Friday 03/02/18 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Again, Steve has run off and left us to fend for ourselves plus he has taken the warm weather with him.  It’ll take more than that to keep me off my bike so I’m going to plan a ride to the Waterfall Grill at Cateechee Golf Club near Hartwell, GA.  Those like minded riders should meet at the Key Mart parking area about 10:30 AM and we’ll head out from there.  Hope you can make it.      Dan

Friday 02/23/18 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• With the rain leaving the forecast for Friday, and temps projected in the mid 70's, I thought I would head for Grits and Groceries near Belton.  You definitely need to bring cash, or something called a "checkbook" as they don't take any plastic.  With a small inside dining area, it's also likely we'll be seated outside, but with the projected temperatures, it should be just fine.  If you're interested, we'll plan on leaving at 10:30 am from the Key Mart parking area.  Hope to see you there.      Steve

Grits and Groceries

• The string of consecutive rides continues and so do the unseasonably warm temperatures.  The riding conditions and a favorite destination brought out a dozen riders today.  Those joining me included Dan, Len, Gadget (long time no see), Ray (also long time no see, and riding a great looking Indian), Russ, David D., Bill, Pat, Terry, Kevin, and Ed (can there be a brighter green riding jacket?).  We made our way around Clemson and Anderson as we drove the back roads through Pickens and Anderson counties.  Many of us had been on most of the roads we took today, but it has been a while.  When we arrived, our server greeted us and told us she had a table set up for our large group (thanks Paulette for the call ahead) outside.  She was quite friendly and got our drinks right away.  It was very pleasant sitting outside as the temperature continued to climb.  Next, she took our meal orders and in a very short time, started bringing out our food.  Like Ed commented, it's amazing how quickly they could make this much food in such a small kitchen.  The food is always great here and orders included everything from fried oysters and a shrimp Po Boy, to pulled pork and grilled pimento cheese sandwiches.  I think there was a to go order for one of their great desserts, but everyone else managed to restrain the urge.  The ride home was more direct and we did pass a cotton field along the way to confirm we were riding through the country in the South.  Some of the riders split off to run some errands while the rest of us headed back home.  Overall, it was another truly great day on two wheels.   Steve

Yum!!!

OG Bob Update - He's following his therapist and working the rotator cuff stretching exercises......

Friday 2/16/2018 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• It looks like we're getting a dose of spring this coming Friday, with temps in the low 70's.  I thought I would head to Aunt Sue's for lunch.  They're coming back after a winter break and should be ready for us.  If you're interested, we'll leave the Key Mart parking area at 10:30.  Hope to see you there.    Steve

Aunt Sue's Country Corner

• Like a blast from summer, temps quickly made their way into the low seventies today and was enough to bring out 11 riders, including me, to make a trip to Aunt Sue's.  Joining me today were David D., Dan, Russ, Kevin (returning from a major renovation of his son's new home on Cape Cod), Steve G., Doug, Terry, Gary, Denny, and Ed.  I managed to find a few roads I don't recall trying before to come up with a route to Aunt Sue's.  It was a lot of fun, and trying to use Dan's example, turned a normally 35 - 40 minute ride into an excursion lasting about double that. It seems the warm weather was bringing out all kinds of road work crews and there were more than a few miles of red clay stained road surfaces reflecting all the activity. The call ahead Paulette made worked well and a table for 11 was waiting for us.  It was not too crowded when we arrived, but for only their second day being open after the winter break, it was getting quite busy.  The big favorites for lunch were the hamburgers and especially, the Ruben.  The service was pretty good, but it does take a little longer to process a large order.  There didn't seem to be any complaints.  After the leisurely lunch, some headed out to run errands and take a more direct route home, while four of us tried out some of the twisties on Hwy 178, and Cleo Chapman Highway.  I actually scraped the floorboard for the first time this year. I'm looking forward to more mountain riding as we head into spring.  Overall, it was another great day on two wheels.     Steve

Don't worry, the restaurant was uphill from the out house.....

This great looking dog was enjoying the sun lust like the rest of us today.....

Friday 2/09/2018 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• It looks like we can get a ride in this Friday before the rain moves in on the weekend.  I want to head to The Hungry Drover in Travelers Rest.  It should be a little warmer than the past couple of weeks.  I plan to leave the Key Mart parking area at 10:30, if you want to make the ride.  Hope to see you there.     Steve

The Hungry Drover

• Warmer temperatures and a lot of sunshine brought out a dozen riders to try out The Hungry Drover.  With this many riders, a few of us weren't sure we could all fit in the restaurant, but they had plenty of room and accommodated us quite well.  The riders joining me were Dan, Len, Russ, Pat, Bill (Full Throttle Magazine (check out page 52)), Doug, Gary, Terry, Denny, Steve D. and Ed. We made our way over to the Travelers Rest/Tigerville area on familiar roads and a couple of new ones as we enjoyed the sunny skies.  At one point we got behind a truck that looked like it was from a Wes Craven movie - an old flat bed truck moving slowly, reeking of gasoline, driving somewhat erratically.  Rather than wait for the chainsaws to appear, we passed him and kept moving.  When we arrived at the restaurant, Pat and Bill were already there.  Unbeknownst to those of us up front, Pat had to jump his battery before leaving Key Mart.  A table was set up and ready for us thanks to a call ahead from Paulette.  The food was quite good there and the servers were friendly, but it did take a while for all 12 of us to get our food.  The sun was still shining brightly as we made our way home, grateful we've had three consecutive weeks of riding.  Also, thanks to OG Bob for an update on his therapy sessions (see below).  Today was another great day on two wheels.    Steve

OG Bob's physical therapist uses some heat
to get that shoulder back to peak performance.