Friday 9/25/15 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• The Friday forecast is calling for much needed rain so I am not planning a ride at this time.  Come Friday should the roads be dry and it is not raining maybe we can get in a short ride for lunch.  If you wish to ride regardless, meet at the Key Mart parking area and select a destination and ride leader at that time.  Stay safe and dry.   Dan

C'mon Man!!!!

Friday 9/11/15 Ride

Fellow Rides,

• I think it would be fun to ride on over to Laprade’s Marina on Lake Burton, GA for some lunch provided Mother Nature will cooperate.  If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM this Friday.  Hope you can make it.    Dan

Lapidaries' Marina on Lake Burton

• In addition to a great ride, a day to remember:

Michigan Motorcycle Trip - 8/17 thru 8/29/15

Fun Times

• The adventure began at 8 am, on Monday morning, but not without some drama with my bike.  A problem that I thought was fixed resurfaced when I tried to start the bike - it didn't start.  A little persuasion with the connector to the starter, and it fired up and I headed for our rendezvous point at Key Mart.  I assumed the bike cleaning the day before had put a little too much water on the connector, but figured I was good to go.  We left the wives behind and headed north with our first stop on Clinch Mountain, TN, for lunch.  Things were going well, and we all tried the vinegar pie.  It was good, but stayed with us most of the rest of the day.  What was supposed to be a dry day, turned wet and we rode in rain for a couple hours.  Clean bikes were now only a memory.  We made it to our destination in Lexington, KY, and we were officially underway with the trip to the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan.

• We had a great trip of 3,600 miles and saw three of the Great Lakes along the way.  At our stop in Port Huron, MI, we met a blogger with 1 million followers. An airline pilot named Dan, both he and his wife were driving Harley's on a trip to Maine.  Here is his blog = Dan 330.  We did encounter some rain and cool temps in the UP, but it was worth the trip.  We also took in a few great museums, a moving memorial, and a whiskey tour as well:
• Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum - Auburn, Indiana
• Henry Ford Museum - Dearborn, Michigan
• Harley Davidson Museum - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• National Corvette Museum - Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Middle East Conflicts Memorial Wall - Marseilles, Illinois
• Jack Daniels Tour - Lynchburg, Tennessee

• All in all, it was a great couple weeks on two wheels.    Steve

Photo Gallery of Trip

Friday 9/4/15 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• This Friday I figured I would scoot on up to Sylva, NC for some lunch at LuLu’s On Main.  To avoid some of the construction I’m thinking I will have to go up 178 so might as well take in some of the Blue Ridge Parkway along the way.  If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM.  Hope to see you then.    Dan

Trip Advisor - Lulu's on Main

Blue Ridge Parkway

• Today there were eight riders that wanted to take a ride into the mountains for some good lunch, cooler temps, and spectacular scenery.  Those following Dan included Lesley, Rob, Jim (wing), David, me, Russ, and "Ice Cream" Bob.  Due to the ongoing roadwork on Hwy 130, it was an easy decision for Dan to find an alternate route.  Taking the long route to get to Hwy 178, we got behind a logging truck that we expected to drop one of his trees at any time.  He did try to wave us around, but to paraphrase a familiar sign on the back of many semi trailers, "if you can't see my mirrors, you probably can't see me waving you around either."  Oh well...  Once we got to Holly Springs, Rob's Beemer got thirsty for a little oil, so he stopped to give it a drink.  We paused just long enough to get behind a flat-bed tow truck hauling what looked like a little cabin.  I wasn't sure it would make it through the curves and up the hill, but it did, although very slowly.  This allowed Rob to catch up rather easily.  This time, we could see the wave around and we picked up the pace as we climbed the mountain.  By the time we got to the Blue Ridge Parkway, after riding up Hwy 215, the temps were down to the low 70's.  As usual, the views from the Parkway are spectacular.  After a brief stop at the highest point on the famous road, 6,053 feet atop the Richard Balsam Mountain at milepost 431, we made our way down to Sylva.  David skipped lunch because he had "work" to do at home.  We suspect it has to do with Clemson's first home game tomorrow, but who knows.  The lunch was good, except for the overcooked burger Jim specifically requested he did not want. (note - don't order burger with special cooking instructions at Lulu's).  The ride back caused us to catch up with one of the random rain showers, but there wasn't enough to even clean Bob's bike.  On Hwy 107, a few miles north of Oconee State Park, I saw my first South Carolina black bear along the road.  Probably a juvenile, I just hoped he wasn't ready to bolt across the road.  He stayed put and we made it home without incident and a 160+ mile ride for the day.  It was definitely another great day on two wheels.     Steve