| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Run Away! Run Away! I’m back on the road again. Well; kinda. I tied up pretty much all the loose ends in Massachusetts while I was there. Got my Physical, saw many of my friends, visited with Darlene, went to the Worcester Airport and saw the Wings of Freedom tour, celebrated my Anniversary with my home group, fixed the brake light switch on the bike and put a new rear tire on. It was time to head out. There was just one problem; my engine light would come on at weird intervals. So I packed my gear onto the bike and went back to the shop to get it checked out. On the way there through morning Rush Hour traffic, the bike started behaving strangely. first the tach needle dropped to zero, then it went back up to 2000 where it had been. Then the odometer window went blank, then it came back. I was thinking that the problem was either going to be a bad battery or a bad regulator. Anyway, as I approached the shop, the behavior was getting worse. When I got there, I discovered that the bolt holding the positive cable to the battery bad not just loosened, but had backed way off. So I took off the cables and wire brushed everything and reinstalled them. It’s nice when problems surface that don’t require a lot of money to fix. Although it’s even nicer when no problems surface. I was planning on heading south, but I came north instead. I’m at Megan and Rocky’s place in Maine. Looking at the weather radar showed me that there was no place within a day’s ride that wasn’t going to be getting heavy rain. Also, since yesterday was Megan’s birthday, I wanted to come visit and take her out for lunch. I didn’t beat the rain on my way up here, last night. It caught me when I was still about 25 miles or so south. Still, it wasn’t that bad. at least it was a warm rain (that’s what I tell myself when I’m out in it). However; I just looked out at my poor Sportster and it’s pouring. My Poor Bike. Intellicast is predicting 3 to 5 inches of rain for today, and there’s a flood watch. The way it’s been raining this morning, I think those numbers are on the conservative side. I guess my southern swing will have to wait another day or so. I’m hunkered down for the present time. Rocky and Megan are at work right now, but Megan will be home around 1:30; so we’re going to do a late lunch. It’s a crappy day, weather wise, but it’s a good day as far as I’m concerned. I get to take my daughter out for lunch, and I’m not riding down strange roads in miserable weather. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll head in a southerly direction. | ||
| Buellish |
Crusty,I'm still really enjoying your ride reports and am happy your continuing with them.I look forward to meeting you at Buelltoberfest.If you need a place to regroup before or after that event,I live about 80 miles southwest of Suches in Woodstock and have a spare room and a garage. Another event you might consider on your southern journey is the Barber Vintage Festival,held in Leeds,Alabama on the 9th,10th and 11th,the weekend before Buelltoberfest.It's a pretty amazing event that anyone into motorcycles should attend at least once.My offer of lodging extends to that weekend as well. http://www.barbermuseum.org/events/barber-vintage- festival/ | ||
| 86129squids |
+1 on Barber! In all your travels so far, that would prove to be one of the best, most fun weekends you'll have. I've never been to Vintage Days, but I've been to Barber back when the 1125R was announced... got some track time even! The museum is AWESOME. By this time on the calendar, campsites will probably be sold out- unless you know someone who might share some space. I'll miss it this year, but next year, I'll have my '77 R75/7 outfitted with my newly acquired Wixom fairing and the Krauser bags... all I have to do is point my front wheel down TN411, and the road will roll through GA into AL, straight into Leeds, AL where Barber is located. DO IT!!!   | ||
| Greg_e |
Rain report... Most of central NY is supposed to have rain through this weekend. You might want to cut through Canada to go around it. | ||
| Buellish |
| ||
| Ourdee |
3 to 5 inches. Soap up the bike and let nature rinse it off. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Let it rain! I want it to get out of the way for when I head south in a couple of weeks. | ||
| Crusty |
Rain It’s 4:45 AM and I can’t sleep. If I was in my tent, I’d just lay there and let the committee in my head debate all kinds of things and wait until I could fall asleep again. However, I’m staying with Megan and Rocky, so I can get up and type out a Snippet if I want to. I’ll get sleepy presently, then I’ll go back to bed for another hour and a half or so. I’ve been looking at the weather and trying to plot my route. It looks like there’s a hurricane that’s going to make landfall around Carolina in the next day or two. That means heavy rain and strong winds along the route I was going to take. I think I’d better try to dodge around it. The weather in Buffalo is looking pretty good for the next week or so; maybe it’s time to go see Don again. I’ll give him a call later on this morning and see if that’s a possibility. I have the mantra in my head now, “After three days, fish and house guests both begin to stink” (Ben Franklin). I don’t want to impose for three days. In fact, I don’t want people to feel that I’m an imposition. I’d like to visit, then move on. It’s funny; back in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, I enjoyed having friends come and stay for a week or two and my friends welcomed me the same way. Now, I’m reciting a mantra comparing myself to a Cod. I wonder what happened? Did it change because we all got old and cranky? Or am I just picking the wrong people to stay with? Or did society in general change? Well, I’m starting to feel sleepy. I think I’ll try to catch a few more Zs before I head out. | ||
| Greg_e |
Weather here changed, cool like 50's to 60's for the next few days, so rolling through central NY might not be too bad. Could you roll over through Ohio and make a wide arc to get south? | ||
| Etennuly |
It’s funny; back in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, I enjoyed having friends come and stay for a week or two and my friends welcomed me the same way. Now, I’m reciting a mantra comparing myself to a Cod. I wonder what happened? Did it change because we all got old and cranky? Or am I just picking the wrong people to stay with? Or did society in general change? You answered correctly the first and third times. I have observed the same thing and believe your "old and cranky" is spot on for myself and nearly everyone that I know. Society change? Wholly crap.....I don't want to get started on that. Wrong people? Nah.....they just suffer the same as we do and respond the same ways. Kind of a mirror effect. Keep going, you will be fine. Who ever you stay with just tell them I said "it'll be OK".  | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm looking forward to meeting you in Suches. | ||
| Crusty |
Crusty’s 139th Dream Last night, I woke up at midnight after having a very vivid and weird dream. In the dream, I was riding into a town in eastern New York State on a two lane road when I came up on a concrete post right in the middle of my lane. There was room to go around it either to the left or right, so I went to the right. There were no signs to indicate what it was or why it was there. As I was coming around the post, a baby blue Model T was backing up to parallel park along the curb. I barely made it past the T and the driver was shouting curses at me for driving where he wanted to park. I got past him, then the road I was on ended at a T intersection in the middle of town. There were perpendicular parking spaces along the curb, so I rode straight into one. I wanted to stop and possibly get something to eat. Just as I got off the bike, I heard a loud car engine racing and a small sporty car cane flying up the road from down in a valley, and was heading right for me. The car became airborne as it crested the hill, then rolled over on its side before it landed, causing it to slide and tumble away from me. The car rolled over a few times and landed on its wheels, looking pretty battered. The kid driving (a teen or early 20s) gave me a dirty look, then spun the tires and sped off. After that, I went into a store. There was clothing on racks and convenience store shelves of junk food inside, and a fat woman who was screaming and threw a tantrum like a two year old would; complete with throwing herself on the floor and kicking and pounding her fists and crying. I left that store and say a gas station/ convenience store on the corner, so I went in there. There were two guys with guns robbing the place. When they saw me, they discussed whether they should shoot me or not, then they ran out the door, jumped into a car and drove off. Just after they left, the local cop pulled up in his patrol car followed by a flat bed tow truck that had an SUV on the back. The cop got out and he looked like Fess Parker and he told me that he’d had to go out and rescue the people in the SUV because they’d run out of gas on a back road. He told me that this was a quiet town and they didn’t need no trouble from the likes of me. That’s the point where I woke up. However, the dream was so strange and so vivid, I thought I’d share it with everybody. Oh; I’m in Great Barrington, MA this morning. There are no electric outlets here to charge my computer battery at this McDonald’s. But there is Wi-Fi. You can’t have everything. | ||
| 86129squids |
  Yeah, I routinely have crème-de-la-weird dreams... sounds like you tapped into one of mine! Be safe on your travels in this craptastic weather weekend! If you're passing thru Maryville on your way to Suches later this month, holler! | ||
| Ocbueller |
Doesn't Stephen King live up that way? | ||
| Zac4mac |
Hey Crusty - if you see Don, tell him to call me or at least get me his new phone number. He scared the shit outta me when he called after his Pop passed and I missed the call. Zack Also - I keep the silicone wristband you brought to HC-2010 on my 1125R's key. Thanks again for bringing those... (Message edited by zac4mac on October 02, 2015) | ||
| Crusty |
I Have To Say It… I shuffled off to Buffalo. I arrived yesterday afternoon and met Don at an almost prearranged location (I took the Main St. West exit to the first gas station instead of the Main St. East exit to the first gas station). When I called him and mentioned the name of the gas station he immediately knew where I was. I followed him home, and when Alicia (his S.O.) joined us a short time later, she brought an enormous sheet pizza and enough wings to feed an army. I can now say that I’ve eaten Hot Wings in Buffalo. (They’re not called Buffalo Wings here. If you call them that, you will be laughed at and treated with scorn. Or somethin’) Oh; the wings were really tasty. We ate well and kicked back and watched the tube for a while. We watched the AccuWeather channel and we checked out the projected rain forecast along my planned route to Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. (South Carolina is supposed to get 6 to 12 inches of rain today! Holy sh*t!!! ) I’m glad that I didn’t try to bull my way through the rain. I’d be wet, cold and miserable and I’d probably be seriously questioning my sanity. It’s getting cold quickly. A week ago, it was 80 degrees; now it’s going to hit the low 50s for a high temp today. However, the high temps are supposed to get warmer each day as the week progresses, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Especially since I’ll be heading South. As soon as Don makes his appearance (it’s Saturday and some folks like to sleep in on the weekend), we’re going to go over to Paula’s Donuts and get a dozen of the best donuts I’ve had so far on this trip. Oh, Zack; I'll tell him. I promise. (Message edited by Crusty on October 03, 2015) (Message edited by Crusty on October 03, 2015) | ||
| Greg_e |
What might be worse is the near freezing night time temps. | ||
| Crusty |
People, Places and Things I just looked at the weather forecast on Intellicast and it’s looking good for a Monday departure from Buffalo. I saw where there’s rain damage in the mountains down south, so I’m hoping that they get it cleaned up by the time I get there. I’ve got a tentative route planned out to get to Skyline Drive. Then, it’s Skyline Drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway to its end in Cherokee, North Carolina. Then I’ll head east to Fayetteville to visit Ma and Dad’s graves and visit with Steve and Grace. I figure it’ll take three or four days to get there, but it might take five. Since I’ll be (hopefully) following the speed limit and since the days have really shortened quite a bit, I’m not real sure about travel times or daily mileage totals. I’ve been feeling that this run is winding down. I guess the shorter days and colder temperatures are having an effect on me. This would be a good time to head over to Australia, except for a few things. First, it’s too soon. If I get a visa for Australia, it’s only good for six months, and I’d have to return to cold weather. I also have medical appointments that I have to show up for. I’ve survived Bladder Cancer and had an Aortic Heart Valve replacement in the past few years and while things are looking really good, I still have to see Specialists on a regular basis. Things have progressed to the point that my appointments are now spaced at least six months apart, but I still have to keep those appointments. And there’s one more big obstacle in my path. Coming up with the money to go. I’ve managed to save about one third of the airfare. I’ll eventually have enough for a ticket, but it’s taking a lot longer than I expected. There are also a few details that I have to get sorted out, like how will I be able to withdraw money from my bank account when I’m over there? That’s something that I think will be easily solved, though. I think I’ll stop by the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC when I head back north in November and get my visa. I have my Passport with me, so I might as well get it done. I’m going to go to Australia the same way I went on this run around the country. I’ll just do the Next Right Thing until it happens. One thing that I really appreciate about this trip are the people that I’ve spent time with. Grace & Steve, David & Jack, Sue, Matt & Lorraine, Tammy, Dondi, Ernie & Candy, Megan & Rocky and Don & Alicia are all really wonderful people. They’ve all been really helpful putting me up and putting up with me. I feel blessed to have Family and Friends of this caliber. And I have to give a shout out to Guido, Guy, Sandra and Jimmy at the shop. If all shops were like GP, motor Cycling in general would be a much better experience, period. | ||
| Court |
Crusty: I'm right on your path between Buffalo and "South". If you need a place to rest up and sleep .... Just drop me a note. I'm rarely home, perhaps once every couple weeks, but can meet you or leave a key. Ride safe....ride smart Court | ||
| Etennuly |
Crusty, when you hit the South end of the BRP you are in my neighborhood. I'm only about 65 miles to the North of there. As location would have it, a beautiful ride over 'New Found Gap' (441) into Gatlinburg. If timing were right I could meet you there. Sending you a PM | ||
| Crusty |
A Close Call Yesterday afternoon, I was riding south of Johnstown, PA (site of the famous flood). It had been a nice day, riding through beautiful country,but I was getting tired, and the sun was getting low. I had looked on the cheap campsites site and had decided to camp at the Quemahoning Recreation Area. I studied the directions on Google, and I was wandering down a back road (PA Rt.601) looking for another back road (Woodstown Highway). I went past a side road and decided to go back and look at it a little closer as I thought it might be the road I wanted. There was one car behind me, so I pulled over to the side of the road to let him pass before I made my U-turn. After he passed, I looked both ways, saw nothing coming and made my turn. I came up to the intersection going about 20 MPH and saw the road sign. It was the turn I needed to take, so I started to turn left. A car flew past me, missing me by inches. If he had hit me, I probably would be dead. He had to be going over 50 MPH. I never saw him coming. I can say that I was tired and in very unfamiliar territory; I can also say that there was almost no other traffic on that road. I’d only seen one other car in a couple of miles. I can also say that the car was speeding. However, if he’d hit me, I’d still be just as dead. In any accident between a car and a motorcycle, the motorcycle will get the worst of it. I have to keep my guard up all the time. Just because I was tired and on a nearly empty backroad is no excuse. I was lucky yesterday. The next time, I might not be. (Message edited by Crusty on October 06, 2015) | ||
| Pwnzor |
Crusty, I'm sure glad that close call missed you. As for the ticket to Australia, I'm thinking the BadWeB community should be able to help out. I know I've got a few bucks I can throw at it when the time comes. | ||
| Damnut |
Matt, I was just thinking about setting something up for the Cruster so he can make his trip to Australia. What do you think BadWeb? A little collection for our very own vagabond? | ||
| 86129squids |
Matthew & Jim, I'd had the same thought a few days ago. It probably wouldn't be a big deal at all... provided RoadCrust felt OK about the whole thing. What say ye, Crusty? I wouldn't mind a bit to throw a little green your way to help maintain your road journals down under. Oh, and keep your head on a swivel! My next bike expenditure will be to have a Stebel installed on the Sprint... now that I'm commuting regularly again, I really wish I could install authentic train horns on all our vehicles- the Stebel is the next best thing, for $50ish. Glad you missed that hit! | ||
| Balloyd66 |
I, for one, would be happy to donate some plane ticket money for Crusty's adventure, after all I've been having vicarious adventures through him for the last several months. I look forward to his updates. It's fun hearing his perspective of the area where I live, as he's passed through a couple times. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Let's get this author paid for his efforts! Paypal, GoFundMe, whatever. | ||
| Damnut |
I figure Crustoleum wouldn't want us to do this for him cause he is...... well he's Crusty but f*ck him, he's gonna take it if he wants it or not. I'll see if I can set something up via PayPal, if not then I can use my PayPal account to collect for him. I'm in Mass too so it wouldn't be an issue for me to give him the cash personally when he comes back. That is unless he has his own PayPal account then we could just send it directly towards John. I would rather not use the GoFundMe site because they take 10% and I'm sure Crustoleum could use it more than the website. Thoughts? | ||
| Crusty |
Jeez; go away for a day and all hell breaks loose! I appreciate that you guys enjoy my ramblings, but you don't need to throw money at me. Now, I'm really torn. Part of me is saying that I should be gracious and accept the money. The other part of me is a self reliant SOB who could not even panhandle for spare change when I hadn't eaten for days back in 1969. Badweb is a Family, that's for sure and it's great belonging to this group of Individualists. I'm overwhelmed by your generosity, but I just don't know what to say, right now. I'm going to fall back on that old adage, "When you don't know what the right thing to do is, do nothing until it becomes clear". Now, I can't even think of what I was going to write for my next Snippet. Guess I'll just have to get a refill on my Senior Coffee and think. | ||
| Crusty |
Oh, Deer! Yesterday, I finally made it to Skyline Drive. It’s a magnificent road that offers countless opportunities for spectacular views. Speed enforcement is supposedly strict, so I kept my speeds down to close to the posted limit and I was treated to good, smooth pavement and hundreds of turnoffs overlooking the Shenandoah Valley a few thousand feet below. Once again, my old farts card got me into the National Park for free, and when I went to the campground, I got a site for 50% off. That saved me 30 bucks off what the average younger joe would have to pay. The campground had lots of empty campsites, but I bet that during Peak Season, if I didn’t have a reservation, I’d be looking elsewhere for a place to sleep. The showers cost a buck for 5 minutes, but the one that I used lasted a lot longer. I had another buck’s worth of quarters ready, but I never got to use them. There were deer everywhere. I was sitting at the picnic table in my site writing postcards when a doe walked right up to me, then walked over to my tent. I thought she was going to try to go inside, but she turned and walked away. The deer in the park have absolutely no fear of humans. I was thinking about how good a venison steak fried in butter tastes, but there’s no way I’d even attempt to kill one of them. Besides, if I did, I’d probably get a Life sentance of hard labor growing Brussels Sprouts and Okra; or somethin’. It doesn’t pay to screw with the National Park Service. Anyhow, I got up this morning and rode to the end of Skyline Drive. I decided to find a Golden Arches and eat breakfast before I tackle the Blue Ridge Parkway. The crew at Badweb want to help fund my trip to Australia. (It’s amazing how some people love to give away money to broke vagabonds!) I’m caught in a terrible dilemma. I don’t know if I should accept the help or be the rugged individualist that I strive to be. I have plenty to think about as I travel the Parkway today. | ||
| Chauly |
Hey John! MP 45.6 US Rt. 60 West into Buena Vista. Wing night at Foot of the Mountain Cafe, 2117 Magnolia (corner of 21st, big green awning)\Glen Maury Park-decent campground 2 miles further down 501. Call 540-264-0042 if you do, I'll try and meet up. Otherwise, Otter Creek @ M.P 60.8, another decent campground, but no food nearby. Next MP 61.6, Rt 130 Crossover, head toward Glasgow, Scotto's Pizza, excellent food. Again, call that number if you do... |
