2011 Halloween Run

This year's run had already had one false start; it'd originally been scheduled for three weeks ago, but was changed at the last minute, due to alleged bad weather. (Personally, I think that was just an excuse to push it out, once the organizers realized they'd set it up too early in the month and folks weren't expecting it - therefore meaning the turnout would be low.)

Anyway, the rescheduled date arrived, the morning dawned chilly, but clear, and we were good to go. Rally location was 640 South St, and arrival time was set for 10:30. Sure enough; folks began arriving, and even better; just about everyone was sporting costumes!

Here's Kim (cat costume) and Rex (he was going for the Captain America look...we thought Captain Anus was more fitting, LOL);
Ed and Sue, in there death masks. They'd also done up their bike with tattered, bloody cloths, as well as a huge scythe. Sweet!
And here's Matty (once again done up in awesome facepaint), and Cindy (you can't see her eyes due to the sunglasses, but she had creepy eye contacts in. And how about that helmet - the horns are sweet, and that hair on the top extends halfway down her back!)
We'd had some pre-warmups at the house, along with Danno, Kris and Jonathan. Alas, they would not be joining us on the run, so at the appointed time, we said our farewells to them and headed off to Fusion 5 for registration.

Pulling into the registration line, we were met with our first aggravation of the day. All posted info about this run stated that riders paid $20, and passengers paid $15. The registration guys were whacking everyone $20 and when I questioned it, was rudely told I was wrong. Well, sitting in line with a bunch of bikes lined up behind you is not the place to start an argument, so I paid, and headed out back to pick out an assembly spot.

We set kickstands to the dirt and said hello to familiar faces around us, and settled back into the pre-game warmup mentality. This frivolity lasted for close to an hour before we heard the bikes near the front begin to roar, so we finished any open drinks, donned our costumes, and made ready.

The route was slatged to be slightly different this year, but that was not a problem. What did wind up being a problem (aggravation #2 for those keeping count at home) was that someone near the front apparently didn't know the route...or chose to take their own route. I'm not sure. Anyway, at some point, some person opted to head onto I95, and the entire procession followed them. We were roughly 3/4 of the way in the back, and the line was long, so we have no idea how many riders in front of us made this wrong turn before we even got there, but by the time we did get there, the only direction the bikes were going in, was onto the highway. Ok, not a problem, but surprising. Here we have hundreds of amped up bikers soaring directly into (and through) three lanes of vehicles already traveling at highway speeds. Not a safe scenario for anyone.

Anyway, we made it down a couple of exits then peeled off and were back onto the familiar/expected route from prior years. This didn't last long, for roughly 8 miles later, we wound up doing a complete U-turn at the end of the Neponset Valley Parkway and went back through a section of towns we'd just ridden through. (The spectators seemed to enjoy the double-showing, though!). From here, we meandered our way up through Hyde Park and past the Cavan Cafe', the once end-destination, oh so many years go, before being (booted) moved out of Hyde Park. And then, roughly 2 miles beyond the Cavan? We did another full U-turn, going back down and through the Neponset Valley Parkway, for yet a third time. (Even the spectators seemed bewildered at this point.)

From here, the procession jammed onto Rte 128, for a second bout with highway speed vehicles. WTF was going on this year?? No one seemed to know what was going on, so at this point, Flex and I just jumped into the left lane and opened things up. We left the confused masses in our rear mirrors and made for Fusion 5 again (the end destination).

Arriving at said destination, we found many other riders had arrived at the same decision we had, but slightly before we did, as they were already parked and standing in the food line. Flex and Cindy and I took our spots and waited for the line to start moving, once the food was done.

It turned out to NOT be worth the wait. Instead of the usual burgers/dogs and such, the organizers had opted to go with a pig roast this time around. Which by itself wouldn't be bad, except the company they hired didn't seem to know what they were doing (aggravation #3, comin' up!). The portions they gave out were laughable - not even enough pork to cover a burger bun, and maybe 4 spoonfuls of baked beans. (When I say spoonful, I don't mean a serving spoon, I mean the little plastic spoons you eat with. Pitiful!) I heard that after everyone had gone through the food line, that the cooking company had trays and trays of food left over. But that didn't do us any good, as we were only allowed one ticket, for one trip through. I wonder what happened to all that extra food...that we paid for?

Anyway, we made the most of the day by hanging out back with friends and frosties. There was plenty of laughter to go around, and despite the nonsense that had been thrown at us, we still managed to wrest a good day out of everything.

When the chill in the air began to build, and the daylight began to wane, we all broke for our respective homesteads, with yet another successful Halloween Run under our belts.

Ride Hard, Take Chances...and don't let the nonsense get you down!

Wrangling A Winter Vehicle

It’s that time of year again; daylight is shorter, the mornings and evenings are cooler (sometimes downright chilly!), and the need for something other than two wheels slowly begins to dawn upon me. As much as I’d like to ride the bike year round, my NorthEast location pretty much rules that out. Which means I need something a bit more stable once the white stuff arrives.

I’ve had things covered in that regard for the past few years, having picked up a bit of a deal from a co-worker; a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee for very, very short money. It was in decent shape, and I was good to go. I’d planned on getting one season out of it, but luckily managed to squeeze out three solid winters. And what a bargain! In those three years, all I’d had to put into it were two wipers, a headlight, and a battery. Time was running out on it, though... The ball joints were gone, the sway bar had fallen off, and the transmission was acting up. It probably didn’t have a 4th winter in it. But I’d procrastinated on getting a replacement vehicle. Oh sure, I’d done some on-line research into vehicles, looking at new and used, etc. But still I procrastinated.

And then this past Monday came. I parked the bike and fired up the Jeep to run out for a bit…and made it one mile from home before it died outright. Coasting to the side of the road, I suddenly realized that I needed to get off my arse and get a replacement vehicle! (I’d already made up my mind on what I was going to get, I just hadn’t moved forward on it.)

So, Tuesday morning, I did my final research and prep on the website I’d found earlier (Truecar.com – check it out if you’re looking to buy a new vehicle), called the dealership that’s right next door, and made an appt to come in and talk.

Wednesday morning, I was in the showroom and making my pitch. But the good thing about that website, is they offer you a great rate that the dealerships accept, and there’s really not much haggling (I still did a little, though). Wound up paying quite a bit under the dealership’s invoice price! (I know they get incentives from the factory, but I’m still happy with the price I paid. I signed on the dotted line, shook hands a few times, and then it was a waiting game. See, the vehicle wasn’t on their lot, but they did get it there within a day. Add in another day for prepping, insurance and titling, and I was good to go – bringing the new ride home on Friday afternoon.

So without further nonsense and delay; here’s my new winter ride; a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. Nicey Nice!

Needed bird seed for the house...McCarthy picked it up for me: 50 pounds! They

Needed bird seed for the house...McCarthy picked it up for me: 50 pounds! They don't think it'll travel well. Ha!! 'Been doing this kind of nonsense for years!!

Bill's Frosty Beers

Hanging @ Bill's garage. Admiring how he's keeping the Fatboy going strong. His beers? See the evidence for yourself!

Reminiscing

Out riding w/Big Bill & Brian & McCarthy tonight. Bill still has the suicide setup on the bike (my old Fatboy,) and it's F'ing sweet to see it still in motion!!

On my way to meet up w/McCarthy for beers. Caught up to this guy . Side-mounted

On my way to meet up w/McCarthy for beers. Caught up to this guy . Side-mounted plate...mounted to an ammo can! Oh yeah: it's an old Indian. Very Nice!

Busier Than Hell Is No Excuse

I know, I know; I haven't posted anything for a while. And I appreciate the (mostly) friendly emails prodding me for more activity. To those with gentle inquiries, thank you once again for your interest. And to those whom "Busier Than Hell" is not an acceptable excuse; I apologize for my lapse and shall endeavor to get back on track. But in my defense, it's been my budget season at work once again, and once again, I've been putting in 14, 16 & 18 hour days. That's the bad news. The good news is that it's finally (hopefully) behind me, as I just passed everything off to the next group. There'll be some changes, sure, but with any luck, nothing will be that bad.

So then, let's get on with what's been happenin'!

This past weekend found us at the Pot Belly for their end-of-season pig roast. The weather cooperated, even if a bit chilly. Turnout was excellent and food was plentiful. Raffles were moderate, but fun, and a number of folks walked away with some good stuff for their walls, as well as their livers. The band played long into the afternoon, the bars (upstairs and downstairs) slung drinks left and right, and there were many smiles on many faces. A great day overall.

As for bike improvements, I recently installed a luggage rack on the back tour pack. I know; riveting stuff, right? But hey, I'm trying to get you guys and gals caught up on things. The install was easy as cake. I thought about snapping some pics and doing a quick tech tip kind of post...but didn't. (It was basic; painter's tape onto the spots you're going to drill through, mark the holes, pre-drill the holes, drill the full sized holes, insert bolt/lock washer/washer assemblies, and tighten. Voila; luggage rack!)

And speaking of bike improvements, if anyone has any suggestions for a good, booming horn, lemme know, ok? My horn died and I've been looking on-line for a strong replacement, but all I'm finding are wimpy, high-pitched pieces of poop. I've looked at air-horns, too, but so far, the only decent sounding ones I've found, require quite a air compressor. I'm looking for something small, possibly even self-contained. So lemme know if you have any suggestions.

Ok, back to events; this year's Halloween run is on Sunday and I'm hoping for a good turnout. I've been pushing the whole costume thing and I think we'll have some good participation this year. Sweet! And, the weather (as of today) looks like it will cooperate, too. I'll snap some pics and will do a write-up afterward.

Speaking of Halloween, my company's annual Halloween extravaganza is coming up (next Friday!). This year's costume will be much different than recent years. No more giant boxes that prohibit moving around, no more cutting canoes in half and straining my back trying to walk around...enough of that nonsense. (Well, for this year, anyway.) This year's costume is going to be much lighter, much more mobile...and not very original. I'm going to go as a zombie. Yeah, yeah, I know; it's been done before. But, I'm hoping to do a really good job at it. I've bought a number of things on-line and am waiting on one more item to show up, then should be in good shape. I shot over to Building 19 today and picked up a gawd-awful polyester suit for $8!! Who cares how ugly it looks, it's going to get carved up and buried in dirt and mud! So anyway, I don't know that there will be many "preparation" shots, but I'll definitely get a final pic up here.

What else; well, on non-bike related topics, since the riding season is winding down, I'm shifting some of my focus back to the house - the basement, to be specific. Got a new bar top made (the saga of the bartop is a long one, and will receive it's own post at some point after it's complete). The flooring is next on the list, as is finalizing (and firing) the pellet stove. After that, will be furniture and maybe, just maybe, things will be done in time for next year's Cinco de Roasto.

Winter Vehicle. My Jeep Grand Cherokee that I picked up for short money and had expected to get one season out of, has just about given up the ghost. But I got THREE seasons out of it, so I can't complain. I'm in the process of purchasing a 2012 Jeep Wrangler, and I'm sure I'll get some pics of that up here once it's in my possession.

Ok, there you go. That should be enough to keep you busy for a while. Until the next post, get those scoots out there! Fall is here, and she's dragging her ugly sister (Winter) behind her. It won't be too long now before we're dodging the white flakes once again. So let's get out there, and...

Ride Hard, Take Chances!