Hey, it’s Alexander.
Week one of this wild ride is in the books, and let me tell you—it didn’t hold back. I hit the road Tuesday, with a biting +2°C greeting me as I left Toronto. By the time I made it five hours south, just north of Franklin, Pennsylvania, Mother Nature decided to slap me across the face.
Out of nowhere, a lake-effect snowstorm dumped all over the road. Temps dropped to -4°C, and the snow piled up faster than I could think. Next thing I know, the bike goes down, and there I am, still gripping the handlebars like a fool standing upright while the world spins around me. We did a couple of impressive 360s before I finally found a place to abandon ship.
I’ll be honest: it was stressful as hell. Between the blinding snow, the biting cold, and trying to stay upright, snapping photos was the last thing on my mind. However, here are some photos I grabbed off the Internet to give you a sense of what it was like.
Images courtesy of Yahoo! News and Fox Weather
Thankfully, some city workers cruising by tossed me a lifeline and gave me a lift into town. No ambulance needed, but still, not my finest moment. The next day was all about tracking down my bike. The problem was, in all the chaos, I didn't really know exactly where I left it!
With no taxis in sight, I had to rely on the kindness of strangers willing to pick up a scruffy hitchhiker. Good news: I found the bike. Bad news: My 25-liter dry bag was gone. That bag had my sleeping bag and some gear, but hey, now I’ve got a brand new one (and some extra dry bags for my trouble). Silver linings, right?
By Thursday, I’d clawed my way to Wheeling, West Virginia, where the temps plunged to a brutal -16°C. I holed up in a soul-crushing motel that reminded me of my old days—back when I spent way too much time in dives like that. Only difference now is I’m sober, and this is just a pit stop on the way to something bigger.
Friday, things started to look up. I grabbed breakfast with my nieces in Lexington, Kentucky—good food and better company. From there, I pushed on to Ringgold, Georgia, just past Chattanooga. The weather was finally playing nice by Saturday: a balmy 4°C, perfect for a solid seven-hour ride to Tallahassee, Florida.
Now I’m crashing with my sister and brother-in-law in Tallahassee, soaking up some much-needed family time and sleeping in a real bed for a change. I’ll be back on the road Wednesday, chasing the next leg of this insane adventure.
Got questions? Wanna say hi? Hit me up. This is just the beginning, and I’m glad you’re along for the ride.
Stay rowdy, stay wild, stay savage.
MotoAgent out.
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