It's 7:45 am and I fire up the VTX, I am on my way to Bob Evens to meet a group of friends for breakfast then a ride to Springfield Ohio for a motorcycle swap meet. The temp. is a cool 41 degrees, going south on bridge street I look over and see Marty waiting in the parking lot. As I turn into Bobs I hear my cell ring. It was Roger saying he would be a few minutes late because he ran out of gas by the market. (I thought this market sold gas) Marty and I chat for a few minutes, then Ronnie and Rhonda pull up, then Lance..we decide to go in and get a seat and a cup of coffee. The hostess sets us at a large table in the back as we are expecting 8 or 9 people this morning. Within minutes Doug and Dawn arrive, and Tim Johnson is with them, I get up and say hi and shake his hand,,its good to see Tim this morning,,I did not know he was coming with us.
Where is Roger? I thought he would be here by now. I give him a call to check on his progress. Remember the market, they don't sell gas!!! Crap, he is trying to push his bike a good mile or so into town. I tell him I am on my way, Lance Say's his truck is close by he is going to get it, a can of gas and meet me there,,,so we are up and out. As I pull out I see Steve pull in. I find Roger about mile from the gas station, looking tired , sweating and breathing hard,,Roger is 70 years old, barely 5 foot tall and weighs maybe 125. He also has had open heart surgery and has a mechanical valve in his heart. He is pushing a vtx 1300 that weighs around 700 pounds. Roger is a good friend and a personal hero of mine. At 70 years old he drives for FedEx , has two motorcycles and rides a lot. He also had his pilots licence and owned planes. This man has led an interesting life, and I always enjoy hanging out with him. We talk for about 5 minutes when this big white Dodge comes racing up,,Lance jumps out can of gas in hand,,a gallon of gas in the tank and the vtx roars to life,,,a quick stop to fill the tank and we head back to Bob Evens for some biscuit's and gravy.
After breakfast we load up and head out,,route 35west to county road 550. The sun is out and the temp. is rising,,it's gonna be a good day. Heading towards Frankfort 550 is a nice two lane road, all of a sudden brake lights come on as two deer decide to cross the road right in front of our group,,shit!! that could have been ugly. A quick stop in Frankfort for Doug and Tim to top off and we are back on the road. 14 miles and we are in Washington Court House , there we pick up state route 41 north. Route 41 will take us to the Clark county fairgrounds for the motorcycle swap meet, with just one stop for a restroom break , and a chance to shed a layer as it is warming up. "this is where I get teased a bit for wearing so many layers,OK,,I hate being cold".
We arrive and park the bikes, a couple of hours of walking around looking at old motorcycle parts, (junk as Doug calls it) and Roger has to leave. Marty and I decide we will ride back with him, we say our goodbyes and head back,,it was a good ride, a good day,, and time well spent with friends
