Public Service Announcement

Gentlemen, and some gentlewomen, after a weekend of debauchery I offer a heads up on the dangers of over indulgence.

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00622/beer_goggles_622180a.swf

No grains have been harmed bringing this to your attention.

This is not from personal experience only what a friend of a friend has related second hand from a source that they failed to identify based on something they may have overheard while imbibing in the afore mentioned weekend of debauchery.

You have been warned.

Wussification?

Where o where have all the bloggers gone? I look through my blog roll and notice no posts of a month, two months, three, four, five, six, nine, a year. I’m just as guilty because except for nonsense I haven’t posted a motorcycle related post since July 18, 2010. Six months? Well at least I have been riding, just not writing, right?


As I rode to school yesterday I noticed it was oil change time. Checking my records I found I last changed the oil on Petunia on July 17 after the completion of the summer ride. So, I have ridden about 5,000 miles in six months. I had to go look again. I must have a missed an oil change somehow. Nope, only 5,000 miles in six months. What the Hell is coming of this world? Lucky, over at The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour, wrote a post I read this morning about succumbing to comfort and it got me to thinking about my lack of riding this last six months.

As I commented on his post…

I've ridden in the low teens with 8 feet of snow on the ground, when it was over 120, when it was so windy the bike was leaning at 45 degrees to stay going straight, and when it was raining so hard you couldn't see a foot in front of the bike. Nuts? Probably. For everyone? Not a chance. For me? Perfect. But, now with the soon to be bride it isn't my comfort I have to consider. Oh well, she makes me smile.

Is this the Wussification of Arizona Harley Dude? Are the 1,000+ mile days a thing of the past? Am I getting soft in my old age? Or is this just an excuse to take the comfortable route into the golden years of motorcycling?

Maybe. I don’t think so. Possibly. This would make the most sense.

This summer riding the New England states in 90 degree weather with 85% humidity, and Linda with me, I opted for motels rather than the camping I did without her. Now I freely admit I blamed this on Linda’s comfort and not mine. You know the macho creed about protecting the frail little woman thing. But, the truth is after she flew back to Phoenix, every night I camped I wondered why I wasn’t in an air conditioned motel instead of fighting the mosquitoes, humidity, and threat of storms. This is where the plan was hatched.

Truth be told I shouldn’t blame this entirely on Linda, but maybe I could try. The conversation went something like this……”Honey, I’ve been thinking about riding Petunia in the summer months. You know we’ve talked about riding the country when we retire and I was thinking maybe we should think about getting a Toy Hauler, hauling Petunia, and doing day rides instead of what we did this summer?”

“Oh, I might like that.”

...to be continued