Labor Day Weekend, 2010, Sunday and Monday

 Labor Day continued with a ride from Alexandria to Annapolis to visit Cathy and John, and Whitehall near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which just so happens to be where they live.... Amazing place.

Cathy and John were kind enough to give Linda and Charlie a tour of the grounds, and I tagged along. I never get tired of seeing Whitehall, and each time I visit I see and learn something new. I won't attempt a history lesson, but the estate dates back to Colonial Maryland, built in 1760 by Provisional Governor Horatio Sharpe for his main squeeze. Or something like that. Check out the Whitehall link above, or Google it for more information. Interesting stuff and worth a little digging. Hell, for a few bucks or new set of tires for the Harley, I can get you a private tour!

But what's that got to do with motorcycles, right? (Horatio!? Yikes! Glad that ain't my name.)

So from there, off to Bamboo Bernie's Biker Bash and Bike Show and a blind date. Yes, I do it all. Both were a complete bust...I was late, the date got lost, and the event wasn't what it was pumped up to be. And there was an awful lot of bullshit going on that made it even more of a bust, but you gotta keep going, right? One foot in front of the other, and all that.....

So from there, off to Nabb's Creek Cafe to see Daddy's girl...my daughter Marianne! That's always good for a smile, and it worked like a charm. Cute ain't she. Now stay away! My pistol is always loaded.

If that wasn't cheery enough, Dana lit me up with a smile and very warm welcome, which I may never get over....LOL! And yes, the girls just gotta have fun.

And let's see....what was I writing.....er.......? Oh yeah!, after Nabb's, we hit Reckless Rics for more fun, and fun is what we had! Or at least I did. Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you. BB's had some bad moments, but Nabbs and Rics took the sting out.

And from there, off to the Howard County legend, Daniels Restaurant, an outdoor biker bar that has outlived time  itself, openly thumbing its nose at a lot of county rules since it was there and operational as a biker bar, long before it was illegal to drink outdoors, etc.

From Daniels, it was a long and chilly ride back to Virginia to get ready for the Monday ride....

For Monday.....sorry, no pics.

So it was down to just two of us: Angel and I. Everyone else had other things going on, so Angel was kind enough to show me some of her and Jim's secret spots, including a ride past the ultra-secret Mount Weather west of Purcellville, VA. I was warned that super electro-magnetic forces might be energized which pulled motorcycles off the road and into the woods. Fortunately I escaped the effects of this exciting diversion, probably due to Angel's remarkable speed and riding skills. Following Angel is fun, but it's not for the timid. That girl can RIDE!

We also hit a nice country road along the Shenandoah River (yes, River Road...trick name, right?) and then an even twistier one called Snickersville Turnpike. Turnpike? 5MPH corners, guys! One hairpin curve managed to suck my front wheel off the asphalt! How the hell did that happen?

And we ended the day checking out Jerry's 55 Chevy Pickup which was just too cool. And no, no pix of that either. Sorry.

And a great weekend, and a great summer, ends with a couple loads of laundry, a few chores around the house, and a lot of  truly great memories I'll have forever. Got tighter with old friends, made some terrific new friends, and saw some places I never thought I'd see. Most of all, I got a chance to take a ride that most folks just dream about. That Southern Comfort ride was easily one of the best things I ever did.

Lots of pics in here (the blog) of friends.....I really hope it's OK with you guys to use your pics. If not, let me know and I'll find more that are even more embarrassing to post.

Cowboy

9/6/2010