ims 2013...

took my son to the international motorcycle show this weekend in charlotte and had a great time - lots to see, lots to do....

not estimating the time right, we got to the convention center about an hour early. that gave me time to give my son a lesson in picking out the right person that might want to buy the extra ticket i had since my wife couldn't come to the show. our challenge was to weed out the people that might want to buy the ticket from the vendors (easily identifiable by the name tags around their necks) and the people there for other events going on at the convention center. and do it discreetly enough not to get caught by security - especially since we were less that twenty feet from a sign saying selling discount tickets was prohibited.

now you would think picking out motorcyclist in a group of people would be easy. that might be the case if we were at a harley event. but this wasn't and neither was picking out someone to approach. in the end, i was able to unload the ticket with only the second person i talked to - guess that speaks volumes to my son's ability to evaluate and pick out people in a crowd. and it was a cool experience to share with him.

once we took care of that, it was time to check out the show. first order or business was to pick up some gifts from progressive and have my son take his picture with flo...

next was checking out the motogp bikes...

we wandered around a little and decided to stop at the ride for kids booth. at a recent event for the club i'm involved with, my son was tasked with passing out brochures for the triangle area ride for kids. we chatted with the volunteers, telling them that we're looking forward to helping out for the ride in may. when i was asked who we were volunteering with i told them the name of the club and our president's name. immediately they had nothing but praise for the work and support our president has given to the program. then my son was challenged by the triangle area coordinator to provide ideas for what might be entertaining for kids at the event. while my son came up with a few ideas on the stop, he took the challenge and is looking forward to providing input.

then it was on to a presentation by greg white. i've been a fan of greg's for a few years - since two wheel tuesday on speedtv. lately he's been instructing and working on his soon-to-be released web show greg's garage tv. his talk was very interesting, including discussions of rpm management and reducing danger. his talk about being able to downshift gears by slightly pulling in your clutch and letting your rpms rise and just tapping it into the lower gear was intriguing and something i may have to try. if his school ever comes near me, i'm definitely going to look into signing up. after his presentation, i took a few minutes to talk to introduce myself and talk to greg. our discussion turned into a possible opportunity for greg to get more programming for his new show and for us to get more exposure for the motorcycle safety program in north carolina. now that would be cool...

we did some more walking around and ran into the gieco gecko...

we checked out the xdl stunt show with aaron twite and josh borne. these guys are simply amazing. the skill, coordination and control of the bikes is incredible. i'll have to get the video i have uploaded... after the show, both riders took the time to talk to each of their fans and have their pictures taken. it's nice to see how grounded and appreciative these guys are...

and of course it wouldn't be a motorcycle show without motorcycles...

finally, some hopped up honda minibikes!! just wondering why they weren't in the show. and who rode them to the show?? what will be next??

smoke chasing here i come...

march first will mark the start of smoke chasing this year... registration opens at the end of next week. rules have changed a little - need to get a few more stops to be considered a finisher. in addition, you don't have to get a minimum number of stops in a state for the different finishing levels. well, technically the minimum is one stop for the state to count but you have to do that anyway!!

i don't have any grand illusions about being a contender for the top finisher this year. i'll just pick a finishing level i think i can achieve and go for that. for me, it's not necessarily about finishing at the top but picking a goal and hitting it. it's all in fun and last year i did manage to get a prize because of the draw-based system used to give out prizes.

i'm also trying aiming to put a team in this year. minimum number of members for a team is five. i have three right now including me!! what will it say about me if i can't get five?? yikes!!

so, next week is registering and then waiting for the beginning of march...

The D A Ranch: Officer C. Yung Motor 4887

The D A Ranch: Officer C. Yung Motor 4887: In Memory of Officer C. Yung Motor 4887. We have a limited amount of Thin Blue Line Bracelets. They are $5 a piece and the proceeds will go ...

getting closer...

got this in the mail yesterday!!! wooohooo!!! now i just need to keep in a safe place, that i'll remember, until june...

lake ride...

here it is, friday night, the snow earlier today stopped and gave way to sleet and freezing rain. the local news is nothing but reporters, out in the streets, talking about the frozen roads, traffic delays and crashes. one station is even reporting from the vehicle, driving around telling everyone to stay off the roads!! go figure.

this weather has me wondering about a motorcycle event i'm supposed to attend tomorrow. and another one sunday. but it also has me thinking about how wonderful the weather was not even a week ago and the ride to the lake.

last sunday, the temps got into the upper fifties so my daughter and i headed up to the lake. she's been itching to ride the loaner bike from my uncle. and i've been waiting for an opportunity to try out the new camera i got for christmas. we opted for a shorter ride, up there and back, instead of taking the longer loop around the lake. so the ride worked out nicely.

although the weather was nice, we opted to bundle up for the ride in the off chance that it might have been colder that it looked. it's always better to start off to warm and peel some layers off than to get colder and have to try to warm up.

after a beautiful ride up to the lake, we decided to make a short stop after we crossed the dam.

we enjoyed the weather, the scenery and the company. then it was time to head home. and time for me to play with the camera. i wanted a point-n-shoot camera for the bike so that i could take some pictures while riding.

crossing the dam...

the camera worked out nicely but i learned a few things, after-the-fact. like there was a firmware update that fixed a few issues. and i needed to update the gps assist file. while it has gps and acquired gps lock, the camera thought i was in china!!!

anyway, i was able to a get few nice pictures and got to spend a great afternoon with my daughter...

first ride of the year...

took my first ride of the year last weekend. in the past, the first ride of the year seems to have been the familiar "lake loop". which usually gets chilly when i get up around the water.

this year was different in a couple ways. with the temps in the 70's, it felt more like april or may instead of january. and this year, instead of heading north around the lake, i headed south to discover sites i never knew existed. i also rode with a few folks i'll probably be riding with a lot more. more to come on that later...

we took off for a leisurely ride not quite knowing where we were heading. what i knew was it was a gorgeous day to be riding and i'd have my son with me - it was going to be a good day. after about thirty minutes twisting and turning through back roads, we pull up to what looks like an old train depot. turns out to be the new hope valley railway.

the railway started in the late 1800s and was operation until 1981. apparently shortly after that, a chapter of the national railway historical society purchased the right-of-way and the yard to set up a museum. today the site is a living museum. what a gem to find.

we'll head back to the railway when the weather warms up for the summer and they open for rides. my son is already planning on one of the halloween rides.

2013 rides...

smoke out 14...

got an e-mail today saying discount tickets are available for smoke out 14. the tickets won't be discounted forever, if you haven't gotten your ticket yet you might want to do it soon!! you can head over here to get 'em...

that's all i'm saying for now...