beastwood

Being a Californian, we do things a little differently out here. I look forward to the approach of winter with the same exuberation that you folks have for the approach of summer. With the drought we have had, summers have been made up of weeks on end with temperatures hovering around 95, warming up to 100, then just flat rising to 104. Week after week. So, now, with winter approaching, morning temperatures will be around 55 when I go to work. 55 is my favorite temperature. It will eventually go to 40 or below, but my biker clothing can take it. So, my riding season is just beginning!

I don't think I could last for an hour and a half. My hand was about to cramp up after forty-five minutes.

I got up today to go on a charity run to benefit the families of fallen bikers. First, my friend I was to ride with texts me that he will be almost an hour late. No problem, I read the morning paper. We take off and head for the destination, only to find three lanes of a four lane freeway are closed for construction. The heat now has crept up to about 95 F or better. We considered splitting lanes, but too many trailer rigs, motor homes, and generally too crowded for my liking. So, the only choice was to slow ride the Venture. After about a half hour, I now feel I can slow ride at about a slow walk! It finally clicked for me. I got the right combination of friction zone and rear brake. At last the freeway lanes opened up after about another fifteen minutes. We finally made it to the poker run, we were last to register, last to start, and last to finish. I had an ace, a king and a jack, but somebody with a straight won. All in all it was a great day for a great cause. Even the traffic jam was good.

I had my 2001 650 for seven years. Absolutely loved it. Just sold it two months ago to a friend. I commuted to work daily with it, it is very reliable. It handled better on Metzlers than on the stock Dunlops.

Very nice job Zzyzx! Besides the cowpuc pic, my other favorite was the Afton, Wyoming shot with the elk locking their antlers. The sound tracks were great, especially the next to last that was an instrumental with a flute melody.

Prayers are sent for speedy recovery and comfort for Melanie.

Gabby and I made it home Monday after a great time at Venture West. Thank you to our hosts Viktor and Nancy. Great scenery in northern California in the shadow of Mount Shasta and around Lake Siskiyou. I 'm posting pictures we took along the way. More pictures to come. I managed to shatter one of the ABS latches on the saddle bag. Got to repair it.

I am 63. I teach fifth graders and when I have them guess my age I tell them that the two numbers must add up to nine ( 6 + 3). So most of them guess 54 or 45. I can't sell them on 36.

I got my route planned out. I'll be hugging the western Sierra Nevada and taking the State route 49 most of the way up. Towards the end I'll finish on the I-5 cruisin' into Yreka. Swimsuits will be packed cause it's gonna be hot.

I, too, did a little waxing today. Both tires are new. Planning on changing the fluids next week. Now to get the wife to pack just half of what she wants...

Best wishes and prayers sent for a full and speedy recovery. One more thing, not too much pain either.

I will retire in one year and I will not be bored!

Wednesday, May 13th was the kickoff for this year's Run For The Wall (RFTW). RFTW is an event in which riders gather on the west coast and ride to Washington, D.C. to honor POW's and KIA's. It is a terrific event to honor those who served and paid a high price. Well, I went this year just to go part way. After registering at a hotel, I went outside to check out the cool bikes, and there I spotted a red and black 2007 (I think) RSV. Not only that, but it had platoon leader markings on it. So, after asking around, I was introduced to the owner. A nice Texan. He had just purchased this one to back up his other RSV that has over a 100,000 miles on it. So, I asked to be assigned to his platoon and we rode the first leg together. It was a great time. Two gorgeous RSV's and one Tour DeLuxe amidst a sea of Harleys and trikes and what not. Maybe someday in the near future I will go all the way to D.C.

Angel, my comments are on preserving the range of motion in your hand. When I broke my hand in January, the nurse put a splint that extended all the way to my fingertips. Now I have stiff joints and poor range of motion in my fingers, not from the accident, but from loss of use for six weeks while in the splint. To avoid that possibility, work with the nurse who comes in to apply the splint and be sure she cuts it short enough to allow you to move your fingers and maybe even your thumb. You will have way less stiffness and swelling when it comes time to have the splint (or cast) removed. Best wishes and prayers for a complete recovery.