Thoughts from the road.

We're home once more. I ended up with 1,064 miles for the week. Not huge, granted, but when you consider it was for work and I can put in for mileage for all but about 150 miles it ain't shabby. Katie was with me for 693 of those miles. We made a little side trip to Crater Lake Friday afternoon. That was pleasure, not business.

For the next couple of posts I want to share some things I've been thinking about during all the riding time. This post will have pictures from Astoria and the next one will have photos of Crater Lake and Klamath Falls. Bryce has commented on more than one post that there should be a picture of me once in a while. Most of you are smart enough not to request to see my ugly mug. Katie took a picture of me on a small snow pile at Crater Lake. Maybe I'll include it next time. Be warned!

Passing lanes

Why is it that someone doing 15 mph under the speed limit will jam the pedal to the metal in passing lanes? They make themselves as hard to pass as possible, but then slow back to their original snail's pace when you can no longer get around them? You'd think they would be glad to let everyone go around and take the pressure off. Maybe it's something about the open space that stirs their need for speed. On the other hand, it could just be a power trip thing. I'm always amazed how far a slow driver can control the speed of everyone else. Speaking of traffic,

Those who pull out in front of others

Highway 101 is pretty crowded between Seaside and Astoria. Huge volumes of traffic are forced to share the same road. It dawned on me that perhaps the people who pull out pretty close to other traffic aren't really being rude or stupid as I prefer to believe. It could be a simple matter of having to take the bull by the horns and go for it. Nobody seems inclined to give anyone much of a break. If you don't just go, you'll never get anywhere. What a way to have to live!

Here's a ship at the Maritime Museum. It's a vehicle for a whole different type of adventurer. Some willing and some not so much, I think. Can you spell "shang-haied"? The little balcony at the back and the window you can see is the Captain's quarters. He had a lot of room compared to everyone else. It's good to be King!

Sexy bike

The FJR is a sexy bike. Women who wouldn't even send a glance my way if they passed me on the sidewalk seem to have a thing for the bike. One woman in a rest area came clear over to where I had just parked. She asked what kind of bike it was. According to her it was gorgeous! This lady wasn't the only one to make such comments! I hereby solemnly swear not to let it go to my head. My motorcycle may be too sexy for me, but I am not too sexy for my bike. In fact, I don't want to be sexy at all. I'd much rather be feared!

This is Elvira at the Astoria Column. Fortunately for me, the renovation work had the thing closed to the public. There's a spiral Stairway to Heaven inside. Ouch! Does that date me?

Ebony and Ivory

Wednesday morning at 6 AM saw me getting coffee from the hotel lobby. A woman who was probably 50 but looked 70 came up beside me. Too many hours in a tanning booth combined with a spatula applied make-up job made her look older than her years. She asked me how the pump pot worked. How does a coffee drinker live that long and not know how to work a pump pot?

Anyway, she was all decked out in Harley gear. Her husband was outside packing the bikes. There were two Harleys with Arizona plates. Maybe it was the Arizona sunshine that had turned her skin to leather. They were each on their own bike and were heading home after 10 days on the road. I told her that the black FJR over in the corner was mine. The lady said that they'd seen the bike the night before. It looked to her like I'd left my lights on. She told her husband that it would be a shame for the rider to come out to a dead battery and that they should go check the bike. Her husband said it was probably just the sun but they went and looked anyway.

I thanked her for the concern and caring. In return, I showed her how to use the pump pot to get coffee. Sort of an Ebony and Ivory thing with the Yamaha and Harley riders. Why can't we all just get along and happily enjoy motorcycling together?

This is a look back down the hill from Clatsop Community College. Hopefully, the photo shows the steepness of the hill I'd just ridden up. A lot of Astoria is built up and over a large hill.

"Break-in miles"

I developed a new mantra for riding. Repeat after me. "Break-in miles". It's amazing how much more patient I was when I reminded myself of this fact.

New bikes get a better break-in when the first miles are under varied loads. Which is exactly what back roads provide. What a perfect blend of fun and effectiveness! Elvira and I wound through the countryside towards Valley Junction. Highway 22 takes off from there and follows the Nestucca River for a while and then heads up towards Hebo on the coastal Highway 101. It's somewhere around 30 miles of pure motorcycle fun. The only down side was a big load of hay on a double flatbed truck. He chose to pull out ahead of me and acted as a rolling road block for about 9 miles. Repeat after me. "Break-in miles". Take it easy and wait. Back waaay off. Sifting straw does not make for good riding conditions.

Between Hebo and Seaside are 70 miles of coastal highway clogged with slow moving tourists and locals in no particular hurry. Repeat after me. "Break-in miles". Relax, enjoy the ride, and let the motor break in gently. By the way, the ocean looks pretty cool out there.

I'm going to try this mindset a lot more often. Despite our best intentions, even on a motorcycle, the spirit of commuting drivers everywhere can be contagious. Repeat after me. "Break-in miles". Relax, take deep breaths, and just enjoy the ride.

This is a view over Young's Bay and the river feeding it. I took it from up on the hill where the Astoria Column towers the city.

Perspective

On Wednesday morning I set out for Tongue Point. My mission was to check out some perceived issues the folks at the Job Corps were having with some hardware. There were about 16 miles of morning traffic to contend with. In my mirrors I observed an Accura MDX SUV. It was such a dark green it looked almost black. The driver was pressing hard; aggressively passing in tight spots. Highway 101 is pretty much only one lane each direction for a long ways. I wouldn't have tried the passes this driver was doing on a motorcycle, much less an SUV. All too soon the Accura was on my tail.

There's a drawbridge over Young's Bay. The road is narrower here. Old bridges were only built as wide as they absolutely had to be. The lack of space combined with the volume of traffic made it a bad place to pass. Unless you are driving an Accura SUV, of course.

With marginal space in front of us, the SUV driver pulled out. I slowed down to help avoid a tragedy. As the Accura moved even with me, I took a close look at the driver. She looked to be nearly 60. The front seat was probably back as far as it would go. This lady took up all the available space. She glared at me and cut back over close in front of me. I was dismayed at her driving to say the least. You know good and well what I was tempted to do. Repeat after me. "Break-in miles". Let her go.

However, there was a complication. The right rear tire of the SUV was pretty close to flat. Yes, she was driving like a demon from Hell and just as angry with a nearly flat rear tire. She probably had no clue. I decided to point it out to her as a courtesy. Bad driver or not, this was not good for her.

So I beeped the horn to get her attention. When she looked back I emphatically pointed down to the tire. Then I made the gesture with my thumb and forefinger close together. With the weather being warmer I was wearing thinner gloves so the gesture seemed quite clear. Once more I pointed to the tire.

The lady shook her fist at me and flipped me off. Several times and quite forcefully. It was clear she thought I was telling her what a wonderful driver she was. While it was true I only had one finger extended, it was the first finger and it was clearly pointing down. Being in her own negative state, she saw what she wanted to see. Her perspective prevented her from seeing reality.

I thought how that so often affects motorcycle riders. We, out of all the roadway users, need to be aggressively gathering critical information about our surroundings. Quite often, though, we don't see the reality. We see what we expect to see depending on where our head is at the time. It's something we need to be aware of. We can't afford to be getting it wrong. Just like overly aggressive driving with a nearly flat tire the consequences can be disastrous. My turn-off wasn't much farther down the road. I don't know how the Accura driver fared. I can only wish her the best.

Well, that's it for now. Look for the next post with the second part. It probably won't be so long as this one but there's some beautiful pictures from Crater Lake. Not to mention some more Musings of an Intrepid Commuter!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Checking in.

I'm still on the road. I stopped home on the way from Astoria and made a bike change. Not to mention picking up a passenger! Katie wanted to go with me to Klamath Falls. Since I'm always glad of her company I made a detour. Elvira's not set up, yet, for passenger comfort. I've ordered a Givi rack so we can mount the trunk with the backrest. That's not here, yet. Once more, faithful Sophie is pressed into duty.

There's no Sharin' the Road post this week. Nobody's really got anything ready. I'll keep the thing going as long as folks are interested in sharing. If I run out of guests the post will retire. It's been so much fun that I hate to see it go! Remember, it doesn't have to be all first timers. If you have a Ride to Work Day story, a ride tale, etc., send me a line. If you're not too sure of your writing skills I'd be glad to help put a post together.

So much riding has given me a lot of time to ponder things. I've made a list of things to share. There's also a funny, but philosophical, story of a bitchy woman in an Accura MDX SUV. Look for these things on Monday.

I'll leave you with the obligatory photo that says, "Yes, I was really there with the bike!"

This one's for Lucky. It's taken in front of the Maritime Museum in Astoria. Yes, I rang the bell for you, Bro'!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

"I knew it!"

I have to go back and tell you a little story from July 4th.

You probably read several blogs and are familiar with Lucky's blog, The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour. Lucky and his bride, Lady Luck, came to Oregon. You can go back and catch his post here. Look for the post from July 7. Not being one to miss an opportunity to meet up with a fellow rider and blogger, I made arrangements to meet them for lunch. There's kind of a unique place just up the gorge out of Portland. Lucky's blog post has a link to McMenamin's Edgefield. Once upon a time this acreage housed a poor farm with about 600 inhabitants. Now it's a place to stay, contemplate, and eat. I kind of like the eating part, myself.

I invited Clinton to ride up with me. He and the VFR are getting along fabulously. Elvira was my mount. Here's a photo of the two bikes down the hill from the main lodge.

When Clinton and I arrived Lucky wasn't there yet. I showed Clinton around the place, it being his first time there, and we talked about the ride up. Clinton said he saw me looking back at him in my mirrors fairly often. I told him I was just in the habit of checking on riders behind me to make sure they were doing okay.

"No you're not, you're evaluating me. That's what you do all the time!", he replied. Clinton had a smile on his face so I'm pretty sure he wasn't really upset. You know sons, they have to harrass you all the time.

I swear I wasn't but what can I say? Ok, maybe a little. The trainer reputation follows me everywhere I go.

Lucky and Lady Luck arrived soon thereafter and we had a great lunch. The only down side is that McMenamin's makes some great microbrewery beers. Being on the bike, I had to console myself with iced tea with lunch.

After a long visit, I tried to get both Lucky and Lady Luck to pose for a photo near the bikes. Lady Luck was a little camera shy, however. All of us exchanged goodbyes and headed out. It seems they followed us for a while, as Lucky has a picture in his post of our backsides! Of course, it would have to be from that angle!

Clinton and I took the old highway 99 route. When we reached Canby, I took a left into the Fred Meyer parking lot. Clinton didn't say anything, he just followed me. He probably thought I needed to lose some ice tea, or something! I actually had something quite different in mind.

Once Clinton pulled up beside me, I asked him if he wanted to ride the FJR. He was sort of puzzled at first.

"You mean, like ride on the back with you?"

"No," I said. "I mean actually ride the bike."

Clinton was reluctant. I could see he was enthused about getting his hands on the new bike but was worried about whether he could handle it. His words were more like,

"I would, but I don't want to mess it up".

I reassured him by saying I'd been watching him ride and was pretty sure he'd be able to handle it just fine.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "You were evaluating me!"

It's weird watching someone else ride your bike, isn't it? For the record, Clinton did just fine. I cautioned him to leave extra room since he was on a bike strange to him. We rode the rest of the way home, about 70 miles, on each other's bikes. Also for the record, I enjoyed being back on a VFR. What sweet bikes!

You know you're crazy when you take a 180 mile round trip for lunch! It was great to meet Lucky and Lady Luck. They're good people. I'd always regret missing the chance to meet them in person if we hadn't made the trip.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Reminder about Wednesday!

This is a reminder that Wednesday is Ride to Work Day (trademarked). If you want more information feel free to click on the link to the right of the blog page. I've been on a dead run and haven't caught up on all the blogs I normally read. So if someone has written something similar, please accept my apologies. Or maybe I should say congratulations. After all, a lot of us are avid proponents of using a bike for everyday transportation. It shouldn't be surprising,then, that we think alike.

Here's some of my musings about the significance of Ride to Work Day. Bear in mind that I don't have the luxury of a lot of time to savor and pick the exact perfect words. Thoughts are spilling out as they happen. I'm pretty sure you'll get what I'm saying, though.

To my mind there's a certain genius in the fact that Andy picked riding to work as the foundation. After all, he could have organized a bunch of group rides or something else. These would have worked to show just how many motorcyclists there are out here. If you think it through, however, you can see how effective the commute to work thing can be for accomplishing his purpose.

Most people I run across have one of several reactions to motorcycles. Remember, when I say "people" I'm referring to a group that includes our bosses and co-workers. One reaction is a deep fear of bikes or those who ride them. Another view is that motorcyclists are a bunch of excessive risk takers who should be condemned. Most people have opinions that fall somewhere in the middle. They consider motorcyclists as folks who are out for recreation. Similar to those who choose to camp, golf, ski, boat, or whatever. That's okay, but it doesn't accomplish the goal because the choices of recreation are too diverse for any sort of uniting effect on a wholesale level.

Commuting to work, on the other hand, is a nearly universal human experience. Having a job and going to work are at the core of human existence. Everyone can relate to that, whether they want to or not! By putting a motorcycle into this role there's suddenly a common ground for discussion.

I share Andy's views in that motorcycles should be incorporated into everyday life as a means of transportation. Not only are bikes fun, but they have a legitimate place among cars and trucks. Going a little further with this, in today's society where there's such an emphasis on being "green", the use of vehicles that tread more lightly upon the Earth's resources should be encouraged, not just tolerated.

Now I know that a lot of us ride to work anyway. Day after day the bike shows up in the parking lot. So why have a special day?

One good thing I see is that it encourages those who might not ride on a regular basis to do so on this day. Participating in a special day gives them the incentive to give it a try. Maybe the rider will find it's easier than they thought to take the bike instead of the car and continue to ride to work. Heaven forbid, they might even find it's a lot more enjoyable than a car!! Shudder!

Another benefit is that employers often respond to the event by letting the riders have some sort of special parking section and maybe a display relating to the event. With the temporary extra lattitude regarding the workday, there's a chance to talk to co-workers about riding. I personally know of several riders who got the first spark from a Ride to Work event. There's nothing so effective at breaking down prejudice and stereotypes than realizing a rider is actually a respected co-worker. You are respected, aren't you?

That's the thing, too. We never know who we inspire and to what extent. It was a scene like this that finally moved my boss to give me full permission to ride for work as I saw fit.

You saw a similar picture in an earlier blog post. This day there were even more bikes parked at one of our large distributors. These bikes belong to project managers, buyers, and shop workers alike. The riders of these five bikes have no idea how their riding to work helped me along in the process of using my own bike as a company vehicle. They just ride to work.

By the way, guys, I really appreciate what you've done in helping me, but what the heck happened to backing the bikes into the parking spots? Jeez, do you want to be cool or not?

So I'm asking you. If you're not already planning on it, ride to work on Wednesday. You may help the cause more than you know.

Having said all that, I have no place to ride to work. I don't work for a company that has a big parking lot. I will, however, be riding FOR work all week. It's not going to be as exciting as what my pal Dean is doing this week. He's riding to Laguna Seca. I hope the Aprilia gives you a backache, my friend! Can you see the jealousy dripping from my words?

Nonetheless, it will be a lot of miles for me. I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Astoria. Lucky was just there chasing Goonies, I believe. Astoria is at the mouth of the Columbia River near the top NW corner of Oregon. It's a relatively short trip for me, being about 158 miles. After spending a couple of days there, I'm headed South to Klamath Falls. K Falls is around 365 miles South and West from Astoria. Thursday and Friday will see me doing business calls there. On Saturday I have a task for TEAM OREGON. Saturday afternoon I'm booking it up to Medford, a quick trip of around 80 miles. I'm helping with a training session for instructors Saturday evening and then spending the night in Medford. Sunday will be my first day off in 13 days. I plan to sleep in and find a long, scenic, route home.

With any luck at all, the trip will be over a thousand miles. Yee haw!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Sharin' the Road!

It's my pleasure to introduce Steve Liu this week. If reading this doesn't put you in the mood to go for a ride and take more training ( hint, hint ) then I don't know what will! Sit back and enjoy!


I'm Steve, I'm 33 and I live in Eugene, Oregon. I was born and raised in England and moved to Oregon in 1999.

My first experience with motorcycles was at the age of 11, at a friend's house. He had a little 50cc "mini-motorbike" and we spent hours taking turns riding around his woods on that little thing. I'm sure I dropped it several times, but now I know it's because I had never learned to counter steer or how to correctly apply the brakes!

At the age of 21 I was an officer in the Royal Air Force and was stationed at Akrotiri, Cyprus for a brief stint. A group of us rented 125cc bikes and decided to ride around and do some sightseeing and then have some fun on the dunes on base. It is a wonder I am able to be here and share this with you - anyone who's ever been to Cyprus will know what the drivers are like over there. That, combined with a complete lack of skill, and an over abundance of confidence should have spelled disaster. Luckily my mishap occurred on the dunes and not on the crazy streets.

Fast forward to 2006 and I'm 30 years old, married and have two small children - a 2 year old son and a 6 month old daughter. Typically this is not the time most people decide to start taking more risks, but my wife and I had been talking about learning to ride for years.

I'm not sure what it was that brought me to take a Team Oregon course, but I think perhaps it may have been divine intervention!

I ended up signing up for the 1 day IRT on September 9 2006. In hindsight, I should have been on a basic course. I arrived, having not sat on a motorcycle for almost a decade, and my experience was a day in Cyprus and an afternoon as a child on a mini bike. As you can imagine I was thrilled to start the riding portion of the course with the offset cone weave!

I could tell my instructors (Jake and Laurie) were thinking this was going to be one of the longest days of their instructing career!

It took a little while, then something clicked. I was like a sponge, soaking up all the tips and techniques they were throwing my way, and by the end of the course I was totally 100% hooked. My poor wife had to endure several days of me talking about counter steering, head turning and emergency braking.

I found a 1986 Honda Rebel 450 in Portland and trailered it down to Eugene.

I live about 300 yards from a Bi-Mart and became very familiar with the parking lot - I put in over 50 miles of parking lot time practicing what I had learned on the course. I didn't feel comfortable on the streets until the bike operation was completely automatic. I wanted 100% of my mental capacity to be on the road and other traffic, rather than thinking about operating the clutch and shift lever. I put 600 miles on the Rebel 450 before getting the itch to look at other bikes. I'm a researcher when it comes to purchases. I did my homework and decided I wanted the lightest cruiser possible, that would keep up with my desire for more power for a while to come. The bike that fit the bill is my current bike - a 2007 Suzuki Boulevard S50. The new name for the Intruder VS 800.



My father-in-law is getting close to retirement and seeing me on my bike got his interest. He'd ridden before, before he had kids, and so took a little while to refamiliarize himself. I still had the Rebel 450 and so I spent several hours with him in the Bi-Mart parking lot running exercises similar to the ones I had gone through. He was signed up for the IRT but wanted to have a little saddle time in before going on the course.

I make sure everyone I know who rides or is thinking about riding knows about the Team Oregon courses. Some resist, but eventually they all come around!

On his 63rd birthday he bought himself a 2007 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic - his pride and joy.



My wife, Serena, was unable to take the BRT course until April of 2007, on account of the lack of infant breast-feeding breaks on the courses! (should we put that in the course debrief?!). I did the right thing with her and refused to even show her the controls of the bike. I wanted her to learn from the experts, instead of picking up on my bad habits. She had never driven a manual transmission vehicle so had quite a steep learning curve.

After the course she practiced on a 2006 Honda Rebel 250 which I picked up in Kelso Washington. It sure was fun to ride that bike around after getting used to my S50!

We were definitely hooked. We went from having no bikes to 3 in the space of 6 months! As my wife built her confidence and skills in the parking lot, I started hitting the local roads and exploring different routes to the coast.

Here's a link to a short video from one of my favorite roads - Wolf Creek to Lorane. I have the camera mounted to my turn signals and the other rider is Walt, my father-in-law.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b9xtEAum5w

and a link to a photo page from the Cascade Lakes loop ride

http://picasaweb.google.com/orbrit74/CascadeLakesLoop/photo?authkey=t4IhXdJFmbg#5217725068207441554


Walt is my riding buddy. We haven't gone on group rides and probably never will. He doesn't mind if I take off and ride my own ride, then stop and wait for him. That way he gets to ride his own ride too.

He commutes daily on his VStar. It's only 6 miles, so he has to find diversions to get more of a ride in on the way home. I only really get to ride for pleasure - I work as a Technology Consultant so quite often have to carry a lot of computer equipment in my truck. Occasionally I do get to ride to client offices though.

The summer came and went and I was ready for a refresher course, so with 6000 miles under my belt, I took the RSP course exactly 1 year after my IRT. Jake and Aria were my instructors and I thoroughly enjoyed the course. It was really quite amazing to watch Aria zipping around the cones on his Bandit 600. At the end of that course, I was asked to consider the instructor program. What a compliment! I already recommend Team Oregon courses to everyone I meet who rides, so I guess the next step is to get involved with the actual preparation of those riders for the streets.

I wanted to start this riding season off on the right foot (or peg?) and signed up for the ART in Canby on June 9. What a blast!! For anyone who has never taken this course I would highly recommend it. I feel my riding has progressed so much from being able to really concentrate on the dynamics of cornering and also gaining the confidence that I'd hopefully be able to react effectively to hazards on the road.

Here's a video from the "personal evaluation" part at the end of the course to show you what the go-kart track is like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIvg9J0zmTw

During one of the exercises, Stan Porter suggested I speak with him after the course about the instructor program and I also spoke with Ray and Laurie about it afterwards. What better way to improve my riding skills and educate others - I think I'm going to have to pursue the instructor training.

I'm so glad I took the ART. It totally put me in the right mind set at the start of the riding season. This week, I've ridden about 400 miles this week just commuting to client sites and running errands and it has been a week of close calls!

I'm glad I just polished up my swerving, and emergency braking earlier this month.

Monday afternoon I was riding down a side street in Tualatin next to a strip mall doing about 20 mph and a truck sped out of the strip mall driveway without stopping or looking, just as I was passing.

I caught it out of the corner of my eye and had to swerve and accelerate hard to avoid being T-boned! After I passed, he slammed his brakes on!

I must have been in the blind spot behind his massive A pillars.

Tuesday evening I was riding out to the movie theater following my wife in staggered formation, about 1 second behind and to the right.

We were in the exit/merging lane on a 4 lane highway, and were not changing lanes, just came around a cloverleaf and staying in the lane to exit.

A truck merging into the lane didn't see me and cut right in right behind my wife - which was where I was. This time I had to swerve right into the shoulder and brake hard to avoid being side swiped.

I laid on the horn as I came in behind him and he freaked out and swerved back out into his lane (Stebel Air horn) and put both his hands up in an apologetic gesture.

Wednesday evening on the way to a soccer game I was in the fast lane of a 4 lane highway and just cruising in traffic and a truck merging onto the freeway came across two lanes to get around a log truck - yep you guessed it - I was right there again. I pre-empted this one so didn't have to brake too hard but the guy was totally oblivious to the fact I was there even though I was laying on the horn.

My wife is now riding confidently and is really looking like a very proficient rider. She has taken the RSP and has since upgraded to a Kawasaki Vulcan 500. We sold the two Rebels so are down to just two bikes - for now.

I have my eye on a Suzuki SV650 as my first foray out of the cruiser world. I also see a Bandit 1250 in my future!

I look forward to sharing the road, or range with you soon.

Regards,

Steve


If you look at our website you can see the different courses. The IRT is a one day course we developed for returning riders and those riding unendorsed. They don't need the "learn to ride" basics. So we bring them in for a day where we work on mental skills and more advanced skills like cornering and accident avoidance skills.

The RSP is a riding clinic with no classroom. The part Steve talks about where Aria zips around the cones is the circuit ride. It's a course consisting of a tight turn, a barrel ride like the horse riders do, a corner, a swerve, and maximum braking. We do it first thing and then come back to it at the end. Students have a chance to see how much their score improves after working on their skills during the clinic.

By the way, Aria's recently sold his Bandit and purchased one of those sporty BMW boxer 1200's!

As you probably also noticed, Steve's poised to go over the edge of the precipice and become an instructor. Another one we've sucked in! Do you think I can stand to train and work with an enthusiastic person like him?

Here's a warm invitation to share your story. Drop me a line at intrepidcommuter@comcast.net and we'll put you in the spotlight for a bit!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Meet Elvira.

To quote Mark Twain, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated"

I can't believe it's been so long between posts! Except for the holiday weekend, corporate demands have been extremely heavy. Work is the required evil to pay for the bikes, you know. I intend to keep riding for a long time so I have to be able to hold a job. My next few weeks look just as busy. On top of that the weekends will be filled with motorcycle training duties. The good news is that all three of my next assignments are out of town. More bike miles. Dang! I've had tremendous withdrawal, though, from blogging. Even if it means some late nights, I won't go so long again between entries.

There's still the second half of the Great Harley Track Adventure to finish. Hopefully enough of you remember the first part to make it still relevant. I skipped the Sharin' the Road entry last week. It didn't seem fair to make them share the spotlight with the Fourth of July weekend. There's several things bouncing around in my head that I've just got to get out. Should be some interesting, if not scary, stuff upcoming. Right now, though, we take a break from the regularly scheduled programming to introduce the newest member of the family. Her name is Elvira and she's a 2008 Yamaha FJR1300 with ABS. She's Raven Black with little silver metal flakes in her paint.

Elvira will be Sophie's replacement. We haven't decided whether to keep Sophie or find a nice home where she can live out her days. I suspect I won't have the heart to send her away. We've shared a great deal of awesome memories over the years.

Picking out a new bike was a lot of fun, I have to say. There were a few really intriguing possibilities. My first inclination was to go for the Honda ST1300. There seemed to be quite a few 2007's around, but hardly any 2008's. We didn't much care for the strange grey color of the 07's. The 08's were nearly the same color as Sophie and we liked them a lot. I didn't move soon enough, though. According to a large dealer, they got about a third of what they ordered. The only bike I could find was at a dealer in Southern California. I shuddered to think what it would have cost to get it here! There was always the option of waiting for the 2009 model to come out. Turns out that the delay proved to be blessing in disguise. Without this I probably wouldn't have explored the Yamaha.

For a while I was close to making a deal for the BMW R1200RT. This is technologically awesome bike. Heated grips and seat, cruise control, etc., etc., were pretty tempting. It felt like a rocking chair motorcycle to me. Too much creature comfort! The price was higher and a lot of riders of this bike told me the maintenance costs were higher than other bikes. I wasn't really fond of the looks. Where the R1150RT was streamlined and blended, the 1200 looks like BMW just piled fairing bits on top of each other. The thing that killed the deal for me was taking a demo bike out for half a day. I couldn't come to grips with the buzzing, clunking, and roughness of those two huge pistons and the stuff that made them work right. I guess I've gotten spoiled by the smoothness of the water cooled fours.

It happened that Katie and I were on our way to Florence for a work related thing when we pulled into a rest area. A guy was there on an '07 FJR. It was a pretty plum color. Both Katie and I loved the clean lines of the bike. It's even nicer looking than Sophie to me, and I really love the lines of the ST1100.

The guy was at the start of a nine day trip with the FJR. He wasn't in any hurry and spent a lot of time answering my questions. Katie and I spent a lot of time during the rest of our trip talking about what we wanted to do for riding in the next few years. Here's what it boiled down to.

Both bikes are sport touring types. With the Yamaha the emphasis is on the sport side. For the Honda it's the touring side. Not that the ST can't be sporty. Sophie can vouch for that. And it's not like the FJR isn't comfortable. However, the bias one way or the other is pretty clear.

My question to Katie was how much she wanted to engage in touring type riding in the near future. Were we going to do more travelling or would life keep on like now? Which means a lot of solo riding for me with her joining me now and then. At some point it's been our goal to take some really long trips by bike while cutting way back on career stuff. I'm talking about trips longer than the long weekends we do now. When we can get them, that is! It looks like the next few years will continue as they are now. I'm still deeply engrossed in training and want to stay busy with that. Katie's got her own pursuits. When the right time comes we'll pick up a real touring bike. For now, though, we both agree I'm not ready for the rockin' chair bike.

With all that in mind, we opted for the FJR. Sporty and fun while being comfortable. Besides, Dean has one and, he being my hero and all, I needed one too! I made a call to a salesman I know who told me the plum colored '07's were gone but he still had a couple of the '08 models. We took a look, decided the glossy black was awesome, too, and wrote the check.

Naming her Elvira was Katie's idea. I was toying with the idea of naming it Bandit. Don't know if you remember the movie "Smokie and the Bandit" with Burt Reynolds. Technically, it was Burt's character that was named Bandit. However, the Trans Am he drove was black and shiny. I loved those cars. Katie liked the name Elvira and the "just beneath the surface wickedness" attached to it. Hmm, what is she saying about the bike and I?

I spent the holiday weekend putting on miles. Yes, I really love the bike. It's sleek and fast. The only real creature comfort is the adjustable windscreen. My spartan Ironman image remains intact. A rack to mount the Givi trunk is next on the list. Some electrical wiring for the GPS and stuff is on the calendar.

Tomorrow will see the return of Sharin' the Road. After that I'll share some impressions of the bike as the miles add up. Some of those miles included a trip North to have lunch with Lucky and Lady Luck while they were visiting. You can get a sneak preview by cruising over to The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour blog. Click on the link to the right. That was a 177 mile round trip for lunch that Clinton and I took. I also let Clinton ride the bike which is a funny story by itself. No, the bike didn't get damaged. He did just fine but needed a little convincing to give it a go. Stay tuned for the longer version of our visit with Lucky.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Sharin' the Road!

This week's turned out to be busier than expected. The good news is that work required me to take a couple of nice trips on the bike. On Wednesday I rode to a casino on the Oregon Coast. It really was business, I swear. Yes, I was much warmer than in the story Ralph relates. I've made the same trip to Newport many times. The return trip up Hwy. 101 was awesome. We came back on the same road Ralph talks about, as a matter of fact. Katie was with me so it was even better.

On top of all that, I had some evening meetings. Blogging time was hard to come by. So I'm sorry to say you'll have to wait until next week to get Part II of the Great Harley Adventure on the track. There's also some news on the new bike front. That will have to wait, too. It just wouldn't be right to steal the thunder from this week's guest. Even my guest spot is a day late. Yikes!

Speaking of guests, I'm greatly pleased to introduce Ralph from Canby. That's about 45 miles North of me. Ralph doesn't live far from one of the tracks we use to teach the ART course. Without further ado, I'm turning the keyboard over to Ralph.

My name is Ralph. I live in Canby, Oregon. I have worked for the U.S. Postal service for the last twenty years and riding motorcycles is where I find my balance. No one can interrupt a chain of thought while you are riding. The white noise created by the rushing wind is the most calming sound I know. Here is a brief rundown on my biking history. I began riding dirt bikes in the eighth grade. I had a Suzuki RM125 and beat it up pretty good doing some very crazy things. It was a GREAT albeit sometimes painful time in my life. I progressed through several bikes before leaving for four years to Japan onboard the carrier USS Midway. When I came back to the states I got stationed in Washington State. I took the course they offered on base which was co-instructed by a Washington State trooper [man that guy could ride]. I made it out of the class alive and spent almost every day for two years on my Virago. Rain, snow, cold, five miles to base and five miles back.

A brief story about me and my Virago. I had just gotten out of the Navy and was working for my Dad as a brick mason. I lived in Albany, Oregon, and we were doing a job in Newport. Money was tight and my wife needed our one little car, so “no biggy”, I thought, “I'll take my trusty steed to the coast.” Well, whether from youthful ignorance or blind stupidity I took off at 6:00 AM wearing cotton gloves and a nylon jacket in 40 degree weather. A few miles out of Philomath I pulled over and huddled close to my motor to thaw out. Did I say huddle? I meant hugged. I don't think I have ever been that cold before! When I regained some feeling in my limbs I got back on and headed up the mountain, a mountain now thick with fog. I slowly worked my way around the curves with almost no visibility. Suddenly there was a deer right in front of me. A dead deer. I hit that carcass at 40 mph. I'm not quite sure how, but I kept everything upright and eventually made it to the job. When I got off the bike something smelled really good, like a barbecue. It was at that moment that I noticed my motor was covered in venison, and it was about medium rare I would say. I was very fortunate that day and I am pleased to say that in the twenty one years since that incident there have been no major mishaps.

Motorcycles have come and gone. I currently ride an '06 Harley Sportster. It is difficult to explain why I love riding so much. Who can say why a perfect switchback is so exhilarating? Why do I complain about the house being cold then turn around and ride in thirty degree weather and love it? These are questions most bikers can identify with. The older I get the more I'm convinced it is either in your DNA or not. For many people it is probably there dormant, waiting for someone to bring it to life. Such is the case with my son. I have always discouraged Ben from riding motorcycles, knowing if he really wanted to he would anyway when he was on his own. Moving to Bothell, WA, and having work associates who ride gave a jolt to his dormant DNA. I am fortunate that my son respects me enough to listen, and weigh my advice. I just don't think he expected such an onslaught of advice. Though many people told him different things [everyone’s an expert] he listened to me and got a middle weight cruiser.



This is a picture of my son twenty-one years ago and today on his Vulcan 500. In hindsight it looks like maybe I had a little something to do with his liking bikes after all. He has treated riding as a very serious thing and with each month that passes I worry less. I only wish we lived closer so we could share some trips.



Whether you ride a scooter or a Goldwing, you are part of a community and that is part of the lure. Our backgrounds are diverse but we share a love of riding. That to me is what the wave is all about. It is a simple non-verbal way to say “you get it”.

Let me finish with a suggestion and a quote. If at all possible find time to ride the Cascade Lakes Hwy this summer.



Then stop at Manley’s in Crescent City for their famous deep fried chicken. You won't regret it. Remember what Peter Fonda told the guys at the end of the movie Wild Hogs - “lose the watches”.

Ralph

As a side note, thank you, Ralph, and all like you for your service in the Military!

Good advise from the movie quote. You know, I've tried to "lose the watch". Unfortunately, I'm cursed with an inner clock that is always pretty close. I try to use it to my advantage. In other words, at least I know exactly how long I've been able to enjoy a ride!

He didn't mention it in the post, but Ralph is a fellow blogger. His blog is called "Wolf's Eyes". You can check it out here.

All of my end of the month paperwork that Corporate demands is done. It's time to pack up and make the three and a half hour trip to Medford. Another weekend of getting new riders onto the right path awaits!

I'm always deeply honored when folks write in and want to share their story with us. Don't hold back if you think there's a flood of posts waiting. That happened at first. Now, though, posts trickle in at just the right rate. It's so neat to see this feature able to appear for so many weeks now. Drop me a line at intrepidcommuter@comcast.net What is it that Tom Bodett from Motel 6 used to say?

"We'll leave a light on for you!"

Of course, I showed up once and it turned out they'd left the light on for someone else. I promise it won't happen here!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Welcome to the Dark Side!

These are the first words I hear as I approach some guys sitting on a bench at a Harley dealership in Medford.

I'm going back to pick up on a trip I took the weekend after last. Four of us travelled South to Medford. As I've mentioned, it's about three and a half hours away for me. Of course, that depends a lot on which way we go! We found a longer way for the return trip. More on that later.

This was taken at one of those stops that are inevitable on a long ride. Looking at the bike made me want to take a photo. A beautiful bike in scenic surroundings. How could I resist?

The reason for the trip was to teach an Advanced Rider Training course. This is the one we teach on some sort of track. It's about practicing higher speed accident avoidance skills and linking turns. Not only linking curves, but being as smooth as possible in the process. This class was being sponsored by a local Harley dealership. As you might have guessed, most of the students were Harley mounted. There were a couple of BMW's, a Ducati Supermotard, a Suzuki DR650, and another sport type bike. I'm sad to say that the make escapes my memory. Ouch! There was a total of 17 students with 12 of them riding bikes of the Harley persuasion.

I'm going to put in a disclaimer here. These students of ours were serious about improving their riding skills. However, many of them knew each other. These guys weren't holding back from trying to impress each other with a slightly put on "tough guy" persona. If that comes through in this post, it's not my bias speaking. It's here because the students wanted it to be there. I'm only the scribe!

As you might expect, the classroom Friday night was held at the dealership. I'd headed out a little ahead of the rest of the guys. Ron and Dan ( yes, another one ) were coming from Portland. Ron's on an ST1100 a year newer than Sophie. Dan's on a Suzuki GSXR 1100. That dude rode the sport bike all the way down and back. I always knew some of my sport bike riding friends were nuts!

Leaving early put me into town early. Not having been to this particular dealership before, I decided to go check it out.

Picture this. It's a really warm afternoon. I'm pulling into the parking lot of a Harley dealership. On a Honda sport-tourer. Wearing a full face helmet with my Hi-Viz 'Stich Roadcrafter, no less. I pull up into the group of American iron bikes and dismount. Looking for all the world like it's the most natural thing in the world. I can feel several sets of eyes boring into me.

I'm keeping up a very nonchalant demeanor as I peel off the gear. I can almost smell the sawdust smoke from the flurry of mental questions that are forming in minds all around me.

You know, simple things like, "What's he doing here?"

It would be easy to quickly clear the air and put these people out of their misery. Still, though, I take my time. The Warrior in me wants to keep everyone hanging a while longer.

When the curiosity currents are at their highest level, I wander over to a couple of guys sitting on a bench in the shade. You have to understand that I have this perverse streak in me. I tend to like to mess with people's minds. Making someone's day a little more surreal warms me to the bottom of my riding boots. I saunter over to the guys sittting on the bench. Their appearance is the perfect illustration of the stereotype. They're waiting for me to speak. So I do.

"And thus was born the saying that will forevermore ring out among mankind, 'As out of place as a Honda in a Harley shop!'"

To which one of the guys replies, "Welcome to the Dark Side".

If you look past the bikes you can see a guy wearing an orange shirt. There's another guy sitting next to him. A couple of onlookers are standing nearby. Obviously, they expect the conversational ball to be in my court. Not wanting to disappoint, I send a volley back their way.

"I'm Luke Skywalker, who are you?"

Mr. Orange Shirt tells me his name is Gator. With a big smirk he looks over at his buddy. The buddy takes a minute to catch up then offers a grin with a couple of teeth missing. He tells me his name is Snake. So far we really don't know each other's real names and actually don't much care at this point. Now the guy who calls himself Gator can't resist taking a jab for real.

"I'm surprised you don't have heat stroke from all that crap you were wearing. Aren't you hot?"

"My wife thinks I am", I reply. "You're right in that it might be too much gear. Everyone knows that the pavement gets softer when it gets warmer".

I leave them with that and wander around to the back to find the classroom. It happens to be a door around the back and at the top of a stairway. You'll see a picture in a bit. Finishing with my journey of exploration, I walk back to Sophie. As casually as I took the gear off, I put it back on. Time to go check into the hotel and enjoy some air conditioning. All too soon, it's time to hook up with Ray and ride back to actually teach the class. Ray's on his ST1300. I'm actually teaching but all the instructors are going to show up for introductions.

Ok, here's the door to the classroom. It figures into the next bit of bantering.

Remember, this is around on the backside of the dealership. As Ray and I park in the shade near the door, a couple of the Harley mounted students walk around from the front of the building. They've parked in front and walked in the hot sun to the back. I see a glint in one of the guys' eyes that's more than the sunshine. There's some sort of verbal jab coming our way. I wait for it. It's not a long wait.

"What's the matter with you Honda boys? You ashamed to park out front with the real bikes? Why else would you slink around to the back?"

It's delivered in a good natured way. Sort of that thing that guys just can't help doing. Being a guy myself, I'm familiar with the game. He served and I get to return.

"No, Honda guys just smarter than Harley guys. See door? Honda guys park close to door and in shady spot. Harley guys not figure that out, yet?"

So was set the tone for the rest of the evening. They were a tough bunch but there's a reason my boys call me Irondad. When you get a bunch of American cruiser riders together, there's bound to be a rise in the testerone level. Underneath it all, though, they'd paid to be there and were open to learning. It was a fun evening.

Saturday morning would see the four of us on the track bright and early getting ready for our students. I'll tell you about that part in the next post. Stay tuned.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Home again....for a while!

This post isn't technically about riding. Which is rare for me, I know. Seems like I live, eat, and breathe motorcycles. Naturally, then, this blog has been about promoting bikes for regular transportation. Since we're going to be on them so much, we need to learn to be the best we can be. Sounds like an affirmation from the military, doesn't it? Be the best you can be!

In a small deviation from riding and training, I'm putting a small update here about the weekend's wedding. Although I did manage to work a motorcycle into this post. Big suprise, huh?

We arrived home last night. Except for a couple of quick pit stops, we made it in a little over five hours. That's a lot of sitting. One thing that often gets overlooked as part of rider training is the physical aspect. More specifically, staying in as good physical shape as possible. It helps greatly with bike control and concentration. The longer the trip, the more important endurance becomes. Not just enduring in the common sense of the word. I'm speaking of still being able to concentrate on riding, managing risk, and maintaining fine motor skills. If all we can think about is our sore knees and aching back, well, you can see the confict.

The reason I mention this is that I'm finding myself getting a little distracted, so to speak, after five or so hours in the saddle these days. It's time to revive the long cold gym membership. There's a chiropractor in my neighborhood. Not that I'm using his services. It's just that I took this picture. Seems to describe what I'm talking about.

I'm hoping the bike isn't the cause of the trip to the chiropractor! Nice bike, though. Here's a closer look at the bike.

For the most part, the weather was warm and muggy in the Tri-Cities, Washington area. It didn't rain except for one notable exception.

The wedding reception was held out of doors. Some tents were set up but most of the table and chairs were distributed out in the open. The Weather Guessers had told us the evening before that there would be a ten percent chance of showers late Saturday night. These photos are from about 5 PM. The rain was not only early, but more plentiful than anyone might have guessed.

A hearty thunder and lightning storm blew through. Katie and I were already under the tent when things started. We were soon joined by almost all the other guests in short order!

These gals were holding the vases of flowers that had been put on all the tables. Making a mad dash for the house must have seemed the thing to do at the time.

Here you can see the water pouring off the top of the tent. I have to say it was kind of neat to just sit back and watch things swirl around me. The storm put a literal damper on some of the dancing plans, etc., but I met some really interesting people during the ensuing conversations under the tent!

The schedule's sort of light this week so I'm planning to catch up on some blog posts that have been floating around in my head. Friday will see me heading back to Medford for another weekend of teaching. I'm riding down there to help out a budding new instructor. She's on the verge of bursting into greatness. The plan is for me to guide her over a couple of little bumps she's encountered on the journey. Another five hundred miles or so of riding. Life's tough, eh?

I have to say I'm pleased to see Steve Williams ( yeah, I'm talking about you, Bud! ) comment on a recent post of mine. No pressure, but I'm hoping to see a few more posts on Scooter in the Sticks besides the new one Steve just put up. Steve's always been the genteel counterpoint to my rough warrior personality! You can go play with tractors, agricultural implements, or whatever, as much as you like, but two wheels gets into your blood, doesn't it? I just happen to be more shameless than most about my addiction!

Thanks, again, to everyone who's reading and / or commenting. Knowing you're out there keeps me inspired to continue. This blog's been around for longer than I thought it would. After all, how much is there to talk about? Yet, new things continually keep unfolding during this journey. Guess I'll just keep writing as long as I feel there's something meaningful to say. I always hope people find some small thing of personal value when they rummage around here. I'm especially pleased to find that guests continue to trickle in for the Sharin' the Road segment. You all add so much more depth to this site. You also reinforce the fact that we are, in fact, a community. Successfully blending our diversity makes us so much richer. I hope folks keep sharing their personal treasures with us here.

Stay tuned for my experience with the "Dark Side"!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Sharin' the Road!

I'm on the road without my usual resources. Open a map of Oregon. Look clear at the top of Oregon and you'll see a river dividing Oregon and Washington. It's the mighty Columbia. Somewhere a hundred miles East of Portland is the town of The Dalles. Weird name, but it's from the French word "dalle". If I remember correctly, the word has something to do with water flowing quickly over flat basaltic rocks. There's a big dam here, busily supplying the ever growing hunger for electrical power. We're in a hotel a couple stone's throw away from the river. The plan is to be in the Richland-Kennewick, Washington area by tomorrow night. We'll spend the rest of the weekend there. Thanks to a laptop and wireless internet, I can put this post up from our hotel.

We made a couple of stops along with my business appointments. Did a little bike shopping. I'm dismayed to see the 2008 Honda ST1300's with ABS almost all gone, already. The more I think about it, the more I'm drawn to the BMW R1200RT, or maybe the K1200GT. I rode a student's R1200RT on the track last weekend. Love the way it feels on the track. He practically had to wrestle me off the bike to get it back! Going to have to do something pretty darn quick, me thinks! Otherwise, I could be waiting a few more months for the 2009's.

This week I'm honored to introduce Krysta Sutterfield from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I know what you're thinking. She's a rider from the heart of Harley country. However, there will be no Harley on the blog this week. On the other hand, Krysta's sent me photos of several bikes so there's some nice variety. Enough from me. Let's hear from Krysta.

My name is Krysta and I’m a motorcyclist.

I don’t know why I got the bug to ride, because nobody in my family rode. In fact, my parents thought it was dangerous and unladylike. (17 years after I started, my big brother decided it looks like fun. The whimp didn’t tell Mom until she went to visit for a week.)

My first bike was a 1990 125cc Yamaha scooter named Candy. She was an automatic so I didn’t have to worry about shifting while I was learning to ride. I bought her during my first job after my first time through college and had a blast riding everywhere. My riding needs had changed, so I sold her last summer. ::sniffle::

Before I met Karl, I always wore a helmet (open-face), but other than that the idea of safety gear never entered my mind. Same for a safe riding course. I’m sure if I had known about either one, I would have taken training and worn proper gear. Looking back, I’m surprised I didn’t get hurt.

Karl & I met a bit over 3 years ago at a Mensa Halloween convention in Chicago. In getting to know him that weekend, I admired the motorcycle he’d ridden, he promised me a ride in the sidecar, and our relationship took off from there.

At first, he was happy that I had my own endorsement. Then he realized that meant I was always absconding with one of his bikes. Then he bought me my own. I think he likes me. : )

The next motorcycle I rode was Frank, who is the sidecar & our only winter bike [1000cc ‘82 BMW]. Karl figured that while I was concentrating on learning to shift, at least I wouldn’t tip over. We’ve taken some long trips in Frank, alternating driving and sleeping.

Then he put me on a 500cc Yamaha, which was great for around town but a little underpowered for freeways. The easiest, most direct route between our houses uses a couple of freeways, so this was important. The Yamaha was sold to a friend who is smaller and doesn’t ride on freeways, so it has a good home now.



My daily commuter is Betty [650cc ‘86 BMW]. We bought her a little over a year ago. As far as we know we’re the 3rd owners, and the first 2 didn’t love her at all. I’ve put about 7500 miles just on her this past year, which is coming close to doubling her mileage. I rode her to the rally at the Biltmore estate last June, and that was a fun trip. (Except for the crosswinds on the freeways, and the guy who tried to hit both of us with his Mustang. He only got a couple months in jail, but it’s better than nothing.)



There have been several other bikes in the stable, all of which I’ve ridden to some degree. (Except for Binky, who is still in the milk crates he arrived in.) The most interesting day of riding I’ve had was taking Candy to Karls house, then Flash [’03 1150cc BMW roadster] on a 2-hour drive, then the sidecar around town once we got there, then reversing it all at the end of the day. Extremely different riding styles needed for each of them.

Spring of ’07 I took a basic safety class and enjoyed it. I learned things, corrected some bad habits, and more or less got over my fear of curves. (Did I mention I’d crashed in OCT06? In a curve? Now I know how tar snakes make the bike slip.) I keep threatening to register for one of Dan’s advanced classes. It’d be quite a commute, but fun.

If I could find a place to sponsor me for the state training, I’d like to be a motorcycle safety instructor. (I teach boating safety for the Coast Guard and the Wisconsin DNR, so I know I can handle the teaching part of things.) Meanwhile, I try to set a good example, be a courteous rider, wave to kids, and talk up safety gear and courses whenever I get a chance.

Krysta

I suddenly have the urge to find a hack and go play in the snow!

The garage door's always open and the coffee pot's full. Drop by and introduce yourself to us. Krysta made an interesting comment when she sent me her post. She commented on how everyone seemed to be doing introductions. That's perfectly fine, especially for the first time here. Feel free to branch out. I'm open to other things like sharing an amusing experience or a fun ride. Even something that happened where you might feel our community could gain some valuable insight about riding. Send it along to intrepidcommuter@comcast.net and let me take a look at it.

By the way, there's been several responses to my invitation to be added to the blog roll. When I get home on Monday I'll catch up on that task. I'm pleased that so many are reading and want to be associated with my blog!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

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Blogroll.

Yes, I know this is a picture of a jelly roll, not a blogroll. It's been a long ride. I'm sitting in a hotel room near Seattle. Thinking of supper. All I've eaten today were an energy bar and two pieces of jerky. My belly thinks my throat's been cut!

My plan is to go back and fill in more details later. This is just a quick update and note.

Friday saw me headed South to Medford. Four of us travelled down to teach an Advanced Rider Training course on a local track there. Medford is around 225 miles as the Honda flies. Classroom was done at a Harley dealership. Twelve of the seventeen students were Harley mounted. I went early to scope out the locations. You can imagine the feeling being on a Honda and pulling into the Harley dealership. Not that I would ever be intimidated, mind you. A couple of guys tried and failed. More on that later.

After a long day at the track, three of us rode the long way home. Sunday was a kickback day, being Father's Day. Had to be home for that.

Today finds me a few hundred miles in the opposite direction. There's a corporate meeting tomorrow I need to attend. Sometime just before bedtime I'll roll into the homestead once more. Wednesday will be spent working from the home office. Thursday Katie and I are headed out. There's the wedding in Richland, Washington on Saturday. I'm combining the weekend with a business trip on both sides. We're driving, of course. Something about Katie and arriving at the church in her fancy dress for the wedding on the bike. I say change at the church. She says helmet hair doesn't go with the dress and shoes. Oh, well!

Posts will be a little spotty this week but next week will make up for it. I will get the Sharin' the Road post up for Thursday, however. Laptops and wireless internet can be a blessing!

It's sort of filtered into my consciousness that I really haven't done much with adding anyone to my blogroll. It's not intentional, I just seldom think of it. I still have Gary and Steve there for old time's sake as we were sort of the original Ride to Work blogs. I read many fine blogs on a fairly regular basis. I've noticed several have links to my site. I have to admit to being sort of remiss about returning the favor. So sorry.

My blog was started on the premise of riding to work. So, if you ride to work (even if it's on a spotty basis ) and feel you'd like to be linked on this blog, please let me know. I'd be quite pleased and honored to add you to the blogroll. Let me know in the comment section or post me a line at intrepidcommuter@comcast.net Please be sure to include the url just in case I don't already have it bookmarked.

And, if you just happen to have an extra jelly roll hanging around, send it along!

Miles and smiles,

Dan