July 23, 2003 - Roanoke Rapids, NC

Forecast: 85 degrees, 100% humidity reported

Road Condition: Good. I–95 N from Savannah Georgia to Roanoke Rapids, NC

Fuel: Super Unleaded $1.59

Miles Traveled: Savannah, Georgia to Roanoke Rapids, NC: 375 (Total 6,242)

Bike Update: Running good

Road Trip Log Update: Mother Nature is trying to make up for lost time. From July 1st to July 19th the road trip was free of rain. Today marks the 4th day of showers and we are quickly becoming experts in dodging storms. Tuning into the Weather Channel gave us the bad news of what we were headed for. Morning humidity, followed by persistent afternoon and evening thundershowers. The early a.m. was so muggy, the only relief we could find was to get on the road and to stay moving. Leaving Savannah, four F-16’s flew over the top of us at a take off altitude. The massive energy coming off the jets combined with the super sonic sound was a great way to wake up the morning. The afternoon storm clouds held about the same punch. When the meteorologist forecasted “an active weather pattern” for the Carolina’s he should have said “hyperactive”. After fueling South of Florence, South Carolina we noticed that the clouds were becoming increasingly aggressive and the wind was picking up. There would be no sight seeing for the next 200 miles other than through the blur of a windshield. The day progressively became worse to the point that rain gear didn’t make much difference. Around Rocky Mount, 30 miles South of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina the rain was so intense that we slowed to 40 miles an hour and turned on our flashers. The signs on the freeway told us that the next exit wasn’t for another 10 miles and with vsablty low we found ourselves finding refuge under an overpass. The rain was coming down so hard that we looked like we had just stepped out of the deep end of a swimming pool. Stranded, we wanted out the storm for about 25 minutes until the rain eased up and it was safe to get back on the road. The town of Roanoke Rapids appeared, and we were glad there were still rooms left. We had some angels riding along with us for the day and we were thankful for a safe passage through the storm. Counting our blessings the only thing left to do was to laugh as we began ringing out our socks and drying out our gear. Weather permitting the next stop is Washington D.C.

Morning Hibiscus in Georgia	El Cheapo Gas - too cheap for a sign painter?
Georgia/South Carolina storm clouds
Click to see July 22, 2003	Click to see July 24, 2003