(Not Quite) Maiden Group Ride

Motor Mike's t-shirt.

Junior leads a Friday night ride most weeks, when he's able, and this Friday was no exception. Starting from the Turnip Truck in The Gulch, tonight's ride was a familiar one: Down the Natchez Trace to Puckett's Grocery in Leiper's Fork.

After a minor hiccup was resolved (broken clutch cable... you vintage and quasi-vintage guys!), we were off, but that, combined with a lot of eating and socializing at Turnip Truck did mean a bit of late start. Not a big deal... Friday Night!

The southern wall at the end of the Birdsong Hollow Bridge. That's the one the guy who lived in my condo just prior to me swan-dived off of some years back. Wheee.

When we got onto the Trace, one of the first stops from this end is the Birdsong Hollow bridge. Owing to my discomfort with heights, I sped off to the end of the bridge and waited at the side of the road while the rest of the gang pulled off to the side on the bridge to take in the nighttime sights and smells of the valley below. That gave me the ideal position to shoot some really bad video!


First was some crotch rocketeers that I could hear roaring north on the Trace for more than a minute before they crested the hill just south of the bridge.


Then a few of the gang, as they sped by... and then Ed, on Michele's Metropolitan (top speed with Ed?  about 40MPH), asking me if I was taking a dump. :) I was hoping everyone would be tightly grouped together, but sadly, no.

I like riding the sweep position when I'm with riders with whom I'm unfamiliar; some people ride in a more-controlled fashion, and some kinda like to vary their lane position every couple of seconds.  :)  So, I hung back with Ed, who was slowed down on the hills. The rest of the crew waited at the Leiper's Fork exit, and we all rode into Puckett's as a cohesive force.

There was quite the party going on outside at Puckett's when we rolled in. We'd just missed the "best of open mic" night, but there was some gentle strumming going on in the background.

Wikkid Wanda behind a Lance (SYM) Cali Classic (Fiddle II). Dude has ground effects, too!

If anyone tells you there's no nightlife in Leiper's Fork...

Leiper's Fork is a pretty little one-horse town. This photo doesn't do it justice, sadly.

Ed bought a sixer of a Fat Tire ale, and passed them around. After about an hour, we shot northward towards home (I rode all-out, as I knew I had hungry, angry kittehs awaiting). I was home by midnight.

A fun ride, Junior. Let's do it again!
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