Good Rain, Bad Rain

Photo – One of the few bright moments

Had I known the weather forecast I probably would have gone regardless. My mind was made up and this was the time. Looking back, maybe I should have payed it more attention.

On a positive note, I covered a little more than 500 miles before I bailed on today’s reconnaissance. I knocked off a significant unexplored portion of the first Virginia map. What was left to be done is primarily re-riding roads I’ve been on before for comparison purposes, to judge them against those discovered since. If my earlier notes are sufficient, I may have all I need to complete the map. Gosh I hope so, it’s been one heck of an effort to reach this point.

I left before sunrise, crossing the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee in patches of fog and darkness so thick at times it slowed traffic. I was prepared for this, such is the norm recently. I wore my cool and wet weather gear. My expectation was that as the day progressed, the recently oppressive heat would come on and I’d change into my mesh gear to make the remainder of the day tolerable. I expected a “chance of afternoon showers”. No big deal. Just a little rain. Been there before, it doesn’t slow me down much.

I paused at the border passing into Virginia as the sun was now up and I could see to review my notes and maps before I left the highway. Already, the clouds were evident, those tall thunderheads that foretell an ominous future. I hoped it would hold off until the afternoon, and the emerging sun reinforced my wishful thinking. Reaching Marion, I turned north towards West Virginia.

No sooner was I off the Interstate than the wet roads spoke that rain had already been through. It was a good road, even a great one, though the long range views that should have been making it even that much more enjoyable were lost in the gray mists of the low cloud that engulfed the mountain passage. The tight turns, often requiring a drop into first gear, were strewn with heavy patches of large gravel and slippery mud that had been washed over them by what must have been epic storms yesterday. This was a great road and I hope I will return to it one day and ride it when it can really be ridden. Today was not the day though, and I turned about once I left the border of the map instead of exploring the terrain that lays across the border of the state. West Virginia holds such promise.

Within just a few minutes the first heavy drops clacked on my helmet. It grew into a deluge that rarely abated coming in growing wave after wave of torrent and fury. My gear is typically dry in light to moderate downpours, but this was rain of a biblical scope. I pressed on. Brief forays back onto the interstate found the traffic plodding along at less than 50 mph in the blinding downpours. When the first trickle of cold seeped onto the family jewels and spread across my skivvies then down the backs of my thighs, I cringed. Hate that. Expecting heat, I wore only a light T-shirt. A chill set in that would stay with me until I got home.

I stuck with it until about 2 PM. I just couldn’t get the job done any longer. There was no visibility and I couldn’t really get a feel for the character of the surroundings. I was shivering and tensed up with cold which was sapping my concentration and focus. I couldn’t see the tar patches, gravel, or muddy spots on the road, and too often there was enough water cascading across them to lose traction in the curves. I had survived enough close calls and slips on the hidden hazards. It was too dangerous to continue like this. I turned back towards the highway and made the cold slog homeward.

Unpacking the bike, I was taken back when I glanced at my rear tire. There is a white stripe down the center of it. I’d worn it clear down to the chords and was lucky to have made it home at all. I don’t even trust it to ride to the shop for a new one, it’s going on the trailer. Had I stayed out much longer, the day could have ended far more tragically. That rain may have saved my life. I supposed it was a good rain after all.

Wayne@americaridesmaps.com

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