It was Father’s Day so I needed to pick up a card & gift for Dad as I didn’t have much room on the bike to carry it. I wound up getting a foam roller from Relax the Back Store in town. I’ve found a foam roller to be really helpful in helping me to stretch my neck and back. My dad often notes tightness in the same spots, so I figured it would be a good gift.
I’m going to the cabin near Dahlonega so it will be easy to get the tire put on. I’ve got everything packed and ready to go. I start the bike and… it’s dead. Not good. I figured I had left something on so no harm. I just need to find jumper cables. Not in my mom’s car. Not in the basement. The neighbors are gone. I start searching my mom’s phone directory for friends that live in the neighborhood. I found someone who had jumper cables. The bike started right up. I let it idle a bit. Things seemed to be going well. I let my assistance go. As soon as I hooked up the GPS the bike died. Now I have a dead bike and no help. I flagged someone down to help us. He was elderly and hard of hearing so it was tough to communicate the special requirements of jump starting a motorcycle. His jumper cables were a bit worn so with both issues it was challenging to get the bike going again. I got it started and off I went.
Headed up Georgia 400 was a nice easy ride. Just after 369 I ran into a fast moving squall that dumped on us. The Aerostich did mostly well. I was damp on the inside, but I didn’t get the outer vents closed up fast enough. Riding in the rain is clearly my weakest skill as California doesn’t get enough rain here to make riding in the rain a necessity.
The rain stopped by the time I got into Dahlonega. Matt of Tire Technicians got the new tire on in about 30 minutes.
I waited another 30 minutes talking with the staff about the new shop to let the rain fully clear.
The sun came out and I was on my way! I rode up Georgia 60 to Two Wheels Only.
I had always wanted to go there as a kid. About 10 years ago I’d rented a Harley to go put around these hills but it was too much bike for me at the time. Now being on my own bike with 50,000 miles under my belt, I was much more at ease.
I really enjoyed riding back here. I’d spent so much time as a kid hiking these mountains that it was such a neat surprise to see them all again. I stopped at the highway 60 overlook as well as Woody Gap. Many of our hiking trips started there. With the rain the temperatures had cooled off so that the temperature was perfect!
The sun is setting so I’ve got to ride back to the lake to meet my folks for dinner.
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