On the road with friends.....

The weekly Friday night cruise in Fredericksburg, VA at VA BBQ had been cancelled two weeks in a row because of rain.  This Friday the weatherguessers were calling for rain to stop by 4PM so we waited in Stafford.  When it had slowed to a fine mist we launched for the cruise, around 4:30….only to get a call from Fred, who was already at the cruise, wanting to know where we were!  On the way we ran into heavy rain and massive amounts of road spray…when we reached the cruise Fred informed us that it began raining soon after he called….  But it was over by 6PM….the pollen was washed off the trees and the temp was a pleasant 70 degrees….life was getting better!

No doubt the rain kept the attendance down at the cruise….but….for those that came out they were treated to a very cool rig.  A 1953 Ford with period correct speed equipment on a little flattie cruised in dragging something.  But the thing that made the deal so cool was the boat he was towing!  It was a wooden 16’ Whirlwind with a white Mercury OB and an early “speed” prop!  The whole rig was just immaculate….a very welcome addition to the nights mix.  The rest of the rides were the usual suspects….I think we all had fun catching up.

Saturday some of us gathered at the N. Stafford, VA WAWA to begin our cruise to Renegade Classics in Fredericksburg and the start point for the Rolling Thunder Poker run.  The Virginia Chapter 3 of Rolling Thunder, Inc puts on this run as one of their fundraisers for the year….they do a lot of good things for our Veterans with the funds that are donated, so we wanted to support them and have a little fun at the same time.  We also brought a couple cruisers that had never participated in a ‘poker run’ so they could see how it was supposed to play out.  The Princess & I had participated in many poker runs when we rode the Harley….we have even designed and managed a few poker runs for motorcycles and cars.  But ‘car’ people don’t seem to like poker runs I guess, as they never caught on. 

The Princess & I decided to wear our biker vests so we could blend in a little better, I even wore long pants!  The guys & gals of Rolling Thunder made us feel welcome as I knew they would and some of the comments from the ‘car’ guys later at dinner would validate my way of thinking.  Bikers occasionally have an undeserved bad rap….something we dealt with for 40 years!  It all boils down to respect….if you give it to them, they will give it back to you….really simple! 

The Princess bought 3 poker hands….three!?  She really likes to win.  She had the highest hands (2) when she drew her last cards but she bought a couple extra anyway….It was only the Slacker’s money!  As the last bikes started arriving it was obvious the Princess was not going to be a winner….the whining will not cease for a week.  Oh well….then she said I had to take her to a nice restaurant so she wouldn’t feel so bad….you have no idea.

The poker run route was about 100 miles long with stops at Rescue/Fire stations in Fairview Beach (King George), Colonial Beach and Bowling Green….then we ended back in Fredericksburg, VA at VA BBQ….the same place we cruise to on most Friday evenings….unless it rains….  The roads were great, the weather was picture perfect and the stop workers were enthusiastic and helpful.  The event unfolded like a good book….It really was a fun day. 

Sunday we met members of the Fredericks Classic & Muscle Car Club in the Target parking lot of the Cosner’s Corner Mall area.  Fourteen cruisers left at precisely 10:15 and began our 46 mile cruise to Tappahannock, VA and Lowery’s Seafood Restaurant.  The route is easy, mostly flat road….with great scenery this time of year.  The redbuds and dogwoods are blooming while the other trees are starting to leaf out….it’s a nice time of year to be on the road.  When we crossed Rt. 301 we made a pit stop at Horne’s store where we were joined by six more cruisers!  When we left we had a string of 18 hot rods motoring down the road….and David & his Harley!  I think it’s cool to have a few bikes mixed in with the cars….the adventure is for everyone!

After eating way too much food at Lowery’s, some of us decided to perform a little community service work.  We would visit Carl’s Ice Cream in Fredericksburg to make sure the ice cream was ok….it’s a public service we perform from time to time.  It’s a responsibility some of us take very seriously for the public good….someone has to do it!   Grinning & chuckling….

After performing our public service task we all headed for home….the rain was threatening but would hold off till later that night.  I’m glad this club has discovered over the road cruising….it’s so much more enjoyable for some than sitting for 8 hours in the sun….