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 Memorial day weekend riding part 1Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
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jimtom |
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| May 24th. We just attended our middle daughters high school graduation the night before. So proud of Ali. I told myself I wouldn?t cry but I did. She would be going to the beach in the morning with friends. My 15 year old son was finished with spring football camp and packed a bag to go home with his grandmother who was also at graduation. I didn?t have to return to work until Tuesday. So , all the planets were aligned and Kay and I would get to take a little ride. We had 2 very general options, beach or mountains. It would be mountains. More specifically , North Georgia mountains. One of my favorite places to ride! I packed a tent just in case we wanted to stay at the newly reopened Two Wheels of Suches (TWS). http://twowheelsofsuches.com/ Some great riding and great weather. We took hwy 53 through Rome, Calhoun, Fairmont, Georgia. I had planned to ride hwy 136 , one of my favorite roads in the area, but it was closed. So , we stayed on 53, also a nice road. We rolled into Tate,GA and spotted a mom and pop called Cora?s Country Diner at the intersection. We had planned to eat at the TWS lodge so we rode on. Right past that was this old train depot. It stopped me in my ?tracks?! I had to check it out and get some pictures. After the photo op, we decided not to ride on to Suches for lunch. We were still a good distance out and hungry so we went back down the hill to Coras. We both ate for about $10! That?s my kind of dining experience. Like Joey from the show ?friends?, my favorite food is sandwichs We left and rode by this beautiful began to see signs alongside the road for boiled peanuts but what pulled us off the road was a sign that read MUSCADINE SLUSHIES! We pulled into an abandoned gas station parking lot. The old roadside stand was at the opposite end of the parking lot. Really worth the stop. There was a deck out back over looking a small pond where Kay and I heard a bullfrog and watched small fish in the shallows. The gentleman?s name operating the stand was Tony (the tiger) Weaver. He was a retired school teacher . I had to asked him his name a couple of times ( adult a.d.d. I guess) so , being a school teacher, he said ?like Tony the Tiger? using association to help my memory . It worked , I haven?t forgotten his name since. Really pleasant guy to be around. We got a refill muscadine slushie for the road and headed for Suches. We stopped at Riders Hill on hwy 60 right on the way. http://www.ridershill.com/ They sell bikes including the new EBR sport bikes . The latest revival of Eric Buell. Cool looking rocket. They have Moto Guzzi , Suzuki, some others. They also have consignment bikes and bikes for rent. If I bought a Moto Guzzi , it would be the California Touring 1400. It was beautiful and the ergonomics were perfect for me. They also have a caf? here where you can eat inside or out on a porch lined with rocking chairs and tables. Hwy 60 is a motorcyclist dream! It?s like a thousand ?S? curves strung together. This is a Woody Gap. A lot of hikers do the Appalachian Trail from here. It is a beautiful view of the valley below. We arrived at http://twowheelsofsuches.com/ . I could see some of the hard work and investment before I even pulled into the lodge parking. The first thing I noticed was the concrete pad installed at the mouth of the once gravel driveway. That would give a rider with a big bike and passenger and loaded , peace of mind, trust me , it did. Then I noticed the decks were all redone. A little history: Many riders may remember this campground and lodge formerly known as ?Two Wheels Only? which closed in 2010. Motorcycle enthusiast and local resident of Suches, Bill Johnston, who has been riding the North Georgia mountain roads since the early 1990?s, purchased the property, along with additional land in order to expand the campground and attract larger rallies. He was a frequent camper and diner back when the original founders, Frank and Jeannie Cheek, ran the campground. Bill has fulfilled his dream to reopen this historic landmark and provide meals, lodging and camping to riders, as well as to the general Suches and North Georgia community. Bill was actually outside in his riding gear talking to a camper. We got to meet him and he told us about the expansion, we got to peek in one of the primitive cabins, nice! As much as I like tent camping, I think we will try a cabin next time. There is a totally new, state of the art, bath house. Bill told us to pick out a spot where ever. We picked a spot by the creek. I knew it was going to be great going to sleep that night to the sound of the ?babbling brook?. We set up camp and decided to ride into Dahlonega for supper. We found open air dining (my favorite) BBQ joint and sat outside. I was sitting just a few feet away from this awesome chevelle that belonged to the table next to us. When he cranked it up , Kay and I just looked at each other big eyed . It ?hit a lick?! We rode back to camp. We had met a guy that rode up from Jacksonville,FL to camp here. Great guy named Steve Arrowood. He had started a camp fire. What I?ll remember about Steve is he used the trunk of his bike as an ice chest and iced his beer in it. He didn?t drink and ride. Only after retiring for the evening did he partake. Several of us sat around the fire, talked bikes and laughed. There were mostly adventure bike riders, some well traveled from Texas talking about their ride to Alaska. That guy I envied not only because he had been to Alaska. He was really savy with his go pro camera making and editing video of his travels. I really want to learn to do this. It would be a great way to share my riding adventures with friends. I was impressed with the laser cut image in the fire ring. Kay and I decided to hit the showers and call it a night. I left the rain fly off so we could see the stars. It was a perfect end to a great day. Kay had gotten cold during the night , it was in the 50?s that night . In this area , it is about 10 degrees cooler than home. We got up for breakfast at the lodge. Kay ordered an omelet and it was so big , we could have shared it! Kay could only eat half of it so about that time , Steve came in and we gave it to him. Since he got free breakfast, we called it even on the firewood After breakfast , we broke camp and started back for home. The Boyds were having some friends over to celebrate God bringing our friend Bubba through his PT test with a compromised shoulder (it was job determinate) and bringing him safely back home from Texas. Kay had to get the stuff to make a salad for the meal. With hwy 136 being closed. I had to stop and check my atlas one time. I pulled over right beside a bloated dead raccoon. Kay was like ?really !? The smell was bad. You know, I was just thinking about one thing at the time and that was looking at my atlas. The smell was so bad that she had to get off the bike and stand at a distance while I got my bearings. I?ll spare you a picture of the raccoon. Beautiful ride home. We were coming through Rome and Kay reminded me that the Kisors were in Cave Springs for their family reunion. I turned around and back tracked a few miles, and turned on hwy 100 . This comes out at Cave Springs. We pulled in just to hang out with them but they ended up feeding us. Kay asked if it was rude. I said ?no, they are our brothers and sisters in Christ anyway so we are family . We were accused of planning our reunion crashing to get a free meal Kay had never put her feet in the springs. They are ice cold even in summer! So we couldn?t leave without that experience and getting the freshest, cleanest water known to man . We said goodbye to our friends and headed home . Later, we had a great time with our friends at the dinner. It was a perfect weekend and this is only part one. To be continued ?. Part 2 The Ride to Forks of Cypress. (tate4.jpg) (Tate Train depot.jpg) (tate2.jpg) (tate3.jpg) (Cora's.jpg) (Cora's2.jpg) (Tony Weaver.jpg) (muscadine slushie.jpg) (California Touring3.jpg) (California Touring4.jpg) (Riders Hill.jpg) (Woody Gap.jpg) (Woody Gap1.jpg) (TWS6.jpg) (TWS.jpg) (DahlonegaBBQ.jpg) (Dahlonegacar.jpg) (TWS5.jpg) (TWS2.jpg) (TWS3.jpg) (cavesprings2014.jpg) (cavesprings2014b.jpg) (cavesprings2014c.jpg) Attachments ----------------  tate4.jpg (81KB - 0 downloads) Tate Train depot.jpg (114KB - 0 downloads) tate2.jpg (63KB - 0 downloads) tate3.jpg (88KB - 0 downloads) Cora's.jpg (49KB - 0 downloads) Cora's2.jpg (76KB - 0 downloads) Tony Weaver.jpg (51KB - 0 downloads) muscadine slushie.jpg (53KB - 0 downloads) California Touring3.jpg (53KB - 0 downloads) California Touring4.jpg (55KB - 0 downloads) Riders Hill.jpg (13KB - 0 downloads) Woody Gap.jpg (15KB - 0 downloads) Woody Gap1.jpg (69KB - 0 downloads) TWS6.jpg (62KB - 0 downloads) TWS.jpg (12KB - 1 downloads) DahlonegaBBQ.jpg (14KB - 0 downloads) Dahlonegacar.jpg (74KB - 0 downloads) TWS5.jpg (30KB - 0 downloads) TWS2.jpg (20KB - 0 downloads) TWS3.jpg (40KB - 0 downloads) cavesprings2014.jpg (50KB - 0 downloads) cavesprings2014b.jpg (56KB - 0 downloads) cavesprings2014c.jpg (65KB - 0 downloads) | |||
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| jeffmack |
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| jimtom |
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| jeffmack - 2014-05-30 1:06 PM North ga! My back yard. Sometimes I take it for granted. Great write up , thanks for sharing. Glad you had a great ride! Thank you!  | |||
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| roundtwig |
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| jimtom |
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| We got up Monday morning and decided to go to see The Forks of Cypress. It was something I was turned onto after an episode of American Pickers when they were in Alabama. They bought something from a guy and the item originally came out of the Forks of Cyrpess Plantation House before it burned in 1966 from a lightening strike. All that remains are the columns, standing alone in a pasture. We headed for Florence by way of 278, a good road. Stopped for a bathroom break . We walked in the gas station and I grabbed up a Sundrop bottled soft drink. I don?t frink anything but water and coffee but I love unusual glass jars and bottles. It?s rare for me to see a Sundrop , it?s not that popular where I live. It?s like mountain dew. I drank it just to have the bottle lol. According to the website Sun Drop was born last century or so we're told. The records are a little dodgy, but we know it all happened somewhere in the South. The year was 1949. Sun Drop was launched regionally in 1951. We turned on hwy 157 and we could see a downpour 100yds ahead so we turned right toward Town Creek to try and get around it. We turned back on 72 and ran right into it anyway but it really wasn?t a heavy rain and it was kind of refreshing. We ducked into Southern BBQ in Muscle Shoals, AL to wait out the rain. I highly recommend. They were minutes from closing but still showed welcome hospitality. We left and despite our best efforts, still hit rain but it rolled out as fast as it rolled in and we were in blue skies again. The rain was actually pretty refreshing. So we rode around and around with Kay?s gps on her phone but because the Forks of Cypress is on private property, it doesn?t have it?s own physical address so you can?t zero in on it. We finally found a phone service guy parked beside the road so we pulled up and asked him. He knew exactly what we were talking about and gave simple, discernable directions. We rode right to it. You can only see it from the road , but you can call a number and schedule a closer tour. It was pretty cool. Going home , we stopped for gas. We met a lady at the pumps, she was in her late 40?s. We started a conversation just by complimenting her on her custom Mustang. The conversation turned to where we were from and what we were doing. When she understood that we came to see the Forks, and how we wished we could see them up close, she told us that we could just walk out there and that if anyone said anything to mention her family name. She gave us her number and she would personally take us if we wanted! So now we are excited to go back! I would have to write a book about her. I?m serious when I tell you there could be a movie about this woman. Most people would write her off as crazy. We literally stood at the pumps and talked (or rather listened and laughed) for 2 and a half hours (I had to pee when I pulled up but she was so compelling , I stood there 150 minutes in pain!)! We talked mostly about her whole life story and God. The station attendant finally came out and ran us off, said we were blocking the pumps LOL! ( there was no one else there, I think we just made him nervous) . To this day, my wife and I am still trying to process all that Jennifer told us. It was a great day and a divine appointment. (Sun Drop.jpg) (a.jpg) (Southern BBQ.jpg) (Forks of Cypress.jpg) (Forks of Cypress2.jpg) (Forks of Cypress3.jpg) (Forks of Cypress4.jpg) Attachments ---------------- Sun Drop.jpg (5KB - 0 downloads) a.jpg (239KB - 0 downloads) Southern BBQ.jpg (60KB - 0 downloads) Forks of Cypress.jpg (82KB - 0 downloads) Forks of Cypress2.jpg (99KB - 0 downloads) Forks of Cypress3.jpg (82KB - 0 downloads) Forks of Cypress4.jpg (111KB - 0 downloads) | |||
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| Vladezip |
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Great ride up, almost like a narrative style in a magazine  It would have been perfect for bathroom reading this am. Very informative and very nice fotos to boot. I think I would have put her in first and headed down the road a little ways instead of taking in the bloated racoon myself. Take care, Vlad.Edited by Vladezip 2014-06-03 10:44 AM | |||
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| ljurgens |
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| jimtom |
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| Vladezip - 2014-06-03 10:41 AM Great ride up, almost like a narrative style in a magazine It would have been perfect for bathroom reading this am. Very informative and very nice fotos to boot. I think I would have put her in first and headed down the road a little ways instead of taking in the bloated racoon myself. Take care, Vlad. In retrospect, I should have done that but I have such a single track mind sometimes, there could have been a live grilzzly there and I still might have pulled over  | |||
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| jimtom |
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| ljurgens - 2014-06-03 12:24 PM Hey Jimtom, whats the little button or knob at the bottom of your center console ? That's my eject button , actually , previous owner installed a cigarette lighter. I use it to charge my phone if I use it at all. Edited by jimtom 2014-06-04 4:25 AM | |||
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| okie vision |
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| cujo19 |
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| cujo19 |
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| jimtom |
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| cujo19 - 2014-06-04 7:27 AM I really enjoy reading about your travels ,Great narrating and pictures your stories give me a visual it makes me want to jump on my bike and roll away..thanks Jimtom Thank you for the compliment! | |||
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