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~