Book of Leakes

Harley Ride 2009 - Day 5
Beautiful, Beautiful! We didn't put a lot of miles on the road today. It rained and rained and rained! We started out sleeping in. It was very nice. We didn't get on the road until 10:00 a.m. ish. Because it was raining. There was a break in the clouds so we decided to go ahead and drive the dragon. In spite of the warning from Joy at the the hotel that there were 9 fatalities on the dragon this summer. She gave us a scenic tour from Alcoa over the Foothills Parkway. What a pretty road. It ran along a ridge with trees everywhere.

When you can peek through the trees the view of the mountaintops are beautiful! Clouds settling on the hills. And the smell of rain! This brought us to the Chilhowee Lake and onto the Dragon. It was a tough battle. We had rain and leaves on the road, but we slid (slayed) the dragon.

Lunch at Stecoah and a Harley shop in Cherokee and Waynesville. We had to fix Kevin's shifter in Waynesville. It broke. Then we floated into Asheville.

It has rained 10 inches in 24 hours in this part of the country. We are wearing our rain gear which is the best thing ever today. My boots were soaked through and I had a wet strip down my shirt. When driving down the road, the water would soak my hands, nose and mouth. It has been an adventure. And it is still pouring. Not raining, but pouring.

Reflective ride notes:
About 300 miles - Kevin hit his reset button too fast and zeroed out the trip mileage, so I am adding. 1 gas stop at $2.38 a gallon.
We rode our Harley's in the Southern Super Soaker! (That's what they were calling it on the news). Right into Ashville where they had the most rainfall reported for this storm in North Carolina. At least 4 inches in 24 hours. It was causing some bad flooding in Atlanta Georgia.
Thank you to the Harley store in Cherokee, NC and Asheville, NC for letting us drip on your floor and shop! And a big Thank you to Ghost Town in Asheville for letting Kevin fix his shifter on his bike under the covered parking and not in the pouring rain.
We had to put half our clothes in the dryer at the hotel to get them dry again. They were soaked through the carry bag.
Best thing invented for the day: Waterproof gear! Even though the water came through a little, ok, with this rain storm and driving all day, it was quite a bit. We were able to stay warm and not shiver. The water felt like standing in a warm shower! My boots were wet all the way through. You should have seen our room with everything hanging up to dry and the air blowing and steaming up the windows.