The Coyote's Ramblings - 2005B
Copyright
© 2000-2005 The Coyote's Den
**********************************************************************************************************
4/4/05
Another birthday on
Saturday...this was 62...and the old body is wearing out. One
way of looking at it is another hole in my head, but this tooth left
reluctantly. I must admit that my dentist did a great job of
getting it out with as little trauma as possible (she's such a softy)
but, now that the anesthetic is wearing off, I'm feeling a little
less than spry. It's gonna be a softer diet for a few days until
I get my newly-expanded partial back, too.
Some time later, but
I've had some broth and some ice cream and am feeling a little better.
The numbness is all gone but the tylenol is adequate. I don't
even taste blood any more. I just hope I feel well enough tomorrow
to do some riding. It's supposed to rain, but I sure hope it
isn't as bad as last week. Well, enough for now. I'll
let you know how the new teeth fit later....
4/12/05
The new teeth didn't!
I had to be the tough biker and figured the pain would go away if
I ignored it long enough...but it didn't It seems I created
an ulcer on my gum instead of contacting my dentist immediately to
get the partial adjusted. Oh well, this stuff I have to treat
it with really tasted bad, though.(and I've got another 10 or 15 minutes
before I can drink my coffee, too)
On the plus side, I have been
riding almost every day although it's been something of a shock to
put over $7 worth of gas in my tank. Heck, I can remember when
$5 created that same feeling. When I first started riding in
1962, a buck would pretty much do the job!
4/21/05
Huh...I
guess it really has been that long... Let's see, then...bunches
of miles on the scoot since last time. Last Saturday alone
was about 300 miles and, unfortunately it was a very sunny day and
I forgot my sunscreen..as usual. This time though, the expression
"it's no skin off my nose" is not applicable! I haven't
had that bad a sunburn in ages, and its just now starting to look
like something other than leprosy. The trip was good, though,
and I actually got to ride some roads I'd never been on before, over
near Ponce de Leon.
I'd been considering staying over in Panama
City Beach for Thunder Beach, but I've discovered there are no rooms
available. Even if there were, PCB has gone Daytona on us.
Places that were only $79 or $89 last year are running over $159 this
year, and $259 isn't unusual...if there were any vacancies.
I just can't see my sleeping in a tent anymore; this old body just
wouldn't be able to get up in the morning even if I could get some
sleep.
Emerald Coast Bikefest is in Holt is this weekend and
I hope it doesn't get too wet tonight and tomorrow. I've been
watching the Weather Channel and it looks real red over there.
I'm cerrtain there are some drenched vendors setting up. By
time I go on Saturday, though, it should be better, if cooler.
Well,
time to cut it down for the night and MAYBE get this uploaded to y'all.
Take care and I'll see you on the road.
4/30/05
More
rumbling outside, and I'm REALLY glad I'm not out camping at one of
the rallys! Holt was bad enough from what I saw when I got there
Saturday morning...trucks stuck in mud, front-end loaders bringing
in dry dirt for fill, soggy campsites. That's why I decided
to take in Thunder Beach on Friday instead of today. My
real question for myself now is "WHY"?
I don't really think I'm
turning into a stick-in-the-mud (although I could be wrong), but I
keep mentally kicking myself after I waste the time and effort (and
dollars, as far as Holt was concerned) to go to one of these things.
Heck, even my last trip to Biketoberfest wasn't all that good, with
the crowds, drunk idiots who should never have been on scoots and
the money-grubbers ripping us all off. Actually, the best part
of Thunder Beach was the ride over there. I definately could
have done without coming back home in Friday evening traffic...ugh!
Maybe
I am turning into a cynical old fart...or maybe I've just seen it
all; I don't know. I just think in the future, I should
leave all the rally stuff to the newbies and I'll just hang with my
buds. Actually, Doc Fish's Summer weekend bash at the Shrine
Temple kinda suits me best. Maybe I'l seeya there.
5/10/05
Hot, hot, hot...!
That's the price of living in Paradise, I guess. I've been real
diligent about the sunscreen on my face, though, and...no more burns.
Apparently, it has some kind of moisturizer in it, too, as my face
isn't as dry after riding. Reading the label is kind of interesting:
"Retains SPF after 80 minutes in water or perspiring" comes
right before, "Rinse with water to remove". Okay, guys, which
is it?
I got the valves adjusted and the carbs synched last week,
and she's running like a champ. Even put a fresh coat of
paint on the tank to take care of the scratches. Geez, I love
Krylon! On Sunday, I took a ride over to Pensacola Beach to
check it out. Friends, if they decide to go through with the
Blue Angel show in July....they're out of their collective freakin'
minds! With what little early-May crowd they had, it was tough
getting around and there SURE won't be adequate parking by July.
...and you have to walk through sand to get a beer at the Dock (or
at least, the beer stand on the once-boardwalk side}.
Let's everybody
be real careful riding out there; watch your speed and be especially
careful at intersections. The cagers are positively insane!
5/16/05
Well, one
lousy day after the last entry, I go out and dump the scoot in loose
gravel! I still have a touch of a limp, but the bike's back
in shape. Today, I finally repainted the tank where the gas
poured out before I got her back up. The hardest part has been
getting the highway pegs back exactly where I want them. I think
I'm off about 5 degrees, but maybe I'll get used to it.
It was
a real low-speed dump when the front wheel dug about 6 inches into
the gravel, pulling off into the new park area they're working on
at the foot of the bay bridge. Luckily, there was a nice guy
feeding sea gulls with his little daughter who came over and helped
me get her upright again. It was about noon, and hotter than blazes, so
I worked up a good sweat getting it up and out of the way.
It was almost a half hour while I rested and waited to clear the flooding,
and the sweat in the road rash was burning pretty good. Unfortunately
for my vanity, I was too close to the road to drop my jeans and wash
off the sweat, so that was my first priority when I got her home.
Other
than that, it's been pretty good riding around here. Only on
Sunday, did I run into a brief downpour...and I'm just happy there
was no hail in it, as was reported in the Milton area. Take
care and ride safe, and maybe I'll see you at the Motorcycle Safety
Symposium in Gulf Breeze on Saturday.
5/24/05
Okay,
Summer, I've had enough! I over-did this past weekend, or I
just don't handle the heat the way I used to. Saturday was spent
at the annual ABATE Motorcycle Safety Seminar, the first time it has
been held in this end of the state. The turnout was a little
thin, but it was competing with Springfest AND way out here in the
Panhandle. Slider's presentation on motorcycle accident scene
management was excellent, but a lot to absorb in one sitting.
I just hope I never have to use it.
Sunday was a lot more riding,
but that's when I think I over-did it with the heat. I had to
head to the house by 3PM, and still wasn't feeling too sporty on Monday.
The old scoot is running great, and I took her out for a ride
today. I only managed about 30 miles, though, since the heat
was still so oppressive. Somehow, I've got to remember that
being 62 isn't 32 anymore. Dang it!
Thunder outside, so
I suppose I should cut this thing down. Y'all take care and
ride safely. Don't forget that school is out this week, so be
especially watchful of the young, stupid, drivers.
5/30/05
Memorial Day...
and it's more of the same! I was heading out to Nine Mile Road
to join up with the VNV for the Ride to the Wall South, and the heat
got to me. Dammit, I'm getting old! Instead of riding
in the group (which requires 100% attention and skill I didn't have
at the time), I rode directly to Veteran's Park and ran into a few
other like-minded folks. Even then, it was all I could do to
stay hydrated until the ceremonies. After that, it was beat
the rain to the house and watch hours and hours of racing on the tube.
For
those who missed me at the Nine Mile Sonic on Friday night, blame
bad gas and fouled plugs. I went to the concert in Seville Square
on Thursday night and, as I was riding home, noticed I had almost
150 miles on that tank of gas. Instead of going all the way
to my usual Amoco station on Mobile Highway, I stopped at the Shell
station at Navy and Old Corry Road to fill up. Loafing my way
home, I didn't notice the slight sputter until I was almost home,
and then forgot about it for the night.
Friday morning, I did
maintenance on the scoot, adjusting the chain and cleaning it, even
to the point of wiping the excess chain lube off EACH sideplate.
When I did take off for Sonic, she sounded like a 50 year smoker's
cough! I tried running it through, but only succeeded in thoroughly
fuling the plugs. Guess what, I didn't have an empty 5 gallon gas
can to drain her into! Scrounging around the neighborhood, I
was able to borrow an empty can from a neighbor but, by that time,
I was disgusted and the engine was still too hot to change the plugs,
so I took the S-10 directly to Fatboy's.
Anywho...I took care
of it Saturday morning and she's running like a champ now...on Amaco
hi-test... and I'm a happy camper (except for this heat-intolerance
situation). Y'all ride safe and stay hydrated in this Summer
weather. That stuff can sneak up on you if you're not careful.
Remember, too, that beer may slake your thirst, but the alcohol will
speed up dehydration so chase it with extra water if you gotta drink!
6/25/05
Heeee's baaaack!
Without a whole lot to say, though... I've been doing most of
my riding in the evenings because of the heat, but today, I felt like
a sunshine ride. I'd heard a rumor that the Navarre Beach road
was open to P'cola Beach, so I took off for Navarre to check
it out.. As I approached Navarre, though, traffic on 98 was
backed up all the way west of the new Publix. Seems there was
an accident in Navarre proper, so I u-turned and TRIED to get the
oil temperature back down (sitting in traffic on an air-cooled scoot
is like that).
Traffic wasn't too bad getting onto the beach,
but the casino parking lot was completely full, so I fudged a little.
Guess what, Folks!!!! The Dock is open! I didn't check
to see if they were going to start their Thursday night bike night
again, but I'll keep my ears open and let you know. Any of you
regular beach denizens out there...if you find out for sure, drop
me an e-mail and I'll pass it along.
Meanwhile, I've been hanging
out at FatBoys', so maybe I'll seeya there!
4/26/05
I don't know how long this is going
to be in production since the sun just came back out...so I am, too.
I need my valves adjusted and carbs synched but, with Thunder Beach
this weekend, I need the work done by Friday morning. I just
got off the phone with Dink and, since he can't promise it by then,
it looks like it'll be next week before I take her in. That's
okay; this is just routine stuff, although I can tell the carbs
are a touch out. There's no sense doing that before the valves
are adjusted, though. I've been real good about remembering the
sunscreen, lately, and it's a good thing, too, since I've been putting
in the miles...even putting on a helmet for Alabama riding.
Same
day...many hours later: No, I wasn't out riding, although I
probably will tomorrow. Suffice to say for now that some old
saws ring true: "Life is what happens to you while you're making
other plans". Sure is interesting, though!