Huntington, WV to Maggie Valley, NC 300+ miles - “The Rain”

 Where is this picture and why am I here?

This is the inside of a car wash. I’m am not here to wash my bike or my laundry. This car wash is about 10 minutes from my hotel. It is the only dry place in the entire state of West Virginia. I barely made it to the car wash before the downpour started. I should have gone back to the hotel, booked another day, and went back to sleep. Instead, I stopped at the car wash to put on my rain gear and wait for the rain to stop. I waited about 30 minutes and headed out again.

What is this graphic about?

This is the radar map for parts of West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and a bit of North Carolina. This is why my day was shitty for the first 2 hours of my ride. They were the worst 2 riding hours I have ever done. My rain gear leaked. My anti-fog helmet visor fogged-up, my new “water proof” gloves became soggy. A total FUBAR of a ride. I was going 35-40 miles an hour on the freeway and no one even passed me, it was so bad. I kept looking for some place, with a roof or canopy, where I could stop. The only places I found were church’s. However, being Sunday, the churches were packed and everyone was under the canopies watching the storm and the idiot on the motorcycle getting soaked.  I kept thinking that according to the radar, I should be able to squeeze through a gap in the storms and everything will be fine. This plan did not happen. 

When it is raining, bad things can happen on a motorcycle. Lane lines, painted crossing indicators, and tar patches all become slip-in-slides. Braking is very hard, especially with new tires. Hydroplaning occurs. I should have stopped, but I “knew” the weather would break. What I didn’t know was that it would take 4 hours!