Monday, June 20, 2011

Glad I'm not a father day ride 6/19.

The great thing about not being a father, let me rephrase that. One of the many great things about not being a father is that I can do whatever I want on Father's Day. Now this is where fathers everywhere are attending brunches, lunches, dinners, barbeques and pool parties set up by their wife and kids to keep them from the golf course, the fishing hole or the TV to watch the ball game, the race or whatever and basically from the peace and quiet relished by those of us who enjoy such moments every weekend.



A friend was flying home from work for the weekend and sent me a text message Friday asking if any rides were planned for Sunday. As with many in our riding group he doesn't have any kids either, so I posted up a group ride on the other side of the valley, close to his home to accommodate his tight schedule. The poor bastard still got roped into one of the many obligations I listed above and bailed on me. While his bike sat in his garage, the weight creating flat spots in his tires I went for a ride.

This is the same route Rick, Trobairitz and I took last year, but this time Trobairitz wanted me to go without her and to enjoy the ride without a newbie... so I did.

I took my usual route across the valley, which is the same route I take to work but this time I was a bit ahead of schedule to meet the guys so I stopped to smell the flowers. Normally I ride past fields of grass seed and through clouds of pollen but this year a company in North Carolina has planted several fields of Meadowfoam to use in perfume and cosmetics. Much more pleasant and aromatic to ride past than grass pollen.





Good thing I am not afraid of bees as these hives were quite active.



I was on my way and still arrived early so I went past our old house in Lebanon to see how the landscaping was coming along. We chose the design and layout of the house and had it built for us so the yard was a blank slate.



I can sure tell which plants are hardy and which ones weren't. Where's the...and what happened to the...?



Obviously, the new owner doesn't own a pair of pruners or shears. Too bad everything is overgrown, it was perfect when we sold it 5 years ago. Meh, I took the money and run.



I met the guys down the street, a fellow Tiger rider and another friend on a nicely detailed GSXR (justa750) whom I hadn't ridden with in some time. We met at an old corner store and I discovered this old time machine and costume changing room. I donned my helmet, checked my watch, stepped inside for a bit and sure enough when I stepped out it was the future.



We hopped on our bikes, rode out to Sweet Home for gas then it was across the dam... oops I missed that turn, across the bridge to Quartzville Road. We had to watch for campers along the roadway as it meanders along Green Peter Lake and camp spots are right along the narrow road.

The road was twisty with a few mossy spots, fallen rock had littered several sections and last winter's frost heaved the pavement but it was nothing the Tiger didn't devour as I pulled away several times from the track bike. I felt like a Jackal out running the GSXR.

Until the elevation got the best of us and we ran into snow at 4135 feet, the same elevation I froze my ass off on Memorial Day weekend. At least today was sunny and 20 degrees warmer.



We had to stop Andy from making an attempt and got him to turn around.



We stayed awhile, soaked up the sun and BS'ed when Kenny rolled up on his Buell Ulysses. It is sure great to know other riders in the area from bike nights.



We were stopped a mere 10 miles from Hwy 22 and had to ride back the 40 miles of twisty roads, oh darn.



It was a fantastic ride down the hill and I played in the corners all the way down. A great day, a great ride but it was getting late and we didn't make it to our lunch spot so we were getting hungry.

There are no flat spots on our tires or new neckties in our drawer.
Happy Father's Day....


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6 comments:

  1. No parties or barbecue for me. My youngest son, my wife and I spent the afternoon helping my oldest son and his wife move to a cabin in the woods (partial running water). They decided to downsize and save for a house with running water.

    All in all, not a bad day...

    ReplyDelete
  2. lol, I have similar sentiments about holidays...always getting in the way of my fun! Don't have to have kids to get stuck in the cycle. Just living close to family will snag you.

    I was reading another blogger who were stopped at the same spot. They tried to get through the first snow, but were stopped by the next drift. They were both on dual-sports.

    Looks like a great ride, and the perfect way to spend "father's day" ;)

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  3. We have a rule: On my birthday and on Father's Day my kids leave me alone. My one obligation is to call my Dad. I spent my morning riding and and afternoon inline skating. I saw no snow and in no way feel deprived.

    Nice ride report.

    Thanks for the share,
    ~k

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  4. ENjoyed reading, some very pretty pictures there also. LAst year I got breakfast in bed, then left the kids with my partner and went riding....AS I sadi to them it is FATHERS DAY, not father and kids day! They understood.

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  5. I'm delighted to see so many like-minded people with respect to Father's Day. I love my family to bits but would much sooner be out doing my own thing. Our kids all live a fair distance away but Jennie insists in taking me out to lunch in lieu. Daren't put her straight as she'd call me a cranky old bastard and I'd never hear the end of it.

    Great photos btw, I hope never to get that close to snow in the rest of my life!!

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  6. You didn't make it to your lunch stop and were hungry? What am I missing. A group of bad-ass riders. On a road filled with helpless campers. Campers have stoves. With food. And you all didn't go the "take-out" route?

    Sheesh.

    ReplyDelete

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