tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116077522024-03-14T07:44:51.346-04:00Skid and Sandy On The RoadWe are both retired from Inco Limited in Sudbury, Ontario. Our twin daughters are grown so we travel whenever we can. From 2004 until 2010, we traveled mostly by motorcycle covering 260,000 kilometers. In 2011, we started towing the bike in an enclosed trailer, first behind a motorhome and then behind a truck. This is a travelogue of our wanderings.Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.comBlogger1635125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-22454924478811055422022-12-31T21:00:00.001-05:002022-12-31T21:14:04.501-05:002022 In The Rear View Mirror<p>When we started this blog back in 2005, it was to be a journal recording our travels. And we had many right up until the end of 2019 when the COVID Bomb dropped. Since then, our travels have not amounted to much. We did get to Maggie Valley, North Carolina this past August but that was our only foray out of Ontario in three summers.</p><p>Although there have not been many posts over the last year, we have kept moderately busy.</p><p>Summer motorcycling was pretty much a solo affair. I explored the area on my own and found a few new roads. Up in the Mulmur Hills around Creemore and Terra Nova, I experienced some of the best Ontario roads that I have encountered. Then there were the old standards like the road from Galt to Paris and the Belwood Loop. I'm sorry I didn't get out more. The bike had a fork seal fail over the summer. This would have been serious because shops that can work on the Traxxion Dynamics suspension are few and far between but then I discovered Accelerated Technologies in Buckhorn, Ontario. They fixed the front end and also a blown O-ring in the rear hydraulic preload mechanism. It will need a little work in the spring to overhaul the rear brake caliper and get the cruise control working right (I suspect a clutch microswitch problem) but, overall, old Quicksilver is running well.</p><p>This past summer, I managed to join the Waterloo Seniors Golf League. We played every Wednesday morning, rotating among four different courses. Players could play either 9 or 18 holes and walk or ride a cart. It was a good chance to meet new people, most of whom were at a similar skill level. I also spent a fair amount of time at Jim's Driving Range while learning how to compensate for golfer's elbow in my right arm.</p><p>At the end of 2021 I joined the Waterloo Region Model Railway Club, which models the CPR Sudbury Division circa 1975. This was the period where my INCO job had me working with various high volume, high cost commodities shipped by rail. The club layout is in a Quonset hut in Maryhill. I am not much at modeling but I took over the Treasurer job and am learning how to manage car control. Railways, after all, are all about moving goods from one place to another and that aspect is part of the modeling we do.</p><p>I did step back from my executive roles with the Freedom Riders Motorcycle Association, passing the Treasurer and Webmaster jobs on to other members. Sandy and I will remain Freedom Riders regardless of where we end up but the more intricate tasks are difficult from afar.</p><p>That did not stop me from continuing as the Volunteer Coordinator for Safe Ride Home Sudbury, a position I have held since 2015. The last year we operated was 2019 and there were some concerns about bringing the service back after the long hiatus. But we introduced a new online application system that made working remotely feasible and we got a reasonable response to our volunteer recruitment. Call volumes have been down up until now and we are not sure which of several factors are the primary cause. COVID fears, changing social dynamic, inflation and other things can all be playing a part. But we got the job done and there is now just New Year's Eve to go.</p><p>Sandy and I, often with other family members, attended a few live shows at theaters in Galt, Petrolia and Grand Bend featuring our friend John and Lorie Grandmont's brilliantly musical offspring Jesse and Leah. Both are fiddle players and excellent vocalists playing with skilled ensemble casts.</p><p>On November 1st, we started the 3rd year in our Deluxe Apartment In The Sky. We recently bought some furniture from a gentleman in Building 4, a couch, chair, coffee table, end table and two bedside tables. So we now have the ability to entertain visitors. We still need a few things but they are not critical.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVb-tpe01vn_Grr8t0hbhER9xzsSVQvxF2dNX262gKedLMsVTOApI8zvAKcqMIXVTDF2U18iqirDfPfx5NfJWVB5q6Du3sIEKDDHC2HJEjc4tG4DuC5OIjX5GlXJjXMK25Qxe7KZYY2fctltmJv43b9llAzBQBgn9lxpDTo7qa51UozQE3Q/s4032/20221231_103111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVb-tpe01vn_Grr8t0hbhER9xzsSVQvxF2dNX262gKedLMsVTOApI8zvAKcqMIXVTDF2U18iqirDfPfx5NfJWVB5q6Du3sIEKDDHC2HJEjc4tG4DuC5OIjX5GlXJjXMK25Qxe7KZYY2fctltmJv43b9llAzBQBgn9lxpDTo7qa51UozQE3Q/s320/20221231_103111.jpg" width="320" /><br /></a><b><i>Finally, a living room</i></b></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAoHQsYD15mx3Fb8q0o8hcS6Mozr-iRYM2AWhXyhT0NvNiYQODC7qi7YcK2REJBSJGQIOyjL9dlJrHtMthQG3LacnjWH4MJA53_oAhULuq4pBe1QRQzjNwNbBqRQCHO24frDg85LyTM_g5O8ojsRW0BUw0sCa22L_np9d_hO7aBAIWrBA2A/s4032/20221231_103134.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmAoHQsYD15mx3Fb8q0o8hcS6Mozr-iRYM2AWhXyhT0NvNiYQODC7qi7YcK2REJBSJGQIOyjL9dlJrHtMthQG3LacnjWH4MJA53_oAhULuq4pBe1QRQzjNwNbBqRQCHO24frDg85LyTM_g5O8ojsRW0BUw0sCa22L_np9d_hO7aBAIWrBA2A/s320/20221231_103134.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><b><i>Office with a view</i></b></div><p>On a sad note, we pushed our big family Disney vacation (scheduled for late January) back for another year. The original cause was a resurgence of angina on my part and a concern about getting health insurance. It was a good thing we did because Kim has been suffering greatly from what has just been diagnosed by MRI as a herniated disk. So we will have to get better in 2023 so we can get back on the road.</p><p>So that about sums up where we have been and what we have been doing during the last year. It hasn't been everything we hoped for but we have taken things in stride and made the most of them.</p><p>We wish everyone all the best for 2023 and are looking forward to some good times.</p><p>Happy New Year!!!!!</p><div><br /></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-74946244562040492202022-08-29T20:00:00.000-04:002022-09-03T20:30:48.927-04:00Springboro Ohio to Waterloo Ontario<p>After going to sleep so early last night, we were easily up and dressed by 7:00 AM. We didn't have to leave until around 9:00 to be at the Ambassador Bridge at 1:00 PM, the appointed time I had picked when I filled out the ArriveCAN information two days ago, so we took it easy. The hot Hampton Inn breakfast had a wide variety of things but I focused on maple sausage and an omelet thing. Sandy is a breakfast minimalist, usually gravitating towards cereal and yogurt.</p><p>Back in the room, we took Rapid Antigen Tests. This was not a requirement for crossing the border but we periodically test ourselves after we have been out and about. This morning's results were negative again. What I am not looking forward to when we get home is the bathroom scale nor the glucose meter readings (I hardly tested during the trip).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29pIqcXzLzB46EbbMNn7FTWYl1Dy0PTe4BASb_6AkJcPwFPqxSttbEOtIO95T4ZcYKFq_EhZF6WYprX8vHH8t0UTXyHCY0tjNbPUKNx1-5N0AwFMmzmCA8TFmxw6T2lKicfeJDr9ZZcry4t0NCaTN1821BI3IDYzHLaLlaYoLF1YrZgvdyA/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20002I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29pIqcXzLzB46EbbMNn7FTWYl1Dy0PTe4BASb_6AkJcPwFPqxSttbEOtIO95T4ZcYKFq_EhZF6WYprX8vHH8t0UTXyHCY0tjNbPUKNx1-5N0AwFMmzmCA8TFmxw6T2lKicfeJDr9ZZcry4t0NCaTN1821BI3IDYzHLaLlaYoLF1YrZgvdyA/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20002I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Not many arrivals overnight</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAJL8INHQWY7PnKDqKo8Qwf5uQw87f2_h3OUjU44rkNi_70faE0ncmRrfZBQ9eshyuacTLbav8Qbcfya4PGpqDCiLaAX6DhLK4774C1vbupBKy2Jciep9Pf8QcgCBn06UIMMmL0oIYVju-XVFMoZL2UCuLs7m6FV8ZPtbdCDo-m2VjOrDNg/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20001S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAJL8INHQWY7PnKDqKo8Qwf5uQw87f2_h3OUjU44rkNi_70faE0ncmRrfZBQ9eshyuacTLbav8Qbcfya4PGpqDCiLaAX6DhLK4774C1vbupBKy2Jciep9Pf8QcgCBn06UIMMmL0oIYVju-XVFMoZL2UCuLs7m6FV8ZPtbdCDo-m2VjOrDNg/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20001S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Always with the negative waves, Moriarty</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We hit Dayton Monday morning traffic about 9:25 AM. It wasn't as bad as I expected. The 4 lane north of Dayton had very little traffic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNselY-aKO3cqzf4HMLYkwHEGP26vbB2pE_3a5ZfZckBTFxbVgUkMltG7F4An6OjhpX7e2aZtmEnxE1CXDAQ_W8S2mnLH1UJrjlPeglUCArOe-yNzy7740X9bfYzMsXbP7F2Q4OvXfU9hoKLcbgzxJV0kmGEyUTbVbOyQJPXMO7XDc4T0Rag/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20003H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNselY-aKO3cqzf4HMLYkwHEGP26vbB2pE_3a5ZfZckBTFxbVgUkMltG7F4An6OjhpX7e2aZtmEnxE1CXDAQ_W8S2mnLH1UJrjlPeglUCArOe-yNzy7740X9bfYzMsXbP7F2Q4OvXfU9hoKLcbgzxJV0kmGEyUTbVbOyQJPXMO7XDc4T0Rag/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20003H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>When we passed this flag southbound last week, we were stuck in a huge traffic jam</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pRjOisLE8HiALMFyoymZMg37A8_GhrYF0Tl0P898-zcuWpw5umzpYZqxRVkMN4zASfOpuTLst5QQymZqS8g_Ln8g970vhsUVFo5RqVrYbznfSyImYf3daq1g_WyL3To41Y5OvXsEoaBflbXXWsKm3_odWGZPgm-ek95PjxygVXc4B3oKJw/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20005H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pRjOisLE8HiALMFyoymZMg37A8_GhrYF0Tl0P898-zcuWpw5umzpYZqxRVkMN4zASfOpuTLst5QQymZqS8g_Ln8g970vhsUVFo5RqVrYbznfSyImYf3daq1g_WyL3To41Y5OvXsEoaBflbXXWsKm3_odWGZPgm-ek95PjxygVXc4B3oKJw/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20005H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I-75 north of Dayton</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqFyCpV2t5dG0GkEwNpWUsr_ccBN0I2OcR18Qv5KTAO98tf3cLWgvVrzwvNCJVnak-O8KagTApZB9hq00lG-r61I8YAXJoPi4b8e4FwzSqneKdUDMOUE30IIPDOPvmO29o86XvrIRs557PAveY5Uk49lYWo6aUMXJWG0sqqvmMIRUVWfx2w/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20006H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqFyCpV2t5dG0GkEwNpWUsr_ccBN0I2OcR18Qv5KTAO98tf3cLWgvVrzwvNCJVnak-O8KagTApZB9hq00lG-r61I8YAXJoPi4b8e4FwzSqneKdUDMOUE30IIPDOPvmO29o86XvrIRs557PAveY5Uk49lYWo6aUMXJWG0sqqvmMIRUVWfx2w/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20006H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>At SEVROC, Mikey was selling imaginary tickets and giving away real Little Debbie treats</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We stopped for fuel at a Speedway in a cornfield north of Lima (pronounced l-EYE-mah), Ohio. As we pulled out, the GPS said we had 118 miles remaining to the Ambassador Bridge and our ETA was exactly 1:00 PM. We hauled north with a purpose.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeiHJjSg94EV2Eg01P0Ggct-Rn4S4LUJL6MME0gnHJsMN4vPMdL1Zx7_g2ix_S09nd63Ww-fNLbkNeZZGC7y-oS8HRx-finjZ_QfMFddBcqyitf8F5OGSTExt-uwVqbvZCNAalqKkbeHbdobylAmfY6VelbMEEdYnnNhGCeCW0_9WDetfag/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20007H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeiHJjSg94EV2Eg01P0Ggct-Rn4S4LUJL6MME0gnHJsMN4vPMdL1Zx7_g2ix_S09nd63Ww-fNLbkNeZZGC7y-oS8HRx-finjZ_QfMFddBcqyitf8F5OGSTExt-uwVqbvZCNAalqKkbeHbdobylAmfY6VelbMEEdYnnNhGCeCW0_9WDetfag/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20007H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Right on schedule</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbsJFvNvOTM-JfCTQXQAPGyynDsP50jxcHNSyWrWMS2gxXwkPKKpcpZ1yQ-RACOt6KrQO9eEPlhz6hrjYM4Z43NhnL8nGMNvtUlFLkrmjQgVxZEKRhR3zHat-y8-ZhbtpfRsVvPV4uX3i6HNduy5VggYtzX45aKBtAWdWfGKQ3LTr8OTCnQ/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20008H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTbsJFvNvOTM-JfCTQXQAPGyynDsP50jxcHNSyWrWMS2gxXwkPKKpcpZ1yQ-RACOt6KrQO9eEPlhz6hrjYM4Z43NhnL8nGMNvtUlFLkrmjQgVxZEKRhR3zHat-y8-ZhbtpfRsVvPV4uX3i6HNduy5VggYtzX45aKBtAWdWfGKQ3LTr8OTCnQ/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20008H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Findlay OH</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpi5PRak9MnqLxAV3u3ffXpie4Gbv1l3cZzVivVx3rrZfBH2Mrem2QsPpzLiXfclE-rjknaR6wsemE0O-kvBj_R7wNvvrFUP2NGFqKntshtmY1lgt5IX-gQ2UZRZMbjNRnbUgs8qrm_clthzGS3KueVXyvNfK7ZiGJFXssKFhETXPg5WUxg/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20009H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpi5PRak9MnqLxAV3u3ffXpie4Gbv1l3cZzVivVx3rrZfBH2Mrem2QsPpzLiXfclE-rjknaR6wsemE0O-kvBj_R7wNvvrFUP2NGFqKntshtmY1lgt5IX-gQ2UZRZMbjNRnbUgs8qrm_clthzGS3KueVXyvNfK7ZiGJFXssKFhETXPg5WUxg/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20009H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Weather brewing ahead</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Qevg5fHTFU2QyKvbwocjsIWQeNSADLuTe73WMkIApCCu8M2VlaJOLwyfyW668j73xN2igSzWtLZ5TR1iLtN3ed_4qSxga-JjcYQH41gLqJAA288tkFwCDsPv67uQvzBBgBAcVDKuE6-2FrSmwVPTDivQdeBdD9QVzRpcKrC0Sw-wAn1AuQ/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20013H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Qevg5fHTFU2QyKvbwocjsIWQeNSADLuTe73WMkIApCCu8M2VlaJOLwyfyW668j73xN2igSzWtLZ5TR1iLtN3ed_4qSxga-JjcYQH41gLqJAA288tkFwCDsPv67uQvzBBgBAcVDKuE6-2FrSmwVPTDivQdeBdD9QVzRpcKrC0Sw-wAn1AuQ/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20013H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Another FedEx facility</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Cruising along, we saw another Cracker Barrel billboard advertising cheesecake pancakes and I once again regretted being diabetic. I bend the rules sometimes but I think a plate of those might put me into a coma.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In Toledo, the idiot GPS tried to have us exit I-75 to US 25 through downtown. This once again underscored the reality that using a GPS is an art, not a science, and you better have an idea of where you are going from other sources before you start.</p><p style="text-align: left;">We crossed the Michigan state line at 12:06 PM and the road surfaces immediately deteriorated. Between bad pavement and construction zones, I am really starting to think that a few extra miles and a little more time going through Buffalo would be a wise choice next time. When we head for Arkansas in a couple of weeks, I plan to cross at Sarnia and take I-69 south to Indianapolis.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAPqnX4K1yiuoIFoINRJSKak1r4Xd7rrQF_LgtMcw_qOSahhuEvTPzW0rae3hrd8IpDnLHIY88ENnC-YYnjbiJz8Eso_rjZvDocG2_UpOENOc6n4YQvalQ1Ljyw8U829lwHSznxP3r8Xh9_0zzi28pdyDXhJG4U4jOiikuXvc7e7d6iDeMQ/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20014H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAPqnX4K1yiuoIFoINRJSKak1r4Xd7rrQF_LgtMcw_qOSahhuEvTPzW0rae3hrd8IpDnLHIY88ENnC-YYnjbiJz8Eso_rjZvDocG2_UpOENOc6n4YQvalQ1Ljyw8U829lwHSznxP3r8Xh9_0zzi28pdyDXhJG4U4jOiikuXvc7e7d6iDeMQ/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20014H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pure what????</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Southbound traffic was tied up in a couple of spots, first by a jackknifed rig and then by construction closing all but one lane. I couldn't imagine the cost of having all those big trucks sitting there for hours. Lucky for us, the northbound lanes were unimpeded. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiKq0eZN2fWQ5B0m5lgN2ajaebzbl_7MRgmq4RF761-MThLadbjQkrPgexVoDnyVyXRBqCwN18jJnuf3ff5kz76CltKXXCecikUY3QO7WioTp_HIwo7ho7tlZcGig_6hS7EyZwRep3BeTuPhF8uHsIwWmaxuGwVtpP-c1QUfmgh9VN5bbfw/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20015H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIiKq0eZN2fWQ5B0m5lgN2ajaebzbl_7MRgmq4RF761-MThLadbjQkrPgexVoDnyVyXRBqCwN18jJnuf3ff5kz76CltKXXCecikUY3QO7WioTp_HIwo7ho7tlZcGig_6hS7EyZwRep3BeTuPhF8uHsIwWmaxuGwVtpP-c1QUfmgh9VN5bbfw/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20015H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>No one is going anywhere for a while</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ObLHIgTeMa_KUcyRKwyeY1erBUYbwKE92Ck7Bqa1bNBiXQsx9A-SbSquPlbpA4q5aZrhP7mCfUpxNGiIwG8v8_1HIx-CC_QNC7rJXEuUvB_Fydh_uPBPRZN1LCA7Wpu6fOhYIR8PV0jgVre8rJFAG5a_iEtX8tIWrgPf81AujWcALhg9Tw/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20017H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ObLHIgTeMa_KUcyRKwyeY1erBUYbwKE92Ck7Bqa1bNBiXQsx9A-SbSquPlbpA4q5aZrhP7mCfUpxNGiIwG8v8_1HIx-CC_QNC7rJXEuUvB_Fydh_uPBPRZN1LCA7Wpu6fOhYIR8PV0jgVre8rJFAG5a_iEtX8tIWrgPf81AujWcALhg9Tw/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20017H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Michigan State Trooper vehicles are still blue</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador_Bridge" target="_blank">Ambassador Bridge</a> plaza had a somewhat unfinished appearance with marginal signage. They did have a huge gas bar adjacent to the Duty Free store but I just stopped to unlock the side door of the trailer just in case our border agent wanted to look inside. Then I paid the toll ($12 US or $16 Canadian compared to the $8 Canadian it charged my credit card going the other way) and we proceeded almost due SOUTH to Canada (Really) across busiest bridge, in terms of trade volume, in North America.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nt9bDKX3u0sIGXo9bOUWvcksVH3rmuaEtMetB2CZ2x1DAcEp30fGYiWp95igPyQ5Mb58O7Q-p-9k9yw05FjSB3CsIUfshxB8e0GTZKPb-cYoo_23eIqwm9G7EAlSbltDAjaF1fl5bQ47Fq2oyvio9u9QI-klcWz2U5cY6DafHnI7YovVQA/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20018H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nt9bDKX3u0sIGXo9bOUWvcksVH3rmuaEtMetB2CZ2x1DAcEp30fGYiWp95igPyQ5Mb58O7Q-p-9k9yw05FjSB3CsIUfshxB8e0GTZKPb-cYoo_23eIqwm9G7EAlSbltDAjaF1fl5bQ47Fq2oyvio9u9QI-klcWz2U5cY6DafHnI7YovVQA/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20018H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Toll booths</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk7kq7UVqWa7gwjqjoA6Moi3Xq0U392ZhGK2hYM7wN3GM6PNKT88ou532YBlVjzvjr-HSlqo3OLrmHH3GKY0S_mS7lR4s_PzhayN58XKhdKQXaHElELWnqtasmeAU2h-veGH8EOzkvs-ALLuCX5PGB0du167GrLztF3ZWHAV31sQ6_eFwDQ/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20019H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk7kq7UVqWa7gwjqjoA6Moi3Xq0U392ZhGK2hYM7wN3GM6PNKT88ou532YBlVjzvjr-HSlqo3OLrmHH3GKY0S_mS7lR4s_PzhayN58XKhdKQXaHElELWnqtasmeAU2h-veGH8EOzkvs-ALLuCX5PGB0du167GrLztF3ZWHAV31sQ6_eFwDQ/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20019H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Not much traffic on the bridge</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EryAlNfJaEtF_uCc7jmkrxHdO3sc3YYwh_H1Ip5M0ZYYIyy229wAEBmY2nRi7GTB-USEsASBsL6tOT3gCKCCh72pPF2bHv7NxwbdfK3sQtBXAg8S15vfg6YaMym3xPknf8Q8VlZPVEy1qfocxByMaGmu2cRlkCvobDLYYBdQDAvbNJ6d_A/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20021H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EryAlNfJaEtF_uCc7jmkrxHdO3sc3YYwh_H1Ip5M0ZYYIyy229wAEBmY2nRi7GTB-USEsASBsL6tOT3gCKCCh72pPF2bHv7NxwbdfK3sQtBXAg8S15vfg6YaMym3xPknf8Q8VlZPVEy1qfocxByMaGmu2cRlkCvobDLYYBdQDAvbNJ6d_A/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20021H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Detroit River</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Before crossing, I made sure I had the ArriveCAN app open on my phone with the receipt visible, had a copy of the Email duplicate receipt the app had sent me and had a photo of our morning negative RAT tests. I honestly had no idea what to expect.</p><p style="text-align: left;">There was very little Canada bound traffic. There were several vehicles lined up in the NEXUS lane because, I guess, they either don't know that they can use a regular lane or the feel that because they went to the cost and effort to get the card, they were above using a regular lane. I pulled into an empty regular lane.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The agent was probably in his early thirties with close cropped hair, a well trimmed beard and tattoos peaking out from the cuffs of his shirt. I handed him our NEXUS cards and the conversation, which started normally, went like this:<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Agent: Where do you live?</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Me: Waterloo, Ontario (almost said Sudbury).</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Agent: How long have you been gone?</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Me: Eight days.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Agent: What's in the trailer?</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Me: A motorcycle and riding gear.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Agent: Cool! What Kind?</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Me: 2005 Honda GL1800 GoldWing</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">With that, we spent at least five minutes talking motorcycles and then he returned our cards and wished us a good day. No questions about purchases or vaccinations. I found out later that when he entered our NEXUS ID's, it would have brought up our vaccination status from the documents I uploaded. In any case, it was one of our better crossings.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The first thing we encountered when leaving the bridge plaza was a McDonald's. They had dual parking spaces and the "lobby" was open for business so we picked up lunch to go, locked the trailer back up and set out for home. As we drove down the street towards Highway 401, we saw truck after US bound truck lined up and, again, going nowhere. I have no idea what the holdup was but I can imagine there were a lot of unhappy drivers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMeqs7nWDsjeRcVKvmfun5xB8LESLH6H21623J7LaXoRgV0hqmueUBcvH17nzT2Kj6Ih6wbfQ2DXuWrBKhmhc4V-dKAT7DUEC8gtDRakB6tBhYXjvEDPAcFy3rgivtWRkFsKir7un3rx9TK0pcVN9bkKZ_vrwxdNG5IrQhi-npHWZBROFBQ/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20022I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMeqs7nWDsjeRcVKvmfun5xB8LESLH6H21623J7LaXoRgV0hqmueUBcvH17nzT2Kj6Ih6wbfQ2DXuWrBKhmhc4V-dKAT7DUEC8gtDRakB6tBhYXjvEDPAcFy3rgivtWRkFsKir7un3rx9TK0pcVN9bkKZ_vrwxdNG5IrQhi-npHWZBROFBQ/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20022I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mickey D for lunch to go</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0-ZJFwAVkLUCaOkVmJBJ7DhMQ-24xAeBjY832sz256YW-mtrt-1NSavImozF5HrvHhCrGaWRSHQE2dX6_9wDwI4iRk5AwlRU0rj4AcJ84OHqfQ63XTeCJa6OPlzzrGdxTiir5Dqg0K81Y5lt7TSBhaYF_QEqO5GMqoxPQ6J6_Dh0xn2sFA/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20023H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0-ZJFwAVkLUCaOkVmJBJ7DhMQ-24xAeBjY832sz256YW-mtrt-1NSavImozF5HrvHhCrGaWRSHQE2dX6_9wDwI4iRk5AwlRU0rj4AcJ84OHqfQ63XTeCJa6OPlzzrGdxTiir5Dqg0K81Y5lt7TSBhaYF_QEqO5GMqoxPQ6J6_Dh0xn2sFA/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20023H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Miles of stopped US bound trucks</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We were surprised at how many wind turbines there were visible from the 401 through Essex County. <a href="https://windsorstar.com/business/33698#:~:text=Combined%20with%20seven%20other%20wind,than%20350%20megawatts%20of%20electricity." target="_blank">This article</a> from two years ago says there were 170 turbines then and I can only imagine there were more today.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAgTPL2bG4m5bAEi6f28Fdd-SnsYkditWu6FHeIYYIq2och8o97vuRGiDPftnr5gfVIXF6S6wLP6oWbVAOqL5PNujjaVJtBOscjYaQqvuj1Eq1xsVlK58cDiM5KTyeEV41qEzb8Hf5O7kyJhke7Wtbz0VN5dM5XOzNlSYm-z4rIrbwsxDMA/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20025I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAgTPL2bG4m5bAEi6f28Fdd-SnsYkditWu6FHeIYYIq2och8o97vuRGiDPftnr5gfVIXF6S6wLP6oWbVAOqL5PNujjaVJtBOscjYaQqvuj1Eq1xsVlK58cDiM5KTyeEV41qEzb8Hf5O7kyJhke7Wtbz0VN5dM5XOzNlSYm-z4rIrbwsxDMA/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20025I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">I fought fatigue all the way back. There was a short stop in Elgin County so I could get out and walk around and a coffee stop (OK, cold brew) at the Dutton On Route service centre. It looks like there will be major improvements to Highways 401 and 402 around London including upgrading interchanges at some major roads. This should disrupt local traffic for a while.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As we approached Waterloo Region, I planned to take the King Street exit and follow Highway 8, 7 and 85 to get home. I was going to be careful getting off there because they had made some changes to the ramps. It did not matter because I blanked out and the next thing I knew we were approaching Hespeler Road, several miles further along. That was downright scary. We got off there, flipped around the other direction and caught Highway 8 on the way back.</p><p style="text-align: left;">After unloading the bike at the condo and parking it in the underground garage, we took the trailer over to Access Storage on Shirley Drive. Note to self: avoid Shirley Drive right after 5:30 because every business along that road seemed to get off at the same time and there are no traffic lights at either end. Cars were lined up a ways back. After we parked the trailer, the flash jam had vanished.</p><p style="text-align: left;">On the other end of Shirley Drive, Sandy saw something interesting so we stopped to take a look. The vehicles looked good from far but were far from good. Still, we had our own Cadillac Ranch right here in Kitchener. The first was technically a Lasalle but it was made by the Cadillac Division of GM.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHKzFFwr5LGQB9R66LAPfOAXXLNocFAwcQ5LGO4b2AqWiZscQKqB3fD9Q5WJ8F2p6QhPuengPrya4eFPZIDbJqwv0aMIFoEqkVLzM8NciShbjN-7lrm0oUZEp1aPwG5S3FhMgatoZdJN11L6jb5B90vuW1oPx3JzS7acuwV5foWbP-6ENfg/s1440/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20026I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHKzFFwr5LGQB9R66LAPfOAXXLNocFAwcQ5LGO4b2AqWiZscQKqB3fD9Q5WJ8F2p6QhPuengPrya4eFPZIDbJqwv0aMIFoEqkVLzM8NciShbjN-7lrm0oUZEp1aPwG5S3FhMgatoZdJN11L6jb5B90vuW1oPx3JzS7acuwV5foWbP-6ENfg/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20OH%20to%20Waterloo%20026I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cadillac Ranch</i></b></div><p>We stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of essential items (bigger shopping trip tomorrow) and then headed home. It took a few trips to get all our luggage up to the 15th floor (elevators are great) but it was all done before too long. The unit was nice and cool because I had engaged the AC from the app on my phone. The new <a href="https://www.ecobee.com/en-ca/smart-thermostats/" target="_blank">Ecobee</a> unit is great.</p><p>So our first trip out of the province/country in almost three years was over. It was great to see old friends again but the time just flew by. We are planning to head back out for the VROC Reunion in Eureka Springs, Arkansas on September 11th. In the meantime, the list of things to do is long. At least now this trip blog is finished.</p><p><b>Today's route (411 Equinox/trailer miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscXQj3IjGnG8RVxPP-HGOS0-AVJfEPmkwoOGroImMygJQpFM8eKDtLwk4Si3AoU7qsDNPrpDX4rppceTesBNc_NHevdrRldAwzuBB2PfWsKeGozHtOh1VkmXU3jl759rEI63Gk0e0Gfv4nUuS4O_kTePZWOAyytSrbK1UyOVIoJ9A6LSViA/s802/20220829%20Springboro%20to%20Waterloo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="795" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscXQj3IjGnG8RVxPP-HGOS0-AVJfEPmkwoOGroImMygJQpFM8eKDtLwk4Si3AoU7qsDNPrpDX4rppceTesBNc_NHevdrRldAwzuBB2PfWsKeGozHtOh1VkmXU3jl759rEI63Gk0e0Gfv4nUuS4O_kTePZWOAyytSrbK1UyOVIoJ9A6LSViA/s320/20220829%20Springboro%20to%20Waterloo.JPG" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/xDRfsxeFW4qVy1Cz7" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><b><i>Interactive map</i></b></a></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-32622653738318060722022-08-28T20:00:00.194-04:002022-09-02T22:41:56.663-04:00Maggie Valley North Carolina to Springboro Ohio<p>It was still dark when I pulled the Equinox and trailer down in front of the room and we loaded our overnight bags. It looked like it was going to be a good day to travel, especially important for those who would be riding home. We said goodbye to the early risers and hit the road about 6:30. Our destination today was Springboro, Ohio, where I had made a reservation last night at a Hampton Inn.</p><p>Our first stop was the McDonald's in Waynesville. Sure enough, a sign in the door said the "lobby" was temporarily closed but that we could visit them in their drive-thru. I don't like driving thru with a trailer. After seeing DQ, Wendy's and now Mickey D's with closed lobbies (ostensibly due to A/C problems or staffing shortages), I have come to suspect something else is going on. During the period when the indoor options were prohibited due to COVID, I think that these fast food operators discovered that their profit margins were higher if they did not have the expense of operating the counters, tables and restrooms inside. If I am right, expect to see these "temporary" measures become more common, just as phone service lines are now always experiencing "higher than expected wait times". In any case, this establishment did not get our business on this day.</p><p>Since we were in Waynesville, we took NC 209 up to I-40 and stopped at the Petro truck stop for fuel. I had noted Friday that the stations here were priced significantly lower than either Maggie Valley or Waynesville. This was the first time on this trip that I encountered the Zip Code Challenge while paying at the pump and it was the first time ever for our new Postal Code. (For those not in the know, take the three numbers in your Canadian postal code and add 00 for a five digit numeric value that will satisfy the pump.) We also went in and got coffee and food to go. I chose a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich and Sandy picked up some banana bread.</p><p>By 7:15, we were heading towards Knoxville on I-40 under lightening skies while listening to an audiobook rendering of Nicholas Sparks' The Return (borrowed online from the Sudbury Public Library). We crossed into Tennessee and, around the Gatlinburg exit, were passed by a pack of jeeps that looked like they had been off-roading. Jeeps were to become the theme of the day all the way to Ohio, augmented by some really muddy side-by-side ATV's on trailers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsWsaVQ57DjTcD7jYdQfQuxPKZGSoEIWtHRcZnX6SpDizM530iVS9G0KTTcp4t5ttMETDRKo7_jBWbdahpVoz60rajQ2CZ2aTXf7Uq1XyggdLSa9Ot39mG3OuMieJpBnuSzTTtmKEnJnhW7u6PMav3nfyF9fnw1mDj9VZ8CntP_e77rynWw/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20003H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsWsaVQ57DjTcD7jYdQfQuxPKZGSoEIWtHRcZnX6SpDizM530iVS9G0KTTcp4t5ttMETDRKo7_jBWbdahpVoz60rajQ2CZ2aTXf7Uq1XyggdLSa9Ot39mG3OuMieJpBnuSzTTtmKEnJnhW7u6PMav3nfyF9fnw1mDj9VZ8CntP_e77rynWw/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20003H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Volunteer State on I-40</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">I-40 gave way to I-640 as we went north of Knoxville to connect with I-75 North. The day went by without much to note except that I started to feel waves of fatigue. We stopped at a gas station in Jacksboro, Tennessee so I could get a coffee, which I chased with a 5 Hour Energy bottle.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3otzfUbQdGJKXwKoq5IYqPGavrJ4Z8l0YjFAhoYvOwW9VZcFJVdxag_2dzfimCbCt9T9qHFa8SwlMhTGxywYe5vFS6aUpXOAMSPPMel042LLQ-oRtuTgh4-hju_oQGBK0R3KW5-u13ObLa4r7RYNGUSBE5y6s8jNo2j4kXvmc8zxuwO3rXw/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20005H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3otzfUbQdGJKXwKoq5IYqPGavrJ4Z8l0YjFAhoYvOwW9VZcFJVdxag_2dzfimCbCt9T9qHFa8SwlMhTGxywYe5vFS6aUpXOAMSPPMel042LLQ-oRtuTgh4-hju_oQGBK0R3KW5-u13ObLa4r7RYNGUSBE5y6s8jNo2j4kXvmc8zxuwO3rXw/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20005H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The things you see</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18PHI103qX2qV_2AcfAzfnobWzPFoZy1pEuFvvyvG8tNp4oWsIWQy47dJHAuIr1eaWyHJxnn6MX6sGsAvVw9vn_aP61a5Y4mqCwty1cP9ndqKUrFjX3XUtzBefbszk9QYukLEgFp_2iSo9tziiQGE-Vf6D1RQVYf_MqZz-R-QPgP_kbIKJw/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20006H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18PHI103qX2qV_2AcfAzfnobWzPFoZy1pEuFvvyvG8tNp4oWsIWQy47dJHAuIr1eaWyHJxnn6MX6sGsAvVw9vn_aP61a5Y4mqCwty1cP9ndqKUrFjX3XUtzBefbszk9QYukLEgFp_2iSo9tziiQGE-Vf6D1RQVYf_MqZz-R-QPgP_kbIKJw/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20006H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>That is a lawn mower on the rack on the Mustang</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzgxRloZ9JOJnHOQg5nbiDPV788pkkAd_tSG5Xsc4vplmgiVEyln-7gCVfQqTbw3LBLupDKSuoeZCekZCf2Xn_GB_DDb7hIxsO8yZLB2cU43nQm9JVY8wRJYgTqkaii5zoMgf0zvuLdLi6K9TwbQcJBP99VjCZOOk3YzdTu5KR1KbSxC4XA/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20009H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzgxRloZ9JOJnHOQg5nbiDPV788pkkAd_tSG5Xsc4vplmgiVEyln-7gCVfQqTbw3LBLupDKSuoeZCekZCf2Xn_GB_DDb7hIxsO8yZLB2cU43nQm9JVY8wRJYgTqkaii5zoMgf0zvuLdLi6K9TwbQcJBP99VjCZOOk3YzdTu5KR1KbSxC4XA/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20009H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Many, many jeeps both driven and towed</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We came down the Jellico Hill and crossed into Kentucky about 10 AM. The smell of scorched brakes in the truck parking section of the Welcome Center was quite noticeable. We used the restrooms and then I splurged for a data connection to tell my DVR at home to start recording the NASCAR race at Daytona, which had been postponed yesterday due to rain. I'll be able to watch it when we get home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJm96tmejGuCNtS9oymViN7q82DE0fidcQuQtpHR2pEx5RZ72WWS6oi8-NTWw3j3glM8OJ9W6vAyc7Z206Bd_GX8YwHQTh44G5KPiqx2VQsqeVBGVobZA_3DJqopbsTXuktIR5v4oDdwBWKdSKkBqcSeRAZV_eIhkmCzsIG1uC2cIp0ACXw/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20010H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJm96tmejGuCNtS9oymViN7q82DE0fidcQuQtpHR2pEx5RZ72WWS6oi8-NTWw3j3glM8OJ9W6vAyc7Z206Bd_GX8YwHQTh44G5KPiqx2VQsqeVBGVobZA_3DJqopbsTXuktIR5v4oDdwBWKdSKkBqcSeRAZV_eIhkmCzsIG1uC2cIp0ACXw/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20010H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Bluegrass State</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrMWARhh4OXP3OK1apkZPzJSs15vBKrpmlxTLAGvYsLHv0-0yN-bUtKG1NXjthPegBdnfYI-tByuAxfEL90-yLXfnDgO8I0o-XcbttB-iFg6pDRxVBXvx2sMnnBkRJE7Wb789-L0g9QFfz6hiiapGhkVn68lCe9iiF6jy-cztOGenlOFddw/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20011I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrMWARhh4OXP3OK1apkZPzJSs15vBKrpmlxTLAGvYsLHv0-0yN-bUtKG1NXjthPegBdnfYI-tByuAxfEL90-yLXfnDgO8I0o-XcbttB-iFg6pDRxVBXvx2sMnnBkRJE7Wb789-L0g9QFfz6hiiapGhkVn68lCe9iiF6jy-cztOGenlOFddw/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20011I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A touch of colour at the Welcome Center</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We stopped at a Shell station for fuel and I added one liter of oil since it was looking a little low and a longer dipstick was not an option. It was 91F as we breezed by Richmond, Kentucky, home of the famous VROC Wolfman's Wandering Rally in 2009. Just before Florence, we stopped at a McDonald's that did have an open "lobby". I got a large iced coffee to try and perk me up again while Sandy got her favourite, a smoothie. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49CAPiDrSw_9O2b6MaTXcHTTiLu-oMzkb9JBfRcMsuVkz_6a62LCrMh4JDHIZykJzce0u4UF62K-OfjgmUMM_PtalNLsAeTQF0EaJdoeXk8bGrPS4Q5OXSDnwxT4Pkc1EyvmNimEey93Xbg1VsVhK9jUZ93z-yN_2Mp912NXmsYh2srNA9A/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20014H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49CAPiDrSw_9O2b6MaTXcHTTiLu-oMzkb9JBfRcMsuVkz_6a62LCrMh4JDHIZykJzce0u4UF62K-OfjgmUMM_PtalNLsAeTQF0EaJdoeXk8bGrPS4Q5OXSDnwxT4Pkc1EyvmNimEey93Xbg1VsVhK9jUZ93z-yN_2Mp912NXmsYh2srNA9A/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20014H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>People say they can see things in the clouds</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UhVYpcHuvwmobxqrz8txnPTlZLhmr_IAvLbB18UugeTdl28t4wBs7ZNB1JhdXb90KBZytEeq04HXe0OY-fYs5C7jZy9E3nJWvKoYKtir4JNmfhAkWX7GinzIuRiceltwz-Uj8KJZUZHKhIAjRs7HAED62-RKnSmUe91b4ppQjsHvZtotxQ/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20016H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UhVYpcHuvwmobxqrz8txnPTlZLhmr_IAvLbB18UugeTdl28t4wBs7ZNB1JhdXb90KBZytEeq04HXe0OY-fYs5C7jZy9E3nJWvKoYKtir4JNmfhAkWX7GinzIuRiceltwz-Uj8KJZUZHKhIAjRs7HAED62-RKnSmUe91b4ppQjsHvZtotxQ/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20016H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Nice looking truck</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We passed through Florence, Kentucky (where we stayed on the way down) and started down the Covington Hill towards the Ohio River and the Ohio state line. There were dire signs about closed lanes and traffic backups but we didn't find much of a problem.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG_FBgweJlC5VgmOQOQjV2RFVMOaAPoGZVfrdlZncTpvmVNOdtSM9BIpoEN4hBkhLPowqD_HW1StJ4beMX4Gf6A-j_T1s2YqCG9m2yQ10NEWGsxqGwel52YYyVZy6DBgnS2reCf3XaHE6z5t9hQ2KfReYjNzRYSdpnhB35BWutOcPyMZ0jQ/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20018H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG_FBgweJlC5VgmOQOQjV2RFVMOaAPoGZVfrdlZncTpvmVNOdtSM9BIpoEN4hBkhLPowqD_HW1StJ4beMX4Gf6A-j_T1s2YqCG9m2yQ10NEWGsxqGwel52YYyVZy6DBgnS2reCf3XaHE6z5t9hQ2KfReYjNzRYSdpnhB35BWutOcPyMZ0jQ/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20018H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>There is the famous water tower</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WBOmJyaqM7Y-N0qTjXSoKE2cSnhACugf947xS3BMsHZTmvVlHZSZ1RFBn45e-UgvKZfL6aYG_-7pfdLzKcODfRoKBcpnFtgowF9bhhi7x_0gb2J49d6eo1hjvstXV3WH2AQTa2xUwF8TOnV2FeZEb8jV0ndtbGZlBTQhK0PYqp0ymi7M6Q/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20019H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WBOmJyaqM7Y-N0qTjXSoKE2cSnhACugf947xS3BMsHZTmvVlHZSZ1RFBn45e-UgvKZfL6aYG_-7pfdLzKcODfRoKBcpnFtgowF9bhhi7x_0gb2J49d6eo1hjvstXV3WH2AQTa2xUwF8TOnV2FeZEb8jV0ndtbGZlBTQhK0PYqp0ymi7M6Q/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20019H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Covington Hill with Cincinnati</i></b></span><b><i> ahead</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZITNC7VngJLSKNGirsvE0M7yljdQa8WXwFDGjjorb6shla4fotu6_b9vjW-W2fkF2M7qX2V_-9j2J4fKYFwJXVLfenTU5ZJ2jIWbADC-ozYd2NmSCTuCSdSRt562z8te5mMN-xAH_BeZthHbqfe46T2yLg--oZ6MmfM55sPb8-1hjgfIYZw/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20021H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZITNC7VngJLSKNGirsvE0M7yljdQa8WXwFDGjjorb6shla4fotu6_b9vjW-W2fkF2M7qX2V_-9j2J4fKYFwJXVLfenTU5ZJ2jIWbADC-ozYd2NmSCTuCSdSRt562z8te5mMN-xAH_BeZthHbqfe46T2yLg--oZ6MmfM55sPb8-1hjgfIYZw/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20021H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Used to be a Rodeway but now a Radisson</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihanM2ZXhHV7sEZodcGLTKOiWE3jPE6rPrgHDaIeAlfbn5alfYNPK84TFMM_AtBjdq4cmKZGUKPb5WVVSPoFPO9pHcjjd-5VGEWdDECtZ2wnQVP48i5PtQeWhkL_H1h1oJ0lskI6MeCime58PtJNDMtx3lKUttLrFjGLsvQqybkr3taAyENQ/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20023H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihanM2ZXhHV7sEZodcGLTKOiWE3jPE6rPrgHDaIeAlfbn5alfYNPK84TFMM_AtBjdq4cmKZGUKPb5WVVSPoFPO9pHcjjd-5VGEWdDECtZ2wnQVP48i5PtQeWhkL_H1h1oJ0lskI6MeCime58PtJNDMtx3lKUttLrFjGLsvQqybkr3taAyENQ/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20023H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Buckeye State</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmX0MKXdR93R0gyWSQcCIwluk59NJrl38FVFRZVmmw80iCzvNB5xVvcPVJFlddVnJR-wD1fp2p_JMJ-LxdLGyC9L1S09KOGDmoF2TOV4fQDhU94i4kCB4hiZCl160zFHsR0Kz2eFDUspYnM2zkwubUku1Dbi6MQgWJfthyuMWtJPJRnOZMQ/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20024H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmX0MKXdR93R0gyWSQcCIwluk59NJrl38FVFRZVmmw80iCzvNB5xVvcPVJFlddVnJR-wD1fp2p_JMJ-LxdLGyC9L1S09KOGDmoF2TOV4fQDhU94i4kCB4hiZCl160zFHsR0Kz2eFDUspYnM2zkwubUku1Dbi6MQgWJfthyuMWtJPJRnOZMQ/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20024H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Low rider in Cinci</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">The drive through Cincinnati was uneventful and traffic eased up as we moved north. We arrived at the Hampton Inn at a relatively new crossroads adjacent to the Interstate in Springboro at 2:45 PM. I spent some time resting my eyes and then sorted some photos and worked on the blog for a while.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXienwN9CgZ8YCbetLxKFcure00h0XgcbleE02_Ob7teFne_cebTF3eclS1gKrKiIRrze0c18pMWg9QUVkW-0LvqkxdmiMhAwTJjboZYcfe1UXoy2b67HOTv6rAvoM0bWRLeh0XhNUulCBufQiL-RL6Ga7o_xMVeSJ8hG95Sqmhg74QMc2A/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20025I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXienwN9CgZ8YCbetLxKFcure00h0XgcbleE02_Ob7teFne_cebTF3eclS1gKrKiIRrze0c18pMWg9QUVkW-0LvqkxdmiMhAwTJjboZYcfe1UXoy2b67HOTv6rAvoM0bWRLeh0XhNUulCBufQiL-RL6Ga7o_xMVeSJ8hG95Sqmhg74QMc2A/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20025I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A quiet night at the Hampton Inn</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">There was a Bob Evans nearby so we walked over there about 5:00 PM for a bite to eat. Oddly, there was no sidewalk on the side street down there so we walked facing traffic. Luckily, there were push to cross buttons on the main road or we would have been roadkill.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTWHhuO5kkFPvptYKCKFgMDi8ANH0poVRRwMq0limYssbyMx_xWxnC2MLHhxAWToswbZARi4GlFB7Xk05pEv17Ee8F3vgIUpEb_4aWhvrdmgF9M7imgUJjp08-Ijo7cIN8SIqXcrKSHAFoSRpfAqHO03NxZ8JBUsLPTekLjrN-M5oUqnsPg/s1440/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20026I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTWHhuO5kkFPvptYKCKFgMDi8ANH0poVRRwMq0limYssbyMx_xWxnC2MLHhxAWToswbZARi4GlFB7Xk05pEv17Ee8F3vgIUpEb_4aWhvrdmgF9M7imgUJjp08-Ijo7cIN8SIqXcrKSHAFoSRpfAqHO03NxZ8JBUsLPTekLjrN-M5oUqnsPg/s320/20220828%20MV%20to%20Springboro%20OH%20026I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Not a sidewalk to be seen</i></b></div><p>At Bob Evans, a nice young lady named Sierra took our orders. We each had a half turkey/bacon sandwich with chicken noodle soup. After all the food I put away in the last week, it was time to start tapering off. We brought Sandy's sandwich back to the room and I nibbled on it a bit but we were both asleep before 8:00 PM.</p><p><b>Today's route (389 Equinox/trailer miles):</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiAttbAnEzPNzuiMDQcd8jYDFaVvjYq8yIRGtvn0pagz74bK9Y7IOGsd_sp8Id-4tLRdN1LMMcbb07kF21L9nPyHdAq5pDq9-Gcebo2RvgJB9aBQ9voWaecd1QYjoY-3b9pBLL4HdOk-6_N6oP5MfPzKbIWQ4A7sHEIoZXHQtULxyhwSDvA/s870/20220828%20MV%20%20to%20Springboro.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="870" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiAttbAnEzPNzuiMDQcd8jYDFaVvjYq8yIRGtvn0pagz74bK9Y7IOGsd_sp8Id-4tLRdN1LMMcbb07kF21L9nPyHdAq5pDq9-Gcebo2RvgJB9aBQ9voWaecd1QYjoY-3b9pBLL4HdOk-6_N6oP5MfPzKbIWQ4A7sHEIoZXHQtULxyhwSDvA/s320/20220828%20MV%20%20to%20Springboro.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/Vyxq2Z39ZCeSfnWMA" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/Vyxq2Z39ZCeSfnWMA" target="_blank"><i>Interactive map</i></a></div><p></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-62903880191408607472022-08-27T21:54:00.003-04:002022-08-29T07:32:01.232-04:00Maggie Valley North Carolina SEVROC Saturday<p>This would be our last full day in Maggie Valley on this trip. It was hard to imagine where almost a complete week had gone but I guess that proves that time flies when you are having fun. I had a piece of the leftover Brickhouse pizza for breakfast after warming in in the microwave on a cardboard plate I cut out of the pizza box lid.</p><p>Last night, Huffy had said he and Cary would like to do the same route we did yesterday so I took his older Garmin Nuvi and successfully loaded the Gary Bohler GPX file into it. Today, I needed to get some paperwork done to be ready for the border crossing on Monday. The ArriveCAN app seemed to be easy to use but we'll see when we get there. The other task was to determine what we have to declare to Customs.</p><p>Slammer arrived mid-morning with Butterscotch Schnapps to share. It had been too long since we last saw Jerry and I have to say that he still looks just the same. All around, people were relaxing and enjoying a pleasant morning.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuZBm_BJdBgUzxS59l_ZB_gQgGR22ZMHIQ4PfU5gl68Byw4EOOOQ4wA7ZeIoRH7CCDvmT5OfmpxAubngWKmgZpT0slMij2EDhIuPPjDgckF3hHvd2kReSIJYxQHn8W04pOd_prexNK1x1aLknJxkcs7lMpLTahmgHNWegxVRkakDiodBabQ/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20001I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuZBm_BJdBgUzxS59l_ZB_gQgGR22ZMHIQ4PfU5gl68Byw4EOOOQ4wA7ZeIoRH7CCDvmT5OfmpxAubngWKmgZpT0slMij2EDhIuPPjDgckF3hHvd2kReSIJYxQHn8W04pOd_prexNK1x1aLknJxkcs7lMpLTahmgHNWegxVRkakDiodBabQ/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20001I.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Slammer - great shirt</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-h-_MaYKigbQGMOY2ITKe9XUhFn8rrZAoHDtiiFeGGZCeEDRgcmELZv52DY_pjiA94GCHzeGHUghhvLSkDsLiI6hM54nMXjtfKg_wmV_EmdaC2frc7AT8wQmoVWoyb2hJEyup4EZpjz-Rjl_GdE20rGWz3sRYlSk8ZXJ_ByAjfxY1Na7_2g/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20002I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-h-_MaYKigbQGMOY2ITKe9XUhFn8rrZAoHDtiiFeGGZCeEDRgcmELZv52DY_pjiA94GCHzeGHUghhvLSkDsLiI6hM54nMXjtfKg_wmV_EmdaC2frc7AT8wQmoVWoyb2hJEyup4EZpjz-Rjl_GdE20rGWz3sRYlSk8ZXJ_ByAjfxY1Na7_2g/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20002I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Slammer, Susan and Badger catching up</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztD7JGxSjiMi6R92nQc1GtWm9XRXsxOE9EWDIqzOntpDdBanLwnVQdojHXFKEOtSaxKzxZ0H6m_Oqt-XWrkZEuxHtzCusIyDPVhOkWwrslKqZ7-yMfw_N3RKt941enbikJUYhb-8OfY3M3TnVRuqmsWk6zLSvXIcD5G5delRI_FWJ6MtwgQ/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20003I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztD7JGxSjiMi6R92nQc1GtWm9XRXsxOE9EWDIqzOntpDdBanLwnVQdojHXFKEOtSaxKzxZ0H6m_Oqt-XWrkZEuxHtzCusIyDPVhOkWwrslKqZ7-yMfw_N3RKt941enbikJUYhb-8OfY3M3TnVRuqmsWk6zLSvXIcD5G5delRI_FWJ6MtwgQ/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20003I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Kudzu and Cargo playing cribbage</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Willie Wonka wanted to go for a ride and Sandy and I wanted to go over to <a href="https://tworiverslodgenc.com/" target="_blank">Two Rivers Lodge</a> between Cherokee and Bryson City to say Hi to Blain and Kathy so we made that the objective. I told Willie it was his turn to lead and that all he had to do was to follow US 19. I'd tell him when we were there. He and Carlene took point followed Reed, Sandy and I and Butch.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0c3rHHXoKeWIpGAqCZMy5rN90b0TMZp-s9C_9chQ_OMs-PQUlhxNZYqYVL4npOvYU7Q7HWte698CeKZA4cFVtuB8NGitZLCojQIgOqAjJG-NeTxleSRGRy8UHpFWib8nCT4sN_v3bF3OHZKqOSlg9LcxKTcATZvRmW-JOyWN6R9R_x6G5A/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20004H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0c3rHHXoKeWIpGAqCZMy5rN90b0TMZp-s9C_9chQ_OMs-PQUlhxNZYqYVL4npOvYU7Q7HWte698CeKZA4cFVtuB8NGitZLCojQIgOqAjJG-NeTxleSRGRy8UHpFWib8nCT4sN_v3bF3OHZKqOSlg9LcxKTcATZvRmW-JOyWN6R9R_x6G5A/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20004H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Riding down US 19 towards Cherokee</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3B0nK7gpnRZ0mgMwrGsjFgLT9yUVQjqJDcVhCz3Rcew-fDvQhf8RLVSjFm5avKwseL28NMXSssfDWo5rveYoeyPxW_tD_xL-gOEEEwzz3VIwGVXfYz043WvBdAYtvutk5TNV36nkV74AxkHTtmIy4uZldOa3Z94UM1zSLJnqoCEsp5DPRQ/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20005H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3B0nK7gpnRZ0mgMwrGsjFgLT9yUVQjqJDcVhCz3Rcew-fDvQhf8RLVSjFm5avKwseL28NMXSssfDWo5rveYoeyPxW_tD_xL-gOEEEwzz3VIwGVXfYz043WvBdAYtvutk5TNV36nkV74AxkHTtmIy4uZldOa3Z94UM1zSLJnqoCEsp5DPRQ/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20005H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>This is always a fun ride, even when following cars</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We got to Two Rivers and found Kathy at home. Blain arrived a few minutes later and we spent some time catching up. It had been some time since we stayed here but it is a great location for riding the Smokies, more centred than Maggie Valley IMHO. The office still has the appreciation plaque presented by the Freedom Riders after they hosted the President's Ride here in 2014.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Blain told me Pappy had headed home yesterday. The lingering effects of long COVID were weighing more heavily on him than he had expected. We really enjoyed seeing him and were sorry he left but understood and hoped he would be feeling better soon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakKRXUxn6NH8uRC5lqUWKIs183pzQzmgyxPq-t_1r4OFNUUz2CliiqxJDm5Y1eHCcqUK8WwG6kQI7uHSp6_h16WN3mice_2xM5ZclwKk0haYfhPkSXnZcPocrMzV8dOWSg4gDb6_6If3CUMKutYekHVrdK-uPScTgmx2mnLoa1qKlgsH3cA/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20006I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakKRXUxn6NH8uRC5lqUWKIs183pzQzmgyxPq-t_1r4OFNUUz2CliiqxJDm5Y1eHCcqUK8WwG6kQI7uHSp6_h16WN3mice_2xM5ZclwKk0haYfhPkSXnZcPocrMzV8dOWSg4gDb6_6If3CUMKutYekHVrdK-uPScTgmx2mnLoa1qKlgsH3cA/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20006I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Kathy, Sandy and Blain at Two Rivers Lodge</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Willie and Reed wanted to go for a longer ride but Sandy had come along because I said we were just going over and back. I gave Willie directions to the Blue Ridge Parkway out of Cherokee and we headed out to US 74 through Whittier. The ride across the divided highway was nice but we kept heading towards a couple of building storms in the distance. Then we stopped briefly at the rest area just before Waynesville where I talked to a couple from Atlanta on a Harley. When we pulled back onto the road, the threatening clouds were gone.</p><p>Since this was the last outing for the bike, I stopped and filled the tank with relatively cheaper US gasoline.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLxy8Soe503dl7nONDO91YXyOMnMkjsOBOzI9xEJ4wnGVD2vecOtH1cubuesZd20AV6BTZz885Ai1PzebC0ao7R-9fEjajriBnBi0-0hluFu0TngUmFy8vBPigriOLSXH36bE3TrqUo27XmFalcMO4a3jhenOZFgJCXNN9ULUn1JNV9LsIQ/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20007H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLxy8Soe503dl7nONDO91YXyOMnMkjsOBOzI9xEJ4wnGVD2vecOtH1cubuesZd20AV6BTZz885Ai1PzebC0ao7R-9fEjajriBnBi0-0hluFu0TngUmFy8vBPigriOLSXH36bE3TrqUo27XmFalcMO4a3jhenOZFgJCXNN9ULUn1JNV9LsIQ/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20007H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Clouds building</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BylhCRhtYVkVRY1CiGrWbHPt-flI0JL-8badz8yLM2ac88XusVBoak63DhJZp0ZtpUGlgWOjahRVaONSveRbqcl7_M_qyGpw3fR6S5_TLlSx69rcNI-J7SqvkihDLzPfpnnKimCNIz4yknYgG-1fjQU7RRy29FUr3oslpQg2QJlr2x5N1Q/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20009H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BylhCRhtYVkVRY1CiGrWbHPt-flI0JL-8badz8yLM2ac88XusVBoak63DhJZp0ZtpUGlgWOjahRVaONSveRbqcl7_M_qyGpw3fR6S5_TLlSx69rcNI-J7SqvkihDLzPfpnnKimCNIz4yknYgG-1fjQU7RRy29FUr3oslpQg2QJlr2x5N1Q/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20009H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Darker clouds</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Back at the motel, we found that Flip and Renata had arrived by car from Greenville, SC with their new family addition, Kingston.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKBJwRfFdmoHp8PDsjsZ0_dJEyfINN7k_GsB5Edfls5oKMPgP12FO9dgNKGgyQOuciwNQ_XbfaZ3BVxLB41bDTIYEwW3iBmjRQu-6yF9AxEh0R01Q2wMN6Guci28tYNCzkFo4-FpE66AFk1_NBXPvitUCZLG38Pm1rMQtnbQrHkmTC7AvKw/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20012I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKBJwRfFdmoHp8PDsjsZ0_dJEyfINN7k_GsB5Edfls5oKMPgP12FO9dgNKGgyQOuciwNQ_XbfaZ3BVxLB41bDTIYEwW3iBmjRQu-6yF9AxEh0R01Q2wMN6Guci28tYNCzkFo4-FpE66AFk1_NBXPvitUCZLG38Pm1rMQtnbQrHkmTC7AvKw/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20012I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Kingston and his proud papa</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6s6krQb9uafuFTdcAMtVx9J1JeSXDefzn1o-rBvty0PwmPVyHWmHHHQF2b-xNK8A5u8jLzvn7Dek9KCFaPmV4lkwuK4oj8Ox1WYaxSnlxt9uMXLBaQp83AB_9N2ymm0p-7WfAhDAQJfjQifNX0IZKrNDcOUS5mhfkv6nofcWPIlv3AErmMQ/s1080/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20013O.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6s6krQb9uafuFTdcAMtVx9J1JeSXDefzn1o-rBvty0PwmPVyHWmHHHQF2b-xNK8A5u8jLzvn7Dek9KCFaPmV4lkwuK4oj8Ox1WYaxSnlxt9uMXLBaQp83AB_9N2ymm0p-7WfAhDAQJfjQifNX0IZKrNDcOUS5mhfkv6nofcWPIlv3AErmMQ/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20013O.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>With Slammer</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">I had more day old pizza while Sandy had yogurt and snacks she had on hand while I got the ArriveCAN app completed, telling them that we would be crossing the Ambassador Bridge at 1300 hours on Monday. Posting the bills to Quickbooks also let me make up a list of the goods we acquired in the US that we would be taking home with us.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sandy had been packing while I worked on the books. Then we loaded the car with everything except our overnight bags (the ones we take into a motel for a one night stay). After hooking the trailer up, I pulled it down into the parking lot and loaded the bike. It went flawlessly, which was good considering I had an audience. Then I parked the rig back in the field, ready for an early morning departure.</p><p style="text-align: left;">There was a group supper planned at <a href="https://www.guayabitosrestaurants.com/" target="_blank">Guayabito's Mexican Restaurant</a> across the street. Sandy is not a fan of Mexican food even though she has hardly ever tried it. Something about not liking the texture. But she agreed to go, have a drink and see if something looked ok. I am not that familiar with Mexican food either, mostly because my wife won't go to restaurants that serve it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">When we were seated, Sandy ordered a pina colada and I got one of their signature margaritas. She ended up ordering something called a taco loco (a crispy flour tortilla shell filled with shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese and sour cream) while I had enchiladas supremas (one chicken, one beef, one bean and one cheese enchilada, all topped with shredded cheese, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream). Sandy didn't complain and I found mine to be excellent.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tvNIjo3BAwBuhJ8cxhLwpEShb5zM3fkpSxUWChFM14gEj9LdpDOmuK3bOUDVX5zbDUxxfsZtLbiqoMTebrttoif_OhKXlxVvWK6cksMnPQEAapwwND-QRBXIlxiV2zF5EZgmlafy-Fqfnlwr3OdoXMobHhG7iAD4quSnnyIaJhxcAryX1A/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20014I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tvNIjo3BAwBuhJ8cxhLwpEShb5zM3fkpSxUWChFM14gEj9LdpDOmuK3bOUDVX5zbDUxxfsZtLbiqoMTebrttoif_OhKXlxVvWK6cksMnPQEAapwwND-QRBXIlxiV2zF5EZgmlafy-Fqfnlwr3OdoXMobHhG7iAD4quSnnyIaJhxcAryX1A/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20014I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Walking over to Guayabito's</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-bmAblrZYc_W5b9sRAx1L4FEZ82fUdiUDv5NrA5YWnNcHbWRmTLQiNxHC-kyKEMgrxjewuzE_anrFAbF4rHI2PsZ-kgYiyMly4i_UlBVtvgfQDZFKlEEoImdo1VgvCYmv_9T7IZ7dM5ZEbT5sn4IKdPBzNN6jO3ZEnJxF85XP8IJ-O-Zqg/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20015I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-bmAblrZYc_W5b9sRAx1L4FEZ82fUdiUDv5NrA5YWnNcHbWRmTLQiNxHC-kyKEMgrxjewuzE_anrFAbF4rHI2PsZ-kgYiyMly4i_UlBVtvgfQDZFKlEEoImdo1VgvCYmv_9T7IZ7dM5ZEbT5sn4IKdPBzNN6jO3ZEnJxF85XP8IJ-O-Zqg/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20015I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrOEMqZ5kP_XJb70xGjrmv36jlOlSDspoakwd8TxI-mw3bccW6eIKKegqnF0XeWgOEMGDWJMDElyBa6lLtGv-b17-uq2cfmqI43-yNLDWK77tvJC2-XL559cM7yMbwG_a4nZ5Olq85qSccK-lrV8Uck1ayu7cqIvntwcbiC6QBOLsDNHW-w/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20016I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrOEMqZ5kP_XJb70xGjrmv36jlOlSDspoakwd8TxI-mw3bccW6eIKKegqnF0XeWgOEMGDWJMDElyBa6lLtGv-b17-uq2cfmqI43-yNLDWK77tvJC2-XL559cM7yMbwG_a4nZ5Olq85qSccK-lrV8Uck1ayu7cqIvntwcbiC6QBOLsDNHW-w/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20016I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwQbcjS8-QOwfKqsfm1TmCC1NJs2NDWwlWdhE2hnAk8TOooIgQa8H09I-KiziXNy30q0yhaK7ZcLrDP6iWIia3089zwM-THiyYGTTsBA-24_TaXR9jG21eoJNuxwBJBKvqSOpyq3HSCBMURtaiKCY9-xymO0wxmeUpypH-NOG2VdSqf9lug/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20018I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwQbcjS8-QOwfKqsfm1TmCC1NJs2NDWwlWdhE2hnAk8TOooIgQa8H09I-KiziXNy30q0yhaK7ZcLrDP6iWIia3089zwM-THiyYGTTsBA-24_TaXR9jG21eoJNuxwBJBKvqSOpyq3HSCBMURtaiKCY9-xymO0wxmeUpypH-NOG2VdSqf9lug/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20018I.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The pina colada was a good size</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4cryRHS2bo18UFB45yPnLQDxbTYfCZlaijjoOdgBuwYrTHRZxfjW6Zny9UO-4kJAf8rWD57r_Qh3Gm51spxhCydzy1DFH6pxS3XrwFF_nsBJYy7aGalZwIBruOTeFPQ2Ql8V8tUVxd-5U2n0nKObmEQjAtvX3yIyG5fzzjd06hfn-8uFbw/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20017I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4cryRHS2bo18UFB45yPnLQDxbTYfCZlaijjoOdgBuwYrTHRZxfjW6Zny9UO-4kJAf8rWD57r_Qh3Gm51spxhCydzy1DFH6pxS3XrwFF_nsBJYy7aGalZwIBruOTeFPQ2Ql8V8tUVxd-5U2n0nKObmEQjAtvX3yIyG5fzzjd06hfn-8uFbw/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20017I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The MEDIUM margarita was bigger</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNj7h1VkOhzt_g_Qd9rK2wowE5xHLYWhQ3ApUs8vWdFTul-8uQS2_QihsLUOOVdmsRAk9i_adjUVPErYXc7lQHwVWm0_u_copMwDBgjITkzABNhNtligvKdjPkJn9-5R_a_iFSCBav8lfWLeC-ZpkGNqSkgEoq-74txD3Ukb12GUuWdvvfA/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20019I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNj7h1VkOhzt_g_Qd9rK2wowE5xHLYWhQ3ApUs8vWdFTul-8uQS2_QihsLUOOVdmsRAk9i_adjUVPErYXc7lQHwVWm0_u_copMwDBgjITkzABNhNtligvKdjPkJn9-5R_a_iFSCBav8lfWLeC-ZpkGNqSkgEoq-74txD3Ukb12GUuWdvvfA/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20019I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>MT thought I had a large and ordered that - it was huge</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMPMZkQy1o-bUStFvUGdh34rbSTxZOqJgzcrnEynx6frXkO-c7izoADUS9zIEVfX2xrmFs7eat38MDrFvjDuH8uk_XkxIAje8EVjev1Rbj6uADMamkOIsawy2YRctvzgvdmHke6tSxZeYZ_TFojFc3rYSQzYdz-HKvzOH03tI4xH4IFs7iA/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20020I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMPMZkQy1o-bUStFvUGdh34rbSTxZOqJgzcrnEynx6frXkO-c7izoADUS9zIEVfX2xrmFs7eat38MDrFvjDuH8uk_XkxIAje8EVjev1Rbj6uADMamkOIsawy2YRctvzgvdmHke6tSxZeYZ_TFojFc3rYSQzYdz-HKvzOH03tI4xH4IFs7iA/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20020I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Enchilada supremas</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLA6eyzvgTXjcjbRMAKmAlNyUIGGp44DgjrT9gBwrkFFsEOTlEeSpICSZyCWnVkt_iBB-3yPlRxkrbiDQV7_QQOmmFas740cbnEcnnKLDFe5MwXc8w5GA3S9rxA2k4989ZLzux36YCIgtmiwbjZ0KnQxHa3xzc5A58Vw8K12F3UNoc-9f5w/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20021I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLA6eyzvgTXjcjbRMAKmAlNyUIGGp44DgjrT9gBwrkFFsEOTlEeSpICSZyCWnVkt_iBB-3yPlRxkrbiDQV7_QQOmmFas740cbnEcnnKLDFe5MwXc8w5GA3S9rxA2k4989ZLzux36YCIgtmiwbjZ0KnQxHa3xzc5A58Vw8K12F3UNoc-9f5w/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20021I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Taco loco salad with shrimp</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKApnR4jfcOJytauZnTw2hC4KseVgsx-JwNvMUyKWOLe3kWm0IXBDTm0YDndgO3KG400WhPom3uxQJYI5H7cjUt5NJQFVjeo_Xu23AM_WacGOip0DZTU3vl_PBsKdudMZudeQNn6QaeUDvSPyum0Nbise_cFDE6oiDdb-T0v63r-qKcCPjA/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20023I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKApnR4jfcOJytauZnTw2hC4KseVgsx-JwNvMUyKWOLe3kWm0IXBDTm0YDndgO3KG400WhPom3uxQJYI5H7cjUt5NJQFVjeo_Xu23AM_WacGOip0DZTU3vl_PBsKdudMZudeQNn6QaeUDvSPyum0Nbise_cFDE6oiDdb-T0v63r-qKcCPjA/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20023I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Festival grounds across from A Holiday Motel</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWCHNJj_dpAa-fTbeyJyrmZJg7hbQvMrbI7_9MPVFu9Nq2bJPnSg3Na2dPdaCxE6ZPoKNMo_9tjCE0SjcHT3E5f27cObJoC9oaeZWV1KZb205Mbcb5jd4iTh4Zzq1Jyubxy5tbjCVmo3mv4MHgOnIH3FA_3kr1CSqjSv7aXgj-gQKGnUUyA/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20022I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWCHNJj_dpAa-fTbeyJyrmZJg7hbQvMrbI7_9MPVFu9Nq2bJPnSg3Na2dPdaCxE6ZPoKNMo_9tjCE0SjcHT3E5f27cObJoC9oaeZWV1KZb205Mbcb5jd4iTh4Zzq1Jyubxy5tbjCVmo3mv4MHgOnIH3FA_3kr1CSqjSv7aXgj-gQKGnUUyA/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20022I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A relaxing spot to sit and watch the world go by</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">It was a quiet evening back at the motel as the rally wound down and everyone who would be leaving the next day mingled. It was surprising how many faces we hadn't seen in a long time had showed up this week. We even had Sherm join us on a Facebook messenger call.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yrkwCySDvcy-uKPXYJ2I1WMp9uk5Cjp9WsOx4lCDwz00b397klqWO0qkGyth2LJ4LmFBsfxg4V6g-z3uCd1KHRHUxJbbpofr_5BXUEI057GTmTfO27ARRGyoN4DZGo_I4QqRoA0uowlh2EmieMSPPM_Nsi7iOXgjXu5jUln8Fw14NJAFnQ/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20024S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yrkwCySDvcy-uKPXYJ2I1WMp9uk5Cjp9WsOx4lCDwz00b397klqWO0qkGyth2LJ4LmFBsfxg4V6g-z3uCd1KHRHUxJbbpofr_5BXUEI057GTmTfO27ARRGyoN4DZGo_I4QqRoA0uowlh2EmieMSPPM_Nsi7iOXgjXu5jUln8Fw14NJAFnQ/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20024S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Judge</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahG3X_qHp1w0MJ2PTcBhyloKRN3lmfq_8UAxsG8-78oB68G0FrZUv5CGCVdkVVe5FajjLQteyF8ZjDTpXCehZE5SgCxgydlb_2V73z5qeS5d45CvVY6n_cY9SFMlAFBwJoYjimWIhHLIEXxlWhuG3ZCx7xFmg9MeB2O08_FNlPwpuMimrmw/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20025S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahG3X_qHp1w0MJ2PTcBhyloKRN3lmfq_8UAxsG8-78oB68G0FrZUv5CGCVdkVVe5FajjLQteyF8ZjDTpXCehZE5SgCxgydlb_2V73z5qeS5d45CvVY6n_cY9SFMlAFBwJoYjimWIhHLIEXxlWhuG3ZCx7xFmg9MeB2O08_FNlPwpuMimrmw/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20025S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Southern Draw and Cheap B entertaining Skyking</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwumCS4umbfBQUwWp7fqWmwXCnibnbklc2bIP0601zOplCqfDbNqT1VEbW05MsqoFbG-R7u4O1dRaJI_Y_ufo3tOeL5JAjDjvWg86sXiq17Wxp0c10xlClbt4mkJbtyJnH3zMxlVpl_6K2Cj1wqJWoGuRLpJY1NYNSi15rTn0jO639O6I-vA/s1440/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20026S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwumCS4umbfBQUwWp7fqWmwXCnibnbklc2bIP0601zOplCqfDbNqT1VEbW05MsqoFbG-R7u4O1dRaJI_Y_ufo3tOeL5JAjDjvWg86sXiq17Wxp0c10xlClbt4mkJbtyJnH3zMxlVpl_6K2Cj1wqJWoGuRLpJY1NYNSi15rTn0jO639O6I-vA/s320/20220827%20SEVROC%20Saturday%20026S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The mood was mellow - we should do this again</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">As usual, it was a little sad to go around and say our goodbyes before we turned in. But after three years of not being able to attend VROC gatherings, it was good to know that the magic was still alive.</p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Today's route (61 motorcycle miles):</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJlImPlLC4T8e9b4IFgReQAnn52EXB07B5uNTT32ox5_ek4BZRM-mlSA89ary__pXQGphRDOI-9ICetS3VXkHA_BKRj7c16evGbX-jictq8-mmsnpmXJPMPwn1iz5zDl34Hcuetj3e3LucEu0W0-7xDycG9Gf8dE6SviK2XVCe03nAGPlPg/s1244/20220827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1244" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJlImPlLC4T8e9b4IFgReQAnn52EXB07B5uNTT32ox5_ek4BZRM-mlSA89ary__pXQGphRDOI-9ICetS3VXkHA_BKRj7c16evGbX-jictq8-mmsnpmXJPMPwn1iz5zDl34Hcuetj3e3LucEu0W0-7xDycG9Gf8dE6SviK2XVCe03nAGPlPg/s320/20220827.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/LVirokNxUcF19gCRA" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><i>Interactive map</i></a></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-25899116162149271842022-08-26T23:00:00.012-04:002022-08-28T19:25:26.186-04:00Maggie Valley North Carolina SEVROC Friday (The Rattler/NC 63)<p>Sandy and I were up at 7:00 AM again. Today, we had some Jimmy Dean microwave omelets that she picked up ay WalMart the other day. The weather storm said we would be good until 1:00 PM, when there was likelihood of thunderstorms moving in. I made an executive decision and decided we would take the shorter route today, which should see us back at the motel around noon. Willie said he was good with that. Thank you again, Gary Bohler, for all the work you have done sharing rides in this area.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakbqIwoKVHzbSPe8sIIbE9WvE27n3amZDDEx581Thd6b7KKMy4KwybI2KRMgDSpropekv3dIVVCh9HjbhYTO8txm0QoB0ct6YiobUTKLBtSJN4jI-HWWV9gn4fT8XkmVbJHvPYkY2p_1GoI0SNoUjAK6hz938ufdqS8RVwNnhNXecGJF4Eg/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20001I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakbqIwoKVHzbSPe8sIIbE9WvE27n3amZDDEx581Thd6b7KKMy4KwybI2KRMgDSpropekv3dIVVCh9HjbhYTO8txm0QoB0ct6YiobUTKLBtSJN4jI-HWWV9gn4fT8XkmVbJHvPYkY2p_1GoI0SNoUjAK6hz938ufdqS8RVwNnhNXecGJF4Eg/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20001I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Carl watching Butch wipe the dew off his Nomad</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBijN7B1PLkG5CVxOTgDc7ZRijbv2opfS0Lj5v7gtEKm7sCrZC9fCyI1CJv4a0TcrJAtRrUQdXsqRxFzDhW6TjlChBSi3bnbjWNimC7eFo-W8mzty913IjhB3ZdRhRDcqsIzXo8jGREixUAgxtfOvI4FfvcKifVo90WR58-nCwPqVUSmKLw/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20002I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBijN7B1PLkG5CVxOTgDc7ZRijbv2opfS0Lj5v7gtEKm7sCrZC9fCyI1CJv4a0TcrJAtRrUQdXsqRxFzDhW6TjlChBSi3bnbjWNimC7eFo-W8mzty913IjhB3ZdRhRDcqsIzXo8jGREixUAgxtfOvI4FfvcKifVo90WR58-nCwPqVUSmKLw/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20002I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Through early morning fog I see....</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Our group headed out at 9:00 AM sharp. I was in the lead, followed by Willie, Reed, Snubs, Pickles and Butch. Sandy chose not to go so I had no riding photographer. We headed out along Lake Junaluska and hopped over to US 209. This road starts out through rolling farmland but soon tightened down, making for a fun ride. It wound its way back and forth plus up and down. At one point, I was warning Willie (we both have CB radios) about roadkill ahead when the black dog laying in our lane looked at me. He made no attempt to move as we rode around him.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Our first stop was in the quaint little town of Hot Springs, North Carolina. The Lovely Carlene talked to a local lady who said that dog was always there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTkJSETtfKtHUhED8k3kATt2vG8SM_g4IiUdJ_sqz5zURpkJZhi3VsA6gu7uJjDsNWwtrUtZpGfXNVyjQQELigeNcbjDmTuVYQkzF_VzzzPmOpDM-Y8kZF4rY8TC4GiCTatmJ0LCIRIpCYom8SdGEPD8wXfubOH8CW-YbwSUD2nxCfNS7nQ/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20003I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTkJSETtfKtHUhED8k3kATt2vG8SM_g4IiUdJ_sqz5zURpkJZhi3VsA6gu7uJjDsNWwtrUtZpGfXNVyjQQELigeNcbjDmTuVYQkzF_VzzzPmOpDM-Y8kZF4rY8TC4GiCTatmJ0LCIRIpCYom8SdGEPD8wXfubOH8CW-YbwSUD2nxCfNS7nQ/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20003I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hot Springs NC</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TQYA-QMPdMNUwIjlM8oqo6q2LUxY4YBapGCXJFdUHOBWSxHgRlomL_wvW4SJhEEhv3VBV5KkPfS7pbR0vSpVDAn0Z6LN-wtgry6sI_JTsZ9-4XnQE91ued4bsh0Ua_pbYeI-as0TfSvM0nVWDZEUhSEAHEo7TuMA3u_6XjSzFmuRXZaO4Q/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20006I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TQYA-QMPdMNUwIjlM8oqo6q2LUxY4YBapGCXJFdUHOBWSxHgRlomL_wvW4SJhEEhv3VBV5KkPfS7pbR0vSpVDAn0Z6LN-wtgry6sI_JTsZ9-4XnQE91ued4bsh0Ua_pbYeI-as0TfSvM0nVWDZEUhSEAHEo7TuMA3u_6XjSzFmuRXZaO4Q/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20006I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Willie relaxing on a bench on </i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We left Hot Springs on US 25/70 and followed it all the way to Marshall, NC. This stretch consisted of beautiful sweeping curves that rose and fell through the countryside. That changed once we got to Marshall and got onto narrow winding roads heading roughly southwest. There were some patches of gravel on pavement, particularly at the end of driveways, but we never lost the highway marking even though signs threatened it a few times. Eventually, we turned onto the more open NC 63 which we followed back to NC 209. From there, we retraced our steps back to Maggie Valley with a stop at Ferguson Supply for bathrooms and coffee. We got back to A Holiday Motel at 12:45, still dry under blue skies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWeDcjiU63VCFydHaDrLlsJtAaFai1Eb_UDJl7heFkXVDc8gmWWDNTUC20pJqrEUIGaQAzOwh6co0FKMniR5Ii_DyZLZ7M6A4n6t16vF1Anx_5OZCLBpgfN4fp14tsxB8oVkkKXFcys9zBFTeA1OCI0cVXv94B8zoPrkKnTINfs0M1ln5jg/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20008I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWeDcjiU63VCFydHaDrLlsJtAaFai1Eb_UDJl7heFkXVDc8gmWWDNTUC20pJqrEUIGaQAzOwh6co0FKMniR5Ii_DyZLZ7M6A4n6t16vF1Anx_5OZCLBpgfN4fp14tsxB8oVkkKXFcys9zBFTeA1OCI0cVXv94B8zoPrkKnTINfs0M1ln5jg/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20008I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ferguson Supply on NC 209</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQx6KqjPPYQmsHi7MDm6Zf-9O_QABrNjv6vdTqQRgBj8LRf2Z-_bMwlXFbYKJXPcbQGghjYeRQzHYRBu_jgjXQ7NeVH82Jbn0ZiSvfy8jAUrt7_VJrEWltbJWbucKCjl853LC1IXZ-sYrW7aCvu1Inj0vfUAmIFOln65oQQeUUvVTg76wMQ/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20007I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQx6KqjPPYQmsHi7MDm6Zf-9O_QABrNjv6vdTqQRgBj8LRf2Z-_bMwlXFbYKJXPcbQGghjYeRQzHYRBu_jgjXQ7NeVH82Jbn0ZiSvfy8jAUrt7_VJrEWltbJWbucKCjl853LC1IXZ-sYrW7aCvu1Inj0vfUAmIFOln65oQQeUUvVTg76wMQ/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20007I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Signage at Ferguson Supply</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">Willie, Sandy and I went down to Ammons Drive In and Dairy Bar for lunch. Sandy just had a root beer float while Willie and I each had a Double Super Cheeseburger. The menu said I could have mine with lettuce and tomato OR chili and onions. The server, who was a hoot, let me have both, which was a challenge to eat. For sides, I had hushpuppies while Wonka had onion rings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRI2YlQ0tiqiGlGZFhU9t5RBemOr8B0wvDmAi_k4c1-_r1m_HwkCZj15Letcz6qEHvQf6YNw162zMn7ikpP4-U34D3jP5AZ8t5gn-eWa_U5_YgAPL7i_IRMSqT-QTcWzSPX6IjHYn19GHRlE5_ZhTV9uhsjp8gIDGNdv6FGXpzUl6hrmtMg/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20010I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRI2YlQ0tiqiGlGZFhU9t5RBemOr8B0wvDmAi_k4c1-_r1m_HwkCZj15Letcz6qEHvQf6YNw162zMn7ikpP4-U34D3jP5AZ8t5gn-eWa_U5_YgAPL7i_IRMSqT-QTcWzSPX6IjHYn19GHRlE5_ZhTV9uhsjp8gIDGNdv6FGXpzUl6hrmtMg/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20010I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Willie and Sandy waiting for food at Ammons</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We were going to ride NC 209 up to I-40 where we had seen cheaper gas, but we looked back up towards Maggie Valley and noted that black clouds were suddenly rolling over the mountain. So we hotfooted it back to the motel getting hit briefly in a few spots by some really big raindrops.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Again, we spent the afternoon visiting. It rained off and on but rocking chairs under large eaves don't care.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Dp5D0YbQaBqBBPHg6CQr3Vj_Vjm4_yLE2uInE8hHRzE_eLN9Noy6q2Dk5_Kb5T3eFSLpU9znGaxX_ArCO9mmV39g6HzCTd0t9AmICOeo3gTjYDN8sA5BB1LsT9RsWncgT7YFqkAUBJCJG72-aYxQ97X-dtDCwiBSbWALoghNF8VYOZNrww/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20011I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Dp5D0YbQaBqBBPHg6CQr3Vj_Vjm4_yLE2uInE8hHRzE_eLN9Noy6q2Dk5_Kb5T3eFSLpU9znGaxX_ArCO9mmV39g6HzCTd0t9AmICOeo3gTjYDN8sA5BB1LsT9RsWncgT7YFqkAUBJCJG72-aYxQ97X-dtDCwiBSbWALoghNF8VYOZNrww/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20011I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rally organizer Talon finally arrived</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDiWt5JyKTU-nR3beMlRUn3a8uOcA9WYuE6qTcfZ8pVR0-IJO-F_8DCuTAzANImDxxxrPiKvl3AqflaJisE1Fc_tAmBVVe3PS29uezpvuAKbU940fOptSrAy72tf-W0UOnzEKpjBXtCMzvGNhU-F_OEps6UMjp48cF7VbwqfXpDLV5ehafg/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20013I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDiWt5JyKTU-nR3beMlRUn3a8uOcA9WYuE6qTcfZ8pVR0-IJO-F_8DCuTAzANImDxxxrPiKvl3AqflaJisE1Fc_tAmBVVe3PS29uezpvuAKbU940fOptSrAy72tf-W0UOnzEKpjBXtCMzvGNhU-F_OEps6UMjp48cF7VbwqfXpDLV5ehafg/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20013I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sky King and Gearman</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPcHHNkEa_Bem8oWwGpNoTVUfqdxv8_Hwf021b-9VzzAL81Kuu6NGJHT4eeOIglJ48Zk1IBy1j54Z_J6Fw5WMrQfW0w7hZPwuOaZGoXIeqy9VivErmoQSFH02PpfC6BrxH62kxyU2F6CnkLoJYBUYZv89RNpSsNsfKMec-6y_HY2lw3lqEg/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20014I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPcHHNkEa_Bem8oWwGpNoTVUfqdxv8_Hwf021b-9VzzAL81Kuu6NGJHT4eeOIglJ48Zk1IBy1j54Z_J6Fw5WMrQfW0w7hZPwuOaZGoXIeqy9VivErmoQSFH02PpfC6BrxH62kxyU2F6CnkLoJYBUYZv89RNpSsNsfKMec-6y_HY2lw3lqEg/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20014I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Talon pretending to be invisible</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ASWedszXgUhlkxFBeYYh5CPYIGJDxQeExP6v-AcfLkRThS3uk4-B1_TPiJcNK3FE_gJ74O-bIX3C8v6fhd-DJCiJ17vLBk7tM0e0BUfSQzFQl7wgz0ktIpLLvIuNvIhjnFTY8BinnV-Ty2q1iE_nXXCUkqWdB2Z9D7nRHvvgReRWXpNDPQ/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20012I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ASWedszXgUhlkxFBeYYh5CPYIGJDxQeExP6v-AcfLkRThS3uk4-B1_TPiJcNK3FE_gJ74O-bIX3C8v6fhd-DJCiJ17vLBk7tM0e0BUfSQzFQl7wgz0ktIpLLvIuNvIhjnFTY8BinnV-Ty2q1iE_nXXCUkqWdB2Z9D7nRHvvgReRWXpNDPQ/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20012I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Blue sky and wet driveway</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo82xc2ERfy4ieieapU3oz0Cs_D0oMX92SEbFlqYRulWmcgU95Xhp5K1uFZ1_qoJXyOYgvHOjhqCyL3yI_1VqtePClvfO-9Q0BsuOvpKBvnVBrNWZxnOnXS7MbRQqXyNr4XYOb1UikcD21dZH6yxNRjvS8OTtPSn2qJxFq1C6YWDlR72oBw/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20015I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo82xc2ERfy4ieieapU3oz0Cs_D0oMX92SEbFlqYRulWmcgU95Xhp5K1uFZ1_qoJXyOYgvHOjhqCyL3yI_1VqtePClvfO-9Q0BsuOvpKBvnVBrNWZxnOnXS7MbRQqXyNr4XYOb1UikcD21dZH6yxNRjvS8OTtPSn2qJxFq1C6YWDlR72oBw/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20015I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>See the little patch way up the side of the mountain?</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBKuQsJpg-P7cwk3EMTbiipCNltEh4ZhJisRapLwdD-ZIudpVvQXJsg6eY-Khqk0_wdG2w6xm6JbcmCFRD7wLY4OI4r31w1yAyBWfggVq-B--3bVOx12cHXnDVgrCqLoJ4SrKSqguUioNA0mcJjaAzeY_cUwe2BHnldlLCMLSRlmhvO0Jqw/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20016I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBKuQsJpg-P7cwk3EMTbiipCNltEh4ZhJisRapLwdD-ZIudpVvQXJsg6eY-Khqk0_wdG2w6xm6JbcmCFRD7wLY4OI4r31w1yAyBWfggVq-B--3bVOx12cHXnDVgrCqLoJ4SrKSqguUioNA0mcJjaAzeY_cUwe2BHnldlLCMLSRlmhvO0Jqw/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20016I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The excellent zoom on my SX620 Canon revealed the goats</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1j5lxaz8kPZ8D6QUVbHb2yXJ_FEncW-kBLr3137uZNJ6oqTzTJh_WO9-22RjKJnvsUBNon5lM6b93lL7xzYpJDWVvBU92I7uoMb1KEaYh0v8WAW5K5cBHmywp0F0K6odc7iTrAS460aIGrlG9AjUWzPF7LTIno_dj2lkyIq8SpJBw_QBxSA/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20018I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1j5lxaz8kPZ8D6QUVbHb2yXJ_FEncW-kBLr3137uZNJ6oqTzTJh_WO9-22RjKJnvsUBNon5lM6b93lL7xzYpJDWVvBU92I7uoMb1KEaYh0v8WAW5K5cBHmywp0F0K6odc7iTrAS460aIGrlG9AjUWzPF7LTIno_dj2lkyIq8SpJBw_QBxSA/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20018I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Scooter and Jan showed up</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3W931i_hLL-qpoxlQMH6_VwxTxKwuWpHLbAA0XIi1f9xzllGoBs1Mdw1M6tEvYISS95uCRRS2U_MiwRLiHo9jxp3XpCfhpRqCDENXKryhJgj_Tp1W2pdlXwEjx4FH7B-umTQNMzZsBthSxytAM1cYV9URofDfUa5oCD_t3y0LcqpKgKN-sQ/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20019I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3W931i_hLL-qpoxlQMH6_VwxTxKwuWpHLbAA0XIi1f9xzllGoBs1Mdw1M6tEvYISS95uCRRS2U_MiwRLiHo9jxp3XpCfhpRqCDENXKryhJgj_Tp1W2pdlXwEjx4FH7B-umTQNMzZsBthSxytAM1cYV9URofDfUa5oCD_t3y0LcqpKgKN-sQ/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20019I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Willie Wonks, The Lovely Carlene and Reed</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk279cu45ywHviM7ZCQVOVbiZnCBTE339sGcxE4Xqt1CHjY_pO3b8m-FrHwCf0irNkNF1J1zpCoxVPRX6dpL8Oc99_vap7f3iRUUPHdOGqJqjgddVtZ-Ds5T8Fs8waHzBO_v96EQ9iqA3HD6VBIy4fgtoQiioKKU5bpT5CubdoJNxVnTaZw/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20020I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHk279cu45ywHviM7ZCQVOVbiZnCBTE339sGcxE4Xqt1CHjY_pO3b8m-FrHwCf0irNkNF1J1zpCoxVPRX6dpL8Oc99_vap7f3iRUUPHdOGqJqjgddVtZ-Ds5T8Fs8waHzBO_v96EQ9iqA3HD6VBIy4fgtoQiioKKU5bpT5CubdoJNxVnTaZw/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20020I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Southern Draw, Cheap B, Scooter and Blondy</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54sTJHawplwjaN_VGhopo04ogHvzlByUJR0bg6FF46pSiOvnwxtvpG3KyOsM9ai4iu67B_eP9H-nR_oc1fUvwmmwCkHO88sAgFG6iWuVQwlay_lM-AEOlFonA1QrS2OVvDJmkzFy1t_yAPFCJqO-AaeVvM8htSmhR_PvqcqGGxQiWs-kb0Q/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20022I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54sTJHawplwjaN_VGhopo04ogHvzlByUJR0bg6FF46pSiOvnwxtvpG3KyOsM9ai4iu67B_eP9H-nR_oc1fUvwmmwCkHO88sAgFG6iWuVQwlay_lM-AEOlFonA1QrS2OVvDJmkzFy1t_yAPFCJqO-AaeVvM8htSmhR_PvqcqGGxQiWs-kb0Q/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20022I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The rocking chairs were a major feature of the motel</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">We had not seen Sky King in a very long time. He and Gearman, who were traveling in the same car, joined Sandy and I for supper at the Brickhouse Burgers and Pizza up the road. When we got there, we found that another table had beaten us.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Gearman and Sky had burgers while Sandy and I ordered a large Maui Wowee pizza. This is a Hawaiian pizza with both ham AND bacon to go with the pineapple. Sandy found the crust chewey but I though it was good. We both agreed that a smaller pizza would have done, since we took half of it home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qV2lvelFIGEKUUTC3djlAal19RTAj4VC_rdw20c320Fy-wFUkbtIMkVFinXrxDSBrVpmuonfTXQRNYOD1ikNlxUeHhqrm_2xFLAIAJcIiV1wCWI5NUTa9oO3u-tuSMmY4XmS5Q5dm9w8FrwasmVcCFCLId9NCos5ymieLdBLblBwn9bcZg/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20023I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qV2lvelFIGEKUUTC3djlAal19RTAj4VC_rdw20c320Fy-wFUkbtIMkVFinXrxDSBrVpmuonfTXQRNYOD1ikNlxUeHhqrm_2xFLAIAJcIiV1wCWI5NUTa9oO3u-tuSMmY4XmS5Q5dm9w8FrwasmVcCFCLId9NCos5ymieLdBLblBwn9bcZg/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20023I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Kudzu, Mikey, Cheap B, Southern Draw, Southern Charm and Tanja</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>at Brickhouse Burgers and Pizza</b></div><p style="text-align: left;">After we finished eating, we took Sky to the Bearwater Brewing Company where we had a beer. Not liking beer, I had another cream ale milk stout, while Sandy had water. I told Connor that my sunglass clip had been found.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Back at the motel, the mingling and drink sharing continued. Some serious rain arrived and we got a call that Wonka, Carlene and Reed needed rescuing from Guayabito's just up the street a bit. They had walked over and needed a dry ride home. I took the Equinox and, in addition to Willie and crew, brought Snubs and Pickles back as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfPoLD_NdEr_KcpVxob_dm5LJ3kO6bQyxbCATv6mSPqvBV03N6seP8PdFPWY3XM_7OIr9L2NDWEXnux6pPgRSGsyHMZmRCH0i2Gd1Qyma_hcA6BTLtV0OqfJfL5gnU3_LbztXbhWdC9uKShnLeOZK-tj6rkA13SuHdscNT3Q5jcdGi576Xg/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20025I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfPoLD_NdEr_KcpVxob_dm5LJ3kO6bQyxbCATv6mSPqvBV03N6seP8PdFPWY3XM_7OIr9L2NDWEXnux6pPgRSGsyHMZmRCH0i2Gd1Qyma_hcA6BTLtV0OqfJfL5gnU3_LbztXbhWdC9uKShnLeOZK-tj6rkA13SuHdscNT3Q5jcdGi576Xg/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20025I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Wrong Turn, Butch, Brandon (Kansas), Badger & Didsbury Dave</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Staying out of the rain</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">It was another pleasant evening with Sandy and I retiring about 11:00 PM.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta6hEhgqzPtiqisK_YceYKO_wzGjTz_AHBccWy8_igL3ybRbgMc3_Cs_prrll0ZAxEL9uEXx_gCls3WctVm2y6j9Q36rm-jPxv2vDxsAvCLx5pQduV0vnuc8BOdPdnGG1CNq0K0wC_4k5K4bUvC1gEmIt6msEsln-pMUOOrWT7szPY_zInw/s1440/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20024I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta6hEhgqzPtiqisK_YceYKO_wzGjTz_AHBccWy8_igL3ybRbgMc3_Cs_prrll0ZAxEL9uEXx_gCls3WctVm2y6j9Q36rm-jPxv2vDxsAvCLx5pQduV0vnuc8BOdPdnGG1CNq0K0wC_4k5K4bUvC1gEmIt6msEsln-pMUOOrWT7szPY_zInw/s320/20220826%20SEVROC%20Friday%20The%20Rattler%20024I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Seen at Brickouse Burgers and Pizza</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Today's route (114 motorcycle miles):<br /><i>Route GPX courtesy of Gary Bohler at maggievalleyrides.com</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoshH0X2RV7iJrMR6ks1ituk6PV_F7a94GMnWr4j0zC_nfQRYNGxlO5fXFTPLfyQlZ_NUxkCjlvXbafJtxMEdT6ci4-UXR3AFCIzvlMTdyw5Wyont5O9Rev7TULDtA-oPMuJt09KxRXMdqH3Je09vsmgRC4VT3IfhgswK8DOs0tceYyxYaA/s884/20220826%20Rattler.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="884" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoshH0X2RV7iJrMR6ks1ituk6PV_F7a94GMnWr4j0zC_nfQRYNGxlO5fXFTPLfyQlZ_NUxkCjlvXbafJtxMEdT6ci4-UXR3AFCIzvlMTdyw5Wyont5O9Rev7TULDtA-oPMuJt09KxRXMdqH3Je09vsmgRC4VT3IfhgswK8DOs0tceYyxYaA/s320/20220826%20Rattler.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/9T1JywKcCMn84fmQA" target="_blank">Interactive map</a></i></b></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-16593323298777748812022-08-25T23:00:00.002-04:002022-08-28T16:45:13.010-04:00Maggie Valley North Carolina SEVROC Thursday<p>I was up at 7:00 AM and worked on my notes, catching up blog posts until Sandy got up. Then a few of us headed over to Pop's Place for another very good breakfast.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJCVHbKt7FeoSguEXSfidkelwYJfHAqbjeBbAHAHYw7dTt7q5ziOk18BhL2QumYRzbz5saQEpfKX7qdGdMryZuZMmSYq9Ck1SzW7SIGAH3XcQ8ZC30SfPMz80vuwyn4LEmg_kfdC2zpP3r5YQajF1QnHkk8GuNZf9LedwKUy2TsKpRxUzlQ/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20023I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJCVHbKt7FeoSguEXSfidkelwYJfHAqbjeBbAHAHYw7dTt7q5ziOk18BhL2QumYRzbz5saQEpfKX7qdGdMryZuZMmSYq9Ck1SzW7SIGAH3XcQ8ZC30SfPMz80vuwyn4LEmg_kfdC2zpP3r5YQajF1QnHkk8GuNZf9LedwKUy2TsKpRxUzlQ/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20023I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>They fixed the sign - SEVROC is official</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyKL9wZngjTVYbp70ZIhXzlgPBwWd46VYrRpU3ugC_LL_9kAHoGlZREtLrM6MSepuvgGgh4DkJe0n6EHM-BEfH3mtlcWtLDbr-4mvbpHfZy7PxzivPyvVVSfCxOSS_-i-KTgrHXAxX9LD_n9D5sCU7f_xtfXmkoQLpmwgG_M568Au1-6yIQ/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20001I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyKL9wZngjTVYbp70ZIhXzlgPBwWd46VYrRpU3ugC_LL_9kAHoGlZREtLrM6MSepuvgGgh4DkJe0n6EHM-BEfH3mtlcWtLDbr-4mvbpHfZy7PxzivPyvVVSfCxOSS_-i-KTgrHXAxX9LD_n9D5sCU7f_xtfXmkoQLpmwgG_M568Au1-6yIQ/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20001I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sandy, MT, Teresa, Butch, Linda and Bill at Pop's Place</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Back at the room, I worked diligently to get the blog completely caught up to yesterday, taking time off to greet the new arrivals as they came in. I did skip lunch because we had a big group supper planned.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY86sDXnxeVRIw-K8XM-oUYRr2HUuzKHKQJIv7-xEzNHV4ZEydeaqs5WtiDHF1Q-2UniF5chaz6w555lKqgCEuJl8MRxiRbPoGu5t_kzJ0eAMIRUlSQ52phIqT9eKZ8f2QwTO4r0exR-aaucUFGyCEq_ATIZK783BqA5Q8xMN_MbalsudBA/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20002I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY86sDXnxeVRIw-K8XM-oUYRr2HUuzKHKQJIv7-xEzNHV4ZEydeaqs5WtiDHF1Q-2UniF5chaz6w555lKqgCEuJl8MRxiRbPoGu5t_kzJ0eAMIRUlSQ52phIqT9eKZ8f2QwTO4r0exR-aaucUFGyCEq_ATIZK783BqA5Q8xMN_MbalsudBA/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20002I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Willie Wonka (Illinois), Blondy (Alabama), Sandy (Ontario) Susan & Badger (Florida) and The Lovely Carlene (Illinois) with Willie's friend Reed in the background</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNnrbOU-Gciuzlkg3Nt-_RcVB7wLRvIVG3y2BCtyrvn4P5BTdr_lQ-d8M8FRWNsmMfWJPnENqffQ10pMzleh0NkCwvB37n3AiFWgADBiEjz59Cb_gY0bb5Gjx2QtDFVsrqaA5wJD3irsIYNwfn6Efm8hipu2q2TG7tPvAViDMs3ZMNBrEKg/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20003I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNnrbOU-Gciuzlkg3Nt-_RcVB7wLRvIVG3y2BCtyrvn4P5BTdr_lQ-d8M8FRWNsmMfWJPnENqffQ10pMzleh0NkCwvB37n3AiFWgADBiEjz59Cb_gY0bb5Gjx2QtDFVsrqaA5wJD3irsIYNwfn6Efm8hipu2q2TG7tPvAViDMs3ZMNBrEKg/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20003I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Badger, Susan and Didsbury Dave (Alberta) with Sandy</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwbIBG0L9gHzrLhC68FrPdzRe8uCnEAAAqMDAmJeLWIrd95i43jnseCKWYrTn1Vo_ajZVfG3VH1UIyJL4KyfNalJenmdJPkTDruZ_K-pgyT-1pAZTC4oWUH8RkunnyKv6Tn1qLr5_CiKfKgbFRZiH8ymL3IS-98D4ViiqC4uKvG3tJKbCWA/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20004I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwbIBG0L9gHzrLhC68FrPdzRe8uCnEAAAqMDAmJeLWIrd95i43jnseCKWYrTn1Vo_ajZVfG3VH1UIyJL4KyfNalJenmdJPkTDruZ_K-pgyT-1pAZTC4oWUH8RkunnyKv6Tn1qLr5_CiKfKgbFRZiH8ymL3IS-98D4ViiqC4uKvG3tJKbCWA/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20004I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mark (Alabama), Southern Draw (just down the road) and Mikey (Georgia)</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQfv6KLIPfhJQ304BNoKbwzB006LI3_WHUF0aZ_HzGfmKd-ejvwkmRhoQNydsGUzEqxhkSHFol23mo743iebuL-tqzBxEZo6LnQQD_vIcyaYW23yAlYkURKvMkMtcrSa6fcI-jotdmWdv52_SbhHajPs4in8IfzWTksJJHrDvQuax1_5ZmQ/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20008I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQfv6KLIPfhJQ304BNoKbwzB006LI3_WHUF0aZ_HzGfmKd-ejvwkmRhoQNydsGUzEqxhkSHFol23mo743iebuL-tqzBxEZo6LnQQD_vIcyaYW23yAlYkURKvMkMtcrSa6fcI-jotdmWdv52_SbhHajPs4in8IfzWTksJJHrDvQuax1_5ZmQ/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20008I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>KT (Indiana and Arizona) with Sandy</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div>During the course of the afternoon, I found that my sunglass clip was missing. I looked all around in our room and outside. I remember having it at Bearwater Brewery last night, taking it off and putting it on the table. I drove back up there and checked but Connor, the bartender, said nothing had been turned in. On the drive back to the motel, I remembered that I had been down at the other end of the motel talking to Snubs when the sun went down. I had a vague memory of taking it off and putting it on the wooden stump that served as a side table. Sure enough, that is where it was. I guess I need a string like on a kid's mittens to keep track of my stuff.</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div>The supper saw about 35 of us caravan over to the <a href="https://haywoodsmokehouse.com/pages/waynesville-location" target="_blank">Haywood Smokehouse</a> in Waynesville. We sat out back and were served by a lone guy named Jim. It was spectacular watching him work. He got all the right things to all the right tables and stayed on top of refills and everything else. His "can do" attitude was inspiring.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVyMy_zfmim0tOY6FHdCNgN2pPSPpQhzygXmB9B2RrQSVOgdAyPaC-NyZh4HYZjABNXAd_s4E9_6M9klSH8StmeOjLhPOoOuWsfkk2PjTUMZizwuh2IHDWtB-hEGc59kvjfWrQStFbewecf0hI1oiLAVuHgZIryPcZlWVUPi8d4JGeK8Q8Q/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20009I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVyMy_zfmim0tOY6FHdCNgN2pPSPpQhzygXmB9B2RrQSVOgdAyPaC-NyZh4HYZjABNXAd_s4E9_6M9klSH8StmeOjLhPOoOuWsfkk2PjTUMZizwuh2IHDWtB-hEGc59kvjfWrQStFbewecf0hI1oiLAVuHgZIryPcZlWVUPi8d4JGeK8Q8Q/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20009I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Haywood Smokehouse - Waynesville NC</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6bsA5_Cudmr4XrsBgjGziy-PBX_aYT6G4mmgKzkvMVYX2tKMPDbQBRdzVELywqXrGZWCfpwz-axBvC65FYd-g1HuERqtCxwXXA_YvxkCJplLbWd_QszREL7E3xQfHB56eSV6dyKYDigYqHf2IvPfVjTmzpXZgc7HojY7FTKCyRLJRosICQ/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20010I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6bsA5_Cudmr4XrsBgjGziy-PBX_aYT6G4mmgKzkvMVYX2tKMPDbQBRdzVELywqXrGZWCfpwz-axBvC65FYd-g1HuERqtCxwXXA_YvxkCJplLbWd_QszREL7E3xQfHB56eSV6dyKYDigYqHf2IvPfVjTmzpXZgc7HojY7FTKCyRLJRosICQ/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20010I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Our table</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRHwTcH0btwjMlLpD365usVE-9x7dhlex-ZGXkY42AD-1yBO9OsiBqEIJozjllLmEZv7w1HEqDLTGvDvdnimmwv5USB2NXmg-qh-MYE-oVi6xAlGv1eAypmMdBHvgglloQpa8cdL6Sley1fdnGLDJtVcdJCYNOmHu5r7_lsmgjJrRU9K8mw/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20011I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRHwTcH0btwjMlLpD365usVE-9x7dhlex-ZGXkY42AD-1yBO9OsiBqEIJozjllLmEZv7w1HEqDLTGvDvdnimmwv5USB2NXmg-qh-MYE-oVi6xAlGv1eAypmMdBHvgglloQpa8cdL6Sley1fdnGLDJtVcdJCYNOmHu5r7_lsmgjJrRU9K8mw/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20011I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>New people Cary and Cindy from Georgia</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgODBDDXfGXuBRpcgHfQS4aGIZgudOHcjbD5gk5KuZTcgpJG-0I8SBCsA_2KwR3Fv2zpR8GeephKW2WpifWzrNWYtzyzR8iFfmbxSs3efCErmCgQEL8MMEB11ZuiP5cBITUuz2mUXWqpXjn5NF2qHNXHIcisQbv2HNILlAqtUt_sWH1EdAYw/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20012I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgODBDDXfGXuBRpcgHfQS4aGIZgudOHcjbD5gk5KuZTcgpJG-0I8SBCsA_2KwR3Fv2zpR8GeephKW2WpifWzrNWYtzyzR8iFfmbxSs3efCErmCgQEL8MMEB11ZuiP5cBITUuz2mUXWqpXjn5NF2qHNXHIcisQbv2HNILlAqtUt_sWH1EdAYw/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20012I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkhjdFX9iR6lIl1uaPsu-XkxaKJkga_jSJU0OSlCTcbJfP2XkNacah8HF4l19EforHPZfNGxI0WjXoJN1Svnv7wRNGWq1reU6wcsIQ7KCzm99kc5xK4vMhQfaoVvpmn6ycDR8xgChsOpKPKFIOvedtUm9tt7cOpNAv0ofympw16P-SDiDHA/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20013I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkhjdFX9iR6lIl1uaPsu-XkxaKJkga_jSJU0OSlCTcbJfP2XkNacah8HF4l19EforHPZfNGxI0WjXoJN1Svnv7wRNGWq1reU6wcsIQ7KCzm99kc5xK4vMhQfaoVvpmn6ycDR8xgChsOpKPKFIOvedtUm9tt7cOpNAv0ofympw16P-SDiDHA/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20013I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH33oKHDpaGAEisJCekpx2spq1qlkZhjHLuvKedJDtA7Turp43dieo-aNrkeiGRNaEMv6kqktlHVFGSIVRr0ghsOkWBPpU50x4I7sl8TCQo3BHcVuLPc1B983ezT4RFoGirsSjTI_pUKumshsdQDwAl9AlTEQcba1UCBM7C8KQgDRVylhbLw/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20014I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH33oKHDpaGAEisJCekpx2spq1qlkZhjHLuvKedJDtA7Turp43dieo-aNrkeiGRNaEMv6kqktlHVFGSIVRr0ghsOkWBPpU50x4I7sl8TCQo3BHcVuLPc1B983ezT4RFoGirsSjTI_pUKumshsdQDwAl9AlTEQcba1UCBM7C8KQgDRVylhbLw/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20014I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I opted for a two meat platter with pulled pork and brisket augmented by sides of mac 'n cheese (I know, carbs are bad) and coleslaw. Texas toast was included (more carbs). They had a Carolina Sweet sauce that was mellow and excellent. Sandy had a lite diner's meal of pulled pork and coleslaw. I took a picture of her attacking her portion but it wasn't that flattering so I deleted it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfaQCN_VA6omcFtCbEThEGES7NA5lyM9K8NVbdTX1c25ta-ZEosPAlJObv1iy_W-PHxRsZmqg76OpyzzlnIhOPGezfbXWJZ8BnN1BC8nIWunsmuIHpVhAro6920_ida1Evqa6rUwK4wb9Y24LteIWIeYd1wegvN3KIQXP8yWk-c8j7Jcr2w/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20015I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfaQCN_VA6omcFtCbEThEGES7NA5lyM9K8NVbdTX1c25ta-ZEosPAlJObv1iy_W-PHxRsZmqg76OpyzzlnIhOPGezfbXWJZ8BnN1BC8nIWunsmuIHpVhAro6920_ida1Evqa6rUwK4wb9Y24LteIWIeYd1wegvN3KIQXP8yWk-c8j7Jcr2w/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20015I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhI0u7FjCsERIMP_P0CgLHE7szzpVF7u7GnqqfFxtItvclS6fgGF78-SdTrdiLX-MrmSaUW5fL2floSLHnb0vGFz4qM1mhzSjih8bTCnmH9SXOYXuHcF2WsYcrMauqEubeYcRrDZDOi-0Cu_MCJvC8SYc-WVD81qf9jqp5BbxmuKobi2kow/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20017I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhI0u7FjCsERIMP_P0CgLHE7szzpVF7u7GnqqfFxtItvclS6fgGF78-SdTrdiLX-MrmSaUW5fL2floSLHnb0vGFz4qM1mhzSjih8bTCnmH9SXOYXuHcF2WsYcrMauqEubeYcRrDZDOi-0Cu_MCJvC8SYc-WVD81qf9jqp5BbxmuKobi2kow/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20017I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Jim, server extraordinaire, handing out bills</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The group was mostly back at the motel by 7:00 PM. The rest of the evening consisted of visiting and catching up. The number of people we haven't seen in a while was surprising but made the trip down well worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62Dd7S6QCe8q9KWqCnXqLayKPQArjYeNblbsE0nRgIx0TFwJmVl3nlqz3mRUo9BTQFOt3JBzXxCdzCcP3Tjnwzetro8iGWj4d0VOe2mu80Dj1UVbECgORUlIsxMMGrz9oaaLgBkaHio7VwhYBg6L-27w-zb8Qc5igGBsV5ZesAJAckRo9jg/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20019I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62Dd7S6QCe8q9KWqCnXqLayKPQArjYeNblbsE0nRgIx0TFwJmVl3nlqz3mRUo9BTQFOt3JBzXxCdzCcP3Tjnwzetro8iGWj4d0VOe2mu80Dj1UVbECgORUlIsxMMGrz9oaaLgBkaHio7VwhYBg6L-27w-zb8Qc5igGBsV5ZesAJAckRo9jg/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20019I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>EZ talking to Reed and Willie Wonka</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4g08D1igwtAeIV4IKq9ykQcZ3Ka4vIlg0cfjmt8Q2GW1zV9wknWnMhjRwq9_woonykFZhcl8FNCZEAbtsrkbYs7ChxZa6tv5VUutTv_fVIPI5U3_psKgkYxRG9JDlivJlg18Zt5XTNgDsvSjUOYgBbV2IQc7TKRn5wLEZ4T9f_82-uK-Aw/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20022I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4g08D1igwtAeIV4IKq9ykQcZ3Ka4vIlg0cfjmt8Q2GW1zV9wknWnMhjRwq9_woonykFZhcl8FNCZEAbtsrkbYs7ChxZa6tv5VUutTv_fVIPI5U3_psKgkYxRG9JDlivJlg18Zt5XTNgDsvSjUOYgBbV2IQc7TKRn5wLEZ4T9f_82-uK-Aw/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20022I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>EZ and Sandy with Six Pack Jack in the background</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTRy5AstQP7buhM9ZWcKR2uVDNiVXWNLNt58692vrH2f2vRsGvadBzM3_7QAnJqe6-TZ3wQzLf80LNYuhImIHOJnhuStk8Fc94IF4506Vr3095nT3PhZP3kKHKyeYqYtWDuxMNKGsv0kU_ghqzC_y943mQti9enmE-nwqF0PrjwdqiZxugg/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20024I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTRy5AstQP7buhM9ZWcKR2uVDNiVXWNLNt58692vrH2f2vRsGvadBzM3_7QAnJqe6-TZ3wQzLf80LNYuhImIHOJnhuStk8Fc94IF4506Vr3095nT3PhZP3kKHKyeYqYtWDuxMNKGsv0kU_ghqzC_y943mQti9enmE-nwqF0PrjwdqiZxugg/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20024I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Six Pack Jack, Stockbridge Richard and EZ</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSP3OWslTpW2vxnCfnV3lgS-ShFbXPpXLvGWTXXQk3-AQzwgtVhTo5zNpkenV5vWgn4js--AP9aaV1lzRdf3JpA0pnzs3cVvOsc5USPQP32yXGKDs89VPrMw4WnNJQL0pJC5WY8sx9l477OLYbzEFZVJxi_Zwp6S7G3jzMFTCwh84VHEfq8w/s1440/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20025I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSP3OWslTpW2vxnCfnV3lgS-ShFbXPpXLvGWTXXQk3-AQzwgtVhTo5zNpkenV5vWgn4js--AP9aaV1lzRdf3JpA0pnzs3cVvOsc5USPQP32yXGKDs89VPrMw4WnNJQL0pJC5WY8sx9l477OLYbzEFZVJxi_Zwp6S7G3jzMFTCwh84VHEfq8w/s320/20220825%20SEVROC%20Thursday%20025I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Red Rover (Tennessee) and Wrong Turn (Indiana and Arizona)</i></b></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Willie Wonka and I discussed a ride tomorrow up The Rattler (NC 209) to Hot Springs. He had never been up that road while I had not been there for many years. I downloaded two versions from Gary Bohler's Maggie Valley Rides site. They were identical up to Hot Springs but featured different length return routes. We will decide which to follow tomorrow, dependent on what the weather forecast looks like.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">VROC seniority is denoted by a member's number. New members are currently getting numbers in the 39,000 range. I am #1850, having joined in 1998. We had a good discussion going on that included Badger #77 and Joker #93. Two digit VROCers are a rarity.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, about 11:00 PM, we decided to call it a night. There is no map today because, other than the Smokehouse, we never went anywhere.</p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-28953116000476509402022-08-24T23:00:00.002-04:002022-08-27T10:32:19.398-04:00Maggie Valley North Carolina SEVROC Wednesday (Fred Symmes Chapel)<p>I forgot to take my blood pressure meds last night so I had them this morning with my coffee. Pop's was closed so we had some Jimmy Dean microwaveable omelette concoctions that Sandy picked up at Walmart yesterday for breakfast. They were pretty good. I wish we had something like that in Canada.</p><p>Pappy indicated last night that we would like to ride with us today so we waited for him to show up. We started out around 9:00 AM with Sandy and I in the lead, Vickie and Kay second on their GoldWing trike, Debbie third on her Spyder and Pappy bringing up the rear on his Vulcan Classic.</p><p>The GPS route Bohler set up worked well. It was tricky in Waynesville because US 276 was closed due to roadwork and the detour was not marked. We got through and soon were heading up 276 across the Blue Ridge Parkway and down the other side through the Pisgah National Forest. It was a joy to be back on the winding mountain roads and we had no one ahead of us. I was amazed at the way Vickie was able to through that big trike through the curves.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9lSm5h188CUBxfMC4umrtmRA_wpe2Hf29hwJ0bDJkB8gdH02ry0KIXq0Fn1uMiPtVXHOVBRytdm5ModY7j1jkEVvI-wfQ4px6fkMCsdpshzLafO4hoyZPawnhbUQ9bqtQd5ww9Xqk2QbAcLG9uLrOAcnr5UmXfmpYkby9Cry9beRkYW2Ww/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20003H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9lSm5h188CUBxfMC4umrtmRA_wpe2Hf29hwJ0bDJkB8gdH02ry0KIXq0Fn1uMiPtVXHOVBRytdm5ModY7j1jkEVvI-wfQ4px6fkMCsdpshzLafO4hoyZPawnhbUQ9bqtQd5ww9Xqk2QbAcLG9uLrOAcnr5UmXfmpYkby9Cry9beRkYW2Ww/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20003H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Not much in the way of straight roads</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguioOooaQDvxjkNuRVBaSHQrfx7mhq-YjmeE4ki8YCRn982QdnuR1pfOp7u8GyMDrRRIjEU8dwGU0n6FuVEy2Hkf2TGJtgl0zXEeUw2lD2rAcPSIos6bqlJ1lnL3s8Vxthuz_kf7qqNQAk2k54yMoygH_Tf32XQleHqhB5gbSulwJbov4txw/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20001H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguioOooaQDvxjkNuRVBaSHQrfx7mhq-YjmeE4ki8YCRn982QdnuR1pfOp7u8GyMDrRRIjEU8dwGU0n6FuVEy2Hkf2TGJtgl0zXEeUw2lD2rAcPSIos6bqlJ1lnL3s8Vxthuz_kf7qqNQAk2k54yMoygH_Tf32XQleHqhB5gbSulwJbov4txw/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20001H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Great riding</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We stopped at Looking Glass Falls, where the ladies and Pappy walked down the stairs to get a better view. Sandy and I waited up top.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ6peAUHKzv_ehB1Vt2aYZuJtIr6YRAmIQt3b3ODkpHJ3wRX-vGSen4suKTzBOfXJ3IDxfuhmfjo3TzFCv_FQHW63c4WHGfiNdiPhcDpfOy2xYOi-KEoubKf3UZTKI9l73rUG8y4kVTm2x__FvyT3dEBQSuE7MX0w7TcZXcGaqwnRjlMZUw/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20005I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ6peAUHKzv_ehB1Vt2aYZuJtIr6YRAmIQt3b3ODkpHJ3wRX-vGSen4suKTzBOfXJ3IDxfuhmfjo3TzFCv_FQHW63c4WHGfiNdiPhcDpfOy2xYOi-KEoubKf3UZTKI9l73rUG8y4kVTm2x__FvyT3dEBQSuE7MX0w7TcZXcGaqwnRjlMZUw/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20005I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Looking Glass Falls</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUmUVYDXTMU6quhp8I6HCmsOxFgN-Bp8TvQCFl8tpBKf_fhPOrfw2jANxwr59krQGnBxNigrVu3W2eCJYcQSjSuGDzdwXVUGkojsGRTs-ri8Ur3mwQCilupn09XTL7IXsxyZI_Cfnt6nfLDgz6b8V9k3EBgcNX3rFli6C2YgfqaWx6eBekQ/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20006I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUmUVYDXTMU6quhp8I6HCmsOxFgN-Bp8TvQCFl8tpBKf_fhPOrfw2jANxwr59krQGnBxNigrVu3W2eCJYcQSjSuGDzdwXVUGkojsGRTs-ri8Ur3mwQCilupn09XTL7IXsxyZI_Cfnt6nfLDgz6b8V9k3EBgcNX3rFli6C2YgfqaWx6eBekQ/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20006I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sandy watching the others negotiate the stairs</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPybPDy0tk24yXhef1NkG_NacT01cLR6W5uooZ3Ucy4MUy0pZW3ERG0xYE4dF5DcM6_0Q1co7EIFbP2cqoLtYhySVFqJU25QqzOsFkmzlcTRI7sA5rPALtB4b9gQO2Umv6XPGNgx9xN889ZpH6VvzSc8Ii2LjWRoV7iNXyxdiCUrS0klVvA/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20007I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPybPDy0tk24yXhef1NkG_NacT01cLR6W5uooZ3Ucy4MUy0pZW3ERG0xYE4dF5DcM6_0Q1co7EIFbP2cqoLtYhySVFqJU25QqzOsFkmzlcTRI7sA5rPALtB4b9gQO2Umv6XPGNgx9xN889ZpH6VvzSc8Ii2LjWRoV7iNXyxdiCUrS0klVvA/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20007I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pretty bikes parked in a row</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>From the falls, we continued on a short way to the Pisgah National Forest Ranger Station and Visitor Center. We stopped to use the bathroom facilities and talk to the volunteers manning the counter.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TleWymkA3tS_yh0FUOClWRopUGLQPOqbxsWBt37Tr6WRwsZ1TcKMIofUSyZD0nMO9jdVF6c_VMQ5uIKNKfEqq0BKftmLdWgOVwlIzomDiyO6ZoW5YTXGgfgjojQb4frE-2TmiyNpLejKbDyn-H0fS2Sey0SXiVE151C-1VDosBz4b4X5eA/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20008I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TleWymkA3tS_yh0FUOClWRopUGLQPOqbxsWBt37Tr6WRwsZ1TcKMIofUSyZD0nMO9jdVF6c_VMQ5uIKNKfEqq0BKftmLdWgOVwlIzomDiyO6ZoW5YTXGgfgjojQb4frE-2TmiyNpLejKbDyn-H0fS2Sey0SXiVE151C-1VDosBz4b4X5eA/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20008I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pisgah Forest</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We continued on US 276 to US 64 and then east on 64. The ABS light was flashing again so I stopped for a moment, shut the bike off and then fired it up again. No more light, thankfully. We turned off 64 and followed back roads before reconnecting with 276 south to the South Carolina state line. There, we turned of on an even more back road and proceeded to A Pretty Place on property owned by the Greenville YMCA. There, we found the <a href="https://www.campgreenville.org/pretty-place" target="_blank">Fred Symmes Chapel</a>, the object of today's ride.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgPfMPGPFNl7Lk93WymkyrK42mI4YTrxGfQ2jEVmGjsCssCeOJ8NGKsEEthbxvhfWNtrpNn4U_W3bIjoMfm4wAGyvOdO8xmZcWyH_jv6Ly369xWOB_QbUkCu8ipVUfMDbxD4gP2wM227y8AF9JR9joBci8ikLNarvhHrtHIc4IHzSt4GwZQ/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20010I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgPfMPGPFNl7Lk93WymkyrK42mI4YTrxGfQ2jEVmGjsCssCeOJ8NGKsEEthbxvhfWNtrpNn4U_W3bIjoMfm4wAGyvOdO8xmZcWyH_jv6Ly369xWOB_QbUkCu8ipVUfMDbxD4gP2wM227y8AF9JR9joBci8ikLNarvhHrtHIc4IHzSt4GwZQ/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20010I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoQRoz_DmgHbz-qF0ziFl-Qs7HFRCExBQ-OI-CvYveF9DrngODt9q5GG6jWtFXCHO1wFs--PwbpxspeUEBREDOR13bTx9A7FvzJRxP1S6fdf4zzmM29QHQxBAZQLX85HvdcWsIuerZfZvsSqCpMmwkoGZcxEnjerHeKSRe5OtYkQTRwEhhQ/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20011I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoQRoz_DmgHbz-qF0ziFl-Qs7HFRCExBQ-OI-CvYveF9DrngODt9q5GG6jWtFXCHO1wFs--PwbpxspeUEBREDOR13bTx9A7FvzJRxP1S6fdf4zzmM29QHQxBAZQLX85HvdcWsIuerZfZvsSqCpMmwkoGZcxEnjerHeKSRe5OtYkQTRwEhhQ/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20011I.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DYCIAtjgDy4B3TvUDtymqBcmVIKLX-gPIsiuu4lYhSxPTEVnCylVhH_mNveiGaXNcaUXjLvbYtcV2DqYGVZKQ4O-wBtnBll6UT_fR8YJsMMOESVYprK2jm5WTrTg6NVBssNv45vB--Lvo-XjaIszBUlP-gIRcCps5XrkWppFF_y8MTYx8g/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20013I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DYCIAtjgDy4B3TvUDtymqBcmVIKLX-gPIsiuu4lYhSxPTEVnCylVhH_mNveiGaXNcaUXjLvbYtcV2DqYGVZKQ4O-wBtnBll6UT_fR8YJsMMOESVYprK2jm5WTrTg6NVBssNv45vB--Lvo-XjaIszBUlP-gIRcCps5XrkWppFF_y8MTYx8g/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20013I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz06Ubvqcl5MNpOnkKlwKpEzfxVvOueaVoa69WfE2mWgiGkIQbhFo2YU1QsS7N3cxMps4IfIGShvs4DV4dpvA38u_q7nlNPbso67W5sBwUmmoaeTQhUzmK_p9YaoTQgwJTKfLVULuzOTlqlL39TA4g5cn4ltO-GWCLVV6HqXhhofROsgZluQ/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20018H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz06Ubvqcl5MNpOnkKlwKpEzfxVvOueaVoa69WfE2mWgiGkIQbhFo2YU1QsS7N3cxMps4IfIGShvs4DV4dpvA38u_q7nlNPbso67W5sBwUmmoaeTQhUzmK_p9YaoTQgwJTKfLVULuzOTlqlL39TA4g5cn4ltO-GWCLVV6HqXhhofROsgZluQ/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20018H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo46nu0P7HpV5YwJ0JvWWB4droh29Fk_8M6-bESM9IR-Gr_O6KFu1k-m8v3_olR9Z1INNCMRvPbQ_1Irk5oE3QtJmylwqL6d43D2wGosG3V8BT0eA7A0FrnrocEJR2KAYXNao363CJzRfx6Zhjdl6oy-jetVYE6y_JKsTxBXDj9So-Mm0Uw/s853/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20015I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="853" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo46nu0P7HpV5YwJ0JvWWB4droh29Fk_8M6-bESM9IR-Gr_O6KFu1k-m8v3_olR9Z1INNCMRvPbQ_1Irk5oE3QtJmylwqL6d43D2wGosG3V8BT0eA7A0FrnrocEJR2KAYXNao363CJzRfx6Zhjdl6oy-jetVYE6y_JKsTxBXDj9So-Mm0Uw/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20015I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKI-AW9sDQMidVNnWh8YOI_qhxwLo9gxlfxQIAYudd0Pdy3ZczqkCmvNgd8DL2lctXHNIWHPR6xDSuIX6ogRo2duPPEPjfhC63ewoHrPl-OqlJA1n_qcgVktZ_E8BKzwT3QUqH5q6qLSwY--d3DMfGKFh1yoGvJ8lHtQ9f3boW5ixK3p6kw/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20016I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKI-AW9sDQMidVNnWh8YOI_qhxwLo9gxlfxQIAYudd0Pdy3ZczqkCmvNgd8DL2lctXHNIWHPR6xDSuIX6ogRo2duPPEPjfhC63ewoHrPl-OqlJA1n_qcgVktZ_E8BKzwT3QUqH5q6qLSwY--d3DMfGKFh1yoGvJ8lHtQ9f3boW5ixK3p6kw/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20016I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg6CoelpOX6kmpFGSwbsam9YvVnWx48io3tz-JmY9ydEnbDYKVQY5p8rN16VmUutIHVGj-WSbwhpowBrThZNSvzvYVaO_5kUVPycIvbwJN80Vp4KktUW9sgOiviMdg-C85tvqq5QNrtweDJWRVWNqIu-cZ5-giC7j9BI5SKFpGtX1fILU2A/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20017I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg6CoelpOX6kmpFGSwbsam9YvVnWx48io3tz-JmY9ydEnbDYKVQY5p8rN16VmUutIHVGj-WSbwhpowBrThZNSvzvYVaO_5kUVPycIvbwJN80Vp4KktUW9sgOiviMdg-C85tvqq5QNrtweDJWRVWNqIu-cZ5-giC7j9BI5SKFpGtX1fILU2A/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20017I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>From the chapel, we retraced our route back to US 276 and followed it north to Brevard where we reconnected with US 64. This took us to Rosman, where we fueled up before starting up on SR 215. I had forgotten how technical the first part of 215 was. If you can ride this, the Tail Of The Dragon would not give you a problem. When we reached the Blue Ridge Parkway, we turned left and continued on the the Richland Balsam Overlook, the highest point on the BRP.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsEJ-_ez-DLUYJeKkYoVa9tHFWzlbVxZS-GueEGaNM7DkAVGM19twWW8MhW6UumThjwxBFlQvT7tuFR8bWfsuLUPyiCKrU2oCt7YlN0_hBoKdAeDsjl5MuSMxhbMeXWN50M3B4mTmpkDnVCn9oBZOq4fiIcNZ3ZKL3pmaj0s-jx43RoY3WA/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20019I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsEJ-_ez-DLUYJeKkYoVa9tHFWzlbVxZS-GueEGaNM7DkAVGM19twWW8MhW6UumThjwxBFlQvT7tuFR8bWfsuLUPyiCKrU2oCt7YlN0_hBoKdAeDsjl5MuSMxhbMeXWN50M3B4mTmpkDnVCn9oBZOq4fiIcNZ3ZKL3pmaj0s-jx43RoY3WA/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20019I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Richland Balsam Overlook</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Clyde's in Waynesville no longer opened for breakfast but they did lunch and supper and were right next to our route. We rode the BRP to Balsam Gap and then exited onto US 74 into Waynesville.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRXl7V4PJ-ULwpYYkKHX-Ftyqhj_cjMxALLnvJaYP0cMDl1p5CSdyg5FVS5jxKzNWFeTSCHy5tvvYgbuUPsFdWgzn8D1uIjdzx6GIvOxyKTLuj0RbRlDF-qrTt1i_YJUNQR3otdwllXK49dT3g8kNEE2E44Cu3gmICThjci6E8bro2hz2Kw/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20020H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRXl7V4PJ-ULwpYYkKHX-Ftyqhj_cjMxALLnvJaYP0cMDl1p5CSdyg5FVS5jxKzNWFeTSCHy5tvvYgbuUPsFdWgzn8D1uIjdzx6GIvOxyKTLuj0RbRlDF-qrTt1i_YJUNQR3otdwllXK49dT3g8kNEE2E44Cu3gmICThjci6E8bro2hz2Kw/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20020H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The BRP is famous for tunnels</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljruk0F4xo6uC34sAu_MxLYJ_grdNF0KJZ1BF3LrihNmbE1GykWMgoyvc_ORuoIUoQ9SM4OY3JMn05zrPfBIcZy-WKsCrgVw5YgS9NU1IxsPcm5TcHxmMyWH6ojCYf7ktjYuZBs50jvKWdh4qkyW5M10FWkm9E5vKSsGM7aWgWAeosGEJ0g/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20021H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljruk0F4xo6uC34sAu_MxLYJ_grdNF0KJZ1BF3LrihNmbE1GykWMgoyvc_ORuoIUoQ9SM4OY3JMn05zrPfBIcZy-WKsCrgVw5YgS9NU1IxsPcm5TcHxmMyWH6ojCYf7ktjYuZBs50jvKWdh4qkyW5M10FWkm9E5vKSsGM7aWgWAeosGEJ0g/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20021H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>You can see our road down in the distance</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Clyde's food was good. Portions were large. The server was very efficient. All in all, it was still a good place to eat even if it no longer opened at 7:00 AM.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUUovZc2JwL6JeDvHKYwSps0TwDvsNbs8_6nIh6oiPRdqn74Cy8fsAOId1cOZ3Rkct3NGV47vEFldvyiyzZ4U_0JzcL5fK6bLHkE_IO2CewT2-TPtxfIEQKlKzVOGOna83eFqut0AzJI-Ya6aW-Q6G99eri83vEzvnHu4YJ6-Lsh-TTvgVA/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20022I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUUovZc2JwL6JeDvHKYwSps0TwDvsNbs8_6nIh6oiPRdqn74Cy8fsAOId1cOZ3Rkct3NGV47vEFldvyiyzZ4U_0JzcL5fK6bLHkE_IO2CewT2-TPtxfIEQKlKzVOGOna83eFqut0AzJI-Ya6aW-Q6G99eri83vEzvnHu4YJ6-Lsh-TTvgVA/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20022I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sandy, Vickie, Kay, Deb and Pappy at Clyde's</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyMwM0DBcAM71HOFUZK4KMikQRBi0RT9uBsF5Ei1AmK5wN_1L4hKEnXLwQmEE0fAZruCNZQ1nJZqbn3IIlJaJQMq-gF26GpkHWuO1Rb31hObjdrH3so7fqeKg8CLsawddNDw9QQifC_F6EoMmWNYXSl3qNDHNibBj3CeKB33EVPZH6hlsvA/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20023I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyMwM0DBcAM71HOFUZK4KMikQRBi0RT9uBsF5Ei1AmK5wN_1L4hKEnXLwQmEE0fAZruCNZQ1nJZqbn3IIlJaJQMq-gF26GpkHWuO1Rb31hObjdrH3so7fqeKg8CLsawddNDw9QQifC_F6EoMmWNYXSl3qNDHNibBj3CeKB33EVPZH6hlsvA/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20023I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sandy's huge Caesar salad with chicken</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z4FD7-We4IESKIjOqwzWq7Az-2_TQYrop3OQ8Km5z6s0TNsYXIzGlwkcPFxiUnFQ9CBcuUXcT-V46-HyvIxWPQo9QSPUOhihc8FrGvv8PaG38Qq2ipBtfNvvB9a4EuxtfqLOPfYzi16eG3l5dgaga-xmmWfoTtJTyPbMyZghoI6yVm7u3A/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20024I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Z4FD7-We4IESKIjOqwzWq7Az-2_TQYrop3OQ8Km5z6s0TNsYXIzGlwkcPFxiUnFQ9CBcuUXcT-V46-HyvIxWPQo9QSPUOhihc8FrGvv8PaG38Qq2ipBtfNvvB9a4EuxtfqLOPfYzi16eG3l5dgaga-xmmWfoTtJTyPbMyZghoI6yVm7u3A/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20024I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Kay's even larger Greek salad</i></b></div><div><br /></div>From Clyde's it was a short run back to the motel. We got in about 3:15 and found the Spectrum guy was there again trying to get the cable TV to work. Eventually, he was successful.<div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRdDQZeefym3u4WBbscfTSWbpK0FMrT5PUd1bVvovNMpgo0290y5EgmyhWEsbs1caurGblJHb-yTbVpTQtbUb9Ev8DmW8XCfB42kjA-V00ElsxU4Y1Qm1ufaOs1E67z44DkOjwO4YG87tJCKHETULQqr8ETE-GeBloN2g3d7iKyDUy3dbKQ/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20025I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMRdDQZeefym3u4WBbscfTSWbpK0FMrT5PUd1bVvovNMpgo0290y5EgmyhWEsbs1caurGblJHb-yTbVpTQtbUb9Ev8DmW8XCfB42kjA-V00ElsxU4Y1Qm1ufaOs1E67z44DkOjwO4YG87tJCKHETULQqr8ETE-GeBloN2g3d7iKyDUy3dbKQ/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20025I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>While we were gone, Joker had arrived in his Corvette while Ice Cream and Sharon came in their four wheeled vehicle. Butch and Teresa from Kentucky had arrived on their Nomad and were in the room next to us. Then Cargo showed up too.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoQ0IeTbnrzttWApbhtB_JwRHVlXnDKpa5YQ0v2HJ4SfBpkIaSCmPrTYk6CEK3febE2JFMQ_kuHbw6kHAXwY0d4YdCLUBwRXVtecd5T5mI4bG7RZ6Y5aBBHLI6H_IVnBTNSIllf1fo1UKboVHmHiUxyGfUWmDdKbq_0UbsGa4LA0mzVOA_A/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20026I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoQ0IeTbnrzttWApbhtB_JwRHVlXnDKpa5YQ0v2HJ4SfBpkIaSCmPrTYk6CEK3febE2JFMQ_kuHbw6kHAXwY0d4YdCLUBwRXVtecd5T5mI4bG7RZ6Y5aBBHLI6H_IVnBTNSIllf1fo1UKboVHmHiUxyGfUWmDdKbq_0UbsGa4LA0mzVOA_A/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20026I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Joker, Cargo and Butch</i></b></div><div><br /></div>After some visiting and catching up, Bob found that the Bearwater Brewing Company had food in addition to brews so a bunch of us wandered over. Sandy and I were mostly full from Clyde's but we split a small pulled pork sandwich and fries. I also had a glass of cream ale milk stout, something I haven't had since we were in England. It hit the spot.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX6WCXwNDUiIPdimdDzjDmde2FDnFz1SGr6quZtJyQ-7p9OtMBfko1gxlNQPGvKO6tGAQCBf3P85CmvGBOrMGDxh9FgX1SSheUjQiaqe8_ixT2fKe0e1i9bJ0QyICAIcX8L2qOxIvcGfTUUZqCy0LQ37uLt2BkXDoCQJT7CN-LHxMG_tERg/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20027I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivX6WCXwNDUiIPdimdDzjDmde2FDnFz1SGr6quZtJyQ-7p9OtMBfko1gxlNQPGvKO6tGAQCBf3P85CmvGBOrMGDxh9FgX1SSheUjQiaqe8_ixT2fKe0e1i9bJ0QyICAIcX8L2qOxIvcGfTUUZqCy0LQ37uLt2BkXDoCQJT7CN-LHxMG_tERg/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20027I.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Looks like a fun place</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq13CtxFgENKzi6RrMo3jiAi4xF6qLs3rIpmrovr3k-0cNEAJpP1_41CcBdvcYQiqcrybraJ24yBUGbkd-TaXfdb3qG3b82uiV7T01WPJieX5fBuM8___dQXYoz83HMkrkGGKOT5k3QLUF-1CF8B2lco7vIbvxSNDmaAroO3m_RcB2kfgTIQ/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20028I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq13CtxFgENKzi6RrMo3jiAi4xF6qLs3rIpmrovr3k-0cNEAJpP1_41CcBdvcYQiqcrybraJ24yBUGbkd-TaXfdb3qG3b82uiV7T01WPJieX5fBuM8___dQXYoz83HMkrkGGKOT5k3QLUF-1CF8B2lco7vIbvxSNDmaAroO3m_RcB2kfgTIQ/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20028I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Cheers</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwkBYH2njeHEQHJqEDGP4FjG7RVB68rQVg1-4MIwS8E8FIKvCyqmE5hHCTbTtv1rJsBFXlT-YXdU-3dh7Q8iJUb4ISdIZzdyqAi2XbCpM_kNLXHsbpzcoA7wcMhY5n7qtT6YreZyf4uE3ajzALkIbyoovfsCsIiCf9PLlGDlYNymDacI8IQ/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20029I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwkBYH2njeHEQHJqEDGP4FjG7RVB68rQVg1-4MIwS8E8FIKvCyqmE5hHCTbTtv1rJsBFXlT-YXdU-3dh7Q8iJUb4ISdIZzdyqAi2XbCpM_kNLXHsbpzcoA7wcMhY5n7qtT6YreZyf4uE3ajzALkIbyoovfsCsIiCf9PLlGDlYNymDacI8IQ/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20029I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Waiting for food</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Back at the motel, Snubs and Pickles had arrived, as had Blondy. I don't think we had seen them in over ten years and Snubs was just getting back to riding after an extended hiatus. Joker joined us as we were having a good talk. I was showing Snubs The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT1QmtsV-rM" target="_blank">Ballad of the Gap</a> on Youtube, the video that makes me homesick for a place I don't even live. Then I decided to send the photo below to Mark Faulkner in Toronto. He was the creator and performer of the video. He recognized Maggie right away.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSM-XtuwiRXkxGFu4qu3G5RQUbg6Z066ukjqCAspKdijn_wpiig7o26lkyA3QbjepQBAyqKD0WrUzi5Q-Iulvf8kOOjCaSYH27LVeOfTIF7GZ9LUNFX1wayTQqb2iflii4DL9AfmoKvbIy-IBvS4_HOMPJbneW_wSUqd1XInNRTvaRLeNsw/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20030S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSM-XtuwiRXkxGFu4qu3G5RQUbg6Z066ukjqCAspKdijn_wpiig7o26lkyA3QbjepQBAyqKD0WrUzi5Q-Iulvf8kOOjCaSYH27LVeOfTIF7GZ9LUNFX1wayTQqb2iflii4DL9AfmoKvbIy-IBvS4_HOMPJbneW_wSUqd1XInNRTvaRLeNsw/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20030S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A one ton dually pulled in hauling a huge trailer. Joker and I wandered over to see who it was. Didsbury Dave from Albert had arrived. He was hauling his Nomad in the trailer. Unfortunately, his better half Pebbles had been unable to come.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joker had some motorcycle stuff he was trying to give away. Most of it was Kawasaki related and some of it was one of a kind. I got this long sleeve shirt the the VROC Reunion in Eureka Springs, the first year it was held there. There are the names of the attendees printed on the shirt. I will definitely take this to ES in a couple of weeks. Sandy got gloves and a jacket. When Blondy found I wore a large, she gave me a WARB (We Ain't Right Bunch) shirt as well. Thanks Joker and Blondy.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_g9kzGoCh0Uo4xeCxWoj3yl3V4jFgiyKavDBAi9ydkIpD0NhMjwH9qSOfvlxhfqmiQsW_BO8eHnaZe3Sh76xfHKKpGemc1EV-o1hf11R6Paj4x5zVWpipctMV2IdyT-HIwQbAi5rK4fQjkjSdwqEKSJZDEl6PZ4_zFkA6_ZkDIEnb6wfLA/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20031I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_g9kzGoCh0Uo4xeCxWoj3yl3V4jFgiyKavDBAi9ydkIpD0NhMjwH9qSOfvlxhfqmiQsW_BO8eHnaZe3Sh76xfHKKpGemc1EV-o1hf11R6Paj4x5zVWpipctMV2IdyT-HIwQbAi5rK4fQjkjSdwqEKSJZDEl6PZ4_zFkA6_ZkDIEnb6wfLA/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20031I.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3qd5gaQ2l7h-zrm5MEXRWMNuNqlCdbAmFymWDEtinNAS6-b8A6kNQRDFCHReu65mBvLScAzGEfG7hN9vFGXHzflEFQWsQumPirumk1sWGajoXOWr1k4Qj91IOoTZFVYL_LVI3-_eLq2rynSMDlsLbKvwDEno_AdVZWq3WYYR1LgX0rXUHw/s1440/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20032I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3qd5gaQ2l7h-zrm5MEXRWMNuNqlCdbAmFymWDEtinNAS6-b8A6kNQRDFCHReu65mBvLScAzGEfG7hN9vFGXHzflEFQWsQumPirumk1sWGajoXOWr1k4Qj91IOoTZFVYL_LVI3-_eLq2rynSMDlsLbKvwDEno_AdVZWq3WYYR1LgX0rXUHw/s320/20220824%20SEVROC%20Wednesday%20Symmes%20032I.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>There were no firm plans for tomorrow. Sandy and I were about the last to go back to our room at about 11:00 PM. As usual, she went to bed and was asleep as I settled in the do my end of day chores.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9d5dRXTUk_6Ohxbd0IqH6zwqxessaZkydltTDKpNLPi15LB3niJspuAWSRy0cHl8Px-8GaB8Gj2kFniJW7N543jVw7wvCBdvyZFU09UamYtR5fZ1iGjoHFeCHQprqHpES4vBjCOjQbt1UQbcD7o1oo87HeOZRIv1GEVAsKI9QsUzC-a2dw/s2048/20220824O%20Blondy%20Sandy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9d5dRXTUk_6Ohxbd0IqH6zwqxessaZkydltTDKpNLPi15LB3niJspuAWSRy0cHl8Px-8GaB8Gj2kFniJW7N543jVw7wvCBdvyZFU09UamYtR5fZ1iGjoHFeCHQprqHpES4vBjCOjQbt1UQbcD7o1oo87HeOZRIv1GEVAsKI9QsUzC-a2dw/s320/20220824O%20Blondy%20Sandy.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>North Carolina Sunset - Blondy and Sandy</i></b></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(photo by Linda Gross)</span></i></b></div></i></b><p><b>Today's route (148 motorcycle miles):<br /><i>Route GPX courtesy of Gary Bohler and maggievalleyrides.com</i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJz81pRmeuXiWj95yV9EP94oBbk2mb_Ugv2vsBjt6RmUrICyGWxlr9e0GG821CeNzdiN0F3t6PXKY9j9MHjCMS0Dw7gmbCpEeuIM_wKrVbthPm7oxgw6mf3g_5dUxx8vTORN7tVpUGMfJGK7SCHbhq6v86J7iCoHkg3O1GHKADRCIkZD-kmw/s1144/20220824%20Symmes.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1144" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJz81pRmeuXiWj95yV9EP94oBbk2mb_Ugv2vsBjt6RmUrICyGWxlr9e0GG821CeNzdiN0F3t6PXKY9j9MHjCMS0Dw7gmbCpEeuIM_wKrVbthPm7oxgw6mf3g_5dUxx8vTORN7tVpUGMfJGK7SCHbhq6v86J7iCoHkg3O1GHKADRCIkZD-kmw/s320/20220824%20Symmes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/CuQD9D8eWgB4B6j59" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><i>Interactive map</i></a></div></div></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-53382908367603802842022-08-23T23:00:00.001-04:002022-08-25T11:56:47.116-04:00Maggie Valley North Carolina SEVROC Tuesday<p>Bob texted me first thing this morning to say he had gotten us a 10:00 AM tee time at the <a href="https://lakejunaluska.com/activities/golf/" target="_blank">Lake Junaluska Golf Course</a>. I texted back that we would have to stop at Walmart on the way because I had forgotten to pack any golf shirts with collars, a requirement on must courses.</p><p>We all headed down to Pop's for breakfast. It was nice to see some things hadn't changed and the three meat omelette with wheat toast and sliced tomatoes was excellent.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWI9lqMQnUPo-fh-d4wu1cExZxt0XhQIR-B_SQGXIIO9ypiAmdiJbezbucu34QFzRchoCxwd6K58bMoqwCLASTYxEO9GhwM5yEIC7yxF47y4haJ531ZvS6F4PEjt74clDoQstOKbv0EqeX_17uc3b01sOsE5_E17rr1UnRQtRiRt-22YGvkw/s1440/20220823%20Maggie%20Valley%20SEVROC%20001O.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWI9lqMQnUPo-fh-d4wu1cExZxt0XhQIR-B_SQGXIIO9ypiAmdiJbezbucu34QFzRchoCxwd6K58bMoqwCLASTYxEO9GhwM5yEIC7yxF47y4haJ531ZvS6F4PEjt74clDoQstOKbv0EqeX_17uc3b01sOsE5_E17rr1UnRQtRiRt-22YGvkw/s320/20220823%20Maggie%20Valley%20SEVROC%20001O.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>Pops and I</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bob and I stopped by Walmart and I got a nice golf shirt, although their selection in Large was quite limited because the season was almost over. At the golf course, we paid our green fees and were assigned a cart. Signage was marginal so I had to go back in and ask directions to the first tee.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The course was short but challenging. There were a couple of holes unlike anything I have ever seen before. Bob played well and I played terribly. But we had fun.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfeo9dfaJ4czAUeUDRX9CX_ag1BBRpbkZ21e46udHuueGxZaTV_XdFSZSN0PqyKrelXWmal5N9_LgGk6YAhl59LU8ANsfm9AUXXyPBH65DrC2vIqCUcL5P9X2a6NZ1tw7ecHvp3Wb1tUu0HQykOwFOYusjA7PrWS-VU1fgEh-41xFOIWZ6w/s1440/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20001S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfeo9dfaJ4czAUeUDRX9CX_ag1BBRpbkZ21e46udHuueGxZaTV_XdFSZSN0PqyKrelXWmal5N9_LgGk6YAhl59LU8ANsfm9AUXXyPBH65DrC2vIqCUcL5P9X2a6NZ1tw7ecHvp3Wb1tUu0HQykOwFOYusjA7PrWS-VU1fgEh-41xFOIWZ6w/s320/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20001S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The first tee when all things are possible</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapI8DdRf5h0_ImuZe4Dh3-qeUymPtIyyaZG_lb3rMuIH-XAMQNeD7jJfL4J3EoH1yHJ_DPxD1fQUS_IefmTjBQSxbouNTitPIGNrl3CmuRJ-YGJqPkY4_NNJXHUuMQyqVrDGFn7zpCDgUUilQUVrjIgfD5rpS2TcgudNdQHNi63vFYr_VOQ/s1440/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20002S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapI8DdRf5h0_ImuZe4Dh3-qeUymPtIyyaZG_lb3rMuIH-XAMQNeD7jJfL4J3EoH1yHJ_DPxD1fQUS_IefmTjBQSxbouNTitPIGNrl3CmuRJ-YGJqPkY4_NNJXHUuMQyqVrDGFn7zpCDgUUilQUVrjIgfD5rpS2TcgudNdQHNi63vFYr_VOQ/s320/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20002S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The 9th hole</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbML6QyngdxMO6WFlx6AU80uWzceSaLCE1Np9V_2GsUTV5jGGCqx4E99Jl2KNh8f3OShslNdzHIdfL9-xhD6ze4cxd3i77j0dAqXamUs4ADKU2RB7jd-Svt-xCVPtOIdfAvhyFNo3RcbiHZW0r2DMOGYTitIh0Rr_OwUsoqfu-9Q9BCxqSgQ/s1440/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20003S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbML6QyngdxMO6WFlx6AU80uWzceSaLCE1Np9V_2GsUTV5jGGCqx4E99Jl2KNh8f3OShslNdzHIdfL9-xhD6ze4cxd3i77j0dAqXamUs4ADKU2RB7jd-Svt-xCVPtOIdfAvhyFNo3RcbiHZW0r2DMOGYTitIh0Rr_OwUsoqfu-9Q9BCxqSgQ/s320/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20003S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Swan and cygnets</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUomn4k4Jn3M5A0wVmXiQKSMigXZHrgT19j5gZAi_R9qYuzswi7CC0fLQhiC4pATiTfo-RgpXzGhea_sZnCcknEnVpADj8rVw8ITjxLOs2MKvuDF7YopVnz9fzUE4ixOSNhXVp1_3fsheTOU-fjyWdLJOTAPQ-1_xAa_VfLP_jArY5xC6YiQ/s1440/20220823%20Maggie%20Valley%20SEVROC%20002O.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUomn4k4Jn3M5A0wVmXiQKSMigXZHrgT19j5gZAi_R9qYuzswi7CC0fLQhiC4pATiTfo-RgpXzGhea_sZnCcknEnVpADj8rVw8ITjxLOs2MKvuDF7YopVnz9fzUE4ixOSNhXVp1_3fsheTOU-fjyWdLJOTAPQ-1_xAa_VfLP_jArY5xC6YiQ/s320/20220823%20Maggie%20Valley%20SEVROC%20002O.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Waiting for the group ahead to clear the green</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVGRKvim829TjkUirR08Sg1gODrzTCAh80a6vdH8TQPfsTMLElWmK1myoJNte1JGQ9j3E6RDgUtiCJUT64sLhrUDsDQAALCru7l6OaZzrWl9Rt6-rmMnBQkR62OBlrsLx9tqRyxZnckaZ2Js7-cShmZ9XXiTOn_5s1DOLLAKnXkh8etFxLw/s1440/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20004S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVGRKvim829TjkUirR08Sg1gODrzTCAh80a6vdH8TQPfsTMLElWmK1myoJNte1JGQ9j3E6RDgUtiCJUT64sLhrUDsDQAALCru7l6OaZzrWl9Rt6-rmMnBQkR62OBlrsLx9tqRyxZnckaZ2Js7-cShmZ9XXiTOn_5s1DOLLAKnXkh8etFxLw/s320/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20004S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>Does she really like cats?</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We got back to the motel about 2:00 PM. The ladies had gone shopping and were now waiting for us so we decided that it was time for the ceremonial first ride over the the Dairy Queen in Cherokee. I rode the bike while Linda, Bob and Sandy followed in their car. It would have been a really good ride down the mountain twists and turns on US 19 if it had not been for a black Pacifica with Texas plates who used a lot of brakes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We got to the DQ and found a sign saying that service was drive-thru only because the air conditioning was broken. So we decided to try Wendy's. Their indoor was closed, possibly due to not having enough people working. Help wanted signs are everywhere down here and Wendy's was offering $13 an hour. Finally, we went to a place Linda had spotted, Bear Sweets and Treats right on the edge of downtown Cherokee. The lady made us sundaes, except Sandy who just had a dish of ice cream. As we left the building, they put up the Closed sign.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One note. I stopped for fuel on the way out of Maggie Valley. After I got rolling again, the ABS warning light was flashing and continued all the way to the DQ. I hoped it would quit after I turned the bike off and on again and, sure enough, it did. Nothing more for the rest of the day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoadWzt1czRHJOQlBYncb7Ot9ZheYoqttkb8xUaOxZesQeyCeMpH--aWC9lDPsPr1Kfm8FMAF57-aQHbAzZLhrl-KOmf975IVc9hpHjyAcUUcTtfEZEQPGrmTHlfPnzI4gcHOwQh6daJelsjtgDvd9JkrajiUi12-qtN_gCbTAS-ZD7NEHQ/s1440/20220823%20Maggie%20Valley%20SEVROC%20003O.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoadWzt1czRHJOQlBYncb7Ot9ZheYoqttkb8xUaOxZesQeyCeMpH--aWC9lDPsPr1Kfm8FMAF57-aQHbAzZLhrl-KOmf975IVc9hpHjyAcUUcTtfEZEQPGrmTHlfPnzI4gcHOwQh6daJelsjtgDvd9JkrajiUi12-qtN_gCbTAS-ZD7NEHQ/s320/20220823%20Maggie%20Valley%20SEVROC%20003O.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>Bear Sweets and Treats</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We got separated leaving the ice cream shop so I just rode through Cherokee and on up over Soco Gap to Maggie Valley. I got about half way up the mountain before I caught up the a couple of vehicles following a truck towing an RV trailer. I will give that truck driver credit, he wasn't holding us up that much.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got back to the motel about ten minutes before the car. Pappy had come in and was patiently sitting waiting for someone to return. We had not seen him since he came to say Hi when we were waiting to get into Graceland in Memphis in 2013. He is now retired and has a place in a relatively remote part of the Tennessee mountains.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AoVrZs2wHqJmJUseZf_t4Ygr-kvkkNKkCie4W84KSTBTpp3kgZQDRyYKwCg2vk2glgG2RSJrDsmyp25ZcUjuhbrYllMFo96QP_cCjRrYAOQ7Q1pn_tcpq2FtC7x8fEQPMjZZLEDV24LH9GUhIjWYNs_sQSpgZ3d5DJ13e_yd0NQSTZR41w/s1440/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20005S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AoVrZs2wHqJmJUseZf_t4Ygr-kvkkNKkCie4W84KSTBTpp3kgZQDRyYKwCg2vk2glgG2RSJrDsmyp25ZcUjuhbrYllMFo96QP_cCjRrYAOQ7Q1pn_tcpq2FtC7x8fEQPMjZZLEDV24LH9GUhIjWYNs_sQSpgZ3d5DJ13e_yd0NQSTZR41w/s320/20220823%20SEVROC%20%20Maggie%20Valley%20005S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><b><i>Pappy</i></b></div><p>We spent time visiting, as usual, with the crew. The Texas ladies asked if I might lead a ride tomorrow, so we settled on a route Gary Bohler had on his website <a href="http://maggievalleyrides.com/index.html" target="_blank">Maggie Valley Rides</a>. Then Sandy and I went back to Walmart in the car so she could get some socks like the ones Linda had gotten when they went over there in the morning. She also got some embroidered stretch jeans while I got a sandwich and chef salad from the deli to bring back.</p><p>At the room, I worked on today's photos and notes, as well as learning how to download the GPX route file from the Rides website and import it into my Garmin Zumo 660. It wasn't a complicated process but I have never done this before. Trying to lead a ride with it tomorrow will tell the tale. Then I turned in for the night. Sandy had been sawing logs for some time as I was working away.</p><p><b>Today's Route (37 motorcycle miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTX3xnPNoysFky6gxJHp9cqSrY4Tzw_MJKohcws7DlBm6sZUNmqwUmpPisIOyu0fAQE5wqINiSR_Yl5ly2t1cAC2L6JXSZkl0YO57M6R2FczM5x68LZP2-g-3SXPSTySZEUzi74rJh8GH_Jxg434QFe2LTmaLQ49vw0i7uOhHAck_Z1z6JIA/s1062/20220823%20DQ.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="1062" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTX3xnPNoysFky6gxJHp9cqSrY4Tzw_MJKohcws7DlBm6sZUNmqwUmpPisIOyu0fAQE5wqINiSR_Yl5ly2t1cAC2L6JXSZkl0YO57M6R2FczM5x68LZP2-g-3SXPSTySZEUzi74rJh8GH_Jxg434QFe2LTmaLQ49vw0i7uOhHAck_Z1z6JIA/s320/20220823%20DQ.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/KHSYCtLhPVXBzuZb9" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><b><i>Interactive map</i></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-46325546981412142072022-08-22T22:00:00.001-04:002022-08-25T10:47:36.691-04:00Florence Kentucky to Maggie Valley North Carolina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Monday morning dawned at the Hampton Inn in Florence, Kentucky. A look out the window confirmed that the Equinox and trailer were right where we put them last evening. I made a note of the message on the heater/AC unit that caused us the problem last night. It actually IS NOT controlled by the wall thermostat and I mentioned this at the front desk when we checked out.</div><p>We had their full breakfast downstairs. I had a couple of different egg things and unlimited bacon, skipping the potatoes and toast. Sandy didn't have very much considering it was included. We did our Wordle of the day as we ate. It is not as easy when other people are coming and going around you.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-LD7TSmSjSCgfpF8jzrl7C4AAdcDImFWKCo0P2iDWJ7bDlXNLitrxJW0f9W9h1THsyUfO_LsaH_1HFgazfSIorNTGAUK48adBqjcItjGx5wbIBb5HiRw9RQC3vDxlqqySJzCLRaSQf1CU6NxJvfSP5Kus1_WD0Bz03MX6nZQIILOjyWMcg/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20001S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-LD7TSmSjSCgfpF8jzrl7C4AAdcDImFWKCo0P2iDWJ7bDlXNLitrxJW0f9W9h1THsyUfO_LsaH_1HFgazfSIorNTGAUK48adBqjcItjGx5wbIBb5HiRw9RQC3vDxlqqySJzCLRaSQf1CU6NxJvfSP5Kus1_WD0Bz03MX6nZQIILOjyWMcg/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20001S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The vehicle is safe</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9NBC3WjPmTlGRUoLUMazhU2JGprI0l2c-ukRQhZlFyNWqDgz5HA6Ya4vfxZkzbMYozHoKg_RUAhOYe8XR7fSYlKVa6kc5lnblKM5OhcgjVaqrlJ64Vu1qz1NSFoVKHPtYm0dMQLwtL0Mzt0wG0k5auzSJfLlQjAWRWTHwU73_K3uYTozqQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20002I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9NBC3WjPmTlGRUoLUMazhU2JGprI0l2c-ukRQhZlFyNWqDgz5HA6Ya4vfxZkzbMYozHoKg_RUAhOYe8XR7fSYlKVa6kc5lnblKM5OhcgjVaqrlJ64Vu1qz1NSFoVKHPtYm0dMQLwtL0Mzt0wG0k5auzSJfLlQjAWRWTHwU73_K3uYTozqQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20002I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>This is a lie</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3Eg4ncgRzlPtpRh7W5_kLi8CkoFOMW9VtIKQrcXH-qNedbsWprZIyjDAy1JGuwBmjk6B8cBBORHvAx0cbg7_DbswLA-wrhwoKqGNhAVka-zZIDx9xXfDwH1yyAlfFfuNp7JQpLIwmrDJ05Ma7Pal2O6WJkK0hefvsAbiIydX8ss3T8K4Ww/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20003I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3Eg4ncgRzlPtpRh7W5_kLi8CkoFOMW9VtIKQrcXH-qNedbsWprZIyjDAy1JGuwBmjk6B8cBBORHvAx0cbg7_DbswLA-wrhwoKqGNhAVka-zZIDx9xXfDwH1yyAlfFfuNp7JQpLIwmrDJ05Ma7Pal2O6WJkK0hefvsAbiIydX8ss3T8K4Ww/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20003I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>These are the real controls</i></b></div><div><br /></div>After checking out in person (I know I could have done it on line), we pulled out of the parking lot at 8:30. But we couldn't go back the way we came because of a No Left Turn sign compounded by a median, so we got a scenic tour of Florence, Kentucky on our way to the next I-75 interchange. The one thing we didn't see was the famous "Florence Y'all" water tower.<div><br /></div><div>The weather today was much better than yesterday. The entirety of I-75 through Kentucky has been designated as the <a href="https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2458" target="_blank">Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Trail</a> in honour of the first USAAF squadron of black fighter pilots in World War II. Traffic was light and gas was getting cheaper as we moved further south, listening to Michael Smerconish on the radio.<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI_MWRXJSXTpZlPN1WK5zErekvrpeYHpjFnJolemFKNrVUIOrPvNNFlXccsZesJWHx6D4z5b5lOXSr6Z4frlNzMiltfMhZFAo6jxeHpLTg6ElAM-jbfhrRSxXL2UAOWzmC1j18w5Rph0pb_zdPdisd5-BzuzO87RD88tfKndhJEz9mCiotw/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20004H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI_MWRXJSXTpZlPN1WK5zErekvrpeYHpjFnJolemFKNrVUIOrPvNNFlXccsZesJWHx6D4z5b5lOXSr6Z4frlNzMiltfMhZFAo6jxeHpLTg6ElAM-jbfhrRSxXL2UAOWzmC1j18w5Rph0pb_zdPdisd5-BzuzO87RD88tfKndhJEz9mCiotw/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20004H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>This must help long haul truckers a lot</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsBZo63RWqfuuQqmw1AImNqlvxKA1b4jTwjRstxFRoPpKEBH4DCToNjaubZNMd0CEjj6YCA9crTQGt_zTGBO6QxgIh0PyAAbaenIkuSnX0uVlhd9iQJ_eM6XWOtacsaB9qUgkLLa_t_SJRkb1CXVqBO0S4XGW8D0_4HETiZml8PNWUZMA8A/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20006H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsBZo63RWqfuuQqmw1AImNqlvxKA1b4jTwjRstxFRoPpKEBH4DCToNjaubZNMd0CEjj6YCA9crTQGt_zTGBO6QxgIh0PyAAbaenIkuSnX0uVlhd9iQJ_eM6XWOtacsaB9qUgkLLa_t_SJRkb1CXVqBO0S4XGW8D0_4HETiZml8PNWUZMA8A/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20006H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>It was a beautiful morning</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HG7rGlPSE4skO3pnB03p-s8PJdWOrZby6pGKWu7Z6K0bEFrPO1hmBkUJJRwvcDEujVTtr-edP9jGmM0duIFODXT0W0-4hxi65NtUvpPHasxC8QQmZgaZIcdeYYhBygpqd3IlDqj5qkbnMJuDC0jmZFLPGjxhwIuFlqQ7Rd7eZ3DS2423zQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20007H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HG7rGlPSE4skO3pnB03p-s8PJdWOrZby6pGKWu7Z6K0bEFrPO1hmBkUJJRwvcDEujVTtr-edP9jGmM0duIFODXT0W0-4hxi65NtUvpPHasxC8QQmZgaZIcdeYYhBygpqd3IlDqj5qkbnMJuDC0jmZFLPGjxhwIuFlqQ7Rd7eZ3DS2423zQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20007H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Impressive wood for this part of the country</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zED5JwpH-kDa4CIIR3jFk3zso6EkGDb9tL4ebJ-Waje2VZC9ccBLsh9Gm18RwDuYhfxLi8aHIvXLWn3jVdOLfu0vIntABMUGNZNfUi-ybptB23nLLV-zkYE8G7X82NfUeiZhsjaGJ_t0CEipIUw59JuNmjCarEfqhze0qiaktYAKDyt2Ew/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20008H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zED5JwpH-kDa4CIIR3jFk3zso6EkGDb9tL4ebJ-Waje2VZC9ccBLsh9Gm18RwDuYhfxLi8aHIvXLWn3jVdOLfu0vIntABMUGNZNfUi-ybptB23nLLV-zkYE8G7X82NfUeiZhsjaGJ_t0CEipIUw59JuNmjCarEfqhze0qiaktYAKDyt2Ew/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20008H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I hope this is on its way to being restored</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN74k01cIUXtTm-Zf3A5kicjw3EHzbeqWnvT1pUjfc9isWoZY-Q6Uz2p4xioE5Oxv2ACk7ryWTWUIya8lM8EWeKKGTafwNpRKOJeS5u4J0JhZ1pwtFKhHOS_oavU5SEZUIMyl9uPI5eWngPqIn5L9GuiBVooMrq2xKcsR6ST0jkPcGl3qPA/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20010H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPN74k01cIUXtTm-Zf3A5kicjw3EHzbeqWnvT1pUjfc9isWoZY-Q6Uz2p4xioE5Oxv2ACk7ryWTWUIya8lM8EWeKKGTafwNpRKOJeS5u4J0JhZ1pwtFKhHOS_oavU5SEZUIMyl9uPI5eWngPqIn5L9GuiBVooMrq2xKcsR6ST0jkPcGl3qPA/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20010H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Someone is getting the wrong kind of attention</i></b></div><div><br /></div>I kept the speed to 60 MPH to optimize fuel economy. It is important with the automatic transmission and cruise control to manually downshift BEFORE an uphill because the car will not shift itself down until after you start up the hill and lose some speed. Then it works hard to get back to the requested speed, costing more fuel than you were saving before. The other option is to click the cruise off but it isn't safer to go any slower than we already are.</div><div><br /></div><div>We stopped at a Love's Truck Stop in Corbin, Kentucky. I had a few choice words for the people who leave their vehicles blocking the pumps while they go in to shop or whatever. Half the twelve pumps were occupied like this and I had to wait for someone to move. After fueling ($3.12 per gallon, lowest seen so far), I moved to an out-of-the-way spot before going in to use the facilities and get a coffee and snacks.</div><div><br /></div><div>The GPS would have had us leave I-75 at Corbin and take two lane roads so we would save 12 miles. Not worth it, so I picked a via point north of Knoxville and we continued south on the slab.</div><div><br /></div><div>Crossing into Tennessee, we started up the Jellicoe Hill. This long climb feels more like you are in an ascending airplane as you watch the valley grow smaller below you. We were passed by a new red Corvette with the licence plate THX TSLA. I guess we know where he had made the money to buy the exotic looking new Chevy.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>When Smerconish ended on the radio, we switched over to an audio book I had borrowed from the Sudbury Public Library. It was the Lincoln Rhyme mystery Midnight Lock by Jeffrey Deaver. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9-GCpa9d2G6K71KD_5msqr8FtcMtiD1dIIFR9kBlfIq-k9hKM76AGpxSz1rhgTG1JeZsPQoQYYjaLZiHb3BYdY2zGnMEcjR7D3zrDQOZmrcW2pRzFY_DXJuy7BYzEDvldukrgAuTYjACfpwvtrWfpMSI9ygzjUD7fY0awZeokphXeinprQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20011H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9-GCpa9d2G6K71KD_5msqr8FtcMtiD1dIIFR9kBlfIq-k9hKM76AGpxSz1rhgTG1JeZsPQoQYYjaLZiHb3BYdY2zGnMEcjR7D3zrDQOZmrcW2pRzFY_DXJuy7BYzEDvldukrgAuTYjACfpwvtrWfpMSI9ygzjUD7fY0awZeokphXeinprQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20011H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Welcome to the Volunteer State</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoFkz0Ful5uHNYfE7mh9UvLDtIEjIw5mp1dxOjpPBjn1d1kF4fkfG93lMQ4ydkrc9iQbeZm0S2wy1_PIMTMSC_QbuT7AmUhDknfq9SUHqJ4P5w-O-Vhvk7dUjvDWW5LiDy_DZVIzkP9rmOZCkbYwDIBsEynT2sEL_ohozFQl6qmevcGMeaA/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20012H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoFkz0Ful5uHNYfE7mh9UvLDtIEjIw5mp1dxOjpPBjn1d1kF4fkfG93lMQ4ydkrc9iQbeZm0S2wy1_PIMTMSC_QbuT7AmUhDknfq9SUHqJ4P5w-O-Vhvk7dUjvDWW5LiDy_DZVIzkP9rmOZCkbYwDIBsEynT2sEL_ohozFQl6qmevcGMeaA/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20012H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Jellicoe Hill</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFvzSe-IDA8YAJt_AOQlAo5ZIlpPg69O9sxPVG7tf_oGf7sp2LeAx0EGRz9zUjpI98xbcy6PbszMSRUHzsUTOe59mHAlS51D-EqsYc8xP_Arjwh7VWPkpOP0R_Xaf1kb9zkHiCNWI7T22b6KhSSXKw7SXqLBY1P3DTivgMNdayxzg8ymFyg/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20013H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFvzSe-IDA8YAJt_AOQlAo5ZIlpPg69O9sxPVG7tf_oGf7sp2LeAx0EGRz9zUjpI98xbcy6PbszMSRUHzsUTOe59mHAlS51D-EqsYc8xP_Arjwh7VWPkpOP0R_Xaf1kb9zkHiCNWI7T22b6KhSSXKw7SXqLBY1P3DTivgMNdayxzg8ymFyg/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20013H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I love this name - the road parallels I-75 up the grade</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7dJv524ridDSGhTyy554j6a4CFYwElBiCV-ozXgLENp60lhcTPR6hgSR-MmMiAt0V9N4DHMZfrAFGE6PMtfkDfJBTL6bdjnO-UF8I3msG_iIKpQSrIumx2xNzhh8-kGaVYmw_vAF1F0zVLPXETeqHbYjNEs9nKNfMUX3F_LwsqvMRpC02w/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20015H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7dJv524ridDSGhTyy554j6a4CFYwElBiCV-ozXgLENp60lhcTPR6hgSR-MmMiAt0V9N4DHMZfrAFGE6PMtfkDfJBTL6bdjnO-UF8I3msG_iIKpQSrIumx2xNzhh8-kGaVYmw_vAF1F0zVLPXETeqHbYjNEs9nKNfMUX3F_LwsqvMRpC02w/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20015H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>I believe we are in the Bible Belt</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP5bzOy2-J5Qklaf7Bq8VH-w2sieIvKbSVssRVyIWz4zFKelHBvDVHskao_YHHyldAVgXhLpvgTCGjOxNv362inQHCzi2UCZW2S_8NcMMpYMqXyd7-253kx77h0Oyh_9Z6MixO4clcYlK1m6Jklnhd-lY3NgYAIVr4EvNBv7iICuj0BjTjQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20016H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP5bzOy2-J5Qklaf7Bq8VH-w2sieIvKbSVssRVyIWz4zFKelHBvDVHskao_YHHyldAVgXhLpvgTCGjOxNv362inQHCzi2UCZW2S_8NcMMpYMqXyd7-253kx77h0Oyh_9Z6MixO4clcYlK1m6Jklnhd-lY3NgYAIVr4EvNBv7iICuj0BjTjQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20016H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><i>Wish that I was on ol' Rocky Top</i></b></div><div><b><i>Down in the Tennessee hills...</i></b></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Just past Rocky Top, there was a wreck on the northbound side. Traffic was backed up for at least twelve miles. We could appreciate their situation after being caught in a similar line yesterday.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgODUhk5qQGEivqLDBc0T53PjP4CSpDM9GwqSJ9C81b3BnmR7ETCPs9XXtMyAIHvYjiH7YlYc0ORS0O29pLPGDUMBUzceFVEx7cMflWHLtS-FeKbU4tqdxw2pkIGmmkrwBEHm2NhxiPjjLcjaOHr9xmOvr61T1s_YHkTEJCDkKDt-TIO_6A/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20017H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgODUhk5qQGEivqLDBc0T53PjP4CSpDM9GwqSJ9C81b3BnmR7ETCPs9XXtMyAIHvYjiH7YlYc0ORS0O29pLPGDUMBUzceFVEx7cMflWHLtS-FeKbU4tqdxw2pkIGmmkrwBEHm2NhxiPjjLcjaOHr9xmOvr61T1s_YHkTEJCDkKDt-TIO_6A/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20017H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Northbound traffic stopped and not moving</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AukmOuucmrjJYR7TW2a5bnOCR2zOxEby4jgOcRefhpzA6BthBX1oYvTKBwBZADy1hfXP4OTX7WN4s4YQLJmj5_PtlSSfKzL6JS1RZjESp6peDVsoJIkxKqxxjFfIHv5hyqtmrTbP8pzmA7MxMkfT4-X2MhFXLwj3u04SPQqnd7uRyPEjUA/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20018H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AukmOuucmrjJYR7TW2a5bnOCR2zOxEby4jgOcRefhpzA6BthBX1oYvTKBwBZADy1hfXP4OTX7WN4s4YQLJmj5_PtlSSfKzL6JS1RZjESp6peDVsoJIkxKqxxjFfIHv5hyqtmrTbP8pzmA7MxMkfT4-X2MhFXLwj3u04SPQqnd7uRyPEjUA/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20018H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The line went on and on</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>North of Knoxville, we took I-640 East and connected with I-40. This was a pleasant stretch of highway with moderate grades. We passed the interchange where I-81 ended as 40 turned southeast and crossed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Lake" target="_blank">Douglas Lake</a>, created by Tennessee Valley Authority the damming the French Broad River during World War II for hydro-electric power and flood control.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Deaver book finished and I dialed up The Return by Nicholas Sparks. Yes, I like Sparks stories. The same red corvette passed us again.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2P2_4n7P6zxrHPQpwjaGY9Ots7-GpeOZ5rWO71uzVV3Vu1ZG0N2jg8x2jIa-l-0Sknx7LSteR6q_7o8gIgY6ptJDyyr6fExmEQ1MELTphY-zFEyWGOB0eFX1yQ49j7Cr5HJWDEX6cjl0kq14UXHfL4MYJw4nL2Hvvj8KoAZSStcwHq6L-Q/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20020H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2P2_4n7P6zxrHPQpwjaGY9Ots7-GpeOZ5rWO71uzVV3Vu1ZG0N2jg8x2jIa-l-0Sknx7LSteR6q_7o8gIgY6ptJDyyr6fExmEQ1MELTphY-zFEyWGOB0eFX1yQ49j7Cr5HJWDEX6cjl0kq14UXHfL4MYJw4nL2Hvvj8KoAZSStcwHq6L-Q/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20020H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Douglas Lake Reservoir</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd6BA_ZWPILbyMMp2CKCTdrf_H9T9DlhxBFPMjsK28kpoTKvnNeRP4S3NScjUPkAfm2P8jOL5YtwhWJBjYTZKbFRT61k8bdPLMkrp7koy0wAY3kXnngQeYNC3aNaG4g8StpOcaNtZSjm7DhR2yS4IKo0IQqQHfJ6ud89BDHnxPenTsR5X7A/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20021H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd6BA_ZWPILbyMMp2CKCTdrf_H9T9DlhxBFPMjsK28kpoTKvnNeRP4S3NScjUPkAfm2P8jOL5YtwhWJBjYTZKbFRT61k8bdPLMkrp7koy0wAY3kXnngQeYNC3aNaG4g8StpOcaNtZSjm7DhR2yS4IKo0IQqQHfJ6ud89BDHnxPenTsR5X7A/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20021H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The terrain gets more interesting</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JnoWLeKKtF_1g1K7Z9q-VQEqUAf4pip-pBc8WHDnY8HDGRqNWcU8m3XIMOKf239a8XRp-WipY9Oh6fott2ORxpdmdoSX-LL1AEAWtzDshh1OWgaCBtN043Asqtxi5Xld7Cd-sOLCspXc00KvtljxE7c_G68dqo3RsPJ7iC3Cwt6f0wOs4w/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20022H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JnoWLeKKtF_1g1K7Z9q-VQEqUAf4pip-pBc8WHDnY8HDGRqNWcU8m3XIMOKf239a8XRp-WipY9Oh6fott2ORxpdmdoSX-LL1AEAWtzDshh1OWgaCBtN043Asqtxi5Xld7Cd-sOLCspXc00KvtljxE7c_G68dqo3RsPJ7iC3Cwt6f0wOs4w/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20022H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Entering North Carolina at 2:20 PM</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I-40 got narrower and more winding as we got into North Carolina. The speed limit dropped to 55 for cars and 50 for trucks. This has to be the most technical Interstate I have ever seen and would be a hoot to ride on a motorcycle. I stopped at a rest area so we could use the bathroom and I could give my GPS a moment to cool off. It had started acting up and showing everything except the roads. This usually happens when it sits in the intense sunlight to long, so I put a cloth on top of it for the rest of the journey.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95kU0oKtlcCyHL8KU5ZmYdcTXymM-xTKOUR26mm2Mq2Oy6wuOtZJarThwufU1V5DUIpYrLHYkbTlZ5o2iJEB3UpvavlOEa6gGqFkBEUvb7qMukLXrzmhMm1KRZd7Bs-xjn4TJmGoCjqlfJzhXl4UVupJgDw-sv_jh249DwwnqQZ8AZ51J9A/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20023H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95kU0oKtlcCyHL8KU5ZmYdcTXymM-xTKOUR26mm2Mq2Oy6wuOtZJarThwufU1V5DUIpYrLHYkbTlZ5o2iJEB3UpvavlOEa6gGqFkBEUvb7qMukLXrzmhMm1KRZd7Bs-xjn4TJmGoCjqlfJzhXl4UVupJgDw-sv_jh249DwwnqQZ8AZ51J9A/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20023H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>This was a cute little RV trailer</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjU5AVgKxl2S75hT28NVNc8B4Qf-qgvr3HQ2MKY-JDi-FX8tU0MMsjBOibOUYqics8KTeQ94pDFghWds56KB4LabRi9Z7LzqjlhO8KErnivwAkcJ2f_UELB3eT1NqjHi_rHkef1MrxOuDkRpZctZxhkminZ-tgZXYsnwOi86CINrsyLn6bQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20024H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjU5AVgKxl2S75hT28NVNc8B4Qf-qgvr3HQ2MKY-JDi-FX8tU0MMsjBOibOUYqics8KTeQ94pDFghWds56KB4LabRi9Z7LzqjlhO8KErnivwAkcJ2f_UELB3eT1NqjHi_rHkef1MrxOuDkRpZctZxhkminZ-tgZXYsnwOi86CINrsyLn6bQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20024H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>A tunnel</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxnVP7U4M3RwfsiE3FjsIu-BPIug638W6_0iW4OZfJdJfXH0BGUov3my6ETwOFeXqOL8x9FoHghUEFgqSCYdZoDzE5puYznDiSG47AcO-eVcYS2XLsqQKGwGlkhHWboA-QGXHRlxaNIvQNJV-tbGOUHmy80SAXl7ZfByfeUYJeZOq5rnNIw/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20028H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxnVP7U4M3RwfsiE3FjsIu-BPIug638W6_0iW4OZfJdJfXH0BGUov3my6ETwOFeXqOL8x9FoHghUEFgqSCYdZoDzE5puYznDiSG47AcO-eVcYS2XLsqQKGwGlkhHWboA-QGXHRlxaNIvQNJV-tbGOUHmy80SAXl7ZfByfeUYJeZOq5rnNIw/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20028H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Another tunnel</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKsm0D5dOQvU_M9XAhHbrpTPh4AJI8Lkr4cf2ZUGu7ZFclplhVxkRDsdalcSilVrnPwMyoNCrbJbEOOK29mHyhU4JDnIMEdV-Qr9pWW2Xq_dx9B_bPQVaaFslmWSVBMwkWDbDRdA5cmqS4-QMRoIIRIpia68aG7Rz-dNa9UxuXs-1P-lGhg/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20029I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKsm0D5dOQvU_M9XAhHbrpTPh4AJI8Lkr4cf2ZUGu7ZFclplhVxkRDsdalcSilVrnPwMyoNCrbJbEOOK29mHyhU4JDnIMEdV-Qr9pWW2Xq_dx9B_bPQVaaFslmWSVBMwkWDbDRdA5cmqS4-QMRoIIRIpia68aG7Rz-dNa9UxuXs-1P-lGhg/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20029I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Rest Area on I-40</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYVfzeP9vkL9FIkDODE4oxO7cWM7qTShEd9aN53MYFpq4lDPq6uFFTsv3ghOOWUVEjJX6-LOPrn_JVTWx8r9OsLn9VY5LYJxUaOk6er8g2gN63x9D8lCvdxtFrFfFzscgrjVixjmvYWfTqhNqdtYFS91xhPXAQk2f6IYgIyqxKnEC8akmZg/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20030H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYVfzeP9vkL9FIkDODE4oxO7cWM7qTShEd9aN53MYFpq4lDPq6uFFTsv3ghOOWUVEjJX6-LOPrn_JVTWx8r9OsLn9VY5LYJxUaOk6er8g2gN63x9D8lCvdxtFrFfFzscgrjVixjmvYWfTqhNqdtYFS91xhPXAQk2f6IYgIyqxKnEC8akmZg/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20030H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Someone is getting inspected</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We left I-40 and took US 276 right to Maggie Valley. It rained a little bit but looked like it had been a lot wetter a little while before. We fueled the Equinox after turning on US 19 and arrived at <a href="https://holidaymotel.net/" target="_blank">A Holiday Motel</a> at 3:00 PM sharp. Gabi checked us in and gave us Room 12. They have done some improving since were were last here in 2019 and it was looking good. We were unloaded and unpacked by 4:00.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAFOkxACQkwl2HV7PWjVAlQuE6saLDhARMSdbBRx7PYPXkKoy2TyP5VqBkw9kRXYemDqlqclzwi_sZDN0kze8QKaxtmQHQMzBevg4Pf7H2lnjSjyoKIEmJhAuLs0tCyRHwhSjHWD4A78iEA1BtAboAVOKeje-SbeaPzTwsgyKpFLsQ-sgoQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20031H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAFOkxACQkwl2HV7PWjVAlQuE6saLDhARMSdbBRx7PYPXkKoy2TyP5VqBkw9kRXYemDqlqclzwi_sZDN0kze8QKaxtmQHQMzBevg4Pf7H2lnjSjyoKIEmJhAuLs0tCyRHwhSjHWD4A78iEA1BtAboAVOKeje-SbeaPzTwsgyKpFLsQ-sgoQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20031H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>US 276 entering Maggie Valley</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiyQ6tKPQSxGtVgFaN9dmpGL68bSIoPUeJZJFN0jHxZAYwJiG9dQ6JSeoT6I0VkWXSP5pQ2-iDt371Vcca98wWbX4j_Yw66Anuas60aNkH-RfnBZNWGFrsktt9m_jEyCajiJrxCrgvFbMFj9u8JykdHfExRab-wQzWO3zig1qoXsDhyuukw/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20032H.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiyQ6tKPQSxGtVgFaN9dmpGL68bSIoPUeJZJFN0jHxZAYwJiG9dQ6JSeoT6I0VkWXSP5pQ2-iDt371Vcca98wWbX4j_Yw66Anuas60aNkH-RfnBZNWGFrsktt9m_jEyCajiJrxCrgvFbMFj9u8JykdHfExRab-wQzWO3zig1qoXsDhyuukw/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20032H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rain clouds moving out</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepd4XxkZ7ra79-PcyFriQ-Rw99trl9sSJsS2qJN8BU6na3EsqlLUap3tqpv0-5NXMummhz__guxegAogEveuLpVdgUSnrCjNon9CtecPELVjKJTs34sYhTnI8vnUsqkTawXq1keI8m66-uaz4hAsSDBJK4zMxllecilTOi-i_3iV4z2bjLw/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20033I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepd4XxkZ7ra79-PcyFriQ-Rw99trl9sSJsS2qJN8BU6na3EsqlLUap3tqpv0-5NXMummhz__guxegAogEveuLpVdgUSnrCjNon9CtecPELVjKJTs34sYhTnI8vnUsqkTawXq1keI8m66-uaz4hAsSDBJK4zMxllecilTOi-i_3iV4z2bjLw/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20033I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Unloaded and unpacked</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT72zKOulw0dRsuukY6jg4tXX8O-XfmG8vDJGKPr_qG2FsWyyo1547oOlMv7FZV4uktToaevzarRyidfHYT8gXfr4zh2r0J9G-e12or1abs7Uw96rYiwa4zwe-ndAmobKHh0z34x96fvjfSQSbshvx0NATWskeT2SPOtsSCg1JehuwWK_9lA/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20034S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT72zKOulw0dRsuukY6jg4tXX8O-XfmG8vDJGKPr_qG2FsWyyo1547oOlMv7FZV4uktToaevzarRyidfHYT8gXfr4zh2r0J9G-e12or1abs7Uw96rYiwa4zwe-ndAmobKHh0z34x96fvjfSQSbshvx0NATWskeT2SPOtsSCg1JehuwWK_9lA/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20034S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Blue skies</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Mas Tequila (Tim) from south Florida was here yesterday. Linda and Bob from Pennsylvania arrived just after 4:00 PM. Vickie, Kay and Debbie from Texas rolled in a little bit later. And Brandon and Garrett from Kansas were already here but were out riding. There was also a group here from Western Missouri who come here every August, but they would be leaving before we pretty much took the place over on Thursday.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH0plxUVxeR-TkI_BFIvp8Kqx2Ur3Memhjt8loNHen_SJIFCiTl3BlwJZGLBm5qhwvDWgUuySArFVnOE7-_eUPENVtF1LCnA1TzL9yEBEc_PU9CBx0NzTF8J6wosVV-MEae-Egg-AzvdJtR3kyhZj6TEkzNJNVW6nWUFR5HgEO7Bwi226Uw/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20035S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbH0plxUVxeR-TkI_BFIvp8Kqx2Ur3Memhjt8loNHen_SJIFCiTl3BlwJZGLBm5qhwvDWgUuySArFVnOE7-_eUPENVtF1LCnA1TzL9yEBEc_PU9CBx0NzTF8J6wosVV-MEae-Egg-AzvdJtR3kyhZj6TEkzNJNVW6nWUFR5HgEO7Bwi226Uw/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20035S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Bob, Linda, Sandy and MT</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNmYRoCnliBrGRXX3uyvj2BFWioB5qfROHEvVQNRqpU7thWiGM3RXDyhlVIKWzKJ1pqFlnutCLI05XU-IItDeKjldNbfF_Axwhkmu8xhS-gCrdD5TYbOuUORv7F4lZ3kSu0YrZPNYCitMEfgqJhUMQUf2IDKmGpl5bIxVqmxIufSA0c2abA/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20036S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNmYRoCnliBrGRXX3uyvj2BFWioB5qfROHEvVQNRqpU7thWiGM3RXDyhlVIKWzKJ1pqFlnutCLI05XU-IItDeKjldNbfF_Axwhkmu8xhS-gCrdD5TYbOuUORv7F4lZ3kSu0YrZPNYCitMEfgqJhUMQUf2IDKmGpl5bIxVqmxIufSA0c2abA/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20036S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Deb, Kay and Vickie from Texas</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir7QPbfg3w1dWkSMmTxJJMBSCFiRfangYX_4Mt0z-xZs-CHUdZGizR9t1DNap3YtIrnyyf2nznfBbHsvy4w0EgHrO8GsTV9ryJ192uqmGlnNWjKclQguanBD4Um4X13KLizeDF64c3LZyA5iFhekd71oNVAedMq8ZwB_lJHr-Hst5ZHb0XQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20037S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgir7QPbfg3w1dWkSMmTxJJMBSCFiRfangYX_4Mt0z-xZs-CHUdZGizR9t1DNap3YtIrnyyf2nznfBbHsvy4w0EgHrO8GsTV9ryJ192uqmGlnNWjKclQguanBD4Um4X13KLizeDF64c3LZyA5iFhekd71oNVAedMq8ZwB_lJHr-Hst5ZHb0XQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20037S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Garrett and Brandon from Kansas</i></b></div><div><br /></div>Eight of us decided to walk up to the <a href="https://cafe-italiano.com/" target="_blank">Cafe Italiano</a> for supper. Sandy and I split a tasty order of chicken parmigiana and salad. It was tasty. Wine wasn't on the menu but Kay managed to get some anyway.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc3X9noFpa4ynPP8ESozYBCWUks3mo4n9uk9SCnJ5Z8EMyA1XPQXRTxCx9ariOgxHnHjT-wzPXq7ZlP7j7BAy9Uy9kJC7UCJoQrGI3f1nCQRXp-13xYU_zhJK5F1bufHyfmbHAr39nhsDbq_dX5fGttROAxzO5cqGceYm1z0GcxrMjdqxzA/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20038S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuc3X9noFpa4ynPP8ESozYBCWUks3mo4n9uk9SCnJ5Z8EMyA1XPQXRTxCx9ariOgxHnHjT-wzPXq7ZlP7j7BAy9Uy9kJC7UCJoQrGI3f1nCQRXp-13xYU_zhJK5F1bufHyfmbHAr39nhsDbq_dX5fGttROAxzO5cqGceYm1z0GcxrMjdqxzA/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20038S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Chocolate, Jelly Bellies and Ice Cream, Oh My!!!!</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9fNpC9tQGh7K_zjgyUJmKjhEpxz4xC4meHETJkJaL8_pIeY6O1YZZF-CKwO5X2wUQwBOMY4Bo_DwAFl61PcslqjUwszjymNLf2XtYLFU4x7iSgNbphtaH_Jq0ATdM5L3nGv39weqKmufcnu2ffeIxrNP0C91QT0deW4yKsjG0YyA1Krsmw/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20039I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9fNpC9tQGh7K_zjgyUJmKjhEpxz4xC4meHETJkJaL8_pIeY6O1YZZF-CKwO5X2wUQwBOMY4Bo_DwAFl61PcslqjUwszjymNLf2XtYLFU4x7iSgNbphtaH_Jq0ATdM5L3nGv39weqKmufcnu2ffeIxrNP0C91QT0deW4yKsjG0YyA1Krsmw/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20039I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Seen on the way back from the restaurant</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0y95VuICoJ_Nakrh7kZNQdcGHEjNSCM0OonxZ9OoRzZTqQWw6AD_QTip8sMpSCG2AzVvUk7rI0R6KW9qH60HQ-QgBBxnG4ydp_uA4TiaDmFP_7jA8GJ6Gv6rm_Sfct9HhO-HnPm2Zz4AWXKyGHiEy97Wct-TM-O9JLSNunuTg5oNYY_Tdw/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20041I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0y95VuICoJ_Nakrh7kZNQdcGHEjNSCM0OonxZ9OoRzZTqQWw6AD_QTip8sMpSCG2AzVvUk7rI0R6KW9qH60HQ-QgBBxnG4ydp_uA4TiaDmFP_7jA8GJ6Gv6rm_Sfct9HhO-HnPm2Zz4AWXKyGHiEy97Wct-TM-O9JLSNunuTg5oNYY_Tdw/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20041I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Vickie, Kay, Sandy, Deb, Linda & Bob</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEQjt4SvjPNNhl8supT2JQ7gMVeMXvWbZRDKEy0xlDGUl31fAh6nWwxGeTz2yOf1aRTqtpZrBhUwZJrgq5wKADZJF8zRqBSj9ZYkB1yLWVKgXbZqdoonpCjQQ-Us75W__rawcl-6znH1nL-qpI9s-hKQ99naElAlITjhg7xgQiT1v3KxCSg/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20042I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEQjt4SvjPNNhl8supT2JQ7gMVeMXvWbZRDKEy0xlDGUl31fAh6nWwxGeTz2yOf1aRTqtpZrBhUwZJrgq5wKADZJF8zRqBSj9ZYkB1yLWVKgXbZqdoonpCjQQ-Us75W__rawcl-6znH1nL-qpI9s-hKQ99naElAlITjhg7xgQiT1v3KxCSg/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20042I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Walking back to the motel</i></b></div><div><br /></div>Back at the motel, we sat out and talked for a while. Bob wasn't able to book a tee time at Lake Junaluska Golf Course on their website and said he would call them in the morning. At 9:30, we all went to our rooms. Sandy went to bed while I sorted photos, transcribed notes, made up maps and organized receipts. We agreed to meet for breakfast at Pop's restaurant tomorrow morning and plot the days activities.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnutHVyQT9_IYRVX6rgJXpgyKmZlYNuLW2bage6ZV3Gx_bl4brpuxsPvDFztZ6UEXqRapmK3H-0425TMTfIxg0FwT3Z5OlYrNev9VS_owVBBOnJE13cZKLSMtyK8qShXNJ9VjLAry6nk0SUgvEOxbG0EejTZsSkdA0U5rsGAevqhFE__rtFQ/s1440/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20043S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnutHVyQT9_IYRVX6rgJXpgyKmZlYNuLW2bage6ZV3Gx_bl4brpuxsPvDFztZ6UEXqRapmK3H-0425TMTfIxg0FwT3Z5OlYrNev9VS_owVBBOnJE13cZKLSMtyK8qShXNJ9VjLAry6nk0SUgvEOxbG0EejTZsSkdA0U5rsGAevqhFE__rtFQ/s320/20220822%20Florence%20Ky%20to%20Maggie%20Valley%20043S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><i>This is what these gatherings are all about</i></b></div><p><b>Today's route (333 Equinox/trailer miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSriNFUeNNQoJPQgDd9SsToCfTcSupUmY72pcEpZpvwYadgU8t_C8IyZBc-x9JJg0tk8M_S7Lq6_yKR7qIOg7bKUd9VoD_NNrkH_Wx89QAPNEtlBsF0JniYNJS1S1vFepUD0AuPGL2wV-W9HIXbMtR9vgybz2RIWie0fryI6gP8oK1lzV7PA/s1142/20220822%20Florence%20to%20MV.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="1142" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSriNFUeNNQoJPQgDd9SsToCfTcSupUmY72pcEpZpvwYadgU8t_C8IyZBc-x9JJg0tk8M_S7Lq6_yKR7qIOg7bKUd9VoD_NNrkH_Wx89QAPNEtlBsF0JniYNJS1S1vFepUD0AuPGL2wV-W9HIXbMtR9vgybz2RIWie0fryI6gP8oK1lzV7PA/s320/20220822%20Florence%20to%20MV.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/f9BqcPUjoiSQZVVXA" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><i>Interactive map</i></a></div></div></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-1472318841402797452022-08-21T23:00:00.001-04:002022-08-21T23:07:30.575-04:00Waterloo Ontario to Florence Kentucky<p>Before we went to bed last night, we both took COVID Rapid Antigen Tests. At least we will be starting the trip virus free. The box of tests is coming with us.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qWIG5tOnHWnrifxLznqMvx26AmSWPIFDgM_eVsR1SLseumq2a4ap1mz5W6tAlkYX67j_FMIHtE1fqofuQX7ZKLCyQc9uHLYAFiKc7EE2Y7Oh9SLgXRYkNf-f_hrE-4Iw5_l8rVvvO6dPAzBV9OPEjCX3ut5E8y3lnJ8O02Nt95JKNvx4fg/s1440/20220820%20Tested%20001S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qWIG5tOnHWnrifxLznqMvx26AmSWPIFDgM_eVsR1SLseumq2a4ap1mz5W6tAlkYX67j_FMIHtE1fqofuQX7ZKLCyQc9uHLYAFiKc7EE2Y7Oh9SLgXRYkNf-f_hrE-4Iw5_l8rVvvO6dPAzBV9OPEjCX3ut5E8y3lnJ8O02Nt95JKNvx4fg/s320/20220820%20Tested%20001S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>No COVID here</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We rolled out of bed at 6:30 and threw what was not packed in the car yesterday into the overnight bags, filled our travel mugs with coffee and headed out. We prepared to drive over to the storage place to get the trailer but I had to stop and go back upstairs after I realized I had forgotten the trailer keys. Lucky I realized it before we left the property and not when we were trying to unlock the trailer to hook it up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We brought the trailer back to the condo and I loaded and tied down the bike. The new floor loops I got from PROLine are much better than the eye bolts for keeping the hooks secure. The gear bag fit in the back better since I had moved the chock forward. Lastly, Don's Trailer set the trailer tires to the max sidewall pressure of 65 PSI but I knocked them back to 45 based on the actual gross weight. The maximum pressure would have worn out the center of the tread on no time given we are carrying just half the rated load. We were on our way at 8:10 AM under grey skies and 68 F temperatures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0WOnYzjq45b633Dx8c6GJndMmL8XNXHEq_TFdrLZrfUjuepvPhv5bIu7FQH3tlHL_Px72xsNlNTyVbBnSA_BIaks-T-gwVIgRF2rC9AXlmRYcF2HHyH-fWUS9pQMzujFd9kQrQksmzCtpnd4jiRb0UR4qXIg0UMxBMia8QUUAvsRuAIaw/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20001I.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0WOnYzjq45b633Dx8c6GJndMmL8XNXHEq_TFdrLZrfUjuepvPhv5bIu7FQH3tlHL_Px72xsNlNTyVbBnSA_BIaks-T-gwVIgRF2rC9AXlmRYcF2HHyH-fWUS9pQMzujFd9kQrQksmzCtpnd4jiRb0UR4qXIg0UMxBMia8QUUAvsRuAIaw/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20001I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ready to roll</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We stopped at McDonald's on Sportsworld Drive and got our first On The Road McMuffin breakfasts before heading southwest on Highway 401 to the Ambassador Bridge to Detroit. It started raining in Ingersoll and I cut the speed back from 110 KPH to 100. It became obvious the 10 KPH made a large difference to the fuel mileage so we decided that we could take a bit longer to get where we were going. The rain eased up past London.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Vp3EPq8PKLDPkESx3EGFaCPApggzngvQO-Li3bLmClId0hL8p_BqiLxsiP98eBAaVfaROTpssS93q8qs8rCLRwMMq8_OKWJGtcQP0-j0xflWx1SSWdbj2hAG0a3rH_SCjl9YHFrgUUGgqimfd3NATMg0pqIlJslZkeYAEgQ9QpeBCuT6WA/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20002H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Vp3EPq8PKLDPkESx3EGFaCPApggzngvQO-Li3bLmClId0hL8p_BqiLxsiP98eBAaVfaROTpssS93q8qs8rCLRwMMq8_OKWJGtcQP0-j0xflWx1SSWdbj2hAG0a3rH_SCjl9YHFrgUUGgqimfd3NATMg0pqIlJslZkeYAEgQ9QpeBCuT6WA/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20002H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rain on the 401</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl14Jybj2X1eDCJh5tJoqh4lXyFykzrkM2goUDGxjY_RCp1mnLGFSBWnSfcTVH8HsjyX16rqEaTNik6hzODAhBUPb8wtnHplp9o3AhbZPs6W-vexAByJB9ufKlH-8DlaAkbguFTv9pgdWcrNCFRzXvqTJTVz5V7GSHpcdcR_uikdTt8etEPg/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20003H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl14Jybj2X1eDCJh5tJoqh4lXyFykzrkM2goUDGxjY_RCp1mnLGFSBWnSfcTVH8HsjyX16rqEaTNik6hzODAhBUPb8wtnHplp9o3AhbZPs6W-vexAByJB9ufKlH-8DlaAkbguFTv9pgdWcrNCFRzXvqTJTVz5V7GSHpcdcR_uikdTt8etEPg/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20003H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Then it cleared up</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We planned to stop at the Duty Free because Top Shelf Distillers screwed up my order of Reunion Butter Tart Moonshine but I missed the entrance and we were on the bridge before we knew it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOHx0GaeT4WTsa7RKoRlN1KV746Jts58tZtpDbEv8ZYDrKK2Sr-8xtwhOqFASgvZpKc-ML-ZXtvoxUKOmeyznacCDurpeEWVTRzsQCbnqK2YeH_Kd-_Cd2j78lL7gpodc_81N5X4ePXTNjEJCrlhYgvWTpY10oL8IePziBfqlI8xj-R6kNw/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20004H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOHx0GaeT4WTsa7RKoRlN1KV746Jts58tZtpDbEv8ZYDrKK2Sr-8xtwhOqFASgvZpKc-ML-ZXtvoxUKOmeyznacCDurpeEWVTRzsQCbnqK2YeH_Kd-_Cd2j78lL7gpodc_81N5X4ePXTNjEJCrlhYgvWTpY10oL8IePziBfqlI8xj-R6kNw/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20004H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>View from the Ambassador Bridge</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdT_3boUSUqTRPT1gdhR-p66WLFsg9zTUqwTk3epzT6geb79DQp1ZckRM4JVHO7ic8-BuJ3idE7NCqSt4ssntAaEHkGGU9_Rvrm9o2G08mtitmb5YPxx6X6aczNKVm8CCnjXXv2w3lsH1nBVvP7faSEg7UyAm5mMP2Got3j6010MphmT0rA/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20006H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdT_3boUSUqTRPT1gdhR-p66WLFsg9zTUqwTk3epzT6geb79DQp1ZckRM4JVHO7ic8-BuJ3idE7NCqSt4ssntAaEHkGGU9_Rvrm9o2G08mtitmb5YPxx6X6aczNKVm8CCnjXXv2w3lsH1nBVvP7faSEg7UyAm5mMP2Got3j6010MphmT0rA/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20006H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>In the bus/RV/trailer/car line</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Border Protection Officer was thorough and all business. I thought for a moment we were going to be bound for a secondary inspection but he admitted us after hemming and hawing more than we were used to. We were southbound on I-75 by 12:25 PM.</div><div><br /></div><div>I-75 in southern Michigan sucks. Where is isn't under construction, the pavement feels like it could be from a war zone. It made me question whether the time and distance benefits of this route over crossing at the Peace Bridge were worth it. Then we were in Ohio and the road got a lot better.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oe8MsUPCEnovobAjVBV0wuvTDrr084O_Nd4ruUrqoWltrqf9zR2qKfBO3qprET0qneGLEAS0Z5z5y0oXu8vyfN4eEo4VtIbCpIzqlO6qgvQlJi1rkqRBhlLVykbUHWYnyrxkLzC1moVXqewQ6o53Bo5bG4lo3k9l0AFUyC8gHjfEqg538Q/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20007H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oe8MsUPCEnovobAjVBV0wuvTDrr084O_Nd4ruUrqoWltrqf9zR2qKfBO3qprET0qneGLEAS0Z5z5y0oXu8vyfN4eEo4VtIbCpIzqlO6qgvQlJi1rkqRBhlLVykbUHWYnyrxkLzC1moVXqewQ6o53Bo5bG4lo3k9l0AFUyC8gHjfEqg538Q/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20007H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Stacks in southern Michigan</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hfhEw73e1ZxpFlv0iAd5PNcwSuNf59N-sN2Jt7_3GYbOuBJN5JPqt7UpUON3x6-8uoHus-jW_GEWNQTmeU-j5S-4JmcqfYTPxi2_IBwXnQH-QIIzKJm96UeAoybZEVG8Gz9d8P9bi50K84HsDE4lRMpOasfdD_3Sww48T4edHiGOicmFmQ/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20008H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hfhEw73e1ZxpFlv0iAd5PNcwSuNf59N-sN2Jt7_3GYbOuBJN5JPqt7UpUON3x6-8uoHus-jW_GEWNQTmeU-j5S-4JmcqfYTPxi2_IBwXnQH-QIIzKJm96UeAoybZEVG8Gz9d8P9bi50K84HsDE4lRMpOasfdD_3Sww48T4edHiGOicmFmQ/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20008H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>It had Cobra written all over it - really....</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkxQB20BL7apUlI6G0XZsDI21I7WAOLoeW0yah--nptWTScRqVl5E_JRqZ0NkpLAp_MugLNotfA_FldISsQXJfbal2cxs-euOlQaqyVobRrhym9m1irjMaygenRqHJd5wWUGri39nyWLKPugAZsCCjIUFLFj_aNf4k6jo3LiEiW-tauz2_w/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20009H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkxQB20BL7apUlI6G0XZsDI21I7WAOLoeW0yah--nptWTScRqVl5E_JRqZ0NkpLAp_MugLNotfA_FldISsQXJfbal2cxs-euOlQaqyVobRrhym9m1irjMaygenRqHJd5wWUGri39nyWLKPugAZsCCjIUFLFj_aNf4k6jo3LiEiW-tauz2_w/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20009H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Welcome to the Buckeye State</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ClHEnybOAJ8hwOnkxRL7z03FOvYxMdJwNL_U-izuI8o38OzXn_gWvBTrOfT-6l46yCaQ_U78G1ptk55zv5BRi2cm2aJqH4tO_RX423mzuupMzzol9alN6Mp6t4du1YD--zIbSBMWPArae2sn0EdPyDH5SgT_tBLBgmMnDzRknjAUfaVdbQ/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20011H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ClHEnybOAJ8hwOnkxRL7z03FOvYxMdJwNL_U-izuI8o38OzXn_gWvBTrOfT-6l46yCaQ_U78G1ptk55zv5BRi2cm2aJqH4tO_RX423mzuupMzzol9alN6Mp6t4du1YD--zIbSBMWPArae2sn0EdPyDH5SgT_tBLBgmMnDzRknjAUfaVdbQ/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20011H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Perrysburg looks like a friendly place</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Near Bowling Green, I stopped at a Speedway for gas, coffee and a restroom. Speedway lots are usually pretty spacious but this was an exception. There was a lineup for the bathroom and I couldn't get near a fuel pump so I grabbed a coffee and a sweet treat and we continued on. That is, we got moving after what I considered to be a pretty skillful job of backing up and maneuvering the trailer to escape the congestion in the lot. A little later, we stopped at a pleasant and not busy rest area to use the facilities.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrjmjcxwqtwcYkYDA-ezOIGF97vp40Y5mWqFysdHe8II5geL-RjXW1y5WcZrxtLrPhGA3RE3K-qPAcgl0sqGKau0_JgZ7eJ_kWxei5tkUS_50Mr9grBRm3aRwqTnEZVxzdK-SQzwZtZ9TjvEfecCyyw7B4FwMKZtwxHcjDpH-b2JLyErJZQ/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20016I.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrjmjcxwqtwcYkYDA-ezOIGF97vp40Y5mWqFysdHe8II5geL-RjXW1y5WcZrxtLrPhGA3RE3K-qPAcgl0sqGKau0_JgZ7eJ_kWxei5tkUS_50Mr9grBRm3aRwqTnEZVxzdK-SQzwZtZ9TjvEfecCyyw7B4FwMKZtwxHcjDpH-b2JLyErJZQ/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20016I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>In an Ohio rest area</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The next stretch brought us into some heavy rain. A torrential downpour saw us down to 45 MPH with the four way flashers on. It wasn't long before we were out of it but we could see weather systems all around.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyq0GgucdK-Jx45wZyAYYRIHRKG6mLegyxJT2Cpym_nRkE5mGOs0GVX21ToeRdn8sLnnsJFB5zaOLEviEanmT__rXNs5d5FTFqald3qLYC40viZ2EmI8xXoJzmZM1imfDvZIZiVKS31the2f74lbhO6zejzkBduCuE3DS4iV9FeqH6T-yoA/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20017H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyq0GgucdK-Jx45wZyAYYRIHRKG6mLegyxJT2Cpym_nRkE5mGOs0GVX21ToeRdn8sLnnsJFB5zaOLEviEanmT__rXNs5d5FTFqald3qLYC40viZ2EmI8xXoJzmZM1imfDvZIZiVKS31the2f74lbhO6zejzkBduCuE3DS4iV9FeqH6T-yoA/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20017H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Ugly skies</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioewc9DybqJtBemdUdL-T_yBe5sLw65uJqdb53LQZqYrWMEYNEG5sRDt4qXqXbQzW5hAcJZU2k-8UzC9HL9SATq9yoJDwwGWlNdUoCXyt4xkX2E06LSUNKXlOkVxGvqVsX-uP_L--t4uNQsa8eYcsgLmQcRMrJrmbvhl_4KkzMsbOlUkcT1A/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20018H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioewc9DybqJtBemdUdL-T_yBe5sLw65uJqdb53LQZqYrWMEYNEG5sRDt4qXqXbQzW5hAcJZU2k-8UzC9HL9SATq9yoJDwwGWlNdUoCXyt4xkX2E06LSUNKXlOkVxGvqVsX-uP_L--t4uNQsa8eYcsgLmQcRMrJrmbvhl_4KkzMsbOlUkcT1A/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20018H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Looking better</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>As we approached Dayton, fatigue was getting the better of me. I didn't sleep that well last night and it was starting to show. We stopped at a Murphy gas station in a Walmart lot and fueled up. Then we went inside and bought some snacks, water and 5 Hour Energy bottles. It looks like Wally World is no longer carrying Zebra pens, at least in this part of the country.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back on the road, I was feeling better.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDa5KGTLyAz1lQRcKo58BzRAp-dzg_6-Bdlduvh4uNM0A7R3ArYlDxWODqz5vhckrWzMf6_ha0J5aC5mSDHw_3-Jd0pdmOi3SIsiUl02pelCSJ1qyYAorSRcX4YTyu2CGfwq3LU7aKsVSLNjRi9U3HEsZEep7MxGqZRgJwQGIdJJzEaJM57A/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20019H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDa5KGTLyAz1lQRcKo58BzRAp-dzg_6-Bdlduvh4uNM0A7R3ArYlDxWODqz5vhckrWzMf6_ha0J5aC5mSDHw_3-Jd0pdmOi3SIsiUl02pelCSJ1qyYAorSRcX4YTyu2CGfwq3LU7aKsVSLNjRi9U3HEsZEep7MxGqZRgJwQGIdJJzEaJM57A/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20019H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Car crash on I-75</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwt2-UWNysukM2HkjyhPnSh5N-vYYhQ9jX5dJAJUmVZPHn2ESWADBA_Now0TxTZQ4KLuVS_fu9RizPYQI1soTPhDQ4JnmXFsrwbwaxwJT0L4lsmLIiYBM5fkJH28RZnqkqWzgmwpFLEH7KaQ24TsMDGa_-e5WdCZMs6NU1W-eMQmXSzdNgqQ/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20020H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwt2-UWNysukM2HkjyhPnSh5N-vYYhQ9jX5dJAJUmVZPHn2ESWADBA_Now0TxTZQ4KLuVS_fu9RizPYQI1soTPhDQ4JnmXFsrwbwaxwJT0L4lsmLIiYBM5fkJH28RZnqkqWzgmwpFLEH7KaQ24TsMDGa_-e5WdCZMs6NU1W-eMQmXSzdNgqQ/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20020H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>An accident waiting to happen</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Things were going well until just after we passed downtown Dayton. Southbound traffic ground to a halt and we spent 45 minutes in stop and go traffic. It turned out that three lanes were funneling into one at the site of a particularly nasty crash. The investigators were doing their thing. From the looks of the one car I saw, I would think it was not a survivable incident.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3X_sXgKszelMxg4O4Gy9FKF7MbQt2CB9XMXwbJZSiAJmyEZj2Ks2Xi6VND2xPcbRVubPUCGsrnz4-u3onDBSBls9g3choKlRuHX_4_qzDQx7kwflRzww_9cSSh1LjzJeZy2_Jmh9uz4c12OfguJ4b4a_BQHdwcBsh6qjjMNLa9avDwVPD9A/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20022H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3X_sXgKszelMxg4O4Gy9FKF7MbQt2CB9XMXwbJZSiAJmyEZj2Ks2Xi6VND2xPcbRVubPUCGsrnz4-u3onDBSBls9g3choKlRuHX_4_qzDQx7kwflRzww_9cSSh1LjzJeZy2_Jmh9uz4c12OfguJ4b4a_BQHdwcBsh6qjjMNLa9avDwVPD9A/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20022H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Good looking Chev Bel Air</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QJ0dE5O0bjlPkenFTIOblHNDMvaGcZtZvR4p6E9K18ese852Kh9TFAWO63GDUfjeCocKtPNg63sPmLpMKmyJYv8wjB7JJTulSAlvAH50mGAsZLH_KQV1stI83HpPitIZ9MGcdu9PcGTVGgLL1q7vFroP34cuzD6NlCigAmujCEXYW1w1kw/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20024H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QJ0dE5O0bjlPkenFTIOblHNDMvaGcZtZvR4p6E9K18ese852Kh9TFAWO63GDUfjeCocKtPNg63sPmLpMKmyJYv8wjB7JJTulSAlvAH50mGAsZLH_KQV1stI83HpPitIZ9MGcdu9PcGTVGgLL1q7vFroP34cuzD6NlCigAmujCEXYW1w1kw/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20024H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Just like a parking lot</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpk7D41OydoMBDpTu7hpvMXCqlkeB_Bm2Nm5CnVSPo87cWONPnwf21OwZwSjHSoilcGL-dJD0rH2EkknSX-kdh8u1N0AYKPjPWs0xdUeIvlCcqxcnkJEltz8ail7Z_XnWcIWhuVo8dOIKGi1B-NHlIED4jlo5ghKfmFBxo_kK_8CNPAgd0vg/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20025H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpk7D41OydoMBDpTu7hpvMXCqlkeB_Bm2Nm5CnVSPo87cWONPnwf21OwZwSjHSoilcGL-dJD0rH2EkknSX-kdh8u1N0AYKPjPWs0xdUeIvlCcqxcnkJEltz8ail7Z_XnWcIWhuVo8dOIKGi1B-NHlIED4jlo5ghKfmFBxo_kK_8CNPAgd0vg/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20025H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Showing support for Ukraine</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiWPSmQW5CCGCIbLC0KorFjiDak9gOa9pxxJFOpoWc8DiEbo-TJGcGVGJxJ8vRfig736XsVgXc_7_7aeQ0mtGFQbqj1I9DJl88Je0PpncrATdl8Z9qBgaF0FcarCxzDbTZZ8t6csUQiNRNkod_1Lbhcat1R9qZdat_ZDfY54IccgDNproSw/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20027H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiWPSmQW5CCGCIbLC0KorFjiDak9gOa9pxxJFOpoWc8DiEbo-TJGcGVGJxJ8vRfig736XsVgXc_7_7aeQ0mtGFQbqj1I9DJl88Je0PpncrATdl8Z9qBgaF0FcarCxzDbTZZ8t6csUQiNRNkod_1Lbhcat1R9qZdat_ZDfY54IccgDNproSw/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20027H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Rain started as we approached the crash site</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqlkjdNd87PVLfZE2oYTHPaB1Ok1wbF48YF3xZ4vQzXittIPU2sDD0tDUGLa1Tkd4XQB4I89j8nFTo8S1QA8_wD0xu7T2e1w-D71JlPAP17-CvNoOaxniXowSMeMDSbfjRX0XCXg2J-qt5aiE25wAhannFZme6NcwIKMCJ7M2jJGIOgC--g/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20028H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXqlkjdNd87PVLfZE2oYTHPaB1Ok1wbF48YF3xZ4vQzXittIPU2sDD0tDUGLa1Tkd4XQB4I89j8nFTo8S1QA8_wD0xu7T2e1w-D71JlPAP17-CvNoOaxniXowSMeMDSbfjRX0XCXg2J-qt5aiE25wAhannFZme6NcwIKMCJ7M2jJGIOgC--g/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20028H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Lots of cops on scene</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>As we cleared the crash site, it started to rain. It was another frog strangler with us reduced to 40 MPH with the four way flashers on again due to lack of visibility. It did clear before we got to the Cincinnati boundary.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKydKf3V6FTTKodrDUp0X-DhkLrOi612eKqTOEnXIwD8CXwAKMyWk4smwbMEINGBvCvVYt7Kvv6sLkBlqbwERQgKCDkeN7M-PUnvhKApXS7HvVT66-z7pbbbVuQ3HfoyzBW6DqaQWrIQWgi_3hd7lsQXeJe37qVfSCYpnL_HiKP_bqv3pfYQ/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20032H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKydKf3V6FTTKodrDUp0X-DhkLrOi612eKqTOEnXIwD8CXwAKMyWk4smwbMEINGBvCvVYt7Kvv6sLkBlqbwERQgKCDkeN7M-PUnvhKApXS7HvVT66-z7pbbbVuQ3HfoyzBW6DqaQWrIQWgi_3hd7lsQXeJe37qVfSCYpnL_HiKP_bqv3pfYQ/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20032H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>More dark clouds to the west of us</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNDTe22B2bxjaYhpgkHFgVgX0lhoAiMkjSdVmDf_2D6iTidrfLqBkBY1_x7dupRrmlfXnV-4TDt044u3KXAVL8aWjon6Z6v76A0hQrPHNnHIrruRLzRD_43GFmtc0ycgCS6ut9R_b_TNmpKQse7JTbB304VKhL4EY3ypjcZpWD4oQL9BrXw/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20033H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNDTe22B2bxjaYhpgkHFgVgX0lhoAiMkjSdVmDf_2D6iTidrfLqBkBY1_x7dupRrmlfXnV-4TDt044u3KXAVL8aWjon6Z6v76A0hQrPHNnHIrruRLzRD_43GFmtc0ycgCS6ut9R_b_TNmpKQse7JTbB304VKhL4EY3ypjcZpWD4oQL9BrXw/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20033H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Happiness is this in your rear view mirror</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKofrOp06HfdPhMWUkK2mgbOcQ2L8Atj10ed7B0Bert-2G5F_4EZZpWcvREnV4bPzDW-WiCQATWd15l3qMrJvBQci9wkI_LGiwA-5BjSeCDJVDHfSqTgkDRMcObPkvEyPxsXp5ZhS7KdLGs6B7SB_pWWaR9WdW6oqg3r7da41Eo6kz4oEGQ/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20034H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKofrOp06HfdPhMWUkK2mgbOcQ2L8Atj10ed7B0Bert-2G5F_4EZZpWcvREnV4bPzDW-WiCQATWd15l3qMrJvBQci9wkI_LGiwA-5BjSeCDJVDHfSqTgkDRMcObPkvEyPxsXp5ZhS7KdLGs6B7SB_pWWaR9WdW6oqg3r7da41Eo6kz4oEGQ/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20034H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Blue skies ahead - sort of</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Traffic through Cincinnati was brisk but not heavy. Soon we were crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky and starting up the Covington Hill to Florence where we had a reservation at a Hampton Inn.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pxm_5o3gNKHM2SQO2lbVHRmeEYq2SFj6tud508x3mN-Xc1JkqZZRLyjjybieQEK2h_hf3xbgLpz-W5WF6hbP8NOwwsVp_dpkKxb2DnWGkkMu6ndErdO88k5TrG4ejmUwO3MOgzH1m3C6vwYztwLJI4IPx7jCbD9mudlOXcV13aYX2kZu8g/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20035H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9pxm_5o3gNKHM2SQO2lbVHRmeEYq2SFj6tud508x3mN-Xc1JkqZZRLyjjybieQEK2h_hf3xbgLpz-W5WF6hbP8NOwwsVp_dpkKxb2DnWGkkMu6ndErdO88k5TrG4ejmUwO3MOgzH1m3C6vwYztwLJI4IPx7jCbD9mudlOXcV13aYX2kZu8g/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20035H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Home of WKRP</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONi46fUHMMf5X6S_dRnPCGVrwORvMDsCmyfhqfenZLbHKZLTzOrtpU0JPq5IaWn7vgF98ZDQwBcT4ZLTyTt3BOlauspOGJDjR-7VKuzwPnyhFETyDGiUHT8lhr1dsz2w8COwJ4U8RVLV6e61vrft-WT7OjaHa32AAoAJ6tqbJz2dDfb9NZg/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20036H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONi46fUHMMf5X6S_dRnPCGVrwORvMDsCmyfhqfenZLbHKZLTzOrtpU0JPq5IaWn7vgF98ZDQwBcT4ZLTyTt3BOlauspOGJDjR-7VKuzwPnyhFETyDGiUHT8lhr1dsz2w8COwJ4U8RVLV6e61vrft-WT7OjaHa32AAoAJ6tqbJz2dDfb9NZg/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20036H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Crossing the Ohio</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Hn-EQhxIKAijb15o2dKBNxQXre9wIi58vUqimMREkjd66xA_i6M_XeRk8BcsCGm8VmignheKndoQjQIraVp-pBBeABm46CvEzlgp5amFBTOjylIBlH2hedu__rXrCmtkZMBw2P5ubpolMP0rFwxhReOMOfIfCSsw6ApL7OQ4rnM4pJhoDQ/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20037H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Hn-EQhxIKAijb15o2dKBNxQXre9wIi58vUqimMREkjd66xA_i6M_XeRk8BcsCGm8VmignheKndoQjQIraVp-pBBeABm46CvEzlgp5amFBTOjylIBlH2hedu__rXrCmtkZMBw2P5ubpolMP0rFwxhReOMOfIfCSsw6ApL7OQ4rnM4pJhoDQ/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20037H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Welcome to Kentucky</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived at the Hampton just before 7:00 PM and got checked in. We could have done it on line but it was nicer to talk to a real person. Then we parked in a bus/RV spot next door and took our overnight bags up to the room.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik23f-uLZOvMVoTxRoOUI7wvmGlst961JNaQiCZBfEpLpJJK4k_kyMDDo6SAbpQ4ZVul0N7Yc3XagNgrzmQHGt_C83yqxUnDqBjKPVkVhjxvn5SKZ4N00SKOYp_hlp9AKlJsRw5ccFKshewTCh-SL1Ti2CfvoKn5mbCPuOZwBMbeY6rm6J0w/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20038I.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik23f-uLZOvMVoTxRoOUI7wvmGlst961JNaQiCZBfEpLpJJK4k_kyMDDo6SAbpQ4ZVul0N7Yc3XagNgrzmQHGt_C83yqxUnDqBjKPVkVhjxvn5SKZ4N00SKOYp_hlp9AKlJsRw5ccFKshewTCh-SL1Ti2CfvoKn5mbCPuOZwBMbeY6rm6J0w/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20038I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Parked for now</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There was a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, an Applebee's and a place called Rafferty's side by side adjacent to the hotel. The desk clerk said Rafferty's gave a 10% discount to hotel guests so we gave it a try. Sandy had a chicken salad with croissants and potato bacon soup. I had chicken mushroom soup and a chicken Caesar salad. They were very good and we had a nice conversation with our server, who was here for a year on a visa from Jordan.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXXQpKRoHAdB0KI2V2EPQx7U-F3Hy11jDQkziIk7ZCwm2wTZzMBnYXPeQy51JQyW4c8cFuRufPiz23ijRKzVyG2KgYSToO_sVIGvjNw7QgKWLDic-Qw96dfS3JRAL6aRv-XJkmQGVwdv1Z6uAxUwFkTynb9XX1I2a0XJpBfK5ruDQqy1BQw/s1440/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20039S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXXQpKRoHAdB0KI2V2EPQx7U-F3Hy11jDQkziIk7ZCwm2wTZzMBnYXPeQy51JQyW4c8cFuRufPiz23ijRKzVyG2KgYSToO_sVIGvjNw7QgKWLDic-Qw96dfS3JRAL6aRv-XJkmQGVwdv1Z6uAxUwFkTynb9XX1I2a0XJpBfK5ruDQqy1BQw/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence%20Ky%20039S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sandy at Rafferty's waiting for food</i></b></div><p>Back at the room, Sandy climbed into bed while I downloaded and sorted photos, transcribed my audio notes, made maps and wrote the blog. The A/C unit kept pumping out cold air no matter how I set the thermostat on the wall. I did this because the sign on the unit said the wall thermostat controlled things. So I called the desk and was told to lift the panel on the unit that said to use the wall thermostat. Under that panel I found the real controls. Apparently they changed how things operated but did not correct their instructions.</p><p>We will enjoy the Hampton hot breakfast tomorrow and then head on to Maggie Valley. We just have about 330 miles remaining and check in time is not until 3:00 PM. Can't hardly wait to get there and see people.</p><p><b>Today's route (455 Equinox/trailer miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8lqTyXCxL3PNEIVp85KNikmgsS0P7TP_ToaHQIf2neQOYrfoXST9AFQ34rp91h0RcaA2mWLbQ7mnUGnLo0dTZtU1knCF7kqbXI27uteuEE9BWR8Acs9t1TXTd0AP8Aw_1fSLdS8VPTD4ybl9CQ5tX2iwUrKdZkXY3PFfIzbHNH48zMHvFA/s995/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="995" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8lqTyXCxL3PNEIVp85KNikmgsS0P7TP_ToaHQIf2neQOYrfoXST9AFQ34rp91h0RcaA2mWLbQ7mnUGnLo0dTZtU1knCF7kqbXI27uteuEE9BWR8Acs9t1TXTd0AP8Aw_1fSLdS8VPTD4ybl9CQ5tX2iwUrKdZkXY3PFfIzbHNH48zMHvFA/s320/20220821%20Waterloo%20to%20Florence.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/5UuwGCV5a2zobJuJ8" target="_blank">Interactive map</a></i></b></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-31571922727694320822022-08-20T21:25:00.008-04:002022-08-21T21:13:12.203-04:00Ready to Roll at last<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>It has been a quiet summer. We haven't traveled and I haven't posted, so this will be on the longish side as I try to give a flavour of what the season has been like so far,</p><p>I joined <a href="http://www.waterlooseniorsgolf.com/" target="_blank">Waterloo Seniors Golf</a> league. We play every Wednesday morning, rotating among four different courses, and we are matched up with different people each week. It is a chance to get to know new folks who play golf. I am also on a first name basis with some of the staff down at Jim's Driving Range on New Dundee Road, although practice certainly does not make perfect in my case. I developed a case of golfer's elbow in my right arm early on. I took some weeks off but it didn't get better so I went back to playing carefully with a forearm strap. It doesn't affect my motorcycle riding so all is good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhux8PkL2a0zNF3UwkLt344t0HqN897seY6cAa2ieAMzywqXrqiSkJ94eetQR3wTI5xzhppJiHs9axo8t98DxcI9LhrrmYE7Q6scEJczit1XTivDe0CkLjknY0mDt1tGOU8L-z1b99V7-9cy7dlE1tzRonW1pVSUNGCCXHouK0tDTkAlFoLHA/s1440/20220507%20Driving%20Range%20001%20S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhux8PkL2a0zNF3UwkLt344t0HqN897seY6cAa2ieAMzywqXrqiSkJ94eetQR3wTI5xzhppJiHs9axo8t98DxcI9LhrrmYE7Q6scEJczit1XTivDe0CkLjknY0mDt1tGOU8L-z1b99V7-9cy7dlE1tzRonW1pVSUNGCCXHouK0tDTkAlFoLHA/s320/20220507%20Driving%20Range%20001%20S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>At the Practice Tee</i></b></div></b><p>In June, I was elected Treasurer of the <a href="http://waterlooregionmodelrailwayclub.ca/" target="_blank">Waterloo Region Model Railway Club</a>, which models the CP Sudbury Division in the mid 70's. This was a time when I was dealing with railways in several capacities in my INCO employment so it is a bit like going home. Since I don't have any modeling skills, I took over the bean counter job because it is something I like. The prior Treasurer is a great modeler but was only doing the books because no one else wanted to. I am also going to be learning how the car control system works, which is required for the monthly operating sessions where we follow 24 hours of an actual timetable from 1975 or so.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheS0yVY6JCfbusFS-CuQGl9lp3hqlrRSM93-ijW0zEXAELWgSgpknur0UujPTx5tVr-qxlNoI5ocLJ3ZXxRrV4q4jY1_F2A7wPPL-x64AaMK8FRoUifnO9S2u7lYdih22Qru_xg-YIBBPpuDi51EAYwiIkMcopIgvhVaSjGyIUmgspb-_DJA/s1440/20220514%20WRMRC%20Operating%20Session%20001S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheS0yVY6JCfbusFS-CuQGl9lp3hqlrRSM93-ijW0zEXAELWgSgpknur0UujPTx5tVr-qxlNoI5ocLJ3ZXxRrV4q4jY1_F2A7wPPL-x64AaMK8FRoUifnO9S2u7lYdih22Qru_xg-YIBBPpuDi51EAYwiIkMcopIgvhVaSjGyIUmgspb-_DJA/s320/20220514%20WRMRC%20Operating%20Session%20001S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Sudbury Yard during a WRMRC Operating Session</b></i></div><p>I hadn't ridden the bike much. No particular reason, I just didn't feel much like it.</p><p>Sandy and I have not been out of Ontario since September 2019 but we decided that we really needed to get to the Southeast Vulcan Riders and Owners Club Rally in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. SEVROC used to be held in May but new organizers changed it last year to late August in hopes of better weather. We had along debate about whether we wanted to haul the bike down with us.</p><p>Two weeks ago, I went down to take the bike out for a spin and think about it. To my horror, there was a pool of fluid underneath the front forks. It was hard to tell but I figured it had to be brake fluid since the front forks were just rebuilt 15,000 kms ago. I got a quick appointment at KW Honda and they let me know that no, it was a leaking fork seal. Badly leaking. The problem with this is that I have a Traxxion Dynamics front suspension and uncertified shops do not want to work on it.</p><p>The Traxxion shop is in Woodstock, Georgia on the outskirts of Atlanta. Since SEVROC was not that far away (and the Lake George shop where I had the last work done appeared to be closed down), I thought we might be able to tow it down there and get it fixed while we were at SEVROC. While I was mulling this over and doing some searches, I found a shop right here in Ontario that was, among many other things, Traxxion certified. <a href="https://acceleratedtechnologies.ca/" target="_blank">Accelerated Technologies</a> is in the tiny community of Buckhorn, Ontario, about three hours east of me.</p><p>I contacted Erica, the Admin there, and she said I could bring the bike in Thursday a week ago at 9:00 AM. They would be able to get the front end done the same day. Monday I had the Equinox serviced including replacing fluids in the transmission, transfer case, rear differential and radiator. Tuesday, I had the trailer bearings serviced. Wednesday after golf we loaded the bike in the trailer and headed out, spending the night in a Ramada in Lindsay. Thursday we dropped the bike off at the shop, met Matt the tech and then went to Peterborough for lunch at the <a href="https://ashburnhamalehouse.ca/" target="_blank">Ashburnham Ale House</a> with Ralph, a very old friend who was a member of the York Wings Motorcycle Club back in the day. Retired from Toronto Police, he is now teaching prospective police officers. Lunch was good, catching up was great and the fries with curry/mayo dip were spectacular.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhy35gtuHwYAe73eck1TVdcvMWtw6qVfQp33XxZS0f3OSW5uEfSrdu65ewP3PZn-svKzCXmIKR22itcVVatPuTSmLE0yMqE4ddI6hIXvxisgaJTrFSHTryShpHiIYtXayW8xgyqBm4TzWC2FkyznSZWZNeAK1E6Qu0tOMe9ZO4fzqktTjAA/s1440/20220811%20Buckhorn%20to%20Waterloo%20001S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhy35gtuHwYAe73eck1TVdcvMWtw6qVfQp33XxZS0f3OSW5uEfSrdu65ewP3PZn-svKzCXmIKR22itcVVatPuTSmLE0yMqE4ddI6hIXvxisgaJTrFSHTryShpHiIYtXayW8xgyqBm4TzWC2FkyznSZWZNeAK1E6Qu0tOMe9ZO4fzqktTjAA/s320/20220811%20Buckhorn%20to%20Waterloo%20001S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Accelerated Technologies - Buckhorn Ontario</i></b></div></b><p style="text-align: left;">During lunch, Erica called to say Matt was finishing up the front end. We headed back and got there to find Matt had left to get ready for racing at Mosport over the weekend. She said the front was done but Matt said the front brake pads should be replaced because they were soaked with fork oil. Also, I had commented that the rear of the bike had been sitting lower and he diagnosed a failed Hydraulic preload Adjuster. Erica said Matt could rebuild it but not until later next week. We decided to leave the bike and trailer and come home.</p><p>Erica called Tuesday morning to say Matt was done. An O-ring had failed in the HPA allowing the fluid to leak out. I feel like a total idiot for not noticing this but the loss of function must have been gradual. She could not get Honda OEM brake pads, so I went up to KW Honda and bought a set,</p><p>Sandy wasn't thrilled about another run to Buckhorn and back but grandkids Theo and Robyn said they would go. I cancelled golf, picked the kids up Wednesday at 6:30 AM and we highballed it to Buckhorn using the exorbitantly expensive 407 toll road to its eastern terminus. We arrived at Accelerated around 9:40 and Matt installed the new brake pads right away. After loading the bike, we headed back on the two lane roads.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQwpceuBWJiMksXESYJl8FWhGLwrNVbpAVC_T6Gn2_NeEmwK293Q1wGTjLGudfCZa_YvC_Y4QQ5Se-CH2nKQtkoeofrRIS0NpFJpbEUOHPZZpU54PC_ujDCIaQxDE8n_zXPtVe_HxHdN3bA9kh0rq8JW4xtBeE-Tp6jh7M6ZvGERX9hYrNA/s1440/20220817%20Waterloo%20Buckhorn%20Return%20002S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQwpceuBWJiMksXESYJl8FWhGLwrNVbpAVC_T6Gn2_NeEmwK293Q1wGTjLGudfCZa_YvC_Y4QQ5Se-CH2nKQtkoeofrRIS0NpFJpbEUOHPZZpU54PC_ujDCIaQxDE8n_zXPtVe_HxHdN3bA9kh0rq8JW4xtBeE-Tp6jh7M6ZvGERX9hYrNA/s320/20220817%20Waterloo%20Buckhorn%20Return%20002S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Theo and Robyn at Accelerated Technologies</i></b></div></b><p>After a late lunch at the Gorge Country Kitchen in Elora, we got back to the condo where I unloaded the bike and parked it underground. Then we dropped the trailer off at the storage facility before I got Theo and Robyn home at 4:45. I was back home at 5:45.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDgW1i19_t6ewRCOow8uIbU1M-HzVB7VzQD0RHeyQ3ROBSacmOFUNl1cCazNGrQeOW3Qeh_EL-NS9j2a-R1AEDgsxnbVvUPvTJWP53n8oIUWuI_vkfmEc7wLXRGu9Q74J5SYWG3bbs64kRNjz8QmpTp9j68Qekod6zdsq82m_Ey_sje57fA/s1440/20220817%20Waterloo%20Buckhorn%20Return%20003S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDgW1i19_t6ewRCOow8uIbU1M-HzVB7VzQD0RHeyQ3ROBSacmOFUNl1cCazNGrQeOW3Qeh_EL-NS9j2a-R1AEDgsxnbVvUPvTJWP53n8oIUWuI_vkfmEc7wLXRGu9Q74J5SYWG3bbs64kRNjz8QmpTp9j68Qekod6zdsq82m_Ey_sje57fA/s320/20220817%20Waterloo%20Buckhorn%20Return%20003S.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Theo and Robyn at The Gorge Country Kitchen - Elora Ontario</i></b></span></div><p>The next day, I took the bike for a spin. It was like a new machine and I was determined it wanted to do some Smoky Mountain riding. The one issue was the buttons under the display for Mode, Display and Trip were not working. Not critical but inconvenient. I took the bike to KW Honda and described the problem to Jessie at the Parts/Service counter. He came out, pried a part up and reached underneath. Thirty seconds and all was fixed.</p><p>So we have been packing. It is Saturday night and the car is fueled and loaded. We will head out tomorrow for Maggie Valley and should arrive Monday afternoon. We will cross at Detroit and take I-75 south. I expect we will be just over the Kentucky line tomorrow night, so stay tuned for future reports.</p><p>See some of you soon.</p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-19706406591212711052022-04-24T18:00:00.027-04:002022-08-20T20:04:34.647-04:00First Ride of the Year<p> It was a beautiful April day so I reinstalled the battery in the bike and took it for a ride. I headed out through Maryhill and Ariss to Wellington Road 7 and over to Tim Horton's in Elora. The ambient air temperature on the bike said it got all the way up to 80F, a very unusual temperature for this time of year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uHLn-gj8dvnvj4TTHO-0tQOZchA90Wu8y4SyfwO2QeGOT2hy8t4VRGOYL1ZxjtXf3blbdv-ZoQtL0dliRKJFbXPUYecxjujRSN4WCuQCBhdWNjnYZdeYeyyjVosSHW-GvMRBtUAkgvXxqhrDZD67UQnTSYsmoih322jm7Xp_nApDHVebtA/s1440/20220424%20Opening%20Bike%20Ride%20001S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uHLn-gj8dvnvj4TTHO-0tQOZchA90Wu8y4SyfwO2QeGOT2hy8t4VRGOYL1ZxjtXf3blbdv-ZoQtL0dliRKJFbXPUYecxjujRSN4WCuQCBhdWNjnYZdeYeyyjVosSHW-GvMRBtUAkgvXxqhrDZD67UQnTSYsmoih322jm7Xp_nApDHVebtA/s320/20220424%20Opening%20Bike%20Ride%20001S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Tim's in Elora Ontario</i></b></div><p><b>First Ride (63 motorcycle miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltzk7Ulh4Sd4CrMM12KCRT8XRYImeHu4I-2A70uWbpV7CHCMx4-XNxkyIHanCfkYKZcpLjBy87JFm8OATvVoKZr6FXx1b8sriZ0cjTudNUNnVz059u_Um_62FQMc2ep1LH1EaDFitWCo_Rfs476ZyEN7GTkUIX_wJrokUzJ04eyqunHsjCw/s793/20220424%20First%20Ride.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="793" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltzk7Ulh4Sd4CrMM12KCRT8XRYImeHu4I-2A70uWbpV7CHCMx4-XNxkyIHanCfkYKZcpLjBy87JFm8OATvVoKZr6FXx1b8sriZ0cjTudNUNnVz059u_Um_62FQMc2ep1LH1EaDFitWCo_Rfs476ZyEN7GTkUIX_wJrokUzJ04eyqunHsjCw/s320/20220424%20First%20Ride.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/X4WQtvm11KTx3BL97" target="_blank">Interactive map</a></i></b></div><p><i>N.B. This time I had to refresh my memory on how to do a Google Map with more than ten Via points. It isn't too hard but it is a tad convoluted.</i></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-30448583580750567502021-11-07T18:00:00.133-05:002022-08-20T18:56:12.485-04:00Last Ride Of The 2021 Season<p>I met Peter on line as part of the Facebook Senior Motorcyclists group. I had been up to visit him and his lovely wife Eva in their Orangeville home, once alone on the bike and a second time in the car with Sandy. He rides a Yamaha V-Max, quite the potent machine in its day and no slouch even now.</p><p>We were gifted with an unexpectedly balmy Sunday this weekend and I asked Pete if he wanted to go for a ride. We agreed to meet at the Grand Valley Home Hardware parking lot at the intersection of Highway 9 and Dufferin County Road 5. I rode up through Belfountain and got there at the appointed time but Peter was already there waiting.</p><p><b>Waterloo to Grand Valley Home Hardware (36 motorcycle miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqLAjo1JLveSo3C1otz46w-j3lD7gkCGpxMaw-yg29MvLxJMV9F-B1DhthwTKad6k3WWFYzJ1xID5Yg4IiOgIMr2bujSIeYxO4NFCKbzXNJ2pj9fLUGGeVlKi7Fbp-i7tcgrD0Rsi3O59sJzReX1ZBuY4rDte9vvgi5oIq84h-lqDR8Q7xA/s933/20211107A%20Ride%20with%20Peter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="933" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqLAjo1JLveSo3C1otz46w-j3lD7gkCGpxMaw-yg29MvLxJMV9F-B1DhthwTKad6k3WWFYzJ1xID5Yg4IiOgIMr2bujSIeYxO4NFCKbzXNJ2pj9fLUGGeVlKi7Fbp-i7tcgrD0Rsi3O59sJzReX1ZBuY4rDte9vvgi5oIq84h-lqDR8Q7xA/s320/20211107A%20Ride%20with%20Peter.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href=" https://goo.gl/maps/Tgf97pCjd1RYvX5q8" target="_blank">Interactive Map</a></i></b></div></b><p>I was new to the area up here but had been scoping out some potentially interesting roads, including a few we explored on our trip up to Sudbury last month. We rode up Dufferin 25 through the small but quaint town of Grand Valley and continued all the way to Highway 89. From there, we went northeast on 17 until we connected with County 124 just south of Horning's Mills. This road was quite straight as it took us straight north, but the turn onto County Road 9 to Creemore led to some much more interesting riding. This stretch is on my A List. When we reached Airport Road at Cashtown Corners, we stopped at a Tim Horton's for a break and some coffee. There was another group of motorcycles there when we arrived and we kept seeing bike after bike passing by on the road. This was not a typical November day and everyone was making the best of it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMmpI6RnhC2Kgp02NcUMh7OBvIqdL6GOegZRfGQZvluJCKBLmWJ3UK-836hjoXX9v8KWks8SLpDFOCXtN3XM62ztNJsIH0mLHELCt7FlfureBXH6ibvS6K6ERCKNuEX-4xCOlNJEzu51huKAzHA2bw8eGPueheu3R-KN2Aq7OVlt_eeVimA/s1440/20211107%20Ride%20with%20Guerra%20001S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJMmpI6RnhC2Kgp02NcUMh7OBvIqdL6GOegZRfGQZvluJCKBLmWJ3UK-836hjoXX9v8KWks8SLpDFOCXtN3XM62ztNJsIH0mLHELCt7FlfureBXH6ibvS6K6ERCKNuEX-4xCOlNJEzu51huKAzHA2bw8eGPueheu3R-KN2Aq7OVlt_eeVimA/s320/20211107%20Ride%20with%20Guerra%20001S.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Coffee at Cashtown Corners</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>From Cashtown, we headed south on Airport Road to Mansfield and got back on County 17, We followed 17 west to Mulmur and then turned south on Prince of Wales Drive. At Highway 89, this turned into Highway 10 on which we continued south towards Orangeville. Before we got there, we turned east on Hockley Road, one of the better motorcycle roads in the area. This took us to the landmark Hockley General Store, which was inundated with riders out for an unexpected last spin. One odd incident occurred when we stopped at the Airport Road crossing. A car pulled up behind us and a rider pulled up next to him, giving the driver a loud piece of his mind. I'm not sure what the person in the car did because we couldn't make out the words but the volume indicated the guy on the motorcycle was not too happy about it.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyuHs_OPTQlANut3d_1bkUF09_gKgbTkmMChpS6tuSK7vJSXdEV_TbJGqdXMihTOGKbGPj4ST4YXh8riTL3wtPaWSAgogJjKRFv5Ljl67Qvr5lW-y2NaP2oeWgavlwirzfU1NGM_E526xtIaeD4EgeenhoBsJn5lrofS_RGWrts-laOD1qg/s1440/20211107%20Ride%20with%20Guerra%20002S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyuHs_OPTQlANut3d_1bkUF09_gKgbTkmMChpS6tuSK7vJSXdEV_TbJGqdXMihTOGKbGPj4ST4YXh8riTL3wtPaWSAgogJjKRFv5Ljl67Qvr5lW-y2NaP2oeWgavlwirzfU1NGM_E526xtIaeD4EgeenhoBsJn5lrofS_RGWrts-laOD1qg/s320/20211107%20Ride%20with%20Guerra%20002S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Hockley General Store</i></b></div></b><p>We didn't go into the store at Hockley because it was so crowded. Instead, we returned to Airport Road and took it south to Highway 24 which, in turn, took us southwest to McLaren Road and down to the famous Forks Of The Credit Road. This is a short stretch of winding pavement that ends with a couple of tight uphill hairpin turns before stopping at the crossroads of Belfountain. The only negative to The Forks is that the locals have taken a lot of steps to underscore the restricted speed zone. This includes painting the speed limit on the road surface. But we weren't going very fast because we got behind probably the slowest Corvette driver to ever get behind the wheel.</p><p>Belfountain was even more choked with motorcycles than Hockley. We barely found room to pull over and say our goodbyes. It had been a fun 100 miles and we agreed to do it again next year. Then Pete headed north to Orangeville while I rode southwest to Waterloo.</p><p><b>Riding with Peter (104 motorcycle miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkHshK76FMvHlH7V-Y3S5rcCo2oVGqT2IUUmh0V0KiAVJ5o_jRFglTy_uZ36LKg-yuLePDmsYwdlJVSEedVjtjEf6HLJ9GY3wELB7asqI7fsn0wHE0D-mGg5ZaspiR6kBMfwoM5djj9eYXsLkk4zw9nKFSh8ZiRGfIlcUZOX4toF0FlMZiA/s1013/20211107B%20Ride%20with%20Peter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1013" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkHshK76FMvHlH7V-Y3S5rcCo2oVGqT2IUUmh0V0KiAVJ5o_jRFglTy_uZ36LKg-yuLePDmsYwdlJVSEedVjtjEf6HLJ9GY3wELB7asqI7fsn0wHE0D-mGg5ZaspiR6kBMfwoM5djj9eYXsLkk4zw9nKFSh8ZiRGfIlcUZOX4toF0FlMZiA/s320/20211107B%20Ride%20with%20Peter.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/d4ECKreHcqZ25jxo9" target="_blank">Interactive map</a></i></b></div></b><p>I took Highway 24 to Guelph where I connected with Highway 7 into Kitchener and Waterloo. I did the final ride of the year up Riverbend Drive, a short stretch of road that not many people take which is a good thing because it has a few curves in it as good as anything in the area.</p><p>As I parked the bike in the underground garage, I reflected on a good bonus day even as I realized I would probably be pulling the battery out for winter maintenance before I rode outside again.</p><p><b>Belfountain to Waterloo (39 motorcycle miles):</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2moX5uWnpUxAGgfP6oq3ci1OnCjwh8bhUNISEl4VRuK_I20oc4eugNqDQANv1KNDRBUXVq2TKl8zfyVXU_NVLXwuR9bh8bz7AlA9z1febhYJ8eD1AhaBbffWBswZI-TJDhZ-SvehejphFuDCmR89Lqras9eeE9ugrBTpg50vOymBTI_OJIw/s1112/20211107C%20Ride%20with%20Peter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1112" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2moX5uWnpUxAGgfP6oq3ci1OnCjwh8bhUNISEl4VRuK_I20oc4eugNqDQANv1KNDRBUXVq2TKl8zfyVXU_NVLXwuR9bh8bz7AlA9z1febhYJ8eD1AhaBbffWBswZI-TJDhZ-SvehejphFuDCmR89Lqras9eeE9ugrBTpg50vOymBTI_OJIw/s320/20211107C%20Ride%20with%20Peter.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/CpesWkzRpfi9mzcZ8" target="_blank">Interactive map</a></i></b></div><p><br /></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-66172153272127812682021-10-04T21:00:00.155-04:002022-08-20T14:05:36.680-04:00Waterloo Ontario to Sudbury Ontario and Back<div style="text-align: left;">It was almost a year ago when we were last in Sudbury. The COVID-19 pandemic was affecting everyone back then and it still was today as we headed back up north for the weekend. The <a href="https://freedomriders.ca/" target="_blank">Freedom Riders Motorcycle Association</a> last held a meeting on March 8, 2020 and the Executive decided that things were stable enough that we could do so again. Since I was still officially the Treasurer and we missed our friends, Sandy and I decided to attend.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">September was, other than a series of rainstorms, a generally pleasant month. October looks like it might be the same.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Saturday, October 2, 2022</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We set out around 9:00 AM Saturday morning under mixed fall skies. The temperature got up to 71. It was interesting to be going north at the start of the weekend with the Toronto traffic. One of the perks of living in the north was always to be traveling counter to the bulk of the traffic on weekends.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSD0O0L0Z9ckmCmgzS2sPDcLsz4zoaph95diAzuI0VR_WHnlT9r8_B_u5eDsIw1OCc_jNSvrOJ0OvwuBolHWgyU_QmJ0L-HP_tGsd0M2Fv4j7h2E9L79cuK8EexzjSN0a0kHcFrKouZMJcVspxkq0FEPQZvJpfx2-OCdSQqCoQQMEZlv1pyQ/s1440/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20001H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSD0O0L0Z9ckmCmgzS2sPDcLsz4zoaph95diAzuI0VR_WHnlT9r8_B_u5eDsIw1OCc_jNSvrOJ0OvwuBolHWgyU_QmJ0L-HP_tGsd0M2Fv4j7h2E9L79cuK8EexzjSN0a0kHcFrKouZMJcVspxkq0FEPQZvJpfx2-OCdSQqCoQQMEZlv1pyQ/s320/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20001H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mixed skies</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97OSPP8D229cjrB2Pn6QByYnlenToq-14tNMXE8Osaz6ybhIxHOPDaEWuMYQl0Zj4RJrHyCCES-1r-Nn_WngaiS78NsLZlpCwBcuuy66kMraAPxAkLvlmBw3dFB5z90JbtbMJJPrYun_dMPUrRJbK_1S8swzHBCRbhl4Kqfbs7bcjRFtf-g/s1440/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20002H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97OSPP8D229cjrB2Pn6QByYnlenToq-14tNMXE8Osaz6ybhIxHOPDaEWuMYQl0Zj4RJrHyCCES-1r-Nn_WngaiS78NsLZlpCwBcuuy66kMraAPxAkLvlmBw3dFB5z90JbtbMJJPrYun_dMPUrRJbK_1S8swzHBCRbhl4Kqfbs7bcjRFtf-g/s320/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20002H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Not to bad in Barrie for traffic escaping Toronto for cottage country</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69kf0NAmOJ7waNKYZ332LOeCmEom8ibt1zZ4QaB2fNwKw6x2JTe00ZATEhNLQB1XhnSaM4aVZ5_5p-n3h32SU941PUjxBFOkYjFTUn2EXDgXGv9kKXq5tGD6eBrwCTjyElPvabk5tX02dtf_xqU--a-MyJeL6ZUd36YMDsVsKNVIKuENyvQ/s1440/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20003H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69kf0NAmOJ7waNKYZ332LOeCmEom8ibt1zZ4QaB2fNwKw6x2JTe00ZATEhNLQB1XhnSaM4aVZ5_5p-n3h32SU941PUjxBFOkYjFTUn2EXDgXGv9kKXq5tGD6eBrwCTjyElPvabk5tX02dtf_xqU--a-MyJeL6ZUd36YMDsVsKNVIKuENyvQ/s320/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20003H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Still lots of green for October</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>We arrived about 2:00 PM and checked into the Hampton Inn, After taking a drive past the old house and noting some changes, particularly a large wooden fence enclosing the back yard, we met Gary and Cheryl for coffee. These are some of the folks we really miss since moving. On the way back to the Hampton, which is in the south end, we crossed the Bridge of Nations and I noted one of the CP light towers that Phil, at the <a href="http://waterlooregionmodelrailwayclub.ca/" target="_blank">Waterloo Region Model Railway Club</a>, would like better photos of. I guess I never mentioned that I joined a model railroad club that models the CP Sudbury Division in the mid-70's.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8S6X8qqdlftRF1a0tTszmimbYb7ViTMCGXTvz2mFltz-AyeLqEvsaK1Td-ILMQmu47g8eBvUHM2VY1quyQTg0XYR5-yzhcxNV3pY1PEDIGqC0lvdq3olFN2_N_r0v_-SEOU5UbNTx-iPe8X2Jl1SUyFa3QcQjXBjqPbxmr-jH2GI09h0T8A/s1440/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20006H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8S6X8qqdlftRF1a0tTszmimbYb7ViTMCGXTvz2mFltz-AyeLqEvsaK1Td-ILMQmu47g8eBvUHM2VY1quyQTg0XYR5-yzhcxNV3pY1PEDIGqC0lvdq3olFN2_N_r0v_-SEOU5UbNTx-iPe8X2Jl1SUyFa3QcQjXBjqPbxmr-jH2GI09h0T8A/s320/20211002%20Waterloo%20to%20Sudbury%20006H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Light tower at the CP Rail Sudbury Yard</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Back at the Hampton Inn, there was a bus tour arriving. I can see us traveling like this in the future with accommodations, meals and points of interest looked after and someone else to carry our bags. Europe, maybe, since we have no trouble wandering around Canada and the US on our own.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We joined Leo and Diane for supper to celebrate Di's birthday and then retreated to their place for cake.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUOLdIbv1k_x7uddjcswqSrfrejcEiHITZSiWmfEaTbDMqNXVEKiVvwoh4fdj7sJAy0206UK_CASMHy2bsk16b9Xehc7s1gBjGb_tlgYIqHfzXX1KNycSzFX2VP_XnRa7P8cD5S_Q3nDXZcmAYA_TOzgbSJrvBgH3p_yXbUo00cH-eWmxwg/s1440/20211002%20Diane%20Birthday%20002I.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUOLdIbv1k_x7uddjcswqSrfrejcEiHITZSiWmfEaTbDMqNXVEKiVvwoh4fdj7sJAy0206UK_CASMHy2bsk16b9Xehc7s1gBjGb_tlgYIqHfzXX1KNycSzFX2VP_XnRa7P8cD5S_Q3nDXZcmAYA_TOzgbSJrvBgH3p_yXbUo00cH-eWmxwg/s320/20211002%20Diane%20Birthday%20002I.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Leo and Diane</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo05loxjJOE3skkoRZyfsd63d6ih5Iu977ZvSpei0AGLSWCf3niQXO-IE3M1JUti22IdP3PvHiFXNTuY0mWLsZ0NxmFF1Mbgjrzyfr2HSLxVHzLSS580AuUE9bq0DKVEaS1xcLTNWxJPMnEUHns5ya4BvBjIO-tmes65QcEm8nChul_QC26g/s1440/20211002%20Diane%20Birthday%20003I.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo05loxjJOE3skkoRZyfsd63d6ih5Iu977ZvSpei0AGLSWCf3niQXO-IE3M1JUti22IdP3PvHiFXNTuY0mWLsZ0NxmFF1Mbgjrzyfr2HSLxVHzLSS580AuUE9bq0DKVEaS1xcLTNWxJPMnEUHns5ya4BvBjIO-tmes65QcEm8nChul_QC26g/s320/20211002%20Diane%20Birthday%20003I.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The birthday girl</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After supper, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed in the comfort of the luxurious Hampton bedding and pillows that we like so much.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Route from Waterloo to Sudbury on Saturday (274 Equinox miles):</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8oSZ9QuAQACV8YQDLzg3_L9OuKNq1TR6dIqJkRIJEOE0d58HealNVZSffnPRRuwtRmVI8kOmBZhb2RMoqV6ft6l96oo2GXssbIe0WbvF1LQGvGNFAS4ERvARA3qi3Rs5z7rb/s1071/20211002+Waterloo+to+Sudbury.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1071" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8oSZ9QuAQACV8YQDLzg3_L9OuKNq1TR6dIqJkRIJEOE0d58HealNVZSffnPRRuwtRmVI8kOmBZhb2RMoqV6ft6l96oo2GXssbIe0WbvF1LQGvGNFAS4ERvARA3qi3Rs5z7rb/s320/20211002+Waterloo+to+Sudbury.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/hMKdCLqYPgijsbbs7">Interactive map</a></i></div></i><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Sunday October 3, 2021</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">We were up at 7:00 AM and picked up our Hampton full breakfast, although COVID rules required us to take the food back to our room. The Freedom Riders meeting was held in president Rob's garage. Despite moving away a year ago, I was still the club Treasurer, with the help of appointed Assistant Treasurer Carole.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the meeting, we adjourned to <a href="https://eddiesrestaurant.ca/" target="_blank">Eddie's Restaurant</a> for lunch with some of the members. Then we spent the afternoon visiting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ron and Mary were first. Ron is a retired OPP Staff Sergeant who was my partner running the Snowmobile Trail Officer Patrol when he retired at the end of 1996. Then we worked together at Action Sudbury, where he was the Chair and Chapter 13 of the OPP Veterans Association where he was the President and I was his Secretary/Treasurer for six years. It was good to see them.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next we visited Blanche, a longtime friend of Sandy's mother and father. We took her a photo album we found in Jan's things of a trip they all took to England together. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, we joined Gary and Cheryl at the St. Louis Bar and grill for supper. Despite all the great choices, I stuck to a hamburger on a lettuce bun with a side salad. My A1C blood glucose levels have been pretty good lately and I'd like that to continue.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We got back to the Hampton about 7:30, watched a little TV and turned in. Because of the rain, I wasn't able to get the tower photos for Phil.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u>Monday, October 4, 2021</u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">We were up and rolling early on Monday morning. It was good to wait the day and not have to fight all the cottagers trying to squeeze themselves back into the Greater Toronto Area. We did note that the bridge work at the Naiscoot River between Sudbury and Parry Sound was still going on and the traffic was still limited to one lane serving both directions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbfBztjS-ntCAA24eFp5mOecH17BHfFSNDY_uCCrlfbvKTN1a9IbM6No09PbwIlAFVHt9lmbrpp2dqrK0yPPx0P8bYpbv7wut9X8YHo9u6J4h4HEfL8nE3gWaPin0vqyXtMMO2qw6ue6suaT29jYF6DCkFHu-mNILRp0HizWv2QwaVcNhaQ/s1440/20211004%20Sudbury%20to%20Waterloo%20002H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbfBztjS-ntCAA24eFp5mOecH17BHfFSNDY_uCCrlfbvKTN1a9IbM6No09PbwIlAFVHt9lmbrpp2dqrK0yPPx0P8bYpbv7wut9X8YHo9u6J4h4HEfL8nE3gWaPin0vqyXtMMO2qw6ue6suaT29jYF6DCkFHu-mNILRp0HizWv2QwaVcNhaQ/s320/20211004%20Sudbury%20to%20Waterloo%20002H.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Naiscoot Rover bridge work is never ending</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The rest of the trip home was pretty uneventful. We took some back roads across the south of Georgian Bay and discovered some interesting routes that can be explored later.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>N.B. Just a note for recording trips in Google Maps. I often have put in the start and end points and then dragged the route to mark our specific roads. Then the map can be saved so it can be shared or embedded. It has just come to my attention that those drag points are not recognized by the Google Maps app on my trusty Android phone so I am going to consciously at via points in the routing going forward. This does not apply to the JPG maps images I include in the blogs, just the interactive map links.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Route from Sudbury to Waterloo on Monday(280 Equinox miles):</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBhvDK1c1KK-kXsPaX0uI2G6MhbU5mDQXfftHmhwYKDIOu9GWpVHt8QhdYiWbCTmmwyLFu6EnPVGoP28ldAHvqGTs0T_2lkSjkiOvCHy3DqneWL7H_1WMArari4RJGzMcTWuiHnTkBv88LNOV8MKxfuSnsRzkxq52QiZZB9DzKc53rDvafQ/s1338/20211004%20Sudbury%20to%20Waterloo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1338" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBhvDK1c1KK-kXsPaX0uI2G6MhbU5mDQXfftHmhwYKDIOu9GWpVHt8QhdYiWbCTmmwyLFu6EnPVGoP28ldAHvqGTs0T_2lkSjkiOvCHy3DqneWL7H_1WMArari4RJGzMcTWuiHnTkBv88LNOV8MKxfuSnsRzkxq52QiZZB9DzKc53rDvafQ/s320/20211004%20Sudbury%20to%20Waterloo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/aeyeSgnqGHArEEES6" target="_blank">Interactive Map</a></i></b></div></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-20961047386976423292021-09-01T18:00:00.238-04:002021-09-04T22:10:43.032-04:00Hockley, Crowsfoot Smokehaus and Glen Morris with Stonewall<div style="text-align: left;">After our ride to Dunnville in July, The Mighty Stonewall (Gord) and I decided we needed to take another ride together. He was unable to join us at the Crow's Nest Pub last week because he was rendering tomatoes for Mrs. Stonewall. Apparently this is an Italian tradition and not punishment for losing two pairs of glasses in a week.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I told Gord to meet me at 11:00 AM the Hockley General Store. This lies at the end of the curvy road through the Hockley Valley, one of the better motorcycle rides this side of Muskoka. To this end, I had checked the oil, adjusted the tire pressures and was ready to roll just before 9:30 AM.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was not as oppressively hot as it had been recently. It was in the low 20's and my mesh jacket was comfortable, the first time that I had worn it in quite some time.<span> I started up Bridge Street, got stuck in a line of traffic following a street sweeper, made a U-turn and went out on Bloomingdale Road. Lots of options in Waterloo Region.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>In Elora, I checked out the Water Street East/South River Road option to avoid downtown Elora. Then I stopped at the Mobil station for fuel before leaving town heading through Belwood. I continued on along the west side of the Grand River until I reached Highway 9. This provided a straight shot into Orangeville.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span>As I was going around Orangeville on Veteran's Way/Dufferin County 16, I caught up to a pickup truck towing a trailer with graphics of a septic system service company. This guy was slow (paid by the hour?) and there are no passing opportunity on that stretch. When we got to cross Highway 10 and start into Hockley Valley, he was heading the same way. I couldn't see following him through those first perfect curves so I passed him in a short straight in a 50 KPH zone. As soon as I was by, I slowed down. Then I found I was looking at an OPP SUV backed into a driveway and the OPP officer in the SUV was looking back at me. Doing the first thing that came to mind, I nodded and waved. And he didn't follow me. Score one for the good guys.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">I arrived at the <a href="https://www.hockleygeneralstore.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hockley General Store</a> at exactly 11:00 AM. Gord wasn't there yet but there were a lot of middle aged and older bicyclists from the <a href="https://www.tbn.ca/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Toronto Bicycling Network</a>. Gord arrived soon after and we had a coffee before setting out on our ride. Before we left, he tried to check the wiring to see why his GPS kept cutting out but no solution was readily apparent.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82J-uo_WMZJ_0jgjPmbI5x6uJ4aGwTH_qu9E-Wv74Zk380Hg_1rjRECA9Tq3z5pdy5OoNn6CyS1e6K2s_BFTrCV3H7Z18yRP6mukV1J2QD30Kvdf-neYTJUWQGcubd4UBo1-k/s640/20210901001I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82J-uo_WMZJ_0jgjPmbI5x6uJ4aGwTH_qu9E-Wv74Zk380Hg_1rjRECA9Tq3z5pdy5OoNn6CyS1e6K2s_BFTrCV3H7Z18yRP6mukV1J2QD30Kvdf-neYTJUWQGcubd4UBo1-k/s320/20210901001I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Hockley General Store</i></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsCkuGuTpygW_Zp1xy8hUZOvQmFr7GuOfIiBLkPNGjVurQlDRf2FD4lj5RVKC5aPY_93-X3DTyhTM6dZ9xhphYp8YpQg75SPEHX94TJt84IYS0BlEcVc6If1D8umRQOFUt7Jy/s640/20210901003I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsCkuGuTpygW_Zp1xy8hUZOvQmFr7GuOfIiBLkPNGjVurQlDRf2FD4lj5RVKC5aPY_93-X3DTyhTM6dZ9xhphYp8YpQg75SPEHX94TJt84IYS0BlEcVc6If1D8umRQOFUt7Jy/s320/20210901003I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Interesting horse mural</i></b></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtpLa1aO5OKxd4jokCdQAuR3TaM31kenUNCrZ2fjnUe84g4mK3HjLSlaH_ZiOfL42gBHchUNasuTqUN-Zxsb2_oqXgq4y2iSgJkuqvpez7hkfKIHYRGD1n-cgHi6bCqm_ifsN/s640/20210901004I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtpLa1aO5OKxd4jokCdQAuR3TaM31kenUNCrZ2fjnUe84g4mK3HjLSlaH_ZiOfL42gBHchUNasuTqUN-Zxsb2_oqXgq4y2iSgJkuqvpez7hkfKIHYRGD1n-cgHi6bCqm_ifsN/s320/20210901004I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Mighty Stonewall arrives</i></b></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZC3NqleuO9fF8h83XTSQ5vJmYcirBWPPfz1vmeb-42iGLg7I_xtUoCKyXQbGXEM4w9B1whw3vQT10BDZ5Z-fIFjegXj1_geXVjKnXCforfXZyo1thwnwfFusX6H6dkxYB07C/s640/20210901005I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZC3NqleuO9fF8h83XTSQ5vJmYcirBWPPfz1vmeb-42iGLg7I_xtUoCKyXQbGXEM4w9B1whw3vQT10BDZ5Z-fIFjegXj1_geXVjKnXCforfXZyo1thwnwfFusX6H6dkxYB07C/s320/20210901005I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pre-ride coffees - thanks, Gord</i></b></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNrkpN91wAeC_Tl6ZWLFiaUgG5IklZHsdZCLbvnAdZlw9YtCVQbFWb_ra3bI57zLjQeAnrTIyOhbcga1aWA3EV0FMcUMGw_HB8EKypsH9SXM18AD8YFBqCKFQoTQSgBLnxz_u/s640/20210901006I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNrkpN91wAeC_Tl6ZWLFiaUgG5IklZHsdZCLbvnAdZlw9YtCVQbFWb_ra3bI57zLjQeAnrTIyOhbcga1aWA3EV0FMcUMGw_HB8EKypsH9SXM18AD8YFBqCKFQoTQSgBLnxz_u/s320/20210901006I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Checking GPS wires</i></b></div><div><br /></div>The ride back through Hockley Valley past the Rosebud Motel set was mellow, which was good because we met an unmarked cruiser as well as what was likely the same OPP SUV that had let me by earlier. I do love that road but discretion is the better part of keeping your driving record clean.</div><div><br /></div><div>Highway 9 was boring but the turn south through Belwood to Elora was fun. After bypassing downtown Elora on South River Road, I took Gord down Middlebrook Road, skirting the back side of the Elora Gorge Conservation Area before proceeding to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Montrose_Covered_Bridge" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kissing Bridge</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gord was familiar with the area from taking bus tours through there and stopped at the Mennonite run Last Acre Variety Store for some granola. He swears it is the best he has ever had. He also picked up a bag of oatmeal. I spent the time talking to an older lady from Brampton who was there with her son. Then we went over the bridge and headed on to Conestogo.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh652ZrAqtXpComnPQJr80F1cOY4gxEIAUAQGp_t1bSumoHWVyPoMUYrgka12QooEPfbk9Eile2LEvSrDC3w9OX7ChUbk4DmjDf2RxSIxQEqE9CS-BsoFhRgudheGAP4GmLlayC/s640/20210901008I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh652ZrAqtXpComnPQJr80F1cOY4gxEIAUAQGp_t1bSumoHWVyPoMUYrgka12QooEPfbk9Eile2LEvSrDC3w9OX7ChUbk4DmjDf2RxSIxQEqE9CS-BsoFhRgudheGAP4GmLlayC/s320/20210901008I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Mennonite oatmeal and "the world's best" granola</i></b></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYaSj8u7zxFlK3RWUHu4yFoPRn3Ecn7XGGkLNHwLZMDNUm4TNh9bfvRZIoDEJfoa3SjrFPEYVXdhmwHr-1WQ0QB5z76f2aQgN7P6K_s8T4FreKWL3NeUc8XPP0I8KcBpy68XV/s640/20210901009I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYaSj8u7zxFlK3RWUHu4yFoPRn3Ecn7XGGkLNHwLZMDNUm4TNh9bfvRZIoDEJfoa3SjrFPEYVXdhmwHr-1WQ0QB5z76f2aQgN7P6K_s8T4FreKWL3NeUc8XPP0I8KcBpy68XV/s320/20210901009I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Kissing Bridge - West Montrose Ontario</i></b></div><div><br /></div>The last stretch to Conestogo was on Northfield Road, passing the spot where I was leading a group of VROCers in 2001 (including Gord) when we were cut off by a line of Mennonite buggies that made a sudden left turn across traffic without looking. It was a close call.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcR-4O8OITrNuBmiLR-u3sMeJ4pTHzfedgmGCe6gILTDt3IdMtAHlrKx1LIFjlCqGOqwVFTGmXGl0wIAKufmfE4P8MXD5BEPeh8bRy0CPdrCiy-9PVjaiwK0l-82LVmPnl1QP/s824/20210901+Hockley+to+Conestogo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="824" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcR-4O8OITrNuBmiLR-u3sMeJ4pTHzfedgmGCe6gILTDt3IdMtAHlrKx1LIFjlCqGOqwVFTGmXGl0wIAKufmfE4P8MXD5BEPeh8bRy0CPdrCiy-9PVjaiwK0l-82LVmPnl1QP/s320/20210901+Hockley+to+Conestogo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/6LwLp4kFkzLAaM1A8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hockley to Conestogo - 56 miles</a></i></b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="https://www.crowsfootsmokehaus.ca/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crowsfoot Smokehaus</a> was not busy and we opted to sit outside due to the pleasant temperatures. Gord had a cider and was surprised when I ordered a black coffee to drink. He thought coffee was just a breakfast mealtime beverage. We both ordered the Smokehaus club sandwich with brisket, bacon and turkey. There was an optional fried egg that Gord thought afterwards that perhaps he should have tried. I had a wedge salad and Gord had mixed baby greens.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcit_uq2Is9pOoz1b0HxH5LgTnroOYkCFCgfwnlUcazMmYZ4ZALO3W04TUa7exN4EfDW2hNO-zxSnkVIwP1lM4iFUXr_Xx7YBV1JXkmilYdcvThhhPcxUimCPuOeAAoBsnltz/s640/20210901011I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcit_uq2Is9pOoz1b0HxH5LgTnroOYkCFCgfwnlUcazMmYZ4ZALO3W04TUa7exN4EfDW2hNO-zxSnkVIwP1lM4iFUXr_Xx7YBV1JXkmilYdcvThhhPcxUimCPuOeAAoBsnltz/s320/20210901011I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Crowsfoot Smokehaus - Conestogo Ontario</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OG7tkyFCYKuXnezTu9H2jsBy-HeWiAcEMGGiR-DANLXn5s6vM8UCisugdANd5yH05BWRdVrgCF3RiC4QXjl9jf17gF5sXoeGYMgUrt-p1nUpdKp1UTOlCyjQCB6ZOAVdCC6X/s640/20210901013I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9OG7tkyFCYKuXnezTu9H2jsBy-HeWiAcEMGGiR-DANLXn5s6vM8UCisugdANd5yH05BWRdVrgCF3RiC4QXjl9jf17gF5sXoeGYMgUrt-p1nUpdKp1UTOlCyjQCB6ZOAVdCC6X/s320/20210901013I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Stonewall ready to chow down</i></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVO5fGNQci28s208RV3F6eGvRfSVaReBbsTrETfHS-fvE0xrziFTLA0ZHXJcaw2I95vFwYxtTls0RvvDY1DogOylO3BsOfQaA6AlLcf41chCQXaOwRwasnJ2MUUQyQoIoP2396/s640/20210901012I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVO5fGNQci28s208RV3F6eGvRfSVaReBbsTrETfHS-fvE0xrziFTLA0ZHXJcaw2I95vFwYxtTls0RvvDY1DogOylO3BsOfQaA6AlLcf41chCQXaOwRwasnJ2MUUQyQoIoP2396/s320/20210901012I+Riding+With+Stonewall.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>My Smokehaus club (brisket, turkey and bacon) and wedge salad</i></b></div><div><br /></div>Before we left, I checked with Gord to make sure he had his glasses. Then we proceeded to the condo via Northfield and University Avenue (past Blackberry and RIM headquarters). I gave him the tour and he got a chance to say hello to Sandy before we moved on.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the ride was a bit convoluted. It involved some of my favourite roads including Riverbend Drive, Shantz Station Road from St. Charles Street West to Highway 7, Speedsville Rd from Kossuth Road to Maple Grove, Waterloo Road 42 from Blair to Galt and Waterloo Road 75 from Galt to Glen Morris Road. Coming out of Galt, we were following a lady in a black Hyundai when she threw a lit cigarette out her window. Then she proceeded to travel more than 10 KPH under the limit, slowing for some of the nicest curves this side of the universities. There was no passing zone but we didn't let that stop us. This time, no police.</div><div><br /></div><div>We rode across the Grand River again at Glen Morris and then headed back into Cambridge. After riding up Franklin Boulevard, Gord commented that someone had a thing for roundabouts. There are many but the traffic moves a lot quicker. If you survive. For the final thrill, I took him over Avenue Road past some high priced real estate to Townline Road and up to the Tim Horton's where Justin Bieber probably gets his coffee when he is in town. We went inside while watching a Nomad go through the drive-thru.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gord will be heading out to British Columbia in a few weeks, where he will be renting a motorcycle to explore the southern part of the province. I look forward to hearing the reports. After finishing the coffee, we rode up to the 401 where he went east and I went west. My route home was quick via 401,8, 7 and 85.<br /><br />It is hard to believe that it is September already. Where has the summer gone. I hope to get a few more rides in before it is over for another year. I am sure going to miss Eureka Springs.</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-72033776581710466582021-08-27T19:00:00.004-04:002021-09-04T19:50:29.845-04:00Old Timers Lunch At The Crow's Nest Pub In Newmarket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Forty years ago, there were a number of active motorcycle clubs in and around Ontario that came together to form the Ontario Road Riders Association (ORRA). Then, based on the example set by the York Wings, they began hosting weekend camping rallies. The members supported one another's events for the next twenty plus years, with little villages of the same tents setting up in different times and places throughout the summer. It was a time of rich fellowship where we enjoyed riding, eating, drinking and sitting around bonfires. Clubs and rallies came and went but the major clubs and gatherings in the 80's were:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">York Wings - Toronto</div><div style="text-align: center;">Road Bike Olympics</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Nickel Riders - Sudbury</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Rally</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Waterloo County Touring Club - Kitchener/Waterloo</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cyclefest</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Peterborough Tour Riders - Peterborough</div><div style="text-align: center;">The Price is Right Rally</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ottawa Valley Touring Club - Ottawa</div><div style="text-align: center;">Rally in the Valley</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Peacemakers - Rochester NY</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lost Weekend</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The five Canadian clubs were at the forefront of ORRA. I was the President of the Nickel Riders at the time and, last summer, I reached out to two of the other presidents from that era that I had not seen in decades. Ralph of the York Wings and Ray of the Peterborough Tour Riders lived fairly close to each other so I arranged for us to have lunch at about the midpoint in Bracebridge. Leo Laframboise accompanied me on the ride to the meet. It was great seeing old friends again and catching up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year, Ralph and I decided to do lunch again. On the advice of The Mighty Stonewall, we selected the <a href="http://www.crowsnestnewmarket.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Crow's Nest Pub</a> in Newmarket. This was roughly half way between us but north of crazy Toronto (or so I thought). Another former York Wing who we have stayed in touch with, Eric, lives just off Highway 9. Since I would be going right by his door, I called him and asked if he wanted to come along. He said sure but I decided we would surprise Ralph.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandy had thought about coming but then the weather man said there was a good probability of thunderstorms in the afternoon so she decided to stay home. By this morning, the meteorologists had cancelled the rain predictions but she had already made up her mind. The meeting time was 1:00 PM and I left a little early. Good thing because I found Dufferin 3 on the way to Orangeville had been reduced to gravel. The flagman at one stretch told me they would be starting to spread asphalt next week. I am not a big fan of gravel roads but I stayed loose and rode through it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I took a detour up through the Hockley Valley because the road has a lot of sweeping curves and is fun to ride. Then I took the Mono Adjala Townline, a dead straight 60 KPH road I had never been on before, straight back south to Highway 9. From there, it was a short hop to Eric's house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">About ten years ago, Eric and Sherri sold their large house in Inverhaugh and bought a small place in a retirement community called Tecumseth Pines. Eric showed me some renovations that they had done since they moved in and I was suitably impressed. It looked like the after shots on one of those reno shows. I have to mention that Eric and Sherri with their GoldWing are some of the few people I know who are still regularly engaging in a long haul riding lifestyle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Eric and I headed out across Highway 9 with him in the lead. It was a straight run with one right turn just before we got to the pub. Traffic got more dense after we crossed Highway 400 and I was starting to doubt the wisdom of picking Newmarket, but we arrived without incident. Ralph pulled up a few minutes late due to missing a turn.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5KnSpGP0hPeJNp9TnSb9wBPp1stZTV6jEAnl-fvlCyTHcd69njkXWKB__8KR5ViBgayEpiVdrLo1dBZ-fEmwYyeVgsTThe61z5VYdr0Fzc7jny9-RhSvDCidfsuoJ_s-aUkA/s835/20210827+Waterloo+to+Newmarket.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="835" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5KnSpGP0hPeJNp9TnSb9wBPp1stZTV6jEAnl-fvlCyTHcd69njkXWKB__8KR5ViBgayEpiVdrLo1dBZ-fEmwYyeVgsTThe61z5VYdr0Fzc7jny9-RhSvDCidfsuoJ_s-aUkA/s320/20210827+Waterloo+to+Newmarket.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/SoANAChLdzD66tSf6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterloo to Newmarket - 86 miles</a></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is good to reconnect with old friends. Eric and Ralph had not seen each other in about three decades and it was like old home week. Plus they both teach college courses now, Eric in accounting and Ralph in law enforcement, so they got to compare teaching note as well. The pub was nice and not crowded, so we were able to take our time and reminisce. After we finished and went outside, we spent more time swapping stories in the parking lot until we had to go. Everyone agreed that we would have to do this again.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5scbFVxhLmvHnWGkxiY7UPztgkXVElHycEWtc3tjy381zf89ktqrHuuJ_xK0YRPdVfMni54sgoejBT9kGc9ab_cN7jaeZKOP7WC4_ogPwJkG739ZX4KcTqMe6dNrB9-0JHA5/s640/20210827002I+Old+York+Wings+Lunch.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5scbFVxhLmvHnWGkxiY7UPztgkXVElHycEWtc3tjy381zf89ktqrHuuJ_xK0YRPdVfMni54sgoejBT9kGc9ab_cN7jaeZKOP7WC4_ogPwJkG739ZX4KcTqMe6dNrB9-0JHA5/s320/20210827002I+Old+York+Wings+Lunch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Crow's Nest Pub - Newmarket Ontario</i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzUMBhtdhAU4rMLekgTvRvZiazGEJisAyAZcWAiFzR1ywQdjvDoPmBKqFe7Pvw5LgcHJbVRlZaX_HPhFVckgp_0bGpTwcWwrEibacRXvuQ-pDI_mFMx9uKB1DvHx5WlwGgNgD/s640/20210827001I+Old+York+Wings+Lunch.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzUMBhtdhAU4rMLekgTvRvZiazGEJisAyAZcWAiFzR1ywQdjvDoPmBKqFe7Pvw5LgcHJbVRlZaX_HPhFVckgp_0bGpTwcWwrEibacRXvuQ-pDI_mFMx9uKB1DvHx5WlwGgNgD/s320/20210827001I+Old+York+Wings+Lunch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><b><i>Eric and Ralph - Two Old York Wingers</i></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eric and I headed out together with me following again. Once we got over the 400, traffic got better but, on a two lane road with little chance to pass, you are limited to your slowest common denominator. When Eric peeled off at his turn, we waved and I kept going. I followed Highway 9 right to Orangeville where I fueled up. Then I tried an alternate route to try and avoid the gravel on CR 3. I did miss most of it.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_JRI3cx7___owl2ZH4ud3gklgkV1ClPlXqWE6aECf7hFj0teu4AMvJDqitdfHQijienlCTodUhPx_Sq8nTZv5OhCnBjgMOpTnex5qElFEh5SUhK3YsjdxKjPg5I5VaEYmQ30/s889/20210827+Newmarket+to+Waterloo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="889" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_JRI3cx7___owl2ZH4ud3gklgkV1ClPlXqWE6aECf7hFj0teu4AMvJDqitdfHQijienlCTodUhPx_Sq8nTZv5OhCnBjgMOpTnex5qElFEh5SUhK3YsjdxKjPg5I5VaEYmQ30/s320/20210827+Newmarket+to+Waterloo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/XJ2vBhcmNnLPitQdA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Newmarket to Waterloo</a></i></b></div><div><br /></div>I got home just after 6:00 PM. It was a good riding day, hot but rewarding, and I stayed dry. I need to reach out to a few more folks and do some reconnecting.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-42808352070499654642021-07-21T18:00:00.289-04:002021-09-04T15:32:37.699-04:00The Niagara Escarpment and Dunnville<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although we have not been able to travel again this summer, I have been out from time to time exploring the roads around our new home. We are not total strangers to the area, having attended the Cyclefest Rally here for 29 of its thirty years between 1980 and 2010. The countryside is pretty but the limited stretches of curvy roads are joined by many more miles of dead straight routes. Still, I have been searching out the interesting sections and stringing them together for some fun outings.</div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;">The Mighty Stonewall (Gordon) has been a VROC friend for over twenty years. He lives in Woodbridge on the north side of Toronto and we have been talking about getting together to ride for some time now. He offered to show me some of his favourite roads to the south of us, an area I was not that familiar with. We agreed to meet a a Tim Horton's in Milton at 10:00 AM.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was up early this morning, something I don't do very often these days. I decided to leave a little early and avoid the 401 superslab on the way to the rendezvous. The secondary roads were fairly peaceful and I got to the Timmie's in Milton a little early. While waiting, I talked to a gentleman from Texas who had gotten his motorhome into Canada and was visiting relatives in Toronto.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR-NezGIp6vs2vNTntQtN-SA9nu-GqIj-welCFGCzy-oIv3Omp5rRVAhcnwGJpOEkDLWVwivyhylMuFegJTejKtdXoiz3zz-oak0_6yix2eIytcMUfJKOxTz-Gt3K9wwhwjoj/s836/20210721+Waterloo+to+Milton.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="836" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR-NezGIp6vs2vNTntQtN-SA9nu-GqIj-welCFGCzy-oIv3Omp5rRVAhcnwGJpOEkDLWVwivyhylMuFegJTejKtdXoiz3zz-oak0_6yix2eIytcMUfJKOxTz-Gt3K9wwhwjoj/s320/20210721+Waterloo+to+Milton.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/n77R7r2puZpJGxLB8 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Waterloo to Milton - 44 miles</a></i></b></p><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3np7yIBrN7dcAFsGff9pf2l7Ti8uMdWx5G1qAsTOCNrwoqCGfn0Kb4uZ-WdAZ36Zuqv0kw6aEL_C4hAWDnGQtyjnkgBFqmW9ll2NjGobiJ6TTYWYVqSE-KqUnWm5Uc8KEIOu/s640/20210721002I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3np7yIBrN7dcAFsGff9pf2l7Ti8uMdWx5G1qAsTOCNrwoqCGfn0Kb4uZ-WdAZ36Zuqv0kw6aEL_C4hAWDnGQtyjnkgBFqmW9ll2NjGobiJ6TTYWYVqSE-KqUnWm5Uc8KEIOu/s320/20210721002I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Waiting for Gord in Milton</i></b></div></b><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Gord pulled in on his white GL-1800 right right on time. I followed him down backroads past farms and intersections. The scenery was great and then we started climbing up and down the Niagara Escarpment as the turns got tighter. There were even a couple of hairpins marked at 10 KPH. It was a hoot. Eventually, above the town of Dundas, we stopped at the Sydenham Lookout where a few other riders were already admiring the view.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhou4rs5Ibdsi2otzeMa21jepbXPUyVuq3XflWEttdZz1hIiD5Hs1hRKymyOun2ksvUCrrFPKc2mag_Vawy3irbBK-q3TxziIT7Ie3bRfIzjBIdBzmerKexk8xXLkmFOLFIk4xi/s702/20210721+Milton+to+Sydenham+Lookout.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="702" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhou4rs5Ibdsi2otzeMa21jepbXPUyVuq3XflWEttdZz1hIiD5Hs1hRKymyOun2ksvUCrrFPKc2mag_Vawy3irbBK-q3TxziIT7Ie3bRfIzjBIdBzmerKexk8xXLkmFOLFIk4xi/s320/20210721+Milton+to+Sydenham+Lookout.JPG" width="320" /><br /></a><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/VUUnLo2jeR5BqrhD6 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Milton to Sydenham Lookout - 27 miles</a></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQHrhI8GaVhSMn6fq05lnAt_bwwcyFBSb7vdPOfXmYidtnoy6zNfBZTsTTXuC7G3ugR0vypLF_EtdtJ_YCo6aUi9ipe7Xhaa8bNY85r4jdppPzjZCVJ4OpvVjIKh2v9YXVbL1/s640/20210721003I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQHrhI8GaVhSMn6fq05lnAt_bwwcyFBSb7vdPOfXmYidtnoy6zNfBZTsTTXuC7G3ugR0vypLF_EtdtJ_YCo6aUi9ipe7Xhaa8bNY85r4jdppPzjZCVJ4OpvVjIKh2v9YXVbL1/s320/20210721003I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" width="320" /><br /></a><b><i>Sydenham Lookout - Hamilton on the horizon</i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;">Leaving the lookout, we descended and negotiated the busy streets of Dundas and Ancaster before finding the open road. Eventually, we connected with Haldimand County Road 54 at Onondaga and followed it along the Grand River through Caledonia to Cayuga, where we jogged onto Haldimand County Road 17. Signs billed this whole route as the Grand River Scenic Byway.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The whole time we rode along the river, we were traveling through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haldimand_Proclamation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Haldimand Tract</a>. This is an area of land encompassing six miles either side of the entire length of the Grand River that was granted to the Mohawks in 1784 in return for their support during the American Revolution. This land has been and still is the subject of a dispute between the Mohawks of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Nations_of_the_Grand_River" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve</a> and the government of Canada. In the meantime, the road made for a pleasant and relaxing ride.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eventually, we arrived at the <a href="https://www.countrychipwagon.ca/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Country Chip Wagon</a> in Dunnville, which lies near where the Grand River empties into Lake Erie. It is about half way between Niagara Falls and the sometime motorcycle mecca of Port Dover, where riders gather every <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_motorcycle_rally" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Friday the 13th</a>. Food at the chip wagon hit the spot.</div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbTKnJt-1A786qOLNxJai5zK9GIRQUDnU4_O1gub_5eUc5XlJRaqNhbMhh0Us1hIZxlpyB9Gxii_Nf1lptiRnpTjX_MBa-8FSH-pJkcW9LRM-jDPfpk4gWZIBNOPE-B2CNJ73/s799/20210721+Sydenham+Lookout+to+Dunnville.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="799" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbTKnJt-1A786qOLNxJai5zK9GIRQUDnU4_O1gub_5eUc5XlJRaqNhbMhh0Us1hIZxlpyB9Gxii_Nf1lptiRnpTjX_MBa-8FSH-pJkcW9LRM-jDPfpk4gWZIBNOPE-B2CNJ73/s320/20210721+Sydenham+Lookout+to+Dunnville.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/oKLvPfDqGAmQcWTF6 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sydenham Lookout to Dunnville - 52 miles</a></i></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67Sz0Z33gXKAZ71XAOjZyXr04NJtfLhUoT2ltiNrInzPo2WVJRJ_zZ-v_mIuoFTyweq9uJ9M_ei2kuTseUS9BBCmF1zfhKYJkIQVMCXxAaryIhNrv4KMP6LXIRP_UIxXaU6NY/s640/20210721005I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67Sz0Z33gXKAZ71XAOjZyXr04NJtfLhUoT2ltiNrInzPo2WVJRJ_zZ-v_mIuoFTyweq9uJ9M_ei2kuTseUS9BBCmF1zfhKYJkIQVMCXxAaryIhNrv4KMP6LXIRP_UIxXaU6NY/s320/20210721005I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Country Chip Wagon - Dunnville Ontario</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Cxz6Hrtero7_3tOnV8ChdxjfPP4XAmb7KGVDNABy6DZwlOHmVykTR2EEeQKK_qP9VEevNX6UKoPzqypK6UoXqip02X1rCsmZLLmccM4Oi6kiTzRUBKnVIiM5X2y0uJRN1yRw/s640/20210721004I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Cxz6Hrtero7_3tOnV8ChdxjfPP4XAmb7KGVDNABy6DZwlOHmVykTR2EEeQKK_qP9VEevNX6UKoPzqypK6UoXqip02X1rCsmZLLmccM4Oi6kiTzRUBKnVIiM5X2y0uJRN1yRw/s320/20210721004I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Lots of choices on the menu</i></b></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4W7lBmJI5lwj_IvQQ6Qe-x5EBgDrXwZli9UfVimrUrdM220URhDApGc68PU7eapPn5pXxuPQTYFqVgVSW0IXMwvKDEUt-y9LOV-rVfMH56CiswpcmmURY_fKU-Q8uiAljOuv/s640/20210721006I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4W7lBmJI5lwj_IvQQ6Qe-x5EBgDrXwZli9UfVimrUrdM220URhDApGc68PU7eapPn5pXxuPQTYFqVgVSW0IXMwvKDEUt-y9LOV-rVfMH56CiswpcmmURY_fKU-Q8uiAljOuv/s320/20210721006I+Riding+With+Stonewall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Gord checking his messages while we wait for our food</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div></b><div style="text-align: left;">When we finished eating, we started back up 17 and 54. Not to far along, i saw something fall from Gord's bike and end up on the road. I stopped and walked back for it but a car clipped it before I could get there. It was a hard case for eyeglasses that was empty when I picked it up. I caught up to Gord, who was waiting on the shoulder a short ways up, and we continued until we stopped on the Six Nations Reserve for fuel. I gave Gord the case and he was surprised that he had apparently left it on his seat and, further, that there was not a pair of glasses in it. This was the second pair he had lost in a short period of time and Mrs. Stonewall was not going to be happy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Continuing on, I left Gord who stopped at a smoke shop for some discount Backwoods cigars before turning towards Toronto. I continued northwest through Brantford and back to Cambridge and Waterloo. I took a bit of a side jaunt through Glen Morris so I could ride Waterloo Regional Road 75 back to Galt. This is one of my favourite stretches of road and I ride it any time I am nearby.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLREYbcZhMm15ScZLhS8hF0fT41kl0fSq41yV1Onm66CeKE4P1xN4XAszN48kPg1hBJfb9ufNfNNMGLheGC6zEZaq1IpD4JG1pdHo2xXUFrg_-Q3WAC9dmBxiZZvN3IpsSyx5L/s790/20210721+Dunnville+to+Waterloo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="790" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLREYbcZhMm15ScZLhS8hF0fT41kl0fSq41yV1Onm66CeKE4P1xN4XAszN48kPg1hBJfb9ufNfNNMGLheGC6zEZaq1IpD4JG1pdHo2xXUFrg_-Q3WAC9dmBxiZZvN3IpsSyx5L/s320/20210721+Dunnville+to+Waterloo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/KrfbRhNvK5c1WAp69 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dunnville to Waterloo - 79 miles</a></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I got back to the condo in time for supper. I had covered 199 miles, seen some new roads and really enjoyed having someone to ride with. Next time, I will lead.</div></div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-28971482791224037322021-07-17T20:00:00.086-04:002021-09-04T12:33:44.395-04:00Happy Birthday, Sandy<p>The travel blog has been pretty quiet so far this year. That is obviously because there has been no travel. With the US border closed to non-essential traffic and the pandemic numbers there not looking so good, we have been tied pretty close to our new home in Waterloo.</p><p>On the plus side, we are really enjoying this leased condo. It is roomy and the building is nice and well managed. The exercise room and pool were just reopened yesterday as Ontario moved to what they call Level 3.</p><p>Level 3 allowed unlimited indoor dining and, since today was Sandy's birthday, the family gathered last evening at the <a href="https://www.crowsfootsmokehaus.ca/" target="_blank">Crowsfoot Smokehaus</a> in Conestogo (just north of the City of Waterloo) to celebrate the occasion. This establishment used to be the Black Forest Inn where Heather and Tom tied the knot in the fall of 2009.</p><p>We had not seen an indoor table set for ten people in a very long time. Sandy and I split a three meat plate with brisket, pulled pork and chicken plus a couple of sides. This was followed by sharing Black Forest cake for dessert, a family tradition started by Sandy's father Harry.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKiTHa7Bsk3aoEgVoW5kaDGlSU-mOS-O6uy1ZrH2cq05Wu_0grKGGN77H1-8glT3uI5rOyy06vxQpBlyyLh3D8Xge9bSe7FqPsBUnOVqVGDRFmzw2j5ExNB9s3d6-i8w94tAx/s640/20210716_175855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKiTHa7Bsk3aoEgVoW5kaDGlSU-mOS-O6uy1ZrH2cq05Wu_0grKGGN77H1-8glT3uI5rOyy06vxQpBlyyLh3D8Xge9bSe7FqPsBUnOVqVGDRFmzw2j5ExNB9s3d6-i8w94tAx/s320/20210716_175855.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><b><i>The first full family meal in a long time</i></b></div><p style="text-align: left;">It was a great evening celebrating in person together. After we were done, we all took a drive to West Montrose and crossed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Montrose_Covered_Bridge" target="_blank">Kissing Bridge</a>, a covered bridge that appeared in the most recent film versions of Stephen King's It and It 2. Then we all headed for our respective homes.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx6vb7ihEQ48UlUaRbNbDockEyRiznQQNWFI7pWQdbblG1gGZW3OUI6GFgmEeHGaT9jmOiArdGCEdqxufG3A-gVY01SW_VzSpTBAZSHIn7WUrRxrIWeHSfYevBZ-mPdS0Jx_F/s1500/it-kissing-bridge-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkx6vb7ihEQ48UlUaRbNbDockEyRiznQQNWFI7pWQdbblG1gGZW3OUI6GFgmEeHGaT9jmOiArdGCEdqxufG3A-gVY01SW_VzSpTBAZSHIn7WUrRxrIWeHSfYevBZ-mPdS0Jx_F/s320/it-kissing-bridge-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i>Scene from movie It</i></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">After that, Sandy's actual birthday was anti-climactic. We stayed in while she received many congratulations and birthday greetings from friends through her Facebook account.</p><p style="text-align: left;">More often than not since we retired, we have celebrated her birthday on the road somewhere, Usually with friends in places like Lake Topaz, Nevada; Solvang, California; Shelter Cove, California or Richmond, Kentucky. Hopefully, we can get back to out travels while we are still able.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Until then, Happy Birthday to my favourite wife. If I had to be locked down with anyone, you were the best choice possible. I love you to the moon and back</p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-59184376983646790242021-05-03T22:08:00.000-04:002021-05-03T22:08:23.466-04:00Another Memory From Fifty Years Ago<p>Here is another brief walk down memory lane. I am recording these things so that once my memory has slipped, I can read and remember.</p><p>Fifty years ago, May 3 1971, I rode my new Yamaha 350 from my meager apartment in Gatchell to the Inco General Office in Copper Cliff. I proudly walked into the office carrying my helmet like a badge that told the world that I was a little bit different, a man to be reckoned with. I was a biker.</p><p>The men in the Pay Office (women were not allowed to work there until 1974) made the appropriate noises but the boss, Bob McInnis, looked at me like I had two heads. It was a pretty conservative place back then.</p><p>Mondays and Tuesdays, the Copper Cliff Police Force (company owned) drove us out to TD banks, mines and surface plants to hand out pay cheques. We had over 18,000 hourly rated employees back then and I personally handed cheques to about 4,000 of them a week. I spent Monday morning at the main TD bank branch on Durham Street paying men who worked at the mills, smelter and refineries (Tuesday was mines day). Back in the office, I was scheduled to spend the afternoon at the Iron Ore Recovery Plant, sitting in the Time Office with Timekeeper Hank Harrison and handing out cheques to the workers as they came off shift. Normally, I would be driven over there by Copper Cliff Police Corporal Lloyd Walford, a jovial, portly man who I could not imagine doing actual police work. This day, I asked Lloyd to take the cheque box and meet me at the plant gate.</p><p>I fired up the R5 and, in a cloud of blue two-stroke smoke, pulled out of the parking lot. Now that I had been riding two whole days, I figured I knew what I was doing. I took Power Street and followed it onto company property past the Copper Refinery gate. I crested a mild hill and saw a large patch of gravel at the end of the road to the new Nickel Refinery, which was under construction. Alarmed, I applied the brakes. Or rather, I applied the front brake because I knew that is where most of the braking power came from. Most of the time. Unfortunately, this was long before ABS and the front wheel locked in the gravel, losing the gyroscopic effect that kept the bike upright. Down we went, the bike and I, at about 40 MPH. I slid, it slid, eventually stopping in a crowd of dust.</p><p>I will give the old Yammies credit, they were tough. Thankful for my old, used leather motorcycle jacket and gloves, I got up, dusted myself off and picked up the bike. The handlebars were crooked but everything else looked good so I fired it up and rode the last quarter mile to the IORP gate. Lloyd, using his keen police powers of observation, noted that something had happened. I told him I was fine and he suggested I look again. Blood was running out from under my right sleeve and dripping on the ground. Something had punctured my leather jacket and then my skin as the sleeve slid up. I had a gash in my forearm ending just below the elbow.</p><p>Hank took the cheque box to the Time Office while I was sent to the adjacent First Aid Room. The attendant cleaned the wound as well as he could (gravel kept coming out of it for a couple of weeks afterwards), applied antiseptic and bandaged it. Then I went back out to do my job. Soon after, I began to feel cold, clammy and faint. Before I fell off the stool, Hank got me back to First Aid where they decided I was in shock and needed to lie down on a cot. Hank handed out cheques until I felt better.</p><p>When it was time to leave, I took the meager tools and loosened the bolts on the front end. Then I grabbed the bars, pulled them into the right place and tightened the bolts again before riding home. And that was that.</p><p>Until the next day when I walked into the Pay Office and Bob, the Paymaster, said "Here comes Skid". In addition to being Inco's first Workman's Compensation motorcycle accident, I had earned a new nickname. It probably would not have stuck if the incident on May 17th had not happened. More on that later, but fifty years have gone by and Skid still how many people know me.</p><p>Fifty years. Wow. Where has the time gone?</p><p><br /></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-33254896610886171462021-05-01T08:00:00.001-04:002021-05-01T11:19:17.211-04:00Fifty Years<p> Today is a very important anniversary in my life.</p><p>Fifty years ago, May 1st 1971, I was 18 years old and had been working in the Inco Pay Office in Copper Cliff, Ontario (a suburb of Sudbury Ontario, then Nickel Capital of the World) since the previous December. Before I moved away from Sault Ste. Marie, I bought a 1970 Yamaha R5 350 cc two stroke motorcycle. As I recall, I paid $912 of borrowed money for it. Because I got it in October, I did not get a chance to ride it before I left town.</p><p>The weather forecast for Saturday (May 1st) looked good so I took a Greyhound bus the 180 miles to the Soo on Friday evening. The next morning, after putting the fully charged battery into the bike, I kicked it over. It started right away with that distinctive ringey-dingey-dingey sound that Yamaha two stroke engines of the era were famous for. The R5 350 was a redesigned machine, having been downsized and up-powered from the 1969 350 version To top it off, it was painted a stylish fuchsia and white. Complementing that, I had a metal flake fuchsia helmet, fuchsia shirt and fuchsia socks. Yes, I looked like a neon rider.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_JeQjYZr4vuWb43gtYhTuZ6Bd09aq6hkA3nMYLUrXaoSIk95cG2yMdk_KD0e3yID4odDKym1-4xmFH0kbJhG2oQmJs2mqZpbV0f7UCEbwmAI0lRFMLTXCCch3rvu3gTmcMfX/s400/86_1_b.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_JeQjYZr4vuWb43gtYhTuZ6Bd09aq6hkA3nMYLUrXaoSIk95cG2yMdk_KD0e3yID4odDKym1-4xmFH0kbJhG2oQmJs2mqZpbV0f7UCEbwmAI0lRFMLTXCCch3rvu3gTmcMfX/s320/86_1_b.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>1970 Yamaha R5 (not mine but looked just the same)</i></b></div><p>You have to understand that I had only ridden a motorcycle once before. The previous year, I was the one sitting on an 80cc Suzuki project bike when it finally started so I rode it around my girlfriend's yard until I tangled with a weeping willow tree and ripped off a cable. Despite that shaky start, I was not deterred from the great adventure before me. Once the bike warmed up, I gamely fastened my helmet, clicked the bike into gear and rode to the nearest gas station. After topping up the tank, I turned east on Highway 17 and rode the 180 miles back to Sudbury. And that, friends, was my first motorcycle ride on the road.</p><p>Since then, I have had a few incidents (as my nickname might suggest). Two were in the first two weeks of riding and just two more occurred over the next more than 500,000 miles. Riding has been a constant in my life for the last fifty years. It has been about more than just the motorcycles, though. It has been travels far and wide shared with my wife and partner, Sandy, plus all the great people we have met along the way. As I reflect on our history today, I eagerly look forward to what the next fifty years will bring.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJHoYaJ6b0J6kqowKuhS8lv3MdG5jovlSQu38phTbq-WqPWpc4Q4LxjJVNsmU6LtrwpfoNpQxGN0NUhLSUWLx_qahd6HJS8ZfsxasGTp_1o88C6hYtvhHcm9y9wyZu0K6hHz8/s600/54257941_10156724333391001_7444554745022251008_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJHoYaJ6b0J6kqowKuhS8lv3MdG5jovlSQu38phTbq-WqPWpc4Q4LxjJVNsmU6LtrwpfoNpQxGN0NUhLSUWLx_qahd6HJS8ZfsxasGTp_1o88C6hYtvhHcm9y9wyZu0K6hHz8/s320/54257941_10156724333391001_7444554745022251008_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ride safe,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jim 'Skid' Robinson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Waterloo, Ontario</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">May 1. 2021</div>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-30830760431008448672020-12-31T23:00:00.056-05:002021-01-04T21:01:55.903-05:00Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021<p>Here it is, New Year's Eve. Time to bid farewell to a year that really turned out to be underwhelming. COVID and a cancelled summer plus the loss of Sandy's Mom Jan, after she deteriorated due to lockdown, made this one we would probably rather forget.</p><p>On the plus side, though, we are in a new place where we do not need to worry about maintenance, mowing, snowblowing or any of those other responsibilities of ownership. We took possession two months ago and have not regretted it for a minute.</p><p>Soon after we got back from the last trip, the TV arrived. Kim and Mike helped us pick it up in their van and bring it home. While at Leon's, we also ordered two recliners that were delivered just a few days later. Then we ordered a king size platform bed headboard and frame, also from Leon's, and a foam mattress in a box from Douglas. The stacked washer and dryer that came with the unit died (seized dryer motor) so our landlords Vic and Mone bought a new one. It took a while to get it connected due to condo rules that any connections need to be done by a licenced plumber, but they are now working.</p><p>We still need a couch, chairs and tables for the living room, furnishings for the guest bedroom and dresser and bedside tables for the master bedroom, in addition to a few other things, but we are getting by just fine.</p><p>We found an optometrist and we have a family doctor lined up. The latter was arranged through Health Care Connect, a provincial government service. Unfortunately, Ontario Premier Doug Ford ordered a 28 day lockdown starting Boxing Day due to increasing COVID rates so we won't be able to schedule an appointment until after that ends. Still, there is light at then end of the tunnel.</p><p>After several years of looking at it, I am now doing most of my work on my HP Windows 10 convertible, although the W 7 Dell is still in service. I subscribed to Microsoft 365, which came with a TB of OneDrive cloud storage. Most of my files are mirrored there and can be shared with any of my devices. I have one more program to test in the W10 environment and I then will be able to switch over totally. Then I will start working on the photo scanning project. There are so many photos.</p><p>So the year was not a total loss. We are staying positive and staying safe. We look forward to seeing people in 2021 and, if the vaccine works out, maybe doing some traveling. So, on an upbeat note,</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!</span></b></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-24116954723928482712020-11-13T20:01:00.096-05:002021-01-04T20:38:16.033-05:00Waterloo Ontario to Sudbury Ontario Return - The House Is Sold<p>In the few days since we arrived in Waterloo, we found a Costco and bought a microwave oven. We also checked out Zehr's grocery store and found that they did not have the product lines we liked despite being part of the Loblaws family. Creatures of habit, we found a Real Canadian Superstore just like the one back hope, except it was about six times larger. While there, we registered with the pharmacy. We also stopped by Leon's furniture store and ordered a 65" Samsung Q80T television. This was a couple of sizer larger and a lot better picture quality than the one I broke (No, I swear I did not break it on purpose). We found out that the furniture pipeline was empty and orders could take a long time to fill. Fortunately, they expected this TV to arrive within the week.</p><p>Yesterday, we drove to Sudbury and checked into the Hampton Inn. Then we went out to supper at St. Louis Bar & Grill with Leo and Diane.</p><p>This morning, as it rained lightly, we went for breakfast at Perkins with <a href="http://www.saferidehomesudbury.ca/" target="_blank">Safe Ride Home Sudbury</a> President Lesli Green. We would normally have been starting the 2020 campaign to provide rides home in their own vehicles for clients who thought they might be over the limit. Alas, with COVID, this season was not to be. While I would be stepping down as Volunteer Coordinator, I expected to remain on board in a consultative role as this program that I really believe in moves forward.</p><p>We stopped at the house and carefully loaded our pictures in the car. We saw that Lana had picked up the furniture from the garage, The few things remaining, outside the items specified in the sale agreement, did not bother me since we were turning the house over a month earlier than originally agreed to.</p><p>Then we drove downtown for our 11:00 AM meeting with our lawyer, Tracy, at <a href="https://www.bestlawoffices.ca/our-team" target="_blank">Best Law Offices</a>. Sandy and I had been two of Peter Best's first clients back in 1975 and now, with his daughter Amy spearheading the firm, they would fulfill our last legal needs as citizens of Northern Ontario. We signed a lot of papers and turned over our keys to the house we had lived in for 36 years. You would think there might have been a bit of sadness but, to tell the truth, I did not feel it.</p><p>It was drizzling as we headed south just after noon. We caught rain in Parry Sound but the sun was out as we took the back road through Hockley on the way home. We noted that the Rosebud parking lot had been closed off since out last trip. The last way in, we were slowed by big trucks taking the back roads late on a Friday afternoon and it started raining as we reached Waterloo. The Equinox was parked in the garage just before 5:00 PM.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hs3cCbwkFANbUQjYf9C2kr9JZrYc7TmzCzInxKL8-rNs8rX2IbCtI6CQkpqQ9ijG9QedFs0kuw5MLLFTPbr5hwwJH7dIH_tnyEQbw3heHDUf23syVQX59i12KodVeLXwzxo1/s1024/20201113002H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hs3cCbwkFANbUQjYf9C2kr9JZrYc7TmzCzInxKL8-rNs8rX2IbCtI6CQkpqQ9ijG9QedFs0kuw5MLLFTPbr5hwwJH7dIH_tnyEQbw3heHDUf23syVQX59i12KodVeLXwzxo1/w400-h300/20201113002H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Clouds north of Waterloo</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">We were now full-fledged residents of southern Ontario, something I have not been since before I was three years old. Time to settle in and enjoy our new home.</p><p><br /></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-23682595623141647392020-11-09T21:00:00.147-05:002021-01-04T20:00:42.365-05:00Sudbury Ontario to Waterloo Ontario - Moving Trip #4 (Last)<p style="text-align: left;">Back from Waterloo on Thursday, it was time to get the last things out of the house. I put out a call to the Freedom Riders and had some of our brothers and sisters of the wind come out Sunday and lend a hand. Not only did we get the furniture we were taking to Waterloo loaded in the trailer, we also got the large couch, love seat and other things we were giving to Lana moved to the garage. It would be easier for her to pick them up from there before the 15th. The weather was absolutely spectacular for the move.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Our TV was on the floor and we ended up sitting in camp chairs for the night. That was after we went out for supper with Leo and Diane at <a href="https://www.stlouiswings.com/" target="_blank">St. Louis Bar & Grill</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This morning, we loaded the TV and chairs in the Equinox. The only things remaining were our paintings and prints, which we would pick up next week when we came up to close the deal on the house.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It was spitting a bit as we left town at 8:30 AM. We stopped at the truck pullout at Burwash to dump the garbage and, with the air a balmy 57 F, the morning did not feel like Northern Ontario in November.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Fnq4yBGOVBKz3QtLp9wPHDKlfVKzwv5pDOQC1zuiCpk9d4JgpFepPe3PceOJtzBmkx3CJbMq54DGMgPNDhlmXPRQAAG6sMJtoUJDlzRAJbxQKeeoP6fixhGn96wkmaQ30uX0/s1024/20201109001H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Fnq4yBGOVBKz3QtLp9wPHDKlfVKzwv5pDOQC1zuiCpk9d4JgpFepPe3PceOJtzBmkx3CJbMq54DGMgPNDhlmXPRQAAG6sMJtoUJDlzRAJbxQKeeoP6fixhGn96wkmaQ30uX0/w400-h300/20201109001H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p><b><i>I am going to miss Highway 69</i></b></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_kmX8vfDdvcFgOkgW_syNUSGrFPXANMA2UIZzUxEnntA3-J0KYOO3vcJ7WEqzT9S8Bi9ajcdEQAwvmFIeVUi4Z5OiJ8U19dbUZSc2Je6vIR6ZGU8Pe8_0ITllNTXLzzd-27w/s1024/20201109002H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_kmX8vfDdvcFgOkgW_syNUSGrFPXANMA2UIZzUxEnntA3-J0KYOO3vcJ7WEqzT9S8Bi9ajcdEQAwvmFIeVUi4Z5OiJ8U19dbUZSc2Je6vIR6ZGU8Pe8_0ITllNTXLzzd-27w/w400-h300/20201109002H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Port Severn - Cottages on islands can be a problem here</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_sTXOD3GcHxHYlB0oYvBhDZC4CTa7Ly7LLWnruA2o68aBvfl_k9E44s0M4v8jgITfH1lLdIW_nRxoUA6E8yv6yIf__FtDy04hG_gM6xmNbvxNHNzAOZDtmScpyI8SzUioKNm/s1024/20201109004H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_sTXOD3GcHxHYlB0oYvBhDZC4CTa7Ly7LLWnruA2o68aBvfl_k9E44s0M4v8jgITfH1lLdIW_nRxoUA6E8yv6yIf__FtDy04hG_gM6xmNbvxNHNzAOZDtmScpyI8SzUioKNm/w400-h300/20201109004H+Sudbury+to+Waterloo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Not sure what the Mountie Moose was guarding</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">It was 70 F when we saw a northbound group of sport bikes at Waubaushene. I would bet they were heading into Muskoka for a bonus last day of riding the curves.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Arriving at the condo by mid-afternoon, we geared up for a wait. That was not to be because the afternoon booking did not show up and Alice let us go ahead early. With Mike and Tom not there yet, I started moving everything that I could alone. That turned out to be a lot of things. Mike arrived early and we got the rest of it while Tom, who had to travel from Tillsonburg after work, arriving in time for the clean-up. He also brought some of the boxes I had stored in his garage on the way down.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The son-in-laws went over with me to park the trailer in its new home. Then we came back and I hooked up the new modem/router. It was as easy as Rogers had suggested and we had the WiFi and cable working in no time. The older big TV in the bedroom was OK but we discovered that the cracking noise when I squeezed the screen while picking up the 49" Samsung smart TV was fatal. We knew something would not survive the trip.</p><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the end of the day, we were finally in residence. We had my roll top desk (circa 1977), our kitchen table and chairs (circa 1975), camp cots and folding camp chairs plus a ginormous number of boxes. Time to start unpacking. Tomorrow.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Today's Route (288 Equinox/trailer miles):</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/4J4zgRDautv7qZxi6" target="_blank"></a></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiui6qQnd9z3hg7poua8fDPASmsd27eA8YR5c2cfnWv0-o8hQha68lmhQ7Vl-J1PfQA1_ZRgA4ydPKFL9xNQ__obyWpVv8XBN9ffzEdbyMtGnqWXwvK3Vab1oFHzhvb-kek93Uv/s883/20201109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="883" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiui6qQnd9z3hg7poua8fDPASmsd27eA8YR5c2cfnWv0-o8hQha68lmhQ7Vl-J1PfQA1_ZRgA4ydPKFL9xNQ__obyWpVv8XBN9ffzEdbyMtGnqWXwvK3Vab1oFHzhvb-kek93Uv/w400-h275/20201109.JPG" width="400" /></a></i></div><i>Interactive map</i><p></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-27010746498572337622020-11-05T21:00:00.141-05:002021-01-04T19:14:50.218-05:00Sudbury Ontario to Waterloo Ontario and Back - Moving Trip #3<p>When we got back from our trip to Waterloo where we picked up the condo keys, we has less than two weeks to get the move done. You can't just pull up to a high rise building any time you want and start unloading a large amount of stuff, so we had booked the freight elevator for three hours Thursday (today) starting at noon. This gave us a target for our penultimate load.</p><p>The bulk of our things were going into either bankers boxes or slight larger boxes that had originated at the hospital and came to us via Lana, a schoolmate of Kim and Heather, who had just moved into her first house in Garson. We also arranged to give her some of the furniture we were not taking with us.</p><p>Wednesday, I started loading boxes. The symmetry of only having two sizes of box allowed for very orderly arrangement of them in the 5 x 10 trailer. When I had three layers of loaded, we started placing odd shaped and bulky things on top. We also loaded the Equinox and the Kia Rondo, the latter of which would be making a one way trip.</p><p>Once again, Leo became an essential member of the moving team. I'm sorry we did not get any photos today because I would have liked to have some visual memories of how this went.</p><p>We picked Leo up and brought him over to the house before 6:00 AM this morning. It was warmer as we set out, Sandy and I in the Equinox with Leo following in the Kia Rondo. For our American friends, the Rondo was discontinued in the USA after 2010. This was a 2012 Canadian model Sandy's dad bought new and bequeathed to her in his will. It didn't get used much and had less than 15,000 kms on the odometer. </p><p>It was unseasonably warm (49 F at 7:00 AM) and we saw a northbound Indian motorcycle north of Waubaushene, where we stopped at the new Tim's. Continuing on, we approached Waterloo via Highway 9, Orangeville and Fergus. I found the most efficient way to get to the condo from this side was via Winterbourne and Bridge Street, something I had not considered before.</p><p>We arrived at the service doors of 6 Willow Street a couple of minutes before the appointed noon hour. I went in to the management office to look for Alice, the building superintendent, not knowing that she had been watching for me. She tracked me down and watched as we got the vehicles backed up to the service door. Then she showed us how the freight elevator worked and left us to our own devices.</p><p>Sandy did not want us wearing shoes inside the unit due to the off-white carpeting. The foyer was tile so that was OK. The system we set up was that Leo would bring the boxes from the trailer and vehicles and stack them by the elevator door. I would load the elevator and ride it up to the 15th floor and carry them into the unit, stacking them in the foyer. Then Sandy would move them into the living room and re-stack them there. The job got finished quickly and we were able to turn the elevator back over to Alice sooner than we expected. Then I booked it again for 6:00 PM to 9:00 on the 9th (so Mike and Tome could help with the furniture move in).</p><p>The last task was to take the Kia and park it in one of our spaces in the underground lot.</p><p>We were on the road back before 3:00 PM. There were a lot of motorcycles enjoying the unusually warm weather on our way back. Arriving in Sudbury about 8:30 PM, I unhooked the trailer and gave Leo a ride home.</p><p><b>Today's Route (566 Equinox/trailer miles):</b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/aFaSak38oZxBHRxd7" target="_blank"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/aFaSak38oZxBHRxd7" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tG8TQxMvemFrkDr-qBSBdUQPlkpjlOHJTpMjuNgmcDrVJ9XbHeoubDuQSbMN6oh3YfyeMY3LXJJIW2fPZ5cH0Zd8p7nCKwc-cdPhY8sUkcxkyT-mgSyRJHRWsFbnS2VQIFfP/s737/20201105.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="737" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tG8TQxMvemFrkDr-qBSBdUQPlkpjlOHJTpMjuNgmcDrVJ9XbHeoubDuQSbMN6oh3YfyeMY3LXJJIW2fPZ5cH0Zd8p7nCKwc-cdPhY8sUkcxkyT-mgSyRJHRWsFbnS2VQIFfP/w400-h328/20201105.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Interactive map</i></div><p><br /></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11607752.post-37345481136384526222020-11-02T16:48:00.151-05:002021-01-03T22:22:05.208-05:00Waterloo Ontario to Sudbury Ontario - Moving Trip #2 (Day 3)<p>Today was our first morning waking up bright and early in our new home. One thing this place does have is hot water. Lots of it (according to the Welcome to Waterpark Place book, they pressurize the pipes to 150 PSI) and it was instantaneous.</p><p>The first stop this morning was at the condo management offices where we met building manager Tracy. We filled out some tenant forms and booked the freight elevator for the afternoon of Thursday November 5th. That would be the first of two trips down to move all of our possessions. On the way, we checked out the exercise room, swimming pool, party room library and billiard room. The pool and exercise room were open, although under COVID restrictions regarding number of people.</p><p>I had arranged for cable TV and Internet with Rogers. They had a relatively new system called Ignite where the DVR is actually in the cloud. You get a modem/router and a wireless box for each TV. No cables other than one to connect the modem to the cable outlet. And it was a do-it-yourself install. I got a text from the delivery person and was able to track his progress online, which allowed me to meet him in the parking lot and get my bag of goodies. I just left everything in the unit since we had to head back to Sudbury.</p><p>Our new landlords stopped by this morning. Vic and Mone are retired from the University of Waterloo and live in London. They bought this place to be their retirement home but settled in London due to family circumstances and have been leasing this unit out for almost thirty years.. They are very nice folks and were fixing up a few things in the unit.</p><p>One last task on the way out was to find the Access Storage office and take care of the paperwork for the storage spot I was renting for our trailer. Then we were heading north just before 1:00 PM.</p><p>We followed the secondary roads through Fergus, where we picked up lunch at Mickey D's, and then Orangeville where we followed Highway 9 to Highway 400. Snow flurries started in Barrie and then started to intensify around Mount. St;\. Louis.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DF2aRDLiQ-vjHiGlVe6kmGpnMxv7y8lixjmXn05voRbPSP3bxqR_15KmMAxtUm_pgHnl7NNKZ0-znHp7ygZ311lkTc-ZoB3Mt6JVSku5beUkjYRmJllnUD3cSShD5G_nAi94/s1024/20201102003H+Waterloo+to+Sudbury.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DF2aRDLiQ-vjHiGlVe6kmGpnMxv7y8lixjmXn05voRbPSP3bxqR_15KmMAxtUm_pgHnl7NNKZ0-znHp7ygZ311lkTc-ZoB3Mt6JVSku5beUkjYRmJllnUD3cSShD5G_nAi94/w400-h300/20201102003H+Waterloo+to+Sudbury.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p><b><i>Snow in Barrie</i></b></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">After a coffee stop at the new Tim's at Waubaushene, the snow turned to rain near Parry Sound. It was 4:00 PM and starting to get dark. On Highway 69, there was no snow but there were a lot of plows out. What did it matter, it was only taxpayers' money. There was snow on the ground and it was dark when we pulled into the driveway just before 6:00 PM.</p><p><b>Today's Route (285 Equinox miles):</b></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iEWA3U4kYgdWmugEpV8ZJvjwPjR2AS7gjARvVu86G73y-5kCtxtIXzO0AQLrm-nm1IcxBtHwxgd_3qt9bM3705cCMfK7_k1jAxBK7fANtsoSBDPSEKIs0FDaCKrXQCTv8wK7/s737/20201105.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="737" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5iEWA3U4kYgdWmugEpV8ZJvjwPjR2AS7gjARvVu86G73y-5kCtxtIXzO0AQLrm-nm1IcxBtHwxgd_3qt9bM3705cCMfK7_k1jAxBK7fANtsoSBDPSEKIs0FDaCKrXQCTv8wK7/w400-h328/20201105.JPG" width="400" /></a><br /><i><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/uTjbPk2MvW6boB5S6" target="_blank">Interactive Map</a></i></p>Jim "Skid" Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05022087808032148048noreply@blogger.com0