lake ride

looks like the year is ending about the same way it started, with a ride up to the kerr lake... i needed to close up the trailer at the lake and decided to make it part of the ride.

can't believe the temps we're having this time of year - in the seventies. and this is december!!!

i called up my neighbor to see if he wanted to tag along for the ride. he got a sporty about couple months ago and he's been riding quite a bit. i figured it'd be a lot of fun riding with him.

after a quick stop at the gas station, we headed for the kerr lake. as always, it was a beautiful day for a ride. we took rt. 1 north to rt. 158 east, then north on lee avenue in middleburg. after winding our way through back roads, we finally crossed the dam and made it to the trailer.

i got to work opening all the spigots, putting antifreeze in the drains and wiring the windows shut. while i was doing that, bill checked out the property and the lake. took me about an hour to get everything done. once i finished and got the place locked up, we headed back out on the bikes.

i offered to let bill lead... he didn't want to since he wasn't sure where we were going. i confessed and told him that i didn't either - i was just going to look for road signs and hope we didn't miss any. but the beauty of being on a bike is if you do miss any turns, it only makes for a new adventure!!!

one the way out, i stopped at the mailbox to see what might be in there. i pulled over to the side of the gravel road without actually pulling off. bill pulled up behind me. i jumped off the bike and looked into the empty mailbox. i hopped onto the bike and lifted it off the kickstand. as i lifted the bike up, it just kept going to the right... i planted my right foot solid onto the ground - as i did, i realized it was in a shallow ditch. between the weight of the bike leaning to the right, and my right foot being lower than i expected, the bike just kept going over - until it was laying on the ground. yup - i tipped my bike over!!! for the first time!!! it must have been pretty funny for bill to watch. the bike just seemed to slowly fall over. thankfully he was there to help me pick it back up as it was laying partway in the ditch. i told him i'd buy him lunch if the story didn't go any further. he upped it to a beer. done deal!!!

we hopped on to rt. 58 west in boydton and took that to clarksville. we decided to grab some food in clarksville before heading back home. after downing our meals, we headed on rt. 49 to virgilina where we picked up rt. 96 for the last leg home...

even though we were gone for over five hours, we only put 130 miles on the bikes. still, great day for a great ride. was nice to get out again - especially considering this may be the last real ride of the year. maybe if the weather holds the week of christmas, i'll be able to get a few more miles in...

until then, ride safe...

hog meeting

rode to the hog meeting tonight... although we've been getting warm weather lately, the ride in was a little cool. again i decided to dress in layers and wear the face mask. i tell you, the face mask has really paid off the few times i've worn it. i didn't realize it would help as much as it does...

ride to the meeting was pretty uneventful. got there and got upstairs to find everyone eating. doh!!! i forgot we were having our christmas "party" at this meeting. the meeting must have started at six or six thirty instead of the usual seven. most people were finishing up their dinners as a few of us straggled in, late.

i decided to throw a sandwich and a brownie on my plate. along with a bag of chips and a soda i was set. all except for a place to sit. there were a lot of tables set up, but no room at any of them - the pitfalls of showing up late!! i sat down in an empty chair and proceeded to eat - carefully balancing the plate on my knee. i managed to get through all the food with out dropping the plate - whew... i can imagine the comments that would have been made - all in jest of course.

the meeting was pretty packed - must have been the free food!! there wasn't really much to address at the meeting, so the meeting itself went quickly. a couple of final dollars to charities, talk of some goals for next year and that was about it. of course the best part of the meeting is the fifty-fifty drawing at the end. tonight's pot was the biggest it's ever been - one hundred ninety plus dollars. that'd make a nice christmas present. and guess who won?? yeah, i don't know either - it wasn't me. damn, that would have been a nice one to win...

ride home was good. got all bundled up before heading out. since the meeting got out a little early, i decided to stop by the store to get my wife some flowers. of course by the time i pulled into the parking lot, took off my gear, locked up the bike and got to the door, the store was closed. missed by minutes. i hate that - it would have been such a nice surprise for her. another time...