I was right. The second and the third days were both also really nice. I\u2019d 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\u2026 If it gets any better than that, I wouldn\u2019t know\u2026<\/p>\n
Funny how confidence in one\u2019s ride can influence one\u2019s adventurousness\u2026 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\u2026 All of that has changed with the correction to ALI\u2019s posterior through the \u2018surgery\u2019 performed by a fabulous bike \u2018doctor\u2019\u2026 Troutdude\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u2026 Thanks, my good friend!!!<\/p>\n
Those failures plus all the inconvenience and angst that accompanied them weren\u2019t all bad, however. One of the several silver linings to those demoralizing episodes was the good experiences that often arose out of them\u2026 There was this one breakdown, for example, in Calgary, Alberta, four or five years ago, \u2026<\/p>\n
First loosing ALI, then getting her back, coupled with the wonderful friends I made in the process, well\u2026 And, that\u2019s not all\u2026 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!<\/p>\n
One just never knows when the agony of defeat can abruptly turn into the thrill of victory\u2026 I\u2019ve 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\u2026 I\u2019d also like to take credit for being a self-made man\u2026 but I can\u2019t. Countless family members, friends and role-models have shaped me into the person I\u2019ve become. I\u2019d rather have it that way anyhow\u2026<\/p>\n
So, another ride is filed in the archives, and the next one contemplated\u2026 I have to return to Montgomery to do my taxes\u2026 Sure, I could just do them myself, or have them done down here, but\u2026 The same person has been doing mine for several years, has all my records, knows me\u2026 and, of course, I had the sale of a house last year\u2026<\/p>\n
Pretty complicated stuff for this simple dude, so I\u2019m going to play it safe. Besides, it ain\u2019t like a visit to Alabama is a bad thing\u2026! Napper has even said the ‘Welcome Mat’ is still out…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was right. The second and the third days were both also really nice. I\u2019d 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 …<\/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-836","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\/836","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=836"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":837,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836\/revisions\/837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willowinthewind.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}