2015...The Year of Riding Dual Sport Motorcycles...part #4 {final chapter}

Just 3 full days left in 2015 and the old logic, "Time flies as you get older" is certainly true, at least in my case....a day much like today it was, back on March 19th, rain, wind, snow mixed, when we headed out of Auburn, Indiana, towards Moab, Utah....9+ months and it seems like yesterday....

The bulk of the "Long Rides" on our Yamaha TWs had been completed, but we had one more to go...after originally planning on heading down to the Ohio River in Southern Indiana the second weekend in November, Kurt got the idea that Nick, me, and he, should head towards the Ohio River in Southeast Ohio, then cross over into West Virginia, the weekend before{November 1st} because the weather looked excellent...{in retrospect he did do the Southern Indiana ride the next weekend, but Nick and I bailed on that one}....

So Sunday 1st of November, Kurt rode is Suzuki 400, one of his new rides{he also purchased a Kawasaki 650 a bit earlier} to Nick's place in Montezuma, and I hooked up with them and we headed southeast about 1pm on a route Nick and I had used 40 years and more before in our travels back and forth from Nelsonville and Athens, during our Hocking Tech and Ohio U days at the College Inn near the Ohio Campus....

The winding state routes and a quick trip up US 33 had us arriving in total darkness at Athens...we grabbed a motel, a Mexican Restaurant, and a six pack of beer, and watched Sunday Night Football and a World Series final between the Mets and Royals{if I remember it was the final game, which saw KC take the crown}.

Next morning we waited out some Foggy conditions but finally said "Screw It" and headed down towards Strouds Run and then on to Marietta, where we hoped to take a short route north and take the Ferry across the river at Fly, Ohio...alas the Ferry doesn't run on Mondays...so we would highway it into the West Virginia Hills....

The next two days we would enjoy some great weather, great scenery, and good food....by midweek we were back in Ohio and took the route along the River before finally heading north, stopping in Chillicothe for the night before making the 150 miles run home the next morning...Wednesday I think it was....another 800 miles, mostly paved, but some off road near disasters, on the bikes as well pulled into Nick's Driveway on Wednesday afternoon...

The final Adventure Ride of the season and year....now we wait....not sure what is ahead, we have plans on another March in Moab, or perhaps a later February in south Florida around the Everglades.  Frankly I am not committed to any single ride or rides, I would like to do the

Upper Great Lakes again, this time at a slower pace and perhaps farther into Wisconsin, and maybe the foothills and mountains of upstate New York, my old stomping grounds in my last Air Force years and for awhile post Air Force....

 

Not sure what is in store, but will have the camera ready when{and if} it all comes down.

Back Later....my best for 2016, the year we will hopefully see the end of a Disaster known as the Obama Administration....the biggest freaking mistake this Republic has ever made:

Photos:  Despite it being a week or two past prime colors, the scenery was pretty nice, the weather was great, and the riding was as good as it gets....even the Foggy Monday ride out of the Super 8 at Athens, Ohio, was a fine ride....sure it was "iffy" at times, but not something you will hear me complain about.

The Final Stop at Nick's Place, we toasted with a couple of beers before Kurt jumped on his Suzuki and headed north to Auburn, Indiana, some 75 miles away.