Cary,
Those are some awesome pictures, Brother. Scooter looks like he wants whatever it was I was chasing up my schoz. Had a really great time visiting with you guys. I coulda made a meal........and damn near did......outta that salad Steph made. I think I had three bowls and another helping with my steak. Awesome grub. THANK YOU so much for your hospitality. As previously mentioned, you, Scooter and the Girls have and open invitation at my home whenever you decide to show up.
I left Springfield yesterday morning just before 6am. Traveled US 60 to US 63 to US 160. Folks, if you haven't ridden US 160, you gotta do it. That is one fun stretch of highway. I was whooped by the time I got to Poplar Bluff. Lots of curves, hills, and some decent straightaways. You'll shift....ALOT. Anyway, once I got to Poplar Bluff, I headed south on MO 53 through Qulan to the J Highway and made a left on the JJ Highway to Glennonville to visit my Mom's grave. It was good to be there. I really miss my Mom. She passed 5 years ago at 61. It was unexpected. I wasn't done with Mom yet......I believe none of us ever are. Loosing a parent is tough. I sat in the grass by her grave for the better part of 30 minutes just thinking of her. My Dad is traveling to Glennonville tomorrow to visit her grave. He is in the advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease, so he is having a church friend drive him up there. There was a flower stand next to Mom's headstone, so I bent it in such a fashion to hold one of my cards. It will make him feel better to know I was there recently. When I was finished, I got back on MO 53 through Campbell and made a left on MO 25 and rode to US 412. I stayed on US 412 all the way to Lexington, TN where I picked up TN 22. TN 22 lead me to TN 69 which becomes AL 20. AL 20 took me to US 72 in Florence, and I rode US 72 into Huntsville. From there I took some backroads to get home. Once home (around 4:30pm), I hugged and kissed my lovely bride....it sure is good to see her.....unpacked the bike, and drained the oil in all three cavities of the bike. Fresh oil went in, and I called it a night. This morning, I washed the scooter, and parked it in the garage. Renea and I spent the afternoon together just enjoying our back porch. Got a call from my boss about 2pm. She wanted to let me know that I need to be prepared to leave again this weekend....this time to Ft. Eustis. It isn't definite yet. I'll know for sure when I go back to work on Wednesday. This evening I detailed the bike and finished the service. Ol' Thumper is ready to go to Virginia if I get the call. That scooter is running so well. My air cleaner cover is vibrating, and it is bugging the hell out of me. It doesn't fit well over the HD-0800 air filter, so I'm in the market for a new cover. Don't know what I'm gonna do about it yet. Gotta study for my final tomorrow. It is good to be home.....even if only for a few days. Stef gets her exfix removed on 26 July. If I'm out of town, I'm going to do my level best to break away from the job in Virginia..........and as much as I hate commercial aviation, I'm gonna fly to Birmingham to be there.....even if it is just for that day. Personally, I hope the work schedule slips, so I don't have to leave until after her surgery. She's already getting the jitters.
OK, I got longwinded. I'll hush now. Have a great evening folks. See you on the highway.
HML