T'was a wet and stormy Thursday (9/24/2020) as BMWNEF members made their way to Two Wheels Only (TWO) Motorcycle Resort in Suches, Ga. My travelling companion, Jimmy Stockton, and I were comfortably enclosed in my truck, trailering our 2 motorcycles. Being the Club "Mule" has its’ benefits. The truck was packed with tents, food, adult beverages and cooking gear. It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta' do it!!
It started raining near Macon, from the remnants of Hurricane Laura as she tracked north. We arrived in Suches early in the afternoon, and began to set up the "kitchen" area.
Our cabins were to the right of the main lodge. The area had been marked off with "warning" tape. We all assumed, wrongly, that this was to keep others out, and limit how far we could take our vehicles into the camping area. More on this later.
The set up went smoothly with all hands pitching in. We were able to get all this accomplished in a slight drizzle. Per our announcements, the Thursday night meal was a carry-in affair. Jeanette Meeker made her wonderful spaghetti casserole, and Ruth Allen brought dessert.
Dining was done under two pop-up tents. As the evening progressed, the rain continued, then intensified. Around 2-3AM the rain really came! I felt fortunate to be in a cabin and felt bad for the tent campers. Friday morning EVERYTHING was wet.
In the morning, one of the pop-up tents had collapsed, and anything made of paper was soggy. There was mud, more mud, and even more mud. After tossing wet things away, and wiping the racoon footprints off the tables, we moved the kitchen tents about 20' out of the "Swamp". When we were resettled, Chef Jimmy made scrambled eggs and sausage for the crew.
Members went their merry ways, doing rides as the roads would allow. One of my personal favorites, Wolf Pen Gap Road, was tricky on the way out. I was headed to Waynesville to meet old neighbors. Turning on to Wolf Pen Gap Road, it became clear this would not be a speed run through the curves. The road was wet, and heavily littered with debris from the previous night's storm. When I returned, the roads had dried up, but were still littered with debris.
A Friday night tradition, well not really a tradition since we've only done it 3 years, but a fun thing anyway, is the Chili and campfire corn bread dinner for attendees. "Many hands lift a heavy load" as helpers joined in while Chef Jimmy and I made the chili. I had pre-mixed all the dry ingredients for the cornbread at home, so all that was needed was to add the liquid(s) and cook.
By the time dinner was ready, our headcount was about 20 members. A very good turnout considering the forecast. We had dinner, cleaned up, and finally were able to gather around a campfire courtesy of Phil Mule'. Somehow, he managed to find dry firewood.
Saturday dawned dry! Spirits were lifted as things began to dry out. A simple breakfast was prepared and members took off for their rides. WPG Rd was finally dry and clear of debris, and I was finally able to lay the GS over and enjoy the curves.
Members returned to TWO around 4-5PM. We made our way to the main lodge for the BMWNEFprovided evening meal. TWO has adjusted their service to conform to COVID requirements. We ordered inside and received our fare at the take-out window. Most enjoyed their meal on the patio or picnic table by the lodge.
After dinner we broke camp and loaded the truck for our Sunday drive home. All members made it home safely and dry!
About the Mud! The "Warning" tape was intended to keep ALL traffic, foot and vehicle traffic off of a freshly seeded area. Oops! We were informed of this Friday AM, after we had moved the kitchen out of the "swamp" we had created. We apologized profusely for our error.
We'll head to the North Georgia Mountains again next September. Look for an announcement.
Bill Botkin