Valk Sighting...

[DDT (12)]

Valk Sighting...

I was out in the driveway watching Greg check the air pressure in the tires of his '98 Tourer, when I realized my phone was ringing inside Greg's house. I bolted for the front door and unexpectedly answered the call before it had rolled over to Voicemail... I must be even more nimble after all than I'd thought!

As I picked up the phone and pressed the button, I noticed the caller was my good friend in Calgary, Alberta, Terry Nickel (t-man403)! WOW! Always good to hear from him, and he had us on the speaker so his wonderful bride, Lynda, could also participate in the chat. What an absolutely pleasant surprise!

I returned to the bikes outside (our girl was parked next to Greg's) just as he was cranking up his portable air pump... To lessen the impact of that noisy apparatus as I continued to chat with Terry and Lynda, I walked away towards the street, all the while continuing to be caught up on recent goings on. I ended up standing in the road, and that's when I noticed another Valk coming directly at us!

As expected, it was Ross (RNFWP). Greg had arranged for several of us to ride to Bucky's BBQ in downtown Fountain Inn, SC (a burb of Greenville) for some Q, and to listen to some jazz tunes being provided during some sort of civic celebration or other. (I'm not sure, but it may be National Gender Confusion Week or some such).

Anyway, we'd also be meeting Stanley Steamer there. Hubcap Mike (Hubscrap?) had also been invited, but... He'd called and made his excuse for not coming. It did sound plausible, even believable, so he was regrettably granted an 'excused absence'... I'm confident it would have been a better event had he been there, though...

Shortly after the phone call, we all donned our gear and made the short ride to the center of town. The BBQ was quite good, as were the sides, so that part of the event was worth the trip in itself. Nobody had seen Stanley as we'd parked and began making our way towards the eatery... I mused he was likely already there stuffing his face with ribs and such... Lo and behold, that's exactly where we found him, too... ribs and all!

We had a great time swapping war stories, recalling fun vignettes from previous encounters with other Valkers... you know, kicking tires in other words. We moved from the table inside to a spot out on the sidewalk, listened to some surprisingly (to me anyway) good music, observed some of the locals doing all the things locals do while causing this curious observer to wonder if any of this really could have anything to do with gender confusion... I saw no evidence at all to indicate a connection.

Rising temps and the passage of time while standing around in a crowded thoroughfare led us to a time when returning home made a lot of sense, so... that's precisely what we all did. It had been really great to spend some quality time with some quality friends... a perfect send-off for Greg and this relic of another time. Send-off...?

Yep, this hunk of tired, aging remains of a once very serious rider has yet another appointment with another of his doctors in Montgomery. After that next Tuesday, a more than a week wander thingy will be undertaken with 'plans' to emerge in Slade KY, on May 5th or 6th for the Dragon Weyr Ride. Jerry (Big Wolf) has been invited to make that extended ride, and we plan to arrive in Montgomery Monday afternoon where he'll be joining me...

Since I was riding around filling out the time slot between sitting around in central Florida and meeting lots of friends in Kentucky in a couple of weeks, plus another doctor visit along the way, I'd chosen to go wander some... I'd been wandering around in the eastern Carolinas with no particular place to be. As sometimes happens, I got this inspiration to check on some of my pals to see how things were going with them...

One thing led to another, and before you could say, "Let's go Brandon," Greg was going to join Jerry and me for the Slade ride. And on top of that, I would be dropping by Greg's place for some Q and the ride to Montgomery together. This whole thing was growing and the notion of an aimless solo wander was being totally altered, but in a very good way! Ross, Mike, and Stanley would be joining us for the Q, as well, but none of them could do the wander before Slade... As mentioned, Mike also later bowed out on the Q event, too.

So there will be two Valks departing Sunday morning bound for Montgomery, AL. Then Wednesday or Thursday morning three Valks will depart for a roundabout ride that will end in Slade, KY... for a weekend Valk gathering. After that, no telling what might happen... One thing is certain, however... there will be more Valk sightings...

DDT

[Rams]

This meets my definition of LIVING LARGE.   

Rams

[..]

Here I am sitting in Maggie Valley....................................

[t-man403]

I must be even more nimble after all than I'd thought!

And no huff and puff after that sprint either! 

[RNFWP]

I really enjoyed the get together.

It's a nice day for yall to be starting your trip. Sounds fun, wish I could've joined ya.
Ross

[DDT (12)]

This meets my definition of LIVING LARGE.   

Rams

Ron,

Mine too! I know I often sound like a stuck record, but... Come to think of it, Hot Tub even pointed that out on our recent ride... several times. Still, I am mighty proud to still be out here with our girl... And yes, I do very much love my life!!!

DDT

Here I am sitting in Maggie Valley....................................

Paul,

We're all largely programmed the same way, and common sense also usually informs us that the wisdom of the ages is probably correct. I chose to by-pass that staple of 'normalcy', however, and become a biker gypsy again. Yep, I sold my sensible house, gave my car to my daughter, got rid of all my extra clothes and other possessions I'd been thinking I couldn't live without... and I rejoined our girl on yet another vision quest!

I believe it has actually prolonged my life! It most certainly has improved my life: I feel my strength and stamina slowly returning; My outlook has dramatically been elevated; My general health has even seemed better! I know not what the future might hold, and I do anticipate I'll sooner or later have to make a reversal of direction. In the meantime, though, I'm loving life and living large, and I plan to continue on this tack as long as possible! Heck, I've always favored quality over quantity anyhow...

Turning loose is extremely difficult, and most of us choose to cling to the rocks along the bank of the river of life... I've taken the risk of letting go and drifting with the current, and so far, it has been one Hell of a ride!!! Good luck sitting there...

DDT

I must be even more nimble after all than I'd thought!

And no huff and puff after that sprint either! 

Terry,

Yes indeed, that both amazed and pleased me a bunch, too! It was such a nice surprise to chat with you and Lynda yesterday! I do hope our paths cross again this coming summer... I don't expect any grits if I do make it there... but, I wouldn't say no to any either! I will, of course, pass on the Tabasco Sauce!

DDT

I really enjoyed the get together.

It's a nice day for yall to be starting your trip. Sounds fun, wish I could've joined ya.
Ross

Ross,

It was an unexpected surprise meeting y'all for some Q, and I did very much enjoy the company even more than the pulled pork! We should do more of that!!!

Right again... It was a great day to get back out there. The weather was near perfect, traffic was moderate, no LEOs observed waiting to pounce from any hiding places, and our stops all occurred in near perfect distances. No close calls on running out of fuel at all, plus no soiled lingerie to discard! You did miss a really good one, my friend... Oh well, perhaps another time...

DDT

[..]

Bruce, I meant "here I am sitting in MV" just a hop, skip and a jump from eating Q in SC

[DDT (12)]

Bruce, I meant "here I am sitting in MV" just a hop, skip and a jump from eating Q in SC

Paul,

I gotcha! Next time we should post something on the board in advance... Your tales would have added some real 'spice' to the conversation! Until then, my friend... Hey, you going to the Slade Ride? Hope so...

DDT

[..]

Bruce, I meant "here I am sitting in MV" just a hop, skip and a jump from eating Q in SC

Paul,

I gotcha! Next time we should post something on the board in advance... Your tales would have added some real 'spice' to the conversation! Until then, my friend... Hey, you going to the Slade Ride? Hope so...

DDT

I am.

[hubcapsc]

Anyway, we'd also be meeting Stanley Steamer there. Hubcap Mike (Hubscrap?) had also been invited, but... He'd called and made his excuse for not coming. It did sound plausible, even believable, so he was regrettably granted an 'excused absence'... I'm confident it would have been a better event had he been there, though...

I'm 2 for 2 as a no-show the last couple of rides... I can do better!

-Mike

[Stanley Steamer]

It was good to see DDT, Ross, and Greg......I missed Hubcap too....I'm glad Ross gave me the chance to come for a little fellowship....

I hadn't had breakfast Saturday, so I needed to get a head start on the Grub...kinda like an official taste testor....the good thing is, we can plan another one if the Stars align just right.....

[DDT (12)]

Mike,

I reckon we'll just have to keep doing this 'til we get it right! Perhaps bigger is better, so next time we'll post something in advance... Hey, bring Carolyn along with you... might improve your attendance!

DDT



Stanley,

I didn't mention that besides ribs on your plate, you also had a chicken skeleton, what was left of a pile of pulled pork, plus remnants of a couple of sides... Breakfast must not have been the only meal you were doing a 'make-up' for! Sure was good having you with us... You always add to any gathering you attend, so we're all looking forward to the next one... I'm betting there will be a next one, too, only I may be a no-show by then...

DDT