The Gamble Family (.Net)

I finalized the deal on the Gold Wing yesterday. I put down a cash deposit, which means that the bike is officially “on order”. The expected release date from the Marysville, OH plant is December 15th. With any luck, it will probably be here around Christmas. As Tom Petty sings, “The waiting is the hardest part.”

Today, Cheryl and I took out a 2005 Honda Gold Wing for a test ride. This December, we will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, and we have decided that since 2005 marks the 30th anniversary of the Gold Wing, that we might as well treat ourselves to this flagship of the Honda line. I have always had my eye on the GL1800, and knew that if I ever took one out for a ride, that I would be hooked. For this reason, I had not previously ridden one.

I picked the bike up around 11 AM and took it out for a while before taking Cheryl out on it. I wanted to allow myself time to get accustomed to the handling of the bike before taking her out with me. I have to say that this bike is simply fabulous. It is extremely quiet and smooth, and has tons of power. I found that it takes little effort compared to my 2000 Yamaha Royal Star Venture to turn. The bike just flows through the curves effortlessly.

After putting 120 miles on the bike, Cheryl and I decided that, yes, we want one of these. We returned the bike to Sloans and started the negotiation process with our sales guy, Frank. We reached a price that falls within our budget, so we are going forward with the purchase. The only thing remaining before we actually put one on order is to determine when Honda can deliver the Candy Black Cherry (red) model to us. Needless to say, I am extremely excited.

This past October 9-11, Cheryl (my wife), Leonard (my riding buddy), and I took a trip to East Tennessee to ride through the smokies one last time before winter. It was a fantastic time for relaxation, riding, and just sharing good times between friends. We had no set agenda or timetables, other than to be in Chattanooga Saturday evening, Alcoa for Sunday evening, and back home on Monday afternoon.

Map of our route

Our trip started Saturday afternoon when we left Murfreesboro on our way to Chattanooga. The skies had been heavily overcast all day, so we were anticipating drizzle. We were able to stay dry some of the way, but we ran into light rain as we crossed Monteagle Mountain. Since the rain was light, we kept on our way. The trip to Chattanooga, even in the rain, was most enjoyable. We just took our time and enjoyed the scenery of US-41.

We arrived safely in Chattanooga about 5:30 PM. We had already made reservations to stay at the Chattanooga Choo Choo (Holiday Inn) downtown, so we had no problems getting checked in. The Choo Choo lobby originally was the Chattanooga train depot. It is very old, but quite beautiful and interesting to walk around and look at. Guest can stay in converted passenger coaches if they choose.

After freshening up a bit, we took the (electric/battery operated) trolley downtown for dinner. We chose Sticky Fingers, a great rib place, as our restaurant. We were not dissappointed. Cheryl and I had eaten at Sticky Fingers previously, so we knew that we were in for a treat. After dinner, we walked around downtown Chattanooga for a short time before returning to the Choo Choo. Leaonard and I went for a swim in the pool afterwards. The pool was only slightly heated, and we were unable to convice Cheryl that she should join us. When we got out, Leonard and I both almost froze as our wet skin met the cold slap of air-conditioned air. We both ran to our rooms to hit the hot shower. Man was it cold!

Sunday was the day that I had been looking forward to the most, because we had planned on riding across the Cherohala Skyway. The Cherohala is a tremendous section of highway. It is a 50 mile two-lane road that runs from Tellico Plains, TN to Robbinsville, NC. The skyway runs across the top of the foothills of the Smokey Mountains and reaches heights of about 5500 feet. The road features turn after turn of sweeping curves, elevation changes, and totally spectacular views. The rain clouds had disappeared and the skies were clear, so we were thrilled about the day that was to come.

On Sunday morning, we started the day with breakfast at the Choo Choo before departing. Our route took us east from Chattanooga towards Ocoee. The roads around Ocoee run beside the Ocoee River, where we could see white water rafters on the river. In Ocoee, we turned north through the Cherokee National Forest towards Tellico Plains. Highways 30 and 315 wind their way through the mountains and valleys between Ocoee and Tellico Plains and they provide a lovely and relaxing route to travel.

In Tellico Plains, we found the entrance to the Cherohala Skyway. Leonard had brought along a magazine article with pictures of Bald River Falls, so we decided that this would be an interesting detour for us. We were not dissappointed. About six miles onto the Cherohala from Tellico Plains, we found the road that led to the falls. The falls are located about 5 1/2 miles off of the Cherohala. The small road to the falls winds its way through the forest along a babbling brook. This was a totally relaxing and enjoyable adventure as the trees overhang most of the roadway, and the leaves were falling like like rain. Bald River Falls are about 100′ tall and they are simply beautiful.

Bald River Falls

After visiting the falls, we continued deeper into the forest on the same road for ten miles to the Trout Hatchery. Here, we saw lots of “baby” rainbow trout being raised for their release into area streams. After the hatchery, we returned to the Skyway for the remainder of the ride. The leaves had begun to change once we got above the 3,500′ level. The temperature dropped from 72 degrees at the bottom to around 53 degrees on the top where the altitude reaches 5,500 feet. The views all along the Cherohala were breath-taking.

Cherohala Skyway

At the east end of the Cherohala in Robbinsville, NC, we turned north onto US-129, headed towards Deal’s Gap (aka The Tail of the Dragon). I love riding the Dragon, but I knew that on Sunday, it would be very busy and that we would need to be on our best game to safely make it through. On this day, the Dragon was extremely crowded. The parking lot at the Crossroads of Time gas station was packed, so we didn’t bother to stop. While on the Dragon, we encountered two bikes that had crashed, althouth fortunately it appeared that no one was seriously injured. There was lots of car and bike traffic. We got passed several times by sport bike riders. I was very glad to safely make it to the end. After the Dragon, we continued on US-129 to Alcoa, where we spent the night.

On Monday, after breakfast at the IHOP, we started the trip homeward. We came back on US-70 across the Cumberland Plateau. The ride home was relaxing and uneventful. We arrived back around 2 PM.

This was one of the most enjoyable road trips that I have ever taken. The scenery was splendid and the fact that we had no agenda and timetables added to the enjoyment of it all.

As my adventures into chess continue, I joined FICS (Free Internet Chess Server). FICS allows anyone with a graphical interface (GUI chess client) such as WinBoard, Arena, iNemesis and others to connect to the magical chess server and play real-time games of chess against other people or computers. FICS allows you to play all types of variations such as Blitz, rated/unrated, and all other combinations imaginable. So, in just a manner of seconds from typing in a “seek” command, you can be playing chess with a real human located in any place on the planet that has access to the internet. What will they think of next? I have played two games so far, and I lost both of them. My time expired in the first game, and I got mated in the second game.

I’m still reading all that I can get my hands on related to chess strategies and tactics, openings, etc. Even though I’m still only at the beginning stages in this adventure, in playing against Chess Tiger, I can already see that my skills are improving. I currently have Chess Tiger set for Training Level 3 and Ply Count at 4. This translates to an ELO rating of around 1200-1300. So far, I’ve won four games and had two stalemates. I’m also forcing my (Palm Pilot) opponent to more moves. It’s a long and frustrating road, but in those rare occasions where I manage to pull off a win, the personal satisfaction makes it all seem worth while.

By the way, my FICS handle is RebelThunder. Maybe I’ll “see” you online at FICS one day and we can have a friendly match.