Well, some of it, anyway… It was a chilly high thirties temp reading when ALI transported her companion to the end of the driveway… and those Gerbings were cranking just fine! Yep, they still have it, and our girl most certainly does, as well. However, that nagging other question still remained. What about her rider? Was he up to a jaunt down the slab of an hour or so in this coolness?
It was gut-check time… time to face some serious choices… Is alleged fab BBQ really worth all of this? Would I get frost bite on my delicate features and be forced to yield to the obvious? Would I embarrass myself by having to wimp-out in front of all those witnesses? Only one way to know, so… we rolled the dice…
I actually found the meet-up place right-off that Bert had picked for us, and I think he was as surprised as I was! Naturally, I interpreted that as a good omen. He indicated he wanted me to lead… doesn’t he know about me and my navigation issues? Well, not too bad after all, as I only had to do one double U-turn in the first two miles or so, and then we were back on track and smoking down the slab towards our rendezvous with the rest of our posse for the day… I was tolerating the briskness just fine, too! Another good omen…?
Not having made that particular ride to that particular meet-up spot (the dumpster at the Speedway near Brooksville) in about fifteen years or so… my recollection of time and distance, road conditions, yadda, yadda, were a bit rusty, so… I allowed lots of extra time to compensate for the usual missed turns, wrong turns, and U-turns… I also harbored a wee secret hope Bert might want to hit some back roads and even have a route in mind… Nope, it was all on my shoulders…
OK, nothing wrong with being early, so let’s go grab a supplemental cup ‘a Joe and maybe limber-up our talker muscles. If needed, we could always hang around inside the Speedway, too, to elevate any lowered body temp issues that might have arisen… none did… It actually felt pretty doggone good being out there, traffic was mercifully on the light side, and everything seemed to be functioning as desired… no strange noises, vibrations, warning lights, wobbles, or unusual occurrences… Always a good omen!
We pulled into the Speedway… and we were obviously the first to arrive. Nope, nobody else was an hour early, so we got the prize! It had already started to ease up on the chilliness as we were now due south of our start-point by sixty miles or so, and the sun had risen a bit giving an unmistakable sign better conditions were on the way. Bert was in good spirits, so I’d apparently not injured our relationship with my errors so far… All omens continued to be positive!
The group began to trickle in, and the conversations began to evolve and expand… No politics or religion topics were brought up, though, so no bloodshed or bruised feelings resulted. Most definitely a good omen! After an hour or so of tire-kicking (two hours for Bert and me), the anticipated time arrived to meander some back roads down to Hungry Harry’s BBQ place… My salivary glands were already wise to the events soon to unfold, so they were nearing peak preparations stage… I wondered if that bandana I used to carry was still in the saddlebag…
Hernando County has some nice roads for scooterizing, and Nick seems to know most of them! Man, I’d vaguely remembered some nice riding in that area long ago, but time and ‘progress’ have not ruined much of that even now, so we had a delightful scoot here and there and eventually wound-up making the turn into Hungry Harry’s parking lot… and the next stage of this outing.
Naturally there were lots of nice folks… a few I actually knew from the old days, but mostly new faces for me to try to remember and keep names, etc. straight… never an easy chore for this often-absent member of a rather large family… Ah, but it was so nice! Fourteen folks was the count I heard (I forgot to actually do a count myself), and the food! WOW!
We southern boys are always a little hesitant to take the word of a Yankee regarding the quality of BBQ, but those in our group really know their stuff! Especially, Nick, too, as every time he recommends a place, I listen intently!!! Man, this has given rise to yet another imponderable for this seeker of objectivity and accuracy…
Is it possible to give too many places a ‘five pig rating’ and still maintain any hope of being regarded as a credible judge of such things? Well, this is the third place I’ve visited in the last three weeks, and two of them have been designated as ‘five pig’ places! Well, for what it’s worth, I did have just that reaction to what I’d been served, and I do stand by those lofty ratings…
The chopped pork was fab, and the rub and smoking technique were very much to my liking! I found the baked beans, cold slaw and garlic toast to also be quite tasty. Nick (BronxBoy), also favored us with an order of ribs as an ‘appetizer’ (a sure-fire misnomer there… heck, just walking through the door and getting a snootful of the bouquet did the trick for me…), and that was also a very pleasant surprise. Three sauces were offered, and all three were really good. Hefty portions rounded out that most enjoyable experience, and, while I can’t speak for others, I departed the dining room with a very full tummy, and a big ol’ goober grin on my face… Everyone else did appear to be in the same condition, though!
Some more tire-kicking, then the inevitable departure hugs and reluctant farewells… Dang, I’m really starting to enjoy all of this again… hope it doesn’t keep me from my main purpose! Not likely, but it will make the prospects of future returns ‘home’ to be much more pleasant… And, that reminds me…
My purpose involves, as most already know, long distance meanderings around… everywhere… Well, to be able to do that, there are certain things that absolutely must be present. Physical conditioning has to be sufficient to prevent little aches and pains, to name but one. Now it is important to keep ourselves in reasonable shape… but, I don’t always do that sufficiently… Rather than go to a gym, however, I hit upon another idea… On-the-road therapy!
Yep, all the way there and back, I kept checking to see if I could detect any signs of… TWA. Nope, but one can’t be too careful, so I then pondered the need for some serious therapy… Sounded like a necessary and sensible precaution, so I began to contemplate a suitable regimen…
I think I’ll just head out next Thursday, after the next round of rain passes through… and, go do a little jog around the southeast for a few days… Nothing long or rigorous or anything, just something to get my ‘riding parts’ in proper condition… especially my throttle wrist… Yep, Throttle Wrist Atrophy (TWA) is something I definitely want to avoid, so I reckon some exercise therapy is in order…
DDT
pic sharing
filling station near my locationJack Attack…
Old Friends and new… (Robyn turned out to be a serious rider and adventurer!)
Father & Son…
P.S. Thanks a million, Nick!!! You called a good outing, and the location and food were a truly great treat!!! We appreciate ya, dude!
