Greg H.
06-19-2009, 03:59 PM
Our trip to this past weekend was our first overnight outing on the Spyder. And, it was actually 3 nights away. I’ll go ahead and just say that the Spyder performed admirably. And, we rode in about all conditions, terrains, elevations, backroads, interstates, etc,,, with the exception of a torrential downpour, desert, or Icelandic. J
On Friday, June 12th, we left the Memphis area around noon. And, I will add that it was just in time, as big storms hit the midsouth that late afternoon. We grabbed lunch at Ruby Tuesdays in Corinth, MS which is a little over an hour from Collierville where we started. We arrived in Florence, AL around 4:00. And, although it looked like serious weather was already there from about an hour away, all we got were a few sprinkles.
We grabbed a room at the Hampton Inn. And, and,,,,, (this is so cool J); they asked me if I would like to just leave the Spyder parked under the covered area. You know; that area where you park when you go to register for a room.
During our search for a place to stay the night, we found, ‘Rosie’s Cantina’. And, that looked like a place we would enjoy. So; we parked the Spyder, pulled the bags, left everything in the room, called a cab, and spent the evening at Rosie’s. About an hour after arriving, the rains came. They served Dos Equis Amber on Tap. So; I was quite happy. My wife enjoyed a few margaritas. And, the food was excellent! By the time we left much later that evening, the rain had stopped. So; we walked back to the Hampton. We were dry. The Spyder was dry. Perfect.
The rain started again, and continued through the night. In the morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel. And, the rain continued. So; we suited up. I ended up buying Frogg Toggs (Moto) rainsuits for Jean, and myself. Plus; I purchased Tour Master waterproof boot covers, and Tour Master Dri-Mesh waterproof gloves from New Enough (online). If you want the right product, shipped fast, these guys are one of the very best!
It rained for more than the first hour leaving Florence. We stayed dry. And, I must say; it was fun! The temps were in the mid 70s. Riding the Spyder in the rain makes me feel much more secure than on 2 wheels. We ended up catching some interstate heading north (don’t remember which one), and the roads were drying at that point. The sky was clearing, and it was nearing 80 degrees. We turned off on Hwy 64 east heading toward Chattanooga. And, the speed limits varied from 45-65 mph depending on where you were.
We saw the turnoff for Lynchburg, TN (home of Jack Daniels Whisky), and decided we needed to at least, go check it out. That was really neat, too. I’m not a whisky drinker. But, talk about a legendary stop! Lol! There were several HDs in the bike parking. And, we were the only Spyder. Matter of fact; in all 835.3 miles of our travels that weekend, we never saw another Spyder. And. Most of the folks that saw our Spyder, had never seen one before. I handed out lots of the DVDs, stickers, and Z-Cards. J It’s good to be a Spyder Ambassador!
After looking around, and picture taking we were back on the road. We had a nice lunch at Davy Crockett’s Roadhouse in Tullahoma, TN. About 60 miles west of Chattanooga, we got on Interstate 24. At this point, you really begin to notice the difference between west and east Tennessee. Lots of elevation changes, big rocks, mountainsides, etc,,,. As nice as the scenery is west, east Tennessee is even better. We rode through a canyon area where the big trucks have those runoffs. So; for me, some of that was a little nervous with a fully loaded Spyder, and passenger. But, not bad.
On Friday, June 12th, we left the Memphis area around noon. And, I will add that it was just in time, as big storms hit the midsouth that late afternoon. We grabbed lunch at Ruby Tuesdays in Corinth, MS which is a little over an hour from Collierville where we started. We arrived in Florence, AL around 4:00. And, although it looked like serious weather was already there from about an hour away, all we got were a few sprinkles.
We grabbed a room at the Hampton Inn. And, and,,,,, (this is so cool J); they asked me if I would like to just leave the Spyder parked under the covered area. You know; that area where you park when you go to register for a room.
During our search for a place to stay the night, we found, ‘Rosie’s Cantina’. And, that looked like a place we would enjoy. So; we parked the Spyder, pulled the bags, left everything in the room, called a cab, and spent the evening at Rosie’s. About an hour after arriving, the rains came. They served Dos Equis Amber on Tap. So; I was quite happy. My wife enjoyed a few margaritas. And, the food was excellent! By the time we left much later that evening, the rain had stopped. So; we walked back to the Hampton. We were dry. The Spyder was dry. Perfect.
The rain started again, and continued through the night. In the morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel. And, the rain continued. So; we suited up. I ended up buying Frogg Toggs (Moto) rainsuits for Jean, and myself. Plus; I purchased Tour Master waterproof boot covers, and Tour Master Dri-Mesh waterproof gloves from New Enough (online). If you want the right product, shipped fast, these guys are one of the very best!
It rained for more than the first hour leaving Florence. We stayed dry. And, I must say; it was fun! The temps were in the mid 70s. Riding the Spyder in the rain makes me feel much more secure than on 2 wheels. We ended up catching some interstate heading north (don’t remember which one), and the roads were drying at that point. The sky was clearing, and it was nearing 80 degrees. We turned off on Hwy 64 east heading toward Chattanooga. And, the speed limits varied from 45-65 mph depending on where you were.
We saw the turnoff for Lynchburg, TN (home of Jack Daniels Whisky), and decided we needed to at least, go check it out. That was really neat, too. I’m not a whisky drinker. But, talk about a legendary stop! Lol! There were several HDs in the bike parking. And, we were the only Spyder. Matter of fact; in all 835.3 miles of our travels that weekend, we never saw another Spyder. And. Most of the folks that saw our Spyder, had never seen one before. I handed out lots of the DVDs, stickers, and Z-Cards. J It’s good to be a Spyder Ambassador!
After looking around, and picture taking we were back on the road. We had a nice lunch at Davy Crockett’s Roadhouse in Tullahoma, TN. About 60 miles west of Chattanooga, we got on Interstate 24. At this point, you really begin to notice the difference between west and east Tennessee. Lots of elevation changes, big rocks, mountainsides, etc,,,. As nice as the scenery is west, east Tennessee is even better. We rode through a canyon area where the big trucks have those runoffs. So; for me, some of that was a little nervous with a fully loaded Spyder, and passenger. But, not bad.