I have posted that this weekend was going to be a glorious one for me - turned out to be the Strider and Ayden - "Slow down and take some time to make a memory" ride and GLORIOUS it was! The "Slow down and take some time to make a memory" was told to me by the owner of the Old Country Store in Lorman, Mississippi yesterday when I told him what Ayden and I were doing and he smiled, turned to me and said, "It's important...slow down and take some time to make a memory with that boy" Thank you Mr. Arthur Davis (Mr. Dee) for those words of a sage.
But unfortunately, he WAS with Paw Paw Strider - and that can mean trouble. The good thing was that the time he had to spend in jail was minimal.
But that will come later.........
Since I had some extra time off from going back to Africa, I decided it was time for my Grandson and I to take some time and make some memories. He is 14 and that wonderful man-child age - no longer a child, but not yet a man - a wonderful age. I had been so tied up lately with life and the world, it was time for me to slow down as well. This weekend was going to be our first time in the wind together and my first time in the wind with family period. Traveller had been solo for all these years. I couldn't sleep the night before blastoff and was up at 3:00 am. Walked the dogs and did some chores around the house and around 7:30, it was time to blastoff and get the lad - one of the major loves and lights of my life.
Rode over to his Mom's house to pick him up. He was already suited up and ready to go. We wondered if we should go the "bad azz biker" route - you know, "Don't run over my foot or I will go all Waco on you!"
After thinking about it for a minute, we decided, "Naw, bad azz bike dudes aint our style, this is a Strider and Ayden - they call me the breeze road trip baby........We are more of a Grateful Dead kinda crowd!"
"Truckin' got my chips cashed in. Keep truckin', like the do-dah man
Together, more or less in line, just keep truckin' on."
So, after he threw his trash bag with a change of clothes in the saddlebag - yep, he is a biker. You gotta love a boy who throws his change of socks into his Rain Gear - he carried the same kind of trash bag I do. Let's truck on brother!!!!
It was already starting to get warm, so we hit the superslab down I-10 for a few miles and then got on two lanes up to 190 and then up some nice sweeper two lanes up to Simmsport for a gas/hydration stop. May as well let Paw Paw top off with a 50 cent Honey Bun and let the boy top off with some Oreo's.
Let's see what Grandma packed for us? Ah man, just frozen Gatoraids - must have been a Paw Paw pack.....
Rode that nice sweeper run that follows the Mississippi River through the floodway and up to Vidalia, Louisiana and over to the Mississippi River.
On the other side is Mississippi. I told him, well this is two states - another 46 and you will have all the lower 48 on your vest dude.
Crossed over into Natchez and up Hwy 61 to the Old Country Store in Lorman, Mississippi. Established in 1875 and featured on Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt" as the BEST FRIED CHICKEN EVER.
Ayden is allergic to peanuts, so we looked up Mr. Dee and asked if he fried in peanut oil. "No sir, no peanuts here...ain't even got a peanut in here!"
WHOOO-HOOOO! It was fried chicken time then! AWESOME CHICKEN!
We gave thanks to the Lord for a wonderful day of love and friendship, the wonderful bounty we were about to receive and the beautiful weather.
Dug on the place and the food!
And Mr Dee even went to each table and sang his version of "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" for each table.
And after a great meal and serenading by Mr Dee, it was time for ice cream and home made berry cobbler.
Or just ice cream - it was a hot day. Man, hard to believe I would post a food shot.
Yep, belly full......time to suit up and get back into the wind.
Thanks to Mr. Dee and the staff for a great time and awesome chicken! Took the next exit and worked our way to the Windsor Ruins. Ayden dug them.
Then we took a nice twisty road over to Port Gibson and then dropped over to Grand Gulf Military Park. A year or so ago, I rode the Vstrom over and camped out in the park. Neat little place and for the two of us, it was $3 to get in. Ranger even remembered me. I told him then that the next time I came, I would bring my grandson.
Neat little museum inside.
And a nice little carriage museum outside.
Hey Paw Paw, I have been working out, if I lift these railroad wheels, can we throw them in the trunk of the bike? I could use these with my lift bench at the house.....
Being raised in the hills of Tennessee, I dang sure knew what this outfit was for...
Got to see how the houses were made back in the day.....
There was a Catholic Church from the Civil War that was in Rodney, Mississippi and has now been moved over to Grand Gulf.
And the pre Civil War jailhouse.
Aha! That is where the jail shot came from.
Well, like I said earlier, he didnt have to spend long in there....HAHAHA!
Well, what to do? What to do? HOW ABOUT ROLLING DOWN THE HILL BACK TO THE RANGER'S STATION? That boy, that boy.............
Suited back up and rode around the park and then up to Vicksburg for the night. Saw two HUGE deer about a mile apart standing up in the Kudzu.
Got a room at the Quality Inn right across the street from the Military Park. Kind of a dump but not TOO bad. The Miss Mississippi pageant was in town and everything was full. Dang, it was Miss MISSISSIPPI, so no Honey Boo Boo. Oh well....guess we will have to find something else to do.
Something to do? FREE ICE CREAM in the lobby! ICE CREAM?
It had been wicked hot, so we brought trunks. I had not been in a pool in 20 years, so since this was a memory ride, had to do it. Yep, these trunks should embarrass him!
Nope, he is my grandson - wasnt embarrassed at all. After a quick swim, it was dinner time.
Had a HUGE meal and then it was time for............
COBBLER WITH ICE CREAM!!!!!!!!!!!
Or coke cola chocolate cake with ice cream! BOY HOWDY!!!!!
Only thing that was left was getting locked into the fitness room, calling Paw Paw to come and insert the room card from the outside to let him out after he slipped a dollar under the door.....
Thus ended a GLORIOUS DAY of bonding between Grandfather and Grandson.
The next morning after some free waffles in the lobby, we bungeed the coats to the back of the bike and shot across the street to Vicksburg Military Park.
Great ride through the park and lots of history. BEAUTIFUL RIDE and it was cool with the overhanging trees.
Even got to see where my great-great grandfather, Samuel Caper Trest stood with the 7th Mississippi Infantry.
The USS Cairo was way cool!
Finished the park and time to suit up and head south again.
Shot down 61 to about 25 miles north of Natchez and got on the Natchez Trace. We were making good time and the break from the heat was nice on the Trace.
One stop at the Old Trace and then into Natchez. Great ride on the Trace and the first time I didnt see any deer or wildlife.
Ayden wasnt hungry in Natchez, so we continued on into Louisiana again.
Stopped in New Roads and ate at Satterfields on the River for burgers. Weather was starting to come in and Bonnie said it was storming at home.
Shot off and never got a drop of rain on us - a little while we ate, but none while riding. Roads were soaked, but we stayed dry. An hour or so later, we rolled up to the daughter's house and unfortunately I had to drop him off.
Well, it was a GLORIOUS weekend. I may have damaged the flip front on my helmet with all my smiling and grinning inside it. I would watch his hands as he listened to his music or when feeling the wind and would grin from ear to ear. We got to speak about music and movies. It was a stressfree weekend for him and a glorious one for me.
511 miles of warm, but not unbearable warmth. He never complained one time and always kept his safety gear on. He was awesome on the back of the bike. Never an issue getting on or off and didnt even know he was back there in the curves. Great rider and like I said, not a single word of complaint for 511 miles - not a bad 2 day mileage for a new rider.
The idea was to slow down and take some time to make some memories and let me tell you, MEMORIES were MADE! I love him with all my heart and it only got us closer. GLORIOUS WEEKEND!!!!!!! One I will never forget!
