Cannonball race

Hi everyone, its been a while. I guess its been an interesting year and we haven't ridden as much as we have in the past. Have been busy with other things but haven't had the desire to post too much I guess. But, this weekend we went to Ada, OK. and I have some things to share.

Earlier this year, in one of my magazines, I read about a cross country motorcycle race with vintage, actually pre 1916, motorcycles. The Cannonball Race was going to venture through parts close by, and in fact, during a weekend. Well I put it on my calendar as it was something I really wanted to check out.

Ada, OK is just about 140 miles north, so a good day trip there and back. The riders were going to have a lunch stop there, and spectators would have a chance to see the bikes and riders. We decided to celebrate some other good news and made an overnighter out of it, Sunday through Monday.

It was a great weekend, the bikes and stories were incredible, we rode some great roads returning Monday and overall had a much needed mini-vacation.

But back to the bikes. These are all engineering marvels, both in their original form and in some cases, their current forms.... To think that 100 year old motorcycles would traverse the country in 16 days is pretty freakin' incredible. I have ridden some long days, and long weeks, upwards of 3000 miles, and I ride an easy chair compared to these bikes. Most, nearly but not all, have some level of support, and additionally they riders are very intimate with their bike and repairs. Apparently one crew is even traveling with a lathe!

I met Michael Lichter, one of the most recognized and renowned motorcycle and motorcycle culture photographers there is, and other industry notables. Kevin Bean're, Laura Klock, and many others who are either racing, supporting or otherwise partipating in this glorious event. There were two stories in particular that really speak volumes to this event and the commitment. Cris Sommer Simmons, and her team, were inspired by Effie Hotchkiss, who ninetyfive years ago she wanted to travel coast to coast and chose to do so on a 1915, 3 Speed V-Twin Harley-Davidson. Her mother, Avis, told her she couldn’t make that trip alone so the deal was made between mother and daughter that Effie would buy a sidecar, and Avis would make the trip with her. Story goes that Effie carried a bottle of water from the Atlantic ocean with her so that is what Cris is planning to do, dump the bottle of water from the Atlantic Ocean she is carrying in her saddle bag into the Pacific Ocean upon completion.

The second story, is of couple from Germany who are making the trip, she, Katrin Boehner, is on the oldest bike, a 1907 JAP, and he, Dieter Eckel, is on a 1913 BSA, both single cylinder machines.

These motorcycles require constant care and maintenance along the route. Besides the pounding these riders get, the bikes require constant attention as well.

Oo Eee Baby

Oo-ee, oo-ee baby
Won't ya let me take you on a sea cruise?

We are back on dry land, after a wonderful family vacation. As children get older, it becomes a rare occurrence when you can spend several days with your family and have some fun and relaxation. It is quite possible that this was the last time we could do this as the boys will no doubt have commitments, work, school, girls, whatever, maybe even just don't want to hang out with their wonderful, fun parents....

Actually, I think they really do enjoy our company, at least sometimes.

Its a bit of a weird time however. For the first time in my life, I have joined the ranks of the unemployed due to a workforce reduction (one of many) at my long term employer. Actually I went through a similiar experience many years ago, but I was much younger and the impact did not carry the same weight. I'm not going to dwell on that, but actually I am a bit excited about the prospect of new challenges and opportunities.

Last year Darlene and I went on a cruise, my first, her second. We had a great time, with a lot of friends. Darlene has wanted to take the boys on a cruise for years and as we finished up the HOHS cruise, it seemed like the time was right, as the boys are getting to the point where they may not be able to or want to take a family vacation.

So, we booked a big, bad cruise, Royal Caribbean - 7 night Eastern Caribbean, on the Freedom of the Seas. This is the second largest cruise ship currently sailing and the same one we were on. We booked out of Florida, as departing out of Texas during Spring Break has a premium. Florida, meaning we had to get to the port.....
No problem, its only 1200 freaking miles to the port. Can you imagine, me, a Bluenoser, growing up with salt air in my nose, has to drive 1200 miles to get to the ocean....

20 odd hours and we get to the east coast of Florida, time to kill (sleep...) we take Ryan to Cape Canaveral for the NASA tour and eventually get to port to board the ship.



All on board and fancy drinks in hand, relaxation station as we float on... Stay tuned for the next installment...

Iguana Rock

St Thomas, US V.I.

Snowy night

This shot is from our big record snowfall last week. I picked up Corey from work and went back out to get a few shots. Converted to black and white although its pretty monochrome to begin with!

A Man, a Can and a Plan

It's been quite a while since I posted. Have been quite busy, and haven't had much time to take many pictures, or to do much riding. And its been very cold for Texas! This won't be your typical introspective or retrospective new year post.

So, I decided it was overdue for a beer can chicken. However, grilling is difficult in below freezing weather. Fear not, this can be done in the oven. Well, I have cooked several of these things on the grill, and they always turn out quite well. I was unsure how it would turn out in the oven, so of course I turned the source of all knowing, the internet, for some additional guidance. As a result, one other change was made, usually I stuff the neck cavity with an orange or an onion and seal it, but this time I decided not to stuff it and just leave it open. And just for fun, I took some photos along the way.

Preparation. Note, similar to wine, there is cooking beer and drinking beer. As this is a Beer Can Chicken, I'll let you figure out which one is which.



One of the tricks is to open the can up to allow more steam, and I put additional spices/rub in the can to give the stem a bit of aromatics.



Season the bird with whatever spices or rub you like, I also usually mist some olive oil on the skin. Looking at these pictures I see some irony in the Miller Lite line peaking out from the chicken, I am sure its appreciated.....



Some time later, out of the oven comes a perfectly cooked chicken, tender and moist. I think it was about 2 hours, time it oven isn't as important as making sure its cooked with a proper thermometer.



I think it took a bit longer in the oven, maybe on the grill my temperatures run a bit hotter, and on the grill I let the juices drip onto the hot grill where they vaporize and likely add to the flavor a bit. I didn't notice a lot of different between an open or closed neck cavity, may have to try another one on the grill to see if there is a difference. On the plus side, using the oven helped keep the kitchen warm on this cold day. Served with rice, fresh green beans and carrots. And of course, a beer.