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WARNING! if you detest “TLDR,” skim & scan … or just run away now. Paid by the word for 50+ years, I won’t change those spots any time soon.
===============
Twice a year, I and others ride to Daviess County in western Kentucky.
Why?
Mutton.
Yes, that’s an acquired taste that not everyone even wants to acquire … but it’s acquired me.
But, of course, there’s more to it than that.
The paternal “Hagan” contributors of my DNA started off in 1662 in St. Mary’s City, Maryland.
In the late 1700’s, when Catholics were no longer welcome in Maryland, Hagans were part of the migration of 200 Catholic families to Kentucky, traveling first by foot and then flatboat to what is now Maysville, Kentucky — then Limestone, Virginia. Led, BTW, by Basil Hayden, they went on from there to settle for a time in central Kentucky south of Bardstown.
If you enjoy bourbon whiskey, thank “My People.” If Protestants had settled there instead, Maker’s Mark might be a brand of iced tea.
Be that as it may, they moved again in the 1820’s to the better dirt in Daviess County, where their descendants — i.e., many of my Hagan family — still live today. Their church, St. Mary of the Woods, in Whitesville, Ky., was established 177 years ago. Parish picnics started soon thereafter, and mutton has been the common, delicious denominator.
I clearly remember the first such picnic I attended in the mid-1950’s. But this post is about the latest such gathering, from where I, Kathi, and two friends just returned earlier this week.
"Our" Scott of Mod fame here (Lima, Ohio) and AJ, (Baltimore, Md.) both longtime Guzzisti, and I rode from the Moto Grappa in Cross Junction, Va., to Whitesville. We took three days, riding exclusively on interstitial backroads. [I only learned that word, “interstitial,” yesterday, and am excited to use it!]
Seriously, it was a grand trip. The roads between here and there are made for motorcycles. We even travelled on many — e.g., U.S. 62, a twisty challenge, especially between Maysville and Bardstown — that my hardscrabble tobacco-farming (and distilling!
) ancestors would have used, albeit much more slowly.
A six-mile blacktop hypotenuse off of 62 — SR 1504 — between Mount Olivet and Oddville (seriously) is one of the most entertaining pieces of pavement on this grand planet. And, in Ohio, we serendipitously stumbled upon — code for “lost”— SR 348 between Lucasville and Blue Creek, a 25-mile collection of scenic sweepers and a surprise whiskbroom or two to keep you on your toes.
My ever-indulgent wife, Kathi, has been to many of these picnics as a pillion and, in this instance, driver of our “support vehicle.” She took only a day to join us in Maysville, and, on the return, be with me at Mount Sterling, Ky., before heading home solo.
For some context to the slideshow, below, on Day 1 of the outbound leg, we spent some time with Guzzista Chet in Ripley, W.V.
And, on Day 3, we stopped in to visit the Ky. Guzzi Rally near Frankfort.
On the return, Kathi and I went to Mount Sterling, where I had arranged to have gatewaycycles.com do the 6.2K service to my V85. I bought my V85 there on my return last June. I cannot say enough good things about this dealership. Carl, the owner, is an avid Guzzista who went out of his way to ensure that the service would be done without delaying my ride home. For example, though closed on Mondays, he and "Super Tech" Coty, made the service happen that evening so I could leave early the next morning!
Enough background.
Here are the culled pix (bit still lots) in a slideshow with captions.
The link opens in “landscape collage” format, so you can see all at a glance without slogging through one by one unless you want to do that.
Hover your curser over any pic to see the caption.
[For maddening reasons I do not completely understand, the captions “disappear” if one enlarges the pix and goes through them. On “pure” slideshow, i.e., automatic switching to next slide, the captions continue to appear, but the pace is quick. Keeping the cursor in the “caption area” seems to help if going through manually. As I said, maddening. If anyone knows the code to make it more seamless, please tell me.]
The pix? Go here:
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Moto-Muttoneers-Sept-2023/n-LxVRBJ/
Bill
P.S. in the (exceedingly unlikely!) case, you yearn for more tales of Mutton Runs, try these:
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Motos-Mutton-More-Less/n-HnchJc/
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Muttoneering-Sept-2021/n-VzxTGK/
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Mutton-Running-May-2018/n-dHftGV/
WARNING! if you detest “TLDR,” skim & scan … or just run away now. Paid by the word for 50+ years, I won’t change those spots any time soon.
===============
Twice a year, I and others ride to Daviess County in western Kentucky.
Why?
Mutton.
Yes, that’s an acquired taste that not everyone even wants to acquire … but it’s acquired me.
But, of course, there’s more to it than that.
The paternal “Hagan” contributors of my DNA started off in 1662 in St. Mary’s City, Maryland.
In the late 1700’s, when Catholics were no longer welcome in Maryland, Hagans were part of the migration of 200 Catholic families to Kentucky, traveling first by foot and then flatboat to what is now Maysville, Kentucky — then Limestone, Virginia. Led, BTW, by Basil Hayden, they went on from there to settle for a time in central Kentucky south of Bardstown.
If you enjoy bourbon whiskey, thank “My People.” If Protestants had settled there instead, Maker’s Mark might be a brand of iced tea.
Be that as it may, they moved again in the 1820’s to the better dirt in Daviess County, where their descendants — i.e., many of my Hagan family — still live today. Their church, St. Mary of the Woods, in Whitesville, Ky., was established 177 years ago. Parish picnics started soon thereafter, and mutton has been the common, delicious denominator.
I clearly remember the first such picnic I attended in the mid-1950’s. But this post is about the latest such gathering, from where I, Kathi, and two friends just returned earlier this week.
"Our" Scott of Mod fame here (Lima, Ohio) and AJ, (Baltimore, Md.) both longtime Guzzisti, and I rode from the Moto Grappa in Cross Junction, Va., to Whitesville. We took three days, riding exclusively on interstitial backroads. [I only learned that word, “interstitial,” yesterday, and am excited to use it!]
Seriously, it was a grand trip. The roads between here and there are made for motorcycles. We even travelled on many — e.g., U.S. 62, a twisty challenge, especially between Maysville and Bardstown — that my hardscrabble tobacco-farming (and distilling!
) ancestors would have used, albeit much more slowly.A six-mile blacktop hypotenuse off of 62 — SR 1504 — between Mount Olivet and Oddville (seriously) is one of the most entertaining pieces of pavement on this grand planet. And, in Ohio, we serendipitously stumbled upon — code for “lost”
— SR 348 between Lucasville and Blue Creek, a 25-mile collection of scenic sweepers and a surprise whiskbroom or two to keep you on your toes.My ever-indulgent wife, Kathi, has been to many of these picnics as a pillion and, in this instance, driver of our “support vehicle.” She took only a day to join us in Maysville, and, on the return, be with me at Mount Sterling, Ky., before heading home solo.
For some context to the slideshow, below, on Day 1 of the outbound leg, we spent some time with Guzzista Chet in Ripley, W.V.
And, on Day 3, we stopped in to visit the Ky. Guzzi Rally near Frankfort.
On the return, Kathi and I went to Mount Sterling, where I had arranged to have gatewaycycles.com do the 6.2K service to my V85. I bought my V85 there on my return last June. I cannot say enough good things about this dealership. Carl, the owner, is an avid Guzzista who went out of his way to ensure that the service would be done without delaying my ride home. For example, though closed on Mondays, he and "Super Tech" Coty, made the service happen that evening so I could leave early the next morning!
Enough background.
Here are the culled pix (bit still lots) in a slideshow with captions.
The link opens in “landscape collage” format, so you can see all at a glance without slogging through one by one unless you want to do that.
Hover your curser over any pic to see the caption.
[For maddening reasons I do not completely understand, the captions “disappear” if one enlarges the pix and goes through them. On “pure” slideshow, i.e., automatic switching to next slide, the captions continue to appear, but the pace is quick. Keeping the cursor in the “caption area” seems to help if going through manually. As I said, maddening. If anyone knows the code to make it more seamless, please tell me.]
The pix? Go here:
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Moto-Muttoneers-Sept-2023/n-LxVRBJ/
Bill
P.S. in the (exceedingly unlikely!) case, you yearn for more tales of Mutton Runs, try these:
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Motos-Mutton-More-Less/n-HnchJc/
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Muttoneering-Sept-2021/n-VzxTGK/
https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Mutton-Running-May-2018/n-dHftGV/
.
outbound, and last few miles of sun in my eyes inbound. 
. Your Moto Grappa looks to be a fine shop (with the best nite-light I’ve ever seen!)! If I’m headed that way, I’ll msg you for timing to see if you’re free
. Have a great week!
