Friday, May 8, 2015

Quick Recap and Some Pics from PRM5

To say I was bummed that I wouldn't be riding for PMR5 would be quite an understatement. I put a lot of effort into having the bike ready but it just didn't work this time. I still wanted to participate though so, as I mentioned, I volunteered to drive my truck as a support vehicle and tagged along.

I'm really glad I did. The Old Filthy MC guys and Nosebleed really put together a great event! A ton of thanks and praise definitely go out to them.

I had an absolute blast! I got to hang out with a few people I'd met previously and then met a whole lot more at the event. Everyone was super cool, laid back, and just awesome to hang out with. To top it of, the route chosen for this year's ride was gorgeous even if I was on four wheels instead of two.

I managed to get a few pictures throughout the day. As usual, I should've taken more and the ones I did take sucked. I also had the foresight to bring my GoPro however I botched that up by forgetting to fully charge the battery beforehand. I was able to get some video and grabbed a couple of stills below.

There was so much going on throughout the day that what follows doesn't even begin to represent what I great time I had but I thought I'd share anyway.

To start out with, a quick shot of the pre-party Friday night at C-Hunt's. I took quite a few pictures but this is the only one that wasn't completely blurry. I had a few beers.

Friday night door prize drawing, not my number. Spoiler alert, I didn't win any of the drawings this weekend (It's okay, I never do anyway) but I still managed to come home with quite a few freebies, stickers, and a couple t-shirts.

Saturday morning I was up early and hit the corner Stop-N-Rob for some refreshments. (There's bottled water in there too!)

Then it was off to the meet up spot at the North Hills Town Center. Despite not being a morning person, I managed to arrive early and before most of the other participants.


I met Matt, who was an awesome dude to hang out with, and who was also providing support vehicle services with his kick ass van!

I hung out, said "hi" to some people I knew or had met the night before and then it was time to hit the road.

Rolling down the 183 feeder road past the Arboretum to 360.
Got seperated the group making the right turn on to 360 (those are the things that look ants going over the top of the hill).
Had to haul ass and weave in and out of traffic but eventually caught up. They still look like ants in the distance but I counted about 40 bikes in the group.
The group all back together and getting off of 360 to get the hell out of town.
Pulling in to the first gas stop for everyone to rest and get additional fuel if needed.
And then back on the road and time to stretch out through some beautiful greenery.
We only had one incident where we had to pull over and assist. One of the guys lost his axle nut! Fortunately he realized it and was able to pull over before the axle completely back out!

It happened near the back of the pack and the other riders near him broke off from the main group and pulled over as well. Some of the guys hiked back up the road a bit and, amazingly, were able to find the nut, washer, and even the spacer!
Everyone pitched in for some emergency road side repair and Matt wisely suggested red Locktite.
Then everyone in our now smaller subgroup took a minute to catch their breath before we hit the road again.
We took it easy as we rode through some of the more open areas of the hill country on the way to Blanco.
And one final check of the axle nut before getting on 281 to our mid day destination...
... Shade Tree Saloon & Grill Spring Branch. (Don't know why I didn't get a pic of the sign, told you I sucked. Wouldn't mind having that springer though!)
We all hung out for a few hours in the beautiful weather...
... listened to the Beau Daniels Band...
... and enjoyed some beers, burgers and good conversations.

As the afternoon went on, people started breaking off and doing their thing. Several groups were camping that night at the river nearby. (I definitely plan to get in on that next time. It may even be all it takes to get Mrs. IE to join me next year.)  Most of the others headed back to Austin for the after party at Giddy Ups or to otherwise head home.

I drove the remainder of the route back to Austin in case anyone needed any assistance. Fortunately no one did and there weren't any incidents on the trip back. The battery in the GoPro had long since died so no additional footage is available. Plus I was exhausted so I probably wouldn't have tried to get any if I could.

As I already said, I had a great time. Nosebleed and the OF guys really put on a great ride. I met some really awesome people, shared some great stories, and saw some beautiful scenery. I've already marked a notice on my calendar for next year and will be ready in advance!

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