Ride With Tank

The update from the Labor Day trip to Deals Gap is posted here! 

I am starting to think this site needs to be changed to “Ride with Tank to Deals Gap”.  Next year I do not think there will be as many trips to the Gap because I have really burned up my vacation time this summer.  Even so, we leave for the Gap this Saturday.  This will be the final big ride of the year and we really are not exactly sure yet where we will end up.  All we know for positive is that we are stopping at the Gap, going to the Barber Museum, and Graceland.  We might slide in a little side trip to New Orleans.

I have decided to take Missouri off of the list of places I hate.  St. Louis made me angry earlier in the year and it was decided by me that Missouri sucks.  Thanks to two kids from Missouri that were in the room next to us I am taking them off the list.  The one kid crashed twice in two days!  He was seriously lacking in riding skill but was a good kid so Missouri is off the list.  I never got pictures of them or their bikes, so hopefully if you guys check out the web site you will send some to me.

I have done a big update to the videos page.  I have links to all the videos that are scattered around the site now, so check it out to see if you have missed something interesting.

Here I am getting ready for yet another trip to Deals Gap! Skidplate and I will be heading down on Thursday afternoon to arrive on Friday.  Look for us on the new web cam at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort.  Four days of eating pancakes and riding the Dragon!  Mark and I will be heading down to the Gap a week and a half after Skidpate and I return.  Jim was going to go but I guess he has no vacation time left (or maybe his girlfriend will not give him permission).  Now, normally I would give him grief for backing out, but he really has paid his pain and suffering dues this year, so I am going to let this one slide.

Speaking of paying dues, I will soon have a new feature on the web site.  Mark suggested helmet stickers when we were in Colorado and it really is a good idea.  I am going to set up a section where virtual helmet stickers can be awarded to people for acts of bravery and/or stupidity, or just an act that really goes beyond the call of duty.  Many have made these types of contributions during our rides, and I feel it is time for them to get some recognition.

I got some pictures in the mail from Zee Photo from the last trip down to the Gap, you can see them here. 

I took the whole family to Skyline Drive for a week and everyone had a really good time.  We even saw a bear.  Now I know that I am a big guy, but I can be pretty stealthy.  I tracked this bear deep into the forest and got a video of him.  I really don’t think he knew I was there at first, but then when he realized I was there he checked me out real good.  Click here for this exciting video!

Last week I went to the Fred Perry Poker Run and you can see some pictures from that here.  Every year that I go to this poker run I see the worst motorcycle riding of the year.  It seems like there are an awful lot of inexperienced riders at this one every year.  Its not that I have a problem with inexperienced riders.  Everybody had to learn.  The problem is that a lot of these guys don’t seem to understand that they really don’t know how to ride a motorcycle very well.  As far as I know there were no wrecks this year, so thank goodness for that.

Today I was at the Ali Babba poker run and it really was a good time.  We had a lot of rain but the food was really great.  Biscuits and gravy for breakfast, sloppy joes for lunch, and then a excellent dinner consisting of beef, chicken, and swine.  I really enjoyed the ride today even with the rain.  Good ride, good company, and good food.  How can you beat that?  Click here for some pictures.

I was feeling a lot better today so Prozac, Bob, and I went out to Quaker City for the Rally at the Raceway.  I always have a good time at this event and it was a great show again this year.  The bike fest is September 10 this year and I really am thinking about running the Vstrom down the strip just for fun.  Click here for a 2 minute video of highlights from the Rally at the Raceway.