Four Corners Tour – Ride Day 2 – Tour Day 0 – July 8, 2015 – Wednesday

Start Time: 7:41 AM EDT
Stop Time: 4:45 PM EDT
Start Location: Nashville, GA
Stop Location: Cocoa, FL
Lodging: Mom’s Condo
Dinner: Mom’s Seafood Spaghetti
Miles Traveled Today: 294
Weather: 83-93, Mostly Sunny

Before I left Our Place Hotel this morning, I took a few minutes to visit Hannah’s Hope Park.

The City of Nashville, Georgia built this park where an old building was demolished, and just recently dedicated the park to the memory of my good friend Thomas Clayton’s Daughter, Hannah, who now resides with her Lord and savior. The park is a very peaceful alcove just off the city square, and if your ever in Nashville, drop by this beautiful park and spend a few minutes reflecting on Hannah’s  story.

Today was a low miles day compared to most of the days ahead of me. Since I was not pressed for time, I set the Garmin to the Curvy Roads option (Curvy being a subjective term when you’re riding through South Georgia and North Florida).

I think I might have unintentionally ridden the Gators Tail (11 curves in 318 miles).

Most of the roads were straight as a bullet, so I’ve still not gotten a good feel for how the Aspen Classic Camper will behave on twisties. My route was US-129 to 125, 125 to US-41, US-41 to 100, and 100 to US-1.

Lunch was at an all time favorite, and since I’ve ridden this route before, I knew that I would be stopping at Sonny’s Bar-B-Q.

They even had an especially long parking space for me and my 18 foot long rig, that was in the ever elusive shade.

Apparently I liked what I ordered.

  Now you see it.

Now you don’t.

After lunch I decided to see if I could add the Ultimate Seat Company to my route (I knew it was not out of my way, and regretted not stopping by last year when I rode this route).

I thought I might get a tour of the factory, but I was wrong. I found out as soon as I arrived, that this is their American Distribution center, and that the seats are actually made in Canada (I was not aware of that when I got mine last year).

Since I’m on the subject of my seat, I’ll give you a little background on my seat saga. When I purchased my bike in May of 2013, it had the OEM seat on it, and for short rides, it was very comfortable. Long rides on the other hand were pretty miserable for a butt-less wonder (one of my mom’s many endearing terms for me) like me.

My first attempt at making the seat more comfortable came at the 2013 Wing Ding in Greenville, South Carolina, where a company called WingSoft aka: Bike Solutions, LLC added what they referred to as high density foam to the seat. The seat was definitely better, but I still suffered from numb butt syndrome if I rode for more than an hour and a half.

My next attempt at reaching seat nirvana was a AirHawk seat cushion, and at that time, the AirHawk R had just come out, so I got one. It did add a little bit of comfort, extending the ride by about a half hour, but it was pretty annoying. Seems like every time I got on the bike, I kicked it off and would have to dismount, walk to the other side of the bike, retrieve it, put it back on and try again (yeah, I know, they come with straps, but the way they work does not allow you to remove it and store it in the trunk, and leaving it on the bike on a hot day is not friendly to the family jewels).

I’m sure you already know what my next attempt at butt comfort was. Right before one of my several week long trips, I ordered the Ultimate Seat with what I think was a two week return period, but the nice Lady at Ultimate Seats extended that period by a couple weeks since my trip would prevent me from returning it in time. Turns out that although the seat is very comfortable, it is not significantly more comfortable than the stock seat with the WingSoft treatment, and is basically equal to the AirHawk seat cushion in comfort (at least that is the case for a guy with no butt cheeks, who is basically sitting on his butt bones all the time). BUT, the seat is beautiful, something that cannot be said about the WingSoft seat treatment (when they add the high density foam, it distorts the shape of the OEM seat, which was not that attractive to start with).

After having the seat for more than a year now, I can say that I love my Ultimate Seat. It is not only beautifully built, but it is very comfortable (it has improved with time), and I have learned that although that nice back rest is tempting, it was a big part of my discomfort. If I sit upright, focusing on keeping my weight on my legs, and not on my tailbone, I can ride tank to tank for 400 miles with relatively little discomfort.

On my way into the industrial park where Ultimate Seats is located, I passed this place.

So, although I didn’t step on a pop top, I did blow out my right glove this morning, so I cruised on into J&P Cycles to pickup that frozen concoction, I mean a new pair of gloves.

I got to my Mom’s condo fairly early (I neglected to warn her that I was coming, and called this morning to let her know I was on my way), and was surprised to find that my Brother Joey, and my nephews Joseph and Paul were on their way over for dinner.

Had a great dinner, and was entertained by Paul’s shenanigans for a couple hours. And just before I started dozing off in my chair, my Sister-in-law Anita and niece Nichole arrived. A great night of family fun and conversation.

Although it was really hot later in the day, it was a great ride. Zero Bone Heads today (unusual, but very welcomed). It’s hard to beat a good day of riding that is punctuated with the opportunity to visit with family I only get to see occasionally.

Tomorrow morning I’m pointing Sweet Baby JIL towards Key West, and expecting a hot ride.