Ready to Ride


Day Four- Part II

A view from the back deck.... also known s the 13th fairway
We arrived in Toano a little after one this afternoon, the trip east on Route 64 alternating between drizzle, downpour and beautiful blue skies. Every time we come down here, when I see the first signs for Williamsburg, I feel like I’m home. There’s just something about being here in Virginia that makes everything seem better. My ancestry, on my father's side, can be traced to colonial Virginia and Maryland, and the families of Richard Huffington, William Coulbourne, Jonathan Cottingham and Randall Revell, but that's more a story for my other blog, Plymouth Brock.

There was a lot to do this afternoon – (junk) food shopping for my niece, repacking, making sure we had the right sunglasses, gloves and jackets, repacking again, charging laptops, Kindles and cameras, repacking one more time, and of course, washing and waxing the Harley.


We headed down to the Aberdeen Barn in Williamsburg to meet BJ, his fiancé, Jessica and her parents – mom Sherri and stepdad Mike, dad Shayne and stepmom Lori - for dinner. Even though I had spoken to Sherri on the phone, it was the first time we were meeting the new in-laws face to face. Dinner was pleasant and we shared a lot of laughs.  It was good to see my baby boy, although I should probably stop referring to him that way.

And now we’re buttoning up the last minute details – Jason’s checking the directions and the locations of the Harley dealers in Kitty Hawk, NC, Kaila’s settling in, and I’ve repacked for the last time (it has to be… Jason put my bag in the bike).  We’re planning a 9:00 am start, so I’ll probably be up at 5:00….

PS.  I haven’t told Jason that the Devils lost the Cup….
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Heading East on Route 64

Day Four
June 11, 2012

Monday mornings are always difficult, even on vacation, especially when it means saying goodbye.

By 8:30 am, Jason and I were packed and heading back towards Virginia. The dog and cat were comfortably curled around each other in the back seat and the GPS alerted us to a four hour and seven minute trip to Toano.  The magnificent spectrum of greens coloring the hills was a stark contrast to the gray that blanketed the skies, and as random raindrops hit the windshield, sometimes with more ferocity than randomness, I was happy to be in the truck and not on the bike.

Sunday was a lazy, normal day spent with Courtney, Becky and the kids. Joey and Jason headed off to the golf course, but not before the pot of gravy (if it's got meat in it, it's gravy) was on the stove slowing simmering and filling the house with wonderful scents and the mouthwatering anticipation of dinner.

A brightly sunny but muggy day, Courtney dragged out the blow-up pool and the kids took turns splashing each other and on occasion, us, as we sat courtside to their antics. Boomer decided the pool was not for him, so he toddled around the perimeter, filling his shoes with water and dumping it on his siblings, himself and once on an unsuspecting Ajax.

We laughed and talked the afternoon away, and after Jason and Joey returned, got the breezeway set up for dinner. They’re a great combination, my daughter and son-in-law. She’s the baker and he’s the chef, so meals at their house are always a delightful presentation and taste. 

True to form, Joey outdid himself…again. The table was lined with a feast of eggplant parmigiana, chicken parmigiana, a heaping bowl of spaghetti, meatballs, sausage, salad and bread. It was awesome. Courtney’s apple pie prompted Jason to quip, “Baked Alaska AND apple pie in the same weekend! I’m never leaving!”

But leave we did, and once again, I find myself typing in the truck, only this time it’s not with the exhilaration of seeing my daughter, but the sadness of having to leave her again. 
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A Day in Coal Miner's Country

Day Two
June 9, 2012

We’re watching the Devils play the LA Kings in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup.  Being a Devil's fan by marriage, it's an anxious night and the end of a great day. Boomer’s in bed, Zan’s reading  (inspired, he said, by the fact that I told him I’m writing a story) and Lia is on the couch drifting quietly into Fairy Princess dreams.

Boomer (Joey)
Lia
It was a beautiful day, weather-wise, and a great day with the kids. Boomer, at just 17 months old, is solid as a rock, and certainly not a baby any longer. He kept up with his sister and brother all day long; playing in the yard, swinging on the swings and climbing fearlessly to the top of the slide before zooming down, arms flailing and uproariously laughing.

My son-in-law, Joey, a magician with a grill, made an awesome dinner of bbq ribs, corn on the cob and baked potatoes.  And just to remind us of our Italian roots, there was a colorful plate of ruby red tomato slices topped with mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar.  We ate like royalty. And to top it off, Courtney made a perfectly toasted Baked Alaska, Jason’s favorite dessert. He couldn’t be happier.

Zander
My niece, Becky is also here this weekend. Her sister, Kaila, is pet-sitting with Ajax and Getty while we're gone on The Ride. The girls aren't nieces by blood or marriage, but by lifelong friendship. Their parents, Steve and Beth, and I have been friends for more than 32 years. The six kids – Courtney, Becky, Jarrod, Carrie (the third sister), BJ and Kaila, have known each other all their lives. It’s a full house here in Beckley, and a fuller house when both families get together.

Tomorrow, Jason and Joey are golfing; Courtney, Becky and I are gabbing. And I’m definitely looking forward to the eggplant parmigiana Joey has planned for dinner!!
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The Ride Begins... Sort Of...


Day One: June 8, 2012

There’s something strange about writing this blog from the front seat of the Silverado. While it’s efficient to write while we drive, it seems a bit like cheating.

The first few days of The Ride are actually happening in the truck with trailer in tow. Before we get to the Harley, we’re going to West Virginia to see Courtney, Joey and the three kids, who we haven’t seen since Christmas. We left at 9:00am this morning (I’ve been up since 5:30) and headed down to Beckley, West Virginia.  Why coal miner country? It wasn’t their choice. Their new address is courtesy of the United States Air Force. It’s the furthest my daughter has ever lived from me in her 32 years (oops.. she probably won’t appreciate that) and the longest it’s been between visits.

The drive was simple; 84 to 81 and make a right at 64. Okay, maybe that’s a little oversimplified, but it was a fairly straight shot. Unfortunately, it took 13 hours thanks to a lot of single lane construction traffic through Pennsylvania.

Despite the excessive windshield time, traveling through Virginia and West Virginia was quietly picturesque with lush green hills rolling on either side of the highway. It really was a pleasant ride, except for the Deliverance-like gas station we stopped at somewhere in The Middle of Nowhere, West Virginia.

It was great to see and hug my Baby Girl, and two of the kids, Zander and Lia, were still up when we got here. Six months is a long time when you’re 3 and 8 and they’ve both gotten so big, but Boomer has gone from a baby to a happy bruiser of a little boy. I’ve seen pictures and videos on a regular basis, but all I could do tonight was peak in at him sleeping in his big boy bed.

It’s late and the effects of the coffee and 5 Hour Energy have wained. More, including pictures, tomorrow.
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And So It Begins

The third annual Civil War Harley Tour gets rolling on Friday. Unlike years past, I am totally unprepared to spend two weeks on a bike. It's not that I'm unprepared to soar down open roads, sample local cuisine and see more of this beautiful county, it's that I'm completely disorganized. And Jason, the World's Last Boy Scout, is worse off than I am.

This time last year, we had the route mapped, down to the time we would leave our first destination and arrive at the next. We've got our route, but the time details are missing. Last year, I had a site seeing itinerary, where we'd go and what we'd do at each stop, including the website for the location, hours of operation and prices. This year, I've got a few thoughts and ideas. We were packed a good five days before we left last year - clothes, toiletries, electronics and associated power cords, camera, rain gear, on and on. This year,  I think I know where the rain gear is, and I hope I'm right.

Somehow, The Ride snuck up on us this year. Not in a stealth, Spider Man kind of way, but more like a blissful ignorance that June was far enough away to still plan, and silly us, here it is.  We knew where we were heading in January, but I guess when you juggle a new job, a new boss, a new house, the sale of not one, but two houses, a kitchen demolition and redesign, and which John Deere tractor you need to purchase to mow the two acres you now live on, a vacation is a dream.  But now the alarm clock is ringing wildly.

We're heading to West Virginia first, to see Courtney, Joey and the kids. The it's off to Virginia to see Bryan and his new fiance, and meet her parents. Ajax the Wonder dog and Getty Getty Thundercat will make the trip too, but they'll be staying in Virginia with my niece, Kaila. The bike gets revved up on Tuesday morning and we head to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, then Charleston, Savannah, and back to Virginia via the Smokey Mountains. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to this trip and can't wait until Friday.

I think I'll stop writing and start packing.
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