Not So Great Trip With Some Great Moments

by "Froggi Donna"

<--PART THREE-- Continuing on...

7/1/04 The rest of the story....
We headed back home about 9 am on Thursday morning, under damp but clearing skies. We decided to route ourselves through Altoona even though that meant some highway riding, we wanted to see more of our old stomping grounds. The skies cleared. The skies let loose. The rain gear went on, came off, went on...you get the idea.

We enjoyed the scenery regardless and continued to make good time. We stopped for gas in Bedford, PA where the turnpike and Rt 220 intersect. The skies had cleared and the temps were comfortable so we shed most of our gear here. We'd never been south of the turnpike and decided to take Business 220 south. Believe me - if you ever have this opportunity, take this road. This was one of the most unexpected pleasures of the ride. The business section very quickly turned into old residential with well preserved historic homes on both sides. From there we passed into more rural areas, dotted with farms and lots of trees.

We passed a beautiful golf course opposite the neatest looking houses....all round and nestled in the trees like they truly belonged there. Then we were presented with the Bedford Springs Hotel. What a site that was! You could feel the history - I knew I would hear the walls talking to me if I ever got inside. Suddenly we found ourselves twisting this way and that with trees close in on both sides and the sun peeking through. Several miles of this finally brought up back to the main Rt 220. We stopped at the stop sign and I asked Mike if we could turn around and go back and this time I'd have my camera mounted! LOL!

We continued on till we hit I-68 again taking it west towards WV where we would pick up Rt 520. Berkeley Springs. Once there we stopped so I could eat a late lunch. We had targeted Winchester, VA as our stop for the night. Came out of McDonald's - my bike wouldn't start...again. Not good! We tried to push start it but the parking lot was too short and my strength too little. So the emergency road service got called again (this time from a Rite-Aid drugstore since there was no cell service). It would be an hour before the truck could get to us and then we had another hour back to the closest dealer in Winchester, VA. By then they would be closed so we told the operator we'd just have the truck drop us at the hotel closest to the dealer. Mike decided to run to a local NAPA and get a pair of jumper cables and try that. It worked....I called and cancelled the tow service and we headed off.

I turned off my halogen fog lights since my speedometer needle started to jump all over when I turned them on. By the time we hit Winchester I had lost my LED odometer readout and my engine ready light was flashing on & off.  We found a hotel almost across the street from the dealer - the bike was completely dead.

7/2/04 to 7/5/04 We continue on....again...

Long story short, they had to replace both the voltage regulator and the stator. Fortunately the old battery recharged. By now we were pretty much ready to just get home. We did hope to hit Deal's Gap and ride the Tail of the Dragon - barring more rain.

Well, the weather didn't hold. Rain, drizzle, fog, more rain followed us from then on. At the last minute we opted out of Deal's Gap due to rain and took a slightly different route. It took us through the Nantahala River Gorge, rated as "some of the most breathtaking scenery in Western North Carolina. Winding roads present leisurely views of sheer rock faces towering over crystal clear waters." What a wonderful route! Mike got his first REAL taste of mountain twisties and was in his glory. I hope we can go back some day. Eventually we ended up in northern GA, trying hard to avoid the severe thunderstorms threatening all around us.

The rest of the trip home was uneventful and we arrived around noon on Monday the 5th. Total days on the road was 12. Total days riding was 8, total miles was 2762, a riding average of 345 miles per day. Again, not a great trip when compared to our original plans and expectations but it sure had some great moments!

<--PART ONE--The start

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