I guess I'm just a joiner. Since returning to motorcycles I have joined three groups. MSTA (Motorcycle Sport Touring Association), BMWMOCG (BMW Motorcycle Owners Club of Georgia), and MOA (BMW Motorcycle Owners of America). They have all provided varying resources and oppertunities to meet and ride with like minded individuals. Just like any group you get out of it what you are willing to put into it. Another thing to remember is that it takes time to become an accepted member of any group. Motorcycling is one activity that you need to be able to trust the individuals you are riding with. This can only be developed over time. In my area I am still looking for a group where the Special and I fit in. The RT is a different story.
The Ride report below is about a recent MSTA ride.
SPUR—Spontaneous Urge to Ride. That pretty much sums it up.
The email appeared as follows:
Lunch at the Beacon Drive-in (www.beacondrivein.com/) in Spartanburg S.C. tomorrow 4/3/2014. Leaving Tallulah Falls Main Street Grill
parking lot @10 and meeting another rider in Toccoa @10:30 at the Wal-mart parking
lot near the fuel station. Just a good day for a ride. Tom Victor
I had already planned to
take the day do an overnight but the weather forecast for Friday left me
looking for an alternative. This fit the
bill. The group contained 6 bikes and
riders. We took a leisurely pace out of
Toccoa on Hwy 123 and ended up on HWY 11 out of Walhalla, SC. This took us north of Greenville through some
really stunning country side by Table Rock and Caesars Head. Just outside of Toccoa the rider in front of
me lost his map as it blew out of the pocket.
As luck would have it the map managed to catch on the front of my bike
and I pulled over to remove it for fear it might be blocking my oil cooler. When I stopped it fell to the ground. I retrieved it and returned it to its owner
when I rejoined the group where they had pulled over to wait. We had a good laugh.
Heading North on Hwy 11.
We arrived about 1:00
and settled in for lunch. If you have
never been to the Beacon you need to go.
Similar to the Varsity but not really.
I discovered what “A-Pleanty” is.
It’s on the menu and consists of whatever main course you order hidden
under a mound of French fries and onion rings.
Lunch was interesting if unfinished.
“A-Pleanty” is for lack of a better word “A-Lot”!
In case you were wondering, this is what "A-Pleanty" looks like.
There is a chili cheese burger under there. I swear!
Flounder sandwich. There is nothing healthy about it.
The obligitory group bike photo.
After lunch I suggested
that we go back north and hit Caesars Head Hwy 276 to Brevard and maybe even
the Blue Ridge Parkway. Everyone agreed
and I was promoted to Ride Leader somehow.
We needed to refuel so while we waited at the station I looked at the
map on my tank bag and found Cleveland, SC on Hwy 11 near the road to Caesars
Head. The TOMTOM app on my iphone quickly produced a
route right out of the parking lot. The
setting I use is “winding” in the app.
What ensued was what seemed like 20 or 30 turns until we reached our destination
about 44 miles later. I kept waiting for
the pavement to end as each turn took us onto what seemed to be ever smaller
and more remote roads. The last being
both narrower and more poorly paved than my drive-way. Once on Hwy. 11 I knew where I was.
The traffic was low as
we turned onto Hwy. 276 and the ride to Brevard, NC was spirited to say the
least. In Brevard I stopped at the
Methodist Church in hopes of showing everyone the legendary white
squirrels. After a few handshakes for
the great route I had to admit that it was pure luck for the first part. The GPS got all the credit, and I can say
that is a first. Remember I said I had a
map on my tank bag. Sad to say there
were no white squirrels in sight, but we did get a few details on them from a very friendly woman who lived nearby. We decided it was too late to go farther
north and headed back toward home down Hwy. 64 to Highlands, NC. Once there we took Hwy. 28 south and then War
Woman Road into Clayton, GA. Once again
I would qualify the pace as spirited.
This is a photo of a White Squirrel taken on an earlier trip.
Stopping in Clayton we
picked up some refreshments and rode to Tom Victors current summer residence in
Tallulah Falls, where we fellowshipped a little more then headed home in 2’s
and 3’s. It was overall a great day on
the road as it usually is on an MSTA Ride.
