4th of July/Princeton Flea Market

 What a screwed up week this was. For crying out loud we had two Mondays this week. The second one being Thursday after having Wednesday off for the holiday. Thursday really did suck in so many ways and Wednesday felt like a Sunday. Here's the deal. Its Independence Day so lets drop the whole 4th of July monkey business and celebrate Independence Day on a Monday or Friday so more of us can do a three days in a row vacation. This work two, take one off and then work two bullshit has got me constantly checking to see what day it is. I was surprised when I got a paycheck on Tuesday because it was actually Friday. I totally missed out on a fish fry because I thought it was Tuesday. After all this I'm sure next week is gonna feel like a nine day work week. Yesterday, (Saturday) I felt like I was playing hooky because I normally work Saturdays but had this one off and it felt like a Wednesday due to the 4th feeling like a Sunday. There was no Thursday and I can't even tell you what happened on the actual Monday or Tuesday.
 On top of all that, this entire summer is flying by so fast I can't keep up. Every time I blink its a month later except next week of course which will feel like an eternity. OK, rant over.

 So I told you that I had Saturday off. What did I do with it? Not a dang thing. At least nothing productive. The Day started out with my wife and I taking a stroll through the Princeton Flea Market.

 Its amazing the time some people will take to set up and display some of this crap. Don't get me wrong, there is some cool useful stuff to be had but much of it is pure dumpster material. I guess they're taking a chance that the initial shock of a piece of crap will trigger a purchase. I admit that some of the pieces in the following pics made it back to our home.

creepy

Monkey business

Cheese curds for breakfast? Yep!

High tech.

No thanks. Too much of a chance of zipping up something important.

These are now on display in our home. My wife says its art. I say creepy.

A twisted drive shaft. I wonder what the story is behind it?

This is my favorite shirt. My wife said it was too wrinkly but I wore it anyway. What a rebel.

 So after a day of flea markets, garage sales, antique malls and truck shopping, the evening ended on a farm in Wautoma and a good time was had by all.

Later.

Car Wash

 Friday night dinner in Wisconsin means fish fry and brandy old fashioneds or at least that's the way I see it. Follow it up with a piece of cheese cake and life is good. That's just what I did when my wife and I went out the other night. Because I was doing the drinking my wife was doing the driving on the way home. The evening was warm for February so we decided to run through the car wash and get some of that nasty salt rinsed away from the belly of the BMW.

 I had a good buzz going and decided it was picture time. See, ya gots yer basic vertical lines of suds...

 and ya gots yer horizontal lines.

 Then theres just a mess that doesn't go any particular direction...

 and don't forget the spot free rinse! But there is one application called a protectant that is the best of all.

 You know the one I'm talking about. Its the stuff that smells like bubble gum! It kinda looks like a frog with a stomach full of blueberries just blew up on your windshield but that doesn't matter. The sweet smell makes the extra cost of the deluxe wash worth it. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you need to pony up and get the deluxe or switch car washes to a place that'll hose your car with smurf spit.
 I've never washed the old Dodge. The inside kinda smells like ass so maybe I'll run it through the car wash and roll down the windows during the smurf spit app and then I can enjoy the smell on a more permanent basis. I'll let you know how that works out.

Later.

Snow Day?

 If things had gone as planned, I would not be posting this right now. Not because I didn't want to but because I forgot to write something last night. The weather prediction was for snow overnight and continuing all day. I was to come in early and start relocating the white stuff so people could better get around with their daily business. The storm tracked different and here I sit waiting for my regular start time to roll around on the clock. As I made my way around the internet as I usually do before leaving for work I remembered it is Wednesday and I need to make a post. The need to make a post is about me not wanting to slack off with this blog. I feel if I get lazy about doing it then maybe it will go away and I don't want that because its kinda fun to keep this journal of some of the crap I've been up to. My memory can be selective and sometimes I go back and read this and think "oh ya, I remember doing that" or "I could have done that a lot better". I realize nobody is gonna have a bad day if they don't get a Wednesday or Sunday edition of The Greasy Shop Rag.

 Look what came in the mail the other day. How long do you think I can go without removing the cellophane? That's the question I asked myself as I pondered what secrets might be written on the pages within. My curiosity got the best of me and I whipped out my pocket knife and sliced open the wrapper. The first thing I wanted to know was how many quarts of full synthetic I would need to purchase for my first oil change. It looks like I need seven of them and thats not a number I was expecting. The other day I was tagged on facebook with a chart of the most expensive vehicles to maintain and BMW was on the top of that list. I'm starting to see why.
 So far it has been a good car and the one day my wife drove "the ultimate driving machine" to work in slippery conditions she claimed it handled better than her "confidence of AWD" Subaru Outback. Maybe today she'll get another chance to try out its winter driving capabilities. She hates winter driving so I try to come up with vehicles that make that task easiest. I hope this one is a winner.

Later.

A Day Off

 Thanksgiving was on Thursday and the boss had given us Friday off, although I did work on Saturday. The point is that he picked the right day to close shop because Friday turned out to be a gorgeous day, so I took advantage of the nice weather to get in a bike ride.

  The first thing was to get the bike out. Luckily we left just enough room when pushing the dead Subaru into the garage. If I would have had to push it ahead any further it would have rolled over a small drop and the end of the concrete and I wouldn't have been able to push the car back in on my own. 

 The sun was shining and at one point the bike thermometer told me it was 64 degrees. Are you freakin kiddin me? 64 degrees on the day after Thanksgiving! I saw a bunch of riders out doing the same thing I was...taking what we figure is the last warm ride of the year. Come to think of it I saw more leather than I did blaze orange.

 Brown was the theme for the day. Except for a few pines, most all of the landscape was very winter-like without the snow. I pulled over a few times to take a closer look. 

 Not much to see here but sometimes just watching a river flow can be interesting. I didn't stick around long enough to get all philosophical and shit, just long enough to come to the conclusion that having a river in the back yard would be cool.

 Another quick selfie just to record the moment. The wind really raises hell with my beard. Its odd how the sun seems to make it look grey as well. Huh. 

 I didn't check the odo but I figure I rolled along for about 150-200 miles. I guess I timed things out pretty well because I pulled into the garage just before I would have had to make the switch from shades to clear glasses. I fear this may have been the last ride of the season but the bike is still accessible if we get another winner day. Of course the deal breaker is if they have to salt the roads before such a day. That salt dust just seems to get into everything and I'm not willing to ride the Ultra in it. The Rat and the Sporty are put away so as far as riding anymore this year, the end is near.

Later.  

Used Car Shopping

 I last reported of a blown engine in my wifes Subaru Outback. We've been going back and forth on what to do about that situation. Do we fix it? That ain't gonna happen overnight and carpooling together won't fly once the snow falls because we would then be leaving for work at much different times. We really need that second vehicle right away so last night we went car shopping. At one of the dealerships I was talking with the salesman about utilitarian, practical 4wd vehicles when I heard a squeal coming from the other side of the showroom. I pretty much knew I was wasting my time with the salesman because my wife had already found something she fell in love with.

 The car is a 2011 BMW 328i Xdrive. That Xdrive was my only real requirement for her because I truly believe if you live in Wisconsin then you should have all wheel drive. If you don't then you are slowing me down or creating a safety hazard for the rest of the folks on the road.
 The list of options is impressive to include a heated steering wheel. I've not been around many luxury cars and certainly no German engineered ones so shucks BillyBob, this is a new one to me.
 I never even considered such a vehicle as her replacement but why not? A used luxury sedan with all wheel drive and winter package is really ideal for our situation now that the kids are out of the house. She deserves a new one but this particular Ultimate Driving Machine is in our budget. We put a thousand dollars down to hold it and are going back today to take a closer look. My only concern is cost of ownership/maintenance but really its a crap shoot with any used car. Besides, if the lady likes it then she should have it.

Later.

National Mustard Museum

 Ya I had the same reaction as you just did. It was even worse when I found out that a visit to that museum was in my immediate future.
 We were enjoying brunch at the Hubbard Avenue Diner when the request was made by my daughter asking that we don't allow her friend Chayse to buy any more mustard. Really? How bad could it be? So what if he likes mustard. Following a nice visit and meal with family, we walked next door to the Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wi. Upon entry a greeter asked if any of us had ever been here before. She then spotted Chayse and dollar signs rang up in her eyes as she said, " You, you've been here before" as if they just recovered from his last visit.

 I'm not really sure what I expected to see. A couple squeeze bottles of mustard, maybe some Grey Poupon? What could possibly draw people to this place? Upon entry the first thing I noticed was there was a definite theme here. All yellow painted walls and shelves full of different flavors of mustard. I didn't know there were different flavors of mustard and to be honest, I didn't care. I don't like mustard.

   The entire upstairs of the museum is a store. They have all different kinds of mustard in every conceivable flavor. Who would spend money on something as questionable as Raspberry Mustard or Walla Walla Onion Mustard? How about Three Monkeys Mustard or Horseradish Mustard? Well, they have a tasting bar and after a visit I can tell you that I enjoyed the Horseradish Mustard and purchased some.

  Down stairs is the museum. One wall is dedicated to all types of mustard offered in the country and its divided by each state.

 This case is mostly just Wisconsin mustard. So many different flavors. I looked over a few labels and was surprised to see mustard from towns only ten miles away from me. Whoda thunkit?

 Some of us are much more passionate about our mustard and will do whatever it takes to get their fix. All in all it was a worthwhile experience and I'll be sure to stop back for some more sampling if I'm ever in the area.

Later.

Fall Slimey Crud Run

 Sunday morning I bundled up and rode the Ultra down to Madison, Wi to visit my daughter and have some breakfast. It was a cool ride and I was surprised to see a lot of other bikers bundled up and enduring the Fall temps. After the visit I rode to Leland which is the destination of the Slimey Crud Run. I arrived early like I usually do. I'd say there were only about thirty or so other bikes and that allowed me to park right in front. I like that because I usually just sit on my bike and watch the riders pass by.
 The internet can bring strangers together that may have never noticed each other. Upon arrival I was greeted by "Coop" of Coop's Corner. As we were chatting I noticed a burgundy Ultra roll up and it just clicked that this was Mark that writes another blog I follow called The Biker Wave.  If you tolerate my babbling on this blog then you'll enjoy the writings of these two different riders.
 I took a bunch of pics of bikes I liked but those are my favs...you may be into something else. Instead of posting those pics I'll just give you a 360 of where I was parked. This wasn't taken at peak attendance and I expected a lot more bikes considering the nice weather.

  In past years I've usually hung out pretty late but this year I got a bug in my ass to get moving. The weather was great for a ride and this is prime Wisconsin back road area. My mood was quite relaxed and on this day "prime back roads" meant scenic country rather than race track. I was pretty much alone on those roads for quite a while and enjoyed a quiet ride with great overlooks and fall color changes. For a while I was lost in all of it and achieved that nirvana that is so hard to find on a bike. I didn't let my guard down but there weren't any distractions to take away from the beauty of it all. The only sounds were the rush of the wind and the big twin thumping away. The roads were pretty smooth and the bike handled perfectly. Good bonding time with the Ultra.

Later.

Ride To Eat

 By early Sunday morning we could see the day was gonna shape up nicely into a good riding day. Where to go, where to go? That's always the question. The answer usually involves eating. If you're gonna go for any kind of long ride a meal usually lands somewhere in the time frame of that ride. With that in mind we just set a lunch destination and headed out. This time we chose LaCrosse which is a two hour ride on the interstate. Of course we didn't take the hiway and our route through scenic backroads took three hours. We arrived, ate and got back on the bike without even thinking about doing anything else. Besides the walk from where we were parked to the restaurant, no talk was made about doing anything else. We just needed an excuse to go for a long ride and this was as good as any.

 Yesterday after work it was quite warm. When I rolled up the drive and saw my wife sitting in a lawn chair I knew we were gonna go for a dinner ride. I swapped out the sportster for the Ultra and we headed out to Berlin to visit Brooke and Mike. The first order of business was to swipe some peaches from a tree in their back yard. After that we rode into town and enjoyed each others company and had a nice meal.

 Our ride home was decent. The temp had dropped into the upper seventies which actually felt kinda cool after the eighty something temps of the day.

 Locals will recognize this house and its location. My wife says it got in the way of a sunset pic she was after. Except for the fuzziness I think it turned out just fine.

Later.

A Dream Come True

  Sometimes after a day of work it's the little things that can make or break my evening. On the ride home there are two different spots where slower traffic is to move right and the flow of traffic continues in the left lane. The right will eventually have to merge into the left lane. Cops like sitting in these spots because they know stupid shit will happen here.
 In both these spots the speed limit is under 55 and then turns to double nickels after the merge. The problem comes when Lick Knobs use the right lane to pass and gain position on the herd. At the merge people get screwed up, blocked and start hitting the brakes. This sucks for everyone except the asshole that passed on the right. I can imagine the bravado they feel from such moves but I'm not impressed.  Is it wrong to wish ill fate on your fellow man for doing something as minor as a traffic violation?
 I've been pulled over in one of these spots for excessive speed. Nothing like passing on the right, just me rolling along too fast. Now every time I get passed in one of these zones I get pissy and wonder where Johnny Law is hiding. Probably stopping a bank robbery or pulling a kid out of a burning building. That's crap! I need him here to stop this caddy with out of state plates and let him know it's not ok to bring your big city attitude to our small community. I'm sure there must be an old Beach Boys song that covers the way I feel about this. If not, well this is me patiently waiting for justice:

 Well the other day there was a chance for my dream to finally come true. Joe F-stick with out of state plates pulled the "pass on the right" bullshit and guess who was waiting for him? That's right, the long arm of the law. Our speeder got on the brakes but it was way too late. He did have one advantage though, traffic was unusually heavy. The cop was sitting on the opposite shoulder and had to wait a long time before he could safely whip a shitty (execute a u-turn) and pursue. I was miles down the road and was giving up hope of my dream coming true when in the distance I finally saw his lights approaching.

 Some people say old people shouldn't drive. I don't agree and believe if everyone else just drove sanely then we could accommodate a few drivers with diminishing skills. I knew the driver of the vehicle behind me was an elderly woman because I saw her when I passed her on the right way back before the merge in the two lane traffic. I know, I know but this was different. A whole line of us went around her slow ass and nobody was in jeopardy of injury and nobody was speeding or breaking the law. She was just moving slow in the left lane and the thought of her trying to merge into traffic was scary.
 As the cop got closer I determined it was time to signal and pull onto the shoulder to let him pass. I was hoping the little old lady behind me would follow my lead but must have never noticed the lights or siren behind her because she was actually shaking her fist at me as she was passing me. I got to see that moment in her eyes as she noticed the cop behind her and that I was doing the right thing and she was just in the way. That was quite satisfying. It was also quite satisfying seeing the cop had the guy in the caddy pulled over up the road in the next county. I wanted to beep the horn or throw some confetti or maybe whale on one of those party horns that roll out as you blow into them.

 Nobody got hurt and it felt pretty good to see someone finally not get away with bullshit driving. A nice way to distract from the daily ride home.

Later.

Ebling Back Blade

 It started out innocent enough one day when I decided to mount the snow plow controller in my work truck in an unconventional location. I'm a "head hanger".  I like to crank the heat, roll down the window and watch the snow roll off the end of my blade. Ya, it doesn't take much to amuse me. My truck has a hand held electronic controller rather than a permanent mount like we had back in the day. In fact way back I had a jeep that just had a hydraulic hand pump mounted between the front seats. pump, pump pump on the handle till the blade raised. Turn a relief knob to lower it. "Hydro turn" used to mean you got a wet foot when you got out of the truck to manually pull a pin and turn the blade.
 The rest of the guys in the shop were giving me crap because I told them I leave the controller hanging on it's hook while I'm plowing. I hate fumbling with the controller and muscle memory allows me to always find the correct switch in an emergency situation. Trust me, when you plow for 8-12 hours or more in one sitting, you run into emergency situations whether real or self induced. So anyway, to get them to shut up I told them I've seen how slow they plow and if they ever advance to the next level they would know what I'm talking about. That started it and of course it didn't shut anyone up, but we now joke a lot about what level someone is plowing at. When I learned Greg had a break down during a sanding mission, I immediately sent him a text telling him losing a wheel drops you back a few levels from commercial snow fighter to mere plow jockey.

 The boss has decided to upgrade my plow truck. The old dodge I'm running has a power plow that extends from 8.5 feet to 11 feet. It also has a v-body salter/sander. The replacement Ford F550 will get those same type units installed plus an additional blade hanging off the back of the truck. We wanted something that would reach under the front of parked semi trailers and our choice was the Ebling back blade. This blade is 8 feet wide with a pair of 4 foot wings for a total width of 16 feet. Ya, thats a whole lotta blade!
 Of course when we decide to do something it never seems to come easy. Ebling doesn't make a quick attach mount for our model of truck so we had to order universal pockets that we welded to the truck.

This is the Ebling back blade in box configuration. We will pull loading docks with this.

A piece of C channel was bolted then welded to the side of the draw bar mount.

The other unpainted piece is the universal pocket that is the actual plow mount. It will be welded to the C channel.

Here is the blade mounted to the truck. It doesn't just drag behind, it also has down pressure.

Raised position

Fully extended to 16 feet.

 Worn steer tires on the back and we were still able to pull a full box of wet snow. I think I'm gonna like this truck.
 Back on the topic of controllers. This blade has its own, plus the one for the front plow and the one for the salter. We're also adding a rear facing camera. It's gonna be pretty busy in that cab and I'll show you how I dealt with it in a future post.
 Also, stay tuned for a post about how in the heck I'm gonna mount a salt spreader on this truck and not have the spinner jammed up in that box full of snow. We have to figure this out because failure to mount that salter is not an option and right now I only have a few unproven ideas.

Later.

Bumpy Ride

 We had a few days of snow, rain, sleet and general crap this past week and that meant I spent time in a plow truck. At times the snow was coming down pretty heavy and many people claimed they haven't seen flakes that big in a long time. I'd say the largest were sized anywhere between a poker chip and a bar coaster. For those of you that don't drink or gamble, that would be about the size of a key fob and a sport bike drive sprocket. For those of you that don't drive or fix sport bikes, they were bigguns. Ya I stretched the truth but it's my blog, I can do that. Call it fake news if you want.

 Visibility was crap but that really didn't seem to keep people off the roads. I think for the most part people got caught in it. We had a few 10 minute bursts that would produce an inch of snow for a total of three or four inches on top of the rain we had for the previous eight hours. It was a huge problem that still exists in gravel lots that are built up with ice, but I think we'll be able to clean those up this week as the temps are supposed to get into the 40's. I wonder if that will be some kind of record?
 During all this snowfall excitement we have to keep trucks moving in the loading docks at a nearby manufacturer. Sometimes it can be like a carnival ride.

 The asphalt is rutted from the trucks moving in and out of the same spots for years. This makes a pretty bumpy ride for the first few passes. Still, I wouldn't trade it for a desk job. In fact, it could snow every day this winter and I'd be fine with that.

Later.

Go Pack Go!

Workshop Wednesday-Did You Lose This?

 I know its not mine. I looked all over for a key switch or starter rope but found nothing. Musta fallen off someone elses truck cuz I can't seem to make it work efficiently.

 I might be willing to run this if we can find a cab and heater for it. Actually this isn't a real thing. We just pushed this lawn mower attachment in front of the fertilizer spreader to see if this was feasible. It's not but we're always looking for ways to multi purpose our equipment from season to season.
 This last "storm" really sucked. We only got a couple inches of snow but it was followed by rain that lingered on all day. Ground temps were below freezing and the ice layer kept building. Gravel lots turned to ice skating rinks or more accurately, bumper car arenas. Trying to keep up was frustrating.

 In other shop news, this appeared on the wall in the rest room.

 It's sad that we need directions for ass wipe but we must be employing a bunch of neanderthals that either have no sense of decency or have someone else wiping their back side and never have to worry about where the paper comes from. Perhaps they can't figure out how that roll is magically fitted over the roller. Either way, upper management is on the case and I trust this problem is over.

Later.

34 Degrees

 This was taken a few weeks ago on the ride to work. Whether global warming is fact or fantasy, the fact is that at some point the weather here in Wisconsin will go to crap and I'll have to store the bikes for a while. They haven't salted the roads yet so I'm still hopeful I'll get to ride to work a few more times.

  A lot of people strike up conversations proclaiming how lucky I am to be riding the bike this late in the year and what wonderful weather we are enjoying, unlike years past. Well I decided to scroll back a year in my blog posts and found I rode to work December 13th although the two years prior to last year don't look like they were as warm. When I say warm, I mean above freezing. If you can't tell what I'm pointing at in the pic, the dash reads 34 degrees.
 Those rides aren't as relaxing as I'd like them to be, mostly because I am constantly reminded by others that there are a lot of deer in the streets. These warnings are verified by the blood stains and carcasses I see everyday. Now I'm not saying I let my guard down during times of year when deer traffic is lower, I just ramp up the awareness late in the season. I suspect if it happens again, that is if I smuck a deer, it will be a lot like the first time. No time to react. I say that because I see and avoid deer all the time.

 This pic was taken last night on the way home from work. I kinda like the red, white and blue of the pic. If I would have realized it was gonna turn out this way I would have taken a few more and tried to get creative with it. Anyway, my wife is away on a cruise so I was in no hurry to get home and decided to bum around on the bike for what will probably turn out to be the last ride of the year. No moon, full display of stars and a crisp bite in the air. Best of all, no deer. I rode around till I was freezing my ass off and then parked the bike in the garage. I'll put the battery tender on it tomorrow.

Later.

SCR

 Sunday was the Slimey Crud Run, an event that involves a motorcycle gathering in Pine Bluff, Wi followed by a gathering in Leland. Whatever route you take from Pine Bluff to Leland is the "run" and it's not organized, chaperoned or even have start time.  It is what you make it. The draw for many is the tire kicking, bench racing and jaw jacking that goes on while the bikes are parked. Sunday my plan was to ride the sporty down with Dan but when he backed out I changed up my plan a bit. I rode the Ultra and later rode further to my oldest daughters house for a visit. The sporty may have made the ride but certainly not with the same comfort I enjoyed on Harleys finest touring rig.
 While in Leland I met fellow blogger "Coop" from Coop's Corner.  My memory isn't that good but besides JT who got me started in blogging, Coop may be the first blogger I've met in person. We didn't talk about blogs but we did talk about something we're both passionate about. Bikes, duh.
 There was a decent turnout of bikes but it was lacking in the odd stuff usually in attendance. There was one bike that caught my attention, not so much for the physical bike itself but for the whole package.
 This guy

 It's one thing to put a sidecar on your bike but something totally different to do it without any previous sidecar experience. Looking at the bike and mounts it was clear he built this on his own and to his own specs. I was parked next to him so I had a chance to hear his story and all I could do is grin and give him a thumbs up. Of course these projects are never done. I learned that a propeller may be in the works for this unusual rig.
 Speaking of grinning, I had a weird encounter while I was minding my own freakin business watching the bikes go by. A cop walked up to me and said "It's ok for you to smile". WTF? Now we're monitoring facial expressions? I smile when it's appropriate but I don't go walking around with a fake smile on like so many people do. If you see me grinnin you know it's real.
 Anyway, I was at a bike event so you know I was smiling on the inside and no court could ever prove otherwise.

Later.

Sunday Afternoon

 After the football game on Sunday my wife and I decided to go for a bike ride. What we couldn't decide on was where to go. With absolutely no destination in mind, I just started riding. Northwest seemed like a good idea. Back roads are in abundance in this direction and I just kept connecting quiet roads while we enjoyed the sunshine.
 At one point we passed through Mt Morris and went up to the county park which is on higher ground.

 I made good use of my selfie stick and caught an image of us getting ready to gear up and move on. As we passed through the small towns that dot the landscape, I was wondering how some of the footage I was capturing with the GoPro could be used in this blog. One idea was to do a two minute video on some of these places. Actually, I'd need a lot of filler footage to make two full minutes in many of these tiny towns. Anyway, each of these places has its own claim to fame...no matter how small.
 Saxeville is a spec on the map that we rolled through and I have a short piece of footage showing its main attraction.

 Its not much but its also something you don't see everyday. Later in the ride I saw a red squirrel and a big round bale of hay dressed up as a turkey. Nothing too exciting and I'm alright with that. It's really just about getting out and enjoying the ride.

Later.

Stress Relief

 Wednesdays plan was to sneak out of work early and meet my wife in Oshkosh. The problem came when I was stuck in the showroom with a customer. I say stuck but I followed through helping the customer with my usual cheery attitude.  Anxiety was setting in because I knew I would be late for my appointment. I hate that. Finally I was able to wrap things up and head out. Throwing a leg over the sporty felt good. I pulled the choke, thumbed the starter and made tracks. Immediately I started feeling better. No sense of urgency like before. Oh sure I was still running late but I know how to make time on a bike and still relax. The weather was very cooperative and everything felt right. It's amazing how a good bike ride can erase a day of bullshit.

 Traffic is gonna suck out there this weekend. Be alert. Our plan is to ride toward the Mississippi river and get lost. We're packing a bag just in case we get really lost.

Later.

One in a Hundred

 My wife has been self appointed as our road trip photographer as she rides on the back of the Ultra. Her mission is to whip out her phone and take a kazillion pics hoping to catch that one magic pic. Yesterday afternoon we were about an hour away when a storm front threatened to block our route home. This was a big angry cell and we could see a lot of rain coming down.
 We raced to get around the rain and were successful even with a stop to view an eagle dining on some road kill. Those pics didn't turn out but this gem was on the camera when we got home.

It's not really a pic of anything but I like it. For a phone pic at 60ish mph it turned out pretty good.

Later.

Wet Dinner Ride

 Saturday started out like any other day. Drag my ass out of bed and go to work. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. After work I discovered my wife went fishing so I decided to join her.

 No this wasn't a big fish. I must have caught a log with my lure and I ended up cutting the line. My wife had better luck and caught two fish. Our collapsible fishing poles that fit in a saddlebag work pretty decent.
 After a hard afternoon of fishing we decided to go for a dinner ride on the Ultra. When we left the house the sun was cooking pretty good but before we reached our destination things started looking gloomy.

 The weather pattern all week has been scattered thunder storms and tonight wouldn't be any different. Somewhere on the other side of those dark clouds was our dinner and I hadn't eaten anything but a muffin at breakfast. It was decided we push forward.
 As it turns out we made the restaurant just minutes before the rain came down and it's a good thing because it came down hard. It rained throughout our meal and we sat at the bar afterward waiting for it to ease up. Not so much for me, I don't mind getting wet especially when I know the next stop is home. The rain gear wasn't in the bike so I wanted to try to sneak around the worst stuff so my wife wouldn't be miserable. That plan failed and we had a 25 mile ride in the wet stuff. At least it wasn't completely dark yet. Wet glasses and night lights just don't go well together.

This is us once we got home. Wet. I think my wife has mixed feelings about riding in the rain.