Day 7: Mixed Nuts and a Reformed Jackass on the Loose in West Virginia

IBeautiful west virginiaf you’ve been playing along at home then you may recall that I’ve noted that Kenny isn’t the most observant guy in the world, what with that whole failure to notice goats on the roof incident and all. As it turns out, he seems to have a teensy weensy problem with not picking up on the fuzz when they’re afoot, too.

But you can understand that, can’t you? It can be difficult to notice the big block letters on the sides of their cars that say things like “POLICE” or “SHERIFF.”

And I’ve always said that the flashing lights on the roofs of their cars just seem to blend in with the scenery. You could be looking at Grandpappy’s Crown Vic or a slightly agitated town cop. Who can know?

Powers of observation be damned, we had luck on our side when we rolled out for our day’s ride. Whizzing past a Sheriff at seventyblahblahmph and not having him flip on the lights is a great start to a ride. I quickly dialed back the throttle and set the cruise control to Grandma mode. That was enough fun for 10 minutes.

When I mentioned to Kenny how lucky we were for not getting snagged, he said he never saw the cop. 
😕 😆

Cruising along on 33

My friend the donkey

I am a Reformed Jackass. Mostly.

There was a time in my life when I rode like a complete idiot – always wanting to go faster, faster, faster. Those days are long gone.

If you would have told 25 year old me that I would enjoy poking around at 50mph looking at waterfalls and mountains and meeting roadside donkeys just as much as being a menace, I would have said you were crazy. And probably mocked you for being old. But here I am, walking that line of being the “old person” I would have mocked back then.

As it turned out, I managed to learn many valuable lessons without hurting myself or anyone else. For that I am most thankful. Could I ride with my hair on fire if I wanted to? Maybe. But these days I’m now a proud member of the “I’ll meet you at at the next turn” club.

Our group of friends and riders from here on Long Island is affectionately called The Mixed Nuts, because we’re such an eclectic bunch of weirdos.

When it comes to riding, within the group there are some tortoises and some hares. Because we’ve known each other for years now the dynamic is very natural and it is easy to manage everyones expectations. They are usually – be safe & have fun. My dudes are easy to work with.

In many ways it almost seems like when we all hook up and ride – we’re riding alone, but together. There is plenty of mutual respect, there are no “rules” outside of don’t be an asshole, and there is no pushing to go faster or to do anything you don’t want to. If people want to cluster together and have at it – they do. If others want to string out  and do their own thing, that’s fine too. Meet ya at the next turn.

Doing your own thing…together with my friends The Mixed Nuts. It’s perfect for me.

mixed nuts

Our ride plan for the day didn’t involve many miles but they were quality miles. West Virginia has excellent riding. We were just going to ladder around a square of the big WV, have  lunch and then be back in Elkins in the early evening for beer and pizza. A little Rt 33, a little Smoke Hole Rd., a little Rt 250, a couple connectors and gravels roads thrown in for good measure.

It was a perfect plan that we executed beautifully. And to top it all off, we couldn’t have ordered better weather from a catalog.

Beautiful west virginia backroad

More Posts from the Trip:

Fuzzygalore

Rachael is the whimsical writer behind the 20+ year old Girlie Motorcycle Blog. As a freelance blogger, she is on a mission to inspire laughter, self-examination, curiosity, and human connection. Girlie Motorcycle Blog can be found on several Best Motorcycle Blog lists.

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7 Responses

  1. Shybiker says:

    Your posts are so entertaining. Love hearing the contrast between wise old you and reckless younger you.

    Good advice on group-riding. People need to ride their own ride. I’ve seen too many people crash when riding over their heads in a misguided effort to fit into a group.

  2. Pam says:

    I think it was fate that I didn’t have a motorcycle when I was younger. Mostly because I love speed and at “my age” I still have a lead foot on and off the motorcycle!

    Glad your blogging muscle is healed! xoxo

  3. Warren says:

    That’s a great way to put it, reformed jackass. A good description of myself.

  4. Deb says:

    I laughed just at the title! Live and learn and getting “older” isn’t so bad in some respects.

    I think we have a “reformed jackass” on our road. His name is Barney and he is a pinto colored jackass.

    He does all right!

    Cute post!

  5. In retrospect I think I am glad I didn’t learn to ride until I was dust in a dress age. I am not a speed demon and thoroughly enjoy the journey and being able to poke around & see the sites. I think if I had done this 25 years ago I probably would have had a lot of speeding tickets or worse. Not to say that I don’t let er ripe every now and then, but usually only 10 clicks over the speed. Mixed Nuts – I like that name.

  6. Sharon says:

    Oh, my home sweet home! I grew up due north of Elkins, up in that little corner of WV. And I recognize Seneca Rock there! Beautiful riding, isn’t it?! Glad you had such nice weather!

  7. Arc says:

    You always beat me to the best stuff. Friend and I are planning a trip down to WV again. Will be using yours for “inspiration”.

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