Friday 03/17/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Considering that Friday is St. Paddy’s Day I think it is only fitting that I ride my Celtic Harley to an Irish Pub for some Irish Stew or something.  Therefore I plan to take some familiar roads to a familiar place, namely McGee’s in Anderson.  McGee’s is normally no longer open for lunch, however considering it is St. Paddy’s Day they will be open so we’re in luck.  If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30AM this Friday.  Hope you can make it.    Dan

McGees Irish Pub

• Although we're having our early February weather in mid March, eight riders and two "cagers" came to the Key Mart parking area to ride with Dan to McGee's Irish Pub in Anderson.  The riders included Len, Rob, me, Jerry, Gary, Ed, and OG Boob Bob, and the cagers were Bill and Pat (in his new turbocharged CRV).  Everyone agreed it was cooler than expected and electric gloves and heated seats were in use to offset the chilly temps.  Dan had a great route set up that took us through Oconee and Anderson counties and traveled through the countryside. The ride was going well, especially when the watering trucks let us pass, and then,  amazingly, the sign that said "Dead End" and the next one that said "Bridge Out" proved to be true to their word.  We actually had to turn around when we got to the bridge. No problem for Dan as he came up with an alternate route that got us to the restaurant.  McGee's was geared up for the expected big crowds on this St. Patrick's day, but we did have to wait about 10 minutes for a table. The Irish tin whistle playing inside immediately had a negative impact on Rob and he was ready to pay the guy to stop playing.  Overall the service was fairly quick and the fish and chips were a hit, even though it was a little on the greasy side.  The beer cheese soup also made an appearance  and was enjoyed.  The good news for several of us was that the guy playing the tin whistle took a break, but that was followed by the remaining guitar player performing some classic, not so Irish tunes by Johnny Cash and Elvis.  Oh well, such is life in an Irish pub in Anderson, South Carolina.  The ride home saw riders splitting up and taking various routes home.  It was still gray and cool for the ride until we got home. And of course, sun appeared and the clouds went away and you could feel the temps starting to slowly increase.  Even with gray skies and chilly temps, it was another great day on two wheels.     Steve 

Getting some real Cuban cigars..........

Friday 03/10/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• This Friday I thought we might try a restaurant we haven’t been to before, TasteBuds Café in Powdersville, SC.  We have been close by in years past, but not to this particular place which is a farm-to-table type restaurant.  I think it is worth a try and would like to have you along.  If you want to try it, let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM this Friday.  Hope you can make it.     Dan

TasteBuds Café

Menu

Friday 03/03/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• I made it back and I’m hankering to ride something I don’t have to peddle.  Sounds like I missed out on some great rides in good weather.  Oh well !!!  I’ll just have to settle for a ride over to Clarkesville, GA for some lunch at the Copper Kettle.  If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM this Friday and maybe we’ll  get lucky with the weather. Dan

I'm told there's no truth to the rumor Dan brought
a kangaroo back to check out our motorcycles.....

Friday 02/24/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Ten riders arrived at the Key Mart parking lot to take a ride on another warm February day.  The riders included me, Gadget, Len, Rob, Steve G., Jerry (first time rider and driving an Indian), Pat, Bill, John, and OG Boob Bob.  I suggested Side Street Pizza and Pasta in Tryon. Since I still haven't got my new GPS installed, I resorted to my old one that looks a lot like hand written notes on a 3 x 5 card.  It does work without electricity.  We made our way through Pickens county and into Greenville county, seeing lots of blooming pear trees along the way.  The riding conditions were great - not too hot, not too cold, and not too sunny.  We arrived at Side Street and were able to park in front.  The servers pulled some tables together and we had plenty of room to settle in.  Pat had a busy Friday and decided to head back without having lunch.  Our server was vey good and used the word "perfect" a lot, but she did get everything right and we had drinks while we awaited the food.  They do have great pizza and subs here, and today was no exception.  After a leisurely lunch, we took the more scenic and curvy routed via Hwy 176 and drove around the Greenville watershed.  It was fun to be able to tackle some of the curves and look forward to more mountain routes as the weather continues to warm up. The ride was a little over 140 miles and the weather made it another great day on two wheels.    Steve    ps - I'm sure Dan is itching to get out on his Harley.

Side Street Pizza and Pasta

Once President Trump realizes he needs a Trump Tower
in Cuba and lifts the embargo, I may start a taxi service in Havana......

Friday 02/17/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Dan is still down under on the other side of the world, but the Upstate is still calling all riders to enjoy a fabulously warm winter.  That's how the weather was today when seven riders came to the Key Mart parking lot for a ride.  I volunteered to lead a ride to Cateechee Golf Club for lunch at their Waterfall Grille.  The other riders included Len, Rob, Kevin and his former fellow fire fighter Mike, Gary, and David D.  The perfect weather made for a very pleasant ride around Lake Hartwell as we made our way to the Waterfall Grille.  There was no problem getting seats for the seven of us and the service was a little quicker than other times we've been there.  They have a pretty good menu and soups were quite delicious.  The ride home was smooth and quite enjoyable.  Kevin and Mike headed off to Clemson to take in the first baseball game of the new season against Wright State.  Overall, it was definitely another great day on two wheels.     Steve

Waterfall Grille

The only Harley's I saw in Cuba were in a museum and had not yet been restored......

More commonly seen motorcycle and frequently used as a taxi.

This Jawa 350 is a Czechoslovakian motorcycle that ended production in 1992.