Well, that was a full 24 hours...

So, as stated previously, the plan was to head to Charlotte Friday afternoon, and have dinner with the new team principals, then get up Saturday for the "Ride, Mickey RIDE!".

The plan went off, but not without a serious, nearly life threatening hitch.  More on that iin a moment...

The Boss got home early, so I rolled out early.  I-77 N was flowing at a steady 75-80mph, and all was right with the World...until...

The Yukon XL, for all of it's heft, lack of fuel economy, and American largess, is a pretty technically advanced vehicle.
I was rolling along, @ an easy 80mph, and the tire pressure sensor light came on.  I cycled through the computer screen, and the on-board told me there was 14psi in the right rear...then it dropped to 7psi...

At this point, the beast got a bit squirrel-ey, and the stability control kicked in.  Between the on-board brains of the operation (not me), and the monkey behind the wheel (me), we got the 5500 pound cruise missile whoa'd down, and onto the shoulder.
Upon inspection, this is what was found...

 For reference, that's a 13" long garden spade, with a nearly 4" wide blade!  Y'all reckon I done run over somethin'?

I thought, "Yeah, flat change, no big deal...15 minutes, and I'm rolling..."  Not so fast smart-ass!
Here is where I'd like to throw a special shout-out/fuck you to the SC Department of Highways.
When they paved I-77 N, thru Chester, the only paved HALF of the shoulder, so when I pulled off the road, the right wheels of the Beast were sitting approximately 5-6" lower than the left wheels.  Between that, and the flat right rear, getting the jack under the truck was an impossibility.  FUUUUUUUU......
I was on 77, with traffic passing within inches...in the dark...so I bit the bullet and called USAA for roadside assistance.  One simple call, and 30 short minutes later, the tow truck arrived.
The driver used the floor jack, and I changed the tire while he did paperwork.  11 minutes...down and back on the road.
Big love to USAA, and Varnadore's Towing for the fast, efficient, and excellent service.

Doesn't the spare add that special something to the overall class and panache of the Yukon? 

I was only 45 minutes late for dinner too!  Sweeeet!

The next morning, I met the team for the "Ride, Mickey Ride @ Uptown Cycles".  @ 0930, about 200 of us rolled out for the countryside surrounding Charlotte. 

 At this point, I was in the front 1/3 of the group!!

 After the usual shakeout, I ended up in the group with some old friends, including Gordon "The Man of" Stiel, and T-Money Fenig. 

 Also in the group were some of the strongest ladies you'll ever want to ride with...including Mrs. Jocelyne "The WOman of" Stiel. 

As you can see, the vistas on the ride were pretty terrible!

Out little workman, and workwoman, group of 20-ish stayed together for the entire loop, including everyone stopping at the break naturel, and one of the sag stops...you know, like a group should do...
A lot of undualtions, a few kicker climbs, and several city/town/county line sprints later, we'd knocked down 90km with very little drama.  The same loop is used for the Charlotte WBL and is a pretty stellar route.  I will be making the trip back up at some point this Winter to partake in the festivities...

All in all, it was a great ride that collected a pretty substantial pile o' cash for Mickey and his family.  He's a deserving guy, and I was glad to make the trip to be a part of something so cool!  And it was good to see my Charlotte family, even if the trip did cost me $500! 
Big thanks to Fenig, Mel, and especially Ali H. for the warm bed, hospitality, and the copious amounts of yellow lab hair that made the trip back to Cola with me!

And nope, I didn't ride this morning.  Junior Mgmt was at the Lexington Branch Office, so the house was quiet.  I slept in until 0815.  Don't hate...

Hope everyone had a good weekend! 

Namaste!