| Its 3:30am Monday morning & our last day to explore these breathtakingly beautiful mountains of Tenn. , so mentally I'm READY to go! Today's GREAT ADVENTURE is going to be to see HOW far OUT we can go , so I must go to a Super Walmart in the wee hours to get the Grizzly equiped for this upcoming effort. While making a check list of things needed & trying to utilize what I already have , I see two forms approaching me from out of the darkness! An alarm bell goes off in my head & I get ready to take defensive action IF neccessary! But as the forms step out into the light , I relax a little , but not too much, because what I see before me are two women making a bee line for Speedy Racer. The first is a young thin girl & the second is a very old & haggard looking woman. The next thing I know the young girl informs me that she & her companion are cold , hungry & need money to get back to Knoxville, Tenn. . When I say that " I'm sorry , no extra cash " the young one then offers to perform whatever services I'd be intersted in, to obtain the money needed. I politely decline her services , but she presses on & in desperation offers to perform oral favors for $ 5 . But once again I decline , but feeling somewhat bad for the plight they are in , I give the shivering ladies of the night a few bucks to get a cup of hot coffee at the all nite dinner "Waffle House" down the street. As they disappear into the nite , I am amazed that even in a small tranquill mountain town like Oak Ridge , Tenn. the oldest profession in the world has found a home. Once again I can focus on preparing for todays GREAT ADVENTURE , so off to Walmart to acquire the supplies needed to rig up the Grizzly for the excursion to points beyond Windrock ATV Club turf. On my way to Walmart I spot the two ladies of the nite sitting at a stool in the Waffle House with thier hands clutching a hot cup of coffee . At least for the moment these two poor souls have found a little comfort in the wee hours of the morning. Once in Walmart , I meander through the automotive , hardware & housewares until I spot the things I envisioned to complete the Grizzly set up for today.Now back to Super 8 Motel to install the acquired hardware onto the quad. By 6:30am I've completed the setup needed for today, but I let my weary atv buddies sleep on , knowing all to well that after almost 200 miles of HARD riding in two days , thier bodies are starting to feel the effects & need the extra few hours for todays push to points beyond. Speedy Racer is still feeling pretty fresh , since my old AARP body spends so many hours ratttling around the hills of Pennsyvania! HA! HA! At 7:30am signs of life are heard within the confines of rooms # 156 & # 158 !!! HA! HA! Before too long I am joined in the parking lot by my fellow Speedballs excited about todays ride & what it may bring. Plus due to the dense fog the last two days, we missed the breath taking views from atop the mountain. |
| Newsletter Day # 3 Oliver Springs, Tenn. |