Since flying back to Tennessee, I've spent this past week visiting with folks and getting my motorcycle
ready at my friend's house (also known as “Grand Webmaster”) who is an electrical wizard:
Before my inbox gets slammed with “What's wrong with your bike???” emails, let me clearly state work was
either general maintenance or upgrades; not a darn thing is wrong with this bike (well, ok, aside from
that dreaded altitude issue Yahama has *still* not addressed!). Nonetheless, after getting all the
work done, subsequent “test” miles were on the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway:
“The Trace” seems to be my favorite local road to either reunite with a bike or initially ride a new
bike. This was the very road I took after rolling this bike out of the dealership this past
February (Report: HERE).
I'm really surprised to see how much it looks like autumn around Middle Tennessee despite the fact it's
only the beginning of September. I'm told the intense summer heat during the past month is the
reason for so many leaves being on the ground. The site certainly has fueled my excitement for
getting up to Vermont and New Hampshire and seeing the intense foliage:
My passenger “Mo the Moose” said he was extremely happy to be out of the Arizona desert and back into
the woods! We agreed that August in the desert is a rough place for a moose and a snowbird!
With the bike running well and on a new set of tires, I left Music City and made the quick 120 mile
jaunt to Chattanooga, TN, home to the world's greatest worrier and Matriarch! She has now seen
for herself I am in one piece and not suffering from any ill effects, misadventures, mosquito attacks,
bear encounters, or the likes over the last 2 months and 15,000 miles in Alaska, the Yukon, and British
Columbia. Mo and I both passed inspection and got a thumbs up...
.. then we headed in the Matriarch Mobile to the very place I was craving over the last 15,000 miles... of
course, the Waffle House! WOO-HOO!!
No surprise where my love for Waffle House comes from. The Matriarch said she's been enjoying
the regional icon's food (“especially the coffee”) for over 50 years... wow! We were served by
“Sam”, who I learned has served the Matriarch many cups of coffee during her 17 years of employment
at the Waffle House... another WOW! No doubt a photo opportunity was seized, thus allowing the
Matriarch's friends to continue their teasing her “Your photo is all over the Internet!”. It
appears grandmother types are rather relentless teasers.
The Matriarch and Sam:
One of my most enjoyable experiences is sitting down with the Matriarch and going over every single
photograph I've taken during my last journey, answering her plethora of questions, listening to her
hilarious comments, and relating detailed stories about my adventure. The experience is only
equaled by any planning of my upcoming travels that entails the two sitting down on the floor with
a multitude of her outdated paper maps spread about and discussing various roads and places. These
experiences with her are an aspect of the journey that is unforgettable for me... and I'm told for her as well.
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