You rode in the #2 or #3 spot the whole time.   I couldn't keep up with BigZuk in #1 spot (never have been able to, really) but I can whup up on MM fairly well as he believes in speed limits.  

I followed you several times and I couldn't keep the same neat lines you did and I did scrub my pegs a goodly bit of the time.   And you did keep up with Zuk, something I can't do.  

Some of that has to do with carrying an extra 100 pounds or more of carcass weight on the light Savage rear suspension .....

Riding your new stripped down RYCA based bike you should be king of the board walk this time out, especially since I grew a few new medical conditions that are going to make me have to be actually be a little bit conservative (compared to year's past anyway).

We'll see how it shakes out when we get there ...

i've gone on more mountain trips with a darksider tire than with a bike tire, so  I am not really worried about that very much.

We need to get old-rider to do a daily newbie report to everybody as he will have a fresh perspective as the trip will be all new to him.

I remember when Southpaw was our newbie and he did his daily perspective report for us -- it was very entertaining.

But I was all green colored back then, with warts and all and MM hadn't learned to read speed limit signs and Lancer was still trying to get Rex to run for more than 20 minutes at a lick.

And we all had hair and it wasn't white ....

And we had a Toymaker to provoke us to excess, continually .......

We are 3 weeks out from trip time -- weather is drifting about one day each week as we get closer (with the 12th all clear now and the drizzly day on the 13th with the drift continuing).

Look for this "one day later" thing to continue drifting as we get closer in to the actual week of the ride.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/canton-nc/28716/june-weather/12122_pc?monyr=...

We spit on the ride in one week, so keep looking at the weather and say if you have any reservations come the spit day which is .....

Friday, May 31st

This is the day we commit or we abort on the trip -- the last day to cancel on the cabins without cost.

Rain every day !

How about the last week of June ?  

I've got BoyScout Summer Camp the week after Father's day.

Old Rider
Best to put the light stuff high and the heavy stuff low .  Thinking about the tent on top reminds me of SouthPaw.   He had a duffle bag vertical on the seat reaching for the sky.  It didn't work-out too good .   I've had some sucess with the tent below the headlight tied to the bottom of the tripple tree, but my tent is kinda heavy duty.    Just saying ...

Look at the weather report again and start talking about a potential reschedule .... MM is asking for a cancel and reschedule due to the predicted weather for the week of the 12th.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/canton-nc/28716/june-weather/12122_pc?monyr=...

He is suggesting the last week in June but he needs to get more specific about the dates and such.

BEFORE YOU GET ALL HYPED UP ABOUT THE WEATHER, go look at it again.   This is North Carolina mountain weather and the predictions change every day and now they say sunshine on the 12th and 13th with only a small percent chance of occasional light rain the rest of the time, generally in the afternoon.   Duh, that is typical mountain weather ....  it happens anyway if predicted or not.   Sunday is now your "worst day" and that will slip off the trip zone with the next prediction.

I have noted that the entire prediction pattern is slipping over one day for every 4-5 days, like the overall weather pattern is moving slower across the nation and isn't going to arrive as fast as they thought a week ago.

Literally, the weather predictions will change again the night before we go and will only be 80% accurate even then.

The general drift in the forecast has been away from rain towards sunshine.   Actually, it is like they predict 50% chance of occasional rain as their generic, then they refine to "more real" inside the last couple of weeks.

Like I said, go look at it again and always talk to the current forecast whenever you post comments.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/canton-nc/28716/june-weather/12122_pc?monyr=...

Yeah, my last trip was supposed to be really nice, but turned out crappy, first day was beautiful tho and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Second day rained, but had a blast at some local eateries and walkin' in the cold rain, LOL. Third day started out crappy but that afternoon we rode for a bit and had a good time. Our trip home was only wet when we got 6 miles from home, then it poured! was only wet for about 10 minutes and I stripped in the garage! The trip was a good one tho and we enjoyed it because of the company we had....