Travels with Kodak

Travels with Kodak This is gonna be a travel log. Initially it will be about my Memorial trip for my Mothers fulfilling her last wishes.

02/09/2024

Hey y'al bikers in wnc. I ridin tomorrow. I don't know where yet, but I’m ridin'. Who is a shepple and who rides?

02/09/2024

I think I am gonna need to ride tomorrow. My brain is getting suddled up, cloudy, I think i need to ride and look around me. I'm a'gonna take my camera and take a few pics!

02/04/2024

I just had this thought score out of some other place, "I cant believing I am negotiating with a cat about where she can puke!"

01/15/2023

I wrote this a minute ago, but Life got in the way and I could not post 'til today. Sorry, no pictures, I was too busy riding to do that stuff!.

It has been a minute for me to sit down and write a few words for y’all to read, but here I am again, like that dream that will not stop.
I finally got a pick’em up truck. I guess this old body is gonna feel the cold more than in the past! It is a good thing, cause we had a really cold snap a couple weeks ago—the temp musta gone a little below 40.
Then for Christmas, I got that devious virus, covid!..for the second time! I spent the Holidays in bed trying to swallow by the lump in my sore-sore throat, not much sleep, nor food either! At least I was able to loose about 10-12 pounds in 4 or 5 days though!
Well, after a few more days of resting New Years came along. Someone told me a while ago that what you do on the first day of the year will determine how the rest of it goes. Well, I was tempted to succumb to my ingrown laziness and this stupid virus and stay in bed all day. However, I am superstitious enough to listen to that whole thing about the First Day of the year.
So, I dragged my lazy ass out of bed and stumbled around the apartment for a long minute, had a cup and stuffed an orange down my throat. I thought maybe I would stop and get something to eat during this New Years Ride.
Finally, I wrapped myself up in some clothes and grabbed my Cut and jacket and headed on out. I just bought a new(to me) bike back in September and I love the performance of the thing(specs and details upon request(Please ask, I love talking about it!)). It has fishtail pipes that are really long, but have no baffles. IT SOUNDS AWSOME!
The bike had not been started in a couple weeks, but it started without skipping a beat, but one cylinder did cough a little for a short moment. It smoothed out and I just let it rumble for a long minute, all the while reveling with that grumbling Milwaukee 103.
Finally, I got on and revved it a bit and started to back out of the space. Whenever I write about riding , I always gush on about the power of whatever bike I am riding, but today I'm gonna skip all that and talk about the ride.
It was wonderful! The bike had been waiting for me and was ready to go. Though there had been some rain the night before and the roads were still a little damp, I still thrilled for the wind in my hair and feel of acceleration from stop light to stop light and especially the curves! Dogs have it right!
Sometimes I go out and look for some kind of spiritual experience, most of the time I just want to ride and enjoy it. And too many miles are spent doing long highway runs to get to someplace important. But today, I just wanted to ride, I didn’t care what happened.
The curves came and the breaks worked, and those tires would break loose a little coming out. There were few cars, but during this ride I just wanted to flow around the curves.
It was a short ride, maybe an hour or so, capped off with a stop at the food store. But boy, when I kicked out the stand, I almost floated off the bike. I was high with endorphins and adrenaline for hours after. No drug i have ever taken has ever beat that rush!
People ask me why a ride. I answer that they need to do it, and maybe, just maybe, they will understand.

Kodak

olc

Well, I wish I could live this fantasy longer, the time has come to return to the real world
10/09/2022

Well, I wish I could live this fantasy longer, the time has come to return to the real world

07/22/2022

I’m gonna call this one: I Got a New Pair of Boots

Well, my riding boots need to be rehashed, the soles are blown out and the zipper is shot, and a little while ago the velcro ankle strap got gummed up and I had to put on a snap fastener to replace it. Time for new boots.

I had no idea that I was so particular about my foot wear, but I am and I had a really hard time finding boots I like. Thank you Georgia Boots! and GB Shoes.

I found them yesterday, and at great price, something like $113. I can finally enjoy shifting gears again, ‘cause I can slip my toes under the shifter! Yeah BABY!

Yeah, I know the simple things!

A friend, Gemini and her sister, are talking about doing a ride out of Brevard, N.C. Basically, it goes up Rt. 215 under the Blue Ridge Parkway and transitioning over to Rt. 278 up thru Cruso and back under the Parkway. Ending back in Brevard. There is almost no combination of roads, about 75 miles, as beautiful, as these roads are.

I have new boots and a day off, so I decided to make sure this route is as good as I thought was.

My soul is enriched for that decision.

The ride starts with my stopping by work to drop off some paper work for an application for enhancement, then I rode out to Brevard and had lunch at Dugan’s. Such a fine place to eat and have a beer.

After lunch and walking to my beautiful Ginger, she was so beautiful sitting and waiting for the ride to come. I started her heart and heard her calling for the road ahead. You know, I took a moment to hear her excitement while putting on my gloves and helmet on—I just wanted to hear her song.

Sitting on her, feeling the Milwaukee power throb, I started onto the road ahead. I felt the s**t fall off my back, my muscles loosened, my brain began to loose all the crap of everyday life.
I focussed on the ride ahead: where I was going and the curves ahead.

215, they call it The Park Way Road, does just what it sounds like—it takes you to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Oh but what a trip it is..turns and curves, dips and elivations to challenge the best riders.

This road traverses the most incredible mountains. People live on this wonderful road, yet I wonder how they defeat the ever changing climate. It speaks to the strength of those who live in the mountains, I guess.

Ginger and I powered through the curves and beautiful vistas this road offers. We had to pass a couple of slower cagers, but the locals knew why I was riding this journey through their world and made little effort to slow my progress.

I felt my tires spinning as I sped thrush sharp turns, and felt the rear scream trying to slow enough for the next curve. Ginger was ready for every thing I asked of her. She wanted more. I only wish I knew the hard hairpins better.

We would come upon a slower cage, but there was a straight just ahead. Dropping a gear and hitting the throttle, we passed that slow moving obstacle and hit the break so hard I felt the frame squirm. Drop a gear, or two,-open the gas-break break, so hard to avoid the turn ahead. Tail shimmying and sliding to go around the hairpin. Hit that throttle, feel the power-all the while I was desperately holding onto the grips.

Such a ride-what a road to be on!

Finally my bike and I get to the Parkway. I can feel the release Ginger has when we turn onto the parkway. She wants more. So do I, but we have to respect those who do not understand. I open my tunnel vision and see the beauty of the mountains around me.

Oh what a beautiful place I live in. Clouds draping mountain ridges, blue skies above. Trees growing all around. Crows and hawks flying above, screaming their prey to be aware while rivaling their territory. Such a rush reminding me of the thrill to be alive.

There is so much more to this ride, please read it tomorrow.

here are pics
05/27/2022

here are pics

05/27/2022

I am supposed to be a biker and not let little things effect my emotions. Well, guess what ya'll, that ain't the case this weekend.

So much happened!..so many profound events went by that my simple little brain just about burst.

So much to talk about. Where to start? My feelings about this past weekend are not part of this journal, so let’s just do the facts(with a few pics to make it real).

It all started around 730 on Saturday, I guess. As Historian and unofficial photographer, I made my way to 2 Trees Sports Bar and Grill (check out her FB Page!) to get an idea of how to shoot this incredible event, THE HUNDRED MILE RIDE!.

For about 2 minutes I had the place to myself, then all hell let loose and I was lucky to do anything but try and get what I could in pics.

After a minute of walking around before anybody showed up, Rowdy and the wonderful Pippi showed. So much for trying to get an idea about setting up preprogrammed ideas for images!

Someone smarter than me knew that I, as Historian, needed to let me do my thing for the Chapter. I floated around and got a few pics for history and had little of anything else to worry about. You will see them at the bottom of this post. There are a few pics there that go outside the bounds of our emotional culture. Deal with it. We are BACA and sometimes our emotions need to be let loose.

As the morning lead on, more and more bikes showed up. We had so much local MC support. Bonehead, a co-founder of our little Chapter, sat down with the current President. So many bikers showed up for the cause. They all helped support our Mission!

But this was more than an event to create awareness of our Mission: “…to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live.”

We had other celebrations!

To start with Buzz received his Patch! There is an elaborate conspiracy behind all this. Rowdy infiltrated Buzz’s castle and pilfered Buzz’s talisman, Harry, the Chicken. Rowdy’s co-conspirators were the incredible Hotdog Chef Kyle and the one only Father of Buzz, and the ever so wonderful Twerp informed of our little conspiacy!

Harry, the Chicken was replaced by an old and smelly Boiled Egg!
All sorts of mayhem and hilarity ensued when Buzz found Harry was replaced with an Egg! Bounds were crossed and calamity was made while Buzz tried to figure out what the F**k Happened to his Harry Chicken!

We had over 60 bikes register for our 100 Mile Ride. And when it came time to get every one together to start, Rowdy sat upon
his Seat and related our history in BACA. Then he called up Buzz and asked just what had been going on all day. Then he asked Buzz just what was BACA all about. This is the first step to granting a Patch, but I don't think Buzz had quite caught on.

Finally, Meeep tapped him on the shoulder and presented it to him!

A great moment in our Chapter’s history!

BUT WAIT! There is more.

The group was beginning to break up when Meeep told every one to hold on.

He ran down to his beautiful and unsuspecting, Tessa and got down on one knee to ask her to spend the rest of their lives togather. Yes, he proposed to his incredible Tessa!

Tears flowed, sighs were had. They hugged and kissed. I think they grabbed each other’s asses!

Good luck Brother, you deserve the happiness that a strong union between two lovers can give.

There will be more for you guys to read later on. But for now here are a few Pics to enjoy.

Liking this bike.
05/22/2022

Liking this bike.

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