Venturous Randy

A while back I decided that I was tired of looking for my 10mm 1/4 drive socket and went on ebay and bought ten for about $10, I don't think I have lost a single one since. They seem to be good six-point sockets. Randy

she has very determined tastes on what she likes Was she like this when you met her? Sorry, just couldn't help it. Randy

Been there, done that. A little over five years ago Linda told me that she was getting more and more uncomfortable with riding on the bike. Her concerns were mostly dealing with other traffic. We had put many miles on my 1st gen and had been very lucky with some close calls. I rode for some time after she stopped, but I just did not enjoy riding that much by myself. This is about the time I bought her a Miata and I enjoyed driving it so much that I got me one. Since then, we have put over 100,000 miles on these cars and I enjoy them very much. I had already put 150,000 miles on my 1st gen and knew that I had been very lucky and had some real close calls. I had known for a while there would come a day when I quit riding and I really dreaded it. But, I have to say that the transition to a Miata has been a good one for me. I have been looking forward to spring and enjoying being on the road, but now things have changed again. About two weeks ago Linda was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and she is getting ready for surgery and chemo. Randy

I know there are many on here that are familiar with Highway 129 that goes from Tennessee into North Carolina that is known as the Tail of the Dragon that has 318 curves in 11 miles. It is a neat road that has no driveways or intersections, but it has a low speed limit and can be heavily patrolled by law enforcement. There have been many videos from the Dragon that have been made, but this is one of the first I have seen where the section has been blocked off and professionally filmed. I enjoyed it and hope you do too. Randy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69wBSKl7rZw

Is there any updates on this? Randy

Just before I turned 14, I got a 125 Ducati Bronco. This was a time when about my friends were starting to smoke. At that time, it did not matter how old you were if you had about 30 cents, which was also about the price of a gallon of gas. I figured that I could have a lot more fun with a gallon of gas than a pack of cigarettes and I never used tobacco of any kind. A couple years ago I lost a very close friend to lung cancer and now my older sister is getting ready to go into hospice care due to lung cancer. She did not start smoking until she was about 40 years old. I have said this before and I will say it again, lung cancer is a horrible way to die. Randy

Thanks Woody, I appreciate it. So far, the only thing I noticed after having the first Covid shot was a sore left shoulder where I had the shot. I normally sleep on my left side and that was uncomfortable. Did I see where you are going to retire? What do you plan on doing after you do retire? Randy

As a follow up that I should done have earlier on the positive Covid test, I did go to the local VA and was tested again and the test was negative. Last week, I did stop by the VA and got my 1st Covid vaccine shot and have to go back on Feb 17th and get another one. My biggest concern right now is Linda's health. She has had a major problem with coughing and upchucking about everything she eats. She finally has changed doctors and this one is really on the ball about getting things done. Wednesday she is to have the full upper GI testing all the way to her small intestines. This is very scary as I had a friend I worked with that started out with the same thing and before it was over with, he developed throat cancer and died very quickly and he was only about 50 and in good health, good weight and never smoked. Another concern is if Linda did come down with Covid, I don't think she would have a chance. Thoughts and prayers appreciated. Randy

My GF, Linda, who is 67, has had a lot of symptoms that are listed for covid. I have felt pretty good, but this last Tuesday we did the test at the local Health Dept and we finally got our results and she is negative and I am positive. I called the local VA and they suggested I come in Monday and be tested again and they can have the results back in 45 minutes. I am 70, over weight and have been diabetic for over 40 years, so I am prime for this being serious. So far, I don't feel any major symptoms other than I have had a couple of headaches and it is rare for me to have a headachE. I have been feeling pretty tired, but I suspected that may have been due to me laying around and not getting out and getting some exercise. With her having symptoms for at least three weeks or more, I am wondering if she could be past it and have some anti bodies as she is feeling much better. Randy

I think it has been about nine years since I lost all useable vision in my right eye. Mine was due from having a massive vitreous hemorrhage after picking my bike up after a tip over. That turned into a detached retina and then many blood vessel problems due to being type 2 diabetic for 30 years. It has been a challenge at times, but I just have to make the best of it. I try to wear some eye protection most of the time even though it is not necessarily safety glasses. I always wear sunglasses when in the Miata until it gets darker and I am not good then about wearing any eye protection when riding in the car with the top down. I have been lucky in having as good of vision in my good eye as I do and I also try not to get in a situation where I am straining myself. Don, I hope you get through this okay and yes, it is a teachable moment...........for all of us. Randy

I have been watching the weather down that way and it appears it is much like here on the other side of the mountains, somewhat hit or miss. At least you have a good spot to hang out if it does rain. If my memory serves me right, aren't you in about the same place you were two yeas ago? Randy

I hope everyone has some great, safe riding. Asheville has always been a great laid back gettogether. Randy

I know that a lot on here do their own maintenance and thought I would throw something out. I have a good air impact, but wanted a battery powered. I even considered a used one, but ended up buying new. The problem I found was anybody selling used did not seem to know the torque spec on what they had or the model number. Many were in the 200 to 300 ft/lb range that I did review. I happened to be at Lowes and they had a 1/2 drive with 650 ft/lbs Kobalt kit with a five year warranty for $169 that is 24V. This was with a battery, charger and a nice bag. I also got a 10% veterans discount to go along with it. It is a little bigger than I was looking for, but it works really good. Randy

One of the things my lady and I have done for years is to go on google maps and look at some of the small towns and find restaurants and read reviews. In the past, we have found some wonderful mom and pop type places to eat and it makes for a great day ride. Unfortunately, it appears that many of these places could not survive trying to get by on just serving takeout and have permanently closed down. Many of these places have been in business for years. Randy

I come here every day even tho I don't post as often. I also need to get rid of some bikes. We have four Ventures and a Goldwing that are just sitting. I keep telling myself that this is the year that I am going to get them out and do something. I need the garage and carport space. I could probably part out some, but I just hate to break up what could be a good bike. Randy

I have a whole bunch of pictures from nine years ago when Linda and I attended. The only problem is, I am not sure which locked up laptop they are on and don't know how to get into them. Randy

Last summer Linda went into a nice restaurant near Grandfather Mountain, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were camping and decided to get a nice meal. As we came into the restaurant, which was about half full, I mentioned that I wanted a table away from kids if possible. This host took up to right beside a table with about ten people with at least three kids about three or four years old. Linda started to sit down and I just stood there staring at the host and I shook my head no. I turned around and started walking away. I motioned for Linda to come on and as she stood up, the host stepped toward me. I reminded her that I wanted away from children. She looked at me like I was some kind of mean old monster. As I started for the door, she said wait a minute and moved us to another area. This was an upscale restaurant and served mix drinks and wine. As the evening wore on and more alcohol was consumed at that table, the kids were ignored more and got louder and louder. Yep, that was one time I was glad I stood my ground to start with. Randy

Since the rider had no license or registration........well, what else can I say? Randy

Had a great top down ride today in the Miata with temps around 80 to 85 degrees and very sunny. Drove down to the western side of the Smokey Mountains and views were so clear. We were hungry when we got next to Pigeon Forge, TN and my lady wanted to stop at Joe's Crab Shack. They were open with every other booth and table open for spacing. The first problem we encountered was they were out of most of the crab meat and I like crab cakes. The other real aggravating problem was there was a couple about 30 years old that had four kids with them. They were behind me and at least one of them had a spoon or something and was beating on the table as loud as he could. The parents were completely ignoring him and another one was beating on the table with his fists. I decided that if I was going to spend $50 for a meal that was not really what I wanted, I was for sure not going to tolerate the racket. I got up and found the manager and asked him to do something about it. He did go talk to them and I am not sure what he said, but they got mad and got up and left. I think at this time that had only received their drinks. If you encounter a situation like this that is making you miserable, what do you do? Randy

I had an odd thing I was not expecting happen at a Shell station today. I was at about a half tank on my 90 Miata and had a five gallon jug I use for my riding mower I needed to fill up. The price of gas was $1.51.9 and when I put my credit card in, a screen popped up and asked me if I wanted to redeem 2000 points to get fifty cents off per gallon. I punched "yes" as I figured it would just skip over it as I am not aware of any rewards program I have and as I started filling, I noticed the gallon and the dollar reading was very close. I then looked at the button showing the gallon cost for regular and it was $1.01.9. I have no idea why that happened. Randy

I think everyone should take all their vehicles and gas cans out and fill them up, not because of the lower cost, but to get some gas and oil moving. Shutting down the oil and gas industry while waiting for a few more cents off later is going to cost us much more in the long run, not only in higher prices, but with waiting in long lines. Randy

Both my ex and Linda have gone to sleep on the back of my 83 and I have armrests the swing out, rather then swing down. I would know when they would dose off as they would thump my helmet with theirs. I can sure understand the diabetic thing as Linda had an event that could have killed her a few months ago. I was planning on going somewhere without her and got delayed for about a half hour. As I was leaving, I spoke to her and she did not respond back and when I checked on her, she was pretty much unconscious. I grabbed her Libra glucose monitor, the one that works off a sensor on her arm, and her sugar was so low that all it would read was low. I went to the kitchen and grabbed some sweets I could get in her mouth and then used the blood test with the stick monitor and she was in the 30's and that is getting deadly. After feeding her some banana, some sweet drink and when she became more cognizant I gave her some glucose tablets and in just a few minutes she was awake and okay. Lack of sugar control for a diabetic can kill you two ways, fast and slow. Low sugar can drop to the point that your bodily functions, like your brain can shut down and you die very quickly. High sugar levels can destroy many body organs and you die slowly. We were lucky that I got delayed and did not just think she had dozed off. Randy

Yeah, I am thinking the same thing. In this case, it was so blatant what the seller was doing and after Paypal denied my claim, they gave me no option to dispute the denial. If I had just a little more info on the seller, I would go thru the USPS mail fraud program and if Paypal gives me any crap, I may include them also, since they were involved in the money transfer. I wonder how often Paypal is involved in a USPS mail fraud claim? Randy

Another update I just checked my Credit Card statement and the dispute with Visa has went in my favor and they have already refunded my money, so I will let Paypal worry about getting their money back. This went quicker than I expected. I am still POed at Paypal, but now it is their loss and it does not matter if they denied my claim or not. I do appreciate the comments and suggestions. Randy

Hey cowpuc. That would be Jim's Motorcycle shop and I live about a mile west of the shop as the crow flies. A few years ago they finally bought the Yamaha shop as it was struggling because the owners were simply jerks. My first business with Jim's was June 1, 1964 when my dad and I stopped in there and he bought me a new 125 Ducati Bronco. That was my introduction to motorcycles. I have never been upstairs at Jim's, but I have heard he has some real classic motorcycles still in the crates. Ken, who was the guy in the wheelchair, was the owner and he passed a few years ago. I don't know the details of the business, but it appears nothing noticeable has changed. Randy