of the sun coming up tends to warm me up a bit.......wishful thinking is great when you're in a hurry.
So I hit some light traffic on I-64 and get to rolling when it opens up. Decided to go a bit faster than normal to make sure I get there. I'm running about 80-85mph, in a 65, when I hook up with a Jeep and we ride a good ways together, taking turns running "point".
As traffic starts to thicken, and the sun is shining, he pulls up beside me and waves....as he's taking his exit. That's when I notice his state police uniform. So HATS OFF TO YOU MAN, appreciate the company....and you not pulling me over.
I hit some traffic, and it slows through the tunnel. Great.......but suddenly my lane picks up speed (tunnel is two lanes and you can't change lanes in the tunnel) because a car on the left is slowing, like it's broke down. Dodged a bullet there.
I come out of the tunnel right into a BLAZING orange sun.......and me with my shades in the tank bag. So I open the tank bag, and somehow manage to slide my glasses on......
I take my exit, and as I'm merging I notice the traffic light up ahead is red. So I slow up, check my six for a commuter who might be preoccupied with their coffee on their cell, making sure I don't get hit from behind.
As I come to a stop, there's a very attractive woman next to me in a Mercedes rag top. And she's putting on lipstick. As I watch (long red light) she drops the lipstick in her cleavage. (NO I am NOT making this up). So without a pause, she simply pulls down her top to get the offending lipstick out. Her bra was blue...and lacy. And as she pulls her top back up, she looks right at me, looking at her. I grin inside my helmet, and give her a thumbs up. She looks to blushing, but flashes me a grin anyway.
I get to my destination, a parking garage near my destination. The bike won't trigger the machine to give me a ticket. I look up a the woman in the booth and she waves me around....so I drive around the gate and look for a space to park at. I spot a row of spaces in a corner, so I park the bike and unload, checking my phone to see I have exactly 15 minutes to walk two blocks, go inside and change into my work clothes / shoes (stashed in my tail bag).
Turns out everyone went to breakfast, and they are running late. So I even have time to comb my hair, change, and grab a cup of coffee. Meeting goes well....and even ends EARLY. So I don't have to fight traffic, I can take the long (read NO Interstate) way home. COOL......
So jog over to get onto Route 10 after getting past the tunnel........with ZERO slow downs, and I'm enjoying the ride when I decide to stop and top off the tank ($3.29 per gallon.....) grab a smoke and take a break...simply because I can. I have triple the time needed to get home.
I gear up again and get rolling, and up ahead I see BLACK smoke rising. Granted this is a two lane highway, going through alot of farmland and countryside, so this is odd for sure. I see a line of cars stopped, and people getting out....I slow and go around for a bit until I get to where everyone is walking to.
I see a cement truck in the middle of a pasture, with what looks to be the burning remains of a pickup truck pretty much attached to the grill. I no sooner get off the road, kill the engine and start taking off my gear to see if I can help when the first fire engine pulls up.
I help direct some traffic (mainly law enforcement and rescue) as BOTH lanes are now blocked.
Turns out the pickup truck actually swerved entirely into the truck driver's lane....at 60+ mph. The driver never had a prayer of stopping. He hit the small truck head on, and ended up in the pasture when the breaks locked. The trucks caught on fire, but the cement truck driver walked aways unharmed...but he's going to have some haunted nights I'm sure....the pickup truck driver (who probably died on impact) never made it out. And the pick up truck went up fast..............
So I'm talking with one of the Police when he tells me that the road will probably be closed for several hours, since they had to call in the Crash Reconstruction team and nothing gets moved until they are done. We're talking when the ME (Medical Examiner) shows up..........
Another county officer, who's local from that area, tells me they are going to detour everyone off the highway, onto a cross road then to a dirt / gravel road that hooks back up with Route 10 several miles down. He looks at my bike and asks if I think it'll make it...I tell him it's worth a shot. He then says he's going that way anyway, so he offered to follow me.
Good thing.
The road was dirt and LOTS of BIG gravel. And did I mention it was SLOPED from the center out to each side? And barely big enough to fit two cars? I ended up having to hold about 30mph to keep it going and just pretty much ride a controlled slide around the all the turns.
As we hit the blacktop, I pull over to thank him, and he tells me he never thought a bike like my mine could do that. He wishes me a safe ride home and we part company.
So the road opens up again, I turn on the MP3 player and try to enjoy the ride. Great scenery, perfect weather, hardly any traffic......as I come around a smooth left-hander, I see an orange sign in the distance warning "Road work ahead" then "1-lane road ahead".....and the smell of FRESH asphalt greets me..........LOVELYYYYYYY.......
So after waiting for the oncoming lane to finish coming through the lead truck leads us off........and after we pass the paving crew, the construction worker driving the pickup waves me around him to take lead, and off I go..........
A few miles down the road I come upon a 90's Mustang GT ahead of me. Speed limit is 55mph (Still nothing but road and grass and trees in this part of the country) and I'm running maybe 65mph or so......
I start to slow as I ease up on the Mustang, see the passing lane is on my side now, signal and pass him. Not a car in sight. I slow back down to my cruising speed when I notice the Mustang gaining. I decide I'm not in the mood to press my luck today, especially with a guy who might be ****ed off already, so I drop it a gear and stretch the old girls' legs for the first time since I got it back on the road.
A few miles up the road I remember that I'm not 18 and invincible anymore and the Mustang is nowhere to be seen behind me......so I slow back down.
BTW....the old girl cruises really nice at 120mph + with the Bandit shock and the stiffened front forks.
I almost make it back home when I hit some more traffic. And as I'm sitting at a light, I spot three guys on sport bikes coming up in my rear view. I nod as they pull up, they nod back, (Shorts, tennis shoes, and $300 helmets and all). Light turns green and the guy on the newer looking CBR goes to take off FAST.......and realizes he's not in first....oops....he stalls it.......his partners behind him do the same when they almost run into him. I smile inside my helmet as I ease the Kat away from the light.
I can see the bikes catching up to me in my mirrors as I spot stopped traffic ahead. I know a shortcut around it though, so there's just enough room for me to get over and turn onto one of my back roads. As I glance back I notice the other bikes just looking at me. Obviously wondering where I'm going.......
As I loop back onto the main road, I come to the light and I See the bike about 5 or 6 cars back on the main road as their light turns red and mine turns green. I see them notice me make the turn onto the road and I smile inside my helmet and wave. Old age and treachery........everytime.
As I pull in the garage my son asks if I had a nice ride.........
I answer......."An interesting one anyway........"
.. very nice morning read there .. makes me wish i did more than my simple 5 mile ride to work each day .. then again ... i like waiting till 15 minutes before work and easily making it there on time
so many roads so little time 
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