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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | A friend wanted to meet me at the Richmond Outreach Center tonight for Thursday night Bible study. At first I hadn't planned on it because I've had some grueling hours this week. Ended up working late again tonight, and a massive storm rolled through Richmond. Power went out in the building where I work and the emergency generator kicked. Lightening was crazy and eventually the fire alarm goes off and I pack up and head outside. It is still pouring rain but I decide to leave and go the ROC, which is just 4 miles from my work. The folks are still outside waiting for the all clear, it is another late work night and they need to finish a meeting. They watch in amazement as I ride away into the rain.
As I go down Midlothian Trnpke at one point it is flooded but passable, but then a little further down it is deeper. I pull into a parking lot and survey the situation. Finally realizing when a van gets stuck in the middle that I need to turn around and go home I head off into the opposite direction. However, I'm still being drawn to go to the ROC so I skirt off on a side road and come back up to a cross street and miss all the flooding. As I pull into the ROC there are 3 bikes there and I figured they've been there most of the day, or long before the rains came. Normally there is a row of about 10 to 15 bikes as there is a lot of riders. I pull in and of course I'm getting some good looks and as I walk in a guy says "Now that's dedication!" I reply with "If you're going to ride, ride!" He then says, riding is one thing, floating is another.
I call my friend to see where he is and find out he is stuck in that last flooded out part that I had just avoided. His car is wasted and will probably be totalled. The water was up to the bottome of the windows and a bus came through the water and ended up pushing his car to the side. About 6 cars ended up getting stuck before it was over with.
I ended up driving home to get my car to come back to get him while he waited for the waters to subside and get it towed.
Man, what a night.
Edited by varyder 2010-08-05 10:39 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/news/2010/aug/06/weat06s1-ar-415...
This is the interview with my friend. We weren't on the road together, but I was standing next to him at the interview. I went through the first run of water he speaks of. When I got to the second water, this one, I pulled off and watched cars go through and saw the van in the water get stuck. I turned around and went a different way. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | What do you use for rain gear? |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 49
Lillian, Alabama | radioteacher - 2010-08-06 8:48 AM
What do you use for rain gear?
varyder is a real biker...he don't need no stinkin' rain gear! |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | ...for the most part I just wear my leathers, but for heavy rain I'll put on the Frogg Togg bottoms under the chaps. Last night I just put on the Togg bottoms and ended up burning a hole in the right pant leg. Oh well, they did their job. As far as being a "real biker", I won't even admit to that, I just like to ride. There are far more riders I consider a "real biker" that I'm more of a pale wuss in comparison. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2027
Brighton, TN | Or you could say
2000 gals of petrol burned with an avg of 40 mpg
or
$6000 dollars spent traveling 418,704,000 feet
or
32 oil changes at $40 a change = $1024
or
5 Rear tires @ $1125 and 3 front tires @ $390 = $1515
I'm wondering at which point the amount of money put into a bike (maint, gas, etc) starts to exceed the value of the vehicle. I haven't even gotten into the other maint items he's done.
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | ...can you really put a price on riding a Vision? |
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