Today is the start of my big overnight weekend on Vivie. It’s my first 120 mile overnight solo ride, a biggggg baby step for me!! My plan was to just hop’ my way over to Helen, Georgia, east of Blue Ridge in the northern part of the state.
I finished packing and got out the door around 11:00.
I was supposed to meet my friend, John, at the Peruvian restaurant we liked about 40 minutes away – pulled up and it was closed – called him real quick – we met at a coffee shop for a few.
I’d broken down the trip in my mind into manageable segments, and this was the first one! I had soothed my angst by telling myself to take just one step at a time and that I could always bail at any point along the way.
Perfectly caffeinated, I continued on, winding out past the picturesque Ocoee River. Just when I thought I couldn’t stand being planted on my backside one second longer, I thought I was gonna lose it, I spied a scenic overlook. I swung up the road and into the parking lot. I hovered over my bike for a few minutes, just to get the blood flowing again before setting off for the next stint.
The next place I stopped was at Mercier Orchard’s to grab a little lunch.
It was nice to have a familiar place to stop – I had just been there with my Dad, and friends, Jeff and Shea. I felt good, laughed with a couple who were enjoying their food so much. I, also, chatted with an older gentleman who had lost his wife – we had fun talking about bikes. Ordered up a peach handpie to go and motored on.
For I wee moment, I had sunshine. I soaked it up, until… I was forced to ride under a rain cloud the rest of the way. I met Steve, my AirBnB host – we, too, chatted about motorcycles for a while, then I got myself moved inside – frozen! I had survived my first “long-distance trip!!” Tucked in for the night.- one happy gal!!!
I crawled into a HOTTTTTT shower, slumped onto the bench and let the hot water pour over me for ages! I laid out all my gear to dry. Then, I crawled in bed!! Damn near dead!! lol
Smarter-Not-Harder U 