5/23/09 Dakotas poker run

The day began with a phone call from Steve at 6:25 am. "Wanna meet for breakfast?",,Sure, meet you at Carl's in one hour. A sausage and cheese sandwich and several cup's of coffee later ,,we head for Dakotas. A quick stop at the atm, another for fuel, and we are there. Today I ride with my cohort in crime,,Steve, his girlfriend Patrice,,Wook,,and Big T ( Tim ) ,,,Tim is a friend from Leesburg Ohio, it is good to see him. The last time we rode together was the memorial ride last year.

We register, then walk around looking at the bikes in the parking lot. A vendor is setting up tables of saddlebags, riding jackets, helmets.

10 am we pull out, our first stop is in Jackson Oh. We ride through town to old rt 35 east bound. We take the old two lane to Richmondale where we have to get on the newer four lane. 25 minutes later we are in the Dakota's parking lot in Jackson. A short break and it's back on the road to our second stop, Waverly...

We head out of town on Beaver pike , "rt. 124" a two lane that winds through farmland to the small town of Beaver Ohio. We continue on to rt. 220 into Waverly. A short break at the waverly stop, long enough for a group picture of us. We stop for Wook to top off his tank, then back on rt. 220 west. We follow that to Idaho ,,a small burg in southern Ohio,,,where we pick up rt 124 again. Rt 124 will take us to our next stop in Hillsboro.

In Hillsboro we take a little longer break, quench our thirst and listen to the band. In Cahoots I think was the bands name. They were good, but it was time to go. Now it's Tim's turn to top off, then out of town on rt 50 east. It is a good ride, but very hot. The afternoon is leaving all of us red. I can feel the sunburn on my arms, face, and ears,,should have brought the sun block...

13 miles from Chillicothe , in Bourneville we see a fire truck, an ambulance ,,and three bikers. They were riding in the poker run, and left Hillsboro about 15 minutes before us. We never heard what happened, but it looked as though the one woman lost control on a rough spot in the road. The bike did not look too bad,,but the paramedics were putting a neck brace on her when we rode by. You could sense the mood change in our group, we were a little more alert, a bit more cautious after this. A great ride can turn into disaster in a split second. One pot hole, one distraction , and the day changes.

Back in Chillicothe we check in, draw our last card. What do you know, I have a flush. Patrice says I have the winning hand, but I am sure another rider will arrive with a better one. I have seen it many times, I can't win,,I know my luck. We enjoy the cookout Dakota's puts on for the riders, burgers, brats,,baked beans,,,oh was I hungry. They call the name of the rider with the winning hand,,its me!!! I am stunned, years of riding in poker runs and I have never won anything..until today...100 dollars,,oh yeah,,that will be added to my vacation fund,,because we leave in seven days. It was a good day, and a great ride. We say our goodbyes and go our seperate ways, ,, Wook heads East to Jackson, Big T heads West towards Leesburg. Steve and Patrice decide to ride to Columbus,,,and I head across town.

5/17/09 Adventures in your own back yard

Every now and then, things fall apart for the better. That was the case today. Some people could not make it, the place we were going to was to be closed that day. "we learn this an hour before departure time",,not good!! I was to meet Wook at Tim Horton's. I pull the VTX out of the building at 10:15 and get ready to go. The temperature is in the low 50's...I pull out of the drive and get underway, Wook shows up at 11:10,,,a little late,,oh well...Wook has his 10 year old son Keegan with him, poor kid looks cold. We ride out to Steve's house to find him and Patrice waiting in the drive. With our plans going south we decide to ride out to Jimbo's for lunch and ride the Hocking Hills area. Jimbo's is a long time favorite hang out for bikers. We stop to top off the tanks and get underway.

I am in the lead, wook is behind me and Steve bringing up the rear. We take rt. 159 out of town to rt. 180, turn right and towards Laurelville. I open up the throttle and bring the bike to 60 mph. At 60 mph the air feels cold, but it is good to be on our way. We roll through Hallsville and and its back up to speed . A cemetery on our left tells me over the hill is Adelphi, I know this area well. I roll off the throttle slowing the VTX to the posted 35 mph. A left turn and over the hill and we roll into Laurelville, where we pick up rt. 56.

Leaving Laurelville on rt. 56 east I cannot help but get a warm feeling inside despite the brisk temperature. The first thing I notice is an American flag waving in the breeze high upon a flagpole, then another,,and another. I see 5 flags in the first couple of miles, one looks new, another faded,,the next a bit tattered and worn, faded,,but still she flies proud. The next thing I see are the rolling hills of southeastern Ohio, in this rural and depressed area lies some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Before I know it, we arrive at Jimbo's. Time for a Jimbo burger, fries and a diet pepsi.

Lunch was great, and the company of my friends even better. We leave Jimbo's with full bellies,,stuffed is more like it. We continue on rt 56 , a small detour to Old Mans Cave. We stop to explore a little, do some hiking,,and see the lower falls. Wook's 10 year old son running ahead we trek down to the bottom of the waterfall,,what a site. But with the late start we find the day wearing on,,, time to roll..

Back on rt 56 we head east to rt 93. A right turn and we are now southbound, 10 miles to Mcarthur. A short stop there to say our goodbyes , Shawn (wook) and his son will stay on 93, Steve, Patrice , and I will turn on to rt 50 west. 30 minutes later the ride is over, it has been a great afternoon. An 89 mile ride I will remember for a long time

5/10/09 More like family

This is a bit of a different story. But a bike ride is involved. I have always been blessed with great friends. This story is about some of those friends . I do not have a lot of family, and the family I do have I am not that close to. The past 3 years or so I have spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas with people who are more like family to me than anyone I know. My friends Dale and Tammy, and for 3 years now Tammy has asked me to take her for a bike ride. I always said I would, but never got around to it. I don't know why, no reason for it other than I never made the time to do it. Sometimes we put things off , we all do it. These people have been such a big part of my life the past 3 years, I am ashamed of myself for not making time for this ride sooner. Sunday may the 10th, Mothers day, I picked Tammy up at 1:00pm,,,she said she wanted to visit her Mom around 3,,so we take off on route 50 west towards Mcarthur Ohio where we pick up route 93 north. We run rt. 93 north to rt.56 east. We follow 56 through the Hocking Hills area. When we reach Laurelville we pick up rt. 180 and run that back to Chillicothe. Not a long ride, about 89 miles,,It was a nice ride, the weather was a little cool but not bad. I enjoyed the afternoon with someone who is like family to me,,the sister I never had. I just hope she enjoyed the ride as well. She was a little nervous because she had not been on a bike in a long time, Tammy,,sorry it took so long to take that ride...

4/26/09 Amish country

Sunday the 26th, a few of us met for breakfast at 8am. we talked about where to ride,,we knew we wanted to go somewhere different. we decided to go up to amish country. at 9.06,,(six minutes late) Doug and Dawn show up. about 9:30we left chillicothe heading out on 159 to 22, we took 22 through lancaster . It was a beautiful morning, 68 degrees. just cool enough for a light jacket. we arrived in lancaster late morning. The sun was getting high and the temp was too. A short stop to top off our tanks, get a drink and put on some sun block and we were on our way.back on 22 east to to route 93 north, just outside of zanesville we take another short break,,,just to get a water and stretch our legs. I have always liked rt93,,but a few complained about the road having some rough spots. mid day we arrived in sugarcreek,,amish country. But being a sunday all the shops were closed. I missed a chance for a great photo in front of an amish church, lined with buggies out front. Truth is I was feeling to lazy to dig my camera out of my saddlebags. From there we headed out on 62,,stopping at pizza hut in millersburg for lunch. a big lunch, warm sun, made it hard to get the energy to ride " I wanted a nap" we took 62 into columbus where we lost 62 in the city,,oh well,,time for plan B,,we made our way through some very bad areas until we found rt 23(high street) to 104 south. We arrived back in chillicothe around 5pm,,tired and sunburned,,but what a great ride...

4/19/09 Day Ride, first of the year

It was a great day for a ride. My buddy Steve, his girlfriend Patrice and I rode out to Doug's place to start the day. We arrived at Doug's house around 11:30 that morning, his brother John met us there. We stood around visiting with John, Doug, and his girl Dawn for 15 minutes or so then took off. We made our way to route 28 and turned the bikes west. Route 28 is a nice two lane that runs through farm country and a few small towns. about 25 miles into the ride we come into the town of Leesburg Ohio when Steve notices his rear brake is getting hot and beginning to smell. We stop to look at the problem, sure enough the rear brake is dragging, it became so hot it discolored the wheel. We dig out the tools and Steve adjust the brake. With the brake adjusted, we turn south on route 62 to Hillsboro, getting hungry we stop for lunch at Ponderosa. It was a great time to socialize with each other. After lunch we met a group of riders in the parking lot, talked with them for awhile before heading out. Leaving Hillsboro we take route 73 north. We ride about 40 miles to Ceaser creek state park. The ride up route 73 was a nice one, the sun was shining and the air was warm. It was a little more than we thought as we all were sunburned. Once at the park we stop for a few pictures and to enjoy the scenery . Then it was time to head for home, we decided to take the quick way as it was getting late in the afternoon. We made our way to route 35, a 4 lane highway. Boring but the quickest way home. It was a short ride, about 150 miles, but we had a great time.

2/15/09 Easyrider Bike show Columbus

Well it's winter in Ohio,,,in Feb. that means only one thing...The Easyrider Bike Show in Columbus Ohio,,,,Yes it's the same thing every year,,,but its winter in Ohio,,so we go...It is the only bike action we can get this time of year..Other than spending the cold months planning next years rides. So here are some pictures from the show.

Vacation 08 day six

Up early today, but spend the morning milling around the campground. Every gas station in the area is out of fuel and the VTX is on fumes,,not good. We hear a station 20 miles away has gas,,I buy a gallon of gas off the owner of the campground,,what a great guy,, he saves my hide that morning..The VTX gets an average of 43 mpg. The town is only 20 miles away,,but if we do not get there before they run out I am in trouble. We make in time, but have to wait an hour in line for fuel. I make a call to Tn. I am told finding fuel there is not a problem,,great!! Back on the Blue Ridge to finish that part of the ride,,we stop at the highest point for a picture,,then off to the Smokies.

We stop in Cherokee for lunch, and to top off our tanks. We make our way to Robbinsville NC. where we pick up the Cherohala skyway, ride it to the end in Tellico Plains TN. We turn our bikes north to Maryville Tn. where we find a hotel and call it a night. It has been a great adventure..but in the morning we head home..At the hotel we drink a cold beer and talk about what a week it has been,,,a bit sad about the trip coming to an end.

The next morning,,we head north to Ohio,,,,8 hrs later I pull into my drive...

vacation 08 day five

Man its cold, we crawl out of our tents around 530am at Otter creek,,temp in the high 30s. Head down to the restroom wash face and hands, break camp load the bikes and look for a hot cup of coffee. The campground had a store with a small restaurant, yes coffee and hotcakes. We meet a nice older fellow from Great Britain. He told us he comes to The Blue Ridge every year to ride his bicycle and camp. I hope to see him on a future trip, he had a lot of stories.

We finish breakfast and head out, stopping at Otter lake for pictures...The fog rolling off the lake. Today is a big mile day, cool weather did not stop us from making good miles. Mid day the sun is out,,open up the throttle,,and look up just in time to see a bear run across the road right in front of me...Brake,,downshift,,breath....a mile or so down the road I pull over at Mabry mill to talk with Steve,,let the heart rate come back to normal... What a rush!!! We take a short break, grab a snack and get back on the road.

It is getting late when we arrive at The Blue Ridge Campground, 9 pm.. We are cold, almost out of fuel,,and hungry. This is a motorcycle only campground,,what a great place. We rent a cabin for the night,,because tomorrow we have a new problem..fuel. A recent hurricane has left the area out of fuel...

vacation 08 day four

Day four, we wake up this morning in a cheap hotel,,head out to a little mom and pop diner for breakfast. We had dinner here last night when we arrived in Front Royal, good food and cheap prices,,our favorite combination. Pack up and head out,,Today we start out on Skyline drive, a two lane motorway that will end at the north entrance of the Blue Ridge parkway. It is a cool, damp, and foggy morning on the Skyline. We struggle to see , visibility is less than a quarter of a mile. We pull into a rest area to warm up and take a break, talk to some other riders and then back on the road. You really have to watch out for the wildlife in the area, several deer run near the roadway, and some cross right in front of us.

We exit Skyline drive on the south end, wander into town for lunch. After finding a small BBQ joint that has just opened a week or so ago, we decide on that is the place. It was a great choice, with our bellies and fuel tanks full, we enter the Blue Ridge parkway and head south. The scenery is beautiful, without a doubt some of the best riding we have done.

With late day coming on fast we decide to look for a place to make camp. Otter Creek campground. " the place where we learn the meaning of the term back country camping" No shower house, and only cold water to wash with in the sink at the restroom...

Vacation 08 day three,,Gettysburg

Day three, Monday morning. We do laundry, and break camp, Time to tour Gettysburg before turning south. Much like DC, I am thrilled to see the sites, and wish for more time there. To see the battlefields and the visitor center and museum. This is an amazing museum, if in the area do yourself a favor and go. They have a restaurant where you can order civil war era meals. We have lunch there, tour some of the monuments and the cemetery before leaving.

Todays ride will be a short one, Front Royal VA.

Vacation 08 day two,,DC

We wake up early Sunday morning, a quick breakfast at the campground and we are ready to roll. Today we are just planning a short day trip to Washington DC. Things did go a little sideways as Steve and I became separated. We did meet up in DC, but he got there two hours after I did. It was a real thrill to tour our nations capital, to see the monuments. I am going to go back when I can spend more time there.