fasthair

Well after some research I have figured out why no one seems to be active in this community. Live Spaces wants every new visitor here to sign up for an account before they will allow interactions with members. Much like My Space I guess, but not a good way to promote "social networking" if you ask me.  I mean it's kind of like being able to look at someone but not being able to say hello to them without joining the club and knowing the double secret hand shake. To be honest I hate being forced to join a site just because and I sure don't blame anyone for not doing so.

So for the most part I don't think you will be seeing anymore updates to my space. I've set up a Blogger account with Google and will be using it from now on. The reason of course is you don't need to know the double secret hand shake to say hello.

Once I get their system all figured out I hope to be able to port over all of the post here to there along with the photos, links etc.

The new blog is located at http://fasthair.blogspot.com/ I know hard to imagine I would use the same name huh?!?! So adjust your feeds/bookmarks (or not) and I hope to see you over there.

fasthair 

Not a lot of exciting things going on the life and times of fasthair lately. I guess living in Iowa can get kind of boring at times especially this late in the season. Not many if any rallies are planned this time of the year unlike some of you in warmer parts of the country who have them almost all year round.

There was a small little benefit ride for a fund raiser for diabetes on Saturday that I rode to. Rip's B.A.D Ride is a national organization that puts on little fund raisers around the country. It was the first time for this event around here that I know of. There was free food, music and a few vendors in attendance. Harley dealer Zylstra Harley Davidson sponsored the event. Local custom bike builders Radical Cycles co-sponsored the event you might say providing PA and stage accommodations.  Plus a big thank you to Ron at the Garage bar for stepping up at the eleventh hour with the beer truck after the permit for beers sales didn't come through as planned. While not a great number of people showed up, I'm guessing maybe 250 bikes, they did manage to raise a fair amount of cash. From what I added up at the thank you announcements for the top people money raisers was at $3,000+ by my unofficial addition.

Fall is starting to show the colors slowly here and in the next couple of weeks things should be in full color. This weekend I went riding out in the country after the event to see what nature had in store but it is just a bit too early for the tress to be in their full majestic beauty. The farmers are out in full force bringing in this years harvest with soybeans being the crop of choice right now. I would guess in two weeks they will switch to the corn harvest. At which time I will again head out with my camera and see if I can show you some of the best mother nature has to offer from around these parts.

Last little note of maybe interest. Team Slut Drag Racing has a new member as of a week ago. Hatter officially drag raced a fellow team Willy Lump Lump to earn is patch. Now maybe he will shut up for awhile! Kidding Hatter welcome to the fold brother. We'll have to see if his new mill is up to the task of beating yours truly next time out. Best of luck dude :-) And before anyone ask yes we had these shirts made and yes they are trademarked so please don't steal them. It has come to my attention that people would like to purchase these so I'm thinking it over. If anyone thinks they would like them let me know and I will see about getting some made. We've had white and black pocket tees and black sweatshirts made in the past along with stickers too. So let me know what everyone thinks.

fasthair

I spent my Labor day weekend doing a lot of riding which suites me just fine. August 29th was my aunts 75th birthday so I started my long weekend early.  Riding to Cedar Rapids wasn't all that exiting since it was on the super slab. But it sure was nice to get to see a lot of my family that I haven't seen in a long time. A good time was had by all with plenty of food, ice cream and cake.

After everyone left Robert, Molly his girl friend, and I went out on the town. First up was a biker bar with live music which would have suited me fine if it wasn't country music. After about hour of this I had all I could take so off we went. This time to a little place by the river that was open for the first night after the major flooding CR had this summer. This place was clear under water and it took them this long to get it open again. They did a great job with it, it even still smelled new.

My cousin Rob is such a dork. He found this beat up little scooter that he has turned into a, well a moving... hell I don't know what to call it. You tell me what it is. He's got a whole $3.75 in the thing. Not sure I would be caught dead riding that thing though. I mean a guy does have his pride if he doesn't have anything else right?

Saturday it was time to continue my adventure. I thought I knew where I was going. Since I'm a dummy and didn't download the web site for off line viewing I tried to go from memory. Old age must be catching up with me. I had planned on going to Davenport for an antique motorcycle swap meet and races, which is suppose to be one of the largest in the country. But what I planned and how it ended up are two different thing. Off on back county highways I head for... Dubuque! 

While riding along I happen to run across a little tractor pull going on in the middle of nowhere. So I stop peal off the hot leathers and enjoy a smoke watching these local guys test their machines. It had been a while since I was in the area and I was kind of lost. Walking up to the gate I look at the guy behind the table taking money and I'll be if I don't know him. We had went to high school together. I don't think it hit him who I was though. He was a tough little guy in school and still looks the same, short and stocky. After getting directions and how to get where I was headed I took off. I figured I would hit the swap meet at about six in the evening. Needless to say there was no swap meet or races.

Sitting at a gas station, bought a map trying to make something out of nothing. I decide to ride along the Mississippi river. This would have been great had not I lost all the light of day. I'm heading for a state park I see on the map so I can roll out the sleeping bag for the night. Pulling into Bellevue and discover that they have a street party going on raising funds for the volunteer fire department. It was cheap enough to get in at only five bucks. The bonus came when I asked the ladies selling beer tickets if they had a motel or the like a person could stay in. Luck would have it the bar across the street had rooms above it for rent for cheap too. Perfect, cheap room, cheap beer and homemade pizza to boot.

Sunday I wander on down the river road to the interstate to Iowa City. Stopping for fuel and food I see a Steak an Shakes. I don't see what all the hubbub is about this place. The burger wasn't any better then any other fast food joint. Plus it was anything but fast not to mention over eight bucks for a burger, fries and a Coke is a bit much.

Then it was back to two lane back roads I grew up on to my home town of North English. After visiting my mothers grave I wandered around town a little bit. Not a lot has changes in that place. It was as dead as any Sunday I remember living there. So back on the road I headed back home.

Not really planning to do anything on my Monday off I was looking at the map and seen lake Rathbun. Seeing how I hadn't been there in years I decided it was time to check it out again. Sitting at the spill way I could have reached out and caught fish. I've never seen so many fish trolling the top of the water for food. They were in schools of eight or ten fish. A guy could have just tossed a line in the water and would of had supper in minutes.

So that is how you ride 800 miles in four days and never leave the state.

fasthair

This rider instructor, Dan Bateman, that I visit posted a blog today about cold weather riding and the like. One of his remarks was about how we all have some part of our skills that are more lacking then others. One of his examples was low traction conditions when it’s cold. This got me to thinking about something that happen to me last summer when you would least expect low traction conditions. So I thought I would relay the story here.

I’ve been riding on the street since I was 18 (29 years) never missing a year. I like to think I’m a pretty damn good rider, along with being a safe rider. Sorry, no I have never taken a riders course and yes I know I could learn something. But you don’t survive in the street this long being a dummy and riding hell bent for leather. I see things far ahead that most people never see. I’ve had more close calls (for most people) that were not close because I seen it unfolding in front of me. Am I perfect? Hell no!

What am I getting at you must be asking. Just this past June while on the interstate I had something happen that I didn’t see coming or had happen before. We left town in a light drizzle and yes I know how that makes roads even slicker then in a heavy down pour. About 60 miles out as I was headed up hill at 70mph all of a sudden my rear tire breaks traction and I spin pitching the bike sideways. In an instant it was over but a level head kept me from over reacting and maybe high siding the bike from chopping the throttle close. Easy does it in cases like that.

But what did I learn? Those tar spots can be even slicker then the road. It wasn’t that big of a spot, maybe 10 feet long and a foot or so wide, but it sure caught me by surprise. My buddy looked at me like WFT was that? I just kind of gave him the dumb look of, I have no idea as I shrugged my shoulders. I’ve got 200K on motorcycles and never give it a thought about what appeared to be a tar spot. To be honest I’m still not sure what it was on the road but I keep an eye pealed now for just such a condition.

So the cold weather is coming, heck it only made it up to 61f here today. With cold temps comes cold tires and slick roads. Traction is not going to be like it was in the mid summer so be extra careful as it gets colder. Dress warmer, a cold body can’t react as fast either. You just may need that split second to make or break a bad situation.

Up next my four day 800 mile Labor day weekend ride and I never left the state.

fasthair

Iowa Harley Girl had a post the other day about the big rock. The rock, some have dubbed the Freedom Rock, is painted every year by Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II to pay his respects to those who serve to protect this great country and our freedoms we enjoy everyday. To say the rock is pretty impressive is an understatement.

  If you go to Ray's web site you will see this is his tenth year of painting the rock. I remember when a local television station did a story on Ray and his rock. Having kind of forgot about it until IHG's post I decided it was time to go for a ride and look at the rock.

While I've never served in the armed forces the Vietnam era is one I remember most because of my age at the time. So to see Bubba hold them in such high regards from someone who wasn't even born yet is pretty touching. Sadly those brave souls never got the warmth and love they too so rightly deserved. This side of the rock is dedicated to them and is part of the rock that is always there. Ray's story is the first year painting the rock some Vietnam vets stopped on their way to the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC. They had ashes of fallen brothers and wanted to spread them at the base of the rock.  Rays came up with the idea of putting their ashes in the green paint. Since that day the paint has chipped and faded so Ray made what was once two helicopters into a big one that now included ten ashes from the vets of Vietnam.

The local community members of Greenfield have taken and stepped up too. A local Boy Scout troop poured a concrete pad for a little picnic table and awning now on the site. Other members of the community have built a lean-to shed that has a donation box, guess book and stories of their beloved Ray. Also now standing is a lighted flag pole with both the American flag and the POW/MIA flag. To say Ray has made this little town proud speaks volumes of what just one person can do. When I pulled up there was seven other riders there and one couple even had their young son with them.

The ride itself wasn't much to talk about. One of those wandering turn left here, right at the next tee intersection type of days. But that does allow for surprises also. After leaving the rock I found myself in a little burg called Stuart. Spotting a Bud sign in the window of this little bar I felt it was time for a cold beer. Pulling up I see a motorcycle and I'll be if I don't know this bike. No more had I parked when Carl walked out of said pub. Since he was ready to continue his ride we both saddled up and headed down the road for another little town. Once again the cold Bud sign in the window was spotted and this time I did get to enjoy a cold Bud. Getting late in the day we started to make our way back to the big city in the most indirect route we could find.

What started out as a quick run down the street for breakfast turned into a great ride. Just the way it is suppose to happen. Sorry for the once again poor photos because once again they are just from my phone camera. They truly don't do Ray's magnificent work justice.

fasthair