tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post1671580910879584498..comments2024-01-30T22:53:34.269-08:00Comments on Musings of an Intrepid Commuter: irondadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17821323482397075170noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-68965350384834303832006-11-20T15:01:00.000-08:002006-11-20T15:01:00.000-08:00dick,
Thanks for the positive feedback. I was stil...dick,<br />Thanks for the positive feedback. I was still caught up in the mood and it just sort of crept out in my writing.<br /><br />DanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-13343810510370251742006-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:002006-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:00art,
Glad it worked out for you. I was out in it,...art,<br />Glad it worked out for you. I was out in it, as well. You're being battle tested, hombre! All the experiences you have can make you a better rider. If nothing else, they make good bragging stories!<br /><br />DanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-83374762028904768502006-11-16T11:49:00.000-08:002006-11-16T11:49:00.000-08:00Hey Dan I'm glad you are OK. Yesterday going home...Hey Dan I'm glad you are OK. Yesterday going home from work was also my worst ride ever I thought I was going to hit the pavement with this gusty windy storm we are having here in the Pacific Northwest. The wind and rain was so bad yesterday that I was force to ride the freeway at 40 mph. The wind was so strong that I was already at my maximum lean and still pushing me toward the side of the freeway. With that lean plus with the heavy rain I was amazed I did not fall at all. I just keep praying an reminded myself to relax and go by the flow. 42 mph was a long time to cruise the freeway to get home. It normally just take me 30 minutes to cruise that particular area of the freeway but it took me 90 minute due to the weather. My wife was worried cause I came home late. I don't know whether this kind of weather makes me a better rider but I do know I will appreciate more when the weather is nice and warm...<br /><br />Take care<br /><br />ArtAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-16127857270188613032006-11-16T08:03:00.000-08:002006-11-16T08:03:00.000-08:00snark,
Know exactly what you mean. The really har...snark,<br />Know exactly what you mean. The really hard part was to have to tell Katie some things. She's pretty devout ( why she hooked up with an outlaw, who knows ). She needed to know what she was getting into. She kind of freaked when I told her about taking other's lives ( a gentle to way to say killing a bunch of people )Had to deal with it twice because of a woman. That's long past, thank God. Mostly, it's buried.<br /><br />dave,<br />I thank the young guys who come through my classes, too. These guys volunteered, I was just some dumb young man who got drafted and then made the best of it. I wasn't really trying to draw attention to my own service; more setting the scene for why my head was gone away. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement.<br /><br />"Squished angel". That's an interesting way to put it. I also happen to be a Parrot Head.<br /><br />steve,<br />the smart ones learn from other's experiences, don't they? Means someone has to share, even if they look bad.<br /><br />mad,<br />probably pure luck although I like to think the reflexes are deeply ingrained by now.<br /><br />jon,<br />Have fun with the ST! Roll on all you want but exercise "wrist management". Sounds kinda like risk management, doesn't it?<br /><br />combatscoot,<br />I can honestly say I feel your pain. Thanks for serving. Saw your picture. You look so young! It gets better depending on how you set your mind. The focus you get from riding pays dividends in the rest of life. Just remember you go where you look.<br /><br />tinker,<br />that's the reason I wouldn't let Katie come along. I knew what would happen in my mind and didn't want to be responsible for her, too. Hope your kid son got over the trauma.<br /><br /><br />DanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-54248729232826176752006-11-16T07:13:00.000-08:002006-11-16T07:13:00.000-08:00"We push and push the envelope sometimes." And so..."We push and push the envelope sometimes." And sometimes the envelope pushes back. <br /><br />Last time I was "stupid on a motorcycle" was when I put my two year old son in the hospital with ulcers. I was distracted, and passed a cage as he made an abrupt left into an alley. I walked away, was even able to ride the motorcycle. I guess that defines a "Good accident".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-23086859073001786352006-11-16T06:42:00.000-08:002006-11-16T06:42:00.000-08:00Wow.
I've been in two different services, and have...Wow.<br />I've been in two different services, and have been diagnosed with what they call PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Probably one of the reasons I ride so much now is that it's much better therapy than the drugs that the VA medical center would prescribe. Doesn't escuse me from keeping my head in the game, either, though.<br />One rainy, wet winter day while I was living in Virginia, I felt the rear tire of my BMW sportbike break-loose while making a left turn in an intersection. I recovered it easily and went about my merry way. When I arrived at the shop, a coworker who drives my route parked next to me and asked how in the world I had made-it through such-and-such intersection without falling, because there was a nearly 100 yard fuel slick on the road before it. I never saw the fuel, never noticed anything other than my rear tire breaking-loose momentarily. Where was my mind that day? I cannot explain it. <br />JohnCombatscoothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01071295308408784447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-44965320456168998432006-11-16T06:01:00.000-08:002006-11-16T06:01:00.000-08:00Dan
I am glad not to have just read your "obituary...Dan<br />I am glad not to have just read your "obituary blog".<br /><br />Thanks for sharing this with us - it's a potent reminder.<br /><br />I have just acquired an ST and there is a strong temptation to roll back the throttle from time to time!<br /><br />JonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-39443984578057990632006-11-16T03:59:00.000-08:002006-11-16T03:59:00.000-08:00I'm impressed you kept it upright Irondad, I imagi...I'm impressed you kept it upright Irondad, I imagine most riders would have hit the ground. I hate diesel spills I've seen loads recently but luckily I've been able to avoid them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-18430302182836184272006-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:002006-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:00Thank you Dan for the potent reminders and service...Thank you Dan for the potent reminders and service you've offered to country and riders.<br /><br />Glad you found your way home safely.<br /><br />steveSteve Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540977884513559091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-42799612788155637352006-11-15T17:58:00.000-08:002006-11-15T17:58:00.000-08:00Dan, thank you. I say that to all veterans I meet...Dan, thank you. I say that to all veterans I meet, no matter where or when they serve(d). <br /><br />It takes a far stronger man to shed his tears publicly than it does not to cry. Never be afraid of emotion, and sometimes the best thing you can do is let the tears fall. (Best to do it in the rain, makes it easier to get away with it. :) <br /><br />Coulda, shoulda, etc. aren't important now. You made it home in one piece. Maybe there was a hand on your shoulder or a squished angel between you and that car. Again, doesn't matter. It happened. Breath in, breath out, move on, as Jimmy Buffett says.<br /><br />Mistakes like that don't make you a bad person, just human. <br /><br />Ride safe<br />Dave T.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20666162.post-48121906985470131852006-11-15T17:02:00.000-08:002006-11-15T17:02:00.000-08:00I'm beginning to wonder exactly how many of us in ...I'm beginning to wonder exactly how many of us in the motorcycle blogosphere are ex-forces, or ex-uniform. The more I surf around, the more I am beginning to notice that there are similarities between many of the bike bloggers of our age group.<br /><br />I do much the same that you did in your post. Except that we have no memorial as such. Well, we do, but for those of us who made the sacrifice, it means nothing. Our memorial is inside our heads. It sucks when you have done things for your country that will never ever be known, or cannot be known. Which is where I find myself today.<br /><br />Someone who entered my life recently has made me dredge up a lot of memories. She asked me to open doors inside my head that have been locked shut for a long time. I opened them up because of her. Because of who she is to me, and who she might become.<br /><br />I have suddenly had to deal with these memories, and reading your post made it even more difficult.<br /><br />And that's a mark of good writing, when your readers are affected by it.<br /><br />RegardsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com