SledgeHammer

I am scheduled for Dr. Muffinman on this Saturday, the 22nd. He has gotten Beer30's and he is after mine now.

Let me tell you about my experience with them yesterday. They had the Zumo 550 advertised for $492. I called to order one. I asked if they had the Zumo for $492. The guy said they did. He first tried to sell me a 5 year extended warranty. Then he tried to sell me a 3 year warranty. It was high pressure selling. I finally told him adamantly that I am not interested in an extended warranty, just the GPS. He then asked if I wanted the English speaking version or the Japanese speaking version. I said the English version of course. He then flabbergasted me by stating the English version was $779 and it was the Japanese version that was $492. I find that hard to believe and think it was nothing more than false advertising. I think they are a rip off and I will never call them again. I am still looking for a Zumo at a good Price.

"....and have a minimum of 1 gal of ice cream , bananas , cherries , chocoalate fudge , pineapples , whip cream , and more topping ready prior to doing the job . Terms are non-negotionable !!!!!!!" The ice cream is waiting. Anyone who would like to come and watch or participate, is welcome. I live on Eric Lane in Reidsville, NC. Muffinman and Mini are shooting for a noon arrival. RiderDuke, that is about 200 miles for you.

SaltyDawg, I think I have met your son. Is he Larry the Cable Guy because " that was funny right there."

Subject: THE UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL THE UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it. The one dollar bill you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is actually material. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look. If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget. In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury. That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know. If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved. If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything. 'IN GOD WE TRUST' is on this currency. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, 'God has favored our undertaking. ' The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, 'a new order has begun.' At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI) If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean. The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's beak you will read, 'E PLURIBUS UNUM', meaning, ' one nation from many people'. Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows. They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor But think about this: 13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 letters in 'E Pluribus Unum', 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment. I always ask people, 'Why don't you know this?' Your children don't know this, and their history teachers don't know this. Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade. Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care. Too many veterans never came home at all. Share this page with everyone, so they can learn what is on the back of the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL, and what it stands for. Otherwise, they will probably never know.

My advice is to stay away from Magellan and Lowrance. My wife owns 2 GPS and I own 2 GPS. I have the Magellan 760 and Lowrance Iway 350C. She has the Magellan 700 and the Nuvi 660. They all work very well in a cage, but none of them are waterproof. My only problem with Magellan is they charge for the upgrades. I upgraded both Magellans last year and the cost was $105 each. Magellan sends you the upgrade on a CD. Magellan is a good GPS, but I would not buy another because of the upgrade expense. Her NUVI 660 is a very good GPS and has Bluetooth and all the bells and whistles, but is not waterproof. I bought the Iway 350C just for the motorcycle. It has a lot of features, but it turns off on the the motorcycle on hot days (above 85) from getting too hot. Sometimes it locks up or turns off from vibration on the motorcycle. Lowrance was quick to tell me that it was not designed for a motorcycle. Having said all of that, you get what you pay for. I am looking at the Zumo 550 again. I looked at it before I bought the Iway 350 for the RSV. I did not want to spend $700-800 for another GPS either, especially since we already had 3 of them. I am looking at the Zumo again. I saw it for $492 today on line with free shipping. I regret not buying the Zumo instead of the Iway last year. It is cheaper to buy a GPS that has proven it is motorcycle friendly and has all the features that you are looking for, rather to have to replace them as I have done and am getting ready to do again. You may spend a little more than you want to now, but it will be worth it in the long run. I would make 2 recommendations to you, buy a GPS that is waterproof and a GPS that has an FM modulator. The FM modulator lets you hear the directions through the radio speakers or the helmet headset. I also carried a plastic bag to cover my Iway when it was raining. Unfortunately, it got soaked when I was in a shopping center and did not realize it was raining. I forgot to take it off the mount before going in the mall. It actually stopped working. Lowrance, to their credit, did honor the warranty, even though it was my fault. They did not repair it, they sent me a new one. It works great in the car, but has the same problems on the motorcycle as the first one. It is worth a few extra bucks to buy a GPS the first time that will meet all the needs on a motorcycle. Now let me go spend some more money and buy that Zumo 550 and get it over.

I am shocked at some of the low prices from GEICO. I also have GEICO. I carry full coverage with a $250 deductible and 100/300/50 coverage. I have not had a ticket in 35 years and have no collisions. I was told by my Geico agent and I quote" You could not get a lower rate if you were the CEO of Exxon." I just paid my premium again this month and it was $446.10 for 12 months. Those of you giving GEICO rates, I am curious if that is for 6 months or 12 months policies. GEICO also insures my 2005 truck and 2004 car. My motorcycle insurance is much higher than the car or truck policies. I know there or other factors that effect insurance rates, such as the location you live and believe it or not, your credit rating.

Thank you. God bless you. Amen.

That was great. Thanks and Merry Christmas to you and all the members and their families.

I like the patch. Thanks for your work on it. Looking forward to the rally, if I can get my passport in time. That's another story.

Hey, pretty cool mod !

Thanks Jeff. Gary, like so many have already done, I wish and pray for your recovery. You know we are here for you on anything you need. All we need is to for you to let us know of anything we can do. God Bless you and and your sons.

I can make it, as long as we don't have any snow or ice on the ground. You know that is the unpredictable time of year. Just my opinion, but maybe the spring would be better for a zoo trip. How about a M&E in Dec and the Petty museum. Then have a M&E in May or June for the zoo. I may even be able to get some truly discounted zoo tickets, like half price or so.

This link will answer your questions. I will have to say it is a buyer's market in NC right now. We just bought a house in August. We also just put a house on the market last month. Everything we saved on buying another house, we will loose on selling the other home. Not to mention the aggravation of expecting the house to be on the market for a long time or taking an even larger loss on it. http://www.housingtracker.net/ http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/hpci_data/index.html

Good morning Mechanic, I have a humble request of not showing any pictures involving green sleeping bags. I would not want to see any of our members embarrassed. Thanks again for the great M&E and all of the hospitality.

Thanks so much Sleeperhawk and Mechanic for your hospitality and for hosting an absolutely outstanding M&E. It was great seeing you again, along with some of the old friends and the new ones. I know you put a tremendous amount of effort into this and I truly appreciate everything you did. I look forward to the next time we can all meet.

"Oh, the humanity !" was a quote from the news commentator as he watched and was describing the Hindenburg as it burned and lives were being lost.

Great idea. Count me in for some.

That is some good advice. I have both warm weather and cold weather safety gear. But I am guilty of not always wearing my warm weather gear for that short trip to Walmart or the grocery store. And I know better than to do that. So my New Year's resolution, beginning 10 weeks early, is to not get on my RSV without wearing the proper equipment. Thanks for the reminder.

I understand what you mean. When I was a Company Commander in the Army, I had that plaque on my desk. I make things happen. That is what leaders do. Well, I use to make things happen. Now I just do what my wife tells me. So, I guess, I am wondering what happened.

I noticed that you just joined the site. I also notice that you did not post your age or the kind of motorcycle you ride. I consider what you did not post about yourself as speaking volumes more than what you did post. Most of us have been speaking from our years of experience in riding motorcycles and just driving in general. I think you lost site of who failed to yield at the stop sign and it was not "an old person", it was an inexperienced, new driver. Flame Off.

Thanks for the reply to the news article Don. I think you stated what the majority of us feel. I know you expressed my sentiments.

Another vote for Emilee.