Saturday, May 24, 2025

We left early; 6 am sharp! We hit the road with Ken C leading the way, cruising two-lane highways toward the largest Buc-ee’s in the USA. If you’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s, imagine Black Friday at Walmart, but instead of TVs, people are fighting over beef jerky and brisket sandwiches. The Sandies dove into the chaos like seasoned warriors, emerging victorious with snacks in hand.

Now, let me tell you about traveling with a retired weather guy. JoeJoe, our personal meteorologist, warned us that rain was ahead. Like responsible riders, we suited up in our rain gear—full sauna suits, ready for battle. Five hours later? Not a single drop of rain. Just five hours of marinating in our own sweat, slowly transforming into human dumplings. I think I lost three pounds just sitting still. JoeJoe, meanwhile, remained suspiciously dry, probably laughing at us internally.

Then came one of the strangest sights of the trip: a pseudo-biker gang—all riding Spyders. Now, I’m all for unconventional motorcycle choices, but these folks were committed to the role. They had out-riders blocking traffic like they were escorting a presidential motorcade, except instead of Harleys, they were on neon-colored Rykers. It was like watching a group of retired Power Rangers attempt a hostile takeover of the highway.

And let’s talk about their tough-guy aesthetic. 99% of them looked like they had a long-standing love affair with all-you-can-eat buffets. Nothing says “intimidating biker gang” like a group of dudes who look like they could bench-press a brisket sandwich but struggle with stairs. I showed my appreciation for their antics with a well-placed finger salute, which I’m sure was received with the grace and dignity it deserved.

Dinner at Texas Roadhouse? Absolute redemption. Nothing washes away the memory of "Wannabe Spyder Gang Shenanigans" like a basket of warm rolls and cinnamon butter. I may have lost three pounds to sweat earlier, but I gained it all back in pure, buttery bliss. The Prime Rib was excellent.

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Now we have rain, and for the next 6 days, it rained. Ken laid out a tremendous route of twisty roads, rain or no rain. The Spyders performed excellently in the rain, all 6 hours of it. We stopped for lunch, dried off, then got back on the rainy road. It was one fun day; the scenery was outstanding, even though the rain was a bit thick at times. It really was nice how everything was so green. Ken kept us on one great road after another—master road stuff for sure. The hotel truly was a welcome sight. Dinner at Cracker Barrel was well appreciated. We had no trouble sleeping that night.

Monday, May 26, 2025

The day started cloudy and promised rain. Ken, Mark & Lorna S, and our newest Spyder pilot Tommy all left for some aggressive riding. Ken's route included the "Widow Maker" and "The Back of the Dragon", all very technical roads, or as Sandie would say: "twisty as hell."

JoeJoe, Sam, and I opted to head straight to the hotel in Bristol, again in the rain. Glad to be in the hotel as it rained hard the rest of the day. A nice lunch and a dry nap rounded out our day perfectly. The Dragon Krewe only experienced a single spate of rain. All came back carrying tons of swag from The Back of the Dragon Store.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Tommy, JoeJoe, Sam, and I headed to Greenville Tennessee, to Baja Ron’s. They make and install sway bars for the Spyder. Sam and Tommy got new ones installed, and they repaired a bad installation on mine (from a former owner). The folks at Baja Ron's are first-class people who run a great Spyder repair operation, all housed in a '40s style gas station, which screams class.

We had lunch at Aunt Bees, really, seriously, outstanding Southern cooking!

We tried out our new parts on Highway 209. Sam's riding was amazing, stuck like glue to my backside. Tommy really liked the improvement on his cornering. We got lucky and the rain held off until we got back to the hotel. The rest of our crew, Ken & Mark, after driving some more outstanding roads like “The Snake,” managed to beat most of the rain back to the hotel.

A Georgia Motorcycle Club came in after us. They were completely soaked through their rain suits. It was raining super hard.