Escape from Derby Ride

Yes.  We are members of a motorcycle gang :)  Please don't judge.  Motorcyclists have sometimes gotten a bad rap, but this group of Harley riders is anything but the typical rebel-rousing, wild bunch portrayed on tv or in the movies.  We belong to a Harley Owners Group, or HOG chapter.  And these folks are some of the nicest, caring people we've had the pleasure to meet. A couple of weekends ago, we rode with about 30 other members to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I'm sure at some time I've written here about how we love to ride the Parkway and the Smokey Mountains so we couldn't miss this trip.

 We stayed at the Skyline Village Inn right off of the parkway near Little Switzerland, NC.  When we first got to our room we were a little concerned.  This place is a little "quirky" but the owners were great and they fed us well!  The motel was built back in the 1930's to cover a moonshiner's operation and "might" be haunted.  We saw no ghosts, but enjoyed the views and the company!

The weather was perfect for a weekend of riding in the mountains.  We rode to the top of Grandfather Mountain as well as the Diamond Back.  We also stopped at Linville Falls for a little hike for some two legged exercise.  The trip home on Sunday through corners of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky was beautiful too.

This trip was called the Escape from Derby Ride since most of the members live in Louisville, KY and were getting away from all the craziness of the Kentucky Derby in town.  We still managed to have a little derby party at the inn where we didn't win a thing!  It was a great weekend and we look forward to more rides with these nice folks!

Our attempt at a "selfie" when we left on a chilly morning.  

Weather Not Wasted!

It is done! The deck project that has been put on hold for motorcycle riding priority and cooler weather is now complete. D finished up the last of the lighting last evening and now we can officially enjoy the fruits of his labors (mine too, for what it was worth!). The lighting looks much better "in person" but you get the idea.
Another project completed was this goofy little zipper bag I made to match the Chocolate Lollipop bag I made B a few weeks ago. I used this wonderful tutorial I found on Thimbleanna's blog. There will probably be more of these made in the future. Also in the finished column is the Halloween table topper. Other crafty things of note - a knitting refresher course courtesy of a friend met at aerobics class. I'm note sure how much knitting I will do because I'm not sure if I really need another hobby! But I appreciate her help and it was fun getting together with the other novice knitters.

The weather here in Southern Indiana has been beautiful this past week and weekend. Of course we had to get out on the bike and enjoy the best riding conditions of the year. The cool mornings, cloudless skies and warm afternoons can not be wasted!

Saturday we recruited M and R for a road trip to Glendale, KY. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Whistlestop Restaurant and then some shopping at the cute little shops. R and I posed with one of the guys - no wait that's a scarecrow!

Comfortable seating for waiting husbands makes them happy and shopping soooo much more pleasant!
I love fall and all the decorations put out on display by the merchants!
A few weeks ago we joined one of the local H.O.G. chapters. Today was the first time we had gone on one of their regular rides. We rode almost 200 miles total as we wound our way to Rough River Lake lodge for lunch and back. There were 22 bikes with about 30 or so riders and spouses. We had a great time getting to know some of the members and riding some new, for us, roads.
This is the pretty view off the deck of the Lodge restaurant. Lunch was a buffet with locally raised catfish, fried chicken, turkey and roast beef and all the trimmings. We did NOT go away hungry!Tonight we made one last ice cream run to Chillers. We had lots of company as it was the last day of business for them until next Spring. It's not so hard to give up summer when you've got such a beautiful fall day to enjoy! I hope you were able to enjoy your weekend!