As often as you can!

Sooo sad it took me 38 years to figure out this fact!

2 rides since my last blog post, yay!  Last week we got out on Sunday.  It was a few miles longer than yesterday, but both were super fun.  Sunday we headed south again down 411 towards the Ocoee/Hiawasee river scenic park.  Um, we finally made it down there, and it wasn't JUST a dirt road ... it was a MUD road.  We were only on it for a few hundred feet, and during just that time we were slipping and sliding BIG TIME.

See the mud on that tire?  Um, no dirt roads today!

So, we turned back north and hit some new roads we haven't been on!  David and I really enjoyed talking back and forth, and we enjoyed discussing the landscape as we rode through it.  David is amazing at finding curvy roads, and the route we took was really fun.  I have no idea where we were; just down 411 South towards Ocoee, lol!  Didn't go near the Cherohala this time, but it was still a great ride.  About 100 miles.

Washed my baby!  Looks as good as the day she came off the showroom floor

Yesterday, we headed into Townsend, ate lunch at a really good spot called the Dixieland Cafe, then took the backroads into Sevierville proper.  As a bit of a last minute thing, we decided to hit the gun range!  Never shot a gun in my LIFE.  One of my highschool friends growing up had a BB gun; that's the ONLY thing I've shot, and I didn't enjoy it much because it kicked me both in the collar bone and the eye.  I did ok at the range; shot a Ruger .22.  Very comfortable gun, but I was having a hard time with my aim; had to aim WAY low, and my shots were going probably 3 feet higher than I intended.  I alternated between 5 and 10 yards.  I just had no control over the "kick" of the gun, and it kept going high.  One of my 2018 "goals" is to take the gun safety course, get my concealed carry permit, and buy a gun!  Why?  Because it's my right as an American, and even though I've been fortunate enough to never be in an endangering situation, I want to be prepared if ever I am.

Baby figuring out how to load the ammo

Um ... dude in a different lane was shooting a CANNON!

And ... he's good at shooting too, just like everything else!

Hey!  I did it!

Had a good time; probably the gun I'll end up buying.

We left from there and came home back roads I've been down, but not often.  We managed to dodge the vast majority of the rain; I felt SO GOOD.  Khaleesi just is the most awesome bike in the world.  I NEVER feel like I'm fighting her.  Just look where I want to go, and around the corners she goes!  Wears Valley Road has one particularly gnarly uphill right hand switchback turn; I NAILED it unbelievable perfectly.  I don't think that corner has EVER felt so good :D  The roads were slightly damp, as there were spotty rain showers in the area.  Thundered back into the clean garage 85 miles and a few hours later.  Today; RAIN.  This week, COLD.  Next weekend, COLD.  So ... not sure when we'll get out again :( 

Had to do surgery on my horse chaps to get them to fit around my fat thighs :(

Different bandanna!

Thought this was a cool shot <3 nbsp="" td="">

Waaaay too little seat time!

The South has been hit by a COLD snap.  Northern FLORIDA has seen snow in the last few weeks.  I haven't started Khaleesi on any of the super cold days, but on the hand full we've reached 40, I've gone out there and fired her up.  Not one single issue thus far.  I took a SUPER short jaunt around Big Springs Road a day or 2 after Christmas.  It barely squeaked up to 40 degrees, so I layered up and went alone.  Hubs said I was crazy, he'd wait.

REALLY wanted to join in on one of the many New Year's Day rides, but the high was sub 20, so yeah.  No.

Today was SIXTY FIVE.  YESSSSSS!!!  I wanted to ride to work this morning, but with already getting up at 5, as long as I have to take care of the baby in the mornings, I can't ride to work.  Maybe the warm summer will change that, but for now, it's just too cold. 

Met the hubs, and we headed down 321 to some sweet little curvy back roads a mere 10 minutes from our house.  Went through the towns of Friendsville and Greenback, crossed over 411, took a road or 2 we'd never been down, then dead ended onto 129 just below the Dragon.  Took 129 back home.  SUCH a beautiful day, it was a perfect ride.

I felt a little out of sorts at the very beginning just because I had to shake the rust off.  Also, riding in new boots is always interesting.  My new HD boots have a grippier, knobby sole on them, so I was getting a little hung up on my foot peg.  I got them figured out though, got back to shifting a little more smoothly.  David and I got radios, and we were able to talk back and forth, which was awesome! 

I LOVE to say I was pretty much book perfect.  No wide swinging, no missed gears, curves on rails and I got on the gas once or twice.  SO grateful and happy to get to ride.  We were out for an hour and a half and clocked right at 60 miles.  Wish we could have gone longer, but the baby was at the sitter and dark was fast approaching. 

Not sure when the next ride will be, but y'all can guarantee to read about it here!