JBlog: RIDE WITH THE KNOBBIES

Catawba Meadows Park - Morganton, NC
September 19 - 21 (778 miles)

We rode with Rick to the rally and Omar and Zade brought the GS in the truck. It had rained on Friday morning in Morganton but by the time we got there everything had dried out. The rest of the weekend the weather was perfect.

Two of the pavilions at Catawba Meadows Park

Food truck and showers (in the background)

The food truck is on the grounds all three days. Two ladies cook up hamburgers, chicken, etc. There is also a beer garden with $2 beers and each morning the Marines cook a pancake and egg breakfast.

Our tent on the left and Omar's tent and hammock on the right - lots of room for camping

Zade trying out new hammock

Proof that the hammock will not collapse

Saturday is a ride with the Knobbies. There are four rides - 2 off road and 2 paved mountain roads. Omar and Zade left at 9 am for the off road GS ride returning at about 4:30. Rick, Tony and Jill chose the scenic mountain road with a stop at a distillery and lunch near Lake Lure led by Bobbie. Rick left us during the ride to do his own ride to Blowing Rock and stay with his cousin who has a cabin at Lake Lure.

Rick, Jill and Tony with Knobbie t-shirts

The Knobbie ride is an all day adventure and our first stop was at a small distillery in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Defiant Whiskey is made at Blue Ridge Distilling Company in Bostic, NC. The company developed an innovative way to age whiskey. By using toasted oak spindles they can age the whiskey in stainless steel tanks in about 90 days. The results are equivalent to aging in barrels for 12 years. Tim Ferris is the founder of Defiant Marine and Defiant Whiskey (they started as underwater salvage divers and also decided to make whiskey)l. defiantwhiskey.com

Tour at Defiant Whiskey distillery

Tim Ferris

The tasting room showing some of the artifacts from the salvage operations.

Next was a ride to Lake Lure, Chimney Rock and Bat Cave. The Knobbie photographer(also the new President) took pictures of our ride including a picture riding through a one way tunnel.