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...

fish sammiches...

saturday morning i was faced with beautiful weather and a wife encouraging me to take a ride... it was early enough that i could take a longer ride and still get back at a reasonable time. i decided to head to wilmington for a fish sammich... not only that, my wife decided to forgo cleaning the bathrooms to ride along. i guaranteed her it would be a decision she wouldn't regret. we called up our neighbors and hit the road...

the ride down gorgeous - a sunny day and nice temps for riding... we stayed off the interstates and main roads as much as possible. cramming what normally might be a two hour trip into four hours.

travels along new roads always makes riding an adventure. passing through small towns that time seems to have forgotten. some that time has just sucked dry and empty... passing through farming communities and by processing plants... you get an appreciation for lifestyles that are so different, that seems so far away. yet they're pretty much in our backyard.

of course the stench of chicken processing plants along the way makes you happy that they're a little further than your backyard. and happy you're not riding in the middle of summer where the odors increase dramatically with the temps.

after about a hundred fifty miles, we reach our destination - the causeway cafe... it may not be much to look at, but it's the kind of place that just has to have great food. and it did. if you're in the area, check it out... oh, and bring cash or checks, they don't accept plastic. i found out the hard way...




after downing our fish sammiches and other yummy food, it was time to head home. the trip home always seems faster but on less pleasant...

on the way home, i was determined to locate the world's largest frying pan, which is located in rose hill. i noticed the sign for the frying pan on the way to wilmington. figuring it was the world's largest, it shouldn't be all that hard to miss. at a minimum, i think i would at least see signs for it... nothing... nada... what a disappointment. but, another destination for another day...

the rest of the trip back was uneventful, with a couple stops for drinks and gas... and a couple pictures... here we are, outside pee wee's service station in the shrinking town of warsaw.





turned out to be a great ride on a great day... the soul needs more days like this... you can check out the 2008 ride map to see the route - this one in green...

peace...

the coffee test...

i posted earlier about some maps i had gotten from america rides maps. i'm really impressed by the detail contained in the map as well as the quality construction of the map.

in my post, i suggested chipping in the extra couple of bucks to get the waterproof map. to be honest, i hadn't actually tested the waterproof durability of the map. i based my comment on the quality material used in the map as well as the price. again, for eight bucks how can you go wrong??

the way i figured it, testing the waterproof-ability of the maps would come one day when i was riding, using the maps and it would start raining. it would be a good test to see how the maps hold up as well and manipulating the maps in the rain. funny how things work out...

i'd been ranting and raving to my neighbor about the maps and wanted to show them to him. on the way to his house, my wife's coffee spilled on the maps. what better time to test them out. both the waterproof and the non-waterproof versions got coffee, so i figured it was a heads up competition.

after noticing the spill, we used napkins to wipe the excess coffee off the maps. wiping the waterproof map was like wiping a piece of plastic. the coffee came off easily and didn't soak into the paper much. there was some staining, but i would expect that.

the non-waterproof map had to be wiped more carefully - blotting more than wiping. if we wiped the map too hard, some of the print started to come off. when we were more careful, we didn't have a problem getting the excess coffee off. more coffee soaked into the map, but not as much as i would have expected. since more coffee had soaked into the map than the waterproof one, it was obviously stained more.

we dried both maps on the dashboard of the car. after the maps were completely dry, they both folded up nicely. other than staining on the waterproof map, you would have never known it got wet. the non-waterproof map had more staining and was a little wrinkled - you could tell it had been wet. however, it is still very usable.

both maps fared well. if you were on a trip, you could probably get by with the non-waterproof map. it could take some water and still survive. but, if you ride, you're going to get wet. in those cases, you definitely want the waterproof map. and even if you don't plan on riding in the rain, you'll want the waterproof map for those mornings when you're planning your ride and your coffee or beverage of choice doesn't stay in the mug...

now that i've real-world tested the maps, i'm even more impressed. definitely a must-have for trips...

do the test...

a quick awareness test for you. how many passes the does team in white make??

it was made for bicyclists, but i think it applies to motorcyclists as well. hell, just about anything really...