| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Counting My Blessings It’s raining. It’s been raining for days. The remains of Tropical Storm Gordon (or Barful or Rancid, or…) are sitting over southern Illinois and we’re getting a steady heavy rain. According to the Channel 12 weather, the 24 hour accumulation at the airport broke the record at the airport by a half an inch and there’s another hour yet to go. The street outside my house looks like a fast flowing creek. Of course, during the thunderstorm the other night, it looked like a fast flowing river; but that was over pretty quickly. This is a steady thing. To complain about the weather would be foolish. It rains a lot in the Ohio River Valley. When I moved here, I knew that. Lawn sprinklers are almost unheard of around here. A month or two ago, the talking heads on the local news were complaining that it hadn’t rained for a couple of weeks, and their lawns were turning brown. Personally, I think brown lawns are very pretty. So how is this a Blessing? Well, it helps me to stay indoors and keep my leg up. The pain in my knee had grown over the past few weeks until it resembled a toothache. I finally gave in and went to the Doctor on Friday morning. The fact that I was up until after 3:00 AM from the pain helped to push me to keep the appointment. He stuck a hypodermic needle in the most sensitive part of my knee and injected some steroids. I didn’t know that I could both levitate and hold my bladder under such conditions. He also gave me a script for Prednisone and sent me down for some X-rays. I found that if I sit on the recliner, the pain lessens; so I’ve been parked there and either reading a book or watching the Idiot Box. David lent me Avengers: Infinity War, and I also watched some cooking shows on PBS and a couple of other movies from my DVD collection. My meals have been easily prepared things that require little prep work. I tend to make enough of something to freeze three or four meals worth, and eat that for a month, so all I have to do is nuke it. Last night, I had pulled pork and some Kuners of Colorado Chili & Cumin beans. I think it took me five minutes to toast the roll for the pork, heat the pork and heat the beans. Tonight, I’m going to have Beef Stew or maybe a Sausage Burger (Italian sausage meat in a 5 oz. patty with Provolone cheese, mustard, sweet pickle relish and Tabasco Chipotle sauce). I watched the ½ Mile from Williams Grove, PA yesterday. The rain that’s been hitting here was mostly missing them, but the radar showed it was going to start around 8:00 PM, so they ran an abbreviated and accelerated program to get the race in. I expected that the race would suck, but it was a real barn burner. Two Brothers, Briar and Bronson Bauman, finished first and second. And they both had to work for it. It was Bronson’s best finish in a National Twins race. Jeffrey Carver was running fourth and looking like he was going to be able to pass Jared Mees and get third, when his Indian died with two laps to go. There was action happening throughout the field on a very rutted and difficult track. I watched it on Fans Choice TV live, but I think NBC Sports is going to show it in a couple of weeks, or so on Cable. If you have even a mild interest in Flat Track, check it out. Another Good Thing that happened yesterday is that my Chineseium tent lantern arrived. It compacts into a short cylinder that’s (roughly) 1 ½ inches tall by 3 inches in diameter. It expands to about 5 inches tall and throws a good bit of light. And it cost less than ten bucks, delivered. One other Good Thing about the crappy weather is that the Roadster is still clean and shiny. It would be nice if it could stay that way until I head out for Colorado on Friday. Maybe the rain will quit soon. I think I’ll put the highway bar and pegs back on before I head out. Having another place to put my feet is a good thing on long rides; and it’ll only take an hour or less to do. My knee is hurting a lot less than it was on Friday morning. The pain isn’t completely gone, but it’s much duller. I’m almost tempted to do something like put the highway pegs on the bike, but I think it would be wiser to spend another day on the recliner. I’d rather spend a day of bored and restless inactivity than have to give up the trip because my knee hurts too much to ride. I’m really looking forward to this trip. I’ll probably write about it in my next Snippet. | ||
| Tootal |
Well according to Google Maps you're 6 hours and 44 minutes away taking Hwy. 50 across. The good news is you gain an hour coming West so more time for BBQ! I'm hoping your knee gets better every day. You're giving me an excuse to clean out the garage which is a good thing. I think that's why I have parties. I need an excuse to clean the house! Safe travels! | ||
| Ourdee |
I said,"IF YOU NEED HELP, JUST CALL". Amazing how deaf old people get. | ||
| Froggy |
Old people get really stubborn too! | ||
| Ourdee |
Tell me about it. | ||
| Ourdee |
 | ||
| Crusty |
Ourdee; My brother David has been helping me quite a bit, and he lives less than 15 minutes away. I'm not slighting you. I'm just an independent old fart Oh; I really don't like that projected storm path much; I hope Florence stays on the more eastern end of that track. Froggy; You're right. I didn't get the name Crusty by being a soft, whiney marshmallow; even though I can be all of the above on occasion. | ||
| Ourdee |
Ya know I'm just bustin for show. I didn't want to post the storm path, But, I didn't know if you had seen it yet. Could change what you wear on the way out. | ||
| Crusty |
Well; I'm hopefully heading west on Friday morning. That's if my knee has stopped hurting by then. I'll have my rain gear with me. Hopefully, I'll ride out of any rain that makes it to me pretty quickly. I'll have a good assortment of gear to wear. I'll bring my Gerbings jacket liner in case it gets cold and/or wet, as well as sweatshirts and a new waterproof Firstgear jacket. I've ridden in Colorado in September; I lived in Colorado Springs for four years and I know how crazy the weather can be. Not just rain, but I might even encounter snow. I've ridden in snow in August in the mountains there. But if my knee doesn't get better quickly, It will all become moot. Right now, I couldn't ride all day long and then set up camp. I vacuumed the living and dining rooms today, and that had me back in the recliner in significant pain. I really hope there is more noticeable improvement by tomorrow. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Looking dry and hot out here next week. Might get a little rain tonight, might not. Low 90s to low 80s Lows in the 50s Z | ||
| Crusty |
LATEST FORECAST ________________________________________ 6:30 AM - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2018 MORNING: Cloudy and foggy. Low: 58° MONDAY: Cloudy and foggy in the morning. High: 68° TUESDAY: Partly cloudy and foggy in the morning. High: 76° After over five inches of rainfall, you deserve a break, and you'll get one for the next few days. No further widespread flooding is expected but there will still be locally high water around some roads when you head into work or school today. You'll be fighting fog also at times, with a deck of clouds over us much of the day. And it looks like another day in the 60s! Considering all the 90s of last week it is safe to say that "Gordon" changed us tremendously but not for long! 80s makes a return on Wednesday. Above average temperatures will be here by Thursday with the heat lasting into the weekends. Thankfully, we are pretty dry too so you will have a chance to dry out through this weekend. Weather Headline: Hurricane Florence is forecast to hit the Carolina coast Thursday into Friday. At this time it is *not* expected to be a big factor for us. We may see clouds but no rain expected unless our very southern and eastern most counties get clipped. We will keep you updated! I really like this forecast. Now, if my knee will just quit hurting, I’ll be able to ride to Colorado this Friday. I haven’t really written much about this trip. I’ve been planning it all summer long, and I’ve mentioned it a few times in Snippets; but, like all trips, the details keep changing and evolving. It started when I got an offer to have my expenses paid if I rode out to Colorado for my birthday. The Thin Air Band was playing that night, and Susan (the lead singer) offered to pay my way. So I checked out how much it would probably cost and decided, “No, it was too large of a gift”. Then she told me that the other guys in the band really liked me, and that they would also kick in and she wouldn’t be footing the cost alone, and that got me thinking. As time went on, the idea kept looking more attractive and I slowly started planning how I’d want to do it. I’d gotten pretty sick of getting on the Interstate and just slabbing it, so I decided that since US Rt 50 runs from Cincinnati to Montrose, that would be a great way to go. I could take a few days and see some new places and get a little camping in. Then, I was talking to Melia in Queensland, and she told me that she was coming back to Priest Lake, Idaho to visit with her parents for a month in mid-September, and it only made sense that I should ride up there for a short visit. I mean, I’d already be halfway there, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back to Australia. But, as it got closer to the date I was going to go, a little more research had me really thinking. The average low temp in Priest Lake was right at the freezing mark. Since I’m going to be camping, I really don’t want to be cold all the time. And I remembered just how rough the weather was in 1977, when I was working there. I really don’t want to break camp in the snow, and that’s a real possibility. I checked out motel prices, and it would be very expensive; well beyond what I can afford. So, after talking with Melia, that leg of the ride got cancelled. I may still get to see her and Kayla, her granddaughter, but that’s a subject for another Snippet. Still, I love Colorado, and I love riding on U.S. Routes and it’s a long enough ride. (about 1500 miles each way). I’m planning to stop the first night in St. Louis and eat BBQ and sleep on Greg’s couch, and I’ve been checking my favorite campground locator site (http://www.uscampgrounds.info/) for suitable places to stop. It’s looking like the weather is going to be nice, so now all I need is for my knee to stop hurting. Hopefully, it will today or tomorrow. It would be nice to see Susan and Dave and the two new members of the band (Steve, the Bass player is out getting chemotherapy) and I enjoy listening to a bunch of old geezers who are still playing music, having fun and even have their own following. | ||
| Ourdee |
Sleep with pillow under knee? | ||
| 86129squids |
Surely the shot and Prednisone will do their thing in time... without going back through your Snippets, what did you do to your knee? Hope you get to feeling better ASAP. I'm not sure, but I think my plantar fasciitis is getting a little better... not limping too bad this morning. I've got a high pain threshold, hate when something really pushes it... I can sure sympathize, buddy. | ||
| 1313 |
Hurricane Florence is forecast to hit the Carolina coast Thursday into Friday. I'll be able to keep you all updated on that. Assuming I still have power, internet, ability to use my cell phone... | ||
| Ourdee |
Supposed to be dry in Indianapolis till Saturday. Saturday, we get a 30% chance of wet. | ||
| Crusty |
Anticipation I was able to get out and about on the Roadster today. My knee hurt while walking or standing, but it was OK on the bike. I didn’t try to work on the bike (install the highway bar & pegs, or the exhaust clamp). I figured that waiting ‘till tomorrow was a wiser choice. Pork tenderloins were on sale when I stopped at Meijer, so I bought three pounds and put them in the crock pot with some McCormick’s BBQ seasoning. I now have a few meals worth of pulled pork. I’ll have some for dinner tomorrow, and I’ll freeze the rest after portioning it out into containers. Tomorrow night, I’ll make a bunch of beef stew, then do the same with it. That way, when I get back, there’ll easily prepared meals waiting. I like crock pots. I’ve also been looking at maps. It’s looking like I’ll try and camp at Marion Reservoir in Kansas and Lake Pueblo in Colorado on the way out. I’ve decided that on the way back, I’ll take a very different route. I haven’t sorted it out completely yet, but I want to ride US Rt 60 over the Mississippi River into Illinois for a short distance (under a mile), then over the Ohio River into Kentucky. Three states in two miles or so. I did that going the other way back in 1979 and I tried to do that in 2015, but the bridge over the Mississippi was closed for construction. Once in Kentucky, I’m going to ride to Owensboro and check out the Statue of Nicky Hayden. There’s a pretty good chance that in some areas of the ride, I’ll have to do a bit of Interstate, but it won’t be much. I’ll be seeing the heartland again. The closer this trip comes to reality, the more pumped up I’m getting! Well; it’s almost midnight. I’d better get some sleep. I’ve got quite a bit to accomplish before Friday Morning. | ||
| Ourdee |
WooHoo. | ||
| 04buell |
Our door is always open if you need a landing site here or there or anywhere!! | ||
| Crusty |
And Now, A Word From Our Sponsors… I post these snippets on a couple of different forums in threads titled, Crusty’s Travels. I try to keep them relevant to various traveling aspects of Motorcycling, but I do occasionally drift off into other areas. This morning, I’ve got a bug in my ear about advertising. Since I’m not doing much pertaining to my upcoming ride to Colorado until later on, I think I’ll rant a bit about customer service. Back in 1998, I needed a new pair of winter gloves. I’d been wearing a pair of insulated leather gloves for about 6 years, and they weren’t as warm as they had been. A major brand (I won’t name them, but their logo has the letter a and a star) had a set that really appealed to me. The gloves consisted of an outer shell, a Gore-Tex liner and a fleece-like inner glove. They looked like the ideal winter setup. They were expensive, three times what my leather gloves cost, but I figured my hands were worth the expense. When I got them in late October, they appeared to be everything I’d hoped. They were warm and waterproof and I wore them happily until the end of November. Then, the material of the outer shell was shredding. It looked like it was pulling apart from the seams. So, back to the shop where a phone call was placed and they agreed to replace them. The useless gloves went back, and a few weeks later, the replacement gloves arrived. I wore them for about another month, and the same problem surfaced. The shell was pulling apart. So another call was made. I got a Return Authorization Number and wrote it on all six sides of the box and sent the gloves off. After hearing nothing for a few weeks, I called to see what was happening. I talked with an arrogant jackass who wanted to know exactly what the RA# was. I hadn’t written it down for my own records, but I told him that it had been written on all sides of the package. He acted like I was some sort of scumbag who was trying to take advantage of them, but he did agree to send out a replacement pair. I got them a week or so later, and, like the first two pairs, they pulled apart in about a month. By then, the winter was about over, and I figured that if I got another replacement, they’d do the same thing, so I just dropped it. By the way, those old leather gloves lasted me about ten more years. They weren’t waterproof and they could have been warmer, but they were durable. However, I carried a sour taste in my mouth for a long time after that phone call with the twerp and how I was treated. I will not buy anything with their brand on it. They sold me inferior, overpriced junk and didn’t stand behind their product. And I will relate my experience to anyone who I think is considering one of their products. They aren’t the only products I won’t buy. There’s an economical line of gear that really looked good to me. Both my wife (at the time) and I bought their touring jackets. Mine was never waterproof, right from the start, and the material on the sleeves began to wear and “pill” within the first few weeks of use. My ex’s jacket pulled apart at the seams. I doubt that the jackets would have offered any protection or abrasion resistance if we had had an accident. I’ve bought several different items from them over the years and I’ve had problems with almost everything I bought. Either they didn’t hold up, or the sizing was off. I finally decided that enough was enough. There’s a premium manufacturer of riding suits that has an almost religious following. I eventually bought some of their gear. However, it has proved to be a major disappointment to me. They have good Customer Service, and some good products, but their main product just doesn’t do it for me. I don’t mind paying a Premium price for quality, but when I can find superior quality for 1/3 the price, I’m going to go for that. Over the years, I’ve found gear that really works for me. It may not fit anyone else’s image of what riding gear should look like, but I like it and I’ll wear it. The best winter gloves I’ve found are made by Carhartt. The best summer gloves are Elkskin Gauntlets from Aerostich. The best textile jackets have been made by First Gear and the most comfortable helmet for me is a Schuberth. All of the above gear is durable, and I would buy it again. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Sorry to hear your story about the star gloves..I have a nice winter pair that I've been wearing for...oh...eight or nine seasons now, with no issues other than the fact that I should probably wash them one of these years. I will say I've had outstanding luck with Klim gear. Pricey, but they have a free replacement in case of accident, and the jacket certainly did its job when I drove through Bambi this spring. If I hadn't slid feet-first (or if I'd hooked the jacket loops to my pants like you're supposed to), the jacket wouldn't have pulled up and I'd have had zero issues from that 300' slide on pavement. And, they replaced it for free. "Send us photos...ok, cut it in half so you can't use it again and send us that photo...ok, here's your gift certificate code for the website". Outstanding experience (well...other than hitting the deer in the first place). And their modular helmet, which I now wear, weighs over a POUND less than the Neotec I used up in the accident. And a pound lighter than Schuberth. Nice and quiet too. | ||
| Ourdee |
Also need an update on the knee. =] | ||
| Crusty |
My knee is a bit better today. I don't think it'll be a problem while riding. I'm having spells where it feels back to normal, but then it'll start aching again. However; even when it's aching, the pain isn't that bad. I'm keeping a very low profile today and spending a lot of time on the recliner reading a book while the crock pot turns a mix of meat and vegetables into Beef Stew. Tomorrow, I'll be a bit busier; I have to do some laundry, hit the ATM for cash and pack the bike. Then, on Friday Morning, I'll be On The Road again! | ||
| Crusty |
Real Quick I'm in Seymour, Indiana. Lots of road construction on US 50. The weather is warm and sunny and my knee hurts, but not a lot. It's fairly comfortable when I put my feet on the highway pegs. I should be at Greg's house by dinner time, though. I'm On The Road again! | ||
| Ourdee |
Welcome to my lovely State. I have returned from a short ride for fuel and a hair cut. Just put another log on the fire. Have to keep my coal bed going to consume all the brush from my back fence row. I may go out later for a slushy of some fruity flavor. May be strawberry. Say hi to Greg for us BadWebbers. Crusty, Try some raw cherries for a few days. See if that helps the knee. | ||
| 86129squids |
 My cherry tree put out about 25-30# of cherries this year, yum! Got frozen cherry hand pies and lots of canning done.  | ||
| Tootal |
Well Crusty is back on the road. Had a great visit and then we rode Southwest of St. Louis until Rt. 50 hooks off the interstate. Now 50 will be hills and curves instead of 11 curves in 318 miles! | ||
| Crusty |
Linn, MO I’m about a hundred miles west of St. Louis on US 50. This is going to be brief, ‘cause I have a long ride ahead of me today. But; here goes: US 50 across Indiana is one construction zone after another. If Greg (Tootal) offers you a place to stay, take him up on it. I had really good BBQ, then he took me over to a friend’s Garage Night where I met a bunch of really decent people. He then drove me by the Budweiser Plant, where he used to work. It's something like 100 city blocks in area. Mike Kerrigan would have been out of his mind in ecstacy. (Mike loves Bud and even has the logo tattooed on his arm). Greg also showed me around the city and it left me with a very favorable impression of St. Louis. The capper was that he has a very comfortable recliner and I slept like a baby in it. I like sleeping in recliners, and Greg’s is definitely a cut above. This morning, after feeding me and giving me good, strong coffee, he led me through the City to where US 50 breaks away from the interstate. Greg is definitely a Good Host. My impression for today is that people in Rural Missouri have an aversion to traveling at or above the Speed Limit. For the first half hour on US 50, I was behind one car or another that was doing anywhere from 5 to 15 MPH below the limit. So far, the weather is flawless with only a few puffy clouds. I’m taking a short break, then I’ll be back out there. I’m riding through the heartland and I love it! | ||
| Crusty |
I have a Migraine. It started this morning and the pain is very annoying. Fortunately, I had a bitch of a migraine a couple of weeks ago, which means that this one will be nowhere near as bad. Still, I don’t feel good. So I made the decision to hit the Motel 6 in Emporia, KS. It’s got a cheap rate and it’s less than an hour from here. Right now, I’m having a cup of coffee because it might help with the pain (sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn’t). On a positive note, my knee hasn’t bothered me all day. I think it’s getting better. Oh; I’m over the halfway point, so I won’t turn back. I am now committed, or should be. | ||
| Tootal |
Either your knee feels better or you can't feel it over the pain in your head!! That really sucks, I'm sorry you have to deal with it. You made good time for a "non" interstate. You must have passed all those lolly gaggers! Well have some dinner, relax and get a good night's sleep. I hope your better by morning. | ||
| Ourdee |
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