M and M and M and M and M(e). “M” is the first initial of the 4 men I was planning to meet the weekend of the 4th to ride the dragon’s tail and Cherahola Skyway as well as some other roads. The original plan was to converge at the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge hereafter referred to as I.H. Kay would be unable to go but was gracious enough to support my going. My friend Michel Magers is from Greeley, CO (pronounced Me’-shell, when we first met, he let me call him Michael several times before correcting me). If he and the others was going to be in the area only 3 or 4 hours away, I hated to miss the opportunity to fellowship with them.
The other 3 “M”uskateers were Mark, Mark, and last but not least, Mark. One of the Marks I was looking forward to seeing was Mark Rojahn , whom I had met last year in Sturgis along with Michel. Then there was Mark Magers from Wichita,KS, Michel’s brother. We were facebook friends only before this trip. The last Mark was a friend of Mark Magers.
It was Saturday , July 2nd . I had gotten up with Kay and we had a casual breakfast on the porch. I wish I could stop time when I have these weekend front porch breakfast times with Kay. It’s always special to just talk as the sun rises at our backs and the shadow of the house in the front yard begins to shrink back toward us. We watch as our dog Bitsy is exploring the field across the road. As the crop grows, eventually, you can only follow her by her coiled black tipped tail sticking up. Birds are singing, as I admire the beauty of the ridge across the field. People we know and love will drive by and wave. Rural life is such a blessing.
Kay went to work so I began to pack Ruby86 (the red Vision). I got a text that the other guys had been held up by weather and they didn’t see any way they would make it to our Robbinsville,NC rendezvous. So, instead of riding to the campground and waiting on them for another day, I decided to ride out and meet them as they were coming East and then we all 5 ride in together.
I left about noon and it was 102F on I-59. It was like riding in a hairdryer on high! It dropped 10 degrees when I topped Monteagle, TN on I-24. My gas stop in Clarksville,TN was different. After filling the tank I went in to fill the water bottle and empty the bladder. While exiting the store, a nicely dressed young man engaged me and began to tell me a story about how he and his fiancé had a disagreement and she had put him out on the side of the road. I include that he was dressed well to show a lesson I learned that even if people that look like they have it all together on the surface, they may be wrestling with demons just like the rest of us. He didn’t know I was on a bike. I apologized that I couldn’t give him a lift. He understood and we said goodbye. As I walked to the bike, the scripture Acts 3:6 came to mind where Peter tells the lame beggar “silver and gold I have none but what I do have, I give you…” I walked back to him and said “I can’t give you a ride but I can pray with you if that’s ok.” He was agreeable. I put my hand on his shoulder , we bowed our heads and I prayed for peace to prevail in his life, for God’s blessing on the young man as he tried to find his way. At the end of the prayer, he joined me in closing with “Amen”. I wished him well and was on my way. So I hope I was able to give him a lift after all, a spiritual lift.
Michel’s text instructed me to meet them in Murray,KY. I got off the exit for Cadiz,KY taking hwy 68 . I crossed a couple of beautiful bridges in a lake state park and community. One was a modern suspension, beautiful in its own right , the other was a truss bridge . If you know me , I love rivet truss bridge architecture and I am very upset to see so many being demolished as they build the boring concrete bridges right beside them. There isn’t much I can do about it but enjoy them before they are all gone.
The other 3 “M”uskateers were Mark, Mark, and last but not least, Mark. One of the Marks I was looking forward to seeing was Mark Rojahn , whom I had met last year in Sturgis along with Michel. Then there was Mark Magers from Wichita,KS, Michel’s brother. We were facebook friends only before this trip. The last Mark was a friend of Mark Magers.
It was Saturday , July 2nd . I had gotten up with Kay and we had a casual breakfast on the porch. I wish I could stop time when I have these weekend front porch breakfast times with Kay. It’s always special to just talk as the sun rises at our backs and the shadow of the house in the front yard begins to shrink back toward us. We watch as our dog Bitsy is exploring the field across the road. As the crop grows, eventually, you can only follow her by her coiled black tipped tail sticking up. Birds are singing, as I admire the beauty of the ridge across the field. People we know and love will drive by and wave. Rural life is such a blessing.
Kay went to work so I began to pack Ruby86 (the red Vision). I got a text that the other guys had been held up by weather and they didn’t see any way they would make it to our Robbinsville,NC rendezvous. So, instead of riding to the campground and waiting on them for another day, I decided to ride out and meet them as they were coming East and then we all 5 ride in together.
I left about noon and it was 102F on I-59. It was like riding in a hairdryer on high! It dropped 10 degrees when I topped Monteagle, TN on I-24. My gas stop in Clarksville,TN was different. After filling the tank I went in to fill the water bottle and empty the bladder. While exiting the store, a nicely dressed young man engaged me and began to tell me a story about how he and his fiancé had a disagreement and she had put him out on the side of the road. I include that he was dressed well to show a lesson I learned that even if people that look like they have it all together on the surface, they may be wrestling with demons just like the rest of us. He didn’t know I was on a bike. I apologized that I couldn’t give him a lift. He understood and we said goodbye. As I walked to the bike, the scripture Acts 3:6 came to mind where Peter tells the lame beggar “silver and gold I have none but what I do have, I give you…” I walked back to him and said “I can’t give you a ride but I can pray with you if that’s ok.” He was agreeable. I put my hand on his shoulder , we bowed our heads and I prayed for peace to prevail in his life, for God’s blessing on the young man as he tried to find his way. At the end of the prayer, he joined me in closing with “Amen”. I wished him well and was on my way. So I hope I was able to give him a lift after all, a spiritual lift.
Michel’s text instructed me to meet them in Murray,KY. I got off the exit for Cadiz,KY taking hwy 68 . I crossed a couple of beautiful bridges in a lake state park and community. One was a modern suspension, beautiful in its own right , the other was a truss bridge . If you know me , I love rivet truss bridge architecture and I am very upset to see so many being demolished as they build the boring concrete bridges right beside them. There isn’t much I can do about it but enjoy them before they are all gone.
It began to rain lightly as I proceeded West to Murray. I packed my sleeping bag on the outside of the bike so I pulled over to place it in the trunk. The rain stopped as quickly as it had started.
I found this great little restaurant where I could hole up while I waited on the guys. Martha’s Restaurant, a wonderful old place that the server proudly proclaimed was the hub of Murray. Food was great. Especially the fresh local corn on the cob! Chicken was savory and not dried out. Green beans were , well, what I expected green beans to be, bakes apples were like candy! I considered them my dessert. They sourced local produce which is important to me. Besides the corn, they had fresh tomatoes, and local honey all from the area. I ended up leaving with a jar of honey. It’s what I sweeten my coffee with. When I told the server that, she brought a store use bottle for my coffee while I waited.
I found this great little restaurant where I could hole up while I waited on the guys. Martha’s Restaurant, a wonderful old place that the server proudly proclaimed was the hub of Murray. Food was great. Especially the fresh local corn on the cob! Chicken was savory and not dried out. Green beans were , well, what I expected green beans to be, bakes apples were like candy! I considered them my dessert. They sourced local produce which is important to me. Besides the corn, they had fresh tomatoes, and local honey all from the area. I ended up leaving with a jar of honey. It’s what I sweeten my coffee with. When I told the server that, she brought a store use bottle for my coffee while I waited.
I nursed my coffee and about 2 hours later, 2 more Visions pulled into the parking lot. It was brothers Michel and Mark Magers. Missing, were the other two Marks. Turns out, they were unable to go at the last minute. I was disappointed Rojahn was absent. I was really looking forward to seeing him again.
I finally had a proper introduction to Mark Magers. You know , you hear people say “you should write a book”. Well, Mark should literally write a book. I listened to his stories on this whole trip and was in awe of his life experiences. He has been to many places in the world. He is also a grief and addiction counselor. Michel has just as many captivating stories. These two Kansas farm boys are rich with life stories, intriguing godly men. My time around them is time well spent.
After the guys had supper, we searched and contacted a campground on our smart phones, actually they did. It was just a couple of miles away. We saddled up and that’s when I realized Mark had the coveted L.E.D. brake light conversion for the Vision with sequential turn technology. I had seen videos of this but when I saw it in person, I had to remind myself more than once to close my mouth. It was the most beautiful thing. This is a very expensive mod. Mark being handy, was able to do it cheaper by doing a lot of the work himself instead of the plug and play option my less handy self would have to opt for.
The campground was not bad but not great either. For $10 a night , I can’t complain. It had an Islamic Center on the property next door and muslims were congregating outside. I kept that in the back of my mind.
The permanent campers there were very friendly and offered help while we were setting up our tents in the dark. Actually , I have the instant tent that sets up in seconds and I’m throwing my pillow and sleeping bag in it. Mark has a hammock tent! He is the gadget guy. He even has a fan/light combo that hangs from the ceiling of his tent. The hammock tent was impressive. Once set up, you could bounce a quarter off the hammock. He has a bad back and can’t really sleep on the ground.
We all got set up and Michel said “I smell dog poop” and right on cue, from the RV beside us that looked like it hadn’t moved in 10 years, the neighbor pops out with 2 or 3 little ankle biters to let them do their business (For what it’s worth, I never actually saw any dog crap the next day.)
It was time to bed down. I checked in with Kay. There were fireworks going off in the distance, of course so, I installed my ear plugs. A few minutes later, there was a nuclear flash followed in a split second by a booming percussion that literally shook the ground. This wasn’t something you could get at the corner fireworks stand. It felt like it went off IN my tent! The flash was so bright , it was blinding through my eyelids! This caused my brain to recall a memory. When I was a kid, my dad would be drinking and set off dynamite on the 4th . My dad once had a strip coalmining operation . He would let us push down the old fashion plunger detonator box just like you see in roadrunner cartoons. The next day my brother and I would run out to the blast site and marvel at the crater it created. For days after, neighbors almost 2 miles away would tell of how they had to re-center their wall paintings.
They did this late into the night. The shenanigans at night were bad enough but we were violently ripped from our short slumber to a 4:30 am explosion! I’ll take a brief holiday from creative writing and use common prose here. I was pissed off! It woke every single inhabitant of the campground. I got up at this point and got my shower. I ascertained from our neighbor that it was some youth causing this havoc drive by style. I began to wonder later if they were actually harassing the Islamic Center and maybe we were just collateral damage. Or maybe it was the Islamic Center, I don’t know.
Sunday July 3rd. We broke camp and headed for breakfast at Martha’s. After a hearty breakfast, we set out for North Carolina.
I finally had a proper introduction to Mark Magers. You know , you hear people say “you should write a book”. Well, Mark should literally write a book. I listened to his stories on this whole trip and was in awe of his life experiences. He has been to many places in the world. He is also a grief and addiction counselor. Michel has just as many captivating stories. These two Kansas farm boys are rich with life stories, intriguing godly men. My time around them is time well spent.
After the guys had supper, we searched and contacted a campground on our smart phones, actually they did. It was just a couple of miles away. We saddled up and that’s when I realized Mark had the coveted L.E.D. brake light conversion for the Vision with sequential turn technology. I had seen videos of this but when I saw it in person, I had to remind myself more than once to close my mouth. It was the most beautiful thing. This is a very expensive mod. Mark being handy, was able to do it cheaper by doing a lot of the work himself instead of the plug and play option my less handy self would have to opt for.
The campground was not bad but not great either. For $10 a night , I can’t complain. It had an Islamic Center on the property next door and muslims were congregating outside. I kept that in the back of my mind.
The permanent campers there were very friendly and offered help while we were setting up our tents in the dark. Actually , I have the instant tent that sets up in seconds and I’m throwing my pillow and sleeping bag in it. Mark has a hammock tent! He is the gadget guy. He even has a fan/light combo that hangs from the ceiling of his tent. The hammock tent was impressive. Once set up, you could bounce a quarter off the hammock. He has a bad back and can’t really sleep on the ground.
We all got set up and Michel said “I smell dog poop” and right on cue, from the RV beside us that looked like it hadn’t moved in 10 years, the neighbor pops out with 2 or 3 little ankle biters to let them do their business (For what it’s worth, I never actually saw any dog crap the next day.)
It was time to bed down. I checked in with Kay. There were fireworks going off in the distance, of course so, I installed my ear plugs. A few minutes later, there was a nuclear flash followed in a split second by a booming percussion that literally shook the ground. This wasn’t something you could get at the corner fireworks stand. It felt like it went off IN my tent! The flash was so bright , it was blinding through my eyelids! This caused my brain to recall a memory. When I was a kid, my dad would be drinking and set off dynamite on the 4th . My dad once had a strip coalmining operation . He would let us push down the old fashion plunger detonator box just like you see in roadrunner cartoons. The next day my brother and I would run out to the blast site and marvel at the crater it created. For days after, neighbors almost 2 miles away would tell of how they had to re-center their wall paintings.
They did this late into the night. The shenanigans at night were bad enough but we were violently ripped from our short slumber to a 4:30 am explosion! I’ll take a brief holiday from creative writing and use common prose here. I was pissed off! It woke every single inhabitant of the campground. I got up at this point and got my shower. I ascertained from our neighbor that it was some youth causing this havoc drive by style. I began to wonder later if they were actually harassing the Islamic Center and maybe we were just collateral damage. Or maybe it was the Islamic Center, I don’t know.
Sunday July 3rd. We broke camp and headed for breakfast at Martha’s. After a hearty breakfast, we set out for North Carolina.
The Vision is well known for drawing inquisitive types at gas stops. We had one stop where this little old man came up. He was about 90 lbs, wild, unkept hair, thin grey beard all the way down the front of his neck, a dingy wife beater tank top barely held in place by his bony shoulders. Motorcycles have been the catalyst for so many interesting encounters with people. This gentleman was in a branch of service, I can’t remember which. I thanked him for his service. He told me of a 41 Harley he used to have. It was a military messenger model. He longed to be back on a bike. Being such a welter weight, he was interested in a trike now but couldn’t find one he could afford. I just enjoyed listening to him and he enjoyed telling us his story. Everyone has a story and they want to tell it. In the attention deficit disorder world we live in today, there is a shortage of listeners. Do I have my own stories , absolutely and at times, I’m the story teller. However, I think I enjoy being the listener more , especially to the older generation that have less and less people to listen to them.
We rode through the Dragon’s Tail and stopped at the souvenir shops before riding to I.H. It was hot! We rode the Dragon fairly conservatively . Mark was pulling a Bushtec trailer. We finally go to the I.H. and set up tents right by the Stecoah Creek. Two Wheels of Suches has a similar layout by a creek. I love going to sleep to a babbling brook. This campground was amazing! It has a full service lodge, covered parking for our bikes, cabins, etc. I was really impressed with the food service. You selected your meal by checking the boxes on a pamphlet with several selections and then you submit it and prepay. At designated meal times , you simply walk up to the kitchen window, give your name and your pre-ordered personally customized plate of food is presented. A model of efficiency !
We rode through the Dragon’s Tail and stopped at the souvenir shops before riding to I.H. It was hot! We rode the Dragon fairly conservatively . Mark was pulling a Bushtec trailer. We finally go to the I.H. and set up tents right by the Stecoah Creek. Two Wheels of Suches has a similar layout by a creek. I love going to sleep to a babbling brook. This campground was amazing! It has a full service lodge, covered parking for our bikes, cabins, etc. I was really impressed with the food service. You selected your meal by checking the boxes on a pamphlet with several selections and then you submit it and prepay. At designated meal times , you simply walk up to the kitchen window, give your name and your pre-ordered personally customized plate of food is presented. A model of efficiency !
Our riding styles matched perfectly. Because we all had Visions, we all had great range and comfort so we stopped only for gas and met any other needs we had at that time. We rode in tight formation so no one had to worry about anyone drifting out of sight or getting cut off at a traffic light. We looked like a fighter jet air show coming down the road. I could see everyone at all times. When Mark led , I was in his hip pocket (staggered of course) and Michel was in my hip pocket. We rode like synchronized swimmers. I have never ridden with 2 other Visions outside of organized Victory owner events so it was pretty cool to have a Vision in front of me and one in my mirror.
I was riding with seasoned riders. Instances of pointing out road debris or lane changing etiquette makes a difference with experienced travelers. We were all so intuitive of the other. No matter who was leading, we knew the next move. The trailing Vision would pull out and lead block for the others in a lane change situation. It was 2nd nature to us.
I checked in with my bride then went fast asleep that night. With the absence of explosives, no ear plugs tonight just the lullaby of the creek as it runs over the maze of smooth river rock.
July 4th , I got up and got my shower. We had breakfast at the lodge and pointed our Visions for the Cherohala Skyway. It was beginning to get warm again but I knew it would be refreshingly cool as we climbed and it was. The temp dropped to 72F at the highest point.
This road was particularly fun today. I was surprised at the unusual lack of traffic. I don’t get to ride my Vision this way very often. Let’s just say, we rubbed off all the chicken strips. For the non-riding public, chicken strips are the little rubber nipples on the sidewall of the tire. If they remain throughout the life of the tire, it’s an indicator of a timid rider that doesn’t necessarily “attack the corner.” We were riding aggressively enough that bikers were pulling off to let us by. We made a few stops for photos.
Near the end of the Skyway, there is a side road that takes you to Bald River Falls. This was the first time Mark had ventured East of the Mississippi on his bike so I enjoyed showing them the beautiful falls and the ribbon of asphalt that is the Cherohala Skyway.
I was riding with seasoned riders. Instances of pointing out road debris or lane changing etiquette makes a difference with experienced travelers. We were all so intuitive of the other. No matter who was leading, we knew the next move. The trailing Vision would pull out and lead block for the others in a lane change situation. It was 2nd nature to us.
I checked in with my bride then went fast asleep that night. With the absence of explosives, no ear plugs tonight just the lullaby of the creek as it runs over the maze of smooth river rock.
July 4th , I got up and got my shower. We had breakfast at the lodge and pointed our Visions for the Cherohala Skyway. It was beginning to get warm again but I knew it would be refreshingly cool as we climbed and it was. The temp dropped to 72F at the highest point.
This road was particularly fun today. I was surprised at the unusual lack of traffic. I don’t get to ride my Vision this way very often. Let’s just say, we rubbed off all the chicken strips. For the non-riding public, chicken strips are the little rubber nipples on the sidewall of the tire. If they remain throughout the life of the tire, it’s an indicator of a timid rider that doesn’t necessarily “attack the corner.” We were riding aggressively enough that bikers were pulling off to let us by. We made a few stops for photos.
Near the end of the Skyway, there is a side road that takes you to Bald River Falls. This was the first time Mark had ventured East of the Mississippi on his bike so I enjoyed showing them the beautiful falls and the ribbon of asphalt that is the Cherohala Skyway.
We came out at Tellico Plains and filled up with gas. While I was stopped , I got a call from my dad who sadly has to call from prison so I was grateful for my good fortune to be stopped and accept the call. It was hot by now. We were sitting outside that station and a TPPD officer pulled up. He was hilarious. He was telling us that he was previously over major crimes in Chattanooga and that you could count on at least one homicide, suicide a day. He said of Tellico Plains that he feels like he is robbing them when he gets his paycheck because it’s like Mayberry compared to Chattanooga. You could tell he was leaving something oppressive and miserable in his position in Chattanooga and was very happy now.
It was time for me to head home. The Magers brothers had some more riding planned. We prayed and said our goodbyes. It was an uneventful ride home. Hot , I could see rain in places and prayed for it to rain on me, not something I do very often as a motorcyclist. It did rain and bring relief but it wasn’t long before I was riding in the hair dryer again , high 90’s and triple digits .
I would get home at around 3 or 4pm. It was about an 850 mile weekend and what did we do when I got home? Hopped on the bike and went out for supper .
The entire 3 day, 2 night trip, gas , lodging , and food cost me $132.29 !
It was time for me to head home. The Magers brothers had some more riding planned. We prayed and said our goodbyes. It was an uneventful ride home. Hot , I could see rain in places and prayed for it to rain on me, not something I do very often as a motorcyclist. It did rain and bring relief but it wasn’t long before I was riding in the hair dryer again , high 90’s and triple digits .
I would get home at around 3 or 4pm. It was about an 850 mile weekend and what did we do when I got home? Hopped on the bike and went out for supper .
The entire 3 day, 2 night trip, gas , lodging , and food cost me $132.29 !