5/29/10 A humorous stab at exorcise

365 Group (f)
"Yep! I'm part of the herd."





Recently I hit upon a weight loss program that really does work. However, I do not recommend it to any one for any reason!! On this program I did lose almost 43 pounds in just under a month.

This morning the local radio station said at 10 am that it was already 80 degrees and no rain in sight. I headed out to do some of the doctoring stuff the Doc's told me to do and as a result of the above mentioned weight loss program, I really felt it. Lately my body is still a lot under powered so to speak. I even had a hard time lifting the bike off the stand. I did manage to get in about 70 miles in all this required running around. I thought about what the doctors said about finding some type of exorcise to rebuild my strength. I think that I may have hit on something. Like the weight loss program, I don't recommend it. I think it's going to be the ticket for me though.

There is about two acres and the grass is a little over three feet in some places thanks to all the rain we've had. The mower (see picture) is a genuine push mower that seems to never run out of gas. It just don't get better than that...lol
It's funny. I never thought that mowing the yard would help keep me on the road.

Catch ya on the road

5/20/10 Another trip on the Long Road.

Herd 365 (f)
I herded mine up and down the road today...




This morning I had another "Long Road" trip to make. The weather has been lots of rain for the last few days but this morning was sunny.

When I went out the sky was clearing and the sun was coming out. Looked like a good morning to start a ride.

I bounced down to the highway and headed east on 45. The road was damp in places but over all was in good shape. I ran up to about seventy and settled in behind some small car traffic and watched the scenery slip by. As I came up on the Huntsville turn off I noticed the traffic was stacked up and moving rather slowly for that hour of the morning. I figured either a wreck or a cop up ahead as people were starting to flash their lights. About 2 1/2 miles up there was a Highway Cop setting beside the road. We all behaved as we went by and he seemed kind of appreciative. It was early.

After passing the cop I was able to get back up to speed and the traffic starting thinning out. I was having a blast just tooling along.

I turned onto Hwy 21 and started the twenty five miles or so of curves. As I came close to the sprawling metropolis of Kingston, Arkansas I noticed blue lights flashing in the distance. As I got closer I saw that there were Fire and Rescue vehicles there as well. I slowed way down and saw that the Sheriff himself and a couple of his deputies as well as several fire people, Rubberneckers and the odd nose picker were all looking at a low water crossing. After all the rains the small creek was way out of it's banks. I figure some one got washed off the crossing. I also noticed that the trees were all torn up on both sides of the road. It looked like a tornado had gone through.

Pulling the hill out of Kingston I actually kept it at the speed limit as there is a first time for everything. The wind started picking up as I went over the mountains. I fought some serious crosswinds in the valleys. Sliding down into the Boxley valley I saw young Elk every where. They were standing in fields along the road as well as standing in the road in a couple of places. I counted twenty as I rolled through. They weren't there on my way back when I had the time to take a few pics.

After pulled the mountain out of Boxley I began to hit sporadic rain. I managed to get pulled over and get my rain gear on before the down pour started. The rain wasn't too bad by itself. But the fog set in with visibility at times something along the lines of absolutely zero. Then the cross winds started back up. I was at a point that usually too me about 15 minutes to make the last eleven miles to my place. This morning it was closer to forty five.

I pulled into my place and parked in a tractor shed. Time to dry off before going on in to see the doc's.

Yep! This morning was a good ride. With all the weather I still made pretty good time.

The doctors gave me some good news for a change and the weather had broken. It was edging up close to eighty degrees as I left the cancer center.

My ride back was a good one the temps were just perfect. The wind was still there but not continuous. I made good time back to the house.
Today was just shy of 210 miles according to my LSI. I had a good time. Now really, could you ask for more?
catch ya on the road

5/18/10

Herd 365 (f)

This morning was cool but a lot dryer than yesterday.

Looked to be another good day to be riding. I loaded up my junk wondering if I was going to have to hire someone to tow me up and down the road to get started this morning. After cinching everything down I pulled the strangler about half way up and hit the kicker and the old gal fired right up. I was still puzzled. Maybe yesterday was just a case of the bike wanting to sleep a little longer? I know I wanted to stay in bed. The street was dry this morning and I really opened up and got some distance quick. It was one of those "idjit" moves that just felt right. At the highway I hit a hole in traffic and was out of town before I had time to think about it. The run over to the mountain was sweet. My GFM said 75 most of the way and that was pretty good for my bike and where I was at. At the foot of the mountain I headed North and had a good run around the lake. Nice and cool and all by myself.
I ran through the ups and downs and twisties all too soon as far as it was going this morning. I could have used a few more miles of that kind of ride.
Traffic started picking up as I got closer to town. Pulling onto the parkway I almost got tagged by a grinning Mexican in a Neon. After getting passed him I figured that a ticket would be a small price compared and I let the hammer down. After putting several hundred yards between me and all the idiocy I eased off and settled into a smooth ride the rest of the way to work.
After work I took a lazy approach to going home. The pain has been coming back these last few days. This afternoon it was back with a sharp "pointy gougey" thing. I decided that I would just tool around and end up either in the ditch or back home. Rolling down Hwy 265 was a good ride as I was ahead of most of the traffic. The trip to the house was semi smooth and I actually felt like I would survive another day. Pulling into the house I decided to load up on pain meds and later make a real ride some place for dinner.
catch ya on the road.

5/17/10

Herd 365 (f)





This morning it was foggy and damp with no rain in sight! Just about a perfect morning for a ride.

I remember thinking as I headed out to the bike that this was going to be a great ride, even if it was only in to work. As it turned out it was a great ride. Just a real rough start to it. First, after all the kicking I could muster for a good twenty minutes didn't produce anything more than a cough now and then, I decided to roll start down my driveway. When that didn't work I decided that a roll down the street was in order.

Sitting beside the street in the drive of the church next door I slowly began to consider the possibility...something might be amiss. Checking everything over again and finding nothing wrong I was really scratching my head. I decide on one last kick before walking back and getting the car. About half way through the kick she fired up and rumbled like always. Now I'm really puzzled.
Anyway, I jumped out into the street and headed for work. The bike was running as good as it always does and before I got into traffic I ran it up to the top a couple of times and had a blast.
I made over to the turn off at the foot of the mountain and headed along the lake. Thinking that this would be a good morning to skip work and ride around some I had to fight to keep heading to work. Bills to pay and all that won out.
Sitting at a stop sign I noticed that I had made it about half way to work and hadn't saw another bike. Not even the usual regulars. On a morning like this I should have seen several. Man! People don't know what they are missing.
Traffic was light in town and I made really good time and didn't even have a single close call. All the way to work. Now that, I think, is an indicator of what the day would have been like if I had just headed off somewhere.
The day moved along and I finally got to the end of it. The bike fired up without too much trouble and I headed back toward the house.
Both ways, it was all too short. But it was a great ride. And the day was just perfect for it.
Catch ya on the road

5/15/10 Monsoon

365 Group (f)

May 15, Today it rained, RAINED I tell ya!, like a big dog!

I managed to putter around the house, reading and pestering friends on line till late afternoon when the down pour finally ended. Heading out I decided to take the bar off the back of the bike until the next installment of the long road. Once I got that done it was road test time. Got to make sure it still runs OK without that major piece of equipment. Sloshing down the driveway I noticed that someone really should mow some grass around here. At the street I decided to head up to my friends shop and check on his Gold Wing project. It's coming along really nicely. He's made a real sharp bobber out of it. After looking over the bike and visiting a while I headed toward town and the Bank. It was a nice ride, all fresh and green after the monsoon. The sun was out and it felt warm. Traffic was light, the bike was running like a new one and I was riding it, doesn't get much better. I really had a real blast tearing down the road. Pulling into town I dodged a little traffic and pulled into the bank and the ATM. After the usual disappointment of banking I pulled out and headed to my favorite Bar B Que joint to eat and see if the girlfriend was working. She was and the grub was pretty good as is usual. After eating I visited with the gal a little and made a dinner date for the future. I got a goodbye hug and headed out. I didn't feel much up to a long ride but it was so nice out after the rains that I didn't feel like just heading back to the house either. I just rode around the area on side roads for a while. Finally the sky started looking dark again so I pointed back toward the house. Pulling back into my parking space at the house I noticed my pups, all noses and slobbers, at the window and couldn't help but grin. For a wet lazy afternoon life wasn't bad. I'm hoping tomorrow is dryer and I can make a better/longer ride.
53 miles and each and everyone of them a keeper.
Catch ya on the road

Long Road

365 Group (f)

This shot is along Hwy 21. I was on my way back from the long road and pulled over to take a break from sixty five miles of cross winds and have a cup of coffee. It is a quiet place and for about forty five minutes I didn't see a vehicle of any kind. It was great!

I headed out Wednesday afternoon on another phase of the long road with the doctors.
The weather couldn't have been better. Traffic was like, well traffic. But it wasn't too bad. I was ahead of the getting off work crowd and made good time, even with all the stopping to take pictures and eat hush puppies and so forth.
The first hundred miles kind of clicked by and was really a comfortable ride. One of those deals that went so good you don't remember anything about it.
Pulling into Harrison I took the back streets over to the "Horse-pistol" and got the check in stuff taken care for the next day. Heading over to the motel I fell in with a couple of hooligans on a Harley dresser and a big Yamaha cruiser. We raced from traffic light to traffic light. My "tilley" could wax em between lights but they had me on top end. All was good.
I crashed at the motel with a pizza that I bought having forgotten that I wasn't suppose to eat anything and watched a rerun of a documentary on Motorcycles and ATVs. Let me tell ya, watching late night TV with a large meat lovers pizza sitting next to you and not being able to eat it just sucks!!
Morning came way too soon and I headed out to the biopsies, tests and other junk designed to remove the excess growth from ones pocket book. After four hours of medical stuff they said I was done for this round. Cool!! I fired up "tilley" and tooled around town some to see how much it had changed. Hard to believe that 30 years ago I was a cop in this little town. Any way, it was a lot of fun just running the streets and all.
Settling up with the lady at the motel I picked up a map and plotted a trip through the hills that started out on secondary roads and ended up on "fifth-endary" roads ending back on hwy 7 south almost to Dover and Russellville. It was a good ride. Twisty and up and down. Back on hwy 7 I made good time the forty some odd miles back to my place at Deer.
After a couple of days of recouping I fired up and headed back toward the house.
The ride back up was windy to put it mildly. I was constantly fighting to stay in the lane and sometimes...on the road. A couple of times the wind seemed to stall the bike. It was a strange and tiring experience. All together it was 428 miles and, all in all, it was great trip. In a strange way, I'm really looking foreword to the next one.

Catch ya on the road