This trip is turning out to be a very difficult one. I guess they can't all be easy. I rode a lot today, and covered lots of miles - exactly how many, I don't know, because one of the problems Big Mama was giving me was that the battery was sometimes not charging, and occasionally disconnecting altogether. Besides that, the shifter lever is not working right - I don't know why. Either the bike is really low on oil (probably not likely), or a bolt is loose or fell off or something. Being that it's February, all the recreation areas here are closed, so it's "ninja camping" for today, although right now I think I'm within the boundaries of William B Bankhead National Forest. I had to pull the bike up a really steep, muddy, gravelly path to get it off the immediate sight line of passing cars and cops. It will be very difficult getting it down the hill. It's a terrible feeling being in the middle of nowhere trying to hide, but being not quite sure that the bike will actually start in the morning. I'm also $10 over my budget of $30 a day, mostly because of the slightly embarassing and equally frustrating experience at the Yamaha Dealer in Gadsden, Alabama. I figured I'd take it in just to ask their opinion about the battery problems - what it could be, and how I (while traveling) can deal with it. Instead of asking questions or coming out to see it, the guy immediately starts filling out an invoice sheet, while the mechanics started looking at it. I didn't know exactly what he was doing until he told me to sign a sheet authorizing a $65 per hour labor rate. When I told him I didn't want that, he went back to tell the guys to stop working when they responded "we already fixed it" - the battery terminals were too loose, so they screwed them in tighter. They also tested it to make sure it was charging properly, which it was. All this in 3 minutes, that I would have paid $65 for if I had signed the sheet! They guy offered that I pay $13, so I agreed, paid, and left. I'm not sure what I was looking for as far as this national forest campground on the map was concerned, but it was getting dark and I wanted to make sure I got there. Frustrating as it is, the campgrounds are closed (well, the one I took the time to pass - too dark to go looking for others), so I found a little crappy service road to camp on. It's only 7 central time, but I am ready for bed. No more 600 mile days, and no more choosing a camp site after dark!
Am I in the Deep South yet?
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