9/4/14

 Retirement finally got here with all the fanfare you'd expect. Friday August 31, was my last official day. I was about as ready to go as a person can get.
  These last few days I have been making an effort to settle in to doing nothing. So far it's working. I am back to doing some riding again and that always feels good.
  Yesterday I took a trip to get out of the house and just ride. I headed east away from the town traffic and got on the new highway. Once there I could open up and let the old bike run a bit. It was good to just sit and listen to the engine hum. About thirty five miles in I got off the highway and started through the mountains. It was a good morning for riding, the Sun was out and the air was cool.  As I got into the mountains I noticed a wobble and quickly wrote it off as the rough, cracked road I was on. It was noticeable though and stayed with me after I got off the rough roads. After about seventy miles I decided I needed to check it further . I made a detour to my bothers place and his shop. At a small crossroad on the way to my brothers a group of seven bikes blew passed me. They were heading my way and really hauling it. I pulled in behind them and followed a pretty fair speed. I wasnt sure with each curve if  "Clemontine" would hold together. I grew up on these roads and the curves. They aren't really for the faint of heart rider. Watching the group ahead of me I was impressed. They were either very accomplished or very lucky. At a small hilltop gas station, a wide spot between two good curves literally on a hilltop I got to get a good look at the riders I had been following. As I rounded the curve they were stopped dead in both lanes. I was moving along pretty go so when I started gearing down and they heard and saw me coming up on them, they all literally jumped off their bikes and pushed them out of the road. I kid and talk a lot about posers, those however were the first actual ones I've ever seen. They were the real deal.
 I made it on to my brothers shop and we looked over the bike from front steering bearing to tail light without finding anything. That left rider error. Satisfied I visited some then headed back to the house. Still thinking about the way the bike was riding I stopped off and rechecked my tire pressure. At about twenty five miles, as I was going down the mountain, it started again and seemed to get worse the farther I went. I limped it along through the valley and finally it got so bad I pulled over to 'FIND' the problem. Sure enough I found it. Back tire was flat. Now here I am about forty miles from home, in a valley with zero cell service. I was pretty much stuck with one option and I sure didnt like that plan. Walking hasnt appealed to me in years. I finally decided that a plan B was needed and figured out I needed to flag some one down and ask them to call my brother. Several cars and even a few bikes passed by but none even slowed down a couple even sped up as they passed. Finally a Forest ranger stopped and agreed to make a call for me when he got back into a service area. Soon after a guy driving a tractor stopped and promised he call for me as well. I could hear the Calvary coming. All would be good. My brother showed up ready to change the tire along side the road. Turns out it was a leaking valve core. All tightened up and aired up and back on the road in only three hours.
 I rolled into the house fed the pups, said howdy to my bird Woodrow and checked on everything then headed out to dinner. I got back in a couple of hours later to find my bird had died. That was kind of a shock. Just two hours before he was singing and dancing like he always did. That hurts! He was my buddy. He was with me through all the cancer crap and everything I got into. He was the perfect partner. I dont know but I think he was 15 years old. I not sure how you translate that to horse-dog years but everone says that was old for him. Guess his heart gave out? I'm really going to miss him.
  So the day wasnt the greatest. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and I can get in some miles without problems or folks dying.

 catch ya on the road