FIRE IN THE SKY

Last night, we had the perfect combination of a few clouds, and a setting sun, which created what you see in the pictures. The view is from our front door, looking toward the lake. We have quite a few of these spectacular sunsets during the fall season. This is my favorite time of year here in Arizona. The temperatures have dropped from the normal 100+ during the day, and have been in the low 80's. It's cool enough at night where we can open the doors and let mother nature cool off the house. We're into the season where we don't need to run the air conditioning, nor do we need any heating. In fact, there isn't much need for a heater in this desert climate. We do turn it on for a brief period of time, usually in January.
Patty is getting the last of her things together for a trip to Greece with her son David. She leaves day after tomorrow, and will first drive to David's in Modesto, CA. It's a little over 500 miles from here to there, and can be done in a day, if one gets an early start. She'll have a couple of days to visit with friends in CA before they leave for the airport in San Francisco on the 4th of November. The trip includes a 4 day Mediterranean cruise, and her return flight to S.F. is on the 13th. I'll be hanging here at home with the 4 legged kids, and continuing with projects around the house and on the motor home.

A FALL RIDE

We've been home about a month, and even though I recently did a few rides in Central California, I was itching to get on the Harley, and ride some of my favorite roads here in Arizona. So, a few days ago, I took off on a two day circuitous route that took me through Parker, Prescott, Jerome, and a stop in Cottonwood. That first day, the weather was cloudy and cool, but no rain. On the second day, I took a few pictures, the first of which was at this steel arch bridge on Hwy 89, just outside of Sedona. Except for cool temperatures (in the 40's) when I left, it was an absolutely beautiful day, and the ride from where I took the picture of the bridge, up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff, was about as good as it gets.
The Red Rock Country around Sedona is unique, and was particularly scenic, on a sunny, cloudless, cool, crisp morning. By the time I had traveled through, and climbed out of Oak Creek Canyon, the elevation at Flagstaff was about 7,000 feet, and the ambient temperature was hoovering around 40 degrees by late morning. With all of my cold weather gear on, I was as comfortable as if it had been 85 degrees, and I was pushing through the wind in a T-shirt. By the time I dropped down to Seligman on I40, it was time to shed some of the clothing, and leave the interstate for about 75 miles on old route 66. This stretch of the "mother rode", between Seligman and Kingman, is the longest remaining stretch, and even though I've traveled it many times, it's history, charm, and isolation never seem to get old.
One of the iconic remainders of the past on historic route 66, is the Hackberry General Store, about 25 miles east of Kingman. The old gas pumps, the corvette, and the store itself, are reminders of an era that's long since disappeared. Coincidently, back in 1966, I traveled on this stretch of highway when I had 30 days leave from my U.S. Army assignment at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and I was heading back home before my next duty station in Germany. Every time I travel on this stretch of 66, I can't help but be transported back about 45 years when all I could think about was getting home.

Yesterday, we drove the jeep up to Vegas, and out to the dragstrip, where we spent a couple of hours visiting with our friends, Bob/Shirl, Frank/Suzie, Len/Ellie, Kurt/Phyliss, Steve/Carol, and a few other folks. As the years go by, our circle of race friends grows smaller and smaller. We learned from Frank & Suzie that after 6 years, mostly working with the Bernstein Race Team, they have given notice, and will be leaving the N.H.R.A. circuit after the last race in Pomona. Bob and Shirl will be in Quartzsite for a few days after the Vegas race, so I'll probably drive down and visit on one of the days they are there. Patty is busy packing her bags, and she'll be driving to David's house in Modesto this coming Monday. They leave for Greece a week from today.

RUN TO THE SUN

The 33rd annual Run to the Sun, sponsored by the Rods and Relics car club is happening this weekend here in Lake Havasu City. This is a fairly large event as Rod Runs go, and most of the cars were displayed yesterday afternoon & evening on Main Street. Just under 1,000 cars are registered, and it's always fun to check them out. Patty and I, along with a huge crowd were walking up and down the closed street yesterday afternoon, where all the cars were displayed.

This event kicked off on the 20th to some pretty heavy thunder storms, but it cleared out, and the weather is now mostly sunny, with temperatures in the 80's. We've been busy around the house, and Patty is getting everything together for her trip to Greece in a couple of weeks. She will be driving to Calif. where she and her son David will catch the bus from Sonora to San Francisco on Nov 4th. Then, it will be a long flight to Athens, Greece. When she returns, we'll have a couple of weeks at home, then we're off to work the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas for the 9th year. When our old company lost the contract, we thought we were finished with the NFR. The new company, to their credit, picked up most of us old timers, and along with our friends Jim & Megan, we'll be in the same booth inside the Las Vegas Convention Center, from Dec 2nd through Dec 11th.

Lots of cubic inches and lots of cubic dollars

My dream car - A Shelby Cobra with a big block Ford, Side Oiler Engine

A V-8 Bar Stool

HOME STUFF

When we had completed the transfer of the required items from the motor home, to back inside the house, I got it parked under the shade cover, where it will sit for a month or so. We've been busy catching up with some maintenance chores, and in fact, Patty did a lot of house cleaning while I was in CA. Our yard needs a few plants replaced, but most all of our trees and shrubs withstood the brutal summer heat just fine.

As I have said before, when we're here in Lake Havasu, I'm not going to post on the blog everyday, like I do when we are traveling. It's not very interesting to write, or read about day to day activities while we're home. I will continue to post on an irregular basis, depending on what's happening in our lives, or, on what's happening here in town. The blog has taken on a life of it's own, and has become part of my daily or weekly routine. We recently had it converted into a book for the calendar year 2009. In a book format, it can be really interesting to follow our travels and adventures in a chronological, calendar order. We have often referred to the book to see where we were, or what we were doing on a particular date. I guess you might say that it is the ultimate travel journal. So, for now, I'll sign off, waiting for the next topic to come along, that begs for me to say something about.

MID TERM ELECTION

Because we travel so much, we are signed up for permanent mail in ballots. That way, no matter where we are, our mail is forwarded to us, and we are able to vote in each election. For the upcoming "mid term election", I mailed our ballots back yesterday.

I believe that this non presidential election is one of the most important in our nation's history, and I urge any, and all of the blog readers to participate, and vote. No matter what side of the fence you are on, and despite the naysayers, voting is the fundamental mechanism for the people to retain control of the direction of their country.

My personal view is that our government has grown too big, and the tax and spend philosophy is in serious need of a correction. If it were just more taxes and proportional spending based on those taxes, I could almost live with that. In other words - more income, more spending. That's how most of us balance our checkbooks, and that's how any business, any public entity, and all state and local governments operate. If you have to borrow money, there's an analysis that takes place, and a plan to repay the loan. Basic economics right? Well, that's not how our federal government operates. The huge deficits and the national debt have grown to the point that not only is it doubtful that we can ever pay it back, but this spending spree (starting with the Bush administration, and continuing with the Obama administration) is now threatening our national security. I'm not so much worried for myself and Patty, but I am seriously concerned for our kids and particularly our grandchild. I'm not at all ashamed to say that I am conservative in my views about political ideology. A big part of that conservatism is my belief that the growth of our entitlement society has reached the breaking point, and unless some tough decisions are made in Washington D.C., our country is headed for disaster. If you believe that the government should provide everything for everybody, then I suggest you head for Cuba or perhaps North Korea. Besides a strong national defense (not nation building), I also believe that we have a responsibility to have safety nets (not welfare) for those who cannot help themselves. The American People are the most charitable in all of the world, and instead of saving the entire planet, perhaps we should redirect some of that charity toward our own starving children, and wounded warriors who have in many cases, given the supreme sacrifice for our country. I could go on and on, but I firmly believe that more people than not, think as I do, and my sincere hope is that this election either sends a message, or we continue with business as usual. Please vote!

BACK HOME

When I left Modesto Harley-Davidson, I drove south on the dreaded Hwy 99, and as the sun was setting, I was parking in the Tehachipi Home Depot parking lot. When permission to overnight was secured, I watched a little TV and called it a day. Yesterday, I pulled up in front of the house at about 2:30pm, and dropped the trailer. It took a little while to get the motor home, and trailer inside the yard, and unload the Harley. I spent the next few hours getting stuff out of the little house, and getting it ready to be parked for the next month or so. Not sure exactly what will be taking place in Tucson, but we're ready to help with whatever Marc, Chandra, Eloise, and Laila may need. Our next planned exit from the big house, will be our 2 week stint in Las Vegas, working the National Finals Rodeo during the first part of December. Other than that, it's good to be home with my girls.

A NON STARTER

After the memorial service for Joe, and some time in Marina at the house, it was time for me to get on the Harley, and ride back to the motor home near Hollister. As Marc watched and listened, the starter just spun, and didn't engage the motor. Several attempts later with the same result, it was back to the old tried and true method of pushing and bump starting the bike. In the old days, this was much more common than it is now. Thankfully, there was a small hill in front of the house, and on the second attempt, it fired up, and I was on my way. With only one stop for gas without turning off the motor, I was back at the motor home about 45 minutes later. Thanks Marc for the push.
I called Art, and arranged to bring the bike over to Modesto H-D yesterday, arriving at the shop at about 10:30am. As soon as I unloaded the bike, it was rolled into the shop, and by the time I finished visiting with some of my old friends, the new starter was installed, the bike was detailed, and I was on my way south by 1pm. Even though I'm sure everyone gets good service at Modesto and Jamestown Harley-Davidson, I have a hunch that my quick turn around had something to do with my relationship with Art & Linda. Whenever I'm involved in a conversation that has to do with failed partnerships, I'm always quick to point out, that's not always the case, that Patty and I are living proof of a great partnership with Art & Linda, and Everett and Lori, who are still among our best friends. Thanks again Art, for arranging the quick fix to my bike. I owe you another one!

A FAMILY LOSS

Chandra, our daughter-in-law, recently lost her father Joe, and his memorial service was yesterday in Monterey. I extended my stay here in Central California, so that I could be with the family and attend the service. I only had the pleasure of being with Joe on a handful of occasions, but he was the kind of guy who instantly made you feel welcome, and was a genuine nice guy. I'm sure that if we had lived in closer proximity, Joe and I would have been buddies, and probably would have gotten into all kinds of mischief. I'll never forget when Chandra and Marc got married at Bass Lake, part of the ritual was Tuxedos and flip flops for all of the wedding party, including Joe. This was Chandra and Marc's thing, but Joe was right there with his Tux and flip flops, walking Chandra down the aisle, and enjoying every second of the experience. He and Eloise were there with Patty and I in Tucson, when Chandra went through the terrible experience of losing her first pregnancy. I really liked Joe, and our hearts are with Chandra, Eloise and the entire family, as they work through this difficult time of grief and change.

AN OLD FRIEND

I first met George (Scooter) Sousa almost 30 years ago, when Patty and I lived in Los Banos, CA. Scooter was born and raised in Gustine, CA, and still lives in that small west side community. Yesterday, I rode the Harley E/B over Pacheco Pass, then north on highway 33 into Gustine, hoping Scooter would be at his small business. Except for a few more gray hairs, he hasn't changed much from the day I first met him. Back in the early 80's, Scooter rode an older Sportster, and not only did he look the part of a biker, he lived the biker lifestyle. We became friends, and I like to think that my influence brought him a little more toward the center, and his influence took me a little more toward the edge. Fortunately, through all of the countless rides, and activities, we both came through it all, with a lot of great memories, and no permanent scars.

We spent a couple of hours, talking about the good ole days, and what has happened to all of the old crew. There's only a few of them left, and neither of us have much contact with those that remain. Scooter has a lot of pictures on one wall of his shop, and as we were talking about many of the old faces, the stark reality was that most of them are not with us any longer. In fact, it wasn't too long ago that Scooter asked me for some old pictures that he was going to use at a memorial gathering for 3 old friends - Manuel, Frank & Ronnie, who are all gone. We vowed to someday revisit the Yuma Prison Run, which used to be one of the rides we all used to look forward to, back in the 80's. It was good to see this old buddy, and now that he is once again unattached, I won't be surprised if I hear the sound of his Harley in our Lake Havasu driveway.

A GRANDAUGHTER REUNION

Yesterday afternoon, I rode over to Marina (near Monterey), to see Marc, Chandra & Laila at Chandra's mom's house. It has been quite awhile since I last saw Eloise, and the past year has been difficult for her. Not only did she just lose her husband Joe, but she has also had health issues to deal with. I got a chance to spend some time with her, and she is doing remarkably well considering all that has happened recently. Joe's funeral is tomorrow, and I'll be going back to Marina before heading home to Arizona.
The bright spot of the day for me, was seeing my kids and granddaughter for the first time since the middle of May. Five months doesn't seem like a very long time, but in terms of the growth and maturing of a young child, it's an eternity. Laila will be 5 years old in a few days, and it's amazing to me how fast she has advanced in just a few months. Before we departed for the summer, we drove to Tucson, in order to spend some time with Marc, Chandra and Laila. Even though Laila hasn't physically grown a whole lot, it didn't take a long conversation with her to quickly notice the change and growth of her vocabulary. I was also pleased to see that she lacked the initial shyness that was usually present when we hadn't seen her for a long period of time. She ran up to me for a big hug, which warmed ole Grandpa's heart a whole bunch! I told her that Grandma Patty loved and missed her, and we would both be seeing her a lot during the coming winter months.
As I got ready to head back to the motor home, Marc asked Laila if she wanted to sit on the Harley for a picture, and she quickly agreed. I actually started it up, and moved from the shade into the sunlight, so she got her first ride on a Harley-Davidson. By the time I got back to Hollister, it was almost dark, and time for dinner. I'm almost finished with the two yummy casseroles that Patty fixed for me before I left, and when they're gone, it'll be time to head back to Arizona.

A RETURN TO THE SURF

While growing up in Watsonville, and particularly during my high school years in the early 60's, a summer day at the beach was as normal as it got. Before the drivers license, we used to ride our bicycles the 3 or 4 miles out to what is now Pajaro Dunes, but back then before the million dollar homes, it was just the beach. Later, when my friends and I started driving, we ventured farther north toward the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk, and spent many a day at the multitude of beaches between Watsonville and Santa Cruz. One of those beaches was Manressa State Beach, pictured above. One of my earliest attempts on a surfboard was at this very beach, and the results were not very pretty. The waves at this beach were more suited for body surfing or body boards. The best waves were farther north toward Santa Cruz, and as my buddies and I got more proficient, we gravitated to the areas that had larger and longer waves. This was the era of the Beach Boys music, and the beach was the happening place for our younger generation.
When cars and girls began to be the focus of our attentions, cruising the Boardwalk was the place to see and be seen. I'll never forget the night that my best friend got one of the very first 64 G.T.O.'s, and he and I had more fun showing off his car, and at the time, it's incredible power.
As they say, those were the good ole days that were so perfectly captured in the movie "American Graffiti" with Ron Howard and his 1958 Chevy Impala. My first car was also a 58 Impala, and while I cruised around the Santa Cruz area yesterday on my Harley, I couldn't help but reflect on lots of great high school memories that were generated at, or close to the beach.

MOTORCYCLE HEAVEN

Despite my slow Internet connection, I simply had to download this picture on the blog, even though it seemingly took forever. This photo is illustrative of the weather, and the scenery on my ride yesterday. There are some motorcycle guru's who insist that Hwy 1 on the Pacific Coast, between Cambria and Monterey, is without a doubt, the best road in the world, if you are on two wheels. Arguably, I tend to agree, that this 100 mile stretch of scenic highway is without equal, and in my humble opinion, it is the holy grail of motorcycle roads.
I began my ride on Hwy 25, and headed south toward Paso Robles. With the wind in my face on an almost cloudless day, with temperatures in the upper 70's, I found myself thinking, it doesn't get much better than this. But, when I got over on the coast highway, it did get better. When you catch a beautiful day like yesterday, the ride on Hwy 1 is the epitome of what riding a motorcycle is all about. Even though I don't ride nearly as much as I used to, when I catch a day like yesterday, it makes me think that I will never give up the Harley, no matter how old I get.
Today, I'm headed over to the Santa Cruz area, where I'll revisit many of the places that I used to frequent as a teenager, and in later years, when I worked there in the early 70's.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

I'm stuck with this slow Internet connection, so no pictures for a few more days. Hey, at least I can get online, even if it's super slow.
Yesterday, I rode the bike north to Morgan Hill, and a Camping World Store, where I returned a faulty adjustable water regulator that I had purchased while we were in Washington. From there, I rode west over Hwy 152 (Hecker Pass) to my High School town of Watsonville. When I was 10, we moved from Bass Lake to Watsonville, and that's where I lived until my two years in the Army in 1966 and 1967. When I was discharged, I had a family, (Michael was born in 67), and we lived in Watsonville for almost a year before I began my career with the CHP. After the academy, we moved to Southern California, where Marc was born in 1969.
I drove past my old home on McKenzie Ave, and then past our other home on E. Lake Ave. While riding around this part of town, I couldn't travel more than a few feet without another memory flashing through my head. Many business' that were there when I was a kid, are now gone. Some of the homes I remember as friends houses were only similar in size and shape, as most had been painted a different color, or something else had changed to alter their appearance.
Several times I saw something that caused me to remember an occasion, or an old friend that I hadn't thought about in years. It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, and reminded me how many years have past since those carefree days of my youth.
From Watsonville, I rode south on Hwy 1 to Castroville, then back to Hollister and the Thousand Trails at San Benito. This morning, I'm riding south on Hwy 25/101 to Paso Robles, then back up the coast highway, through Big Sur and Monterey.

NO INTERNET

For some reason, our Sprint Data Card just doesn't work in our former hometown - Jamestown, CA. I had the motor home parked behind Jamestown Harley-Davidson, Monday and Tuesday nights, while some maintenance work was being done on the Harley. When we park at our friends, Everett and Lori's house, about a mile from the business, the data card doesn't work there either. Don't know the answer, other than it simply doesn't work.
I left Jamestown a little after noon, and drove west to the Thousand Trail Preserve, about 15 miles south of Hollister, CA. My plan while here, is to do some day rides around the Monterey Bay area, and attend Chandra's dads funeral, the first part of next week. Marc will fly back into Monterey this Sat. or Sun. and I'll connect with the family when he gets back up here. After the funeral, it's back to Arizona, where Patty will be just a couple of weeks away from her trip to Greece, with her son David. She's the pet sitter right now, and when she leaves, I'll take on that responsibility.
Even though I'm able to get on line here, the connection is really, really slow, so I doubt that I'll be able to post any pictures.

AN ALARM WARNING

My apologies for the lack of news from the Dan, Patty, Sami & Gracie house, there just hasn't been a lot to write about. We've been busy getting our big house in order, and attending to lots of routine things. However, the Travel by Chance is again on the road, even though it's only one of the four Chance's. I hooked up the enclosed trailer to the motor home, loaded the Harley in the trailer, and left yesterday morning, headed toward our former home town in California. The plan is to have some much needed maintenance work done to the bike at Jamestown Harley-Davidson, see some friends, then find a place to park the motor home, and do some day rides on the Harley. Not everything goes according to plan, and yesterday was no exception. I had only been driving for a couple of hours, and decided it was time to pull over and check the security of the bike. I pulled off of I40 in Ludlow, CA, about 90 miles west of Needles, and 50 miles east of Barstow. When I was satisfied that everything was OK, I drove toward the westbound on ramp, and just as I turned the corner, my Pressure Pro tire monitoring system alarm went off. I pulled over adjacent to the on ramp, where fortunately, there was a lot of space away from the traffic. The monitor showed the right rear inside dual tire was rapidly losing air, and by the time I stopped, it was down to 14 pounds. I double checked the tire with an air gauge, and by then, the tire was completely flat. Darn, here I am in the middle of the Mojave Desert on a Sunday, with no spare (no diesel pusher motor homes come with a spare), and the immediate future doesn't looking to promising. I called Good Sam, our emergency road service provider, and things started to perk up from that point. It was about 1 pm, and after several call backs, Good Sam had found not only a tire service company, but also had found an exact replacement tire. By 3:15, I was back on the road with a brand new $602 Goodyear tire, and feeling a lot poorer, but like I had dodged a major bullet. I was way behind schedule, but still managed to make it to Bakersfield before dark, and good ole camp Wal-Mart, where we have spent many a night. Today, I'll finish the drive to Jamestown, and hopefully, there won'[t be any more alarms going off.