Saturday, July 20, 2013
Flatlands Trip
I had a choice this year, either hit the WHCM in North Carolina or go see my dad in Illinois. I have never been to the WHCM and I was excited to go. Those plans got a wrench thrown into them when I found out my dad had a heart attack, actually a heart attack, 3 stints and a second heart attack. So getting up to Illinois was a priority, at 74 he wasn't getting any younger and these heart attacks put a fire under my ass since it had been 5 years since I had seen him. I laid out my trip so I could have a visitation on a Friday and a Monday and squeeze in a run over to Indy to see family there. So with my plans laid out and my chop packed up I set out early on a Thursday morning from the New Orleans area (I actually live on the north side of the lake) and headed north. Until I got to Illinois this ride was going to be about making miles and making them quick so the interstate was my choice route.
The trip up was going good and the chop was running great and I was averaging around 55 miles a gallon. When I hit Memphis I stopped to hook up with a fellow HCMF, Angelo. The timing was a little off but after a small layover and a few extra miles we met in a BK parking lot. I didn't actually have much time and I wanted to bail out of Memphis before rush hour traffic. Angelo was really nice and his chop is fucking beautiful and runs good. I am always impressed by such nice bikes like his. I love my rat bike but the details on his bike were really nice. A brief hello and and a brief goodbye later I was back at it. I had nearly 650 miles planned on the books for that day so I had to get to steppin'.
My next stop would be in southern Illinois at Jen's house for the night. It was nearly dark when I pulled in and she had a delicious meatloaf and potatoes dish waiting for me. A full belly and some good conversation later I slept pretty hard. The alarm was set early so I could make my way to Centralia to see my dad. Jen had planned on riding with me and hanging out while I did my business. As soon we pulled out I noticed something wrong with my bike. It was winding out but I wasn't getting any power to the wheel. We pulled over and thought it out and Jen made a run back to her place to get a little oil since I was low. I added some oil and we limped into Harrisburg and grabbed a bite to eat and then on to Centralia. It was acting a little better but still jacked up. After my visit we jammed north into Champaign to meet up at Barry's place. He had some of the Flatlander's over and had prepared a little bonfire for my visit. It was cool to meet some new people and have some great conversation. We brainstormed my problem and had decided a clutch basket replacement might be in order. It was late Friday and I decided to deal with it on Saturday morning. Before settling into the bonfire to forget about my problems someone noticed my clutch cable was hella tight and suggested that an adjustment might be in order before doing anything drastic. Again, the morning came early but I was excited to get my bike back in good running order. Jen had gotten up about the same time so we made our way out to the garage. She had just done a textbook clutch cable adjustment on her bike and walked me through the procedure (thanks Jen). I took it out and hit some back roads and slammed it through the gears, sure as shit it ran like a champ. Needless to say I was a happy camper.
I got in a visit with an old friend who is like a second father to me (love you Mark) and then hooked back up with Barry and Jen to grab a quick bite to eat from La Bamba's before we hit the back roads to Indy.
They had planned on accompanying me to the Illinois/Indiana border. We headed east and then took 1 south out of Danville, Illinois and when it intersected 36 we each went our respective ways. I went east on 36 to Indy while Jen stayed on 1 south and Barry went 36 west. It was a neat departure point and made me sad a bit. I am used to riding alone and just being able to ride with Jen and Barry and hang with the Flatlanders like I did was just too cool. Seeing a garage full of chops and so many people being savvy to backyard chopping was awesome. (You guys have a cool deal, enjoy it while it lasts.)
I was now alone again and a little sad but so excited for what I had been so fortunate to be a part of over the last two days. I made my way into Indiana past Raccoon Lake on the Ernie Pyle Memorial Highway. It was a beautiful ride and there was a ton of motorcycles out. I ended up behind a pack of about 10 or 12 Harley's, weekend baggers who had all the "best" gear. It was funny because I definitely looked out of place among them on my Honda rat chop laden with all my gear, I was the dust at the back of a glistening stream of chrome. I got to my moms house late Saturday and had a good little dinner with my mom, sister and niece. On Sunday we had what ended up being a family reunion of sorts due to my visit. It was amazing for me because I saw people I hadn't seen in 20 years or more. It was great to catch up and to those of you reading I won't be so scarce from now on. I love you all.
Monday morning came and it was just before dawn when I pulled out, headed back to Centralia to catch a second visit with my dad and I would be riding alone from here on out. It was a gorgeous sunrise over the Indiana landscape I was really enjoying the scenery. My second visit went well and as I left I knew my dad would be going into the yard next to the parking lot where my chop was parked so I lingered a bit waiting for him to get out there. I waved across the fence and fired up my chop. It was cool because a few of the guys got excited and I made a slow pass along the road nearest the fence, waving. He and several of the guys waved and I could feel their excitement. It was a bit of a big deal for me to have my dad see me ride away, he hasn't known me in the capacity in which I exist now so I guess I was hoping he would be proud. He hasn't been around me since I moved south in '98 and he went in when I was 25 (I'm now 37) I wasn't the little boy he used to know anymore.
With lots on my mind I motored south. I had already done 200 miles and spent nearly five and a half hours at the prison with security and the visit. I wanted to hit south of Memphis before the day was over and grab a cheap hotel. I hit rain storm after rain storm, seven to be precise, and road through all but two. One had lightening and the other had a cross wind that almost blew me off the road before I could get stopped. I finally made it to my desired exit in Senatobia Mississippi and stayed in a super crap motel. I had ridden 500+ miles that day plus the visit with my dad. I stripped my chop down of anything that might be able to be taken and the counter lady let me park it on the sidewalk right in front of the office. I put my lock on the rear tire and went to my room to shower and get some much needed sleep. I was hoping to get a ground floor so I could just pull my bike in but no doing, they were all sold out of ground floors. I woke up the next morning and repacked my chop, grabbing a few muffins and some OJ from the breakfast bar. I was anxious to get home and see my family and I still had about 350 miles to go.
The rest of the day went well and I hit one last rain storm about fifteen minutes from my house. I pulled in wet and happy about 2 pm. Nearly 2000 miles total and a whole lot of visiting and hanging out made for a great trip. A special thanks to Jen, Barry, Angelo, Mark and my mom (among so many others) for making this a trip to remember. You all rock.
Please check out my previous blog posts for some pics.
The trip up was going good and the chop was running great and I was averaging around 55 miles a gallon. When I hit Memphis I stopped to hook up with a fellow HCMF, Angelo. The timing was a little off but after a small layover and a few extra miles we met in a BK parking lot. I didn't actually have much time and I wanted to bail out of Memphis before rush hour traffic. Angelo was really nice and his chop is fucking beautiful and runs good. I am always impressed by such nice bikes like his. I love my rat bike but the details on his bike were really nice. A brief hello and and a brief goodbye later I was back at it. I had nearly 650 miles planned on the books for that day so I had to get to steppin'.
My next stop would be in southern Illinois at Jen's house for the night. It was nearly dark when I pulled in and she had a delicious meatloaf and potatoes dish waiting for me. A full belly and some good conversation later I slept pretty hard. The alarm was set early so I could make my way to Centralia to see my dad. Jen had planned on riding with me and hanging out while I did my business. As soon we pulled out I noticed something wrong with my bike. It was winding out but I wasn't getting any power to the wheel. We pulled over and thought it out and Jen made a run back to her place to get a little oil since I was low. I added some oil and we limped into Harrisburg and grabbed a bite to eat and then on to Centralia. It was acting a little better but still jacked up. After my visit we jammed north into Champaign to meet up at Barry's place. He had some of the Flatlander's over and had prepared a little bonfire for my visit. It was cool to meet some new people and have some great conversation. We brainstormed my problem and had decided a clutch basket replacement might be in order. It was late Friday and I decided to deal with it on Saturday morning. Before settling into the bonfire to forget about my problems someone noticed my clutch cable was hella tight and suggested that an adjustment might be in order before doing anything drastic. Again, the morning came early but I was excited to get my bike back in good running order. Jen had gotten up about the same time so we made our way out to the garage. She had just done a textbook clutch cable adjustment on her bike and walked me through the procedure (thanks Jen). I took it out and hit some back roads and slammed it through the gears, sure as shit it ran like a champ. Needless to say I was a happy camper.
I got in a visit with an old friend who is like a second father to me (love you Mark) and then hooked back up with Barry and Jen to grab a quick bite to eat from La Bamba's before we hit the back roads to Indy.
They had planned on accompanying me to the Illinois/Indiana border. We headed east and then took 1 south out of Danville, Illinois and when it intersected 36 we each went our respective ways. I went east on 36 to Indy while Jen stayed on 1 south and Barry went 36 west. It was a neat departure point and made me sad a bit. I am used to riding alone and just being able to ride with Jen and Barry and hang with the Flatlanders like I did was just too cool. Seeing a garage full of chops and so many people being savvy to backyard chopping was awesome. (You guys have a cool deal, enjoy it while it lasts.)
I was now alone again and a little sad but so excited for what I had been so fortunate to be a part of over the last two days. I made my way into Indiana past Raccoon Lake on the Ernie Pyle Memorial Highway. It was a beautiful ride and there was a ton of motorcycles out. I ended up behind a pack of about 10 or 12 Harley's, weekend baggers who had all the "best" gear. It was funny because I definitely looked out of place among them on my Honda rat chop laden with all my gear, I was the dust at the back of a glistening stream of chrome. I got to my moms house late Saturday and had a good little dinner with my mom, sister and niece. On Sunday we had what ended up being a family reunion of sorts due to my visit. It was amazing for me because I saw people I hadn't seen in 20 years or more. It was great to catch up and to those of you reading I won't be so scarce from now on. I love you all.
Monday morning came and it was just before dawn when I pulled out, headed back to Centralia to catch a second visit with my dad and I would be riding alone from here on out. It was a gorgeous sunrise over the Indiana landscape I was really enjoying the scenery. My second visit went well and as I left I knew my dad would be going into the yard next to the parking lot where my chop was parked so I lingered a bit waiting for him to get out there. I waved across the fence and fired up my chop. It was cool because a few of the guys got excited and I made a slow pass along the road nearest the fence, waving. He and several of the guys waved and I could feel their excitement. It was a bit of a big deal for me to have my dad see me ride away, he hasn't known me in the capacity in which I exist now so I guess I was hoping he would be proud. He hasn't been around me since I moved south in '98 and he went in when I was 25 (I'm now 37) I wasn't the little boy he used to know anymore.
With lots on my mind I motored south. I had already done 200 miles and spent nearly five and a half hours at the prison with security and the visit. I wanted to hit south of Memphis before the day was over and grab a cheap hotel. I hit rain storm after rain storm, seven to be precise, and road through all but two. One had lightening and the other had a cross wind that almost blew me off the road before I could get stopped. I finally made it to my desired exit in Senatobia Mississippi and stayed in a super crap motel. I had ridden 500+ miles that day plus the visit with my dad. I stripped my chop down of anything that might be able to be taken and the counter lady let me park it on the sidewalk right in front of the office. I put my lock on the rear tire and went to my room to shower and get some much needed sleep. I was hoping to get a ground floor so I could just pull my bike in but no doing, they were all sold out of ground floors. I woke up the next morning and repacked my chop, grabbing a few muffins and some OJ from the breakfast bar. I was anxious to get home and see my family and I still had about 350 miles to go.
The rest of the day went well and I hit one last rain storm about fifteen minutes from my house. I pulled in wet and happy about 2 pm. Nearly 2000 miles total and a whole lot of visiting and hanging out made for a great trip. A special thanks to Jen, Barry, Angelo, Mark and my mom (among so many others) for making this a trip to remember. You all rock.
Please check out my previous blog posts for some pics.
the route
Friday, July 19, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Thanks mom !!
My mom sent this to me today. She snapped this as I was pulling out of Indiana at dawn. Way to go mom, totally bitchin. 
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Midwest trip
Here's Barry, Jen and myself parting ways. Me heading to Indianapolis and these two going back the the interior of the land of Lincoln. Thanks for all your hospitality you guys 
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Live Free !!
Couple of things on my mind. Well, actually quite a lot but I'm gonna write about these two. First, most boundaries or rules are bullshit. Nearly all things we strap ourselves with are because we allow people to put them on us or we do it to ourselves. They are all bullshit. Free yourselves and break through the B.S. people try to put on you, it's just their reality. Doesn't have to be yours.
Second, I find it frustrating when people tell other people what they do is dangerous. Everything is dangerous. The key is to make it a measured risk, be as prepared as you can be. You can spend your life living in a shell but I'm here to tell you, in my line of work I see people die doing the most mundane crap all the time. Don't buy into that bullshit either. My point? Get out and live your life and don't get sucked into the bullshit boundaries people want to place on you. You are your only obstacle. Live free!!
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