I was right. The second and the third days were both also really nice. I’d selected a route back towards Ocala that would take us on some very rural roads through some sparsely populated areas. Not a direct route by any means, but one that would eventually lead us to the hacienda. No long days in the saddle, no inclement weather, no traffic, no hassles, just near perfect gliding along through the hinterland… If it gets any better than that, I wouldn’t know…

Funny how confidence in one’s ride can influence one’s adventurousness… There had come a time when areas like those just ridden through would have caused some worry, perhaps even caused another route to be chosen… All of that has changed with the correction to ALI’s posterior through the ‘surgery’ performed by a fabulous bike ‘doctor’… Troutdude…

Yep, replacement of the swing arm has made the frequent failures of the pinion cup and drive shaft just some bad memories from the distant past. Virtually any paved road that beckons with a challenge can now be tackled without much thought and no worries at all… Thanks, my good friend!!!

Those failures plus all the inconvenience and angst that accompanied them weren’t all bad, however. One of the several silver linings to those demoralizing episodes was the good experiences that often arose out of them… There was this one breakdown, for example, in Calgary, Alberta, four or five years ago, …

First loosing ALI, then getting her back, coupled with the wonderful friends I made in the process, well… And, that’s not all… There was a return trip there the following year, a victory lap of sorts, with some other amazing partners that caused that ride to turn out to be a bonified adventure in itself!

One just never knows when the agony of defeat can abruptly turn into the thrill of victory… I’ve learned to be slow to panic when things look their bleakest, because a major positive event could come of all that travail, and life-altering good things could actually be on the way… I’d also like to take credit for being a self-made man… but I can’t. Countless family members, friends and role-models have shaped me into the person I’ve become. I’d rather have it that way anyhow…

So, another ride is filed in the archives, and the next one contemplated… I have to return to Montgomery to do my taxes… Sure, I could just do them myself, or have them done down here, but… The same person has been doing mine for several years, has all my records, knows me… and, of course, I had the sale of a house last year…

Pretty complicated stuff for this simple dude, so I’m going to play it safe. Besides, it ain’t like a visit to Alabama is a bad thing…! Napper has even said the ‘Welcome Mat’ is still out…