Late in the morning, which suited me just fine, our scheduled departure time for Cookeville, TN, arrived, and our group of five riders got started... Perhaps the smallest group of 'cool kids' I've seen in a while, but hey... quality over quantity, right?
We stopped several times to take in the view at various overlooks and scenic viewing spots. A wonderful way to break up the ride and to allow for the lessening of fanny fatigue... 'Relief' can also be addressed, as well, so SmokinJoe did, in my view anyway, a great job of leading this ride.
Even the pace was rather nice, too. I hope Joe hasn't slowed down any on my account, but I must say it was just about perfect, as were all the other aspects of this ride! Well, except for one, but Joe had nothing to do with that, nor could he have done anything to prevent it...
The duel controller for my Gerbings heated gear went out! Yeah, and it was also well beyond 'cool' on that day, too! For the last fifty miles or so, I had to contend with... well... much sub-coolness! Destiny took it easy one me, however, as a break occurred about midway in that period, so it wasn't nearly as... ummmm, uncomfortable as it could have been...
We arrived at ground zero, and things picked up right where we'd left them off last year. Hand shakes, bro' hugs, back slaps, all the stuff that goes with seeing folks one likes a lot but doesn't see nearly enough... A rumor quickly circulated that adult beverages were present...
Big Wolf (Jerry) brought some smoked pork tenderloin for our dining pleasure, and some rather fab bacon, too! He even provided lettuce, bread and tater chips! Now, I won't name names here, but one member of our group took way more than his share of that delightful bacon treat, so many in our group didn't even know there had been any... Some people, huh...!
A typical party evening followed, with everybody doing his/her own thing, and the core group gathered as always to do what it always does... sipping, socializing, story swapping, and such... I even overheard a tall tale or two being uttered!
No organized group ride on Saturday had been planned, so several smaller, ad hoc groups were formed, and most folks joined one of those for whatever adventure they could find. By all accounts, they all had a good time, found some good food, and they all returned safe and sound. I would call that a successful outing!
I was in a group consisting of ALI and yours truly... only. We rode a grand total of just under two miles that day! I had decided to try the two motorcycle shops nearby to see if either of them might have a controller for my heated gear.
The first shop doesn't even carry any heated gear, but the second one, a Harley dealership, does. The nice young lady at the counter told me that Gerbings makes the heated gear branded as Harley, so parts should be interchangeable... She ordered a replacement for me, as none were in stock, of course...
After placing my order, and giving me a 20% veteran's discount, she invited me to help myself to the breakfast buffet they had set-up honoring veterans... I did just that. The whole time I was eating, I was wondering if I was going to get any grief because of my 'rice burner' parked right outside the front door... Never did...
In fact, an extra large, not fat, just large, trucker guy who rides a Harley struck up a conversation with me! A nice guy who just wanted to talk about bikes and riding... A pleasant time was spent chatting with that guy following a successful quest for a new controller... Now I just have to wait for it to ship! A very short ride for ALI and me that day...
Sundays are always hasty good-bye days, as everyone heads for home, and all wanting to get there as soon as they can... The 'cool kids' were no different... Punisher was on vacation, so he was in no hurry to go anywhere. He accompanied us, lacking a better plan... I do like the way that guy thinks!
Since I didn't actually have a new controller yet, MitchO loaned me one of the two he has to get me back to Gordon's house in Clinton. Thanks Mitch, that really came in handy!!!
We were stopped at a gas/convenience store for a break, when none other than Mitch pulled up! With him were his wife Laura, and their owner Bambi. Yes, Mitch and Laura are Bambi's people... funny how that works with pets, huh...?
That controller they loaned me worked great, and I never got cold at all the whole day! A really nice ride as usual with that group, and I thoroughly enjoyed breaking wind with them...
DDT
P.S. While on that little outing, ALI's odometer rolled all zeros again... That's twice on this one, 380K on her first speedometer...
