Author |
Message |
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 07:46 am: |
|
ps to Reep:
thank you! :-) (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 27, 2008) |
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 07:50 am: |
|
ps to everyone who signed the Guest Log:
thank you!! :-):-) |
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 07:53 am: |
|
ps to NUTS:
done! ;--);--) (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 27, 2008) |
Jb2
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 11:06 am: |
|
Carlos, Mike and Sue said to tell you that anytime you need a place to leave the kids to stop by. So cool that we could pull off a gathering like that and be nearly "family safe". It was an honor to meet you, Kristi and the family and to have you join us. My extended family grew a bunch this weekend. Welcome to my family and thanks for being there. JB2 |
Ulywife
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 11:46 am: |
|
So cool that we could pull off a gathering like that and be nearly "family safe". Yes, that was very cool. Thanks to everyone for not frowning when I pulled up with 3 children! Glad they didn't really put a cramp in anyone's style. My extended family grew a bunch this weekend. Welcome to my family and thanks for being there. Back at ya. It's always great to leave one of these adventures not only with the memories, but with new friends and family! |
Edmanning
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 01:14 pm: |
|
Cindy (Bug) and myself (Hillbilly) arrived home at 3:30 pm Monday after being escorted back to Kentucky by our host Ferris. Thank you Denise for the incredible food. JB2, thanks for the invite and company bro. We had a wonderful time, Ed "Hillbilly" Manning For about 10 years now I've listed to the stories after your rides and I can understand the meaning behind the "great group of people". It was a pleasure to meet all of you and I had a great time listening to a lot of those stories again. Jerry and Denise, thanks for organizing the Meet and Greet. The food was great and anytime that you want to let us in on the secret to those steaks I'll be ready with pen and paper! My first 600 mile ride was worth every aching muscle (and pebble bruise!). I appreciate your patience with me. I was aware that I was riding with some of the best. Thanks for the great weekend. Cindy
|
Jb2
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 02:22 pm: |
|
Kristi, Mike and Sue loved your kids. So good to finally meet you after working on the Matt Ware fund raiser. Good folks all around that night. Cindy, So good to see you on two wheels instead of huggin' Ed! It was great to have you along and it's never a problem helping out a fellow biker even if it's just being patient. Ed, Grins all around. I never leave one of our meetings not grinning from ear to ear. Next time we hook up let's try to beat our airborne distance record so we have a new story to add to the list. JB2 (Message edited by jb2 on May 27, 2008) |
Twig
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 06:12 pm: |
|
Jerry, no problem. Glad to do it! I also want to thank you and Denise again for the good eats, brews, and company. Also, it was great to meet such a nice group of people. I had a really good time! |
Nevrenuf
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 07:48 pm: |
|
i'd like to say thank you for the invite(kristi) and have the chance to meet some really great people and always a pleasure to see kristi and carlos(really great people) this weekend. i'm just sorry we had to get back to greenville cause of the dog. we had her in jail last weekend to go down to myrtle beach and check out that mess. i know where i'm going next year though. jb, don't worry, i always call her the wife too. and it was nice to be part of this cause my sisters husband was killed when a girl pulled out in front of him like the day before or after my birthday almost 3 years ago and at his funeral service, his best buddy gave me his pin of a little club they started then the next year the same thing happened to his best friend. it's always good to be part of something, especially when the people are so sincere. looking forward to a longer weekend next year. jerry, thanks for the run through the cherrycola. man do i need to learn how to ride after chasing you. the only way i was able to redeem myself was on the way home i came up on some squids(kinda quick like) and was gone just as quick and a few of them tried to catch up to me and that really didn't happen until we reached the next town. i felt whole again after that. and to everyone else i got to meet, it's always great to put a face to fellow badwebbers. |
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 08:38 pm: |
|
Thank you Denise for the incredible food. what Ed said. :-) I was aware that I was riding with some of the best. what Cindy said - i had that very same thought many times this weekend. :-) It was great to have you along and it's never a problem helping out a fellow biker even if it's just being patient. what JB2 said. :-) Also, it was great to meet such a nice group of people. I had a really good time! what Twig said! :-) jerry, thanks for the run through the cherrycola. ah yes, the Cherohala Skyway - SUBLIME! thx Neil. :-) funny thing, i was serious when i told Oldog we'd just be in cruise mode up there. but once we got "up there," all that BS went out the window and it was game on, which turned out to be just the thing Oldog needed in terms of saving what was left of the middle of his tire for the ride home on Monday. i'm such a giver. :-) so, like, WHERE'S REEP?!?!?!?!?
|
Reepicheep
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 10:14 pm: |
|
tapitty tapitty tapitty tapitty tapitty tapitty.... There he is! More then just that right mirror was bent at the end of that ride... |
M2nc
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 11:00 pm: |
|
Cherohala Skyway
These happy campers got to see North Carolina wild life in the natural state.
Can you see the wild life? The Line Up on the Cherohala
We found some shade at Tellico Plains TN.
|
M2nc
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 11:06 pm: |
|
Riding partners, those here...
and those down the road.
|
M2nc
| Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 11:40 pm: |
|
On the road to the Blue Ridge Parkway
The line up on the parkway
JB2, Ferris, Brian
Riding the parkway
Crossing into Virginia
It was a great ride. FB&D, it was fun running the curves. For those of you who were not there I have to tell this story. Riding the BRP, I am in front with Ferris directly behind. As the BRP is known for, several twisties had a rock face on one side and a beautiful view on the other. I hit the curves at a brisk pace, but no where near dragging pegs on the Uly. What puzzled me was that I kept hearing a distinctive scraping sound. By the second or third time I heard it I thought something was wrong with the Uly. In the middle of one curve the scraping was pretty loud so I start looking down and around the bike trying to find the origin of the noise. As I move my head passed the left mirror I see Ferris up my tail pipe banked over hard with sparks flying off the lower parts of the Road King. The sound was not from my bike, but the RK behind me. The sound was echoing off the rock face so it sounded like it was coming from the Uly. I started laughing in my helmet trying to concentrate on my line as I gave Ferris the thumbs up. It was great meeting everyone. After one day back I am ready to do it again. |
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 06:47 am: |
|
It was great meeting everyone. After one day back I am ready to do it again. what Carlos said. :-)
|
Denisea
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 07:42 am: |
|
JB2, It was an honor to be part of your weekend. Thanks again for all your work in organizing and bringing everyone together. Was very cool to put faces to names and see some old friends. Cool that some of you all got to visit here and share some of our grub. - Cindy, the recipe is no secret at all - shoot me an email when you get a chance. Kristi, thank you so much for all your help Sunday - you are an angel! Hope to ride with some or all of you (yes Ed, it's a Virago) And thank you again sweetie for bringing me home safe. D |
Milo_h
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 07:52 am: |
|
Howdy Folks! I don't have the words right now to convey the feelings I have about this trip. I will try to put something together later, with some pictures. For now, a big heartfelt Thank You to Jerry and Denise for inviting me to their beautiful home, and feeding me like a king. It was an absolute joy to meet everyone. I'll post more later. Peace Milo |
Jb2
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 08:17 am: |
|
Denise, It was an honor to have you there. I dunno if I got the ribeye with my name on it but the one I had came close to the one I ate at the Outlaw in 2004. So cool that we worked in a double gathering at two locations hundreds of miles apart. Thanks for all the home cookin' Are you sure you're not "from" the south? JB2 |
Denisea
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 09:20 am: |
|
Mikie and Sue: I know Jerry has said Thank You! but I wanted to also send my personal thanks for the wonderful evening! Great food and just way too cool to have Lou and Carol there. Thanks again for all your work. Your house is absolutely beautiful and thank you for opening that to everyone. ...and your garage..... Lordy Mercy I am so green with envy. Hugz, D |
Jb2
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 11:48 am: |
|
Hey kids, Carol has posted her pictures from the party at Mikey and Sue's on Saturday night. http://loumysticusher.com/stories/052408/index.htm l Thanks so much Lou and Carol for being a part of our BadWeB family! JB2 |
Nevrenuf
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 10:00 pm: |
|
looks like a good time jb. something to look forward to next year. |
Oldog
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 11:02 pm: |
|
Home safe: Way Way Way too much fun Still had some lines in th middle of the tire yet, Glad to learn Henrik made it home ok 15 Hrs?? WOW! Jerry / Christi thanks for the calls its been a little busy here just now, Got Lou in the box typing this note. Reepi, I am sorry to hear that the kawi is sick, that intake cam may need replacing as well as it got good and hot, ( ruining the heat treatment of the steel ) To all a few pix to come and thanks for including me I enjoyed it I hope to see you all again soon. JB2 I learned that Mikey is a civilwar buff. I am going to see when the anual re-enactments are done at fort fisher. I fell asleep tuesday am infront of the boss Just before lunch, err "low blood sugar" yeah WAY TOO MUCH @!$%@#$% FUN! |
Oldog
| Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 11:16 pm: |
|
Reepi did you send Lou & Carol the new profile pic?
|
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 10:20 am: |
|
it was a mite foggy on the mountain yesterday. woulda been a poor day to pound up the Parkway from Cherokee, but it was calm and still and peaceful and quiet and provided the perfect opportunity to process some tree litter:
after the flames ramped down a 'skosh, me 'n D snuggled up close on a couple of lawn chairs, popped a brew, fired up a ceegar, and reminisced (yet again) about what a wild, wonderful weekend we had with y'all. i've known JB2 for well over a decade, yet this was the first time i've ever ridden with him that didn't entail a five or 10,000-mile loop around the country for the honor of so doing. i must say, one easy day down the Parkway for a rendezvous in Franklin with him beats five hard days of grinding east on Interstate 40, knowing all the while there's another five days of schlepping west waiting just around the bend. damn good thing we don't live even closer; with the exception of constant riding, i'm pretty sure nothing else would ever get done. one of these days it'd be cool if Kim could play with us, too, but in the meantime, JB2, what a weekend!!! :-) Gentleman Jim's much smarter than i (something i've known from the beginning, by the way), and this time he jumped a jet for all the hard-charging cross-country stuff. he mentioned this weekend a scheme he's working on whereby he'll stash a bike here or there around the country for future escapades, and i'm betting the next time we all rendezvous in the Smokies or Blue Ridge he'll be sitting *on* instead of riding *in*. Jim, thx for introducing so many folks to the Captain this weekend, for your long-term friendship, and for making sure the stogie supply never dwindled. :-) Henrik pretty much had the dream ride coming down, picture-postcard weather and an E N T I R E F R I K K I N D A Y just to soak up the first 203.1 miles of the Parkway. it was an honor to have him as an overnight guest in our humble 'Dome on Thursday night, the first person outside of my son to be able to make such a claim, and the ride down the Parkway to Franklin with him the following day - again in textbook Chamber of Commerce conditions - was really and truly a treasure (even the Marion, NC/I-40 detour disaster). Henrik, you really need to work on your people skills just a bit, y'know, like lighten up a little and try to be a tad more humble and polite and articulate and well-spoken and caring and thoughtful and courteous and smart and funny, but other than that...i've found that any time spent in your company is quality time. :-) Reep, i've noticed that i can't help but feel like a happy little kid in your presence, which, especially at my age, is always a good thing indeed. we were all more than a little concerned on Friday night, cowering under the eaves at the Franklin Motel from some of the most intense rain i've ever seen (that's saying a lot, considering i was born and raised on the wet side of the Pacific Northwest), knowing you were Out In It somewhere. during the worst of it Oldog shouted out, "WHERE'S REEP?!?!?" and the heavens answered back with a mighty crack of lightning and roar of thunder from the general direction of Robbinsville. at this point, we knew you were in Good Hands. we half expected a little dry patch to encircle you when you finally rolled in, but what we got instead was your typical boyish enthusiasm and infectious grin, even tho you were half soaked and your Kawi was sounding like an episode of "Buellz Gone Bad." you rocked this weekend, from Franklin to Tilley's to Fancy Gap and all points in between, and it was an honor to party with your bad self. :-) Brankin, you don't say much, but that's plenty ok. (i wish i could say the same thing about myself. i have determined that the less i say, the smarter i sound, but i'm seldom smart enough to say less when i should be saying less but instead i'm saying more. um, like, did that make any sense? heavy sigh.) very good to spend good time with you this weekend, and glad you could line up the stars to make it. sorry 'bout the mix-up at Station's Inn, my fault, won't happen again. so, you know where we live, k? :-) Brian, i really and truly wish that you coulda found it in yourself to have a good time at some point this weekend. geez, dude, getting away from reality on a motorcycle for a spell is supposed to be FUN!!! oh well, i figure it was all good practice for next time (there is gonna be a next time, right?), and next time i expect you to come out of your shell and have a grand time with the rest of us. :-) seriously, darned good to see you again, and i'm looking forward to carving many more roads with you in the future. :-) Carlos! wow dude, that high-altitude/board-scraping/cliff-carving stuff coming back on the Parkway on Sunday was classic! it takes a lot of trust to tuck in so tight like that, trust from me to you, trust from you to me, and i appreciate that trust from both perspectives. in that same vein, you were up pretty tight on us for quite some time on the Skyway on Saturday, and that was equally as fun, and again required major trust and confidence coming and going. y'all know that i don't ride like that ALL the time, but when the conditions allow, it's right up there with sex (and without all the cleanup!), and, on occasion, *group* sex on sensuous pavement can be downright orgasmic. ok, sorry about all the gutter talk. Carlos, thanks again for helping make the weekend so much fun, especially the up-close-and-personal "hope you're wearing protection!" stuff. :-) Oldog, you're a prince in all the ways that count (and even some that don't). thanks for your enthusiasm, grace, humor, wisdom (and the 'shine!), and just for being you. glad you could carve out the time to make it all the way up here to Virginia, and you, too, now know where we live. :-) Mr. and Mrs. Nevrenuf, glad you could make it to Franklin, and i enjoyed the shenanigans up on the Skyway with you. it takes a lot of things to get away with what we did, not the least of which is a good passenger or two, and our little escapade up there was intoxicating - thank you. :-) Alex, what an effin' stud! the epicness of your presence this weekend is the stuff of youth and stamina, and it's a good thing you're pulling this kinda sh*t now, while you're still a pup, and not when you're as elderly and ancient as me. thx a million to Heather for the hall pass with your name on it, and very, VERY cool that JB2 loaned you his scoot on Saturday so's you could burn up the Skyway with us. thx for your friendship, and for yet again showing us all The Way. :-) Milo! how cool that we all got to finally meet you! like, you and Brian BOTH need to relax and learn how to have a good time (just kidding, boyz :-) thx for the major effort on your part to make this journey so special, and glad to hear that Janet is doing so well. (and thx again for being such a large part of Matt's fundraiser :-) Twig, it was also very cool to hang with you for part of this weekend. pretty amazing that we hooked up with you so fast at Station's Inn, considering the massive sea of people and bikes infiltrating the place. it's a pleasure to know you, thanks for partying with us on Sunday night here at the 'Dome, and thx for the "Taste of the Blue Ridge" black cherry preserves - that stuff is just this side of addicting! :-) Kristi, geez, what to say? thank you for EVERYTHING you do, and for your friendship. between you and Reep, we took what could have been a major disaster with Henrik's bike on Sunday and turned it into an amazing group adventure, and hardly missed a beat in the process. your kids are great, so is Carlos, and so are you. thanks for all your help here at the 'Dome on Sunday night, and for being, well, you. :-) Mikey & Sue, you two are about the best folks and friends one could ever hope to find, and thank you (yet again) for opening up your hearts and home for what started out as perfect strangers, and what ended up as perfect friends. i'm still not sure everyone knows the full depth and breadth of the lifeline you threw JB2 that fateful night in Franklin, but as JB2 says, he lost his Dad but got Mike and Sue Breedlove in return. and, as serendipity sometimes goes, we all got you, too. thank you for making us all feel so welcome. :-) Lou & Carol, we all got you two, too! it was grand seeing you again, and cool that Denise finally got to meet you both. Carol, one of my favorites of the pix you posted of Saturday night is me and Lou standing there with sh*t-eatin' grins on our faces, both nattily attired in our finest "Mystic Roadshow" gear, brothers in arms and all that. cool, cool stuff! thx to both of you for making all of us feel so welcome and special and well-entertained. :-) Hillbilly and Bug, i was plenty puzzled as to who the "mystery guests" were, and it was priceless when Twig told me at Station's Inn that he had met Ed and Cindy earlier in the day. ding, ding, ding!!! no worries even tho the surprise factor was gone, it was still so great to see you two again, and riding outbound with you and JB2 and Brian on Monday was really special, too. thanks for your friendship, for making the trip east from Kentucky for the shindig, and...for never forgetting that it's all "Ferris' Fault." :-) Court, we're really sorry about your recent loss. we all feel your pain, and i suppose, in part, that this weekend was a celebration of Chris' life, too. we're aware of the major effort on your behalf to partake in the frivolity at Franklin, and thank you for that. may grace and peace be with you and your family, and for about the millionth time since '96: thank you for your ongoing friendship. :-) i doubt any of you truly know how much effort Denise put into entertaining y'all on Sunday night. unlike the three Oktoberfast's and every other "bike night" we've ever done, on Sunday we had all of about an hour to ramp up the house and food and booze and get 'r done, and the weight of this reality got heavier and heavier as the day slid by. yep, much was ready beforehand, and we know you're all friends and all, but we still fretted that we'd forgotten something, no one more so than Denise. she's the consummate hostess, and wants everything just so, rightfully so. the fact that our house is nowhere near ready for prime time added to the pressure. well, i'd say she did a stellar job, even after partying her noggin' off all weekend (and putting up with the pilot making sparks on the Parkway for Carlos' entertainment on Sunday morning :-) sweetie, you rock my world, and deserve all the credit and thanks in the world for everything you've done for me and mean to me, and for making the collective feel so warm and welcome and well-beered and well-fed on Sunday night. thank you for being you, thank you for loving me. :-) speaking of Oktoberfast: every year, leading up to the gig, we'd be amped, pumped, anxious and, truthfully, a little bit 'skeered. and every year, after it was all said and done, when all the beer bottles had been recycled, when all the dead stogies had been policed, when the BBQ had been rolled back into its corner and beds made and dishes done and garage put back in order, every year we'd sit down together, breathe a heavy sigh, and lament with long faces, "We miss Oktoberfast." last night, shrouded in fog but basking in the warm glow of the campfire, it was deja view all over again, only this time it's Big Jim's Ride and the Run to the RidgeDome we're missing. but, as you well know, it's not the riding so much as the people we're missing. any riding is good riding, as you also all well know. what makes the riding EXTRA special, in this case, is you folks. this weekend was the stuff of legend, and all of you are to blame for that. thank you for sharing with us: sharing your passion, your love, your caring, your enthusiasm, your class, and your respect. to Big Jim, to Matt Ware, to Chris Canfield, to my sister Lisa, and to everyone else who's gone ahead before us to show us the way, thanks for helping us all to be the people we are. JB2, thanks for being you. "epicerocity": epic, erotic, velocity. this weekend was all that and more. and we truly miss it. FB&D (Message edited by jerry_haughton on May 29, 2008) |
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 10:33 am: |
|
ps to Glitch and Kristi: thx for all your hard work on the Big Jim stickers!! :-):-) |
Ulywife
| Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 10:39 am: |
|
WOW FB...you certainly have a way with words. This past weekend will be one we'll always remember, the sentiment, the people and the memories. I think Franklin will have to become one of our annual weekends. Glitch did a great job on the decals. I had the easy part! |
Jb2
| Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 11:32 am: |
|
FB1, Well I thought what I wrote last night couldn't be duplicated but some of your stuff is almost word for word. It almost seems senseless now to rewrite it all. Thanks for looking into my f'up this morning. I was afraid that would be the answer. For all of you reading this know that even though Ferris and I aren't brothers by blood we are by metal, oil and adventure. I echo all the kind things he wrote about you folks. It was a great weekend and I believe we left nothing on the table. I thought this would be a one-time deal but there seems to be an undercurrent and we'll be doing this again if that's the consensus of everyone involved. I have one name I'd like to add to the list.... Erik, You and I know more about each other than we've ever exchanged in words. The e-mail you sent prior to the ride touched me. Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful timing. I know it's a stretch but we'll prolly do this again and it'd be great to have you there. You know I joined this whole family with the purchase of my "first" Thunderbolt but I have stayed for the people. That my friend may be your greatest legacy. Thank you! Folks... These ARE the good old days! Thanks for being there! JB2 |
Reepicheep
| Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 01:39 pm: |
|
The words are already spoken beautifully, so I'll just add more pictures.... Leaving late thursday night, guess where I stopped for dinner? The original KFC, in Corbin KY, then back on the road. Stayed over in Knoxville, at a cheap but only slightly scary Motel 6. I am not sure if it is better or worse then the Super 8 at that same north exit, FWIW. Both are fine. The Econolodge was packed with nicer cars, maybe I'll try that one next time. Then I drove from Knoxville straight up to Franklin (no way to get there from here) through some really nice national park. Not as much fun in a car with a trailer as on a bike, but a nice drive anyway. In Franklin, I thought I was there first, but I was confused. It was 9:30, and a group had already headed out, and Jim A was catching up on sleep after grinding through an all nighter. Had I known he was there, I would have waited for him to wake up, but I thought he was getting in that night, so I just wrestled the bikes off the trailer and suited up. I took the KLR-250, as I knew I would be in no hurry to be anywhere, and wanted to play on the gap and on some gravel. It was a ton of fun. I straffed the dragon for a while... because there were so many cops and a speed limit of 35 MPH, I was having no end of fun annoying people on brand new state of the art sport bikes with my 20+ year old KLR-250. They all quickly vanished in my mirrors as soon as the curves tightened up, or made me slow down to stay behind them... All but one group of sportbikes that started right in front of me from the bottom of the hill, with me right on their tail for about the first 3rd of the gap. They apparently decided they had had enough of this at one point, and started going WFO in the straights, and did pull ahead of me. I caught up with them again 5 minutes later, they were talking to the nice friendly Blount County officer. They didn't look happy. Then, having had enough of that, and getting bad information from one of the officers patrolling the gap (he told me the parsons branch road was closed... it wasn't, it was just one way from the other direction), I headed off the the Cherohola. Again, after happily tooling along with guys on big sport bikes blowing by at will (fewer cops), I got close to the Cherohola. There was a *BIG* group of sport bikes that were just catching me (took them a while as the road was pretty tight) when we got to the chip and seal sections. I just gassed it through the corners dirt tracker style and didn't even really slow down much, they slowed to about a crawl and went all wobbly kneed FYI, there is now a place right near there now that rents KLR-650's for about $100 a day out the door. That'd be a fun $100 for that area. There is a long series of various forest gravel roads that parallel the Cherohola, so I took those, for probably like 50 miles. They were beautiful, and lots of people were down there camping. At that point, my now well documented engine failure on the KLR began (more detail here if you really care... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7072 875&postcount=1613) . Darn unreliable Japanese motorcycles As soon as the gravel ended, I went straight back across the Cherohola. Stopped a few times to try and get feeling back in my butt (A KLR-250 seat is almost as bad as an S1 seat) and to try and get cell coverage, not much luck with either. Some nice views though, this is a shot of the road I came up on, from that same road. The whole Cherohola is like this: You heard all the "wrath of God" and "cross the finish line smoking and on fire" stories, so I will leave those out here (they are on the advrider thread). Suffice it to say the KLR ain't going anywhere until some ebay parts show up. Ferris has a nice picture of Oldog and I working on the bike, giving the Advrider salute... but probably didn't post it to protect my image of innocence . Post it! Post it! So on Saturday morning, the real road trip begins. Unfortunately, I just killed the bike I brought Gentleman Jim to ride. Fortunately, it turns out that the way Ferris lead that ride, the KLR-250 would have been completely outclassed 90% of the time and would have had to split off anyway to avoid messing up the whole group. Kickstands up at 8 am sharp... so naturally by 8:30 people are intensely milling around the parking lot drinking coffee Then lots of riding... by lots of great riders. No drama, a nice fast but comfortable pace, lots of room to be a safe fast rider or a safe moderate rider, whatever you prefer. A great mix of riders and bikes. We stopped for "lunch" at a gas station in Tellico (far side of the gap). And had to get back fast to make sure we were on time for the important part... the memorial part of the Big Jim Memorial ride. I'm out of words here. The pictures tell the story. Alex, showing his love for Matt Ware, another person that has touched our lives. I can't think of a clearer picture of him saying "I love you Matt." So the party wrapped up with loving brothers and sisters and an appropriate mixture of tears and laughter, and we headed back for... well... more of the party. You should have been there Next morning, we headed for the Dome... me (alas) in the car with the trailer, others on the bikes. I am trying to drive the car (with two bikes on the trailer) and take pictures without killing myself or anyone else... and watching all the bikes above all other things to protect them first and foremost, but somehow Ferris completely dissapeared? Wheres Ferris? I hold my position exactly until I can figure out what happened, when I hear a knock at the back window.... Yikes! Keep an eye on that Road King, you never know where it will appear... Henrik, probably at this point already worried why the voltmeter he thoughtfully installed on his S2 is suddenly showing fewer blinking lights... Don't let the beach ball rear tire on the Zook fool you... that bike moves pretty well... And so, after a slight detour to Tilleys HD (not a problem at all) we find ourselves at the "Dome" for the evening. Don't let Ferris and Denise fool you, it is a jewel in the mountains. Milo makes a Uly look like my KLR-250... he's a big fella! And always quick with a laugh and a smile. And so it ends... we pack up the next morning for breakfast (leave the keys on the table and pay the checkout lady at the restaurant after breakfast) and get ready to head out. It was not nearly as fun driving back as it was riding, took a lot of the "fun edge" off the adventure. On the other hand, I was comfortable and made good time on the super slab, and had to spend a lot less time packing. Thanks again to all for being the community that you are, its a delightful fellowship of brothers and sisters that add a real richness to my life! Bill |
Jerry_haughton
| Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 02:27 pm: |
|
very, very nice Reep, thank you. your words and pix made us laugh, made us cry, made us remember, made us proud. pretty much just like the weekend. :-):-) FB&D
|
Blake
| Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 04:26 pm: |
|
What a great gathering! Thanks for making the rest of feel like we were there riding along and hanging out.
|
|