Day One: Aug 11, 2000
I got very little sleep last night, probably not a good way to start a long trip, oh well. Beth slept like a baby as usual. I have spent the afternoon at work taking care of last minute details and anxiously awaiting the end of the day at the office. Dad agrees to let me leave about an hour early so I can head home to load up the bikes. I manage to get out about an hour and half early, it's been a slow day.
When I get home and open the front door, I find that Beth has all her stuff by the front door ready to roll. We are using my GIVI Wingrack 2 with two E360 40 liter side cases and a Maxia E50 50 liter top case. Beth's bike is going to carry two Tourmaster side bags with the bike covers, locks and other essentials. She also has two tail bags. I purchased some soft foam sheets and converted my Tourmaster magnetic tank bag to a camera bag so I can quickly access the camera while sitting on the bike, snap my pictures and get moving again. After all the packing I take a minute to stop, catch my breath and do a mental check to be sure we are not forgetting anything, as if it is possible to take a trip and not forget something. I think we are actually ready to roll.
We head out into the blazing afternoon heat to pack the bikes. It is pushing 104 degrees F. After securing all the luggage, we get our neighbor to snap a few pictures of us and the bikes before we leave (Pic1-Pic2). Beth is riding her 1999 Triumph Legend 900. This is a great standard bike with a nice classic look and plenty of low end torque. It handles the luggage load with no problems. I am riding a 1998 Honda VFR 800. At first blush it looks the part of a crotch rocket, but it is a favorite touring bike for many Honda fans. I have installed the HELI-BAR clip on risers and recently added a new Sargent Cycle Products World Sport Seat, both make a huge difference in comfort for long trips! With the GIVI luggage system I can pack enough for two people for weeks on end. Yes, it is a bit functional in its aesthetic, but I like it!
We get the pictures taken, say our goodbyes and hit the road. Wearing our full Tourmaster Cortech riding suits we are baking like turkeys in a roaster. It feels good to get moving and to get some air flowing through the vents, pathetic as they are on these suits. We have been using bike to bike communicators made by Collett Communications. They are 900Mhz communicators with voice activation and two channels. We have the common international channel all units come with and a private channel unique to our two units. We have been using them for over a year with no problems. Of course, as we head down the road on our way out of town, Beth's unit decides to give up the ghost. I suspect that the warranty expired a few days ago hehe. Fortunately, Dad's place is on the way out of town so we stop in and borrow one of his units and we are ready to hit the road. We say our goodbyes and drive off into the steamy hot evening. We've actually managed to get on the road and up to speed by 6:00pm, amazing!
Our destination for the evening is Alexandria, Louisiana, a mere 220 miles away. When we leave it is 104 degrees and humid. As I mentioned before, we are both wearing full two piece riding suits. By the time we get on the road, I have already sweated out the several liters of water I drank before packing the bikes. As we head out Hwy 190 past Lake Livingston, the wind picks up and we expect to get rained on. Instead we are greeted with plunging temperatures and a beautiful rainbow ahead of us. According to the temperature gauge on my bike, it gets as low as 88 degrees for about twenty minutes. Then the temperature begins a steady dreaded climb right back up to a nice 97 degrees.
As we get closer to Jasper, Tx., ahead of us the clouds begin turning an ominous dark hue and filling the sky. There are thin wispy white clouds along the lower edges of the storm clouds. The sun is shining in from behind us creating an orange glow to everything. We start seeing lighting bolts streaking to the ground in the distance. Sheet lighting is dancing across the sky over our heads. Then it happens, huge rain drops coming at us at nearly seventy miles per hour. It hurts even through the jackets. Once again the temperature is dropping, fast! It is getting dark and we look for a place to pull over and cover the soft luggage. We manage to tuck into a nearby car wash and park the bikes in one of the bays and wait out the worst of the rain. At this point the temperature has dropped to a chilling 75 degrees. Between the sweat on the inside and the chilling rain on the outside, we are wondering what kind of adventure we have in store for the rest of the week?
We stop in Jasper and get a bite to eat at PC's BBQ on HWY 69. We have been here before and the food is great. We chat with some locals who are curious to know where we are going and how we can possibly ride the bikes for such long times and distances. They follow us out into the parking lot to check out the bikes as we suit back up for our departure. They are impressed hehe, or at least they think we are nuts. We gas up and head out of town for the Louisiana border. Alexandria is about another 90 miles and it is already 9:00pm. Cold and damp, we soldier on until we get to Alexandria. We check into our hotel room and get out of our damp clothes and take a very much anticipated hot shower.
Now that we are settled into our room, I decide that we had best check in with Shane and Steph to confirm our plans for the next day. Good thing I did, they have decided that it would be easier for them to meet us in Natchez, Mississippi, across the border rather than driving south down to us and then west over to Natchez. I have a pager that reaches in the area and a cell phone so that becomes the plan. When they get there they will page me and we can hook up then. The details out of the way, I turn and notice a large bed calling my name. The beds are actually comfortable and we drift off pretty quick.