Poker Run

Saturday April 28 I rode in a local poker run to raise money for The Make-A-Wish Foundation. The event was hosted by The Boeing C-17 Wings of Freedom Riders. It was a police escorted ride and I was glad to be able to take part in the event. I would have not ridden in this event if it were not for the local HOG Chapter. The event organizer offered to pay $100 to the club that brought the most riders. The Macon HOG Chapter was able to bring over thirty riders to the event bringing the total number of bikes to 200. We were proud to win the money and I was proud to see the chapter donate it all back to Make-A-Wish. After all, it’s not about who’s the best, or who brought the most, it’s about the kids. The ride was approximately 60 miles long with four poker stops along the way. I really enjoyed one part of the ride. In fact I loved it so much I took my wife out Sunday so she could see what she missed. Buckeye Road is country road connecting Hwy 41 to Hwy 96. What makes it special is one small stretch where the trees provide a beautiful canopy over the road. You just can’t help but to back off the throttle and take a deep breath as you ride through this area. Even during the event the riders slowed down as they entered this stretch of road. We made a right hand turn on Hwy 96 and a couple of miles down the road stopped at Lane Packing Company. If you have never visited Lane Packing I recommend you make plans too. Any time will do but this is PEACH country so if this is out of the way, I would recommend peach season. Visit their web site http://www.lanepacking.com/ and check them out. While you’re on the net visit Make-A-Wish online and make a contribution to your local chapter http://www.wish.org/ . Until next time “Live to Ride and Ride to Live”

Time to Ride

It’s time to ride.
I intended to add an article a month to this blog to chronicle my riding experience. You may notice a gap starting in September. That is because I was involved in a motorcycle traffic accident. I am very thankful my guardian angel was with me on Sept 29th. For without him, and yes I am well aware of who he is, I would surely not be among the living today. I am very fortunate and my life is forever changed. The police officer told me there was 60 feet of skid marks. They were from the van in front of me. Long story short, I broke three bones in my left foot, both bones in my lower right leg, a rib, my right collarbone, dislocated my left shoulder, and deflated my right lung. And can you believe NO road rash. Like I said my guardian angel was with me. I still use a cane and the limp is getting better. The titanium rod in my leg really helped speed up my recovery.
I picked up my new ‘07 Ultra on March 24th. Yes, it’s time to ride.
Today, April 5th, I rode to Atlanta by way of HWY 22. What a ride. I really enjoyed the trees as they border both sides of the road. I left at 8:00 AM and the temperature was a brisk 49 degrees. By the time I reached Atlanta it was 44. YIP, glad I wore my leathers. I plan to take this route again when it is a little warmer. I bet the trees provide some great shade and temperature variations that will add to the excitement of the ride. Also the Open air Barbecue was not opened at this early hour. I picked this route to Atlanta to avoid the interstate. My destination was Granite Mountain Harley-Davidson. It was time for the bikes 1000 mile service. If you have not taken an ‘07 out for a test ride, I highly recommend it. I cannot believe the difference between my ‘05 standard and this ‘07 Ultra.
This break in my riding made me appreciate the warm climate here in Georgia. I cannot imagine living up north where the weather prevents riding for months at a time.
I cannot finish this writing with out acknowledging Paula, my wife. She is my earthly angel. I cannot imagine how I would have managed through the recovery without her. She already had my heart, now I owe her my life too.