Getting on the plane in East London, South Africa it was apparent that the CoVid mandates were over. We needed a test for the US, but not for the UK. And masks, forgetaboutit! Not a mask in sight. Just before landing on our second leg to the UK, the guy next to me said he didn’t feel well. F@&k!!!
A few day later I had the crud. I’ve had CoVid, and it wasn’t bad for me, but this strain of the “common cold” kick me good. Three weeks to get over it. Melanie got it on my second week, so basically we were down for almost 5 weeks. Returning we stayed with our son Dallas and family in Chattanooga, TN, and gave it to them also.
We’ll, we survived. The first thing I did was make a batch of Biltong. I couldn’t find an Oryx so I used beef. Biltong is a special recipe of dried meat done in Africa. I loved the flavor, better than jerky, so I want to always have some on hand here.
Then our son Rick, from Florida, came up for a long weekend with wife Kelly and daughter Lucy. We had a fun weekend of eating, drinking, playing games and boating in Lake Eufaula, the lake behind Gypsy’s Retreat. We all got sunburned and Mel and I went around with burnt lips for a couple weeks.
Next was the getaway up to Kentucky with riding friends from the Super Happy Fun Times Group. This is a zoom group, a group from the HU get togethers on the US east coast. Friend Brent Miller from Ohio set up the group during CoVid. We were all missing our tribe contact and riding. It was so successful, it stuck.
On the way to Kentucky we stopped in Chattanooga to spend a couple days with our son Dallas, wife Jess, and our grandson Caleb. We went bowling and visited the aquarium, which was fantastic. We visited and Caleb played video games, seems to be that age now.
We left and took the long way to Sevierville, TN, just trying to get lost on the back mountain roads. We stayed the first night with a Bunk-a-Biker host in Sevierville, TN. There names were Katherine Sharpe and Terry Parten. They were fantastic and cooked up a feast for us and some other friends that stopped by. Thanks guys.
On to mid Kentucky and some brilliant riding. We were gathering at a wonderful campground called Lago Linda. The couple running it were very accommodating and we are already planning a return trip. Several people in our group brought food and cooked three amazing themed meals for the 16 of us camping. In the mornings we all split off to groups of off road trail riding and others on the roads. The roads were mostly perfect tarmac and deserted. It was a fantastic week, punctured by one small crash, in which one of us got an ambulance ride to check things out. Seemed to be just a bad sprain, but it was on a leg that had previously received hardware. Hope all heals okay for her.
The next three weekend revolved around family time. First we had Melanie’s niece Jolene and fiancé Kevin from Texas up at Gypsy’s Retreat for a fun day on the lake. The next weekend we drove down to Florida for a few days with Rick and the family. Granddaughter Lucy hitched a ride back with us and we left the following morning to Chattanooga to grab grandson, Caleb. We headed to a campground near the Ocoee river in Tennessee to tent camp. Dinner was hot dogs on a stick over an open fire with Mac and Cheese, followed by chocolate in the middle Smores, always a hit. In the middle of the night some rain started proving you must periodically rain proof the fly. Things got damp, but we all survived. The next morning the four of us went rafting on the Hiawassee river. This was Caleb’s second time with us and Lucy’s first time on the river in a raft. The water was chilly but we all had a blast splashing and swimming our way down the river. The excitement began the first rock that we got stuck on. All of us, bouncing up and down on the raft like a bunch of monkeys. The water was lower than normal, so this seemed to be the theme of the trip.
Time to start thinking of future rides, I guess. Next month we will be leaving for the Horizon’s Unlimited event in Newfoundland. For those not familiar with this event it’s a gathering of overland motorcycle travelers enjoying each other’s company and listening to stories from the road. We will be on the road a couple months, I would think. It will be a good time.
All for now, eh.
2WANDRRs
2WANDRRs 
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