#124 Moonshine & The Road Home

Moonshine & The Road Home

Day 3
Saturday
272 miles

Saturday morning riders were milling around the motel lobby and parking lot visiting and enjoying the comradery with friends that understand the love of touring far by motorcycle. The atmosphere is that of a family reunion as riders visit and share road stories and traveling tricks. I am meeting many for the first time and reconnecting with some whom I hadn't seen since meeting them last year at Moonshine. There are even others that I met last year at Moonshine and have since seen them at other MTF functions in various states across the country.

Someone snapped this quick pic of me before heading out to Moonshine. Since the Moonshine Store is small we don't want to all ride up at the same time. So riders started leaving the Comfort Inn about 10am in small groups to make the 13 miles to Moonshine on the south side of Casey.

All morning the temps ranged 37-39 degrees with scattered showers- some heavy- mixed with sleet. Ahhh, another wonderful day to tour on two wheels....

The road to Moonshine.

I pulled up to the front of the Moonshine Store about 11am during a temporary break in the showers.

As you can see, parking isn't plentiful and I still have that issue of getting my feet to the ground to stabilize the RT when stopping. So ... I stopped right in the middle of the street, scoped out my choices and picked an opening right where a small group were talking and taking photos. But that was it... that was the spot I wanted. I slowly pulled toward them, however when no one made way for me, I hit my aftermarket, extra loud horn. That blast got their attention. They started scooting out of the way then!
When they saw my precarious situation with parking in the mostly wet, loose gravel, uneven surface and my long stretch -- they had no problem making way for me.

Me with Richard (from Florida). I met him at Moonshine last year.

Charles (from Georgia), another friend I met last year at Moonshine.

This year, Terry made up a special t-shirt to offer along with the official Moonshine t-shirt.
You see why I had to get one. Because it's true. I've made some good new friends at Moonshine! The official Moonshine t-shirt. All shirt sales proceeds go to the local Food Bank & Crisis Center.
Helen and Roy own and operate the Moonshine Store. Apparently, they are early risers.

The line was long and the inside of the store was crowded, but the hamburgers were coming off the grill at a snappy pace.

Looks like they will be worth the wait...and worth riding halfway across the country for!

I "made the club" of those that traveled over 1,000 miles for a Moonburger!
The sticker has been placed with pride on the back of the RT!

Charles and I set out together leaving Moonshine at 1:30pm. We'll share the road for about 60 miles to Vincennes, Indiana. There, Charles will stay south for Atlanta and I will veer east toward Louisville, KY.

Not sure I'd even try to guess how this name came about.

And interestingly, Prairie Licking Fire District is located in Annapolis. But we're still in Illinois.

This turned out to be the high temp of the day...44 degrees with a wind chill of 36 degrees. Of course that wind chill is if you were standing still, NOT going 60+mph down the highway!

I took US150 from Vincennes to Louisville. US150 from Shoals to Paoli turned out to be an extra nice ride offering some nice twisties... the kind motorcycle riders crave!

US150 between Shoals and Paoli, Indiana.

Remember all that rain from the last few days? Here's some of that flooding they were talking about on the weather channel. This kind of high water was visible for miles on both sides of US150.

A wholesale old sign place a few miles southeast of Paoli makes for a nice photo op.

Squeezing into Louisville from Indiana on I64.

I decided to make a stop for the night at 7pm in Winchester, KY.

Travel note: It's always worth knowing the AAA rate for a hotel. When I asked at the desk, they quoted the AAA rate as $7 higher than it was listed on their website. If you don't already know the AAA rate when you walk in the doors, I'd check the price online before checking out. This time it saved me $7!

April 13, 2008

Day 4
Sunday

463 miles

I pull out from the Quality Inn at 9am with drizzle and 38 degrees. You just gotta love the fairing on the RT! The variable electric windshield comes in mighty handy too! During mild to warm weather, I leave the shield in the low position. But when it gets rainy and/or cold the medium height sure is nice -- this sends the air just over my helmet!

The temperature rises one whole degree to 39 degrees as I enter West Virginia at Huntington, but them drops down to 37 and snow in the Beckley, WV area. Not exactly whiteout conditions, but still, more snow than one really wants to see flying at you when riding on a motorcycle.

It may be blurry, but you should be able to make out the cute snow flake on the GPS weather screen...and the 37 degree temps!

An hour after riding through the snow, I decided I was cold. Yep, been on the road for 300 miles (about 4 hours) and the cold has now found it's way past my riding gear. It's 36 degrees (who knows what the wind chill is?!) when I decide it's time to stop for a cup of hot coffee. The Country Store in Low Moor, Virginia offers a fuel stop, coffee,and a Quiznos. Can't beat that. I stop for a good full hour and take my time warming up before getting back on the road. It's still 36 degrees, but doesn't feel near so cold as I roll on the throttle and feel the RT surge back into traffic on I64.

I arrive home at 5pm. It's still overcast, but has warmed up to 46 degrees. What a difference 10 degrees makes! It seems like perfect weather for a ride! I'm ready to keep riding. Sad that I've already reached my driveway and this Moonshine Lunch Run has come to an end. Cold, rain, sleet ... no matter! I'm ready to put my name on the list for next year. If next year's weather is any warmer or drier, I might just be disappointed! But I won't let nice weather stop me from going to Moonshine!

The Moonshine Lunch Run Summary
Distance: 1,600 miles
Time on Road: 4 days

Happy Trails!