Ride Reports
Wind Therapy
Well, this past Friday, April 13, I decided that after I got all my required items taken care of I would hit the road for a nice trip. I mapped out where I wanted to go on Furkot and hit the road. It turned out to be a great day, with temps that only just approached the upper 70’s (I think 78 was the high). The short story was to ride to Rabbit Hash, KY and get some BBQ, then on to Aurora, IN for a drink at Great Crescent Brewery and on down to Madison, IN and a milkshake at Hinkle’s and then head towards home and depending on the time stop at another microbrewery.
Green River Lake – Hammock Camping
Some background first – I have been looking and wanting to try hammock camping for a while. Being in the Smokey’s most of the time for overnights (KY in general, TN, NC) there is no shortage of trees for hanging a hammock. It wasnt that it would be a cheaper than a quality tent, but that I would not have hotspots from stones, twigs, roots or whatever was on the ground, even with a sleeping pad. So, I have been on the lookout for a good hammock that would last and not break the bank. Read the rest of this entry »
Out and About in Fall
This past weekend was a great one. Lows were in the 40s, and on Saturday it may have gotten up to 61, Sunday 75. On Saturday, I went out, rode up and down the river a bit, stopped over at Flat 12 Brewery in Jeffersonville, IN, then on to Holy Grail Alehouse, and then went back and got some food at Corner Cafe. I also stopped by the historic Louisville Water Tower on the river, and Cox’s park.
Horizons Unlimited, Stecoah, NC – 2016
This year I headed out on Wednesday, October 5 at just after 8:00 am for Iron Horse Lodge in Stecoah, NC. It was a 310 mile trip down via US27 and a few others, including the famous roads of US129 (Tail of the Dragon) and US28 (Moonshiner28). I arrived after an uneventful trip at 3:15, give or take. Wednesday night was pretty easy going, with not a whole lot going on. It was nice to relax a bit after a pretty long, non-stop ride.
2016 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
Last week I headed north after work (at 3PM) to the Mid-Ohio raceway in Lexington, OH for the 2016 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. This marks my 2nd trip to this event, and one that will stay on my yearly calendar for a long time to come. I was supposed to go up Thurday night, however things came up that were not expected.
The whole week, and all Friday, I was watching the weather, and keeping my fingers crossed for the rain to skip over and miss me for the ride up. Early in the afternoon, there was a downpour, however once I left, I only encountered some sprinkles just outside of Jefferson county. From there on, it was dry roads, and overcast skies (which is ok for me.)
There will be photos at the bottom of the story.
Derby Escape Ride 2016
This was the 2nd annual trip from Louisville, KY to Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge state parks in eastern KY. I started it as a way to get out of Louisville during the Kentucky Derby and miss all the crowds and issues that come with an extra few hundred thousand people partying all over the city.
BBQ and Bourbon
This weekend was a good riding weekend. Nearly 400 miles when all was said and done. Saturday started out kinda slow and chilly, but quickly warmed up to some of the best riding this year. I left the house at about 9:30 AM Saturday morning, and headed up to New Castle, KY to meet up with a friend. While running through Crestwood, picked up another rider from a different group and we ended up riding out together. From there, we headed east and ended up on a tiny little country road, KY607. It was a great little curvy road, and we were lucky enough to not run into any traffic along the route. The image to the left is just of 607, not the whole route. If you get time, find it and ride it.
Southward Bound
Headed out Saturday morning south of Bardstown, KY. The goal was to find an overlook I rode by last year on the Ice Breaker ride. As I was lucky enough to have gotten a photo there last year, I had the GPS info from that photo (what an awesome feature). I found it on the map, created a quick route and headed out. It overlooks a horseshoe bend in Rowan’s Creek from a road named Scott’s Ridge Road. I took my time getting there, and when I got there, some of the locals were hanging around and enjoying the day. And considering when I left home it was in the lower 50s, it was a perfect day. Chatted with one of the guys, and he was able to point out a few places in the distance and some landmarks. It was a nice conversation.
First Overnight Camping Trip
Since the weather was going to be so nice over the weekend, it was time to try out the kit again and tweak what I have. I got everything packed up in the bags over the week, and put everything on the bike Saturday morning. I had already packed up the pannier bags and the top box, leaving only my backpack and clothes roll to pack Saturday morning. I didn’t set any alarms on Saturday to get up, considering the route was only to be about 140 miles, give or take. I also had no set leave time. I did finally leave some time around 11:30 AM.
Weekend Camping Trip Planned
Looks like this weekend will be another decently warm weekend for riding, and with an overnight low (Sat to Sun) of 41, I believe I will be making a trip somewhere to test out the kit for this year. Made a few changes, so I want to make sure everything sits well and holds up to my expectations. The two biggest will be the new sleeping bag and new top box. So far, everything but my clothes and spare battery (phone and camera) and food. I am packing as though I am heading out on a 3 or 4 night trip.
Adventures of Raven 
You must be logged in to post a comment.