Ryan Crick and Opening a Bottle of Strawberry Wine

Tonight the mules and I are the guest of Ryan Crick of Crick Enterprises in Greeneville, TN. Ryan fixes heavy diesel things – think tractor trailers and dump trucks.

Bernie Harberts, ryan crick, mule, fence

The Crick Enterprises garage. I just rode off the highway to ask if it’s okay to spend the night there. The guys are waiting while I find Ryan Crick, the owner, to ask permission. Ryan said that would be fine. He had some grass that needed mowing anyway. Thanks Ryan! This is how mule lodging goes out here on the road. (Greeneville, TN)

Bernie Harberts, ryan crick, mule, fence

Ryan Crick with his employees outside his business. Ryan’s the big dude on the far left. Standing third from the left is Scott who gave me a shop tour. Standing third from the right is Keith who gave me his 3 strips of bacon for breakfast. Thanks for everything guys!

Bernie Harberts, mule, water

Brick ponders the ebbs and flows of a mule’s water supply. Yesterday, she and Cracker slurped down puddle water behind a Dollar General. Today, they guzzled down 5 gallons of Ryan’s bottled water. What will tomorrow bring? (Greeneville, TN)

Bernie Harberts, mule, grass

Cracker tackling a mound of grass. This is why he walks away from his grain these days.

Today the mules and I rode through Greeneville, TN, the rolling Tennessee hills replaced by speeding cars, loud pipes and air brakes. Not relaxing but mules and drivers all behaved. Big thanks to Wilma of Hyperion Fine Food and Spirit for the roadside hamburger. A much-needed respite to the noise and speeding traffic.

Bernie Harberts, mule, cars

Rush hour. At least there’s a wide shoulder to ride down.

Riding along Highway 107, I learned you can get a Prom Spray Tan for $45. Tonight, I jacked open a free bottle of homemade strawberry wine, a gift from Tom in Limestone Cove.

Bernie Harberts, prom, sign

Why didn’t I think of this before my prom? Maybe I would have had a date. Given that right about that time my acne peaked, I could have probably used some makeup.

Bernie Harberts, wine, bottle

Tonight it’s lentils for supper. To drink, a fine strawberry wine, the gift of folks I stayed with in Limestone Cove. The only problem was the lack of a bottle opener. That’s where the multi-tool scewdriver comes in handy. If the French had built this model of the Leatherman, it would have had a corkscrew.

Bernie Harberts, wine, bottle

Sweet success!

The plan is to head out tomorrow and find a place to weather the patch of cold and rain headed our way this weekend.

Goodnight from my tent in Greeneville, TN.


Julia
2019-04-17 21:24:48

Good night B, Brick and Cracker…Sleep well…dream of quiet fields, dirt roads, dusty trails and starry night skies. You will get to there.


Bernie Harberts
2019-04-18 09:13:07

Whew. Those thoughts bring me peace at day’s end. Riding these busy roads makes me dream of the dusty ones out west…. Thanks. Bernie


Andrea
2019-04-18 11:54:53

Love the spray tan info- what a draw to visit the area!! I hope you find somewhere snug and have a warm feral sweater to get you all through the weekend!!


Rev Johannes Myors
2019-04-19 13:08:14

Had to get on the website to see where you three are. I was wondering how you keep your cell phone and laptop batteries charged. It would be interesting to see a solar panel strapped on top of one of the packs. I’m guessing that you are going towards Middleboro, KY. I don’t think that you would be traveling towards Knoxville. It’s too bad that you don’t have some kind of map to show your travels. Two nights ago, I was camped out in my tent outside of Sycamore, SC. Last night, I was roughing it (lol) at the Holiday Inn Express near Walterboro, SC (thanks to a member of the First Baptist Church). I had to make plans to stay over today because of the bad weather. Thanks to some kind people at the First United Methodist Church, I’m at the Ramada Inn. Tomorrow, the bad weather should be long passed me and I’ll be cycling to Summerville, SC. From Summerville, I’ll be making my way through the Francis Marion National Forest to Georgetown. I’m looking forward to some days off the road with friends in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Overall, the ride has been going okay. 746 miles pedaled so far since I left Hattiesburg, MS April 22.


Bernie Harberts
2019-04-19 18:00:57

Great hearing from you Hans. I just plug in my laptop and camera as I go along. I had solar panels on my wagon but they’re just too heavy to carry on a pack saddle. I do carry a solar charged Luci light to light up the tent at night. This works great. Mostly I just charge as I go. Gotta love lithium ion batteries. Sounds like you’re making great progress. Good to hear you found shelter during this wet patch. Keep pedaling! Bernie

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decanter
decanter
5 years ago

’m at the Ramada Inn. Tomorrow, the bad weather should be long passed me and I’ll be cycling to Summerville, SC. From Summerville, I’ll be making my way through the Francis Marion National Forest to Georgetown. I’m looking forward to some days off the road with friends in North Myrtle Beach, SC.

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