Sturgis – What a Great County This Is (4 of 4)

The 4th phase of my trip to Sturgis consisted of a tour of several state parks and national landmarks crammed into 1 day.  The following is my recollection of day 4 of the great and epic trip west.  Of the 58 National Parks in the United States I suspect I’ve been to less than half…

Sturgis – The Badlands (3 of 4)

 The third phase of my trip to Sturgis consisted of a plan to ride out to the “Badlands National Park” in south west South Dakota.  To me, the Badlands have always evoked a sense of rustic survival indicative of the American west.  Teddy Roosevelt territory.  What a perfect backdrop to an old school sidecar day…

Sturgis – The Cardinal (2 of 4)

The second phase of my trip to Sturgis consisted of a rather unorthodox endeavor.  I have often heard that in the 1 week of the Sturgis bike rally, with its three quarters of a million bikers, you can be anyone you want to be.  If you could transport yourself to another biker dimension who would…

Sturgis – UP (1 of 4)

I have never “done” Sturgis.   I’ll be 50 in a few months and it seemed to me the next step.  Daytona, Laconia, Americade, Myrtle Beach, Love Rally, been there done that.  Sturgis is my elusive one.  You blink, and you’re too old to do anything.  So without blinking, I decide not only should the trip…

Getting OLDER

Have you ever look around your office or your job site and noticed that everyone is getting younger and younger? Or perhaps look across at the driver next to you in traffic and realize it’s likely a teenager, in Mom or Dads car. Those drivers look younger and younger, the older I get. Sometimes disconcertingly…

My Upside Down Leather Belt

Certain things you keep in your life, sometimes for love, sometimes for habit, sometimes for nothing other than you’ve simply had them a long time.  People, pocket knives, your Army uniform, a favorite coffee mug and certain bikes, you just hold onto.  Perhaps because they just fit.  The “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”…

My Ride to Fitzgerald, Through Small Towns

I picked up the phone and a familiar old voice was on the other end. My long time pal Earl ‘The Pearl’ Perry from down near Fitzgerald, Georgia was calling to say “Hi”. A man of God, from God’s Country. Preacher Earl and I had known each other from his Sunday morning sermons at ‘Angel…

My Country Bike, My Friend’s City Bike

I have some friends that do not see the point of migrating from the city where conveniences are a few steps out the door to the country where raccoons topple my garbage cans nightly.  They are hung up with excellent cuisine, a convenient commute, hopping theatre districts, bars and pubs crawling distance from home and…

Occupational Hazards of Vintage

 I love my new Road Glide, it is head and shoulders above my last. Infotainment is seamless, tour bags now open with ease, 103 inches of power WAY smoother than the old 96, and the ergonomics of seat position just make sense to my ass. Not to mention the ‘Amber Whisky’ paint scheme name the…

Calling Chuck Dodson

I once knew this biker named Chuck Dodson.  He was a friend of mine.  Always smiling.  Always happy.  He lived in Senioa and volunteered a lot for ABATE and rode with the Delta riders.  He worked at Delta Airlines and was a dedicated employee for many years.  He gave me his phone number one of…