Bill Hagan

As previously mentioned -- and mocked -- Kathi and I plan to attend. As spectators. In a cage. Sigh. Bill P.S. On the bright side, we can be a sag wagon for riders and police up dropped parts for subsequent tech sessions.

Oh, thanks. Didn't even know I needed one 'til I read this thread burst. Just ordered same item. I need therapy. Bill

FWIW, here is info about the proposed return route we intend take after muttoning. Kathi has exhibited unusual confidence in the Norge by agreeing to ride it for this trip rather than driving the Mini as a sagwagon. OTOH, I now have to convince her that she only needs two hair dryers, not three. N.J. Nick is coming along, too, on both legs of this ride, so I’ll see if he has extra room in his sidebags. As the terrain-mode pix, below, show, these are great riding roads. We plan to stop for a look, but no sips at Makers Mark distillery in Loretto, https://www.makersmark.com So, if this routing and lodging plan has any interest among those heading home to points east from Whitesville, here’s our thinking. ====== Sunday, 28 May - Whitesville, Ky., to Lebanon, Ky. (Hampton Inn) https://goo.gl/maps/SpMH2q8vMx62 Monday, 29 May - Lebanon, Ky., to South Charleston, W.V. (Hampton Inn) [275 miles; 6 hrs, 30 mins.] https://goo.gl/maps/tjhrQjFHiwN2 Tuesday, 30 May - South Charleston, W.V. to the Moto Grappa https://goo.gl/maps/qfNsoxnUMa32 As noted, above, we have reservations at Hampton Inns in Lebanon, Ky., and South Charleston, W.V. http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/kentucky/hampton-inn-lebanon-LBNKYHX/index.html http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/west-virginia/hampton-inn-charleston-southridge-CRWSOHX/index.html Should be fun. Bill 404.eightzeroeight.8486 wrhaganATearthlinkdotcom

This is an update with Day 1's lodging and routing information. Will send this to the email list, but for those still considering this event, here's some information for your consideration. And, lest the most important point be lost in my usual torrent of words, I need to say that whatever route you take, you may want to make reservations now. This trip is over the Memorial Day weekend, and into "wedding season," so I have found that many hotels are already full for our dates of travel. I sure prefer not having fixed interim destinations on motorcycIe trips, but sometimes, well, sometimes ... Anyway, if you are coming along with us or intend to meet us at end of first day, here's where we are staying: http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/kentucky/hampton-inn-ashland-HTSKYHX/index.html And here are our proposed routes for Days 1 & 2. Our return will be 2.5 days and go through bourbon country on a more southerly route. Will post more on that soon. Day 1 - From Cross Junction to Ashland, Ky. Details here: https://goo.gl/maps/otLugdF2f7x Day 2 - From Ashland, Ky., to Owensboro, Ky. Details here: https://goo.gl/maps/cy4v5nMP6js We all know that the reality of riding means that the routes won't be exactly those, but they should be close. Looking forward to seeing others here munching mutton in Daviess County ... and some Mex food en route. Bill

La vendetta è un piatto che si deve mangiare freddo! Bill

Yeah, and the rest of you had better be careful, too. Bill

Funny, Josh. Going to be iffy this year for us. We fly to Europe on Wednesday after that weekend, and I'm not sure we're organized enough to make that happen. No. Really. I am serious. Pathetic. Might have to cage it to attend. Bill

As I pretty much said in my earlier post in this thread, what I know about contemporary popular culture would fit into our Mini's glove box. Kathi had to explain Harry Potter to me the other day. I had, of course, seen references, but did not know what the fuss was about. Now, I do. I still don't care. Most popular music leaves me similarly swayed, i.e., not at all. Get off my lawn! That said, subject to the usual limits of law and courtesy, I am glad others can pursue happiness as they see fit. As a rudimental drummer, however, I find that Kathi and many others simply cannot fathom what makes me tick musically. Aside from Alison Balsom , these do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UhERt4dDLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J8MAMB-Sgc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd8UXijXtqM YMM(and probably does )V. Bill P.S. Apologies. Even with "instructions," I failed in posting "visible" link.

Many thanks for that. Will muse on it all. In no rush, but, while I am pretty familiar with the Marche up to Austria on the east and central north, not so this area except for Livorno. Appreciate the tips. And, in the meantime, Remo, condolences for the tragedy in Abruzzi. Prayers for all. Bill

Great, Chuck. As you well know, in motorcycling plans, that's as close as the cognoscenti get to certainty. FWIW, we -- along with a set of definite maybes of unknown size -- will likely gather here (as in Cross Junction, Va.) on Thursday sometime; launch at OH-Dark on Friday, RON somewhere c. 1/2 way, and not arrive in Owensboro until late on Saturday afternoon. We'll then start return from Whitesville on Sunday shortly after noon. I would much prefer to stay longer, but our reality trumps that ... darn it. Our time as a "group" will thus pretty much limited to scratching, spitting, and snapping suspenders in the parking lot; supper at the Moonlite; bourbon tasting 'til "too late" on Saturday night; breakfast at Wingfield; ride to Whitesville; mutton munching; and andiamo. Bill 404.eight-oh-eight.8486

For those who have an interest in this event, I was going to wait a bit for sending along anything more on the Rutt'n for Mutt'n or Mutton Runners, or whatever -- yes, I am constantly casting about for a label for this outing -- but after I looked at lodging for Kathi and me, thought I'd better pass along some information I got in that process. First, there is not, of course, an "official" hotel for this. Stay wherever pleases you. That said, because of its proximity to the iconic Moonlite BBQ -- https://www.moonlite.com -- several of us have found it convenient to stay before at the Country Inn & Suites. Kathi and I also stayed there for my 50th H.S. reunion, but I remember nothing much of high school or the reunion. Anyway, when I tried booking there today, I found it was gone, replaced by, poof, the Wingfield Inn and Suites, http://www.wingfieldinnandsuitesowensboroky.com. Same location, and, allegedly, up-gunned a bit from our stay there last year in May. If, after reading all of this, you wish to join us at the Wingfield, call the motel and ask for "Lilly" [with whom I spoke; a VERY nice lady from nearby Muhlenburg County; we'd have been showing each grandbaby pix if we'd talked much longer!] or "Chris," and mention you are part of "the Hagan group" in order to get the reduced-rate of $95 (from $100). If you prefer, use email: frontdesk@wiasowensboroky.com. Do NOT use the website for making a reservation or you'll pay more. If you end up paying less than $95, all me so I can yell at Lilly. If you want to share a room, let me know and I'll connect you with others who want to do the same. If you want to see what else is available, here's a map of Owensboro lodging: Link here: [http://tinyurl.com/OboroKyLodging] Do NOT believe the google map prices shown for today. May is high season for sports teams, and Lilly was not trying to sell me a bridge when she said walk-ins at that time of year might find what Mary and Joseph did in Bethlehem. Plus, this is Memorial Day weekend, so I am concerned about lodging en route, but especially worried that we can have rooms in Daviess County on arrival. Our (as in Bill & Kathi's) present plan, btw, is to depart from home, not Atlanta, taking two days. I will send more coordination info about routes, etc., in due course, but suggest that if you are seriously thinking about this trip, you make reservations somewhere sooner than later. Let me know sometime where you decided to stay. Bill P.S. I am still exploring camping options in Owensboro & Whitesville, and will let those who have asked me about that know here or by email what I find.

Doug, We have confronted several "tragedies of mortality" in the past several months, so, while hardly ourselves (yet) in your situation, we have been close enough to at least try to understand at a "spectator" level what you are experiencing. Everyone asks -- and I very much believe they mean it; we certainly do -- if there might be something we may do to help. Ask. If we can, we will. We may also know someone who can. At a minimum, let me assure you that, as paltry as it sounds, we all care and want the best for you. I have had several colonoscopies and will continue that. Thanks for the reminder. I am due this year. Please keep us posted on your situation. Bill & Kathi Hagan

Odd how some motorcycles -- OK, yes, some other bedeviling creatures, too -- look better in photos than in reality ... and vice versa. Yet, my Ballabio, a wannabe Scura (with Ohlins rear and a Scura ECU) looked, as yours, great in both. Well done work all around, from buying to fixing to posting to, best of all, riding. Bill

Yes, docc, it behooves one to be careful of such things. I gnu long ago that one ignores wildebeests at great peril. Long (& boring) story, but still up in the air if I (and some yankee buds) will be coming from Virginia or if that same Georgia crew in the 2016 Mutton Glutton vid -- with usual suspects George & "der Kanzler" -- and I will be riding up from Atlanta. Stay tuned for OPLAN. Bill

Many folks do not know what grand riding there is in southern Indiana. I grew up -- assuming that has yet occurred -- in Owensboro, and rode small-displacement Yamahas in the mid-60's. Those and lust of another kind took me over the river many times. Have not been to Walter's Pub at Leavenworth, but "I approve." Meraviglioso! Am drafting an "OPLAN" now, with all sorts of -- Kathi would (and will) say that's "code for too many" -- details, and will post those soon. Bill

You have learned well, grasshopper.. You haven't met Jude yet have you Chuck? A huge brute of a woman with arms like Popeye and a mouth like a Glaswegian docker! She also has a mind like a steel trap, she wouldn't miss something like that because she was 'Distracted'! The punishment she would meet out would be medieval in its ferocity and biblical in its extent. I have not seen that side of Jude, Pete, but have noted that -- properly prompted by some stooopid comment or act of mine -- Kathi can go from a distaff Dr. Jekyll to Mrs. Hyde in a heartbeat. Be that as it may, for a scholar of Roman history as is Jude, your 'twixt "biblical & medieval" seems a most apt description! Having met Jude, however, it is wonderfully interesting what an elegant counterpoint she is to you, Pete. Bill

Just reviewed this thread. Had missed numerous installments. Shame on me. Great tales and pix. Felice Anno Nuovo to all. Bill

Yes, motorcycles -- mostly Guzzis -- and mutton (tho the incognoscenti might that emoticon unapt), and "bourbon," too. Some reading this may have seen my posting about this event over on wildguzzi, but as not all here "go there," I'll restate some of that in this thread. So ... for the past several years, I've been attending a church picnic in western Kentucky, specifically, St. Mary of the Woods parish in Whitesville, near Owensboro. "My people" -- my paternal side's that is, Irish-Catholics who came to the New World in 1662 -- left Maryland in the 1790's and wandered over to Kentucky, with, for my 6th & 7th great-grandfathers, an interim stop for a few years near where we now live in Frederick County, Virginia. But, yes, again, as always, I digress. For many years -- as in since just after the Civil War -- St. Mary of the Woods parish in Whitesville, Kentucky, has held a picnic. This has become a big deal locally, with two each year. The focus is on BBQ. Mutton (my favorite), beef, pork, chicken. The parishioners at St. Mary's are most mindful that the Lord's Prayer mentions "our daily bread," not salad, so this not a vegan event. When is it? Sunday, 28 May 2017. My plan and that of the several of us who have done this for a few years now is to arrive in Owensboro on Saturday afternoon; sightsee a bit; have supper at Moonlite, http://www.moonlite.com; then sip bourbon until past the time we should have stopped. The next morning (earlyish), we'll ride the Anyway, things start getting really serious about 11, when the parish hall opens its doors to serve the food. For a visual of the fun some of us had last May at St. Mary's, see the attached pix and this slideshow: https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Men-Motorcycles-Mutton/ So, let me know here, by PM. or email (wrhagan earthlink.net) if interested in being a Moto-Guzzi Mutton Glutton. I'll put you on a distro for the several of those already planning on it. Ciao ... & chow. Hope to see you in Whitesville! Bill P.S. Docc, Whitesville is a short jaunt for you and some of your Volunteer State Guzzisti. See https://goo.gl/maps/hYY5eeicDxE2. Consider it.

New Zealand?! Remember the seasons are reversed. Buon (quarto giorno di) Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo! Bill

How did George have time to make such a great video? Doesn't he have a TPS to adjust, a relay to replace, and alternator wiring to fix? Where is the episode on the oil leak, and the tune-up? And not a hammer in sight!Unless he has one of those bikes that you just ride? George is a talented guy. A bit nuts, too, of course, but talented. OK, yes, it possibly does help that he rides a Nipponese machine. His 2003 Honda ST1300 is as boring as George is not ... boring. OK, very fast, too. That said, I do have pix of George trying to repair his ST while on a multi-day ride from Atlanta to Virginia, and if you opened that "mutton" link, you saw another episode of a similar sort. I need to dredge that up every now and then when George gets in one of his "moods" ... as in now. Actually, this is one of my favorite pix of George, taken in the Poconos on the way to the 2015 national rally in New Hampshire. More here if you care: https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Sashaying-to-Swanzey-in-2015/n-NR8Rrf/ Bill

So, the BLUF — Bottom Line Up Front for you acronym haters :-) — is that I have been under good-natured attack recently by certain … let’s just say “nonguzzisti” ... for, as they funnily put it, “failing to invite” or “disinviting” them to the 2016 SSR. George, Dennis (The Chancellor:), and Kevin, all Atlanta riders of Other Brands, have been to at least one SSR. They loved it; we loved them. But they didn’t come to this one … and they blame me! Before I go further, see George’s video … which, well, is vintage George, thus way funny and quirky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLOda1vwhx8&feature=youtu.be George had lurked here last year to get info about prior SSR’s, but apparently relied on me to keep him posted on when and where, etc. Unfortunately, as neither he, Dennis, nor Kevin had responded to my several emails about other rides I went on after they joined me on that stupendous “mutton ride” to Kentucky last May — see, etc., https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Men-Motorcycles-Mutton/ — I supposed they had lost interest or were too busy or whatever. I very much regret that, as I think their disappointment is genuine, tho the vid shows that they have a sense of humor about it. So, I will apologize to them — with all sorts of disclaimers, naturally, about how it is really their fault. Seriously, I do feel badly and look forward to their return to the next SSR. Docc’s latest emphasis on gathering, tech sessions, and individual and small-group rides rather than Harleyesque convoys are, IMO, a commendable return top the original; essence of the SSR. Best to all. Bill

I was at the spring 2013 one. WAY bigger event than I thought it was. Saw in latest Cycle World that Peter Egan had a stroke in the spring that has understandably cramped his style. Seems better now, tho. Sure wish him well; glad to see his column back. Bill

Haha - some guy screeched his truck to a stop and hollered at us (yeah, they do that up here), "I've heard of motorcycle gangs, but I've never seen a Moto Guzzi Gang!" He got out of his truck and hung out with us for a while. Honestly, it was quite surprising how much (good) attention that many Moto Guzzi attract. Docc, Do you remember leading us a bunch of Atlantan Guzzisti (and some OB's) from Monteagle over to Lynchburg and beyond a few years ago? We were headed to the Wildguzzi Campout in SW Missouri. Anyway, can't recall if you had arrived yet, but we had had an "encounter" with an OTR driver in a tractor only who had -- I still think purposely -- cut in front of a former-Guzzista-now-on-shameful-R1200RT with his wife aboard as pillion. Several of us saw that and gave him a bit of hard time for several miles. Not bragging about that; we were stoooopid. Anyway, we stopped at Monteagle to meet you. In comes trucker. He pulls up to me and gets out "with a tool." All of a sudden, 10 members of the "Moto guzzi gang" came over to assist (me, not him!). The trucker got back in his cab. He probably CB'd his buds up I-24 to look for us, but you had us rocking and rolling on back roads to the west by then. BTW, doslemans replaced his old LeMans? After drowning it at Money Creek and Suches, it probably had some electrical issues. Oh, never mind, Guzzi's never have those. Bill

Dunno. Working that. Here, however, (if I didn't screw it up) is 2007: http://tinyurl.com/z349qwf/2007 SSR If any of those pix sing for you, you may wish to save 'em while they are "alive." Fixing the 2006 url "as we speak." [now fixed, http://tinyurl.com/2006-SSR] Bill