Keowee Key Friday Motorcycle Group: January 2015

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Fellow Riders,

Friday should be sunny but a tad bit nippy, so I’m thinking of starting just a half hour later and staying somewhat close to home. Let’s try the Seasons By The Lake Restaurant in the Madren Conference Center at Clemson University. I hear they have a decent lunch buffet as well as menu items. If you want to try them let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 11:00 AM this Friday. Remember, 11:00 AM. We may get another degree out of Mother Nature. Hope to see you then. Dan

Today's ride turned out to be a good one. Although cool, it was not a bad ride. Dan called Sue and said there would be 9 for lunch in Clemson. Along with Dan were Len, Lesley, Charley, Kevin, Denny (who managed to dig out of the relentless snowfall in Erie and head south), Russ, me, and Bob. Sue was able to join us in Clemson, arriving in the silver, tandem bike hauling, FLEX. Seasons has a great buffet and great views of Lake Hartwell. The food was very good and the server kept the drinks filled. Because it wasn't crazy cold, we took a slightly scenic route back to Seneca, stopping at the Ingles gas pumps to fill up and be ready for next week's ride. It was another great day on two wheels. Steve

Fellow Riders,

Friday is expected to be just plain cold and wet so I am not planning to ride at this time. Those who are not put off by the weather may still meet at the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM and select a destination and ride leader at that time. Ride Safe. Dan

Guess we'll just have to stay inside and talk.......

Fellow Riders,

Friday looks to be a decent day so I’m thinking of riding to a restaurant I haven’t been to for awhile, the Gumlog BBQ & Fish Camp near Lavonia, GA. If you think you might like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM this Friday. Hope you can be there. Dan

The ride to Gumlog is always a good one. The route Dan selects takes us on a variety of roads as we make our way into Georgia. It was a cool day, and Bob remarked, "I never thought I'd say I can't wait to get to Gumlog." We were met there my Jim (Road King), who took a different route now that he's moved in to his new place. The Gumlog always has great food, but when Len and Jim asked for cream for their coffee, the server said they only had powdered creamer (yuk), or meelk. Always on their game, Len and Jim quickly interpreted this southern-speak into MILK. It helps when us northerners are bi-lingual. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and by the time we started back, the temp had moved into the low 50's, making for a very comfortable ride home. Overall, it was another great day on two wheels. Steve

Fellow Riders,

One thing I learned from last weeks ride is “don’t mess with Mother Nature”, so I cancelled my golf for today. However, being the slow learner that I am I still plan to try and ride Friday. It will be dry but cold so I plan to keep it somewhat short by going to Michael’s Restaurant in Pickens. If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM. Stay warm and ride safe. Dan

Six riders packed on warm clothes and made the ride to Pickens. Dan led the group which included Len, me, Russ, Kevin, and Orange Glove Bob. The route Dan selected was adventurous enough given the cold temps. We were at the restaurant in about 40 minutes and welcomed the chance to get inside. Our dependable reservation director, Sue, had called ahead for us and the table was all set for six. Michaels was not too crowded, but it was a little early for the lunch crowd. The hot coffee was the drink of choice for many of us and the food was quite good as well. As we finished our lunch, fellow rider Murray and his buddy Rick, stopped in. They were taking a break from their scouting trip to find another home they could rehab and flip. We took a fairly direct route back home, enjoying the sunshine, but not the cold temperature. Overall, it was another great day on two wheels. Steve

Fellow Riders,

Friday’s forecast is calling for increased chance for rain as the day proceeds, however starting the new year off not riding on the first Friday doesn’t sound like a very good start. Therefore I’m thinking if the roads are dry I’m just going to try and get in a short ride over to the Pendleton Village Baker Café. If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM and maybe it won’t rain on us, being it IS the first Friday of the year. Dan

Eight riders bought in to the weather forecast propaganda that rain wouldn't appear until the afternoon. That meant Dan, Lesley, me, Rob, Russ, Kevin and neighbor Ken, and Bob got a fairly good soaking after our lunch in Pendleton. Turns out Ed was the visionary. He decided to drive to the bakery in his car and wasn't concerned about driving home in wet conditions. Bob didn't seem to mind the rain, because he now has his annual bike wash done for the year. He even saw some young fans along the way waving some of those orange gloves. Although the ride home was quite soggy, the ride to Pendleton was pleasant enough. The skies were grey, but the route through Six Mile and Liberty took us through some familiar Pickens and Anderson County countryside. We did manage to spook a couple of horses when Lesley's Honda popped a couple of loud backfires, though I'm sure they survived the scare. The girls at the Village Baker gave us our familiar back room to keep us away from the other decent customers. They apparently fixed the leak we've encountered in that room on several occasions. You can always count on a good meal here. Everyone seemed relaxed until someone got word that it was raining in Keowee Key and we quickly headed for the bikes. It turns out Dan does know short routes as well as the normal long ones we all enjoy. Although a bit soggy, it was still a great day on two wheels. Steve