Life in Motion with Rodney Myers and his motorcycle

Sunday, June 28, 2009 On this morning, if you felt a slight tremor beneath your feet, or your bed, it was the Earth shaking from Kasey arising early. I am not sure she knew there were times in the morning with single digits. She had mentioned that she was sick for her kids, and wanted to get to them, so she was up at 6:15am, wanting to get breakfast, and on the road by 7. Well, we missed the 7am Ass in Seat Time by a few minutes, mostly because I was hunting for my sunglasses. But we were still on our way much earlier than the 9am time I had scheduled. We started back down US 17, heading south. Today’s ride would be much more inland. We were making good time as cruised through the remains of South Carolina. It was cooler, and much more comfortable, and stops were shorter. We did notice that in this area, they have gas stations called, “El Cheapo”. We had t laugh at that. One theme I have noticed on this trip, is the amount of road work being done. We traveled along an area whe...

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 You know it is funny, you can tell who real friends are, but you have to spend time apart to find it out. Take my friend, Mike. We met in college at Vincennes University. He lived in the dorm room across from me the first year, and the room next to me the second year. I lived in the same room both years. I was the Resident Assistant my second year, and lived with the R.A. the first year. Mike and I were studying the same thing, and often had the same classes. Not always at the same times, but I do remember one semester, we just bought one set of books for both of us. Being 18 to 20 year old, I really didn’t know much about making and keeping friendships, but I may have known more than I thought I did. So here I am leaving Mike’s Home, his wife and his four children, born 33 months apart, and it had been 20 years since I had seen him before this. We had been in and out of contact with each other since, through email, cards, and instant messenger. The ...

Friday, June 26th, 2009 There is a mixing of a lot of emotions on the morning after the rally. The Good-Byes are sad, the thrill of the last few days satisfying, and the thought of next year made you grin. There are a lot of people at this rally that I just wish I saw more than once a year, and for longer than three days. Most we wouldn’t see, they either had taken off early, like Kevin and Virginia, or were still loading up the bike, like the group from Bloomington, Indiana. Kasey and I fired up the fully loaded Pearl, and pulled out of the hotel. We started out heading west through York and Gettysburg. It is interesting going through town that al I know came from a text book. Once through the town famous for an address that doesn’t designate a location, we head south. We were still on state highways, and even though there was traffic, we still were making good time. Good enough time that at some point, we caught the Virginia Group. Sunshine Bob has promised me a picture of Ka...

Thursday, June 25, 2009 The last day of Gathering of Eagles XIII, Cruisin with 09 in 09 is in its last day. First off is some riding, but not a lot of distance. It was the biker games. The solo slow ride started out the day, followed by the two up, and then the Water Balloon Toss, aka the Bike Wash. Kasey and I didn’t do well on any of the games, and the new Bike Joust event was not an exception. Next was the Poker Run, and the bikes lined up across the street from the hotel. We had a meeting and grouped up in 10 to 12 bikes. Kevin and Virginia were in another group, and this is something that Kevin and I have done on purpose many times, to get us out and talking with other cruiser clubbers. We were in the group with people from Bloomington, like Van and Betty, and John and Sue, and Kasey was getting along great with them. This trip was through Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and we were led to a buffet. After another filling meal, we headed back out into the country, stopping at a...

Wednesday, June 24, 2009 The above map may not be the most accurate one I have posted on this blog. It was not my route, and I was just there to follow along, as I was promised fresh crab at the end of the mid point of the ride. The morning started out rocky, and we decided to ditch the riding jackets, which left Kasey running back to the room, and leaving them. When she returned, the engines were running, and she knocked her helmet off the bike. After a quick fix of the shield, we joined the group and headed out. It was a great ride out in the country, and I must say this are has a sense of humor when it come to naming streets and places. Bird in Hand, Intercourse, and then we found ourselves on roads like Pussyville and Blue Ball. Chesapeake City, Maryland was across a large and high bridge. We parked at the base of the supports, and walked into the little village, finding a place along the water to eat. The ride back was through Amish Farms. It was a great and scenic ride thro...

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 The Gathering of Eagles has begun once again. I was unaware that it had been proclaimed Tye Dye Tuesday, but Kasey and I donned our Tye Dye Rally Shirts after breakfast. After a long day, we were looking forward to a short day, so Kasey and I decided to head to Hershey. It was a nice little ride on State Roads into the land of chocolate. You could smell it when you got into town and along the factory. We meandered our way through town, and through the park, and to the Chocolate Park. We found a shady spot under a tree, parked The Pearl, and headed out to enjoy the sweetest place on Earth. I know this is not about riding, but we did take the Tram Ride. It had a cheesy show in front with some actors. We got some history about the Hershey’s, but I am not sure it was worth the torture. At one point, the male actor was dresses as a woman, and pinched my cheek. She said I need shave, to which my response was, she need one too! We took another ride, this one mo...

Monday, June 22, 2009 We began to group up, and pack up the bikes in the morning. Another round was had at Shoney’s, this time for breakfast. It was a lazy Monday Morning, and the working girls were late to get into their truck, which had some personalized plate to the effect of Skin4You, and he took off. I think this was the first time that Brad had noticed that the hotel was also a place of business. It was nearly 10, and we had miles to get under our belts, so we headed out of the Super 8, and out along the Ohio River on Ohio’s State Road 7. We ran along the water way until St. Mary’s , where we crossed, and followed the river on SR 2 on the West Virginia Side. It was our third state to ride in on this trip. We continued along the river for as long as we could, and even though we were heading to the city with Three Rivers Stadium, we had to veer from the waterways to get to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At one point, we actually arrived back at, and rode on US 40, the National Roa...

Sunday, June 21, 2009 It is hard for me to believe, but here I am, ready to take off for my 8th Gathering of Eagles, Cruiser Club, USA’s National Rally. This is my second in Pennsylvania. The first trip was a trek through Canada and New England to get there. This route would have its wonderings too, so stay tuned. The plan had us leaving around 11, so my brother and sister-in-law would not have to get up at the “butt crack” of dawn to drive an hour to my house. My sibling and his bride showed up around 10, we were all ready to take off, so we headed out an hour early. This allowed to avoid the interstate, and head out on US 40, the National Road. There was great little towns that we made our way through, and they looked different, more spruced up or something, maybe it was because I had Kasey on the back pointing out the things I was missing. One thing we didn’t miss, was a large gentleman on a scooter. That poor little motor was really working to get him along the road. Eventua...

Saturday, June 20th, 2009 You know, sometimes, things just have a way of working out. You know, you go through your day, getting the things done that you need to, and then all of a sudden it has all worked out better than you expected. Take all those times you are meeting someone. You have the fears of they not showing up, you not being able to get there, and then being late, who will have to wait on the other. Today, was a day of a meeting. Tomorrow, I was heading off on an odyssey, with Kasey in tow, first to Pennsylvania, and then to the Sunshine State. Kasey and I had waited at her house, doing some final things before the trip. We were waiting for a call to know when to take off. The phone call never came, and Kasey and I’s stomach’s were groaning, and we need to head out to get lunch. With no call, which meant no knowledge that we would meet anyone or not, let alone when we were going to meet them. We went north out of Danville along SR 39. We took it all the way to Leban...

Sunday, June 14th, 2009 Well, I have been wanting to ride, but just had not made an opportunity for a bit. Well, Al, the vice president of the Cruiser Club had called, and wanted to ride this weekend. He had found a new place to ride to and get a bite to eat, and he was dying to lead me there. I polished up the bike a bit, and waited for Al to roll up the driveway. I need gas, and that would be our first stop. We both fueled up at the Thornton's. Al asked about taking 465 to I-65 down south. I had to ask, he seemed to want to get there fast, if he was really that hungry. He dislikes the super slab as most of the riders I motorcycle. We would have started out on 465, but Al missed the turn, and in true Cruiser Club fashion, we made a U-Turn. It happens to the best of us, trust me. Well, we got on 465, and rounded the circle city, and made our way to I-65. We began heading south, past Greenwood, and then Franklin, Indiana. It was all that a ride on the highway can be, mind ...

Sunday, May 31, 2009 The day would start early on the final day of Soup Run 2009 for us. The first stop was Frank's Diner in Kenosha for a garbage plate. This place was already popular enough, but when featured on Diners, Dives and Drive Ins, it got a shot in the arm. It was chilly this morning, with the temps hanging around 40 degrees. I layered up on the gear, and we headed into downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin. Getting there early helps to get a seat, with three of us, there was not time to wait to get a seat at the bar, so we were guided to the back room for a seat at a table. After getting sass from nearly all the wait staff, we placed our orders. Don't come to Franks if one: you are in a hurry, and two: you don't have a sense of humor. If you don't want to rush, and aren't afraid to laugh in the morning, then make it a good time! After breakfast, we headed back to the hotel, but not without incident. After starting the bike, it rolled back into the curb, wi...