While riding from Jacksonville to Pensacola a opportunity for a distraction appeared heading northward to Tennessee. It was not long before I was climbing the mountains in Tennessee in a pouring rain storm. No light rain at all mind you but the kind of rain that makes you second guess what you were thinking when you headed into it. As I climbed in elevation the rain fell harder and harder. As is my style for the heavy rain I waited until I was passed by a 18 wheeler with plenty of lights and jumped out into the fast lane behind him at a safe distance where I could keep his lights in my sight predicting the upcoming turns. Cresting the mountain and lowering in elevation the rain gradually slowed to the point of when entering the valley it was only a slight drizzle.
There appeared a rest area in the valley and it took no persuasion at all to stop and visit my best friend on the road the rest area hand dryer. I used to despise the hand dryers they never seem to do a good job of drying your hands but after a soaking in a heavy rain they are indeed a welcome sight. A burst of hot air up a wet shirt the chance to dry my gloves and helmet liner you can believe the rest area hand dryers were put to good use.
When leaving the rest room I was approached by a couple who were staring at me for quite a few paces ahead. When they got into ear shot the woman started in on me. “Is that your motorcycle”? glancing back at my bike the only one in the rest area and me in leather and chaps. What now I am thinking to myself. I answered yes. She says “ I have to tell you, me and my husband were having a argument. I was telling him we had to pull over and let this rain pass by, and he was saying we needed to just keep on going, Then You passed us” with him standing there with a grin the entire time.
