FRIENDS 2011
  
 

Day 03

April 9

 
  Today is the day of the Moonshine Lunch Run - the big event where lots of riders show up at Moonshine Grocery for a Moonburger and such. I've heard lots of thunder during the night, but when I look outside there's a lot more to it!  
   
 

It is raining so hard that what used to be the roads around the campground now resemble a creek! I tell Les -

"I sure am glad we're in this cabin right now instead camped out in the field at the farm!"

  
   
  Fortunately, the rain finally tapers off and we very carefully take an amphibious departure through the newly furnished creeks. The place where it all starts this morning is over at the Comfort Inn. Breakfast appears to be sort of slim and the crowds sort of large, so we try to line up behind somebody that know the way. After much waiting around I see a group that appears to know where they are going, so we jump on the train, hoping for the best.  
   
  We are not disappointed as we arrive at the Moonshine Store. Looks like for all intents and purposes Les and I are going to have a Moonburger for breakfast - which works just fine.  
   
  Since my left knee is in pretty bad shape at this point, Les kindly fetches our burgers as I find a place to collapse. Since we're early, we get our grub pretty quickly and it is good as usual. I look up and notice Mac, one of my dear riding friends, up on the shed roof getting a picture of the whole affair. Miss Carole is wisely down on the ground watching the ladder and Mac.  
   
 

The longer we hang around, the bigger the crowds get and the less parking spaces are to be found. I tell Les -

"I reckon we ought to head on out so we can get to the Holler at a reasonable hour" and he concurs. So we gear up and get out of Dodge.

 
   
  I don't remember the exact way we came in as I wasn't leading, so I head in the general direction that we came from. The bikes just continue to come and come and come ....  
   
  Since most roads in this area are on quadrants, I just keep taking turns as they make sense. I have no actual idea of how the roads connect, but I see the town water tower in the distance and figure I'll just keep angling in that direction. It's a good little run away from all of the traffic and pretty soon we pop out in downtown Casey. From there, I head us back to the gas station where we can fill up before we head for the Holler.  
   
  We take highway 130 down toward Evansville which is a nice stroll through the farm country of Illinois.  
   
  We wander through several small towns along the way with names like Olney (the same named town in the UK is where John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace preached), Samsville, Black and Grayville.  
   
  Soon we crossing rivers again and back on the four lanes as we head south down the Pennyrile Parkway.  
   
  And is often the case lately when we get on I24, we get into traffic in a construction zone.  
   
  But we finally arrive back at the Holler with no drama, and for that we are thankful. Since we have time and Les is in need of some more culture, I decide to take him and my lovely bride to a 'real deal' BBQ place - Jack's. This local eatery has some of the best BBQ around. Good BBQ needs no sauce and Jack's fills the bill ...  
   
  .. and the stomach! Their version of ribs are so tender that the meat just falls off the bones. Eatin' just don't get much better than this with excellent greens, beans, and bread to go along with it.  
   
  And it seems that Les is the man for the job as the pile of food before him seems to evaporate by some mysterious means. I'm not sure if it is evaporation or levitation but it is obviously very effective.  
   
  After supper, I take Les out for what I call the 'nickel tour of Nashville'. There's some big event going on downtown near the river, so we avoid that area like the plague. I decide we'll head over to Music Row for a 'drive by' and take a spin on the roundabout. And no tour of Nashville proper would be complete without a stop at the Parthenon in Centennial Park. It is a full size, exact replica of the one in Greece and it is a visual treat to behold at night.  
   
  We wander back toward the Holler through Belle Meade, the high rent district and home of the Belle Meade Plantation. This plantation was the home of the original American Thoroughbred Racing. We can't see much since the sun has already set, but it's sort of on the way home. Back at the Holler, we settle in for a good nights sleep after our days on the road and look forward to our church services tomorrow.