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The next morning I headed outside a little after 8:00 hoping to hit the road and make up some time. The other biker was doing the same and we ended up talking for over an hour about bikes and road trips. My admiration for his bike grew as he explained how he loved working on it and that he refused to trailer it anywhere. Ironically, neither one of us were sure if we were real bikers. He did seem surprised that I could make 700 mile days with little effort. But I reminded him that a barcolounger on wheels made life good, especially with a stereo, CB, mp3 player and 6 cylinders. We parted ways, he to the parts store, and me heading east again towards Nashville.
This portion of the trip was as unceremonious as the first part, but I started seeing more bikes, it was then I remembered that it was Honda Hoot weekend in Knoxville. I actually tried to ride with some of the groups I caught up with between Nashville and Knoxville, but I must have a stronger wrist than most. I always ended up waving and moving on after a few miles.
I made a late lunch at a Wendy’s in Knoxville and took note of the many bikes I saw there. I wish I had been able to spend more time there and attend the events, but I needed to be home that night and I was not looking forward to the last few miles of I-85 around Durham, especially if it were dark.
I moved on east, entered the mountains again, and was surprised to see one of the new Honda Silverwings near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. Not sure why it surprised me, but I just never thought of one as a high speed vehicle. I do lead a sheltered life (I passed him, add another notch to forks)!
Tunnels cause disorientation, especially after riding forever in open spaces. During the trip West, I thought it was just a fluke, and perhaps there is something wrong with me. But, losing the horizon and attempting to drive using the road stripe and the car in front of you is not something I enjoy. Funny, I mentioned this to some of my other riding buddies and they hadn’t thought of it, but understood how the effect could be real. I moved through them with no problems, but was glad to be back in the sun and with my sunglasses back up instead of on the tip of my nose. (read more...)
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