Foggy Ride this Morning

Well, this morning was an interesting ride. It was dark and really foggy. So as you can imagine that since motorcycles don't have a windshield defroster they will fog up pretty good. Well, Big Red did. So I had to ride a little slower this morning and try to see over the windshield. It was about 55 degrees so the ride was pretty nice if you like to be warm and ride blindly. Actually, it was good practice. I never know when I will run into a bad whiteout.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Ride on 62

It was a another nice day to ride. The high was about 68. So after work I took off on a nice little 73 mile ride down Highway 421 to highway 62. It was a nice ride and very little traffic to worry about. It did take me a little longer than I thought it would. I rode for about 1.5 hours. A lot of the trip was through some small towns like Trinity and Thomsville. I decided to head back on business 85 to end the route. Slick was gone and she was not able to ride with me, but I can see me taking her on the 62 route to Burlington from home. That would be a nice ride for a short day trip.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

After Work Ride

Man it was a nice day to ride but I had to work. I got off work (if you want to call it that) at 3 pm and decided to take a little ride to clear the head. Believe me, I don't work hard enough to have to clear my head. It is just an excuse to ride. The weather when I got off work was in the low 70's. Perfect weather for riding. I took a trip down highway 311 and through Archdale and back home on highway 220 north. It was about a 50 mile ride. So far in the last 5 days I have put 647 miles on Big Red. Actually Big Red needs an oil change.

My goal next month is to ride over 1000 miles for the first time.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Saturday's Ride to VA

Slick and I had a really nice ride yesterday. The weather was great. The high got up to around 70 and so we headed off to VA again. This time we decide to head up 29 toward Reidville and then take a easterly direction toward Oxford on highway 158. That part of the trip was nice. There were a lot of great little towns and farm land on that part of the trip. There was also very little traffic once we got through the busy part of highway 29 in Greensboro. Actually, the traffic was pretty lite considering we left home around 1030. After we arrived in Oxford we headed up highway 501. That was a nice area too. It actually had more farm land than the highway 158 route. From Oxford we headed toward VA to a nice small town called "South Boston". It was a pretty little town. It was so nice we decided to ride through main street to see the small and old buildings in town. The town was very clean too.

After a quick lunch at Mickey D's, we headed west on highway 58 toward highway 29 and back home. By this time we had been gone about 3.5 hours. That part of the trip was mainly all 4 lane highway but it was nice and had very little traffic. We actually saw a yard were someone built a UFO out of tin and placed it in their front yard near the highway. Some people are really out there and have way too much time on their hands.

Once we hit highway 29, we headed back home. We put a total of 225 miles on Big Red that day. It was a nice ride and I actually had very little trouble on Big Red. It is amazing how much you enjoy the trip when you actually improve your riding skills.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Trip to Troy NC

Slick and I took a little 2.5 hour trip down south to a little town called "Troy". Troy is a very small town about 85 miles from our home. It was a nice little trip down some really nice country roads. The only thing missing from the country roads and farms we saw were the bango music from the movie "Deliverance". The weather was great too! It was much better than the last trip we took where Slick was frozen on most of the trip. Today she loved the trip. The weather was great and temperature was near 70. It was a perfect day for riding. The only thing better is a another day of riding, which we plan on tomorrow. Tomorrow we plan to head out for a longer trip to Roanoke VA and then down through some of the Blue Ridge Parkway in VA and NC. It should be great. Of course, I will post the notes from that trip later.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Rockingham NC Trip...A Nippy One

Slick and I just got back from a nice 225 mile trip down through Sanford NC and Rockingham. We had never been to Rockingham before and we actually rode right up to the Rockingham Speedway. After going through the nice little town of Rockingham we hit Highway 220 and headedback home. Our original plan was to ride down to Salisbury NC and back home via B85. We were running a little late and we hadto head back home earlier than we expected. We were gone about 4 hours. It was a nice trip but a little too cold for Slick. I was the lucky one becauseI have a tall windshield to protect me. Slick got hit with all the wind. She was a real tough woman and battled the chilly wind. I don't know of too many women that could have put up with a ride like the one we did. She is a good woman and only stopped once so we could thaw out. Overall the ride was a nice one; just a little nippy.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Saturday's NC and VA Ride

Slick and I had a great ride Saturday. The day started out as a planned 2 hour trip just to get out of the house and relax. We originally planned to ride down to Staley NC and through Asheboro NC and back on business 85. Then we planned to head back toward the house. Well we did that and we both realized we wanted to ride more. So we headed toward VA. The VA trip was really nice and we had never taken that route before. It was so nice we are planning to take the same route and go up a little further north into VA in the future. I have a good old AF buddy up around that area that we may plan on stopping into to see. All-in-all the trip was a nice get away and a great stress reliever. We took off on a 2 hour trip and ended up being out for 5 hours and putting on almost 300 miles on Big Red. We are looking forward to our next trip, which might be toward the beach. So many choices and so little time.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Eller Family Fundraiser Update

Saturday was our chapter fundraiser for the Eller family. It was a great success. Our chapter was able to raise almost $2800.00 for the family through the ticket sales for the TV we were raffling off. The bad news is I didn’t win. The good news is that the money will go toward helping the family over the next several months. It will also help them provide a nice Christmas for their 2 young children too.

Our chapter also had a nice yard sell too to raise money for the family too. Many of the chapter members brought a lot of their own goods into sell. All the money went for the Weller family. What amazed me is what people will buy but most of all how cheap they can be. Several of our members had to remind some people the money was for a needy family and it was a fundraiser. Of course, some people wanted stuff for practically free. Sad, just sad… Below is a picture from our yard sale and Slick attempting to sale a couple dozen Krispy Kreme donuts on the highway in front of our yard sale location. By the way, I had 4 and I was told Lennie had about a half dozen. So I don’t feel too guilty.

Later in the day our chapter and some of Craig’s friends had a surprise birthday party for Craig at Captain Tom’s in Staley. The old goat turns 50 on 9 November. We all had a good time and he had a great turn out. You could tell he was loved. Actually, I think most of the people that attended just wanted to make fun of the old goat. Anyway, he deserved a nice party in his honor. He has given a lot to a lot of people, including Slick and I. We are truly grateful for is friendship. Below are a couple of photos from Craig’s birthday party. Make a quick note of Craig’s hat. At first I thought he was the Skipper from Gillian’s Island.

As for riding my bike, I haven’t gotten to ride it in a while. Man, did a lot of us in the chapter want to when we noticed about 20 Harley’s riding by during our yard sale. Half of the day would have been great for a ride. The first half, we would have frozen our butts off.

Slick and I plan to take a trip to VA next Saturday. Most of our trips have been south of home. So we thought a nice ride up highway 29 would be great. I need to get a ride in next week because I have to fly to Detroit the following Monday. As a matter of fact, I am actually writing this blog entry at the airport on my way to West Palm Beach Florida. Going to Florida sounds like a nice trip for the winter, but I would actually rather be home with Slick and riding my bike next week. Oh well, there will be more opportunities to ride in the weeks to come. I am just glad Slick so understanding of the trips I have to take with my job. Most women couldn’t handle all of my travel. She is a strong lady and I am proud to have her for my wife.

I hear them boarding the plane. It’s off to West Palm Beach Florida. I know it is hard, but someone has to do it.

Until next time and enjoy the ride.

Pappy

Shadow was Sold Today

Well, my Honda Shadow was sold yesterday. I sold it to a nice young couple in Liberty NC. They wanted a bike that they could practice with because they are new to riding street bikes. They actually reminded me of Slick and I. Like us in the beginning, they too plan to take the riders course in a couple of weeks and then start practicing on the Shadow. It is an excellent bike for that. It really came in handy when I needed to practice my basic riding skills. Heck, I am still practicing. I guess I always will be. I will miss the little Shadow. It was a good bike. But, of course, it can’t compete with Big Red.

I also got to take Big Red out for a couple of hours on Sunday. It was an excellent day to ride. I took it about 120 (round trip) miles on highway 220. I rode down to Seagrove, NC. It was a nice little ride and a good way to spend a couple of hours. I look forward to riding more in the up coming months, if I can stay home long enough.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Riding When I Can

I rode Big Red this morning. It was a bit nippy but fun. It does pay to have the right gear for riding in 40 degree weather. Yesterday’s ride was a wash. Slick and I were going to ride down to Rockingham and then back up highway 52 to Salisbury and back on Interstate 85 to home. The problem was Slick was sick and it rained most of the morning. Saturday was okay. I did get a chance to ride a little and wash Big Red. It needed it. This week should be a good riding week. The weekend should be nice too. If it is our chapter will be heading to Holden Beach NC for a weekend beach trip. That will be nice and hopefully the weather will hold up so we can ride there. That should be fun.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Ro-Ho Stikes Again!

Last night Slick, Lenny, Johnny, Andrew, Anthony and I headed up to Eden to another chapters meeting and to hopefully regain the plaque. We went didn’t get it. Oh well, there is always next time. We had a good time and Ro-Ho stuck again. The Eden chapter had 3 50/50 drawings and Ro-Ho won 2 of them. The 6 of us that went didn’t win much but Ro-Ho did come through for us. People are starting to hear about Ro-Ho and want to touch the rubber chicken. We don’t mind that because we know that Ro-Ho only works for our chapter.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Upcoming Fundraiser for a Needy Family

Everyone is getting ready for the huge yard sale that will be going on November 4th, at the Pioneer Restaurant in Archdale. It should be a pretty successful event. We have a nice 24” TV that we will be raffling off for only $5.00 each.

I sold 5 tickets today and 2 more tickets for the Victory Junction Fundraiser. Speaking of selling tickets I would like to thank those that have purchased tickets so far. They are:


Gary Engnell
Jo Ann Smith
Tammy Nifong

Without their support, we could not help the family in need. Again thanks.

I will be posting a flyer of the yard sale shortly. I just need to finalize some information from our chapter leaders. I also need to get the flyer finished so we can distribute the flyer to other chapters. We are a heading to Eden to a chapter meeting tonight. Hopefully, we will have a great turn out at the yard sale. The family really needs our help.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Brisk Morning Ride Today

Today was my first morning ride to work in the cold. It wasn’t too bad. My new cold weather jacket did its job and I was pretty warm. I could tell if I had to ride for a long period of time, my hands would have gotten cold. But that is not a problem because I have already bought cold weather gloves for Slick and I. We already have our new thermals ready for the cold weather too. I just don’t know how many times Slick will want to venture out in the cold. I am the nut of the team. My legs got a little cold but it was not that bad. I have the vents that blow warm out of the vents to help with the legs.

It was nice to get to ride Big Red today. I have been gone for a while and haven’t got to ride too much. I was looking forward to riding to work today. It is too bad that I will have to put Big Red back up for a couple of days due to rain coming back into the forecast. Oh well, what can you do, right.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Wings Over the Smokies Group Photo

Here is a nice photo of our GWARRA Chapter NC-G group taken at the Wings Over the Smokies event. We all had a great time. Another great thing was that out of the 19 members that attended, 14 members were new. Now that was great. We are looking forward to next years event. I just hope I don't spend too much money on motorcycle stuff like I did this year.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Victory Junction Gang Fundraiser

Well, as most people that know Slick and I belong to the Goldwing Road Riders Association. But you may not realize that one thing that our club and the organization does is help the community with fundraisers. One organization we help each year is the Victory Junction Gang. Below is the website the Victory Junction Gang.

http://www.victoryjunction.org/aa_home/index.html

With at said, we are offering tickets to raise money for children and in return you could win some cash too. There will be 2 drawings. One drawing is for $250.00 and 2 drawing for $25.00. Each ticket is only $5.00 for a chance at winning the cash. But most of all, you are helping a child.

I do have ticket available. You don't have to be present to win and the drawing will be held December 7th. If you would like to buy and ticket and can't see me, just send me your money and I will mail you your ticket(s). So if you want a chance to win some cash and help a child, let me know. I expect the tickets to go fast.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Still Practicing Stopping

Well, I am still practicing with Big Red. I have noticed one big thing I really need to work on; stopping. As you can imagine knowing how to stop an 800+ lbs bike would be a good thing ot work on. So lately I have been working on making smooth stops. I would say about 60% of the time I do pretty good. The other 40, not so good. I have a bad tendency to look down and lean the bike to the left on my stops. Oh yeah, I take my foot off the the break to early too. It is funny, because when I was taking the motorcycle class a few months ago, my instructor kept telling me to keep my head up and look straight ahead when I go to stop. I was so bad at keeping my head up he asked if I had a neck injury. Now that is bad.

Each morning that do ride Big Red I try to get in a few extra minutes of practice on stopping. I am getting better, but it is taking me some time to break some bad habits. Of course I will need to break those habits because I could drop the bike, hit another vehicle or even worse, throw Slick off the bike. Now that would be bad.

I am sure everything will come around in time. Hey, I have only been on Big Red 3 months. Practice, practice, practice.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Taking the Shadow for a Little Spin!

Today I took my Honda Shadow for a little spin. It is a really fun bike to ride and I can't believe no one has taken me up on the offer for the bike. I really enjoy riding it and I will miss it when it is sold.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Items for Sale

Here are a few items that I have for sale. I expect them to go fast.

1987 Honda Shadow 700cc
Great running first bike for someone. The bike has less than 17,000 miles, new tune up, new oil and filter change, new battery, new owners/repair manual and new bike cover. Only $2100.00.

New Bell Helmet
Size XL. Never worn. Originally sells for $159.95. Now only $90.00.

Kuryakyn Foot Boards
With heel and toe shifter for GL1800 Goldwing. Like new for only $295.00.

GL1800 Windshield
Windshield has hole for vent. Used, $50.00.

Buyer must pick up or be willing to pay for shipping costs for each item. Photos are available upon request. Call 336-454-5936 or 336-686-4514 for more information.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Watch Those Slick Spots in the Dark

I had an interesting ride into work this morning. The first part of the ride was great. It was a nice cool clear morning ride. However, as I got closer to where I work I had to stop at a red light and it was still dark. I put my left foot down before stopping the bike to help stabilize the bike. That went well. Then I put my right foot down. My right foot almost slipped out from underneath me. Apparently, there was some oil on the road and luckily I didn’t hit the spot before I stopped the bike or I am pretty sure I would have dropped it After I noticed that the oily stop I decided to move up off the spot. The problem was I had a car in front of me. So I moved up as much as I could. I decided to take off slowly just in case I was on the oil spot. Apparently I was. Even though I was going slowly the rear end of the bike fish tailed a little, but not so much to cause me to lose control. The whole experience reminds me of how my brother in law, Scott, hit something slick on his way to work one morning. Unfortunately for him, he had some damage to his bike, helmet and broke his collar bone. Now that would have been bad.

For all your motorcycle riders (new and veterans) be careful out there. Motorcycles don’t care too much for gravel, sand and oil.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

2006 Wings over the Smokies Trip

Well Slick and I just got back from our “Wings over the Smokies” rally in Fletcher NC. We started out last Friday around 7 am and headed off on our trip. Slick and I had breakfast with her parents in Hickory NC. That part of the trip was pretty interesting, since it was a bit nippy at 7 am. We dressed in layers and we were still pretty chilly. Let me tell you, nothing will wake you faster than traveling down the highway at 70 mph when it is around 60 degrees. If you are not too familiar with that temperature, just deduct about 20 degrees and you can imagine how we felt. Anyway, we got to Hickory and met her parents for breakfast. We were pretty chilly at that point and were glad to stop and thaw out. We had breakfast and right before we left it started to drizzle rain. We didn’t freak out or anything. We just grabbed our rain gear and suited up. Actually we should have done that at the beginning of our ride because the rain gear was really good at keeping us warmer. We learned a good lesson there.

So we got suited up, wiped down the bike and headed toward Fletcher. Not long after we started the rain started to end and it actually got a little warmer. We got to Fletcher around noon and looked for our hotel. We checked in and then headed toward the rally to register and find our other Goldwing chapter members.

After we registered we hooked up with Craig, Melinda, Bryan, Donna, Johnny and Anthony. I was told when I first got with our chapter to watch out for my buddy Craig. I was told he would have me buying all kinds of stuff at the rally. And he did. We got there and he took us out shopping for goodies. To be honest, I had planned to buy only some shark fins and a name plate at the rally. But that didn’t happen. Before I knew it, I had a new chrome luggage rack (with bag), new pegs and break peg, shirts, pins and other things I had not planned to buy. But I have to admit, thanks to Craig, I did get some great deals. The man knew so many people at the rally, it was scary. Below is a photo of Craig, Bryan and me. My son calls us the 3 Stooges!

Friday night was really interesting and real adventure. Most of the members of our group did not want to ride our bikes back to the rally from our hotel. So we all decided to take Bryan and Donna’s van back to the rally site from the hotel. We all wanted to go back and listen to the live entertainment (The Embers). The memorable part of the van ride was that we crammed 10 people inside the mini-van. Now that was tricky and painful. We had so many people in the van that it looked like we were a bunch of illegal’s trying to cross the border and we were afraid the border patrol would spot us. I was just thankful we didn’t have a crash because some of us would not have survived the crash. At least if we did have a crash, I would probably have not felt any pain because I was numb from the waist down. Did I mention we had to ride back to the hotel too?

As for the Embers, if you get a chance to see them, I recommend you do. They were great and from Raleigh NC. We all had a great time Friday. Below are some pictures of the bikes we saw:

Saturday morning came and Slick and I headed out for breakfast at our favorite breakfast joint, Denny’s. We love those waffles! We filled up Big Red and headed back to the rally to do some more shopping. We bought more stuff. At 9 am, we worked (if that is what you want to call it) at the games table until 10 am. After a hard hour at work, Slick and I went for a walk and started looking at the bikes that would be entering the bike show. There were some really nice bikes there. Then after we left the bike contest parking lot we started walking around and looked at the other displays. It was amazing to us to see what people can do with motorcycles. There was everything you could imagine there at the rally for motorcycles and the deals were pretty nice too.

Around 2:30 pm, Slick and I headed back to the hotel so we could get ready for the night events and the closing ceremony. Saturday was also the day there was going to be some large drawings for money given away. Two of the drawings, Slick and I entered. One of the drawings was at 3 pm. Of course we didn’t win anything for that drawing, but we did at the later big drawing. What happened was that 11 members of our chapter put in $10.00 a piece to win the large 50/50 drawing. Well, we won it. They actually drew Slicks number and we won $1068.00. That was close to $100.00 a piece. We contributed the win to that goofy chicken Ro Ho. It wins all the time. Now all the members of our group are scrambling to get Ro Ho back so they can win. Now that is pretty funny. After the drawing and closing ceremony we headed back to the hotel for a pizza party and some fellowship. It was fun.

On Sunday we all prepared for our trip back. We were a little concerned about rain due to some powerful storms that were coming through the area. It rained like crazy Saturday night and all the bikes got wet. Luckily, I took the time to cover my bike up and my bike was not soaked. After getting packed we all discussed the routes back we were going to take back home. Our 4 person group just took and a straight shot back on interstate 40 and highway 64. Get this, we had no rain. Now that was luck and the ride was a great one.

All in the entire trip was great. We had a great time and a lot of laughs. We are looking forward to next year.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy