Point-to-point mileage - 2969 Miles (4788 Kilometers)
Total Mileage - 3343 Miles (5392 Kilometers)
Fuel usage - 39.67 Miles/U.S. Gallon
Trip Hero - Betsy. As usual, she never missed a beat.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Trip Summary
Point-to-point mileage - 2969 Miles (4788 Kilometers)
Total Mileage - 3343 Miles (5392 Kilometers)
Fuel usage - 39.67 Miles/U.S. Gallon
Trip Hero - Betsy. As usual, she never missed a beat.
Day 12 - Spring, TX
661 Miles
Pulled out of Henderson about 7:30 am on Hwy 100 connecting with one of my favorites Hwy 64 after about fifty miles. Connected to I-40 in Memphis and booked it southwest through Little Rock to Texarkana, switching to Hwy 59 there. A short connection to I-45 in The Woodlands and then home again, home again jiggity-jig. Got home about 8:00pm. My butt was reminding me why I don't do Iron Butt runs: it requires just that.
Day 11 - Henderson, TN
426 Miles
Pulled up stakes (literally) about 7:00am and was on the road by 7:30 heading west. The initial ride down Hwy 28 along the Little Tennessee River is beautiful as reflected by the following photos.
A very pretty ride to start off the day.
Where Hwy 28 meets Hwy 129 begins the famous, or infamous, Tail of the Dragon (going upward). A twisty road consisting of 318 curves within 11 miles, it's everything a bike rider could want in terms of thrills...and some. The "and some" refers to the crotch rocket riders who endanger everyone on the road as they spiral down the mountain toward you as fast as they can.
At the bottom end there is the famous Tree of Shame with pieces parts of all kinds of bikes which haven't "completed" the trip. Inside the store there is a poster board replete with photos of injured riders, most sporting very painful looking "road rashes."
As usual, your intrepid reporter accepts all challenges, fears no dangers, and forges ahead safely conquering the "Tail of the Dragon." (Going up...and at speeds allowing me to see around the corner before gassing the bike, i.e., "putt-putting"...but I made it.)
After a nice stop in Vorone, TN for Hardee's Ham Biscuits, I resolve to ride mostly what I like to call "middle Tennessee" roads. These are usually two-laned and pass through the wonderful towns of Tennessee. This is absolutely one of my favorite places in the Union. The people are some of the most friendly I've encountered anywhere on any of my trips.
Just outside of Nashville and needing to head toward Memphis I get on I-40 and slab my way south and west. About 4:00pm I couldn't stand the slab any longer and turned back "inland" toward Henderson. My timing was perfect. I checked into a motel just outside of Henderson just in time to turn on the TV and get the weather alerts informing us that a gigantic string of thunder storms, complete with 80mph wind shears and one confirmed tornado was bearing down on us from the southwest at 45mph. I parked Betsy under heavy columns at the motel and took my road shower just before the rains came. Fortunately, the storms petered out in my area moving mostly to the north of us. Worked for me.
Unfortunately, my computer didn't work for me. Wanting to put this together while in the motel I re-encountered the start up problem I ran into back at the MTF get-together. Evidently, my battery is on the fritz and the system can't even get enough power plugged in to start up. I have later determined I can charge it for several hours and bring it up connected to a power source, but if I shut it down I'm out of business. A new laptop battery is on order and due in tomorrow.
In the meantime, tomorrow it's homeward bound.
Days 9-10 Stecoah, NC
82 Miles
In preparation for my Alaska trip in 2006 (Alaska 2006) I joined a motorcycle tourer forum on the internet. It is, appropriately, called the Motorcycle Tourer Forum (MTF). Founded by Alan Deluc, this is an all around great site for riders needing information, or wanting to meet people with like interests. Shortly after my trip my friend Rita M. introduced me to her childhood friend, Claye C. who rides long distance motorcycle. Turns out she, too, was a member of this forum and has introduced me to many others through Facebook. This weekend the MTF was having their annual Founder's Feast at the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah, NC, and Claye was there working on the event. I'd told Claye on FB I might make it and she was sitting in the lodge as I rode up.
The place was full of OFOMs so I felt right at home. It was so full, in fact, that there was only bunkhouse and tent site space available. Fortunately, for me and the boys in the bunkhouse, this is why I always carry a pack with tent, sleeping bag and pad on the bike with me. Why would one sleep in a bunkhouse shaking a single room when one can sleep in a tent and keep the bears away? Opting for the safety for the entire group...a sacrifice that I think has not been properly noted by the many involved...I chose a campsite, put up my tent, and immediately made a beer run to Bryson City. Like many places in Texas you can cross a street up here and go from wet to dry.
Got a 12-pack, rented a cooler, filled it with ice and I was ready to meet these folks. Claye introduced me to a ton of people and, as would be expected, they are wonderful people who, like me, just enjoy the road on two-wheeled vehicles. A key group within the group, as it were, are Iron Butts, people who not only ride long distances, but do it in a relatively short time. The usual criteria for certification is 1,000 miles within 24 hours. Some have done the Four Corners, Key West, California, Washington, Maine, and Key West. Now that's a trip I'd like to do. In a reasonable (for me) amount of time, of course.
Driving up a welcome sight: bikes and bikers. This place is made for bikers. Note the kick-stand strip on the asphalt in the parking area.
Another day, another shot of bikes.
I mentioned these are motorcycle touring riders, did I not? On Saturday, eschewing the officially sanctioned "Flower Sniffin'" ride because we assumed it might be too long, Sylvia and I elected to go off on our own and come back early to keep Claye company at the lodge. I thought this meant a ride of a couple of two or three hours. Six hours later we returned (but before the other ride, anyway).
Betsy, basking beautifully on the bridge.
Sylvia, safety swathed, stately standing on the structure.
Sylvia at our highest apogee.
Bald (somebody or something) Falls
I have a new heroine. Please meet Ardys K. Ardys is a youthful 79 years of age and was recognized during the MTF Founders event for achieving her 1,000,000th mile (yes, you read it correctly, one million) on BMW motorcycles. There are several people here who have been riding for a long time and have accumulated amazing numbers of miles. Makes my small efforts puny by comparison, but I've enjoyed every one of them. CONGRATS ARDYS! You rock!!
The place was full of OFOMs so I felt right at home. It was so full, in fact, that there was only bunkhouse and tent site space available. Fortunately, for me and the boys in the bunkhouse, this is why I always carry a pack with tent, sleeping bag and pad on the bike with me. Why would one sleep in a bunkhouse shaking a single room when one can sleep in a tent and keep the bears away? Opting for the safety for the entire group...a sacrifice that I think has not been properly noted by the many involved...I chose a campsite, put up my tent, and immediately made a beer run to Bryson City. Like many places in Texas you can cross a street up here and go from wet to dry.
Got a 12-pack, rented a cooler, filled it with ice and I was ready to meet these folks. Claye introduced me to a ton of people and, as would be expected, they are wonderful people who, like me, just enjoy the road on two-wheeled vehicles. A key group within the group, as it were, are Iron Butts, people who not only ride long distances, but do it in a relatively short time. The usual criteria for certification is 1,000 miles within 24 hours. Some have done the Four Corners, Key West, California, Washington, Maine, and Key West. Now that's a trip I'd like to do. In a reasonable (for me) amount of time, of course.
Driving up a welcome sight: bikes and bikers. This place is made for bikers. Note the kick-stand strip on the asphalt in the parking area.
Another day, another shot of bikes.
The main area of the lodge.
My campsite was just to the left of this picture adjacent to the creek.
 |
| Claye checking in yet another rider |
 |
| Sylvia leading us out |
Betsy, basking beautifully on the bridge.
Sylvia, safety swathed, stately standing on the structure.
 |
| Hence the name, Great Smoky Mountains |
Sylvia at our highest apogee.
Bald (somebody or something) Falls
 | ||
| The Group |
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Day 8 - Asheville, NC
251 Miles
Nothing but rain forecast for the Raleigh area for the next three days. A quick review of the weather map said, "Go west, young man...and meet the incoming rain." So that's what I've done. The good news is Fall appears to be coming behind these bands of low and high pressure that's creating all the thunderstorms and rain. I'm in Asheville tonight working out the next legs of the trip. Perhaps something interesting and photos. Huh?
Nothing but rain forecast for the Raleigh area for the next three days. A quick review of the weather map said, "Go west, young man...and meet the incoming rain." So that's what I've done. The good news is Fall appears to be coming behind these bands of low and high pressure that's creating all the thunderstorms and rain. I'm in Asheville tonight working out the next legs of the trip. Perhaps something interesting and photos. Huh?
Day 7 - Raleigh, NC
394 Miles
Got up and rode in and out of rain showers all day. Sorry, no "travel" pictures. I'm on a mission and until completed I don't have time for photographs. "We don't need no stinkin' scenery."
Worth the rain and push. Got a family "fix" for dinner tonight.
Got up and rode in and out of rain showers all day. Sorry, no "travel" pictures. I'm on a mission and until completed I don't have time for photographs. "We don't need no stinkin' scenery."
Worth the rain and push. Got a family "fix" for dinner tonight.
Dinner with Zaine, Lisa, and Wil
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Day 6 - Brunswick, Georgia
195 Miles
Short ride today. I took Betsy in for and oil change and a new pair of shoes. Hey, that's pretty good. The last time I was on Betsy I and stopped for a new shoe I ended up kicking her to the curb and buying this one. No change coming here any time soon.
By the time I left the dealer and hit I-4 it was 2:30 pm and overcast. I dodged rain showers until I reached Jacksonville then rode in alternating heavy/light showers until I reached Brunswick where I said enough and packed it in for the evening. Called my daughter and have a date for dinner with her and the grand kids tomorrow night. Does it get any better than that? (The answer is no.)
Short ride today. I took Betsy in for and oil change and a new pair of shoes. Hey, that's pretty good. The last time I was on Betsy I and stopped for a new shoe I ended up kicking her to the curb and buying this one. No change coming here any time soon.
By the time I left the dealer and hit I-4 it was 2:30 pm and overcast. I dodged rain showers until I reached Jacksonville then rode in alternating heavy/light showers until I reached Brunswick where I said enough and packed it in for the evening. Called my daughter and have a date for dinner with her and the grand kids tomorrow night. Does it get any better than that? (The answer is no.)
Days 3-5 - Central Florida
Visited with Mom at her assisted living home. What can I say? She's physically healthy as a horse but old man Alzheimer's is eating her up. It's a devastating disease and really bothers me when I remember how strong willed and minded this woman was. Every now and then you can still see it in conversation, but it's just becoming more and more rare. And, of course, when one's own mother doesn't recognize him it has a tendency to reset one to zero. My sister, Judy, because she lives in the area, has been saddled with the burden of caring for her above and beyond the services of the "home." And Mom hasn't recognized her in over two years. One just has to accept this stuff...but it ain't all that easy. And it's got to be tougher on Judy having to see it every week. Life is definitely a lottery.
After visiting Mom I stopped at King's Choice BBQ in Eustis. This is a Lake County landmark and tradition I've mentioned several times in these blogs. It's still there and the BBQ is still the best I've ever had. The latter in spite of the fact that they've "wimped" up the sauce over the years. It used to be a lot hotter. Anyway...took the BBQ to Ron's, and we pigged out until it was time to go to Cassia, Florida.
Ron has been telling me for years that there are some good "pickin' and grinnin'" sessions in Cassia, but never during the periods I was visiting. He kept giving me this second and forth Saturday of each month stuff and touted up the number and skills of the participants; many of whom, evidently, are older folks (even older than we) and play a lot of that good ol' country music. I, of course, have accused him of BS'ing me and stating that such events obviously never occurred.
This particular Saturday night was not the second or forth of the month, but was billed to be the 6th annual Houston (somebody's) 85th birthday party, eating, and picking session. Houston is a guy who certainly appears to be 85 years old (or is it 91, given it was the 6th 85th birthday celebration). [Note: I expect it's all the inter-breeding that goes on out in these swamps that leads to these mathematical faux-paus's.] In any event, we went, a bunch of folks played a bunch of old country music and it was good. Always good to see folks having a good time though the level of musicianship was a little ragged at times. There was this one guy who played the hell out of a harmonica, but, unfortunately he knew it, and instead of playing with the others he played (way) over them, ruining the sound and his place in my pantheon of harmonica players. The price was certainly right and one couldn't expect a lot for that.
For the record...this was a special birthday party and the existence of 2nd and 4th Saturday amateur pickin' and grinnin' sessions is still suspect to this writer.
Ron, Donna, and I went to a bar and grill on the St. John's and we heard this local singer, Rog Lee play and sing. The guy is really very good and writes some cool stuff. I really like his turn with lyrics. He's a character and has a lot of songs about the St. Johns and Florida. I'm really partial to a couple of them. One is 'Square Grouper,' a song about fishing for those various and sundry bales of chemical product that gets dumped in the Atlantic from smuggler's boats under attack by the Coast Guard. If one had an outlet it wouldn't take much to make a few dollars there. Of course, anyone who has seen the movie 'No Country For Old Men' should be able to assess the risk and act accordingly. Another song of his which turns me on is 'In Case of Rapture (Can I Have Your Car?).' This one "rings" with me because of all the "professional Christians" I see running around everywhere. The song tells how he is a little slow leaving a stop light and this guy honks at him, throws him the bird and yells, "f__k you!" as he passes him in this nice new Cadillac with a bumper sticker that says "In Case of Rapture This Car Will Be Empty." Rog, correctly, questions whether he can make the Rapture if guys like this are going. An excellent sentiment to which I fully subscribe.
After seeing Rog in the early afternoon we went to the Bistro in Deland and had a great meal of appitizers, mostly consisting of my favorite Moules (Mussels) and artichokes. Ended the evening with a nice walk through an old car show and through downtown Deland. They've done a good job with the old city, and there are some neat restaurants and stores in the old mid-town area.
On Sunday afternoon we were off again, heading eastward to New Smyrna Beach. On our way out of Lake Helen we ran into these guys.
Yeah...try finding one during hunting season. These are some of the wiliest game on the planet. They routinely drive hunters to distraction by their seeming antics just out of range of the shooter.
New Smyrna Beach is only about 25 miles from Lake Helen and is one of the best beaches in Florida. We arrived late in the day having decided rather late to have a Sunday drive. But, in the final analysis, it's mostly that "sugar sand" only whiter. Saw plenty of it earlier. Pretty place, Florida.
Caution! Fat man on beach.
Donna and Ron
The recent hurricane kicked up a bunch of Jellyfish and there have been many bathers hurting on Florida beaches during the past couple of weeks.
Ron and I visited Mom again on Monday. After that I made an appointment with the Kawasaki
dealer for an oil change and tire replacement Tuesday. Then we went down to the St. John's River near Hwy 415 for a couple of beers.
Gator's Riverside Grill
St. Johns River
This pictures looks west toward Sanford and Lake Monroe. The river flows north to enter the Atlantic at Jacksonville.
This view from the Gator Grille toward the east and the Highway 415 bridge. A couple of miles "up" river from here is the area where my family setup after migrating from Georgia after the civil war. The Geneva, Florida cemetery is full of Geigers.
Left of Ronnie is Walt and his grandniece. She is watching the wildlife.
And the wildlife is watching her.
This is a small, young guy. He probably went about five foot.
Walt told us about a guitar "pickin'" at a music shop in Deland scheduled for that evening. We joined him and picked and grinned with them later. That was good and now others can say about me what I said about the groups on Saturday (little weak in the musicianship area).
After visiting Mom I stopped at King's Choice BBQ in Eustis. This is a Lake County landmark and tradition I've mentioned several times in these blogs. It's still there and the BBQ is still the best I've ever had. The latter in spite of the fact that they've "wimped" up the sauce over the years. It used to be a lot hotter. Anyway...took the BBQ to Ron's, and we pigged out until it was time to go to Cassia, Florida.
Ron has been telling me for years that there are some good "pickin' and grinnin'" sessions in Cassia, but never during the periods I was visiting. He kept giving me this second and forth Saturday of each month stuff and touted up the number and skills of the participants; many of whom, evidently, are older folks (even older than we) and play a lot of that good ol' country music. I, of course, have accused him of BS'ing me and stating that such events obviously never occurred.
This particular Saturday night was not the second or forth of the month, but was billed to be the 6th annual Houston (somebody's) 85th birthday party, eating, and picking session. Houston is a guy who certainly appears to be 85 years old (or is it 91, given it was the 6th 85th birthday celebration). [Note: I expect it's all the inter-breeding that goes on out in these swamps that leads to these mathematical faux-paus's.] In any event, we went, a bunch of folks played a bunch of old country music and it was good. Always good to see folks having a good time though the level of musicianship was a little ragged at times. There was this one guy who played the hell out of a harmonica, but, unfortunately he knew it, and instead of playing with the others he played (way) over them, ruining the sound and his place in my pantheon of harmonica players. The price was certainly right and one couldn't expect a lot for that.
For the record...this was a special birthday party and the existence of 2nd and 4th Saturday amateur pickin' and grinnin' sessions is still suspect to this writer.
Ron, Donna, and I went to a bar and grill on the St. John's and we heard this local singer, Rog Lee play and sing. The guy is really very good and writes some cool stuff. I really like his turn with lyrics. He's a character and has a lot of songs about the St. Johns and Florida. I'm really partial to a couple of them. One is 'Square Grouper,' a song about fishing for those various and sundry bales of chemical product that gets dumped in the Atlantic from smuggler's boats under attack by the Coast Guard. If one had an outlet it wouldn't take much to make a few dollars there. Of course, anyone who has seen the movie 'No Country For Old Men' should be able to assess the risk and act accordingly. Another song of his which turns me on is 'In Case of Rapture (Can I Have Your Car?).' This one "rings" with me because of all the "professional Christians" I see running around everywhere. The song tells how he is a little slow leaving a stop light and this guy honks at him, throws him the bird and yells, "f__k you!" as he passes him in this nice new Cadillac with a bumper sticker that says "In Case of Rapture This Car Will Be Empty." Rog, correctly, questions whether he can make the Rapture if guys like this are going. An excellent sentiment to which I fully subscribe.
After seeing Rog in the early afternoon we went to the Bistro in Deland and had a great meal of appitizers, mostly consisting of my favorite Moules (Mussels) and artichokes. Ended the evening with a nice walk through an old car show and through downtown Deland. They've done a good job with the old city, and there are some neat restaurants and stores in the old mid-town area.
On Sunday afternoon we were off again, heading eastward to New Smyrna Beach. On our way out of Lake Helen we ran into these guys.
Yeah...try finding one during hunting season. These are some of the wiliest game on the planet. They routinely drive hunters to distraction by their seeming antics just out of range of the shooter.
New Smyrna Beach is only about 25 miles from Lake Helen and is one of the best beaches in Florida. We arrived late in the day having decided rather late to have a Sunday drive. But, in the final analysis, it's mostly that "sugar sand" only whiter. Saw plenty of it earlier. Pretty place, Florida.
Caution! Fat man on beach.
Donna and Ron
The recent hurricane kicked up a bunch of Jellyfish and there have been many bathers hurting on Florida beaches during the past couple of weeks.
Ron and I visited Mom again on Monday. After that I made an appointment with the Kawasaki
dealer for an oil change and tire replacement Tuesday. Then we went down to the St. John's River near Hwy 415 for a couple of beers.
Gator's Riverside Grill
St. Johns River
This pictures looks west toward Sanford and Lake Monroe. The river flows north to enter the Atlantic at Jacksonville.
This view from the Gator Grille toward the east and the Highway 415 bridge. A couple of miles "up" river from here is the area where my family setup after migrating from Georgia after the civil war. The Geneva, Florida cemetery is full of Geigers.
Left of Ronnie is Walt and his grandniece. She is watching the wildlife.
And the wildlife is watching her.
This is a small, young guy. He probably went about five foot.
Walt told us about a guitar "pickin'" at a music shop in Deland scheduled for that evening. We joined him and picked and grinned with them later. That was good and now others can say about me what I said about the groups on Saturday (little weak in the musicianship area).
Day 2 - Lake Helen, FL
516 Miles
Hit the slab about 9:00 am heading for my brother's house in Florida. Wish I could relate some great, exciting event, but the highpoint of the trip turned out to be seeing a sign for a McDonald's restaurant near the I-295 by-pass coming into Jacksonville featuring a picture of a large sweet tea for $1.00. I realize this is only exciting to a true southerner (we just can't get enough sweet tea) riding a motorcycle in something like 95° F. plus. Even at 80 MPH the air is hot. It was a very refreshing stop.
In Florida we have a very fine sand we call "sugar sand." The root of the name is obvious; the sand has the consistency of finely grained processed sugar. I arrived at Ron and Donna's about 6:45pm and determined Betsy doesn't like sugar sand any better than she does pea-gravel. Ronnie has a "place in the country." In Lake Helen, Florida that means down a long unpaved road covered with sugar sand. In the old dirt-bike days you put power to the rear
tire and let the front tire find its way through the sand. That works on those
245 lb. dirt bikes. If I haven't mentioned it before, Betsy is a rather
rotund 845 lbs. Fortunately I was moving slowly by the time I lost her she just sort of lay over on the engine
guard and set up listing about 40° to port. The sand is so "slick" and "moving" I couldn't
upright her by myself so I called Ron and he came down and helped me with her. After getting
her upright I followed Ron back down the road and parked her in the
garage of one of his friends with whom he had had the foresight to made previous parking
arrangements, anticipating Betsy's distaste for sugar sand. The boy's pretty smart sometimes. Of course, like his brother he often does things to contravene being called that very often.
Though hot that doesn't mean it was a bad ride. There's a lot to be said about cruising down the interstate with the iPod connected to the sound system and the volume knob turned up to the ®Patent Pending symbol. I have a rather eclectic collection of music. With the iPod set on "shuffle" selection it's a hoot to be boogie-ing down the road with the Allman Brothers one minute and listening to Bach the next. Neat stuff!!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Day 1 - Mobile, Alabama
488 Miles
Go Tide! That's obligatory whenever you enter this area. Dire consequences may follow if you fail.
Got of a little late this morning, having to get meds picked up, etc. That put me dead in the middle of morning drive-time in Houston. Houston is so bloody big it takes about an hour for me to go from my house to Beltway 8 and I-10 East, the point I consider finally out of Houston and starting to travel.
Unfortunately, no great scenery today. I'm all slab trying to make some time. That was a little difficult because I found myself having to make way too many stops. The problem? Well...it's a little touchy, kind of...and somewhat embarrassing...and scatological in nature; as if there is anything more "natural," huh? But, I guess it's okay. Mozart's letters to his sister are full of such references. If a genius of that level can talk about it, I can too. At least I'm in good company.
Okay, here's the problem. I was, oh, how does one say this, a little loose this morning; the result of over medicating to insure a modicum of softness in an area very much requiring it. You see, I've never mentioned this before, but I did my entire Spain-Portugal ride (see http://bigmotoride9.blogspot.com/) last year with a hemorrhoid the size of a hand grenade. Troubles with my GPS were only part of that trip story and, trust me, you don't want to spend eight to ten hours a day on a bike with that going on. So...I, probably, over medicated the last couple of days to attempt to avoid a repeat of that problem. You may be happy to know I seem to have been successful (so far, anyway). I have, however, added an entire new dimension to the term "gas stop." And there were entirely too many of them today.
In any event, I managed to get down the highway, in relatively good order. As many are aware, one of my treats is finding and eating as some of the diners shown on the TV show 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.' I managed to do that today, stopping in Mandeville, LA about 5:00pm at the Louie and Red Head Lady restaurant (Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Louie-and-the-Redhead-Lady/125543745828).
For my French friends, yeah, I know, it's way too early to eat. But, what are you going to do? When in Rome...etc., etc..
It was too late for their breakfast specials, but I had a great shrimp/pasta dish with a very nice white wine/cream sauce. It was excellent, though could have used some "color" from a presentation standpoing. Unfortunately, I went braindead and didn't get a picture of the entire edifice with sign, but here's what I did get.
Betsy classing up the place as she so often does.
Sorry I wasn't here for their breakfast. They sound great, ala crabmeat omlettes with grits. What's not to love?
Pulled into Mobile and am now at the Red Roof Inn happily blogging away. I know, the RRI, but, hey, I'm retired now and on a fixed income. One has to make adjustments. Besides, the room's clean, A/C works, and I have Wi-Fi. Wondering why I was paying so much for the same things before? Well...live and learn.
Tomorrow is history is any guide, I'll be up with the roosters and we'll begin again.
Go Tide! That's obligatory whenever you enter this area. Dire consequences may follow if you fail.
Got of a little late this morning, having to get meds picked up, etc. That put me dead in the middle of morning drive-time in Houston. Houston is so bloody big it takes about an hour for me to go from my house to Beltway 8 and I-10 East, the point I consider finally out of Houston and starting to travel.
Unfortunately, no great scenery today. I'm all slab trying to make some time. That was a little difficult because I found myself having to make way too many stops. The problem? Well...it's a little touchy, kind of...and somewhat embarrassing...and scatological in nature; as if there is anything more "natural," huh? But, I guess it's okay. Mozart's letters to his sister are full of such references. If a genius of that level can talk about it, I can too. At least I'm in good company.
Okay, here's the problem. I was, oh, how does one say this, a little loose this morning; the result of over medicating to insure a modicum of softness in an area very much requiring it. You see, I've never mentioned this before, but I did my entire Spain-Portugal ride (see http://bigmotoride9.blogspot.com/) last year with a hemorrhoid the size of a hand grenade. Troubles with my GPS were only part of that trip story and, trust me, you don't want to spend eight to ten hours a day on a bike with that going on. So...I, probably, over medicated the last couple of days to attempt to avoid a repeat of that problem. You may be happy to know I seem to have been successful (so far, anyway). I have, however, added an entire new dimension to the term "gas stop." And there were entirely too many of them today.
In any event, I managed to get down the highway, in relatively good order. As many are aware, one of my treats is finding and eating as some of the diners shown on the TV show 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.' I managed to do that today, stopping in Mandeville, LA about 5:00pm at the Louie and Red Head Lady restaurant (Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Louie-and-the-Redhead-Lady/125543745828).
For my French friends, yeah, I know, it's way too early to eat. But, what are you going to do? When in Rome...etc., etc..
 |
| From FB Page |
It was too late for their breakfast specials, but I had a great shrimp/pasta dish with a very nice white wine/cream sauce. It was excellent, though could have used some "color" from a presentation standpoing. Unfortunately, I went braindead and didn't get a picture of the entire edifice with sign, but here's what I did get.
Betsy classing up the place as she so often does.
 |
| Restaurant with my server |
 |
| Other side (of both)
|
Sorry I wasn't here for their breakfast. They sound great, ala crabmeat omlettes with grits. What's not to love?
Pulled into Mobile and am now at the Red Roof Inn happily blogging away. I know, the RRI, but, hey, I'm retired now and on a fixed income. One has to make adjustments. Besides, the room's clean, A/C works, and I have Wi-Fi. Wondering why I was paying so much for the same things before? Well...live and learn.
Tomorrow is history is any guide, I'll be up with the roosters and we'll begin again.
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