There was a second leg to the Skyline drive run down further through the Blue Ridge mountains, but the goal was to make it to Knoxville, TN, and my second couchsurf tonight, so a bit chilly, and hungry from the ride, it's off to route 81 to put on as many highway miles as I could, there were about 350 left to go.
On the highway, riding along at just a little quicker then the speed limit. 50 miles to Roanoke, just passed a state trooper busting up an unlucky brother. Sun is setting, air's getting colder, stomach is rumbling, and the right hand starts to get heavy. Throttle twists counterclockwise. The engine humming along like a turbine, suddenly the needle is in the healthy triple digits. Suddenly that state trooper from a few miles back is on me.
Fuck.
Hopefully they don't arrest in Virginia for triple digit speeds.
Fuck. They do.
Trooper (nicest, most polite cop I've ever met BTW) says I've got to follow him back to the station. They sit me down, and a glimmer of hope when the magistrate can't get the computer to connect to the mainframe, and they debate what to do with me.
"How much money you got on you boy?"
"Hundred bucks. Wait, I stopped for gas. 85."
"Well, he ain't even got any money on him"
"Come with me"
They take me on back for booking, and I get my call.
"You got any friends or family you can call?"
"Nope, I'm 500 miles from home"
"See that number on the wall, that's the bail bondsman. Try him"
Dude asks tons of questions, and says he's on the way.
They catalogue all my stuff, and there's alot of it, I'm out for 11 days. Spread your cheeks, lift your sack, take a cold shower, and smile for the camera.
Got me a set of navy blue sweats that don't compliment my biker boots at all, and a plastic crate full of blankets and liquid soap in a packet. A crappy mattress and it's off to jail with me.
On inside I get to meet the best of rural Virginia. They're all very interested to meet me.
"Wudjoo do?"
"Speeding."
"Damn, they arrest you for that? How fast was you going?"
"Hundred. How come you're in here?"
"Stabbeed my woman 7 times in the chest."
"...uh...(thinking to myself: Please bail bondsman, get here soon)"
The guys inside seemed friendly enough, and I stretched out on the bunk and started getting in to a National Geographic article on the Untouchables of Indian. It was actually quite comfortable, and I was hoping the bail bondsman wouldn't get there until tomorrow so I didn't have to buy a hotel room. But he did, and I got out at 10.
Bondsman was a very friendly dude, and we wound up Bull Shitting for about an hour. Bond was $500, and this greedy fuck wanted $150. I had agreed to that on the phone, but found out inside that it was supposed to be 10%, so I asked him about this. He said some shit about his minimum being $100, so down to the ATM I went, and got his filthy lucre. I was suprised at the high caliber of these rural Virginia girls, even the chick working behind the counter was a cute blonde. Prolly dumb as dog shit too. The very best kind.
Made it on down to Roanoke, and stopped to the only place in town open late with food, the Texas Tavern. Decent Chili dog. Where's the closest cheap hotel.
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