Well this past weekend was "Girls Camping Weekend". The LOH went to Granbury TX, not too far a ride but just enough. The weather was fairly frigid on Saturday when they left, below freezing, but fortunately was warming up. On the board a lot of them were getting electric gear if they did not already have. I think a total of 9 girls rode bike and the remainder went down in cars. Interesting ride or so I've heard...
The girls had fun and all made it back safe.
I went for a short ride over to the dealership Saturday then a liesurely ride back home.
Working on prepping the house...
Oops almost forgot, it was Super Bowl Sunday as well, I watched the game, in bits and pieces, missed most of the commercials.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
This week in Hockey...
Well, its one of those weeks. Three games back to back to back, Tuesday, Wednesday and tonight.
Tuesday was a great game, we ended up winning 7-6 in OT. After being on the ice the first shift when they scored 2 goals in the first 50 seconds (YIKES!) we managed to get back in the game and I actually scored the game winning goal from a slapshot in overtime! Whoo Hoo!!!
Last night was a D game, we won 5-2, I scored the first goal off a deflection in front of the net. That game was surprising rough against a chippy team, HFL.
Tonight however I don't know that we will fare as well. We are down 7-8 regulars, including our goalie. We have a couple of subs, but the team we are playing has some goal scorers. Several of us have played all three games as well. We will see.
Tuesday was a great game, we ended up winning 7-6 in OT. After being on the ice the first shift when they scored 2 goals in the first 50 seconds (YIKES!) we managed to get back in the game and I actually scored the game winning goal from a slapshot in overtime! Whoo Hoo!!!
Last night was a D game, we won 5-2, I scored the first goal off a deflection in front of the net. That game was surprising rough against a chippy team, HFL.
Tonight however I don't know that we will fare as well. We are down 7-8 regulars, including our goalie. We have a couple of subs, but the team we are playing has some goal scorers. Several of us have played all three games as well. We will see.
Monday, January 29, 2007
A very Chili Weekend!
Saturday was the annual Chili cookoff at the dealership. While I didn't cook, I did taste and sample. There were 6 (I think) different chili's all of them were quite good, some better than others. My personal favorite was Renegade Roadkill Chili. Real meat as opposed to hamburg, but the overall taste and consistency was quite good as well. The festivities were fun and the presentation of the chilis was guite good and fun as well. But you know I think the leadup was a big part of it. There was a huge posting on the message board with lots of banter back and forth. Additionally there was lots of "private" banter in email and phone calls apparently between some of the contestants.
The ride home was an interesting one. There was a bit of rain overnight and when we left to go to the dealership it was quite nice. Of course while we were there, a cold front blew in. Reports of rain/hail were coming in. We booked it as soon as the festivities and awards were over. About halfway home on 380 rode right into the rain. It was windy, a good crosswind, cold, very wet and a bit of hail/sleet. We made it home ok, but it was a slow go. Ryan said it hailed about 5 minutes before we pulled into the house.
Sunday Darlene went to her Rider's Edge Advanced class at TMS. She left about 6:45 am, it was about 27F when she left. By 10 it was still only about 30. I think it warmed up to about 44. She did well, got her certification and made it home by 4. Long cold day, with lots of hard riding. She's pretty sore today.
The ride home was an interesting one. There was a bit of rain overnight and when we left to go to the dealership it was quite nice. Of course while we were there, a cold front blew in. Reports of rain/hail were coming in. We booked it as soon as the festivities and awards were over. About halfway home on 380 rode right into the rain. It was windy, a good crosswind, cold, very wet and a bit of hail/sleet. We made it home ok, but it was a slow go. Ryan said it hailed about 5 minutes before we pulled into the house.
Sunday Darlene went to her Rider's Edge Advanced class at TMS. She left about 6:45 am, it was about 27F when she left. By 10 it was still only about 30. I think it warmed up to about 44. She did well, got her certification and made it home by 4. Long cold day, with lots of hard riding. She's pretty sore today.
Monday, January 22, 2007
This ain't my first rodeo...
Yesterday we were treated to the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo, courtesy of Robert (Cowboy) and his wife. We went with Larry and Holly as well. It was the afternoon show and was a lot of fun. This is one of the big rodeos. The seats we had were box seats, right beside the bucking chutes. I took a ton of pictures, several of which turned out pretty well I think. It was indoors so I shot at ISO 1600, unfortunately even at that speed the shutter speed was relatively low, hand hold in most cases, but there was a lot of motion on the arena floor. I'll post some pics after I process them a bit.
We were right against the arena, and although we kept relatively dirt free, one bucking bull did know Darlene's beer all over her as it smashed into the wall directly in front of us!
We were right against the arena, and although we kept relatively dirt free, one bucking bull did know Darlene's beer all over her as it smashed into the wall directly in front of us!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Winter Storm!
Well as typical, our latest winter storm was a bit of a bust. Actually thankfully we are in DFW, not Austin, who seems to have made out much worse. Austin never gets this kind of weather and they are not faring well. All in all we had a lot of rain, and by the time if froze, a lot had dried up. On Monday, MLK day so kids were home as were several businesses, it was a bit hazordous in the morning, but by mid day it was sunny, albeit still cold, and windy so the roads pretty well cleared. I worked from home and in the morning when I had a chance I went out and took a couple of pictures.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
El Nino
Well no riding this weekend. The weather guys have been talking about an El Nino, courtesy of global warming and the effect it will have on Texas weather until about March of this year. We are supposed to get above normal rainfall. Which is a good thing since we have been below normal for some time. However one would think that global warming means warm....
This weekend we had the rain, quite a bit of it, but it is also cold, but fortunately not so cold that everything is frozen. Close, about 34 degrees. I think tonight may be worse though. Yesterday it stopped raining long enough the streets were able to dry somewhat, but today I think we will get rain longer, and its been cold for a couple of days. Likely that the roads will start to lose some of that retained heat they have had.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day but most people are working, myself included. Will be an interesting travel day no doubt!
This weekend we had the rain, quite a bit of it, but it is also cold, but fortunately not so cold that everything is frozen. Close, about 34 degrees. I think tonight may be worse though. Yesterday it stopped raining long enough the streets were able to dry somewhat, but today I think we will get rain longer, and its been cold for a couple of days. Likely that the roads will start to lose some of that retained heat they have had.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day but most people are working, myself included. Will be an interesting travel day no doubt!
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Ride planning...
We had our first chapter meeting yesterday and earlier this week the rides started appearing on the calendars.
Lone Star Challenge, I've already mapped out, interesting locations, including Terlingua, TX. So most definitely a Big Bend run, perhaps turn that into an Iron Butt?
Wildflower run is my birthday weekend. TX State is to Amarillo, AR State is in Hot Springs. Maybe do one of the national HOG runs. I guess there are other things that will help determine that trip.
Oh yeah, can't forget Nascar weekend this year, Dale and Peter will be coming down, we rented an RV to set up at the racetrack. Hopefully we can get next to Brenda's rig! That will be fun.
Lots of other rides, some day trips some overnight. Should be a great year.
Lone Star Challenge, I've already mapped out, interesting locations, including Terlingua, TX. So most definitely a Big Bend run, perhaps turn that into an Iron Butt?
Wildflower run is my birthday weekend. TX State is to Amarillo, AR State is in Hot Springs. Maybe do one of the national HOG runs. I guess there are other things that will help determine that trip.
Oh yeah, can't forget Nascar weekend this year, Dale and Peter will be coming down, we rented an RV to set up at the racetrack. Hopefully we can get next to Brenda's rig! That will be fun.
Lots of other rides, some day trips some overnight. Should be a great year.
Resolutions?
Its actually been a busy week. Work is going well, we went live on Tueday with no major problems. A new year is of course a time of new plans, goals and ambitions. No major resolutions this time around, just the usual. However I guess I have a couple I can list out.
Focus a bit more on my health, I need to exercise on a more regular basis. 1 hockey game a week just doesn't cut it anymore. Include in this one a bit healthier eating, mainly more salads, I would like to lose about 15 lbs, post holiday weight.
For a riding goal I'd like to put on 15,000 miles. I guess the best way to measure that is against the long flyer program. Considering that, I'm off to a good start, with about 1500 miles logged already, and its winter!
Like I said, nothing major, include the ususal which I won't bother listing here.
Focus a bit more on my health, I need to exercise on a more regular basis. 1 hockey game a week just doesn't cut it anymore. Include in this one a bit healthier eating, mainly more salads, I would like to lose about 15 lbs, post holiday weight.
For a riding goal I'd like to put on 15,000 miles. I guess the best way to measure that is against the long flyer program. Considering that, I'm off to a good start, with about 1500 miles logged already, and its winter!
Like I said, nothing major, include the ususal which I won't bother listing here.
2007
Well, here I am again, a bit late in my posting. Big day on Jan 1 with the Brass Monkey Ride. We left the house about 9:30 am with the temperature at 37F. Its about 34 miles to the dealership and most of it highway. Fortunately we were well dressed and even more so, there was little wind! That Hwy 380 can be a bear in the wind. It was a beautiful sunny day though. Apparently the coldest Brass Monkey in the short history, and certainly quite a contrast to 2006 where it was in the low 80's. I heard the bike count was 70 bikes, all the regulars were there of course and a few folks I didn't recognize, but for the most part all relatively active members. We rode to Lake Park in Lewisville for smoked brisket that Choker had cooked, it was delicious. After that we went to Mike and Carols for dessert. It was a beautiful site in front of their house with all the shiny bikes parked in front of their house. A great ride and I got my inagural Brass Monkey patch.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
New Year's Eve
Getting ready for the Brass Monkey ride tomorrow. Went for a ride, it got up to about 47F today....!!!! Brrr and windy, cold. We went about 80 miles around the lakes.
Happy New Year!!!
History: The Brass Monkey - In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannon fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method devised was a square based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it in the salt air environment. The solution to the rusting problem was to cast the monkey out of brass. Thus the "Brass Monkey." Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature at sea dropped too far, the spacing between the indentations and the indentations themselves would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!" And all this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you?
AE HOG 5th Annual BRASS MONKEY RIDE!
Meet at AE H-D 10:30AM for a 11:00AM departure. Monday, January 1, 2007
Happy New Year!!!
History: The Brass Monkey - In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannon fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck? The best storage method devised was a square based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem -- how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a "Monkey" with 16 round indentations. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it in the salt air environment. The solution to the rusting problem was to cast the monkey out of brass. Thus the "Brass Monkey." Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature at sea dropped too far, the spacing between the indentations and the indentations themselves would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!" And all this time, you thought that was an improper expression, didn't you?
AE HOG 5th Annual BRASS MONKEY RIDE!
Meet at AE H-D 10:30AM for a 11:00AM departure. Monday, January 1, 2007
Monday, December 18, 2006
Toy Runs
What a fantastic weekend. The weather was awesome. High 70's during the day both Saturday and Sunday.
I took Friday off and got a good jump on the little bit of Christmas shopping I have left.
Saturday I finally got around to washing my truck after far too long and did both bikes as well. Saturday afternoon we headed over to the dealership for the Cumberland Children's Home charity run. That is one of the dealerships primary sponsors. There was a very good turnout probably close to 100 bikes, maybe a few more. It was fun, we had cops to block intersections but there weren't that many so several of us took over so the police could run ahead to the next intersection to block. I took one on a turn, so I got to see all the bikes ride past. In addition to the angel tree and all the presents, the dealership had a bike raffle and raised $20,000 for the home.
Sunday was the Big Texas Toy Run, the 21st annual. We met up with everyone at Starbucks in Flower Mound. We probably had close to 30 bikes from our group although there were a couple of extra bikes as well. We rode down to Grapevine. This was the second year for Grapevine as a starting point, in addition to Dallas and Fort Worth. Grapevine was fun. Wilhoite's was open and packed. Lots of bikes, I read one report over 5000 at Grapevine. I can't wait to hear the final tally, estimates were +45,000 bikes in total. I took quite a few pictures and will post some later. The ride went very well.
After the ride a few of us headed to the Thunderhorse for a beer. It was quite the ride home on the highways after the run compared to the ride down. Busy highways during Christmas shopping season..... yes, as bad as you can imagine!
I took Friday off and got a good jump on the little bit of Christmas shopping I have left.
Saturday I finally got around to washing my truck after far too long and did both bikes as well. Saturday afternoon we headed over to the dealership for the Cumberland Children's Home charity run. That is one of the dealerships primary sponsors. There was a very good turnout probably close to 100 bikes, maybe a few more. It was fun, we had cops to block intersections but there weren't that many so several of us took over so the police could run ahead to the next intersection to block. I took one on a turn, so I got to see all the bikes ride past. In addition to the angel tree and all the presents, the dealership had a bike raffle and raised $20,000 for the home.
Sunday was the Big Texas Toy Run, the 21st annual. We met up with everyone at Starbucks in Flower Mound. We probably had close to 30 bikes from our group although there were a couple of extra bikes as well. We rode down to Grapevine. This was the second year for Grapevine as a starting point, in addition to Dallas and Fort Worth. Grapevine was fun. Wilhoite's was open and packed. Lots of bikes, I read one report over 5000 at Grapevine. I can't wait to hear the final tally, estimates were +45,000 bikes in total. I took quite a few pictures and will post some later. The ride went very well.
After the ride a few of us headed to the Thunderhorse for a beer. It was quite the ride home on the highways after the run compared to the ride down. Busy highways during Christmas shopping season..... yes, as bad as you can imagine!
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Sad Note
Additionally, a sad note. Darlene's Mom passed away this week after a lengthy bout with cancer. She passed away in her bed, which was her wish.
Holiday Season
Well, its the holiday season. That means busy, busy, busy. Work is quite busy, there is lots going on and I have vacation time still today with lots of work to finish. Shopping/decorating/eating.... all those things as well. This past Saturday night was the AE HOG annual Christmas Party. It was at the Radisson in Denton. We spent the night there, good thing! There were about 120-150 people there, a lot of fun. The band was good and easy to dance to. Food was good, people were great. I actually rented a tux! In all it was a lot of fun.
I need to finish up my shopping, we are pretty much done so I don't have a lot to do.
This weekend is more toy runs. Saturday is a club run to the Cumberland Childrens home, but its late, not sure if we will partipate or not. I may have a hockey game Saturday night as well. Sunday is the Big Texas Toy Run, that should be fun, likely between 30K and 45K bikes depending on the weather!
http://www.thebigtexastoyrun.com/
I need to finish up my shopping, we are pretty much done so I don't have a lot to do.
This weekend is more toy runs. Saturday is a club run to the Cumberland Childrens home, but its late, not sure if we will partipate or not. I may have a hockey game Saturday night as well. Sunday is the Big Texas Toy Run, that should be fun, likely between 30K and 45K bikes depending on the weather!
http://www.thebigtexastoyrun.com/
Monday, December 04, 2006
Lewisville Toy Run
This weekend ended up being a pretty full weekend. The boys were off to camp this weekend. Darlene had LOH cookie exchange Friday night and I ended going to Choker's for MNO where the girls ended up later. We got home sometime after midnight.
Saturday was the Lewisville Toy Run, leaving from American Eagle HD. Darlene must have picked up a stomach virus and as much as she tried and wanted wasn't able to go on the ride. I got to the dealership about an hour ahead of KSU so had lots of time to see everyone and take some pics. The ride was good, but pretty well straight down 35. I don't know how many bikes were registered as of yet, hope to find out. Last year there was something like 1200 bikes or so.
Saturday night I played hockey with the D team, late notice, big meal and lack of sleep Friday night, it pretty well wore me out, I was tired Sat night.
Sunday we wrapped most of the presents, certainly got a great head start on it. The boys got home in the early afternoon.
Saturday was the Lewisville Toy Run, leaving from American Eagle HD. Darlene must have picked up a stomach virus and as much as she tried and wanted wasn't able to go on the ride. I got to the dealership about an hour ahead of KSU so had lots of time to see everyone and take some pics. The ride was good, but pretty well straight down 35. I don't know how many bikes were registered as of yet, hope to find out. Last year there was something like 1200 bikes or so.
Saturday night I played hockey with the D team, late notice, big meal and lack of sleep Friday night, it pretty well wore me out, I was tired Sat night.
Sunday we wrapped most of the presents, certainly got a great head start on it. The boys got home in the early afternoon.
Ride pics
These pics are from Len who we rode back with from the Leaf ride in Arkansas. They pulled up alongside of us and snapped these.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Inspiration
Photo club was last night. It was a good meeting. Large group, probably the biggest yet. Dan Leffel presented, a series of images of his travels accross North America, mostly US, but included some of Peggy's Cove. I've always been quite impressed with his work, but to see his collection was incredible. He probably presented around 100 images and in the context there were probably only 3 or 4 edits that I would have made, although probably 90 of those shots are better than anything I have!
Here is his web site
Bold Light Photography
Then of course, it was contest time. It was open category. Carol Kropscott was the judge due to unavoidable issues with the original and alternate judges. Carol was a former PPC member who moved to Kansas. I remember Carol so it was good to hear her. She's a great woman and very involved with Photography. But she takes her judging very seriously.
I had two entries, one which she critiqued appropriately, and I knew when I submitted, but she also had good comments, more than I expected. The second one did much better. Overall there were some 60 odd entries, in three categories. I compete in Advanced. Images, Images, my first image, more images, more images, scores getting up, I'm getting excited, into Honorables mentions, then third place, woo hoo I'm in the points. My Masterpiece Theater earned 14 points for 2nd place!
Here is his web site
Bold Light Photography
Then of course, it was contest time. It was open category. Carol Kropscott was the judge due to unavoidable issues with the original and alternate judges. Carol was a former PPC member who moved to Kansas. I remember Carol so it was good to hear her. She's a great woman and very involved with Photography. But she takes her judging very seriously.
I had two entries, one which she critiqued appropriately, and I knew when I submitted, but she also had good comments, more than I expected. The second one did much better. Overall there were some 60 odd entries, in three categories. I compete in Advanced. Images, Images, my first image, more images, more images, scores getting up, I'm getting excited, into Honorables mentions, then third place, woo hoo I'm in the points. My Masterpiece Theater earned 14 points for 2nd place!
Turkey Day
It was a great long weekend, the kids were out of school all week, Ryan worked quite a bit. I deep fryed a turkey and we had a huge meal at home. Just the family. The Cowboys won, Romo is on a roll as is the team.
Friday we did a bit of shopping, yes its Black Friday but we didn't head out with the crowds, we went out after we woke up and for the most part finished our shopping. The weather was great all weekend, Saturday was mostly yardwork, I primed the door on the shed, and we cleaned up some of the trees and shrubs out front. We put up the lights but didn't put any on the roof. I don't have a ladder that will reach and don't feel comfortable on that roof! When we finished we went for a 10 minute ride on the bikes, that was the extent of our riding this weekend.
Oops almost forgot, a new addition to the family. Darlene picked her up on Wednesday. Another kitten, this one has a bit of a tiger color, actually her name is Tigger. Baby Girl is finally starting to "play" with her....
Friday we did a bit of shopping, yes its Black Friday but we didn't head out with the crowds, we went out after we woke up and for the most part finished our shopping. The weather was great all weekend, Saturday was mostly yardwork, I primed the door on the shed, and we cleaned up some of the trees and shrubs out front. We put up the lights but didn't put any on the roof. I don't have a ladder that will reach and don't feel comfortable on that roof! When we finished we went for a 10 minute ride on the bikes, that was the extent of our riding this weekend.
Oops almost forgot, a new addition to the family. Darlene picked her up on Wednesday. Another kitten, this one has a bit of a tiger color, actually her name is Tigger. Baby Girl is finally starting to "play" with her....
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Bike Show
This past Saturday was a pretty full day. Darlene did some LOH stuff then did a lot of Christmas shopping. I hooked up with Mike to do a charity run.
This run was for the Pythian Children's Home, which is a non-profit home for children of incarcerated parents. Its a pretty cool place in Weatherford that currently houses 40+ kids and they rely on charity and donations to stay operational. The Cross Timbers Church in Argyle is a big supporter. Interestingly the church has a fairly large biker community that organizes this run.
The ride itself was about 60 miles, some good roads. I didn't take any pictures of that ride. There were about 100 bikes so it was a good size. I now know why Darlene doesn't necessarily like going on some of these toy runs. While it was organized it was a bit haphazard. Some of the folks don't appear to have ridden or ridden often in organized group rides. Additionally there was a trike in front of me for a while, note to self, don't get behind trikes, they take up too much of the road and view! The weather was perfect. There were about 8 road captains who would block intersections then race up to get back into position for the next intersection they had to block. It worked, but is scary in its own way. Close to the end of the run we had to make a very sharp uphill right hand turn. Apparently behind me there was a Sportster that went down, then a woman on a larger Harley went down trying to avoid. Not sure of the extent of the damage, she apparently hurt her knee, but overall no significant damage to body or bike. The group then spends some time with the kids but I had other plans so after hanging out for a bit I headed to Ft Worth.
The Cycle World International Motorcycle show was taking place in Ft Worth at the convention center. Lots of people checking it out. It was the first big bike show I have been to and overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. The bikes were very cool, the sphere of death (or whatever its called) was very impressive and there were lots of folks enjoying the show. I saw Mini T and Don and Martha at the show as well.
Had a bit of a scare though. I checked my jacket at the gear check and when I went to leave they couldn't find my jacket. Its my FRXG jacket, so I was starting to freak out. It was later in the afternoon and there was a lot of people who had already left. Finally there was a jacket spotted without a tag, it was mine, Whew!!!
190 miles round trip that day. Oh yeah, on Friday I got my rear tire replaced, only 8400 miles, I need to change some of my riding habits, more front brake, less rear and less engine braking. I think the engine braking is what really sped up tire wear. Of course the Texas heat probably contributed a bit as well...
This run was for the Pythian Children's Home, which is a non-profit home for children of incarcerated parents. Its a pretty cool place in Weatherford that currently houses 40+ kids and they rely on charity and donations to stay operational. The Cross Timbers Church in Argyle is a big supporter. Interestingly the church has a fairly large biker community that organizes this run.
The ride itself was about 60 miles, some good roads. I didn't take any pictures of that ride. There were about 100 bikes so it was a good size. I now know why Darlene doesn't necessarily like going on some of these toy runs. While it was organized it was a bit haphazard. Some of the folks don't appear to have ridden or ridden often in organized group rides. Additionally there was a trike in front of me for a while, note to self, don't get behind trikes, they take up too much of the road and view! The weather was perfect. There were about 8 road captains who would block intersections then race up to get back into position for the next intersection they had to block. It worked, but is scary in its own way. Close to the end of the run we had to make a very sharp uphill right hand turn. Apparently behind me there was a Sportster that went down, then a woman on a larger Harley went down trying to avoid. Not sure of the extent of the damage, she apparently hurt her knee, but overall no significant damage to body or bike. The group then spends some time with the kids but I had other plans so after hanging out for a bit I headed to Ft Worth.
The Cycle World International Motorcycle show was taking place in Ft Worth at the convention center. Lots of people checking it out. It was the first big bike show I have been to and overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. The bikes were very cool, the sphere of death (or whatever its called) was very impressive and there were lots of folks enjoying the show. I saw Mini T and Don and Martha at the show as well.
Had a bit of a scare though. I checked my jacket at the gear check and when I went to leave they couldn't find my jacket. Its my FRXG jacket, so I was starting to freak out. It was later in the afternoon and there was a lot of people who had already left. Finally there was a jacket spotted without a tag, it was mine, Whew!!!
190 miles round trip that day. Oh yeah, on Friday I got my rear tire replaced, only 8400 miles, I need to change some of my riding habits, more front brake, less rear and less engine braking. I think the engine braking is what really sped up tire wear. Of course the Texas heat probably contributed a bit as well...
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
I can see for miles and miles...
Ahhh, nothing’ could be finer. Just got back from a fantastic ride this weekend. We went to Arkansas for the annual AE Hog Fall Foliage ride. We left Friday morning, overnighted in Mena, AR, then off to Hot Springs, AR for Saturday night. The weather was good but cool, almost cold, but we had a few low clouds Friday during the ride over the mountains.
I am quickly falling in love with the roads of Arkansas. We had about 40 bikes and 60 folks from the club. It was eventful in many ways…
The colors were awesome, the timing was near perfect.
We headed north on 377 into OK, onto Hwy 70. From there, hmm, I have the route map somewhere but I know we did the Queen Wilimena ride, (SR1/SR88) which is recognized as one of the top ten rides in the US. I can’t wait to do it again.
Saturday morning was cool but not as cold as expected and we took off to Hot Springs via Mount Magazine, we paused for a group photo, but one pod was missing….
As far as events, first the bike incidents, idiot pickup driver at service station to rolled unattended into two bikes, then the flying saddle bag cover, next was the oil cooler leak which took about 1.5 hours to resolve, causing some delays, then Jerry’s battery, then Don P’s battery, next was Mark’s lost key/hotwire, then Lee again after the saddle bag, experiencing a flat tire while driving home. No injuries, nothing too serious.
Party events…. The “fire” at the Mena hotel with Bobby coming to attention, the overloaded elevator at the Arlington in Hot Springs and of course the hot tub at the Arlington…. I am sure there are others but those are the ones that stick out.
In total approx 800 miles round trip. Awesome…
Pics.. Hmmm I wonder if I can link to the AE Hog gallery when they get posted.
Club Leaf Ride Pics
I am quickly falling in love with the roads of Arkansas. We had about 40 bikes and 60 folks from the club. It was eventful in many ways…
The colors were awesome, the timing was near perfect.
We headed north on 377 into OK, onto Hwy 70. From there, hmm, I have the route map somewhere but I know we did the Queen Wilimena ride, (SR1/SR88) which is recognized as one of the top ten rides in the US. I can’t wait to do it again.
Saturday morning was cool but not as cold as expected and we took off to Hot Springs via Mount Magazine, we paused for a group photo, but one pod was missing….
As far as events, first the bike incidents, idiot pickup driver at service station to rolled unattended into two bikes, then the flying saddle bag cover, next was the oil cooler leak which took about 1.5 hours to resolve, causing some delays, then Jerry’s battery, then Don P’s battery, next was Mark’s lost key/hotwire, then Lee again after the saddle bag, experiencing a flat tire while driving home. No injuries, nothing too serious.
Party events…. The “fire” at the Mena hotel with Bobby coming to attention, the overloaded elevator at the Arlington in Hot Springs and of course the hot tub at the Arlington…. I am sure there are others but those are the ones that stick out.
In total approx 800 miles round trip. Awesome…
Pics.. Hmmm I wonder if I can link to the AE Hog gallery when they get posted.
Club Leaf Ride Pics
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Busy, Busy, Busy
Holy Crap! I'm behind. Had a busy weekend but I'll have to post more later. Lets see, Craftsman truck race, AEHOG chapter meeting, Teddy Bear run.......
This weekend, actually tomorrow, AEHOG fall leaf ride to Arkansas! Woo Hoo!
This weekend, actually tomorrow, AEHOG fall leaf ride to Arkansas! Woo Hoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)