Daytona Bound March 7th 2015

It's been a long wait. Several years ago, our daughter and son-in-law joined us in Lake George for Americade. While we had a good time, I'm not sure it was the roudy time the son-in-law expected. You see he'd been to Daytona with his buddies. One night he says to me that come March he'll take us to Daytona. Well, I think he had more fun than he was letting on, because the followiing March our granddaughter was born. You do the math. Our granddaughter will turn 8 years old this week. And while I love my granddaughter, that seed her father planted in my brain 8 years and 9 months ago has been germinating ever since. 

This morning we left cold and snow packed New Hampshire and pointed the fenders south. Yea sure, they are on a trailer, but hey, it was 5 degrees when we left. It was no small chore digging that trailer out all winter as storm after storm blasted the North East. Then getting the bikes warm enough to start was another matter. Out came the propane space heater and placed near the motorcycles to warm them. Once warmed, we then needed to slip and slide them along the frozen snow packed drive and up the ramp onto the trailer. I owe Andy a great bit of gratitude for taking on this task. The long winter of constant shoveling was in itself a great test of endurance.

As we began our journey in the wee hours of the morning, a particual sound coming from the right front of the van was driving me crazy. It sounded like a cricket to me. Chirp chirp chirp. Andy shrugged it off as just the luggage in the back rubbing against each other. But I was sure it was coming from the front.

After a few hours as we are making our way through New York. The roads here are SO bad. The potholes are so prolific they look like a field of goffer holes along the roadway. On one particular bad stretch as Andy realized we would hit hard, he actually pulled up on the steering wheel as if he were on a bike and manuvering. While funny, and we were lucky not to blow a tire. The line of cars along the highway with their drivers jacking up their own cars and putting on the spare was not.

Finally we cross into New Jersey and travers the entire length of the state without trouble, almost. Just before we leave this state the front right tire sound like it's about to fall off. Then we hear sounds like we either ran over something or something fell off.  We hobble off the highway and find a truck repair shop. While waiting our turn, Andy notices a bolt on the trailer. Just sitting there. He pockets it not knowing where it came from. To our great surprise this bolt turns out to be the exact bolt that has wiggled its way out of the break housing that bolts to the frame! I suspect that the cricket I heard was this coming loose and all the potholes did the rest. Yet what are the chances that bold would bounce back up off the road and onto the bike trailer? Phenomenal in my opinion. So I feel blessed indeed to still be on my way and tomorrow we shall be in the Sunshine State!