A Chance Meeting

By: W lly Wersching

aturday A pril 18th w as going to be a fun

filled day with many events to attend. I had my calendar marked, and I was anticipating all the friends I would see. BUT, with the corona virus restrictions, they were all canceled.

I awoke on Saturday morning, and it was raining. It was fitting because I couldn’t go anywhere, so it might as well be raining. Later in the morning, the sky cleared, and the sun came out. It turned out to be a great spring afternoon with temps in the low 70’s. I couldn’t stay home. I had to go for a ride.

I decided to take a ride to the Kings Mountain National Battlefield. The museum is closed but the trails are open. I also wanted to drop off a Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine to Lamar – one of the rangers. I’d put the magazine in the mail slot or slide it under the door. He really enjoys getting the magazine every month.

I loaded the pack on “Miss Vickie” with a stack of Carolinas’ Full Throttle magazines, and left home about 2pm. The ride down to the battlefield was perfect. I wore my old Vanson leather jacket, and it was just warm enough.

3128 SOUTH HORNER BLVD.

SANFORD, NC (919) 775-3638 WWW.HSAOFSANFORD.COM

When I arrived at the battlefield, I tried to slip the magazine under the door because I couldn’t find the mail slot, but it wouldn’t fit. Lamar will have to wait until next month when they’re open again.

I gave the magazine to a couple who had ridden in on their Harley. They were sitting on the wall next to the path - enjoying the weather. I also saw an unusual bike parked near the trail. It was a like new Ural with a sidecar. I love the look of the Ural – like a vintage BMW. The Ural motorcycle is a motorcycle with a sidecar originally produced by the Irbit Motorcycle Factory, in Russia. Its production originates from 1940 when the Soviet Union stole the design of the R71 BMW motorcycle – one of the best military motorcycles of that time, which had been used in the German army since 1938. The modern-day Ural motorcycles produced by the IMZ are mainly heavy sidecar motorcycles with modern two cylinder, horizontally opposed four stroke engines, featuring a fuel injection system, a four-speed gearbox with reverse gear, Electric / Kickstart. Primary drive to the rear wheel is shaft and there is a shaft drive to the sidecar wheel, which was primarily designed for rough Russian roads, but makes the Ural quite drive able on a variety of surfaces.

The one at the battlefield was slightly modified. The seat in the sidecar was removed, and a pad was placed on the floor. I figured that it was for a dog to enjoy the ride. I looked around for the owner, but he was probably walking around the battlefield trail with his dog. I put a copy of the Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine in the sidecar.

I headed out going toward Rte. 161. Before I got up to speed, I saw the reflection of motorcycles through the trees.

There were motorcycles parked in the parking area near the exit. I quickly stopped and turned in the exit to visit with the bikers.

After I parked, I got the rest of the stack of The Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazines out of the pack and walked over to the group. I learned that they were from Gastonia – not a club, just a group of friends out for a ride. I started passing out the magazines. Everybody wanted a copy.

I walked to the end of the group to give out another magazine when I noticed an old friend –“Cuzz”. When he saw me, he jumped up with his arms outstretched like he was going to

give me a hug. I motioned that it wasn’t a good idea, and we fist bumped instead.

We talked for a few minutes and then he saw I had my camera, so he got everybody together for a group photo. He had his picture in the magazine before and wanted it in again. He’s a real character!

After I took the group photo, I said good-bye. As I left, I could hear “Cuzz” telling everybody that they were going to stay in South Carolina for a while – they didn’t have to wear their helmets.

I headed east on the Kings Mountain Park Road. The curves are gentle, and the trees line both sides of the road. It’s almost like riding on The Blue Ridge Parkway. I love it.

I turned left onto Rte. 161 and rode to Kings Mountain where I turned left again onto Rte. 74. I stopped for gas at the intersection of Rte. 180 and Rte. 74. It’s a busy intersection. While I was pumping gas into Miss Vickie’s tank, I really enjoyed the sounds. It was like a normal Saturday afternoon. Many motorcycles rode by along with some high performance cars. To some, it may just be noisy vehicles, but to me, it was like music to my ears. Maybe there’s hope for us all in this pandemic.