"Do you think I have the stamina?" Sunshine asked as she prepared for her first long distance ride. Excited as she was about attending the Regional Meet-Up, 400 miles in a day was nearly double any previous ride! We had planned an ambitious route, fairly direct to McAlester, then looping around through the Ouachita National Forest, Hot Springs NPS, and home again. |
The morning dawned cold, 43 degrees! Skye's bike groaned and wouldn't start and needed to be plugged in for a bit. Even Cherise (Gypsy's bike) was cranky! While topping off tanks before leaving town, Sunshine realized, "I need warmer gloves!" Circling back to her house, "Now's the time!" she was told. We then proceeded to make 50 mile hops to keep the chill from really setting in. |
By time we reached Paris Texas, the day had warmed enough to be comfortable in all our layers, with a clear blue sky. Patti had already passed through, sending a text from McAlester wondering when we would arrive. With only 100 miles to go, we were ready for a break. The Veteran's Memorial was a bonus at the Texas Eiffel Tower followed by lunch at Ward's Restaurant. The new chapter out of Louisiana, WITW Voodoo Kats, had also gotten a late start with a cranky bike and were just getting on the Indian Nations Turnpike, just a little north of us. |
"Food, Friends, & Fun" is a simple summary of MOTALK 2018. Everyone loved Sunshine's ear cuffs and she was dubbed "Khaleesi - Mother of Dragons". Saturday brought a cold rain, precluding the planned area ride, so we spent time in town and caged it up to Old Fort Harley Davidson in Fort Smith AR. |
Still needing 10 miles when she reached home, she kept going out to the Corners in Buchanan. Four lanes, no traffic, the moon shining off the reflectors felt like riding down a lit runway. As she reminded herself to watch for animals, a huge, beautiful buck raised his head to watch her go by in the lane next to her! The spirits accepted her bell (and a head bolt cover) as offerings in return for keeping her safe!