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Published: January 5th 2010
01-03-10
About a week ago my friend Jim from Myrtle Beach, SC called and asked if I wanted to meet him and Jeff at Lone Star BBQ in Santee, SC. At the time that I said yes, we were having a warm spell with the weather and I felt sure it would be a fun ride.
Last night I started having second thoughts when I checked the weather report and found out that the overnight low was going to be 17 degrees. When I got up this morning I was less than happy to read that the thermometer on the front porch indicated a chilly 24.
The way to start out any winter ride is with layers and layers of clothing, that is if you don’t have any electric gear to keep you warm. I started out by putting my long johns on and a very thick pair of ski socks. I wore blue jeans over my long johns and then I zipped the rain liner into my Joe Rockets to help cut the wind. I put a long sleeve t-shirt on over the long johns and a sweat shirt on over that. To top it off I
put on my winter riding jacket with its liner zipped in. On my hands I had on both my glove liners and winter Elk Skin Ropers. I felt like the Michelin Man walking out to the bike.
At 11 a.m. I pulled out of the driveway and headed for Hwy 764. After riding through the town of Eastover, SC I hit Hwy. 601 towards Saint Matthews. While in Saint Matthews I stopped at the Shell Station, which I believe to be the only gas station in town, for some fuel and a cup of hot coffee. I am not sure if it really was coffee; it tasted like stale motor oil and came out of the cup like cold maple syrup. Needless to say after the first sip, the cup and its contents were in the trash can. I would have to wait until a little later in the day to get warmed up.
I left town on Hwy. 6 and took another little detour in Elloree, SC. This has to be one of my favorite little towns in this part of the state. The main street is well kept and the people are always friendly. At any
Down Town
Elloree, SCmoment one can expect to see Sheriff Taylor and his side kick Barney come out of Floyd’s barbershop. I was even able to get a good cup of hot coffee there.
It was a short ride from there down Hwy. 6 to Santee where I was to meet Jim and Jeff for lunch. This was not my first trip to Lone Star BBQ so the restaurant was easy to find. It is just down State Park Rd. on the left. The restaurant looks like a bunch of old buildings hooked together. It is a very interesting place that has always had good food.
I was about fifteen minutes early and had a few minutes to snoop around. Before this visit I had always came with friends and family and never had time to really find out about the history of the place. The buildings have been used as a mercantile, dining hall, social/dance hall and post office before becoming one of the area’s hottest BBQ joints. This was the gathering place of the old town of Lone Star which is really just a bump in the road now. The buildings remind me of Walnut Grove from Little House
Bill Board
Must be getting close. on the Prairie. I think I have been spending too much time watching TV Land and not enough time riding.
After a fifteen or twenty minute wait I saw a trio of BMW’s turn in the parking lot. Jeff and Jim brought along a friend of theirs from the beach. One day I hope to have one of the big LT’s that they ride. The only difference between a BMW LT1200 and a Cadillac is the number of wheels it has.
The inside of the restaurant this time of year is drafty and a bit chilly so you better dress warm if you are going to try them out in the winter. I have never been disappointed with the food in my many visits. However, this time I was a little disappointed with the food; not that it tasted bad but it was not very hot. I guess in these temperatures we are having it is hard to keep the hot bar hot!
We hung around for about two hours talking about bikes and kicking tires before we all decided to head for home. My kitchen pass was close to expiring so I took the most direct
Entrance
Arriving at Lone Star BBQ way home. This would keep my wife happy and insure future kitchen passes so I could get out of the house again real soon. I hopped back on Hwy 6, but this time turned off on Hwy. 267 for a quicker ride home; this saved me about 20 minutes. Hwy. 267 dead ends back on Hwy. 601 and it was a quick ride from there to my home in Eastover. I checked the thermometer on the front porch on my way in the house and found that it had warmed up to a blistering 42 degrees.
I enjoyed another day riding the Shadow and visiting with friends. Santee has a nice State Park with great cabins and fishing. I would encourage anyone who wants to make a weekend trip to SC to give this little community off I-95 a look. For the ladies, there are outlet stores for shopping and a host of good restaurants.
Lone Star BBQ is located at 2212 State Park Rd., Santee, SC.
Total Miles Riden = 81.3
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Frank
non-member comment
Nothing:
Nothing like a brisk winter ride to awaken the kidneys and that thing on the front of my face starts to leak also, my fingers are usualy too numb to do anything about ethier one. You are right about there being pretty little towns here and there that just seem to grow on you and beckon your return no matter the thermometers' standing. Happy New Year....!