Another season coming to a close

Another riding season is coming to a close. And again have not taken that week to ride around the country, camping in the state parks and private campgrounds. The riding season has not ended yet, and highs are still in the 70's, but the calendar is telling me that time is slipping through my fingers.

I will be riding to watch the Cleveland Browns today. Only around 130 miles round-trip. But better than nothing.

Update:
Took off at about 10am. The temps were perfect as I turned out of my community and took a run North. As I clicked through the gears, the stress fell away...those associated with family...those associated with work....those associated with self doubt. Soon, I was a modern cowboy riding an iron horse, charging into the day. The roads called to me, a siren's song to chase the horizon and leave all the pain behind.

All to quickly, I found myself close to Fricker's, and the friends that would be expecting me there. Reluctantly, I pulled off the highway, and into the parking lot. I was first there, and the waitress had our table ready and got the first of a few beers shared during the Brown's first win of the season.

The ride home found me in the same mood. The road called for a longer excursion; days? weeks? months? years? who knows. When I am on the bike, there is only "NOW". And the "Now"s follow each other ad infinitum...separated by a few meals, a few drinks of water, and a night's sleep. I felt myself drifting to an image of riding until I could ride no more. Then find an area where I could sleep for a few hours and continue the trip again.

But as I drew close to my home neighborhood, I made the right turn into the familiar streets and into the driveway and garage. The truth came back to me...I have responsibilities, a family, a job, friends. And those responsibilities mean I can not answer the siren's call of the open road. And in reality, that is OK. My family, friends, job mean so much more than the myth of the open road. Truly, I really have the best life.

And yet, there is Kermit in the garage, highway just a few hundred yards away, and I still hear that siren's call in the distance.

Kilo's Last Wish

A month or so, I reported about a member of VROC's passing, and his last wish. Here is an exerpt from the memorium that Kudzu put together on the vroc site (http://www.vroc.org/inmemoriam.php?item=3430). It is a demonstration of the bond that exists between the men and women of this group, many of which have never actually met.

Kilo's Last Wish

Kilo's last wish was to have his ashes spread as wide as his VROC brothers and sisters could spread them. The response to this request was overwhelming. Over 65 destinations were ultimately volunteered. Many were made into, or will be made into, VROC group rides. All are touching and special. Here is a list of all who volunteered their time to spread Kilo's ashes. Where possible, the actual location of the final resting place will be posted.

Travis Webster - Blanchard, OK Barb & Jack Foree - Holbrook, AZ Desert View Lookout, Grand Canyon Steve Thurgood - Olympia, WA Paradise near Mt. Rainier Lake Quinault Pacific Ocean, Kalaloch, WA Cape Flattery, WA Hurrican Ridge Sue Edwards - Seymour, MO Craig Cairns - Middleton, Nova Scotia, Canada Lookoff - Over the Annapolis Valley Dianna Hughey - Conway, AZ Ozarks - VROC World Reuntion 2008 George Carr - Verona, PA Alan Sciascia - Tauranga, New Zealand Waihau Bay, NZ (north) Dave Mitchell - New Zealand Bluff Harbour at Twhai Point - NZ (south) Paul Elliot - New Zealand West Cape Lighthouse - Pungarehu, NZ (west) Howard Asplin - New Zealand Manawatu, Tararuas, Waihi Falls - NZ (east) Jim Robinson - Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Joe Agro - Millington, NJ Jack & Gale McGuigan - Kingston, TN Santeelah Overlook – Cherohala Tail of the Dragon – Deals Gap Anthony Drager - Phoenix, AZ Steve Cifra - Nashua, NH Annual NEVROC Ride, Bethel, ME New Hampshire location TBD Cletus Berkley - Trinidad, West Indies Scott Sprankle - Elgin, OK Wolf Road Ranch - soon Kevin A. Rose - Issaquah, WA Deception Pass on Whidbey Island Vern VanDiver - Federal Way, WA Discovery Bay near Port Townsend, WA Beach at Fort Warden, WA Point Wilson Lighthouse, WA Mark & Yuka Williams - Hukusan City, Japan Tedori Gorge Marshall Anderson - Suffolk, VA Avalon Pier – Outer Banks, NC Jockey’s Ridge – Outer Banks, NC Bridge over the Alligator River on Rte 64 Sandbanks Road, Gates County, NC Jamestown Ferry & Jamestown, VA Western Branch Lake Dam, Suffolk, VA The Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge, Suffolk, VA Family 165 acre horse farm, Whispering Pines, Suffolk, VA Vaughn Devereaux - Screven, GA Christian Ritz - Stoughton, MA Chris McVean - Calgary, AB, Canada Zabrina Grillo-Pineiro - Miami, FL Wayne Osborne - LaGrange, GA Chatahoochee River's West Point Lake Top of Pine Mountain James Vierkant - Sumner, IA Lisa Livington - Federal Way, WA Bruce Rojo - Weat Sacramento, CA North End of Golden Gate Bridge Sheldon Conrad - Colleyville, TX Kelly Cobb - Brandon, FL Sunshine Skyway Bridge - Gulf of Mexico (November) Mitchell Pittman - Rogers, AZ Jerry Kuechmann - Rutherfordton, NC Mt. Mitchell, NC Caesar's Head State Park, SC Chris Luszey - Hudson, NH Steve Gladfeleter - El Dorado, KS

Al Mottram - Whippnay, NJ Delaware Water Gap, PA Roebling Bridge on the Delaware River The Hawks Nest, Deer Park, NY Asbury Park, NJ Willie Kohlenberger - Murphysboro, IL Top of the Gateway Arch, St Louis, MO Vince Hancock - Pilot Mountain, NC Tommy Willcockson - Beaver Dam, VA James Wiers - Williamsburg, VA Jamestown Island, VA Colonial Williamsburg Yorktown Victory Monument Greg & Lisa Giesbrecht - Westminister, CO At 14,270 ft at the top of Mount Evans Kevin Phillips - Afton, VA Afton Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway Top of Humpback Rocks - Fall 2008 Michael Blow - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Ottawa River, Canada Don Moore - Eustis, FL Jim Shulthiess - Rockingham, NC South of the Border, SC Laurinburg, NC Steve Donat - Elyria, OH Tony Newman - Hixson, TN Bald River Falls, TN Tennessee River, Chattanooga Riverfront Robert Kilgore - San Angelo, TX Along the 3's - Routes 335, 336 and 337 - Texas Patrick Mullaney - Sparrows Point, MD Chesapeake Bay Atlantic Ocean at Ocean City, MD Fyodor & Julie Golos - Madison, AL Gordon Parker - Hayes, VA Yorktown Memorial on the York River Brandon Caldwell - Greenville, SC Curtis Smith - Ringgold, GA Trevor Eich - Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak, CO James DeMent - Simi Valley, CA Von Floyd - Houston, TX Sherm Acord - Coos Bay, OR Cape Arago, OR Near Sahalie Falls in the Cascade Mountains Tim Rose - Marysville, OH Sidney Harbor, Sidney, Australia Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne, Australia The Dam at the Deleware Reservoir, Delaware, OH Robert Roberts - Norfolk, VA Virginia Beach, VA Bob Oglesby - Watkinsville, GA Lee Jaderlund - Tacoma, WA Whiskey Creek, WA Beacon Rock on the Columbia River Fish Lake at the head waters of the Salmon La Sac River Peak with a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier near Enumclaw, WA Aldo Mattos - Miami, FL Shores of Guaruja in Brazil Joe Malachi - Silt, CO Brian Flammer - Royersford, PA Deer Park, NY - Roebling Bridge Portland, PA Overlook Lee Denman - Skokan, NY Rondout Creek at Buttermilk Falls Ken Sabodish - Tarentum, PA Ohio River at "The Point" in Pittsburgh, PA Joe Blanc - Colorado Hanging Lake, CO Warren Jorgensen - Tarryton, NY

And also from Susie: According to my last count 65 people volunteered to help scatter Kilo's ashes. His ashes will also be scattered in family home towns of Kansas City, MO, Mound City, KS and Garner, NC. And my son, Chris plans to scatter Kilo among the White Mountains of NH.

Good Times, Bad Game

It was a great ride up to Findlay to watch the game. Even went through downtown to see what I missed last Friday, a bike bash that benefits United Way. Good time at the game. Bad result, however. And I am not sure I like riding in the pitch dark in the country roads. You never know what might jump out from the woods.
There are usually a lot of good friends there. Some bring family too! And with such a large and varied group each week we always have some non-Brownie fans to jeer (or take jeering from).

FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS SUNDAY

For the last three years, I have been going to the Frickers in Findlay to enjoy the game with beer, wings, and friends. Tomorrow starts the 2008-2009 Season for the Brownies. How well will they do this year? It does not really matter. I have been a Browns fan for as long as I remember, through good times (I think there were a few) and the heartbreaks (more than a few!).

I will be riding my bike up tomorrow as long as the weather holds. Will be riding back in the dark, but should be fine. Will have to replace the beer with Diet Pepsi though!

Labor Day Ride

Every Labor Day and every Memorial Day, Hudson Leather's throws a customer appreciation day and has a party and gathering for hundreds and hundreds of bikers. VROCers set up a time to meet one of the days. This year, it was noon Sunday. I took off Sunday morning on a comfortably cool morning, riding up to meet the group. Hudson Leathers is in the middle of nowhere in rural Ohio.

Need fuel? Better take advantage of what you can find! Here is a gas station that is litterally out in the middle of nowhere. There are towns not too far away, but unless you know where, you could be out of luck.

Getting there, we say dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of bikes parked on both sides of the Hudson's little store. The lots were gravel as well as the entrances. You better be comfortable with your bike!!! This is part of the larger lot, maybe 1/3 of it.

Hudson has one large tent in addition to the their store. The brought in in a couple of heavy leather sewing machines to sew on patches, or alter leather gear. Here is a picture of the front


There was free hot dogs, $.50 pops and $1 waters which were great munchies for all the attendees. In addition, there were six to seven other vendors there, ranging from food to accessories to choppers to Jesus Loves You. Here a few pictures of the custom bikes.