I awoke that fine morning, and the whole world just seemed brighter and much nicer than it had even the day before. Yep, I was in a very good mood, indeed. I'd even been able to face the in-room coffee pot and produce some necessary cardiac kick-starter fluid without any reservations or serious concerns.
Nope, after reading the reply from Jess to a previous post, the one where he had explained his alternative uses for his military canteen... well, anything Gig might have done now just seemed incidental and inconsequential... Perspective counts for so much, sometimes... Thanks for sharing that distasteful but very useful and timely information with us, Jess.
I had a new-found bounce in my step, and I even caught myself humming a tune! WOW! Lowering one's pooperosity level before departure can sure produce a joyous expectation of nastiness being avoided and of smooth, relaxed riding ahead... I'd had a wonderful night's sleep, too, partly, I'm sure, because of no TV viewing before turning in. It also helped that the bed was unusually comfortable and the pillow just right!
I'd also just left a great meet-up with good friends in an altogether perfect setting, and more of the same lay just ahead in another week. I hate to admit it, but now having a course set and a plan in place were adding to the excitement and yielding clarity of route and direction... and of things to come. Dang! Had I returned to the Twilight Zone?
I wasn't giddy or anything, but I was feeling more than a bit frisky... and, I was more than ready to color outside the lines a bit! I chose to ride US HWY 90 instead of I-10, just because I could, and because I knew it would be far more pleasant... it did not disappoint!
By and by, I stopped for some breakfast, and I did do things a little bit differently... borderline kinky for this traditionalist, actually. Nothing drastic or outrageous like French Toast or anything, but sausage instead of bacon, and I also mixed my grits and eggs together instead of eating them separately... Yes sir, a very special mood, indeed!
The following day I would make up for previous lost opportunities… I would go to the place where folks like T-man403 hold a special reverence… And, a place where the proceeds of production can cause rectums to become flame-throwers… I wondered if open flames would even be permitted out there?
Avery Island, the home of the McIlhenny CO., and the site where Tabasco Sauce, the legendary spice for millions of satisfied customers with cauterized taste buds, is made. Not a pilgrimage by any means… heck I don’t normally even use the stuff myself, but… Still, it is an icon of sorts, and by simply making the trek out there, I’d be obtaining lifetime bragging rights… Ain’t I sumthin’?
In time I jumped back on I-10 in order to put Mobile in ALI’s mirrors and to log some miles… to continue shrinking the gap, and thereby to make the next day a shorter one… Soon enough it was time to hunker down again, though, so I did that very thing. Yes, it had warmed during the course of the day, but unlike so many other times, I hadn’t waited longer than necessary before dressing-down… and that had made a huge difference!
Only one thing had produced any negativity at all the entire day… I had succumbed to temptation and checked the weather report that morning before departure. I couldn’t help myself… I had turned the TV on, because I just had to know if Jim Cantore was anywhere around or headed my way. He wasn’t, mercifully, but there was a report of rain shower possibilities north of us, and those were expected to be moving east… Both directions I was ‘planning’ to ride over the next several days…
I did not let that dampen my general euphoria, though, and this day had turned out to be one truly worthy of honorable mention in my ‘Dear Diary Notable Events’ journal.
DDT
