. ...well...maybe not..
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....sorry this Ride Report is a little late. ...but Ive been having computer issues.....besides...better late then never..
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......last week, Chili and I were getting ready to hang out in Bellaire and enjoy the Inzanity when Chili,s cell rang.....seems Pam n George were heading to their usual camp site and they were in the area....Pam wanted to know if it would be cool to stop by....well, heck yeh ! So about a half hour later they pulled up in their "Rig" and we all hung out on the rear deck for a while and sipped some freshly brewed Iced tea...even cool lil Joey their dog was there....we all expressed our excitement at the upcomming week and hanging out with a BUNCH of folks from the VRCC and beyond.....after cooling off for a spell...they piled back in their truck and said their goodbyes...and Chili and I got back to ..trying not to forget "too much stuff"...after all we had a tedious 45 minute ride ahead of us...and we were pulling a trailer !
...so we finished packing the trailer, and headed off for Bellaire....like I said..it took us all of about 45 minutes to get there...not quite long enough for... Monkey Butt to set in..
....there were a slew of bikes there already..and nothin gets me more excited then pulling into a parkinglot FULL of Valks....well...mebbe the first day of a 2 week Road Trip.....but it was still fine....We registered in and got our room cards...took some of our "stuff" up and then I high tailed it back to the trailer....ya see I had an "obligation" of sorts to fulfill....yup..was honored to be helping the Master of Smokey BBQ....Hot Glue hizz bad self.....and we were Qing up ..."Burgers for the Masses"....and even though it was a hot afternoon, we had a blast flipping burgers....and ol HG broke down and showed me one of his...Trade Secrets....yep...he calls it...Marinading the Chef..
....Yanno that old saying...Build it and they will come ?. ...well...I,ll tell ya what.....Grille and they will come also !!!
....yep....we grilled up a Mess O burgers and dogs and feasted right along with the rest of them....afterwards, I mosyed up to our room and got a nice cool shower, so Id be ready for the nights "festivities"....this is the view of Lake Bellaire from the balcony of our room....very nice..
....after a nice cool shower...I wandered back down to the parkinglot....it was filling up fast and things were really buzzing....as more and more Valks showed up..
...Chili and I followed the crowd in for the welcoming speech and 50/50....
...this is some of the crowd we hung out with all week....I wonder why the word...Hooligans...comes to mind ? ..
....after the 50/50....we all mounted up and rode into town to a cool lil place called..Tooneys....VERY good food....and the company was superb....sorry this is blurred...it would have been a great shot otherwise
....Laser Pat and Texas Deb and Charlie...sorry...I forget the other guys name...were sitting next to us..
....now I didnt get the.."Daniel Meyers Special"....but I,ll tell ya what...I did order a bacon cheese burger "Deluxe" with portabello shrooms ofcourse.....and it was absolutely Boadcious !! ..
.....so were all laughing and talking when all of a sudden I hear....hey Timbr...wanna take a pic of ..This ?? ....Well...you know me..I just cant resist a good food shot...so I jumped up and snapped
....I sat back down and turned my attention back to my burger and our table....when I look over and ...what the heck...that GIANT burger that guy ordered....was gone ! .....Yep...this is BigFish_Ohio....and I,ll tell ya what...that dude put a hurtin on that gargantuan burger like I never seen....then he smiles at me and sez....ya think maybe I should offer a.."Challange"..of sorts to that Daniel Meyers ?? ......Who can eat one of these babies...Fasterrrrr ?!?!?. ...Oh Man...all I can say is...I see a "Two Part"...Man vs Food Episode commin up soon ! .....Daniel..are ya listenin ?...This Guy looks pretty serious !
...after dinner we al mosyed out side for a while...TP and me kicked back against a wall and just watched all the passerbys admiring all the bikes that line Main Street..
.....and thats when it happened...we were just minding our own business, enjoying the evening....when "They" walked by....
....Hey You !. .....Yeah You....Do we know you ?!?!? ???
....Hmmmmm.....apparently ..NOT. ....you can keep walking !..
...Ohhhhhh Man....the scary part is...this was just a .."Taste"...of things to come !
.....seems PIBIT was drawing a crowd...as he bragged on hiz fine machine..
......Yep....a fine eveing it was...just a bunch of good friends from ALL over the country...hanging out and enjoying each others company..
....whats that officer ?. .....have we seen some trouble maker ..goes by the name of Strider ??. ...ummmm nope...but there was "another trouble maker"..somewhere round here tonight...if we see him, we,ll be sure and point him out !
....seems some of the Town Lady Folk...were intrigued by all those ..fine sleek machines...so Pops being the gentleman he is...helped one out
........Future Biker Mama if ya ask me ! ..
.....OFFICER !!. ....OFFICER !!!. ...There he is !!. ....There,s the trouble maker we were tellin ya about...the guy in the green shirt !!! ..
....so on the way back to the Hotel...we all decided to stop at the local grocery and stock up on BOOZE !!
.....we parked the bikes and I followed the girls in...we were carefully making our way through the produce section when suddenly TP,s wife Nancy whirled around and NAILS me with an....English Cucumber !!!
....Yep...direct hit it was...I mean it resounded with a loud ...WACK !!!!
...for a minute I thought Id been shot...but then when I looked at Nancy...she was just a grinnin from ear to ear and said something like....great catch Dave !!
....and if that wasnt bad enough....she then grabs a lemon and ....Heaves it at me !!. ...that lil yellow missle went rolling by me at warp speed, like it was a tiny bowling ball....and headed straight out into the check out lines....I looked at it disappear out of sight...then looked back to see Chili n Nancy quickly disappearing around the corner....all I could hear was the sound of giggling slowly fading off into the distance....so I took the opposite approach...I followed the lemon trail out into the check out area and looked around innocently...no one was pointing any fingers at me so I figured I was cool... I wandered into the frozen ice cream section and picked up a few boxes for later....
....securing the ice cream in my Touring bag... I thought I heard Store Management comming...so I hopped onto a wicker patio set and tried to...blend in...thats when Chili...TP and Pops got the same Idea.....seems to have worked..
....back at the hotel, we all made our way up to Laser Pat and Texas Debs room for..The Party...now I ask ya....what goes better with booze then....Ice Cream !
...Yup....Night # 1 ....and we partied on !!
.....Im thinking Flamingo Babe was rather enjoying herself..
....and ol HG was holding his own....seems they bought their....own brew....blended whiskey....not moonshine mind ya...cuz like HG so pointedly reminded us all....THAT would be Illegal !
....and I,ll tell ya what....that stuff was smootheeeeeeeeee.....yesirre....he did let me have a "sip"....matter of fact...all that week he kept comming up to me just a grinnin and sayin...Timbr...ya hafta try this stuff...made it myself !! ....course I didnt mind...that sure was some fine sippin whiskey...and that boy sure can...sip..
.....next mornin...round 10 am...we all saddled up and Chili and I led em all up the back way to the...Tunnel of the Trees...the legendary 119....that winds all along the cliffs of Lake Michigan..
....course...along the way we had to stop for some Michigan sweet Cherries and fresh Maple Syrup..
....Yep...nothin like sweet Michigan cherries
....after a spell...we turned onto Rt 119...around 130 sweet curves...in 22 short miles...all along the cliffs of Lake Michigan..
.....its a sweet ride...that runs all along the cliffs of Lake Michigan way below...course we had to stop for a few photo ops..
...Lois and Dwayne.....some new friends of ours from Minnesota...eh..
...and ofcourse....Laser Pat and Texas Deb....and good ol Greg...another Texas boy...
....yep....I think the whole group was digging the view..
...The girls wanted to have their picture took..
...and the guys were not gonna let the wimmin ...one up em ! .
....then it was off to The Legs Inn....so called cuz the origional owner used all his decorating skills....and nailed a bunch of upside down table legs all along the roof.. ???
....we gassed up and then headed the back way into Mackinaw City for a little lunch..
....along the way we stopped in the sand dunes..so they could all check out Lake Michigan...up close like..
....yup...nothing like fighting your way through sand dunes...with heavy riding boots on....but it was worth it..
......FB and HG were diggin it....Im sure it was a LOT cooler then Texas !
....matter of fact....the entire group was diggin it...something about the wilds of Northern Michigan....just makes ya relax..
...and Lois could'nt resist taking off her riding boots and wading on in...
....Okay Lois...out of the water...quit showing off..
....once we hit Mackinaw City...we all decided to try Skallywags Fish n Chips...and I,ll tell ya what...best damn fish Ive had since moving here 7 years ago !
....then it was back on the road for Ground Zero...
....along the way...Chili and I stopped for some photo ops with Greg..
...Back at the Hotel things were jumpin....and the Bike Riding Contest was about to begin..
....yup...riding betwixt the cones...they get tighter and tighter...go for it Dave...
.....and thats our own Damsel Fly....showing em how its done ! ...Tell ya what...Ive been around since this girl first threw a leg over a bike...and she has impressed me again and again....her riding skills are first class...and speaking of class....she has been in the wind only 3 short years...and is already teaching...MSF Classes !!
...and I,ll tell ya somehing else...ol Scott here has definitley made me respect how good Harleys handle at ...slow speed....this boy can sure ride !!
...Yep..that right there folks...is someone who is just lovin life !
....was hoping this..."event"...was gonna have more contestents....but what it lacked in numbers...it matched in determination..
....nother good friend of ours...Brian...or "B" as he goes on the Boards...and Im sorry...but I just cant remember his lovely wifes name !
...now its seems good ol HG...might have over done it just a tad at the Blood Volunteering Tent....seems they...Tagged him to Go....but he got up at the last second...and ran out Laughing !!! ..
....Mean while...back at the 50/50.....did I ever tell ya,s ...just how badly I want that Valk Neon Sign ...on the right !!!!!! ..
....after the 50/50....Chili and I retired back up to the room for a spell...just to catch a breather...there was a magnificent sunset going on off the balcony.....like the "Slogan" says.....Pure Michigan..
...Yep...Northern Michigan at its best...but as the sun slowly disappeared...you what that means..right ??
....Thats right....PIE AUCTION !!!
...it was all for a good cause...to help kids with cancer...even HG volunteered a sweet bottle of his...Super Smoothe Sippin Whiskey in an engraved flask....up for charity !
.....I spotted Chili ..yakkin it up with Lori and Caroline...and whats that in her greedy lil hands ...Pieeeeee ???. ...can you say ...shareeeee ???
....next morning...we were all up bright and early for breakfast..
....yep...just good friends...hanging out..enjoying life...
....the place was Packed...so Nancy glady jumped up and began waiting on customers...pouring coffee and such....these two guys were really glad she did too....that is until she demanded a tip !!! ..
.....well...we all said our goodbyes that morning...all good things come to an end...and Inzane was no exception...Pat and Deb decided to take us up on our offer to stay over for a night and go explore Mackinaw Island the next day...it was a really hot day...and by the time we all got to our place in the woods...we were all pretty dreary from the heat..so Chili and I offered to take them down to the local swimming hole....they said sure...so we all piled in Chili,s truck and headed off into the woods...now the question begs to be asked...we all know that Texans can take the heat...but how are they when it comes to a really "cool" river....well.....they had one word to describe it....COLDDDDD !!!! ..
....but after a few minutes...we all got used to it and just sorted of waded around...definitely a lot cooler then being on those bikes !
...now..I have to apologize...I was so tired I took the easy way out for dinner and whipped up some shrimp and pasta and a little white wine....I know Pat was hoping for one of my BAB,s.....next time Pat...I,ll fire up he grille...I promise !
....next mornin..we were all up early...I whipped up some of my Cranberry Pecan Waffles and sausage for breakfast and we banged on up the Interstate for the UP..
....up and over the Mighty Mac...
....we bought tix for the Ferry on line the night before...so we were good to go..
.....we sat.."top side" ofcourse..nothin like a nice breezy ride out to the Island..
....in less then 15 minutes the Island came into sight...and we cruised on by the The Grand Hotel ...."cheapest" rooms are 800 bucks and change a night !
....cruising on into port...the kites were all flying..
.....were here !
....Main Street on Mackinac Island...a Tourist Trap du Jour..
...we got a Carriage Ride and entry into the Butterfly Room with our tix...but our carriage ride didnt leave for 30 mins....what to do ??...I know...
......Ice Cream !!
...it wasnt long ....before we borded the carriage...and we were off on our adventure..
....Headed on past the Grand Hotel..
.....after hitting a few sights...carriage number one dropped us off to check some sights and the Butterfly house...while we waited to be picked up by carriage number two....
....Deb and Chili....headed on in to the Butterfly House..
....its actually pretty cool inside...a glass atrium on the back of the gift shop with all kinds of butterflies flying around...
....found these guys...trying to "make a break" off in the corner...see that guy with the blue stripe...he was beating himself against that glass like crazy trying to get out....*C mon guys...lets get out of here !!! *
....they had some nice ones...just hanging out and waiting to have their pictures taken..
....my Chili Gurl..
....the second carriage came along and we all boarded up....along the way we stopped at the natural rock bridge...
...then something happened...lets call it ...."Horse malfunction"...one of the chains let go on one of the three HUGE horses that were hauling us around...so since we were in the front row..Pat ...being from Texas and all...you know..."Horse Counrty"...offered to "take the reigns"....while the young tour guide climbed down and fixed the problem...the kid must of sensed that Pat was a ...true cowboy...cuz he handed em over and climbed on down in front of them horses to fix the problem....me...always ready for...the next photo op...jumpped right off and began to...*snap away*...
...thats when Pat jokingly ....uttered Two Words...Giddy Up !!
....I wasnt quick enough to get a shot of the kids expression when Pat said that....but I did get one of him...scrambling back onto that wagon !
....Man...did he move FAST !!!
.....well...he dropped us at the Old Fort Mackinac...its a real fort that defended the Straights back in the day and actually changed hands with the French a few times..
....we boarded our ferry and shot back to the mainland...the sun slowly setting behind us..
...Once there Pat and Deb bought us dinner in St Ignace...they were continuing with their adventure...up into the wilds of the UP and on to TP and Nancy,s place...we sadly said our goodbyes...promising that next year we would try and make it up to Texas and let them show us around....
...It was an awesome week of just hanging out with good friends and having a BLAST at Inzane.....Chili and I would like to thank everyone that hung out with us....we love ALL you guys and gals...and we would like to especially like to thank...ALL of the VRCC Staff....for working so hard so its Members can enjoy shin digs like the one in Bellaire....
.....Thank you all.....until we see you again.....
