The Garmin electric gloves I ordered last week, arrived at my door on Friday - sweet, that was quick! I didn't get a chance to try them out until this morning, though. (The weather wasn't too cold this weekend, and I'll always be ok with that.)
The ride in this morning wasn't too bad; only 31 degrees, and the gloves handled the temps with ease. The heat seems to be mostly focused in the palm and bottoms of the fingers, rather than on the backs. I guess that makes sense as it's easier to keep the heat up if it's not being blown away by the wind.
I don't know when I'll get temps in the 20's again. Tomorrow and Wednesday looks like rain so I don't think I'll be riding in (cold is ok, rain is ok, but cold + rain just plain sucks). I'm sure the real cold weather will be here soon enough, so I probably won't have to wait very long.
Now to do something about my toes...
Monday, November 30, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Glove Love!
I made up my mind on the way in this morning; it was time to buy some electric gloves. I'd only made it a couple of miles from my driveway before my fingers were already complaining about the lack of ambient heat in the air. By the time I'd made it halfway, I was taking advantage of opportunities to let go of the handlebars and shake my hands vigorously to get more blood in to them. That's bad enough, but beyond that, they're also ancient and bulky as hell (they're not motorcycling gloves, they're snowmobiling gloves that belonged to my father). Needless to say they do not offer optimal cold protection, nor are they even geared for motorcycles. They are a mix of glove/mitten (forefinger is alone, the rest of the fingers are in a mitten), which makes it less than easy to use controls on the bike. So getting heated gloves will be a win-win; my hands and fingers will be toasty, and I'll be able to operate the bike in a safer manner.
I did a ton of research and found a lot of good reviews for the Gerbing G3 model. More searching led me to The Warming Store website which had them on sale, and an even further search found me a coupon which granted me 5% off the purchase. So not too shabby at all. I elected the normal shipping so I don't expect to see them any time soon. Hopefully I'll have them before the temps drop into the REALLY cold range, though...you know; single digits.
Maybe this'll be the start of something...I already had the electric jacket (which I highly recommend!), now I'll have the gloves. Maybe an electric pant liner is next? I don't see myself getting the boot inserts...although, my toes have been complaining a bit as well, and once they see how happy my fingers are, they may well start stepping up their complaints.
Who knows. I just know that before too long, my hands and fingers will be happy, and that'll lead to longer wintertime road trips, and that'll make ME happy.
Ride Hard, Keep Toasty
I did a ton of research and found a lot of good reviews for the Gerbing G3 model. More searching led me to The Warming Store website which had them on sale, and an even further search found me a coupon which granted me 5% off the purchase. So not too shabby at all. I elected the normal shipping so I don't expect to see them any time soon. Hopefully I'll have them before the temps drop into the REALLY cold range, though...you know; single digits.
Maybe this'll be the start of something...I already had the electric jacket (which I highly recommend!), now I'll have the gloves. Maybe an electric pant liner is next? I don't see myself getting the boot inserts...although, my toes have been complaining a bit as well, and once they see how happy my fingers are, they may well start stepping up their complaints.
Who knows. I just know that before too long, my hands and fingers will be happy, and that'll lead to longer wintertime road trips, and that'll make ME happy.
Ride Hard, Keep Toasty
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Longing for Longer Daylight
The wintry weather isn't far off. I don't need a calendar to tell me that, I can tell by how many layers of clothing I have on. This morning; it was about maxed out, with the most layers being on my face and around the sides of my head.
The attractive weather lady on the news this morning said it was in the teens and I wasn't going to argue with her; it felt every bit that cold on my way in this morning.
It's times like this that I think maybe I should get a full-faced helmet. It would block the wind on everything above my collar line, and that would certainly make things easier, rather than donning a face mask, neck tube, hat, helmet...and then looking in a mirror to make sure that no skin is exposed. Which of course only lasts until the first time I have to turn my head to one side or the other, at which point some carefully-placed piece of wind-blocking material is pulled out of place, leaving a tiny, yet very vulnerable, piece of pink flesh exposed.
Maybe this is the year that I buy electric gloves? Maybe...
I just wish the daylight was longer, for that would mean we'd passed through the clutches of another winter and were on our way to warmer temps again. More daylight = more sunshine = warmer!
But that's a long, cold ways off still...
Ride Hard, Take Chances
The attractive weather lady on the news this morning said it was in the teens and I wasn't going to argue with her; it felt every bit that cold on my way in this morning.
It's times like this that I think maybe I should get a full-faced helmet. It would block the wind on everything above my collar line, and that would certainly make things easier, rather than donning a face mask, neck tube, hat, helmet...and then looking in a mirror to make sure that no skin is exposed. Which of course only lasts until the first time I have to turn my head to one side or the other, at which point some carefully-placed piece of wind-blocking material is pulled out of place, leaving a tiny, yet very vulnerable, piece of pink flesh exposed.
Maybe this is the year that I buy electric gloves? Maybe...
I just wish the daylight was longer, for that would mean we'd passed through the clutches of another winter and were on our way to warmer temps again. More daylight = more sunshine = warmer!
But that's a long, cold ways off still...
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Russell Remembrance
How can it be 9 years ago that we lost you? 9 long years of not hearing your laughter or enjoying telling (and making) road stories with you. Life has gone on since you've passed, but it seems somewhat emptier now.
Last year I posted what is probably my best memory of Russell, when he let me drive his bike during the first Dana run.
This year, I'll opt for a more lighthearted story. It happened on the way out to the first Dana run. Russ and I were in my truck, our bikes were loaded up in the back, and it was late-night, for we had set out after I'd gotten home from work.
So there we were, I was driving, Russ was navigating. Navigating is an important task you see. You hold the fate of everyone else in the vehicle, in your hands. It's up to you to steer them along the proper route and save them from getting lost. This was especially important in this case, as I'd never been out to Olean before, and I didn't know the way.
We're driving along, the traffic is getting lighter and lighter - due most likely to the fact that it was getting later and later (it was well after midnight by this time). But we're making good time and we're in good spirits.
Russ was enjoying being chauffeured and made the most of it by taking tokes off of his pipe now and then. (Those of you who knew Russ, will know what kind of pipe I'm talking about.) As we rolled along further into the night, his visits to the pipe got more and more often, until he was pretty far gone, in a wonderful mood, prone to fits of laughter. Which had me laughing at times, just watching him say nonsense things and start laughing about them.
So the miles are ticking off and we're blasting further and further westward along highway 17. I see the sign for "Rte 16 - Olean" and I asked Russ if this was our exit. He says "Hell no, we've got a long ways to go still." Ok, I keep the accelerator pressed, and we sail past the Olean exit.
On to the next one; Buffalo St - Olean.
Is this our exit?
"No, no, no - keep on going, we're not even close yet!"
And then the one after that; 417 - Allegany
How about this one?
"Just keep on going, I'll tell you which one."
And so on - each exit comes up, I ask him if this is the one, he says no, and we sail on by.
Finally, we get almost to Jamestown and he says "Keep an eye out for the Olean exit, that's the one we want."
Wait...what? What exit?
"The Olean exit, that's the one we're taking."
Russ...we passed that one almost an hour ago...
"Oh! Well, we better turn around then! HA HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!" (He thought this was the most hilarious thing that had ever happened and couldn't stop laughing about it for some time.)
Me? Not so much. I'd been a long day, going to work, then home and loading the bikes, and then hitting the highways and winding spending an extra couple of hours which we hadn't needed to. I soon got over my aggravation, though. How can you stay mad at someone that just keeps laughing? It's infectious.
I sure wish I could hear that laughter again.
Victrola Brother. I sure miss the hell out of you.
Last year I posted what is probably my best memory of Russell, when he let me drive his bike during the first Dana run.
This year, I'll opt for a more lighthearted story. It happened on the way out to the first Dana run. Russ and I were in my truck, our bikes were loaded up in the back, and it was late-night, for we had set out after I'd gotten home from work.
So there we were, I was driving, Russ was navigating. Navigating is an important task you see. You hold the fate of everyone else in the vehicle, in your hands. It's up to you to steer them along the proper route and save them from getting lost. This was especially important in this case, as I'd never been out to Olean before, and I didn't know the way.
We're driving along, the traffic is getting lighter and lighter - due most likely to the fact that it was getting later and later (it was well after midnight by this time). But we're making good time and we're in good spirits.
Russ was enjoying being chauffeured and made the most of it by taking tokes off of his pipe now and then. (Those of you who knew Russ, will know what kind of pipe I'm talking about.) As we rolled along further into the night, his visits to the pipe got more and more often, until he was pretty far gone, in a wonderful mood, prone to fits of laughter. Which had me laughing at times, just watching him say nonsense things and start laughing about them.
So the miles are ticking off and we're blasting further and further westward along highway 17. I see the sign for "Rte 16 - Olean" and I asked Russ if this was our exit. He says "Hell no, we've got a long ways to go still." Ok, I keep the accelerator pressed, and we sail past the Olean exit.
On to the next one; Buffalo St - Olean.
Is this our exit?
"No, no, no - keep on going, we're not even close yet!"
And then the one after that; 417 - Allegany
How about this one?
"Just keep on going, I'll tell you which one."
And so on - each exit comes up, I ask him if this is the one, he says no, and we sail on by.
Finally, we get almost to Jamestown and he says "Keep an eye out for the Olean exit, that's the one we want."
Wait...what? What exit?
"The Olean exit, that's the one we're taking."
Russ...we passed that one almost an hour ago...
"Oh! Well, we better turn around then! HA HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!" (He thought this was the most hilarious thing that had ever happened and couldn't stop laughing about it for some time.)
Me? Not so much. I'd been a long day, going to work, then home and loading the bikes, and then hitting the highways and winding spending an extra couple of hours which we hadn't needed to. I soon got over my aggravation, though. How can you stay mad at someone that just keeps laughing? It's infectious.
I sure wish I could hear that laughter again.
Victrola Brother. I sure miss the hell out of you.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Higgins' 29th Annual Toy Run
A few of us did the annual Higgins' toy run yesterday. The temps were cool but the turnout was great. Having a run this late in the year means there aren't any other runs going on to bleed off participants. And, as Matty said; it weeds out the idiots and warm-temp-warriors who don't know how to ride.
Nelly had hoped to join us for the run but his bike wasn't cooperating. He still took the time to swing by my house and drop off his toy for the kids. Which of course, I strapped to the back of my bike for the ride over.
I got a few looks from people on my way over to the Post, but that's nothing new.
Doolo, Matt and Artie were there when I arrived. Unfortunately, Artie's bike is also giving him some troubles, so he was out for the day, but he also had toys to hand off for us to donate for him.
Dale arrived soon after, and we were off. We headed to the ending location first to drop off our toys and to register for the feed that would happen later. There were already a few toys lined up but we knew the stash would certainly grow in size before the day was over.
When we pulled in, there were already quite a few bikes lined up, which was great to see. Damn the temps, this is for the kids!!
Ed and Susan live close to the 49'ers club so they just met us here. We'd beaten them by a few minutes, so by the time the got inside, the rest of us already had a beer...er...a soda in our hands. Despite our protestations, Ed was determined that we each get a new one. He's good like that.
We had to pound those pretty quickly because the run was taking off in a few minutes. Thankfully we're seasoned pros and it wasn't an issue.
The run itself was good; only about 30 miles, but scenic, relatively straight, and the traffic we tied up seemed to understand what was going on.
When we pulled in to the Commercial Club (ending spot), the lot filled up quickly and folks headed inside to get in line for libations and food.
Doolo had to head back to the Post for the meat raffle, so we bade him well and then headed inside ourselves. The food line was already almost out the door, but we took our places and moved up until we finally held bowls of sustenance in our hands (all you can eat chowder, chili and beef stew!)
All the tables inside were jammed up so we headed outside to the picnic tables. Things were much calmer here and we got to kick back and enjoy our feed without being jostled about by the crowd.
When we'd finished eating and had kicked back for a bit, we decided to head back to the Post and catch the end of the meat raffle, and the first half of the Pats game.
I stopped to snap a pic of the toy collection - pretty impressive, once again!
On the way through the parking lot, there was on bike...er; trike that caught my eye. Why a trike? Because of the mill that was running it. Love me some Shovelhead!
It was an uneventful ride back to the Post, and that was just fine with us. We headed in, found a spot to stand (and eventually sit), and I even managed to win a bundle of meat, which wasn't shabby at all.
At half time, we broke off into our own directions and headed for home to catch the 2nd half...and to just about have full-on heart attacks before they managed to finally seal the with in the final seconds.
Good friends, lots of laughs, and lots of toys and cash were raised for some kids that really need the love at this time of year.
It was a great day.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Nelly had hoped to join us for the run but his bike wasn't cooperating. He still took the time to swing by my house and drop off his toy for the kids. Which of course, I strapped to the back of my bike for the ride over.
I got a few looks from people on my way over to the Post, but that's nothing new.
Doolo, Matt and Artie were there when I arrived. Unfortunately, Artie's bike is also giving him some troubles, so he was out for the day, but he also had toys to hand off for us to donate for him.
Dale arrived soon after, and we were off. We headed to the ending location first to drop off our toys and to register for the feed that would happen later. There were already a few toys lined up but we knew the stash would certainly grow in size before the day was over.
When we pulled in, there were already quite a few bikes lined up, which was great to see. Damn the temps, this is for the kids!!
Ed and Susan live close to the 49'ers club so they just met us here. We'd beaten them by a few minutes, so by the time the got inside, the rest of us already had a beer...er...a soda in our hands. Despite our protestations, Ed was determined that we each get a new one. He's good like that.
We had to pound those pretty quickly because the run was taking off in a few minutes. Thankfully we're seasoned pros and it wasn't an issue.
The run itself was good; only about 30 miles, but scenic, relatively straight, and the traffic we tied up seemed to understand what was going on.
When we pulled in to the Commercial Club (ending spot), the lot filled up quickly and folks headed inside to get in line for libations and food.
Doolo had to head back to the Post for the meat raffle, so we bade him well and then headed inside ourselves. The food line was already almost out the door, but we took our places and moved up until we finally held bowls of sustenance in our hands (all you can eat chowder, chili and beef stew!)
All the tables inside were jammed up so we headed outside to the picnic tables. Things were much calmer here and we got to kick back and enjoy our feed without being jostled about by the crowd.
When we'd finished eating and had kicked back for a bit, we decided to head back to the Post and catch the end of the meat raffle, and the first half of the Pats game.
I stopped to snap a pic of the toy collection - pretty impressive, once again!
On the way through the parking lot, there was on bike...er; trike that caught my eye. Why a trike? Because of the mill that was running it. Love me some Shovelhead!
It was an uneventful ride back to the Post, and that was just fine with us. We headed in, found a spot to stand (and eventually sit), and I even managed to win a bundle of meat, which wasn't shabby at all.
At half time, we broke off into our own directions and headed for home to catch the 2nd half...and to just about have full-on heart attacks before they managed to finally seal the with in the final seconds.
Good friends, lots of laughs, and lots of toys and cash were raised for some kids that really need the love at this time of year.
It was a great day.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Bentley's Saloon!!
I'd heard many good things about Bentley's from buddies that have gone before, but I'd never made it up myself. Well, that all changed this year, as me and some of the guys headed up for a camping weekend. That's right, Baby; motorcycle camping in October!
As it turns out, the weather blessed us with clear skies for the most part, and seasonable temps. Well ok, not so seasonable; a cold front moved in on that Friday, plunging the temps far below what they had (or should have) been. No matter! We're fearless bikers! We thumb our noses at the elements! (Well, I did. The other chose to sleep indoors, but no matter, we all had fun!)
The ride up on Friday was smooth and uneventful for me, Artie and Greg. (Dan and Ed weren't able to make it up on Friday night with us, but did show up early on Saturday morning.)
Artie and Greg had reserved one of the "motel~ish" rooms on-site so we got them checked in and then I headed out back to the camping area. I'd asked at the check-in office what areas were for tenting, and she'd marked a couple of areas on the map, saying "You're the only tent this weekend, so set up wherever you like." Sweet!
Entering the camping area out back, I immediately took a liking to the site right near the entrance. Flat land, a few trees, right on the road for easy access. Nice! They even had water and electric hookups, which seemed like overkill to me, but what the hell. I'd heard great things about this place, and it sure was delivering!
I got the tent set up and soon Artie and Greg arrived, and we all marveled at my sweet home-sweet-home.
It was a bit early to start hitting the wobbly-pops, so we decided to go for a ride. A quick check at the office on the best way to get to the ocean, and we were off.
Man, that didn't disappoint, either. Talk about beautiful!!
The tide was on its way out and I didn't have to wait long at all before being able to climb on those rocks and check out the various tidal pools. I love the ocean when the sun isn't blasting down on me!
From there, we rode around the coast a bit and checked out the ramshackle abodes along the water's edge (IE: mansions). Man, some of these folks really live the lifestyle.
After a while, we hit the roadways and wound our way back to Bentley's. Feeling strangely content, we still opted to hold off on the bar scene for a bit, and chose instead to head back out and see if we could find a Legion to belly up to. We'd passed one on our way back, but hadn't gotten a real good look at it because it was off to our side as we'd banked a corner.
Well, it turns out we hadn't missed much...
A Friday night and nobody home. WTH??
Well, there's gotta be others in the area, let's check Google. Yep; sure enough; there's one in the next town over, and it should only take us about 20 minutes to get there.
Damn...
Another Post, buttoned up tight on a Friday night. Man, business must be pretty bad around here!
Rather than wasting more time and gas, we scoured the Interwebs again and found two more Posts that were semi-within our area. We tried calling them both, but nobody picked up. Holy shite. 0 - 4 on the night. Well, nothing much else to do but head back to Bentley's. Our stomachs were more than ready for dinner...
And the drinks that come with it....
The main bar area is pretty big; kinda looks like a hunting cabin with all the exposed pine boards (which I love!), but that's about as far as the hunting lodge comparison goes. Because this place has motorcycles hanging from the ceiling, amongst (what we estimated to be about) 400 bras. Yay, bras on the ceiling!!
The band came out to do a sound check...that lasted for about an hour. Which was entirely unnecessary because the place isn't that big. Once they were happy with how things sounded, they dove right in to their first song. It was ok, poppy country~ish, but whatever. When in Rome.
After that song, they disappeared again. Huh? Ok, maybe musicians take a lot of breaks up here, I dunno.
After another hour long absence, they returned. But this time they were all sporting tight jeans, fashion-forward shirts and fancy cowboy hats. What happened to their comfy jeans, t-shirts, and baseball caps? I guess they like dressing up and playing Cowboy for the crowd. Bunch of posers. And the music? Egads, it was terrible. The name of the band was "Good Question", and I envisioned them earning that name from someone walking up and asking "Are you guys for real"? and they answer' "Good Question".
Anyway, we had fun, the place got quite jammed up and the drinks were flowing well. When the evening got long in the tooth, we decided we'd had enough for the day and settled up. I said my goodbyes to Artie and Greg, hopped on the bike and rolled to the camping area out back.
When I got to where my tent was...er...had been...there was nothing but an entire row of campers. Huh? Am I in the wrong spot? (I know I haven't had THAT much to drink...or have I??). No, I'm pretty sure it was right....wait...am I in the right spot? Yeah...I am...so where is my...
Setting my kickstand, I ambled between a couple of the campers to the open area with the fire and all the guys gathered round. They looked at me inquisitively, and I at them.
"Did you guys happen to see a tent around here?"
"Oh, that was yours?"
"It sure was...why isn't it here still?"
"You set up in the wrong spot. These are trailer spots."
"Huh...well, that would explain the water and electrical hookups."
"But don't worry; we moved your stuff very carefully! It's right over there..."
(Sure enough, they'd set me up in the actual camping spot about 20' further back, nice and neat, with everything just like I had it, even my camp chair.)
"Oh...ok, cool, thanks."
"You want a beer?"
"Why yes, yes I do."
And that's how I wound up staying up another two hours past what I'd planned on, on Friday night. (And it's also why I was hung over on Saturday morning.)
After breakfast, I hung out with Artie and Greg in their room for a bit (meaning; I napped for about 20 minutes). My phone rings, it's Dan; he and Ed (and a couple of other guys) have arrived and are in the camping area. Cool, let's go meet up!
We caught up with the crew, they'd found my tent and were deciding on where to set theirs up. Dan was going to sleep in his monster trike (those who have seen it, will understand), and Ed was looking to pick a spot. After discussion with Scott, the other guy who was going to tent with him, they decided to skip the tent and sleep inside; Ed would sleep on the floor of the camper that Artie and Greg had for the night, and Scott was going to sleep inside the van that Dan's uncle had driven up in. So that left just lil' ol' me sleeping in the cold. Oh well, less chance of me stumbling out and peeing on someone else's tent in the middle of the night.
We all got settled in, went out and did some riding (checked out the coast again), picked up some beer and firewood, and headed back to the site. Cold beer and a hot campfire. Afternoons don't get much better than that. Well, except for the hail. Yes, it was that cold; it actually hailed on us as we were gathered 'round the fire. Did I mention that it was cold this weekend?
When the sounds wafting up from the Saloon, proper, began getting decently loud, we cleaned up and headed over. Holy crap! They really pack this place in! They have huge parking areas, and it looked like every spot was already taken. There were even vehicles parked on the grass, bikes tucked two-to-a-spot, etc. The bar inside was beyond jammed, and the huge outside area was jamming, too. Bands inside, bands outside, bars inside, bars outside, women inside, women...well...you get the idea.
Unlike the night before, we lasted until last call this night. (I think we did, anyway?) Artie, Ed and Greg got settled in to their camper thing and then I rode back to my tent. Everyone else was out, so I tucked myself into my sleeping bag and welcomed the cool night air - great for sleeping, no matter how much your breath crystalizes from the plummeting temps.
Sunday morning, myself, Artie and Greg had to hit the highway early to get back for a meat raffle at the Post. Ed and Dan headed out with us, while the other two guys opted to sleep in a little bit longer.
The ride home was also smooth and uneventful, and that was most welcome. Nothing like going hard for two days and then having to deal with a bunch of nonsense traffic when you just want to get where you're going.
So there you have it; my first Bentley's excursion. It sure as hell won't be my last, and I'm already looking ahead to making this an annual thing.
For those that haven't checked Bentley's out yet, I cannot recommend it enough. For those that have gone before; when are we going again??
Ride Hard, Take Chances
As it turns out, the weather blessed us with clear skies for the most part, and seasonable temps. Well ok, not so seasonable; a cold front moved in on that Friday, plunging the temps far below what they had (or should have) been. No matter! We're fearless bikers! We thumb our noses at the elements! (Well, I did. The other chose to sleep indoors, but no matter, we all had fun!)
The ride up on Friday was smooth and uneventful for me, Artie and Greg. (Dan and Ed weren't able to make it up on Friday night with us, but did show up early on Saturday morning.)
Artie and Greg had reserved one of the "motel~ish" rooms on-site so we got them checked in and then I headed out back to the camping area. I'd asked at the check-in office what areas were for tenting, and she'd marked a couple of areas on the map, saying "You're the only tent this weekend, so set up wherever you like." Sweet!
Entering the camping area out back, I immediately took a liking to the site right near the entrance. Flat land, a few trees, right on the road for easy access. Nice! They even had water and electric hookups, which seemed like overkill to me, but what the hell. I'd heard great things about this place, and it sure was delivering!
I got the tent set up and soon Artie and Greg arrived, and we all marveled at my sweet home-sweet-home.
It was a bit early to start hitting the wobbly-pops, so we decided to go for a ride. A quick check at the office on the best way to get to the ocean, and we were off.
Man, that didn't disappoint, either. Talk about beautiful!!
The tide was on its way out and I didn't have to wait long at all before being able to climb on those rocks and check out the various tidal pools. I love the ocean when the sun isn't blasting down on me!
From there, we rode around the coast a bit and checked out the ramshackle abodes along the water's edge (IE: mansions). Man, some of these folks really live the lifestyle.
After a while, we hit the roadways and wound our way back to Bentley's. Feeling strangely content, we still opted to hold off on the bar scene for a bit, and chose instead to head back out and see if we could find a Legion to belly up to. We'd passed one on our way back, but hadn't gotten a real good look at it because it was off to our side as we'd banked a corner.
Well, it turns out we hadn't missed much...
A Friday night and nobody home. WTH??
Well, there's gotta be others in the area, let's check Google. Yep; sure enough; there's one in the next town over, and it should only take us about 20 minutes to get there.
Damn...
Rather than wasting more time and gas, we scoured the Interwebs again and found two more Posts that were semi-within our area. We tried calling them both, but nobody picked up. Holy shite. 0 - 4 on the night. Well, nothing much else to do but head back to Bentley's. Our stomachs were more than ready for dinner...
And the drinks that come with it....
The main bar area is pretty big; kinda looks like a hunting cabin with all the exposed pine boards (which I love!), but that's about as far as the hunting lodge comparison goes. Because this place has motorcycles hanging from the ceiling, amongst (what we estimated to be about) 400 bras. Yay, bras on the ceiling!!
The band came out to do a sound check...that lasted for about an hour. Which was entirely unnecessary because the place isn't that big. Once they were happy with how things sounded, they dove right in to their first song. It was ok, poppy country~ish, but whatever. When in Rome.
After that song, they disappeared again. Huh? Ok, maybe musicians take a lot of breaks up here, I dunno.
After another hour long absence, they returned. But this time they were all sporting tight jeans, fashion-forward shirts and fancy cowboy hats. What happened to their comfy jeans, t-shirts, and baseball caps? I guess they like dressing up and playing Cowboy for the crowd. Bunch of posers. And the music? Egads, it was terrible. The name of the band was "Good Question", and I envisioned them earning that name from someone walking up and asking "Are you guys for real"? and they answer' "Good Question".
Anyway, we had fun, the place got quite jammed up and the drinks were flowing well. When the evening got long in the tooth, we decided we'd had enough for the day and settled up. I said my goodbyes to Artie and Greg, hopped on the bike and rolled to the camping area out back.
When I got to where my tent was...er...had been...there was nothing but an entire row of campers. Huh? Am I in the wrong spot? (I know I haven't had THAT much to drink...or have I??). No, I'm pretty sure it was right....wait...am I in the right spot? Yeah...I am...so where is my...
Setting my kickstand, I ambled between a couple of the campers to the open area with the fire and all the guys gathered round. They looked at me inquisitively, and I at them.
"Did you guys happen to see a tent around here?"
"Oh, that was yours?"
"It sure was...why isn't it here still?"
"You set up in the wrong spot. These are trailer spots."
"Huh...well, that would explain the water and electrical hookups."
"But don't worry; we moved your stuff very carefully! It's right over there..."
(Sure enough, they'd set me up in the actual camping spot about 20' further back, nice and neat, with everything just like I had it, even my camp chair.)
"Oh...ok, cool, thanks."
"You want a beer?"
"Why yes, yes I do."
And that's how I wound up staying up another two hours past what I'd planned on, on Friday night. (And it's also why I was hung over on Saturday morning.)
After breakfast, I hung out with Artie and Greg in their room for a bit (meaning; I napped for about 20 minutes). My phone rings, it's Dan; he and Ed (and a couple of other guys) have arrived and are in the camping area. Cool, let's go meet up!
We caught up with the crew, they'd found my tent and were deciding on where to set theirs up. Dan was going to sleep in his monster trike (those who have seen it, will understand), and Ed was looking to pick a spot. After discussion with Scott, the other guy who was going to tent with him, they decided to skip the tent and sleep inside; Ed would sleep on the floor of the camper that Artie and Greg had for the night, and Scott was going to sleep inside the van that Dan's uncle had driven up in. So that left just lil' ol' me sleeping in the cold. Oh well, less chance of me stumbling out and peeing on someone else's tent in the middle of the night.
We all got settled in, went out and did some riding (checked out the coast again), picked up some beer and firewood, and headed back to the site. Cold beer and a hot campfire. Afternoons don't get much better than that. Well, except for the hail. Yes, it was that cold; it actually hailed on us as we were gathered 'round the fire. Did I mention that it was cold this weekend?
When the sounds wafting up from the Saloon, proper, began getting decently loud, we cleaned up and headed over. Holy crap! They really pack this place in! They have huge parking areas, and it looked like every spot was already taken. There were even vehicles parked on the grass, bikes tucked two-to-a-spot, etc. The bar inside was beyond jammed, and the huge outside area was jamming, too. Bands inside, bands outside, bars inside, bars outside, women inside, women...well...you get the idea.
Unlike the night before, we lasted until last call this night. (I think we did, anyway?) Artie, Ed and Greg got settled in to their camper thing and then I rode back to my tent. Everyone else was out, so I tucked myself into my sleeping bag and welcomed the cool night air - great for sleeping, no matter how much your breath crystalizes from the plummeting temps.
Sunday morning, myself, Artie and Greg had to hit the highway early to get back for a meat raffle at the Post. Ed and Dan headed out with us, while the other two guys opted to sleep in a little bit longer.
The ride home was also smooth and uneventful, and that was most welcome. Nothing like going hard for two days and then having to deal with a bunch of nonsense traffic when you just want to get where you're going.
So there you have it; my first Bentley's excursion. It sure as hell won't be my last, and I'm already looking ahead to making this an annual thing.
For those that haven't checked Bentley's out yet, I cannot recommend it enough. For those that have gone before; when are we going again??
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Costume Creation
The Cognex work party has come and gone. I did quite well - all day long, folks were coming up and telling me that my Scarecrow costume was the best they had EVER seen at Cognex (we've been doing this contest thing for over 20 years, so that's not a shabby compliment).
At the after-party, where the winners get announced, I had folks that didn't even work at Cognex coming up and asking to take pictures with me, and saying how awesome it was. Sweet!
So I was buying in to the whole thing pretty deeply by the time the winners were announced. How did I do? 2nd place. Say what? Yep; I lost to a semi-exec that is a favorite of the owner (he makes the final decision over what order the winners are). I literally thought the crowd was going to start changing Bull Shit! Bull Shit! but apparently we all like being employed too much to do that.
For the rest of the night, I did have coworkers coming up and telling me that I got royally f'd over, and now back at work this week, I keep having folks coming and saying the same thing. So it eases the pain a little bit, knowing that everyone else knows I got jobbed.
But enough about that, on to more fun things. Saturday (Halloween, proper), I brought the costume over to Ed & Susan's for the annual driveway Trick or Treat party. Matty, Bill and Tara, and some other friends of theirs showed up as well and we got lots of laughs out of utilizing the scarecrow. Some of the little kids were too scared to get close until I'd pull the mask off and hunker down to say hello. Others would walk right up to me, asking questions ("Is that a real bird?", "Are you really that tall?"), which was awesome. One little girl, dressed as a magician, raised her staff at me and shouted "I command you to DANCE!", so I started hopping about, exclaiming that I didn't know what was going on, and why were my legs moving on their own. She loved it and it put her at ease.
Then there was the group of tweens who came in, got their candy and marveled at the costume, then mosied on down the street to other houses. On their way back, they called down the driveway, saying things like "We're not afraid of you, Scarecrow!". Well, that was all well and good until I started up the driveway after them. I wasn't running, but with those stilts on, my strides were covering a lot of ground, and in no time, I was chasing them down the street. All in good fun! They were screaming and laughing and I was doing my best not to get going so fast that I flopped forward onto my face (my arms were still outstretched to the sides, due to the wooden handle across my shoulders).
How about some pics? I took a few of the headpiece as I was making it, and here are also some pics from the party, and from Halloween...
Here's near the starting point. I'd bought the face mask, stapled it to a hat, and then stapled burlap around it.
I didn't like the simple edging against the mask, it looked too much like an English knight's armor or something.
So I took pieces of burlap, crunched them up until the threads were pointing in different directions, and then glued them to the edges.
I next had to glue the rope around the neck. The first piece was the hardest to figure out. It took me several tries before I was able to mark where I wanted it to go, and then glue it into place. After that, the next two pieces (three, total), were easy to glue on.
Nice. Now we're getting somewhere.
But the neck flared too much. I needed something to hold the back together so the headpiece would be more form-fitting around my head.
So a bit of Velcro near the top, and some wire to hold the edges of rope together...
...and I was good to go.
I was all done with the headpiece and taking a break for the night. Made and ate dinner, and was doing the dishes in the kitchen...when I had a feeling I was being watched. I looked over at the headpiece, half expecting it to now be looking at me (creeeeepy!!), but nope, it was still facing the opposite direction.
But as I looked at it, I still had the feeling it was looking at me...and then I saw it. (Click on the pic to enlarge it and then look at the TV screen...)
Ok, well...let's go out to the porch and get moving on the legs, shall we?
This part wasn't hard, but it did take some time. I'd picked up some corn stalks from Home Depot and had to cut them a bit, so that I'd stand high enough to not be obscured by them.
Here's one leg done, and one leg to go. (Did I mention that with the stilts on, I stood 7.5 feet tall? It was awesome to be tall for a change!)
My last post showed you how it looked from the front. Here's a look from the back (LOL, my friend Ann felt it was necessary to take this pic.) I couldn't walk with my arms out to the side because it would have been too wide for the hallways.
And now on to Ed & Susan's Halloween night party. Here's a few shots that Ed took of me in their graveyard. I cropped the last one down to get a closer look at things.
Man, this was so much fun! There were kids (and adults) who began showing up, asking about the Scarecrow they'd been hearing about. And, later when I was home, Susan texted me to say they had some friends come by late-night who were inquiring about the "Scarecrow at Ed & Susan's house". Apparently word had made it around the neighborhood! So I think it's safe to say that I will be breaking this costume out again next year.
So there you go. My Halloween costume for this year. It's definitely my favorite costume so far. I wonder if I can top it (for my work party) next year...
One last pic, from my work party. I stood in a corner and struck the pose. With the lighting off to the sides, people thought I was just a prop...up until I moved. Then they'd jump. Which was awesome. :-)
Fright Hard, Get (scared) Glances!
At the after-party, where the winners get announced, I had folks that didn't even work at Cognex coming up and asking to take pictures with me, and saying how awesome it was. Sweet!
So I was buying in to the whole thing pretty deeply by the time the winners were announced. How did I do? 2nd place. Say what? Yep; I lost to a semi-exec that is a favorite of the owner (he makes the final decision over what order the winners are). I literally thought the crowd was going to start changing Bull Shit! Bull Shit! but apparently we all like being employed too much to do that.
For the rest of the night, I did have coworkers coming up and telling me that I got royally f'd over, and now back at work this week, I keep having folks coming and saying the same thing. So it eases the pain a little bit, knowing that everyone else knows I got jobbed.
But enough about that, on to more fun things. Saturday (Halloween, proper), I brought the costume over to Ed & Susan's for the annual driveway Trick or Treat party. Matty, Bill and Tara, and some other friends of theirs showed up as well and we got lots of laughs out of utilizing the scarecrow. Some of the little kids were too scared to get close until I'd pull the mask off and hunker down to say hello. Others would walk right up to me, asking questions ("Is that a real bird?", "Are you really that tall?"), which was awesome. One little girl, dressed as a magician, raised her staff at me and shouted "I command you to DANCE!", so I started hopping about, exclaiming that I didn't know what was going on, and why were my legs moving on their own. She loved it and it put her at ease.
Then there was the group of tweens who came in, got their candy and marveled at the costume, then mosied on down the street to other houses. On their way back, they called down the driveway, saying things like "We're not afraid of you, Scarecrow!". Well, that was all well and good until I started up the driveway after them. I wasn't running, but with those stilts on, my strides were covering a lot of ground, and in no time, I was chasing them down the street. All in good fun! They were screaming and laughing and I was doing my best not to get going so fast that I flopped forward onto my face (my arms were still outstretched to the sides, due to the wooden handle across my shoulders).
How about some pics? I took a few of the headpiece as I was making it, and here are also some pics from the party, and from Halloween...
Here's near the starting point. I'd bought the face mask, stapled it to a hat, and then stapled burlap around it.
So I took pieces of burlap, crunched them up until the threads were pointing in different directions, and then glued them to the edges.
I next had to glue the rope around the neck. The first piece was the hardest to figure out. It took me several tries before I was able to mark where I wanted it to go, and then glue it into place. After that, the next two pieces (three, total), were easy to glue on.
Nice. Now we're getting somewhere.
But the neck flared too much. I needed something to hold the back together so the headpiece would be more form-fitting around my head.
So a bit of Velcro near the top, and some wire to hold the edges of rope together...
...and I was good to go.
I was all done with the headpiece and taking a break for the night. Made and ate dinner, and was doing the dishes in the kitchen...when I had a feeling I was being watched. I looked over at the headpiece, half expecting it to now be looking at me (creeeeepy!!), but nope, it was still facing the opposite direction.
But as I looked at it, I still had the feeling it was looking at me...and then I saw it. (Click on the pic to enlarge it and then look at the TV screen...)
Ok, well...let's go out to the porch and get moving on the legs, shall we?
This part wasn't hard, but it did take some time. I'd picked up some corn stalks from Home Depot and had to cut them a bit, so that I'd stand high enough to not be obscured by them.
Here's one leg done, and one leg to go. (Did I mention that with the stilts on, I stood 7.5 feet tall? It was awesome to be tall for a change!)
My last post showed you how it looked from the front. Here's a look from the back (LOL, my friend Ann felt it was necessary to take this pic.) I couldn't walk with my arms out to the side because it would have been too wide for the hallways.
And now on to Ed & Susan's Halloween night party. Here's a few shots that Ed took of me in their graveyard. I cropped the last one down to get a closer look at things.
Man, this was so much fun! There were kids (and adults) who began showing up, asking about the Scarecrow they'd been hearing about. And, later when I was home, Susan texted me to say they had some friends come by late-night who were inquiring about the "Scarecrow at Ed & Susan's house". Apparently word had made it around the neighborhood! So I think it's safe to say that I will be breaking this costume out again next year.
So there you go. My Halloween costume for this year. It's definitely my favorite costume so far. I wonder if I can top it (for my work party) next year...
One last pic, from my work party. I stood in a corner and struck the pose. With the lighting off to the sides, people thought I was just a prop...up until I moved. Then they'd jump. Which was awesome. :-)
Fright Hard, Get (scared) Glances!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
