Memorial Weekend Day One (Friday)

The first day of our weekend was spent traveling up to our hotel in Springfield, Virginia. We had gotten the majority of our things packed Thursday night so we could take it over to load it in the van my mom and her boyfriend were driving on Friday. Then the only thing we had to do was finish packing our toiletries and such Friday morning after we got ready.

We got ready to go fairly early on Friday. We planned to try to get on the road by about 8 or 8:30, knowing that we would actually get started a bit later. So we got up and started getting ready about 6:30 Friday morning. The kids were up bright and early, excited about the trip. I had J call my mom while I finished getting ready, making sure they were up and getting ready as well. We all got dressed and loaded what was left up on the bikes and got ready to head over to their house. We got the kids' riding jackets and helmets on while my bike was warming up (she's pretty cold-natured) and the hubby talked to our friend one more time before we pulled out for the trip. Then we all got on the bikes, got the kids all set, and headed over to meet my mom and her boyfriend at their house. Once we got there, we helped them finish getting everything ready, particularly the DVD player for the kids, and a few other things. Then we headed to the gas station to fill up before hitting the interstate.

We stopped for gas before getting on the interstate to Virginia. The hubby had filled his bike up the day before, so we just needed to fill mine up and the van. The hubby had also noticed that a couple of the tires on my mom's boyfriend's trailer looked a bit low before we left their house. So we checked what the recommended pressure was when we stopped at the gas station. The hubby bought me a little digital tire gauge to keep on my keychain a couple of weeks ago, and let me tell ya, that thing came in handy! We checked all the tires and got them inflated to the pressure they were supposed to be. After we filled up and got the tires inflated properly, we were on our way. I think it was about 10 a.m. by the time we got on the interstate.

We stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Dunn. It was about 30 miles up the road. We had a good breakfast - the kids enjoyed their pancakes with strawberries, and then we went out to make our way on up I-95 toward Springfield. But when the hubby walked out to where we had parked our bikes, he noticed his left rear turn signal had been broken off. UGH! So we took some time getting it fixed to ride, and then planned to stop in Smithfield at Shelton's HD to see if they had the part needed to replace it. We stopped, talked to our favorite salesman (who is now also a friend), and they didn't have the part we needed. My mom got a part she'd been wanting for her Sporty and a T-shirt, and we went on our way.

The next time we stopped was just across the Virginia State line. I was thankful then that circumstances caused us to have to stop longer than originally planned. We saw the remains of a bad accident just across the state line. An SUV was turned over on its side with the windshield busted, and I couldn't tell how many other vehicles were involved. Traffic was backed up for several miles though. We stopped shortly after crossing the state line to fill up with gas. We filled up and took the opportunity to stretch our legs and walk around. I also had to shed my leather jacket because I was getting too hot. So I traded my jacket for my leather vest, and left my chaps on. I know it's safer to wear my leather jacket, but it's not safe if I get overheated, and my leather jacket isn't vented very well. So we put on sunscreen and put our leather jackets in the trailer, and put our vests on for the rest of the ride.

We went on and continued riding until we were about 50 miles from Springfield. I could have continued riding, but would have been nearly out of gas, and my mom's boyfriend had needed to stop earlier to walk around some but we hadn't realized it. So we finally stopped and filled up with gas one more time, and ate a sandwich while we were taking a break. The kids had been eating snacks in the van, but ate a sandwich while we were stopped, although A complained about the meat on hers. Sometimes she eats meat on a sandwich without a problem, but sometimes she prefers just cheese. This was one of those times she wanted just cheese. But since it had been so long since we'd stopped at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast, I insisted that she eat her sandwich with the meat on it. She and her brother split a sandwich, so they only had half. She ate most of her half, and I guess her daddy fed the last very little bit to the birds.

Before we left that stop, I double-checked the directions with my mom's boyfriend to make sure I knew exactly where we were going. I was leading, the hubby was behind me, and my mom and her boyfriend were behind us in the van with the trailer. My mom's boyfriend asked if we wanted him to lead once we got closer to the hotel, but I had the directions memorized and felt safer with the van and trailer behind us, so I told him we were fine leading in. So we rode on in to Springfield and found the hotel, parked, and checked in. I honestly don't remember what time it was when we got there, since I don't usually pay attention to the time when we're riding.

After we got there, we went to our separate rooms and relaxed some. My mom was exhausted and crashed prett early. I didn't think we'd be hungry since we had eaten so late, but we started to get hungry late Friday evening. So we ordered pizza and had it delivered to the hotel. I took some over to my mom's room in case she wanted some later. Glad I did because she woke up in the middle of the night and had a bit of pizza before going back to bed.

We had a great ride up, although there were a few things I would have changed. First of all, what a difference a windshield makes! My mom's Sporty has a little windshield, and even that little one makes a difference as far as neck fatigue is concerned! My neck was so tired from fighting the wind by the time we got there! But I just took an Alleve and all was good. The road was pretty rough for a while, too. Guess there's not a whole lot I can do about that, though. It just made me a bit nervous. One good thing...it's a lot easier on a motorcycle to see where all the bad spots are on the road. That way we were able to avoid the really rough patches a lot more easily.

I think it took us a total of about 7 or 8 hours to get from here to Springfield. Considering the fact that we have to stop more frequently on the motorcycles, that wasn't too bad. The weather was perfect, and the ride was great! I was kind of surprised at how many motorcycles there were there at the hotel when we got there Friday evening. I knew there would be a lot of motorcycles for the parade on Sunday, but didn't expect to see so many at our hotel when we got there. It was kind of nice, though, because most of the guests there were bikers.

More to come!