Quest III, Part III: Crotch Rockets with a Death Wish, Four Packs of SportsCars & No More Monkey Butt

My intent originally was to describe vividly our ride of the Tail of the Dragon.  However, if you took time to look at the videos included with my last posting, you know there is no way that words would ever do it justice.  Therefore, I will say a few things about our ride and add a few words of advice to those who may follow us.

The weather was beautiful for our ride; it was not too hot or too cool.  As we went from the regular US 129 to the part known as the Tail of the Dragon we were greeted by a flatbed truck in the opposite lane.  I looked down in the woods beyond the edge of the road and could see a bike down among the trees.  Obviously, someone had run off the road on the curve.  There were several bikes around the truck who appeared to be friends of the rider who would gone off the road.  The rider appeared to be just fine.

After a few more curves we came to a section that had pull offs on both sides of the road.  This is what I feel is the start of the Tail of the Dragon.  However, those who are marketing this actually have it starting a couple of miles before that point.  According to the experts, there are 318 curves in 11 miles; I was too busy riding to count. 

While at the pull off, we had a group picture taken by a gentleman who called himself the Phreak.  He was there shooting footage for his own video. 

Along the road at three points there were photographers taking pictures of us as we went by.  Those photographers post their work out on the web so that you can buy it later.  A few of the pictures that were taken of us are included in this blog entry.  I think they did a beautiful job and I think the prices they are charging are very reasonable.

As usual, my son and I were using our Q2s to communicate during our runs.  It was a blast because some of the curves were exciting.  During this ride I figured out that I personally tend to do, my right turns better than my left-handed ones.  It probably has to do with the fact that I am right-handed.  When I became aware of that fact, I spent more time and thought on left turns I was taking to maintain better control over them.

In case you missed it, Tikk was riding the lead bike, a Harley-Davidson.  The next two riders were GrnEyes and Wakko both on Honda Shadows, although my son's was about 15 years older than GrnEye's bike.  I was next on my Honda Valkyrie and then bringing up the rear was Saginaw HillBilly on a Virago.

When we got to the end of the run, we pulled into the Deal's Gap Bike Resort and went in to buy a few souvenirs and patches. 

About 20 years ago, people started attaching parts that had been broken off during their rides to a tree that is now known as the Tree of Shame.  There is a variety of things up in the tree, including what is probably hundreds of rearview mirrors.  I thought the warning sign about things falling out of the tree was also very appropriate. 

My son saw this stuff sitting on the shelf in the souvenir store; of course, we are all in favor of anything that ensures no more Monkey Butt.

The return trip was just as much fun, but it was a bit more challenging for me since more of the turns were to the left then to the right.  Once we finished the run, we headed back to the cabin.  We were Dragon slayers one and all.

Advice for other riders:  Watch the video and notice the way that GrnEyes and Wakko were riding.  They were enjoying their own ride at their own pace and not being pressured by anyone else to go faster than they felt comfortable with or to take the turns tighter than their skills allowed.  This is the most successful way to ride the Tail.  It insures that you are doing things within your own capabilities.

There are dangers that you cannot control.  Not so much in the videos that I've posted so far, but you will see in the videos I will post later that we were being passed on blind curves by people riding crotch rockets.  If we did not stay to the far right-hand side of the lane to allow them to pass in the far left-hand side of the lane they might have been in the oncoming lane and gotten smeared by what was coming around the curve towards us in that lane.  The problem with that smearing is that they probably would've taken us with them.

There are cars on the Tail.  For some reason they seem to travel in packs of four.  I never saw one trying to pass anyone, but I did see one that had creamed itself on a curve.  When I saw the car, the front-end look like it had been ripped off like the top of a box and it was filling an entire lane of the road.  This means, if someone in that lane came upon it they would have to prepare to either stop or swerve around it.  You just need to keep your eyes open.  By the way, the cars that I did see included Lamborghinis, Lotus, Porsche, Audi, and several custom-made things without manufacturer's labels on them.

The speed limit is 30 mph.  There are Sheriffs, Deputies, and State Police all over the road and they were actively pulling people over.  So, keep an eye on your speed.  It was not during these first few runs but on our very last run down the Tail, I looked down to find my son and I doing about 40-45 on one of the few straightaways. 

After we got back to the cabin, everyone kinda split up and went their own way.  Tikk, Wakko and I headed out originally intending to go to some roads that were a little further away.  Instead, we ended up near Robbinsville NC on the road headed to Bryson City, NC.  We were close to the Cherokee Reservation and the Nantahala Gorge.  I didn't know all that until I got back and someone from the area saw my video and told me that's where we had been.    We also rode something known as Moonshiner's 28.   

I hope you enjoy the videos for these rides, I will write about them in detail in my next entry. 

Somewhere In The Smokies

Moonshiner's 28

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Quest III, Part II: Real Bacon, Throat Punching & A Group Trip To Wal-Mart

Everybody else arrived together; they had been out riding earlier that day and were just pulling into the cabin for the first time.  The crowd included Tikk, Hot Biker Chick (HBC) & Kent, and GrnEyes.  We all said hello and shook hands.  Since this was the right place, my son and I took our stuff into the cabin.  From the start, I could tell that GrnEyes had a very wry sense of humor and was going to be fun to be around.  A discussion took place from their arrival concerning what had occurred the night before while they were all sleeping in a single hotel room along with one other person who had not arrived yet. 

This person, Saginaw HillBilly, apparently could rival jet noise with his snoring and had kept them all awake the night before.  Everyone in the group verified this fact and as near, as I could tell he slept through various things being thrown at him during the night -- to include shoes.  I'm not sure when she said it first, but it may of been during this period but GrnEyes used a phrase that I will forever more associate with her that was a variation of the sentiment that she should have punched him in the throat.  Anyway, HillBilly showed up and accepted some good-natured ribbing about his snoring.  After everyone spent a few minutes getting settled in, we all decided to go to dinner.

We all took off down the road riding a loose formation to a place called T.C. Grill.   Sitting down to dinner together at two tables, we all got to know each other a little better.  Everyone was from Michigan.  My son took time to explain what the cowbell was and how it figured into this whole trip.  Then each of them signed it, along with our waitress.  T.C.'s claims to have the world's best cheeseburger.  I wouldn't know I had the grilled chicken, but my son said he had the best fried chicken sandwich he ever had in his entire life.

After dinner, we took off and went into town to Wal-Mart to pick up some stuff for breakfast for the cabin.  Ever since we hit the state line in Tennessee, I was noticing that we were seeing as many bikes as we were cars on the road, which to me was very unusual.  I am not sure how my local Wal-Mart would react if seven bikers all dressed in leather walked into the store as a group; but the person at the door promptly greeted us and everyone was very friendly and helpful.  After grabbing groceries and figuring out whose bike could carry what, we headed back to the cabin.

The next morning, we all congregated in the kitchen while we waited to take showers in the one bathroom that the cabin had.  HBC was nice enough to have made coffee, Tikk was busy making bacon & eggs and my son ended up making the toast.

It has been a long time since I've had bacon that was not made in a microwave.  I mean, when I found out that you could make regular bacon in a microwave without getting grease all over the kitchen I was happy with that.  Then they came out with bacon it was already cooked and all you had to do was warm it up in the microwave that was even better.  It was convenient, quick, and neat.  What I forgotten was how good that bacon made in a real frying pan where it sits in the grease while it cooks was.  Delicious.

After breakfast, I started to load the dishwasher and was accused of taking HBC's job from her.  I was okay with that, so I finished loading it.  After a quick clean up, everyone except HBC & Kent jumped on their bikes and headed for the Tail of the Dragon.

I will talk about the actual ride to my next entry, but for now, you can enjoy the video below (in two parts), which is actual documentation of the first ride that Tikk, GrnEyes, Wakko (my son), HillBilly and me took down US 129 aka the Tail of the Dragon.

Part 1

Part 2

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Quest III, Part I: A Journey Begun...Rain, the Waffle House, & Exit 95...But No Chainsaw

When I take off with my son on one of these quests, we generally are preoccupied with the trip to and from wherever it is we are going.  This trip was a lot different, because once we got to our destination we were going to ride within the area we traveled to.

In the end, we rode 1875 miles.  We rode across seven states: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and did a short bit in Georgia.  While in Tennessee we rode: the Tail of the Dragon, Moonshiner's 28, the Devil's Triangle, Thunder Mountain, Diamond Back and part of the Cherohala Skyway.  It was all outstanding.  Every one of these roads was fun and had its own challenges that were unique.

 

We took off at about 10 AM on Wednesday, May 18.  The first hundred or so miles were a shakedown for the bikes.  Neither my son nor I had carried so much stuff in our saddlebags before and this was the first trip I took on board the Valkyrie.  We stopped several times just to rearrange things and make ourselves more comfortable.  We adjusted highway pegs and moved the saddlebags on my son's bike several times in order to get them in a good location. In Kendallville, Indiana, we were going to stop at Hayden Honda.

Hayden is a huge dealership and I have heard from many Honda owners that the service they provide is worth the drive to get there.  We started out looking for some clamps for my son's highway pegs but ended up buying a new universal set for his bike.  We took some time to put them on and then mounted up head south again.

Going through Indianapolis was not too bad even though it was close to rush hour.  As the day wore on, more and more dark clouds started to roll in.  Somewhere close to the Ohio border, the bottom fell out.  We pulled underneath an overpass and put our rain gear on.  This was the first time the new rain suits had been worn.  The gear fit fine and kept both of us dry as we continued to press and a southeasterly direction.

This was the first time I had ridden in a steady rain at highway speed.  The worst part was the rain smearing the visor on my helmet.  My son figured out that if you held your head upward the wind would actually below the rain off the visor.  I tried it and it worked.  The rain was mostly just steady and it actually slowed down by the time we were riding for a few miles.

Pulling into the hotel in Florence, Kentucky, we were lucky enough to be allowed to park our bikes under the awning.  Of all the hotels I have stayed at while riding, I have yet to run into one that would not allow me to park up near the door.   I do appreciate that courtesy.

 

We slept a little late the next morning but were on the road after breakfast at the Waffle House.  I have yet to find a single Waffle House in Michigan so whenever I travel south I make a point to eat there as much as possible.  My son and I both love the hash browns: scattered, covered, smothered, and diced.

At exit number 95, on Highway 75 we pulled off to meet KyChick.  She is a fellow rider who lives in the area.  She was nice enough to drive from where she lived all the way to the exit we were passing by just to meet with us, share a soda, and say hello.  What a nice lady and loved that Kentucky accent!  On the road, you meet the best people. 

After that stop, we continued to cruise southward until we reached Tallassee, Tennessee.  We had rented a room in a cabin there for the next three days.  The only problem was, when we got there no one else was around.  Taking a chance, I reached up above the door and found the key on the ledge, opened the door, and walked on in. 

We searched the whole house for signs of anyone who might be staying there and found none.  Since we were both a bit tired from riding, my son and I sat and watched TV for a bit.  After a little while, I was getting a little antsy, concerned that we might be in the wrong place.  I have seen a lot of slasher movies over the years and a lot of them start with people wandering into places that appear to be okay then suddenly turn sinister… so, I decided we should leave and come back later.  We leathered up and headed for the door.

As we walked out, the other folks we were sharing the cabin with arrived.  Which was much better than a guy wearing a hockey mask and toting a chainsaw; well at least It was a lot friendlier.

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Bob Seger, The Silver Bullet Band & The Magical Mystery Way Back Machine

On 28 May I went to see Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids with my son.  This was the last performance of his 2011 tour, and it was a miracle that I was able to get tickets at all.  The seats were 10 rows from the stage which gave us a great vantage point to watch the concert.

The lights were up after the warm up band;  Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band would be on in a few moments.  I looked around at the crowd.  A majority were 50 or older, the men were mostly gray, the women dyed.  The lights went down as the band and Seger came out,  they too were gray haired and older.  For a moment I was wondering what this was going to be like,  then he launched into Roll Me, Away.

The voice and music were the same that I remembered from the 70s.  Years had Not diminished voice or the ferocity of the music.   The crowd rose in unison, and within 30 seconds we were transported decades back in time;  dancing and singing along. 

For the next hour,  I was totally enthralled by the music and the emotion that was pouring out of the crowd.  Every song he played was familiar to me and every song had a vivid memory attached to it.  Through my mind I scrolled through old girlfriends, times spent having fun with friends, late-night rides, and moon lit nights on beaches.  All of it was so long ago but the music brought them back to life as the images danced through my mind while my ears were treated to the music. 

The audience formed a single unit and our fists rose to the sky in victory at the end of every song, mimicking what Bob Seger was doing himself.  The cheers and applause lasted almost as long as the songs themselves.  I would look around, when the lights were bright enough, and I studied the expressions on every face.  All of us were sharing a moment.  The smiles, the looks of longing in the eyes, and at times tears were all being displayed in the open as each of us knew we were sharing emotions that each one of us was feeling.  Seger was encouraging us to sing along and appeared to be having a grand time as well.

There was a short break of about 10 minutes when we all collectively caught our breath.  I had heard rumor that Seger himself was catching his breath with an oxygen tank due to years of smoking.  None of that seemed to matter to us or him, when he was on stage his face showed that he was fully alive and enjoying every minute that he shared with us.

When he came out for the next hour, it was as if the entire band had been magically recharged.  The first hour and the second matched in both intensity and vibrance.  We rocked out.  I noticed a woman who was standing a few rows in front of me.  Her hips were gyrating in time with the music in her arms were reaching up towards the sky.  She was totally in her own world and from what I could see it was a good place to be.

I saw couples dancing with bodies pressed together during the slow songs.  Perhaps they were reliving a bit of romance from the past or maybe the music was creating their first romance that night.  I had no way of knowing.  It really didn't matter, the effect either way was the same.  You knew they were enjoying the music and that it had meaning.

It had been a long time since I've been to a real rock concert.  I can't remember one ever being like this where the audience and the artist connected so fully and where both seem to be having such a good time together.  More often than not in the past the artist would seem almost aloof or disconnected from the crowd.  Seger and his band were not, they were reaching out to become one with us and to let us know how much they were enjoying performing.

Bob Seger sang the road songs, love songs, and the songs of trials and tribulations.  His voice never failed nor did it ever waiver.  He was performing a concert today with the same energy he had performed concerts for the last 30 years.   

When the second hour was over and the band left the stage, the crowd clamored, and screamed and yelled in till they came back out.  The band returned and  performed three more songs, then exited the stage as it went dark.  Again, the crowd went wild.  Bob Seger brought his band back out for another encore.  It was at this point that he played one of my favorite songs: Night Moves.

The song itself had particular meaning for me as it came along during a period of angst when I was in high school.  Even though my experiences at that point were limited to heavy petting, I could identify with the lines “I used her and she used me but neither one cared.  We were getting our share”.  To me that personified dating in high school where we were all just learning about basic sexuality, love, and affection.  It was a time of practice and experimentation.  That song captured it so well. 

After three hours of listening to Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band’s music and allowing them to take us on this musical journey it was suddenly over.  The second encore ended with Rock & Roll Never Forgets, it doesn’t.  It was the best damn concert I have ever seen.  Seger rocks and I won’t forget that either.

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The Quest for Even More Cowbell III - To the Tail of the Dragon - The Music Video

Here is the music video,  details on the trip to follow.

Enjoy!




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Another Day, Another Quest, and More Cowbell

In days of yore, people of like lineage would depart their homes on journeys of purpose traveling together in a vehicle called a “station wagon”. While inside these vehicles there were numerous calls and chants for unity such as “Are we there yet?”, “Dad, my sibling is on my side of the car!!” and “I have to go to the bathroom!”. Such chants were punctuated by the lyric telling of tales regarding bottles of beer that somehow defied gravity by staying on the “wall” without visible means of support, until they were taken down and passed around. Another well-known tale was that of a canine whose name starts out identical to a number and letter based game of chance but then slowly degrades into a series of percussive slaps of the hand. Nevertheless, I digress-O.

Three years ago there was a journey undertaken by a man, one of his progeny, and a hound of incredible intelligence. The goal was to visit the father’s father who had recently acquired a medical marvel known as a “new shoulder”. The routing took them from the wilds of Michigan, to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, through West and Regular Virginia (where they visited another of the sons and his recently acquired love interest) then on the destination. Be assured the route home was no less wandering.

  

At some point during the journey, the trip itself became known as the “The Quest for More Cowbell” even though the trail was littered with stickers saying “AYBABTU”.

The following year the trip took on a new dimension as only the father and son were traveling and even though four wheels were again involved, this time there were two vehicles with two wheels each. The goal was circumnavigation of Lake Michigan and stops included the Harley-Davidson Hall of Fame and a place of mystery and wonderment known as Sheboygan with a secondary visit to Cheboygan. This was known to both a disinterested public and an ignoring press as “The Quest for More Cowbell II”.

On May 18. 2011, two strong, fearless, unconquerable and incredibly handsome travelers will again depart home and head out seeking fame, fortune, adventure… and of course more Cowbell. The journey will include stops in Columbus, Ohio and Wabash, Indiana. The goal that will be reached between these two bookends is the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and a legendary Dragon begging to be slain. This adventure will forever more is known in lore, song and in my blog as: “The Quest for More Cowbell III”.

Face it,  life is better with more cowbell.

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I Met Her On Line...

When I approached her place, I saw her standing off to the side near the garage.  I parked and then got out and walked over to her.  Two thoughts ran through my mind, the first was that her picture in no way did her justice; she was gorgeous.  The other was that for some reason she sounded taller on line, it is odd how the mind fills in the blanks.As I got closer, I let my eyes wander over her and realized that she was only wearing a bra -- it made me smile.  When I reached her I purposely walked right past her, not wanting to let her know how much I really wanted to stand and stare.  Walking to her ass, I placed my hand on it and then let my hand glide up her body as I walked around her slowly.  She stood totally still and did not say a word or move a muscle.  I knew I was making her mine. 

After circumnavigating her, I stopped on her right side then I reached out and caressed her in a way that I knew would cause her to react.  It did.  She shuddered and then moaned with a deep throaty sound.  The shudder then calmed and turned into a deep throbbing vibration -- I could not resist her charms any more.  In a heated moment, I mounted her hard. 

She moaned louder as I stroked her and felt her vibrations throughout my body.  I threw my head back and smiled letting the waves of her free spirit wash over me unbridled.  I was in ecstasy as I first gave into her wiles and then grabbed her with both hands.  I took control of her -- not to tame her -- but to make her mine. She released herself to me, letting me have her full passion. Then I heard a sound behind me -- but we were so taken with each other we did not care who saw us or what they thought.

Then I heard it....

"So, I am guessing you want to buy the bike, come on inside when you um finish whatever it is you are doing there -- but I am not judging you, man."

 

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