The Sportster and Buell Motorcycle Forum - Blogs

Juvenile Delinquent (s)

sportyblue — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:49:09 GMT

I read an ad about volunteering at an activity center for Juvenile Delinquents on Friday and Saturday nights. I thought to myself .....I think I'd like to do that......I picked Saturday nights.....like a 6-7 hour shift. I went to call the coordinator today and I can't find that ad anywhere in my house. I saved it .....put it with a bunch of other crap.....the pile of other crap is still right where I put it but this particular ad is missing. I was so jazzed about doing this. Shoot ! :frownone Apparently the " Juveniles " received time served for attending this.....or something like that.

Busted

sportyblue — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:19:58 GMT

Have you ever driven your vehicle or for that matter ridden your sporty down an airstrip and then have you ever done that and gotten " BUSTED ".

I was driving down an airstrip today.....yes yes a new experience for me.........and why was I doing that......looking for my little sis's car why of course........I was driving and she was looking. And guess who caught us.......the airstrip marshall ( well somebody with authority ). he told us in a very pleasant way not to ever do that again......and then suggested where else we might look for the car....which we found. ;)

We did look BOTH WAYS for airplanes BEFORE driving on it......geeeez :rolleyes:

Another Beautiful Blue Sky Day

sportytrace — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:18:11 GMT

I woke up this morning to yet another beautiful blue sky day. A day just begging to be enjoyed from the back of a bike. So with a couple of mates we headed north to do enjoy some of the countryside in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast.
Went north to Caboolture, then inland to Beerwah, Maleny, Kenilworth and Gympie before heading home along the Bruce Highway. 500km round trip (see Google map if interested).
The road into Maleny has some lovely rolling countryside as well as showcasing the Glasshouse Mountains.

Kenilworth Hotel is a great Queensland style pub built in 1937.

A Winter Beach Day

sportytrace — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:30:48 GMT

Woke up this morning to a gorgeous Queensland Winter Day... endless blue sky with just a couple of white "cottonwool ball" clouds. I'd intended to do housework and then drive into town to grab some shopping. Hopped in the car, started to reverse out and saw Nyx just sitting there, looking lonely. I looked at the beautiful day and thought bugger this, I should be out riding. So I took a much needed mental health ride to soak up that endless blue sky. Headed east and ended up at the beach. Went to one of my favourite spots on the Southport Spit and took some photos of Nyx on the boatramp with the broadwater in the background. Enjoy!

Offical diagnosis of the ol mule

sportyblue — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:13:38 GMT

All the outstanding blood test results have come in. She was negative on the Rhino Virus and the parasites in the brain thing. Official diagnosis....brain tumor. EDIT: The vets best educated guess.......no autopsy was performed.

On a side note here...... when I went to see Molly that last Friday it became very clear to me that it was time to let her go. This was before the West Nile Virus results had come in. I was trying to hold off on making that decision hoping beyond hope that she had something curable. I called Mary ( my daughter) and told her we needed to go ahead and lay Molly down( if Mary also felt that way )......Mary said she'd be there right after work......I said nope.......we need to do this now......she took some time off from work and came right over.....she was there in 20 minutes or so. In the mean time the vet came out and told me..... when they go down and can't get up on their own ( animals )the prognosis for a full recovery goes way down......further stating it's probably time to lay her down. I told him yes I agree and Mary was on her way right now to say good-by. In the mean time right after Mary got there the vet came out with the test result for West Nile Virus.....negative which really confirmed our decision was the right one. This was a tough one. :frownthre

Back to the lawyer issue.

sportyblue — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:54:52 GMT

As I stated in my thread, that I deleted, I was thinking of going with my daughter to her appointment with her lawyer to check him out ( she's getting divorced ). Should I or shouldn't I.....I resolved that issue and went with her.

First off I am not going to mention his name because this is my impression or assessment of him.......he is a hot headed flippant little narcissistic prix.

I picked up on the questioning he was doing while he was at the front desk mailing a letter. His questions to us didn't fool me for a second. During our time with him he started taking off his glasses rubbing his eyes like he was getting a headache. I picked up on that negative body language too.....don't kid yourself. I had noticed his disorganization with papers he did not have in Mary's file ......she in fact had to share her copy with him on some of it.....he had a very flippant attitude. I was asking him a few questions about the process.....his process of representing Mary......looking out for her best interest........at some point he took off his glasses again.....again rubbed his eyes.....then looked right at me and said, " your starting to piss me off ". ( LMAO ) Now those of you that know me know intimidation doesn't fly with me at all !! I said... well, you've already pissed me off ....as a matter of fact we're thinking about firing you right now. Little Mr. Hothead really went off......so so unprofessional of him....one more bad mark against him. After a moment or two ( after he got done " going off " ) we talked about his commitment to Mary....looking out for her......again his strategy for her defense.....my commitment to Mary and my g-children........at that point I had nothing further to say....I looked at Mary and said.....it's your call and I walked out.....while he was still being rude and unprofessional......talking to the back of my head.

Forty five minutes later she came to the car.....I was sitting in it with the air conditioner going. I said.....well, did blowing some smoke up his ass work. ( Actually, I guess, it's really.....holding him accountable / putting him in check. )She said maybe....he changed his strategy some.....they filed an additional motion for strategic purposes at this point. So the plan is ....if he doesn't win in court this week for her ( temporary orders )......he's FIRED......and most importantly Mary agrees with that and will fire him herself......way to go Mary !!!!!

A new read

sportyblue — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:56:57 GMT

So I'm telling my gf about some of the stuff that I think happened last week when the ol mule went into the animal hospital. I am talking about the whole mental stuff......all the other horrifying things I saw will just stay with me except for what I wrote here. Anyway, she's a believer in all this .......you can communicate with your animal stuff. She's positive the ol mule is going to come around and let me know she's OK. Well, now, I'm not so sure I believe that. I'm not even sure I believe..... what I think happened.....I was really distraught and could have been completely out of my own mind. ;) Anyway, she gave me this book to read about mediums, one in particular named George Anderson.....communicating with spirits on the other side.......the book is "WE DON'T DIE GEORGE ANDERSON'S Conversations With The Other Side. She also gave me a name of a guy in Idaho you gives seminars about communicating with animals. That triggers some interest in me.

I was looking forward to getting a good jump on this book last night.......I was out before I even finished the forward and introduction......so tonight hopefully.........I can get further.

Some questions that come out of this whole deal are:
!. Do animals have spirits......I guess the Indian people believe that.
2. Do animals really have feelings and emotions or is it instincts only. At this point from what I know right now I think it's both and depending on the animal. Of course, there is a lot of literature out there on gorilla's and some on elephants. I don't think they have any on mules per sey but they do have some on donkeys.
3. The whole crying thing has really got me wondering .........what brings me back to reality here is that she never cried before....ever.

I wish I had not deleted what I had written simply because that would have been good documentation......because you tend to forget the exact details.....It would be nice now to know what I was believing and thinking exactly ....then.

I miss that mule so much.....I just drag my feet to go feed the horse......yesterday I walked over to where Molly used to eat her hay and just stood there......it is very hard to think about her right now and not think about the horrifying shit that happened.......those memories just turn my stomach and make me want to throw up..... I guess even though I've been around horses/mules my whole life I've just never seen anything this bad. I've seen a broken leg, cuts and scrapes.....sometimes pretty bad, rattle snake bite other illnesses and have had to put down a couple over the years. I think this one shocked my system plus anyone in my family will tell you me and that ol mule were really bonded.

Anyway back to the book.............

EDIT: Well.........I was able to read at least a few pages before nodding off. It kept my interest.........I look forward to reading more of it.

I saw 2 movies last weekend.

Quebeker — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:24:02 GMT

Friday night, I watched "Next" starring Nic Cage on TV.

Nic Cage wasn't as bad as I expected him to be.
(Last of his movies I saw was "Ghost Rider" and he was like a "Zoolander" on a motorcycle, i.e. he was awful.)
I thought the movie was pretty good until the end and then it totally caught me by surprised and it pissed me off that I did not see it coming and it made the flick better.
As a bonus, the very pretty Jessica Biel is in it.

Saturday, Melinda and I went to theater and saw "Tropic Thunder", starring a lot of people.
Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey JR and a lot more.
If you are easily offended, stay home.
They joke and make fun of EVERYBODY.
In a way, it's an old school film like Mel Brooks used to make.
They do not care who they offend.
Of course 99% of the jokes are stupid.
But once in a while, it is good to stop being so serious and sensitive and fun to laugh at fart or fat jokes.
Bonus, worth watching if only for Les Grossman.

Mixed feelings week-end

Quebeker — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:53:51 GMT

This past weekend, Eva-Mae went camping with her babysitter.
She left Thursday afternoon and came back on Sunday after lunch.
My wife was off all weekend long.
And I got home Friday morning and left Sunday before lunch.

Obviously, I did not see my little girl this weekend.
But that is not really unusual as I have been gone 2-3 weeks at a time before.
This time, she's the one that was gone.
Just Melinda and me in the house felt strange and somewhat lonely.
We were not able to sleep in on Saturday or Sunday. We still woke up when Eva-Mae usually wakes up.
I even almost panicked when I walked into her room on Saturday morning and saw that she wasn't there.
I had to think about it and remembered she was camping and not kidnapped.

Melinda and I were able to spend some quality time (wink-wink) together.
Saturday, for the 1st time since I don't know when, we went for dinner, movie and, well, you know. ;)

I had a good weekend as a husband but a not so good as a Dad. I missed my girl but enjoyed seeing my wife again, not my wife and my girl's mother.

To be honest, it has been over 3 years now since I saw Melinda only as my wife.

I Hate My Cell Phone

sportyblue — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:18:13 GMT

Anybody that has lost a pet they loved or were really bonded too knows the pain you feel when they die. I am not the first person to ever go through this.....I just happen to be going through it now.

I have some very haunting memories of the deterioration and passing of my ol mule and have been trying very hard to replace the last visions in my head of my mule with memories of how she was. I think to some degree it has been working.

My cell phone gave that signal this am that I had a new message. Upon retrieving it I actually had an additional 3 message from last week that just now came through. I just don't want to see that vision think about it or hear about her " drunk walk ". I hope no more old messages come through. It's very difficult to relive that even if from just listening to an old message.

If you don't understand this post that's OK............

The debate......Do animals cry

sportyblue — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:00:11 GMT

Well after the recent loss of my beloved mule I really came to question the idea .....do animals cry ?

Here is a quote from googling this question:

In animals, it is virtually impossible to tell if their tears are the result of emotions or merely caused by eye irritation. Most scientists agree, however, that humans are the only animals who produce emotional tears.

It is very difficult for me to say yes or no.....as I did think that the ol mule was crying. There is plenty of information to indicate, yes in fact, animals do fell sorrow. Do they fell sorrow or sorry for themselves.......I don't know......do they get depressed......it sure seems like it.

I guess I'd a rather had the ol mule drop dead from a heart attack as to go through what just happened with her. I can say that I feel a lot of sorrow that she is gone but I am no longer distraught and every day seems better.........more time distance from all those raw emotions. The hardest part is going to feed the horse and she is not there. I did what I could do for the ol mule and did what I felt were the right things. You just never know how you're gonna react until it happens. I will be forever thankful that I was able to be there to help comfort her.

The Ride Day 7 � Busted in more ways than One

glh — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:26:45 GMT

Please forgive the long delays posting ride reports. I had intended these to be real time, but then riding and a few technical difficulties got in the way.

I was now committed to riding down the coast. My goal was to reach Eureka early enough to get a new set of tires put on the bike, if they had Metzler 880s. This was a total stretch I know, but it was what I was fantasizing about.

There was a bit more RV congestion on this route than I would have liked, but the places on the coast I had missed before were well worth seeing. Much of the Oregon coast is posted as 55 mph, and for the most part that is fine because visibility is limited and the road surface is imperfect. I stopped at one spot between Port Orford and Gold Beach to snap this pic.

Helmet head and balding do not always mix well.

Shortly after this stop I was on the road reveling in the beauty of the coast. I came off a hill a little hot and cam over a rise to see an Oregon Highway Patrol cruiser coming towards me. I checked my speed and found I was going a bit over 60. I throttled back and enjoyed the view for a while when I heard the siren and saw the lights in my mirror. The officer claimed that I was going 71 in the 55. Grrr. The radar could not have been accurate, but this was a younger cop who didn�t look inclined to doubt the accuracy of the equipment he was working with. Busted.

It was around 4PM and I was already through Arcata an on the last stretch of road before Eureka and the HD dealer when my engine sputtered and died. I pulled over and looked down to find my air cleaner hanging out of my bike. Busted again!

The carb support bracket had completely broken. This had happened to me a year before, so I knew exactly what to o to get myself back on the road. You can see an example of the fix in my avatar pic. The two metal pieces emerging from behind the AC are the handles of needle nosed vise grips.

I got to the dealer about 20 minutes before the service shop was to close. Amazingly enough they had Metzler 880s in stock for my bike, but the service shop was closed the next day (Sunday). I was told that if I was will to pay time and a half labor, and if a tech would volunteer to stay past closing, then they would mount my new tires while I waited. I was willing, and while she checked with the techs I went to the parts counter to see about the bracket. There was a consultation between parts and service, and it was concluded that they didn�t have a replacement bracket but that they could weld it for me.

The final result was that a tech volunteered to stay, and both mounted my tires and welded my support bracket. While I waited I had a nice time taking with folks. I ran into a guy from British Columbia on a Dyna that I had talked to earlier in the day. He was staying at the KOA just down the road. I also finally bought myself a clock for the bike. It was HD branded but made by Formotion. Once the shop closed I talked with a guy from Florida who had hit the opposite coast at San Diego and was headed for Washington State. I really enjoyed talking with a couple from Michigan whose bag support brackets had broke while pulling a trailer. The dealer had a volunteer for them as well. The welder was going to return the next day and open the shop to fix their bracket.

I can�t say enough about how excellent this dealer was. When the tech brought my bike out he showed me exactly how he had welded the bracket (both sides) and said the root cause was that the spacers I had were too big. He had replaced them with smaller ones, and returned my old spacers when I requested them.

By the time I left the dealer it was getting close to dark. I tried to get a room in Eureka and was told that every room in town was booked. I could have tried Arcata, but it was so close to dark that I pulled into the KOA instead. I barely got my tent setup before full dark. I was disappointed to find that the couple from Michigan had stood in line for a while then taken off; they were good company. Luckily I had a few beers left from the evening before that I had taken with me. The KOA didn�t have coolers, but I improvised enough with a bag of ice that they were at least Luke Cold.

The Ride Day 6 � Back to the Coast

glh — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:07:35 GMT

The plan had been to head further north on Oregon and into Washington, but there was rain forecast for pretty much all of Washington and much of northern Oregon. In the morning I did a much needed load of laundry and walked over to the Harley dealer looking for a small tank bag with a map holder. After my wrong turn of the previous day I decided I really wanted a way to quickly glance at a map without having to stop the bike and unlock the saddlebags. These cheap Mutazu hardbags have proven their value, even supporting the bikes weight when the wind blew it over onto a guardrail, but the only way to close them is to lock them.

The dealer didn�t have any tank bags, and called around for me to no avail. They did recommend a motorsports dealer just to the north in Sutherlin. I was going to take 42 to the coast, but was told that 138 to 38 was a nicer ride, so off I went. The motorsports dealer didn�t have a tank bag that would fit, but I did pick up a good pair of mesh gloves. The route to the coast was nothing to write home about. I did spend some time chatting with a couple bikers from the Seattle area who were headed back north, one whose brother lives in Lompoc so he was familiar with the area I am from.

From Reedsburg on the coast down to Coos Bay I stopped at every motorsports dealer I saw, still looking for the elusive small tank bag. I finally lucked out in Coos Bay at a Suzuki Dealer. I then stopped at Arby�s for a long delayed meal. While there I pulled out my Eee PC and phone to check on hotel availability. I had thought to finish my day at Gold Beach since it seemed like it would be a fun place to spend a Friday night, but when I checked the Motel 6 I found they were already full. This was not a good sign. I didn�t want to stay at the same place as on the ride up since it was across the bridge from the town proper, and there weren�t all that many options in Gold Beach. I checked the Coos Bay Motel 6 and they had exactly one room left. I booked it from Arby�s, and when I arrived at the desk the lady was shocked to find I had a reservation.

I ended up walking next door to the Lounge at the Red Lion Inn. This was a pretty upscale place, but I can handle myself in a number of environments. After the noise and weirdness at the Motel 6, It was nice, if not exciting, to sit there and watch part of the Olympic opening ceremonies. I had an interesting conversation about computer systems and tech support protocols with a pilot of private jets.

The Ride Day 5 � Destination Crater Lake

glh — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:02:19 GMT

I had spent the previous night in Medford, close to the north side of town. While the goat trail ride had been exhilarating, and it had been relaxing sitting by the Rogue talking with good folks, my search for coffee and later a place to stay, had been exhausting because of the heat, the humidity, and the sprawling nature of at least that part of town.

By the time I left in the morning for Crater Lake, I already knew I faced a long series of traffic lights before I could escape the sprawl. I waited until I was well out of Medford proper, and then stopped at a gas station/convenience store for the serious rehydration and to stock up on cliff bars. While there a young guy dressed for work pulled up on a really old Vulcan with chain drive and mini apes. He asked where I was headed and told me about the road to Butte Falls which wasn�t much longer than Hwy 62 but was much more scenic. I ended up hanging out there for nearly a half hour, and was just about packed to go when I heard a loud THUMP behind me.

A young lady of perhaps 17 had come around the corner of the cars parked at the gas pumps at what must have been a good rate of speed and hit a man walking back to his car from the store. I arrived just as the young lady was emerging from her car with a horrified expression on her face. He was on the ground in a fetal position, and it quickly became apparent that he had been hit, at least in part, on his left leg. A number of bystanders were standing around; one lady I noted was standing close by, as was I but his back was to me.
Before long he tried to stand up. The young lady who had hit him asked if she could help, but he waived her off and told her no, which was probably a good idea considering she was probably 100 pounds at most. He managed to leverage himself onto 2 legs, but dropped his keys in the process. He stayed there hunched over, supporting himself with his hands on his knees for a good long time. The young lady said �what can I do, I�ll do anything� but he waved her away again and said �you just keep an eye out next time�.

I went back inside the store after the man headed for his car, and when I went to check out the guy behind me in line commented that the man didn�t look that good. It turns out that his wife was the one who had stood close, and they had both seen the accident. When I got back to the bike the young lady was parked next to me on one side talking to someone on the cell phone and clearly distraught. Before I finished packing the bike an early 80�s vintage sedan in good repair pulled slowly into the other spot beside me and it was the man that had been hit. He was trying to drink out of a coffee cup but his hands were shaking so bad he could barely manage. I told him that I didn�t think he looked to good, and he said it was just his nerves.
He got out of the car and proceeded to sit by his car on the curb. After I was sure he was not going to keel over I went inside and asked one of the clerks to call the paramedics. The couple who had witnessed the accident had come over to talk to him while I was gone, and another bystander as well. The young lady came over and asked if there was anything she could do for him. He finally conceded that maybe he should take her information. The couple gave him their information as well, and then headed out. After the police and then fire truck arrived, I waited until they were mostly done interrogating both him and the young lady, then asked one of the cops if they needed anything from me. Since I was not an eyewitness, and likely because their stories agreed, I wasn�t needed and headed on my way.

The detour on Butte Falls Road turned out to be a good move. The road was nearly deserted, and the pavement was in great shape. This route did end up costing me more time than expected since I missed the turn to Prospect that would have brought me back to Hwy 62 near Crater Lake. I was happy enjoying the road thinking I should be there soon when the road ended at a T intersection with Hwy 140. I did not consider this any great loss since I had plenty of time, so I just turned around and rode that beautiful stretch of road back the other direction.

Crater Lake was quite beautiful as expected, although I didn�t spend a lot of time there. I headed north from there to Diamond Lake thinking to camp, but just before I got to the resort area I started to be splattered with the juices of huge bugs. When I stopped for gas the attendant said the red blooded ones were the large brown butterflies that were stuck all over the walls of the station, and the yellow ones were Sphinx moths. He picked one of the large furry moths up off the ground and showed me, then proceeded to tell me that they were expecting possible lightning storms and that the forest service was called out on alert. That was enough for me; it was time to head towards civilization.

I headed out on Hwy 138 towards Roseburg. This was a road that had been recommended by the couple from the day before and it totaled exceeded expectations. This road winds down through canyons along the Umpqua River in a combination of medium tight turns and sweepers. If it would have been earlier in the day I would have tried to camp out here along the river, but instead I headed into town. I got a hotel room in Roseburg two doors down from the Harley dealer.

Tachometer

sportyblue — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:55:17 GMT

I've been searching for a tach...........looks like I might have found one that will do through Drag Specialities. And I'm not going to pay 200 bucks for a tach. Going to stop by a little Indy and see if they'll install it for me.

I'm so anxious to see what RPM's I'm running at..................just have to know where 4800 RPM is exactly........ ;):shhhh:shhhh:shhhh

Eva-Mae is riding now.

Quebeker — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:09:50 GMT

Her tricycle that is. And under her own power. Most of the time.

riding her trike

Even with a bad Friday, pretty good week.

Quebeker — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:20:53 GMT

Started Sunday 6PM, pick up loaded trailer in Ingersoll, ON.
Deliver Monday in Fort Wayne, IN.
Reload in Fort Wayne on Monday.
Sleep in my bed at home on Monday nite.
Deliver in Toronto, ON Tuesday AM.
Reload in Ingersoll.
Deliver in Fort Wayne on Wednesday AM.
Reload in Upper Sandusky, OH on Wednesday PM.
Drop trailer in Ingersoll Wednesday nite and sleep at home.
Thursday early AM, pick up empty trailer in Ingersoll and do 3 pick-ups in Wheatley, Leamington and Kingsville, ON.
Deliver in Algoma, WI on Friday morning (receiver washes out trailer).
Reload is in Greenbay, WI.
Trailer is refused and I go to wash out the trailer. Again.
Go back to shipper.
Trailer is refused again.
New pick up is in Little Chute, WI.
Drop loaded trailer in yard in Ingersoll, Saturday 2PM.

7 days, 3009 miles.

I could have been home last nite, but overall, not bad.

Oh-Oh! Not a good Friday today.

Quebeker — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:23:37 GMT

Oh-Oh!
Not a good Friday today.
Not even a so-so Friday.
Gotta pay for the good ones I had recently.
Today, it stinks.
Literately.
I had fish guts on my trailer and trailer stunk even after 2 wash and they refused to load my trailer.
Now, I'm at another shipper but the load ain't ready.
I was empty and within a 12 hour drive of the house 8 hours ago.
Right now, I am empty and within a 12 hour drive of the house.

The Ride Day 4 - Addendum (smoke)

glh — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:15:12 GMT

The smoke was coming from wild fires in Northern California.

The Ride Day 4 � Serious Goat Trail Riding

glh — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:49:47 GMT

This report could also be sub-titled, Smoke from a Distant Fire.

I headed inland from Gold beach on Agness Road towards � well, Agness. I stopped at the RV Park to re-hydrate and buy a map. While I was there a couple pulled up on a factory customized Fat Boy. I heard them asking the folks at the register about this road towards Grant�s Pass. They asked whether it was paved all the way through, and the clerk said �oh, sure�. I didn�t really think anything of it until 20 minutes later when I left the RV Park and immediately recognized the turnoff my buddy from the previous night had described. The name of the road, Bear Camp Pass, was the same one the couple had asked about. It was also marked with warnings like �One Lane Road� and �No Turnouts�.

I pointed my bike up this road, which would turn out to be a 53 mile Goat Trail adventure through 6000 feet of elevation changes. The road started out steep twisty heading up, and was nearly as narrow as advertised, perhaps 1 1/3 lanes wide on average. As I went higher the terrain became more extreme, and the road started getting rougher. I cannot give you a moment by moment narrative, because there were too changes and too many miles, but I can say that as I rode higher it was more and more clear that this road had been cut into the sides of some very steep mountain terrain. There were no guardrails, and I was riding on the drop-off side of the road, often within 2 feet of the drop-off side when making a left hander. The trickiest part was the variation in pavement. The 8 or so gravel stretches that my buddy had warned me about were little problem, it was the places where the pavement had sunken a foot or two, or sometimes sheared off to form a half foot high edge trap.
About a third of the way through the ride I stopped at an overlook and took crappy pictures and changed out the armor in my cold weather jacket for the mesh. The only trouble was the bees. They were all over and quite active and seemed to like the smell of my sweat. I was about ready to bug out (so to speak) when a couple pulling a trailer with a river raft stopped at the overlook. The Lord only knows why, but the bees then left me alone. We chatted for a while, and they warned me that this road was well used by the raft shuttle services that take the rafts upstream on the Rogue River and pick them up downstream. I had already come across a handful of these barreling towards me, which is why I was riding with my tires near the edge of the cliff. They also reminded me of something my buddy of the night before had mentioned, that it was on this road that �the guy from the bay area� died.

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=8704588

I heard the lady say something to her husband as they were getting in their truck that colored my experience of the remaining miles. She said �the smoke is sure getting thick�. Up to this point I had figured that the haze that had obscured my view of distant features was moisture in the air, even though there was little evident in the air that I was breathing. A few more miles down the road I started to smell it; the distinct smell of wildfire. On the side of a mountain ridge you are blind to what might be happening just around the next curve, and so for a number of miles I rode in fear that the fire that was producing this smoke might be nearby, perhaps in the path of this wandering road I was riding. I was sure that I had enough gas to backtrack thanks to the spare canister I keep in my saddlebags, but would the track back be fire free?

I was now headed back down from 6300 ft elevation and I cranked up the speed, even though a downhill stretch through the mountains with no guardrail is the last place I would typically push myself and the bike. This is something of a tangent, but I would warn anyone who is reading to not try this with a stock Sportster suspension. There were places on this road where the road just dropped away and once I was sure I would bottom out my front forks but I didn�t. The places where I had bottomed out my stock suspension were a child�s playground by comparison.

Eventually I rode through enough turns that I no longer feared that the fire causing the smoke was nearby, and chilled out to enjoy the ride. Many miles later I came to a T in the road, but the signs made little sense to me. I kept going straight, and it was a fine decision, but I did have my moment of doubt when I saw the sign warning of a rock fall. I arrived to find a one lane path, with concrete meridians on either side, carved through and honest to goodness rock fall. When the sign said beware of falling rocks I could not help but look up.

I finished my journey on Bear Camp Road in Galise, a drop off and pick up point for river rafters. The helpful sign at the store/restaurant stated �This IS Galise�. There was a nice shaded outdoor seating area, so I plopped myself down and ordered a burger, and Iced Tea, and lots of Water. Before my burger arrived I hear the sound of a big twin and do a double take. It looked like the couple who had headed out 20 minutes before me from Agness. This was freaky to me since I had seen one couple on a big twin passing me in the other direction, and the driver had a silver helmet just like these folks. I was really sure they had turned around and headed back on Bear Camp Road, but here they were.

I was busy doing some stuff at the bike, and they didn�t move my way. When I returned to the patio I spotted them two tables over from mine; sure enough it was the same folk. They recognized me and were equally dumfounded and asked me how long I had been there (about 15 minutes). When my burger arrived I asked them to join me, and we figured out that they had taken the left branch of the T while I had gone straight. None of us know whether they took the longer route or I did, but I have to say I was thoroughly impressed that they had ridden this road. I spent a lot of time and money setting my bike up for "mild adventure touring", and this road was a great example of what I mean by that. They rode the same path on a stock Fat Boy.

I had a great time talking with them. She and I had some similar work experiences, and they also shared some Oregon road advice which I will likely use in the days to come.