Trout dude had mentioned several times that he wanted to make a road trip, and we’d even kicked around a few possibilities. He already had plans to hook-up with MitchO in Billings, and they’d be sharing a room. He did not, however, have any plans on how he was going out there, because Mitch had already left on a long cut to Billings by way of California and the west coast. Dennis and I decided to ride out together…

We met up at Lucky 13’s place in Clinton, TN.  Dennis needed to swing by there and drop off a couple of items… He’d been unable to leave home before Monday, June 11th, due to obligations down in Louisiana. I, on the other hand, was in no way thusly encumbered, and I was chomping at the bit to hit the road, so I left ‘home’ on Friday, June 8th.

I swung by Montgomery, AL, to make a social call and spend two nights… then I was off to Gordon’s that Sunday. Rain had been in the forecast for the coming Monday and next couple of days, so I was eager to get a jump on that and avoid it, if possible… mission accomplished. A word about that…

In my view, the wise trekker keeps a sharp weather eye out, and he/she does check with the forecasts often to see what might be developing… However, one must also be aware that the TV forecasters are doing things other than simply striving for an accurate prediction of coming events.

Viewership and ratings are the holy grail of broadcast journalism, so drama and dire predictions are always tossed about, and exaggerations are a predictable aspect of everything they offer… in order to jazz things up and attract folks to watch their ‘show’… Knowing this, forecasts should only be viewed in ‘context’ and always taken with a grain of salt.

Forecasts are usually wrong to at least some degree, and plans made taking them as ‘certain’ are just as often frustrated. If I’d paid much attention to the details of the forecast then, I’d have stayed home and begun building an ark rather than embarking on a cross-country road trip! My good friend Gordon has a theory as to why those forecasts are so often wrong… He’s convinced the Russians have hacked The Weather Channel, and this is all part of some conspiracy…

I arrived at Gordon’s place a day earlier than Dennis, so mostly just hanging out and visiting with other friends who dropped by… Folks like Greg, SmokinJoe, and a couple of others. Lance even came by a couple of days later. SmokinJoe, Cindy Mae, and I did slip out for a cold frosty mug of ale and a cheeseburger that evening…

Once Dennis arrived, things kicked into high gear, and a flurry of frenetic activities got underway. Things like oil & filter changes, tire replacements, tuning this, tweaking that… There was even some bike cleaning accomplished, with the feature attraction of that being SmokinJoe ‘detailing’ ALI…! We also did a salute to my buddy Jim Dorman by sharing one of Jim’s favorite treats… a Milky Way candy bar…

During this process, the ‘Wild Bunch’ decided it wouldn’t be enough just to bid us farewell and wish us well… they felt compelled to actually escort us out of their state, thereby ensuring we did leave, I suppose…

A motely crew departed Clinton early Wednesday morning and rode through some gorgeous back country roads up into Kentucky… and we met-up with Hal47 there… eventually. Following a little cluster… thingy… our group did all find their way to the meet spot, and happier times returned… Well, there was a wee bit of carping and a twinge of gripping about the rendezvous snafu, but harmony eventually was restored and the ride continued…

We arrived in Madison, IN, for the evening. We stayed at the same motel we’d used for a previous Dragon Round Up, but the evening’s activities were a bit muted this time. We were all tired from a long day in the saddle, hot temperatures in the afternoon, and frustration from ‘cat herding’ near Frankfort, KY. However, we all did joyously celebrate our good fortune in ‘threading the needle’ between rain showers all around that afternoon!