The memory of that foggy morning sunrise in the Smoky Mountains still clung to my memory as I rolled into Hellertown Pennsylvania.
With 1000 miles behind me, and little more than three hours worth of sleep, my fully loaded Harley-Davidson started to become dangerously heavy for my worn-out 150 pound frame. When you get that tired, you start making stupid mistakes. That’s the time to get off the bike, and get some serious rest.
After leaving the Smoky Mountains, I rolled into Washington D.C. and went straight to the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. I was several days early for Rolling Thunder, so it was difficult finding any bikers to meet up with. I was hoping that I would find some true scooter trash to see where there might be folks camping out. I was also hoping to connect with Scooter Tramp Scotty, a guy who has lived the life of a full-time nomad while living off his Harley-Davidson, since 1994.
The traffic and congestion in D.C. was just too much for me to take, especially after riding a thousand miles through some of the most awesome scenery, that I decided to get the hell out of town and head on up to Pennsylvania to see my buddy Dagan from the band St. Cinder.
Not long after leaving D.C., I started hearing that “chirp, chirp, chirp,” sound coming from my back end again. The last time I heard that sound, I had just left New Orleans when all my sprocket bolts fell out – a $500.00 road repair that I’m still paying off. I’m in Pennsylvanian now, so I’ll have the time and tools to have a good look to see what is going on.
On my way to Hellertown, I went through Baltimore, which is an absolute disaster. I’m sure I didn’t see the entire town, but what I did see, was mostly sad ghetto. It took over an hour for me to figure out how to get out of town because so many of the road signs have obviously been stolen and scrapped for their metal weight. We’re literally junking off our cities – always a sad sight to see.
Today I’m working on the bike before I do a little scenic exploration up in the hills around Hellertown. I must find out what that ‘chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp’ sound might be…