| Author | Message | ||
     Buellish |
John,I just got off the phone with Carol,the woman that handles bookings for TWOS and asked her if the main room of the lodge was off limits.She said "when you rent a lodge room you get access to the bathroom,kitchen and the living room".She also said that earlier this year during the pandemic,that there was some some ambiguous language on the website,making people think that the lodge rooms were not available.She kept getting calls from people trying to cancel their reservations because the lodge was closed.That was not true and had Bill correct the wording on the website. Ok,I reread your post and I think your referring to the dining room and your correct,we can't use it but what's to say that we can't go upstairs in the lodge and hang out a bit?Or spend more time around the fire? I'm with the famous Frog,if you don't come,the event will not be the same and we will have to come get you! (Message edited by buellish on September 29, 2020) | ||
| Crusty |
I just spent the past hour packing. I'll be there. | ||
| Pwnzor |
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| Ourdee |
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| Buellish |
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| Crusty |
Cumberland Falls I’m in the campground at Cumberland Falls. I’ve got a good tent site and the tent is set up. The weather is nice. There isn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature feels like it’s in the mid-70s. There’s a bit of wind, but it isn’t that bad. Tonight, it should be in the low 60s when I go to look at the Moonbow. The Falls are about a mile away from here. There’s a trail right across from my tent that says it’s 1.25 mile if I care to hike it. The idea appeals, but I don’t want to hike a mile and a quarter uphill in the dark with bears around. There are several warning signs about the bears around the campground, so I think it would be wiser to just ride down. When I was researching the Moonbow, I read that there are only two places on the planet where you can see one. One is here, and the other is in Africa. I can’t say if that’s true; it seems to me that there should be several locations on the Earth where the phenomenon is visible, but if so, I haven’t heard of any others. In any event, I’ve never seen a Moonbow; so even if there are thousands of places I could witness one, I haven’t been there at the right time. I’ve had a lot of internal resistance to coming here today. I don’t know why. I had to push myself out the door, this morning and I was coming up with all kinds of reasons to blow coming here off. Right up until I was on Rt. 25 heading for the State Park. But I’m here and I fully intend to ride down to the falls around 9:30 to see it. I’ll write more later. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
The largest Jeep Jamboree in the country is right down the road at Williamsburg. I've been lucky to attend it twice. Beautiful area for sure and I hope to go back. Now I have another reason, Thanks Crusty! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Wow, Crusty... I'm jealous right now. Try and get a picture of that moonbow! | ||
| Ourdee |
Life is good.  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Ummm... where is that? | ||
| Ourdee |
Campfire story | ||
| Ourdee |
I went to Twos last week and had booked a room online around Christmas. Pay pal took the money but had a mis communication with Two's computer system. So, Two's booked my room to some one else and they were all the way booked when I got there Wednesday. Bill the owner is very upright. He refunded my deposit then let me stay in his private cabin a half mile from Twos for free. I don't have the words for how appreciative I am. Please, Pray for his' wife Kathy. She has cancer. | ||
| Crusty |
Somewhere Over The Moonbow I’m in a funk. My Writer’s Muse went on vacation and I don’t know if he’s coming back. I don’t feel like writing at all. For that matter, I’m feeling particularly antisocial. To quote Lou Reed, “You can all go take a F***in’ walk!” However; in spite of that, I do care about my friends and they are expecting me to write about my trip. Especially since I said I would. So, after making four serious attempts and not finishing any of them, here’s my fifth try. It was an unusual trip for me. While I had been really looking forward to going, as the time approached, I didn’t want to go. I was looking for reasons to not go. Johnny Winter did a song on his album Second Winter titled, I Hate Everybody. I don’t hate everybody, but I want to be alone; like Greta Garbo in Grand Hotel. I pushed myself out the door on Wednesday morning and rode down to Cumberland Falls State Park. I got a campsite and set up my tent and waited for dark. When sunset approached, I rode down to the Falls. The parking area was pretty full with cars. there were a lot of people who wanted to see a Moonbow. I followed the path to the falls, picked a spot where the Falls and the mist were clearly visible and stood there and waited. The moon came up over the hill behind me and I could see its light hitting the side of the gorge alongside the river. As the moon rose, the light moved down toward the water and the Falls. Eventually, the falls were brightly lit. I was looking at the mist and I saw an orange-ish glow and wondered if that was the Moonbow. A woman near me announced excitedly that she got a picture of it with her phone. I looked and it was clearly visible on her phone, but it was still only an orange glow to my unaided eyes. It was a disappointment. After forty years, I finally saw it and it was unimpressive. Oh well. So I slept in the campground then headed for Suches in the morning. It was a pleasant ride, for the most part. I had to get gas at a little gas station in Turtletown, TN, as my Low Fuel light had been on for a while. I wound up sitting there for an hour. A truck was filling their tanks and they wouldn’t pump gas while that was happening. It took the truck an hour to pump 2500 gallons of Ethanol - Free gas. While I waited, I ate a bag of BBQ chips and drank a can of Pepsi. Finally, I got gassed up and with a strengthened resolve to put the bigger tank on the 16 continued on my way, arriving around 2:00 or so At Two Wheels of Suches. I set my tent up in my usual location and kicked back. The whole weekend, I was out of sorts. My riding skills were with my Writer’s Muse in (I think) the Bermuda Triangle. I couldn’t ride for shit. I just sat at the back of the group and watched everybody pull away out of sight. That was the way everything felt all weekend long. TWoS is my favorite campground anywhere, but I wasn’t enjoying being there with my friends. I thing the restrictions caused by the Wuflu had a good bit to do with it. We couldn’t eat in the Dining Room. All the meals were “To Go” We could sit at picnic tables outside, but not at tables inside. It dampened the atmosphere for me. Saturday afternoon, Matthew walked up to me and told me that my presence was required at an Executive Committee Meeting. We had discussed the possibility of maybe having a get together in July when the weather is warmer, and I thought that was what he was referring to. It wasn’t. They had two cakes and a card for me as a surprise Birthday Party. To quote Melia, “They got me!” I was blindsided. Everybody had signed the card and I felt humbled. It really is nice to have friends. Even when I’m way off my game and want to be alone. Or maybe especially when I’m off my game and want to be alone. I rolled out of TWoS on Sunday morning at 10:00 and headed for home. The trip home was in keeping with my attitude. The traffic going through Knoxville was miserable. I had stopped at a Macca’s to get lunch and there was no place where I could sit. Even the outside tables were taped off, so I just continued on my way. Then I stopped at a Shell station to gas up and while the price for Regular was $1.94/ gallon, the price for Premium was $2.99. I didn’t get either gas for the bike or fuel for my body there. I had better success a few miles further North. I got 93 octane for $2.54 and I got a McDouble and a Senior Coffee at the Macca’s beside it and sat at a table inside. At about Mile 40 in Kentucky, all northbound traffic came to a stop. We sat there for an hour. I had my bike shut off and my kickstand down and was nodding off the whole time. It wasn’t a power nap, because I wouldn’t let myself fall asleep. I figured that if I did, traffic would start moving and some idiot would probably run into me. When the traffic finally started moving again, I never discovered exactly where or why it had stopped. As I reached Lexington, KY, it started raining. My jeans got wet before I had the chance to put on my rain pants. My legs were cold until I got home 100 miles later. I didn’t take a single picture. I had the camera with me, but I never took it out of my pocket. Matthew posted some photos on Badweb and Froggy put some on Farcebook. To sum it all up briefly, It was a crappy weekend for me. I love my friends and I love TWoS, but my head was not in a good place. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
To sum it all up briefly, It was a crappy weekend for me. I love my friends and I love TWoS, but my head was not in a good place. I can relate to this... its been a crappy year for sure. There are a lot of people in this boat... just waiting for the red skies at night. It's going to get better! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Sailor's delight! | ||
| Two_seasons |
"Sailor's delight!" How you know that Willis? Loose lips sink ships  | ||
| Pwnzor |
How you know that Willis? All the males in my family who are members of the previous generation to my own were sailors. Naval, fishermen or both. With the exception of my father, he was a foot soldier. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Of note: I possess the skill of terrestrial navigation by way of stellar observation. | ||
| Crusty |
Bah. That's nothing. I possess the skill of terrestrial Navigation by means of paper GPS. | ||
| Tootal |
Ha! I have the keen ability to turn beer into urine. Sort of like how Jesus turned water into wine...however, Jesus is a lot more appreciated than I am! | ||
| Ourdee |
I'm staying out of this pi...ng contest. | ||
| Crusty |
Rainy Day Dreaming It’s a grey day. Supposedly, it’s going to rain, but it hasn’t started yet and looking at the radar, I think most, if not all, of the rain will stay south of Cincinnati. But I’m staying inside. I know that if I go anywhere, it’ll pour on me. That’s OK; I don’t mind holing up in my house. Still, I’m doing things to pass the time. I’ve looked at Mustang Vintage Wide seats (the price hasn’t dropped, but they now have them in stock); I’ve looked at various Detachable Sissy Bars on fleaBay. I’ll probably go with the $200 black one. It comes with everything - bar, luggage rack, side plates, pad and docking kit. There’s one for $107, but it’s pure Chineseum and I don’t really trust it. There’s no way that I’ll spend over $500 for a sissy bar from the MoFoCo; especially since I can get the exact same thing for 60% less. I’m also thinking about a black crash bar. I have the Kuryakyn Mustache bar for the highway pegs, but I think a crash bar might be a better idea. I could mount additional LED driving lights on it, as well as highway pegs. That won’t happen until much later, though; well after the Gentleman’s Express is a reality. When I was at Two Wheels of Suches, last week, I took a hard look at my camping equipment. My sleeping pad needs to be replaced. It was a great pad, but it doesn’t want to hold air like it used to. I’d get another pad just like it, but they quit making them. REI has a self inflating 4 inch thick pad, though that might be something I’d like. That’s probably what I’ll wind up getting. I’ve also been over on Diamond Brand’s website. They made my Marine Combat tent. It’s flat out the best tent I’ve ever owned. But it’s starting to show its age. There are a few small holes in it and one of the poles is starting to split lengthwise. I’ve used it for over five years, and I got it used as Surplus. A new Combat 2 tent is only $250. That’s a real bargain. I wonder if the new tents will also have the USMC logo on the inside of the door like mine does? I also need a new camping stove. The $7.00 Etekcity stove has lasted me for 5 1/2 years, but it doesn’t deploy like it used to. I have to fiddle with it now to get it set up, and I never had to when it was new. The price has gone up; a new one now costs $11.00. Considering it has a piezo-electric igniter, it’s still one hell of a steal of a deal. And Amazon still carries them. After my Prime membership expires next week, I’ll probably get one to round up an order so I get free shipping. These are just a few of the things that I’ve been doing this morning. It’s a pleasant way to pass the time until 3:30 when I can watch practice for the Charlotte 1/2 Mile. Last night’s racing was intense; it literally had me on the edge of my seat. I hope tonight holds more of the same. And the sun just came out! (Message edited by Crusty on October 10, 2020) | ||
| 86129squids |
Just caught up with this thread- been dang busy to the point of exhaustion. At this writing I'm feeling well, but not 100%. Good enuf. Sorry to read the confirmation of what I'd suspected- trips like these can easily go south when one expects them to be awesome. But hey, you made it, and had Jim's BBQ and Bday cake, so it was worth it, no? I too had been wavering on whether it was a good/bad idea to go, given the COVIDamned world we live in now, but when Eric said his son Lee couldn't use the 2nd bunk in room 1 and offered, who am I to say no...? My ride back to Knoxville is nowhere near as long as most of youn's, but due to late nites around the fire, early rising and a poor night's sleep Saturday, I was dang near narcoleptic riding home. Multiple stops and energy (yuk) drinks pulled me through. I personally had a great time, other than being Mr. Derp and running out of gas. But hey, with our group there's always some kind of snafu, so I guess I just did my part to amuse everyone. (Other than Matthew, I think I slightly aggravated my buddy.  ) Hope/plan to see all youns in what's GOTTA be a greatly improved new year 2021! | ||
| Pwnzor |
...maybe, you're a Rain God... and the clouds are your followers.  | ||
| Crusty |
The Faster I Goes… …The behinder I gets. That’s how it feels turning the Roadster into the Gentleman’s Express. It just feels frustrating, sometimes. And it feels expensive. When I started making changes, David suggested that I keep track of how much I spend. I didn’t. I know I’ve spent over $1000.00 so far, but it’s not even close to how it will look when it’s done. Wait; that’s not true. Once the paint is done, it will look a lot closer and better. But there’s still some pretty expensive items that I need to get. The seat I want is now listing at $299.00; a $30.00 jump since last Spring. The Sissy bar I’ll probably get is right at $200.00. I’m going to replace the Speedometer/Tachometer, because I can’t see the LED numbers during the day. That’s going to cost three hundred bucks. Plus I haven’t paid for the paint, yet. Ohhh; my aching wallet! By the time I’m done, my four year old Roadster will cost as much as a brand new Roadster. However; she’ll be the bike Harley should have built and not just a monument to Form over Function. It will be a blending of both; beautiful form that works. There’ll be no “skunk stripe” down my back if I get caught by the rain. My wrists and back won’t hurt if I ride for more than 20 minutes, my butt won’t be sending shooting pains up my spine after a few hundred miles and my clothes and tools will be dry inside the hard bags. That’s what I need to focus on. After the paint is done, the changes should be a lot simpler. They’ll still be expensive, but they won’t require nearly as much mental exertion. I’ll need to figure out what changes happen in what order; like should I get the seat before I get the new Speedo/Tach?, but they should all be Plug and Play. I’m hoping that I can get the remaining parts for painting to Joe soon. Then it will be just a matter of waiting until he can perform his magic. It’s all coming together; step by step and inch by inch. Maybe when it’s done, I should ride the Express to Niagara Falls! | ||
| Crusty |
Guilty; Your Honor I feel like Lou Costello this morning, “I’m a ba-a-a-ad boy!” I did something I said I wasn’t going to do. Let me explain. I spent a good part of yesterday looking at alternative speedometers. The stock Speedometer on the 16 is almost unreadable during the daylight hours. The sun has to be in the right part of the sky for me to be able to read how fast I’m going. I spent most of my trip to and from Buelltoberfest swearing at it and I posted about it on the XL Forum the other day and got suggestions about getting the accessory Speedo/Tach from the MoFoCo. If the accessory had a black bezel, that would have been the end of my search. but it only comes with a chrome bezel, so I started looking online for other Speedos and found one from Koso that will do everything I want and it has a black bezel. The piece from H-D looks a little nicer, but it has that chrome bezel. Both are Plug-n-Play and both are roughly the same price range (a bit over $250.00). So I put that on the list of things I want to get. I’m now at the stage where most of the changes after the paint will be Plug-n-Play. But they won’t be cheap. I looked at everything and decided I’d make the changes in an orderly, logical fashion. Paul has two Vintage Wide seats for his bikes, and he offered to loan me one until I can afford to buy my own. I turned down the offer because I have the Chinese knock off seat and I’m not going to be taking any long rides for a while, but that spurred me into looking at Mustang seats again. They have them back in stock now, but the price has gone up to $299.99 (Why don’t they even the number out? the freakin’ seat is 300 Bucks!) plus tax and shipping. Tax alone is 21 Bucks. However, I did the search a little different when I was looking and I found a place that was selling my seat for $270 (269.99) and no tax and free shipping. That’s $50.00 cheaper. In a moment of weakness and desire, I bought it. It was too easy; just click the PayPal button. As I was doing it, I knew I shouldn’t, but I went ahead and bought it anyhow. Now my credit card balance is up another $270. I’m starting to believe that I’m never going to let myself get it paid off. No. I can and will get it paid down. I just let my desire to get the Gentleman’s Express finished override my better judgement. I’ll be free of the furnace payments soon and I’ll apply that money to the card balance. That will be a tremendous help. In about a week and a half, I’m going to hand off my parts to Joe and he’s going to do the paint. Everything’s all coming together. I’m anxious and excited; the Gentleman’s Express is about to become a reality! | ||
| Ourdee |
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| Zac4mac |
I resemble that. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I fight the credit card bug by...not using it. I use my debit card, linked to my checking account, that way the money HAS to be there for me to purchase. I do have a credit card, I reserve it for food and fuel and I pay it off every month. Dad (CDR-USN/Ret) was German, and a CPA. I learned (the hard way) early on about these things, and have yet to break the habits he ingrained into me. The only time I ran up a balance on the card was when I was renovating a house for sale, and I KNEW I was going to get enough in the sale within 3 months, to pay off the card. | ||
| Crusty |
H-D = Hundred Dollars? The jury is out for a couple of items. The first is the Mustang Vintage Wide seat that I ordered last week. It turns out that Mustang’s website lied. The seat is not in stock and the pleasant woman I talked to at Mustang said that even though they’re telling folks 6 to 8 weeks, it’ll probably be longer. That leaves me up in the air as to whether I should just wait or if I should cancel the order. I can live with the increase in my card balance, but if I cancel my order, it’ll probably cost me over $50.00 more when I do order one in a few months. I was thinking that maybe I should just cancel and use the money to buy a speedo/tach. When I looked at the pictures of Harley’s part, they show it on an Iron. The speedo mount is different; it angles the instrument up a few degrees more than the mount on a Roadster. That means that it would be more in my line of sight. Maybe I don’t need an accessory Speedo after all. maybe I’ll be able to see it better. So I went online to Ronnie’s Parts Finder and priced out the parts I’d need. When I totaled them up, it came to 99 bucks and change. I don’t know if the new mount will resolve my ability to see my speed, but it should help, at least. If nothing else, it should help me see the indicator lights (Idiot Lights) better. That’s one thing that really annoys me when I’m on the 05. I can’t see the neutral light during the day unless I stand up and lean forward so that it’s in a direct line with my eyes. When the first engine in the 05 died, Guido asked me if the oil light came on. It might have, for all I know, but since I was riding down the Interstate, I couldn’t tell if it was on or not. I don’t usually stand up on my footpegs just to look at the Idiot Lights. The Speedo bracket from the Iron tilts the speedo and the Idiot Lights, as well. I think I’ll swing by the local stealership and take a good look at an Iron. If it does line everything up with my eyes, it’ll be worth a lot more than just the Hundred Bucks. But I won’t get one until next month at the soonest. Like the moral at the end of the Little Rascals, “I’ll never play hooky again!” (Stupid spell check changed hooky to hockey. Sometimes it can be a Royal P.I.T.A.) I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t run the card up any higher than it already is. Right; and the check’s in the mail and I won’t… oh; never mind. Maybe I shouldn’t go looking. I might do something rash that I’ll regret. Hey! the sun just came out. Maybe I should go for a ride. If I go over to CinCity, I could just look. The little airhead at the Parts counter probably couldn’t find the parts on the fiche reader if they jumped out and bit her. That alone would keep me from ordering them, let alone not wanting to increase my card balance. It would be better than just sitting on my butt in the house. I think I will. |
