Saturday, May 4~
Like usual, we had our day planned out and knew exactly how things were supposed to go. But, the day had slightly different plans for us. I was packing up and RJ was taking the saddle bags out to the bike and saw that someone had tried to slash our back tire!
They didn’t slash through but it was a pretty deep cut. RJ started calling bike shops to see if he could get the tire replaced. He finally found a shop in Columbia— 140 miles away. Let’s just say, there was a lot of praying happening on that drive to Columbia!! RJ was driving slow to be safe and we weren’t talking much. Semis were passing us. After what seemed like hours, we were in Columbia. We stopped at the capitol to take a tour because it was on the way to the bike shop.
The capitol was having its Confederate State Memorial Day ceremony which was a bit intense. They had a massive flag laid out on the steps and everyone was dressed up. It was really hot and humid out so we walked inside after a few minutes of listening.
We toured the capitol, got our stamp and watched more of the ceremony from the top of the capitol steps. They did a 21 gun salute that rattled the windows.
Mosaic glass depicting the state seal. Over 37,000 pieces of glass were used to create this artwork dating back to the 1800’s.
I bought my coffee mug from the gift shop and we walked back to the bike.
I took a look at the tire and the tread was showing. I told RJ I would stay behind while he took the bike over to the shop. I didn’t want the extra weight on the tire if it didn’t need it. RJ said I was not “ride or die.”
I walked to a coffee shop a couple blocks away while RJ took the bike to the shop. He made it there safely. The tire took about an hour to fix and then RJ was on his way to pick me up. We were on our way to a BBQ place a few miles away when the heavens decided to release the second flood. We pulled over to put on our rain gear under a tree. But it didn’t do much good because it was raining so hard. By the time we got to the restaurant, we were a walking puddle. I was soaked because my coat isn’t water proof, just water resistant and didn’t stand a chance against that storm. Of course, once we sat down, the rain stopped.
I still needed a better coat so after supper, we drove to a Cycle Gear not too far away and got a new jacket. That night we spent the night in another motel close to the Tennessee border. We were supposed to meet up with Dad and Mom, Jessie and Allison in Knoxville that night but because we had to change the tire, we decided to meet up with them the following day. Even though RJ wouldn’t say it, I think the real reason we didn’t drive to Knoxville that evening was because RJ found a motorcycle ride that he wanted to hit in the daylight.
~Sunday, May 5~
Today was the day we would finally meet up with the fam. RJ wanted to take the super L O N G way through the Tail of the Dragon. It started on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, which was very lucky for me because I hadn’t been able to find a coffee mug in NC and there was one at the gift shop right before the ride started. Lucky me!
This was one of the highlights of the trip so far for RJ but I didn’t care for it. This particular drive was 11 miles long with 318 curves. I don’t usually like the super windy roads but to RJ that’s what the whole trip is about. After 11 miles of praying for my life, the worst was over.
We drove through beautiful country the remainder of the day and pulled up to the lake house in time for supper. Like usual, we had such a great time catching up and laughing.
~em