12-14-2015

I always end my stories of Motorcycle 'derring do' with the phrase “always seek the adventure.” Maybe this will help some folks to understand better the wildly exciting and event filled motorcycle lifestyle.

Today I was tinkering with a small project or two and realized that I needed a couple of things from the store. As none of it was all that pressing I put everything on hold and jumped on the bike for the short ride to town. Normally this is a quick ride, only seven miles, and I'm usually there way before I want to be. Today would be an exception as an unruly herd goats had other plans. I don't have goats. Haven't owned any since I was a teenager and then my dad actually owned them. I was just lucky enough to get to (try) keep up with them. So I have a certain understanding of what happened today. Goats are just prone to “go.” Destination is not a part of thing for a goat. Going is.

At about the halfway point in my ride I saw a small group of deer in the road ahead of me. Deer are everywhere down here so it wasn't anything to get all worked up over, I could see them. They just looked like they were trying to cross the road, not ambush a lowly biker. Rolling up on them I saw it was actually goats. A lot of goats! From the distance there didn't look like that many. Someones herd was lose.

The problem with goats is the way they see things. “Their in charge.” Coming to a stop the whole herd just massed up in the middle of the road and stood still. Drivers behind them finally started honking and flashing their head lights to try and get them to move. I honked my weak bike horn as well, no luck. These critters were staying put. After about five minutes I began to see this whole thing as funny, The other drivers, not so much.

After about 10 minutes of this little stand off one of the car drivers got out and tried to run em off the road. All he succeeded in doing was milling them around a bit. For whatever reason this bunch of unreconstructed goats were happy in the middle of the road. Now I know having grown up with all kinds of livestock that any of us could have just inched along and they would have moved. The car drivers evidently didn't know this and I thought the whole thing so funny I just wouldn't have missed it for anything.

Finally, one of the car drivers came running up to the others and they all listen to what he had to say as if it was a matter life and death. After they spoke one of them holler at me and said “ just sit tight, everything would be all over in a few minutes, we've called Animal Control.” I almost cracked up in his face when he told me this. Sure enough in a few minutes, with red and blue lights flashing, Animal Control arrived on the scene.

The Officer got out of his truck, checked his gig line, and proceeded over with a very pronounced manly swagger to deal with the problem. After a good five minutes of getting the herd to mill around again I could see in the Officers, a very young looking fellow, face he was lost. It finally got the better of me and I motioned the Cop over and explained that if he'd take his truck and slowly drive through the herd they would break up and it would all be over. He though about it for a second then got in his truck and pulled out. Little by little it pushed them off the road and they decided to go some place else. Goats are like that. They can tell when they aren't wanted.

After the crisis was dealt with the cop ask me how come I didn't drive into the herd and break things up? I couldn't resist and said “and miss the show these “adults” put on, up to and including calling you.” “Besides, I'm on a motorcycle.” After a couple seconds he laughed in spite of himself. My short trip to town had about an hour added to it. Got witness first hand how some folks in the city operate and I got to meet the local Constable. Not bad at all.

"always seek the adventure”

12-10-2015

Sometime back the annual Bikes, Blues and BBQ rally was held in my back yard. Since it's there and I don't have to ride halfway across the country, I usually attend and take pictures.

One of the things I look for and forward to is seeing the different styles of bikes. Old, new, crazy, ...etc. I like to find styles that I could see myself on. This year I found one such machine. If it were possible at this time I'd be on a machine such as this.

“always seek the adventure”

catch ya on the road

12-9-2015

Today was a good day for a ride, so I did.

I have been under the weather with the flu for the last couple of weeks and with the cooler temps and big case of lazy, I haven't been out. This wasn't so bad. The gummed up carburetors on my bike is another story.

Seems that sitting for a few days the “gas a nol” seems to have jellied and I couldn't get more than an idle out of the carburetor. I put fresh gas in and a heavy dose of Sea foam and began the long process of letting it eat through the gummed up jets. After an hour or so of starting and letting it idle while off and on trying to rev the engine I finally had some success. Enough that I could get it to pull itself. Cursing modern day technological advances I took off for a short ride. After three or four miles it seemed to have cleared out to the point I felt I could put on a few miles without worrying about it conking out on me. I made a short lazy loop of about twenty five miles on back roads and by the time I got back to the house it was running like it should.

I had had this problem often in Arkansas. Everyone agreed that it was due to the newer gas and where I was located. (northern Arkansas) It was widely rumored that we were getting a cull grade of gas because we were so far off the beaten path. Here in Texas where they are known for growing gas behind every bush I didn't expect this to happen, at least so quickly.

So, now it looks like I'll have to make more of an effort to buy sea foam and ride each day to keep everything moving smoothly. That itself is not a bad thing :-)

Days like today make me long for the 70's... I rode all over the seventies and don't once remember having gas issues, other that being critically low all the time, like this. 

always seek the adventure

catch ya on the road

New ride

Every so often you run across a deal that just speaks to you.
  I had been interested in the 1100 V-Star for quite some time. Honestly don't know why, just was. I had been looking at Craigslist and other places, toying with the idea of buying one for a long time. As per my usual "wish book" method of operation I pulled up the local Craigslist. This time one of the ads jumped out at me. At a bike shop in a neighboring town was a V-Star. Looked like new. Low miles and a low price. Looking the ad over I decided it was at least worth a look.
 I rode over the next day and found it to be better that the ad described.

That started a lot of scheming in my mind and I started talking seriously with the shop guys about the bike. Seems they had had it for about a year with no one having any interest in it.
  Even though I had four motorcycles and really didnt need it, (thats what I said about Clementine) I bought it.

As it is it's just about good. It only has a couple of details that need a change. Smaller, less bulky fenders. Oil filter relocator and a different type of handle bars. It's big, heavy and a blast to ride. So far I'm happy.

"always seek the adventure."

catch ya on the road

July 2015

 I had Suzy Q with me for a weekend and we decided to take a road trip and kill the weekend over at my mothers place.
 The trip started out like any good ride, bike, good looking girlfriend and a great destination. We pulled out and loosely planned on grabbing a bite to eat at a local place that us locals refer to as "Marble". Good food and handy as it's on the way to where we were going. When we pulled in they were having a free concert featuring a local band, so we ended up staying around after we eat... that's where it all went south.
 As we listened to the music I noticed that there was a storm lighting up the night sky between us and where we were going.  I gave it some though and as is my usual that qurkey gene I have that always tells me that it wont be that bad won out again.  When we finally got back on the road it was great cool riding for about seven or eight miles. The rain started and still it wasn't too bad as we pulled into the town of Kingston. Just outside of Kingston about a mile all that changed. Rain started coming down in a way that can only be described as "biblical." It was so hard that I literally could not see the road. I've rode through through lots of storms but that was a first for me. I told Suzy to get a grip and we turned around to head back to a gas station awning and wait it out.
  After about two hours at the gas station it was beginning to look like it wasn't going to let up. Another bad sign was when a guy pulled in and handed me a beer because the way he saw it, I looked like I could use it. I have a friend that's a doctor with an office in the town of Kingston so I called and woke him up and ask if I could break into his office and ride the storm out. After securing permission to crash at Dr. Steve's place we headed there to dry out some. Aside from not having a coffee pot, the place was perfect. DRY!  We managed to put together a bite to eat and just kicked back.
  About 4 AM the sky cleared and it looked like we were back in business. We pulled out and started trying to make up lost time. We only had about thirty five miles to go and I figured we could make it in about an hour. Things were good for about ten miles then the rain started again. Not as bad as before but a still a good hard down pour. Too far in my mind to turn around again we kept going. Along about the fifteen mile mark Suzy scared the she-ite out of me by screaming "MOOSE" in my ear. Seems an Elk was standing in the ditch and as we rode by it tried to kiss her or something?  She had a close encounter of some sort.
The rest of the trip was a slow soggy,  adventure. Suzy told me later that I blocked the most of the rain and she was in good shape. A little after 7 AM, right at day light we rolled in to moms place. I only took nine hours to make an hour and a half trip of sixty five miles. 
Yep! It started out to be a good, regular, trip over to my moms and ended up like the ones you read about in biker magazines.  In short I had a blast. Suzy Q didnt complain so I took the whole thing as a win.

"one should always seek the adventure"

catch ya on the road

5-1-2015

After spending the winter in the warmer climate of South Central Texas to try and improve my health I headed back to the hills in April to work on my place and be close to my mother. I was feeling pretty good when I got there. That didn't last long though. Stress is a real kill joy.
  Mom had been battling Dementia and passed away shortly after I got back. I spent her last weeks with her and I am thankful for that time.
 If you have someone or know someone with a family member that suffers from Dementia I am so sorry. That is the most horrendous thing a person can have or ever deal with.


"catch ya on the road" 

Sept. 26, 2015


 Bikes, Blues & BBQ went off without a hitch this year from what I can tell and have heard. I haven't heard of any major trouble of any kind. I did see a couple of lesser police problems as they unfolded. Basically the same things you see at any gathering, One guy was way too drunk in public and a minor that was bound and determined to be part of the show. Both were dealt with quietly and professionally.
  This, the fifteenth year, seemed to me to have been a bit smaller than previous years. I didn't see the flashy custom bikes on the curb that I've seen in years past. There were several, just not the numbers from the past gatherings. It even seemed to me that the crowds were down. You could get up and down Dickson st. without too much difficulty. Maybe it was because the event organizers  have been try to spread the thing out over a greater area? 
  All in all, this was a fun three days for me. Lots of bikes and biker types. I even found some good food. The vendors were not too hard to deal with, I got a couple of things for the new ride pretty reasonable.  So all that with my Photography ambitions, all was good. I'll probably try it again next year.  

 

This particular ride was reminiscent of the legendary "Road dog." It did get up and down the road pretty well.

Buddy of mine, Ralph, on his 77 Sporster.

Couple of "hardcases."

Vendors were everywhere.



"catch ya on the road"

9/18/2015

 Back..... After a long year full of all kinds of ups and downs and one of the best over all summers I've had. I am going to try to post some of the highlights as I go. (if I can read the notes I took) As far as the riding went this year it was great! (see rolling clothes line/yard sale photo below)

 This latest attempt at literary exorcism will begin with my coverage, if you will, of the Bikes, Blues and Barbecue Rally we have here in my back yard. After that it will be a jumble of my trips, etc. through out the summer.

catch ya on the road

After the heavy rains on the Buffalo River at Ponca, Arkansas. July 2015