Mr Peabody... let's turn back the way back machine, shall we?
I bought my (lightly used) 2005 FJR late in '06. The first time we had ever even gone on any sort of a "group motorcycle ride" was a local one (Covered Bridges of NH) in the fall of 2008. The following summer of 2009 we were lucky enough to be invited to the inaugural (and by invitation only) Greens and Whites ride out of West Lebanon, NH.
During that ride I met Art (RoadRunner) and we made a plan to attend EOM in Lewisburg, West Virginia the following month. So, my first EOM was the same one as Biker Geek and Sooze, and it was a really good one. A benchmark of future EOMs, IMO.
It was a bit intimidating for me, because it was mostly a bunch of damn sutherners, but there were also a few familiar faces from up north, and Art and I managed to hook up with a great little ride group for our Friday ride that year just by networking around with half drunken people the night before.
Funny thing in retrospect is, when you ride with anyone for just one dayy, they become your steadfast friend for life. I like that, and I consider all the riders from that day, and all rides since, that way.
The next EOM for us this time (Josie joined me) was NAFO / EOM Knoxville, and quite honestly, that one was a bit oif a drag. The venue wasn't conducive to parking lot socials, and finding people was not easy. Plus the weather sucked very moist ass cheese. The dinner and socializing that night was fine, but we felt... disconnected.
OTOH, EOM 2011 in Cumberland Gap was a great time. Now that we had been into group riding at home for a while, it was all a little less anxious. We did go out with a really big group (in the rain) for the Blue Grass / distillery tour, but none of us would have been ripping up any pavement that day anyway. So not all giant group rides are bad.
The following day was a little more "spirited", but I'm not naming names or telling tales on that one, and nobody got hurt. It was a really good time overall in KY, but... for whatever reason, we haven't been to an EOM since then.
We launched an "EOM like" event in the northeast (FJR NERDS) to try and get some of the other locals more FJR involved, and we did that (lots of NERDS are going to be at EOM this year), and also attended a few CFRs with the blue blood Canucks to our north in the interim, but it's been a long time coming for us to get back to the grassroots of eastern FJR groups on those pristine roads down south.
Really looking forward to seeing all of you mooks next Friday, shaking some hands, hopefully making some new friends and seeing some old ones. But, a couple of us will be out sniffing some flowers on the way down, running the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway starting next Tuesday AM. We shopuld be well rested for the Friday night parking lot social. Fingers crossed to beat the EOM weather stigma this year (last completely clear weekend was back in 2009!
Ride safely, y'all, and we'll see ya'll down there!
(who the **** is this guy y'all anyway?)