discovery
Longdistancestyle Southern comfort on two wheels By Deb Gasque #182082 REFLECTING ON
my life and the way I move about this world, my mind wanders to my favorite poem, Rob- ert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”
The most meaningful line to me – which truly speaks volumes about my heart – is “…I took the one less trav- eled by, and that has made all the dif- ference.” I’m not sure I’ve done much in the normal ways. I tend to choose odd and unique ways to flit and float through this life. Case in point: “The Fashionista Has an Iron Butt .” It’s not every day that a glamour queen who adores high fashion also loves, and I mean LOVES, to ride extreme dis- tances on a motorcycle. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that fol- lowing a BMW rally in the Ozarks this past October , I planned to take the long way home in a unique way. First let me say that I respect and
appreciate the ways of the typical BMW rider: riding hundreds of miles
throughout the day, stopping for quaint roadside meals and maybe a snapshot or two of the breathtaking scenery, and then either camping or looking for a motel to grab a good night’s sleep – the cheaper the better, which also affords great bragging rights at the next BMW gathering. One of my favorite guy friends recently asked me, “What’s the cheapest thing on a BMW motorcycle?” Before I could figure it out, he blurted out, “The person sitting on it!” Funny stuff, and probably close to the truth in most cases. I guess I wasn’t too surprised when I saw
a lot of wrinkled brows and squinty eyes on sharing my travel plans with friends. First, I planned to ride solo, as my husband was due back at his office, and I felt the burning need to continue the adventure for jour- nalistic purposes. Secondly, I had reserved rooms and bed and breakfast inns for my accommodations at every stopping point. Oh, the looks I got about that detail. One comment: “Wow! I’ll bet that’s going to break the bank!” Imagine the shock when I revealed that I got every place for the same price or lower than the standard chain accommodation in that particular town.
Besides being a glamour queen, I’m also a budget travel queen, able to scout out ridic- ulously inexpensive prices for some suave places to lay my head down at night. I’ve been doing it for years and it’s working out well in my new world of long-distance motorcycling. As it turned out, my solo status was not
to meant to be. While we were rallying in the Ozarks and I was having a fabulous time in the twisties thinning out my chicken strips, my hometown in South Carolina was flooding due to recording- breaking rainstorms. All roads leading into our county were closed, so my trusty side- kick (the husband) tagged along with me. Although our motorcycle travel styles dif- fer, sometimes greatly, he agreed to be a team player and let me lead the way.
Natchez, Mississippi Our first stop was in historic Natchez, Miss., which sits right along the mighty Mississippi River. As we crossed the Nat- chez-Vidalia Bridge over “Ol’ Man River,” I felt very satisfied that I picked a great place to explore on the first stop of my southern tour. Starling’s Rest is the B&B I chose for
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BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2015
Sunset over the Mississippi River, Natchez, Mississippi.
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