Ouch - an expensive ride this morning

So much to do, so little time...where have I heard that before? So I took the opportunity to combine my errands with a bike ride. Temperatures had broken and were in the 50's when I took off. For me, that is the perfect riding temperature range!

I took off to buy some coffee, going to Hemisphere Coffee Roasters and picking up my normal Papua New Guinea and got half pound of pumpkin pie flavored coffee. Also stopped by the grocery store and picked up some fruit. Rode over to St John's for their Christmas bizarre. I still get excited when I see the majestic bell tower as I approach the church.

I also need some furniture. The family of a friend of mine, someone I worked with years ago, has an Amish furniture store, so I thought I would start there. I got there, walked in and saw exactly what I wanted. But wearing my leathers, I did not get approached by any of the people. Guess I did not look like the buying type. Met my friend's son - last time I saw him, he was a baby!!! I ended up dropping 20 Benjamins there!

I hope I can get out a couple more times yet this year, but time is definitely running out.

A Sunday Ride in the fall

I FINALLY took some time on the bike. It is a warm day, sunny with the colors coming out to celebrate the changing of the season. It is not often when we get these days, especially on a weekend.

I headed out of Marysville (west of Columbus OH) into some of the very rural and hilly part of central Ohio. Plenty of switchbacks, 90 degree turns, and rolling hills. Not much traffic means that I can enjoy the roads as well as the scenery. We have plenty of wooden covered bridges in the area, some old and some newer.

It was a nice diversion, a reminder of why I love my bike, and why I love living in Ohio.

Starting to look back...

The temperatures tell us there is a change of seasons in the air. In a few months, there will be snow on the ground. I look back of the summer and wonder "What Happened?" Not nearly the miles I had hoped to put on the bike. Did not take the adventure I have planned on for years; packing some clothes, tent, sleeping bag and head out with no destination in mind. I did not take the week long trip where I meet unexpected people, and explore unknown places. In short, work trumped free time, and I will loose close to a month of vacation because I cannot afford the time off to take it.

But lets look at the other side of the coin. First, and foremost, I am employed. It provides a sense of contribution, it provides the finances to live comfortably now and hopefully in retirement. It provides the finances to put gas into the bike. I was able to attend the GLVROC rally in Swanton, seeing old friends and new. And got a chance to act as grill chief. I was able to put about 1,000 miles in the saddle as we attended the Interlochen, MI Rally. New friends and old, great roads. And as true every year, there was some rain. I was able to strip out all of the "unnecessary" stuff on my bike. And I had a problem with the bike that would force me to use logic and wrenching skills. Maybe, it really was not that bad!

Even cooler, I have reconnected with VROC.org finding a lot of the "old gang" going strong, and some new people that I am beginning to know. What is unnerving is that there are now over 34,000 members worldwide! WOW!!!

So now, with the cooler weather, the leaves are beginning to change color and fall. It is a beautiful time of year. And that leaves me with one question...Why am I writing this instead of putting some time on the bike?!?!

See ya, I am out a' here!

FINALLY

After rides canceled over and over, I will finally be able to get on the bike this weekend. After a week of vacation that involved work at home at the office, I will be able to get on Kermit once again. Just a 100 mile ride, followed by some camping, and another 100 miles back. Just short rides, but in some difficult heat. In between the rides will be time spent with friends that I have not seen in too long of a time.

I am looking forward to this weekend no matter how it goes. It will be good to get away into a different world, a different focus, a change of the mind. Wind against the chest, music and rumble in the ears.

The happiest time of year, the saddest time of year

Christmas and New Years are just around the corner. Celebrating The Birth, and the start of a New Year as well. Its a beautiful time of year.

Yet, it is the first full winter day. Kermit is in the garage with no plans until spring. In years past, I have been able to ride just a few days before Christmas, and on New Years Day. This year, with snow and ice covering the roads and temperatures often dropping near zero, Kermit will simply have to sleep quietly in the garage. It is such a sad sight to see a bike like this simply leaning on the kickstand with no where to go.

Sleep well, Kermit. Dream of spring rides and VROC rallies in 2011.

5th annual Biker Bash - Findlay OH

Just 65 miles ride (with construction detour), the 5th annual Bike Bash in Findlay OH is a great destination. Its a family friendly event (Friday 8/27 from 5pm-9pm) with live music, great food, and bike parking on Main street which they block off for the evening! Its free and a LOT of fun. There are auctions, 50/50 raffle, services, food, etc where proceeds go to United Way of Hancock Country.

2010 Interlochen

Four hundred miles riding north from Columbus Ohio to Interlochen Michigan. Its the annual VROC rally held in NW lower peninsula near Traverse City. After the long (repeat LONG ride for me anyway), I get to set up camp. There is very little better than a motorcycle and tent. The grounds have the hottest showers around. Oh does that feel good after a long ride and sweaty day.

The best part of the time is the people. We had probably 30 VROCers and shared the park with the Goldwing riders and a couple of small Harley groups. It is amazing how such a great diversity in people, machines, and friendships can enjoy the same lifestyle. We had some tough weather, and also great weather.


There are a lot of great things to experience on these rallies. One of my favorite is the local food. We ate at a restaurants that served huge amounts of good food, a tavern that had good perch right on the lake (they would even cook up your own catch as you came in from a day of fishing), and my favorite - The Cherry Hut. This area is famous for its cherries, and this restaurant has some traditional fare as well as cherry burgers, cherry chicken salad, and wonderful (I mean WONDERFUL) Cherry Pie.

Areas all over the US have some amazing history. As we drove around, we took route M37. It dead ended at the Old Mission Lighthouse. It is half way between the equator and the Pole at the 45th parallel.


But all good things have to end. And with most camping trips, there are plenty of challenges that inhibit sleeping comfortable. We had a huge storm which flooded the tent, and then the final night the mattress we slept on a 1/2 inflated mattress. Why we did not get up and inflate it with the pump, I will never know. But we got up, broke camp, and started back on the 400 miles home.

Sleep deprived, we rode off about 40 miles and grabbed breakfast. Three cups of coffee, but still drowsy. Stopped at McD's for their heavy duty caffeine which eventually did the trick.

Its that time again! Interlochen!!!

In a little while, I will be able to head back up to Interlochen for a VROC rally. Its about 400 miles up there, about 7 hours if I road straight through. I wont! I will probably stop every 100 miles or so, fuel up, get some water, stretch the legs, and take some additional ibuprofen for the saddle sores. There is a common knowledge rule that states that if it is the Interlochen weekend, then it is rain season. The first year I went, I rode back in thunderstorms and tornado warnings virtually the entire trip. The last time, it rained while I was up there and the tent flooded. Yet, it is a good time!

After we get up there, we will have to check in, and then drive back into the camping area of Cycle-Moore. Its a couple of large circles of gravel roads with plenty of sandy ground to pitch a tent. The bath house is known as the showers with the hottest water.

Wow - Time slips by too quickly!

I appologize for the LONG delay on posting an update on the Michigan ride. It was a great ride North. Stopped a few times, had some water, then got back on the bikes.

I had a great time in Michigan with my friend and their family. A little (ok, a lot) of drinks, a little work, and a lot of fishing. The place was nice (see below) and we had some interesting drink/gun discussion combination.


Here are the two GPS runs. First one was on the way up, second is the return trip. Had to make it on my own due to a job possibility.

300 miles - great ride!

Put 300 miles on the bike. It was a great ride. The vest kept me comfortable, and we stopped every 100 miles to refuel and stretch. The place is absolutely beautiful and spent a few hours fishing after dinner. But there is no wireless here, so I will update the site more later. Putting pics on Facebook too!

Getting ready to head out!

I have the privilege of riding to Michigan with a buddy of mine. His family has a house on a lake up there. During the day, I will still be searching for employment and following up with applications already submitted. It really does not matter where I am, as long as I have cell and internet access! In the evening, I will be able to enjoy the area and quiet of the country.

I will be taking pictures and posting as I have time and access. For now, here is the map. Its over 300 miles, and I suspect it will take 7 hrs when you factor in stopping for drinks of water and some dinner. Its going to be hot, and my rear end and my back will be really sore. Ah, but the stories I can tell when it is over!

Another 100 miles

On the early news, they have the "2-Minute Mechanic" who shows things that people should look out for on their cars. Today, he talked about "Jax Wax" products - something I have NEVER seen him do. He was head-over-heals over the products.

I did a quick search and found the company at www.jaxwax.com. Dropped them a note about what would they recommend for a motorcycle. Within minutes, they sent a message back with a phone number indicating I should call and they have exactly what I need. Thinking that I would get the $100 package recommendation, I gave him a call. Instead, he suggested one of their lowest cost products, and said that is all that I would need! We talked more, and he also gave me an alternative suggestion if I wanted to go with a little more flexible solution for both wet and dry cleaning/waxing.

It was such a beautiful day today, and I just had to get out and enjoy the day. So around 1:00, I jumped on the motorcycle and headed off to pick up the product. It was a little hard to find, and found that he was a very small business (but with a successful history). Also found out that he was out of the building and no one else was there! CRAP. Well, I called him and he is sending me the product I wanted to buy, covering the shipping costs! HOW COOL IS THAT! I am hoping the product is as good as his customer focus!

In the same area was a couple cool things. The H2 was mod'ed out for Big Star promotional activity. The building was an old Railroad station that had been converted to a bar/carry out.



Ran around for about 100 miles. It was good, but not great. I had to run through a lot of high traffic areas. I hate the busy areas where cars just do not pay attention to their driving, and stop-and-go traffic.

Sometimes I forget...

It was a bright, sunny morning and I had several tasks that I had to run. So I decided to ride my bike. The first task was to get my hair cut. I rode up to the local barber - an old style place run by two older guys. No foo-foo stuff.

I grabbed a parking spot in front of the shop, shut the bike off, and headed off into the store. Since it is downtown, I did not bother to take my gloves off or helmet. As I walked into the shop, I started taking the bike gear off and noticed that one of the owners was really nervous. So I laughed a little, and told him that as soon as I get this helmet off he would recognize me! He immediately relaxed, laughed a little, and said "oh yeah, I already recognize the voice!"

I guess sometimes I forget that riding gear with smoke screen visor can be a little intimidating.

300 mile long weekend

Had some commitments this weekend, in Norwalk and in Toledo. So I decided to make a long weekend of it and take the bike on the first real ride of the season. Temps when I started was in the mid 80's. I was in my winter bike jacket and definitely hot by the time I got to Norwalk. By the time I went to Toledo, the temps were in the high 40's/low 50's - kinda cool with no chaps or neck balaclava and just my summer gloves. By Monday morning, the sun was out and temps were in the 50's - great riding weather

On the way back, I put about an hour under my belt before stopping for coffee. I decided if I was going to have coffee, I best get something to eat as well. So I stopped in Findlay for some traditional breakfast; coffee and ice water, eggs, sausage, grits, and biscuits and gravy. If that does not fill up your belly, nothing will!

By the end of the ride, only about 120 miles, my butt was killing me. Guess I need to toughen up my tush!!! 200 miles should be a no-brainer...

A little bling...

I added a little bling to the bike this afternoon. Harley's have these script name tags attached to their front fender. I bought similar name tags years ago to call out the model I have. This afternoon, I decided to finally put them on. But I did not like the way it looked on my fender. Plus - its not a Harley, so why copy them?

I checked several places, and thought the script "Nomad" looked great on the tank, augmenting the Vulcan Logo.

Reconstructed!

I finished the maintenance on the bike. New clutch and brake fluid, new antifreeze, rerouted the custom wiring for the air horn, driving lights, accessory plug, LED accent lights , etc. I also did a once over on the bike, tightening all connections - this appears to be a common problem as the bikes come out of the factory.

I was amazed at the crap that came out of the brake lines. There was black crude that flushed out of both the front and back rotors. While I have not experienced any problems with the hydrolics, it was a problem in the making.

The clutch fluid is hidden behind the engine cover which was a real pain to remove! There are only four bolts which go through rubber grommets. Since the cover has not been removed since it was initially assembled clear back in 2006, it did not slide off easily. I spent 15 or 20 mins trying to gently wiggle it off. I gave up and went in for lunch. I came back out and applied some muscle. The thing finally released!

I took Kermit (the bike) for a test run, and it shorted out about one block away. I never knew how hard it was to push an 800 lb bike! Thankfully, my neighbor came out to help me get the bike up the driveway and back into the garage.

There were only two harness connections that I disconnected. So I took the first one apart and reconnected it. This time, I made sure all the wiring was correct. Unfortunately, I did not check to see if it was wrong before taking it apart, so I dont know for sure that this was the problem. I did the other connector, and then reconnected the battery. Started right up!

I need to test ride it again, but waiting until I have someone to help if I break down. But things look good and I dont expect problems.

OK - took the BIG STEP

Finally took the big step - took off the gas tank. As I took a couple of the electrical connectors apart, I noticed that there was this red/pinkish dielectric grease. Weird color, but OK... And then I started noticing it on parts of the bike. I had it on my thumb. So I wiped it off and continued. I noticed that it was on more parts! Oops - not dielectric grease, but blood from a slice on my thumb. Oh well.

Poor Kermit looks like a dog that has been given a bath - skinny and frail. But now that the backbone is exposed, I can get a lot of work done. Need to change the antifreeze, brake and clutch fluids, and might as well do some rewiring too.

Temperatures were in the 50's today - huge change from the 20's and 30's just a few weeks ago. There are snow drifts on the side of the road and along my driveway. The news' talking heads droned on about great weather and that we are only a few days from Spring. The sun called its siren song, tempting me to jump onto Kermit.

I have too much work to do, told myself. And my shoulder still hurt, was stiff, and still weak from the injury of a month ago. Its too risky, and just not the right thing to do.

But desire overtook the better part of judgement. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place - I needed to get my coffee beans from my coffee roaster. I was out and it simply had to be done! So why not use my bike.

I climbed onto the bike about 11:00 this morning. I took a picture of my boot propped up on the floorboard for a Facebook Group that wants pictures of what you are doing each Tuesday, with your shoes as the focal point.

I put on my heavy bike jacket, gloves, helmet. I climbed onto the bike and started it up. I looked at ClasicChap's engine guard chaps which protect legs from the wind in these cooler days. I should check the tires pressure, oil, etc. but did not. Bad Tim...

I pulled out of the drive between two snow piles straddling the entrance onto the road. The engine thrummed confidently, the cool wind rushing under my helmet and within my coat arms. Each bump in the road sent a small sharp pain through my shoulder, but the sense of freedom was worth each pin-prick.

I rode out of town. Fields were mostly still snow covered. Others had recently been tilled and the faint scent of manure somehow seemed to trigger a comfortable feeling of spring in my mind. Here and there were snow drifts along the road where just a few weeks ago snow was being pushed out of the roadway to allow cars to pass.

Twenty miles later, I pulled into Mechanicsburg and parked outside of the Hemisphere Coffee Roasters. I left with 2 lbs of my favorite, a 1/2 lb of a flavored decaff, and a handfull of chocolate covered beans.

The ride back was uneventful, but so wonderful. I pulled into the garage where I would be taking Kermit apart to do some major maintenance (fluid changes including breaks, clutch, oil, antifreeze), wiring maintenance, and installing a used trunk bought over a year ago.

I stepped out of the garage, and back into the house where I had work left to do and a meeting scheduled to review a revamp of a website. It was a great 40 mile ride, the first of the year.

sigh....

It is March, and Kermit sits silently in the garage. He has been neglected throughout the winter. No maintenance done. Its been started and run a couple of times to keep the moisture down within the crankcase, and there is fuel stabilizer, and the battery charger has been thrown on a few times.

Tomorrow, I will take a few minutes to pull the bike out and run it around the block. Then pull it back into the garage so I can change the oil, and try my hand at the various fluids.

Tsk tsk...I have been such a bad bike owner.

Where is the time going?

Winter is a great time to do maintenance on the bike. I need to bleed the brakes and clutch and change the anitfreeze. Brakes/Clutch should be fairly easy (he says with hesitation in his voice), but the antifreeze seems like it might be a bit more challenging. Apparently, I will need to either remove or at least slide the gas tank backwards on the bike. Like most things, the first time will be the most difficult, but it needs done. "They" say every two years, and it has the original still in it after 4 years.

Forgot to Post this

Earlier this fall, an unusually beautiful day created the opportunity to get in a bike ride. The leaves had changed, temperatures were chilly but not cold, and I knew the Delaware Reservoir Park would be relatively abandoned.

I rode some of the backroads to the park. There were deer all around the fields in the area. The sun warmed the ground and trees, and unfortunately brought out the bugs too. As I rode around, I noticed a couple that was taking a break at the crossroads of Lakeview and Briar Patch trails. They were sitting on top of the sign, just relaxing and taking in the sights.

I stopped and spoke with them for awhile. Her name was Snow Proof Safety Cone. His, Cheezy Rider. They were riding cross country, and his bike broke down, so they started hoofing it. They had found the park and decided to stay there a day or so to decide what to do next. Obviously, it was going to be too far to walk all the way to California from Ohio. They figured something would reveal itself if they were patient.

We talked for a long time about options that might pop up for them. Talked about renting a car, renting a bike, hitch-hiking. None of them seemed to be right for them. They were looking for something different, but I just could not figure out what it was.

I hit the restroom, and came out of the facilities to see Cheezy Rider in the saddle of my bike, and Snow Proof Safety Cone on the back seat! They were both laughing, seeing my face of surprise. They both told me that they were joking, but secretly I was happy that I had taken the key with me.

I took off, giving my new friends a lift into town. They both have been staying in my garage as they try to decide what to do next.

Winter is setting in

The temperatures have dropped, with good days approaching 50 degrees, and bad ones staying near freezing with rain/snow flurries. The engine guard chaps have been on the bike for a few weeks now. They protect the legs from the wind chills, and trap a little heat from the engines.

I have to get in whatever riding I can, eking out the last few miles of the year. With the unemployment approaching a year, and other personal issues looming, it is not clear that I will be able to keep Kermit (the Nomad) for riding next year.

Stuff is just that - stuff. I have owned other bikes, and have fond memories of this and previous bikes. And more importantly, I have the friends that I have made during this time. If it is His will, I can easily part with my Nomad.

Stay tuned - winter is coming, but the drama is still unrolling!

The season is closing

So much work in trying to find my next job, and have not had nearly the free time I would have thought. I had some errands to run, and decided that I really need to take advantage of these few remaining days before the snow flies. I put air in the tires, and the chaps on the motorcycle (Classic Chaps). Temperature was in the 50's, so it put a bit of a chill in the ride. But with the heavy leather jacket and the chaps blocking the wind on the feet/legs and capturing some of the engine heat, it was nice.

People seemed to have been in a haze as they were driving. A lady at the end of my street backed her car out in front of me. Then just a mile or so down the road, an elderly lady turns left in front of me.

Please watch out for motorcycles out on the road. Many of us ride into the winter. as long as there is no ice, snow, or salt on the roads. You share the road with us, and you can easily kill us if you don't watch what you are doing. Don't drive distracted; whether it is drugs, alcohol, cell phones, flipping the radio, or simply day dreaming.

Lives depend on you knowing what you are doing. We practice avoidance techniques, defensive riding techniques, and use various tools to increase visibility so you will see us. But if there is a collision, it is flesh and leather and fiberglass helmets against multi-ton steel vehicle. We loose every time, no matter who is at fault.

Fall is setting in

I needed some coffee, so I decided to take an hour and make a run to Hemisphere Coffee Roasters in Mechanicsberg, about 20 miles away. It was beautiful morning, sun shining and temps in the 60's.

What I did NOT expect to find was that fall has slipped overnight. The roads are lined with trees whose leaves are changing colors, corn fields of brown stalks, and soybean plants had bright yellow leaves.

Like an exclamation point on this observation, I found the roaster has offered a pumpkin spice decaff coffee for evening sipping.

Ahhh...the year is moving towards a close.

Interlochen '09

410 miles from home is a small town called Interlochen, MI. And just west of it is a place called Cycle-Moore, a motorcycle place that took a few acres of land, put up a bath house and covered cement pad, laid down some gravel to define "roads", and called it a motorcycle campground. At $12 a night and the hottest showers around, its a true bargain - and home for the VROC Interlochen rally.

I took two days getting up there, enjoying the scenery and the area. Stayed at a Red Roof just outside of Lansing, working my way into the more basic accommodations that would soon follow. When I got to the rally on Friday afternoon, there were dozens of people already there! By the end of the weekend, over 50 people attended the rally staying in tents and motorcycle camper trailers.

Each night, we had a small bonfire. Most would wander their way to a circle about the fire, bringing chairs or picnic tables to sit on, and share their stories. There are never any "new" people at the rally, just those who have never been before and are welcomed in as quickly as the old timers. Probably 75% are return VROCers, with 25% first timers. People will ride over 1,000 miles each way to spend the weekend there.

During the day, small groups and individuals go about their site seeing, riding, or just kicking back at the campgrounds. The only rule for VROC is that "there are no rules." So everyone is free to organize group rides, participate in them, or go their merry way. I prefer the latter.

Each year, the rally is besieged by rain. Sometimes during the rally itself, sometimes on the rides back home. This year was no different. We sat around the fire on Friday night, watched the clouds darken, and eventually was inundated by waves of rain. Many suffered at the hands of the weather; some with soaked camping gear, others with damp gear that could be dried in the sun the next morning. Many took for shelter, playing cards and continuing the discussions into the wee hours of the morning.

I took two excursions over the weekend. One was to a place called The Cherry Hut. The best cherry pie known to man. And their food, while on the pricey side, tasted wonderful with large portions. It is an institution in the area, now in its 87th year and even recognized by bon appétit Magazine. The other was to take some curvy back roads into Frankfort, a town that sits on the tip of a peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan. Lots of activity, arts show, antique cars, and other touristy things. But my favorite, at the end of main street, is the sandy beach and lighthouse.

I rode back home on Sunday, getting packed and on the road by 8:30am. 420 miles later, I found myself in the garage at about 7:30. Eleven hours of riding with several stops to rehydrate and get out of the stifling heat. And true to its tradition, I dodged storms the whole way back.

It was a great time, wonderful to see people I have not seen in years. And I found that I CAN ride 400 miles in a day, if I have to. It still hurts to sit down, but such a small price to pay for the freedom and the excitement of being on the road and exposed to all there is to see.

For more pictures, some of them extraordinary, check out the Great Lakes VROC Picture blog at http://glvroc.blogspot.com/

Back from Interlochen

Made it back from Interlochen Rally. Great time. Left Thursday and took two days to get up there. Left this morning at 8:30 and pulled into home about 7:30 pm. Rode 920 miles. Great time seeing VROCers. Pics to be posted tomorrow.

What is VROC - "No Rules" is just one answer

Copied without permission, but with credit. Thank you Mr. Greenblatt

From "Club Corner", September 2009 issue, RoadBike magazine, titled, "VROC: Vulcan Riders and Owners Club", by Tyler Greenblatt

Vulcan riders must be among the most technologically skilled motorcycle enthusiasts. The Vulcan Riders and Owners Club(VROC) is a group of over 30,100 riders who mostly use the Internet for club communication and VROC is open to any Vulcan owner.

VROC started with just a few Vulcan owners e-mailing each other. Eventually, two separate e-mail lists caught wind of one another and joined forces. Finally, the list grew large enough to warrant automation of the proceedings and the founding of the official VROC online club.

Part of VROC is operated similarly to an online forum. Some of the main subjects of discussion are ways to customize the bikes and how to enhance the Vulcan's performance. However, discussion topics can range from rides to politics. VROC members make friends and share stories and experiences with the same passion as they have for actually riding their machines.

VROC is not a club in the traditional sense. It is essentially run by its members, and rules are basically the online "terms of use" agreement. But this isn't to say that these guys and gals sit in front of their computers all weekend. There are 21 "local" chapters, each in a different state or province. There are also another 20 chapters, each of which spans multiple states or even entire countries. There are VROC's in Germany, Italy, and New Englend, to name a few. The web site, or, more appropriately, clubhouse, has a calendar section with the specific details of each event, and a sign-up button. Members are designated with numbers based on their order of joining, as well as a nickname that is used as a forum ID. They get access to discounts at member-owned businesses and facilities, as well as VROC-friendly bulinesses and facilities. Joining VROC is free, but the recommended yearly contribution is $25 to help pay for server space and servicing."

Time brings growth

A common notion, in time there is growth. It applies to riding as well. With riding comes experience and confidence. I just updated my "visited States" map with selecting the states in which I rode one of my motorcycles.

I think I have picked off the easy states, those nearby Ohio. Now I will have to consider putting some real time in the saddle to expand this map. New York and Poconos? Wisconsin Dells? Time will tell. Hopefully, it will not happen because of the time commitment at a new job. ;-)

What does coffee and riding have in common?

I enjoy a good cup of coffee. Dark roast but lower acid. I even was considering buying my own roaster and buying green beans. The problem with roasted beans is that they have a couple week shelf life until they start loosing their flavor. And ground coffee is loses its flavor quicker than the time it takes to read this post! Its not that coffee is bad after that, but it is deteriorating.

There are a few roasters in Columbus, but who wants to drive 30-40 miles to downtown Columbus to pick up a pound of coffee? Then I was told about a micro-roaster in a small town. I looked them up, they were exactly as billed - a small roaster supplying mostly local coffee houses. What I did not know was their business mission (click on mission below to go to their website).

"Fresh Roasted Coffee - If you are looking for fresh roasted coffee that benefits the Christian Church in coffee growing regions, you have come to the right place. Hemisphere Coffee Roasters is on a mission: to assist the Christian Church in coffee growing countries by purchasing coffee directly from farmers who will be a blessing to entire communities.

We do this by working through farming-partners who have demonstrated their care for the community and by paying honest prices for the best coffee our partners grow. These prices are not fixed and are not tied to the commodities (NYBOT) market. Through relationships of trust, respect and transparency, we agree on a price. Last year our average price paid directly to the farmer before shipping was .30 higher than certified Fair Trade coffee."

"Nice" you say, "but what does this have to do with riding?" Well, I took the 20 mile ride to their shop this afternoon. Five minutes to get out of time, and all the rest was on rural roads. Most of it straight and flat, but a few 25mph 90 degree twisties just to wake you up. Run through a few small towns, one of which actually has a traffic light. And then into Mechanicsburg. One traffic light and street signs that have seen better days and no longer match the roads they mark.

The HEMISPHERE COFFEE ROASTERS is a small shop hidden on main street, very easy to miss. I did! I finally gave up, parked the bike, and walked the street. The shop was homey and cute, and the owners were very friendly and helpful. I brought my camera, but forgot to actually use it!

The ride back was just as fun as the ride down. As I turned into my neighborhood, a trailer/SUV had stopped in the middle of the road. A young couple just moving into their new-to-them house had lost several pieces of furniture off the trailer. I pulled off to the side of the road, helped them reload their furniture, wished them happiness in their new home, and headed off for the last 1/2 mile to the garage.

Its amazing the people you meet when you ride. That is what is great about riding - the people I meet. Sometimes they are in the stores and restaurants, sometimes they are running the hotels and campgrounds, and often those I just meet on the road. And that is what coffee and riding have in common - the people.

Great Lakes VROC Rally

Last weekend was the third annual GLVROC rally. Imagine 30+ people riding motorcycles converging on one property in Swanton, a town in the northwestern corner of Ohio. That is what we did this year, pitching tents and taking advantage of Boomer and Shannon's generosity by sleeping on the floor, couches, and spare bedrooms in their home.

It was well represented from as one rider coming from South Carolina, and several from Canada. It truly was an International event!

I rode nearly 300 miles over the weekend. For the evening, I opted for the small blue tent (misplacing the tent poles for the larger tent), and had to sleep corner to corner! But with the king size air mattress pushing against the sides of the tent, I was fairly comfortable and stayed dry despite a couple rain storms.

With high temps, each night we sat around a large circle and shared each others' company and stories. As the sun set, we moved to the fire and continued the laughing and stories until late in the evening...ok, really around 11:00 or midnight - most of us are old folks!