ride to boone...

28 September 2008

son is in his last year of high school and taking a look at colleges... we decided to make an adventure of it and use the bike as our mode of transportation... at the end of september headed to appalachian state university...

 on the way there, we stopped at crossroads harely... not worth the stop in my opinion - just not much to see in there. about the only reason to stop in there is to get s hd shirt, but their selection of shirts wasn't even that good...

 

after about a five hour ride taking mostly two lane roads, we made it to boone. we checked into the hotel room and decided to get something to eat. the hotel manager suggested canyons. turned out to be a great place to eat - good food, great company, and an awesome view. the building has a rich history that adds to the experience...

in the end, it was a great day... the ride to boone was good, mostly two lane roads, through town and places we'd never see on the highway. the weather was absolutely georgeous. and of coures the mountains in boone made for wonderful riding...

you can check out the 2008 ride map to see the route - this one in light blue...

fall...

this past week, i've really be able to get out and ride. not anywhere in particular, just out and about. and i sure do live in a pretty area. the leaves are changing and are in full color - color like i haven't seen in years. rich reds, gorgeous oranges, shades of yellow and brown.

riding the roads, soaking in the scenery... being on the bike makes me part of all the beauty, not just observing it like i would from a cage...

i was sitting outside the dealership and was struck by the brilliant color of this tree. it's just a portion of all the colors that are appearing now. i tried to capture some of the color... i didn't have my camera, so i was stuck with my crappy cell phone camera. it certainly doesn't do it justice...

  

  

27500 service...

hard to believe i'm at the 27500 mile service... i've been able to squeeze in a lot of good riding this year. would like to be able to hit 30k by the end of the year, but don't know if i'll make that.

when i think back on the miles i've put on so far this year, the thought quickly changes from the number of miles to the journeys i've taken. some planned, more unexpected, all good... it really does come down to the quality and not the quantity. although having the quantity opens more opportunity for quality...


when i picked up my bike, randy, the service manager at ray price, helped me out... what impresses me about him is he seems to know and care about his customers. as soon as he came downstairs, he knew who i was and greeted me by name. he always has a positive attitude and will take the time to talk to customers. it'd be nice if more people were like that...

while my bike was in, i got to ride around on an '09 road king. i was looking forward to testing out the new model because of the changes to the frame. let me say, what a nice bike...

the riding position is a little higher. i didn't know if i would like it or not. after riding for a few minutes, i got used to it and it didn't bother me. the bike certainly feels bigger with the larger tank. i think it's more of a perception thing because the bike wasn't any harder to handle. that may be due to the new frame...

the bike seems more balanced. i don't know if that was my imagination or the new frame. but i like it. i liked the power the bike had. nothing outrageous, but pretty peppy.

i've been liking the changes harley's been making to their bikes over the last few years. it gets me closer and closer to wanting a new one. this road king really put me even closer to that feeling. of course there's that part of me that says wait, see what they come up with next...

then reality kicks in and says there are too many other things before a new bike... but it doesn't hurt to look and dream...

here are a couple pics of the road king...

 

  

  

captial city bike fest...

capital city bike fest - 26-27 September 2008

sites from the bike fest

buffalo bike...

yes, it can actually be ridden...

nationwide insurance bikes...

car powered by harley...

not sure if this would be classified as a motorcycle or car...

pole dancers...

rat bike...

widow maker cdr...

catchin' up...

it's been a while since i've last posted.. lots to catch up on - mostly pictures...

patriot ride - 26 September 2008

patriot ride was that same route as last year - in fact, pretty much the same as last year with the exception of the number of people that showed up. probably not even half as many - most likely due to the threat of rain.

on to the pictures...

pow/mia bike...

ray price speaking to the riders at the national guard armory...

everyone listening to ray price...

ray price's trike...

i guess dog is man's best friend... the dog didn't seem to mind riding around on the back of the bike...