Now We Have A Dilemma .................

You see I have always put my kids in front of everything. If they had something to do I have always been there. Never missed a thing! Period they come first! My "Dilemma" is not really a dilemma in the sense that I am gonna miss a game or something like that but I still will be gone.


You see they are both getting older and of course they are starting to have their own interest. It's part of watching them grow. Cody may only be 20 but he has lived on his own now for over a year. He was in Pennsylvania for 10 months and then went straight to Georgia. Of course he comes home a lot and I go see him a lot.


He was home the last 2 weekends and now he will be down south for the next 2 weeks and then he comes back up to go to a wedding. The wedding is the same weekend I am going to Illinois! Not really that big of deal but he won't be back up here for another 2 weeks. Believe it or not that would be the longest period I have ever been apart from one of my kids!


Last year I went to Pennsylvania at least once a month and he came home several times. Of Course Chase still is in high school so I see him everyday. But with Cody I only see him every few weeks. I know sooner or later this gonna happen and of course I am probably letting it bother me more than it should but as I said, my kids come first.


I will still go to Illinois but it's gonna be weird! The wife will be here and of course he will be fine but it just seems weird. The simple solution would be to go to Georgia the following week, but we will be at the beach so that's not gonna happen. I hope he can come down there,,


                                                                  Being a parent is tough..

Best Ride In A While,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

So the kid came up from Atlanta, it being Easter and all of course we did the family thing today with the grandma's. But yesterday we rode! Cody brought his bike with him and we went to Sherman yesterday. Now we have ridden twice in the lat month.

Once down south and now here. Plus he has ridden a few more times in Atlanta. I think he might be getting the fever again. I can only hope! I have missed my riding partner the last few years, it would be great if he starts riding again. Now if I can get Chase back on a bike I would be in heaven. I haven't had both ride with me in years.

                                                                           One can only hope!

2 Weeks And Counting ,,,,,,,,,,,,

So my "hamburger trip" is now less than 2 weeks away. I hadn't ridden the Gold Wing in awhile so I drug it out of the garage and rode it a few times this week. I got my nice new yuppie riding suit and new waterproof riding gloves. If the weather goes to shit I will be ready. Again no reason for this ride other than the fact I love to ride and my dad gave me the world's greatest motorcycle capable of making trips like this.

He rode when I was a kid and then did without a bike for years. When he finally got back on a bike his age and health kinda limited him to the rides he could do. I know if he was still here he would be right beside me heading to Illinois. It might have taken a little longer but that would have been fine.                                                    It's gonna be a good hamburger!

I even went and got the bike inspected and the new tag! I never do that early I always wait till the last minute. This time I figured I would get it done and out of the way. Now I don't have to worry about it for another year. About the only thing I have left to do now is clean everything and have it nice and detailed.

Yes I know that is not really a necessity but I like to look good when I head out. Besides when I have the bike all clean and the trailer hooked up you would be surprised how many people will comment on it when you stop. It's a great conversation starter.

I can't wait to get back up into the mid-west. The wide open spaces just make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! The farms the people the pace of life the whole thing. Charlotte may not be New York but the pace of life in this area has definitely changed over the last 20 years. Growth is a good thing, it means your economy is strong and it also means I sell more building materials!

But with that comes a cost! A cost that is sometimes hard to see on a daily basis. But when you look back over a 10 year period you can see it no problem. The spread out country area we moved to 25 years ago is now not much different than Charlotte it's self. The congestion is now at our door steps.

                                      Every once in a while I need the wide open spaces!

Glad It's Here ,,,,,,,,,,

I didn't get the day off but I am always glad when I have the weekend. I have said it before and I'll say it again. I am in the building business and thank god we are not open on Saturday. Days like today remind me of that. All the walk-ins we have had today, I would go nuts if I had to deal with that on a regular basis's.


No big plans, just the usual riding. We have everybody coming over Sunday for lunch so I know I will stay close to the house for that ride but tomorrow is open. Don't know where I want to go yet but something will happen. Cody is coming home again so hopefully he will want to ride.


                                                        Have a great weekend.

I Always Wanted One !!!!!

You see, I love my bicycles. I got my first really young. I also got my first motorcycle when I was real young! I like motorcycle riding and racing. I just can't afford to race the dirt bike. Although the way entry fee's for bicycle races keep going up I might as well go back to the dirt bike.


OK, let's get back to the point of my rambling's today. "I Always Wanted" a really neat power ranger suit I just didn't want to spend the money on one. You know what I am talking about, the power ranger suit? You see the motorcycle riders, usually the ones riding the big BMW GS bikes, you see them with the fully matching outfits.


Those are weather proof riding suits. Usually they are made out of corduroy or some other material that is really strong. The pants unzip all the way to the belt and they are really easy to get in and out of. I used to thing they were for the yuppies only! But I must have been envious cause now I have a set!


                                                              "I Always Wanted One"

Time Fly's ,,,,,,,,

And ya' ain't always having fun! We have been really busy lately at work and I just haven't really had time to blog. I have been really active riding and walking, yes I said walking! My shine splints are still bothering me. It really makes me mad too. I want to run and I am ready to run. I plan to let them fully heal Before I try it again.

Plus I have my trip to Illinois coming up fast. I had two friends who were planning on going but now they have both backed out. Do I care, not really. I drove around in a big truck for 5 years by myself and believe it or not I am really looking forward to the solo time. I have the motel booked and I pretty much know which way I plan to go.

I don't plan to take a single map either! I know what exit my motel is at in Illinois off I-70 and that's about all I need to know. I plan to go up through Virginia and West Virginia into Ohio and then across Indiana through Indianapolis. From there it's into Illinois and to the motel. I will spend Saturday at the charity event and then probably go ahead and head out.

I have no ideal where I'll stay Saturday night but who cares. I plan to head straight south down through Kentucky and Tennessee. I want to get down into Mississippi before I start heading east. That will bring me across Alabama and Georgia, through South Carolina and then home.

No GPS, no map, no problem! It's pretty simple really. Ride the motorcycle and enjoy the trip. You can over think trips like this if you let yourself. I take trips like this to keep from thinking.....

Atlanta Again ,,,,,,,,,,,,

First of all I didn't realize it had been a week since the last post but it has. I usually post on the weekend but I was in Atlanta so that didn't happen. Yes I went south and spent the weekend with the kid. It's been a while since my last trip down there, the kid has been coming up more than we have been going down to see him. I can give him gas money and let him do the driving.


I know I used to be a truck driver but now I'm not. Simple as that, I don't enjoy it like I used too. But I did enjoy this trip. The kid is doing well and as I said, it has been a while. We worked on the jeep and it's actually starting to take shape. We put the axle under the front and all we lack are a few bolts and it will be under for good.


It's a lot of work but it will be worth it when we are done. The kid is ready to be done and driving it again. Besides doing that we did a lot of good eating and then finished it off with a mountain bike ride Sunday. We finally made our way over to the former Olympic Mountain Bike course.


We only got to ride half of it, they had one of those "Spartan Races" going on. Of course they were using the trails. We still had a good time. I look forward to going the next time I am down there, I want to see the rest of the trail. I rode ate good and still made it home by 7:30 last night. A good weekend it was....