[ST] Doug's ACS ride, days 1 and 2 (trip report)

["David Pullen" <dpullen@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

All,

I had the distinct honor of riding 220 miles with Doug on Day 2 (Saturday)
of his most amazing journey.  He said he would upload reports as he goes (he
has his laptop with him) if he gets to the hotel at a decent hour, but it
looks like he isn't having that much luck so far.

I talked with Doug Friday night, around 9pm.  He said he had gotten a late
start, and ran into lots of bad traffic and weather.  He was only in
Tuscaloosa, AL, and still had 3+ hours ahead to make it to Atlanta/Suwanee.
Along the way, he ran into rain so heavy he could barely see the tail lights
of the cagers ahead of him.  The only overpass he came across was already
full of vehicles, so he continued onward, in first gear, just following the
car ahead of him.  The rain soaked him through his rain gear.

We had planned to leave Suwanee around 5:30am so that he could make it to
the game on time, but he wound up sleeping in so that he could get 4 hours
of sleep.  I met him at his hotel around 7am.  He burned out the hotel's
hair drier trying to get some of the water out of his gear.

His bike has definitely seen some action, all the nicks, scrapes, dings, and
customized patches that you can imagine; a well-loved machine.  It's the
first time I've ever pulled up next to another ST, and it was a beautiful
sight.  :)  For those who are interested, he's running new Dunlop D220's.
He'll get another tire change somewhere in California.

Despite the torture he endured last night, and having gotten too little
sleep, he was in good spirits.  He did a quick chain check and lube, and
loaded all his gear.  We stopped at a BP to fill his tank ($1.79 per gallon,
probably the cheapest he'll see the whole trip), then headed north on I-85.

The weather gods were smiling on us this morning (or at least smirking).  It
was cloudy, with a heavy fog, but no sign of rain.  Temperature was 70f,
with a light breeze.  Traffic was surprisingly light, and moving at a
reasonable pace.  We were making really good time, catching up on at least
part of the 2 hours lost.

As we rode north over the rolling hills, the fog would clear and form back
up, partly obscuring the sun.  Distant rays of yellow/white light painted
the road through the fog and clouds.  The temperatures stayed relatively
cool, making the ride quite comfortable.  No real issues with traffic/LEOs
or road conditions.

After about 3 hours, we made it almost to Charlotte.  Doug signaled that it
was time to pull off and refuel.  We sat for a bit and talked while he
pulled out his laptop and re-calculated estimated arrival times and whether
or not there might be a shorter/faster route.  It's a shame we couldn't have
talked more; he's had quite a few adventures, and it's hard to hold a
conversation while you're riding.  He's quite an amazing fellow.  At this
point, he thinks he might have a chance to make it to the game, arriving
maybe 30 minutes late.  We made really good time.

After stretching and chatting a bit more (particularly about the gear he
uses for LD rides), we headed back out to I-85 toward Charlotte.  I-77 was
only about 15-20 minutes away, and that's where I had to turn back to get
together with family for the rest of the 4th of July weekend.  The skies
opened up briefly, but we got through it quickly enough.  It was misting on
and off for a bit after that; before I knew it, Doug was moving over to exit
and take I-77 north.  We exchanged final parting waves, and I turned off at
the next exit to head back.  As I got back on I-85 south, I was surprised to
find that I was REALLY temped to catch back up with him and continue the
journey...the ride itself was achingly boring, I was sore and tire, and yet
I was having a really good time and wanted to keep going.  I can see that
this is going to be a dangerous addiction for me; next thing you know, I'll
be missing work, living on the road, and going to track day...

Instead of turning north on I-77 myself, I just sent good thoughts his way.
I was passed by a large number of speed-racers zooming along at insane
speeds.  I passed a guy pulling a Habayusa on a trailer; very, very nice
bike!  I had to ride back through the drizzle and heavy rain before making
it to Hwy 74; nice road for the first couple of miles, but then it went
through too many towns with stoplights and strip malls.  I stopped for lunch
at Forest City around noon.

The skies are getting much clearer, and the air is warming up, so I unzipped
the rain gear and stowed it.  Heading off Hwy 74 to 221A, then to Hwy 64
west, wouldn't you know it, it starts raining.  It's over quickly, just a
reminder that I shouldn't tempt fate.  Hwy 64 is a beautiful ride, except
for all the !@#% traffic.  And rain.  Hard rain.  Peeling skin from your
neck hard.  Splattering through the seal of my face shield hard, spraying
mist all over my glasses hard.  Rain, clear, rain, clear, rain, rain, clear.
Stop to put on the rain gear again.  Rain stops.  Tempting fate is a bad,
bad thing.

The roads are slick, so I have to go slower than I would like.  Even so,
there are some beautiful views to enjoy, so it's not all bad.  Along the
way, I pass through a couple of towns that have busy July 4 events going on.
2 blue smiley bags leap viciously from the road to attack me, but miss as I
head-fake left and swerve right.  They are only practicing in case STeve
ever decides to ride through...

Some stats:
Miles from Suwanee to Charlotte:  ~220
Miles from Charlotte to Hayesville (near Murphy):  ~240
Rain storms:  17
Bugs splatted:  Countless
Bugs splatted dead center on my face shield within 5 miles of cleaning it:
Every #$%^ time!
Smiley bag attacks:  2
Close calls with cagers:  0

I was completely whipped after this ride, arriving around 5:30pm.  Doug is
doing more than twice this, for 8 more days, and he had already done one day
of it!  I have even more respect for him now, it's a truly amazing feat!

Everyone, please send good thoughts his way, and if you get a chance to hook
up with him along the way, I highly recommend it!  Good luck, Doug, and
thanks again for allowing me to ride with you!  I'm looking forward to our
next meeting.

  - Dave



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