No riding since the Arkansas trip. I've been busy helping my daughter-in-law pack up their furnishings and load them onto a 28 ft. trailer which will be hauled by Ark. Best Freight from Seymour to L.A. Worked all day yesterday loading and most of this afternoon. She had 3 friends come over at noon yesterday to help and boy was I glad. They did a smash-up job along with carrying boxes and stuff to the trailer. Janene's nephew, Spencer, flew in last weekend and he's been a busy lad ever since. Ian is in L.A. going through a refresher class at the LAPD police academy. Janene and kids will leave for L.A. Tuesday morning, 2300 mile trip. Should take about 4 days to get there or maybe a little more if they stop along the way to site see a bit.
Every muscle in my old tired body is aching. If you timed me getting out of the bed this morning you could have used a sundial as I was just that slow. And I wasn't the only one sore this morning. Even the kids said their arms ached. But with their Kindles, games, DVD player, etc., they will have a joyful ride to CA to see their Dad. And he will be glad to see them. None of them will be to glad to see that ABF trailer pull up as it will mean "back to work" mode.
I shall miss them immensely. It's been nice having one of my son's close to enjoy a cup of coffee with, or a little man conversation, etc. And fun to have the kids to play with, show them places and things, and do stuff with them. Having them at the house overnight, special breakfasts, etc. It makes my old heart lonely. Seems that I get more sentimental as I get older.
But, Alas, my other son, his youngest daughter (my second granddaughter) and my mother-in-law will be coming up in early July for a few days. That will help take my mind off the departing family. I don't know about you who may read this feel about your kids and grandkids, but I thoroughly love my sons and their families. It is nice to have family around to share things and times with.
I also hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July celebration. We are a very luck people to live in this vast country, the USA, and we should join together to celebrate what it and this date stands for. I love the old saying, "If you don't like it, leave it". I see a lot more people trying to get here than depart from here.
Keep safe, and enjoy life.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
NW Arkansas Here I Come
Tuesday morning, June 17th, been eagerly awaiting this day for some time now. All loaded up and ready to go, so when 4:30 a.m. came about, I pushed Sweet Thang out of the garage and took off. Next destination, Harrison, AR, 618 miles, just a good day's ride. Rolled onto Chapman Hwy. (US441) into Knoxville to catch I-40 West. On trips like this I usually take the fastest route so it will give me more time at the other end to play.
It was just a little foggy in spots but not enough to slow you down. Pic on left is coming to the mountain between K'ville and Nashville. Then you hit the Plateau and back down to Nashville. Cool in mtns.
The picture on the right is coming into Nashville on I-40. The loop around town was slower than the interstate so I just stayed on the main road. A little morning traffic but not too bad as I was there about 8:30. Wheeled through Nashville heading to Jackson, TN where I would exit I-40 for U.S. 412 and ride it all the way into Harrison, AR.
After Nashville the terrain changes to long rolling hills all the way into Jackson, TN. After turning onto 412 you come into a big camping/fishing area called "Land Between The Lakes". Lots of water.
Plenty of fishing done here.
As the land flattens out a bit you roll into Missouri. You really can't tell one state from the other in this area. Lots of farming land.
This stretch of highway is mostly a four lane highway which eventually runs into I-155 just north of Dyersburg, TN. Take a left onto I-155 and after a few miles you cross the Mighty Mississippi into Arkansas. You'll go under I-55 and on to a town named Kennett where I stopped at a Walmart to check my Garmin GPS. It had quit just before I crossed the Big Muddy. Lady there plugged it into store power and it wouldn't come on. Kept saying "battery low". I had it plugged into my auxillary power source but I guess it wasn't making good contact and was running off the battery. I don't have a house power adapter for it with me so there goes the Garmin. Then the fool thing would come on by itself. I tell you, I believe my wife, Diane, slipped out there and put a hex on my bike.
Still running 412 I came into Paragould, AR. Now this area is strictly farming country. Rather flat with fields of rice, corn and soybeans all along the route. Further on down the road you hit Walnut Ridge, a sleepy little town which didn't take to long to go through. Now you realize Sweet Thang gets thirsty just like I do so every 125 or so miles we have to give her a drink. Those six carbs like to go and so does the gasoline. But I often never get off the bike, just give her a drink at the gas well and take off again.
All of those fields and no mountains make for long straight highways.Boring.
The only thing to keep you awake are the small towns you go through.
Then you finally start to get into some hills and curves. Now the ride sensation starts to pick up but you realize the feeling in your butt has long since gone with the miles you've ridden so far.
Even in Arkansas people die as the picture above right indicates with tombstones in a cemetery. They are going to have to fence that place since people are just dying to get into there. GROAN. I must be getting tired to think like that.
I roll on through Cherokee Village, Ash Lake, Salem and into Mountain Home. It's been some years since I've been here and it sure has grown. After Mountain Home comes Gassville, Yellville and finally Harrison, a city of about 12,700 or so people. Nice size place. Sort of a hub city with highways going in almost any direction into and out of it. I pulled into the Family Budget Inn, a low cost motel but clean with nice folks running it. All of us bikers were on the pool side of the building bunched together. Makes for less walking to meet up for rides, eats and BS sessions.
Pulled into Harrison in 13 hours door to door. Not bad for an old retiree riding an old motorcycle (1999), but don't let Sweet Thang know or she may get her panties knotted up and leave me beside the road someplace. I try to treat her nice and keep her neat and clean.
The next morning a bunch of us pulled out heading for Eureka Springs, the Gatlinburg of Arkansas. We rode through town, no pics as my camera quit working (remember the hex). Quaint and historic.
Jeff (JetDriver), Lloyd (a rider from Toronto, Ont., and I broke away from the group ride and took off on our own, the long and curvy way back to the motel. Then at this stop my camera came alive.
The pic above shows Sweet Thang in the forefront, Jeff's bike in back same color, and Lloyd's Goldwing F6B in the back. We had two riders from Ontario and one from Montreal this reunion. Several from Illinois, one from Wisconsin, one from Kansas, one from Indiana, several from Fla., and the President of the club who lives in the SW corner of North Dakota. There were a few others sprinkled in the group from other places. This year as two years ago, there were 4 bikes the same color scheme as Sweet Thang. We eve had a couple of non-Valkyrie riders. We don't snub anyone, just bring your toy and ride.
We were on the lip of a big
canyon in the Ozark
Mountains. Tese mtns. are not as curvy or steep as my Smoky's but still very pretty and nice roads with sweeping curves.
MP, our club Pres., and his charming wife ride a Valkyrie with a side car. That way she can take a nap while he's tooling along. Maybe she's not asleep, just doesn't want to see what's coming.
This is just one of the beautiful sceneries you will see in the Ozark Mtns. The curves allow you time to see the scenery and as shown, take a picture or two. I ride with a Canon Power Shot SD630, an old camera by today's equipment, but still takes great photos. I hang it around my neck on a tether with a swivel so that I can use my left hand to hold the camera and punch the buttons. Thus some pics are level and some are not. I just stick it up, point and shoot. Love that digital.
We ate in Jasper a couple of times, lunch once and breakfast on Thursday. This day we stopped at the Cliff House Rest. Good food and wonderful scenery. It's also a motel with cabins.
That handsome fellow in in the red shirt is one heck of
a guy. Loves his bike, loves to ride and has been known to enjoy a meal or two. A mountain view from across a field.
One of my working buddies, the last of the original gang, rode up from Searcy, AR Friday to visit me. We rode to dinner that night in a drizzling rain. He's riding a nice BMW Touring bike. Since it rained all Friday afternoon and Saturday wasn't going to be much better, he and I said our goodbyes to the remaining VOAI group and pulled out at 8 a.m. Saturday for Little Rock. He called ahead and contacted two other guys now retired to meet us at a restaurant for lunch. We took AR Hwy 14 back to U.S. 167 that runs into North Little Rock. It is a great road, lots of curves and a biker store along the route out in no where.
We arrived at the restaurant, met the other two guys and had a lunch BS session all rolled into one. I don't get to see these guys very often as they all three live in AR and I live in TN. We worked together for about 14 years until I retired. Next time we want to contact another buddy living in AR so we can have a reunion of our own. After lunch I headed for TN.
Taking I-40 from North Little Rock I didn't have to worry about route changes as this route takes me right into Knoxville, TN. The problem was the weather and highway construction. Got tied up in a 5 mile traffic jam due to construction and a tour bus that broke down. In and out of small showers until I finally passed through Nashville, bone tired. Made it about 40 more miles to Lebanon, TN at 9:30 p.m. We left that morning at 8 a.m. Unloaded gear, showered and died.
Woke up Sunday morning and pulled out of the motel at 8:30 a.m. burning and turning all the way to Knoxville with a fuel stop and a cup of coffee in Crossville. Arrived at the house at 12:45 EDT. Crazy, just past Crossville you go from Eastern to Central time while in the same state. Total miles this week, 1,808. Cost, who cares. Excitement, more than money can buy. Great trip, great friends, great food, great scenery and a safe journey.
Time grows shorter with the years, fun is still young at heart. Ride safe.
It was just a little foggy in spots but not enough to slow you down. Pic on left is coming to the mountain between K'ville and Nashville. Then you hit the Plateau and back down to Nashville. Cool in mtns.The picture on the right is coming into Nashville on I-40. The loop around town was slower than the interstate so I just stayed on the main road. A little morning traffic but not too bad as I was there about 8:30. Wheeled through Nashville heading to Jackson, TN where I would exit I-40 for U.S. 412 and ride it all the way into Harrison, AR.
After Nashville the terrain changes to long rolling hills all the way into Jackson, TN. After turning onto 412 you come into a big camping/fishing area called "Land Between The Lakes". Lots of water. Plenty of fishing done here.As the land flattens out a bit you roll into Missouri. You really can't tell one state from the other in this area. Lots of farming land.
This stretch of highway is mostly a four lane highway which eventually runs into I-155 just north of Dyersburg, TN. Take a left onto I-155 and after a few miles you cross the Mighty Mississippi into Arkansas. You'll go under I-55 and on to a town named Kennett where I stopped at a Walmart to check my Garmin GPS. It had quit just before I crossed the Big Muddy. Lady there plugged it into store power and it wouldn't come on. Kept saying "battery low". I had it plugged into my auxillary power source but I guess it wasn't making good contact and was running off the battery. I don't have a house power adapter for it with me so there goes the Garmin. Then the fool thing would come on by itself. I tell you, I believe my wife, Diane, slipped out there and put a hex on my bike.
Still running 412 I came into Paragould, AR. Now this area is strictly farming country. Rather flat with fields of rice, corn and soybeans all along the route. Further on down the road you hit Walnut Ridge, a sleepy little town which didn't take to long to go through. Now you realize Sweet Thang gets thirsty just like I do so every 125 or so miles we have to give her a drink. Those six carbs like to go and so does the gasoline. But I often never get off the bike, just give her a drink at the gas well and take off again.
All of those fields and no mountains make for long straight highways.Boring.The only thing to keep you awake are the small towns you go through.
Then you finally start to get into some hills and curves. Now the ride sensation starts to pick up but you realize the feeling in your butt has long since gone with the miles you've ridden so far.Even in Arkansas people die as the picture above right indicates with tombstones in a cemetery. They are going to have to fence that place since people are just dying to get into there. GROAN. I must be getting tired to think like that.
I roll on through Cherokee Village, Ash Lake, Salem and into Mountain Home. It's been some years since I've been here and it sure has grown. After Mountain Home comes Gassville, Yellville and finally Harrison, a city of about 12,700 or so people. Nice size place. Sort of a hub city with highways going in almost any direction into and out of it. I pulled into the Family Budget Inn, a low cost motel but clean with nice folks running it. All of us bikers were on the pool side of the building bunched together. Makes for less walking to meet up for rides, eats and BS sessions.
Pulled into Harrison in 13 hours door to door. Not bad for an old retiree riding an old motorcycle (1999), but don't let Sweet Thang know or she may get her panties knotted up and leave me beside the road someplace. I try to treat her nice and keep her neat and clean.
The next morning a bunch of us pulled out heading for Eureka Springs, the Gatlinburg of Arkansas. We rode through town, no pics as my camera quit working (remember the hex). Quaint and historic. Jeff (JetDriver), Lloyd (a rider from Toronto, Ont., and I broke away from the group ride and took off on our own, the long and curvy way back to the motel. Then at this stop my camera came alive.The pic above shows Sweet Thang in the forefront, Jeff's bike in back same color, and Lloyd's Goldwing F6B in the back. We had two riders from Ontario and one from Montreal this reunion. Several from Illinois, one from Wisconsin, one from Kansas, one from Indiana, several from Fla., and the President of the club who lives in the SW corner of North Dakota. There were a few others sprinkled in the group from other places. This year as two years ago, there were 4 bikes the same color scheme as Sweet Thang. We eve had a couple of non-Valkyrie riders. We don't snub anyone, just bring your toy and ride.
We were on the lip of a bigcanyon in the Ozark
Mountains. Tese mtns. are not as curvy or steep as my Smoky's but still very pretty and nice roads with sweeping curves.
MP, our club Pres., and his charming wife ride a Valkyrie with a side car. That way she can take a nap while he's tooling along. Maybe she's not asleep, just doesn't want to see what's coming. We ate in Jasper a couple of times, lunch once and breakfast on Thursday. This day we stopped at the Cliff House Rest. Good food and wonderful scenery. It's also a motel with cabins. That handsome fellow in in the red shirt is one heck ofa guy. Loves his bike, loves to ride and has been known to enjoy a meal or two. A mountain view from across a field.
One of my working buddies, the last of the original gang, rode up from Searcy, AR Friday to visit me. We rode to dinner that night in a drizzling rain. He's riding a nice BMW Touring bike. Since it rained all Friday afternoon and Saturday wasn't going to be much better, he and I said our goodbyes to the remaining VOAI group and pulled out at 8 a.m. Saturday for Little Rock. He called ahead and contacted two other guys now retired to meet us at a restaurant for lunch. We took AR Hwy 14 back to U.S. 167 that runs into North Little Rock. It is a great road, lots of curves and a biker store along the route out in no where.
We arrived at the restaurant, met the other two guys and had a lunch BS session all rolled into one. I don't get to see these guys very often as they all three live in AR and I live in TN. We worked together for about 14 years until I retired. Next time we want to contact another buddy living in AR so we can have a reunion of our own. After lunch I headed for TN.
Taking I-40 from North Little Rock I didn't have to worry about route changes as this route takes me right into Knoxville, TN. The problem was the weather and highway construction. Got tied up in a 5 mile traffic jam due to construction and a tour bus that broke down. In and out of small showers until I finally passed through Nashville, bone tired. Made it about 40 more miles to Lebanon, TN at 9:30 p.m. We left that morning at 8 a.m. Unloaded gear, showered and died.
Woke up Sunday morning and pulled out of the motel at 8:30 a.m. burning and turning all the way to Knoxville with a fuel stop and a cup of coffee in Crossville. Arrived at the house at 12:45 EDT. Crazy, just past Crossville you go from Eastern to Central time while in the same state. Total miles this week, 1,808. Cost, who cares. Excitement, more than money can buy. Great trip, great friends, great food, great scenery and a safe journey.
Time grows shorter with the years, fun is still young at heart. Ride safe.
Monday, June 16, 2014
The Ride Begins
Monday, June 16, 2014, preparations have already started for the "big ride". So what is the big ride? Well, once a year the Valkyrie Owners Association International (VOAI) meet up for a reunion. This is the original Valkyrie motorcycle club. Oh, what is a Valkyrie? She's a 6 cylinder fire breathing big butted bad girl with lots of gleaming chrome and plenty of power to strut her stuff. She has 6 carburetors with a high-lift cam that can just twist the cable off the speedometer. She was built for speed and handles like a dream.
I'm all packed with the luggage tied down on the luggage rack, all gassed up, stainless steel cup full of ice and water (which will be melted before the clock strikes 10 tonight), helmet attached to the CB Radio, GPS mounted and ready to turn on. The rider is as eager to make the 600 mile plus ride to Harrison, AR as a kid is to play with a new toy. While in the Harrison area we will ride each day from 100 to 200 miles through the country side. Heat will be plentiful and looks like later in the week there's some good chances for rain, especially Sunday when I return to TN. Thus, the packed rain gear used a couple of weeks ago on the ride to LA. Since then it has been re-waterproofed.
I hope to get some great pics and some good stories while on the ride. I lost my camera case with the extra battery somewhere on the LA ride. Tried to get a new battery today but no one has them in stock. Tried to get a larger chip and the camera is too old for the new chips. My fault, I was so busy with the deck and son Ian's getting ready to move to CA that I forgot about it until today. Oh, well, if that's all that goes wrong, just a minor blip in the time of life.
So until my next blog report, I hope all happiness and love, and some good times as well.
I'm all packed with the luggage tied down on the luggage rack, all gassed up, stainless steel cup full of ice and water (which will be melted before the clock strikes 10 tonight), helmet attached to the CB Radio, GPS mounted and ready to turn on. The rider is as eager to make the 600 mile plus ride to Harrison, AR as a kid is to play with a new toy. While in the Harrison area we will ride each day from 100 to 200 miles through the country side. Heat will be plentiful and looks like later in the week there's some good chances for rain, especially Sunday when I return to TN. Thus, the packed rain gear used a couple of weeks ago on the ride to LA. Since then it has been re-waterproofed.
I hope to get some great pics and some good stories while on the ride. I lost my camera case with the extra battery somewhere on the LA ride. Tried to get a new battery today but no one has them in stock. Tried to get a larger chip and the camera is too old for the new chips. My fault, I was so busy with the deck and son Ian's getting ready to move to CA that I forgot about it until today. Oh, well, if that's all that goes wrong, just a minor blip in the time of life.
So until my next blog report, I hope all happiness and love, and some good times as well.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Good Times and Old Friends
This posting will have no pics unless you can do mind pictures. However, it is a good story. While in LA last week I had time to spend with my folks and my son Shane. He came by my Mom's most days and on Tuesday he picked me up for a trip to Denham Springs for an art class he attends. Nice bunch of folks at the art class including my Mother-in-Law who happens to be a 92 year old artist. It's a fun place with a great instructor leading the bunch.
A few days before I went down to LA my son called me and had another person speak to me, like one of those TV shows where you have to identify someone from their voice. I couldn't identify it although it did sound very familiar. Well, Shane's friend has a friend that lives next door to the mystery voice. The voice belonged to a now retired working associate, a fellow I haven't seen in 10 plus years. We were good working friends over the years but at one point he changed from power plants to line distribution for the same company. We didn't see each other but once in a while then I retired and a couple of years later he retired.
To speed this story up, Shane picked me up and took me over to Glen's house where we met them at pool side. His wife Cherry was sitting beside him under the shade of the canopy. The purpose for the visit was not only to see Cherry and Glen but Glen was going to take Shane and I to eat the "best roast beef Po-Boy" in the N.O. area. We shot the bull for a while and then left for the restaurant still reminiscing along the way. Lots of old stories to tell and times to remember. Shane's favorite roast beef sandwich was the Parkway Restaurant. Now for the taste test. We ordered some onion rings which was a meal in itself, the best I've had. Later comes the Po-Boy's. Now N.O. is the only place I know of that you can get a Po-Boy because N.O. is the only place that I know of that has French Bread they way they make it. Any other bread is just a sandwich, not a Po-Boy.
I ordered a small which was two sections about 5 inches long each. The large, which Glen and Shane ordered, looked like a small boat, maybe a child's pirogue which is a Cajun Canoe unlike a regular canoe. I have to tell you, without testing the Parkway Po-Boy, that the Roast Beef Po-Boy from Bear's out in Metairie is the very best one I've ever eaten and believe me, I've had lots of roast beef po-boys over the years. I'm glad I didn't get the large size but it sure looked inviting.
We traveled back to Glen's with bellies full, tongues frayed from all the talking and feeling like we had been seeing each other frequently for years. It was a great day. I had the fortune to work with many people over the years but out of all those numbers you run across a few that just stand out among all the rest. People you can trust and talk with, people that can be counted on that become friends for life regardless of where you live. Glen and Cherry are two of those people. Great folks any time any day. They certainly made my day along with my son Shane.
So, Shane, thanks for helping to make my trip extremely pleasant by getting Glen, Cherry and I together. And thanks to Theresa for being such a nice neighbor who played a role in this because she lives next door. As the old saying goes, "I passed a good time that day".
A few days before I went down to LA my son called me and had another person speak to me, like one of those TV shows where you have to identify someone from their voice. I couldn't identify it although it did sound very familiar. Well, Shane's friend has a friend that lives next door to the mystery voice. The voice belonged to a now retired working associate, a fellow I haven't seen in 10 plus years. We were good working friends over the years but at one point he changed from power plants to line distribution for the same company. We didn't see each other but once in a while then I retired and a couple of years later he retired.
To speed this story up, Shane picked me up and took me over to Glen's house where we met them at pool side. His wife Cherry was sitting beside him under the shade of the canopy. The purpose for the visit was not only to see Cherry and Glen but Glen was going to take Shane and I to eat the "best roast beef Po-Boy" in the N.O. area. We shot the bull for a while and then left for the restaurant still reminiscing along the way. Lots of old stories to tell and times to remember. Shane's favorite roast beef sandwich was the Parkway Restaurant. Now for the taste test. We ordered some onion rings which was a meal in itself, the best I've had. Later comes the Po-Boy's. Now N.O. is the only place I know of that you can get a Po-Boy because N.O. is the only place that I know of that has French Bread they way they make it. Any other bread is just a sandwich, not a Po-Boy.
I ordered a small which was two sections about 5 inches long each. The large, which Glen and Shane ordered, looked like a small boat, maybe a child's pirogue which is a Cajun Canoe unlike a regular canoe. I have to tell you, without testing the Parkway Po-Boy, that the Roast Beef Po-Boy from Bear's out in Metairie is the very best one I've ever eaten and believe me, I've had lots of roast beef po-boys over the years. I'm glad I didn't get the large size but it sure looked inviting.
We traveled back to Glen's with bellies full, tongues frayed from all the talking and feeling like we had been seeing each other frequently for years. It was a great day. I had the fortune to work with many people over the years but out of all those numbers you run across a few that just stand out among all the rest. People you can trust and talk with, people that can be counted on that become friends for life regardless of where you live. Glen and Cherry are two of those people. Great folks any time any day. They certainly made my day along with my son Shane.
So, Shane, thanks for helping to make my trip extremely pleasant by getting Glen, Cherry and I together. And thanks to Theresa for being such a nice neighbor who played a role in this because she lives next door. As the old saying goes, "I passed a good time that day".
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Birthday Party and Visit Ride to N.O., LA
I worked really hard so that I could take a few days off (non-paid type work) to attend my Dad's only living sister's 90th birthday party. Aunt Jewel is one of those people that everyone loves and would be a mother/grandmother/aunt to anyone. She lives in Jayess, MS, just a few miles south of my hometown of Monticello, MS. I packed the night before, had the bike gassed up and loaded with my clothes and at 4:30 a.m. on the morning of May 31, 2014 I backed Sweet Thang out of the garage and fired her up, gently of course. She doesn't mind the early morning rides, just be gentle.
Had the GPS on (Lord knows I don't need it as I've made that trip so many times) but like to keep track of stops for gassing up which is about every 110 to 130 miles. CB was connected and I could hear the truckers yaking away even at that time of the morning. Helps me to know what's going on up the road and call for help if needed. Morning air was cool, around 60 degrees so I had my summer riding coat on with the rain liner beneath and my lightweight winter gloves on. Turned the air wings (a set of wing vents used to keep warm in winter and cooler in summer, also helps keep rain off your legs and body) in to keep chill off and in a short minute or two was at the junction of Boyds Creek and Chapman Highway. Made a right turn and headed to Knoxville to hit Interstate 40.
The picture above is the Henley St. Bridge looking at the Gay St. Bridge. Henley St. Bridge has just undergone a 3 year rebuild The pic to the right is looking at Knoxville, may I add, in the dead of darkness except for the street lights and the beams provided by Sweet Thang. From where I live this is the main way to get into Knoxville and/or to the Interstate Highway.
Not too far out of Knoxville I started seeing fog. This area can become really foggy for a location not located along the ocean. In fact, there's a stretch of I-75 between Athens and Chattanooga that has all kinds of warnings about fog. Really strange but it happens.
The above pics are on I-75 South bound towards Chattanooga. Not nearly as foggy as I have been in on this same route.
The above pics are on I-59 just South of Chattanooga, TN. The one on the right was snapped over my right shoulder. Sometimes this drives the drivers crazy as they don't know why you're taking their picture. Just gives one a different perspective of where you're going. Or maybe where you've been.
Stopped along the way to gas up and grabbed a bite to eat for breakfast but mostly just purred along so that I could make it to the birthday party on time. I ran I-59 down to Laurel, MS where I turned off onto U.S. 84 westward to Monticello, MS. It's a nice ride now since it has been four laned but before it was only two lanes and rough as a corn cob.
But wait, Mother Nature, had some different thoughts about my ride this day. About half way between Laurel and Collins, MS I had to stop and put all of my rain gear on. Except this time I figured it would just be a shower so I didn't put my boot covers on. Wrong!!! It rained all the way to my Aunt Jewel's, like pouring water out of a barrel type rain. When I got there I had wet feet and a wet crotch as it seems my rain suit is no longer waterproof in that area. Need more waterproofing spray. I know, TMI.
Aunt Jewel at the Banquet Hall and the above pic is of her house which is about 10 miles South of Monticello out in the real country. My Mom, Brother Ray and Sister-in-Law, Pat, had come up Thursday. My son, Shane, drove up Saturday afternoon and went back home the same night. Aunt Jewel knew something was cooking but no one would tell her anything. It was a surprise with about 72 people attending, mostly family. I'm her oldest nephew and I spent a lot of time with her over the years. Plenty of food, fun and family. Can't get much better.
Sunday morning came and it was still raining. My brother and family were going back to Marrero, LA after breakfast so I loaded up also. They left just before me and I caught up with them shortly but by then it had quit raining. Looked like it was going to storm but still no rain. We headed South on MS Hwy. 27, nice rolling hills and a couple of small towns to go through. Just a good morning ride. We arrived in Covington, LA which is on the North Shore of Lake Ponchatrain to find the Ponchatrain Causeway Bridge CLOSED. The big sign that should have been telling everyone why wasn't doing that. People just sat there and then I spied a female bridge officer walking between the toll booths. So, I just decided to ride up and find out why it was closed and for how long. I thought it might have been a storm on the lake and they do close it for those when the winds get high.
The officer waved me off. So I just rode closer and she finally walked closer to me. I asked about the closing and she said it would be closed for 2 hours due to a pickup truck running off the bridge the afternoon before. Truck driver's phone fell on the floor and he reached for it while driving on the bridge. Now the truck nor the phone works. They're both waterlogged.
I made a U-turn and rode back to tell my brother we would be making a detour along with telling everyone waving their arm to find out what was going on. We ran up through Madisonville to catch I-12 over to Hammond and then I-55 South to LaPlace where we caught I-10. I know, TMI. Not long after we hit the elevated section of I-55, which is about 30 miles long, it started raining again. I just kept going, then we hit I-10 and I still kept on going. Slower of course but still moving along. We took I-310 over to Boutte (pronounced "Boo-T") where we caught U.S.90. I rained harder and I had to get behind a dark colored pickup that didn't have lights turned on. It was raining so hard by then that I kept waiting for frogs to hit my windshield.
We finally arrived at Mom's house. Dry at last, dry at last, good God Almighty, dry at last. Brother wasn't feeling very well so the next day, Monday, he went to the doctor to find out he had an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis.
I got to hang out with my son, Shane, a lot along with my brother. Shane and I went to Denham Springs, LA Tuesday where he attends a painting class with his other grandmother, Memaw. Afterward Memaw, Shane and I grabbed some Italian food nearby and then went to her house. There we got to see his daughters and granddaughter along with his son-in-law Geno. Next on the agenda was dinner at the Vietnamese Garden. Great Asian food. Afterward we drove back to Marrero.
Friday morning, June 6th, D-Day, I pulled out of Marrero at 4:50 a.m. heading back for TN. Stopped in Hattiesburg, MS to gas up Sweet Thang and get some breakfast. I've been hanging around with one of my riding buddies too much. I ate a Krystal breakfast using two coupons. Two scrambled eggs, sausage pattie, grits, toast and coffee with coupons, $2.14. How cheap can you get. My next stop was Meridian, MS for gas and a cup of coffee. Then Bessermer, AL for gas and a bottle of water, my own.
The sunrise was going to be great but then the fog covered it and I didn't see the sun for several hours. So the start of each ride managed to have fog. Who'd a thunk it.
Ten minutes out of Bessermer I pulled over to don my raingear again. It started to rain and rained all the way though Birmingham and northward for some miles. Then it quit. I kept riding. Later I pulled into Fort Payne and gassed up again. It was getting hot but it still looked like rain. Finally, I pulled into Athens, TN to gas up and get a drink. This time I took the raingear off. Ahh, refreshing at last. At this point I didn't care if it rained or not, I wasn't going to stop as I was only an hour from the house. So I rode like the wind arriving back in Downtown Seymour, TN at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Total mileage for the trip, 1357.4, amount of fun, loads.
So ride safe and have fun. Next ride will be to Valkyrie reunion in Harrisburg, AR June 17th after a bike and helmet servicing.
Had the GPS on (Lord knows I don't need it as I've made that trip so many times) but like to keep track of stops for gassing up which is about every 110 to 130 miles. CB was connected and I could hear the truckers yaking away even at that time of the morning. Helps me to know what's going on up the road and call for help if needed. Morning air was cool, around 60 degrees so I had my summer riding coat on with the rain liner beneath and my lightweight winter gloves on. Turned the air wings (a set of wing vents used to keep warm in winter and cooler in summer, also helps keep rain off your legs and body) in to keep chill off and in a short minute or two was at the junction of Boyds Creek and Chapman Highway. Made a right turn and headed to Knoxville to hit Interstate 40.
The picture above is the Henley St. Bridge looking at the Gay St. Bridge. Henley St. Bridge has just undergone a 3 year rebuild The pic to the right is looking at Knoxville, may I add, in the dead of darkness except for the street lights and the beams provided by Sweet Thang. From where I live this is the main way to get into Knoxville and/or to the Interstate Highway.
Not too far out of Knoxville I started seeing fog. This area can become really foggy for a location not located along the ocean. In fact, there's a stretch of I-75 between Athens and Chattanooga that has all kinds of warnings about fog. Really strange but it happens.
The above pics are on I-75 South bound towards Chattanooga. Not nearly as foggy as I have been in on this same route.
The above pics are on I-59 just South of Chattanooga, TN. The one on the right was snapped over my right shoulder. Sometimes this drives the drivers crazy as they don't know why you're taking their picture. Just gives one a different perspective of where you're going. Or maybe where you've been.
Stopped along the way to gas up and grabbed a bite to eat for breakfast but mostly just purred along so that I could make it to the birthday party on time. I ran I-59 down to Laurel, MS where I turned off onto U.S. 84 westward to Monticello, MS. It's a nice ride now since it has been four laned but before it was only two lanes and rough as a corn cob.
But wait, Mother Nature, had some different thoughts about my ride this day. About half way between Laurel and Collins, MS I had to stop and put all of my rain gear on. Except this time I figured it would just be a shower so I didn't put my boot covers on. Wrong!!! It rained all the way to my Aunt Jewel's, like pouring water out of a barrel type rain. When I got there I had wet feet and a wet crotch as it seems my rain suit is no longer waterproof in that area. Need more waterproofing spray. I know, TMI.
Sunday morning came and it was still raining. My brother and family were going back to Marrero, LA after breakfast so I loaded up also. They left just before me and I caught up with them shortly but by then it had quit raining. Looked like it was going to storm but still no rain. We headed South on MS Hwy. 27, nice rolling hills and a couple of small towns to go through. Just a good morning ride. We arrived in Covington, LA which is on the North Shore of Lake Ponchatrain to find the Ponchatrain Causeway Bridge CLOSED. The big sign that should have been telling everyone why wasn't doing that. People just sat there and then I spied a female bridge officer walking between the toll booths. So, I just decided to ride up and find out why it was closed and for how long. I thought it might have been a storm on the lake and they do close it for those when the winds get high.
The officer waved me off. So I just rode closer and she finally walked closer to me. I asked about the closing and she said it would be closed for 2 hours due to a pickup truck running off the bridge the afternoon before. Truck driver's phone fell on the floor and he reached for it while driving on the bridge. Now the truck nor the phone works. They're both waterlogged.
I made a U-turn and rode back to tell my brother we would be making a detour along with telling everyone waving their arm to find out what was going on. We ran up through Madisonville to catch I-12 over to Hammond and then I-55 South to LaPlace where we caught I-10. I know, TMI. Not long after we hit the elevated section of I-55, which is about 30 miles long, it started raining again. I just kept going, then we hit I-10 and I still kept on going. Slower of course but still moving along. We took I-310 over to Boutte (pronounced "Boo-T") where we caught U.S.90. I rained harder and I had to get behind a dark colored pickup that didn't have lights turned on. It was raining so hard by then that I kept waiting for frogs to hit my windshield.
We finally arrived at Mom's house. Dry at last, dry at last, good God Almighty, dry at last. Brother wasn't feeling very well so the next day, Monday, he went to the doctor to find out he had an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis.
I got to hang out with my son, Shane, a lot along with my brother. Shane and I went to Denham Springs, LA Tuesday where he attends a painting class with his other grandmother, Memaw. Afterward Memaw, Shane and I grabbed some Italian food nearby and then went to her house. There we got to see his daughters and granddaughter along with his son-in-law Geno. Next on the agenda was dinner at the Vietnamese Garden. Great Asian food. Afterward we drove back to Marrero.
Friday morning, June 6th, D-Day, I pulled out of Marrero at 4:50 a.m. heading back for TN. Stopped in Hattiesburg, MS to gas up Sweet Thang and get some breakfast. I've been hanging around with one of my riding buddies too much. I ate a Krystal breakfast using two coupons. Two scrambled eggs, sausage pattie, grits, toast and coffee with coupons, $2.14. How cheap can you get. My next stop was Meridian, MS for gas and a cup of coffee. Then Bessermer, AL for gas and a bottle of water, my own.
The sunrise was going to be great but then the fog covered it and I didn't see the sun for several hours. So the start of each ride managed to have fog. Who'd a thunk it.
Ten minutes out of Bessermer I pulled over to don my raingear again. It started to rain and rained all the way though Birmingham and northward for some miles. Then it quit. I kept riding. Later I pulled into Fort Payne and gassed up again. It was getting hot but it still looked like rain. Finally, I pulled into Athens, TN to gas up and get a drink. This time I took the raingear off. Ahh, refreshing at last. At this point I didn't care if it rained or not, I wasn't going to stop as I was only an hour from the house. So I rode like the wind arriving back in Downtown Seymour, TN at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Total mileage for the trip, 1357.4, amount of fun, loads.
So ride safe and have fun. Next ride will be to Valkyrie reunion in Harrisburg, AR June 17th after a bike and helmet servicing.
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