The Circuit Rider

Last time, I was telling you about a trip to Tennessee and North Carolina. On Tuesday morning, I was limping pretty bad, but that didn't affect my riding. I did have a little problem changing gears, but after breakfast, we rode over to Murphy, NC. Now, Murphy holds a lot of memories for me because I spent a good part of my childhood just up the road a piece, in a little place called Suit. I have a cousin who lives there, but she was out of town.

In Murphy, we rented a four wheel drive truck. Our mission was to find a monument, which was erected in memory of my grandfather. As I've said before, he was an old horseback preacher. We left Murphy and headed west, back toward Tellico Plains. A local had told us the monument was back there somewhere and the only way to get there was a four wheel drive. I drove the truck, but the others rode their bikes. Those mountains are a biker's dream.

Somewhere between Tellico Plains and Robbinsville, we parked the bikes and took a U.S. Forest Service road into the woods. We went as far as we wanted and turned around. We hadn't seen anything but woods and Haw Creek. On the way out, we met a "full blooded Hoogie." Now, a Hoogie is what we called people who were born and bred in the woods and never cared to leave. When I heard him speak, I thought, "kin folks!" He had a hog leg on his hip and a chew in his mouth, and he asked, "What youns lookin' fer?" We explained our mission to him and he set out to help us. He said, "Youns done got me ta wonderin'." I'm gonna follow ye." He might have had something he didn't want us to find. He followed us back out to the main road, where the bikes were, and said, "Theys a monument up air ona hill rat up younder," and he started that way.

Now, Ray Moore, Calvin Morris and Don West followed him and the rest of us stayed where we were. I started thinking, "That feller" (see - it's catching) "That fellow has a gun." My mind raced back to a movie I saw long ago named, "Deliverance." I thought, "I hope he doesn't shoot those boys. If I hear gunfire, I'm going to jump in this truck and head for Texas!" We soon saw them up on the big road, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Steve had told me he was going to check the bikes, but I figured he was going for a head start.

The young Hoogie had showed the fellows a monument to an old preacher, but it wasn't the right one. He did try to help us, but wasn't old enough to know the history of that country. We took another Forest Service road and went a long way back into the mountains. We saw a lot of things, but no monument. We even saw about two miles of fresh asphalt in the middle of nowhere. We never did figure that out. Finally we gave up and went back to Murphy to spend the night, turn in the truck and get my bike.

On Thursday, we turned west for Texas. After spending a night in Atlanta, GA and Vicksburg, MS we rode into Brownsboro. I can truly say, "It had been eight of the best days of my life." I had a sprained ankle and a pretty good sunburn, but I couldn't quit grinning. I backed my Harley into my driveway and my wife met me with a big welcome home kiss. As I walked into the house, she said, "What happened to your foot?" (That's another story.)

We had seen some of the most beautiful scenery in all of God's creation, spent over two thousand miles on some of the best motorcycles ever built, and sealed lifetime bonds between us. If one of these men called me and said, "I need you," the only question I would ask would be, "Where are you?" The only question I have now is, "Where are we going next year?"

See ya on the road! Please watch out for bikes and Hoogies! Bill Hamilton