March 10 - A National Holiday

March 10, 2014 Today is a national holiday and I had to work! I was not amused. But sheite happens. As there are only three actual Holidays (other than Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving) that I observe. March 10...May 10 & November 10 I try to keep each one with some serious revelry and much pomp and circumstance. If your not acquainted with those dates I truly feel for you as your upbringing has been highly neglected. The weather was at least fit for riding. 40 degrees in the morning. The moisture in the air was the perfect amount to make the old bike run like a top. One of the perks of an older carburetor system. I had a great ride everywhere I went and even work wasn't to bad. All told, the day ended as good as any in false spring conditions. 169 miles back to my house. My old bike running good. No pain to speak of. I believe it was a keeper. catch ya on the road

Life just keeps getting better

365 Group (By Gods grace I'm still a member) Well it has been a "year or two" since I last pounded the keyboard into submission....Several things have happened during this time. I guess the biggest thing is the term "remission" suddenly surfaced. (suspiciously at the same time as my money ran out)I have managed to make it all along on two wheels for the most part. Those times when that wasn't possible I was truly blessed with the greatest of friends that hauled my worthless butt around. I cannot thank them enough. I have been tearing around on my old '77' mostly. This old gal, "Miss Tilley" has kept going when all others have let me down. I cant say enough about the toughness of a 1977 KZ 750 B model. (Like an old Timex)I have literally been everywhere I have wanted or needed to go on this bike. A couple of months ago I was lucky and found a starter for my other gal and have been able to give Tilly a rest... :-) I was doing good this new year until mid January or so. The snow and Ice set in and it hasn't good for two wheels. But I'm still slugging along. Riding on the days I can and scheming on the days I can't. Some thirty years ago, I was happy go lucky, I was in college and riding around the country on an old worn out Honda. I had a great riding partner, a girl I met in college, and was having a grand old time. As things go they tend to change and we drifted apart. Now fast froward to a couple of weeks before Christmas of 2013 and a weird set of circumstances. I got a message from my old riding partner. We made contact and spent an evening catching up. It turned out to be one of my best Christmases ever in that she drove up from the "one star" state Christmas day to spend the holidays with me and my tribe of vermin. Now It's looking even better as she sits at my desk playing games on my old PC. We are still doing a lot of catching up as well as planning for the coming summer. A couple of weeks ago I received a promotion. No pay increase or key to the executive washroom or anything like that. Seems that I have been promoted to 'Dad' by a feisty young redhead.(the older daughter of my old/new girlfriend) The only job description I have for this new position is I'm suppose to hand out lots of hugs. I think I can probably handle this new job so my commute to work will have me on the road to Texas in the spring. In thinking back, this is one of the best jobs I've had. The weather has broken and I am getting to some upgrades and repairs to my bike finally. An LSI (lickety split indicator)figures greatly in things as I would prefer to not get a speeding ticket. Here in NW Arkansas it isn't hard to get one even with all the bells & whistles working correctly but I try and hedge things when I can. Lots of little things need attention to keep a great ride going So in nuts domicile.... that's been me since my last post. oh yeah... Hi Podlolly! catch ya on the road.

SUV

Today was a good all around riding day. I have finally gotten both my 'girls' running and back home. That was a major plus in the big picture.
Since the weather has warmed quite a bit it's just been good all around with one exception. One of my 'youngins' broke her ankle in three places. Needless to say shes laid up for quite a while. At about 26 shes one of those double hyper types and the being confined to the house part seems to hurt as much as the ankle. I had suggested a wheel chair and she finally took me up on it....So I took the SUV and went to get her a wheel chair. I found a friend close by with one. It was just one of those days when everything worked out. I loaded the chair and started on my way to deliver it and realized that I needed gas. A side detour to the gas station cause a bit of a stir. Apparently people in this area had never fully understood the term SUV. (sport UTILITY vehicle) As I was pumping my gas several stopped and sort of stared. One lady asked "why do you have a wheel chair strapped to the back of your motorcycle?" Well, I was caught, I just told her like it was, that I had always heard motorcycling was a dangerous sport and I wanted to be prepared. (kind of like the boy scouts) She gave it a thought, smiled and told me to have a good day. I fired up my 'suv' and headed out to deliver the chair.
Everybody was happy with the chair and I was elevated to the title of 'pretty OK.' The youngin is now mobile again and thats a good thing.
Tomorrow I'm going by and show her how to closepin a playing card to the spokes.
catch ya on the road

Puzzled

I have come across something unusual in my daily riding. This morning my thermometer, the dial up weather line and the interweb all said it was around 27 degrees. It's been this cold or colder when I headed out a few mornings lately. Now the thing I dont understand is, why it doesnt feel cold like it has in years past as I rode to work or where ever. I head out as I have in the past and it feels more like I'm riding in early spring weather. This morning at about 65 MPH I was fairly comfortable. More so than I was last winter riding everyday. I've tried to explain this to people lately and they just blow it off as I'm just braging (as, I'm told, although I just cant imagine it, 'bikers' are sometimes known to do). I'm not complaining but I truly am puzzled. {Could this be "Global warming"?}
This morning, as I mentioned, I had a good ride. However it was real short as my old machine was tying all the knots and it was only thirteen miles. Traffic was with me all the way. Even the traffic lights in town were on my side for a change. The day got up fairly warm and it just made me want to get out on the road. Seems that always happens when I absolutely cant take the day off.
My ride in this afternoon was as good if not better than my morning one. Traffic was with me all the way. (Funny. As warm as it was I still didnt see any other bikes though.) The only Cop I saw was going the same way and was way ahead of me. I wish all my riding days were like this.
I have a few more minor corrections, like maybe some brakes,(jury's still out on that one though) to make on my old bike. I'm begining to believe that, finally, after much time and lots of head scratching and prayer it'll be back to a dependable daily condition. Not too bad on an old ride thats just turned 30.
To quote a five year boy that is much wiser than his years. Standing in a crowd with his dad listening to their conversation about motorcycles he was heard to say " old iron is best because it's just gooder."

catch ya on the road

rant

Theres something about people in this area...kind of a narrow mindedness. This morning it was 41 dregrees with a light mist falling. I rode my bike in. People I've never met before have been coming up all morning saying "how come you didnt drive your truck like you did yesterday?" I have to then explain that yesterday I drove because a friend asked me to deliver a canoe for him. Then I have to go through the same old tired nonsence I hear if the weather is less than perfect for THEM. I would love to always have perfect weather to ride in but hey, we are in North Arkansas, we're lucky we got weather the way it changes. If I were to wait on good weather 1. I wouldnt ever get in any riding 2. I'd be like most people around this area...own a ten year old bike that is still brand new and only has 2700 miles on it. So I ride. Anytime I have the chance.
This mornings ride was a real good one. The actual rain had stopped before I got on the road. I did get a few sideways glances from people. I had an air rifle strapped on for a friend of mine. Seems weapons,any kind, always gets attention. There wasnt any traffic to speak of just a great time motoring along. I delivered the "bull-mouse-alo" shooter and tooled on over to work.
Late in the morning I had a couple of people tell me they had saw me a few days ago and ask about the new lady in my life. One even said he'd heard that I was running with a fast woman. I'm not saying anything just yet, telling everyone that it's a private matter. Nobodies business and it's more fun to watch them lose a crop watching mine.
All in all, today,so far, was a good day for riding and I thank the Lord for it. Now if the evening is as good...well I may be late getting home.
catch ya on the road

Remembering a true 'wild one.'

Today I made a chilly 70 mile ride back to my home town. A life long member of the community had past away and I was headed back to go to the funeral.
I had a good ride over and all but I had kind of a sadness over me the whole trip.
This old man was 82 when he passed. For the last twenty or twentyfive years he had a very long snow white "mountain man" beard. Top that off with a pair of overalls and you kind of get a picture of what he looked like.
He knew me all of my life and at times we were very close. I remember what first made him seem so different from everyone else in town...he and his wife had moved to California for a few years. When he moved back, well...he didnt just settle in to the local lifestyle like all of his brothers and others in town. One day I saw him blasting down the road on a fairly new looking Yamaha 305 scrambler. Seems a friend from out west brought it down and ended up leaving it with him to 'take care of.' The way he ripped around and the way people talked about his rippin (that was something my dad and others that age wouldnt do) made him 'too cool' to an eleven year old.
Now flash forward about ten years. I was home from school and he comes driving up to my house. He wanted me to go test ride a little motorcycle he was thinking of buying. I jumped in and the little bike turned out to be a Yamaha RD 350. I rode it around some and laid out what I thought for him. He paid up and we loaded it. As he dropped me off I warned him that the RD was one fast bike. To this day I remember his grin as he headed home.
A couple of years later he laid it down and got pretty "road rashed." Enough to make him stop riding the way he told it.
A couple of years after that it came up that he still had the bike. He'd had it fixed and parked it in his basement. I was between rides and had met a beautiful girl...who liked to ride around on a little Yamaha street bike. I asked if he'd sell it, just making conversation as I had heard he'd turned down several offers for it. When I told him why I wanted he grinned and got me the title. I rode it around for a while chasing around after and ended up giving it to my future wife as a present.
Yes my uncle Conley was one of the originals. A wild one before it was fashonable. He showed me a side of life that I'm just pretty sure only uncles are suppose to. I am so proud he took the time.
On the ride home I offered my prayers for my uncle and hoped someday I'd have a grin like that plasterd all over my face.

catch ya on the road

mixed emotions

A group of my friends and I gathered together to say goodbye to a riding companion. It was sad occasion even though the group acted more like they were at a party. Something a kin to an Irish wake. In their own way each remember things and places visited, further cementing memories of their time spent with the departed.

With this years Polar Bear Ride we sadly said goodbye to the 2011 riding season.

On a happy note. The same group welcomed in the 2012 riding season with much 'pomp and circumstance.' (everybody seemed pompy & circumstancy to me)
We had a good lunch and a great ride after just to kick 2012 to a decent start.
Luther, Louis,Emily,Steve,Johnny,Zack & Wes all made the cut and are Polar Bears.
With the Lords blessing the coming years riding is going to be great.
catch ya on the road