DAY 11 MAY 29
It is nice staying a real hotel, so Big Red and I were a little slow leaving the luxury of the Hampton Inn this morning. When we did, we cheated and got on the interstate for about 10 miles to keep from back tracking through town and joined WV 2. We traveled along the Ohio River and we alternated riding in Ohio and West Virginia. The Ohio side was nicer up to Wheeling and then both were about the same with old and new large industries lining the river.
Just before Wheeling we took a right and climbed up the ridge line to Marshall County Airport. Just a small two-hanger airport and it was deserted. It was a tranquil setting so I decided to take a break here. After a while, Susan and Shiloh came down from the house above the airport to see if there was anything that they could do for me. She was greatly interested in the Vespa and said she and her old college friends had been talking recently about buying Vespas and riding across America. Well, she had come to the right place. We talked about that for a while and then switched the subject to her. She and her British-born husband had started managing the airport in 1980 and had done mechanical work and flight instruction. Her husband was born in poverty in England and could never believe that a person from his background could come to America and manage an airport. He once bought a balloon because he thought he could make money with it, but he could not find anyone to teach him to fly it. So, one day he decided he would just try it out. It did not end well as he crashed in the trees not far from the airport. They divorced but continued to run the business until he decided to sail around the world. That worked about as well as ballooning, as that came to a end when he sank the boat in the Bahamas.
She stayed in WV and runs the airport for the county now. She was very happy as the county had just bought her a new tractor and she could cut grass again, a job she really enjoys. I shared with her that cutting grass for the Lemur Foundation is one of the most enjoyable things I do. Just put on some music and drive and you can always look back and see that you have accomplished something.
The ride on into my good friend Steve and Emile’s was pretty uneventful. The roads near their house were great with lots of twists and turns and we arrived around 3 pm.
DAY 12 MAY 30
After following my adventures Steve got excited and bought an MP3, a 3 wheel version of the Vespa.
I usually travel alone, but Steve and I went to college together and worked in SouthEast Asia together and have been friends for almost 40 years and I was glad when he asked to join for a day or two.
Unfortunately, he had a freak accident on his scooter. It was almost stopped and he pulled off on the shoulder of the road and, for some unknown reason, the scooter fell over. There was one little scratch on the scooter. Steve did not fair as well. He evidently fell just wrong and broke four ribs, a collarbone and punctured a lung. He was just getting over those injuries when he felt pressure in his head and numbness in his leg. He went to the hospital and they did immediate surgery to remove a blood clot in the brain. They are pretty sure the wreck had nothing to do with the blood clot but the blood clot could have had something to with the wreck. He is recovering well and should be home in a day or two, but no scooter riding for awhile. We are hoping he has used up all his bad luck. I will surely miss him on the ride.
get up dude, we got to ride!!
After visiting in the hospital for awhile I was off to see Bill, who Steve and I went to college with and have flown together with in the past. Big Red needed some maintenance, replacing the infamous exhaust gasket, and working in Bill's carpeted hanger with that big tool chest sure made it a comfortable and easy repair. Bill has rebuilt everything from old motorcycles to big airplanes and is very good at it. After the maintenance was done we adjourned to his air conditioned hanger office to tell lies and drink beer.
