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Showing posts from 2008

With the Season Winding down

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Well here it is, nearly mid-November, but the mercury seemed to be hanging on and wanting to stay high in the thermometer. It was an unseasonable day, and everyone seemed to be out enjoying it as if it were the last of the year. Kasey and I went for a ride for lunch, but it is four months later, so I don't remember the route. Yeah, I got behind in the Blogging. I was spending too much time riding, I guess? When we returned, Kasey's kids, Will and Rose were ready for rides. Will had more homework, so Rose was up first. When I returned, Will hopped aboard, and we went riding. Spent a lot of time of the county roads in Hendricks County.

Halloween: A Scary Record

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October 30, 2008 Trick or Treat! Today is a day for a spooky ride, right? Maybe I should throw a hay bail or two on the bike? Well today would be landmark day, but for more than being a day when kids dress up as their true evil egos, and beg from door to door for candy. I like Halloween, just like have a strange take on it. Kasey and I started out of Danville, Indiana heading south on SR 39. Cartersburg Road is another great we take out of town, and I haven't ventured down SR 39 in a while. We arrived at US 40, The National Road, and headed a little east, past Cartersburg Road, and turned south on Miles Road. After jogging on a few County Roads, we arrived at SR 267 and headed south. This part of SR 267 winds it way south into Moorseville, Indiana. We turned left, heading east on SR 42 to cruiser further into town. We took South Indiana Street until we arrived at Grey Brother's Cafeteria. It is positioned just before the Indiana Street pours back onto SR 67. Grey Bro

The First Trip

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Friday, October 10, Saturday October 11, and Sunday October 12, 2008 Despite being October, the morning was warm for this time of year, and the day would get even warmer. Besides being a major first trip for Kasey on the bike with me, it was a trip that seemed like it was just not going to happen. With only a day or two to spare, the plans got firmed up, and here we were mounting up on The Pearl for Kasey's first overnight voyage. We started out of Danville heading south on SR 39. To make some time in the morning, we hit the super slab known as I-70, and turned out some "blue collar" miles. We stopped in Terre Haute, Indiana, and took a break. We stayed on the Interstate until Greenup, Illinois, and then switched over to the parallel and original highway, US 40, also known as The National Road. It was not to long on this more laid back, less traveled highway that we arrived in Effingham, Illinois. Our first stop here would be for lunch, at the apptly named Cruisers

Dinner and a Block Party

Saturday, September 27th, 2008 Well, I didn't figure the was a need for a map, as this is a pretty boring route. We rode from Kasey's house, through town, via US 36 to Washington Street. I strapped two lawn chairs to the back of the bike, and we headed back down Washington Street, into Irvington, and a parking spot infront of The Legend, a classic diner. We had dinner outside on the patio, and we could hear the band warming up for a street show down the road. I knew the lead singer of the group performing, as she was an intern with Indianapolis Public Schools Television Department, and she had me for a mentor on several productions. After eating, we grabbed the lawn chairs, and walked across the street, met my friend during a song break, and found a spot to sit and enjoy the show. There was somewhat of a party going on too, but all were invited. When the show was over, we walked back to the bike, packed up the Lawn Chairs, and head back home. We took Ritter north to Pleasa

Having Lunch in a Friendly Place

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Friday, September 26th, 2008 Well in Indiana there is a chain of eateries called Arni's and is advertised as the place where friends meet. Most of the places feature pizza, and are dotted across Indiana in smaller towns. They are known by many, including me, as a comfortable place to eat with good service. Of course, I was not meeting a friend there, that I knew of, I was taking her with me. So Kasey and I ventured out on this chilly September Morning heading north on SR 39, just west of Danville, Indiana. We veered off on State Road 236 and headed north and west into North Salem, Indiana. We then headed due north on SR 75. At Thorntown, I turned to the left and headed west on SR 47. This road has some great sweepers that will let you ride hard, and then you hit one that tightens into more than a sweeper. When we first hit SR 47, and left the town of Thornton, I hit a speed burst that Kasey enjoyed. SR 47 leads us right into Crawfordsville, Indiana, the town playing host to

The Big Introduction

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Sunday, September 21st, 2008 Well, it is the third Sunday of the month, and normally, I would be going on a Cruiser Club Ride, but, family matters called. My Sister-in-law, Virginia, was having a party to celebrate her birthday. But bigger for me, was the fact that Kasey was coming along to a family event, and meeting some of the relatives she had yet to meet. The major ones being my mother and father. Okay, so the major one was my mother. We headed out into the mid Sunday Morning air along US 36 to street that took us north, and back way out of town. It winds it way around the northern Danville, and eventually turns into Tenth Street when it nears Marion County and Indianapolis. We went this way east until SR 267. We took that north, which takes us through the town of Brownsburg, which for some reason favors the color purple? All the street signs backgrounds are purple anyway. At the north end of Brownsburg, we turned right, heading east once more, this time on 56th Street. I

Breaking in the Rookie

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Saturday, September 6th, 2008 Here is it the first Saturday of the month, and of course that means we just had a meeting last Thursday. Oops, I mean that it is day for a Cruiser Club Ride! It was a crisp morning, but it was forecasted to be good day. It would also be a day of firsts, the first Cruiser Club ride that Kasey would join me. I could feel as we were getting our gear on the warmth was rolling in. The sun was bursting over the trees. We started out on a familiar path, heading down Cartersburg Road to US-40. We turned south on the new Ronald Reagan Parkway, passing by the airport, and arriving south of the meeting place. I had not filled up with gas, and when we stopped at SR 67, the bike stalled. The light also seemed to last forever! Of course, Kasey reminding me that she wanted to leave 15 minutes early didn't make the light change any sooner. So we showed right at the appointed time, instead of the time that I usually do, early. I know, it was my own fault. W

Morning Ride, Hot for September

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Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 It was time for another lonely trip back home, with an empty back seat. It was a hot morning for September, hopefully there will plenty more, followed by sunny afternoons. Even with this recent activity of riding with a passenger, I would still say that I have ridden 99.9 percent of the time without one, so it is hard to understand why I get such an alone feeling. I would be distracted from my emotions when I passed a house with an older couple out in their front yard. They gave me a hardy wave as I passed. I continued meandering my way out to US-36, then headed east into Avon, and then into Indianapolis. Rockville Road US-36 runs right into US-40, then leads me east all the way through the Circle City. This is also Washington Street, and leads me right to my house.

Motorcycle Picnic: Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride

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Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 Okay, so the above map is incomplete, but I wanted to display the best part of the ride. The only part that is missing is the early morning part I rode to get from my house to Kasey's. I told you this would be a routine trip, and it might be until I find another way of getting there. For information, I rode west on Washington Street to Raceway Road or SR-267, then west again on US-36 into Danville, Indiana. Kasey and I suited up, put a couple coolers in the bike's trunk, and then headed out. We made our way south out of town to one of our favorites way to escape Danville, Cartersburg Road. At US-40, The National Road, we jogged over to SR-39 and continued south. A brief stint on the four lane divided SR-67 and we veered off on one of my favorite little stretches, Shelton Road. It gives you that out in the country feeling almost right away, and features what I have called Shelton's Switch, a vicious uphill right hander with a lovely little

Heading Back Home, Alone

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Sunday, August 31st, 2008 From time to time, I have reflected on riding styles. For most of my riding career, I have done two kinds of styles, Alone or In A Group. Now, I know there are lot more ways to ride a motorcycle, you could call Highway Touring a style, The Back Roads a style, and even a Racing Style. But you can do all those Alone or In A Group. The last two days I have been full time on a new style to me, riding with a partner on the back-seat. Sure, I have had others filling the back seat of the bike, but it wasn't like this. It was more than just having a second person along. I felt like I had a partner behind me. So that all precedes this lonely ride back home. I was full of the happiness that this weekend had provided. Friday Morning everything started as just another date. Now, it is Sunday Afternoon, and the date is over as I head home. As the memories of this weekend are reviewed, they are replaced by the vision of looking forward to the next ride with Ka

This is Going to Become a Routine Ride

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Saturday, August 30th, 2008 August has just seems to have provided an endless number of days perfect for riding. This Saturday would not be an exception. It would also be a lazy kind of summer Saturday. The summer ends next weekend with Labor Day, so this is the calm before the big end of season storm. Kasey and I climbed aboard The Pearl, and headed out for her house. I couldn't help but thing that this route would a routine ride with the regularity of the school board meetings, or other regular clients. We headed west on Washington Street, making our way through the capital city of Indiana. Traffic was late, as it seemed that most people were staying, maybe using this weekend to get ready for parties? We took Washington Street all the way through town, and arrived in the city of Plainfield, Indiana. At SR-267 or Raceway Road, we headed north, entering the town of Avon, Indiana. There we would turn west again on US-36 or Rockville Road. Once again, the helmet chatter filled

Sharing Covered Bridges and Good Eats

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Friday, August 29th, 2008 Well it has been a week since I last took Kasey for a ride. I had put quite a few miles on The Pearl, and August is shaping up to be a great month! I was really looking forward to today's ride. Kasey's voice saying, "This is so wonderful," was still ringing in my ears. I remembered what a time I had with the construction on US-36 at 465 on the west side, and with a nicely cleaned up bike, limiting construction is a must. I headed west on Washington Street, and made my way through town, passing through warm Friday downtown traffic. Along the route, I passed The Zoo, and eventually arrived on the west side of town, passing under the beltway. I continued on Washington Street where it had also became US-40, or The National Road. I stayed on the road until Raceway, then headed north. I would still have some miles on US-36, and it would be slow going through Avon, Indiana, but I would make out to the center on Hendricks County. I pulled int

Brithday Present Ride, Day 2

Sunday, August 24, 2008 You ever notice that you never realize how full a day is until you lay your head on the pillow? I may have been still swooning from the great day and ride on Friday, or it might have been two days in the August Sun, or even all the deep belly laughs, but I do know that I slept very well that Saturday Night. I woke up Sunday, refreshed, and eager to hit the road again. First off was packing up, then taking the gear down and packing it on the bike. I am so glad that I have a good set of saddle bags, and a trunk. Makes things easy to stow away. I see some people spending countless minutes, riding time minutes mind you, strapping and re-strapping. The first order of business was breakfast, my parent's in their car, and my brother and I on our bikes headed out in search of the morning meal. Gee, another thought, how long has it been since this family sat down to breakfast together? At this point, it was less than a birthday present, and more of a family va

Birthday Present Ride

Saturday, August 23, 2008 Well, I know it has been a little while since my birthday, but since I planned my own party, and ride, my present from my borther and sister would have to wait for a few weeks. Well this was the weekend! August has turned out to be a very good month when it comes to riding, and I know I will regret all the writing I have to do! On this Saturday Morning, I started out alone, pulling down my driveway. I headed through town on city streets, and arrived on the northwest side, heading toward my brother and sister in law's house in Lafayette, Indiana. I was going to be earlier than the appointed time, but, geez, we are wasting riding time here people! Most of this part of the journey was on SR 52. After reaching town, but before their home, I gassed up the Black Pearl. It was far from loaded down, as this was only a weekend get away. After relaxing at their house, we pulled the bikes back out, and I followed along the route. I do a lot of leading, and I w

The Casual Ride Home: The Long Stretch

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Sunday, August 17th, 2008 I won't vouch for how accurate the above map is, Julie did a good job of getting both of us lost on way back through Indiana. She was on her new bike, and had been a ride through the area, and did her best to remember how to get through. Eventually, we made our way to Kendalville, and made a stop for lunch at the KFC. It had a buffet, so you could get what you wanted, and as much as you wanted. After lunch, she would head back to her house, and I would continue my journey to home. I had about 160 miles left to make it back to the Digital Castle. I made my way along county roads, and through various towns. They each had their own character, and most of the had something that caught my eye. The weather was great, and I was really enjoying the ride. The towns offered stops, and I could stand up out of the seat, and stretch. Before long, I was almost home, I had 150 miles on the clock since my last stop. I was able to hit some of my favorite roads clos

A Casual Ride to Work

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Saturday, August 16th, 2008 The good thing about working for yourself is you can pick jobs you want to do. Sometimes you like the work, sometimes you like the people, sometimes you like the location. This job had all three fro me. I was going to be Technical Directing, switching cameras, for a comedy video. I would be working with someone that I always enjoy working with, who also owns his own production truck. Besides being a competent engineer, he is just an all around great guy. Third, I would be able to travel to Northern Indiana for the job. I have not gotten a lot of jobs that I had to travel to, so I was looking forward to it. As the day approached, it also became obvious that I was going to be able to make the trip on two wheels. Of course riding to the job meant that I would not take the direct route, and it also meant it would take a good part of the day, and I would have to get up early to make it time for crew call. The first few legs of the trip would be super slab

An Appreciative Riding Partner

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Friday, August 22, 2008 August is always a month that you never know what you will get. Trust me, my birthday has been in August well, ever since I was born. During my many celebrations, I have tried to have many different parties. When I had a party indoors, it was sunny and 85. When I had a pool party, it was cloudy and 68 degrees. Then, I will add the four years in a row that I went to Holiday World, the highest temperature of the four trips, 72 degrees! For this Leo, I just can't win. I blame my mom, it rains on her birthday every year, so it must be genetic! Well, this Friday in late August was going to be a good day, I could feel it when I woke up. First off, I knew I was going for a ride. Secondly, I was meeting a new riding partner. This was not our first meeting. We had met for lunch about a week and a half ago. In my quest to play it cool, I ended up playing so cool, she didn't think I was interested. After 10 days or so of Instant Messaging I think I had

Another Board Meeting Ride

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Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 Just another quick trip for a routine job that I do. Look it up, you will see several entries about me riding to a board meeting to work. It is a standard route, west on Washington Street, North on Delaware to the Indianapolis Public Schools Headquarters. After the meeting, I return north on Delaware to I-70. I take the super slab east to another big slab of concrete, I-465, then south to Washington Street.

Trying Out a New Experience

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Monday, August 18, 2008 Okay, first off, the above map is incomplete. I was not leading, and I didn't save tracks for the route. The part of the route that I do know, I started off heading east on Washington Street, then south on Franklin Road. After a few blocks of riding along 465, I arrived at US 52. I turned to take the road south and east, on my way to Brookville, another name for this road. I was looking forward to taking SR 229 once again. It was mid afternoon, and after an hour of riding on mostly straight Brookville Road, I would be good a ready for some twisties. I hit the stretch of road, and it seemed like it passed way to quickly. Of course I was observing all the posted speed limits, wink, wink, but I was dying for some bends in the road. When I arrived on the north side of Batesville, I stopped in to have some dinner under the Golden Arches. Not ever my first choice, sometimes the last resort, I really prefer mom and pop and I have yet to see Mrs. Ronald McDon

Was This Crazy?

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Sunday, August 10, 2008 Well, here it is, the day after my birthday ride, and I have been 40 for three days. The house was empty, and all I had planned for the day was to make my way through the Sunday Paper and accompanying crossword. I wok up around 8 or so, and stepped out into the warm August air to get the paper. I was thinking, why am I staying inside, I should be out riding! I felt like I have been running the tires off the bike, but then again, that is why I bought it! I had my breakfast, my paper, and I was ready to settle in for a relaxing, and inactive day. Once the morning meal was consumed, I pulled up my laptop, fired it up, and logged in. I checked my e-mail, and surfed around my forums and other sites. One site I had been on lately was one called Plenty of Fish. Yes it is a dating site. I am one of those people who just doesn't have any opportunities to meet new people. Plus, I could limit down a lot of what I was meeting by stipulating that I want someone

Birthday Ride

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August 9th, 2008 Well here it is, two days after I passed the 40 mile stone. So to celebrate, we are going riding! I knew where I wanted my Birthday Lunch, so I made a ride out of making a big loop around Indianapolis. The weather looked fine, even though clouds would move in later. Several of us assembled at the Thornton's Gas Station on East Washington Street. We began by heading East on Washington Street, and underneath 465 to Franklin Road. We made our way north on Franklin and the headed east again on 10th Street. We cruised along this route of town until we got to Cumberland, Indiana. A short juant north, and then back east on 21st Street. Once out of Marion County, the road cahnges to 100 North. Before entering Greenfield, Indiana, we turned north on Fortville Road. This road winds it way north, and little west. The road is sceninc, and has a lake view with some nice lookig modest homes surrounding it. In Fortville, we jogged over to SR 13, and headed back north.

Breakfast a Computer Support

Sunday July 27th, 2008 Sorry, no map for this one, as you will see, for part of the ride, I had no idea where I was. Ok, so the GPS told me where I was, but I didn't keep the tracks to recreate the map. The Sunday Morning started with a trip to breakfast. This time, instead of heading downtown, I was heading north to a Golden Corral. To get there fast, so that I could maximize my sleep time, I headed up 465 to Shadeland Avenue, then up to just south of 86th Street, and into the buffet. Wade wanted me to help him out with some issues he was having with his GPS Program, so I followed him west of town to his house. After some technical work, I was ready to head back home, on the opposite side of town. This journey would take me passed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and today was Brickyard 400 Day. I would be lucky to get within earshot of the taxis going in circles. Eventually, I would arrive back home, another day with a good mix of riding.

Another Tuesday, Another Board Meeting

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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 Here is one of my routine rides, and I am sure that I have posted about here many times before. Yeah I know, if I were more tech saavy, wanted to work harder, or cared more, I would just put links to the ther posts. Hey, this one has a map! Anyway, I headed west into downtown Indianapolis on Washington Street. At Delaware, I turned north. After a little over a mile, I arrived at the Indianapolis Public Schools Headquarters for tonight's meeting. With the business to be voted on next week fully discussed, we packed up the production truck, and the crew headed its separate ways. I hopped on The Pearl, and off I went, north on the back alley, then short trip east on St Clair back to Delaware. I took that north about a half a mile, and to the ramp for the interstate. This is one of the few times you will see me on the super slab. I quickly got up to speed on the ramp, crossed the two lanes I needed to stay on I-70, and then continued east until the beltw

A New Rider: Intiated

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Sunday, July 20th, 2008 If you have ever ridden a motorcycle, or if you have read a lot of my blog, then you know one of the benefits of riding is freedom. Heck, just watch a few biker movies, and you will see that the motorcycle is Hollywood symbol of freedom. I think one of the reasons that it is so free is because there are so many ways to enjoy it. First off, think about the different kinds of bikes, from easy to operate scooters, laid back cruisers, futuristic sport bikes, and loungers on wheels touring bikes. Then there are different types of riding like off road, commuter, rural, back roads and highways. Then you can decide if you want to be the solo rebel that always rides alone, rides with a group of other motorcycles, or rides with a passenger on the back. Better yet, you can exercise any of these options whenever you want, and you don't have to stick to just one! As you have probably read, I lead a lot of rides. There is some stress and responsibility that comes w

Continuing the Education

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Saturday, July 19th, 2008 You know how sometimes you wake up, you know it is going to be a good day, and other times when you know it is going to be bad day? Then there are the days you wake up and you think, this will be an interesting day. I had spent 14 years riding with the same person on the back of the bike, and of course there were a few people that hopped on in that time to see what it was like. Now I was riding with a new passenger, and I do mean new, I mean the week before she was afraid to get on the bike! C.Jay and head off be going south on Franklin Road. I have learned that newbies are afraid of speed. Believe me, I get that! I recently learned to snow ski, and even though my skis were always crossed, plowing out the snow, I felt like I was about to take flight! So we stayed on back roads, and those with speed limits below 45 miles per hour. We meander our way down Franklin Road, and eventually arrived in, surprise! Franklin, Indiana. Surprisingly, she was very co

To a Board Meeting

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Here is one of my routine rides, and I am sure that I have posted about here many times before. Yeah I know, if I were more tech saavy, wanted to work harder, or cared more, I would just put links to the ther posts. Hey, this one has a map! Anyway, I headed west into downtown Indianapolis on Washington Street. At Delaware, I turned north. After a little over a mile, I arrived at the Indianapolis Public Schools Headquarters for tonight's meeting. With the business to be voted on next week fully discussed, we packed up the production truck, and the crew headed its separate ways. I hopped on The Pearl, and off I went, north on the back alley, then short trip east on St Clair back to Delaware. I took that north about a half a mile, and to the ramp for the interstate. This is one of the few times you will see me on the super slab. I quickly got up to speed on the ramp, crossed the two lanes I needed to stay on I-70, and then continued east until the beltway

Motorcycling 101: An Introduction

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Sunday, July 13th, 2008 Well after a meeting two days earlier, this new gal, C.Jay and I decided to meet again, with the intent of going for a ride on the motorcycle. We planned to meet at the library in Beech Grove, on this sunny Sunday around one in the afternoon. I headed out west on Washinton Street, then meandered my way along Pleasant Run Parkway south and west to get near Beech Grove. I had to back track a little bit, but ended up at the library about 20 minutes early. I rode passed, satisfied that I near where I needed to go, and went to chekc out the park she had told me about. She had taken dogs here for walks, and it was a nice city park. After my tour, I returned to the parking lot, empty, as the library was closed on Sundays. Meeting CJ, Coaxing on the bike, Parking lot, then a ride. Ride home