MACH 14: Day 12 - Comfort for the Long Haul

Day 12:  Comfort for the Long Haul

Friday, May 9, 2014

Copyright(c) 2014, Jim Beachy

During the night, strong storms pounded the area around Marshall, TX.  Crusader and the trailer were parked under the motel’s canopy uncovered; I’d left everything uncovered because the cover could easily grind the dirt, sand, and grime into the finish.  Better to have the rig lashed by wind and rain rather than by an inadvertently-created scouring pad.

By morning the cells have moved on and the pavement is mostly dry, and we hope to get an early start to recoup some of the miles we lost yesterday because of bad weather.  Then a weather radar check shows a strong cell just about to hit the area, so we wait around for an hour and have a leisurely breakfast while the ominous black clouds clear the area.  I can’t stand the grit on the bike and trailer, so while we wait I fill a trash can from the motel’s bathroom with water, soak one of my cleaning cloths and gently rinse off the worst of it, then gently dry the surfaces and clean the windshield.

By 9:50, an hour or more after our planned departure, it appears we may be able to sneak out without hitting any yellow or red weather splotches, but we don rain gear because another cell has grown an arm to the north and it appears we might intersect it as we travel north against the storm cell’s eastward trajectory.

But we miss the storm in spite of the thick, low-hanging solid gray clouds, and enjoy the 75 mph speed limit on US 59 as we roll through the northern reaches of the Piney Woods.  “I really wish we could have roads like this all the way home!” says Kitty for the second time in two days.  And I wish I could offer roads like this all the way home.  Perhaps after retirement, when time isn’t a factor, we can do a cross-country trip and never touch an Interstate.  Some 150 miles or so later, after catching I-30 in Texarkana, we stop for fuel in Fulton and peel off the rain gear.  A studied look at the mist and solid overcast would certainly dictate continued wearing of rain gear, but the XM Weather radar on the bike shows no hint of rain in the direction we will be riding.  This proves to be correct - no weather Trickster in the area today!  The temperature varies all day with the thickness of the cloud cover, from 72 F to 77 F, a perfectly pleasant riding temperature with just an extra layer of clothing such as a long-sleeved t-shirt.

We streak northeast across the full breadth of Arkansas, riding past miles and miles of vast flooded (or not) rice fields, the curved contour ditches creating a marvelously complex and graceful pattern as we look out across the flat expanse.

About 100 miles from Memphis and  the Arkansas/Tennessee state line we make our second fuel stop and each have an energy bar.  I’m always surprised, on this bike, how comfortable we are for the long haul.  In the old days, we would need to stop about every 90 miles for a break for Kitty.  Now, Kitty is very physically fit (every day without fail on this trip, when at all feasible, she has awakened early for a date with the gym), and I know that makes a difference.  But something about the seat on this bike, maybe the shape, maybe the degree of firmness, maybe the gel-pad inserts that are built into the stock seat, offers the most comfortable ride we’ve ever experienced.  Hours in the saddle, and when we do stop it’s usually for fuel or bathroom breaks, rarely because we need a break from sitting or a break from the bike.  Three or three-and-a-half hours at a stretch is not unusual.

We decide to stop in Jackson, TN for the night but need one more fuel stop about 40 miles short of the goal.  Were it not for this enforced fuel stop,  today’s ride would have covered 460 miles with only two fuel stops, passing through three major construction zones, in complete comfort, guided by XM Weather inasmuch as we could dress with confidence that there would be no significant rain.  This is an amazing machine!

I’ve routed to a motel that isn’t within walking distance of a restaurant, so we check in and ride back one exit to find a Mexican restaurant.  When we return, I park the rig under the canopy as instructed by the desk clerk, clean the windshield, and do not cover it.  I’m still worried about the grit that I may not have completely removed with my makeshift washing technique.

And my American flag is looking pretty bedraggled.  I’ve displayed an American flag on my right-side antenna since 1997.  This flag was new and mounted the day I brought the bike home, and now, at nearly 19,000 miles of flapping violently in the turbulence that occurs behind the bike’s still air pocket, it is nearing the end of its useful life.  When we get home, I ‘ll order a new one and retire this flag with the others I’ve worn out.  When one of my flags is retired, I carefully put it in a box with the handful of other flag retirees, along with a note about the notable places it has accompanied me.

Tomorrow’s weather is hard to predict - we’ve left our rainsuits loosely folded, ready for instant use if required.  We have just under 800 miles home.