Well, dangit, I miss everyone and Mark too. Hopefully next year. Youn's all be safe, and PICS OR NOTHING HAPPENED.
The following pics are from a long day trip out and back from Little Rock AR, where my sis lives. I had driven my old Nissan king cab pickup there, with my 2005 XB9SX loaded up. Drove back with my mom, my dog, and my bike all together.
Apologies, gents. It is with heavy heart I'm gonna have to throw in the towel. Update this morning looks good and MIL's prognosis sounds like she'll quickly recover with no lingering effects--pretty damn awesome for a 92 yo lady! However, the home front is in somewhat of a state emergency-mode disarray, so I'm gonna stay home and keep watch. Worst part is wasting a couple days of prep getting the bike and camper ready only to to have to unpack. Heavy sigh.
I would willingly make a donation to whoever is planner/instigator of this party to ensure they don't come out on the losing end and also ensure that it happens again next year so I can make try #2....God willin' and the creek don't rise. Lemeno.
FYI--if the screw-cap beer bottles are for the old campfire game Spin-the-Bottle....well, I may be out next year too!!!
Yep. My stipulation that it only be the cans, is that the bottles could likely explode with more force and therefore more bad shrapnel. The cans, not so much... just wear protective gear, which everyone should have, anyway. Do be careful when playing Firepit Jenga as there has not yet been written a book of rules- this is all I know or remember.
I loves me some Conan! I preferred Craig Ferguson though, I think he might have been better than even Letterman. Max Headroom is still my current fave.
I’m home after attending the WVBR. In a few hours, my Social Security deposit will show up in my checking account and my bills will get paid and I’ll head out to the supermarket and buy a bunch of groceries. Life will get back to normal.
But what a weekend! Any description I can come up with will be inadequate. I’ll try, but I can only give the barest of descriptions. The reality is an order of magnitude greater.
Thursday started for me with a Migraine. I hadn’t had one for a few weeks, so it was a tough one. Combined with the fact that it was pouring, I decided to put off my departure until Friday. The Forecast had the weather pretty nice once the rain moved out, so I figured waiting a day would be the smarter option. However; the sun came out just after Noon and the radar looked pretty acceptable, so I decided to go.
I still wasn’t thinking clearly (Migraines do that to me). I forgot my gloves when I set out and had to go back and get them. I also forgot my rain gloves, but I didn’t notice that until I was over 100 miles from home. The first 130 miles were a very nice ride. But the clouds that had left Cheviot had moved east and I was riding into them. Then, there were wet areas on the pavement. It wasn’t raining, but it hadn’t been a long while since the rain had stopped. I finally stopped for gas and put on my rain suit. I didn’t get far before the sky opened up. It started pouring and then it got worse. I was having some real trouble just seeing through my face shield. I could feel my rain gear leaking, but I don’t think any rain gear could have stood up the that deluge.
It took over an hour, but I finally rode through that rain. I kept the rain gear on until I reached the rally, however. It took me a while, but I eventually got my tent set up. My sleeping bag was soaked, so I put the fan on and hoped it would dry it out before I went to bed. I was really glad that I had bought that fan last year. It also helped me sleep all three nights.
When I arrived Thursday evening, there was a big group there, already. While I was still setting my tent up, RD asked me if I wanted anything from the Chinese restaurant. He returned just after I finished getting everything set up and I ate. We all sat around talking and joking for a while, then I retired early. Between the Migraine and the rain ride, I was completely wiped. I hit my tent and was asleep almost instantly.
On Friday, the rally began in ernest. We had a breakfast of biscuits and gravy that Ray and Joyce made for everyone. They brought an electric oven, along with their Blackstone grill and a fair sized coffee maker. They love to cook for everyone and they do a wonderful job. There was discussion about a ride to the Triple Nickel, but I try to avoid group rides, any more. I set off on my own and took State Route 16 down to The New River Gorge. People may talk about the Tail of the Dragon, but Rt.16 is far superior. It runs for over 100 miles and is just one scenic turn after another. The ride was only about 250 miles total, but it took me all day to do it and it was exhausting.
I also managed to pick up a Certificate of Recognition when I went through a town along the way traveling at 45 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. The sheriff was nice to the old fart he’d stopped, though and only wrote up a warning that had no fines or points attached.
I got back to the campground and discovered that Ray and Joyce were grilling steaks and fried potatoes with onions for everybody. Once again, it was a really wonderful meal.
How do I describe the wonderful camaraderie that develops at a rally like this? Great conversations, wonderful personalities, and huge differences in both economic and social statures, yet everybody is there to enjoy each other’s company. It’s a truly eclectic mix, but it’s a wonderful thing.
Saturday, I kept a low profile and just hung around the campground. Many of the others went out for various rides. Roy took Gary over to his track and Gary let his inner redneck come out and was sliding his Jeep pickup around the track. Roy was really happy and Gary discovered the appeal in Flat Track. Jim Moreira Gave me a mesh cover for the seat of the Express and told me to check it out. I put it on the seat, and it fit OK; but I only rode the bike as far as the bathroom in the main camping area. The ride home to Cheviot was the true test. I’ll be using it on long rides in the future. It’s definitely worthwhile. It allows enough air to get under my somewhat large fundament to keep Monkey Butt away. And I think it’s cheap, also. Jim said it was something like ten bucks on Amazon. I haven’t looked it up yet, but even at three times the price it’ll be worth it.
I watched the Peoria TT main events on my laptop and enjoyed the different classes. JD Beach won the Super Twins race on a Yamaha; which I liked as it wasn’t an Indian. The Production Twins class had some more diversity and there were Yamahas, Kawasakis, Harleys and a Royal Enfield in the mix. The Singles class was a crashfest, but Henry Wiles won the race for the 15th time.
Then, there was The Dinner. Jack and Judy Gainer (Mark’s parents) put on an incredible feed every year for us. Mark’s brother-in-law Steve makes the best pulled pork I’ve ever eaten and there’s enough of it to feed a regiment. There were also really good BBQ Beans, a 7 layer salad, sliced cucumbers with onions in vinegar, Mac and cheese, and a whole flock of various desserts. I had a pulled pork sandwich, salad, Cukes and BBQ Beans on my first plate. On my second plate, I had more Pulled Pork, mac&cheese and a big chunk of watermelon. It took a major effort to stop there. I still have the memory of eating so much of that wonderful pork that I made myself sick the first time I attended the rally.
Mark’s family put a huge amount of work into feeding us dinner on Saturday every year. It’s a wonderful thing. Their generosity as well as that of Joyce and Ray sets the tone of the event.
There are so many things that I’m leaving out. Fire pit Jenga, The assortment of bikes, all the different people and personalities, Janette’s 9 year old daughter Jane who made moonshine as a Girl Scout project, Jim bringing pounds of Portuguese sausage to give to Judy every year, Poop Inspectors and the Poopmobile, this rally is an amazingly good time.
Yesterday, everybody broke camp. We all went over to Dodd’s Log Cabin for breakfast and Jane took a group photo of all of us standing on the stairs of the restaurant. Then we all set out for Home.
I think it was Robert Frost who said, “The way home from a friend’s house is never long”. My ride back to Cheviot wasn’t long, at all.
The dates for next year are August 18 - 21, 2022. I know where I want to be at that time
It looked strange going back to the campground after breakfast. Just my lonely, yet dry, tent sitting there along with the trailer. I packed everything and headed out. I'd stop once in a while to check the trailer bearings but even though they sounded bad they never got hot, so I kept riding. I decided to head straight home instead of visiting a friend in Kentucky. I thought I'd just ride for a couple of hours and hold up but I just kept riding and ended up back in Seymour Indiana where I spent the first night on the way out. So I made it home yesterday without issue about 3 hours before we had major storms show up. I never had any rain the whole ride which was awesome considering my rain pants leak! Great time as always and thanks to Mark and his family along with all those who pitched in to feed us! I walked down to take a shower and came back to steak and sausage! Such a deal!