TLCMC

A short, but circuitous ride up to The Burger Bus in Ballground for lunch had been curated by our illustrious navigation master, Larry. Unfortunately Larry got sick and couldn't make it, but four of us (Mel, Dan, Dennis, and Bob) decided to ride.

We met as usual at Timothy on Arnold Mill and realized that in Larry's absence none of us had set the route in a GPS, so we did the best we could with Google Maps. After working around the limited waypoints in Google Maps we had a route set and headed out.

The day couldn't have been better for riding; bright skies, dry roads, and a great temperature. The first part of the route was straightforward, with very familiar roads that we regularly ride, but once we got onto Henderson Mountain Road the ride started to resemble a scavenger hunt with frequent stops to figure out where we should be going as there was obvious misdirection from Google Maps.

Jan 7th, four riders (BobK, Dave, Larry and Mel) met in Ball Ground to take advantage of a nice (for January) day. But with a start in the upper-30’s, electrics were the order of the day (jacket liners, gloves, grips and, for one lucky rider, even seat!) We made a large loop heading E on 53, then NW on 183, then W on 136 thru the Burnt Mtn area, then across 515 and down thru the Henderson Mtn area back toward our lunch in Ball Ground. The day warmed quickly and layers came off (or at least came unplugged).

One unusual event… we helped another rider (and his friend) pull his downed Indian Scout up an embankment off Hwy 136 between the scenic lookout area (which views Sharptop Mtn) and the upper area (near the lake and the Monument Rd / Sunrise Rd turnoffs). The rider was very fortunate because the shoulder area on the outside of this curve was very wide (12’ or so) and comprised of deep, loamy soil and thick grass, all nicely softened by recent heavy rains. The bike had just started down a sharp embankment (rear first) leaving just the front wheel at the top edge when it stopped. After righting it, pulling it up and removing the dirt it collected, it fired right up. With some minor tweaks, the uninjured rider was able to ride it home. God is good!

Lunch was at Choate’s BBQ just N of Ball Ground. Their menu is extensive and it took a long time to narrow down the many good choices. Very good and worth a stop.

Wow, where to begin? I’ll simply start with… this was the coolest thing I’ve done in years! I think the best way to tell this story is to give a brief rundown of the trip followed by individual rider comments, then “let the pictures do the talking”.

So here goes… Last spring, Dan, Dave, Larry and Mel decided to make this trip and purchased two camping plots (20’ x 20’ ea) and three-day passes to attend what has to be the best vintage motorcycle festival in the country. They left early on a beautiful fall Friday for Barber Motorsports in Leeds, AL (just outside of Birmingham). Upon arriving, they quickly set up tents and dining fly in the rapidly-filling camping area before touring the expansive “vendor swap meet” area which is combination of parts, projects and bike sales. Breakfasts were prepared in camp allowing them to get a jump on the day, lunches were around the venue, and dinners were off property in Leeds – Rusty’s BBQ gets eight thumbs up from this group!