Our Latest Trip

Our last big ride was this past June of 2006. We have a 1982 Goldwing Interstate. It is an older bike but, it runs like a new one. We would love to have a newer bike but, we have projects going on at our house that is going to be completed first. We also have a Travlite camper that is pulled behind the bike, that opens up into a king size bed. It is a great addition to the bike because we ca carry everything that we need, and still have our bed with us. People are amazed at our camper when we start to set it up at the campground. It never fails, when we start to set it up, we always draw a crowd.

We started out at around six-thirty in the morning, on our trip to New York and Connecticut. We had a friend named Mark ride with us on his bike. He has a 1981 Goldwing that i found for him, and then we fixed it up. We were loaded for the trip and anxious to go.

The morning that we left was pretty cool considering it was June, and it was a clear day. We live in the Upstate of South Carolina, so we wanted to get through Charlotte NC before the rush hour, so we left our home around 6:30 am. We stopped and got us a biscuit and some coffee, on the other side of Spartanburg. We made it to a beautiful area just north of Charlotte called Lake Norman. The traffic started to back up, and finally came to a halt. There was an accident ahead that was causing the back up.

When our friend Mark pulled up behind us.. he said " hey your back tire is smoking." And sure enough i could smell it. I had just replaced the rear tire before the trip but, i did not know that the tire was abnormally large and was hitting the frame slightly. I pulled over to the side of the road to see what damage had been done. We mad the decision to make it to the nearest bike shop and see about the tire.

We got off at the next exit, and pulled into a gas station, and borrowed a phone book to find the nearest bike shop. The closest bike shop was about four exits from where we were north of us. Well, at least it was in the direction we were going. When we arrived at the bike shop, one of the service guys looked at the tire, and he said it shouldn't be a problem. But, when he found out we were heading to New York, and was pulling the camper the entire way, he said.."I wouldn't make the trip on that tire." That was enough for me. I said" Go ahead and change it."

We dropped the bike off, and walked across the street to grab a sandwich while the tire was being changed. We were told we would have about an hour wait. Well, it turned into about a three hour wait. We had to wait our turn in line. It was a Saturday, and they were very busy. They did apologize for the wait, and they tried to make us at home while we waited. It was finally changed, and we paid them and were finally on our way.

To be continued...