Well, here I am sitting in doors on another nice day. I just can't shake this cold, one day I feel ok the next day like I was run over by a bus. It pretty much has me feeling exhausted most of the time. I'm alone and feeling run down Ideas and things were going through my head. One of those memories made me smile and I'm going to try and write about it for y'all if nothing else to jar my memory. I think this was back in 2005. I lived in New Jersey at the time and one of my best riding buddies lived south of Charlotte North Carolina. I was having a really rough patch as at that time. My husband decided that after 17 years his life was in complete ruins and he wanted out. He didn't want council or anything like that because he tried so hard to help me but there was no way he could help me since I was the most selfish, ungrateful, lying demon of a bitch he ever met in his life. Translation from husband speak was he had a new chickie that told him all the things he wanted to hear instead of what he needed to hear. I did take this very hard it was like a rug was being pulled out from under me feet and I was just doing a free fall and had no clue as to how I would land.
I found myself at 39 back at may parents house. I also found that I would be having a three day and 1/2 weekend, so I called Joann and said can I come to visit. She said really do you have to ask? So when I got done work at 1pm, I left Sewell New Jersey and head for points south. I took 295, over the Delaware Memorial Bridge, through Baltimore, then took 495 around Washington DC. That right there folks is taking your life in your hands be it on a bike or a car. I think for most of this ride I was on the shoulder as I was beginning run down and I was doing 85 and not willing to go too much faster, them folks is nuts! From 495 now I could look on the map but I took the route that shoots out to Haggerstown from there hit 83/1 south. When 77 came up I got off on 77 south, through Charolette on 465 is it? got off on 16 and went in to WaxHaw where she lives. I was welcomed and then I crashed. I was just beat from the ride I think I got in about 10 pm or there abouts.
The next morning I got up and walk down the gravel driveway and just looked around the area the smell of pine was heavy and shhh up the road deer were crossing the street from the farmers field. I made my way back to the work shed, if ya visit Joann there is always some work she has that has to be done and this day was no different. I walked through the door of the shed, without knocking cause she didn't hang a mask on the door, so I knew it would be ok to walk in on her. She slapped some sand paper and a gas tank in my hand and said, "good your up make yourself useful. Before we go anywhere I've got to at least spray some primer and one base coat before we go. I sat and sanded and sanded what felt like hours, but really was an hour, then she handed be a front fender and a mask as she took the tank from me and said, "your getting better at this" then went into the both to spray. I placed my mask on as she shut the door. Having technicolored snot is really a strange site so I'll wear the mask cause some of the spray does escape the little room. I finished up with the front fender and she took that along with the back fender into the booth.
We went back in the house made coffee ate breakfast and babbled a little while then she went back out to spray the 2nd coat on the pieces. We'll go out for a short ride then come back and sand them again you know the drill, oh I have to shoot my chopper so you want to out there? I was too sure about this but where is there? "Oh, just over the border about an hour I found this great old plantation as a back drop. I said, "yeah sure, no problem, its all back roads right?" "Yep, I didn't what you to have to deal with traffic." Joann said. Well I had to borrow a back pack and put me warm gear and rain gear in it since these bikes aren't exactly equipped to do work. They are meant to be ridden and look very pretty.
We mounted up and cruised the backwoods of North Carolina for like 20 minutes until we crossed over to South Carolina. We fueled up and she asked if I was good, " a little late, but I'm ok" I said. she pulled out the map from her fork bag and checked it and off we went down some road for about 10 minutes then made a few turns. We ended up at a T intersection, I just stopped the bike in the middle of the road and got off and we both looked at the map. "she looked at me and said what the hell" I say," were in the south right folks is patient" LOL! We got back on track and she just sees this little store and locks it up to get in the driveway. "WTF, ya want to give a little warning first!" I yell, here the seat bolt came out of the seat and she felt it wriggling around. So there we are in a little tiny town, in front of this old store with wooden walk way and it just happens to be a gun shop LOL! We go in asking if there are any bolt so big, the guy come out with a coffee can of nuts and bolts and dumps it on the ground. All three of us are looking at the bolts and I grab one, he grabs it from my and and says, "no that's not right sweetheart ya gotta have the man's eye and that you don't have." He tries like three bolts, and I grabbed the one I had in my hand the first time and dam if it wasn't the right one.
One problem diverted and we are on our way. I didn't tell you how creepy that was though, the guys were just really very strange though helpful just off, but me being from the north it could just be my perception. We get to the plantation and line the bikes up do some shoot in front of this big ole' place, then move them back by the fence, to old oak tree the home next to us, when we notice the door to this old grade estate open. Well, ya know we had to go in there right? Man the stair case was awesome, the big fire places and palor, then we went up them 100+ year old rickety steps. What fantastic rooms, glass door knobs, them old latches on the door and real narrow closets. The place was empty. Joann being an art photo journalist as well as custom bike and car painter was just gaga over the place taken all kind of shots of the place. Once again down stairs we went out the back of the house, it was weird ya kind of walked on a porch thing to get there, as soon as we opened the doors we looked at each other I said man this looks familiar, she agreed didn't know where we'd seen it. Well don't ya know it the historical society comes along and makes us get out of the place you see it was under renovations and the stairs weren't stable and they didn't want us on them LOL! We walked around out side then went up to the visitor center.
Had that V8 moment, duh hanging right there on the wall was a plaque from the film industry thanking the Plantation for allowing them to use the house and grounds in the filming of The Patriot. We need to come back and visit again we both agreed. To this date haven't returned yet. We began our journey home, and well if ya live in the south the late afternoon usually little rain storms are present or pop up thunderstorms. Yep you guessed it on our fly home it began to rain and rain heavy, so Joann decided super slabbing it would be the best way to go. Man It sucks in the rain with out a windsheild. It didn't matter that I had me rain gear on it was raining so hard that the rain was rolling right down my neck and soaking the front of me. We I do believe were going somewhere around 80 when I pull up close and yell back lights is out, I had to ride kind of close to her light out heavy rain no one could see her from behind. We are jamming alone when we see this big fuzzy thing in the road. You know how them little candles are on the front of them choppers, so by the time we saw it it was too late. Up and over we went thumping down on the other side of it, LOL! Now if ya never ridden a hardtail how you go over the unavoidable bumps is a little different on a cruiser. First arms straight firm grip, lean back a bit and stand slightly on the pegs or your in a wold of hurting for sure.
She looks over and shrugs her shoulders and makes a gesture. Hell I don't know what it was, but it was part for the course wasn't now. As we pulled in to her garage, got off the bikes her husband looks at them and shakes his head. He spends that night cleaning a polishing them, we go on to the porch and pull off the boots and pour out the rain. "Ya now, I should know better than go anywhere with you. It is always one weird thing after another." says joann. I told her "everthing is better when wet right." She say "no". We get warmed up and go back to the shop and finish up sanding the tanks and fenders. Then next day we sit in her shop as she sprays out the design of the bike, I end up doing taping, and some stencile work, then she sprayed some base coat. We babbled and worked in the shed most of that day, and I ended up going into Charlotte and picking up some pieces she had at the clear coater, she wanted to try something new. I left the next day. I took 77 up to 83/81 whatever that dam road is, just outside of Winchester Virginia while I was doing 75 in the left hand lane, thawck happens. The bike was rocking so hard side to side I could barely keep it up right let alone off the road. You see the back tire blew, the tread come up and smacked me in the back of my head and I was mighty lucky to still be standing. It was one of them miracle moments when ya wonder how did I get that lucky.
Well, not that lucky I guess it was a sunday, at 5 pm no chance of anyone being open then, this lovely 2 lane road bikers were passing me and not one stopped or slowed or even noticed I had an issue. Then when there wasn't any traffic there were on cows standing there cleaning their noses. The only person whom stopped was a guy in a red jeep, he went and got me help finding a garage up with a flatbed. The flat bed showed up the bike was loaded I was in the cab the dude say where to? I guess neartest bike shop that fixes flats or puts on new tires. I ended up in Winchester HD, on the way there the driver offered to take me on a date, really? But yep, a date wtf man that's not what I was looking for at all, I gave him the biggest hate man face and I could see him mentally covering his jewels. I got a hotel room and my bike had new tread on her sometime in the early afternoon the ride home would we very easy.
OK, lesson one, make sure seat bolts are on tight after having them off. Lesson two to silly gals should not thunder down the highway on fancy bikes in the rain. Lesson three make sure Joann doesn't have a lot of work to do the weekend ya want to visit her. Lesson four have a charged cell phone handy. Oh that's the part I didn't tell you about. Well the cows were staring at me with their tongues up their noses as the rest of the herd was coming over to see what was going on, ya know cows are like that right. Nothing like entertaining the abbot milk employees, at that point I whip out my phone and it has like 10 seconds of charge on it. I call Joann and say "hey joann I need help" is all she got, the phone was completely dead. So there I sat. Other than the silliness of the trip It was a much needed brake. I got to see how folks do bike shoots, I got to experience more about custom painting. And can't wait to get home to rent the patriot and see that plantation home in the movie. It was really the break I needed so I was ready to face the soon to be ex again. Have a great one "T"
More to follow
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