FIRST DAY

13 Sept., 2015

I actually got on the road at 0800.  I stopped at Gina's to see her and two of my grand kids Selah and Jack.  Gina took pictures but I haven't downloaded them yet.  Todays leg is probably the longest at right about 200 miles to Rocky Mount Virginia.  The weather was beautiful, with sunny skies and a starting temp of 64 degrees.  It never got above 73 the whole day.  I'm always amazed as I travel the back roads of this great land at just how beautiful it is.  I find myself thanking God for giving me the opportunity to perform this travel and view all this beauty.  I saw a lot of tobacco and beautiful farmland and went through a whole bunch of small towns and people actually waved and smiled.  I stopped to get gas and Goober had to come out and look at my machine so I gave him the grand tour and he thanked me and waved as I left.  I had lunch at Pookie's Place and some great BBQ.  I was the only white person in the place and I don't know if it was my blinding smile, the Marine Corps emblem on the back of my jacket or the fact that I was packing a weapon but I really had a great lunch and the folks were really nice. 
I left there and I was really out in the country.  I came around a corner on NC-58 and down the road a
ways were four buzzards who had landed on the road and were apparently refueling on some road kill.  When they saw or heard me coming three took off immediately.  The fourth must have been over max gross takeoff weight and was struggling to get airborne.  I was doing 50 and before I could get slowed down I saw my windshield and his rear end about to meet and a 3 or 4 pound buzzard is not what you want hitting your windshield at say 45 MPH.  At the last moment he pulled up and rolled left.  I hope he stalled, crashed and burned for scaring me like that. 
Ten minutes later my heart is just starting to beat at it's normal rate again when out of the woods on the left side walks a deer.  Now I've had some past experience with deer.  Two years ago I met one on a dark night with my Cadillac SRX.  We won but not without damage.  Now imagine, a dear versus a motorcycle.  There's no doubt in my military mind that in 99 out of 100 occurrences I will lose.  There is no consolation for the fact that I may have damaged him if I am damaged beyond repair.  Well, in this case I had an educated deer.  He stepped out from the woods, looked both ways, saw me and trotted across the road into the woods.  He didn't appear to be half as scared as I was.  For the rest of the trip I continually looked for his mom, dad, brother or sister but that was my only sighting.
Did not take any pictures today but will do better in the upcoming days.
The cocktail glass is empty so I have to start thinking about dinner.  It was a great day and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
Goodnight y'all.