Miles To Go

[hppants]

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Excerpt from: “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, by Robert Frost

I recently had 8 days and 2600 miles of wonderful fall riding throughout the southeastern United States. My annual autumn motorcycle tour was chosen this year in accordance with the Southern FJR Owners (SFO) gathering of friends. This year, the SFO shin dig was held in Jemison, Alabama at the property of my friend Turk and his lovely wife Jana. What happened there was the epitome of southern hospitality, and you will soon learn. We were treated like royalty in every way describable, and I am grateful to them well beyond my best words.

I took the long way to get there, and quite frankly, the longer way to get home. This is the way I like it, 98% back roads and resorting to a very short stint of Interstate only when absolutely necessary. Our State and local highways are where the good stuff is. I know that like the back of my hand. The traffic is lighter, the air cleaner, and the views far better. The good stuff I’m referring to can’t be researched on the Internet before you leave. You don’t find it, it finds you. And it does so when you least expect it.

I left Louisiana with one buddy, and picked up other peeps along the way. By the height of the weekend, we were 20 bikes strong and that experience was very rewarding. I’ve never been around such a large group of really good and experienced riders. Friday and Saturday, we rode 250 miles each day, staying mostly together the entire time. We saw and sniffed, and ate together. The camaraderie was just wonderful.

After SFO, Josh, Mark, and I continued up to North Georgia to play some more. On the 7th day, one by one, we split off, and I had a day and a half to myself heading home. The solitude at the end of the trip was spiritual for me, as I had time to be with my thoughts. I had time to be thankful and humble, to reflect, and look forward all at once. It wasn’t always that way, but now on each motorcycle tour, I look so forward to a little time by myself.

I camped 6 out of the 7 nights, opting only to grab a hotel room on the last evening in central Mississippi. The weather was quite warm, even by southern standards this time of year. Temperatures would rise to the mid 80s during the day before falling to around 60 during the night. In north Georgia it was substantially cooler, but still warm by any measure. Regardless, for the entire 2600 miles, it was BONE DRY. Not so much as a street puddle to navigate. While I’m just as concerned about the southeastern drought as the next guy, from a riding perspective, it was pretty darn cool to roll on clean and dry roads all week.

When it comes to literature, I am a self-proclaimed *****. I can hardly name 3 noteworthy authors. Earlier this year, my wife and I walked an interpretive nature trail in New England near Robert Frost’ home. I stopped to read “Snowy Evening” and it moved me to say the least. Many of you must know this, but the “sleep” Mr. Frost is referring to is not our nightly slumber. He’s writing about the big sleep. The one we don’t wake up from, at least not on this 3rd rock from the sun.

I’ve been thinking a lot about big sleep lately. At 50 years old, I’m neither a Spring chicken, nor an old fart. Perhaps I am a young fart. Regardless, the end is most assuredly closer than the beginning, and the brevity of that is forcing a sense of urgency upon me. I feel an insatiable need to explore and adventure. To go where I have never gone, and re-visit my favorite places. I want to push it, not in an unsafe manner, but often and for extended periods of time.

I firmly believe deep in my soul that the trilogy of life is time, health, and money; and obtaining these is kind of like winning at the horse track. It’s fairly easy for anyone to obtain one of these three qualities, much like a single horse wins every race. Perhaps a few people are able to have any combination of two, or the proverbial Exacta. But very rare is the case when one can grasp the Trifecta, neither at the horse races, nor in life.

Perhaps each of these is best judged individually by all of us, as they all can be measured in relative terms. But for Pants, at least in my own mind, right now, I’ve got all 3. And I’m not about to waste my holy grail, for I know not when it might end.

For me and my steel horse, we’ve got MANY miles to go before we sleep.

I hope you enjoy the pics.

Day 1: Lafayette, LA to Rocky Springs, MS, Appox. 225 miles.

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/7vkmk2g15Vv

My good friend Nate texted me a couple months ago, wondering if we could get together and take a trip. I invited him to join me for this tour and I’m pleased that he was able to go. We both had to work in the morning, and agreed to meet in St. Francisville, LA, which is about halfway between our places of work.

I packed my horse the night before and rode into work dressed as a transformer.

Soon it was time for me to leave, and the adventure was under way! When one needs to get across the Atchafalaya Bain swamp, the I-10 bridge is the easiest way. It’s only a few miles of slab, and they have a good roadside rest stop.

I brought a nice picnic lunch to enjoy in the shade of the gazebo.

The ride to St. Francsiville was uneventful and soon, and when I pulled up to our meeting spot, Nate was packed and ready to go. Nate and I met each other during our Honda Nighthawk days, and since then, Nate has migrated to the BMW GS.

I lead us north through the Homochitto National forest of southern Mississippi, where we stopped to drink some water among the pine trees.

Traffic on these back roads is non existent, and we are really enjoying the afternoon ride.

We need to get to the Natchez Trace, where our campground is located. However, the road I picked to get there did not have a paved way to get on the Trace. Nate found a goat trail through a corn field leading up to the trace highway, and did not hesitate on his worthy adventure bike. Not to be out done, Pants decided to see how well an FJR does in dual sport mode.

Me thinks I will stick to the pavement.

Regardless, we got to the Rocky Springs campground and picked out a nice site. Nate brought a cool hammock to sleep in, and I got to try out my brand new Marmot 2P tent.

With sleeping accommodations handled, we brought the horses to help haul firewood.

And then it was time for happy hour. I’m told in these parts, one can have 2 for 1, or 4 or 2 as the case may be.

“Yeah!!!! Look at what I have created! I have made fire!!”

(awesome movie, BTW)

With a nice bed of coals, Chef Pants got in the game.

Nobody went hungry.

After dinner, I lit my pipe and poured myself a nice stiff tottie. Then we sat by the fire and discussed the meaning of life. I’m off to a great start on this trip.

Day 2: Rocky Springs, MS to Jemison, AL, appox. 335 miles.

Ride Route: https://goo.gl/maps/PmW4jmDZp6A2

I slept well, although it was fairly warm during the night. The sun rises pretty late these days, as Nate and I were up before first light. Just like home, the first order of business is the preparation of Java juice.

We will have our breakfast bagel toasted, thank you very much.

We broke camp and set a course generally northeast through more piney woods. Earlier in the week, I was communicating with a new friend David from the FJR forum and we picked him up in Canton, MS for the run to SFO. David has got a brand new 2015 FJR, his first sport touring bike after many cruiser style motorcycles. He is eager to stretch her legs and I am only all too pleased to oblige.

We cross the Ross Barrett reservoir and continue east by northeast. I’m basically winging it as we pick the blue roads on the map, which seem to be the right combination of clean and curvy pavement.

Peace be with you, my brother.

Occasionally, my GPS won’t get on the same page as my State highway map, and we are forced to double back a small distance. Obviously, this is not concerning to David as he is enjoying his ride.

We are just having a nice day on the road.

 

[hppants]

At the same time, other things are happening in different directions. Josh is riding south from his Illinois home, having stopped for the night somewhere near Memphis. Our SFO host Turk, is riding West from Jemison, Alabama, enjoying a much needed break from all of the preparations. We all communicated during the week and agreed to meet in Aliceville, Alabama at 1 pm. I was about 30 minutes late getting there, but the others were very understanding and patient.

Now we are in Turks playground, so he took the lead and pulled us toward SFO. We wicked it up a bit on some of the less curvy roads, and the big bikes are eating up the miles like fresh potato chips.

For Pants, while touring in the south, every afternoon, PIE must be at least considered, and I am very happy to report that Turk and I were on the same page. This little oasis is in Greensboro, Alabama.

The FJR is one fine machine.

We called for directions only to learn that they closed about 10 minutes earlier. However, Josh convinced them to re-open for us, which was real cool.

Plenty of left over pie to choose from.

The fire marshal requires that the restroom door be self-closing. A little southern engineering at its finest (counter weight design)

When riders and pie meet, all is good in the world.

After pie, we can sense that Turk wants to get back to greet guests and make final preparations. So we boogie East. And when I say “boogie”, I mean BOOGIE!! While passing a couple of logging trucks, I hit the chip on my bike and it surprised me. Never did that before, and I don’t care to again.

One final stop for some instructions before we make the final push. David is staying at a nearby hotel and Turk wants to make sure he knows where to go.

In short order, we arrive in Jemison and set up camp. My arms are so long, I am a human selfie stick.

I meet Julie (FJRfarrier) for the first time and she is even more lovely in person. We had a nice conversation about her profession. I didn’t know there was so much to know about horse shoes. An oh by the way, she’s put a 100,000 70,000 miles on her blue FJR too.

Home sweet home

For a couple of weeks, Josh has been eluding via text messages that he is bringing me a surprise. Josh is well aware of the fact that Pants enjoys fermented agave at the campground. Apparently, Josh has a student of Hispanic origin with family that knows a little bit about tequila. They call this Nolabla (“No Label”) and let me say, it is delicious.

Meanwhile, Turk is waist deep in grilling burgers, and doing a fine job I might add!

They ring the bell and the troops gather like a pack of wolves.

And let’s not forget dessert, a la mode. Pie twice in one day. Man, I’m living large!

In the background is our SWAG, provided by David, who is employed with Renthal, a worldwide motorcycle company. Most excellent work, my friend – much appreciated.

Also our friend BeemerDon, who is only with us in spirit now, has made the trip. Don lived his life full and happy. His presence here tonight reminds me that our time is limited and uncertain. I shall inspire to be more like Don going forward.

After dinner, we sat around and shot the bull. Some of us have only known each other a short while, others for years. But all of us shared a common love for our 2 wheel passion. And when people have common passion, friendships are molded.

I’m in the mode now. Life is good.

Day 3: Cheaha State Park, Talladega Scenic Hwy, approx. 225 miles

Ride Route: https://goo.gl/maps/dyJkPvysvBL2

The tequila does what it does and I slept like a rock. I had to rest on top of my sleeping bag because it was kind of warm, and somehow, I blew a hole in the seam of my brand new inflatable pillow, but all was good and I was ready for some more adventure.

I wiped the bugs off my horse and got her in go mode.

Jena and Turk were already up and at it, with coffee, fresh fruit, and Danish set up for us. I need to remember to write a nice Google Review for them. LOL

I didn’t take a chance to check out all of the Halloween decorations they setup.

Looks like some of the natives got a little carried away last night….

Ms. Jena even made us a snack bag for the road. So thoughtful!!

Everyone got going soon enough and at Turks request, we were kickstands up on time. Turk spent some time on the tractor grooming the driveway for us. Negotiating the limestone hill out of the property was much easier than I thought it would be.

We took the slab only a few miles to meet the hoteliers at Shoney’s for some more breakfast. I can see some of us are already saluting the effort!

After breakfast, we gathered the herd outside of the hotel. Julie has a few states left to visit on her bike, and Louisiana is one of them. I hope she gives me a chance to show her my home State one day.

Slowly, the troops begin to gather…

Turk decided to split us into two groups of 10 bikes. He asked me to lead one group, and I was honored to do so. The plan was for me to wait about 5 minutes and rendezvous with Turk’s group at the Lay Dam on the Coosa River.

It worked out just fine.

From there, we rode through Sylacauga and into the Talladega National Forest, stopping just outside of Chandler Springs. At stops, everyone started talking and cutting up and just having a great time. It was so cool to be part of that.

Still further north, we found ourselves on AL State Hwy 281, otherwise known as the Talladega Scenic Highway. Fresh curvy pavement with no gravel and great grip, I really like this road.

Turk stopped at Cheaha State Park, of which Cheaha Mountain at a little over 2400 feet, is the highest elevation in Alabama. We rode up to the fire tower to look around.

Josh got a little fresh with the CCC worker memorial.

The view at the top is nice.

Kind of a motley crew, in a good way!!

From there, it was a very short ride to the Bald Rock overlook. The accessible walkway was very nice.

Of course Nate, being the dual sporter that he is, chose the off road path.

The overlook was quite nice, with the light breeze coming up over the rock. Considering how dry it has been, along with a few forest fires in the area, the visibility is still quite good.

We hung out there for a while enjoying ourselves. Then mounted up and headed north to Heflin, AL for lunch.

I got a pulled pork sandwich, some coleslaw, and a piece of icebox pie.

Josh opted for something a bit more substantial.

After lunch, we back tracked down 281 about 15 miles before turning south on Hwy 49. Now that we know that road, and had not seen anything unusual in the way of obstacles going north, we decided to turn the big bikes loose and lean them over a bit. Nothing too crazy, just enjoying the curves a bit more.

We stayed together and after continuing south for an hour or so, I turned West on Hwy 22 near the town of New Site, Alabama. Every day at mid-afternoon, Pants gets a sweet tooth. And while I force myself to resist it at work, today I am not working. So I stopped at this little road side store, and straight to the ice cream freezer I go.

While stopped there, Turk mentioned that his Aunt Jim lived nearby. Yeah, you read that right. Turk has an AUNT named JIM. Seems this woman is 86 years young, worked at a textile factory all her life, and when he spoke of her, Turk’s eyes and face just beamed with pride.

I don’t know what came over me, but I just had to meet this woman. So a poked Turk a while and persuaded him to call her. As luck would have it, Aunt Jim was home and ready for some company.

So Turk and 19 of his best friends rode over to Aunt Jim’s.

 

[hppants]

What a beautiful woman Aunt Jim is, inside and out. We had such a nice time talking and laughing with her. My first impression was noticing how all of her teeth were literally worn down to her gums. Her hands and fingers were a bit crooked, perhaps from some arthritis setting in from decades of needle work. Her back is a tad hunched as well. Surely she must be in excruciating pain from this, but you can’t tell by the smile on her face. She was just so happy to see her nephew and his friends and the love just poured out from that smile.

Later when time permitted me to, I thought about how much Aunt Jim has seen in her 86 years. Developments in technology and infrastructure. Times of war and uncertainty. The birth, education, marriage, parenting, and death of perhaps 3 generations of her family. The satisfaction of successfully conquering personal challenges and trials. From what I gather, Aunt Jim has lived near New Site all her life. But trust me, she’s been around a lot more than that.

The other thing I thought about was this: How many Aunt Jims have I blown by in my years of travels? Surely thousands, if not more. I’ll bet each one has its own story and it’s an interesting story at that. Have I neglected my own “Aunt Jim” for selfish and stupid reasons? Have I dismissed him or her as ignorant, stagnant even? One day if I am very lucky, I will be an Aunt Jim. When that time comes, who will know it and will anyone care?

And until that time comes, will I have time to cover the miles? I’m not ready to sleep yet.

When the inevitability of one’s mortality becomes an accepted reality, the whole game changes significantly.

We all blew kisses to Aunt Jim and moved on. A bit later, I stopped at the Hwy 22 Coosa River crossing to drink some water, and the others did so as well.

There on the ground, I picked up a souvenir. One never knows what he will find on the road with the motorcycle.

Now late in the afternoon, we pressed on hwy 22 west toward the interstate, where the holelling riders split off as the rest of us rode to Jemison to wrap up the ride. Turk arranged for his family to serve as shuttle service for the hotelling riders, so they could imbibe in an adult beverage and not worry about riding at night. Just another example of how hospitable and accommodating SFO was for us.

Back at the camp, a couple others are rolling in late for the weekend. Josh and I introduced ourselves to Coondawg07.

Soon all of the others gathered and the party is up and running.

Turk and Jena have prepared a corn and shrimp boil for us this evening.

Back home in south Louisiana, we know a few things about boiling seafood. I enjoyed trying a familiar dish prepared by someone from another part of the country, and noticing the subtle differences. For example, at home we don’t boil carrots, but here it was very good. Also, we boil the shrimp with the heads on them, but again, this was delicious and I had 2 (maybe 3) helpings.

More camaraderie after dinner.

Every once in a while, someone would walk up to me and ask if I tried the cherries yet. At first, I thought it was some kind of 6th grade joke, but after a while, I started getting curious. Doug has prepared some homemade moonshine in cherries. They were tasty, but very potent. I can’t say exactly how potent, but I’m glad that I still have my eyesight and let’s just leave it at that.

Just when you think it can’t get any better, we get summoned to the back porch. Turk’s friend Allen has agreed to play some music for us and this dude is AWESOME!!! It’s a Friday night and trust me, this cat should be at some swanky danky bar making real money. But instead, the 25 of us are treated to a wonderful private concert.

At one point, Turk broke out the air guitar and even danced with his sweetheart. It was quite a nice time.

Pants hit the tequila hard (REAL hard) and after the concert, I was 3 sheets to the wind with my warm and fuzzy feelings. Can’t say that I remember much after that, except I didn’t get arrested so it must have been OK.

Here’s the best part – tomorrow we get to do it all over again!!!


Day 4: Barber, Talladega, and more twisties, appox. 250 miles

Ride route: https://goo.gl/maps/Lu1rQx4uprN2

I woke up at about 6:00 am to realize two important things. I am now using a bag of dirty clothes for a pillow and during the night, somebody must have shoved a pound of cotton balls in my mouth! Ah well, I’m taking it in stride and after a stiff cup of coffee and a big glass of water, things started going much better.

Meanwhile, the BBQ dude has shown up early with his rig and I can already tell that tonight, we are going to eat like royalty again.

After another meeting with the hotel gang at Shoneys, Turk ask me to lead a group to our first stop. I know that route well, and so off we go!

Julie seems typically chipper on this fine morning!!

We get to the world renowned Barker museum for the group photo. I wanted to place the bikes in circular fashion near the front courtyard, but the Can Am group had beaten us to that area. So we staged everyone in the ADA parking area for a quick shot.

That’s a big hunk of good machinery right there!

I would later learn that our group represents 11 States and every year the FJR was built except 2003 and 2011

We back tracked up Hwy 25 (GREAT road BTW) and Turk led us to a nice lake nearby.

Pretty maids all in a row!

From the lake, it was a short ride to lunch in the city of Talladega.

And then, we wound our way through the trees back to Hwy 281. This time, we stopped at one of the scenic overlooks.

At this stop, I decided to rip it up Hwy 281 toward Heflin and some of the others joined in. The curves were nice and in 3rd gear with the motor winding 4-6K, it felt pretty good.

Chicken strips thinned all around, we notched it back down on Hwy 9 heading south toward Linville.

Hmmm – it must be mid afternoon……

We rode the last 80 miles straight through and again, the hotel riders split off in Clanton with instructions to look for the shuttle in an hour.

A word of note: Alabama interstate drivers don’t mess around. As I led the campers back to Jemison on the 11 mile I-65 stretch, as I normally do, I was just running in the fast lane a few MPH faster than the surrounding traffic. On the bike, that is where I feel most comfortable and safe. Only this time, things seemed a bit quick so I glanced down on my gages to notice that I’m going 98 mph!!!! Needless to say, we arrived at Jemison toot sweet!

Back at the camp, I poured myself about 3 fingers of Rye and joined Poolboy for a little male bonding.

I was very pleased and happy to see my good friend Andrew and his dad Hilary (aka The Redfishes) made the ride up to join us. Although it’s hard to believe from this picture, Andrew is equally glad to see me, I’m sure…..

Turk set up a TV in his shop, as Auburn University was playing and they take their Tigers seriously.

The cookers have been at it all day, and I wish you guys could smell through these pictures. We had short ribs, pulled pork, and trimmings. Holy cow was it good!

After dinner, we all just sat around and talked like old friends. I guess at this point, we are old friends….

Day 5: Jemison, AL to Suches, GA, approx 350 miles

Ride Route: https://goo.gl/maps/EsKC8PBXRXx

Again I slept well and it feels just a few degrees cooler this morning compared to yesterday. Officially SFO ends today. Turk and Jena are exhausted and rightfully so. They have been slaving over us for 3 days now and I’m sure they are ready for us to get the heck off their property.

But not before sending us away with a goodie bag – left over BBQ for a picnic lunch!

I’m not quite ready to go home. Josh and I have been talking about going toward north Georgia to look around, and Mark (Poolboy) is going to join us. The Redfishes are in for a run north and will turn back to Clanton when they are ready. Doug and his lovely girl Lorrie are also going to go with us.

Josh, Mark, and I break camp and ride the few miles south to pick up the others in Clanton. Now here’s something you don’t see often – Mark actually cleaning his bike.

We have a fantastic ride through the trees toward Little River Canyon. At a fluid exchange site, we all grabbed a pop and chewed the proverbial fat a while.

One way or the other, we found the Little River Canyon in the upper northeast section of Alabama. I’ve been there many times and enjoy it always. We ate our lunch at the top together.

Well, at least Lorrie is smiling….

While eating, a ’13 FJR pulled up and parked next to us. A local rider, he had no idea about the SFO gathering, but just happened to be riding around. It was a pretty cool coincidence.

This is our rock band album shot. Josh is our lead singer and Mark is on drums.

Pretty special picture of these two. The senior Redfish is quite a character. Mr. Hiliary is 71 years young and rides that 2007 FJR like it’s on a rail. He will go 600 miles and still have enough personal gas in his tank for a beer at the end of the day. Seriously, I love that man. He is a true role model for us all!

Hard to believe we are in Alabama!

At this point, we must part ways with the Redfishes. They have a significant ride back to Clanton, and Josh, Mark, and I want to get to North Georgia for the night. It was great to be with my Louisiana friends, and I was so happy they could join us at SFO, even for just a short time.

Doug and Lorrie will tag along with us for a short while before breaking off to their home. I set a course for the usual best roads into the mountains of North Georgia. While riding through Rome, Georgia, we were treated to the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration at the air show there. At one point, they flew by us around ¼ mile away and it was pretty cool.

We arrived in Dahlonega pretty late, so we decided to just pick up something to eat by the campfire later. Never tried this particular franchise before – the MASSIVE burrito was pretty good, but I couldn’t eat it all.

We also picked up some brewskies and made the final trek to our home for the evening.

The Two Wheels Only (or TWO) Campground in Suches is kind of a rite of passage for any southeast rider. This place is as old as the hills, but recently re-opened under new ownership. We were told the new owners put over $1 million into the facility, and it shows.

Now late in the season, most of TWO is shut down for the winter, but the campground and bath house are still open on the honor system, and we were delighted to stay there. On the first night, with the exception of 1 other guy camping across the creek, we had the whole place to ourselves.

By the time we pitched tents, it had gotten dark. Thankfully, the firewood rack was stocked and we helped ourselves to a wheelbarrow full. Boy Scout Josh was put in charge of heat, a task he obviously takes very seriously.

Pretty cool metal work on the fire rings.

We sat by the fire telling lies and discovering the true meaning of life: happiness, fellowship, and a sincere understanding and appreciation for the world around us.

Day 6: Loop ride through the twisties, Appox. 250 miles.

Ride Route: https://goo.gl/maps/ZSWnzkXzTZN2

Boy - what a difference a little elevation makes! I woke up about day break with the temperature at 49 degrees. That cooler weather was just perfect for camping last night.

I took a walk around the campground checking out the place.

After a nice breakfast of bagels and coffee, we geared up and as we taxied out of the campground, we noticed that the owner was there. So we stopped into the office and paid for our site.

A local pulled up on this sweet Triumph café racer.

Today is going to be just perfect. We have nowhere to go, and all day to get there. Back at Turks, fellow FJR rider Brandon gave me this AWESOME map of the entire region and I decided to just use that and wing it.

We get 100 yards from TWO and the riding gets great!!! Seriously, if you haven’t ridden north Georgia yet, by all means put it on your list, but DO NOT tell anyone else. Let’s keep this a secret between us.

About 40 miles in, we stopped at the Blood Mountain lodge to walk around. Josh had to make a phone call anyway….

We walked around and stopped a minute to check out the view.

Now back on the roller coaster, we had to stop and pay homage to our SFO buddy!

 

[hppants]

We rode up to Brasstown Bald (highest point in Georgia), but they wanted an entry fee of $5.00 to get in.

(Pants) “Hey Josh – do you want to give ‘em $5.00 or just ride?”

(Josh) “Pants, are you out of your friggin mind? Let’s ride, man!!!!”

(Pants) “Mark – you good with that?”

Well allrighty then, guess we are gonna ride!

Now getting mid-day, we roll into the town of Hiawassee, Georgia just in time for lunch. I found the place where all the pickup trucks were, and as luck would have it, they have a buffet!

Not sure what to make of this….

The lunch was “OK”, not great, but not bad.

On the other hand, this blueberry cobbler was outstanding.

During lunch, the subject of Bald River Falls on the Cherahola Skyway came up. Neither Mark nor Josh had ever been there, and that was good enough for me. So after lunch, we rode around Lake Hiawassee and then found Hwy 68 heading north into Tennessee. I love that road as it is very good and twisty pavement. We did run through a small forest fire on the way, which made things a little smoky.

Mid afternoon, we arrived at the water fall. Even with the drought conditions, the water is still running pretty good.

We climbed up the side of the waterfall for a closer look.

We had a nice time at the waterfall, but I had a VERY important decision to make and it required precision effort on my part.

You see, it’s mid afternoon. Pants is on vacation and during this time, my daily sweet tooth rears its ugly head. I know that south of us, back over in Georgia is Mercier’s Orchard, the home of EXCELLENT fried pie. On the other hand, I wanted to ride Hwy 315 and 30 down south to Lake Ocoee, which adds 30 miles to our route. Mercers closes at 6 pm – I’ve got to be careful or we are going to miss it.

I told the others that if we don’t lolly gaggle around too much, we can do both. As you can see, they have placed their FULL faith in me. I hope I do not let them down.

Well, as it turns out, the GPS GROSSLY overestimates the time it takes an FJR to get from here to there. We made it down to the lake very quickly and even had time to stop by the shore to look around….

….before arriving at Mercier’s in plenty of time before they close.

Mark found some excellent candidates for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Fried pies and cream sodas at 5:30 in the afternoon. Yes sir-rie Bob, we are definitely on vacation. I had apple and I think Josh and Mark had Peach – another excellent choice.

With spoiled appetites, we didn’t feel much like cooking, so we picked up some subway sandwiches for later. After a quick stop at the beer store, by the time I turned on Hwy 60 for the 25 mile twisty run to the campground, it was already dusk. I raised my tinted helmet visor, along with my windscreen, and hoped for the best. After the 3rd roadside deer sighting in about 2 miles, I backed WAY down to about 20 mph under and basically putt putted the last 15 miles to the camp.

Thankfully, we made it safe, and with bikes parked, and puckers released, the bar was opened!

We got a nice fire going and enjoyed the evening.

A while later, a Honda Translap (cool bike, BTW) pulls up to our campsite. Morris and his friend are Appalachian Trail Angels. The AT runs right through Suches and we had good fun talking with Morris about his experiences.

Day 7: Suches, GA to Philadelphia, MS, approx. 475 miles

Ride Route: https://goo.gl/maps/emxK7yNPJr12

I think I got a bit carried away last night. I mean we drank our bar dry. I think I will start this day out with 2 vitamin I’s (Ibuprophen).

Today I have to start heading toward home. I originally told my wife and work that I’d be home tonight and at work tomorrow. But I’m 800-ish miles from home now and quite frankly, I just can’t bring myself up to riding that far. I’d have to slab it basically the whole day, and who wants to do that? I made an executive decision: I’m going to take two days and the back roads. They will be just fine without me for one more day. I’ll deal with any consequences when I get there.

We took our time breaking camp and I made coffee for Mark and me. Josh volunteered to take care of breakfast, a job he did with perfect precision.

The heat from those rocks and the adjacent campfire worked just fantastic. A dam fine breakfast if I don’t say so.

We packed our bikes and it was time for Josh to head Northeast toward Illinois. Peace be with you, my brother. I will see you soon.

Mark is going to visit his nephew in northern Alabama, so he will tag along with me for a while. We stopped in Tate, Georgia to stretch our legs. This is basically the southern tip of the Georgia Mountains. I just wanted to get one more glimpse before I head back to flat land.

We hoped on US Hwy 278 to get across Gadsden, and then stopped for lunch near Altoona, Alabama.

I’ve been on a quest for GOOD fried chicken since I left home. This boneless stuff was pretty good, but the BBQ leg was better. I’ll have to keep searching…

The chocolate pie for dessert was good, though a little different than I am used to. This version is on the dry end, but it works well and would be very good with ice cream.

Right after lunch, Mark is going north toward Huntsville. We shook hands and vowed to do it again sooner or later. I’m voting for sooner.

Now by myself, I’m on State highways heading generally southwest. The pavement is not very technical, but it’s clean and smooth and the ride is nice, although a bit warm. I wish I would have chosen my mesh jacket for this trip. The road side farms, patches of forest, and other features are keeping me entertained as I ride from one town to the next. On the FJR, the miles add up very quickly, as I have my bike setup very comfortable for me.

I stopped to drink some water on the southern tip of the Bankhead National Forest.

I crossed the Mississippi State line near Columbus and stopped for gas. Now in the mid 80s, I’m not in the mood for camping. So I shopped for hotels and found a good price in Philadelphia, about 50 miles south.

The rooms have recently been updated and quite comfortable.

I grabbed a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at the liquor store and asked a young lady in the parking lot for a dinner recommendation. She suggested this place:

One would not normally associate central Mississippi with good Mexican food, but I figure what the hell….

This menu is entirely too complicated for someone with almost 500 miles on his ***.

So I told the waiter what I wanted, and he brought it to me perfecto!!

After dinner, I rode the 2 miles back to the room and called my wife. I miss her and it’s time to go home.

Day 8: Philadelphia, MS to Lafayette, LA, Approx 350 miles

Ride Route: https://goo.gl/maps/N2KEWqApYTs

After 6 nights on my sleeping pad, that mattress sure felt good last night. I grabbed some coffee and toast at the hotel FCB and packed my bike pretty early. I hit the road right at daybreak and plotted a course south on Hwy 21. A few miles out of town and I felt like the light just wasn’t high enough yet for my safety, so I found a road side farm pond and stopped to watch the sun rise.

I sat down by the fence gate and really tried to concentrate on, well…..nothing. I found myself mesmerized by whiffs of fog on top of the water, and it made me think about things. It reminded me of how blessed I am in my life. It made me realize that VERY few people ever get half the chance to go anywhere for themselves. To see the world outside of their own backyard. To take meaningful time and just venture out into the unknown and immerse themselves into the environment.

I also realize that many of the people who could do this logistically simply will not. Maybe they are frightened by the thought of being separated or alone. Maybe they don’t realize what they are missing. Maybe they do realize and they just don’t like it. Who knows what other people really think?

Regardless, I am abundantly blessed at such a relative young age to know what I want, and to have the resources and the gumption to go get it, and to get it often. I’ve been on so many of these trips, I can hardly remember them all. And there will be many more where those came from, rest assured.

I get these melancholy feelings at the end of every bike trip. A feeling of humility and sincere thankfulness. I realize that over the years, I’ve made some of my own luck with hard work and good decisions. But I’ve also had plenty of Lady Luck by my side, and these feeling remind me that indeed, things happen for a reason. It brings great joy to my heart, and I’m not about to take ANY of it for granted.

My clothes are dirty. My oil is dirty. By my soul is squeaky clean and I’m ready to go home.

I stopped at a Scenic Overlook pull off near Forest, Mississippi, located in the middle of the Bienville National Forest. The overlook was man made in the form of a fire tower. I climbed up and the view was a little disappointing.

My horse seems content to just wait for me.

Further down, I stopped at the Hwy 28 Pearl River crossing to drink some water, and study the metal truss for the bridge.

Across the highway, this operator is moving tree trunks with the precision of a brain surgeon, and I enjoyed watching him do such a great job.

Now rolling through very familiar territory, I’m taking a more direct route home. The Homochitto River is looking pretty dry these days. Even though I am pretty close to home, the soil in these parts is much sandier than our silty clay along the coast. The diversity of our topography in this county is something I shall never grow weary of.

I stopped in Woodville, MS for gas and a bystander came up to me to talk about the motorcycle.

(Pants) “Where’s a good place to eat here?”

(Bystander) “Right around the back porch of this building.”

(Pants) “Oh – OK”

(Bystander) “Do you like to eat homemade fried chicken?”

(Pants) “I’ve been trying to find good fried chicken for about 2500 miles.”

(Bystander) “Well, you’ve found the place. It’s really good over here.”

(Pants) “OK, I’ll give it a try.”

The name seems original.

Victory!!!! Bingo!!! Ding Ding Ding!!!! Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!!!! It was delicious – seasoned just right with a batter that was flaky and crispy. Better late than never, to be sure.

From the Back Porch, I rode the last 100 miles straight home. I arrived safely in my driveway about 2:00 PM and 87 degrees. Whew – it was hot at home. I strongly resisted the temptation to go straight to the computer, start checking emails and phone calls, and jump right into my work. Its 2 oclock – they can wait until tomorrow morning.

My wife got home from work and we went out to eat so I could tell her about my trip. She always likes hearing about the highlights, and she even puts up with a lot more dribble than she should. I got a good girl, to be sure.

So another Pants adventure is in the books. I spent time with old friends, and made plenty of new friends. I re-discovered familiar roads, and even found a few new roads along the way. I had plenty of time to laugh, to reflect, and to think. And I came home to my wife safe, refreshed, …

…and a little exhausted.

However, and rest most assuredly, there are still many miles to go before I sleep.

Stay thirsty, my friends.

 

[FJRBandit]

I'm honored to be the first to congratulate my friend, Pants, on this wonderful ride report! What an insightful recap of an excellent journey, that as you point out, many people simply will not take. Like you, I feel blessed to have the trifecta as well, in addition to the friends with whom to enjoy this ride along the way, on this thing we call life. Well done, my friend, well done!

 

[Poolboytoo]

Nice report my Friend. Your reports are the next best thing to accually being there in person. Great times with great people!!

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Wonderful ride report and pictures!!You live in a very beautiful country hppants!!Thanks for sharing with us!!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I call BS. You showed Cav47 being useful and doing useful things. That does not express reality.

Pop and I wish we would have had more time. We sure wish we could have spent more time with the Bandits and all the other wonderful folks that were there. When I broke my windshield that first morning it never occurred to me to just go home. We were determined we were going to make this event and meet these people. It was definitely The Right Decision.

Well done RR my friend. Very well done indeed. You ever thought about getting something published?

 

[Tiger_993]

That is one darn fine ride report!

 

[Dunk43]

Great RR!

 

[Fontanaman]

Excellent ride ride report. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mcatrophy]

Enjoyed your ride almost as much as I enjoy mine. Thanks for taking me with you (along with all the others).

 

[FJRfarrier]

Awesome RR Pants!!! What an experience that you put into beautiful words!!! It was wonderful reading all of it and getting to live it again with your pictures and captions and my memory.

Kudos for the wonderful writing!!

It was great to meet you! And thank you for your skilled ride leadership!

Oh- and a little edit.... I have not put on 100,000 miles (yet). Only 70,000 miles on my '12. lol

 

[natehawk750]

This guy really knows how to write a ride report for sure!

 

[JBinIndy]

Great ride report. Felt like I was there. But seeing all that food is making me hungry, time for dinner!!!

 

[Niehart]

"And let’s not forget dessert, a la mode. Pie twice in one day. Man, I’m living large!"

Pants do you know how jealous that makes me.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Awesome trip and RR 'pants!

--G

 

[Doug36854]

Great RR and I truly enjoyed meeting and riding with all of you. Hope to see all of you again at future events (SFO, EOM, NAFO, etc)

 

[gapiob]

whou, very nice report! thanks for shared with us all this good time!