Venturous Randy

Just keep in mind that next year you will be filing as a business owner and everything will be different. Randy

Not yet. We were going to the campground a week or so ago and was going to see what was going on as I had talked to them about our area and they said they were doing some upgrading, but ended up coming back home because I had the flu. OK, I just got off the phone with the campground and D-21 may not be the old D-21 that we had in the past. They have been doing grading in that area to make them RV usable sites and three sites were removed, so at this time the woman on the phone does not know what the numbers are going to be for that specific area. Also, with the site renovations for an RV, the price has gone up from $31 to $50 a night. So, what I am going to do is take a ride over there and see what we got. We may all want to move down a little farther. It is not like we are going to need ten sites like we used before. I don't think we can make it today as I am going to help Linda's grandson put brakes on his car, so as soon as I know anything, I will report back. Randy

Read where the cager was an illegal alien that had been here since 2014 and had no license or insurance. Car was found behind friends house with passenger side doors removed. One of the things that I feel that has changed with me as I have been going the "maturing" process(getting old) is I am a lot more likely to just try to get away from a road rager than to engage. I have found that one of the most effective things is to let them see that I have a cell phone and that I am trying to get their tag number. I will not hesitate to call 911 when I see someone that is an obvious danger on the highway. Once they think you have reported their tag number, things usually settle down pretty quick. Randy

Some bikes have wonderful curves and other bikes....not so much. Randy

Some bikes are a good long term investment and some are a money pit. Randy

Some guys like bikes that are quiet and smooth and some guys like bikes that are loud and raunchy. Randy

My first bike was a Ducati, but that was like 54 years ago. Randy

Well it's a little after 5:30 am. So now that I know puc is okay, I can now go to sleep. Randy

Yep, we have three little eaglets. We have been watching one of the parents feeding them fish. Like I have said before, if you slide the time ball back a little at a time, you can see when there is a lot of feeding activity. One thing is for sure, they are pretty rough on each other. Sometimes one will end up with a mouthful of fur from another one. I hope the smaller one can fend for itself. Randy

Says it will go 134mph. Well, you better have a smooth yard. Randy https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/this-honda-lawnmower-can-go-134-mph/ar-BBKgUTq?ocid=spartandhp

Yeah, I have been wondering the same thing. Randy

Actually, the nest is not on a mountain, but right above a lake/river. Right now it is a bit breezy as we have a warm front moving in. We were about 63 today. We now have two eaglets and the last egg has a hole in it. If you go down to the second camera it looks directly down on the nest. Just give it a minute to load and it is live unless you slide the ball back. Randy

I suspect that road would be like an interstate compared to some of the roads(?), places puc has had tweeks. Randy

When I began to feel less and less comfortable on a heavy, tall bike for me, I had to make the decision to get off. On the last ride I was with a couple of friends and had an RV almost pull across in front of us. It appeared it was the passenger that got his attention in what he was doing. The driver was more interested in where he was pulling into. Since then I have put many miles on my Miata and at times I really do miss riding, but a Miata is just one step away from a trike, but enormously less costly. I am also much more comfortable pulling my camper with the Miata than with my bike. Randy

I had taken Friday off work and had taken my wife on Thursday down to Nashville to take her real estate exam Friday morning. As I waited for her to finish, I rode around listening to the radio about the snow storm that was coming. When it started snowing, the flakes were so big and wet that I swear you could hear them hit the ground. When she finished her exam, I had been there waiting and thirteen people had come out before her and all had not passed as they graded it on the spot. She also had not passed part of it and she was very disappointed. I asked her if she was hungry and she said no, so we hit I40 going east back to Johnson City, which is in the NE part of the state. Even though it was snowing, it was still a little too warm and it was not laying yet. But as we climbed in elevation across the Clinch mountain range the fields were white and creeping onto the highway. One other thing I remember was traffic was flying. If you were not doing 80mph, traffic would be flying by. I remember thinking that after passing the mountain range, the snow on the edge of the road would go away, and it did. When we came into Knoxville, she wanted to eat so we went into a Chili's restaurant and it seemed to take forever. By the time we got back on the highway, there was at least four to six inches of snow on the road. By the time we finally got to Johnson City, it was worse. Instead of going home, we went to my parents because I knew he had a Warm Morning stove just for something like this. By the next day we had over two feet of snow and before it was over with, it would kill 300 people up the Appalachians to New England. Mt Mitchell had 50 inches with snow drifts up to 14 feet. It is amazing that even though it was 25 years ago, I remember it so clearly. The blizzard of 93 was known as the "Storm of the Century". I wonder how many here remember this. Randy

No Dan, I have not. Eagles have not been around this area much in a long time. We now have two eaglets and one egg. Randy

As of today we have one eaglet and two eggs. If they all survive, this is going to be one full nest. You can slide the ball back on the time bar and see earlier video. It is going to be very cold the next couple days. It may take a few seconds for the cameras to load. Randy https://www.etsu.edu/cas/biology/eagle-cam/cameras.php

If you bring your pickup, you can ride with me in the Miata. Randy

You mentioned Fall Creek Falls and that is one of our favorite camping places. Being retired, we like to camp during the week and leave the campgrounds to the families on the weekends. Randy

This has been a unique weather year for sure in this area. I am across the mountain on the Tennessee side and week before last we put at least 500 miles on the Miata with the top down. Our temp for Thursday is supposed to be 37/23 degrees. Time wise, we are with-in a week to two weeks of the Blizzard of 93 and Boone, NC got about 3 feet of snow and I'm sure the higher elevations got more as Boone is about 3,333 feet elevation and Mt Mitchel is 6,684 feet. Another thing is those higher elevations are a month to six weeks behind the lower one for flowers. Our Rhododendron Festival for Roan Mt is usually the third week of June when they are bloomed out. Given this, I would be real leery of trying to do anything around the mountains for the first of April. Also, the Linn Cove Viaduct is closed for renovation and that will last up into Spring. That is a great thing to see on a motorcycle. Another suggestion would be to come to the Asheville Rally the third week of August and you will not only see the beautiful BRP, but some beautiful Venture Riders. And you will have a blast. Randy

Have you ever pulled the driveshaft and inspected the splines and greased them? This could also be the universal joint on the driveshaft by your description, but this is not a common failure. The splines on the driveshaft is if not greased good. Randy

Another thing you can do is take a small hammer and tap on the end of the bolt. There is always some space in the threads, even if corroded and with steel and aluminum this can squish some on the corrosion. You don't have to mushroom the end of the bolt, just cause some movement in the threads. This may also help any penetrant to work better. A good penetrant is 50/50 acetone and transmission fluid. Randy

This is a picture that someone posted on the Hunting Island State Park, SC website of my camper with the notation of not seeing a tent with an air conditioner before. I guess they thought it was a tent. Randy

Interesting. I need to ride over there and see what is going on and reserve D-21. I sure hope they did not reduce the sites to get more in there. Your D-22 might be where D-15 used to be. Did they tell you about the changes when you reserved your site? Randy

Feeling old, huh? Just wait until you look at your kid and realize they are a grandparent. I was a great grand dad at 57 and have three great grand daughters. Yeah, the good thing about having them young is, you get to grow up with them. Randy