Saturday felt like it was going to be a good day and sure enough, it was.  It started with a trip to Nails First for a pedicure and manicure (fill actually, but same diff).  Anyway, I like Nails First because it is a small family owned shop and Kevin & Cindy, the owners, are nice folks with a great sense of humor who really do a great job.  Kim works there too, and she’s a sweetie. Kevin gives most of the pedicures and I knew he was going to fuss when he saw me.  He can always tell when I’ve been riding.  “Oh, you’ve been on your motorcycle.” The boots wreak havoc on his handiwork.  But enough of that.  As usual, he gave me a thorough, relaxing pedicure, for which I was most grateful. In the middle, of being pampered, one cool lady, Cyd King came in for a pedicure as well.  She was going on vacation and was getting her tootsies ready for a tropical vacay.  It was great to see her and we decided the next time to come together so we could sit side-by-side and catch up.  After Kevin had rendered my feet human again, Cindy got my hands (nails actually) together.  It was a great way to start the morning and I left feeling renewed.  Yes, a pedicure can do that for you.  If you don’t believe me try it!

 

 

 

 

 

The next stop was Penguin Ed’s for a bite to eat.  I mentioned in an earlier post that Ed’s serves breakfast, but I neglected to mention the size of the portions (or maybe that’s just the dishes I order).  Breakfast was the Mexican Surprise and I think the surprise part was how huge it was.  It was a tasty treat, but way too much.  What was it?  Let’s see, it was potatoes, cheese, chorizo, tomatoes, jalapenos and onions, I think, and your choice of a pancake, toast or (heaven forbid) biscuits and gravy.  The same fun waitress was there and I found out her name is Adrienne.  She remembered me and teased about the time the four of us (Terry, Paul, Lorena & I) came in before a ride.  We visited a bit, and I told her I had to give up on the breakfast and she agreed it really is two meals.  While I was waiting to pay the tab, I called Ray Niblock to see what he was up to.

Ray recently bought a new bike (according to my Facebook sources) and was eager to get out for a ride.  Although the day was going to be another hot one, I figured we could ride a short route, just to get out and spend time together and to break in his new bike.  Fortunately, I caught him at home and he was free, so we agreed to meet up and ride the Huntsville loop– Hwy 45 (east) to Hwy 295 (southeast) to Hwy 74(east) to Hwy 23 (south) to Hwy 16 (west). While I was waiting for Ray, guess who happened to come along?  A fellow Chrome Diva, Trish Davis-Labit. “What the heck are you doing out here? Are you riding in this heat?  I hope you’re not alone.” So, I explained that though I looked like a dork sitting on the side of the road, I was waiting for Ray. We talked about planning a late afternoon ride the next day and she took off, after teasing me a bit. 

The loop is a nice ride, with some tight curves for practice (especially on 295), with beautiful scenery and low traffic.  We stopped in Goshen for gas at a station frequented by bikers.  The day was a hot one, but the cloud cover provided a bit of relief.  Just about the time we got to Huntsville though, the sky opened up and it poured down rain.  It was my first time riding in the rain. I remembered what Ed Upchurch  & Paul Syrock said in motorcycle safety class about riding when it just starts to rain. You have to take care because among other challenges, the road is slippery as the oil rises to the surface. 

Ray was a great lead and slowed our speed, and took it nice and easy during the downpour.  We pulled over to the right to let an impatient drivers pass.  By the time we got to the Huntsville square, it had stopped raining, the sun was out, and believe or not, our wet clothes felt good.  They had a cooling effect.  Coincidentally, NPR recent aired a story on the cooling effect of the  evaporation of moisture on the skin. So that explains it! We took in a little hydration and asked a lady walking by to snap a shot of us together, on our bikes, before taking off again.

Just as we got out of Huntsville, it began to pour again. But just as before, a few miles up the road, the sun came out and we were glad for the cooling effect of the rain.  We stopped at the intersection of 16 & 23 for a picture (and water) break, before heading back towards Fayetteville.  One more time we went through the rain and shine cycle, but by now I was getting more comfortable navigating in the rain. We saw a pretty bad accident, on Hwy 16.  I hope everyone was ok.  We didn’t see an ambulance though so that’s a good sign.  Once we got into Fayetteville, Ray peeled off and we went our separate ways home.  Weekends were made for good times with good friends, and I’m thankful for such days.