Friday 07/28/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• The ongoing forecast for afternoon showers dictates another morning breakfast ride.  I thought I would head up to the Clayton Cafe for some of their morning grub.  I'll plan to leave the Key Mart parking area for an 8:30 am departure.  Hope you can make it.   Steve

Trip Advisor - Clayton Cafe

• A total of 9 riders were at Key Mart this morning for an early ride to Clayton.  Today's ride included a rare summer appearance by Kevin, all the way from New Hampshire.  In addition to Kevin and I, the riders included Dan, Len, Russ, Rob, Bill, Pat, and of course, OG Bob.  Len was on his new 2017 HD Road Glide which everyone really liked.  It has lots of nice features and is a great color.  Trying to meet the targeted one hour ride to breakfast, we took some familiar roads, including Cassidy Bridge Road and Hwy 76 to get to the Cafe.  We did encounter a very sneaky motorcycle chasing dog along the way.  I saw the dog walking down a driveway like he was heading home.  Little did I know he was circling back behind some trees and bolted out from between the trees.  Fortunately, no one lost any flesh or leather.  Once at the cafe, we were seated right away in a couple booths up front.  Apparently, they're more comfortable with motorcycle riders than some of our other regular haunts.  Eggs, grits, and biscuits were popular, as well as an order of French Toast for you know who.  After a leisurely breakfast, we headed out to take War Woman back home.  I had another route planned, but that would have meant staying north a little longer, and based on the radar (see below), we may have had to outrun some rain.  War Woman and Hwy 28 are always great routes home.  Even with the gray skies, it was another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Based on this sign in the men's room,
the Clayton Cafe must be trying to get a FireWise award....

Glad we didn't hang around Northern Georgia too long.
No need to get Len's new bike an OG Bob bike wash yet.....

Friday 07/21/17 Ride

Fellow riders,

• Since Steve has left us to fend for ourselves, I figure I better come up with a place to go.  My plan is to scoot on up to Cashiers, NC for some breakfast at the Randevu Restaurant.  If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 8:30 AM this Friday morning.  Hope to see you there.     Dan

Randevu Restaurant

Trip Advisor - Randevu Restaurant

• Here's a photo of the group that joined Dan for a breakfast ride to Randevu on Friday.

As usual, it looks the motorcycle group got a table away from other guests,
and nearly in the bushes......

Friday 07/14/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• To avoid the potential for rain and projected sweltering afternoon heat, I think a breakfast ride to BJ's Family Restaurant, in Toccoa, Ga, makes sense for this Friday.  If you're up for it, we'll plan to leave the Key Mart parking area at 8:30 am.  We should be back around noon.  Hope to see you there.    Steve

• The weather forecasters seemed to get this Friday's forecast right.  It was already hot and humid by the time a group of riders arrived at Key Mart for a ride to Toccoa.  Those riding along with me included Len, Rob, Pat, Dan, Russ, Steve G., Terry, Bill, Ed, and OG Bob.  There was an offer from OG Bob to lead, but we were afraid it would be riding across the parking lot to get a Special K bar at Key Mart and then everyone would just head home.  Instead, we saddled up and took some back roads through Oconee county, including a ride on River Road along the Tugaloo River on our way into Georgia.  The usual table was available for our large group, of course at the rear of the restaurant.  Our server was great and once drinks were served and orders taken, our food came very quickly.  Some of us need to pay more attention (including me) on what we order so we can help the server when our food arrives.  After we finished our breakfast, some riders took a quicker route back to get out of the increasing heat and humidity.  The rest of us meandered up to Long Creek and circled around Chattooga Belle Farms and its spectacular views.  The trip went quite well until I turned off my bike when I stopped for gas.  After the fill up, I couldn't get it started, even with the help of Dan, Russ, and OG Bob.  I realized, too late, that when the engine and battery light come on, I was running on battery alone.  This meant a call to the Busted Knuckle and Phyllis and Dee arrived with the trailer in about 20 minutes and took my bike back to their shop.  Oh well, even with a repair bill looming, it was still another great day on two wheels.   Steve

View from Chattooga Belle Farms

Friday 07/07/17 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• This Friday looks like a good day for a breakfast ride.  Dan and I will be taking turns leading the rides and he'll be able to hang back and follow tail lights for a while.  If you're interested in heading up to The Grill @ The Barn in Lake Toxaway, meet me at the Key Mart parking area for an 8:30 am departure.  After breakfast we can do some more mountain riding and should be home a little after noon.  Hope to see you there.    Steve

Trip Advisor - The Grill @ The Barn

• Nine riders, including me, came to Key Mart for a ride today.  Mother nature was playing games with the radar, and it was somewhat "iffy" as to whether or not it would rain early today.  The other riders that came along included Len, David D., Rob, Terry, Dan, Pat, Ed, and new rider Mike S (welcome Mike).  There was just enough cloud cover and some cool breezes to keep us guessing if we could make it to our destination and still be dry.  It was an otherwise comfortable ride up the mountain.  As we were heading east on Hwy 64, I must have forgotten that I was leading.  As we passed the Grill, I realized I was the one who was supposed to know where to turn.  Oh, well, a u-turn in the parking lot next door, and we arrived.  They had no problem seating us, although it was at two tables.  The service was okay and our server had to have a couple reminders to bring more coffee.  The restaurant tip I learned today, is that if the special says blueberry pancake (note - singular spelling), don't tell the server you want two.  My two pancakes could easily have served our entire table.  Now I know to be more careful.  That's probably something OG Bob knew, but he wasn't there to give advice today.  The other good thing about this visit, is that Ed's eggs were completely cooked this time and he was grateful.  After our breakfast, still leery about the potential for rain, and with Len's encouragement, I decided to take an abbreviated route home.  We turned north on Hwy 281 and enjoyed it's many curves and views of some lakes, rivers, and mountains.  Once we hit Hwy 107, we turned south for the final stretch home.  We successfully completed the ride by staying dry with dark clouds filling the skies behind us.  Overall, it was another great day on two wheels.    Steve  

I'm glad I shortened the ride a bit....

A photo from a trip I took a couple years ago with Len, Cory, and Jim H.
This is me while we stopped for gas in Detroit......