stbne
Scooterrazzi
Yamaha Venture Royale...Great bike..better than the Goldwings at that time and much more power...
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+ Week Those Were the Days My friend.
- Thread starter klaviator
- Start date
It was a great bike. Mine was a plain Venture, not a Royale. No radio or onboard air compressor. The motor was awesome and I rode it like a sportbike. It had pretty good cornering clearance and I surprised a few sportbike riders on it. On the other had the brakes sucked and it didn't hold up well with age. I am glad I bought it and had the chance to experience a full dress touring bike.Yamaha Venture Royale...Great bike..better than the Goldwings at that time and much more power...
July was another eventful month. Debbi's side of the family was having a gathering in Grove City, Pa. I don't remember the reason but her Mom was from that area and she had an aunt and some cousins living there. Around the same time Kawasaki was having one of their Good Times Rallies at TWO
. Luckily the timing was such that I could go to both. So I rode the Venture from Pensacola to my parents house, spent some time there then rode over to Grove City. I don't recall how Debbi got there but it wasn't on the back of the bike. While staying in Grove City I had the opportunity to do some riding in the Allegheny Mountains where I spent a lot of time when I was young. The parents of my best friend in elementary school had a small hunting cabin near Tidioute, Pa and we went there a lot to camp, run around in the woods, shoot things and all kinds of other fun stuff. It was interesting seeing everything years later.
Unfortunately, the Venture developed a carb problem and was basically running on three cylinders. So I had to modify my plan to ride down to TWO from Pa. I rode all the way to Pensacola to swap bikes. Then venture was sluggish and got horrible gas mileage but I made it. I also rode 800 miles in one day, around 650 on the Venture and 150 on the EX as I rode from Pensacola to Montgomery.
I rode from Montgomery to Suches and checked into my lodging for the event. The Lodge at TWO was booked by the people from Kawasaki but Frank's wife Jeannie had some relatives who lived about a mile down the road who rented me their RV.
This event attracted a huge crowd since Kawasaki had advertised it well in advance in the major motorcycle magazines.
This was the main lodge:
Most of the crowd was over at the airport where the Demo rides started and ended:
I managed to get demo rides on a ZX-11 and ZX-7. The demo rides where fun. They went from the airport over to 60 and then down 60 to Stonepile Gap and then turned around and came back. That's about 12 miles of curves
The pace of the rides was a little slow but still fun.
Me and the mighty ZX-11. It was a real performance breakthrough at that time.
I spent some time hanging out and riding the local roads then headed back to Pensacola.
Unfortunately, the Venture developed a carb problem and was basically running on three cylinders. So I had to modify my plan to ride down to TWO from Pa. I rode all the way to Pensacola to swap bikes. Then venture was sluggish and got horrible gas mileage but I made it. I also rode 800 miles in one day, around 650 on the Venture and 150 on the EX as I rode from Pensacola to Montgomery.
I rode from Montgomery to Suches and checked into my lodging for the event. The Lodge at TWO was booked by the people from Kawasaki but Frank's wife Jeannie had some relatives who lived about a mile down the road who rented me their RV.
This event attracted a huge crowd since Kawasaki had advertised it well in advance in the major motorcycle magazines.
This was the main lodge:
Most of the crowd was over at the airport where the Demo rides started and ended:
I managed to get demo rides on a ZX-11 and ZX-7. The demo rides where fun. They went from the airport over to 60 and then down 60 to Stonepile Gap and then turned around and came back. That's about 12 miles of curves
Me and the mighty ZX-11. It was a real performance breakthrough at that time.
I spent some time hanging out and riding the local roads then headed back to Pensacola.
Time to wrap up my time in Pensacola. I did get one interesting non motorcycling related pic. There were one or two big airshows every year at NAS Pensacola which was the home of the Blue Angels. One year they had a really cool demonstration from this little jet which appeared in the movie "octopussy"
I also made another 2 or 3 trips up to TWO in the Fall. In addition to all the great riding in the area, it was a great place to meet other like minded riders, something which I never did do in Pensacola. It was interesting that probably over half of the riders staying at TWO were from Florida.
A few more pics from my rides.
This was the Ocoee river which would become the site of the Olympic whitwater events in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It look considerably different today due to construction done for the Olympics.
I did manage to capture some nice fall colors.
I think this is on the Richard Russel Scenic HWY.
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Being from Pensacola I had to take this pic:
That's it for my time in Pensacola.
As I mentioned earlier I had orders to head for Michigan in early 1992. Well, those orders were modified. On my way to Michigan I would spend a month in San Diego to learn to fly the C-12 aircraft.
I also made another 2 or 3 trips up to TWO in the Fall. In addition to all the great riding in the area, it was a great place to meet other like minded riders, something which I never did do in Pensacola. It was interesting that probably over half of the riders staying at TWO were from Florida.
A few more pics from my rides.
This was the Ocoee river which would become the site of the Olympic whitwater events in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It look considerably different today due to construction done for the Olympics.
I did manage to capture some nice fall colors.
I think this is on the Richard Russel Scenic HWY.
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Being from Pensacola I had to take this pic:
That's it for my time in Pensacola.
As I mentioned earlier I had orders to head for Michigan in early 1992. Well, those orders were modified. On my way to Michigan I would spend a month in San Diego to learn to fly the C-12 aircraft.
TWO and TWOS will be appearing a lot more in this ride report including the story behind how TWO changed and how it became TWoS. Stay tuned....Kinda quiet today at TWOS.
Getting orders to San Deigo was really awesome and I was super psyched.
Now I had to figure out a way to be able to ride while I was out there. At that time I had no truck or trailer so hauling a bike out was not practical and riding was not practical either. I ended up buying a bike from someone I know with a set buy back price when I left assuming I didn't crash it. He had an old Seca 650 he was planning to give his dad. So basically I sort of rented it.
I ended up in San Diego for a little over a month. Riding on weekends and occasional days off I ended up riding just over 3000 miles
I don't really remember a lot of details, just that it was fantastic riding my old favorite roads and seeing my old riding buddies. I really enjoyed the Seca as well. Not super fast or exotic but it was a super comfortable bike and I enjoyed riding it. I did take a few pics.
One of my old favorite rides was going to Julian for breakfast. This is on the way to Julian. My old friends Tomi and Phil. Tomi was driving a cage this morning.
Looking out on the desert from the Montezuma Grade. Me before i got old:
Phil:
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Now I had to figure out a way to be able to ride while I was out there. At that time I had no truck or trailer so hauling a bike out was not practical and riding was not practical either. I ended up buying a bike from someone I know with a set buy back price when I left assuming I didn't crash it. He had an old Seca 650 he was planning to give his dad. So basically I sort of rented it.
I ended up in San Diego for a little over a month. Riding on weekends and occasional days off I ended up riding just over 3000 miles
One of my old favorite rides was going to Julian for breakfast. This is on the way to Julian. My old friends Tomi and Phil. Tomi was driving a cage this morning.
Looking out on the desert from the Montezuma Grade. Me before i got old:
Phil:
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It was Winter and although it never Snows in San Diego, it does in the mountains nearby. This was on Palomar Mountain:
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The famous John Hermann in the black leathers and white hair.
I went with a group on a ride up to Joshua Tree. It was still a National Monument back then.
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After a month and 3000 miles of riding I was sad to leave but I had to get back the the "real world" and get on with my life. I was off to Michigan, a state not exactly known for great riding, at least not where I would be living just Northeast of Detroit
Would I survive? Stay tuned.
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The famous John Hermann in the black leathers and white hair.
I went with a group on a ride up to Joshua Tree. It was still a National Monument back then.
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After a month and 3000 miles of riding I was sad to leave but I had to get back the the "real world" and get on with my life. I was off to Michigan, a state not exactly known for great riding, at least not where I would be living just Northeast of Detroit
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After a great month+ in San Diego it was off to Michigan. Unfortunately I didn't take all that many pictures of Michigan or if I did I can't find them. When we got there we decided to move into Base housing to save money. There was a waiting list so we moved into an apartment for a few months. During this time most of out stuff as well as our motorcycles were in storage. Then we moved into base housing which was actually a few miles from the base. A couple of pics.
Our home in base housing.
Debbi and Scott.
The riding in the area was not all that exciting with flat and mostly straight roads. My favorite ride was to head North and ride the road along the St Clair river. Not real exciting but being right by the water it was at lest a little scenic.
Unfortunately the nearest curvy roads where in Hell
That's right, Hell...............................as in Hell Michigan.
I went for a ride with a group and we rode to Hell. It's a real small town. There were two or three buildings in downtown Hell. I remember the Damn Site saloon and a store with a fenced in yard and a bunch of Harley bikers having a cookout there. Yes, Hell really does exist!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Michigan
There were a few roads near Hell that were somewhat curvy. So I guess you have to take the straight and narrow road to get to heaven but curvy roads lead to hell
In Florida I never did find any other riders who liked to ride the way I did. In Michigan I had a plan. Remember this was 1992, way before ADV or the internet. I found some adds in some motorcycle magazines for the American Sport Touring Riders Association (ASTRA) and the Honda Sport Touring Association (HSTA). I joined them both. I wasn't so sure about the HSTA since I didn't have a Honda but the add did say all makes welcome. I had much higher hopes for ASTRA. Good thing I decided to join the HSTA since ASTRA turned out to be pretty worthless and the HSTA would have a dramatic impact on my riding for many years to come.
Our home in base housing.
Debbi and Scott.
The riding in the area was not all that exciting with flat and mostly straight roads. My favorite ride was to head North and ride the road along the St Clair river. Not real exciting but being right by the water it was at lest a little scenic.
Unfortunately the nearest curvy roads where in Hell
That's right, Hell...............................as in Hell Michigan.
I went for a ride with a group and we rode to Hell. It's a real small town. There were two or three buildings in downtown Hell. I remember the Damn Site saloon and a store with a fenced in yard and a bunch of Harley bikers having a cookout there. Yes, Hell really does exist!! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Michigan
There were a few roads near Hell that were somewhat curvy. So I guess you have to take the straight and narrow road to get to heaven but curvy roads lead to hell
In Florida I never did find any other riders who liked to ride the way I did. In Michigan I had a plan. Remember this was 1992, way before ADV or the internet. I found some adds in some motorcycle magazines for the American Sport Touring Riders Association (ASTRA) and the Honda Sport Touring Association (HSTA). I joined them both. I wasn't so sure about the HSTA since I didn't have a Honda but the add did say all makes welcome. I had much higher hopes for ASTRA. Good thing I decided to join the HSTA since ASTRA turned out to be pretty worthless and the HSTA would have a dramatic impact on my riding for many years to come.
No pics in this post since I don't think I took any on what was a really fun trip. Although I wasn't impressed with Michigan riding, I knew where there was some great riding
All I had to do was head south to my new favorite riding area. It just worked out that the HSTA was having a rally in Townsend, TN at the time I was planning my trip. So in September, 1992 I headed down the interstate, about 650 miles to Townsend where I checked into the Big Valley Motel where the rally would be based. I got there a day or so early and there was only one other HSTA member who got there around the same time. It was a guy named Rod who was riding a ST1100. He was around 75 years young and had ridden in from Washington State
Rod had some great stories to tell but I won't attempt to repeat them here.
Then the rest of the riders showed up. We pretty much filled up the motel. I think we had around 60 or so riders. On Saturday headed out in smaller groups and rode over the Foothills parkway and then Deal's Gap. Back then Deal's Gap was still not the circus that it is today on the weekends. Then more back roads.
There was a pretty large number of riders from Michigan. It was nice meeting them and they seemed to be a pretty enthusiastic and experienced bunch of riders. One of them was a guy named Al who rode a VFR. It turned out that he had a few extra days before he had to head home so he rode down to TWO with me. This was the start of a long friendship and many more rides together. I wish I had taken some pics but he is in some later pics. After he headed home I rode a few more days before heading back to Michigan. Going to TWO was really cool. There were a bunch of people there that I knew and by this time I felt like a regular. Then it was a long and gloomy winter before my next long ride.
Then the rest of the riders showed up. We pretty much filled up the motel. I think we had around 60 or so riders. On Saturday headed out in smaller groups and rode over the Foothills parkway and then Deal's Gap. Back then Deal's Gap was still not the circus that it is today on the weekends. Then more back roads.
There was a pretty large number of riders from Michigan. It was nice meeting them and they seemed to be a pretty enthusiastic and experienced bunch of riders. One of them was a guy named Al who rode a VFR. It turned out that he had a few extra days before he had to head home so he rode down to TWO with me. This was the start of a long friendship and many more rides together. I wish I had taken some pics but he is in some later pics. After he headed home I rode a few more days before heading back to Michigan. Going to TWO was really cool. There were a bunch of people there that I knew and by this time I felt like a regular. Then it was a long and gloomy winter before my next long ride.
Next big ride was on June, 1993. The HSTA had one big national rally every year but the location moved every year. For 93 it was in Helen, GA. This was right in my new favorite riding area so I found a way to fit it in my schedule. I took two weeks vacation to make this work. I rode down to N. Ga. with a co worker while Debbi drove down to her sister's house in Fayetteville, NC. She dropped off Scott with her sister then drove to Helen. At the end of the Rally we headed up to the Fontana Campground where we met her sister and family and her parents. Then we spent a few days camping before heading home. That's the outline. Here are the details.
Tony was a young guy with a 700 intercepter. He had never done a ride like this and was as excited as I was
. On the first day we cruised down the interstate down to just north of Knoxville where we found a cheap motel. Next day we rode through Knoxville and Maryville before getting on the awesome roads found in the mountains of the southeast.
This was on the Foothills Parkway:
Then it was through Deal's Gap and then south to TWO. I don't remember how long I stayed at TWO but I moved over to a motel in Helen for the rally. Tony was camping and stayed at TWO the whole time.
HSTA members pretty much took over 3 motels in the middle of town as we had somewhere around around 400 members there if I remember right. Unlike many rallies which are just for a weekend, this one started Sunday and ran through Wednesday. We had rides every day. Honda brought truckload of demo bikes and then we finished off with a banquet on Wednesday night. The details of all this have become a little vague over the years but I did take some pics and I'll do the best I can.
One of the days we did a lunch ride over to TWO where we had a BBQ lunch. Debbi and I rode over on my EX500. We were young then and fairly comfortable two up on it. I got a few pics at TWO.
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This pic was taken back in but I am still in touch with some of the people in the pic. First on the left is AL. We keep in touch on FB. Next is Keith. A long time sport bike rider he eventually got into adventure riding and I occasionally see him on FB. Next is Doug. Doug is an amazing guy and he will show up again in this report so I'll wait to talk about him. I have lost touch with the rest of the people in the pic to the right of me.
Tony was a young guy with a 700 intercepter. He had never done a ride like this and was as excited as I was
This was on the Foothills Parkway:
Then it was through Deal's Gap and then south to TWO. I don't remember how long I stayed at TWO but I moved over to a motel in Helen for the rally. Tony was camping and stayed at TWO the whole time.
HSTA members pretty much took over 3 motels in the middle of town as we had somewhere around around 400 members there if I remember right. Unlike many rallies which are just for a weekend, this one started Sunday and ran through Wednesday. We had rides every day. Honda brought truckload of demo bikes and then we finished off with a banquet on Wednesday night. The details of all this have become a little vague over the years but I did take some pics and I'll do the best I can.
One of the days we did a lunch ride over to TWO where we had a BBQ lunch. Debbi and I rode over on my EX500. We were young then and fairly comfortable two up on it. I got a few pics at TWO.
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This pic was taken back in but I am still in touch with some of the people in the pic. First on the left is AL. We keep in touch on FB. Next is Keith. A long time sport bike rider he eventually got into adventure riding and I occasionally see him on FB. Next is Doug. Doug is an amazing guy and he will show up again in this report so I'll wait to talk about him. I have lost touch with the rest of the people in the pic to the right of me.
After lunch we headed south on 60, one of my favorite roads
We stopped at a dirt parking area in the middle of a curve and took some pics.
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No Go Pros back then so this was as close to video that we normally got:
That was me on my EX500
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We stopped at a dirt parking area in the middle of a curve and took some pics.
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No Go Pros back then so this was as close to video that we normally got:
That was me on my EX500
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We rode to the parking area of Brasstown Bald one evening to catch the sunset. Brasstown bald is the highest point in GA but you have to walk up another 500 feet from the Parking lot to get to the top. The road to the parking lot is one of the steepest and twistiest roads in GA
It was still light on the ride up.
But it soon got dark.
One of the days I led a pretty long ride. It was a sporty ride to say the least. The route took us over to Clayton, then Warwoman Rd, 28 all the way to Deal's Gap, a high speed run through the gap, then 129 to 180 and finally the Ricky Russell highway. Running so hard for so long I think I actually suffered brain fade after running through Deal's Gap and took it easy riding back to Helen.
A couple of pics from this ride. Bridalveil Falls:
At the overlook at Deal's Gap. Most of the riders were from Michigan and Illinois.
Debbi was not on this ride. She and a few others headed off to raft the Chattooga River.
But it soon got dark.
One of the days I led a pretty long ride. It was a sporty ride to say the least. The route took us over to Clayton, then Warwoman Rd, 28 all the way to Deal's Gap, a high speed run through the gap, then 129 to 180 and finally the Ricky Russell highway. Running so hard for so long I think I actually suffered brain fade after running through Deal's Gap and took it easy riding back to Helen.
A couple of pics from this ride. Bridalveil Falls:
At the overlook at Deal's Gap. Most of the riders were from Michigan and Illinois.
Debbi was not on this ride. She and a few others headed off to raft the Chattooga River.
I don't remember much about this next pic but it looks like the Ricky Russel Scenic highway and I must have been there since I was in the pic
The next few were taken at the Banquet on the final day.
Debbi and the others that risked their lives rafting the Chattooga while I was out on a nice and safe ride
Tony, Debbi, me, Hal and Donna. All from Michigan.
Me, Keith, Eric and Mike
A few thoughts about the HSTA Rally in Helen. I was without a doubt one of the best motorcycling experiences I had up to that point in my life. Everything about it was fantastic
. First was the location. Helen GA is a real tourist trap but it's still a great place to stay. The motel was very nice. All kinds of restaurants were within walking distance. Best of all, Helen is surrounded by beautiful scenery and fun to ride twisty roads. Second was the people. I had met many of the members the previous fall at the Townsend rally and got to meet many more here. These folks where all really serious motorcycle enthusiasts and most of them very good riders.
Then there was the riding itself. Those of you familiar with N. GA, Western NC, and Eastern TN know what I'M talking about. Endless curves
and since most of the rally was during the week the traffic was light. My EX500 was a fantastic bike for these roads. Although the majority of the other riders had bigger and "faster" bikes, the EX was much easier to ride fast on these roads. I ended up leading most of the rides I went on. I had bought the EX in California with the thought that it would be cool to try a small lightweight bike but that I would move back up to a bigger bike in a couple of years. As you can see, that didn't happen and I had no plans to replace the EX any time soon.
The Honda Demo rides were cool. Since my Venture was getting old and worn out I rode a couple of potential replacements, the Goldwing 1500 and ST1100. I rode them both with Debbi on back. It was fun riding both bikes but I crossed them off my list. While both competent bikes they just seemed boring to me. They reminded me of practical but soulless appliances. On top of that I couldn't see getting a 900 pound motorcycle even though the GW did feel a lot lighter than that once moving. I did not fit well on the ST1100. My search for my next touring bike would continue. I hope I didn't offend and GW1500 or ST1100 fans but they weren't for me. There were actually a lot of ST1100 riders in the HSTA. It was always one of the most popular bikes at the rally.
The HSTA itself was probably the closest thing to a modern forum except that there was no internet back then. There was a Monthly newsletter which was almost a small magazine. The newsletter had a schedule of upcoming rides as well as "ride reports" of recent rides. There was discussion of motorcycle topics and a section for letters from members. Pretty impressive for a group with no paid staff and an annual membership fee of around 20 or 25 dollars.
The next few were taken at the Banquet on the final day.
Debbi and the others that risked their lives rafting the Chattooga while I was out on a nice and safe ride
Tony, Debbi, me, Hal and Donna. All from Michigan.
Me, Keith, Eric and Mike
A few thoughts about the HSTA Rally in Helen. I was without a doubt one of the best motorcycling experiences I had up to that point in my life. Everything about it was fantastic
Then there was the riding itself. Those of you familiar with N. GA, Western NC, and Eastern TN know what I'M talking about. Endless curves
The Honda Demo rides were cool. Since my Venture was getting old and worn out I rode a couple of potential replacements, the Goldwing 1500 and ST1100. I rode them both with Debbi on back. It was fun riding both bikes but I crossed them off my list. While both competent bikes they just seemed boring to me. They reminded me of practical but soulless appliances. On top of that I couldn't see getting a 900 pound motorcycle even though the GW did feel a lot lighter than that once moving. I did not fit well on the ST1100. My search for my next touring bike would continue. I hope I didn't offend and GW1500 or ST1100 fans but they weren't for me. There were actually a lot of ST1100 riders in the HSTA. It was always one of the most popular bikes at the rally.
The HSTA itself was probably the closest thing to a modern forum except that there was no internet back then. There was a Monthly newsletter which was almost a small magazine. The newsletter had a schedule of upcoming rides as well as "ride reports" of recent rides. There was discussion of motorcycle topics and a section for letters from members. Pretty impressive for a group with no paid staff and an annual membership fee of around 20 or 25 dollars.
In September of 1993 I took another ride South. I really don't remember any details as I would end up making many rides to that area and I no longer remember each one. I do know that I went to the HSTA Rally in Townsend. I'm pretty sure I met up with Al and we did some riding either before or after the Rally. There is a good chance that the following pics where taken during this ride but I can't be sure.
The base for the rally:
This little waterfall is off of Wayah Rd. That's Al and his VFR.
Woody Gap just south of TWO.
The Deal's Gap Overlook.
Back then there was no Deal's Gap resort. It was the Crossroads of Time. It looked a lot different than it does today.
The base for the rally:
This little waterfall is off of Wayah Rd. That's Al and his VFR.
Woody Gap just south of TWO.
The Deal's Gap Overlook.
Back then there was no Deal's Gap resort. It was the Crossroads of Time. It looked a lot different than it does today.
Thanks! I had a lot of great rides and experiences back then but I only remember bits and pieces. One of my reasons to do this ride report is to try to remember those days and preserve those memories into the future when I'm sure my memory will get even worse.Wow, you've got some great stories
I've got a lot more coming up.
Not all of my time in Michigan was spent riding in the Smokey Mountains. I did have to work for a living. Part of my job was flying a Navy C-12. This is a pic of C-12 with some of the pilots, maintenance folks and others involved in the C-12 program.
Michigan also had a season known as Winter. It wasn't the best time to be riding but there where other activities available. We did go to Ohio and going skiing with my parents.
Michigan also had a season known as Winter. It wasn't the best time to be riding but there where other activities available. We did go to Ohio and going skiing with my parents.
The riding in Southern Michigan was pretty boring but I did one trip to Northern Michigan in the fall of 93. My friend Al who I had now done a lot of riding with in the mountains to the south lived in Petosky, Mi. I did a weekend ride to visit him. He took me out on some of the local roads. We went up 119 which runs along the water. Back then there were no houses on it. I understand that is no longer the case. It was a curvy road with nice scenery.
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Not sure where these next two were, maybe on 119?
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A view of the Mackinaw Bridge.
After spending the night there I headed off by myself. Rather than heading straight home headed towards Traverse City. There was some nice riding along the water.
I rode through Traverse City and to the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
I think this was also in the same area.
It was a very scenic area. I'm really glad I rode up there because my time in Michigan was limited. I had orders to go Fly the C-130 at Naval Air Facility Washington. I would be leaving in April of 94.
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Not sure where these next two were, maybe on 119?
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A view of the Mackinaw Bridge.
After spending the night there I headed off by myself. Rather than heading straight home headed towards Traverse City. There was some nice riding along the water.
I rode through Traverse City and to the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
I think this was also in the same area.
It was a very scenic area. I'm really glad I rode up there because my time in Michigan was limited. I had orders to go Fly the C-130 at Naval Air Facility Washington. I would be leaving in April of 94.
If you remember, the last time I moved I managed to get in some fantastic riding
I planned to do the same on this move. It would turn out to be the longest trip I have ever done on a motorcycle. Here's the story. Sit back and grab a beer or 4, it's a long one.
The movers came and packed up all our stuff and hauled it away. We then headed south out of Michigan. I was on my EX500 and Debbi and Scott in our minivan. My orders were to go the the Hercules Flight Training Center in Marietta, Ga for three weeks of systems and simulator training for the Navy C-130T aircraft. Training started on a Monday so we left early enough to spend a few days at my favorite destination on the way. That would be Two Wheels Only which was only about one hundred miles from Marietta
We booked a room at the Lodge at TWO. The lodge had three bedrooms upstairs which shared one large bathroom and a living area. One of the things I always have loved about TWO is that it has always been a great place to meet interesting people. This trip would be no exception.
There was one big change in TWO around this time. Frank had sold the business to Britt and GT. I forget the exact relation but Britt was somehow related to Frank and GT was her husband. The had moved from California to take over TWO. They had a background in the restaurant business. While Frank had run the place more as a hobby, they would be doing this for a living so it is not surprising that they made some changes. Britt did a lot of sprucing up and adding fancy touches here and there. Frank would look at what she was doing and say: "what are you doing that for, they're only motorcyclists!" More on that later.
When we got there Frank had a cast on his leg and one arm in a sling
After 50 years of riding he had his first accident on the street. Here's what happened. Frank and some friends had gone riding to Blairsville to get some breakfast or lunch. On the way, while on a back road a dog ran in front of Frank, Frank hit it and went down. His friends pulled the bike, a VX800, off of him and asked if he was OK. He said "yeah I'm fine. Let's go eat." So they went to Blairsville and ate. After the meal Frank announced he would skip the rest of the ride and head home. His friend offered to ride back with him but he said he was fine and they should go ride.
So Frank rode home. When he got there he hit a buzzer or something which was a signal for Jeannie, his wife, to open the garage door. She was a little irritated at this since she had just had knee surgery and wasn't that mobile. But she did it and then saw he had been in a crash. She asked what happened and he said "it's nothing, I'm fine". She didn't believe him and insisted on taking him to the hospital. At the hospital they found that Frank had broken ribs, a punctured and collapsed lung, a broken bone in this leg and a dislocated shoulder or some kind of shoulder injury
And Frank rode with all that. He was a tough dude.
By the time we got there frank was out of the hospital and hanging around at TWO. He said he'd be out riding but Jeannie wouldn't let him.
Oh yeah, there's more to this story. While he was in the hospital Britt and GT got him some plastic flowers. They explained they would have brought real flowers but Frank was "only a motorcyclist"
The movers came and packed up all our stuff and hauled it away. We then headed south out of Michigan. I was on my EX500 and Debbi and Scott in our minivan. My orders were to go the the Hercules Flight Training Center in Marietta, Ga for three weeks of systems and simulator training for the Navy C-130T aircraft. Training started on a Monday so we left early enough to spend a few days at my favorite destination on the way. That would be Two Wheels Only which was only about one hundred miles from Marietta
We booked a room at the Lodge at TWO. The lodge had three bedrooms upstairs which shared one large bathroom and a living area. One of the things I always have loved about TWO is that it has always been a great place to meet interesting people. This trip would be no exception.
There was one big change in TWO around this time. Frank had sold the business to Britt and GT. I forget the exact relation but Britt was somehow related to Frank and GT was her husband. The had moved from California to take over TWO. They had a background in the restaurant business. While Frank had run the place more as a hobby, they would be doing this for a living so it is not surprising that they made some changes. Britt did a lot of sprucing up and adding fancy touches here and there. Frank would look at what she was doing and say: "what are you doing that for, they're only motorcyclists!" More on that later.
When we got there Frank had a cast on his leg and one arm in a sling
So Frank rode home. When he got there he hit a buzzer or something which was a signal for Jeannie, his wife, to open the garage door. She was a little irritated at this since she had just had knee surgery and wasn't that mobile. But she did it and then saw he had been in a crash. She asked what happened and he said "it's nothing, I'm fine". She didn't believe him and insisted on taking him to the hospital. At the hospital they found that Frank had broken ribs, a punctured and collapsed lung, a broken bone in this leg and a dislocated shoulder or some kind of shoulder injury
By the time we got there frank was out of the hospital and hanging around at TWO. He said he'd be out riding but Jeannie wouldn't let him.
Oh yeah, there's more to this story. While he was in the hospital Britt and GT got him some plastic flowers. They explained they would have brought real flowers but Frank was "only a motorcyclist"