TN Lunch Run - Part III

The Falls Creek Park Restaurant puts on a great buffet. I can’t decide whether I preferred the BBQ or the banana pie. The restaurant provides a great view of a lake and there is a big lobby with a fireplace just down the hall. Plenty of comfortable furniture to try out while warming up or waiting for the weather to break.

I’m not the most sociable rider in the world but everybody I met was worth meeting. That “Illusionblue” guy is pretty scary until you get to know him. Everybody who showed up had a unique experience to remember.

A nice ride on a sunny spring day is fun but a challenging weather situation makes for an adventure. Several riders from Florida got to break trail through some freshly fallen snow on the way over. Most of the attendees from out west hit sleet. Everybody got try out his or her rain gear.

I was in a hurry to plant a travel bug (geocaching) before heading back to Michigan, and took off on my own right after lunch. I later found out I missed meeting several riders who arrived late. My loss. I understand some of them rode twice as far in half the time than I did to get to Falls Creek and back home.

I also have been informed the picture I posted of a waterfall is really Cane Creek Falls. According to “Hydor” the park’s namesake falls is elsewhere and spectacular. Good reason to come back for another visit.

I headed west on 30, planning to ride out from under the rain and then turn north. When I hit 111, I headed north to Sparta in search of a hidden geocache. I followed my handheld GPS through town at exactly 25 mph, followed by a city police officer. When the GPS indicated straight to my right I parked and set off on foot in a straight line that took me up a steep hill and through some soggy red mud. I located the stash under the roots of a big tree and placed the traveling mini-Mini Cooper in its new home. I also noticed the paved road that led to within a few feet of the cache. Looking down at my muddy boots and pant legs, I made a mental note to be more circumspect in the future.

With the thick clouds heading east and rain down to a light drizzle, I headed north again. It didn’t take long to realize I was making better time than the clouds. At I-40 I vowed to continue with Plan One – head west until dry. Next stop Nashville for gas.

Late afternoon on my second day on the road and my visor was finally clear. I figured at this point I could make a run for home by midnight. I headed north on I-65. One tank later I was on the outskirts of Louisville and it was getting fairly cool out. Wind was taking its toll as well. I started off into the blackness looking for I-71. It was reassuring to get visual bearings from the lighted dome as I approached downtown. I had forgotten about the diagonal metal strips in the sharp curves as you get closer to the river. If anyone was watching closely, I put on a little show as I skipped around the corner. At that point I started thinking maybe my enjoyment of all-night rides was approaching an end.

For the first time I can remember, I threw in the towel with my goal in range, a mere 4 to 5 hours away. I stopped along the freeway near Carrollton KY for the night. Some pizza, beer, and a good warm night’s sleep awaited.

Homeward Bound

The weather report was right. Sunday was clear, cool and windy. I asked directions to the Ohio River at the front desk. After consulting my map, I headed the opposite way and found myself on the riverbank a few minutes later. Since I had opted for another day on the road, I figured I might as well take the back roads home.

Carrollton turned out to be kind of an unremarkable little town. Route 36 led west to the towns of Milton and over the bridge to Madison Indiana. Before getting that far, I found Route 55 to the south, then 559, which led off into the woods and up a hill. It looked like it might be interesting and it was. What a great little ride. The sun was shining, the close hills and thick trees kept the wind at bay, and my XM radio never missed a beat. The winding country lane led to the top of a ridgeline then zigzagged along the spine toward the south until hugging the contours back down to the intersection with 55.

Well, time to start making tracks. I returned to Milton, crossed the bridge and spent about half an hour trying to find “scenic route 7.” With the clock ticking and the wind speed building, I found a line pointing up on the map and headed for Greensburg Indiana and another tank of gas.

Along the way, I enjoyed looking at the classic architecture of small towns like Madison, Rexville, and Napoleon. Having grown up in Alaska where few structures predate 1945, I always am impressed with the neighborhoods in the Midwest that look so much like sets from Leave it to Beaver or My Three Sons. As a kid, I thought those scenes were made up of plywood and paper mache to fit some writer’s ideal of a utopian society.

On the other hand, I am totally unimpressed by the miles of flat straight roads where nothing changes except the color of the cars for sale in the driveways. The only respite form the boredom is dodging sailcats and the occasional flat opossum. Sunday also had the added ingredient of high winds from the west. I swear I beveled off the left side of both tires compensating for the pressure.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. I snuck around the outskirts of Muncie and angled toward the northeast. I put away the GPS and paper map and alternately turned right and left until connecting with I-475 near Maumee Ohio. From there it was a quick trip up US23 to home and my beautiful wife. To celebrate, we pulled out her Magna and rode the bikes over to Hooters in Taylor, MI for some hot wings. What a great wife!

When I checked in with my favorite bulletin Board, GL1800riders.com, I found out I had been nominated to receive the grand door prize from the Tennessee Lunch Run. There was some kind of mysterious modified selection system in place since the expected hat-drawing didn’t occur. The instigator, I mean organizer, had been stopped from attending due to snow in Tennessee in April.

Thanks to Closet Chef of Chrisco Accessories, Honda DirectLine, and Metzler Tires for a brand new set of skins. With any luck, I’ll be using them to get to next year’s buffet!