gettin’ ready…

my wife and i have taken a couple rides latest in preparation for a trip we’re taking to milwaukee later this month. since she hasn’t been on a trip this long, we thought it would be a good idea to have her get some miles on the bike…

we also got her a new seat from mustang seats which we thought might make the trip more comfortable. the old seat, which is wider, was pushing her legs into the saddlebag guards and cutting the circulation off in her legs. we figured the smaller seat might alleviate that.

our first ride was to the hog meeting. half way to the destination, we saw nothing but a sea of brake lights. after about ten minutes and only moving about a half a mile the traffic just came to a standstill. we decided to pull a u-turn and take some back roads.

while it wasn’t what we wanted because we were trying to get to the meeting on time, it turned out to be a good thing. we traded the congested main road for some scenic two lane roads. we also got a longer ride – never a bad thing on a motorcycle!! the side trip reminded me of the benefits of a detour…

so my wife navigated us through the back roads to our destination. if you knew how my wife is with directions you’d know this is an accomplishment. she is awesome and amazes me every day. although i was secretly thinking that even is she would have gotten us lost i wouldn’t have cared. it’d just have meant more time together on the bike!!

the ride home that night was something else. not traffic this time but the night skies. the skies were dark until the heat lightening lit up the clouds in a beautiful display of lights and shapes.  we were enjoying the openness of the bike and the light show going on around us…

until… we started getting closer to home. as we got closer to home we started seeing more and more streaks of lightening. and as the miles ticked off, the bolts were getting closer to the ground.

within ten minutes of making it home the skies opened up. note to self: be sure to pack the wife’s rain suit for the next trip…

we also took a ride this weekend to durham. we wanted to catch up with a fellow rider and firm up plans for milwaukee. it wasn’t a long ride, but it was a good ride. except for the fact that, even with the new seat, the guards were still digging into my wife’s legs.

i decided to head to shelton’s to see if i could find the comfort profile saddlebag guards. they didn’t have any at the durham store but ordered them from one of their other shops. i should have them in a day or two. of course once i get them on we’ll have to take a few more trips to determine which seat might be better. you won’t find me complaining about that!!!

these past two rides really make me look forward to the ride to milwaukee. i can’t wait for the adventure with my wife – we’re going to have so much fun…

put in a few miles…

the way the day was shaping up, it was looking more and more like i was going to have to make a late night run in order to rack up any miles for million mile monday. and sure enough, the sun was setting as i was starting my journey.

i didn’t really have a route in mind. and since it was much later than i expected, i made it a shorter ride. and to make things a little more interesting, i wanted to take a route i’d never taken before… note to self: in the future, unless there’s no other choice, don’t plan to ride two lane, country roads for the first time in the dark…

some reflections from the trip:

• the bugs and moths sure do love dusk. i thought it was getting dark awful quick until i realized that my glasses were getting covered in bugs. decided against stopping to clean them.
• it’s really cool having fireflies go buzzing by your head – kinda like little led lights flying through the air
• got to see a deer. not really a novelty, but when i first spotted it, it was crossing the road about a hundred yards in front of me. when it got to the tree line on the other side of the road, it stopped and watched me, almost like it wanted to be sure i kept going.
• i passed through a town i’d never been in before. it had one of those main streets with the big, old houses on either side of the street. need to go back in the daylight to see if it’s as impressive during the daylight.
• for the end of june, it sure was colder than i thought it would be.

i guess that’s about it. i did manage to squeeze in seventy five miles. when i added my miles to the hog site, there was only a shade over two million miles. guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see if the numbers come through… somehow i think they will…

million mile monday…

million mile monday is finally here. today, hog members worldwide will try to rack up five million miles. i had planned on doing my part by getting out early and racking up a few miles… unfortunately, the day has already started to spin out of control. although an evening ride may be the ticket…

6 – 8 – 6 – 6 – 9 - 9

…was the winning number in the 50/50 at the hog meeting tonight… there was anticipation as everyone checked their tickets, waiting for someone to claim the prize. i quickly scan my tickets for the last three numbers – no luck… i’m out another ten bucks.

soon no one is claiming the booty… the number is read again – still no winner. some genius in the crowd wonders out loud if the number being read is upside down. the new number, 6 – 6 – 9 – 9 – 8 – 9, is read. bingo!! i’m one hundred sixty some odd dollars richer (minus the wife’s share).

drinks are on me tonight…

million mile monday...

took a ride this morning to participate in hog's million mile monday. ended up contributing 120 miles towards the goal of one million miles. may not be much, but it's my part...

i decided to take my familiar loop around the kerr lake... i figured it would take a couple hours, give me a few miles without getting to crazy - after all, it is monday and i do have to work... if work wasn't a factor, who knows where i may have ended up!!!

when i took off this morning, it was overcast. left over from last night's storms and looking like the sky could open up at any time... i wasn't letting the threat of rain stop me - that's why i have rain gear in the saddlebag. the overcast sky actually made for some nice riding - temps were cooler and i didn't have to worry about the sun in my eyes.

stopped at the lake to get a few pics before heading on around and back home... as i rounded the north side of the lake, the sky cleared up and the sun came out, making for an awesome ride home.

it was a really nice ride this morning - great way to start the day. would like to make a habit out of it, but the need for exercise will probably outweigh the desire to ride everyday before work...

still coming - details of the trip to york, pa and the smoke out...

quick update...

things have been busy here and more details coming...

off the heels of my last post - the trip to york was indeed interesting and fun... more to come when i have a chance to get the pics uploaded.

last weekend was smoke out 9. wasn't sure what to expect, but turned out to be a great event. new and much better venue... again, will post more when i get the pics uploaded.

looking forward, have million mile monday coming up... it's hog's attempt to get as many members to ride and tally up a total of one million miles. not sure where i'll ride, but planning on doing some tooling around...

july brings up ride to work day... not sure if i'll ride or where i'll go... can't even remember if i went out last year...

seems like there's other stuff, but can't remember right now... stay tuned for updates...

patriot hd open house...

went to patriot hd this weekend to attend their memorial day open house. well, not really. we went by because it was a hog pin stop...

there were a heck of a lot more people and vendors than i expected. the army was giving away lots-o-free stuff - hats, shirts, pins, lanyards, etc. the dealership was giving away their screw it bandannas.

after walking around, collecting our free stuff and seeing the sites, we headed out...





the occ army chopper...

'nother ride...

took a little ride around to a couple of the dealerships... had to head out to durham to pick up a check and to raleigh for the hog meeting. before leaving, i'm punching the locations into my gps. my wife is giving me a hard time because i'm taking my gps and i already know where i'm going. i figure i have it, i might as well use it.

ride out to durham was a nice, uneventful ride. let me say it was hot!! i could feel myself sweating even as the air was blowing through my jacket and cooling me off... i get to durham, take care of my business and head on to raleigh.

ride to raleigh was not quite as pleasant as i would have wanted. being in rush-hour traffic didn't help. i don't know if traffic around here is getting worse or if i'm just becoming less tolerant to it. we moved to the area from northern virginia - traffic up there is horrible. people complained about how bad traffic was down here, but compared to up there, it was nothing - heck, people were saying traffic was bad because five cars would get stuck at a light!!! as i was in the mix of rush hour traffic, i'm thinking about how congested it is. i don't know if that's because it truly is getting worse - which i'm sure it is. or if i'm just accustom to riding where there's less traffic and now i'm noticing it more. i'm sure the fact that i had a destination that i wanted to get to quickly didn't help my perception either.

i get to ray price and i notice the parking lot is rather empty - but i am a bit early for the hog meeting and the dealership is technically closed. so i mill around outside, packing away my jacket and helmet. there are two guys talking - both are employees. one guy obviously wants to complain about the level of service (or non-service) he's receiving. i could tell the way he started the conversation, he wanted to complain to the other guy - not that the other guy could have done anything about it. i didn't really pay much attention to the conversation in fear of being included. complaint-dood just wanted to complain and there wasn't anything anyone could do to make him feel better - short of the dealership fixing his bike to his expectation. i decided to keep my distance from that conversation...

i finally mill around to the front of the building and discover why it's so desolate... the hog meeting is taking place at lake wheeler!!! the good news is bbq is being served, the bad news is i'm late!!! even better news - the hard time my wife was giving me over the gps paid off!! i punch in the location for lake wheeler and i'm off.

as i'm riding over to the park, all i can think about is how hungry i am. of course the temptation of free food and the sixteen miles to the park wasn't helping. i was hoping there would be enough left for me to have a little - ole time barbecue was providing the food and it's always good. as i get there, they're scraping the last pieces off the pig - just in time for me to get some tasty morsels.

meeting was pretty much the same ol' meeting. talked about the events going on and then gave away some money. as far as events, the third annual capital city bikefest or, as it's sometimes referred to, the rally in raleigh, is going on at the end of september. should be a good time.

headed home after the meeting. for the first time in a long time, i decided not to ride with my jacket. felt a little under-protected at first, but the cool air made me quickly forget about that. the cooler air made the ride home a bit more enjoyable. sure beats sweating as you're riding. but if i had the choice of sweating while i'm riding or not riding - you know i'll be riding!!!

'nother hog meeting...

i guess this counts as the first ride of the season... being january you'd expect it to be cold... it was near sixty degrees when i took off for the meeting!!! and the temps are supposed to remain warmer through the weekend!! i'll have to squeeze some riding time in...

i picked up my neighbor on the way to the meeting. this was his first meeting. although he's not a member, he'll probably join. that got me to thinking about our meetings compared to other hog meetings. ours are pretty much the same every time - pledge of allegiance, prayer, reports from the board members, shop talk from the dealership and then giveaways. nothing really super exciting. so are most other hog meetings like this?? i started wondering about what really draws me to the meetings. i think it's the opportunity to ride - just gives me another reason to hop on the bike and ride in the middle of the week...

after sitting around for an hour, the meeting ended and it was time to ride. i was expecting the ride home to be a bit colder. it was actually very nice. this can't be january... the funny thing is our dealership is having their polar bear ride this weekend. the idea is it's supposed to be cold and you're supposed to ride your bike to the dealership. you show up on your bike and they give you discounts as well as have other things going on at the shop. well, i believe saturday is going to be in the seventies - close to record breaking temps... not going to be much of a polar bear ride!!! i won't complain about it - just enjoy it while it lasts...

ride safe...

hog meeting

rode to the hog meeting tonight... although we've been getting warm weather lately, the ride in was a little cool. again i decided to dress in layers and wear the face mask. i tell you, the face mask has really paid off the few times i've worn it. i didn't realize it would help as much as it does...

ride to the meeting was pretty uneventful. got there and got upstairs to find everyone eating. doh!!! i forgot we were having our christmas "party" at this meeting. the meeting must have started at six or six thirty instead of the usual seven. most people were finishing up their dinners as a few of us straggled in, late.

i decided to throw a sandwich and a brownie on my plate. along with a bag of chips and a soda i was set. all except for a place to sit. there were a lot of tables set up, but no room at any of them - the pitfalls of showing up late!! i sat down in an empty chair and proceeded to eat - carefully balancing the plate on my knee. i managed to get through all the food with out dropping the plate - whew... i can imagine the comments that would have been made - all in jest of course.

the meeting was pretty packed - must have been the free food!! there wasn't really much to address at the meeting, so the meeting itself went quickly. a couple of final dollars to charities, talk of some goals for next year and that was about it. of course the best part of the meeting is the fifty-fifty drawing at the end. tonight's pot was the biggest it's ever been - one hundred ninety plus dollars. that'd make a nice christmas present. and guess who won?? yeah, i don't know either - it wasn't me. damn, that would have been a nice one to win...

ride home was good. got all bundled up before heading out. since the meeting got out a little early, i decided to stop by the store to get my wife some flowers. of course by the time i pulled into the parking lot, took off my gear, locked up the bike and got to the door, the store was closed. missed by minutes. i hate that - it would have been such a nice surprise for her. another time...

cool weather...

went to the hog meeting tonight. actually, since i hadn't been out in a while i wanted a reason to go out and ride... not that i really need a reason, i just feel less guilty about taking off and leaving the family behind...

the meeting was pretty much the usual same-ol-same-ol... well, they did talk about the rally in raleigh - capital city bike fest on september 29/30. it was basically and advertisement for the rally and a plea for volunteers. i'll probably end up helping out friday night. would like to go saturday as well, but will probably set aside some time to spend with the family - maybe take a trip or something...

like i mentioned earlier, the real reason to go to the meeting was get out and ride. and what a great night for a ride - cooler temps. after getting home, i was thinking i should have just blown the meeting off and ridden the whole time!!! it's nice to have the cooler weather here. i'd much rather ride in cooler weather and have to bundle up in layers. there's something about being wrapped up in warm layers and feeling the cool air seep in... i love this time of year. ahhhh hell, i like just about any time of year as long as i can ride!!!

another hog meeting...

so i went to the local hog meeting last night. pretty good meeting - i like the events we do to raise money for the local charities...

but tonight, as i was looking around the room, i was noticing the way people dressed. typical harley wear - harley t-shirts, most for the local dealership, jeans, do-rags. that's not to say there weren't some people there that were dressed "nicely," there were. i'm just looking and thinking about the general clothing... then i started to wonder if these people dress this way all the time or do they get dressed up (or maybe down) for the meetings?? me, i pretty much dress the same way all the time - t-shirts or casual button shirts. about the only change in attire i'll make when i ride is to put jeans on instead of shorts. but i don't throw on my harley shirt just because i'm going to a meeting. if i have it on, i have it on. if not, i wear whatever to the meeting...

so now i'm left wondering what these people wear normally, when they're not at the meeting, or riding or hanging out at scooters... i can tell you think much - i won't be loosing any sleep over it!!!

ride on...

first ride - 2006

took my first ride of 2006 last night - not that i plan on keeping track of every ride i go on this year!!! since it was the first wednesday of the month, it was hog meeting time. i hadn't been on the bike in a couple weeks, so i was a little nervous - not sure why. maybe more cautious instead of nervous. anyway, it felt good to be on the bike. traffic wasn't bad, weather wasn't as cold as i had expected. it was just nice to be riding again.

hog meeting wasn't anything spectacular... never really are unless i win the 50/50 raffle. last night they had the head coach and a couple of players from the raleigh rebels. the rebels want to encourage participation from our local hog club. apparently before each home game, they're going to have five or six motorcycles from our club ride in. they're really trying to boost support for the rebels. and i guess since they are a new team, i can understand that. don't know if i'm much of an indoor football fan, but i can see attending a game or two.

after the coach spoke to us, it was the usually business - talking about the budget, upcoming rides, etc. then the 50/50 raffle. although i didn't win the big prize, $186, i did manage to win a bottle of champagne!! guess that's another bottle to add to my growing collection...

ride back was good. i rode back with hans, who lives about ten minutes from me. other than rides back from meetings, hans and i haven't been on any rides together. we've threatened to go on rides, but things just haven't panned out yet. we'll probably get something worked out for the spring or summer.

so, that's it. a quick recap of the ride last night. actually, less about the ride and more about other things, huh?? oh well...

ride on...

hog meeting...

rode to the hog meeting last night... it was a cold night - not as cold as it could have been, but cold enough... my new electric/heated gloves have either made me brave or crazy. actually, whether i had the gloves or not, i would have most likely ridden to the meeting last night. now january or february might have been a different story.

i had to stop for gas on my way to the meeting. good thing i had to stop, i forgot to plug my gloves into the battery before taking off. i didn't realize that until i was about three minutes into the ride. i guess i would have pulled over and plugged them in if i didn't have to stop for gas. anyway, i get to the station and pump gas. it wasn't as cold as i had anticipated - at least on the ride there. the ride home may be a different story. after pumping the gas, i put my helmet on, jump on the bike and start putting my gloves on. as i look up, there's a guy on the opposite side of the pump i was using peering his head around at me. as we make eye contact, he starts shaking his head. he comments that it must be cold on the bike. of course, since i was pulling on my gloves i held up a glove and said the beauty of electric gloves. he said something about it still being too cold to ride. i just said it was better than being in a cage... we said our goodbyes and i took off for the meeting.

the ride to the meeting was pretty uneventful. something i noticed on the last ride to the meeting that i confirmed last night - part of the ride is definitely warmer than other parts. and this makes total sense... the stretch of road is capital boulevard between 540 and 440. it's so congested with stores and traffic. it really isn’t surprising that it's warmer along this part of the road. i guess what i find surprising is how much warmer. but maybe that has to do with the fact that it's just so much more densely populated and the traffic never continuously moves. so we don't get as much chance to get cold like we would if we kept moving. who really knows?? just something i did notice again while riding...

we had a full agenda at the hog meeting. lots-o-money going to charities, more charities than i can remember in one evening. we probably had at least eight charities and two or three weren't even there. the charities are a good thing. they are very thankful for our help. sometimes i think an organization like ours should actually be giving more - the standard amount seems to be a thousand dollars. but then i think of the number of charities we give to. the charities seem to be really appreciative of the donations. so maybe one thousand dollars is good - and by giving that much, we can give to more... anyway, it's really a good part of the meeting to watch the donations being made.

the other big agenda item was voting for new members for the board. correction, new member... everyone except the director ran unopposed. i thought about running for a position but i don't know that i would be able to commit the time right now. plus i'd probably lose - not too many people know me and these things are usually a popularity contest. so we have a new director...

the other highlight of the meeting was winning the fifty dollar gift certificate!!! yup, i won the gift certificate tonight. everyone who goes to the meeting is entered. tonight was my night... the club also does a 50/50 drawing that we always enter. my wife and i both throw in five bucks and we get twenty tickets for the raffle. we've been pretty successful at the 50/50. twice, maybe three times, we've won the pot - each time over a hundred bucks. lost count of the number of t-shirts and hats i've won. won a six-pack of beer once too... anyway, that's another fun part of the meeting - the anticipation and excitement of watching and matching your numbers as they're called out. of course the more numbers they call and you match, the more excited you get. of course there's also the disappointment when you've matched the first five numbers called but not the sixth!!! i've had the happen too... last night i wasn't even close on any of the 50/50 numbers. but i matched all six for the gift certificate. and when i match then all and stand up and say something like yeah, i got it, there's a moment of fear... fear that i've transposed my numbers and someone else it actually going to win. but then winning wouldn't be the bad part - it would be my embarrassment over having to sit back down after announcing that i was the (wrong) winner. i think i've seen it happen before and everyone just laughs and no one takes it seriously, but there's still that moment of fear...

the ride home was a little colder, but not as cold as i had anticipated. don't know if it was because i was anticipating it or if it just wasn't really that cold. or the fact i had my gloves cranked all the way up... don't know why i cranked them, i guess i just wanted to see how hot (warm) they may get. unlike before, when i had the thermostat set in the middle and my hands didn't get cold (as opposed to actually feeling warm), i could feel the warmth on my hands and fingers. it was neat actually feeling the warmth. although i don't think i would want this on longer rides - i think my hands would start sweating... but last night it was good...

to draw my ride to a close, i had some a$$hole cage run up on me - enough so that i was starting to reach into my pocket for the marble... i was approaching my turn off capital and was cruising about 62-63 in the left lane. apparently this wasn't fast enough for the cage and he thought i should be in the right lane. i don't know how close he got to me, but it was very close - i could have easily hit his windshield with the marble. i guess he figured he could force me over to the right lane by riding up on me. when people do this it really pisses me off, there was no one in the right lane, why couldn't he just use the right lane to go around me?? but obviously if he isn't smart enough to stay off my butt, he's not smart enough to use the right lane. like i said, i started reaching in my pocket for the marble when he suddenly pulls into the right lane and starts passing me. then his final act of stupidity is to swerve back over into the left lane, nearly hitting my front tire. what an a-hole!! as soon as he gets in front of me, the light in front of us turns red. so he has to stop (there's another cage in front of him) and i pull into the left turn lane. as i was approaching him i was wishing my balance and skills on the bike were a little better - i was thinking of kicking his door as i went by. instead i just glared - but i don't think he noticed. anyway, these people just really piss me off...lucky for me that i'm aware of my surroundings and i ride like i'm invisible - this guy definitely wouldn't have cared if he hit me... oh well - i was aware and i made it home safe...

so that's the tale of another ride... peace...