Here She Goes Again

I was sitting on the couch at home when my phone rang.  Since my husband and I were watching TV I left the room.  It was Stacey and she wanted to know if we wanted to go riding on Saturday with her and Bob.  The weather was supposed to be nice and she wanted to go for a ride.  She wanted to meet at the Iron Horse in Akron.  Tom and Cindy had told them about a Bar and Grill in Grind Stone City (we had been there before with Tim) and she wanted to go check it out.  I told her I would talk to the hubby to see if we had anything else going on and what he wanted to do.  

When I returned he asked who had called.  I explained the phone call and what was up.  He said we didn't have anything that he knew of and that he would group message the crew to see if anyone else wanted to go.  Mike and Linda were the first to respond and were excited they didn't have anything else scheduled for that day.  Tom and Cindy knew the place Stacey wanted to go and explained that we had gone past it the last time we went out.  They were in!  Jim had to work and couldn't go.  That left Joey to respond.  It only took an hour for him to respond (he was always slow like that).  This time it was because he left his phone in his truck.  He said he was in but wanted to end the run at Kingswood Outfield in Kingston.  A friend of his was playing ball there and he had promised to stop by.  Since Stacey and Bob were included in the group text all that was left to do was pick a time.  We decided to meet at 10 Saturday morning in Akron.   

Saturday rolled around and we were getting ready to leave for Akron.  Knowing this would be an all day event I checked my weather app.  It was going to be nice but it was going to cool off later in the day.  I grabbed our hoodies and packed them in the tour pack with clear glasses for the trip home at dark.  Once we were sure we had everything, we set out.  We stopped in town to top off our tank before we met up with our rowdy crew.  

We arrived last, like always, at Iron Horse.  As we were looking at the bikes out front it occurred to me that Mike and Linda's Softail Deluxe wasn't out front.  When I questioned Linda she explained that they had traded it in and purchased the Road Glide that was sitting out front.  Linda was so excited about their bike, she told me about the entire experience.  They had been wanting to upgrade to a bigger bike with a fairing and tour pack.  Mike had found a few at the Harley Dealer near his house but didn't want to pay the price of a new one.  Joey had told them about this great place he had gone to get his.  It was in Sandusky and had so many used Harleys he had a hard time picking.  Linda, who lived in Flint and was originally from Detroit said "We are not going to Ohio to get a bike!"  Joey explained that it was in Michigan and they had rode past it several times.  The place was called Approval Powersports and the sales guy, Chad hooked him up. Linda explained that they had gone there and Chad not only helped them pick out their Road Glide but took their Deluxe in on trade too.  

After looking over the new ride and all the complements given, Stacey asked if we could get the show on the road.  We looked at our eager new rider and agreed.  We understood her excitement to ride.  When everyone was ready we headed out to Captin Morgan's Grindstone Bar & Grill.  Looking back I could see Stacey and Bob bringing up the rear.  I was happy to see that they were right up with the group this time.  She was obviously feeling more comfortable on her Sportster.  It looked like she was even shifting smoother.  

The weather was nice.  A little cooler than I had expected but still a beautiful summer day.  As we road I took a short video with my phone of Stacey.  I wanted her to see what she looked like on her bike.  Stacey looked like she had been riding her whole life.  As I turned around I saw something move on the shoulder.  I let my husband know I saw something move in the ditch.  The movement was a deer.  He revved his bike to get Tom's attention.  I acted like I had antlers and pointed up the road off to the right so Tom would understand what I saw.  We all slowed down a little bit as we came up on the deer.  It was a good day because the deer stayed put.  We soon arrived at Captin Morgan's.

Grind Stone City is a small little town and the bar and grill was just off the water.  They have a little patio out back.  The food was excellent and the unlucky waitress who got us, rolled with the smart mouth comments well.  I always feel bad for the person who gets stuck waiting on us.  Fortunately, it is well worth their time.  Our group always tips well.  I showed Stacey the video I took on our way there.  She was excited to see herself riding and that she looked like she knew what she was doing even if she didn't feel that way yet.  After we paid the bill and used the restrooms we were ready to ride.  

We headed to Kingston for the ball game.  The ride there was quiet.  The wind blowing in my face was warm and relaxing.  I was so at ease I could have gone to sleep in my comfortable seat on our Electra Glide Ultra Classic.  If only I trusted other drivers and animals I would but with everything I have ridden through, I know better.  One just never knows when something could go wrong. Our ride remained an uneventful stress free one.

As we approached Kingswood we could see the ball players already on the field.  Parking was limited but seeing as we were on motorcycles we didn't have any problems finding space.  Inside the bar you would never guess the lot was as full as it was.  We were quickly served and headed out back to the ball diamond.  The game was fun to watch and our little group slowly dispersed.  Some went home, others went inside to play pool and a couple stayed to visit.  It was a great way to end the day.