It's a lesson we've all heard a 1,000 times. If life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Or if things don't go according to plan, make the most of the deviation.
It was a beautiful day in St. Louis Saturday. I was going to make the most of it and get as much riding as I could after I got a couple of things ticked off the list.
1st thing: Get a haircut hippy! I went to my normal barber shop. The person that normally cuts my hair was busy, so I tried the new guy. Wasn't sure what to expect. Had a pleasant surprise -- turns out he was a former VMax owner and had noticed I pulled up on mine. We had a good chat about how much we love the bike while he cut my hair. He came outside after the haircut to see the bike and hear it start. As I left the parking lot I gave him a reminder of the days of VBoost as I tore down the road.
2nd thing: It was near noon, I hadn't had anything to eat for the day yet, so I figured I'd grab a bite to eat at one of the "chains" near where I was headed for riding. Well since it was a pretty day, everyone and their brother was out and about. And all these parking lots were slap full. So I grumbled a bit about it and decided I'd just ride on an empty stomach. I headed west and saw a strip mall and figured I'd see if maybe I'd get lucky and there would be a place there to grab a bite to eat. Turns out there was. A great cafe that made one very legitimate plate of biscuits and gravy and perfectly brewed ice tea. Glad those chains where full or I would have never discovered this place.
3rd thing: With the appetite for food fixed it was now time to satiate the appetite for iron and air. I decided to head out to winery country. An area I had been to several times, but never really wandered around too much. But this day I decided I was just going to take any road I saw that I had never been down before. I wanted something new. I hadn't gotten far into the exploration before one of my cheap ear plugs basically popped out. I knew that would annoy the hell out of me long term, so I decided to stop at the first place I could and remedy the issue.
I came across a gas station and drove past a couple of Harley guys whom I waved to, but they didn't return even the slightest acknowledgement. I pulled up next to another biker who was taking a break and having a cup of coffee. When I pulled up and looked over to nod hello I noticed he was standing next to a Norton Commando. I'm a bit of a vintage bike fan, so I pulled off my helmet and stepped over and complimented him on his bike.
We talked for probably 45 mins about his bike(it was a barn find he had restored) and other things bike related. I learned a lot from him in those 45mins. He was one of those guys whom I just wish I could hang out with more and learn from. He was from the area(lived just 3 miles from the gas station) so he gave me a few suggested roads to take that I had not been on before. And they were fantastic suggestions! I had a blast riding those roads and just had a smile from ear to ear. I was mainly just cruising, nothing really fast or furious -- but it was just the perfect dish for what I was hungry for. I can't wait to hit those roads again once spring is in and the trees are full of leaves and the grass is green and the crops are tall.
It was a great day of riding and some of the best lemonade I've had in awhile. :clapping:
It was a beautiful day in St. Louis Saturday. I was going to make the most of it and get as much riding as I could after I got a couple of things ticked off the list.
1st thing: Get a haircut hippy! I went to my normal barber shop. The person that normally cuts my hair was busy, so I tried the new guy. Wasn't sure what to expect. Had a pleasant surprise -- turns out he was a former VMax owner and had noticed I pulled up on mine. We had a good chat about how much we love the bike while he cut my hair. He came outside after the haircut to see the bike and hear it start. As I left the parking lot I gave him a reminder of the days of VBoost as I tore down the road.
2nd thing: It was near noon, I hadn't had anything to eat for the day yet, so I figured I'd grab a bite to eat at one of the "chains" near where I was headed for riding. Well since it was a pretty day, everyone and their brother was out and about. And all these parking lots were slap full. So I grumbled a bit about it and decided I'd just ride on an empty stomach. I headed west and saw a strip mall and figured I'd see if maybe I'd get lucky and there would be a place there to grab a bite to eat. Turns out there was. A great cafe that made one very legitimate plate of biscuits and gravy and perfectly brewed ice tea. Glad those chains where full or I would have never discovered this place.
3rd thing: With the appetite for food fixed it was now time to satiate the appetite for iron and air. I decided to head out to winery country. An area I had been to several times, but never really wandered around too much. But this day I decided I was just going to take any road I saw that I had never been down before. I wanted something new. I hadn't gotten far into the exploration before one of my cheap ear plugs basically popped out. I knew that would annoy the hell out of me long term, so I decided to stop at the first place I could and remedy the issue.
I came across a gas station and drove past a couple of Harley guys whom I waved to, but they didn't return even the slightest acknowledgement. I pulled up next to another biker who was taking a break and having a cup of coffee. When I pulled up and looked over to nod hello I noticed he was standing next to a Norton Commando. I'm a bit of a vintage bike fan, so I pulled off my helmet and stepped over and complimented him on his bike.
We talked for probably 45 mins about his bike(it was a barn find he had restored) and other things bike related. I learned a lot from him in those 45mins. He was one of those guys whom I just wish I could hang out with more and learn from. He was from the area(lived just 3 miles from the gas station) so he gave me a few suggested roads to take that I had not been on before. And they were fantastic suggestions! I had a blast riding those roads and just had a smile from ear to ear. I was mainly just cruising, nothing really fast or furious -- but it was just the perfect dish for what I was hungry for. I can't wait to hit those roads again once spring is in and the trees are full of leaves and the grass is green and the crops are tall.
It was a great day of riding and some of the best lemonade I've had in awhile. :clapping:
unk:
