OK, that might be an exaggeration, but things are going well.
The shop is set up, and though it’s not perfect, it’s good. I’ve got the lathe, band saw, and bench in place, put up a work light, and have been turning some wood. I got a sharpener from Sears, and while it’s not what I’ve seen other people using, it seems to be working pretty well. I need to figure out how to sharpen bowl gouges, but other than that, I think it’s a perfectly acceptable solution. I even have a good setup for changing tires on the bike, which I did with a bare minimum of fuss a couple weeks ago.
The bike isn’t perfect at the moment… it has been giving me fits with what I -think- is a carburation issue, but since I just clicked over 41k, it could be something else. maybe spark plugs. I suppose I could change them, but it seemed like the problem got better after running a tank of double strength Techron through it. I think I’ll try that again and see what happens.
I picked up some good gear for JC, but The Deb about shit herself telling me that there was no way that she was going to let Jordan ride with me. I will continue to work on her. I’m a patient person, and eventually I will have my way. I’d love to go moto-camping with JC, but I don’t have a solution for carrying gear *and* a passenger. I’ll keep looking… something will present itself.
I took a ride to Ohio last weekend. I took kind of a roundabout way to get there, but that is the beauty of my traveling recently - I’m leaving myself more time to get there, so that I can listen to, and respond to, the call of the road.
My route out took longer than expected, but that’s to be expected when you follow a whim. This route was pretty darned good. next time I’ll make it onto 250 well before dark.
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Mildly notable things about the trip out:
- The Avon Tyres are good in the rain.
- When people don’t want you to get in front of them, and tailgate the car in front of them to prevent it, it’s -very- satisfying to lane split. Don’t let the speed prevent you from doing it. there’s plenty of room.
- There’s a good Mexican restaurant in Capon Bridge, WV. I was pleasantly surprised.
- Most folks don’t mind being passed, if you wave thankyou
- WV frustratingly puts retro-reflective stickers on the back of their street signs. Every sign therefore looks like a deer.
I’m still trying to figure out how to make route maps in Google Maps, so I don’t have a list of the roads we followed on Saturday, but suffice to say that we did about 300 miles, crossed the Ohio River twice, and had a great lunch in West Virginia.
Mildly notable things about the ride on Saturday:
- Southern Ohio’s roads really are great
- When the Rex is in its element, it is quite delightful
- I need to be careful, but the bike isn’t twitchy. It’s more forgiving than I give it credit for
- “Backing it into a turn”, when you’re not really prepared for it or expecting it, is scary as hell
- Even though you weren’t planning it, pulling off “backing it into a turn” is *thrilling*
- KB is a great riding partner. I love riding with her, but I wish she was just a bit faster
- The Loobman is messy, but seems to be effective
- Ohio 255 (8 bit road) gave me one of the most incredible views I’ve ever had. It’s an image that I will never forget.
8 bit road: I was riding along the crests of some hills. I came out into a clearing, with a steep hill to my left, and a clear view all the way to the horizon. the storm clouds were obscuring the sun, but permitting fingers of light to pass. the colors - purples , golds, and reds, were offset by the deep grays and blacks of the clouds, and shocking greens of the trees and grasses. The road seemed blacker, the lines upon it yellower. Every color stood out in full and glorious contrast to the one next to it.
For the ride home, I decided to take the slab. I took 70 to 79S to Morgantown. I needed fuel, and some bicycling shorts. The only one’s they had at Dick’s had the pad in the butt, but that turned out to be fine. Getting back out on 68W, rolling along at 90mph (indicated), I began mildly dreading the next 4 hours. Slab slab slab. I hate it. it’s all of the risk, with none of the reward. I checked the time. I checked the sun. I knew the weather was supposed to be clear…. OK! decision made: get off the slab! I figured I’d take “some road” and go South until I got to 50, then I’d take 50 home.
I took the first exit I came to after I’d come to my decision. the road went about 50 feet to the south, and dead ended. I chuckled, and gunned it up the on ramp. At the next exit, I took the road South, into a park. I motored through the park until I came to… A dead end. sigh. Motor back out of the park, enjoying the view. Back on 68 to the next exit, which I believe was rt 26. I took that to Tunnelton, where a bar/restaurant caught my eye… “One For The Road.” I pulled a U, and parked. It was a typical WV bar - smoky, NASCAR on the TV, and Busch beer in cans. The first one slid down so easily, I decided that a second was in order. The guys at another table were Harley guys, but friendly enough - they didn’t comment on my abundance of riding gear or the country of origin of my bike, and I didn’t comment on their lack of gear, or the reliability of theirs. Turns out that I was there for ?happy hour? and the owner brought out a crock pot of Kielbasa with cabbage, onions, and potatoes. Mmmmm. I checked with Harley guys, and rt 50 was about 15-20 minutes up the road. My second beer done and my tummy comfortably stuffed, I got back on the road.
The battery in the MP3 player promptly went dead, but I wasn’t going to stop and try to find AAA’s… I knew I needed to keep going. I’ve been on 50 in the dark, and it’s not really much fun. It’s got some *great* twisties, but in the dark, you can’t take them well unless you out drive your headlight. I try not to do that if I can avoid it. Oh, and then there’s the deer. *Lots* of them.
With it being dark at 9, I started doing the backwards math. To be home by 9, I needed to be in Winchester by 8, which meant I needed to be in Romney by 7. I left Tunnelton at 5:30. 50, it turned out, really was only about 15 minutes up the road. I head East, and keep my eyes peeled for a sign. I soon pass one… Romney - 80 miles. Shit… 1 hour and 15 minutes to do 80 miles. That means I need to average 64mph. This, and this are typical of the roads that I had to average 64mph on.
I felt up to the challenge. with the radio off, I put my head down and kept at it. I carved the turns, consciously keeping my speed up at the top edge of my comfort zone. On the straights, I cooked. In a couple spots, I was able to really push, topping 110 (indicated) for brief stretches.
I made it to the Sheetz in Romney at 7:04. I tanked up and had a smoke, knowing that I was in good shape. Romney isn’t quite an hour from Winchester - it’s more like 30 minutes. I got the The Chester, motored by my old home, and cooked on out rt 7.
At Sheetz, I picked up batteries, so I had music for the rest of the trip. When I’m just motoring along, I’ll swerve and dance to the music. I pulled up to a light, and was tapping my toes. a Harley pulled up behind. I gassed it pretty hard leaving the light, and to my surprise, the Harley pretty much stayed with me. I took it up to 80 (indicated). he stayed with me. when we got to Mount Weather, I got on the gas hard. Cops don’t shoot RADAR at people who are climbing a mountain, so it’s one of the places that I really cook. the Harley stayed right with me, as I was passing 110. there’s a turn on the climb, and that’s where he *totally* faded back. I stayed hard on it to the top of the hill, and coasted down to 10 over. Harley guy caught and passed me pleasantly. I kept him in front of me, hoping to use him as a bird dog. We parted ways at rt 9 with a nod and a wave.
By the time I was in my neck of the woods, it was getting dark. I don’t know what happened over the past week, but there were more deer than I’ve ever seen - herds of 5 or 6, standing around in every third yard or driveway. I was glad to make it home safely.
In other news, I’ve met a lady. She’s really neat, and I’m really enjoying spending time with her. I’m excited about the possibilities…
