| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Camping I enjoy camping. Somewhat. I also enjoy staying in motels. Somewhat. Both have their positive and negative aspects. The biggest positive about camping is that it costs a lot less than even a cheap motel. The biggest negative about camping is the time to set up and break down the tent and sleeping gear (bag, pad, etc.). Also, having to get dressed in a tent can be a bit of work. Usually, there are showers available in most campgrounds, but not always and sometimes, even when they are available, I wouldn’t want to use them. Still, I can park my bike right beside my tent, which is a big plus. I enjoy sleeping in my tent. I’ve done it enough that it’s home to me. Motels are a lot more convenient, in many ways, but they’re relatively expensive. When I was Tramping in 2015, I averaged one night a week in a motel. That seemed to be about the right combination of campgrounds and motels. When everybody went to Springfield for the Memorial Day Mile, most of us stayed at the Route 66 Motel. I had stayed there a few times over the years and had really liked it. The most vivid memory I had of the place was coming out of my room and seeing a pale turquoise plunger frame Sunbeam motorcycle in a glass case. There was a late 40s Indian Chief up the hall and a 50s Ford F100 pickup on a raised area out in the back parking lot. The rooms were nice and, though it cost a bit more than Motel 6 or the Red Roof, I considered it worth it. After this year’s visit, I won’t stay there again. The place has really gone downhill. I would consider the Motel 6 to be almost luxurious by comparison. Plus, I came home with fleas, which I’m having a hell of a time getting rid of. I have enough bites on my ankles and legs that I could use them as a display of the craters of the moon. I’m not alone in this, either. I know of at least two others who stayed there who also have been getting bit. This morning, I started pricing rooms for the rescheduled Mile and the regular races on Labor Day weekend. I checked with several sites and they’re costing more than three times what it would cost me to camp. So, I’ll be bringing my tent and sleeping gear and staying in the campground at the Fairgrounds. When I was on the road, I stayed in some pretty sketchy campgrounds. But I never had to deal with fleas. They just didn’t get into my tent. I sleep well in my tent, it costs less and I’ll be right there in the Fairgrounds. It’s cheaper and closer. And if I have to walk (or ride) to the bathroom/showers, that’s OK with me, as well. Fifteen bucks a night and no fleas beats the hell out of sixty seven bucks (+tax) and free critters. Jerry & Carol; I don't know, at present, just what's going to happen. I suspect that the short track races will be moved up a day to Friday since the rescheduled Mile is going to be on Saturday. But I don't know. Before my plans get any more specific, I need to wait for more information. | ||
| Ourdee |
And quit raining it did. Then it hit 90 degrees.  I told them I would be back another day to finish. | ||
| Ourdee |
Here is a thought, I didn't bid the job. Material showed up and I just started installing it. I wonder how much I'm being paid. | ||
| Ourdee |
I also just realized I've been posting this on Crusty's thread. My apologies Sir. | ||
| Tootal |
Got a job offer for you Crusty!! https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/17/us/reynolds-wrap-ri bs-job-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2d_qwSJsbkGIb5Q3 m3Y8q47Bpdxro8Q4ubvfxggQoAZk11fDXT6Wh13lk | ||
| Ourdee |
Crusty, Pick me, pick me. | ||
| 86129squids |
Hell's Bells!! Why in the F did that just get posted yesterday, with TOMORROW as the deadline?!?! DANG. $5K a week to travel with a companion across the US, judging BBQ ribs??? Looks like there is work involved though... | ||
| Ourdee |
Only 2 weeks of traveling. | ||
| Crusty |
It was posted as news on CNN's site. It's probably a pack of fabricated lies. Still; it would be fun! (Message edited by Crusty on June 19, 2019) | ||
| Tootal |
 | ||
| Ourdee |
Guess where I am.  | ||
| Tootal |
Crusty's kitchen. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Hey, I've had coffee in that coffee shop! | ||
| Ourdee |
This guy was pouring.  What an enjoyable day. | ||
| Mnscrounger |
Hmm..looks like there's still room for an S3 with wide bags in that garage. | ||
| Ourdee |
Yalp | ||
| Crusty |
So There I Was… This morning, I was sitting in front of my computer and looking at weekly ads for the various Supermarkets. I was making shopping lists. On Monday, I get my Social Security deposit and I was seeing who had the sales. As I always do, I looked out the window when I heard a motorcycle. I figured it was one of the regulars who come by here, but it wasn’t. The sound got a lot louder, and when I looked, I saw a bike coming up my driveway. I saw a tire sticking up behind the rider, so I thought it was somebody who wanted me to do a tire change for him. Then, I looked a little closer and I recognized R.D. The tire I saw was on a wheel. R.D. had come across a set of Sportster wheels that somebody was going to just scrap, so he grabbed them and brought them to me. He came in and we sat and drank some of Kenya’s finest coffee and shot the bull for a couple of hours. We discussed all kinds of things. It was a good old fashioned Rap session and I think R.D. enjoyed it as much as I did. Among a whole lot of topics ranging from work, drunk drivers, motorcycles, and a whole lot more, we discussed the Labor Day weekend Springfield races and camping. We decided that we would split a site with electric; that way, he’d have power for his C-PAP. It’s going to be a full weekend with two Miles as well as a Short Track. Right now, it looks like we’re going to ride out on Friday and stay until Monday morning. As usual, anyone who wants to join us is welcome. When I was first moving into this house, two years ago, R.D. came down from Indianapolis and helped me unload the U-Haul truck and get everything inside. When we were done, we went out to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. He remembered how much he liked the meal and was in the mood for Mexican, so he decided to bring me the wheels as an excuse to go out for lunch. Plus, with all the liquid sunshine we’ve been getting, he was feeling a bit of Cabin Fever, so a trip to Cheviot seemed like a good idea. So, R.D. arrived; we sat and drank coffee and shot the sh*t for a while, and we went out for lunch at the Cancun restaurant. I got a monstrous burrito that negated any idea of fixing something for dinner. At almost 8:00 PM, I’m still stuffed. R.D. also got a burrito, but it was a different item on the menu. I’m pretty sure he liked it. He said that next time, he wants to try chicken instead of steak in it. (There, R.D., I just reminded you) After R.D. left, I decided to run a couple of errands. I was just rolling down the driveway when my phone rang. It was Joe. We firmed up plans for me to ride up to his house this week and he’s going to weld the broken frame bracket from my accident. he also has a highway peg bar to replace the one that got bent up when I went down in March. It will be nice to have highway pegs again. It helps a lot to have different places to put your feet on long rides. I also want to see Joe’s new bike. He just bought a 2005 Roadster that’s mostly stock. I’m curious to see what changes he’s going to make. Like Vern, he’s a master at bodywork and paint, so I don’t think it’ll remain the stock color for long. Especially since he’s already said that he doesn’t care for the stock paint. That’s the beauty of Sportsters; they’re infinitely changeable. They’re the easiest bike to modify and personalize. Nobody leaves theirs 100% stock. The huge aftermarket proves it, as well. All in all, it was a magnificent day. Not only was it the first sunny day in over a week, but it’s the first day of Summer, a good friend came down and visited and brought me a set of wheels and took me out for lunch and another good friend made plans with me to help me get my bike sorted. Tonight, I really feel Blessed. | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
the campsite might end up being split into thirds if everything works out for me getting there  | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
John, thought you might like a pic of my Roadster that is almost complete for touring. I just need a small rack for the rear to lash the kayak bag.  | ||
| Crusty |
Steve; it looks good! What kind of bags are those? Mike; I hope you're able to make it. With three of us, the site will cost peanuts! Well; I think it's $25.00/night, but divided by 3 that's only 8 bucks each. I suspect that there'll be others who want to camp, as well. If so, we'll just have to get a couple of sites side by side. (Message edited by Crusty on June 22, 2019) | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
They’re the painted Viking lamellar bags. Not plug and play on the Roadster. In my next life I would probably go with fabbing Givi mounts, although I am happy with the results. | ||
| Crusty |
Fast vs. Slow This week, I’m heading up to Joe’s house and he’s going to weld my broken frame bracket for me. It’s a fairly basic and simple route, so I probably won’t get lost. Anyhow, since I was already using Google maps, I started plotting out a route to Weedsport, New York. To avoid using Interstates, Google has me taking an incredibly complex zigzag of routes. That’s a recipe for disaster. Google has blown it a few times in my past. When I was looking for the Hoosac Tunnel, it wanted me to turn onto a road that didn’t exist. I wound up in some farmer’s yard with unfriendly dogs barking at me. The worst time was when I was going from Two Wheels of Suches (Georgia) to Fayetteville, North Carolina. After following the directions for over an hour, I discovered that I had gone in a circle and was only a few miles from where I started. And, I got lost in Lexington, Kentucky after the Red Mile last month when I zigged when I should have zagged. I use Google, but I don’t completely trust it. Anyhow, in looking at the map, I got hit with a sense of wanting to take the fast route. Just get on the bike and Go! That’s counter to the whole idea of this trip. I could ride straight to Weedsport in a day; I did that last year. But if I do, I’ll miss seeing places I’ve never seen. This is going to be my Major Ride this year. The idea is to get as much out of it as I can. I want to take my time and see parts of Pennsylvania and New York that I haven’t been to. It’s beautiful country with nice roads and interesting things to see. If I just jump on the Interstate or Thruway, all I get to see is Service Areas and Toll Gates. I have an itch to eat at the Diner that was engulfed by the Blob. I know it’s in Pennsylvania; I bet I can find it online. If I can’t hit it on the way out, then maybe I can on the way back. This Country is an incredible place with so many interesting and beautiful places to see. I have the time to slow down and enjoy what’s out there. Why miss it? | ||
| Court |
>>>This Country is an incredible place with so many interesting and beautiful places to see. You got that right . . . preparing for an epic road trip in a couple weeks that includes Suches, Franklin, BRP, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and tons of back roads. Never gets old. Mapping software has taken me some odd places , , I use it but also bought a collection of large print paper maps, | ||
| Tootal |
Agreed, Google Maps is great when trying to find a place in a city you've never been to but when planning a long trip there's nothing like a good map so you can see the whole picture. | ||
| 86129squids |
Good on ya fun and safe Court, have a fun and safe trip! Hopefully you can get some Jim's BBQ just up from TWoS, when you hit the BRP, see if you can stop at the Wheels Through Time MC museum, as long as it's not Tuesday (IIRC they close that day). You're a great photographer, you'll want to get pics of all kinds of stuff there. | ||
| Crusty |
A Good Day Yesterday, I rode up to see Joe. He had offered to weld my broken frame bracket, plus, he had a highway peg bar similar to the one that was on the Roadster when I crashed. I had to time my arrival for when he got home from work, so I went with Google’s route. It was basic and only involved two main routes and I didn’t want to get lost or otherwise lose time. I mean, he was going out of his way to do me a favor; I really didn’t want to hold him up by arriving late. Everything went smooth, and I arrived at Joe’s house about 45 minutes early, which was what I was aiming at. Joe got home from work and after a little bit of friendly conversation proceeded to start on the broken frame piece. I did my best to be helpful without getting in the way. The job turned out to be more involved than I originally thought, but Joe did everything in a smooth manner and did it right. I checked out Joe’s new bike and I have to say, it looks pretty nice. He doesn’t like the color. he thought it was black from the photos when he was looking online, but it’s a dark grey with a kind of metallic dust color. It took a few pictures, but I finally got one that didn’t look black. It’s a tough color to photograph and I’m not an ace photographer, still I managed to get one shot of the tank that looks grey. Anyhow, Joe finished the job and it looks really good. After he finished, we went out to a local BBQ joint for dinner and I decided that the weather was too nice to not enjoy, so I rode home. After a very pleasant Summer Night’s ride, I arrived home at 1:04 AM according to the clock in my garage. You know; that description of the day sounds pretty bland; it was far from it. I had a thoroughly wonderful time. Joe and I talked about all kinds of stuff, I enjoy watching someone who’s really good at his craft, and Joe definitely is good. Good conversation alone was worth the trip. I guess that’s why I like Meet & Eats so much; but watching a Master healing my Roadster also was a treat. Other notable take aways were that there were a number of speed traps on US route 30. I saw about half a dozen on both legs of the trip. I had mentioned it to Joe, and he warned me that was normal and that I should keep a close eye on speed limits. The limits tend to drop from 70 to 55 for no apparent reason other than Revenue Generation. On the way home, I noticed that that was where the speed traps mostly were. Another take away involves a pet peeve of mine, and that’s the price of gas. I saw gas prices ranging from $2.44 to $2.79 for regular. And when I stopped about halfway home at a “cheap” station, they wanted $.80 more for Premium. 80 freakin’ cents per gallon more! I sometimes wonder why I don’t get a kiss when I fill up. A short while back, I mentioned that I felt Blessed and I got a response that I WAS Blessed. That’s the truth. I have people in my life who genuinely like me and want to help me out. I’m not really sure why, but I really do appreciate it. So; to summarize: I rode 250 miles, spent a few hours with a friend who helped fix my ailing Roadster and then rode another 250 miles home on a magnificent summer evening. Life is Good. | ||
| Crusty |
Joe; looking at the Roadster:  The repaired and painted bracket:  Joe's new Roadster (Notice that it looks black):  The best shot I got of the tank:  | ||
| Ratbuell |
The black pearl is a nice color and it has one YUGE benefit - doesn't show dust, doesn't show scuffs Court - you better swing through MD on your journey....depending on when, you could stumble on Ma Goetz and her 82nd birthday celebration, or maybe get a VIP pass to a fun lil' rock gig. All depends on timing! | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
That's the same color my '06 Roadster was. I kind of liked it. My new Roadster is black denim. Needs some Von Dutch pinstripes in my opinion. | ||
| Crusty |
. (Message edited by Crusty on June 30, 2019) |
