We had a little over a dozen MSTA people gather in Middlesboro Kentucky for the 3rd Annual just for fun event...Rick's Ride. Members from Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina were all present and accounted for. The weather was outstanding, the hotel was phenomenal, and the fun for all was unparalleled.
Checked in Friday afternoon after a nice 230 mile jaunt down from Northern Kentucky with my son, Tony and my good friend, Rick Barger. All back roads, many of them through the Daniel Boone National Forest, highlighted the trip, along with a stop in McKee, Ky for lunch at Opel's Dinner. (GREAT food!). When we got there, Norm Kern and Ron Vest, were already there, as they had come down on Thursday and spent much of Friday morning and afternoon riding in the area and setting up a route that others were to do on Saturday. By the time dinner rolled around we had been joined by Jim Randall, Cliff Cook, and Jared and Ashley (new members from Indy) and we all went across the street for Mexican. New this year was the fact that they now have beer and drinks served in restaurants in the county, so many of us had a beer with our dinner. When I had checked into my room at the hotel I was met with a great surprise. Not only had the hotel made sure to put up a nice sign welcoming the MSTA back to the hotel, but they had also had a huge cake made up and deleivered to the room. So after dinner all of us came back to the hotel breakfast area and had cake and coffee, along with conversations, stories, and laughter. Another great evening with MSTA friends!
Saturday morning dawned cool and foggy, with the promise of sunshine and warmer temps as the day moved on. Not wanting to chance the fog to much almost everyone waited until mid morning to head out. Some went one way and followed Norm's and Ron's route of the day before, some went their own way, and my group (Tony, Rick, Jared, and Ashley) all did much of the same route Rick and I had done the year before. 33 and 66 in Tennessee, 70 from Rogersville, Tn to Jonesville, Va, and then up to Harlem, Ky for lunch at The Portal (Justified fans will know it). After lunch we headed back to Middlesboro via 983 skirts along the base of the mountains for a good 60 twisty miles. All told about 230 miles of smiles and memories. By all accounts everyone enjoyed the roads they rode and I heard nothing but praise for the abundance of twisty roads and good pavement, and the lack of traffic. This is truly a great area to ride in and if you haven't had the chance to do so you need to find a way to do it. I guarantee that you won't be dissapointd Ask onyone that's been there and they will tell you the same. This is an often overlooked area, but it's definitely worth spending some time there if you can. By dinner time some more members had rolled in, including Rick Giddish, Rod Brown, Clem Willis, and Bryan Dunlop. Some had gotten in Friday evening, some came in Saturday. We all went down the street about a block and had dinner at a local steak house. Being as it was Saturday evening and the place is popular, we all had to find seating in the bar area....what a shame. A few hours later, after several rounds of dinner, drinks, and stories we all walked back to the hotel for some more cake and coffee, and even some bourbon courtesy of Rick B.
Sunday morning again started out foggy but visibility was good enough that by 9:30 most people had left. Rick, Tony, and I headed back north via a slightly different and more direct route than the one we used coming down and we were all to our homes by sometime between 1-2. Great hotel, fantasitic roads, beautiful weather, and the best people anywhere......can't wait to do it all over again next year!
