Sitting at the diner also gave us a chance to rehash some of yesterday's interesting happenings. Shane's trip in the roll-back was topped off by the truck driver's story about a "blind-in-one-eye killer chihuahua" that "took care of a doberman." One lesson we've learned on this trip: Any time someone starts a story off with "It's funny how...", get ready for a whopper. For instance: "It's funny how a dog will turn on you. And it don't matter what kind of dog, neither. I had this chihuahua..."
We also discussed Harold's comment about our camping idea. Harold, if you'll remember, has traveled the entire western hemisphere on a motorbike. He walked in to the Lynchburg shop and said: "Who's Alabama bikes?" When we told him they were ours, his follow-up comment was priceless. It went as follows:
Harold: "Those tent rolls?"
Shane: "Yes, sir."
Harold: "I went camping twice in my life."
Shane (with Josh nodding stupidly): "Is that right?"
Harold: "Yep. The first night and the last night were one in the same. Even left the tent. There's a reason they make hotels."
Harold is a smart, smart man.
The last half of today's riding also took an unexpectedly nice turn: upon hitting Asheville, NC, we also hit a warm patch with this strange stuff called sunshine intermingled with puffy clouds. Being cold and wet for several days will make one appreciate small (actually really freaking big) things like warm air and sunshine.
We arrived in Franklin, NC around 5:00 pm EST at the luxurious Triple J Ranch. The Triple J is owned and operated by my Nanny and Paw Paw (who are in Alabama right now waiting on us to get back). This is one of the greatest places on Earth. It offers everything one could want in a vacation spot, especially if everything you want is sleeping for nine hours a day and eating your fool brains out.
Since the Triple J is the starting point for the final leg of the trip, we got some pictures of the bikes after the nasty conditions that plagued us over the past two days.
Above are the bikes in full rain gear. Everything stayed dry, so no worries there. Below are several pictures of the nasty stuff:
Despite the nasty weather, the mechanical issues, the complete unwinding of the meager plans we made, and all the other unexpected bumps in the road, The Journey has not beaten us. We've made it back to my home-away-from-home safe and in one (or no more than two) pieces. We've accomplished a daunting feat: as of 6:00 pm EST today, we've traveled 1,421 miles in four days. For those of you doing the long division on that, figure about 650 of those miles as non-interstate. To get a more accurate picture of how those miles compare to highway miles, multiply by a factor of 2.87 or two and six-eighths (whichever strikes your fancy). At the end of the day, we made it safe and sound to The Triple J. That'll do for us.
P.S. - Those are not exhausted and dazed looks on our faces...the flash just went off when we weren't expecting it.Tomorrow should be spent exploring Franklin and then getting back to Alabama. Since it looks like the weather will break for the day, we're going to get out while the getting is good. Before we leave, we've got an appointment with some Cubans...(don't worry; it's a local coffee drink, not a cigar).
Special Thanks to Frank Farrell for having the heat on and the Triple J ready for our arrival.
The Following is a Super-Secret Encoded Message for all members of AFEP:
We still have The Fire.
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