Our stop last night in the Best Western hotel in Seneca, South Carolina, was 50 odd miles short of our intended destination. Although that meant we had to make up those miles today, we didn't mind at all - the ride yesterday was just so superb. A group of bikers were also staying overnight at the same hotel, and we chatted to them after returning from our evening meal. As always, they were very friendly, and we shared our experiences of the day with them, as they were heading to where we had come from, namely Deal's Gap and the Tail of the Dragon. Generally, we find that these small groups of fellow bikers are men, off for a short trip with their mates … a bit like "Wild Hogs," (quality biker film), but if they have been pestered by gay police motorcyclists or had to fight off rebellious biker gangs, they all look pretty relaxed about it, and are keeping quiet too!

We left Seneca just after 0930, and after 35 miles of highway, got into Interstate 81 (I 81). Alas, we needed highway 181, so we retraced our steps, and were soon back on track.

Now, we have to own up/admit to two visits to that "supersize me" chain, McDonalds (Sylvia, excuses this by saying "It's so much better over here" which is a damning admission that she knows what McDonalds is like in the UK!). The first occasion was to a franchise staffed by friendly cheerful ladies, coming around offering free coffee and chatting and laughing with us; todays visit was to a the grumpy franchise on I-26, but we did have a good chat with a fellow Harley rider.

After covering a lot of ground quickly on another Interstate, we came off to take a more scenic route. The Interstates are OK for getting through the miles quickly on a long leg, but we much prefer the smaller roads, which are still often straight and quick, but much more interesting, as they run through small towns and between houses, farms, fields (cotton fields today) and forests. The back road soon changed from good tarmac to a multiply-grooved surface, where the road was being repaired. This went on for felt what felt like several miles, and was pretty uncomfortable, as the bike's wheels shuddered along the ruts.

After we had turned onto the back road, it became clear that Craig's bike was playing up. The engine was not idling properly (hence the title of this blog entry) and was running too fast when not in gear. Then, a warning light came on. So, about 50 miles short of our destination for tonight (the Hyatt Hotel on the outskirts of Charleston) we stopped at a small town called Holly Hill for a drink, and to try to contact a Harley Dealer in Charleston to arrange for them to look at the bike. We entered a small diner-cum-restaurant, and were warmly greeted by Shirley, a larger than life African American lady. Like so many people we meet, she wanted to find out out where we come from, and to hear us talk, marvelling at our English (and Irish) accents (she guessed English Irish, but perversely also French - quelle domage). She told us how she had bought the business six years ago, without telling her husband of 34 years, and was full of pride for the restaurant she has established. Looking up the local dealership, Craig found that it is closed on Mondays, but as it is half way from our hotel to the centre of Charleston, where we have booked a horse and carriage tour, we will drop it into the dealership on our way in tomorrow.

Mandy-Jane and Craig had booked this hotel in advance, as we are here for two nights, and it is rather special. "Special, what's special?" (Sorry, this is one of Stuart's infamous jokes, which some readers will know, but others might be horrified to hear). We are all four of us sitting in the Morgan room, complete with large corner sofa, desk, two queen-sized beds (a good night's rest tonight then), which is three times the size of our bedroom at home. Wine, nibbles and a laptop - blog under construction.

Song of the day: "Would you go with me" by Josh Turner (go to You Tube for this), because yes, Craig, we would go with you if you do not the way … as we ddi today!
Oh dear, I fear Craig will get his own back tomorrow, but I am only too happy to admit that he is doing a brilliant job, getting us from A to B. (Damage limitation exercise here!)

Mandy took just one photo today, and it's blurry, so we'll post extra photos tomorrow.

285 miles today, and a running total mileage of 1663 miles.