finally...

...a ride with my wife...

last year my wife talked her uncle into loaning us new-to-him ultra classic for the "winter". mostly because he lives near erie (which seems to have winter nine months of the year) and because she wanted to ride around in comfort (instead of the back of my bike). so after having the bike for several months, we finally get to ride together.

we had most of the day to ride where ever we wanted. i would have loved to explore somewhere we hadn't been. but since i don't have gps on this bike, we needed familiar territory. we decided to take the familiar lake loop.

we headed out about noon, letting it get a bit warmer before taking to the roads... my wife and i have very different ideas of what warm is - she tending to think anything below eighty is cold. luckily for me, it was sunny and heading towards sixty degrees.

the first part of the ride, up to the lake, was great. one of the nice features of the ultra classic is the intercom system. so we were able to talk to each other without shouting - and me always asking "what??!?" it was nice being able to point things out to each other and have a nice conversation. i'm going to have to research intercom systems once the ultra classic goes back home.

one the way up to the lake i got to practice taking pictures on the move and got some nice pictures...

when we got up to the lake, we stopped by an overlook to stretch our legs and take in the sites. i've been trying to talk my wife in to taking some photography classes. i believe she's got an eye for phtography and with some practice and fine tuning, she could be quite a photographer (instead of just a picture-taker, as she calls herself). it was nice to have her taking pictures, especially as we were riding.

after a little time, we started took off across the dam and on the homeward side of the loop. and some nice, windy, tree lined roads...

we made one final stop to grab some snacks and enjoy the scenery and the weather.

so after a few hours on the bike and a few minutes and two stops, we made it back home safely. it was great to spend time with my wife. can't wait for more rides with my wife...

and, to round out the post, a couple of accidental pictures.

smoke chasing 2013...

smoke chasing stops...

finally ridin'...

finally got around to riding again yesterday... i could make up a few thousand reasons why i haven't ridden - weather, busy, etc. but they would only be excuses.

yesterday marked the start of the 2013 smoke chasing season. so i headed out to one of my favorite bbq place - ole time barbecue. it was great to be back on the bike again!! can't wait to get out some more...

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 ...