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I will save the rest of the pics featuring the bottle til later. Remember to patronize Iron Root Distillery whenever you can. They are deciding on what to price this bottle at. Trying to decide if over or under 100 is all they would really commit to. As in 99 or 119ish. I got by with significantly less of a "donation"

 
Awesome story line, great pics, and well... some not so... or maybe it's just me! ;)

Thanks Josh for sharing and all the time it took to put this together. Hope to see you this riding season :)

-KJ

 
Josh you need to hurry up. While you work on this I am riding the FJR up to the Yamaha dealership and then I am going to ride a Brand New!!! FZ-07 home for a co-worker. He is just getting into motorcycling and I have been helping all I can. My reward is to take the Maiden Voyage on the new FZ-07.

You better be further along when I get back.
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After the Distillery
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we headed over to Huck's Catfish House. Same place as I recall going more than a few times with him.

After dinner, We headed over to a bridge I had never been to. Hopefully the pictures will speak for themselves.

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From the East Side watching the sun go down.

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I find the metaphor in that as the sun goes down, something else comes up.

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While I had never been to this bridge with Grandpa before, I felt he was there. Maybe weird, but palatable to me.

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We headed home and spent the rest of the evening recalling stories about him.

Maybe this is my first experience with riding a machine with a motor.
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Gotta love those early 70s shorts

Up next: A trip to COTA and some Serious Food ****. BBQ style.

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All Access pretty much during the tire testing for SuperBikes. No MotoGP guys, but still cool machines

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Right outside the Paddock

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Lots of choices for Suzuki

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Think they would notice if just one was gone???

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For those of you going next week, root for this kid. His parents and he were the most congenial of all the pits. They are a family from Indiana and just super nice people. The son rides this Yamaha R1. 603 is his plate number. They asked me if I wanted to ask any questions. Great people to talk to about racing and midwest living.

Once again, I apologize for the blurry pictures. I am still sorting through the ones that are even worse than this.

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I met my high school team mate Nick at the track. He rides a Ducati that is set up for track days and has even done one at COTA. He has a couple of passions in life and one of them is TEXAS BBQ. First Stop was

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As with all things in TX, they are big and I am not shy about asking to see the "tour"

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They had 4 of these size pits.

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The results
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Up Close of the ribs. They were awesome!!

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Stop 2 was across town No food, but loved the atmosphere We are getting storms here. Do not want to lose this post

 
Pretty much the same set up as the other place. Should be since one of them split from the other and opened up their own place.

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After the Tour of BBQ in Lockhart TX, we headed back to Nick's house in Katy TX. He was over in Austin for a job interview with an oil company. He and his family are really hoping to get the job because she is from Austin and they both would love to go back. We spent the night catching up on the last 15 or so years and reminiscing about our playing days back in high school. Good times. He is a huge fan of Big Bend Brewing company and staunchly recommends it.

In the morning, I headed to Galveston. I wanted to ride along the Gulf. It was dreary but still in the 70s. My FJR has now been on all 3 coasts in 2 years. She is treating me good. The I-Phone, not so much.

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I just rode along the coast and enjoyed the slower pace and appreciated the beach to my right.

 
NICE! I was wondering if you hit Huck's. I haven't been there in ages, not since we lived on the north side of town and Huck's was in it's old location. Need to get back up there.

Next time you are in the Austin area, I recommend checking out "The Salt Lick." While not rated as high as others in the area, I find it's like arguing over which Gen FJR is the best...doesn't matter because whichever one you have right this second is amazing. The Salt Lick though, has an indoor open pit BBQ, and the smells and visual presentation are something to behold. You need to visit at least once in your life to stand and marvel at the sight of all that meat cooking.

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The Surfers were out. More paddling than actual riding. Kinda reminds me my high school dating years.

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After an hour or so of messing around, I jumped on to the ferry across to Port Bolivar. Take not of the position of the bike. Later as we headed into the waves, I was getting drenched as the waves crested and spray engulfed me.
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Neat way to get to school for sure.

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She was a dirty pig, but still looks good in the sun.

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After stopping to wash all the salt spray off at a car wash, it was time to head to meet up with Andrew and his dad. We had never met before, but have Pant's as a common friend. Andrew offered to ride over to Sabine Pass at the border of TX/LA and meet me. After some quick greeting, we were off and I got a personal tour/ escort to Pants' house. We stopped along the way and shot some pics. My pictures suck as usual, but here is where I am hoping Andrew can fill in with good pictures.

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Andrew's Dad is so awesome. Both are such gentlemen and even rode through some thunderstorms to meet me. Only people with great character will stick to their plan even if it means starting out in some really bad weather. They did and I am very thankful. The weather cleared and we rolled along the beach and used it for photo ops.

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Right before we jumped on the last ferry of the day, my bike decided to take a nap in the small pebble gravel. I held it up(rather slowed it down from falling, but nothing was damaged. It only scratched the clear coat on a bag and I buffed that out already) So I have met 2 guys for a total of 20 min, and I fall off the bike right next to them. I can only imagine what they were thinking. But Andrew sprung into action and we lifted her up and not damage was done. On the Ferry after the gravel nap.

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It was a great ride back to Joey's I was ready for some CAJUN LIFE, and I got all I could handle.

Insert your photos here Andrew if you can. Thanks in advance.

 
Yeah hppants and Mr. RFH are the best class of people. I'd love to include Redfish Hunter as well since he is also but he'll probably take it poorly not being used to compliments and all so I'm excluding him.

I notice it's just over a thousand miles from my house to Lafayette if I go through Chattanooga. That's on the way right? Maybe somebody down there would be willing to witness my SS1k? Gotta earn one of those cool license plate frames.

Loving the RR so far Cav!

 
Okay, photo insertion it is.

But I gotta talk too!

Because hppants is friends with Cav47, a forum member I never met, I decided to ride over to the Texas border to meet him and ride back to Lafayette with him. It sounds like a cliché but: Any friend of hppants is a friend of mine. Plus, I have typed many times on this forum that I NEED to go out of my way to meet more forum members. Time to put up or shut up.

From my house to the border was 3.5 hours and 217 miles according to Google. 152 of that was I-10. It was supposed to rain STORM for a good portion of that ride. Then it was another 3 hours and 167 miles back to hppants' house. Then, another 1.5 hours back home in the dark. I did not invite Dad.

So, Dad calls. Wants to know why he is not included in my plans. I explain the logistics, the timing, my reluctance to get him involved...

Pop says, "Since when did me and you ever squat to pee? Do you think I can't ride all day in the rain anymore? We just did that you know. And WHY do we have to ride all the way home after we eat supper with these people? Don't they have hotels in Lafayette? Make us some reservations and tell me what time to be at your house in the morning."

So... It started raining when Pop got to my house.



And it rained off and on for some time.



We were supposed to meet Josh at 1:00 PM. I was 2 minutes late.



Josh arrived 4 minutes later. That is Sabine Bay behind the bikes.



Here I am telling him, "My bike is much nicer than Big John's. Everyone says so."



This is the Gulf of Mexico with all 3 Generations of FJRs represented.



Yeah, Josh dropped his bike. He was very embarrassed and upset. We both told him that it happens. We felt bad for him but if you ride a bike, eventually something happens. I am not going to make fun of somebody for doing that, I have done it myself.

We got on the Calcasieu Ship Channel Ferry where Josh kept checking his bike for scratches. You can see by the flag on the bow of the ferry that the wind was blowing.



Just south of Abbeville we stopped by a couple decent sized Live Oaks for a water break and photo op.



I posed and smiled for the camera:



And I will let Cav take back over now. I have a few more but I will follow his lead.

 
Very nice Cav. Great ride report on a meaningful trip. Your documentation was superb. I only wish I wasn't so lazy in documenting my excursions. Thanks for sharing.

 
Thanks Andrew, Amazing how good a real camera can make pictures look. We took our time getting to Pants' house. We rolled up and the party was already going a little. John(the one from North Louisiana, He rides a Honda ST Double Dark) Mike P, and Joey's Dad all came out and greeted us.

Joey was making some serious Cajun food

Papa Joe, Pants' Dad getting himself some Grub.

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.

These are Joey's Pictures, my cameras has done enough damage to your eyes and this report.

We all sat down IN THE DINING ROOM and ate a civilized meal. With real silverware and plates. The food was the real star of the show

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After Dinner, It was drink time.

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Special Bottle for Special Occasions

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Hand signed and dated. Batch 1 bottle 1. They actually had to make a label and put it on another bottle.

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After a great night among friends, we called it a night and plans were made for the morning ride.

Joey Cooked Breakfast..........surprised there are no pics of this.

But a ride was in order and the bikes are ready.

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We started out across the Atchafalaya Swamp and Basin area. This is at the welcome center. Good displays and information about the swamp there.

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Somewhere, at a gas station Andrew bought me a Crawfish Pie. Rice, Peppers, and Crawfish. Certainly not as good as the meal we had the night before but decent eclectic fast food you will never find in the North.

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I have little recollection of the actual places we went, but this is the Famous Place where Longfellow wrote a poem.

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I always find myself in a state of conflict with regard to old plantations, While they are beautiful and grand, I never can forget how they became that way. My confliction is about how old plantations are revered, despite what they were built upon regarding slavery.

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Regardless, the past does not represent the current state of grandeur.

The five of us headed over to the Swamp, it was something I was really looking forward to seeing. Nearby this pic, was a sign that said "Grosse Tete Bayou" I laughed out loud in my helmet and then had to ask the group when we stopped. Much to my disappointment, Grosse Tete means big head.

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We did some Eagle spotting. I am not saying what kind of eagle spotting we were doing because it offends some of our hair follicle challenged riders.

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John and I looking for Eagles. As I learned, Eagle sightings are rare in that area of the country. Here, I need only to head over to the river and we have at least 20 that are view-able at any one time. We do not get the pollution build up that the Mississippi brings to them.

It was here that Andrew and his Dad had to take off. I was sad to see my two newest Cajun friends go. They had a Family Reunion to get to. I am sure this will not be our last adventure together.

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While blurry, this is a great image of Mr. Lewis. Ready to ride. And he certainly was. It cannot be overstated how much of a good time these two bring to the party. Maybe the best part is the fact that Andrew once he gets to know you, will flame/roast you any chance he gets. It is such a dry insult, it seems so natural. So if he is making fun or busting your balls, know that is a sign of affection. Do NOT buy that ******** hard *** exterior. He is a genuine gentleman and is evident in his actions.
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>>.........However, make no mistake, his Pops will put him in his place and even calls his son names. Once I heard Mr. Lewis call Andrew a "worm" Priceless

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Just some Bike ****. My ride is 12 years old, I bought it with about 30K miles on it almost 2 years ago. In now has 69.5K on it. Been to both Coasts and the Gulf and not once given me a mechanical issue. And she still looks good.

 
It was from here that John, Pants, and I would go in search of some food and more riding.

We tried to find a place that was serving catfish, but being that it was Good Friday, many places were closed. We found a Mexican place and it was good.

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Soon after John headed for home and Joey and I were left to finish the day. He had some special places planned.

Just Checking the Air in the Tires. After my last Arkansas trip, I check almost daily. Joey said he felt a little squirm. All was good.

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Yard right next to the old house.

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Avery Island is where they make Tabasco. Out in the sticks, we turn the corner and the smell is unmistakable.

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I gotta laugh at this one, but sometimes wisdom is found in the least expected place

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Avery Island has a unique ecology. Bamboo not something we see up here in the North. It is truly an intriguing plant

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If you can get to South Lousiana, take the tour. They were not making sauce on our day there, but the factory floor was still view-able.

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The entire tour is all about the process and history of making the sauce.

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Apparently, this was where they kept the recipe and payment for the workers. This safe is massive. Exterior doors are 6 inches thick and the interior one is 1 inch thick. Early 1900 Security

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They make a lot of sauce

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Last thing before we left the gift shop was to try some Tabasco Ice cream. The Chipolte version was great.

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After the Factory Tour, A drive through the Jungle Gardens for some Photo ops and what I really was looking to see in the swamp

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Joey kept telling me I could get closer. I might be a DFY, but I am not that dumb. This guy was no ones pet gator.

This was the end of most of our fun for the day. I needed to get a new rear tire and MikeP had just bought one from Jake Wilson. He was not going to need it for a while, so I bought his. Off to Cycle Gear to get it mounted. We still had plenty of Cajun adventure to seek.

My Cycle Gear experience was awesome again and particularly Justin there hooked me up. Our plans could have been dead in the water without his help late on Good Friday. Super Impressed with what level of service they strive for.

If you have not noticed, I have been pulling photos from Joey's account, Andrew is posting pictures also, and my blurry ones, so thanks guys for making it happen. Our adventure continues shortly.

 
Boy, this is just some amazing stuff. I am now getting stoked for Tech Day up in Michigan and also SEOR where I hope to see a few of these peeps. I need to start riding more and having more adventure in my life. Someday and One day are not days of the week.

Josh. Thanks for letting me ride vicariously threw your RR, and what a great RR it is!

subscribed.

 
The gift of whiskey:



Take note of my bonehead picture taking. I ALMOST got Joey's Dad in the pic.



My shot of The Evangeline Oak:



I am honestly embarrassed to say I have never seen it before.

This is in the Acadiana Welcome Center in the middle of the Whiskey Bay Bridge on I-10. Pop is telling Jon in the background how ugly hppants 2014 FJR is. Cav47 is smiling because we just gave him a lesson in how crawfish get into the trap. I lied to him and told him that they get a running start and jump completely out of the water and do backflips into the trap. That way we only get the biggest and tastiest crawfish.



'Pants is saying, "Have you noticed that Redfish's '15 just always looks better than my '14? Oh, that is Nottoway Plantation in the background.



Here, Pop is getting a picture of his '07. hpants and Josh are commenting on how much nicer his '07 looks than their inferior FJRs.



This is the shore of Lake Verret. hppants is telling Josh, "I wanted a 2015 but I am just not cool enough. I could not pass the test so I had to get a pink one instead."



Take note of the sign where THEY parked. Cav47 is telling hppants, "If we get lucky some Crazy Cajun will come shove our bikes into the lake and we can upgrade to 2015s!"



Okay Cav, a couple thoughts for you.

That was a very small alligator but you still do not want to play with it. You did the right thing. They have very tiny brains and there is only room in there for 3 things. Survival, reproduction, and eating. None of those 3 things had any benefit for you if you got too close. Chances are it would have just dove into the water to get away. But you never know.

While I am extremely proud of my state and love to show off our culture and heritage, I am not proud of the legacy of the plantations. I took a tour of one recently and there was a listing of assets and their worth. This was before Louisiana was part of the United States and we were still a French Territory.

The most expensive asset listed after the land and the house was the blacksmith. A trained slave that spoke French, the man was worth about $36,000 in today's dollars. I find that abhorrent.

My message is to enjoy the beauty, but to learn the lessons that history teaches. Let us not be ashamed of a past we cannot change. Let us be proud of a future we can shape based on what we learned.

Pop and I both had a wonderful time with you. Pop was extremely pleased to have been included in this trip and we look forward to riding with you again.

 

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