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Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Ride's Birthday Outing

April 28, 2011
Colorado, USA

Today is The Ride's first birthday so of course we rolled out of the drive about 10 am for a birthday ride. We were blessed with sunny, blue skies, low winds and decent temps. Woo Hoo!

The odometer was sitting at exactly 17,350 miles before we rolled out. It was sitting at 17,404 when Tim rolled out of here to work. We cruised the country lanes before arriving at the CB Shop on I-25 from the back side. We had ordered POW-MIA flags for an upcoming ride. We met and chatted with a retired fireman, biker/trucker across the street from the CB Shop at Johnson's Corner. He was from Amarillo on his way to Utah, but just wanted to say "nice ride" and further commented that he and his wife ride in the Amarillo area when he is not on the road.


Next stop was the long way around to Thunder Mountain. We spoke with our salesman and then purchased a birthday present for The Ride (chrome front axle nut covers with the bar and shield).

The Ride parked in front of Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson.

The Ride with Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson in the background.

The Ride in the lower parking lot of Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson - the Rockie Mountains (Longs Peak is the prominent mountain in this shot) glistening with fresh snow.

We took the longest way home possible before rolling in just in time to throw Tim's lunch together and get him off to work. By the time he gets in from work today the odometer will be sitting at 17,408 so that's the official mileage for The Ride's first year. Tomorrow is looking good for a lunch ride - stay tuned...

Biker and Flag Photo Op

April 28, 2011
Colorado, USA

Just a photo op in front of the new flag pole as Dad rode out earlier today on what looks like a great day to ride in north Texas.

Happy Birthday #1 to The Ride

April 28, 2011
Colorado, USA

Last year on this day we said good-bye to our First Ride, a 2008 Heritage Softtail and rolled out of Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson on the New Ride, a 2010 Ultra Classic. Over 17,000 miles later we're saying Happy Birthday to The Ride. Oh yeah, we're out and about on a birthday ride... can you smell cake? Ha! More later.


April 28, 2010 - It was only supposed to be a test ride

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Texas: Flag Raising

April 27, 2011
Colorado, USA

What do you get an older-than-dirt patriotic veteran biker for his 75th birthday? A flagpole of his very own for the front yard of course! The guy is my Dad (aka Ted aka Frosty). The birthday was last week. The flag raising was today. They make a good pair - donchathink?

Ol' glory waving proud in front of the house.

WreathThis is a wreath Mom made in honor of the flag-raising. It is red and white carnations accented with bluebonnets. Very nice!

The most excellent flag install by Riley and David. I couldn't be more pleased. Thanks guys!

Happy Birthday Angela!

April 27, 2011
Colorado, USA

wishing you all the best the day can hold today and always!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Saturday Honor Mission pics - Texas

April 25, 2011
Colorado, USA

A few pics from the Honor Mission in Texas Saturday...

Nezzie (aka Mom) ready to stand the flag line

Ted (aka Dad) riding out on Honor Mission Saturday

Keepin' 'em high and dry...

Just a few like-minded Guys - Charlie, Frosty, Tim, Tex

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter

April 24, 2011
Colorado, USA

Happy Easter 2011

No matter where the roads lead you today - ride safe - ride free.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

April 21, 2011
Colorado, USA

Wishing you all the best today and always, Dad -- things like warm days, clear skies, long, smooth roads, -- and the company of a few good friends at the end of the day (including the one that's been hanging around for over 56 years).

Here's a scrapbook video for you...

Happy Birthday Ted (Dad) 2011!

Happy 75th Birthday Ted!


Wish I was there to help you celebrate... Love ya! -- Vik

Double click to see Ted's 75th Birthday scrapbook video in a larger format (use pause and play to read the details). Enjoy!

Below is a slide show of the same scrapbook creations (43 photos - no music) - double click to view one at a time or as a full screen slide show at Picasa:


Dad celebrated with a few good friends on his 75th birthday - Mom, Nubbin, Ray, Laura, Lori, Angela, Sabrina - steak and banana pudding - three banana puddings to be exact, from Laura, Lori and Angela - yum!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Windy Weekend Riding

April 17, 2011
Colorado, USA

Well, we finally get decent temps but as has been the story so far this year - along with them came too much wind. So, we spent most of the weekend riding around like a couple of farts in a whirlwind.

SATURDAY found us rolling up Hwy 34 to the Beavers Den. We roamed around in the store, picked up a few items and visited with LeAnn, the owner. This is a great biker store situated in a beautiful area at the mouth of the canyon between Loveland and Estes Park. It is well stocked with leathers, patches and other needful biker things. Coming up next Saturday at the Beavers Den is a BBQ fund raiser that benefits the American Legion Riders fuel stop for The 2011 Run for the Wall in Limon, CO. We plan to make it back, rain or shine. Hope to see you there.

Beavers Den
LIMON COLORADO RFTW FUEL STOP FUNDRAISER BBQ
SPONSORED BY BEAVERS DEN LEATHER
9019 W US HWY 34 - LOVELAND, CO
SATURDAY - APRIL 23RD. 2011 NOON - 4PM
ENTERTAINMENT BY S-H-E, HOURLY GIVEAWAYS
BRING YOUR BLANKET OR CHAIR & WALLET

We roamed around most of the afternoon, stopping by Johnson's Corner, the CB Shop next door (they both carry biker goods), found ourselves riding over the dam and then on home.

Squall over the foothills

Shadow Riders along for part of the ride

It was a windy dam ride

Looking behind us (north) as we ride around Horsetooth Reservoir

SUNDAY, we rolled out the drive despite the howling winds and a quickly approaching cloud. We chased a patch of blue sky and sun around for the better part of two hours without catching it. We finally had enough of wind and called it a day. We must have rode out from under that little cloud because the streets showed signs of having brief rain... how 'bout that - rain!

We rode out from under this little black cloud but after riding around for a couple of hours with the winds tearing our heads off we gave it up... 20-30 mph with gusts of 40-45 mph.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Remembrance: Gary C Johnston (1948-1970)

April 16, 2011
Colorado, USA

Taking a moment to honor the brother of friend Nubbin, SSgt Gary C Johnston, Vietnam, 1970.

Friday, April 15, 2011

mBSc alert

April 15, 2011
Colorado, USA

Texas -- This just in: BEWARE THERE ARE THREE OF THE mBSc MEMBERS ARE AT COFFEE AS I WRITE THIS. I JUST WANTED TO PUT A WARNING OUT FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS GROUP. THERE IS NO TELLING WHAT THEY ARE PLOTTING TO DO OR WHO THEY WILL BE TALKING ABOUT. SO BEWARE IN WICHITA FALLS THIS MORNING WHERE EVER THEY ARE THAT PART OF THE CITY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR SUSPICIOUS MEN, ONE OLD,ONE SORT OF OLD AND THE OTHER YOUNGER BUT FULL OF MISCHIEF. -- Anonymous

Monday, April 11, 2011

Honor Mission: Maurice Bates, US Navy - Fort Sill, OK

April 11, 2011
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- North Texas Patriots rolled out again this morning to accompany the remains of Maurice Bates, US Navy, Vietnam Veteran to his final resting place at Fort Sill National Cemetery. Fourteen Bikes and three family cars made up the motorcade.

Gill, Lance, Mike Jerry, Paul, Ray, LauraPart of the group who rode in honor of Naval Veteran Maurice Bates today -- Gill, Lance, Mike, Paul, Ray, Laura

Ted saddling up for mission Ted (Dad) saddling up for the Honor Mission today.




Saturday, April 9, 2011

Rolling over 17,000

April 9, 2011
Colorado, USA

We rolled out of the drive just before noon for destination unknown. Today was cooler than yesterday and we had more wind. No matter - we had sun. The plan was to ride.

Our new headsets came in a couple of days ago. We haven't used headsets before so I guess you could call this one a headset test ride. We rode, made inane conversation Can you hear me now? What did you say? I cannot hear you. Hello? Hello. We adjusted, turned music up, turned music down, turned music off, rode at 45, rode at 75 and everything in between, then we repeated all of the above until we got them adjusted. We think. Then we put them away. Ha! We're thinking headsets will be nice on long, open roads or when we are riding with a large group. We have a couple of rides like that coming up pretty quick.

Our ride took us well out over the eastern plains (that's anything west of I-25). We travelled roads we didn't know were there prior to today, rolling past large dairies, feedlots and multiple drilling rigs. Some went nowhere. On one of those roads I glanced ahead and asked Tim - is that airplane on the road? It was and turned just in front of us. The pilot gave us a wave. We realized we were in one those rare airport communities where everyone has their own hangar and planes taxi along the roadway sometimes.

In LaSalle, CO we stopped at the old depot turned community center for a cup of thermos coffee and a snack. Got a "kool bike" from a kid who rode by on a bicycle sporting day-glo purple hair.

The Ride - LaSalle, CO - over 17,000 milesSeven miles out the odometer rolled over 17,000 miles. We are still a few days shy of The Ride's first birthday.

Tim - LaSalle, CO

Vik - LaSalle, CO
From the eastern plains a scan along the skyline revealed the smoke from various wildfires burning both on the plains and in the foothills of Colorado. We are really dry. Rain is due in tonight and tomorrow and while that will likely keep us from riding - it will be a welcome sight.

As we were riding in just after 5 pm, a cloud appeared on the horizon a few miles south and west of home. We were thinking ride to eat but decided to call it a day when the sun went behind the clouds. About ten minutes after we rode in, that little cloud stirred up the wind and temps dropped about 20 degrees in a matter of minutes. We drove to eat, polishing the day off with Mexican food and margaritas. YUM!

Nasty little cloud

Medal of Honor Parade Gainesville, TX

April 9, 2011
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Dad (Ted/Frosty), Tex (Ray), Laura and other fellow riders and friends (numbering 9) rolled out early this morning to participate in the Medal of Honor parade in Gainesville, TX. We would have loved to be among that number honoring our nation's greatest heroes.

Tex and LauraTex and Laura find those Tex remembers with respect on The Wall

Tex points out Gary's dog tagTex points out dog tag of Sgt Gary S Johnston, the son of friends Nubbin and Angela, lost in Iraq January 2007.

Huey Ted's (Dad) favorite part of the festivities is the Huey flyovers

Friday, April 8, 2011

Rare Friday Evening Ride

April 8, 2011
Colorado, USA

Working night shift rarely affords us the opportunity to ride in the late afternoon/evening except on weekends. So, when Tim called to say it was a short shift he would work today, it did not take long for me to ditch the housework and pull on my boots. I was standing at the edge of the garage when he rolled in. A few minutes later we were rolling out of the drive for a couple of hours.

Tim stops on the way in to chat with neighbor Al - can you believe it is warm enough to ride in short sleeves?

The Shadow Riders join us for a Friday evening ride.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Medal of Honor Welcome Ride

April 5, 2011
Colorado, USA

UPDATE 04/07/2011: See videos at end of post:

Medal of Honor Wichita Falls, TX/Gainesville, TX -- Today, Dad (aka Ted/Frosty) rode to Gainesville, TX to gather with other Veterans and Patriots (many of them on motorcycles) to stand with respect in a welcome ceremony for Medal of Honor Recipients arriving in Gainesville for the Annual Medal of Honor ceremonies. The group of friends and riders included: Ted (Dad), Tex (Ray), Joe, Gary, and Mike. It wasn't all fun and games though - Dad helped park bikes which is probably about as easy as pushing a noodle, herding cats or chickens... ha! Saturday, they will ride again to Gainesville to participate in the parade honoring Medal of Honor Recipients.

Since the biginning of the Civil War 3,448 Medals of Honor have been awarded to America's greatest heroes. I believe they now stand at 86 living MOH recipients.

The first recipient to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam era is Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, U.S. Army, a native son of Iowa. Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor November 6, 2010 for his courageous actions during 2007 combat operations against the enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan.

Mike, Tex, TedMike, Tex (Ray) and Frosty (Ted/Dad) enjoy a laugh at the Medal of Honor Recipient welcome ceremony - Gainesville, TX.

Slide show (27 photos):


Medal of Honor Host City Website
Leatherneck's M31 Men of Valor

Monday, April 4, 2011

Patriotic Lady

April 4, 2011
Colorado, USA

This lovely patriotic lady standing the flag line at a recent Honor Mission is my Mom (aka Nezzie). Lookin' good Mom.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Windy Saturday Canyon Ride

April 3, 2011
Colorado, USA

The weather man's forecast called for unseasonably high temps for today. He said we could hit the upper 70s, maybe even 80s with moderate winds. We were just happy to see mostly blue skies and temps climbing out of the 60s. We rolled out of the drive about 11 am and took a long, leisurely ride coming in to Johnson's Corner Truck Stop on I-25 from the back side just in time for a coffee break and a cinnamon roll. The day was warming nicely and so far the winds were not a problem. That didn't last long. By the time we walked out of the truck stop, the winds had kicked up enough to make a big fat liar out of the weather man. It is possible the winds contributed to a motorcycle accident we saw along I-25 not long after leaving the truck stop. We saw the bike and a highway patrol but not the rider so hopefully he is somewhere recovering from what appeared to be a nasty spill down a grassy enbankment.

We spent a good bit of our afternoon trying to find a road not bedeviled by the winds. The idea was to travel south, but the further south we rode, the worse the winds. So, we turned north and like a good many other riders, we hugged the foothills. About mid-afternoon, we returned to the house to shed leathers and switch to lighter jackets. We were not done riding. We finally decided to ride a canyon, Buckhorn Canyon to be exact (west of Horsetooth Reservoir and Masonville). We do not normally ride the canyons this early, mostly because of lingering snow pack, icy runoff and gravel. It has been an abnormally dry winter on the front range (I-25 corridor) of Colorado. While the mountains have had excessive snow, we've had little snow and no rain on the plains. Rather, we've had Chinook winds feeding a rash of wild fires in the area in recent weeks. There was some gravel on the road but otherwise the ride through the canyon was nice and easy and we were out of the wind.

We stopped once at Stove Prairie School for a cup of thermos coffee. It isn't unusual to see a knot of motorcycles pulled over here as it is a common stop for bikers who know the canyons. At this point one decides to finish riding Buckhorn Road, now Stove Prairie Road or turn into Rist Canyon. Stove Prairie Road (Hwy 27) if traveled to its end, lets out on Hwy 14 that follows the Poudre River. This was our choice today. The Poudre (pooder) is still running very low. It will be only a few weeks before it is raging with snow melt run off from the mountains. The canyons were busy today with lots of people riding, driving, bicycling, fishing, climbing, hiking and more -- all of us eager to take full advantage of the first really warm day of Spring.

After riding the canyons, we were still reluctant to call it a day so we rode the country lanes in the area, stopped for an A&W root beer and ice cream cone, and rode some more. We saw smoke from a large wild fire along the eastern horizon. That fire was not there this morning. We rolled into the drive about 5 pm, wind-blown, with sunburned noses, satisfied with spending the whole afternoon out on The Ride. Even a windy ride beats house work and lawn work and other domestic stuff. I guess there's time enough for that tomorrow as there is snow and rain in the forecast. The liar of a weather man will probably get that right - ha!

Here is a slide show (47 photos) of our ride today:



UPDATE: Sunday afternoon. No ride today... too windy, too cold, we have snow and rain. Saturday night I smelled smoke. We found out today that the Buckhorn (that's one of the canyons we rode Saturday afternoon) went up in smoke last night. It is called the Crystal Mountain Fire. it is about 15 miles west of Fort Collins. About 4500 acres and 15 homes are lost so far. Snow and rain have helped some but the fire is not yet contained. The blasted winds are not helping in that regard.

Friday, April 1, 2011

April Fool Dam Lunch Ride

April 1, 2011
Colorado, USA

So I says to Tim - Tim! You ride on into work and tell them you think you're coming down with a sunburn...

April Fools Day RideAfter what seems like weeks of too cool days, cloudy skies, wild fires and hurricane force winds April Fools Day is darn near perfect which is to say -- if the joke is on us - we're loving it.

So we rolled out the drive about 11 am for a leisurely ride over half of the dam to our favorite lunch spot - Vern's.

Rolling up on the dam...

Great road...

Horsetooth Reservoir filling up nicely and early this year...

It's great to have a ride like this right out our front door...

Woo Hoo!

On a clear day you can see Wyoming...

Our destination - best BLT's on the planet