Friday 07/27/18 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• With Dan heading out for his annual pilgrimage to Michigan,  I thought I would ride up to Grill @ the Barn, Lake Toxaway, for some breakfast.  This will give us a couple options for a longer ride home.  If this sounds good to you, we'll leave the Key Mart parking area at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.     Steve

Trip Advisor - Grill @ The Barn

• Today turned out to be a picture perfect day for a ride through the mountains.  Ten riders, including me, came out for a breakfast ride to The Barn.  Joining me were David D., Len, Rob, Steve G., Bill, Pat, Kevin (for his annual summer appearance), Doug, and veteran sweep Ed.  The temps for the ride up to Toxaway dipped to 65 degrees according to Len's thermometer, but everyone was loving the cool air.  The ride up Hwy 130/281 is always a lot of fun with many sweeping curves.  We arrived and our table for 10 (thanks Paulette) was waiting on us.  Our server got our coffee in good time and because it wasn't too busy, we got our food without a long wait.  We were told they were out of pancakes, so eggs were the order of the day.  I still recall the last time I was there, I mistakenly ordered two pancakes, not realizing a single pancake was about the same diameter as my copy of Dark Side of the Moon.  So, a couple of scrambled eggs with bacon was plenty for me.  After the leisurely breakfast, most us headed a little west on Hwy 64 and then turned on to Hwy 281 for a little traveled, but very fun road.  This route brought us to Hwy 107 and we made our way south through Cashiers for the ride home.  By the time we hit Little River Road, like David said, it was like someone turned on the heat and the cool mountain air we enjoyed all morning was gone.  Overall, it was another great day on two wheels.    Steve

I hope Dan has a good trip to Michigan.

I'm still a little disturbed by a trip he took there a few years ago.....

Just sayin'.......

Friday 07/20/18 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• I’m planning to ride on up to Highlands, NC for some breakfast at the Sports Page Sandwich Shoppe.  It may take a tad longer than 55 minutes, maybe 65, I hope.  Those wishing to come straight back can do so but I plan to ride a little more, returning via Buck Creek Rd and Cashiers.  If you would like to join me let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 8:30 AM this Friday.  Hope to see you there.    Dan

Trip Advisor - Sports Page Sandwich Shoppe

• Based on today's forecast, this could be the last dry day for the next week, so all eight of us were glad we got in a fantastic ride to Highlands, NC, today.  Joining Dan at the Key Mart parking lot were Len, Gary, Doug, me, Pat, Bill, and Terry.  It was a cool morning, especially the closer we got to the 4118 foot elevation in Highlands.  Highlands is a great destination, especially early on a Friday before the weekend crowds arrive around noon.  Thanks again to Siri and Sue, we were greeted with an "I knew you were coming" from the top guy/comedian at the Sports Page.  He had a booth with an additional two-top ready for us by the time we ordered our food.  This is always one of our reliably good stops.  The choices for most of us involved eggs, and the omelets were particularly good today.  The ride up to our destination Dan selected was the most direct route to try to meet the under an hour target.  It did take a little longer than that, but no one was complaining as Hwy 28 is always an exciting ride.  After our breakfast, three riders decided to head straight back while Dan took the rest of us on his promised route home via Buck Creek Road.  I still believe the stretch of Hwy 64 west of Highlands has to be one of the top 10 rides in the country - filled with curves, solid rock walls, waterfalls, and the rapidly moving Cullasaja River. As we headed west, we passed Buck Creek Road and turned around in a Church parking lot.  I guess so we could say a little prayer of thanks for being able to ride in such a fabulous area.  Buck Creek takes us back toward Cashiers and is also a great winding road to ride.  We made our customary stop at Little River Road and Hwy 11 to gas up, along with apparently everyone else in that part of Oconee County.  I've never seen all the pumps in use at the same time, but they were today.  Overall, it was still another great day on two wheels.    Steve

 

Friday 07/13/18 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• The weather forecast seems to always be questionable on Fridays, so I am going to just go ahead and plan a ride, this Friday to the Clayton Café in Clayton, GA for some breakfast.  If that works out we can ride back via Warwomen, which is always a nice ride.  If the weather looks bad we can always chose not to ride or chose an alternate destination.  Either way, let’s plan to leave the Key Mart parking area about 8:30 am this Friday.  Hope it is nice and:    Ride Safe.       Dan

Trip Advisor - Clayton Cafe

• After a little rain overnight, and still overcast skies, a gang of eight (no, not that Congressional gang) met at the Key Mart parking lot for a trip to Clayton.  Those joining Dan for the ride included Lesley (visiting from Hilton Head), Len, Doug, me, Ray, Terry, and OG Bob.  Dan led us through some familiar Oconee county roads as we made our way to Hwy 76.  It was a very comfortable ride into Georgia with cooler temperatures and little traffic (except for a very slow logging truck) as we headed into Clayton.  Parking was not much of a problem once we arrived at the Cafe.  Most of us made a left turn to park on the opposite side of the street - parking precisely next to the signs forbidding left turns to park.  Fortunately, the local constables must have been having breakfast somewhere else and we were not ticketed.  Once in the restaurant, we were steered down a long hallway to the back of the restaurant where the bigger tables were located.  Some of us thought we were being ushered out the back door, but it was actually perfect for our group (thanks Siri and Sue).  Our server was very organized and brought our coffee and water, except no coffee for Len??  Soon our orders were taken and Ray was brave and tried the chicken waffles.  A first for him.  Turned out, they looked pretty good and he would order them again.  The rest of us were more interested in eggs, other than you-know-who ordered his favorite French toast.  We also learned that our server was from near Akron, OH, and she and OG Bob shared memories of coincidently living in the same town near Akron.  After our leisurely breakfast Dan took most of us back via our favorite Warwoman Road, while a couple others took Hwy 76 for a slightly quicker route home.  The rain stayed away and we got home before it got too hot.  Overall, it was another great day on two wheels.    Steve

He was tempted, but was able to walk away....

Friday 07/06/18 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Currently the forecast for Friday is not very inviting so I am not planning a ride at this time.  If the weather forecast improves or you wish to ride anyway you can meet at the Key Mart parking area and select a destination and ride leader at that time.  Ride safe.    Dan