Harley Bro Ride 2012

Each year for roughly the last six years my brother and I have been taking a "Bro Ride."  We ride to a place of interest or until one of us breaks down (that would be me on my 1975 naked Goldwing.)  I won a 2012 Harley Street Bob last year so this year we took our Harleys on a trip through Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana with a primary destination of "The Kentucky Bourbon Trail."  We also planned our route to include the Shawnee National Forest, Garden of the Gods, scenic Ohio River roads, and the Hoosier National Forest.
It's a good thing we took our rain gear because we sure did need them a lot.  We spent one and a half days in the rain.  Seeing the Shawnee National Forest through fog, and a mist covered helmet visor, wasn't how I had imagined it, but we did get out and walk around a bit, saw some deer, talked to some friendly folks from Minnesota and then went on our way.  We crossed over the Ohio River four times on our trip and the first time was by far the worst.  It was raining hard and the drops felt like needles stinging my bare hands.  If you've ever ridden in the rain with any bare skin you know the feeling.

We wanted to get as close as we could to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail on Monday so we could get an early start on Tuesday and perhaps see all six distilleries in one day.  It seemed like our destination was running away from us as the rain soaked miles seemed to elongate as we splashed on through the puddles in the dark until we finally came across The Gold Vault Inn in Radcliff, Kentucky.  The name drew us in and I knew I could not pass up the chance to stay at The Gold Vault by Fort Knox.  Radcliff is right next to Fort Knox.  It may seem strange but the best part was the guest dryer that got our clothes back to normal because even with rain gear we still got wet.  Note to self: buy boot protectors before next outing in the rain.  Twice I had pulled over and took my boots off so I could pour the water out of them.  The Pizza Hut was right next door to The Gold Vault but neither one of us felt like leaving our warm, dry room and I didn't even mind tipping the delivery guy for walking the Meatlovers Pizza across the parking lot.
On Tuesday morning we ate at the Gold Vault breakfast bar and then headed to our first destination, Jim Beam.  All the distilleries have immaculate grounds, well stocked gift stores, tours and tasting.  We did the walking tour at Jim Beam because the factory tour was 90 minutes long and we wanted to do the whole Bourbon Trail in one day.
Almost every stop we made we were cheerfully informed that we would never make it to all six distilleries in one day.  For me, that was just like saying, "Sic em" to a dog.  We took the guided tour at Maker's Mark and we both agreed that it was a good choice. The tasting session afterwards was surprisingly informative, especially for a guy who doesn't drink and doesn't plan on starting to drink, at least on this side of the cemetery.  We especially liked the chocolate bourbon candies at Maker's Mark and Woodfield Reserve.
Our focus was the riding, and we thoroughly enjoyed mile after mile of horse farms, tree covered hills, and valley roads that plunged through rugged and rocky terrain.
After completing the trail with all six distilleries we still had enough time to twist our wrists and head for Salem, IN.  We pulled into town at 9 pm and went to a local pizza place to inquire if there was a motel in Salem.  The pizza chef said, "We have a roach motel." We said, "Perfect."  My brother and I have a tradition of staying at the sleaziest motels we can find, just because they are a lot more interesting and make for better stories later.  The Salem Motel wasn't really half bad for the money, $27.75 for each of us.  We cracked up though when there were no hangers on the rack in our room.  I went to the manager's office and asked for some, but he said that they didn't have any hangers.
Wednesday morning we headed out for Indianapolis with stops at Story, Nashville, and the Harley store in Bloomington, IN.
I rode just a hair over 1,000 miles and my brother rode just a bit more by the time he got back home in northern Illinois.  My Harley has never been so dirty but it never missed a beat through rain and cold.  We saw deer every day, fortunately we never came very close to encountering them up close and personal, although a Mustang that was ahead of us on Highway 13 in Carbondale, IL almost sent one to the meat locker.
Another successful Bro Ride in the record books, but how could it be anything but successful since my brother is the best. He said something about Lake Michigan next year.  Could be, could be.