I was up and about around 7:30 this morning. It was raining again as I loaded Libby up. The lobby and breakfast area are much busier than it was last night. By the time I was ready to hit the road the rain had stopped. The roads are still quite wet however. It’s another cool morning so I throw on my jacket but opt on stowing the rain gear. I shouldn’t see much rain heading out.
The interstate dries out quickly and the cloud cover quickly breaks up. It’s still very cloudy but it’s all giant white puffy clouds and the sun is making a dominant appearance. We continue our way through the mountains of Virginia and get about 60 miles into the day when I spot a Denny’s. I decide on a late breakfast. I don’t eat breakfast often on these trips but today I’m in the mood for some eggs and bacon.
With breakfast done we set back out on the road. I’ve got the GPS set for home for now, I’ll change it later when I need to but for now I just need to head in the right direction. Since I started the morning at about 1,200 miles I figure I need at least 400 today in order to stay on target. Once I get to a point I want to stop I can reroute the GPS to a campsite for the night.
The weather turns out to be perfect for riding. Traffic is light so we’re really knocking off miles and make it into Tennessee without any issues. I eventually catch up to a group of four riders but only get to ride with them for a couple of miles before we all exit for gas. I also need to pack up the jacket, it’s starting to get hot.
After filling Libby’s tank and stowing my jacket I head back out with out the other riders. It’s 1:30 at this point and we’ve already travelled 350 miles. I’m also going to get an hour back today so getting my target of 400 miles is pretty much already reached. I can stop for lunch and get at least 500 miles if all goes well.
I’m not far off from Chattanooga at this point but as I get closer to the city the skies start to darken in the distance. I can’t see anything between the clouds and the ground which tells me that there is a ton of rain coming down out there. The road keeps winding towards it and away from it. I’m full of hope that my path will eventually stay away from the wet weather. That hope quickly dwindles as the dark skies get closer and closer. I finally decide to pull off and suit up. The sun is still shining but radar tells me I’m probably going to hit some rain.
It’s just a few more miles down the road when the sun finally disappears and the rain starts to fall. It’s light at first, a teasing of the fun times ahead. The sky does not look friendly but I’m hoping I’ll get away with just a light rain. Luck was not in my favor though. The clouds unloaded and the light rain instantly turned into monsoonal rains. We slowed to a crawl and I flipped on my hazard lights. I struggled to see the road but was able to follow the car in front of me, his flashing hazards the only thing I could see. My rain gear was no match for the relentless deluge and I was almost instantly soaked. If a rain shower lasts long enough water will eventually seep in and I’ll get wet spots. But this wasn’t seeping water, this was a flood.
The torrential downpour likely only lasted for about five miles but we’re moving so slowly it felt like I’d traveled across half the state. The clouds eventually lightened up and the rain followed suit. It’s still coming down pretty good but I can see the road and we’re moving a little faster. The highway dips into Georgia for a few miles and then back into Tennessee. The rain begins to lighten up and eventually stops. The roads slowly dry out and we finally cross into Alabama.
The clouds are starting to break up and it looks like the rain may be done. I really want to get out of my rain gear and start drying out but my hope levels have been depleted. I don’t yet trust that I’m in the clear. The worst part is that I’m wet inside the suit. You know how it gets really humid when the sun and heat return after a rain shower? That’s going on inside my suit. It’s almost as bad as riding in the rain itself.
The clouds do eventually give way to sunny skies and we make our way towards Huntsville. I’m baking, or rotting, probably both. It’s time for gas again so I pull off to fill up and check the radar again. I’m dying to get out of this suit but there’s a small cell moving through Huntsville right now. I might miss it if it moves fast enough but I’m not feeling lucky, suit stays on.
I’m on state highway now. It’s fast moving but there’s stoplights every so often and I catch most of them. We’re still moving good though. As we get closer to Huntsville I can see the cell in the distance. It doesn’t look like I’m going to avoid it and I don’t. The rain comes in hard again. Nothing like back in Chattanooga but it’s big, heavy drops that annihilate my vision. This rain doesn’t last long but it adds to the mess already inside my suit.
The rain lightens up and we finally make it into Huntsville and pass the massive Saturn V rocket that sits outside the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Some good memories in this city. I think it was 2014 when flew me out here to ride the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina. It was a good trip full of too many stories to tell here.
The roads are starting to dry out again as we head towards Decatur. Camp is just a few miles past there. Dark clouds are still threatening but I only catch the edge of them. Rain begins to fall again but it’s light and the sun is still shining. It’s that nice sunny rain you get once in a while. Nice if you’re standing on the porch watching it maybe, still sucks on a bike.
We make it through Decatur and are close to our stop for the night. I make a quick stop at a gas station before turning off the main road. I need a beer or two when I get to camp. It’s here that I learn I’m in a dry county, not a big deal as the county line is just a few miles back up the road.
Arriving at camp I find more bad news. Rain is supposed to continue off and on all night and the lady behind the counter tells me that their tent sites are prone to flooding if enough rain comes through. Rain throughout the night is not an issue, waking up in a puddle is, I’ve been there and don’t want to repeat. I inquire about their cabins and the amount of money they’re asking is obnoxious. I can get an actual hotel room for the same price if not cheaper. So I’ve opted to back track a few miles to Decatur and get a room.
Dinner is a place called O’Charley’s, a short way down and on the other side of the road. As I pull into a parking spot the sky unleashes again. It’s another absolute downpour but only last about 30 minutes. It’s still wet out but the rain has stopped by the time I finish dinner. O’Charley’s is apparently a chain restaurant but I’ve never eaten here and we certainly don’t have one at home.
The bartender told me there’s a gas station near my hotel that has a drive through store where I can pickup some beer. I’m a little confused but we’ve got drive through beer barns and margarita shacks all over the south so maybe this is something like that. I find it and am completely overwhelmed. It has gas pumps and sure enough a drive through section, not like McDonald’s but like a beer barn. But everything aside from beer is outside, soda coolers, candy bars and tobacco all just sitting out, barely covered by an awning. It looks like a shady souvenir stand.
We got over 500 miles in today although some of it was back tracking. Tomorrow we’ll get in as many as possible and hopefully be done with the rain. My jeans are still wet enough to leave a wet spot on the chair and I’m ready for some brutal sunshine. My goal is to have as short of a day on Tuesday as possible, I’d like to be home before the kids get out of school. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.
The Motorcycle Diaries of an Easy Rider 