bikes, beers, babes and beaches...

rode out to myrtle beach for a couple days during bike week. so much to do, so much to see, it was hard to cram into a couple days... but, i did my best...

ride out on monday was good. cooler weather made the ride more enjoyable. nothing special to report on the ride down - which is a good thing in this case. traffic was a lot lighter than i expected, especially for a monday on ninety-five. the majority of bikes i saw, which was that many to begin with, were heading away from myrtle. must have been the weekend warriors...

i made a quick stop for food and fuel in selma. plenty of fireworks stands in the area, particularly around the state lines. if i wasn't on the front end of my trip, i may have picked some up.




made it into town and, after riding around in the wrong area, finally made it to the place. everyone was already out and about, so i dumped my stuff and headed to the iron gate saloon...


















after the frivolity at iron gate, we headed over to td's sports bar. i guess some of the guys felt their bikes were too dirty...




crazy eric holding the truck back so it can do a burnout...


after a couple beverages, we headed back to the house... the house was nice, with a pool, a view of the sound on one side and a view of more houses on the other...








monday night we headed to suck bang blow, where eric decided to do a burnout...




tuesday was pretty much spent at the rat hole... crazy eric and i participated in some of the bike games while the rest of the crew sat back and watched...


























it wasn't until after trying my skills in the slow roll that i realized maybe it wasn't such a good idea. i've had to have my clutch adjusted several times already this year - this certainly didn't help. the next bike service was coming up soon. i figured i would have them look at doing something more than just adjusting the clutch this time. there had to be something wrong with it...

wednesday was spent riding home. the slipping clutch altered my route home. originally i was planning on taking back roads home. considering the state of the clutch, i decide it was probably best to just get home - quickly.

overall it was a good trip. short but fun... there weren't as many bikes and people compared to the last time i was there. it was kind of nice because i didn't feel like i was spending most of my time on the road, getting around...

and just in case you're interested, check out the 2008 ride map to see the route - this one in pink...

brotherhood...

took a ride out to rocky mount to catch up with my bro and friends. they were on their way to myrtle beach and making their usual stop for the night in rocky mount.

not sure why, but the guys decided, one at a time it seemed, to pull me aside and tell me how great of a guy my brother is. he's always there when anyone needs him, offering a helping hand, equipment, whatever... he seems to be there when anyone needs him with whatever they need, regardless of his own schedule.

i would usually respond that, with this group of guys, they all do that for each other. they balked at that thought, saying it was different with him. he seemed to go above and beyond - which is true.

it got me thinking of brotherhood... in the biking world, terms like brother, bro, brotherhood aren't generally not tossed about and carry some serious weight. but that's not a discussion for here or now...

i would apply brotherhood to any of the guys my brother rides with. they may seem like assholes and certainly act like it at times. but if you need anything, whether you're a stranger or not, they're there to help... they've never met a stranger on a bike...

in this group, brother does rise above. even outside this group, he rises above. it's great to know someone like him. it's even better when he's your brother - in both senses of the word...

peace...

btw - here's the route to rocky mount - in light blue...