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Finding a corner away from others in hopes I didn't make anyone lose their appetites from my odor, I called my husband and parents. I must have sounded breathless because I felt like I had been running uphill for the last 100 or so miles.
After checking in, I had to deal the pee explosion. I removed the Foley and bagged it with my jeans, socks and underwear in a black plastic trash bag. After tying a knot in it, I placed it by the door for morning disposal then took a lengthy, hot shower.
When I rolled out the next morning, I was starting to feel the miles. The BBG3K was without a doubt the single most difficult ride I have ever done. I fueled and ate breakfast at the Mohawk Service Plaza at MM 172, and shortly after getting back on I-90, it came to a complete standstill. I could see way down the road that both east and west bound lanes were blocked. This was NOT good and didn't bode well for clearing up any time soon.
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8/10/2013 crash on NY Thruway
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- The Thruway is back open after a tractor trailer accident on Saturday morning.
According to State Police, a serious crash involving a tractor trailer closed down all three eastbound lanes between exit 26 and 27. They said another vehicle rear ended the tractor trailer.
One person in the car was seriously injured.
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Generally speaking, no one looks at two choices and says to themselves, "I'll pick the worst one," but the longer I had to use my clutch hand, the more intense my back pain became and the longer it was taking to recover. Pain was defiantly a driving factor in the choices that were to followed for the rest of the ride.
I turned around, headed west, found a cross over and exited at 27. Well since all east and west bound traffic was being diverted into Amsterdam, I took 30 west with the intention of running the back roads west and south and re-engage the Thruway via Lower Gregg Rd to River Rd. However, when I arrived at where the GPS showed Lower Gregg crossed under the Thruway, it was and had been for some time blocked off.
So I just routed to the next waypoint which took me to I-88 and then back on I-90.
After turning north on I-495 the traffic became dense with stop and go slowdowns about every 2-3 miles. At Hwy 2, it just stopped. I jumped off again and rejoined I-495 at Hwy 119 and things were moving a little better...for a while. Starting just south of Haverhill through Merrimac it became unbearable! I couldn't let go of the clutch and was dog padding to keep from dropping the bike. I just about couldn't think straight from the pain and all I wanted was relief at any cost.
I exited again and ran up 108, 107A, 125 and then east again on 4 back to I-95. It was something like 40+/- miles and I estimate I lost an hour because of it, or broke even if I had waited for the crash to get cleared up. Sadly, the damage was done as far as the nerve compression at C6/C7. Once the area has been irritated for extended periods of time it takes a couple of days to return to normal. Suck up it Princess!
The GPS estimated I would arrive in Eastport 10 min. before the window closed. With nothing to do but try, I started calculating estimated fuel range and balancing that in keeping the fuel stops within 350 miles. I also stopped drinking anything for fear I would loose valuable time with a pee break. I came up with needing just one more fill-up and picked the Kennebunk Service Plaza. I jumped off, swiped my AMX card which I had been using without issue the entire trip, opened the main and AUX tanks, turned around and the screen said. "See Attendant".
Believe you me, I started swearing like a drunken sailor as I stormed over to see the attendant. I'm normally a calm person even under stress, but extended periods of pain had made me less tolerant. I said to her, "Please reset the pump and I'll use another card". She replied, "Are you from Canada?" I almost yelled, "No! Just reset the pump, that's all I want!" and I started back to the bike while pulling out my Master Card. DONE! This was one of my pre-researched stops and I already had all the data I needed. I jotted the ODO info on it and just stuffed the receipt in my jacket pocket and left quickly.
The rest of the way to Eastport was highly focused and intensely purposeful. By the time I exited onto 9 in Maine I had gained a 23 min. window and by the time I reached Eastport I had gained 19 more. I didn't know it at the time, but as I made the last turn before Bay City Garage, I was being filmed. Colleen and her husband Walt had been following my SPOT and had ridden out to meet me on their 2003 Honda VTX 1800. She filmed me from behind at I pulled up to the pumps. True to her word, Colleen opened the store for me and I bought a soda 52 min. before the window for a Sunrise to Sunset West to East closed. My friend Dave had also been following SPOT and rode up from Boston, ME to greet me at the end of my journey.
This picture he took of me in an unguarded moment says it all.
(L>R Walt, Colleen and Dave)
After Colleen and Dave signed my witness forms, Dave and I went for a celebration dinner at the Chowder House.
I want it ALL!
And ordered one on the bottom.
Avert your eyes! Me eating lobster is not a pretty sight!
However, Dave was none-the-less amused!
While we ate and talked, Mary and friends showed up having tracked me down because my SPOT was still on, to tell me she had turned away seven couples JUST to save a room for me. She also had a BBQ chicken dinner waiting for me when I got there. How sweet is that!
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