Full after action. Weather was not a factor, it was beautiful. Met up with Nick, Walter and Cale at the Q-stop. We waited until about 1145 for Scott and his bro-in-law to show... finally left out. Hit Thornton Gap first (a blast as usual). Stopped at Outlanders in Luray for a butt, dip and smoke break. Cale was gushing about shooting the gap "Dad gum, in that one curve I keep just leaning it over and over and was wondering when it was going to stop!" Saw a couple of cherry vintage bikes some guys were riding. Left Outlanders and headed over the mountain for Ft. Valley. This is the section where we round some sand in a pretty tight curve. I hit it first and did a supermoto kind of rear wheel power slide, didn't have time or the state of mind (worried about what I left in my shorts) to try and warn anyone, looked in my mirror and saw Nick hit it (AMAZING SAVE DUDE!). Everyone made it safely however. Continued on, leaves are just starting to think about changing and at one point we went through a stand of trees that were dropping their leaves as we rode through (was like riding in brief snow shower... it was surreal and very cool). Rumbled through the George Washington National Forest, Passage Creek was cool, saw one beautiful young lady in a bikini playing in the creek (wonder if any of you other guys saw her?). Cut over off Ft. Valley to Front Royal on Mountain Rd, back over the Shenandoah River to 340 and stopped at the 7-11 (the one just before the entrance to Skyline Drive) for another butt, smoke and dip break. Headed on down 522 to Flint Hill for our lunch at a very proper English Pub at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains (Griffin Tavern... which was proudly flying both the Union Jack and the Stars and Stipes, kinda fitting for a Bonneville America stop) and brew stop. Got there and saw what had to have been UKBACONs (Scott's) and his bro-in-laws bikes... what a nice suprise! Folks, you have got to see Scotts bike in person. It is SWEETTTTT!!!! Got inside and met them and also ran into some of my other good friends and riding buddies. We ate, cooled off with some good English brew (I love sitting down in there and they bring me a Boddingtons without asking). Got to talking about the bikes so we all head outside to hear Scotts bike with his homemade pipes... judas h. priest that thing sounds like a top fuel funny car!). Someone said your neighbors must love you, Scott said and a I quote "F^*K the neighbors! My kinda guy!). His brother in law was also running a nicely tricked out Black BA with epco pipes which was also raucous when cracking the throttle. Walter also has a very nice sounding bike with his Sceptres. Well this got my other buddies cranking up thier bikes (two HDs and a Sucker Punch Sallies all with gutted drag pipes). Enjoyed the concert for a bit and went back inside to finish lunch. We all decided to run together for a piece after lunch so we all headed out and fired up. Gathered up at the front of the parking lot and everyone started cracking it open (Bet it raised the dead in the cemetary) and launched onto the road. Folks this sounded AWESOME! Headed back out to 211 towards Sperryville and the buds on the HDs cracked it open out in front... not to be outdone Scott and his bro cracked those tricked out BAs into a british steel frenzy and ran them down! I was so proud! We all stopped for gas and decided it was getting late so we split up and headed back to town. Waved off each guy as we split off our separate ways. While riding on back to my house lone wolf at this point I reflected back on the day and the people and couldn't have imagined it going any better (with the exception of having more of yall with us). All in all a GREAT Day to be alive and riding with great folks on awesome british steel. Can't wait to do it again.
By the way, Gene you have got to bring the MD/Clinton crowd down again for the fall leaves run on Skyline Drive. We've got some VA boys now that will round out the symphony (until I heard Scotts bike I thought that Casey had the loudest BA I had ever heard) quite well.
Thank you all for a memorable day!
