Saturday: I told Mrs Trekker we needed to test out the new trim panel part. Can't have a new part and not go for a test ride, right? Besides, the weather forecast suddenly changed from rain to NO rain, mostly sunny and seasonably cool in the mid 70s. So we hit the road just to test our new $16 horseshoe. 45 miles later it was doing great...so was the wonderfully strong M8 engine...and we decided to run toward a favorite lunch stop. The Cherry Street Pub in Lancaster, OH is one of those places that has tons of character, class and phenomenal food. The service is the best we've ever had....the place runs like a fine watch. We both ordered the Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese which we both agreed is the ideal meal for testing out new parts on a bike. After that it was back on the bike and time to go exploring. The new part needed more miles for sure.
We had learned of a winery hidden in the hills and well off the beaten path. I had some of the routes memorized and off we went. We rode through Hocking Hills which was heavy with traffic. In South Bloomingville we stopped to verify the route and I accidentally placed the bike in front of an old structure with this sign:
Snapped the obligatory picture and figured I might talk to Grandma Faye later in the week.
From there it was off on some county roads which were good but required a very watchful eye due to deer, tight bridges, tighter curves and lots of blind pull-outs. We found the winery and motored up a semi-steep gravel drive to the parking area at top. Uh oh....not a great setup for a heavy bike. The entire lot was gravel and I had to keep decent momentum as I circled it. Suddenly my wife sounded the alarm, "You're heading into the soft stuff!". She was right. I mistook an area of fine, dark and soft gravel for blacktop. I stopped the bike with the nose downhill and front tire in the soft material. Backing up wasn't an option, so after some thought I carefully duck-walked the big horse into a 90 degree left turn and eventually got through the soft fill. Whew...and the new trim part handled it just fine.
I found a suitable parking spot and we headed in for a bit of vino. A couple of wine flights and a glass apiece later, we took a walk and enjoyed the rustic vineyards.
Their wine was surprisingly good, and we decided to buy a bottle. So 4 bottles later and some fancy packing in the tour pak, we were ready for the final leg of our trim panel test ride.
Great ride home with zero issues and genuinely fantastic weather. My wife wants to know when we're going to do something this fun again, and I told her I need to find another part for the bike. On the other hand, I realize that little $16 part ended up costing me a LOT more than I originally estimated! But hey...that's what money is for, right?.
)
