Mike is wearing the blue cap, and rides a BMW HP2 and Triumph Thruxton when not tending the store.
http://skur.net/tellico/home.html
There were six riders today. L to R: interested bystander, Tom, Curtis, Dave, Al. jb, and Ron
The bikes: a KTM 400, 2 DR 650’s, a KLR 650, a Harley, and my TW200
Did I say Harley? Yup, this is Curtis’ 1980’s era Harley Davidson military motorcycle, with a 500 cc Rotax single, reportedly used in Desert Storm.
Why are the KTM guys always so fast?
Tom is a retired US Forest Service ranger who lives in Tellico Plains that agreed to lead the ride. The ride was about 75 miles and was a combination of fire roads and narrow paved country roads.
On the trail. This was my usual view from the rear of the group. But after each start it took only a minute or two to be riding by myself. I would follow the dust trail. And they did wait at each turn. I think it was the rider, not the TW, that couldn’t keep up.
My only disappointment was that the pace was a bit fast for me to stop and take pictures. The rest of the group would have finished lunch before I caught up.
After the ride Al invited us over to a friend’s place for a visit. He kept referring to it as a hanger. I was puzzled because I knew there weren’t any airports in Tellico Plains.
What did I know? A 1940 Luscombe. And nearby there was a grass runway.
The view from outside the hanger: In Tennessee looking toward North Carolina.
Another excellent day. And as much as I was enjoying myself, after four day-long rides in six days, my body will be looking forward to a few days rest.
jb
(see my comment on your WNC dual sport thread!)