Friends Are Irreplaceable

The past two days have been a blur. I've simply been riding to collect HD dealership check ins.

Yesterday First:

Because of rain and cold, yesterday morning I found myself over 100 miles behind schedule. I set my alarm to check the weather at 0500, which looked terrible heading from Florence to Charlotte, NC. So, I went back to sleep for a couple of hours. By 08:00, the storm had passed, and by 09:00 I was pulling out of the hotel.

It was a beautiful day riding through the North Carolina back roads. The highlight of the day was stoping at Raging Bull Harley-Davidson in Durham around 18:30 last night, where I chatted with a couple of guys about my travels and my bike Willie. One even offered crash space, but I had already booked a hotel near Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson in Raleigh and got there around 20:00.

Randy, I wish I had taken you up on that offer. The hotel I wound up in was a disaster. Broken beer bottles in the outside hallways, furniture stacked against the walls, garbage overflowing, junker cars in the parking lot, 24-hour "club" next door.... But, the room was clean, the hot water was really hot, and the bed was comfortable, so overall not so bad. Until 06:00 when a couple of ladies were either coming or leaving and let the whole world know about it 🤣.

Now Today:

So, wide awake, I gathered up my gear and hit the road right at 07:00. At 28°F and with both at full blast, even my heated gloves and heated grips couldn't keep my fingers from going numb. But I was determined to get to northern Virginia tonight, so I pressed hard, cut out my national park visits, and hightailed it to my friends' home, where I am now enjoying seeing them again after more than three years. Love you, guys!

So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

Day 5 mileage: 460.6 (total 2494.0)
Day 6 mileage: 587.9 (total 3081.9)
HD Dealerships: 22 (total 83)
National Parks: 0 (total 15 in 8 states)
10 Rides for 2022: 0 (total 0 of 10)
MCGTTX Stops: 0 (total 0 of 50)Read more