Partly Cloudy ... With A Slight Chance Of Showers

Well, I have told you a little about my "children" so now I guess I will tell you about one of my many hobbies. I say "many" because I am kind of a "jack of all trades, but a master of none".

One of the things I like to do in my free time is ride motorcycles, especially on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There is nothing better than a leisurely stroll on a warm, sunny afternoon. Having said that, there is also nothing worse than a leisurely stroll in a blinding downpour, complete with thunder and lightning.

A couple of weeks ago the wonderful weatherman stated on Friday evening that Saturday and Sunday were going to be fabulous ... warm and sunny and in the upper 70's (perfect riding weather), and only a slight chance of showers. After hearing that, my girlfriend and I decided we would hop on our bikes and take a weekend trip to Grandfather Mountain. When we left Saturday morning it was a little foggy, but it was burning off quickly, and had promise of being a wonderful day. The first 60 miles were awesome, just as the weatherman predicted, but then things started looking a little ominous. Not to worry, I thought. Just a few clouds ... yeah right. About 100 miles out, the bottom fell out and it poured for the rest of the trip. Needless to say,70's and sun is great, but 50's and pouring rain is not so great, especially when silly me didn't bother to pack my rain gear (after all, there was only a slight chance of showers).

We finally made it to the Grandfather Mountain welcome center, where we were met by the friendliest man. He invited us to stay for a while, along with several other fellow swamprats riders. He assured us that the storm would end before too much longer. We only had about five more miles to reach our destination, so after a brief period of warming up, the rain had let up (somewhat) so we decided to continue on our journey. Sure enough, the kind fellow was correct. By the time we reached our final destination the sun had come out.

Okay, Sunday morning we woke up to dense fog, so we decided to hang out for a little while and wait on the fog to lift. It finally lifted so we headed back to the Mountain to enjoy the day. I thought to myself, "At least Sunday was going to be nice." Wrong again. It was great weather for about half the day but then dark clouds appeared off in the distance. We decided to go ahead and leave in order to "stay ahead" of it. Too late! By the time we made it down the Mountain and back to the parkway, it was raining, and unfortunately, the clouds backed up against the ridge line and it rained the entire way home ... 150 miles in terrible thunderstorms. It was the most miserable experience I have ever had on a motorcycle.

Overall, the trip was a great experience, I guess. I definitely learned a couple of good lessons:

1. Never go on a trip without rain gear.
2. Never Ever trust a weatherman!

I loved Grandfather Mountain! I just wish I could have stayed longer. I hope to go back sometime soon ... just not when the weatherman is calling for a slight chance of showers.