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June 4
- Left Jacksonville from Fire Station 31 at 7 AM with 12 people and 8
bikes and cloudy skies.
We
rode US 90 to Live Oak where we met the remainder of our group at the
Dixie Grill. With another 5 people and 4 bikes, we now numbered 17
people and 12 bikes. After a filling breakfast and a few showers, it
was already time to don the rain gear which we kept on for the next
several hours. Soon, the weather cleared and it was smooth sailing past
Tallahassee where we picked up US 27 and headed north. Our lunch stop
was at the Hardee’s in Colquitt, Ga and then it was back on the road.
We stayed on US 27 the rest of the day and Linda was right, it was a
nice ride with very little traffic. We arrived at the La Quinta Inn at
about 6 PM with 370 miles behind us. Supper that night was at
Longhorn’s which was next to the hotel. The best thing I can say about
it was that it was a short walk back to the hotel.
June 5
- We began the morning with the traditional bike cleaning with
coffee, followed by a continental breakfast ( pretty good ) at the hotel
and leaving at 8:30 am. We were all ready to hit the road. We would
spend the entire day on US 27. The weather was great and still almost
no traffic on the road. US 27 took us north through more small towns
and scenic roads that you never see on the interstate. Our lunch stop
was in Ringgold, GA where we split up, part going to Applebee’s and
some to KFC. The small towns tested our low fuel lights a few times and
we soon learned to fuel up when you see a station. We got into the
Chattanooga area early so we decided to make a Harley Shop Stop at
Thunder Creek Harley Davidson. As usual, that many red bikes attracted
a lot of attention and we always enjoy talking to folks about who we
are.
After collecting our Harley goodies, we headed for the Days Inn in
Lookout Mtn. where we would spend the next two nights. Due to some
maintenance problems, they had to put us on two sides of the motel but
grouped us together so we could still visit. No evening meal was
planned so everyone sort of did their own thing. We walked down to the
Waffle House where Harvey had some potatoes that were scattered,
smothered, and covered and that was only a few of the choices. Another
250 miles were logged in today and after coffee and some bike cleaning,
we settled in.
June 6
- We all had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel just across the highway
and planned our day.
Mike
and Virginia wanted to stay in Chattanooga and take in Ruby Falls,
Incline Railway and the Tennessee Aquarium. The remainder of us
followed Harvey on a ride which he and a friend planned prior to the
trip. It carried us to Signal Mountain, through the Sequatchie Valley
where we stopped in Crossroads for a visit to the local Fire Station,
Police Station and City Hall all located in the same building.
We
continued through the Valley and later stopped for coffee, water, and
ice cream at the McDonalds near Falling Waters State Park. We got a
little rain while we rested and when it stopped, we were off again.
Around lunch time, Harvey took us to the Jasper Bar B Q where we all
chowed down and I had the biggest pork tenderloin sandwich I ever saw.
Warren wanted to get several to take with him. As we were leaving, a
nasty storm cloud started rolling in so we just took advantage of all
the rocking chairs on the porch and had some coffee and dessert while we
waited out the storm.
It
cleared after an hour or so and we headed back to Lookout Mtn. In all
we logged another 125 miles. Most of us stayed in this evening and ate
at nearby restaurants while some did laundry. It was still a little
rainy
June 7
- After checking out, we rode back to the Cracker Barrel for
breakfast and discuss our route for the day and any special requests.
Since our Honda and Suzuki riders wanted to visit a dealership and one
of our group had to fly back to Jacksonville this morning, we decided to
breakup and meet later. We said our good-bys to Marsha. We hated to see
her go because she kept Lee in line most of the time. They headed for
the airport, some to the Suzuki shop, some back to Thunder Creek Harley
and we were to meet at the Honda dealer later. The folks at Thunder
Creek wanted to take pictures of all those Red Bikes this time so we
“lined em up”.
We
left Chattanooga about noon and headed north on US 27 again. The local
Chapter of the Red Knights in Danville, KY wanted to ride down to meet
us so we would keep an eye out for them today. We made a quick lunch
stop in Spring City, TN at you guessed it (McDonalds). This was a
quaint little railroad town which I’m sure housed some antique stores
which Linda wanted to explore.
Our ride continued north and about an
hour or so south of the Kentucky border, we saw coming our way a group
of bikers wearing bright red shirts which could only be our guys. We
pulled into Woodys Market where we met Clarence, Joe, Jim, and Greg from
the Danville Red Knights.
After some introductions and some pictures, they posted two guys on the
front and two on the rear and we were off to our next stop.
We
arrived in Danville at the Country Hearth Inn at about 5:30 after
logging in 255 miles for the day. I can only say great things about the
hotel. The rooms were great, the rate was greater and they had a
terrific steakhouse on the property.
June 8
- After breakfast at Shoney’s, Clarence from the local chapter
escorted us to the Danville Fire Station where we met up with fellow
firefighters and had our pictures made with them.
A
photographer from the local paper saw all the bikes at the Station and
stopped to see what was going on. After hearing our story, he also took
pictures and along with a short story, appeared in The
Advocate-Messenger the next day. Can you believe it? We made the news!
With 5 of the local chapter leading us, we headed to the Harley Shop in
Lexington for a short stop. After that, we were off for more sight
seeing. Our ride took us on the Kentucky Bluegrass Scenic Highway,
stopping at the Shaker Village and traveling past some very impressive
horse farms.
We
stopped for lunch in Harrodsburg at a place called The Cloud. What a
great place to eat home cooking and the owner even came over and told
jokes. We gave it a 5 star rating. This was a short day today with only
100 miles behind us. This gave some a good chance to get the laundry
done. After dinner, we gathered around the pool for coffee and talked
about the day and shared our own funny stories.
June 9
- After breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, we started out on today’s
ride on the local scenic highways. Our fearless leader (me) took a
wrong turn, we were off 150 and on a smaller road (52) which took us
through rolling hills and rural farmland. I guess there are no wrong
turns, just new routes. We made our way west to 31E to New Haven where
we stopped for rest and refreshments. Heading south, we stopped at
Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace which is a National Historic Site.
We
walked the grounds, took in the memorial which housed an actual log
cabin from the era. After checking out the gift shop and taking lots of
pictures, we headed south still on 31E. The weather started looking a
little iffy so we cut back east in Hardeeville on 88 and then to US68
where we headed north back to Danville. Beautiful day, no rain, no
traffic, and scenic roads added up to a great day of riding with 190
miles added to the trip total. Later, we joined up with the local
Chapter of the Red Knights and rode together to their Bike Night and the
local Sonic Drive In.
I
must say, all of us together made an impressive arrival at the Sonic.
We were welcomed by several bike clubs and enjoyed being with other
bikers for the evening.
June 10
- After breakfast at the hotel, we said our good-bys and headed out of
Danville (great visit) and set our sights on West Virginia. We headed to
Richmond, KY where we got on I 75 for a short time and then jumped onto
I 64 heading east. Our lunch stop today was at Logan’s Roadhouse in
Huntington, WVA. From here, it was onward to Charleston, picking up Old
60 which ran along the Kanawha River.
This
was a nice winding road going through pretty towns, along the river past
water falls and hill country. At US 19, we turned south and headed for
the New River Gorge.
We
stopped for pictures, toured the Visitors Center, and ate fudge and had
coffee at the local gift shop. After our butt break as some called it,
we were off again on US 19 to Beckley, WVA where we picked up I 77. Our
next stop would be the last today as the miles would total 350 for this
leg of the journey. The Super 8 Motel in Princeton was looking pretty
good by now. The desk clerk was very accommodating when the rain clouds
appeared. She let us park all the bikes under the office drive through
so they would not get wet. We had a late lunch so a few wandered down
for dessert and coffee. The strawberry pie was delicious!
June 11
- Today, we decided to leave early and eat down the road. So, after
some coffee, we were back on the road at 7 AM. It was a foggy morning
but the worse was yet to come. After only a few miles, we started over
the Appalachian Mountains and the higher we got, the worse the weather
turned and then it started to rain. We were soon separated and were
forced to move very slowly. The mountainous terrain interfered with the
CB radio. It took a while to get to the bottom of the hill and we
regrouped at a rest stop. After this stressful crossing, we stopped for
gas and breakfast at the Country Side Restaurant. They had a great
buffet.
Soon we were rested and back on the road. Two of our group
would be leaving us today as they would be heading to Raleigh to visit
family. We made our way to Statesville and planned to stop at the local
Harley Shop.
We
pulled into a gas station for directions and when we left, we failed to
notice that one of our group was not with us. Ron saw the interstate and
figured we must have gone on, so as we shopped at the dealer just around
the corner, he was racing south trying to “catch” us. By the time we
realized what had happened, he was many miles ahead of us. Thank
goodness for cell phones!! He pulled into Orangeburg, South Carolina
and waited for us which turned out to be a good place to stop anyway.
It was only a 282 mile day but with all the drama, it seemed like more.
Dinner that night was Huddle House, Ruby Tuesdays, and take out chicken.
June 12
- Our last day on the road started early again. We decided to ride
US301 all the way back. Breakfast was at McDonalds in Allendale. The
tropical storm was moving up out of the Gulf and inland and we ran into
a few light rain bands. We were well east of the effects of the storm
so we kept moving. Lee had some minor electrical problems with his bike
today but he and Richard were able to quickly make repairs at a gas
station. The
remainder of the day was just a great day of riding. Today we logged
300 miles and home again.
In all, we
covered 9 days, 8 states and something over 2000 miles. We met some
great people along the way, rode endless miles of beautiful two lane
roads through towns and countryside so pretty that the pictures just
can’t do it justice. With no major breakdowns, all we worried about was
where to eat, where to sleep and who was going to fix Ron’s ponytail
each morning.
We had a
super time and I hope that if you missed this one, you will make plans
to go with us next year.
Till then,
watch the site for ride updates.
David
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