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\u2026 and, predictably, I soon fell fast asleep\u2026<\/p>\n
Yep, that unapologetically sneaky recliner had done it to me again\u2026 No surprises here. Napper swears that my sofa has ether in it, as it has a similar effect upon her\u2026 Well, that recalcitrant, recidivist butt magnet of mine must have plenty of it, too.<\/p>\n
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\u2026 Again, no surprise. I should mention right at the beginning of this that the \u2018Gremlin Bell\u2019 RDAbull sent me was a most pleasant surprise, and it worked fine throughout the portion of the trek it was aboard. I\u2019m mighty glad I have it!\u00a0 I do like to practice safe riding, ya know\u2026<\/p>\n
Roger had sent it to me while I was visiting my cousin, and I\u2019d promptly mounted it\u2026 rather cleverly I must also add\u2026 Anyway, no nasty surprises were subsequently ever encountered, so it obviously works just as it\u2019s supposed to\u2026 Thanks again, Roger, I appreciate it far more than mere words can ever express\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u2026 all that regular life jazz. Dang, I do miss those heady days of free-range travel completely devoid of deadlines, commitments, responsibilities\u2026 any of the things that complicate our lives and confound our natural inclinations\u2026 Oh well, I\u2019m back in Florida again\u2026 but not for long!<\/p>\n
Another Fall Color Ride was upcoming, and I was in my usual mode\u2026 anxious to the point I didn\u2019t 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\u2026<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve 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\u2026 Nosiree, I\u2019d just take a long-cut and do what I do!<\/p>\n
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\u2026 Yep, whoever came up with that expression about \u2018wind therapy\u2019 sure knew what they were talking about! Life is just so much better when experienced while peering out over a set of handlebars\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u2026 three \u2018all the way\u2019 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\u2026 Then, it was time for \u2018standing on the corner\u2019 and a little reflection, recollection, and ponderment\u2026<\/p>\n
Two more days of aimlessly wandering about, then it was time to arrive in Rome, GA, where I\u2019d hook up with Napper, who was driving up from Montgomery, AL, to follow me to the FCR.\u00a0 First, there was a stop near Chattanooga, TN, however, for a very special evening\u2026 and a \u2018nostalgic steak dinner\u2019 for one\u2026<\/p>\n
It was my birthday, and it was one of those biggies\u2026 an \u20180\u2019 birthday that this time would signal my undeniable arrival at full-fledged geezer-hood. I\u2019d joked in recent years, that my sole remaining goal in life was to become a dirty old man\u2026 I\u2019ve made it! Funny, I don\u2019t feel any different\u2026<\/p>\n
OK, I do ache in a couple of places I didn\u2019t use to, and I do have to adjust my pace nowadays\u2026 more about that later\u2026 OK, and I also watch my diet a bit more carefully than I did once upon a time\u2026 then there are some subtle changes that\u2026 If you\u2019re already there, then you know all too well what I\u2019m saying here\u2026<\/p>\n
I guess what I mean is that in terms of attitude and thinking I don\u2019t feel any different\u2026 It\u2019s more like I\u2019m still a sixteen-year-old boy, only I\u2019m trapped inside a seventy-year-old body\u2026 I suppose there is a compensation: I\u2019ve lived long enough that at least now I can legally go into ladies\u2019 restrooms\u2026 every sixteen-year-old boy\u2019s dream! Anyway, if you\u2019re not there yet, trust me, you are in for a surprise or two of your own\u2026<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
We had a pleasant evening, even went out for dinner\u2026 then, we watched TV\u2026 Looking back on it now, I suppose it wasn\u2019t very romantic\u2026 I have no idea why she tolerates me, but\u2026 Pretty much any guy who is in a relationship of longstanding probably has the same statement to make for himself\u2026 Do women have some sort of masochistic gene or something? Beats me, but I sure ain\u2019t complaining any!<\/p>\n
That Friday morning, we rolled out headed for Robbinsville, NC, and the Phillips Motel\u2026 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\u2026 and his new bride!<\/p>\n
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 \u2018natural state\u2019 and our complete lack of any intention of ever hooking up in a permanent way with any other member of the female persuasion\u2026 or of any persuasion for that matter. Nope, self-sufficient and self-reliant, solitary creatures entire unto ourselves\u2026 Been there in bondage, ain\u2019t going back\u2026 until we do\u2026 Maybe we have a masochistic gene in us, as well\u2026?<\/p>\n
We skipped the group riding on Saturday, instead doing our own thing in the car\u2026 Napper can\u2019t ride anymore, so ALI got to take the day off\u2026 not that she wanted to, but\u2026 She took it all in stride, though, as she always does.<\/p>\n
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\u2026 which was considerable. They\u2019d pulled a trailer so they could bring a grill and implements for cooking steaks and such\u2026 They had treated us to a couple of meals on this trip, so that was a genuine surprise for sure! I didn\u2019t even have to take Napper out for another \u2018romantic\u2019 dinner!<\/p>\n
I lead Napper back to Rome, GA, so she didn\u2019t have to navigate that stretch of road through the hills alone\u2026 Turns out, I should have lead her all the way home. I didn\u2019t know about the boo-boos, though, until that evening when we spoke on the phone\u2026 She does have a flare for the dramatic\u2026 and, she is no stranger to hyperbole either!<\/p>\n
\u201cEver heard of the Trail of Tears?\u201d 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\u2026 Yes, I have, I\u2019d responded, but\u2026 \u201cWell, I was on it today!\u201d 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\u2026 considering\u2026 At least it wasn\u2019t the \u2018Oregon Trail\u2019 she\u2019d stumbled across\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u2026 I\u2019m thinking instead of more jewelry a GPS might make a good Christmas gift this year\u2026 what do y\u2019all think?<\/p>\n
Once we\u2019d waved good-bye, I headed back towards the mountains\u2026 totally oblivious to her impending plight and totally not lost myself\u2026 Nope, just a return to serene, easy riding for this intrepid trekker, doing what I do love to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2026 and, predictably, I soon fell fast asleep\u2026 …<\/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-784","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\/784","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=784"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":785,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784\/revisions\/785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}