Better yet, give this man a cigar! Dang! At the risk of repeating myself, "I'd rather be lucky than good!" Our girl and her partner departed Cookeville, TN, site of the recent Veterans Day Ride, and we headed towards Nohead City, NC, for the delayed birthday celebration normally held in October… I was on a mission, because rain was in the forecast for the next day, and we had just a narrow window through which to squeeze… if we hurried and had just a wee bit of luck… we did, and we did!
We rode to Mocksville, NC, (about halfway to Nohead) then called it a day on Sunday. I'd planned to leave early, say 8am or so, the next morning, but… I fell asleep watching TV and woke up just as I fell over on my side… I decided to just go ahead and turn-in, and take my chances on how long I'd be able to remain horizontal…
I woke up for real around 3am, wide awake and ready to go! Too early for the back roads I was thinking we'd take, but Ok if we stuck to the freeways… A quick check of the weather app told me we'd just gotten lucky! The rain was approaching faster than originally thought, and sticking to the 'plan' would result in… something un-good! If we left right away, however, we still stood a reasonable chance of… having a happy ride…
I quickly did the three Ss, loaded everything up, gulped down a single cup of coffee, and we headed out…. on the freeway… At 4am it is colder than it is during afternoons, and I noticed that right away when we got up to speed! It got even colder over the next couple of hours, and I was really having second thoughts about my recent choices!!!We were making pretty good time, but each time I checked, the rain was gaining ground on us, so there wasn't much time to dawdle when we stopped for gas, more coffee, and hot chocolate…
Just before Goldsboro, NC, sprinkles found us, and for a fleeting moment, I had that feeling of serious impending doom… would I have to get a motel room this close to Nick's and hunker down for a night or two? Nope, I was soon able to spot a break in the clouds up ahead, so I didn't bother to suit-up, we just pressed on and punched through… No more drinks or anything from now on! Just serious riding and focused navigation to get us out front to stay… We made it!!! Now, how about that cigar…?
As for the VDR, it was typical in many ways… we all had a great time renewing friendships with folks we don't usually see any other time during the year, big-dogging some, telling tall tales interspersed with an outright whopper or two, and generally laughing 'til our sides hurt… There were a couple of exceptions this time, however…
Crazyhorse (Mac) got married! Yep, he'd met this really nice gal (Elna), and one thing had led to another… and… I'm not sure who got luckier in that deal, but I strongly suspect they both came out on top! JimmyG performed the ceremony, and Tom & Joyce Jordan served as best man and maid of honor… The rest of us witnessed the event, sipped their champagne and ate their wedding cake afterward, and a couple of us silently thanked fate we'd been spared… A happy exception to the norm, but there was another exception of the unhappy variety…
Reb & Nicki were riding on his Gold Wing, when a local ran a stop sign/blinking red light and caused Reb to T-bone the pickup. The two riders were launched through the air, and they both had to be taken to the ER. They both returned to the motel that evening with no broken bones or road rash, but they were a bit sore, and she had a very noticeable limp. The Wing was totaled… the driver of the pick-up did receive a ticket.
A very sobering reminder of what we all know: We can do everything right out there and still get injured or killed! Ours is a very dangerous passion, and we need to keep the odds in our favor as much as we can at all times… even that might not be enough, though…
OK, that brings me up to date… We're here at Nick's house, safe and sound… and dry! I think I'll reward myself now with a nice, long nap… and maybe that cigar later on…
DDT
P.S. Probably should give Mac a cigar, too... maybe Elna, as well... Just saying...
