One of our Best Days...

[hppants]

Weather Saturday was incredible.  A rare "Bluebird Sky" day.  I told my neighbor Brody (who bought RWB) that I thought we could see some cool stuff, but it would be over 300 miles for the day.  He was down for anything, but his SOQS wanted him home by 6:00.  So, we meet at 8:00 am, bundled up (it's about 43 deg.), and take off.
.
I packed my "T-Bag" - with a forecast high of 77, I knew we would be shedding some clothes.



Brody put some highway pegs on RWB.  J.C. Whitney - $30.00.  He really likes them.



He also bought some soft luggage.  We stopped at False River, which is an old oxbow of the Mississippi River.



Nice place.



Then we wind up the river road to the St. Francisville Ferry to cross the mighty Mississip!!  Brody's ATG.... this time.

[hppants]

The river is about 1/2 mile wide at this point.



We take the Tunica Hills Trace road North, enjoying the beautiful plantation homes and moss draped oak trees along the river.  We stopped at the Clark Creek Natural Area and hiked down this nice trail.



Still plenty of green down here.



The trails are well managed.


We end up at a waterfall.  Hard to believe we are less than 5 miles from the Miss. River as the crow flies.

[hppants]

A view from the bottom.



The water is cold - must be spring fed.



Back on the road, we stop to enjoy the ducks playing in this pond.



A little ways further, we stop for fuel.  I'm hungry, but I pass on this one.



We turn further North on Hwy 61 up to Natchez, Mississippi.  This is a beautiful river town with a rich history.

[hppants]

They have converted the river front into nice shops, restaurants, etc.



'Ole Yella's looking sharp!



We talk with a local riding a H/D (he liked RWB and remembered when it was new) and he suggested a local restaurant about 4 blocks away.  So we started walking.  With a name like "The Pig Out", it's prolly gonna be good.



And it did not dissappoint.  I had the Pork Ribs, Brisket, and Pulled Pork.  Brody had Ribs, Brisket, and Turkey.  Cole Slaw and corn/Black Bean Salad compliment the meats.  Delicious.



After lunch, we walk around a little.  Natchez has gambling too.

[hppants]

And beautiful plantation homes.  It looks like they are planning a wedding at this one.



So we cross the river back into Louisiana and hit the River Road South.



The topography on the West bank is much different.  Very rural - the cotton fields have been harvested and from the levee road, one can see several miles in both directions.  We ride at least 5 miles without seeing another car at times.

We stopped a while to stretch our legs near this farm pond.



We continued home crossing the Old River Control Structure, riding along the Morganza Spillway (a picturesque swampy area), stopping along the way.  Ended up riding the last 75 miles non-stop.  Pulled into the driveway at exactly 6:01 pm.  While we were unpacking, Brody told me that this was one of the best days of his life.  I could tell he meant it.  It made my heart feel good.

It was one of my best days too.

[Burgi]

Nice RR Pants.
The terrain looks pretty flat then you get a waterfall. How does that work?

[ariwhiteboy]

Very nice pants, glad to see you got rested up after that brutal day. 

[luckylindy]

Nice.  Great weather for riding lately. 

[JB1290]

Great report, pants. 

[Munkey]

Nice report. Looked like a good day.

Pigs just don't stand a chance down there. 

[fishball]

Fantastic report and beautiful photos.  We have lost almost all our green now, nice to see right now.

[fishmeister]

Looks great Pants....that food has given me a craving again.....

[pw363]

great report and photo's wish i could join you. glad to see things are still green and blue down there. here it's all brown and gray. soon to be white, brown, and gray. november in ohio.........ugh.

[hppants]

The terrain looks pretty flat then you get a waterfall. How does that work?

Kind of weird.    On the Louisiana (West) side of the river, nothing but flat farm land.  On the Mississippi (East) side, plenty of hills (albeit small ones).  I imagine Saturday, from the parking lot, down to the water fall area was an elevation change of about 250 feet.

Pigs just don't stand a chance down there.

   Not in my house.  If you put all of it in front of me (beef, pork, poultry, seafood), most of the time I'd pick the pig first.  And the salad second. 

We have lost almost all our green now, nice to see right now.

That would be sort of depressing.  A lot of our native trees are evergreens.  I guess days like Saturday make up for the 100-105 deg. days we had in July.   

Brody came by last night to reminice about the trip.  We are talking about a Natchez Trace weekend ride, probably in the Spring.  He's also thinking about getting a Shadow Aero.  Looks like RWB may be for sale once again.

[Munkey]

Kinda makes you wonder which came first... the cracklins or the "Fatty" nickname.   

[Burgi]

He's also thinking about getting a Shadow Aero.  Looks like RWB may be for sale once again.

A 750 or one of the older 1100's? Either way you are gonna be leaving him far behind.

[roadrunner]

Great ride report Pants!  Natchez looks like an interesting destination!!  Food is mouth-watering .. 

[hppants]

A 750 or one of the older 1100's? Either way you are gonna be leaving him far behind.

He's looked at both.  But based on budget, prolly an older one.  He wants to stretch out a bit more while riding.  Brody doesn't care much for the curves (which ironically is what I live for!).  So a cruiser style may suit him better.  On our rides, when we get to the twisties, I tell him not to worry, I'll wait at the next intersection.     If Loki rides with us, he can have a snack waiting on Brody.     It's all good, though.

[leftfield6]

See, to me, that is just about a perfect ride report.  Did it in less than a day, 'cause honestly I have too many other commitments to often take longer rides.  Mixed in some local history, met some people, and documented some good food.

I'm reading one of Neal Peart's motorcycle oriented books right now, and while I love the landscape and riding experience writing, he's really reclusive, so you don't read much about all the interesting people out there.

Not to  , but one of my best motorcycle memories involves the people I meet, not always the ride itself. 

[LOKi]

Wish I could have gone with you. Ended up staying up late Friday night and didn't even roll out of bed until noon. great ride report.

[tomb raider]

    Man you guys are killing me. Hey, I didn't read all the thread but it looks like RWB needs a new front tire or both. Your looking Fit old man, that work out is doing it's job 

[tbante]

Natchez Trace this spring? Hey, maybe we can meet up half way...........I would be coming southbound from Nashville and you would be coming northbound. 

[hppants]

Loki - you missed a good one.  You would have enjoyed climbing around that waterfall.  And I found some pretty nice curvy roads to lean on.  But hey - we can always go back again one day.

Tbante - Natchez Trace is sounding good.  My other neighbor has a motorhome and a Virago, the two of them are conjuring up plans to trailer the bikes to Natchez, and ride from there.  Ironically, after the Texas trip, I'd rather ride from the house.  The fun starts in the driveway that way.  In the Spring, I'll dial it in some more.

T/R - the RWB tires are holding up well.  The Maxxis Classic rear tire has about 6K on it, with at least anothe 2K to go.  The Metzler front has about 4K on it, and at least another 4K to go.  In each case, this is good wear for the price.

On my bike, I'll be looking at a new rear within the next 1-2K.  They took some getting use to, but I'm leaning toward another set of BT-45's.

[detdrbuzzard]

great ride report hppants and your friend brodys commet about the ride, excellent. that's why i call my niece lisa up and let her know when i plan a ride in advance

[gammer]

Nice report HP. I'm SO jealous that you can still ride this time of year!!