The Crittenden Automotive Library

3,300 miles later, back in Woodstock

3,300 miles later, back in Woodstock

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
September 1, 2013

I just returned from a three-week, 3,300-mile motorcycle trip through the southeastern U.S. What a trip!

On Day 1 I rode toward Charleston, W.V., taking interstate highways to Cincinnati and then U.S. 60 to Hurricane, W.V. Two-lane roads through scenic areas are the right way to travel!

On Day 2 I took U.S. 60 from Charleston to west of Clifton Forge, Va., where I took I-64 into Lexington and then U.S. 60 again into Richmond. Again, beautiful, twisting two-lane roads.

It's often hard to find good stopping places quickly for photos but, when the curves require you to slow to 25-30 MPH and there is a parking lot, it's time to stop. This "bug" was at the Mystery Hole museum in Ansted, W.V. (Fortunately, it was closed, so I couldn't trade my motorcycle for it...)

I spent almost a week in Richmond and then headed south to Columbia, S.C. for a family visit. After that, on to Arcadia, Fla. for a visit with my older sister.

I thought about doing a little "investigating", while I was so close to Lehigh Acres, Fla. That's where Scott Feldkam confronted three juveniles with a handgun in about 2008. And, if I'd taken my last "Gus for Sheriff" sign with me (hard to do on a motorcycle), I thought it would be fun to go by Nygren's home in Cape Coral and plant it in his front yard for a photo op.

I started back on Friday. As expected, the fastest drivers in the nation are in Atlanta, and there were huge traffic jams in construction zones.

Continuing early Saturday from Chattanooga, Tenn., I quickly rode into rain. Heavy rain. One thing I learned about rain in the Southeast, when it starts, it starts. It was like a line on the highway. Dry on one side; raining hard on the other. No time to put on my rainsuit. So I got wet - for five minutes. Then the road was dry, and I dried out on the way to Nashville.

At Champaign I rode west on I-74 and turned north on IL 47. When I stopped for gas in Gibson City, it looked like rain, so I suited up. And it rained hard, while I was still at the gas station. By the time I had the rainsuit on, the rain was stopping, but I kept it on all the way to Woodstock (which kept it from raining again).

After two 700-mile days on the trusty Honda Shadow, I feel like I'm still riding!