Ride Report to Mount Juliet, Tennessee
June 19-23, 2007

I left Mobile early on Tuesday morning, the 19th, around 0400. The ride up was non eventful until I hit Montgomery, then the rain came. I pulled over under an overpass and no sooner had I stopped, so did the rain. I mounted back up and continued on for 50 more miles and the bottom fell out again. I pulled over at a motel for some coffee. I made a few calls and Bear offered to come pick me up with a trailer... At first it sounded good but after some consideration, I called him back and declined.

I rode on in close to Lebanon where Bear met me off of Hwy. 840. We rode over to the clubhouse and I met Wayne, Big Don, Whacky and Rooster. After a while, more FMRC members showed up and we all saddled up and rode over to the lodge for Brother Wayne's MM degree.

Afterwards, we all headed back over to the clubhouse where we partied until the wee hours of the morning. We got to Bears about 0400 and hit the sack for a few hours.

The next morning Snot rode over and we putted around town for a little while. We stopped and visited with Brother Jay and Paul (Onion) drove by in his police car playing "Bad Boys" over the loud speaker. That was funny as hell.

Before long we were back at the clubhouse where the Half Ashlars put on a nice cookout complete with steak, burgers, dogs and plenty of refreshment. The party carried on until early the following morning again. Rooster drove over to Bears and stayed until it was time for him to head back to Ohio. I crashed out until about 1030 the next morning and left Bear's to go home.

I rode back back the clubhouse to say goodbye to Wayne and I was out of there.

I took it easy on the way back home, detouring to visit the Jack Daniels Distillery. Along the way I ran into a nice guy riding towards Fayetteville, Tenn. He offered to buy me a beer so we stopped at his local watering hole and I downed a much needed cold one. I left just in time to make it to the distillery before they closed. The last tour had already left so I flashed my Tennessee Squire card and was taken immediately to the Squire room and presented with a complimentary shot glass and a miniature single barrel sample. I talked them out of another pin for my vest and proceeded to the White Rabbit Saloon where I bought a collectors bottle of 1954 Gold Medal (my birth year).

I was back on the road just before dark. I rode and rode thinking I would be crossing I-65 at any minute.... not to be. I pulled over in a little town near Arab, Alabama and asked the clerk if she knew where Interstate 65 was. "No" was her answer. "You don't know where the Interstate is?" I replied. She dumbfoundedly said "no" again. What is it with these people that are not familiar with the streets where they live???

Lucky for me, a customer walked in and had just left the interstate. She directed me to it and I was was back in the wind. I rode for a while, stopping only for gas. I really didn't begin to feel tired until I saw the clock show 1:11 for the second time today. I pulled into a Holiday Inn and procured a razor and shaving cream, walked in the hotel lobby bathroom and shaved. It felt great after 4 days and I was good to go.

I arrive at my Uncle Tommy's shortly after 2:00 a.m. on Saturday morning where we sat up for about 30 minutes before I sit the sack.

Got up the next morning and brought it on home. It was a great getaway and I'm looking forward to my next trip in a couple of weeks to Corinth, Mississippi for the graveside degree.