My ride home tonight

[Idaho]

I left Columbus around 7pm tonight which was later than I wanted. Thunderstorms had cropped up around town and one was drenching the road ahead just as I got onto SR315. I noticed a bridge ahead just shy of the downpour and figured that i would stop there and put on rain gear. There was almost no room under that bridge!! at least a dozen motorcycles, no one with helmets or gloves and several with flip flops and shorts. Great bunch of "bikers". I had on boots, chaps, gloves, vest and full face helmet. Got off of my bike and put on my rain jacket and slipped the vest on over it then roared past all of those cool biker types into the traffic and the rain storm. Was out the other side of the storm in about a half mile and I just grinned to myself that they probably thought the Idaho guy was nuts. Boy did that feel good.

Got within about 10 miles of home and there was a bike sitting beside the road so I stopped to see if he needed assistance. Harley rider from Arizona ran out of gas. He had called the Ohio Highway Patrol about 30 minutes before I got there so we shot the breeze for 30 minutes. No trooper showed. Used my AAA card and explained the situation and that I hoped to get us off the side of the road before dark. AAA Driver finally showed at dusk with a gallon of gas and needed 5 bux. My new found friend, his name is Chris, wanted to pay with a credit card because he had no money. The AAA driver did not have any reciepts for the card payment so I gave him 5 bux and Chris insisted that we go to the nearest ATM so that he could pay me back. It was till barely daylight as we pulled into the next gas station. He went to the ATM and insisted on giving me 20bux and for me not to argue. He said that I should consider it a "donation to my church". Guess I have a little extra money for the plate when I get back home.

I learned that if you have a regular triple A membership it does not NOT cover for motorcycle breakdowns but will deliver gas and air as needed. At least I had that. Trouper never did show and we were out there for over an hour.

As a point of interest, if you break down in Idaho the ISP will send someone out to stay with you until you can get your vehicle back on the road. They will even pump a few gallons of fuel for you from their own tank. Ohio, not so much. Chris did tell me that it is illegal to run out of gas in Arizona. CJ is that true? Seems rather narrow minded to me.

Between the woosie bikers huddled under the bridge and the broke down Harley it was quite a ride home tonight. I liked it.