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Thought you guys might like to hear about my first solo ride that didn't start and end with me at home. Here's an excerpt from my blog about it.
Friday when I got in to Martinsburg I pulled “Outrider” out of the garage and tried to start her. Crank crank crank… but no rumble. On the quick-charger she goes. I kind of figured she wouldn’t start, so I wasn’t that upset. I did just put a brand new maintenance-free battery in her on Wednesday of last week, but I only rode her home after having it installed, so I don’t think it was charged wholly. It was a little chilly out, but I had made up my mind I was going to ride my motorcycle down to Fairmont as long as she would start. Half an hour later, 1100 cubic centimeters of engine fired up! I loaded my small duffel bag and backpack onto the back seat/sissy bar, shoved my cane under a saddlebag, bungied everything down, and hit the highway.
Holy crap was it cold. Haha. I have a set of thinsulate leather gloves (40-weight) that I can wear in cool weather, but this was too much! I actually had to pull over for a minute and swap out those gloves for my Army fliers that I keep in my duffel. They’re the kind of gloves that go halfway up your arm and have a wide elastic cuff to seal out any wind/cold. They did well enough, but I still pulled over in LaVale, MD halfway through my trip for a hot chocolate so I could warm my fingers. By this time, I had also concluded that I wasn’t wearing enough layers, and vowed to put on at least one more when I headed back on Sunday. Good news is, once I got in to Morgantown, WV, the weather had turned warmer, so the ride got a little more enjoyable as I finished my last leg of the trip.
Sunday morning was a late start for me. I had planned to try and be back in Martinsburg by 11am, but the late night kind of prevented me from getting up early. I kinda figured it wouldn’t be wise to try and ride with only like… four hours of sleep. I think I was actually layered up and on the road by 11, though. It had rained that morning, so everything was wet. I decided (wisely) to take my time. The layers I had on kept me plenty warm, but the dampness unfortunately decided to be just enough to get my gloves wet. I stopped in Grantsville, MD for a quick warm-up at a McDonald’s and some gas at the BP across the street. This is where I discovered that those little hand blow-dryers in the bathrooms are man’s gift to motorcyclists. Not only did they warm me up, but they also dried out my gloves! I was very excited about this.
So, back on the road, I continued my trek home. As I was going over Big Savage Mountain, I ran in to some AWESOME fog. Now, you may think this is weird, but I love driving through fog. I’ve never done it on a motorcycle, though, so this was a new and interesting experience for me. It was so thick at one point, I couldn’t see past about 30-50 feet in front of me. Of course the hazard lights got switched on. I still thought it was cool, but I was pretty wet after coming out of the fog. I did well enough, but after I passed through Cumberland, MD, I decided that I was going to stop right before I got to Hancock at the Sideling Hill rest area and exhibit center. Again, I took full advantage of the blow dryer.
The rest of the trip home was fairly quick, except for me getting behind a woman who wanted to do 30mph in a 40mph single-lane country road. Thankfully I didn’t have to follow her for long as this road was full of turns and curves that Outrider was just eating up! I pulled in to the driveway just a little before 3pm and promptly cleaned all the highway crud off of my bike. I didn’t have a single hiccup with her the whole trip, and I was very happy.
Friday when I got in to Martinsburg I pulled “Outrider” out of the garage and tried to start her. Crank crank crank… but no rumble. On the quick-charger she goes. I kind of figured she wouldn’t start, so I wasn’t that upset. I did just put a brand new maintenance-free battery in her on Wednesday of last week, but I only rode her home after having it installed, so I don’t think it was charged wholly. It was a little chilly out, but I had made up my mind I was going to ride my motorcycle down to Fairmont as long as she would start. Half an hour later, 1100 cubic centimeters of engine fired up! I loaded my small duffel bag and backpack onto the back seat/sissy bar, shoved my cane under a saddlebag, bungied everything down, and hit the highway.
Holy crap was it cold. Haha. I have a set of thinsulate leather gloves (40-weight) that I can wear in cool weather, but this was too much! I actually had to pull over for a minute and swap out those gloves for my Army fliers that I keep in my duffel. They’re the kind of gloves that go halfway up your arm and have a wide elastic cuff to seal out any wind/cold. They did well enough, but I still pulled over in LaVale, MD halfway through my trip for a hot chocolate so I could warm my fingers. By this time, I had also concluded that I wasn’t wearing enough layers, and vowed to put on at least one more when I headed back on Sunday. Good news is, once I got in to Morgantown, WV, the weather had turned warmer, so the ride got a little more enjoyable as I finished my last leg of the trip.
Sunday morning was a late start for me. I had planned to try and be back in Martinsburg by 11am, but the late night kind of prevented me from getting up early. I kinda figured it wouldn’t be wise to try and ride with only like… four hours of sleep. I think I was actually layered up and on the road by 11, though. It had rained that morning, so everything was wet. I decided (wisely) to take my time. The layers I had on kept me plenty warm, but the dampness unfortunately decided to be just enough to get my gloves wet. I stopped in Grantsville, MD for a quick warm-up at a McDonald’s and some gas at the BP across the street. This is where I discovered that those little hand blow-dryers in the bathrooms are man’s gift to motorcyclists. Not only did they warm me up, but they also dried out my gloves! I was very excited about this.
So, back on the road, I continued my trek home. As I was going over Big Savage Mountain, I ran in to some AWESOME fog. Now, you may think this is weird, but I love driving through fog. I’ve never done it on a motorcycle, though, so this was a new and interesting experience for me. It was so thick at one point, I couldn’t see past about 30-50 feet in front of me. Of course the hazard lights got switched on. I still thought it was cool, but I was pretty wet after coming out of the fog. I did well enough, but after I passed through Cumberland, MD, I decided that I was going to stop right before I got to Hancock at the Sideling Hill rest area and exhibit center. Again, I took full advantage of the blow dryer.
The rest of the trip home was fairly quick, except for me getting behind a woman who wanted to do 30mph in a 40mph single-lane country road. Thankfully I didn’t have to follow her for long as this road was full of turns and curves that Outrider was just eating up! I pulled in to the driveway just a little before 3pm and promptly cleaned all the highway crud off of my bike. I didn’t have a single hiccup with her the whole trip, and I was very happy.