| Author | Message | ||
     Tootal |
Since our esteemed traveling companion Crusty has had a major setback I thought I would fill the vacuumous void with my own traveling story. Now I'm not claiming to be as insightful or witty as our favorite chronicaller, just a temporary substitute for the traveling impaired! Last week, after finally getting my Road Glide up to snuff, I decided I needed an extended shake down cruise. There were several friends and family I'd like to visit and maybe a few breweries to explore. Quality Control is a must! So a little brief history: I had a rear tire and a new valve stem installed on the rear wheel and just a new stem in the front. I also installed all new floating brake rotors on both wheels with new pads. I packed the bike and pointed it East. My first friend lives in Nashville and manages a hotel. I wasn't in any hurry to get there since he works till five and he's only five hours away. So at around ll:00 I headed East. Three hours later I'm in Paducah Kentucky looking for a brewery to have lunch. Using my new smartphone I found the place with no problem, however, they were closed on Monday!! Oh well, there's always Applebee's! After a wedge salad and several waters I fired up the the RG and kept heading East. I didn't get more than a few miles when I felt the rear of the bike start to do a slow dance! I was right in front of an exit so I carefully rode up the ramp and saw a gas station to my right. I kept riding till I reached the Free Air compressor. My lucky day right! Until I went to put air in it and found the new valve stem was cracked! Oh crap! The one good thing about being a member of HOG is the yearly atlas they give you showing every Harley Dealer! It just so happens that one exit East of me is a dealer so I called them and they brought a trailer and loaded me up. Now my new best friend is a retired gentleman that helps out at the dealer and has a lot of miles under his ass. We talk of places we've been and bikes we've had and in no time we're at the dealership. He unloads the bike and gets it in the shop. I now get to meet the Service manager and we do the necessary paperwork and about 45 minutes later a mechanic takes it back into the shop. Soon after I get the news that the powder coating on my wheel is flaking and they can't get the bead to seal! They have to pull the tire and fire up the die grinder and sand the bead clean. Well I actually warned them about this as the guy who did the job did a really lousy job! Anyway they got it cleaned up and tire on and a test ride and all is well. I head to the counter where I'm expecting some really bad news. I mean they drove out to rescue me, had to sand the powdercoat off, tire install twice plus a new valve stem. Well sir that will be $98.00. What? Seriously, that's the best service I've ever experienced from a dealer! A signature later and I'm back on the road. While I was waiting for them to get finished I had texted my friend to let him know the situation. I'm going to be a bit late! So all is well with the world again and I'm racking miles as fast as I dare. Now knowing the roads in Nashville I take the Briley Parkway to the North. This takes you by the Grand Ole Opry and dumps you on I-40 East of Nashville. Now the ramp onto 40 is a reasonably sharp left hander and I go in a little hot, until I realize the bike doesn't want to turn!! I straight line brake and then try to countersteer it and it won't lean!! I end up crossing the right lane and onto the shoulder before I scrub enough speed to make the turn. Thank God for light traffic!! I continue on and make it to the hotel. We meet up for a late dinner and a couple of Yuenglings and head to bed. At this point I don't even want to look at the bike! Tomorrow is another day... | ||
| Bluesboy |
Well I for one thank you for letting me live vicariously through your writing while I'm at work. I like your style B.B. | ||
| 86129squids |
Nashvegas! Pick up a Nashville Scene or get it digitally, they'll show you some great restaurants/breweries, etc. Martin's BBQ is fabu. Also, the Pinewood Social, Rolf and Daughters, Merchants, and by Gawd see if you can get a ride on a Pedal Tavern! There's a place called Party Fowl, I'd go there just because of the name. Hot chicken originated there at Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, but I've heard Hattie B's is killer too. Holler if you pass through Knoxvegas/Mur-vil, friend, and rubber side down! | ||
| Etennuly |
 I was wondering what happened to you!? Hope all is going well after that difficult start. | ||
| Pwnzor |
+1 on Pinewood Social. Definitely a very eclectic place with a wild menu. And you can go swimming. And bowling. And eat. And drink. You definitely had a rough start. Let's keep the details flowing. | ||
| Tootal |
Day Two. The thought of sleeping in sounded really good. I finally crawled out of bed and started packing up and was walking out of my room at 9:00. I saw my friend and he told me he had a meeting with the regional manager and I told him I was going to walk over to the Awful Waffle for breakfast and I'd catch him later. It was a short stroll through some parking lots but I arrived and enjoyed my daily allotment of grease. Now I headed toward the RG. I pulled off the rear saddlebag and pulled out the tire gauge and there was 40 psi in there. Hmmm, factory specs. That's where the dealer would have put it. Not the problem. So I went to the front and unscrewed the cap only to find the cap pushing on the schradar valve!! The guy didn't tighten it! The only thing holding the air in was the cap! My friends meeting was over so he located a valve stem tool and I tightened the valve. He had a compressor so we put 40 in the front and I added 10 more to the rear. (I was told this was good to do by a Metzeler test rider at a rally.) Ok, both tires are holding air! Geees, you prep the bike thinking your doing the proper thing and it is the cause for your issues! I load up the bike, say goodbye to my friend and it's off to I-40 East! As I enter Knoxville I decided to take the I-640 bypass since I-40 traffic is really bad. AS soon as I hit the ramp it starts raining. Really big drops of rain. The ramp circles under I-40 and has a wide shoulder so I peal off quick and don the rain suit. I remove my shorty helmet and put on a full size with face shield. I take off again in search for VERN! Now I finally contacted Vern by text even though he had answered my PM earlier in the weekend but I never got it. The good thing is he knows I'm coming and it wasn't as short notice that I thought. He gave me instructions but since you can't read while riding I tried to memorize it. Well, that didn't work out for me very well! I rode right past his house and on into town. I saw a building for lease that had a large front porch and a ramp instead of stairs so I just rode right onto it. I pulled my helmet and soaked gloves off. I reached for my phone only to find it ringing! Well it wasn't Vern but it was Ray Griesedieck. Griesedieck brothers beer was very popular in the 50's but was sold to Falstaff in 1957 and production of GB beer halted. Ray is the son of Henry Griesedieck, the last president of the company. He incorporated in 1992 and is having his beer contract brewed. However he is getting a brewery started here in St. Louis and has been asking me questions about brewing and bottling equipment and that's what he was calling about. I finished my conversation and went to call Vern when the phone rang again! Now it was a home brewing buddy wondering where I was. Are you starting to see a theme here? I finally got to call Vern and learned the error of my ways and headed back to the 5 mile marker. All is well. I pulled into Vern's Driveway and saw his barricade orange Uly sitting on firm ground and, as per instruction, I was to park next to it. The only problem is I'm on a 900 pound Barcalounger with street tires. As I hit the wet grass the bike provided me with a thrill of sideways mass! I kept the throttle on and rode it out and it returned to a straight line and I had a better respect for throttle control! Well with Vern and I having so much in common it was an enjoyable evening of BS! Why with steak on the grill and a night cap of Popcorn Sutton's moonshine, what could go wrong! (Message edited by tootal on July 21, 2016) | ||
| Tootal |
Squids and Pwnzor, 12 South is a favorite of mine but I'm always looking for other places to visit. I do love visiting Nashville. Vern, thanks again for a great evening. | ||
| Etennuly |
You are welcome, I enjoyed it as well!  That was a fabulous piece of steak, eh?. Where are you now? | ||
| Tootal |
Back home. Got home yesterday around noon. Rode in from Indianapolis so a short ride. The thought of telling these stories as they happen means that I'm not at home and I guess the cautious side of me doesn't think it's a good idea to let the world know you're not home! Not that I'm worried about BadWeb members, it's just the principle. And yes, the steaks were awesome, along with the onions and peppers and that stick of butter!  | ||
| Ourdee |
I just got in from Indianapolis. Hot day out there. 160 miles into my ride I'm thinking the fuel light should be on by now. It is not so I pass my planned fuel stop. 2 miles later and I'm out of gas. I push the bike 2 miles back to the exit ramp and over the bridge to the gas station. This is the second time Lil Red has stranded me do to fuel. I want to know why the low fuel warning didn't kick in. About 160 miles later I'm back at the Apt. No steaks or Badwebbers on my trip. The motorcycles just rolled by without stopping while I pushed. I spent 3 days cleaning out my mother n laws garage. Wish I had a factory can to save on ear plugs. | ||
| Tootal |
Day 3 I wake to the sun beams coming through the window of Vern's RV. I slept well and feel really good. Must be good shine! I load up the bike and Vern comes out to see me off. Gives me the route to take and a hand shake and I'm off again. It's a reasonably cool morning but not jacket cool. The air feels crisp, the tires are holding air and the fresh Harley motor is purring along. I have a long ride today as I'm heading to Richmond. The interstates are routed where I have to climb North to hit I-64 so I can come back South to Richmond. It takes almost 8 hours with a breakfast stop included. When riding solo I like stopping at places with counters. Usually it's a truck stop but wherever it is I hate taking up a whole table by myself so I always take a counter seat. While eating you can listen to others talking and even join in if it feels like you're not butting in. I've met some interesting folks this way. My mission this evening is to meet my cousin in-law. We've never met but his brother is married to my first cousin. An hour away I called the brewery he owns and find he's left for the day. I explain who I am and tell the bar tender I'll be there later and have him call the owner then. Well evidently he called him anyway and he's now trying to figure who the hell I am! He called my cousin and she gives him my phone number so by the time I have a motel room he's already left me a message. We agree on a time and I take a well deserved shower! It's been really hot this afternoon and I'm trying to cool down. When I return to the bike one of the hotel managers sons is checking out the Harley. He wants to know how big the engine is and how fast it is. I explain it will do 120 mph which isn't very fast but it will get there pretty quick...for a Harley! There are two definitions for fast. There's fast and then there's fast for a Harley! While we are talking he says, hey you're leaking oil! I look at the derby cover and I'm missing a screw! I get my screw driver out and check the rest of the screws and they all were a little loose so I torqued them all. Since the one missing was on the top I just left it alone, the amount of oil loss was minimal and I'd fix it tomorrow. Gee, a screw falling out of a Harley, who'd a thunk it! I had a friend, many years ago, that rebuilt his Harley sportster motor with a 1200cc kit, big cams, etc. He was telling me how he's going to blow the wheels off my BMW K100 RS I was riding at the time. One day we were riding the back roads and came upon a long straight. I slowed down and asked him if his new engine was broke in enough to run it. He said yes but who's going to start us? I said that he should just take off and I'll see if I can keep up. So he revved it up and launched at which point I launched, passing him on a wheelie. At 110 mph he was way behind me in my mirror. At 120 I shut her down and let him catch up. He looked at the Beemer and said, that things fast! Yes, yours is fast too...for a Harley. By 5:45 I'm at the brewery enjoying a libation and talking to the bar tender that I had spoke to on the phone. At 6:00 in walks Michael, one of the owners, the brewer and my cousin in-law. So we meet for the first time and start discussing beer. I get the nickel tour of his brew house and since I haven't eaten since breakfast I offer to buy him dinner. We walked down the street full of college kids and every type of restaurant you can think of. We agree on Thai food and both have the Drunken noodles. There's that theme again! After an excellent dinner we went back to the brewery and they poured me several samples of his beer. He's not a classical brewer and 90 percent of his beers are not to any style. He see's something interesting and makes a beer with it. One was made with a bag of rice with 16 different varieties. He told me how it was brewed but knowing how to work with rice I gave him some pointers that will save him a lot of unnecessary work and time. Now I did sample nearly every beer he made but I wanted to let you know, they were only 2-3 ounce pours! So it was a good visit and enjoyable evening but I headed out while the sun was still up. Navigating back to the hotel required several quick highway changes and a toll booth, something I'd rather do in the daylight! | ||
| Tootal |
Day 4 Today's ride is going to be fairly short compared to yesterday. Before I head further East I need to find a Harley dealer. I talk to my phone about my desires and it let's me know I'm fairly close to a dealer. Google maps has provided me a path and off I go. I'm a little foggy this morning since I've had no coffee and my mind is wandering a bit. While stuck in useless thought I ride right past my exit!! Did I really just do that! Fortunately I was able to take the next exit with a quick turn around and head back West to my correct exit. Pay attention dumb ass! Now that I'm on the right road I spy an awful waffle and I need some coffee! A ham, cheese and onion omelet with some hashbrowns scattered, smothered, diced and capped later I'm feeling much better. I find the Harley dealer and get a new screw and install it. I pulled the rear foot board off to get at one of the screws and I put an adjustable wrench on my torx head screw driver and give them a little more torque. I button it back up and I'm off like a prom dress! The ride on I-64 is nice. Traffic is moving well and with all the trees it feels cooler riding in the shade. After a while everything slows down and we end up single file in a construction zone. After miles and miles it finally stops and there's a Rest Area ahead and all that coffee and water is talking to me! I checked out the map in the lobby after my "rest" and see the next exit is marked a scenic route that takes you to another scenic route that will take me to Williamsburg. For those keeping score it was 155 to 5, which is also known as the John Tyler highway. This was a great ride going in and out of tree tunnels. Nice views, smooth road and a lot cooler than fighting the traffic on an interstate. Once in Williamsburg I had to find my way back to I-64 and complete my journey to my Aunt's house. My aunt had hidden a key for me since she was out with some friends. It had gotten really hot and when I got there I took a nice cold shower! When she arrived we visited for a little while and then I told her I wanted to take her out to dinner but that I wanted some seafood. She called her daughter and we met her and her husband, the brother of the brewer, and his mom. The place was on a wharf and the food was awesome. Can't beat Eastern shore crab cakes! It was good to see my cousin and we parted to head back to my aunt's house. We turned on the tube but didn't watch much, mostly just talked. She is my father's little sister and when he was dying of cancer she came and stayed with us which was a Godsend. She is a registered nurse and really took good care of dad in his last few weeks. We've always appreciated her doing that. Well the heat of the day had pretty much zapped any energy I had so we turned in at an early hour. I'm glad I'm getting a good night's sleep cause tomorrow is going to be a Bitch! | ||
| Buellish |
Im enjoying reading this greg,keep it up! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Me also! | ||
| Crusty |
Moi aussi! | ||
| Tootal |
Day 5 Well I'm up with the sun and don't want to wake my aunt. I grab my phone and check out faceplant and plot my course for the day. When I finally need to get up for "rest" purposes I find her quietly sitting in the dining room on her computer, looking at faceplant! Evidently we were both trying to keep the other one from waking! My aunt asked which route I was taking and told her that Google Maps was saying I-64 to I-95. She says that I don't want to do that! She instructs me to take 17 to 301 and that it is a nice road and will get you to Baltimore. So we say our goodbyes and I start heading North. My M O lately has been to get an hour or so ride in before stopping for breakfast and today I rode for over 2 hours but she was right, it's a nice ride. The sun is rising in the East and the rode is tree lined most of the way allowing me shade and cooler temps! I get to a larger town and found a Shoney's. Man, I haven't eaten at a Shoney's in the long time. I even found a parking spot in the shade! The buffet looked great! Love smothering my scrambled eggs with the mushrooms and butter! Mmmmmm! Even the coffee was good and strong! I checked my phone and it's telling me what to do once I get to Baltimore. I love the Google Maps but I forgot my ear buds and I can't hear or look at it while riding so I've been trying to memorize the route before I hit a big city. Well, let's just say my short term memory is pretty much shot! On a big Harley there's that big chrome cover over the gas cap. When you look down you get a "Great reflection of you!" What I need is a wax pencil to write the route down for quick access! Too bad I thought of this as I hit the edge of the big city! So 301 has taken me up the Eastern shore East of Washington and had turned into 3 and now I-97. I have hit the edge and can't remember if I'm supposed to be on 695 or 895A!! I-695 is the last no toll road so I take it but as soon as I do I get that feeling that you just screwed up! The ramp has a very wide shoulder and there's no traffic so I pull over and get my actual map out. I like Google maps but a real map just works so much better for me. I instantly see I screwed up. I had to go down 695 and turn around and head back South for a while till I could turn around again and this time hit I895A and take the toll bridge. It's a nice short cut and worth going back for. Well 895 turns into I-95 and things are flowing pretty good...for a while...then it gets BAD! I can never understand how traffic needs to slow to a crawl and then accelerate almost to the speed limit and then drop back to a crawl and there's no accidents or cops or anything!!! IDIOTS! I finally can't take it anymore and try to head West to get past these morons! Well, Ive come to the conclusion that no matter where you go in the Northeast traffic just sucks! I did find some short lived twisty backroads with no traffic that got me pointed in the right direction but they were short. I finally succumbed to the heat and dehydration. I saw an Applebees and rode in. I ordered an appetizer and 4 glasses of water. Traffic was still a mess outside so once I felt human again I order that large glass of Yeungling! Now I feel much better! By 6:45 traffic looks thinner and I check my phone again and start heading Northeast. I was supposed to meet my friend at the train station so he could introduce me to the conductor who is a huge beer geek! I had shipped him a package a while back of beers he couldn't get in the East. I called my friend and told him I couldn't make it in time and then headed out once again. I finally made it at 8:00! Twelve hours since I left Newport News Virginia! My friend and I met back in the collage years. We had a mutual friend that was going to school in Kansas City and living in Lenexa Kansas. I would come out on the weekends to party with my high school buddy and met all his friends. Well Dog, as he is known, and I became lifelong friends and his life has been interesting. He self taught himself computers while majoring in German. He wanted to study in Germany and needed the $750.00 for the ticket so I gave it to him. My girlfriend at the time told me I was crazy, the guy's a bum, you'll never see that money again! I think she was just pissed I didn't spend it on her! Long story short, Dog finally got a job with the largest German bank in New York. He ended up in charge of the Y2K project and was successful. He took his bonus that year and bought an Audi RS4. Yep, I don't think he's a bum anymore! Well it's late on a Friday night and Dog needs to eat so we head up to a sort of German restaurant. The menu is a collection of German dishes and American favorites but I'm not that hungry so I just get a salad. However the beer menu is Great! I get my favorite Koelsch from Cologne called Fruh! I haven't had one since I was in Cologne two years ago. Once I'm finished with that I had a Czechvar. Now this is a relabeled Budweiser from Budvar Czech. They can't use their Budweiser label here in the states so now it's Czechvar. It's still an excellent beer though. The Dog finishes his meal and we adjourn to the crib. It's been a long day and we had one more beer before crashing. I'm going to enjoy a 2 day rest! | ||
| 86129squids |
Good times! Years ago I attended a seminar in Baltimore- got me some Phillips seafood, partied in Fell's Point via water taxi, ferry almost capsized on the way back (idiot boat driver took too many people on), lots of fun. Always regretted not visiting the aquarium there though. | ||
| 1313 |
Now this is a relabeled Budweiser from Budvar Czech. They can't use their Budweiser label here in the states so now it's Czechvar. It's still an excellent beer though. About 13 years ago, I had the opportunity to put cases of German beer in a colleagues container just as he was moving to the US. One of those cases was the real Budweiser - Czechvar in the US as Tootal states. I HATE American Budweiser (it gives me the Schiltz...), but that Czechoslovakian - OK, it wasn't German - Budweiser was about the best beer in the 8 cases. The Warsteiner was probably my absolute favorite of the bunch. Czechvar = DAMN GOOD BEER!!! 1313 | ||
| 86129squids |
Warsteiner...  | ||
| Tootal |
Back in the 80's I went to Germany and stayed a night with a friend I had met on a previous trip. We walked down to Eva's pilstuben where they had four pilsners on tap. Becks, Warsteiner, Bitburger and Jever. And that's the order in which we tried them. Jever is still my favorite! Oh, and it's pronounced Yay-ver. However, nothing sucked!  | ||
| 1313 |
I drank PLENTY of Bitburger on my trips to Berlin. Bitte ein Bit! Definitely a very good beer! Coincidentally, one of the 8 cases I 'imported' was Jever. Also one of my preferred beers from the cases I imported. My least favorite was the hefeweizen (wheat beer) - don't recall the brand - just don't like beer I have to chew...  1313 | ||
| Tootal |
Day 6 I awake to the smell of coffee, German coffee! The Dog hands me a cup and I'm looking forward to the first sip. Hmmm, this is not what he usually gives me! It's weak! Then I remember our conversation about blood pressure. He cut out salt and I guess caffeine was included so he just quit using as much. I get it, I cut salt out too but my coffee is still strong! His blood pressure has more to do with his job. He's now in charge of both the physical and internet security of the bank. He has a two hour commute by train to Manhattan and then the same commute home. Once home he has time to check e-mail, eat dinner and crash! I really don't know how he has done it all these years! Our original plan was to take the train to Long Island and go to Blue Point brewing. They were bought by Anheuser Busch Inbev and were having management issues so AB sent another friend of mine out there to take over. Now this guy was an assistant Brewmaster and my arch nemeses in our annual home brewing competition! It was truly an honor to beat him once in a while! Well it just so happens that the Dog's wife, who is in Colorado, found them a retirement home and now he has to deal with all the paperwork. So he's tied down to dealing with all that plus do his weekend chores since he can't do anything during the week! We went to the store and got some lunch and I got some oil. While he was searching for documents I changed oil in the Harley. I also made an attempt to fix a door but it was really old and the spring on the plunger was so week you just have to jiggle the knob to get it to lock. Oh well, I tried! For dinner we escape to a local brewery. We take the RS4. Wow, what beautiful music you make my dear! 420 HP V8 spinning 8000 rpm! WOW!!! I had some Atlantic Salmon with a couple of excellent beers, really a nice place! Once home we have a night cap and hit the rack. My keester is glad we never rode the bike, it needs to heal! | ||
| Etennuly |
You are such a master of the brews. Impressive to watch a pro at work. Looks like retirement is starting well for you! Me, I have never been more than a simple consumer. I drink a beer or two for what it does, not so much for what it is. I don't like heavy, dark, or flavored beers, and I avoid beers that push me to a hangover which I have found can happen while consuming the first or second one even. Last night the wife and I suffered through a couple of those steaks that I prepared with peppers, onions, and butter the same way on the grille. Damn things will melt in your mouth if done right. | ||
| Tootal |
Hey, after a long ride even a Coors Light taste pretty damn good! Good enough to wash down a good steak! | ||
| Tootal |
Day 7 Well it's Sunday morning and we have chores to do. The gutters need cleaned so out comes the ladder and the leaf blower. The Dog gets up on the roof while I hold the ladder and then I just stand back and wait for him to fall off! Fortunately he safely gets them all blown out and back down safely. We take a break from chores to finish the sandwich we bought yesterday. The spiced oil they use is delicious. Then we're back in the Audi to go back to the grocery store to stock up for the week. We hit a couple of other stores and pretty much burn up the afternoon shopping. I really feel sorry for the Dog. I mean he's making a good living but rarely gets to enjoy it until he takes some vacation, which he really deserves! The thought of working and commuting all those hours just to have your weekends to catch up with all the things you couldn't do during the week is just crazy. Every time I walk through his garage I see the Suzuki Wee Strom sitting there with stuff piled on top of it. He's had it out twice last year and none so far this year. He's hoping to be able to retire in two years and move to Colorado. I told him he better have a guest room because I know the roads around his hew home and were going to blow the cobwebs out of that Suzy! Before heading home we stop by the local Chinese restaurant and order some to go. While shopping I picked up a 4 pack of a St. Louis beer made by a friend of mine. A nice Helles washes down Chinese pretty well! Who knew!? Well it's time for him to do a last look on the internet and then it's time to crash. We share an Imperial Stout together and retire. Tomorrow will be an early rise. | ||
| 1313 |
I've missed something somewhere, and I apologize for being late to the party if that's the case... This thread is about Tootall's travels, but your BadWeB handle is Tootal (which never made sense to me...FWIW). After figuring out that I met you at Glitch Badness 2 this past April I can understand Tootall. Maybe I should just have a Helles and not worry about it? 1313 | ||
| Pwnzor |
He is not among the vertically challenged, and his skills with fixing starters with super glue are unparalleled. | ||
| Tootal |
 I was waiting to see who would notice that first!! It was a typo that I couldn't change, or at least didn't know how! Too tall is what my uncle used to call me. I loved this guy, highly intelligent and fun. He loved to go to happy hour and play trivia on the little boxes. The boxes only allow 6 letters so when he set me up it was Tootal. So it kind of stuck. Hope that makes sense, if not have another helles! | ||
| Zac4mac |
I have lived in Colorado since 1984, the only Coors product I'll drink is Winterfest. Know the difference between Coors beer and sex in a canoe? Both are friggin near water. Z | ||
| 1313 |
Too tall is what my uncle used to call me. I loved this guy, highly intelligent and fun. He loved to go to happy hour and play trivia on the little boxes. The boxes only allow 6 letters so when he set me up it was Tootal. So it kind of stuck. KICK ASS back story! I dig it! 1313 |
