2008, KY Oaks Mall-Gold Wing & Valkyrie Display

The Annual 2008 KY Oaks Mall Display was conducted this weekend. Chapter B Gold Wings and Valkyries were brought into the mall Thursday night and remained on display through Sunday.

Chapter B Directors - Rhonda & Mike Jennings

Mike & Carolyn Blevins - Dark Gray Metallic 2005 GL1800A Mike & Rhonda Jennings 2008 GL1800A & Escapade Trailer
(2004 Tomato Red Tupperware)
Fritz Poat's 2001 Yellow GL1800 Trike
& Hannigan TrailerMike & Carol Parker's Yellow 2002 GL1800Jim Lampere's Titanium 2004 GL1800Frankie & April Sledd's 2007 Blue California Sidecar Trike
& Escapade TrailerPerry & Twila Coleman's 2006 Dark Red GL1800
& Escapade Trailer Kay Wheeler's Emerald Green & White 1997 Valkyrie Tourer FDR Honda's new 2008 GL1800 Display

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once." Unknown

Famous Quotes & Quips

I am sure anyone who has read this blog has noticed I am fond of both famous quotes and quips. I use them regulary at the end of each post. It has become apparent I have a backlog so I thought I would share. (Besides, it's slick and nasty outside, I can't ride, and I'm bored ... ;^)

Enjoy!
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“I’ve seen a heap of trouble in my life, and most of it never came to pass.”~Mark Twain~

"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity." -- Albert Einstein

Anticipate! -most accidents are predictable, and avoidable.

When we all think alike, nobody thinks much. ~Walt Whitman~

"The reason that most people don't recognize opportunity is that it generally looks like work.

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will lead you there." -- unknown

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.-Anonymous

I refuse to tiptoe thru life only to arrive safely at death.

"As far as I can tell, there are no prizes for having your $#!+together." ~Tomato Rodriguez~

Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

"Those who would sacrifice essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Ben Franklin

"One does what one can with what one has"

“There are no gains without pains.” - Benjamin Franklin

Success is not permanent. The same is also true for failure. ~Unknown~

Ride it like you stole it. Live each day like your last. Greet each friend as if you will not see them again. ~Brian Roberts - LD List~

"I have no quarrel with a man who sells for less; Who, better, would know what his product is worth?"

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. ~St. Augustine~

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. ~Charles Dickens~

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. ~Will Rogers~

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere. -- Billy Crystal

The cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good, spit it out.

You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.

Life may begin at 40, but it doesn't get real interesting until about 110 mph!

If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.

Midnight bugs taste best.

Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they CAN hold everything you need.

Never try to race an old geezer, he may have one more gear than you.

It takes more love to share the saddle than it does to share the bed.

The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror.

Never be afraid to slow down.

Don't ride so late into the night that you sleep through the sunrise.

Sometimes it takes a whole tankful of fuel before you can think straight.

Riding faster than everyone else only guarantees you'll ride alone.

Never hesitate to ride past the last street light at the edge of town.

Never do less than forty miles before breakfast.

If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride.

A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.

Respect the person who has seen the dark side of motorcycling and lived.

Young riders pick a destination and go... Old riders pick a direction and go.

A good mechanic will let you watch without charging you for it.

Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night.

Always back your bike into the curb, and sit where you can see it.

Work to ride and ride to work.

Whatever it is, it's better in the wind.

Two-lane blacktop isn't a highway - it's an attitude.

When you look down the road, it seems to never end - but you better believe it does.

Winter is Nature's way of telling you to polish.

Keep your bike in good repair: Motorcycle boots are NOT comfortable for walking.

People are like motorcycles: each is customized a bit differently.

Sometimes, the best communication happens when you're on separate bikes.

Good coffee should be indistinguishable from 50 weight motor oil.

The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.

The twisties - not the superslabs -separate the riders from the squids.

When you're riding lead, don't spit.

A friend is someone who'll get out of bed at 2 am to drive his pickup to the middle of nowhere to get you when you're broken down.

Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt @ 70 mph can double your vocabulary.

There's something ugly about a NEW bike on a trailer.

Don't lead the pack if you don't know where you're going.

Practice wrenching on your own bike.

Everyone crashes. Some get back on. Some don't. Some can't.

Never argue with an 18-wheeler.

Never be ashamed to un-learn an old habit.

A good long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith, and use up a lot of fuel.

If you can't get it going with bungee cords and electrician' s tape, it's serious.

If you ride like there's no tomorrow, there won't be.

Gray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck.

There are drunk riders. There are old riders. There are NO old, drunk riders.

Thin leather looks good in the bar, but it won't save your butt from "roadrash" if you go down.

The best modifications cannot be seen from the outside.

Always replace the cheapest parts first.

You can forget what you do for a living when your knees are in the breeze .

Only a Biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.

There are two types of people in this world, people who ride motorcycles, and people who wish they could ride motorcycles.

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end."

A January "Cabin Fever" Ride

Anyone who knows me, knows I ride year-round. With the arrival of the holidays, and a busy schedule at home, riding has suffered. I postponed a planned trip to Oklahoma several times due to winter storms, as well as a trip to southeast Georgia, due to predicted bad weather at home. All of these events combined, led to a minor case of cabin fever.

During my winter stamp research, it became apparent I had overlooked four relatively close National Park Stamps. I left Friday solo with the goal of riding a two-day loop south to Nashville, and down into northern Mississippi to collect these four stamps. Naturally, I managed to visit with my daughter and her family, spending some "quality grandpa time" with our 13 month old grandson.

I left Paducah Friday, mid-morning, at a leisurely pace, riding back roads and stopping at will. My first stop was The Hermitage in northern Nashville. This site is the historic home of Andrew Jackson, however, it is not a National Park. The state maintains the second of two Tennessee Historical Commission Stamps at this location. The other stamp is located at The Shiloh Military Park. It was important for me to have both stamps in my collection. After leaving The Hermitage, I rode to the west side of Nashville, and quickly picked up The Natchez Trace. It was not long before I found the Leipers Fork visitor center, abandoned. As it turns out, this visitor center was closed due to lack of funding, and the National Park stamp was moved to Tupelo, MS. The trip was not in vain though, as I spent the next couple of hours riding the Trace and surrounding back roads.
Saturday morning I woke to a brisk 30 degrees and light frost. I left Nashville at 7 am hoping to clear the city before weekend shoppers clogged the highways. This was my first experience wondering if the light white covering on the interstate bridges was slick at 70 mph. I solved the problem by riding the semi-truck tracks whenever possible. I later wondered if it wasn't all in my imagination, because I never did feel the bike slipping or sliding.

I made a quick breakfast stop at Dixon, TN and then continued southwest 200 miles to my second stamp at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center in Corinth, MS.From Corinth, I continued due south another 30 miles to Baldwyn, MS to visit Brices Crossroads National Battlefield. After Brices Crossroads, I called home, and then turned north and rode the 201 enjoyable and uneventful miles home.

All in all, a nice 678 mile, two day, winter stamp trip, with some much needed, therapeutic, cabin fever benefits.

"The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power to tell
Just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still." ~Unknown~

The Road to Big Thicket

My original plan was to pick up The Land Between the Lakes and Fort Donelson National Battlefield stamps on my way south to Shiloh. For a variety of family reasons I visited both of these parks the week before Carolyn and I left for Big Thicket. The Land Between the Lakes is a National Recreation Area. The National Park stamp can be found at the Golden Pond Visitor Center on The LBL Trace. Fort Donelson is strategically located atop a hill overlooking the Tennessee River, near Dover, TN. This fort was the site of a major Civil War battle as Grant moved his Union Army south to Shiloh, Tupelo, Vicksburg and Natchez. The Visitor Center at Fort Donelson. Cannons positioned north, covering Grant's approach on the Tennessee River.

Carolyn and I departed Paducah Sunday morning, November 11th, around 9 am, heading south to Shiloh National Military Park. This park is the site of a Civil War Battlefield and Cemetery. While there, we toured the grounds and watched the National Park video.

I always come away with a greater understanding of the tremendous costs our civil war inflicted on both our country and it’s people. I never cease to be astonished at the enormous numbers of troops involved in each of the major battles and the astounding death and causalities. The Shiloh Visitor Center. This site also has the Tennessee Trail of Tears Stamp.The National Park stamp can be found in the Shiloh Book Store.The Shiloh National Cemetery entrance.The fall colors only added to the beauty of the park.Canons overlooking the Tennessee River. From Shiloh we rode southeast into northwestern corner of Alabama to Colbert Ferry on The Natchez Trace. This is an Alabama state site with a National Park designation. Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed for some unexplained reason and we were not able to collect this stamp. All was not lost as the beautiful fall colors along the route more than made up for the effort. From Colbert Ferry we continued southwest, riding the Natchez Trace to Tupelo, MS where we found the visitor center for the Trace, Brice’s Cross Roads and The Tupelo National Battlefield.

We called it a day here and stayed in Tupelo for the evening. The next morning we continued our scenic ride down The Natchez Trace, enjoying the fall beauty at every turn. Eventually we arrived at Vicksburg, MS where we toured Vicksburg National Military Park and watched the National Park video. This battlefield site was the next in the series as the Union troops moved south to free the Mississippi River at fortress called Natchez.From Vicksburg we crossed the Mississippi River and rode northwest to Poverty Point State Historic Site at Epps, LA. This park was approved for National Park status but, as it turned out, turned down the designation. Therefore, the park stamp will not count for the Ironbutt Tour.

This site preserves the archeological digs of the oldest known people ever found in North America. Poverty Point commemorates a culture that thrived during the first and second millennia B.C. Carolyn and I both found it to be one of the most interesting sites we have visited. Here we watched the video and took a riding tour of the site.

It started to rain as we left Poverty Point and continued raining for the 80-mile ride south where we crossed back into Mississippi at Natchez.

After riding in Mississippi many times, I finally collected a picture of their state sign (in the rain) for my collection. Mississippi seems to have a habit of placing their state signs in dangerous locations. Arriving in Natchez late in the afternoon, we quickly rode to The Natchez National Historic Park at Melrose. From the magnificent antebellum estate of John McMurran, to the downtown home of African-American barber and diarist William Johnson, to the French Fort Rosalie, this park is dedicated to the rich history of Natchez, it's people and the key role Natchez played in the Civil War. The picture above is the back of the Melrose Mansion seen above.

Leaving Melrose near dark, we called it a day Tuesday morning we left the Natchez area and rode west across Louisiana to Alexandria, where we turned south to join I-10. After picking up the interstate, we rode west to Beaumont, TX and on northeast for 30 miles to Kountze, TX and The Big Thicket National Game Preserve.

Big Thicket was the first National Game Preserve. Designation of Big Thicket as a national preserve created a different management concept for the National Park Service. Preserve status prevents further timber harvesting but allows oil and gas exploration, hunting, and trapping to continue. In 2001 the American Bird Conservancy designated Big Thicket National Preserve a Globally Important Bird Area. The preserve is composed of 12 units comprising 97,500 acres. It was designated an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations in 1981. The protected area will provide a standard for measuring human impact on the environment.

Big Thicket treated us to temps of 85 degrees and overwhelming humidity. It did not take us long to change to our summer riding gear, regardless of the impending pop-up rain showers. We returned to I-10 and rode east to Lake Charles, LA where we spent the night. Wednesday morning we left Lake Charles and traveled east on I-10. Arriving in New Orleans we rode into the French Quarter and found parking on the street. We removed anything of value on the Wing and covered the bike while we walked to the two National Parks.

The first park was The New Orleans Jazz National Historial Park, obviously celebrating New Orleans contributions to Jazz.

Carolyn, taking a break with a new found friend..... Five blocks up Decateur St. we found the second National Park. Jean Lafitte National Historical Park celebrates:
Acadian Cultural Center - Lafayette
Prairie Acadian Cultural Center - Eunice
Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center - Thibodaux
Barataria Preserve - Marrero
Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery - Chalmette
French Quarter Visitor Center - New Orleans

Picturesque Jackson Square The historic New Orleans French Quarter. Cafe du Monde - Home of lengendary powdered sugar beignets and chicory coffee.We left New Orleans mid-day and quickly crossed the Mississippi River, hugging the Gulf Coast on Hwy 90, through Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, and Biloxi.

We rode through the heart of the Katrina damage, in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast, still plainly visible two years later. I was very encouraged by the new construction, both private and government. Almost all of the major bridges we crossed were new construction.
We soon arrived at Gulf Islands National Park at Ocean Springs, MS. This is the first of two Gulf Island Parks. After touring the visitor center and collecting the stamp, we located a motel and restaurant at Pascagoula, MS for the evening. The next morning we woke to a steady twenty mph wind with gusts to forty. This presented a big problem riding the coast highway with all the sand. We continued riding east along Hwy 90, following the coast and circling Mobile Bay through Battles Wharf, Faithhope, Foley, and on to Pensacola, FL. Arriving in Pensacola, FL, we crossed the bay bridge to visit Gulf Islands National Seashore. After leaving Gulf Breeze, FL we turned north and continued to fight the strong winds, riding I-65 to Montgomery, AL before calling it a day.

Overnight the temps dropped dramatically with morning temps of 29 degrees. We took our time leaving, allowing the temps to rise to 41 by the time we left. Fortunately the strong winds had subsided. It was 427 miles home and the temps were never warmer than a chilly 54 degrees. Quiet cold at Interstate speeds for long periods.

We arrived home at 4:15 pm, after riding a total of 2,218 miles.

"Motorcycling in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to a similar degree to aviation, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness,incapacity or neglect." ~Unknown~