October 10, 2015
Another fantastic day ride! Ed led the group of 8 bikes through some beautiful areas. We didn't see very many colored leaves yet but maybe next time! Our group today consisted of Ed, Terry, David, Moochie, Charlie/Linda, Jerry/Charlotte, Craig/Donna and Ronny/Judy. It was colder today than some of us expected but after adding layers of clothing, we made it just fine. Lunch at Thatcher's Barbeque & Grill in Trenton, GA was awesome, Cloudland State Park was beautiful and I just want to move to one of those houses where the back porch overlooks Mentone! :)
September 25 -27, 2015 The Raindrops on Tobacco Barns Tour...
I named this ride "The Raindrops on Tobacco Barns Tour" because all three days were hit and miss raindrops and lots of tobacco barns! We were regularly putting on and taking off rainsuits. It never rained very hard but just enough to get us wet. This was a great trip even though it was not the trip that was originally planned for this weekend. There were ten bikes on this ride. I'm so glad that no one backed out on the trip because of the weather. Just look what they would have missed. We saw beautiful scenery and the tobacco barns were very interesting to see and SMELL! Other sights along the way included Loretta Lynn's place at Hurricane Mills, the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site and Land Between the Lakes. Another wonderful 3-day weekend with fantastic friends and delicious food. The only bad thing about the trip was Jerry & Charlotte's flat tire. So sorry that had to happen but so thankful that everyone made it home safely. Once again, here are some highlights of the weekend.
September 5, 2015 Sunny Saturday Ride to Mentone
NIne bikes on our ride today and what a wonderful day it was! We rode through the beautiful countryside of Valley Head, Mentone and Little River Canyon just to name a few locations. We rode one of my favorite roads "Hawg Jowl" Road and ate a delicious lunch at Pigeon Mountain Grill. We thought that we were going to get rained on when we were close to home. Some of us stopped at Jack's in Hollypond and enjoyed some refreshing treats while we waited out the storm. We are thinking that we might like to do this ride again in the Fall. (hint hint) Remember the old saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words "? I believe "A picture is worth a thousand words but if you see it in person it is worth -------------MUCH, MUCH MORE!" Hope you enjoy the pictures :)
July 25 - 26, 2015 The "Follow Ed" Ride to Kentucky
We had a wonderful weekend ride and conquered only a few obstacles along the way. The weather was beautiful even though a "little bit" warm on the way home - okay, it was HOT! But it was worth the heat to be able to witness God's beautiful creation and spend time making memories with our friends! I'd like to share a little poem that I wrote about this trip and our leader "Ed", who always does an amazing job figuring out our routes and destinations. (He and Ronny are usually the leaders and they put in many hours studying maps and researching roads.) Thanks guys!
Come and listen to my story about a man named "Ed".
Thoughts of motorcycle riding running through his head.
Then one day he couldn't stand it any more.
He said "I'll be back Sunday" and Nancy heard him close the door.
The weathermen predicted not too much chance of rain
So when Ed left Bojangles there were nine bikes in his train.
"Where are we going?" they all asked him but "North" was all he said.
He turned the GPS on and they followed where he led.
They promised they would follow him wherever he might go.
They expected he'd find curvy roads but little did they know...
They weren't prepared for bouncing down a little dirt pig trail.
All nine bikers made it, not a one of them did fail.
They knew that they'd be crossing tracks on many country roads,
But hadn't expected fording creeks and looking out for toads.
They ate and ate and ate some more until they thought they'd pop
And then they ate a little more 'til someone hollered "STOP!"
"Live to Ride and Ride to Eat" - their motto to this day.
But sometimes they consume so much, they can barely ride away.
So it doesn't matter where they go, or if it's cold or hot.
They know that they'll have fun, if it's raining or it's NOT!
Surprises are in store for them all along the way.
Cherished memories they make with friends throughout the day.
They're thankful to make it safely home but now it's time to rest,
So they'll be ready for the next ride and be sure to pass the tests!
Leaving on Friday morning, June 5, 2015 from Bojangles in Cullman were 9 bikes (12 riders). Ed was the leader of this group who proved that they would follow him anywhere. We rode some familiar roads and some roads that we had never been on before, some were great and others were not so great but that is all part of riding in unfamiliar territory. Sometimes the GPS just wants to test us. At the end of our second day, we passed the test when we rode a dirt/gravel road just before dusk with some bikes running very low on gas. We had some unique restaurant experiences and were able to put most of them on our "to go back to " list. Simply Southern and Kountry Kitchen Store were new to us but they both were very good. Of course, Rocky Pop's is a favorite "just because" it's fun. Each night we met at Burger King next door to our hotel and sat outside enjoying ice cream and visiting with our friends. During these 3 days, we saw some beautiful scenery and some breathtaking waterfalls (Or maybe the hike was what took our breath). :) I can't tell you how many barns with Quilt Blocks on them that we saw. I loved those! We rode in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and I think we clipped a corner of Georgia. Thanks to Ed for all the hard work and planning that went into making this the enjoyable trip that it was. What a great 3-day weekend spent with wonderful friends making cherished memories! Can't wait to do it again. I took 500+ pictures so only selected highlights are posted on this page.