Silver Lining…
Y’all need to work with me here… I’m struggling with the need for rationalization in search of a silver lining… a way to feel OK with all the planning I’ve been forced into lately. Much as I try to avoid it, I’ve been painted into a corner or two, and… now I must deal with the ill feelings that result…
OK, I’m coming up with a few items, and I’m already starting to feel much better about the whole thing. For starters, plans with me are always a bit fluid, imprecise, and subject to change on a whim at any time... sort of a coping technique, I suppose. The most recent one, for example…
I’d departed ‘Hurricane Central’ heading for Montgomery, AL, and a visit with my good friends there. I’d even ‘coordinated’ things with them, and everything was all lined-up. That plan didn’t even make it a hundred miles! Nope, I hauled off and modified that sucker and didn’t even cross the state line into Bama… at least not then… Naturally, I did have to un-coordinate things with my friends…
See, I was actually on my way to Frankfort, KY, and a little riding thing with Rams and some other locals who were hosting Landelephant (Charlie Morse) for a few of days… My original plan had been to stop off in Bama for a couple of days, then head on up to Bluegrass country.
Circumstances had impacted my time window, however, so I just decided to lop-off the Bama side trip excursion part of that trek. Nothing really earth-shaking here, but it did allow me to diddle with ‘the plan’, and making sudden alterations always makes me feel better.
I got a room up in north Georgia and settled-in to allow sufficient time to properly dread and fret about the ride through Atlanta the next day… never a silver lining to any plan adjustment at all!!!
The motel was next to a Waffle House, however, so I was able to at least lavishly indulge myself with some grits and bacon for din-din… not bad, if I do say so myself!
The next morning it was time to face the music and run the gauntlet… we did… Twice we found ourselves in six lanes each way of bumper to bumper traffic… and both of my feet on the pavement! Yeah, a daily dose of that crap would drive anybody over the edge, and I thank Divine Providence for sparing me that nasty drudgery throughout my life…
Finally, once around that mega-monstrosity things began to look up. Traffic was still fairly thick, but at least it was moving along at a nice clip and no crazies seemed to have visualized a bulls-eye on our girl and her passenger! The weather was spectacular early that morning, so we found ourselves in the groove and all was well… then…
Signs soon began to indicate Chattanooga, the next challenge, was nearing and driving details would require close attention once again. No traffic fur-balls got us, but there were a couple on the other side of the slab… What a difference a few feet can make!!! We just counted our blessings and pressed on…
Once through that risky stretch of white-knuckle, dodge-and-go fright, we made the exit onto US 27, and things immediately began to improve! No more slab for us, as ever smaller two-lane roads lay ahead for much of the remainder of the ride! It turned out that most of the ride would be on four lane roads after all, but no more heavy traffic, stalls, high risk maneuvers, or close calls… We were finally able to relax a bit and smell some roses!
Not a long day, but as the temperature continued to climb, my enthusiasm started its inevitable downward trajectory… To top it off, rain became a threat later in the day, and that eventually caught us on a not too convenient stretch of road… No good place to pull off, so I just pulled over and donned my rain jacket… which proved to be not enough! I got soaked, but at least I wasn’t in a city someplace…
I’d already decided to spend the night in Cookeville, TN, at the Thunderbird Best Western Inn. Yep, the same one Crazyhorse uses as ground zero for his annual ride. I made reservations for that ride in person, then logged on to check the board…
I posted about my reservation… and soon I got a call from Big Wolf… He and his partner, Mural, came by and picked me up, then we proceeded to go to a bar & grill for some social lubricant and well-lubricated conversation… A great evening!
The following morning ALI and I concluded our journey to Kentucky and to Rams’ house… ground zero for the next few days… Big Wolf had decided to join us, so he accompanied our girl and her partner, as well. Landelephant was already there, so our conversation began immediately!
We rode to dinner, then returned for more conversation and what for this curious wanderer turned out to be the highlight of this small gathering… While the riding that evening and the following day was great, interesting, and just plain fun, it was the conversations that we had that really got to me…
Left to right: Keith, Smokey, Dennis, Ron, Jerry, DDT, Charlie Morse
Group rides of various sizes all have their unique virtues distinct from those of other sizes. Large groups offer us the opportunity to meet lots of folks, to discuss rides we’ve made and riding generally. Small, intimate groups offer us the chance to get to know people in far greater depth… While I do prefer smaller group gatherings most of all, I also like them all of any size, just for different reasons.
Ours' was a small group this time, and while I’d known a couple of the participants for several years, I soon realized I didn’t really know them well at all… A couple of others I’d only met once or twice, so I naturally knew them much less. By the time this gathering had ended, however, I’d come to realize I’d been hanging out with some very worthwhile individuals, people of substance, character, wit, and smarts! WOW! Talk about a silver lining!!!
Yep, I’d been forced into making some plans, and, even though I did alter them at the margin, I’d pretty much stuck to the baseline goals and objectives… and it had paid off handsomely indeed! The personal vignettes, those details of the struggles and triumphs, the challenges and even a failure or two, gave an insight into the make-up of some truly good people… I’m better off for having shared this experience with those folks, and if it took a little ‘planning’ to make that happen, then so be it…
DDT
