Mostly Local Rides

So far this year, I have not taken any HUGE trips. It has been mostly local rides (less than 350 miles in a day). This is one reason for the lack of posts (gets boring seeing the same old thing). I am itching to get out there but like most people, work gets in the way and of course, money.

You probably have see the various posts on some group rides (the Lunch Laps) but mainly I have been riding by myself. Just enjoying the beauty of the back roads. This Spring has also been very unusual - it is COOL! This has been the best Spring in NC I have seen in the past 20+ years. Also, it has not been really rainy. Well, until recently! With cools conditions most days and no rain, riding is a given.

Not counting commuting to work, I do somewhere between 3-5 rides a week. These rides may be as short as one hour up to 4+ hours. It just depends on the day and the weather (and how I feel). Where I live, there are tons of back roads making the same trip quite different. For example, my commute to work. I have at least 10 different ways to drive to work. This can be from using the interstate to actually riding on gravel roads (which I do not usually....lol). These back roads can also be quite exciting. Tons of twisties, low traffic, and some interesting views.

So I may not be doing any long rides but I am still riding as much as I can. One thing I have been doing this year is a bit of a scavenger hunt. It is put on by the Glacial Lake Motorcycle Club and is called the Grand Tour. The premise is pretty simple. For ANY city that starts with a G L M or C (GLMC), on your motorized/electric bike or trike, moped, scooter, motorcycle, sidecar, spyder, and yes –slingshot, find an old bar, restaurant, tavern, diner, café, food truck, hotdog stand, or eatery showing obvious and advanced signs of age, disorder, neglect, and in stages of advanced disrepair - one lavishing in ill repute.

This has actually been a lot of fun. It also forces you to travel to cities where you may be able to find one of these places. This really has forced me to do a lot of "local" travelling in order to find these types of establishments. I find some cities I want to visit and then plan a really cool route to get there. What I really like about this scavenger hunt is it forces you to get out and also gives you a purpose to where you are going. I really try to spend quite a bit of time in arranging the routes getting there. I am not sure how many of these types of trips I have done this Spring but it has been a lot. Currently as of this writing, I have 23 places.

One thing I really like about all these rides is that it takes me to places I may not normally see. The other day, I came across the Valor Memorial Park. No idea what is was so I stopped. It is a park that honors all veterans but also tries to preserve history. When I stopped, the first thing I noticed was the CSA (Confederate States of America) monuments. These had been removed and placed in some distant place. This park has given them a new home. Yes, this park seems to be CSA confederate focused but history is history. We should not try to hide our mistakes but try to keep them in the open so we we can learn from them and more importantly NOT repeat them.

I never knew this park even existed. One of the perks of traveling the roads less travelled is you find interesting places like this.

On another ride, I wanted to traverse Lake Norman. I have been on bits and pieces but I have never actually rode all the way around it. Some of these roads are quite fun to ride. Also, I found the Waterside Bar and Grill. A cool little out of the way restaurant on the lake. These are the things I really love about going off the beaten path. You find some really places of interest and bars/restaurants.

I am kind of bummed that I have not done a big ride yet. I really want to take another 3-5 weeks and cross the country again but that will most likely have to wait until next year. I know that I will be doing it again. Just not sure which path since there are so many to choose from. Although I am not doing week long trips, I am still getting out there and putting miles on the bike. It may not seem as exciting but traveling any new path is an adventure to me.