She was a little wet

We left for our ride today knowing that it was more like 100% chance of rain than the 60% they were calling for, because we could feel it. That really didn’t damper my spirits at all because I have spent a lot time and money getting comfortable riding when it rains and when it is cold. Remember Alaska? The only thing I was worried about was Lori staying warm and dry. She let me know from time to time during the ride she both and she was fine.

The ride itself was still pretty even though it rained half of the time and was overcast and dry in other places. The climb up and over Mt. Rodgers was actually mostly sunny which totally caught me off guard. The only issue of the day was one section of road prior to the Mt. Rodgers climb that we were out in farm country. There was something on the road that I just couldn’t figure out that was making the bike slip a bit in the corners. Not sure if it was something from the trees, runoff from the edge of the road, or sand. All I know whatever it was when mixed with water was extremely slippery.

We saw lot’s of nice homes today and lot’s of nice roads and I will save this route for a future ride if I’m ever back in the area. Route 421 heading east was a very nice road, but since it was rain soaked, I road it very conservatively. I do not consider myself a great wet road rider, specially with a large cruiser pulling a trailing. So today I just road smart.

We ended our ride today faster than I anticipated and by 3 pm we were back at the hotel. So we relaxed a bit and then ventured out in the rain for some BBQ that was recommended by the desk. Ridgewood BBQ in Bluff City, Tn. was definitely worth the trip. You could see them cook’in dinners for all right there in front of you as soon as you walked in the door. The smell outside the building would draw hungry folks from miles around. How to describe the meat? You know how Arby’s slices their Roast Beef? Well this is how they sliced the Pork. Then they threw it on a flat grill, and I mean threw it, heated it a bit, then added their special sauce. Now the scooped it off the grill onto a plate and then covered the meat with french fries. All this was served with Cole Slaw, Rolls, and Baked beans. Damn, I’m stuffed. It wasn’t Carolina BBQ and I wouldn’t even classify it as Memphis, it had a taste all its own. Click the link above and then look down the right hand column and you will see the exact thing we ordered. I’d go back again.

Tomorrow we have a 30–40% chance of rain which is better than 60%, so let’s hope for dry. That’s all I want. I like dry. Dry is fast. Today we took a total of zero pictures so I will end here.