Road Trip Day One (Thursday)

Thursday was the day we left for the Outer Banks. It was also the first day of the NC State HOG Rally. I had originally wanted to get there in time to be able to get to registration that day, but with everything that had been going on, it just wasn't meant to be. Oh well. I believe everything happens for a reason, regardless of whether I ever find out what that reason is.

The hubby and I had been pretty busy all week, and we didn't even get packed for the trip until Thursday morning. I had gotten the laundry done, and we had our clothes for the trip laid out Wednesday night, but we didn't get everything packed up until the next morning. And the sale of my mom's house was scheduled to close on Friday, so she had to go over Thursday morning to sign the paperwork. By the time everybody got everything done and got packed and ready to go, it was about 12:30. Since registration closed at 5:00 Thursday, we knew there was no way we'd make it there in time, because the trip is about 4 and a half hours without having to make any stops, and we have to stop every so often when we're on the bikes.

We stopped for the first time in Smithfield to get some lunch. There's a Cracker Barrel there, and that's where we decided to eat. We enjoyed our lunch there, and after checking how much gas I had (the gas tank on my mom's Sporty is only about 3 gallons while the tanks on my bike and my mom's boyfriend's Road King are 5 gallons), we hit the road again with plans to stop for gas in Williamston. Since my mom's bike had never been driven on a long trip (at least not since they've had it), we didn't know how far it would go on a tank of gas. And it doesn't have a fuel gauge. When we checked in Smithfield, though, it was sitting at more than a half tank, so we thought we'd be able to make it to the next planned stop with no problems.

After we got through Rocky Mount and got onto US 64 from I-95, I noticed the Sporty acting like it was running out of gas. So I got into the lane next to my mom's boyfriend (who was leading), and pulled up to let him know that I needed to stop. Then I reached down and turned the fuel switch to what I THOUGHT was Reserve to make sure I could get to the next exit. Shortly after, it shut off, just before the exit. I pulled over to the side of the road, and everybody else pulled over too. Come to find out, I had turned the fuel OFF instead of Reserve. OOPS!! So we put it in Reserve, got fuel to the engine and got it started back up. Then we made it to the exit to fill up. I made note of the mileage while we were sitting by the side of the road, and I was almost at 114 miles, and that was pretty much completely dry, not including what was in Reserve. So I figured I could safely go 100 miles on a tank, and we all started paying attention to the mileage so we could make sure to stop in plenty of time. That was an interesting experience, but at least now my mom will know how far she can go on a tank of gas! And I also had a valuable reminder of one of the first lessons they taught us in the MSF course - know where the fuel switch is and know where the setting for Reserve is. I knew where the switch was, but learned that I needed to turn it TWO clicks to get it to Reserve, and I only turned it one. The hubby reassured me, saying he probably would have done the same thing in that situation. But both of our bikes have fuel gauges, so that takes away the guesswork there.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous for the ride up. In fact, it was quite hot, and we were all riding in short sleeved shirts with leather vests. The cool spots (swamps, marshes, or other areas with water nearby) were quite a relief. Shortly after one of the times we stopped, though, the temperature dropped quickly and we had to pull over to put on our jackets. When we got back on the road the wind had picked up as well. It was pushing so hard from one side that the hubby and I felt like we were having to steer and lean into the wind to keep on track. It didn't last very long, though. It was just quite interesting how suddenly the temperature dropped and how quickly the wind picked up.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. There are some incredibly long bridges we had to cross to get to the islands of the Outer Banks. I thought they were fun, and provided a beautiful view of the water. I've always enjoyed views like that when we've gone to the beach in a car, but the unobstructed view you get from a motorcycle is like no other.

We made it to Kill Devil Hills, and got to the hotel my mom and her boyfriend were staying in first. They pulled in there and the hubby and I went on down to ours. We all got checked in and decided where we wanted to go for dinner. We had seen a billboard sign well before we got to the Outer Banks for Dirty Dick's Crab House, and my mom and I both got a giggle at the slogan, so we ended up deciding to have dinner there Thursday night. We enjoyed our dinner, although the prices were, in my opinion, outrageous. I remember the day when prices for seafood at the coast were cheaper than they were farther inland, and it was better. Well, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, at least not there. The crazy thing is that we go to a Chinese restaurant here in Fayetteville and can get all-you-can-eat crab legs, and the Snow Crab legs are really good size. These Snow Crab legs were rather small, and downright pricey. Other than that, though, it was yummy.

After we ate dinner, we headed back to the hotel. I've already written about my little mishap in the hotel parking lot. After that, we parked the bikes and stood around talking for a while. Then Mom and her boyfriend went back to their hotel, and we went in to get a good night's sleep before starting our adventures the next day.