530 miles on low mileage antique bike

[Dragonslayer]

Just got back from a test ride to see if the charging system problem on my bike was fixed. Test ride lasted 530 miles, and it's not.

Ride started from Atlanta to Augusta via I-20. When approaching Augusta the old 87 Venture Royale miracously was reborn to 000,000.0 mileage.

When we got to Augusta we rode into town to check out Paine College. I was curious what Paine College looked like after all these years. I used to be the Director Of Physical Plant (Facility Manager) back there during the late 80's. Paine College looked much the same as it did when I left it. I'm glad to see that the rehabiltation projects I had done during my tenure where still holding up. Except that the time on the clock tower was wrong again and that saddened me. When I was there the administration asked me to do something about fixing the clock in the clock tower. It never had the correct time on it.

For any of you that are familar with the downtown Augusta area or Paine College you might remember that the clock tower could be seen and heard across the downtown area. On the hour the clock tower sounded bells that could be heard for a great distance. The administration of the college was always some what embaressed when the bells rang at the wrong time.

The clock mechanism was ancient and I was never able to find anyone to work on it. So I finally resorted to working on the clock myself. I spent weeks in that clock tower refurbishing and adjusting the mechanical gear system that ran the four sided clock faces to get it to run and maintain the correct time. The bell system was actually not bells at all but a recording of bells that sounded through four very large loud speakers. That system was added to the clock later and was an old mechanical Simplex time system that was obsolete when I got there. that system ran on a time wheel that tripped events by little prongs on a wheel that rotated in unison with the clock faces. That will give you an idea how old the system was.

When I left Paine College the time on the clock was correct and running, I think I was most proud of that project out of all of the other projects I completed while I was there.I hate it it didn't hold up as well as all of the other ones did.

From Augusta we rode north up the Savannah River Scenic Byway to Anderson SC, where got a room for the night. What we could see of it before it got dark it didn't seem that scenic.

The next morning we got on the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway as far as SC 28 where turned north toward NC and higher elevations where the fall colors were more vivid. At Ceasar's Head we rode into the filming of a BMW TV commercial. I can't wait to see if the Old Dragonslayer bike will be included in the commercial for the new 2009 BMW turbo.

After visting Devil's Kitchen and photo ops at Ceasar's Head State Park we rode to Brevard, NC. At Brevard we turned west on 64 to Cashiers, then Highlands where we had to stop and recharge the battery while doing a walking tour of Highlands, NC. From there we rode the twisties to Clayton and got to the top of Black Rock Mountain State Park in time to catch the last moments of the sunset overlooking the lights of Clayton, Ga.

From Clayton it was a dark, cold, 130 mile ride back to Atlanta.

Got back safe and sound some 530 miles later.