Men's Fall Trip 2016 Ohio

[the Ferret]

Day 7 headed for home. It’s been an awesome trip weather wise, road wise, nobody has crashed, nobody has broken down, the bike have all been superb. We’ve had great food.

Anyhow we eat the continental breakfast down in the lounge for the last time, and start packing the bikes. By 9 AM we are ready to pull out

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It’s a leisurely ride back the way we had come, only in reverse. Down 7 along the river to 50, over 50 to 32 and 32 thru the mountains back to home. Only the surprise was at Rt 23, we would turn south and head for Porstmouth, Ohio and a visit to Ribbers (Technically the Scioto Ribber) our favorite steak place.

Takes about 30 mins to go from 32 to Ribbers. We hit it just right arriving at 11:45 and just before the crowds.

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They already had the juicy thick ribeye steaks and baked potatoes cooking.

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We all ordered ribeyes, baked potatoes or ribber fries, green beans or baked beans and sweet tea, or cola. It comes with baskets of rolls. We gorged ourselves lol. I had to have a doggie bag to take some of my steak home (great steak fajita material).

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By 1 PM we were taking St Rt 52 west over to St Rt 125 and riding the wonderful curves of St RT 125 thru the Shawnee State forest toward home.

By 3 PM we rolled into my driveway (Jimmy and Brian had already peeled off a couple of miles earlier to go to their houses)

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220 miles today. Total mileage for the trip was just under 1400 miles
How would I rate this year’s Men’s Fall Trip? One word AWESOME!
Can’t wait to see where we are headed NEXT year!

[Cormanus]

Great report and pictures, Ferret. Thanks.

How did your nephew like the CB?

[the Ferret]

What's wrong with Applebee's? Heck I'm usually a Wendy's, McDonalds, Burger King kinda guy. Applebees is high falootin in my book.lol

He thought it was a great motorcyle. Funny thing is he rides a Honda NC 700 back in Nevada and loves it. Says it does everything he needs it to do. Also says he doesn't think he could own another motorcycle without a frunk (Front trunk where the gas tank is supposed to be). After all the switching around. no one regretted their own personal choice in motorcycles.

[Cormanus]

Good that everyone was happy with their choice. The drunken is pretty handy—I've tried it when I've been lent the NS750 by the dealer—but it wouldn't be good touring if you had to take gear off the back seat to put fuel in the tank.

Perhaps I should be grateful that Applebees hasn't found its way to Australia. I don't wish to be disrespectful to my American friends, but nearly every chain food source you've sent out into the world is to be avoided wherever possible.

[flynrider]

Looks like a fantastic trip, Mickey! Who do I have to marry to get in on that ride?

Speaking as a wanderer, I really liked the way you laid out the routes with a central location and printed out the daily route list. Looks like just as much fun as aimless wandering. Good job!

Regarding eats, I typically make an effort to avoid chains on road trips, but I'm not a fanatic about it. I've stumbled across some fantastic little local eateries, although sometimes convenience outweighs my quest to stay "unchained".

[emptysea]

Applebee's is fine... As a Chicagoan, I take offense at Pizza Hut. LOL

I'm going to have to overlay some of your routes over our planned route for our trip (in a couple of weeks). I have a feeling that we may be able to hit a couple of the same roads and restaurants. Great report and pictures...and tips (like arming everyone with the route before hand)

[the Ferret]

I have no issue with chain foods. I like the fact that I can buy a Wendys burger, or Subway sandwiche, or McDonalds breakfast sausage sandwich and a quick cup of tea before hitting the road in Maine or Fla, or New Mexico or Oregon and I know what it's going to taste like and I know the quality of what I am going to recieve and what it's going to cost me and generally like how quickly I recieve it. I dont need a waitress to come over hand me a menu and leave. Come back and give me some water and leave. Come back, take my order and leave. Bring me my food, forgetting that I didn't want onion on my sandwich or that I wanted american instead of swiss cheese, or white toast instead of rye, and then taking it back to fix it while my companions eat, taking an hour or hour and a half of valuable riding time to eat instead of 20 minutes, and then expecting me to shell out an extra 20% for the "good" service. Fast food chains provide a valuable service, and quality product at a reasonable price to miliions of individuals every day. I'm glad they are there and happy to use them to my advantage.

Once I'm done riding for the day, I don't mind going to a upscale or mom and pop restaurant where I can be waited on, lounge for an hour or two, relax, talk about the day, the roads, the bikes, the plans for the next day. When I am no longer on a schedule, or have a place I need to be.

From 7 A.M. Until about 5 P.M., I'd rather spend my time riding than sitting around eating.

[emptysea]

I'm with you about the value of chain restaurants to the traveler, but your characterization of local eateries is exaggerated at best. Most times, I would rather be riding than eating, but then there are places...like Tellico Kat's... where eating comes pretty darn close. I only made my last comment because I have a peculiar aversion to chain restaurant pizza. I'm not saying I will only eat Chicago-style pizza or any of that nonsense, but given a choice between eating chain pizza and, well, just about anything else, I'll take the latter.

Don't worry, Mickey, when we get together, we will be riding not eating...that has already been conveyed to my friends.

[the Ferret]

Tellico Cats is a great place to eat. Loved it when I ate there, but I wasn't in a hurry to get anyplace that day. Took us about an hour to eat if I remember correctly. If I had been in a hurry I would have ridden past and missed a great sandwich, but we all make choices.

Thats why on our trips each person gets to choose a nights meal, and then you get to sample all kinds of food from cheap chain to medium priced mom and pop to expensive upscale like we did with Pizza Hut, Applebees, 3rd Street Cafe' and Boathouse BBQ, because we are all different and like different things in motorcycles and food.

[emptysea]

I think we're going to employ the rotating dinner choice policy for our next trip. That was another great tip from this report.