I rode to the Best Western Plus just because I\u2019d never stayed in that particular motel before, and I was curious about it. Lots of pick-up trucks pulling trailers with fishing boats on them and several Harleys huddled together near the entrance. The place appeared to be rather crowded. Not a good sign, because that probably meant that even if they did have a vacancy, it was probably on the top floor\u2026 They did have a lounge, however\u2026<\/p>\n
Those bikes weren\u2019t owned by one percenters, though, nope these were all RUBs\u2026 (Rich Urban Bikers). Really nice looking brand new rides, well blinged out, spotlessly clean as pins, and well-dressed folks in new leathers and\u2026 you know the type. Anyway, this was definitely not the place for yours truly.<\/p>\n
We rode a bit further to the White Pines Motel where we\u2019d always stayed before\u2026 Yeah, this was more like it. Lots of bikes of various makes there, too, but these were actual riders\u2026 No event or anything going on in town, just lots folks trying to crowd in one more road trip before the season ends up here. They had a vacancy for me!<\/p>\n
I got the room and began settling in. At check-in, I\u2019d learned that a new couple owns this place. The couple I\u2019d known before had retired\u2026 Well, he had retired, I was told. She\u2019d taken ill and died, then he\u2019d lost interest in the place\u2026 Now, a new couple with bright eyes, boundless energy, bubbling enthusiasm, and a grand dream had taken over. Nice folks, and I liked them\u2026 And, I liked what they\u2019d done with the place since buying it.<\/p>\n
I also felt really sorry for the nice folks I\u2019d known in years past\u2026 Just the final stage in the drama of life for all living creatures\u2026 Once they\u2019d been exactly like the new owners\u2026 one day the new owners will be just like the ones I\u2019d known\u2026 and the cycle will repeat itself again.<\/p>\n
Two Harley riders about the same age as this writer were staying in the room next door, and they were really nice, friendly guys. One of them and I went to the Brass Rail a bit later for some libation and decompression\u2026 He later returned to his room, while I went further on down the street to see what was up with my old favorite bar in this hamlet\u2026 It was still there\u2026<\/p>\n
Several folks were already there going strong, and this time no vetting ritual was observed\u2026 Nope, I was just allowed right in to the social mix and things progressed from there. There was this young gal, actually a year or so younger than my granddaughter, who somehow wound up seated next to me\u2026 and she was quite friendly. At first, I suspected she might be a \u2018working girl\u2019, but that turned out not to be the case.<\/p>\n
Nope, she was actually a four-star party animal! A college graduate who apparently had thoroughly enjoyed sorority life. And, she liked to dance\u2026 a lot. She claimed the guys in this town didn\u2019t like to dance, and that was her biggest disappointment since moving there a couple of years before. Then she tugged on my arm, insisted I get out on the dance floor, and\u2026 Against my better judgement I went along.<\/p>\n
Now you need to understand\u2026 I can really move around on a dance floor, particularly when nobody around knows me, and I\u2019ve had a few\u2026 but there\u2019s simply no way that can be called dancing\u2026 not with a straight face anyway\u2026 In fact, I\u2019m pretty sure what I do is banned in several counties in Alabama\u2026<\/p>\n
This went on for quite a while\u2026 In between some risky, energetic twirling episodes that included some awkward high stepping and curious spontaneous gyrations, there were copious quantities of brews consumed, which were purchased Dutch treat at her insistence\u2026 plus a few shots. What is it with this shot thing? I mean, I can get plumb precious on beer alone, so I don\u2019t really need any supplements\u2026 It does seem to be a social thing, though, and\u2026 well\u2026 I am a sociable guy\u2026<\/p>\n
I finally had to take my leave and stagger back to the motel\u2026 Mercifully, I knew the way and didn\u2019t get lost. Somewhere in between the scene of the crime and my bed for the night, I reached a decision\u2026 I would not be riding the next day\u2026 possibly the day after either, assuming I did survive!<\/p>\n
There is an old saying, \u201cYou can never go back.\u201d I\u2019ve often thought about that premise, and my experience has clearly borne out the efficacy of that observation\u2026 Usually it\u2019s because nothing stays the same, therefore things, no matter how desirable, can ever be exactly duplicated or repeated. Sometimes, however, it\u2019s simply because the statute of limitations hasn\u2019t run\u2026 I may have to wait another decade before returning again to Orofino\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I rode to the Best Western Plus just because I\u2019d never stayed in that particular motel before, and I was curious about it. Lots of pick-up trucks pulling trailers with fishing boats on them and several Harleys huddled together near …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-meanderings-by-ddt-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=641"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":642,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641\/revisions\/642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}