Friday 08/20/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• Due to some afternoon plans, I thought I would head to Mayberry's in Seneca for some breakfast.  We'll head out for a ride afterwards and be home before noon.  If this sounds good to you, we'll plan on leaving the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.    Steve

• We had one of the larger groups we've had in quite awhile, a full dozen, today for the breakfast ride. Joining me on this pretty good day for a ride were Dan, Len, Charlie A., Ben, Terry, Neil, Pat, trikers Bill G. and Geno, and 4-wheelers Sammy (sadly, the Can-Am wouldn't start today), and emeritus-rider Ed.  The trip into town was not bad, but we hit our first road construction stop on Keowee School Road.  Mayberry's has a lot of seating available and there was no problem getting a seat for everyone.  Sammy had taken the Hwy 130 route (with no construction delays) and was already having breakfast outside when we arrived.  After the leisurely breakfast, Sammy and Ed each headed off for other errands and the rest of us made our way to Walhalla for a ride  up the mountain.  Bill and Pat peeled off in Walhalla to avoid the curves and the now smaller group trekked on up Hwy 28.  After we crossed over to Hwy 107 via Village Creek Road, we got behind a very slow truck that wouldn't move over.  Eventually, almost in to Cashiers, it did turn off.  As we contiued east on Hwy 64 we started seeing signs for traffic delays, and they weren't kidding.  We had about a 10 minute stop at one point before continuing on.  The ride was great, but the slowdowns meant I was unable to meet my noon estimate to be home.  Oh well, overall, it was still another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Friday 08/13/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• I plan to head back to the Village Inn in Pickens for breakfast this Friday.  The weather looks like it may cooperate long enough for us to make a run up to Rosman and return home before the heat and humidity fire up the afternoon storm machine.  If this sounds good to you, we'll plan on leaving the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.    Steve   

• I was expecting a good turn out for today's ride and we did have seven riders.  Joining me for the ride were Len, Dan, Neil, Bill G., Pat, and first time rider Ben (welcome Ben!).  We took a fairly direct ride to the Village Inn and had no problem finding a table for our group. We got menus and gave our drink orders in right away.  Our server got our drinks and took our orders right away.  It was a little slower getting our food than our last visit, but it was still not too bad.  Bill and Pat rode home after breakfast and the rest of us took the route on the map above.  It was a good ride, but Hwy 276 is definitely in need of a repaving.  A lot of the pavement had chunks missing, which made it a little more precarious in the curves.  This route did get us a lot of curves and made for a fun ride.  There were some dark clouds when we got on Hwy 64, but we had no rain.  Overall, it was another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Friday 08/06/21 Breakfast Ride

Fellow Riders,

• This coming Friday seems like a good day to take a ride to Clayton, GA, for some breakfast at the Clayton Cafe.  It squeaks in just at the one-hour limit to get to breakfast and sets us up for a fun ride home on Warwoman.  If you're up for the ride, we'll leave the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.  Steve 

• It did turn out to be a fine day for a ride.  It's nice when you don't have to worry about rain popping up and changing your route.  Joining me today were Len, Dan, Rob, Terry, Charley A., David A., Bob D., and a rare visit from Lesley, up from Hilton Head.  The ride northwest to Clayton was very pleasant and the cooler temps felt great.  Parking can be an issue in downtown Clayton, and today was no exception.  Some parked in front of the Cafe, and some of us went to a nearby parking lot.  Thanks to a call ahead by Paulette, they had a place set up for us.  The back room we usually get was already taken, so we were squeezed in around a table at the front of the dining area.  Our server had a good sense of humor, and got our drinks and orders in good time.  For a large group it can take a little while to get everything prepared, but today they did a good job.  After the tasty breakfast, we headed for Warwoman and the fun ride home.  Bob D., peeled off to try some gravel and dirt roads on his bike, and Terry headed straight back to tend to some errands.  The rest of us enjoyed the ride down the mountain.  Overall, it was another great day on two wheels.   Steve 

Friday 07/30/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• We're definitely in a heat wave, so going to breakfast at the Village Inn in Pickens seems like a cool way to start the day.  After breakfast, we can head for some cooler mountain temps and still get home before the roads start to melt.  If this sounds good to you, we'll leave the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.   Steve

• Ten riders, including me, came out for a short ride to breakfast in Pickens.  Joining me were Len, Dan and Atlanta Steve (welcome Steve), Rob, Gary, Rich, Terry, Ray, and first time rider Sam (welcome Sam).  Since last week we encountered several North Carolina road projects, I guess we couldn't be surprised that this week it was mowing day on Hwy 183, thanks to the Pickens County maintenance guys.  Nevertheless, we made it to our destination with a few grass clippings in some of the seats.  We were able to walk right in to the Pickens Inn and get one of the few tables already set up for 10 people.  It seems most of the riders had not been here and we were all impressed with the quick service and the very reasonable prices. I had the "2 2 2," which was perfect - two eggs, two strips of bacon, and to decent sized pancakes.  After a leisurely breakfast, I checked the radar.  There was still a menacing green blob north of us, so I took an alternate route that kept us south of Hwy 11 and dry.  It was an early return home, but another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Friday 07/23/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• This Friday looks like a good day for a ride to breakfast in Cashiers, NC.  I thought I would ride to Zookeepers Bistro and take a scenic route back home.  We'll plan on leaving the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.    Steve 

• We had a decent day to head out, but rain was starting to be a potential problem. Those joining me included Len, Dan, David D., Gary, Sammy and Geno.  We ran into some road repaving on Hwy 107, and gave me a chance to check my phone.  Paulette had called and found out they could not accomodate our group.  The road crew let us pass and I knew we needed a different destination.  David D. mentioned Randevu and I was thinking the same thing.  We pulled into Randeve and noticed there was a lot of available parking.  David D. walked up to the door to check it out and learned it has a new owner and they don't serve breakfast.  After a brief discussion, Dan suggested the Panthertown Cafe that was a little further east on Hwy 64.  So off we went, only to run into another highway project.  We arrived and they had exactly 8 seats for us on the porch and we grabbed them.  It was a good breakfast as usual.  When we finished, it was nearly 11 am, so we drove on to Rosman and headed down the mountain on Hwy 178.  Gary asked, quite sarcastically, it I coule try to find some more highway construction.  I was able to avoid any more stops.   The skies looked a little ominous, but we made it home with dry motorcycles.  Overall, it was still another great day on two wheels.   Steve