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Deane and Norm's Motorcycle Trip to Labrador | |
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June 20 - at Honda Hoot - 1st Day |
 "Honda
Hoot" is a motorcycle rally sponsored by Honda, and is an "All
Bike" rally. That is, all bikers are welcome, regardless of the
manufacturer of the bike they ride. In the past 8 years, this rally
had been held in Asheville, North Carolina. Deane had gone to this
rally in Asheville in 1998, and had enjoyed it so much that he talked Norm
into going this year. The "Hoot" had outgrown Asheville,
and had moved to Knoxville for the first time this year. It has
grown in size each year, and they expect about 15,000 people to come
to the four-day rally this year! Needless to say, there are
motorcycles everywhere in and around Knoxville.
After registering at the Honda Hoot Motorcycle Rally, Norm and Deane rode to the historic town of Cumberland Gap, about 65 miles on good twisty roads. The actual Cumberland Gap, so key to expanding to the "West" from Kentucky in the early days of the U.S., sits just behind the town, so it was a fun historical visit for us. The motorcycle rally people had arranged lunch there, hosted by local people who hired high school kids for waiter / waitresses. We enjoyed the town's displays of historic houses, even one used as a Confederate headquarters in the Civil War, and an old water driven mill. After lunch, as we were about to get on the motorcycles to ride back, a very heavy rain shower developed. Fortunately, we were able to get the motorcycles and ourselves under an overhanging roof of a local motel until the shower quit. Others were not so lucky, and got soaked. So, we put on our rain gear and rode away to find that the heavy shower had been so localized to the "Gap" that roads were dry within a half mile. Off came the rain gear. Norm's wife, Kay arrived in the late afternoon, after driving down from Vandalia, Ohio, to spend the rest of the Honda Hoot days with us.
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