Friday 07/30/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• We're definitely in a heat wave, so going to breakfast at the Village Inn in Pickens seems like a cool way to start the day.  After breakfast, we can head for some cooler mountain temps and still get home before the roads start to melt.  If this sounds good to you, we'll leave the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.   Steve

• Ten riders, including me, came out for a short ride to breakfast in Pickens.  Joining me were Len, Dan and Atlanta Steve (welcome Steve), Rob, Gary, Rich, Terry, Ray, and first time rider Sam (welcome Sam).  Since last week we encountered several North Carolina road projects, I guess we couldn't be surprised that this week it was mowing day on Hwy 183, thanks to the Pickens County maintenance guys.  Nevertheless, we made it to our destination with a few grass clippings in some of the seats.  We were able to walk right in to the Pickens Inn and get one of the few tables already set up for 10 people.  It seems most of the riders had not been here and we were all impressed with the quick service and the very reasonable prices. I had the "2 2 2," which was perfect - two eggs, two strips of bacon, and to decent sized pancakes.  After a leisurely breakfast, I checked the radar.  There was still a menacing green blob north of us, so I took an alternate route that kept us south of Hwy 11 and dry.  It was an early return home, but another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Friday 07/23/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• This Friday looks like a good day for a ride to breakfast in Cashiers, NC.  I thought I would ride to Zookeepers Bistro and take a scenic route back home.  We'll plan on leaving the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.    Steve 

• We had a decent day to head out, but rain was starting to be a potential problem. Those joining me included Len, Dan, David D., Gary, Sammy and Geno.  We ran into some road repaving on Hwy 107, and gave me a chance to check my phone.  Paulette had called and found out they could not accomodate our group.  The road crew let us pass and I knew we needed a different destination.  David D. mentioned Randevu and I was thinking the same thing.  We pulled into Randeve and noticed there was a lot of available parking.  David D. walked up to the door to check it out and learned it has a new owner and they don't serve breakfast.  After a brief discussion, Dan suggested the Panthertown Cafe that was a little further east on Hwy 64.  So off we went, only to run into another highway project.  We arrived and they had exactly 8 seats for us on the porch and we grabbed them.  It was a good breakfast as usual.  When we finished, it was nearly 11 am, so we drove on to Rosman and headed down the mountain on Hwy 178.  Gary asked, quite sarcastically, it I coule try to find some more highway construction.  I was able to avoid any more stops.   The skies looked a little ominous, but we made it home with dry motorcycles.  Overall, it was still another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Friday 07/16/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• I'm not able to lead a ride this week, but the weather looks okay, so far, and Gary has an idea for breakfast.  If you're up for a ride, meet at the Tate Realty Office parking lot for an 8:30 am departure and Gary will lead the group to the Bistro at Kewoee Key for some breakfast.  If you live in Keowee Key, you can head directly to the Bistro if you prefer.  There is a 4% charge for non-residents using a credit card and cash may not be an option.  This would only add $ .50 - $ .75, depending on what you order.  You can decide on a route and a leader for the after-breakfast ride.  I hope everyone wanting to ride is able to make it.  Steve

• Only Gary and Terry made it out for the breakfast at the Bistro.  As it turned out, that was the last Friday they served breakfast due to an overall lack of customers and the ongoing staff shortages.  Great idea for breakfast, but it will be a while before we take another shot at it.   Steve

Friday 07/09/21 Breakfast Ride

 Fellow Riders,

• It looks like the impact of Elsa will have passed by Friday morning, so I thought I would ride to Panthertown Cafe in Toxaway for some breakfast.  If that works for you, we'll plan on leaving the Tate Realty Office parking lot at 8:30 am.  Hope to see you there.   Steve

• The ride to Panthertown Cafe was nice and they had plenty of seating available.  They pushed a couple of tables together for the six of us.  The breakfast was good and the service was, too.  We got our food fairly quickly for a larger group.  The weather was deteriorating by the time we finished, so the prudent thing to do was ride the shortest route home.  I had wanted to head up Hwy 281 to Hwy 107 for a nice mountain ride. It turned out to be a good decision to go straight home as the rains did come soon after we all arrived at our destinations.   Steve