CraigLand

Cozumel Xmas 2011-WO HOO

2011-12-25T10:44:00.001-05:00

December 18 - 24, 2011 Cozumel, Mexico

Christmas for 2011 was in MEXICO for me. I forgot to get a picture of EL CID's whole building so the front door will have to do for an introduction. I had to use up some 'timeshare' points before the end of the year so I chose to use some of them here. Nice place....BUT....right next to the pier for cruise ships which arrived

in the mornings each day. Saturday was THE arrival day in which seven were to be in town.....busy day for the locals.

El Cid had a nice SMALL beach which served MY purpose of trying to get some tan. Friends came down a few days later so WE hit a beach further south which many of the cruise ships book outings into. For a very small cover charge one can enjoy a beach with many immenities. Quite nice:

On across the island is the spot called Mescalitos - just a food/beer/tourist trap stop but....nice break since the East side of the island has NOTHING really. The 'good' beaches are few and far between due to the winds and presence of much coral/rock. There are a few 'small beaches' at which one can be alone and about four or five with small food/beer shacks. We like the one AT Mescalitos.

The weather for most days was in the low 80's with clouds blowing thru making it basically partly cloudy. Showers were usually during the early evening or even during the night. Winter is the 'rainy' season but it sure was better than the 40-50's of Virginia.

Well....the big thing for Cozumel is the cruise ships and the thousands of 'gringos' who will be foolishly spending their pesos/dollars. If any of you ever go to Mexico - DO NOT- I REPEAT - DO NOT pay the stated price of ANYTHING. MOST times the item can be had for HALF of what is first stated. I bought a few 'touristy stuff' for the family and was able to get EVERYONE of the items for at least HALF of the price first stated and some for 1/3 the price. They can get rich off the 'other gringos' - not me.

It seems that $2 bills are lucky. I found that out last time in Cozumel. SO - this time I took $200 in consecutively numbered, brand new $2 bills. Sadly, not ALL the vendors feel the $2 is lucky. I had hoped to impress them with the crisp, consecutively numbered, brand NEW $2 bills and get lower prices for certain items but....... "No senor, lo siento". Waaaaa. I ended up with about half of them left over after leaving a impressive 'fan' of $2 bills as a tip (and a Christmas gift) for my maid who did a great job of keeping my room clean etc.

It was a quick 6.5 days ..... and I'd do it again. El Cid is a good place to 'use up' my excessive timeshare points during the winter. Since I do not snow ski - I don't go out west during the winter - places which probably book early for timeshare useres. Summer 2012 will have me in Durango and Steamboat Springs, CO using more points (with my brother who I meet in Albuquerque, NM)

OK....signing off with more action PICS - CRUISE SHIPS!

*************Merry Christmas and Happy New Year****************

2011 Coming to an end

2011-12-11T17:05:00.002-05:00

December 11, 2011

Well.....2011 is coming to an end. No real news here. Life is good. Doing a lot of 'shooting' with my new toys. Doing a lot of traveling too - timeshare points use.

Wonderful grandchildren (Jenkin and Elin) have been a joy to see when they visit. I have not been down to see them as frequently as last year.

MC trip for 2011 was NO......planned on taking it to Atlanta but after riding back from Waynesboro, VA in the rain a week before the planned trip, it reminded me how much I hate to ride in the rain - and that was just 120 miles. I could only imagine how much I would hate the trip to Atlanta - 600 miles. IT did rain during the trip (used truck) but was only for 2 hours or so. Glad I took the truck as I was able to bring back some ammo from CMP for my NEW (1917) rifles.

Mexico during Xmas break. WOo hoo Later

South AGAIN

2011-05-10T10:28:00.011-04:00

May 7-8, 2011 Barboursville, VA and Shenandoah Valley

Just HAD to take a trip south on the MC ..... weather was too good to pass up. Trouble started immediately when I pulled the MC out of the garage. It seems that I forgot to turn off the GPS at the end of the last trip so the battery was totally dead. Even trickle charging did not much so I asked the lawn care guy (thank goodness he showed up) for a push. MY solo push did NO good as the driveway is too flat.

Once I got rolling I met a friend along the route and we slipped over the mountain near Luray to go to see the Joneses. My late start made me miss seeing Jenkin as he was 'down' for his nap. Maybe next time. I DID get to see Elin though. She is growing! My goodness. (Contrary to popular belief - I am not napping here. I just had my eyes closed when the pic was taken.)

I delivered a sling to Matt for his Garand and we hit the road to slip back west to my friends place.

We had a wonderful brunch for Mother's day in Staunton and then left for the trip north while my friend did some long overdue car repairs. Near Luray, VA I took a side road and went down the Fort Valley route between some mountains. Wonderful view along it.

All in all - a nice day and ride. I am looking forward to many more this Spring and Summer. Bye ya'll

Elin Claire Jones

2011-03-22T19:16:00.004-04:00

MARCH 2o, 2011 ELIN CLAIRE JONES

A variety of great pictures announcing the arrival of Elin Claire Jones

Birth of Elin Claire Jones

2011-03-22T18:49:00.008-04:00

Charlottesville, Virginia March 20, 2011

The Jones family has been blessed with the addition of a BEAUTIFUL girl to Matthew and Arielle Jones on March 20, 2011. Elin Claire Jones decided that the time had arrived while the JONES family was attending church.

Matt made the required calls to Grandparents and Aunts (and others) announcing the TIME HAD COME! I had anticipated Elin's arrival during my 6 days off and was visiting a friend in Staunton so only had to go east over the mountain while Rita and Kelly had to take the 2 hour drive south from Northern Virginia. Grandmother Jane has arrived last week to help around the house etc.

After a quick bath in the nursery Elin was delivered to Mom and Dad (and all anxiously awaiting). What a beautiful and wonderful blessing. Her brother Jenkin was very interested in his new sister and willing gave her a kiss or two.

All present took the necessary steps to have a picture taken with Elin while oogling over the beauty of such a wonderful child. All 7 lbs 1 oz of Elin slept thru all the handoffs, camera flashes, and oooohs and aaaaahs.

The entire JONES/PETERSEN family has been blessed again. What a wonderful addition. I am sure she will become as spoiled as her brother. WELL WORTH IT TOO.

Finally - the end

2011-01-26T12:32:00.005-05:00

THE END: (FT Craig in case ya didn't know :) ! ):

Chef Jones - and a good one he is:

Twas a great Christmas break. We saw some wonderful vistas and had a great time. I can't wait to get back OUT WEST.

MORE of.....well.......a great Trip

2011-01-26T12:22:00.004-05:00

YEP...........THERE IS MORE:

Interesting National Monument to say the least.

AZ Christmas 2010 Onward

2011-01-26T12:14:00.003-05:00

More of nothing really (but they seemed significant at the time! :) -

The EYE in the sky (right) -

NM-AZ Christmas Continued AGAIN :)

2011-01-26T11:48:00.014-05:00

Onward: Just a few more pics and remarks if appropriate

Bisbee Az on left-old bank building (now post office), and an 'old' motel that is now apartments-(wonder what this place could say if it could 'talk':

Old stage stop hotel in Bisbee, AZ - Tombstone's OK Corral (below):

Main street Tombstone, Az. :

Old Tucson, AZ :

Another day to follow

NM-AZ Christmas Continued

2011-01-26T11:26:00.009-05:00

NM - AZ Day 4 and on

Time to head south to warmer weather. Side roads, plenty of cacti, parks, birds......views, old towns, OLD cemetery -just roaming the area (and doing some shootin' off a few side dirt roads). Pics :

Thus.........the end of another day.

NM and AZ-Christmas time 2010

2011-01-26T10:51:00.015-05:00

New Mexico and Arizona Break Time-December 22-January 1

DAY 1 - 3- Twas time to hit the warm weather this past Christmas season. SO..........I took a flight to Albuquerque, New Mexico to set out with my brother to the warm weather of Arizona. We hit the road when I landed and proceeded WEST to Sedona, Az where we had a timeshare place for three days. While driving thru Flagstaff we hit a pretty good snow storm and arrived around 9 pm. This was NOT the way to start a trip!

The next day we woke up with partly clearing skies and WONDERFUL views etc. What a beautiful area to VISIT (not live as it is R-E-A-L expensive housing wise etc.) We visited the airport (top of a mesa) with the wide views to get some pics of passing clouds etc., did some sight seeing of adjoining areas and hit some art galleries. Wonderful relaxing time just crusing the area.

Day two had Rick trying out the game of golf. I had done a timeshare speil and got a $100 visa card which was used to pay for the golf game. I had decided NOT to play as the game of golf is NOT 'my thing'. I was able to prove that on two of the par three holes when I sliced (hooked) by tee shots. HOWEVER, while looking for MY ball I was able to find plenty of others to replenish the ball bag (donated to Rick). NOPE, golf is NOT my thing.

A few more pics of the area: Wonderful views, weather, area etc -

All in all.............a great start of a ten day break. More to follow as we proceed down to Arizona to do some DHS duties. :)

New Toys etc

2010-11-07T19:21:00.004-05:00

November 6, 2010 Barboursville, VA

Uncle Ri-Ri was visiting the DC area for a work assignment and was able to take an extra day to visit his favorite nephew. Twas a great visit I was told by both Rick AND Jenkin. We also delivered a slide from Grammie which Jenkin took to real quick.

Previously Grammie had delivered an electric truck for Jenkin which was in need of a charger for the battery. It was also delivered with the new slide. Now that the backyard is fenced in Jenkin will have the back yard to himself for a play ground.

Lunch time was fun and enjoyed by all. Here ( to left) Jenkin is making a point to Uncle Ri-Ri.

It was somewhat of a brief visit since we had to return to the DC area for Rick to catch his flight back to New Mexico.

Luckily I (and Kelly) will get to see Rick again in Atlanta for Thanksgiving Holiday. Jenkin told me it was great seeing him today.

New England By Motorcycle

2010-10-10T11:19:00.026-04:00

October 1 - October 9, 2010 Virginia to Maine and Back (1700 miles)

This year it was decided that the annual Motorcycle run would stick to the East Coast. Last year's run out west (never completed on this BLOG :( picture wise etc) was over 7000 miles; but, I have always wanted to hit New England in the Fall so.......THIS year would be a shorter run.

As you see in the heading - this year was a little over 1700 miles. Rain delayed our start one day and we were lucky in that the total 9 days only encountered one day of rain (riding). There was one day of drizzle but we were hunkered down at a 'resort' so did not encounter much during riding.

Temperatures cooperated pretty much and with a layer of insulated underware, I (speaking for myself) did NOT get cold - cool YES but NOT cold. The full faring on the BMW must help (along with heated grips!).

We pretty much hit EVERY mountain range there is to encounter in New England. The following were viewed: Green Mountains, White Mountains, Catskills, Berkshires, Adirondacks and the Poconos. We even 'touched' the good ole Blue Ridge here in Va - but then I hit them almost every ride around here.

Fall colors were about at peak. What with the rain recently in the area due to a passing tropical depression - a lot of the leaves had been beaten off some of the trees. Streams were exceptionally high and muddy in places made for some nice pictures at various stops.

The ride up Mount Washington (New Hampshire) was accomplished early in the a.m. Once at the summit we found clouds (expected) but luckly not much wind. Today (Sunday) I see it is 19 degrees with 64 mph winds - not exactly MC drivig weather! We were able to go about 6.5 of the 8 miles up with clear skies but arrived at the top with clouds. Got some good pics (check them out).

Ft Ticonderoga was one stop in Vermont that I felt had to be seen. For the life of me I can not figure out why THAT spot was soooooo vital in the settlement of New England. I know there is a river that needed to be secured but it sure would have been tough for me as a settler (thus soldier) in the area to risk my life for securing that spot.

One Park (The Flume) provided a 2 mile hike to an absolutely beautiful waterfall etc. THAT was a highlight of the MC trip...........wonderful experience with beautiful views etc. (and great exercise! WOW).

We normally try to take 'back roads' when motorcycling and that proved most interesting in New England. We encountered interesting views, neat towns, nice roads, NO MOOSE (much to our disappointment picture wise but GREAT news MC driving wise).

Well, if one is in New England ya HAVE to get lobster. This was a deal! Two at a ridiculously low price of $19. Obviously I HAD to get them. Can't find them in VA at that price for sure.

Various pictures that are a MUST to include:

Once I neared the end of my route through Pennsylvania I headed around Gettysburg to get to Route 15 into Maryland and Virginia. One can't miss the battlefield if in the area as there is a TON of history there. This picture is taken from the Confederate lines near Pickett's charge - a futile attempt at winning THE WAR. Sad outcome here.

All in all this was a GREAT MC trip. Now..........gotta figure where NEXT year's will be!

NEW BABY!!

2010-06-20T18:32:00.003-04:00

Vienna, Va MAY 2010

I recently welcomed a new member to my family. He was born in January 1943 and re-piped in May of 1953. What a beaut. Springfield M1 Garand there. His brother (HRA born June 1955)was recently adopted by Matt so...............he will get most of my attention until a new brother arrives (in July!!) His brother will be a Winchester. I do not know the date of his birth until I receive him.

OK......Few pics.

Later ya'll.

Jenkin vs Grand Pa

2010-06-20T18:13:00.007-04:00

Barboursville, VA June 10-12, 2010

WOO HOOO...............Jenkin ...........all to myself! What more could I ask for. Arrived to find Jenkin playin' in his NEW CAR. I was to take over the task of 'putting up with Jenkin' while his maw took off to New York and his dad finished some training out of the area. NO PROBLEM here.

Dinner time was show off time for Jenkin. He tried to show me that trick where the spoon sticks to your nose........but, he was not too successful.

Although he is kinda a finicky eater - sometimes he 'studies' and examines what he is about to eat as exemplified here.

Being down in somewhat REDNECK country - I fear that he is getting into the 'groove' of it too readily (see pic). It seems he is happiest when he does NOT have to wear pants or a

shirt.

Hmmmmmm......That didn't last long with me and I had him dressed pretty quickly.

Well................all good things have to come to an end and with dad arriving Friday around 8 p.m. we took a short trip in the truck to return a rental van. Headed home and hit the sac........long day for Jenkins but NEVER NEVER did he show an attitude. What a joy he is.

I am just hoping I can be of service again! Thanks Jenkin for making my day. You are one FINE grandson.

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T17:49:00.011-04:00

June 20, 2010 Vienna, Virginia

What more could one want on Father's Day than to spend some quality time with their 'grown up' daughter (and son but......he's not right here). My wonderful Kelly had set up the day's events previously in the week so......no quick decisions had to be made. At this age that is a PLUS.

Lunch was to be at OUTBACK in Vienna (one of the very few places I frequent and then only for special occasions - THIS being one). I normally 'over do it' but this time.......I did NOT order the appetizer and delayed dessert until well after the meal.

Upon completion of the feast we drove to Arlington National Cemetery to visit my dad's plot. It was tougher to find as they have added sooooo many more headstones both immediately around his as well in other sections. Sad to see so many more than were there 20 years ago but then.............most of the WWII veterans are at least 90 now so.... I am certain there are a few from the 'current' conflicts too. SAD SAD.

Returned to Vienna to splurge on an ice cream (was 94 degrees when we got it) and returned home to the AC house.

Great day all around. (Before the outing with Kelly I had received a phone call from Matt and Arielle wishing me a Happy Father's Day. Wonder where Jenkin was??!! Thanks to all.

Cherry Blossom Time

2010-04-02T20:41:00.007-04:00

April 2, 2010 Vienna, VA to D.C.

Having the day off, warm sunny weather and a call from my daughter we decided to take a chance on getting into D.C. to view the Cherry Blossoms before the crowds hit this weekend. MISTAKE..........the hordes have already hit. It was a ZOO. Once we hit the Roosevelt Bridge it was a mess. My idea of parking near the Jefferson Memorial was shot as that small parking lot was 'set aside' for TV trucks, News trucks, and banks and banks of potta-potties!

I have been in a lot of traffic on my MC but I have NEVER seen the heat gauge read as high as it got. We finally found a space on the Mall to squeeze into. Did a bit of walking (needed it). Took plenty of pics and hit the road again. All in all.......that is a ONCE IN A LIFE TIME thing and I am feeling there is NO NEED to do that again (at least anytime soon). [Pedestrians not observing the crosswalk timer were the traffic killers as well as drivers who were totally too timid to pull into the intersection to take the left turn on Yellow].

Had a Wonderful luncheon at Ruffino's in Arlington and hit the toll road to home. We arrived home and found that the short nap was a welcome.

Enough of traffic. Next MC trip is westward into the mountains or up the Valley toward Staunton-Charlottesville-Luray. FINALLY - MOTORCYCLING weather! WOOO HOO

DOWN - Now what to do?!

2010-03-10T16:50:00.006-05:00

Vienna, VA March 10, 2010

Winter snows were not too kind to me and trees in my back yard. As you can see in this picture, I 'lost' two pine trees (NO BIG DEAL REALLY) when the heavy snow overburdened their spindly frames. Pine trees never have been one of my favorite trees - unless they were out west and of the PONDEROSA species. Those are GREAT - especially when the wind whips thru them.

I digress. So, the ole chainsaw was in need of a tune up - especially since it had NEVER been done since originally purchasing back in the early '90s. I noticed the float diaphram had developed a hole when, during one of the snow dumps, I went out on Beulah Road to remove a tree blocking the road. The ole saw just would not keep running. That tree got cut and moved and the saw went STRAIGHT to the tuneup guy. ONE month later (it seems that snow blowers were at the top of the list for work and I fully understood) the ole saw was ready to work.

It took a total of only three hours to accomplish the task of cutting down (well, at least one) and cutting up and stacking the limbs. Now............to figure how to get all the crap removed from the yard for the summer cuttings. In the 'ole' days I would relish the fact that I had a pine tree. That tree makes GREAT kindling for the woodstove - long gone! Waaaaa

I could throw it into the woods below but...........that would 'trash' up that area. Looks like I will have to bite the bullet, load it into the truck and haul it to the dump - making more than one trip unfortunately.

Such is the life of a subdivision dweller. In the good ole days (at the homestead) the crap would have been left to 'go back to nature'.

BACK IN PLAY

2010-01-12T18:50:00.006-05:00

Waynesboro, VA January 9, 2010

I used to have a wood stove (Vermont Castings) in my old homestead at Twin Springs. I had purchased it (along with my dad getting two) to help heat the ole cabin in the winter. Since I had 11 acres of trees, there was never a time that I did not have wood available to feed it. That is assuming we cut and split plenty of wood in the summer months (which my dad and I did for many years). Some summers we cut and split 10 cord between the two of us.

Then when we built the new house, I anticipated installing one of the three wood stoves so had a fireplace built with a hearth large enough to accommodate it. BUT..........after realizing my FREE wood supply gone we decided to wait and see what the future had in store.

Over the years I heard "When are you going to get rid of those stoves" more than once. SO.....two were given away and one was finally sold recently.

My friend in Waynesboro decided to install the one I gave him in his workshop. This was the weekend for that job. His supply of wood is somewhat sparse but..............the past summer he had removed some trees close to the house and I had 'girdled' some walnut trees and limbed them so some wood would be available.

Within two hours we had the ole stove up and running. AHHHHHH...........there is NOTHING like heat from a wood stove. Especially in a workshop that reads 17 degrees. We had to load our MC trailer with some wood that had been stacked in the meadow but.................it is now available for the wood stove - once it is SPLIT. I've always said "There is nothing like a wood stove to warm ya up. Once when ya split the wood and once when ya get it loaded and fired up."

I sure do miss that stove. It was a great place for the cats to hang out near as well as the dogs. Heck..........even the wet coats, shoes, mittens etc. Nope.................goina miss it.

NEED A BABYSITTER PLEASE!!!

2010-01-12T18:13:00.010-05:00

Barboursville, VA January 8, 2010

Jenkin has a new hat! Just like the one the little boy wears in Christmas Story - the brother of the kid who gets the Red Rider BB Gun. I am not sure Jenkin likes it........at least IN the house but I am sure he will fully appreciate it once he goes outside

I have had an Atari game unit AND a Super Nintendo stored up in the attic for over 20 some years.....along with a few games to go with them. It was time to clear out the attic so I took them to Matt. It seems that Arielle LOVED playing Mario Brothers in her youth. And since Matt does not allow her to play his XBOX..............it seemed appropriate that she have her OWN game unit. Matt was kind enough to hook it up and wo la..........it worked. (Even though I had been told for YEARS by Matt that it would not work after being stored in the HOT attic for so many years).

Arielle jumped on the opportunity to play Mario Brothers. Jenkin was mesmerized watching it
on the TV while "mother" IGNORED him. Can you believe that! Well...........what a mother she makes.

So..........another ancient game unit is revived to live another day. Ebay has plenty of cheap games. She may just have to check it out as it seemed she ACED Mario Brothers.

Till later ya'll.

Memorial to Rania

2010-01-12T17:49:00.005-05:00

Barboursville, VA January 9, 2010 DECEASED at 0927 HR

She was a fun cat. I had the opportunity to 'babysit' Rania this year and fell in love with her. If my motorcycling activities had not interferred with taking care of her in the long run - I would have adopted her in a flash.

I think she thought she was a dog. Rania would 'beg' for food just like her brother Paco (a dog). I think I liked her so much because she looked a lot like another cat I had raised from a kitten......ABBY(right).

Rania had Feline Lukemia so......was put to sleep at the vet near her home.

Paco will not have a playmate now. Nor will Jenkin.

SNOW SNOW SNOW

2009-12-27T13:35:00.006-05:00

December 18-20, 2009 Vienna, VA

First big snow of 2009. It came down for two days and totalled about 20 inches in MY backyard. Nice and fluffy so was not too tuff to clear - just DEEP.

The biggest job was clearing off the deck (off the bedroom - see right) as well as the driveway. A portion of the drive (about half) was cleared Saturday at the midpoint of the snow fall. I was quite happy to have done that because on Sunday I had less DEEP snow to clear (an additional 5 inches had fallen).

All in all.........not a bad task......although I over dressed and got pretty 'hot' - thus wet. Next time I will plan on 'venting' better. It was a pretty sight to see bare asphalt on the driveway. The subdivison road had been 'cleared' one lane in width. Monday the county trucks came through to widen to 1.5 lanes.

All in all................nice way to get some exercise! Bring it on........I am ready for MORE.

CHRISTMAS - 2009

2009-12-27T13:03:00.009-05:00

Barboursville, VA December 24-26, 2009

Santa came to visit Jenkin for his first Christmas and what a visit it was for him. If this year is anything like the following ten or so years, Jenkin will be getting up EARLY each time Santa has plans on visiting the JONES family. (Like father - like son) Jenkins was up and wanting to E-A-T at 0530 hr. Matt was always the FIRST up and about - not that Kelly was slow but.......

Once that task was done - we visited the Christmas tree to see what Santa had left. As usual - Santa was quite generous. Even though Jenkin is only 10.5 months old he took to opening presents quite readily. Plenty of 'active' toys were left by Santa as well as books and clothes. Like 20-25 years ago - Santa did well. Its obvious that Jenkin (and any future siblings) will not be 'hurting' for presents from Santa.

After a few hours of play, pictures etc. it was nap time - and not just for Jenkin. A few others joined him in 'resting their eyes'.

Saturday found us visiting ole time friends 'over the mountain' in Waynesboro. It had been quite a few months since we had seen them and their son who was visiting from Arkansas. Their son and Matt had grown up together so........nice time reminiscing. The ride over was pretty foggy but no problems were encountered.

All in all - Santa came through this year and a good time was had by all. It will be a joy to see Jenkin's reaction next year as he grows up and realizes the meaning of Christmas - the birth of Christ.

Merry Christmas to all. Matt, Arielle and Jenkin - THANKS for a great Christmas 2009.

PARTIEEEEE TIME

2009-12-12T12:42:00.005-05:00

Northern Virginia December 11, 2009

A certain 'young' lady had a Surprise Birthday party yesterday evening. She will deny it but - recently she had said that "No one every has given Meeeee! a surprise party. Waaaaaa". So..............between her mother and friends (and myself) we planned one.

The idea was for me to ask her out for dinner.....and pick her up a little later than I do normally. We had to allow time for her friends to get off work, as well and Rita to prepare the 'Birthday Dinner'. So I was to: 1. Tell her I was running late; 2. Advise her that a car ahead of me had hit a deer and we had to take a longer road back to my house because of......3. I had forgotten my wallet AND my bag of gifts; and 4. I had to hit the restroom 'real bad'. Bottom line: "I was having a bad day". So.....when we arrived at my house I then had to say "Oh darn, I left the front porch light on too...........see - my day is a mess". "Come on in while I hit the restroom". (The guests had parked in another cul-de-sac so there were NO cars near my house to appear suspicious).

TA TA............Surprise!

All in attendance totally enjoyed the feast that Rita had prepared. I commend her on accomplishing that task. Well done girl.

After dinner we viewed a number of videos of Kelly (and brother Matthew) that were taken in her 'youth' (a long gone period of time since Kel is NOW THIRTY BIG ONES). She was seen during the church Christmas event, several years of her 'dancing career' as a youngster, cheerleading, her Senior year Prom event (yea Zac) and several Easter egg hunts in the yard around Twin Springs Estates (the cabin in the woods - ahhhhh, the good ole years) with my parents in attendance.

The Birthday cake was donated by Arielle, Matt and Jenkin (who could not be in attendance due to Jenkin's recent aquisition of a cold). It was a GREAT Stone Cold cake (Vienna). The wild and crazy party broke up around midnight............a good time had by all.

So..............we will not hear "NO ONE GIVES ME A SURPRISE PARTY" anymore!

Happy Birthday Kelly. Love Dad

NOVA Visit to Auntie Kelly

2009-11-15T19:18:00.007-05:00

November 13, 2009 Reston Virginia

Aunt Kelly was lucky on Saturday and had a visit by Jenkin while his parents visited a few other families in the area
and did some errands. Jenkin seems to enjoy playing with his tongue as evidenced in these pictures. I stole these pics from Kelly's Piscasa page.

I just had to have them.

Penguin Sited in Barboursville, Va

2009-11-15T19:04:00.002-05:00

October 2009 Penguin Land

Rumors are there is a new breed of Penguin down in Barboursville, Virginia. It is a very gregarious breed and quite colorful. I captured a picture of one visiting a house of a friend of mine. They are quite small size wise and quite rare I hear. What is your thought of my findings?

Visit to Barboursville, VA

2009-11-15T18:42:00.010-05:00

October 2009 Virginia

I was long overdue a visit to the Jones family in Barboursville so I decided to drop by one Friday evening on my way to the outdoor range below Stanton (which I never got to but that is another long story).

During dinner time Jenkin was talking to his dad and after hearing a story his dad told, I captured his expression (see left) of doubt as to its truth. Jenkin did not believe it one bit.

Later on after dinner Jenkin had expressed his possible desire to become a dentist. He was showing me his chairside manner during an examination of his dad's teeth. Quite impressive - although he forgot to put on his exam gloves during the exam.

Jenkin doesn't hesitate to advise you that the paparazi better not get in his way. Especially when he is between wardrobe changes. His feeble attack on me was a bit too slow and I was able to escape without being hurt. Its a good thing he had no items near by to throw at me.

There is no doubt that he will be a JOCK when he grows up. Jenkin loves his ball and playing with it.

Its obvious that Jenkin and his dad are tight. It was a wonderful visit and after dinner I headed to Luray to spend the night with a friend who has a house on the Shennandoah River. I can't wait to visit Jenkin and family again. He is soooo much fun.

MR KOOL

2009-10-24T16:41:00.004-04:00

Summer, 2009 Virginia

Here is MR KOOL..........ready to hit the beach etc. He went to Myrtle Beach, SC with his maw and paw in July and had a good time. This pic was taken before they left and he just wanted to prove HE IS READY

JJ's VISIT

2009-10-24T16:20:00.006-04:00

October 24, 2009 Vienna, VA

There couldn't be a better day than to have a visit by Jenkin on a rainy day. Since I could not accomplish much outside in the yard - what with the rain etc - it was GREAT to be able to spend some time with Jenkin talking about recent happenings.

While discussing the 'weight gain' BOTH of us have encountered lately, Jenkin showed me how to have "proper form"when doing the overhead PRESS when weightlifting. He has good form! He admonished me for the amount of weight I have recently 'put on'. I pointed out he was not far behind! I took a pic to prove it.

We caught a few minutes of the college football games but we were disappointed that BYU's game was later tonight so switched to SURVIVAL MAN on TV. During the show the 'Survival man' was in Alaska to which he pointed out that he and his Maw had recently returned from after a visit. He asked me to post a pic to prove the trip.

After grabbing a quick nap, bottle and few slices of banana he and his Maw decided to head to the mall to spend a few of the bucks his dad recently earned. He said he would have NO problem doing that.

We all got lucky and loaded up the car between downpours and they were on their way for a quick mall visit and then back to Charlottesville.

Jenkin..........thanks for making a rainy day BRIGHT. You are a blast dude.

Autumn is here!

2009-09-26T17:40:00.003-04:00

September 25-26, 2009 Vienna, Va.

Well its that time of year when the yard needs lookin' after. So I get a call from my yard man who asks if I want to do the "aeration/over seedy thingy". I ask the price and decide that I could buy another M1 Garand for that price and pass. Knowing that it WOULD be a good idea to get done, I check out the rental company. YEP. $38 get it for three hours. It's a GO.

So, after beating myself to death (I had the throttle set on HIGH speed and just about lost the aerator down the hill) in the 2.5 hours I completed about .8 of my yard. Since I had no extra gas for the machine I just loaded it right up the ramp and into the truck. Let me tell ya. THAT machine will kill ya if: 1. You have the throttle set FULL and 2. You have the splines set to take a 2 inch plug. I found out that a 1" plug would have been sufficient.

OK..........now. What about the grass? I mean - why aerate if ya don't overseed! When I return the machine I am told my spreader at home will work. Need grass seed: 2 packs for $50. ALL set. Job done. Rain here (although I turned on the sprinklers just before the rain came :(

SO........yard all set. $$ saved for next Garand. Got the equivalent of a good workout. Bushes trimed (saved $ there too!) and sure hope I did them right and did not kill them. New plants put in on Thursday make the yard look much better. I had a DEAD Jap Maple and all the bushes along the porch had a FUNGUS (ugh). All in all much better. Now.......grow grow grow for the future sale.

Now..........let's just see how long the new plants last - what with the deer, snow, ice, etc. Time will tell. I have a one year guarantee - supposedly the plants are NOT know to be favorites of the deer.

Old Faithful Inn

2009-08-23T08:23:00.005-04:00

Old Faithful Area, YNP, Woming July 23, 2009

This blog insert is slightly OUT OF PLACE as the previous blog (concerning the MC trip) was about the Road to the Sun . I will have some entries concerning the trip from that point TO this point - Old Faithful Inn. I just wanted to show you a picture I was able to take of the Old INN at Old Faithful. Also, included is a sample of the transportation that is available to visitors. It is a nice way of getting around the park. LOL

Enjoy.

Sittin' BIG

2009-08-15T21:18:00.007-04:00

August 15, 2009 Vienna, VA

Jenkin dropped by today to say HI. I introduced him to HIS new chair that his Great Grandfather had used when he was a baby. After parking his butt in it...........he decided that he liked it. Now, he has a chair of HIS OWN to use while we watch the ball games - football and baseball. We might even catch a few "Wrestling matches".

After a few minutes he asked where his glass holder was located on the chair; but I told him he would just have to make do without one. After thinking about it........he said he had no problem.

I apologized to him for it not reclining but.....explained that back in the 1920's they did not even have TV so the recliner had not been invented.

After sitting it for a while he decided to immitate his dad...........that picture is the one on the far left.

All in all it was a great visit. He promised to

return soon.

Great day all around

6 Months and one Day Birthday

2009-08-09T18:11:00.005-04:00

August 8, 2009 Barboursville, VA Birthday Dude

Attached is some GREAT pics of Jenkin Richard during my visit yesterday. He is one CUTE DUDE.

http://picasaweb.google.com/b78eemer/892009SixMonths1Day Jenkin at six months

Road to the Sun

2009-08-07T11:25:00.014-04:00

July 17, 2009 Havre, Montana to Kalispel, Idaho

This is the day I (we) have been waiting for. We awoke (after a muchly needed sleep since the day before had been a 475 mile day) to find the weather CLEAR and in the 60's. Nice day to head to the ROAD TO THE SUN thru Glacier National Park - although it was suppose to be hotter later in the day.

We still had about 170 miles to accomplish before we began the ROAD run. And ...... there was the Museum of Plains Indian in Browning, Montana that was a MUST SEE. Well, we still might have time to get thru the ROAD run before it got too late - IF WE HUSTLE.

After breakfast in Havre we hit the road and arrived in Browning to 'do' the museum and get another grub stuffing. By 3 p.m. we were headed to the ROAD run. AHHHH........finally!!
The run up the East side to Logan Pass is quite gentle - at least
compared to the Western approach. The difference is like Night and Day...........no comparison. Your immediate view as you begin the ascent is St Mary's Lake. Quite impressive at both ends (top pic is lower elevation with left pic as you ascent). We stopped a few times for pictures. It turned out that there were few stops allowed once the pass was reached. There was a 30 minute 'wait' for a parking spaces at the Logan Pass Visitor's Center so...........we had to pass it up and continue over and through a recent snow avalanche area which was being repaired since the retaining wall (and road) was cleared out in spots. With NO (except emergency) pull-off spots I was unable to obtain any pictures of the views - QUITE IMPRESSIVE. Lynn was able to get a lot though.

After visiting the General Store at the West Entrance we sped on down the road - all the time looking for a decent motel to stay in. After a few stops and inquiries (all of which were ridiculous prices since the following two days the National Parks had eliminated the PASS FEE'S - a freebie and the motel operators were anticipating a crowd to gouge) we headed into Kalispel where we KNEW we could find a better selection and had more competition price wise.By 7 pm we had found the BLUE AND WHITE Mote and were checked in.

Total miles = 280 miles. Overall feeling: WONDERFUL DAY AND VIEWS (let's go back the other way now)

Footnote: It was expressed that we were "lucky" to have the inside lane up, over and down the ROAD TO THE SUN. WHY - IT seems that those portions of the road under reconstruction, which did not have a guardrail or low retaining wall, were QUITE intimating -especially since mountains in the east do not tend to have straight dropoffs like these. For those MC riders who have not ridden the mountain roads of the west, and are trying to see the views for the first time, I guess this road could be intimading. Since I had taken the road twice before (once on the OUTSIDE lane IN A VAN) I was totally enjoying it the whole way. If you want to see another TUFF MC road, check out MT EVANS, COLORADO webpage. THAT road ends up at an elevation of over 12K feet - this one only hit about 6600 feet!

Trip to Never Never Land

2009-08-02T16:48:00.010-04:00

July 8 - July 30, 2009 Northern Virginia to The Dalles, Washington to Northern Virginia

Well..........the BIG MC trip of 2009 is history now. The ENTIRE trip (including the trailering of the MCs to Luddington, Michigan) totalled 7063 miles. Of that 6189 was by my Beemer and the balance of 874 was the van and trailer. I am going to have to 'think' real hard about doing another long trip like this. My ole bod just isn't quite up to it.

After visiting friends in Luddington we headed north to pick up our MAIN route - US 2 which was available in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This route was to take us to just before Glacier NP where we hooked up with a different route to take the ROAD TO THE SUN.

Day ONE got us to Escanaba, Michigan - about 335 miles. Was a cool ride weather wise and uneventful.

Day TWO got us to Bessmer, Michigan - about 188 miles where we visited with a college friend of Joe's that I had not seen in over 22 years.

Day THREE gave me my first sight of Lake Superior (just another body of water). We passed through Wisconsin pretty quickly and as we entered Minnesota we encountered rain. After traveling in the rain for about 3-4 hours we decided to obtain a motel room in Bemidji, Minnesota - instead of trying to get to what MIGHT be clearer skies in North Dakota. Miles = 280 (but glad to dry out)

Day FOUR- North Dakota. Need I say more. That is one state with NOTHING to offer. Oh....I had better restate that. For the lack of anything else to stake claim of - North Dakota has claimed the GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER OF NORTH AMERICA. WOW WOO HOO GEE WIZ YIPEE. More like the butt hole of NA. My dad had been stationed at Minot AFB back in 1966-67. I had visited there one Easter. Swore I would never revisit. The condition of that state in the Winter and Spring led my dad to finally submit his retirement papers with the Air Force. TOTALLY MISERABLE PLACE TO LIVE. Windy and snowy in the Winter, FLOODS in the SPRING and HOT in the SUMMER. I guess that leaves the AUTUMN season; but, why only enjoy a place for 1/4th of a year!??? (and 1/3 of that ya sleep!!) I was pleased to vacate that state. Total - 333 miles.

Day FIVE- A "CITY" TO FAR. Ahhhhhh..................this is the day to forever remember. We left Minot, ND with cool weather, encountered about 20 miles of highway construction at the Montana/ND state line[pic at left] (slow, dusty, muddy travel but uneventful for me) and motorcycled on to see the Ft Peck Dam and Dinosaur Museum. Nice break for sore butts. On to see the next Dinosaur Museum in Malta, Montana. Since it was only 5:30 it was decided to push on to the next TOWN of Havre, Montana which probably had a better selection of motels. WELL.........that 2 hour push was a mistake. Oh, we were able to GO 75 mph with no problem......just a 'bit' too far. We arrived in Havre, Montana at 7:30 and found a nice motel off the beaten path. Total - 475 miles.

SUMMARY TO THE DOOR TO HEAVEN: 1611 miles. It has taken us until July 17 to get this far along the 2009 MC TRIP. Tomorrow is one of the THREE MAIN portions of this WHOLE TRIP. ROAD TO THE SUN over Logan Pass in Glacier National Park. The other Two being Yellowstone National Park and the Teton National Park. I can't wait until tomorrow!!

Headin' Home

2009-08-01T18:34:00.004-04:00

Pennsylvania - July 30 2009

This is about the "Bestest store" in the world. They have EVERYTHING related to the outdoor. It is R E A L sad that the nearest one is up in Pennsylvania. I just HAD to stop by here as I was heading home (was in dire need of a rest and.........with the possibility of obtaining some more ammo, it was worth the stop).

I should have taken my camera indoor as they have a WONDERFUL collection of trophy mounted wildlife. You name it - they have it. I did get a picture of a wolf while on the ride though. He had to be convinced that it was best NOT to mess with me.

OH..............And a nice LIBRARY of old (and newer) rifles and pistols and revolvers - most over priced but great to look at).

But....sad to say, they TOO were out of the ammo I needed. SO..............later.

Road to the SUN

2009-07-20T01:16:00.006-04:00

JULY Something....who cares! 2009 Montana

Finally DID it. Took the ROAD TO THE SUN on my wonderful baby.....and she did well. Twas as nice a ride as I had dreamed.

Went thru Idaho into Eastern Washington state. Expanses of NO FENCING for miles and miles. Just immense fields of plowed fields or grain..........grain which grows RIGHT UP TO THE ROAD. And with no fencing......quite impressive.

Past the Grand Coulee Dam and down over the Columbia River to Oregon where we stopped in Pendleton for the night. Going to try to get to Boise tomorrow for a new front tire. The existing one is getting pretty worn. Gotta do it there or Denver and Denver is too many more miles and days ahead.

PS WEST 2 is the route we started on in the UP of Michigan. It took us BYE BYE WEST 2.

Wish me luck in Boise for a new front tire.

ITS STARTED!!

2009-07-12T21:00:00.004-04:00

Northern Virginia to Michigan July 9 to July 12, 2008

At the start of the trip I dropped by to see Jenkin and Arielle to advise Jenkin that I did not have any room for him on THIS trip. He was VERY VERY disappointed but I DID introduce him to the MC to prove to him just how cramped things would be for him to accompany me. He understood but we both agreed that the NEXT trip he would accompany me.

Things got off to a good start Friday a.m. and we hit the road at 7:40 am, drove straight through to Ludington, Michigan. A total of 874 miles and 16 hours and 40 minutes. Fair time since we were pulling a trailer with two motorcycles.

We arrived at the Boneless Chicken Ranch in Ludington around 12:20 A.M. I hit the sack but Joe and Lynn visited with the SSOFS gang till 4 a.m. Saturday was visit time, nap time, short ride to Lake Michigan and town to get stuff for the trip.

Sunday we had breakfast with the gang, loaded up the MC and said our farewells. We were escorted to Traverse City with some of the gang where they returned down along the lake and we went over the Mackinaw Bridge to the UP. Not much up in the UP but sand and pine trees and cool temps with wind off the lake.

No real news or other events. SO far SO good. Take care ya'll. Till later. ME

MC Heaven

2009-07-08T08:13:00.003-04:00

LOCKED AND LOADED - Northern Virginia to Washington State and Back July 8, 2009

OK folks............it is count down till the BIG MC trip. 17 hours from now the jaunt to Seattle, Washington and back will begin. MC packed. Head screwed on tight and all ready for the big 6000+ mile trip. If things go right - I will keep this BLOG updated with events encountered during the wonderful trip (for those who care :)

We will trailer the MC's to Ludington, Michigan on Friday a.m. Leave Ludington on Sat a.m. to Wisconsin/Mich state line in UP. Spend a day visiting friends of my MC companions and then the BIG road trip begins across Wisc, Minn, ND, Montana to Glacier NP, Idaho, Washington state, Oregon, Idaho again, Yellowstone NP, Tetons NP. Then we probably split somewhere in Wyo where my MC buddy will head back to Mich to get the van and MC trailer while I head to Denver, CO. I head back East thru Ks, Ok (see Army VN buddy), Ark, Tn, and good ole Va. Should be fun.........like last three trips out there.

Guess I have everything I need. Only time will tell. Later ya'll.

6 Days of Bliss

2009-06-30T15:05:00.010-04:00

Up the Valley, Virginia June 24-30, 2009

This was my first of what MIGHT be a lot of "six days off" every other week. It seems that I have a JOB SHARE position with the Health Department now - what with the budget crunch etc. I am just happy to have a job as I was due to be RIFed.

SO......what with Father's day recently and my birthday I decided to go SOUTH. A few days of 'work' on the farm, a few days of shooting at the local range down near Augusta Springs and a two nice cookouts to celebrate.

It had been a few weeks since I last saw Jenkin and he sure is growing now. Had a wonderful dinner at the Joneses - who have Arielle's parents back from an extended visit through out Europe. The deck will be completed real soon now that the SUPERVISOR is present again.

Monday I was treated to another wonderful dinner at the VanDykes farm. I sure will have no problem keeping my weight on with Lynn's wonderful cooking. I have forgotten what it is like to eat garden fresh vegetables, good grain fed beef and wonderful desserts. Gotta make that visit a habit.

The Valley was experiencing some local thunderstorms and I was able to get a few good pics of the thunderheads east of Waynesboro. Probably over near Matt and Arielle in Barboursville over the mountain. We lucked out and got no rain.

There are a few less groundhogs and rabbits on the farm now. They are quite numerous and most farmers are pleased to have less tearing up the fields. The ole M1 carbine is RIGHT ON at 200 yards..........I had some G-R-E-A-T shots (bragging I must admit). I must say they even surprised ME! Open iron sights and ole eyes and all. I might be OLD now but still have an eye for shootin'. There is a fireroad that goes past the Range - up and over the mountain so I decided to take it to the top. Wonderful views both East and West.

Jenkin totally enjoyed the outing around the neighborhood in his stroller. He livened up in the warm fresh air and put on his HAPPY FACE. Jenkin and I tried on our sunglasses since he wanted to be prepared for the beach visit in July. But as to posing for a picture - he was not to pleased as you can see.

All in all - it was a wonderful six days. Had a great Father's Day/Birthday dinner and visit as well as a wonderful Birthday dinner 'on the farm'.

Now...........I have got to prepare for the 6000 mile Motorcycle trip starting 9 July thru 3 August. Going to hit Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Va. WOO HOO (Hope NOT to visit any deer close up as last year though.....they, hopefully, will keep a respectful distance! :)

Later ya'll. The OLE MAN

THE DUDE

2009-06-17T19:01:00.005-04:00

June 16, 2009 Dudeville, Virginia

There is no doubt Jenkin is one cool dude. I mean just look at him - sittin' high with his shades and Gunny hat. He is absolutely ready for the beach this summer.

Hang tite dude.

Love ya, Gramps

Jenkin - You're Almost 4 Months old!

2009-05-31T16:36:00.009-04:00

May 30, 2009 Barboursville, VA

Jenkin just could not bear to look at Grandpa. After waking up from his nap (loves to snuggle with his bear) he was totally not up to seeing me.

After his breakfast he was more receptive to having his picture taken as shown here.

Jenkin............you are almost four months old dude. You sure do like to pose for the pictures. Thanks for being patient.

I was passing through on the way to see a friend in Waynesboro who had just driven back from Arkansas seeing his son at the University of Arkansas.

So, Jenkin was real patient in allowing me to get a few pictures.

What a guy.

Love him.

GET IT RIGHT DUDE

2009-05-31T15:39:00.012-04:00

May 31, 2009 NRA Range - Fairfax, VA

All right.............gee whiz. Give me a break. I never said I was a COMPETITION shooter. Especially with the bifocals I wear, age and open sight M1 Underwood Carbine I am using. But this IS pretty darn good for iron sights, and standing position at 100 feet. Considering my age and eyes, it IS decent.

My new baby was definitely in need of having her MOUNTAIN OF A front sight taken down a little. That was quite apparent after I used the 'M1 XCarbine 25 yard Target" (from Army TM 9-1276, page 52) for the first time. She was putting my rounds in a decent group - just 3-4 inches too low. So......what does one do? TA DAAAA File off the correct amount of front sight to bring the group up into the area shown on the target (within the dotted area around the BLACK). The pic on the right was the results I got when I first shot the Underwood. Many a VC would have escaped if I had used the sights the way they came.

SO.......the calculations were done with the following formula. (A=distance group is off from where you want in inches, B = distance shooting in inches, X = correction needed for front sight, and C = distance between the front sight and rear site.) : A/B=X/C and solve for X.

So, with that formula I came up with the following measurement needed to shave off the front sight. (Group was low thus front site had to be filed down. If the group were HIGH, you would need to braze on additional front site and file to level it.)

3" low / 900 inches (75') = X / 21 or .070 to be filed off. Wow..........THAT is a lot. Get out the micrometer, measure site height NOW and start filing. OK......that looks like enough based on the remeasuring. I had a NICE new file so after about 10 strokes I would remeasure since you DEFINITELY do NOT want to take off too much.

Above is the target result of the filing. WONDERFUL group now within the black at 75 feet. NOW, with the front site properly set, I can hit the bull at 150' MUCH easier and not have to use KENTUCKY WINDAGE. (I initially had to raise the rear site to 350 yards to get a decent sight picture at 300 feet!.

My first carbine - Inland born in September of 1943 produces a real find group right out of the box. I suspect I could 'right click' one time to get the group slightly more to the right but.........it might push it as far right as it now is left.

Now both my babies can do me justice when I hit the LONG distance range in Manassas. A friend has membership at the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club and their range is PERFECT for some 50, 75, 100 and 200 METER target and dinger shootin'. "Thair ain't nuttin' funner than shootin' your guns at DINGERS at 200 meters and hearin' them go DING". Sure beat setting up the scope and trying to see where ya hit the PAPER target.

I have taken my new H&R (HRA) Garand (born June 1955) to that range and she has performed quite well. I am going to have to get a lockbar for the rear sight or at least a battle sight (rear) as it tends to come loose after a few enblocs have been run through her. She does put down a great group though - for these old eyes and open sights.

Nuff of this for now.

Later

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-24T10:34:00.005-04:00

May 24, 2009 Memorial Day - Northern Virginia

Being "On Call" over Memorial Day sure isn't much fun since one can't be further than one hour away from Fairfax County. That was my 'luck of the draw' when they pulled the names from the hat in December. Oh well, I get ONE WHOLE EXTRA hour of comp time with it being a HOLIDAY. WOO HOO ;)

I usually 'try' to make the Rolling Thunder ride every year. Sometimes I have to work and other times it is just not worth the trouble. But this year I had to try. I normally leave with the group from Patriot Harley in Fairfax City. This year they pulled out around 0910 HR and merged onto I-66 near Vienna. BUT.........things were progressing MUCH MUCH too slowly down I-66 so I got off at Rt 29/237 at Washington Blvd in Falls Church and went back home. Smart move as I did NOT want to get into the mess at the Pentagon (which I usually bypass and go on to the Lincoln Memorial - right at I-66 entrance). However, I did not want to risk getting 'stuck' and not being able to respond to a call so...............short ride this year. It seems that more and more MC are making the run each year - at least from Patriot Harley.

It was an OK ride. Nothing spectacular. OK weather wise. SO SO run. Would have been much better had I been able to get to the Lincoln Memorial and the WALL to check on some buddies of mine but.............maybe next year.

SHOOTIN' TIME

2009-05-17T18:25:00.010-04:00

FT. Shenandoah, Va May 17, 2008

Annual North-South Skirmisher Association Shoot - What an event. There are 65 stations for two 'shoots' and each 'shoot' has 3 groups (A, B and C) consisting of 8 shooters each. SO........just for THAT double 'shoot' there are 3120 shooters. WOW.............all black powder and quite impressive when the shootin' begins. Each 'shoot' consists of various size clay targets at 50 yard and at 100 yard. Needless to say........FUN FUN FUN. There are CARBINE class, smoothbore and one other I forget.

Appropriate dress is sorta mandatory but.........not absolutely 'strict' as to having some more 'modern clothing'. My two friends are dressed in CONFEDERATE because they are with the 8th VIRGINIA. YEA!! One main rule...........no weapons to be shot that were manufactured AFTER 1865 (reproductions allowed).

It was kinda 'cool' temp wise during the three hours of the first 'shoot'. As it was ending, the sun came out a little and started to 'warm' things up. The wind was something to put up with also. BUT.....no rain today.

FT SHENANDOAH has a pretty massive campground and trailer park where the participants stay during the three day shoot. Most arrive Friday and leave Sunday evening.

I can see why it is tons of fun. Watching the clay targets disintegrate is FUN.

If I were younger (and richer) I may have considered joining. But......it might take a few more buck than I can afford now (uniform, weapon, black powder, lead, percussion caps, dues and time...............nope, I am too old!) Plus, it would be tuff to travel to a 'shoot' on a motorcycle........ Ya think?

I then went to the NRA to shoot my new Underwood Carbine and HRA Garand. Carbine shoots low so I will have to 'grind' down the front site. Garand..........I just have to learn the sight adjustments. Had a blast though.

Later ya'll.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T19:26:00.008-04:00

May 10, 2009 Barboursville, VA

Well, just had to take the motorcycle South today to celebrate the arrival of Matt's inlaws, Mother's Day and see my Main Man Jenkin.

Wonderful drive down. Not too crowded and made decent time. While shooting the breeze with Jenkin, he decided to boog-a-loo a little while sitting in his seat. He definitely has the moves.

Matt broke in his new grill and we had a wonderful feast of Hamburger with blue cheese. I blew my diet.

Everyone went outside to take in the SUN (wow.......almost forgot what it looks like) and chow. Matt is luck enough to have help in construction of a deck and the beginning steps for its installation was begun. Kerry is THE man for the job as he has built many a home. The first of 8 footers were dug encountering the Infamous Virginia CLAY. Soil down in Greene County sure is not like the wonderful soil here in Fairfax.

Jenkin and I shot the breeze for a few more minutes. His Aunt Kelly even joined in our talks. I think she has a new boyfriend. All in all it was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful Mother's Day. Sure hated to leave but......... Northern Virginia was calling me back home.

JJ..........later Dude.

LATEST AND GREATEST

2009-04-26T13:56:00.004-04:00

APRIL, 2009 Barboursville, VA

The STUD is growin' up. JJ decided to put on his manly dudes and wanted to try out some of his attitude impressions. He tried the 'Happy Face' as well as his one of his best: 'Whatd U Say' face.

I think he has both of them down pat. JJ is really growing up and developing into a 'Stud'.

WEIGHT GAIN

2009-04-09T10:59:00.010-04:00

April 2009 Barboursville, VA

Too nice a day to let it go to waste so.........I decided to take a quick 1 hour 50 minute ride down to surprise Jenkin on Church Conference day during the lunch break between 2 pm and 4 pm. Arrived to find him sleeping but soon awake for his lunch. He and I visited during the conference and soon was showing me his CRYING impressions, weak impressions of 'laughing' as well as a few more impressions.

Well, it didn't take long for Jenkin to exhibit that he was getting totally bored with this "Impressions game" and wished to end doing any more so......I took a quick pic and decided to exit at the end of the Conference. I did notice that Jenkin has put a little weight on and has some chubby cheeks now.

6 p.m. arrived and I departed for the evening ride back up to Northern Virginia and arrived at 8:10 p.m. It was good to see Matt and Arielle who were also enjoying the warm and sunny Sunday while viewing the Conference advices and directives. All in all a great visit. Hopefully there will be many more this Spring and Summer.

JJ and Grandpa

2009-03-24T19:17:00.004-04:00

March 2009 Virginia

Jenkin is really something.

Get this: There we are, sitting around when Jenkin says he has an idea. He said "OK Grandpa, let me tell you your future". I responded "Sure - go ahead".

Then Jenkin closed his eyes (like he was looking into the future) and began waving his hand around like the fortune tellers do. I had to laugh and get a quick picture while he played this game. After I finished laughing he broke out laughing himself.

JJ sure is funny. I can't believe the games he thinks of playing.

Jenkin..........keep up the laughs Dude.

Grandpa

Its In the GENES

2009-03-20T19:44:00.005-04:00

March 21, 2009 Vienna, VA

This message is to Jenkin Richard Jones - I want to show you some pictures of your grandfather when he was but a youngster.......probably only one or two

months old.

By the way, your father looked a lot like me at this tender young age and you too look like both your father and me. Sorry DUDE.

As I have always said "Its in the GENES".

Here is one more pic of me at a slightly older age - must have been Easter time as I am admiring the Easter basket. The lady between me and my brother is my grandmother - Elsie, nickname "Nana" by Rick and me. So, now you see what you can grow older to look like!

POPEYE Jenkins

2009-03-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

March 13, 2009 Virginia

I was recently advised that when Jenkin was getting a bath, he turned to his maw and said "Hey, who is this?" and made a funny face. Obviously, JJ is watching too much TV and was trying do an impression of POPEYE. Tell me what YOU think!

Personally, I think he has to work on that impression.

Pictures from Craig

2009-03-10T07:37:00.001-04:00

30 pictures
View Album at Shutterfly

The New DUDE - JJ

2009-03-09T19:23:00.007-04:00

March 8, 2009 Charlottesville, VA

I took a quick trip down to Charville to see the newest "dude" in the Jones family get his blessing by his pa. I must admit I was proud of the blessing his Pa gave Jenkin. JJ is going to have a wonderful family to be brought up amongst. He can do nothing but succeed and become a fine young man when I see the love that will surround him and his future brothers and sisters.

At home after church while JJ and I were discussing what life has in store for him - before he grabbed a short nap (like is Pa does every Sunday) -we were covering what he will have to look forward to in High School when he suddenly turned to me and said:

"Grandpaw, I think I just pooped my diaper". I was able to snap a quick picture of him when he was telling me this. That is the pic above left.

Anyway, just before and once he began his nap, I was able to snap a few more pics of JJ. He is a blast to watch while he naps. Here are a few: To the left he is advising me that he is going to be a Bigger Jock than his Pa was in High School (and shoot better too).

We were able to cover a few subjects before he began his nap. Guess we will have to cover the rest on a later visit. JJ is really something. He has a good sense of humor and makes me laugh with some of his jokes (One of his favorite is 'cutting a fart' when you are talking to him! He tries to ignore it (like his Pa does) but......we all know).

I almost forgot: I have been trying to teach Jenkin to whistle. He almost has it down. Here is a picture to prove it. Maybe next visit he will master it. He just can't quite get it out yet. I shall keep trying - and I know he will cuz he isn't a quitter:

Later ya'll. Grandpa

REFLECTION

2009-03-04T19:24:00.009-05:00

MAY 1969 to Apr 1970 Republic of South Viet Nam

Ahhhhh...........the good 'young' days.........back when life was one hell of an adventure that good ole Uncle Sam gave many a youngster. Looks like about 80 lbs ago and lots more hair. Well......that LIFE.

I did not have many Nam pics (plenty of slides but not pics) but just wanted to POST them here.......for whatever that's worth. Most were in/outside the town of Nha Trang RVN where I was stationed with the 575th Medical Dispensary and assigned to pull duty at the 8th Field Hospital compound where the dental clinic was located. My MOS was 97E........dental assistant.

I was lucky enough to assist one of the finest Oral Surgeons in RVN. I learned a lot.........in anticipation of getting back stateside, finishing my college and get into Dental School. However, it seems that life had other plans.

Oh well..........so it goes. Full of surprises. OK.......I won't GO THERE (Surprises that is).

Later TA TA

THE PLAN.......HOW TO GET MORE ATTENTION

2009-02-24T19:59:00.007-05:00

February 14 - 23, 2009 Albquerque, New Mexico

OK.........picture this. Ya wake up Saturday, have a cup of coffee and discuss what the weekend has in potential for fun. Ya think your stomach is just experiencing indigestion and remark about it. The wife says NO - not with those other discomforts you are describing. You deny any problems.

A little while later the wife says "You either get into the car and we go to the hospital or I call 911"(after remembering that ya had hardly any life insurance worth cashing in on :) Well............being a JONES, you want to save $$ so take the car.

At the hospital - you are directed to get some X-rays. While waiting to get them you say "I feel faint" and keel over ---- with a heart attack. Now there must be a better way to get attention DUDE.

X-rays etc reveal a need for triple bypass but..........first we gotta give the heart time to recover from TWO heart attacks (and, gee whiz - it is a holiday Monday so............let's just wait till Tuesday).

Tuesday comes with all being set for the bypass (and what a GREAT Doctor ! One fantastic guy) and during the first portion while ON THE TABLE you decide to have another heart attack. The anesthesiologist is able to 'do his thing' and all proceeds. It is learned that a QUADTRUPLE bypass is necessary now. 7 hours later you are in recovery.

BUT.........the heart rate is twice what it is suppose to be AND slightly irregular. After four days things are leveled out (after getting zapped to resolve the irregular beat) and you FINALLY can go home. ORDERS: Walk at least one mile a day (not necessarily all at once), stay on Oxygen for a while, CHANGE your diet and QUIT SMOKING. Well, between you and me - THAT WOULD BE THE TOUGHEST PART!

So ........ Rick started walking around (as ordered) on day six while at the hospital and continued the first day at home. WHAT A DUDE.

WOW MAN, the plan for a little more attention paid off! There.....was THAT enough for a week?

So - with the family history we have, little ole me is going to head to the doctor and ask for another stress test. The last one I had was about ten years ago. Let's just see how I do THIS time.

Well, it looks like his proposed visit to Virginia in early March will be postponed. And seeing the nephew, Jenkin Richard Jones, will have to wait. Darn.

Rick..........you are doing GREAT man. Hang in there on that JOB of quitting smoking. The two of you can do it. You should be in better shape now than before the by-pass.

OH, and next time - no more shenanagans like that to get me to visit.

ENJOY YOURSELF.....IT'S LATER THAN YA THINK

2009-02-18T20:26:00.003-05:00

February 18, 2009 Virginia

Well........ya never know do ya. Just when ya think things are going great and ..........life is level - ya get smacked between the eyes. I recently learned that my brother (18 months older) had experienced a heart attack. He was denying it but the good ole wife said "Either I take ya to the hospital or I call 911". TO the hospital they went - only to suffer a heart attack while being x-rayed. ZAPPED him back and determined that a triple bypass would be needed. A few days of rest allowed him to prepare physically (and mentally I suspect) to the surgery. However, into the operation it was determined that a QUADRUPLE by-pass would be necessary. (Daughter and brother to right)

One day later all is fine. Up and about.............already walking twice around the nursing station to show off. What a guy. WOW.

I am not sure I could do that so quickly. OH............smoking will have to end. We all knew that. And it will be tuff but............after what he has been through, he knows it is necessary.

Way ta go guy. I am proud of ya. Keep exercising and ............. get your butt back here to see my new grandchild.

JENKIN RICHARD JONES Pics

2009-02-09T21:13:00.005-05:00

February 9, 2009

Here is a site with more pics of my GRANDSON.......Jenkin Richard Jones. Wonderful times!
Great pics from Matt's baby sitter of years ago!

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=5de03749a834f2036cbbd47cbb382743&sid=8AbNGjZi1cs3Lg

The above site is Shutterfly and 'should' be accessible to others. Enjoy

Check this out

Jenkin Richard Jones Arrival FINALLY!

2009-02-08T00:34:00.005-05:00

February 7, 2009 Charlottesville, VA Martha Jefferson Hospital

Well, Jenkin just wanted to arrive at HIS lesiure and made Mom Arielle wait from around 7 a.m. until about 8 p.m. Jenkin Richard Jones is quite alert, has more hair than Dad and was 6 lb 2 oz in weight. Hopefully he inherited his dad's genes and not his paternal grandfathers and will stay slim and trim.

I don't remember Matt and Kelly being sooooooo tiny! Happy times are here. Jenkin's length was not announced by Dad.

OK Dad - time to step up to the plate. Its now only the first inning of a L O N G game.

(editor) I was warned to remove the picture of the mom so.........I have complied. Just added a few more of Jenkin

ANOTHER LONG WEEKEND

2009-01-19T18:36:00.007-05:00

January 16 to January 19, 2009 NOVA to Luray, Va and Back

Well, it is THAT weekend. Yep, the one where any SANE person is to be OUT of the D.C. area for sure. SO.......I headed SOUTH to see a friend in Waynesboro to return a borrowed recording unit and then head up to Luray to spend some down time with a few friends. Lazy time to relax, watch movies, play cards, read and just unwind

AND EAT OUT.

Monday a.m. we were surprised with a small snow fall which appeared to bring out the rednecks and their trucks. I left around noon time to head back to NOVA and found a few accidents along the 'back road' to Luray and on Rt 340.

The local volunteer fire department was in the process of pulling an SUV up an embankment from amongst some trees. From what I saw the 'young driver' just failed to negotiate a slight curve and drove off the opposite side of the road, down a 15 foot embankment into some trees. He couldn't have been going that fast cuz the damage was relatively minor considering the size of the trees. Further along the trip near Front Royal, Rt 55 was covered in ice and the speed limit was about 5 mph for about 8 miles - up and then down and then up and down the road - until I-66. Hallaleulah..........70 mph!!

I blow thru Vienna to arrive home to a very hungry cat. Unload, get the mail and newspaper and lock my self in the castle - armed for anything that might arrive tomorrow.

Later ya'll. Killer Jones

Are You KIDDING ME?!

2009-01-12T19:00:00.004-05:00

January 11, 2009 Tysons Corner Mall Cinema

OK.........I have JUST got to BLOG this incident. To me - it is just unbelievable.

Sunday evening I proceeded to the Tysons Corner Mall and arrive near the ticket counter to purchase a ticket. The window lines are pretty long so I decide to proceed to the computer kiosk where there are four lines for computerized purchases. I chose what looks like a speedy line. I notice that I have 20 minutes before the show STARTS but know that I really have more time since there are at least 15 minutes of previews etc.

The line is moving, slowly, but..........NO PROBLEM I think to myself. As I get closer to the kiosk I check the listings over the other ticket window which lists ALL the shows and the times they start. OK....no problem since GRAN TORINO starts in 15 minute. Closer........closer.

Now.........directly behind me is a middle aged lady with two youngsters in their early teens and a boy around 8 or so. Behind her are 15+ more people. And ahead of me is a late 20's guy with what MIGHT be his wife.......can't tell. He shall now be known as MR DUHHH. I keep to myself (as usual) leaving a pretty big space (enough for two or three people) between me and Mr. DUHHH to allow for people to cut through the LINE to access the other kiosk lines OR go to the window lines. NO problem with that idea other than a lot of people coming up BEHIND me and saying "excuse me". (NOW I ASK YOU.........WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK THIS BIG SPACE IS FOR IN FRONT OF ME...............PLENTY OF SPACE FOR YOU TO FIT YOUR BIG A** THROUGH) I even had one girl ask if I was in line..........even though there were at least 15+ behind me patiently waiting like me. And I will tell you now............I DID move up as the line moved up. It's not like I was stationary.

OK.........now the good part. When Mr DUHHH is 3rd in line, he tells his wife to go to the food court to get some food. She goes. Mr DUHHHI then steps up since he is at the head. I observe the following:

OK.........log on. Go to the page listing TODAYS movies. Page 1 - view the listed movies. Touch the screen on X movie to see the times it starts. Nope. Back. OK - lets check THIS one. Nope. Ok...nothing on this screen. Next list (page 2) This one. Nope. Maybe this one.....times? Nope. Next list of movies.........hmmmmmmmm........nothing here. BACK to 2nd page. This one.

Now by this time I comment to the lady behind me "Guess he is looking......might take a while". In the mean time half of the people behind her are looking kinda mad. My next comment to the lady behind me (in a voice that can be heard by Mr. DUHHH) "You'd think that after waiting in line for 15 minutes, you'd have an idea of which movie you would want a ticket for since ALL THE MOVIES ARE LISTED OVER THERE AT THE WINDOW WITH THE START TIME FOR EACH ONE". Mr. DUHHHH then turns around and just looks at me. After about 15 seconds I turn to the lady and say "He is trying my patience now". Mr DUHHH continues to go to page 3 and back to 2 and 1 and then up to 2 and then 3 - checking the start time for a few of them each time.

By now I am making the 'crazy sign' to the people behind me (making a circle around the right ear) since THEY are even making a few loud remarks about HURRY UP.

Well........guess who steps up to the plate and takes charge! WO LA! You guessed it. Meak and mild little ole me (LOL) Enough of this crap. I step up beside him and say:

"Excuse me. You'd think someone who has been standing in this line for 15 minutes would have had the sense to look at the list of movies and times they start. See - over there..... and had an idea of which one they were going to pick by the time they got to the head of the line". Mr DUHHH only turns and looks at me...........says NOTHING and proceeds to go through the different pages of listed movies. No remark, no statement, absolutely NO RESPONSE........other than listen to the 25 people behind me giving him some grief also.

Me to lady behind me: "This dude has a problem. UNBELIEVEABLE". After what seems like an eternity.............(probably was only 15 more seconds though), I loose it. (Yep...............good ole me is back) My response to Mr DUHHH, " Would you PLEASE make up your mind. There are at least 25 other people waiting in line who KNOW what movie THEY want. SHIT OR GET OFF THE POT".

Well, THAT finally got a response. He remarked ".........if I wasn't a christian, I would punch you in the face". I said "If it would help you make a decision - PLEASE do it". About this time Ms. DUHHH arrives back with the food. A few wispered words are exchanged between the two.

Well, by this time I think he just wanted to get ANYTHING. He proceeded to choose a movie and pay for it. Well............that is easier said than done in Mr. DUHHH's case. It seems that his credit card was not working. Try again. And again. Another card. Again. again. First card. Nope. (A few of the times I noticed he was putting the card in upside down, even backwards).

Now..........should I help him by providing him guidance on just HOW to insert a credit card? NO.........he would just refuse to listen. Heck, he might even have been REALLY trying my patience and doing that on purpose.

EURIKA! His purchase is made, tickets are ejected, he turns to me and glares and most of the crowd behind me CHEER.

My ticket for GRAN TORINO is purchased and I proceed to the door. Yep, who is there but........ Mr DUHHH and Ms. DUHHH. Luckily they are in the other line and are NOT going to MY movie.

Seating is almost full but I locate a single seat. AH...........good ole Clintwood. Now THAT IS MY MAN. He sure tells it like it is. Exactly what is on his mind. (Kinda like me I guess).

Gran Torino is JUST the movie I needed after what I went through. I LOVED EVER MINUTE OF IT. WOW.

SO...............people. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...........have the courtesy of having choosen your movie if you wait in line for 15 minutes. Gee wiz............you are not the ONLY person in the world. Some people THINK. You should too. DUHHHHHHHHH

HOLIDAYS

2009-01-11T20:46:00.010-05:00

December 24, 2008 to January 4, 2009 Northern Virginia

Came and went quick. Two 4 day holidays spend doing:

.........not much other than relaxing, shooting, eating and lounging around. Had a blast at an outdoor range and pretty well did nothing much more. With one more 4 day weekend approaching, I am looking forward to SPRING ARRIVING soon so I can get my fat ass in the MC and do some riding ! :)

Happy New Year 2009. woo hoo.

PS July 24 was the "D" DATE. Took this long to learn that fact though :(

Time Off & Ad Libing a Little too

2008-12-07T11:37:00.020-05:00

November 27 - 30, 2008 NOVA

Another year........another Thanksgiving Day. This one was no different (ahem) BUT let it be known that I am not complaining. NOT AT ALL. Usual lazy day(s): over eating, TV, napping, taking pics, shopping etc.

Missing most this year was the presence of MISSY. She did so love 'family get togethers'. There is a 'new' doggie on the block though. Since I am totally use German Shepherds, I have to do a little getting use to this one. I can't even remember her name - doooohhhhh. No complaints though as she is 'cute' (if you are into 'cute'). She does absolutely NO BARKING - and that is a freak out as ole Missy would totally announce the arrival of ANYONE at the door - family or not. So - quiet is a change - and I am not quite sure if it is totally appreciated even though the BARKING of ole Missy DID get to me sometimes. We just could not quite 'train' Missy to announce the arrival and then - SHUSHHHHH. It was totally our fault as she COULD show that she would comply with the doggie trainer. It was just that WE did not follow through properly.

We all had a wonderfully home prepared meal by the women of the house - as evidenced here. It was totally enjoyed by all - as well as the next few days for snacking. Good job girls. Thanks.

Matt took up his (and Paco's) usual position. Need I say what that was? NO. I will just show in a pic. He has mastered that position and if he were to be graded on performance and enthusiasm, I would award him a A+. Good job Matt.

FRIDAY: being BLACK FRIDAY, it was to involve the 'girls' shopping while the guys went to the NRA range to kill some paper targets by trying out the new AR-15 as well as the recently acquired WWII M-1 Carbine.

Suspecting to find a short waiting line (it opens at 1000 hr) we arrived at 0940 - only to find a L - O - N - G line of over 15+ awaiting to improved their shooting skills (or display how poor they shoot). Since there are only 15 lanes to shoot on, I suspected we MIGHT have to wait one hour for an open lane - unless we were lucky enough to have some of the 15 ahead of us needing to take the written test to qualify for using the range. Lo and behold - that was the fact and we were lucky enough to get a shooting lane for each of us. The AR-15 was sighted in and proved a formidable rifle - although not of sufficient caliber to be utilized as a big game (deer) rifle. There is NO doubt it could do some damage. However, due to the chance of only wounding big game and not dropping them IN THEIR TRACKS, it is not to be used for that purpose. Oh, take on the coyote or jackrabbit of the Western States or cottontail, groundhog, fox, raccoon, opossum, squirrel (not much left to eat if used) or crow of the eastern United States, it is quite sufficient. But any large mammals would be only wounded unless a perfectly placed heart shot was accomplished - and even then it might trot away a few steps.

Nuff said. Later CO

BEAUTY NEAR ITS PEAK

2008-11-23T10:01:00.004-05:00

November 23, 2008 N. Virginia via Ruckersville, VA

I find it necessary to 'post' this wonderful picture on MY blog due to the fact that a certain person tried to bury it on another BLOG. It appears that 'she' does not want to share. So there...........now everyone can enjoy! :)

FYI This is Arielle........my son's wife. What a wonderful mother she will be. To Arielle I say "GOTCHA".

Latest and Greatest

2008-11-14T21:09:00.016-05:00

November 14, 2008 Vienna, VA

Its been a while. I know. Just been busy lately. TSA job is NO MORE. Felt it was time to up the income what with the current situation as it is - so...........was lucky enough to be hired back at the Health Department before the County position freeze went into effect. I am back at what I was doing back in 1973 through 1985!! WOO HOO (and back when I was single (Pre-1976) and living a life of "DO AS YOU PLEASE").

ANYWAY, I lucked out and got a position in Onsite Sewage and Water at the Fairfax County Health Department as an EHS II. When I left the HD back in 2002 I was an EHS IV; but...........what with all the raises, cost of living increases, etc. I am making out pretty darn well even though I 'dropped' quite a few 'grades'. Let's just say..........I am out of the "hole" I was digging in the past 16 months.

Took a brief trip to Alabama between jobs to see an ole High

School friend and his wife. I try to get down there yearly to touch base in person. Is always GREAT to see them both.

Returned to find my BIG brother visiting (for work). Had a good visit with him after he completed his work schedule. The whole family was able to visit with him before he flew back to New Mexico. Matt and Arielle came up the day he was flying back and visited for a while. It was a good time by all.

Latest news GUN wise - I am the new owner of an M1 Carbine. Wonderful shooting carbine. I took it out recently to sight it in and kill a few targets. Awesome. I can't wait to get it out on the LONG distance range in Manassas (ie: 200 meter) and plunk away at my 10" steel plate....... "dinggers" they are called. Hopefully I will be able to do that Thanksgiving weekend.

Well........we all know that summer and fall seasons are about over for us here in Northern Virginia and the ole MC will be ridden less and less (if at all). Here's hoping for a VERY SHORT winter so that the old MC can be out and about without freezing one's a** off.

Till later

JONESY Jr. !!

2008-10-12T09:11:00.005-04:00

Oct 12, 2008 NOVA

Finally ............. it is official. See Arielle's blog. A happy GF Dad

OUT AND ABOUT

2008-10-06T16:55:00.006-04:00

October 4, 5, 2008 NOVA to Valley to NOVA

(FORGOT CAMERA SO NO PICS) :(

It was a necessity. Just had to be. Woke up Saturday to a beautiful day and made the decision to get on the ole MC and just ride. Call to my friend in Waynesboro proved worthwhile and the decision to ride toward his place was made. He had a few errands to accomplish before he could ride so.....I took my time getting there. Out I-66, down Rt 211 toward Luray. Stopped at a gun shop near Sperryville to view what they had......GLOCK dealer mainly but they did have many other 'trades' as well as a few new rifles - M-16 etc. Then, over the mountain to rt 340 and down to Waynesboro. No one home when I arrived so I grabbed the 22 rifle to rid the farm of rabbits and groundhogs. NOT A ONE TO BE SEEN. I suspect they now know to hide when ole Dead Eye arrives :)

Mr friend arrived soon after. We accomplished a few of the 'jobs' on the "honey do list" and were on our way. WESTWARD was the decision after getting gas near I-64. Many times we know the general area we want to head; but, let the decision of which/what road to take is made unplanned. This time we knew we wanted to get toward Rt 42; but, did not care how it was accomplished. Somewhere along the path we choose Rt 602 which is just east of Little North Mountain - just wsw of Staunton. AND WHAT A ROAD IT IS. Lovely small towns - some dated 1833 as to settlement. Two or three BEAUTIFUL large brick mansions with large columns from ground to roof - all dated PRE-Civil War. An absolutely beautiful winding, tree covered, stream following country road. It joined Rt 39 which took us to Goshen along the Maury River. Beautiful views and road along here. From Goshen we grabbed Rt 42 northward back toward Staunton.

It was along this road we saw a sign RIFLE RANGE - just outside Augusta Springs. It seems the NRA and Virginia Fish and Wildlife have established a range for rifle/pistol and archery off FR82. NOW I have a place to shoot my 50-70 Rolling Block and K98 Mauser...........as well as my soon to be M1 Carbine.

We were soon back at the homestead for dinner and relaxation.

Sunday found us heading to Charlottesville to see my son (Matt) and his wife (Arielle). SURPRISE!

I FIND IT NECESSARY TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT SINCE A CERTAIN YOUNG LADY WILL NOT MAKE IT ON HER BLOG:

I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDFATHER!!!! DELIVERY IS MID-FEBRUARY. WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oK...nuff of that)

After a brief stop (and watching the Skins loosing to the Eagles just before half time) we both headed up Rt 29 and westward on Rt 33. We departed at Skyline Drive - me heading north on it and my friend heading over the mountain to Rt 340 and home. Nice lazy drive up Skyline Drive to Rt 211, eastward to Rt 66 and ultimately home arriving some 409 miles from initially leaving on Saturday.

All in all - a most enjoyable two days of MC riding. I am just disappointed I did not have my camera as there were many opportunities for great pictures along the entire route. Maybe next time.

TA TA The Ole Geezer

2008 MC TRIP PICTURE SUMMARY

2008-09-09T10:51:00.003-04:00

Should you be interested in viewing all of the pictures that were taken during this trip, you may visit this site:

2008 MC Trip

3OILHD

IN MEMORIAM - OUR SWEET MISSY

2008-09-08T20:48:00.025-04:00

SEPTEMBER 8, 2008 Great Falls Vet Clinic, Virginia

MISSY - 1998 to 2008

THOUGHTS ON PETS, GROWING UP, LOYALTY AND A WONDERFUL COMPANION NAMED MISSY

I have been a lucky guy most of my life. When I was a youngster and growing up at "Twin Spring", my grandparents always had a 'watch dog' as well as cats. Oh. we had other animals like chickens, bantam roosters, ducks and an occasional guinea fowl as well as a TOM turkey that was fattened up for Thanksgiving. But, each summer I would return to visit I always had a few 'friends' to occupy my summer play time there in the woods.

Kittens were always in abundance during certain times of the summer. Then, all of a sudden, most of them would disappear. Grandpa said it seemed that the 'varmints' would get to all but one. And it was always my favorite one that was spared. Lucky me.

Some summers I would return to find a new dog greeting me. Most times it was either a German Shepherd or a mixed breed with German Shepherd blood obtained from the county pound (now called a shelter). It seems that they always seemed to perform their required task of being a watch dog better than other breeds. See - our dog's job was to announce the arrival of ANY vehicle that approached up our 3/8 mile long gravel drive as we lived 'out in the country up in the woods' (at THAT TIME). German Shepherds were loud barkers as well as quite intimidating - even though ours were 'chained' up near the dog house next to the driveway (later put in a pen to run free). I can remember many a car coming up the drive "to see what was up here" only to quickly turn around because of the VICIOUS DOG. I got many a laugh from that.

When I moved into my grandparents house in 1979 I inherited a German Shepherd that was getting on in years. Soon after moving in - I had to put him down as he had inherited the infamous German Shepherd hip displasya problem. Since I was so used to having a watch dog I began looking for another. I soon found a beautiful two year old German Shepherd and named him RALPH. Big, black and tan, proud and quite intimidating. As my children grew up around him he became accustom to them and still performed his duties of WATCH DOG.

Well. as usual - old age and hip displasya took his life. Since Matt and Kelly were so used to having a dog we decided to get a puppy this time. A check in the newspaper found a breeder in West Virginia. A trip was made to visit the mother and her remaining pups and we choose a cute 6 week old male. It was decided to name him ROCKY.

Now HERE was a proud German blooded German Shepherd. He even had 'papers' to prove he was of royal blood. And proud of it. Since he was a young pup when we got him, it was decided that he would be a house dog and not like his predecessors - an outside watch dog. Rocky eventually grew to be a fit 110 pounds. You would have thought that being that big he would not be a good choice as a 'house dog' but he learned quickly what his limits were to be. Rocky was great around the kids as they grew up and was quite tolerant of their abuse. Nope - ROCKY was one royal German Shepherd.

Well........the kids were fun for Rocky but.............how 'bout a playmate. It seems that a friend of mine at work has a daughter that had a German Shepherd of American blood. Even had been traced through Rin-Tin-Tin! :) (American blood lines seem to be of smaller bone structure and have shorter hair). We were told she was being kept in a crate while her owner goes to work but had become an escape artist and a barker. Would we PLEASE take her.

(My parents had acquired an American German Shepherd in 1966. She was black and silver and a totally devoted, wonderful dog of about 50 pounds. When I went away to Viet Nam in 1969 and returned one year later I had the most wonderful greeting from her. I will never forget it. All her barking, talking, running around, tail wagging, craziness was such a sight. What a welcome. Better than I got from many a person getting off the plane in Seattle! )

So.......it was agreed that another German Shepherd would be welcome into the Jones family. She was greeted by Rocky who graciously accepted her into the family. Rocky and her would go outside to run and play and exhaust themselves playing tag. Both dogs loved chasing squirrels as well as deer. Since we live in the woods on 11 plus acres, we were blessed? by having an abundance of deer passing through to feeding on the luscious grass and abundant acorns around the house.

With this problem in mind, it was decided that an underground electric fence would benefit their exercise and limit their wandering (we thought). So, an underground electric fence was laid out providing them with well over two acres to roam and play while limiting them (hopefully) from chasing deer into the adjacent subdivision. Rocky, having such long, thick, luscious fur around his neck where the electric collar was placed, would just lower his head and blow through the electric fence if chasing a deer. It did not faze him whatever. Missy soon learned the trick too and both were forever disappearing somewhere into the jungle after deer. Normally they would soon return - huffing and puffing and wanting some water. "BAD DOGS - BAD DOGS. SHAME ON YOU TWO - Now get inside!"

Well, proud ole Rocky was soon exhibiting the rear leg paralysis that occurs frequently with German Shepherds. He was not a happy dog at this point in his life. Normally, when feeding him you could remove the food bowl or move it but Rocky was developing an 'attitude' and just not feeling too good. Poor ole Rocky even had to be helped to get outside to 'do his thing'. Nope - we could tell he was not too happy living this way. A visit to the vet confirmed Rocky had lived the limit of his active, proud life and would be grateful if we sent him to dog heaven. Knowing what we had to do, one Fall afternoon we helped Rocky take his final walk around the homestead. We walked along the trails and enjoyed his companionship during the one last hike he could do with us. It was a struggle for him but.........he dogged it out. What a champ.

The next few weeks were hell for Missy. She had never gone outside alone and just did not know what to do. I am sure she thought "Where is my buddy -ROCKY? This is no fun alone." She looked like a lost puppy all alone outside with nothing to do. However, she was soon refocusing on the squirrels and deer and back to the same bad habit of blowing through the electric fence to run after the deer - this time alone. (And we paid HOW MUCH for that useless fence!)

One evening Missy had been let out to do her 'thing'. Well, she never returned. We all proceeded to scour the neighborhoods surrounding our homestead over the next three hours. I went through the adjacent wooded property calling her name to no avail well past dark. Our biggest worry was her trying to cross State Route 7 which was a MAIN east-west route from Tysons Corner to Reston and points west. The traffic along that road is quite heavy and has no time to stop for a dog chasing a deer dumb enough to try to cross the road. By bed time she had not returned so we left the porch light on and went to bed. At 3 a.m. I woke up to check for her and found her lying on the back porch - whimpering a little. I led her to the bedroom and let her lay on her bed next to my bed. Through out the rest of the night she whimpered a little and had labored breathing. By 6 a.m. we knew we had to take her to the vet. Our vet confirmed what we suspected. Missy had been hit and broke her hip and was in a lot of pain. "You need to take her to the surgery clinic in Springfield. They are awaiting your arrival."

VET: "Missy has a broken hip and possibly a punctured kidney. She has been given medication and is not in as much pain now. What do you want to do? We can fix her broken hip and conduct more tests to check out the kidney. Missy is in the back room resting but let me go get her and bring her in here for you to see her."

RITA AND I: "Wow. $5000 to fix her! That is a lot of money. hmmmmm.....But she will be able to run - just with a goofy gait. Hmmmmmm........I don't know. What do YOU think? Oh, here's Missy.

I ask you. How in the WORLD can you NOT say yes to spending the money to fix your sweetheart when she lays there, looking up at you with those big black eyes and trying like hell to wag her tail even though she is HURTING! We HAD just sold the property and surely had the money. It would be tough to spend that cash on furniture and to forever think as you sat on that couch or sat in that chair or looked at that TV that it could have been MISSY instead.)

VET: "Missy is one of the best behaved, beautiful German Shepherd dogs we have seen here at the clinic. All the staff has come to LOVE HER." (gotta sell this surgery)

RITA AND I: "OK........proceed." This was a decision we NEVER REGRETTED.

Missy became the queen of the house. She shared our abode with two cats who had been present when she initially arrived at our old house. Rocky had never bothered the cats and Missy must have learned from him that they were just playmates and NOT to be chased.

Oh, that's not to say Missy was a total doll. She was stubborn about quieting down when the door bell had been rung. And she was quite protective of her property and mom and dad. Anyone approaching would be advised by her barks to "advance and be recognized".

Taking a walk with her was more like her taking YOU for a walk. A few words and tugs on the leash would remind her to stop tugging and walk slowly. When still living back at Twin Springs, we used to initially start the walk with her on a leash. Once down the driveway and into the woods we would release her. Missy usually would stay within eyesight of you - always checking to see if you were still back there. A few times I would quickly hide behind a tree while she was down the trail checking for squirrels. After checking for me and not seeing me, she would come running back up the trail - scared you had left her. But then - there were times that she would encounter a deer and take off and it would take LOTS of yelling to convince her to return. Its like she had ONLY one thing on her mind:

" I gotta catch that darn animal that keeps running away from me. Oooops, who is that calling me? Oh oh.........I had better get back to Dad. Why is he yelling at me........and what the heck is he saying? Hmmmmm........ I must have been bad cuz he is putting the leash back on. NO NO......let me run. I'll be a good girl."

The move to our new house went without a hitch concerning her. Oh, she could not run outside to romp on the three electric fenced acres like she had been doing; but..........another underground fence would help that. SURE........another waste of money. SO.........I decided to build a fenced kennel for her. Well........that TOO was a waste. It seems that she would dig out under the fence. So I added BIG ROCKS outside the fence. Nope........just had to dig further. OK..........install rods into the ground so she could not push the fence out at the bottom and crawl under AND install 4" x 4" lumber inside the enclosure along the ground while keeping the rocks outside the fence. ALSO.......hang a soccer ball on her collar so it would interfer with her digging. I tired EVERYTHING possible to stop her escaping the kennel only to return from work and find her laying on the deck in the shade. The workmen building the house next door said they would watch her digging and could not believe she could get out - only to to lay on the deck.

SO............we gave up putting her in that kennel and decided to utilize a doggie crate in the house like we did when we initially got her. That worked for a while but she regressed to the puppy days with the other owner and could not stay in it. Meds were given but she remained a headcase until her dying days. Barking, howling. pawing at the crate door until her toes were bleeding. SO.........she was given the whole house to herself when we went to work. Boredom must have set in after a few weeks of freedom and we would come home to find the trash all over the floor, or the door to the larder open and a few select foods on the floor - unopened - but to show you she was PISSED about being left alone. Bread drawer was opened and bread removed...........mangling the loaf but NOT eating any bread. Oh........she wanted to show US how upset she was and let us know what she could do if we kept leaving her all alone.

But Missy was one loyal friend. If you treated her kindly she would show you how much you meant to her by her kisses, her play, her obedience and her loyalty. Oh, that's not to say she was not mischievous. As described above about when being left alone, she could readily show you how upset she was. But............being a spoiled child, what could we do. I mean - she was cute! Golly gee..........

Our son Matt became one of her best buddies. When he would return to visit it was like a LONG LOST friend had returned. Seeing sister Kelly was exciting too. But since they saw each other so often it was just like Kelly had not really been gone.

No.........there is no doubt that sweet ole Missy will be missed. Missed by her owners as well as the neighbors who had to put up with her constant barking while 'mother' was at work. No more neighborly surprises while putting out the trash at night - only to find Missy barking and charging you when allowed out to do her 'thing'. No.........Missy was the watchdog of the new neighborhood and had a job to do. Whine about being left alone, bark at anyone approaching the door, bark at the trash trucks, announce the knocking at the door, take YOU for a walk, keep the squirrels OFF the rear deck, 'bird dog' the chipmunks on the terrace, shed her hair all over the furniture if it was left uncovered, help open birthday/Christmas packages or just lay at your feel while watching ball games on TV.

Missy was one true friend. She will be missed by ALL who knew her. She had a personality that anyone who knew her could ONLY LOVE.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY ELEVEN-IT SEEMS ALL GOOD THINGS HAVE TO COME TO AN END!

2008-08-11T20:16:00.023-04:00

July 17, 2008 Craig, Colorado to Mountains of Colorado

I awaken to a partly cloudy but cool morning at 0700 hr and decide to eat a good breakfast before loading the MC and heading out since I do not have to vacate the Kabin until 1100 hr. I drive into town, locate a Pancake House and PIG out. While there I meet couple on a Honda Aspencade who are on the way to Seattle, Washington and then up into Canada.

Back to the KOA Kabin to pack and ON THE ROAD by 0900 hr. The planned route is south out of Craig on route 13/789 for 51 miles where I will pick up an unnumbered side road to Buford and the Flat Tops Wilderness. Since I will be attaining an altitude of 10,343 feet (Ripple Pass) I decide to don my riding jacket, helmet and steel toed boots to ward off the cool temps and be prepared for the worst that I may encounter. Little did I know that I would TOTALLY appreciate that choice.

Just south of Craig I pass the coal burning electrical plant and begun a rise into the foothills as I skirt along the Yampa River. Since I have no particular place to be tonight and with four days remaining in the trip, I am in no rush to get on down the road. I am just enjoying the ride.

Well, all good things must come to an end it seems. And 1000 hr seemed to be that END.

Let's just sum it up with the following. I have much more respect for the road sign you see above AND encountering a deer at 55 mph on a MC is NOT the best way to "observe" them. Trying to have a discussion with a deer who thinks IT has the right to occupy a space and time in YOUR lane is not too beneficial to the MC rider when they are soooo stubborn.

Summary: I totalled the MC BUT killed the deer. I came out of the encounter with no more than a bruised rib, hematoma on my right thigh and some 'road rash' on portions of my body (very very little considering). It appears that putting on a helmet and riding jacket (with padded elbows) aided me in surviving the encounter. These pics will suffice for a summary of the incident. (Pic to right is the skid mark of the MC)

So, now it is time to get the Colorado Highway Patrol on scene as well as a tow truck to take me back to Craig, Colorado to obtain a rental truck (as well as a new phone that was disabled in the incident). Report done, MC loaded onto the tow truck and visit to the ONLY truck rental place accomplished.

The smallest one-way truck was big enough for four motorcycles but what are ya going do? I tie down the MC with two straps only to get about 20 yards before it drops. Knowing I need 4 straps and going very slow did no good. I visit WalMart about 1/2 mile down the road to obtain the other 2 or more straps and reset the MC. GOOD.......now to get back to Denver. I spent a few hours getting the truck, new phone, tie downs and requesting a copy of the traffic report at the CHP office so I finally am on the road by 1400.

From Craig to Denver it is about 220 miles and I am able to accomplish that distance by 1900 hr. It was on uneventful trip until I cleared the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70. JUST as I exited the tunnel, the MC decided to fall again. It seems that I broke one of the wooden side rails that the tie down went around. By now I have considerably less adrenalin to aid me in up righting the MC and with it being on an aluminium floor it just does NOT want to cooperate. As the cars wiz by me (I stopped in a trucker's chain up area) I decide that it is NOT worth the effort. What the heck. Surely it is totalled anyway.

However, a gentleman DOES stop and convinces me WE could DO IT! SO..............it is back up with the front tire crammed into the corner this time with the tie downs going around TWO of the wooden side rails THIS TIME.

I arrive at my friends house unannounced and looking a little worse for the wear. It seems that I have befuddled them what with me being early, a rental truck parked in front of their house, torn pants and slightly bloodied up (I had been unable to call then since my new phone had NO phone numbers in it!). Time to unwind and see why my right thigh is throbbing. I check it out and, for the first time, see I have acquired a HUGH hematoma. It appears I landed on that thigh (as well as other portions of my body based on my tender right rib) and destroyed the phone in that pocket. Ah ha.............so THAT is why it hurts.

The next day I deliver the MC to the rental company (who had been phoned the day of the accident and told what to expect upon delivery). It is agreed. The MC is TOTALED and I was asked to take it right to the BMW dealer instead of unloading there. DONE. Back home.

Saturday the rental truck was delivered in Aurora. They did not even notice the broken side rail as I had reinstalled it.

From then on until my scheduled flight out on Wednesday was relax and recoup time. I am grateful that it was not MY MC and that I was able to come through the ordeal basically unscathed. The few scratches and aches and pains are NOTHING when I think about what COULD have happened. NOTHING.

Am I going to continue to ride? SURE. I just have a tiny bit more respect for the road side deer signs as well as the fact that a HELMET and RIDING JACKET are a necessity. Colorado is a NO HELMET REQUIRED state as well as UTAH. There are times when a helmet is not really required (as through those portions of Utah where sight distance vs animals is great). However, there are very few, if any, places in Virginia that one has that much sight distance. Nope, for me a helmet is a must. And on hot days, when I don't particularly like riding with a jacket, I will be wearing a riding jacket with padding. If you saw the elbows of my jacket you would understand.

Total miles for day: 15 short abruptly ended miles :)

TOTAL for the Trip: 1901

TO VIEW ALL MC TRIP PICS SEE HERE (PICASA)

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY TEN

2008-08-11T15:06:00.019-04:00

July 16, 2008 Provo, Utah to Craig, Colorado

Well, what a surprise this is. I have awaken to a CLOUDY sky here in Wonderful Utah. I lug everything to the motorcycle and am on the road by 0730 hr heading south on rt 189 to pick up route 6 toward Price, Utah. My other option could have been route 40 but I want some 'back' roads for views.

The plan today is to visit Dinosaur Nat'l Monument (or this site) on the way to Craig, Colorado. Once I clear Soldier Summit (elev 7477 ft) just north of Price the rain stops - except for a few sporadic showers and I pickup route 191. Some beautiful scenery is encountered along this stretch of road. Another summit is passed (9100 feet) and on the downside I encounter a number of oil wells in the valley. As the elevation drops, the vegetation thickens and the soil enriches to allow the fields to yield hay along the stream. Even the wildlife increases in number.

In Duchesne, Utah I decide to grab a breakfast around 1300 hr. Unbelievably cheap! Nice ride along the Strawberry River, through Rossevelt, Utah to Vernal, Utah where I gas up and upload the Colorado maps for my GPS. To this point it has been 173 miles from Provo).

Once through Vernal the terrain begins to turn flatter and somewhat bleaker. I can see why there were dinosaurs found in this area.

Unfortunately, time is of the essence and I decide NOT to take the 25 mile plus road up to the quarry where the dinosaurs exhibit is located. However, there is another entrance on the southern end so I head to it since it is on the road to Craig, Colorado. I am told there are NO displays of bones etc but there are some nice views. OK............I can go the 20 miles to the second overlook - just to be able to say I 'did' the park. Once on the two lane park road the elevation rises and I have a good view of the surrounding area.

The terrain has opened up and the temperatures have picked up so after taking a brief break to shoot some rocks (the prairie dogs did not cooperate), I shed the helmet and riding jacket. There is no chance of NOT seeing a deer in these wide open spaces.

I seem to have not judged the remaining mileage too good and find that I will have to "get it on" if I am to get to Craig, Colorado before the sun begins to set. The last 90 miles of the day are done at a good 'clip' and I arrive in Craig at 1930 hr. Now to find a place to stay.

Most motels were full and the one that was available was $130 since it had three beds. I say "I only need ONE". That gets no response and I depart. AH...........let's see what KOA has available. MAYBE they have a cabin.

I am lucky and am able to get a cabin. However, I did not notice the railroad track RIGHT BEHIND the cabin when I paid for the room. OOOOPS. This should be fun tonight - sleep wise.

Well, funny thing though. About 2100 hr I hear a train coming so I count the number of engines pulling the cars (three) to get an idea of how long it will be. After watching numerous coal cars go by, I hear another engine. Now, I know NORMALLY there can be an addition engine at the END to aid in PUSHING the string UP the mountain so I think "Good, that was pretty short". Well, to my surprise - it is in the MIDDLE of the string and additional coal cars go by. I loose count of the number of cars and finally see the LAST engine at the end. Oh what a night this will be. (Luckily - that was the ONLY train of the night)

There is free WIFI so I surf, download the pics of the day, update the GPS maps, take a shower and hit the sack around 2300 hr. Tomorrow I will hit the Flat Top Wilderness east of Meeker and exit the mountains near Yampa, Colorado on Route 131.

Total: 323 miles.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY NINE

2008-08-11T14:19:00.011-04:00

July 15, 2008 Colter Bay, Wyoming to Provo, Utah

Unfortunately today is the day I have to leave Teton National Park. Last night was cold (38 degrees) and I awaken to few clouds. I am packed and on the road by 0730 hr. The plan is to proceed south on route 191/89/26 through Jackson on toward Provo, Utah.

Initially I was going to head southeast on route 191 at Hoback Junction toward Rock Springs, Wyoming but there has been a change in plans. I will be visiting a friend in Provo who had a wedding reception the day I left Virginia thus I was not able to attend. I take a few more pics on the way south toward Jackson (at the infamous OX BOW on the Snake River - above left) as well as some in Jackson (right) of a ski area. In Jackson I decide to take route 22/33 over Teton Pass toward Victor, Idaho where I will catch route 31 to route 26 south and then pickup route 89 again in Alpine, Wyoming. It should be a more scenic route (and is).

I blow through Afton, Wyoming (home of the largest antler arch - left) and on toward Utah. Brief stop in Cokeville, Wyoming for gas (210 miles since Colter Bay) and on toward Evanston, Wyoming where I will catch route 150 into the Uinta Mountains of Utah. Hayden Pass (10,347 ft) is encounterd along with cool temperatures. Definitely cooler temperatures than I was enduring South of Evanston along route 150. These mountains are due east of Salt Lake and receive their fair share of snow in the winter. It is said that some of the best skiing is in this range.

Southward I go. Snack time in Kamas just before I join route 40 for a brief stretch before catching route 189 into Provo. After visiting Jeff and Chelsie I found a place to 'crash'(as in sleep but more of that later). Proof I was in Provo is a picture of the "Y" on the mountain.

Total: More than 350 but not recorded.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY EIGHT

2008-08-09T18:40:00.002-04:00

July 14, 2008 Colter Bay, Wyoming

Today I will have to move to my other assigned Tent Cabin. So, I am in no rush to get on the road as I have to wait for the other site to be vacated (Germans). I take in a breakfast at the restaurant, take a few pics at Jackson Lake and go back to my site to move. At 1110 hr I make the move even though they have not vacated it entirely. TIMES UP DUDES!

At 1130 hr I am on the road to Jenny Lake. However, I stop a few times along that route to take a number of pictures. Although I would have liked to be taking pictures much earlier in the day, these are still good pics. As one progresses along the road from Jackson Lake Junction (Willow Flats view point) to Jenny Lake, you will be heading south toward the 'middle' of the Tetons as well as closer.

The views along this road are fabulous. Each picture is golden. Once at Jenny Lake there are numerous pullouts for pictures. After relaxing at the Ranger Station at Jenny Lake I head to the new Park display at Moose Junction. It does a good job of describing the geological history of the Tetons as well as the native history. Much can be learned here. Since I have never seen the Gros Ventre slide area I decide to ride to observe it. Check out the webpage with its history. It is most interesting.

While traversing the road up to the slide area, I had passed some old log cabins which begged me to take their picture. I knew it would be a required stop as I went back down the mountain road.

I can just imagine the thoughts of the person who awoke to this view. They must have thought they were in heaven (unless it was winter time and the stove had gone out).

Heading back to rt 191 I find another herd of buffalo. These are free roaming in Teton Park. Needless to say they are a big 'draw' picture wise even though they are off the beaten path in an area called Antelope Flats. I single out a Bull who appears to want to be left alone - especially due to the attention he pays to me.

Time to head back to my tent cabin.

Total: 90 WONDERFUL miles.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY SEVEN (CON'T)

2008-08-09T16:45:00.007-04:00

July 13, 2008 Colter Bay Evening

This has GOT to be one of the most beautiful places in the United States. I have LOVED this area of Wyoming since I first saw it back in the '50's. And after working near here for three years and continuing to visit both with my family and alone, this area has a special place in my heart (and mind).

The evening view is dramatically different from the morning view. As to be expected! The sun sets behind the Tetons and rises in front of them. Similar differences can be seen at the Grand Canyon. Shadows, colors etc are dramatically different.

Obviously just one or two pictures can not do. I spend plenty of time to take a number of pictures as the sun sets. Once back at the Tent Cabin when downloading the pictures of the day I find that I took more than enough for editing. You can never have too many of the Tetons! SOOOO beautiful. Tomorrow I will capture the view presented by a rising sun from the East.

The campfires through out the camp ground aids in keeping the mosquitoes to a minimium........although they do exist! CD time at 2230 hr and bedtime. FULL MOON greets me as I turn out the light. What a wonderful day.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY SEVEN

2008-08-09T16:00:00.010-04:00

July 13, 2008 Cody, Wyo to Colter Bay, Teton NP

Awaken at 0630 hr. Grab a quick Continental breakfast, pack MC, check out and decide to hit the Buffalo Bill Historic Center before leaving since I have heard it is a MUST see. I only wish I had known that the 'ticket' ($15) is good for two days. There is SOOO much to see and do that it can not be all accomplished in the few hours I have allotted. I DO want to get to the TETONS before it is too late in order to be able to find a place to stay - if possible. Let me just say the museum is well worth the entrance fee. There are about five wings to the museum - each with something of the WEST. There is a firearm wing, Western art wing, Nature wing, Buffalo Bill wing, Indian wing. I took plenty of pics of all the 'trophy' wildlife. They will be accessible at the end of this blog about the trip should you wish to view them. I hit the road at 1130 hr after a gas up.

The route is west on route 14/16/20 back through the East Entrance, past Fishing Bridge and Lake (Hotel). I take the slight detour to take a pic of the infamous Lake Hotel. Lake Hotel was the big hangout in the summer of 1965 and 1966 for the summer help. They always had a dance in the ball room on Friday nights so.............that is where you would go to meet someone NEW for the summer.

On through West Thumb and south toward the South Entrance. A quick stop at my favorite waterfall for a pic or two before I leave YNP. Between the two National Parks is the John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway where Flagg Ranch is located on the Snake River.

The Flagg Ranch I work at in 1966 and 1967 burnt down in the 90's. The store, gas station, cabins, motel and horse stand were required to vacate the 'flood plain' they were located in if they were going to be replaced. The NEW Flagg Ranch was 'moved' to the 'bench' above the floodplain. In addition, a camping ground was added. I check out the 'store' (smaller than original) and priced the rooms. WOW........too expensive! And the dining room must have hired a WELL KNOWN CHEF because the prices were ridiculous. Good thing the EURO is doing well. THEY can afford the prices I saw. NOT ME.

ONWARD! A constant drop in elevation brings me to the shores of Jackson Lake and the TETONS! The view here is what make this WHOLE trip soooo worth while. I decide to try to get a cabin (fat chance but.......worth the try) at Colter Bay. As expected NO VACANCY. I state that I HATE to go to Jackson and pay their ridiculous prices and the Reservation Manager suggests I try the Tent Cabins office. (I NEVER knew they existed!). A brief run up the road toward the Horse Corrals leads me to the Tent Cabin office. Yes, we have one for the two nights you need. You WILL have to move from one to another but.............we have one for you. I am estatic and get them. WONDERFUL.

I want to get down to the Lake for some evening pictures since there is such a difference between sunset and sunrise pics.

Total: 147 miles.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY SIX (CONT)

2008-08-09T15:37:00.005-04:00

July 12, 2008 Cody to YNP to Cody, Wyoming

Just about as 'scheduled' Old Faithful does its thing around the 1440 hr. I snap a few pics by camera and phone before heading on toward West Thumb where I used to 'work' in the summer of 1965 and 1966 at the gas station. WOW.......43 years ago!!

West Thumb has been dismantled and the only evidence of its existence is the Ranger Station. The cabins, gas station and store have been removed and a large parking lot is the only proof of anything. The fire of 1988 would have destroyed much of those structures anyway.

Well, the day is getting on and it IS about 100 miles back to Cody so I head out along Yellowstone Lake - the largest natural lake at this elevation (7723 ft) in the United States. The road skirts the lake for about 29 miles and is relative free of tourists...........WONDERFUL. I am 'beat' by the time I approach Fishing Bridge so I take a quick 'snooze' near the Store after grabbing a snack and water. Further on I take a short side road to get a better view of the lake. Again - there is evidence of the fire of 1988.

Both breaks refresh me and although I find myself behind a few RVs, I am not too upset as the panorama is well worth taking at a slower speed. Much to see and enjoy.

Once through the East Entrance gate, the speed can pick up since you are not required to go 35 mph (speed through out the park). I am able to make good time and arrive back in Cody at 1800 hr. A quick stop at the motel to change and a visit to Arby's is made for dinner. Although it is RODEO night, I decide to catch some TV, download the pics I have taken and hit the sack.

Total: 302 miles. Wonderful day but with the TETONS tomorrow, I have a hard time getting to sleep knowing what awaits me! GODS COUNTRY.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY SIX

2008-08-09T13:24:00.013-04:00

July 12, 2008 Cody to YNP to Cody, Wyoming

Ah......What a beautiful day. I awaken at 0600 hr, take the Continental Breakfast and hit the road by 0800 hr. The plan is to take some back roads to Cooke City, Montana and enter Yellowstone NP through the NE entrance. I pickup route 296 about 17 miles NW of Cody after taking 120 out of Cody. A few more miles up the road I encounter Dead Indian Pass (8048 ft). Quite a history here. Beautiful views too. The Beartooth Scenic Hwy will have to by bypassed much to my disappointment as it traverses to the NE along Rt 212 to Red Lodge, MT. Howeer, I need to go NW toward Cooke City, MT. Maybe next time.

Near Parker, Wyo I stop for a snack and take a FAMOUS ROAD. Famous because it is Poorfats namesake! During this stop I study a topographical map of the area which notes BEAR ENCOUNTERS. It seems that there is a 20:1 ratio of Grizzly vs Black bear encounters in this area. Needless to say.......be aware on the hiking trails.

The scenery is beautiful as is the weather and sky. What a great place to take a MC ride. Further on I go over Coulter Pass and enter Cooke City, Montana. Don't blink your eyes too long because you will be through that town in a flash.

YEA.........Yellowstone NP. Free entrance with my Senior Pass and on I go toward Tower Junction in the park. Plenty of buffalo along the Lamar River for pictures. I am headed to Canyon in YNP. Along the way I encounter plenty of evidence of the 1998 fire that devastated much of YNP. After 20 years there has been some recovery but..............it will take many more years to build up the tree cover to be like it was before the fire.

Canyon is bypassed because there is construction on the road that passes along the canyon and the overlooks requiring a long walk. Since time is of the essence I decide to head on down the road toward Old Faithful.

Just past Madison Junction there is a short side road that views Firehole Canyon. There are some great views of waterfalls as well as evidence of the fire of 1998. I take a few pics before heading toward Old Faithful - bypassing the numerous geysers and mudpots in Lower and Midway Geyser Basin (and tourists!).

I arrive in Old Faithful 20 minutes before it is due to BLOW! Good............not a long wait.

2008 MC TRIP WEST-DAY FIVE (CON'T)

2008-08-09T12:52:00.006-04:00

July 11, 2008 Sheridan to Cody, Wyoming

Friday a.m. we drive down to Sheridan, Wyo for the beginning of the ride to Yellowstone NP, Tetons and areas beyond. After doing a few loads of laundry in town and having a quick lunch the MCs are loaded and by 1330 hr we are off up I-90 for 17 miles where we will catch Route 14 toward Cody. My friend and wife are pulling a MC trailer and I am fully loaded. Those 17 miles were one of the MOST interesting rides I have taken. Interesting because we are encountering gust of wind up to 50 mph. It is one thing to encounter a steady wind from one direction but THESE were gusts from all directions. A most unsteadying situation. Down right scary I do say.

I knew once we exited the Interstate and headed into the foothills then mountains that the gusts would end. Once we started up the long grade toward Granite Pass (9033 feet) I noticed the gusts had pretty well vanished my friend and wife did too. I waited for them at an overlook but after about 20 minutes I went back down to 'find' them. According to a phone message they had begun to encounter weird noises with their MC (a 2005 HD Sportster) pulling the trailer so decided that they would turn back to have it 'looked after'. It seems that I was to continue on alone. Much to my disappointment I did that. The long winding road up to Granite Pass was quite scenic and much cooler than down in Sheridan.

Once thru Granite Pass I say goodbye to the BIGHORN mountains and soon will be welcoming the 'flats' before again meeting mountains. This time they will be called the BITTEROOT Mountains. They will be seen many miles before encountering them though.

Cody, Wyoming is entered at 1800 hr. After driving through town I find a room at the Western Inn. It seems that there is a MC rally this weekend so that is why there are sooooo many motorcycles and activities. I unpack, unwind, shower and relax. I decided to use this motel as a base to hit Yellowstone NP and environs. Bed time at 2200 hr.

Total: 155 miles.

2008 WEST MC TRIP-DAY TWO (cont) thru FIVE

2008-08-05T19:33:00.011-04:00

July 8 -11, 2008 BIGHORN MOUNTAINS

I will try NOT to add too many pictures of this wonderous place in the BIGHORN Mountains. At the end of the trip summary I will leave the site that shows ALL the pictures I took on this great trip. That way you can look at what ya want. (left is coal shack converted to a bedroom).

I just want to say that Tuesday thru Friday morning we all enjoyed the company we were with, great cooking, the surrounding sights, hiking, fishing, more of the old stage coach road, wildlife (deer), humming birds, camp robbers (Western Blue Jays), squirrels, mosquitoes (they are sooo big and slow at that altitude that it is a no brainer to kill them), flora, and visitors on horseback et al.

This is THE place to unwind. There is a small stream near by (plenty of trout) which leads to a larger stream about 1 mile downstream and hiking trails to get your exercise on.

The 'gang' had a great time and I only wish I had been able to take more time to relax and enjoy the area. It is a wonderful place to spend a summer. Now WINTER time would be something else and would only be accessible off the main road by snowmobile but........wow. What a place.

I hated to leave but........Yellowstone Park, the Tetons and other places were screaming to be visited in the remaining week and two days so..........all good things must come to an end.

Total: 0 MC miles but miles and miles of great views and memories. Thanks gang.......you all were great.

2008 WEST MC TRIP-Day TWO

2008-08-05T13:56:00.012-04:00

July 8, 2008 Casper to Sheridan, Wyoming

Tuesday - Day 2 Awoke to find a few high clouds to my East but with a weather forcast of clear skies and in the 80's. Was packed and left at 0630 hr. Stopped in Kaycee, Wyoming for a nice breakfast at 0730 to 0815 hr. Kaycee is just a gas stop with a few businesses off I-25 on route 196 which was the main road north before the Interstate was built. Pretty flat terrain here with slightly rolling hills and a hugh panorama all around. Ole wagon trains would have had little problem negotiating this area.

Just south of Sheridan I encounter a sign with directions to Ft Phil Kearny. Since I am slightly ahead of schedule I take the side road (US route 87) WHICH IS SUPPOSE to go on to Sheridan. As I arrive near Ft Kearny I take the side road to the Fetterman Monument. Interesting situation ole Fetterman found himself (and 80 troopers) in. I find the terrain interesting in relation to the massacre. But then when 80 or so troopers are surrounded by hundreds of angry indians, I suspect it MIGHT be a loosing battle.

It seems that route 87 has been washed out just below the monument but I am told by some 4 wheelers that state route 193 down near Ft Kearny will take me to Sheridan without having to retract my route. Rt 193 is a nice leisure route into Sheridan. I scope out portions of Sheridan since there is a rodeo scheduled later on in the week. Earlier in the week my friend gave me the directions to the house that the MCs would be 'stored' at while we visited the BIG HORN mountains. So utilizing the GPS I find it with no problems.

Within 30 minutes I meet my ride to the BIG HORN Mountains. A quick transfer of luggage etc is made to the truck and we are off to HEAVEN. They inform me that this will be one heck of a ride! They are right.

The road we take is an OLD Stage coach road that went from Sheridan westward to some old mining towns etc. I am totally flabbergasted as to how the horses could make the trip. It must have been exhausting for them (as well as the passengers). In its later years the Forest Service has done much construction etc and made it a fire road as well as a decent gravel road for a shorter route from Sheridan to Hyattville, Wyoming through the Bighorn National Wilderness Area. Wonderful views etc. (More pics to follow as we depart later on in the week).

It takes about an hour and a half or so to arrive at the cabin. What a wonderful ride it is. The view that greets me is fabulous. A slice of heaven in the mountains. THIS will be home for a few wonderous days.

Total: 145 miles to the front door of Heaven

2008 WEST MC Trip-Day ONE

2008-08-05T13:10:00.013-04:00

July 7, 2008 Denver, Colorado to Casper, Wyoming

Monday (Day one) - excitement time. Arrive at MC rental place and am told I still have the option to rent a 2008 12oo RT. I decline out of fear that once I ride one of them I will feel it is necessary to upgrade my 1150RT and with my recent financial setback I could not afford one (good thing I kept the 1150RT instead of 1200 RT as you will see later on).

Short ride back to my friend's house to pack the MC and head out was in a slight rain shower. No problem because my proposed ride NORTH to Wyoming was to be only partly cloudy and clearing skies.

I head out around 11 a.m. and get north of Denver on I-25 near Longmont to find clearing skies. My plan was to get to SHERIDAN, Wyoming to meet my friend and his wife but...............a call to them near Cheyenne reveals that I will not make it that night since I wanted to drop by Fort Laramie, Wyoming on the way. It is decided that they would meet me Tuesday around 11 a.m.

Near Wheatland, Wyo I attempt to utilize the GPS to find state route 160 to Ft Laramie. Miss that route and end up taking Route 85 to Ft Laramie. Utilizing my SENIOR PASS (National Parks and Federal Rec Lands Pass at a cost of only $10) I enter FREE! around 2 p.m. (Always a rush for me if it is free!) Ft Laramie has both ruins and reconstructed buildings. Most interesting. Check out the link for great pics and info.

One unique building is "Old Bedlam" (pic at right). It was the Bachelor Officer's Quarters and has been furnished in period furniture etc. Most interesting history with it.

To the left is the Cavalry Barracks (1874). It has been was the largest building at Ft Laramie and the earliest of the lime-concrete structures to survive intact.

I decide to head out around 4:30 and catch I-25 to Casper. Arrive in Casper around 6 p.m and notice some signs for a KOA campground that is just north of town. Checking in I find they do have tent sights so I get one. Unload the MC and set up my site. Since I have NO tent I am pleased to find a 'cover' incase it rains. About an hour later another BEEMER rider arrives on a GS. It seems he is headed to Washington state. Quick shower and bed time with my CD with THE ROLLING STONES rocking me to sleep around 9:30 p.m. What a life.

Total: 366 miles on a WONDERFUL DAY.

OH WONDEROUS WEST

2008-07-06T19:51:00.007-04:00

July 5, 2008 Vienna, VA to Denver, Colorado

The TRIP has begun. Flight out of IAD to DEN went smoothly (except the for 'large' gentleman I had to sit next to on the flight). He tended to ooze over his seat boundaries into MY SPACE. I tried to nap the whole trip so 'kept my place' and did not yield to his encroachment (to his surprise I think). Landed 15 minutes early to find no 'parking' space and had to wait on the tarmack for 30 minutes before the control tower decided to yield to the pilots demands on assigning us to ANOTHER space instead of our original assignment. Both the crew and the 182 passengers were quite pleased to disembark finally.

My friend and his wife greeted me at the luggage pickup area and we were off. I found the temperature to be HOT (90's) but with the low humidity out West, it was quite refreshing really. It ultimately hit 98 degrees that day but..............I could not tell as perspiring accomplishes it assigned task of cooling one off instead of bathing in sweat like we do in the East.

My box of MC stuff (which I had mailed) arrived on Thursday so..............I am ready to load the MC up and head out! Weather might have showers around Denver but as I am headed NORTH toward Sheridan, Wyoming I may be in the 'clear'.

OK folks.................later 3OILHD (My 2003 BMW is known as an "Oil Head" design so that is why I have 3OILHD as a license plate)

DEADLINE MET

2008-07-03T06:59:00.004-04:00

July 2, 2008 Vienna, VA

EUREKA...........deadline met. Now to begin a 'new life'! Life continues to surprise me - even at this age.

FYI: 2 week MC trip out west starts on Saturday. Fly to Denver, rent MC on 7th July and head NORTH into God's Country - Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado. Life is SOOOOOOO good. Later ya'll.

UP THE VALLEY TIME

2008-06-14T16:26:00.010-04:00

Valley Time June 7 through June 10, 2008

Well........the plan of attack for the month long motorcycle trip out west with a side car on the ole 1978 Beemer is a NO GO. It seem that the engine has a few problems as evidenced with "extras" in the recently changed and then drained oil. All those plans by my friend went for naught - new tire tubes, seat, throttle and brake cables, GPS hardwired and a few extras will have to wait for another time to use. Oh.......the engine can be fixed. Just not in the short allotted time until the trip. SO...........my friend picked up a 2005 Harley Davidson Sportster for a steal from a friend at work who had 'up-graded" to a Soft Tail or Fat Boy or some other model (what evar!!).

So........it was time to try out the 'new' Sportster. It definitely needs a softer seat. Other than that........it appears functional for a cross country trip. Now.......will the side car fit? Or should we go the trailer route? Latest news is..........he is going to try the trailer route. There is a dealer up in Sterling, Va who rents as well as sells MC trailers. Only time will tell.

So........with the need to ride and get an idea of how the Sportster does in the mountains we first went along Skyline Drive. OK..........putted along Skyline Drive. It seems that the speed limit is 35 mph and..........plenty of the 'Wanna be a cops' exist to check the speed. NOPE.......they didn't get us 'cuz we were sane'. We got off the Drive at Elkton and made a beeline for the mountains of West Virginia. Decided to try some back roads and choose a road that was pretty windy along the base of the mountains that headed south - back toward Staunton. LO AND BEHOLD........there is that OLD TIME STORE we ran across some 6 or 8 years ago. I have thought about that store a lot and just couldn't remember WHERE it was. WOW.......picture time.

The store is in Sugar Grove, West Virginia on County road 25 and 21 intersection. A very unique store with old guns (for sale), swords, clocks, stoves, pickle jars and tons of old stuff while also being the Post Office (rear) and local grocery store. Even has hardware stuff. Real neat place to visit.

Onward to Staunton where the next day I completed some more paint scraping, sanding etc on the ole place. He still has about half the house to do but..........we'll get there. \

Homeward bound on Tuesday to prepare for Condo sale.
More riding to come.

Holiday Weekend - RIVER Time

2008-05-26T20:17:00.007-04:00

May 23 - 25, 2008 Luray, Virginia
HAMMER TIME..............ooops, I mean RIVER TIME. Couldn't have had better weather this Memorial Day weekend. After all the rain we HAVE had - we were overdue for some nice days and we sure were blessed with them Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Monday too but I worked).

The bike was packed Thursday evening so when I finished work I only had to change clothes and hit the road. With this weekend the ROLLING THUNDER ride, I encountered hundreds of motorcycles headed to Washington DC along I-66 as I headed west to Front Royal. One group of MC's consisted of over 200 hundred being led by some Troopers. Most impressive. Guess I will try that ride NEXT year.

Rt 340 trip was uneventful and quite speedy as there were not many vehicles on the road yet (being 2:30 pm). I arrived at the River house first so turned on the water and hotwater heater breaker, changed clothes and dove into the Mordue Library. The rest of the crew arrived shortly thereafter and we settled in to a lazy weekend.

Saturday morning consisted of a short MC ride to Hawk's Bill Diner then a brief stop at the nearby Flea Market to check for something we just could not live without. Having broken my sunglasses I was interested in locating some SUPER GLUE. They had it (in a 10 pack but ..... you can never have too much SUPER GLUE) so now the glasses are 'fixed'.

Back home it was RIVER TIME. We went up the river as far as the water level would allow and killed the motor. With the price of gas at almost $4 a gallon, it was drifting time. Caught plenty of rays (to save going to the tanning place) and did a little swimming. There were some fishermen but it did not appear they were having much success. About 5 pm we headed back to the house for a steak-shrimp dinner. WOW.......time to relax.

Sunday found ME up at 7 a.m. and taking some pics. I find I really miss hearing the songbirds wake up in the morning because my 'new' house does not have many trees around it. At my ole homestead we were surrounded by trees and there is nothing like waking up to sonfbirds that awaken as the sun rises. Little mist on the river this morning but clear skies and beautiful.

A quick run into town for Hardees bisquits and it is sunning time. Around 1 pm we decide to go boating again and we are UP THE RIVER again by 1:30. Today the RIVER POLICE are on the prowl so we run back to the house to get the 2008 boat registration stickers etc. A run BACK up the river for drifting. Soon the "Boys" arrive to check us out. With a quick survey of life jackets, floaties, stickers, registration and fire extinguisher allows us to continue. Thinking that the cops are far enough away I remark "OH shucks Luke, guess we can put away the ticket book. That were't no fun! DARN" (mocking the cops). Well, it seems I forgot that sound carries well across the water and they returned my remark with a pretty stern look. TOO BAD! "nanny nanny boo bo. We didn't get a ticket!" (We could have easily out run them but with us having the ONLY YELLOW boat on the whole river, we would have stuck out like a sore thumb for the rest of the summer and had to use a different boat. They would have 'had' us eventually.)

'Bout 5:30 we head back to the house for dinner and my ride back to Vienna. After loosign a bet I take a very quick dip in the COLD water near the dam (and house). Not quite swimming weather yet! Boat on the trailer and trailer to the house. Wonderful dinner before I take the drive back. Shrimp are great cold as is left over rare steak! WOW.

Darn.....that was a quick weekend of fun. Good thing is - this is going to be a reoccuring event through out the summer. Next time the ole JET SKI will be put to use. It was just too cold to use this time.

280 miles round trip. 5 hours round trip. NICE TIME by all.

BIKE WEEK - DAY Five

2008-05-18T18:19:00.003-04:00

May 13, 2008 Surfside Beach to Vienna, VA

I packed most of the stuff last night and complete the job by 6:45 a.m. No need for rain gear as it is BEAUTIFUL. No time for breakfast so I use the GPS to find the quickest route to Lumberton, South Carolina (on I-95). Off and running.

Gas up time in Lumberton at the same gas station I used at the start of my 2006 cross country ride with The Chitmonster. ONWARD.

Rest stop in North Carolina. Reminds me of being out West with all the pine trees. Cool, shady and brilliant blue skies. I take a little longer break than I usually do and just soak in the great day.

Onward around Richmond using the bypass, up past the breakfast stop in Fredericksburg, Va, to Rt 123 near Occoquan, Va. Up Rt 123, thru Vienna to HOME. AH........great day and NO RAIN.\

I arrive around 4:30 to find a hungry cat awaiting my arrival. Feed the cat, unpack, do a load of laundry, check newspaper and ready my self for work at 4 a.m.

All in all a most enjoyable five days off. EVERYONE (who has a MC) should do Myrtle Beach Bike week ONCE in their life time. There is a lot to see and do, the cops do NOT bother you (unless you deserve it), good weather and fun time.

The way I figure it.......I don't HAVE to so STURGIS now - nor DAYTONA. If ya have been to one BIG BIKE WEEK, you have done it all. And I sure saved a lot of mileage.

BACK to the grind. Fun 'n games.

BIKE WEEK - DAY FOUR

2008-05-18T17:44:00.005-04:00

May 12, 2008 Surfside Beach

Up and about at 8 a.m. Time to hit Denny's for breakfast. AND I DO HAVE MY PHONE......Hallelujah!

Nice day to ride to the beach (about 1 mile away) and take the beach side road SOUTH. AH......a pier. I check it out and admire a trike as I walk to the pier. You sure can't say you didn't see this YELLOW Monster if you hit it. As I advance in age, this might be what I need. Let's hope it is not for quite a few years as it can't be as much fun to ride through the mountains of West Virginia (my favorite play ground). For you neophytes, this is a BOSS HOG and has a V8 engine. No problem hauling a trailer with this one.

I walk out the pier and get a pic of two. No fish being caught this time of morning but the 'board' says that yesterday a 16 lb BLUE FISH was caught. Nice haul there. (And great eating as I use to go out at Deale, Maryland (years ago) to fish for them). There are a few 'walkers' on the beach. I should do the same but.......decline. The view is to the SOUTH. To the North one sees the highrises of Myrtle Beach. Nothing spectacular.

I head south along the beach and admire all the houses - some for rent and others just occupied by owners (summer time mostly). I wonder how much INSURANCE is? Not only are the houses expensive but the Insurance MUST be sky high. Nope........not a place to own. RENT - yes but NOT own. Dead end in about 5-8 miles. No problem as I take the first causeway back to the mainland so as to NOT retrace my steps. Up 117Bypass and to the room. Time to get to the pool for three hours of sun. OK.....enough sun.

Return to the room. Shower. Call Rob who is at X bar but plans on heading to the RAT HOLE. I say I will meet them there. It is up Rt 544 and out Socastee Blvd about 8 miles from the room. As I approach the area it is quite apparent WHERE it is. Tens of MC are arriving. Again, I wonder just what this place DOES when the BIKE WEEK is over.

The RAT HOLE advertises a MC rodeo amongst other things. There is the KEG ROLL (a driver pushes a keg with their front tire across a line without placing a foot on the ground), BITE A WEENIE (hung off a stick which a driver and rider try to bit while driving under without putting your foot down), PUDDLING wrestling (draws a good crowd and the winner wins $200), SLOW DRIVE (who ever takes the longest time to cross a line 50 yards down the field while going FORWARD (not sideways), WATER BALLOON TOSS (drivers and riders drive under a stick raised over their head and try to toss and catch a water balloon with each successful driver/rider going back each time with ONE more balloon added to the number [easy to get wet]). The driver who wins the most events (points) during the week is crowned the CHAMPION.

Once it gets dark, the events move to the interior where there is HIDE THE WEENIE (that is one event I will NOT describe here), FROZEN TEE SHIRT contest in which $200 can be won by the gal who can thaw out and put on a frozen tee shirt the quickest (really funny event as one watches each gal try to thaw out the tee shirt the quickest), HOT BUNS contest (again, no description needed and the winner winning $200, and an event that will not be described other than it is performed by WOMEN of the group. (FAKE 'BLANK' contest and YOU figure it out).

OK.......getting late and 6 a.m will arrive too soon. Long 450 mile drive back tomorrow but it is supposed to be clear with NO rain. WOO HOO.

BIKE WEEK - NIGHT Three

2008-05-18T17:15:00.006-04:00

May 11, 2008 Myrtle Beach Bike Week

I arrive back at the room around 6:30 to discover that Rob and Brandy have plans on attending the House of Blues to see a free band named ZOSO (as well as the SIX STOOGIES). We have to leave pretty well immediately as the show starts at 8 pm and it is a good 30 to 45 minute drive up 17Bypass to North Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Landing. Since I know the way I lead. No GPS needed for this! (Since this is Myrtle Beach we don't take a coat - heck, it IS South Carolina).

We arrive in plenty of time but find a VERY LONG line of people waiting to enter the place. Entry will begin at 7:30 and ALL must pass security (a metal detector etc). No knives, weapons, NOR cameras allowed. Tickets (free) are required also which we do not have. Fortunately, we acquire three tickets immediately as other bikers arrive with extra tickets. GOOD. All set now. The line moves pretty quickly but not before all the SEATS (stools, chairs etc) are taken. Guess we will have to stand. I choose a spot that allows me to lean against a post and still have a decent seat.

The first band (SIX STOOGIES) played for 30 minutes. Quite good. There is what is supposed to be a 30 minute break (to allow the customers to spend more money) but it turns into a 60 minutes break (after 30 minutes it is announced that ZOSO will be out real soon......and again and again).

OK - it IS free but gee whiz.......give me a break.

OK.......so here they are finally. And what a group. The lead singer does not play ANY instrument (at all) but WOW.......he sounds JUST LIKE LED ZEPPELIN's lead singer. I must admit, some of the songs did not register with me (and I was told by others it didn't with them either) but.........WHAT A GROUP. Should you have the opportunity to catch them elsewhere, you will NOT regret seeing them. After almost two hours of songs they did their bows and left the stage. WHAT..........No "Stairway to Heaven"?? What gives. For their encore the performed that song. EXCELLENT rendition. Hard to tell the difference in the original vs their performance. Heck, I think they performed it better than LED ZEPPELIN would if they were live and in concert.

Shows over and time to take the L O N G ride south to Surfside Beach. MY MY.......it has gotten chilly since we went in and with no jacket, this could be a tough ride back. I don't really have a problem as I have a full faring so I just hunker down but poor ole Rob and Brandy - no faring NOR face shield so THEY suffer through.

AH.......nice to be back to a warm room. Sac time. Nice day considering I FOUND my lost phone, had some good "Wings" at HOOTERS, saw two excellent bands and made it home safely.

One more day to go. Think it will be tan time tomorrow as it is supposed to be sunny and clear.

BIKE WEEK - Day 2

2008-05-15T17:33:00.003-04:00

May 10, 2008 Bike Week

So I awake at a respectful hour...........6 a.m. and realize it is NOT time to get up. I sleep till 9 a.m. and decide to go get breakfast at Denny's. It is located next to the check in office so is just a short ride from the room.

I get the usual. GREAT service even though the place is a zoo. Lots of bikers chowing down.

Back to the room to decide what's happening. Picture time of the view from the front door. With the weather so nice I decide to go to the pool for a few hours of sun to deepen my tan. Rob and Brandy have other plans.

After a few hours of sunning, I clean up and decide to take a MC stroll down Ocean Blvd through Myrtle Beach and up toward North Myrtle Beach. Hundreds of motorcycles out.......going and coming from one place of events to another. I stop at the outlets looking for new docker shoes is useless. Not my style nor price. OK.....now to Broadway at the Beach. I stop in at the familiar shoe store and find what I am looking for. It sure is HOT and Humid.

I stow the shoes in the MC trunk and head back to check out the IMAX theatre. Nope, no show I want to see at this hour (6:20 pm) but it is sooooo humid I just have to cool off. Time to check the regular theatre. What starts the soonest? MADE OF HONOR!! What the heck is that about? Well, it should be cooler in the theatre and the ticket man says he will give be the LOCAL resident price (it seems that the tourists pay MORE for a ticket then the locals)so.......what the heck. This will kill a few hours.

Enter the lobby to find it not much cooler. Hey, this could be a bummer. Grab a large soda and find what movie is not over yet to catch until mine starts at 7 pm. I catch a 30 minutes of (can't remember the name but had Kutchner in it - something about Las Vegas and pretty lame if ya ask me). OK.....now to hit the restroom and my movie.

Ah......so THIS is my movie. Hmmmm.........looks like a 'girlie' movie. Well.......too late now. Funny thing though........I ended up enjoying it. It WAS funny but the ending was 'girlie'. So he (and she) end up Happily Married. I don't assume '......for ever and ever' as we know NOW that no marriage is a cinch to meet THAT level of surity.

Time to walk a little and check out a few shops before closing. Get another cool drink, feed the carp and head to the MC. Jacket time and off we go. Down 17 Bypass to Rt 544 to Rt 17 to home. Quick breakfast stop at Denny's again. (I love breakfast ANY time of day or night).

Nice ride and day. Tomorrow might be rainy but.........I'll think of something.

I arrive to find Rob and Brandy already in bed and fast asleep. Party poopers. Hit the sac at midnight.

SUCK BANG BLOW - WOO HOO!!

2008-05-15T16:50:00.009-04:00

May 9, 2008 Night One....Myrtle Beach South Carolina

I sure don't know what this place does during other times of the year but.......during Bike Week it sure rocks. SUCK BANG BLOW that is. Plenty of vendors selling their MC crap, leathers, etc. You name it related to Harley Davidson and it is sold. Plenty of choices of food too.

Inside is the LOUD music. (Who says you loose your hearing when you get old?) Scantly clad Girlies giving away the beer - no, I should say "selling the beer" but then I didn't really notice (no hard alcohol is allowed here). Body art for the girls (and guys to admire just how good the artist is at his work).

First thing to do is get dinner........a HUGH thick pulled pork BBQ sandwich. Now THAT is food. They definitely know how to cook BBQ in South Carolina.

Out front is the dirt bike event. It seems that three awesome dirt bike riders from Fla, Texas and California are 'doing' their thing for tips off a metal ramp and on to another. WOW......they can sure ride. It is one thing to do their 'thing' off dirt (as done in most indoor arenas) but off a blacktop parking lot, up a metal ramp and on to another metal ramp about 75 feet away take some .........ah.......how shall I put it.............GONADS. Their riding is quite impressive.

SUCK BANG BLOW is unique in that a portion of the 'building' is available for riding your motorcycle through the rowdy, beer drinking crowd when leaving. Now I ask you - What Harley rider doesn't rev his engine to show off his pipes? Duhhhhhhh................Not every biker utilizes that exit but when it WAS used (and normally by a 'group' and not singles) it was pretty loud. There is even a 'burn out room' for you to scrape a few millimeters of rubber off that rear tire and SMOKE up the place. (Luckily they had exhaust fans in that room!). The smoke would exhaust out to the area where the dirt bikers where doin' their stuff. Luckily, not too many utilized that room. Not only was it SMOKEY but LOUD when done though.

All through out the evening bikers were arriving as well as leaving. With sooooo many places having events I suspect most riders were off to other bars etc. I only had energy for THIS one place and after studying the crowd for about two hours and not seeing Rob or Brandy emerge (I sat in a area that had a view of the building exits as well as all arriving bikers) I went back to my bike thinking Rob's would still be there. NOPE.......GONE. I missed them.

Once home I am told they had left shortly before me since I had not returned indoor. (I had a better view to 'watch' the crowd and it was not as hot nor noisey).

Tomorrow - another day of debauchery.

Myrtle Beach Bike Week

2008-05-15T16:16:00.006-04:00

No. Va to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina May 9 to May 13, 2008

In mid-March a friend at work memtioned that Bike Week at Myrtle Beach, SC was from May 9 to the 18th this year. Hey, nice time to break away from work I thought and take a short stroll down south on the MC. He stated he had a timeshare available and I could crash there. Well, needless to say it was a GO for me. Leave Forms were submitted BUT placed on hold until our 'new bid' ( to take affect on May 11) was completed. I knew one thing....leave approved or not......I WAS GOING. It took until May 6th for me to learn that my leave request (Friday May 9 and Monday May 12) had been 'blessed". Now to check the weather. Friday was to be rain (as was Saturday, Sunday and Monday) in Northern Virginia. (FYI: It seems that some areas received up to 4 inches of rain in my absence.)

Thursday evening the MC was packed with the rain gear ready. 0545Hr I hit the road, dressed to ward off any rain (which there was plenty of), and was off. My goal was to get to Cracker Barrel on Route 1 south of Fredericksburg, Va where my friend was to meet for breakfast since he lived a short drive away. Rob arrived with his girl friend and we had a nice breakfast. The news of the morning was the previous evening a tornado had gone through a neighborhood about 3 miles from his house and done quite a bit of damage. While dining we noticed the rain had stopped (at least the puddles had no more drops showing). At 0800 HR we hit the road and encountered showers with brief spurts of RAIN while progressing SOUTH. I experienced no problems really as I have a faring and full face helmet. Rob, on the other hand, had a different experience because HE has NO face protection other than goggles. His Harley has NO faring and he had no face shield. It seems that RAIN stings the face when going 70 mph! DUHHHHH

Showers were encountered along I-95 until crossing the North Carolina state line. At the next gas stop (maximium 100 miles for him) we stripped to shirts and endured the humidity and rapidly rising temperatures. Our pace was pretty good and Rob's girl friend (Brandy) was able to keep pace with us in the car (which was utilized to transport all of their goods). I commend her in her ability to keep up while two crazy motorcyclist as they pass the 'slow movers and 18 wheelers' that got in the way!

The good ole GPS routed us around North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach proper and brought us to the PLANTATION RESORT timeshare at Surfside Beach on Business Route 17. A quick check in took us to our room. (It seems that the resort HAD a golf course - The Deer Track Golf Course - which is NO MORE.) It is a sad thing to see realty signs stating VILLA on the golf course - only to find the GOLF COURSE nothing but weeds, sand traps gone and greens torn up. I sure would be an upset homeowner to have to look out my window and see my 'Golf course view' is nothing but weeds etc. Arrrrggggg.

The room is NOT what was advertised. It DID have a couch that converted into a bed BUT that was in the Living Room WHERE THE MAIN BED WAS LOCATED. Hmmmmm.......this could be interesting! Nice little kitchenette though. Oh well, sure beats nothing.

Unpack, go to store for forgotten stuff and food and back to relax and study all the info as to events. Decisions Decisions Decisions. OK.......first place to hit is SUCK, BANG BLOW - a biker bar with tons of events etc. This should be fun. (To be continued).

Day 1 - 459 miles and 11.25 hours (with rain and finally partly cloudy & humid temperatures)

NO QUESTION

2008-05-04T16:31:00.005-04:00

May 4, 2008 Vienna, Virginia

No question.......MC day. Slightly late start but out Rt 7 to Goose Creek Reservoir. What used to be a public access road to the dam is now OFF LIMITS. So......onward toward Aldie. About half way to Aldie and utilizing backroads (GPS) I find my self near Gilbert's Corner on Rt 50. I remember an old old friend who lives just off Rt 50 and a I stop by to see if he is still living there. Its been over 25 years but.......YEP, he is still there. We quickly recount the last 25 or so years (pluses and minuses.....more minuses though) and I am off and running again. Up through Aldie with a stop at the General Store for BBQ sandwich. Thru Middleburg and then I use the GPS to locate backroads to The Plains. More back roads toward Culpeper and on toward Dumfries. Then I recognize a road that will take me toward Rt 29 (Gainesville). Staying on Rt 29 I pass thru the Manassas Battlefield. I have used this road many many times and finally take the time to stop for a picture or two.

I 'thought' about stopping at the famous Stone Bridge but there were too many kids running around it to get a decent picture. I will TRY to do it the next time I am on that road early in the morning. No kids then.

I-66 then to Rt 123 and Beulah road to home. Done. 115 miles in about 5 hours of leisure riding. (I should have taken some pics of the beautiful rock wall lining all the roads near Middleburg but.........every corner told me there would be a better one just ahead but........lo and behold........I never stopped. Again, maybe NEXT time.

OOOPS - I DID IT AGAIN!

2008-05-03T18:13:00.008-04:00

May 3, 2006 Vienna, VA

Duhhhhh! So it is Saturday, a no work day, going to be 75 degrees plus, clear and a day to relax. WHAT does one do.....take the MC out or go to the ONLY afternoon Saturday Washington Nationals game this year. MC would be nice but........there are plenty more days for doing that. There is only ONE afternoon Saturday National Game. And it will be the FIRST visit for me. OK.......Out to the ball game it is.

A quick check of the web site to confirm which Metro stop to exit and it is off to Vienna Metro. Got everything necessary? - cash (and plenty for food and potential head gear purchase), phone, wallet, sun glasses, ball cap. OK........LET'S GO.

Arrive to Vienna Metro and find parking is plentiful. WHAT! NO CAMERA for the BLOG!!? BUMMER. No way I am going back since the web page for METRO says there might be a 30 minute delay on the Orange line between Vienna and West Falls Church due to line maintenance. Not enough time. Arrival by opening time at the game is a must. So - no pics this time.

Easy ride. Good things Vienna is the FIRST stop to pick up passengers as there appears to be TONS of fans getting on at other stops. Switch at L'Enfant Plaza to Green line to Navy Yard. Round trip is only $4.70 on Saturday so, Metro is definitely the way to go with gas at $3.65+ per gallon and parking at/near the Ball Park at $15+.

Once at the ball park I review the seat costs and choose a 'poor man's' area - the Upper Gallery Level - Grandstand. These are only available AT the ball park the DAY of the event. At a WHOLE $5 per ticket.......I will have $$ left for FOOD!

As you can see on the ticket above, I had Row M and seat 1 in Section 401. There was only one more row above me and only one more seat next to me without me being OUT of the park. (IE: I was about the uppermost and furtherest seat from home plate). You'd think THAT seat would have been pretty bad. IT WASN'T. Binoculares would have been nice but..........you really had a view of the ENTIRE field. Was even covered in case of rain.

Nats went ahead early in the game only to have the Pirates tie it in the fifth inning. Then the sixth inning came and Nats went ahead 8-5. With the game lookin' like it is 'in the bag' so to speak, I head home. Not too crowded yet. Uneventful ride except for a slow down between West Falls Church and Vienna stops for rail tie replacements. Grocery store stop on way home and HOME. Quite a nice day in all. Sorry for no pics of views from my lofty seat. Maybe next time if I go to one of the weekday afternoon games.

(PS - What were those LDS Missionaries doing at the game on a Saturday? OH, the Mission President approved it! Good thing :)

OK - For you BLOG pros, WHY DO I GET NO space between paragraphs with the ENTER key even though it shows on the draft page. Once published - it is GONE! Arrrrrrggggggg

EUREKA

2008-04-27T16:58:00.004-04:00

April 27, 2008

I have FINALLY figured it out. My camera that is! (At least I THINK I have). I have found a setting that seems to resolve my problem of washed out colors and colors running. Let's just see how my future pics work. Try this one!

See..........no runny colors. Well, except where the trees hit the sky in the middle. Oh well..........future pics MIGHT be better. We'll see. Toodle

SHORT BUT SWEEEEEET

2008-04-27T16:29:00.008-04:00

APRIL 17 AND 19, 2008 Northern Virginia

You KNOW I had to do it! Finally, a decent day for MC riding. Off of work and home in record time and with the new battery installed, I am off in a flash. WESTWARD.

I take the usual back roads of Loudoun County and Warren County once past Leesburg (using Route 7). Slip by the gun shop at Upperville only to find the Sniper Mauser K98 has been sold. Funny thing though........the guy who bought it was in the shop lookin' at other guns. He got a good one there.

From Upperville I head east but take a side detour to the infamous stone bridge over the GOOSE CREEK. There is a Civil Ward plaque providing the history of the bridge during artillery and infantry action prior to the action at Aldie (see next). The original Little River Turnpike utilized this bridge; but, some years ago it was abandoned with the re-routing of Rt 50 just to the South. Beautiful bridge.

I now find it is time to stop by one of my favorite spots related to the Civil War - The monument at the Battle of Aldie. A little known cavalry event of the Civil War when the Confederates were shielding the Army of Northern Virginia on their northward route to invade the North. There was a lot of action along this country lane with many soldiers killed and wounded on both sides. It is still a beautiful place to visit as shown here. Luckily the open fields in which the Confederates had placed their artillery (behind the wall in the top picture with the monument) as well as the fields along the road which the Union cavalry charged (see right picture) have not YET been developed into housing sites. Just out of sight though, south toward Route 50, portions of the battlefield HAVE been developed into 10+ acre house sites. I bet there were many a relic found during the development of those lots! I found plenty of relics behind the monument years ago (1977) when ole man Leith (great grandson of original owner during the Civil War) allowed me and a friend to do some relic hunting. Mr Leith died soon after and his son, an attorney from Alexandria, adamantly advised me and my friend that there was to be NO more relic hunting on HIS property. So, that put an end to locating and saving long lost items of the Civil War. Sporatically there are cattle grazing in that field.

Eastward HO. Route 50 east to Route 28 North to Route 7 East to home. Nice 130 mile drive and home at a decent time. Good to get out and about. Now............let's just do it MORE.

BEWARE - IMPOSTER

2008-04-20T21:31:00.007-04:00

April 20, 2008 Vienna, Virginia

Beware! Imposter............I have undertaken the task of 'watching' my son and daughter-in-laws cat while they are on a jaunt to Hawaii. Now, I have had cats in the past. Two WONDERFUL cats that were brother and sister and adopted as kittens. Lived to be 18 and just recently went to catnip heaven. And another one that adopted us 6 years ago - it still 'lives' in the garage. He is a strange one ............ he sleeps on an old dog sleeping pillow on a table in the garage, sprays over my motorcycle (aaarrrrrgggggg) and runs and hides when you approach him. I am thinking of locking him outside this summer. ANYWAY.......I digress,

HOWEVER, my son's cat (name unknown) that I am NOW looking after..........well, it is NOT a cat. Aren't cats supposed to be independent, stubborn, hard headed, boring, aloof and not especially friendly to strangers.

Well, think again. THIS cat follows you EVERYWHERE you go through out the house. It is up in your lap and face while reading the newspaper. Under your feet when on the computer. Hanging around ya while getting a snack etc. BEGGING.

Nope........THIS ain't no cat. Its a DOG. That's it..........a DOG. See, it normally lives with a little punk of a dog (black and white too) named PACO which is NO bigger than itself. I truly suspect this CAT thinks it is a DOG.

OK........that's the latest from this bachelor pad for this weekend. Later ya'll CLand

SPRING IS SPRUNG

2008-04-18T14:56:00.004-04:00

April 18, 2008 Vienna, Virginia

It is finally here. Yipppeeeee. Spring that is. Oh, it teased us a few weeks ago but did not stay for long. But.........you know things have changed when the mulching, plant trimming, edging, mowing and new plants are accomplished.

We used to have four pine trees in which we hung a hammock from two of the largest. Well.......winter winds and storms took the last two out this winter so that necessitated some new plantings in the area previously used as a lazy man's area. So, no hammock now (it was removed by a previous occupant anyway) .......but, I now have a new look. A look that seems to please the deer as they are already feeding on the new plants. Looks like I will have some venison soon if they keep it up.

Yesterday found me on the ole MC for a few hours. Leesburg (Gun store), Upperville (Gun store but was closed), Marshall (7-11 stop) and Manassas (Gun store) were the frequented places (130 miles). Was just great to get out and about. Am really lookin' forward to Spring riding..........now to find the time to do it. Nuff for now.

LOST AND FOUND

2008-02-20T23:12:00.002-05:00

Northern Virginia

Found: One Love Bird - with an attitude. A friend of mine 'found' this stubborn 'bird' last summer. Ended up spending a fortune on it at the VET, PET STORE, etc. And talk about having an attitude........wow, you do NOT want to ignore her. She definitely has a mind of her own......like SOMEONE I used to know. :)

ECLIPSE

2008-02-20T23:09:00.003-05:00

February 20, 2008 Vienna, VA

Sorry, this is the best I could do. (Pretty 'sorry' too). At least it was not cloudy. Concerning cameras, you get what you pay for. Obviously, I did not pay much for this one and the quality shows. OR MAYBE, I should just learn to use it. What ever!

GOOD PLAN - POOR EXECUTION - FINAL PART

2008-02-09T23:41:00.000-05:00

February 2, 2008 Charleston, SC to Dulles Aiport, Va

This will be short and sweet (I wish I could say the return flight was though).

So, I take the EARLY disembarkation option to leave the ship. (YEA) That requires me to take MY bags off the ship (ahead of all the other passengers), clear Customs and catch a taxi to the airport. My planned flight is at 2 pm but there is an earlier flight possibly available. Well, there NORMALLY is one. It has been cancelled and the chances of my 2 pm flight going are in doubt. SO.......I can either wait to see and if IT does not go, take a 5 pm flight OR rebook to Delta for a 11 a.m. flight. I say REBOOK. So now I have time to kill. Boarding time comes for the rebooked flight on Delta THRU Cinncinatti, Ohio only to find it is delayed due to maintenance problems. SO, I ask about booking ANOTHER seat on Delta's later flight as a back up. OK..........

10:30, 11, 11:30 comes with no boarding (I sure am glad I booked that backup seat) but finally at 11:45 the announcement to board is pronounced. I can't wait to see what happens in Cinncinatti. I arrive late in Cinncinatti but it makes NO difference because THAT flight is delayed........and delayed...........and delayed. OK, book a backup flight in case. OK......done.

After a wait of 2 hours I am allowed to board. A total of FIVE passengers decided to wait it out and I have the choice of ANY seat on a plane that seats 50. The stewardess sure had an easy job on THIS flight.

Finally arrive at Dulles, get my bags, take the employee bus to my car and arrive home.

WHAT A TRIP. As the title states: GOOD PLAN but POOR EXECUTION. Nice to get some sun and be away from work but.......................oh the hassles I had to go through. Almost missing the cruise did not make for a stress free beginning. And the cancelled, delayed flights home did not make for a good ending. Would I take a cruise again? SURE! I just learned: 1. DO NOT TAKE THE NORWEGIAN MAJESTY - anywhere -PERIOD and 2. DO NOT TAKE PUDDLE JUMPER AIRLINES (Like Uniteds 'Express' or Delta's 'Freedom Airline'). Their 50 seaters are NOT maintained, are ALWAYS LATE (and that directly from their gate agents) and have cancellations due to 'Crew Assignments'.

All in all ..................it was GREAT to be back home! Sorry no pics of the disaster flights.