Another big adventure drew to its inevitable conclusion, and I wound-up comfortably nestled in my almost irresistible nemesis: That threatening, foreboding harbinger of the truly dreaded day when my adventurizing will permanently end… and, predictably, I soon fell fast asleep…

Yep, that unapologetically sneaky recliner had done it to me again… No surprises here. Napper swears that my sofa has ether in it, as it has a similar effect upon her… Well, that recalcitrant, recidivist butt magnet of mine must have plenty of it, too.

It was a good six-week and six-thousand-mile adventure, though, and it left me with that all too familiar desire to return to another one as soon as I could… Again, no surprise. I should mention right at the beginning of this that the ‘Gremlin Bell’ RDAbull sent me was a most pleasant surprise, and it worked fine throughout the portion of the trek it was aboard. I’m mighty glad I have it!  I do like to practice safe riding, ya know…

Roger had sent it to me while I was visiting my cousin, and I’d promptly mounted it… rather cleverly I must also add… Anyway, no nasty surprises were subsequently ever encountered, so it obviously works just as it’s supposed to… Thanks again, Roger, I appreciate it far more than mere words can ever express…

Like most normal folks, regrettably, I also have some chores to attend, items to address, people to see, doctors to allow to poke and squeeze me in some sensitive areas… all that regular life jazz. Dang, I do miss those heady days of free-range travel completely devoid of deadlines, commitments, responsibilities… any of the things that complicate our lives and confound our natural inclinations… Oh well, I’m back in Florida again… but not for long!

Another Fall Color Ride was upcoming, and I was in my usual mode… anxious to the point I didn’t want to wait around for a time I could depart and comfortably arrive at the scene on time. Of course, no surprise here either. Nope, I left several days earlier than I needed to just because I could…

I’ve never had a problem finding things to do or places to ride, especially when the alternative is to wait around allowing myself to be seduced by that certain diabolical piece of furniture into wasting more precious time… Nosiree, I’d just take a long-cut and do what I do!

Back roads, no rush, no reason to even speed and risk a LEO encounter. Nope, just easy riding, pondering this and that, letting ALI work her magic on me… Yep, whoever came up with that expression about ‘wind therapy’ sure knew what they were talking about! Life is just so much better when experienced while peering out over a set of handlebars…

A day and a half after leaving that conniving, conspiratorial fanny holder, I found myself seated upon a by now most familiar and altogether friendly stool at the counter of CF Penn Hamburgers dining upon my usual… three ‘all the way’ and a Pepsi. One of the few constants in my life is a meal there a couple of times a year, and my order is almost always the exact same… Then, it was time for ‘standing on the corner’ and a little reflection, recollection, and ponderment…

Two more days of aimlessly wandering about, then it was time to arrive in Rome, GA, where I’d hook up with Napper, who was driving up from Montgomery, AL, to follow me to the FCR.  First, there was a stop near Chattanooga, TN, however, for a very special evening… and a ‘nostalgic steak dinner’ for one…

It was my birthday, and it was one of those biggies… an ‘0’ birthday that this time would signal my undeniable arrival at full-fledged geezer-hood. I’d joked in recent years, that my sole remaining goal in life was to become a dirty old man… I’ve made it! Funny, I don’t feel any different…

OK, I do ache in a couple of places I didn’t use to, and I do have to adjust my pace nowadays… more about that later… OK, and I also watch my diet a bit more carefully than I did once upon a time… then there are some subtle changes that… If you’re already there, then you know all too well what I’m saying here…

I guess what I mean is that in terms of attitude and thinking I don’t feel any different… It’s more like I’m still a sixteen-year-old boy, only I’m trapped inside a seventy-year-old body… I suppose there is a compensation: I’ve lived long enough that at least now I can legally go into ladies’ restrooms… every sixteen-year-old boy’s dream! Anyway, if you’re not there yet, trust me, you are in for a surprise or two of your own…

My first real surprise on this ride came in Rome, GA, when Napper showed up at the appointed place and time. Navigation is not her strong suit, so we were both quite happy and more than a little relieved about her arrival there and then and all that it signified.

We had a pleasant evening, even went out for dinner… then, we watched TV… Looking back on it now, I suppose it wasn’t very romantic… I have no idea why she tolerates me, but… Pretty much any guy who is in a relationship of longstanding probably has the same statement to make for himself… Do women have some sort of masochistic gene or something? Beats me, but I sure ain’t complaining any!

That Friday morning, we rolled out headed for Robbinsville, NC, and the Phillips Motel… ground zero for the annual FCR. My second significant surprise came when we arrived and met-up with Long Tom, who had reserved the three-bedroom cabin Coot, Napper, and I would be sharing with Tom… and his new bride!

WOW! What a difference a few weeks can make! Tom and I had been chatting just a short time before, confirming our rock-solid commitment to bachelorhood and all that other crap we guys spout about our ‘natural state’ and our complete lack of any intention of ever hooking up in a permanent way with any other member of the female persuasion… or of any persuasion for that matter. Nope, self-sufficient and self-reliant, solitary creatures entire unto ourselves… Been there in bondage, ain’t going back… until we do… Maybe we have a masochistic gene in us, as well…?

We skipped the group riding on Saturday, instead doing our own thing in the car… Napper can’t ride anymore, so ALI got to take the day off… not that she wanted to, but… She took it all in stride, though, as she always does.

Sunday the event ended and everybody scattered in all directions, just like we do every year. Tom and his brand-new Mrs. loaded up all their gear… which was considerable. They’d pulled a trailer so they could bring a grill and implements for cooking steaks and such… They had treated us to a couple of meals on this trip, so that was a genuine surprise for sure! I didn’t even have to take Napper out for another ‘romantic’ dinner!

I lead Napper back to Rome, GA, so she didn’t have to navigate that stretch of road through the hills alone… Turns out, I should have lead her all the way home. I didn’t know about the boo-boos, though, until that evening when we spoke on the phone… She does have a flare for the dramatic… and, she is no stranger to hyperbole either!

“Ever heard of the Trail of Tears?” she began our conversation with a serious, disarming cadence, which was belied by the almost sardonic lilt in her tone. I braced for the other shoe to drop… Yes, I have, I’d responded, but… “Well, I was on it today!” she exclaimed, now with a near fever pitch. Not more than fifty miles or so one way out of the way, so not all that bad really… considering… At least it wasn’t the ‘Oregon Trail’ she’d stumbled across…

She then went on to explain why she thought the name of that trail was so appropriate, and why it had such a special meaning for her now… I’m thinking instead of more jewelry a GPS might make a good Christmas gift this year… what do y’all think?

Once we’d waved good-bye, I headed back towards the mountains… totally oblivious to her impending plight and totally not lost myself… Nope, just a return to serene, easy riding for this intrepid trekker, doing what I do love to do.