Our life has been busy. That is a similar tune we hear often from friends and family. We get wrapped up in it and bogged down by it. It brings highs and lows - a delicate balancing act that is this journey called life. 2023 has been full of all of that and more for us. Loss in our family and extended family has brought grief, yet reinforced just how important those you hold dearest are. They bring strength, light when there is darkness, and the will to press forward. The generosity and kindness woven into a selfless act of support for those around us -,fuels the desire to do more, see more and be around this group of extraordinary humans at every opportunity - it takes your breath away
At speed on some succulent black ribbon of a road in West Virginia, a squirrel will also take your breath away - but in a much different way…
I’d drifted away from this thing that recharges my msoul through the summer - the FJR sat patiently in the garage. Some questioned my sanity when I said goodbye to the DRZ and my daily driver transitioned from the zipping GTI to truck. Sometimes life unfolds in a direction that was in our blindspot, our path and priorities change. Some understood - a father and husband will do unspeakable things to protect his family and support them in their endeavors. This picture explains the “why” behind the things I’ve done this year…
Harleigh & Hurricane Dolly:
Annette & Little Miss:
There are limits, the fuel in our soul can only burn so long before it needs to be refilled or recharged. Run the tank dry for too long and things begin to unravel. These few days every September where I unplug from work and the daily responsibilities has become the source that refuels my soul. I’m certain that without this time on the bike navigating twisty roads and spending time with those who’ve become our extended family, I'd not have the will nor desire to press through the daily grind throughout the year.
Our drive to Flatwoods was uneventful for the most part. Sparklefarts does the truck stuff well; the bike and trailer were much less work for it compared to the two mares and their chariot it spent the spring and summer dragging around. Of course, d-eagle called to check in and rub in that his “ride” to flatwoods would be potentially much more enjoyable than ours. I reminded him that 4 boxes of t-shirts would fit on the FJR nor his ‘Wing. We checked in, got settled and unloaded the bike. Tomorrow, we ride…
Yes, we trailered to Flatwoods. Three boxes of T-Shirts and other event related fodder would not fit on the FJR. Sparklefarts was thirsty, but this was an easy haul for it
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Thursday - “Let’s learn how to ride again…”
Dawn on Thursday was bright and clear. It’s exactly what my mind needed - a day where the required focus would prevent the rest of life’s distractions from penetrating. I’d been on the bike once since May. This would be Annette’s maiden voyage for the year. There would be much learning and remembering on this day. Vader was fueled and the engine warming - I set two mandates for the day - ride within the parameters of having no ABS system activations and no rev limiter engagements. Seems simple, right?
We headed north and east - Blackwater Falls State Park was our destination. We were blessed with clear roads and a comfortable pace. The bike just hummed along, following the line as directed as I focused on smooth transitions from throttle to brake and back. Annette’s upgraded seat (RDL) was providing an unplanned benefit - the shape of the seat allowed her to stay in her portion of the riding position with much less effort. It allowed for a little more throttle and a little more engine braking - she stayed out of my space - Vader appreciated that and responded with, “why not a little more??”. It was all coming back to me - the comfort of a balanced bike and the tone of the inline 4 pulling through the gears soothes the soul in a way many of you may appreciate.
Blackwater Falls State Park.
Spklbuk’s contribution and subsequent emails encouraging us to visit Blackwater Falls State Park ended up having an ulterior motive. We stopped at the lodge and had lunch at the restaurant located in the lodge at the park - it was excellent! Not crowded, great food and nice view.
Lunch!
Our next stop was for a short hike to Lindy Point - this takes you to a point that is overlooking the Blackwater River aways down stream from the waterfall. The view was terrific and well worth the hike. Little did we know, but Spklbuk was stalking us - about half way back from the overlook here comes Reese, Jim and Creta!! We spent a few minutes catching up on the trail - it was great to see the infamous Spklbuk and family. He gently reminded us that daylight was burning and we were a good ways from the hotel. We stopped at the waterfalls and took a few pictures
Part of the short walk (0.37 miles!) to the overlook.
Reese was so excited to meet us!
Postcard material
Lots of wildlife along the way, big and small…
Blackwater Falls
By the time we finished our visit to the falls viewing area, it was after 4:30p. Garmin says we were 130ish miles from Flatwoods. The sun was racing towards the horizon at a concerning rate. Back on the road, we settled into a pace to make time while we could. There were some traffic interactions along the way. A semi followed by 4 or 5 cars presented was a challenge.
A decent non-curvey section of road on a climb that called for the afterburners provided an opportunity to get around the rolling road block.. As we cleared the cab of the semi I remembered my “no rev limiter” mandate for the day and grabbed 3rd gear just before that pesky upshift indicator system was engaged. It was nearly a Wheaton pass. But not spectacular on any scale..
We arrived safely around 7pm - no venison was harvested on the ride in.There were plenty of close calls but none that required the ABS system to be cycled - compliance with mandate #2!
Friday.
We rode the Spencer Route 4 loop on Friday. It spends some time on WV16 and allows for a lunch stop in Spencer and the Front Porch restaurant. We stopped for a break on WV16 - we got back on the road just as truck with a half a mobile home went by. The escort vehicles were having on coming traffic pull of the road and the truck driver kept his foot in it using the entire width of the road. I poked the nose of the bike out a couple of times and the unspoken indication from the back seat was a capital “F” no. One of the sections of road the truck driver paused and moved to the right side of the road, allowing just enough space for us to get by. It was a painful 15-20 minutes leading up to that pass. The road was clear ahead and was very enjoyable - IYKYK.
We rolled into Spencer behind a group of hooligans - they joined us for lunch and great conversation was had!
Friday evening was a great time - many participated in the JWilly tribute by wearing there favorite sarcastic T-Shirt - see many of them here.
You see the most interesting signs every now and then…
Lunch at “Front Porch” in Spencer, WV.
Saturday.
Well, Saturday was a roller coaster. Most of it is not my story to tell - the cliff note version is that we left on the Spencer loop and cut the ride short due to someone having an unplanned engine oil evacuation event. File it under, “stuff happens” - all humans had escaped serious harm, although some bruised pride and maybe a sore shoulder. Sparklefarts performed recovery services admirably. The most entertaining part was leaving the parking lot in the truck with trailer in tow and driving past a group that had not departed yet. In hindsight, we should have stopped and let them know everyone was ok, but it only took Bikergeek 27 seconds to send the first “WFT!!??” text.
We got “Big-E” back to the hotel. Things would fall into place for getting him home. This one’s difficult because it’s another reminder just how big the heart of this extended family is. Sonya offered and followed through with towing a u-haul trailer south that would get both Big-E & his bike back to Atlantaland. I can’t recall how many times JWilly stopped everything to help a rider in need out in a pinch. Hat’s off to Sonya for having such a big heart and being such an angel in this!
I’ll also mention that we had caught up with FJRVFR just prior to the incident and he stopped to assist. He also went back with us and returned with me to help load the injured bike. Sunday morning - there were many hands that assisted in getting the bike onto the uhaul trailer - Hankerin’, FloJo, and I know I’m missing a few (sorry).
No pictures…
Saturday evening’s spirits were not dampened by the rain; speaking of timing - the rain moved in around 4 or 5pm-ish and most everyone was already back to the shelf of the Days Inn by that time. We adjusted and moved the group photo into the conference center lobby then moved into dinner. I was slightly occupied and only got a few pictures during dinner. There were some door prizes given out via “brown bag roulette” style - a tire-related theme that may or may not have been inspired by a certain thread involving poor handling and tire pressure…
Group Pictures:
Banquet:
Our drive home was smooth and uneventful. This year marks the 15th EOM event I’ve attended, and the 13th I’ve had the honor and pleasure of organizing at some level or another. It’s really something that the event continues to draw the participation it does. The new shirt vendor was a success, and having all the shirt orders prepped before arriving allowed us to socialize instead of the frantic shirt sorting of years past. We’ve always had plenty of help with that, but it was nice to have more time to catch up with those we only see a few times a year.
Where will EOM 2024 be? My goal is to move back south somewhere near Maggie Valley. I enjoy riding that area and have a special guest or two who may join us. Stay tuned, but more importantly - be there for each other…
