Test document to help a person learn how they can transfer a document typed on a computer at home that doesn’t have internet to a computer that does have Internet and can then be added to a blog.

NAMI Michigan NAMIWALK

Today I took the Silverwing to the NAMI Michigan NAMIWALK on Belle Isle. It was a great walk. There were lots of people there. I couldn't walk today as I have broken a bone in my foot so my ability to stand, much less walk is limited.

What I saw was many people walking, talking and having a great time. People with a mental illness, people who had family members who have a mental illness, friends of people who have a mental illness. There are more families involved now, I mean the ones with young kids. For a long, long time it always seemed to me that the people with an illness were around; sometimes they had parents and sometimes they didn't.

But now, there are families with younger kids involved. I am so glad that I have grandkids. (See grandkids to the left; Can't you just feel the love?) They would have been there today, but the truck was broken.

I would love to tell you that my meds changed everything, but what made the biggest change for me was the support that I got from people and for me, many of the people who did the supporting were NAMI members (both family and consumer members; I always get asked.) And yes, I am often a fan of NAMI Michigan. We don't always agree, but they are a major reason I am well. Of course they are also a major reason that I have learned to become a great advocate.

Anyway, back to the NAMIWALK stuff. I liked being able to hear the Recovery Band. There were other great singers, a lot of peer support specialists, USPRA Clubhouse members, JIMHO Drop-In Center members, and great people.

What I didn't like to hear (but did at the same time) was that there was a group there who were standing up and telling people that it is wrong for kids who have a mental illness to be in jail and prison because they are usually taken off their meds and isolated as they are kept away from the general prison population. How many times are family members encouraged to get tough on their ill family member. How many times doesn't that work well? NAMI Basics is coming into state this weekend.

The teams of walkers just keeps growing and growing. This is one of the ways that NAMI Michigan gets it's funding for the year so it can keep doing the education programs, supporting the Connection programs and all that other great stuff.

I'll steer you towards the pics as soon as I hear they are up.

Marty
Recovery That Rocks

Hurricanes, Buttheads and Mental Illness

Also, check out the ADAPT protest. I'm keeping track on my twitter,(scroll down on the right) but the guy has been arrested and taken to holding so it will be a bit before I can be rowdy again.

I was reading the news on Yahoo a bit ago and they are getting ready to remove people from Galveston Island "For their own good". Just like they lock us up for our own good.

So, these people from Galveston Island shouldn't take things personally, they should be happy that someone wants to come in on their white knight of a horse and "SAVE" them, right? The choice for these chronically normal people is the same one many of us face.

They have the right to be killed because they want to stay in their homes, do the repair themselves.

Some of them will be tazed. "For their own good." Not for the good of the country or the good of their county or the good of the city, but "For their own good."

Whatever happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave? Of course the official making the decisions is where? On Galveston Island.

Interesting point, isn't it?

Here a clip of the article: the top elected official in Galveston County, said the roughly 250 people who defied warnings they would be killed if they rode out the storm in the rural coastal community are a "hardy bunch" and there are some "old timers who aren't going to want to leave."

The Texas attorney general's office is looking into the legal options available to force the remaining residents leave, Yarbrough said. Local authorities are prepared to do whatever it takes to get residents to a safer place.

"I don't want to do it," he said. "I'm doing it because it's in their best interests."

The sliver of land is just too damaged for residents to stay there, and the population must be cleared so that recovery can begin, officials said. With no gas, no power and no running water, there is also concern about spread of disease.

Gas Tank Repair, Football, applying for a job

Well, today I took some time off and played with the Silverwing. My granddaughter Boo and I took off the gas tank, took apart the petcock cause, well the damn thing is screwed up from when I had the hole in my gas tank. Is the reason the petcock is screwed up my fault? You bet it is. I am learning a lot about the mechanical side of motorcycle riding. Grin

I also did a lot of research on why it is backfiring so badly. I think that due to the petcock and what ended up happening earlier, that I have a vaccuum leak that is killing my ride. I am not sure where the leak is, though. I did pick up some new hose clamps when Boo and I were out dropping Matt off at football practice.

Because of the way the person knocked my tank off my bike when I was working on it, I now have no paint on huge stretches of my gas tank so while we were playing, discover what is wrong with the petcock, we started sanding. I have some primer to put on it as I clear off more of the damage.

The guys on the chopper charles forums have given me some ideas as to how to repair the crack in my faring that keeps coming unfixed when I hit rough patches of pavement. The problem is that the area I have had to drive on has a massive rough pavement stretch, some of the worst that I have ever had to drive on other than when I was dirt biking. It's a bit of washboarding along with some nasty pavement ending abruptly with no warning. If I don't get the faring fixed, I will end up keeping this goofy bungee cord across my turn signal forever.


So, that is where the bike repairs are at.

I was reading a Harley Advertisement today, that reminded me why I don't go into motorcycle shops unless forced. Within the past three years, I have walked into two different bike shops and been relatively ignored as they decided to wait on and talk to the guys who walked in around the same time I did. Once I had the money to buy a new bike burning a hole in my pocket. So unless i really need parts (and I try to get the lawnmower shop to order me the parts before I try the bike shops) then I don't go there.

Here is my experience with bike shops: They will order you a part that is too big, too small, there are no parts that are just right. They will tell you that they are sure it will fit when it won't. I have more control when I order off the internet. Interestingly enough, it is also why I don't fix my motorcycles up more. I don't want to have to talk to a shop.

But back to the Harley Advertisement, (see Kelly, I read) I was looking at the clothes, most Harley clothes that I know of only fit people who are perfect or next to perfect. Like, there's this bitchin' set of riding boots that I really like (instant drool), but when I talked to the clerk, she didn't act like you could have wide feet, you had to be like; perfect. And Iam a large woman. When I go into the local shop that has Harley motorcycle clothes, I only go to buy things for my grandkids. There are a couple of shops that make things that will fit me, but so far, I haven't found a lot that I am looking for.

For those who don't know, I called on a job this week. I am an awesome trainer and in my field I really enjoy doing trainings. I found a job in North Carolina and decided to try to apply for it. My hours got cut here and there is a course that I could write and use there that has been shut off to me here. And I want to move into that field. So I called people to be references and talked with the lady who is in charge of the agency.

I also check to make sure that I knew what section of the state it was in. I wanted to try to section hike parts of the Appalachian Trail in the next five years and this job would put me in the right area to accomplish the southern sections of the Trail.

My daughter is losing her job at the end of next week due to the factory she worked for going into bankruptcy and them not being able to find a buyer. So GM came and pulled molds. Then Chrysler came and pulled molds. Ford is pulling molds next week. The Ford Focus parts were a hard start-up. The factory is working seven days trying to get a buildup of parts in case the turnover doesn't go smoothly.

I fired up the Vulcan today, but decided not to ride it. The kids don't like the seat on it nearly as well as they like the seat on the Honda and well, I have a cab and a half Dodge Dakota. There were four high school football players, my granddaughter who's fourteen and myself all in that truck. I thought that matt was going to need to work the gas pedal for a bit, but then decided I could handle it. grin

Enjoy life, Ride hard and Stay safe. Marty

Deciding on what kind of journey to take

Well, the Silverwing is going down tomorrow so I can remove the faring and the gas tank. I need to double chek the hoses that go from the tank to the carbs and need to fix the faring. I am going to order a new windshield and some kind of a trunk. I don't have a rack for the trunk, but figure that I can figure out a way to fasten it. That way I will have a built in backrest and a way to keep my sleeping bag out of the elements.

I have to get my shoulder checked out to see that I won't do any major damage. That appointment is later on this month.

I looked at the four corners stuff that the California Club does, but I acutally like to have time to sightsee when I travel. I like to take the time to commune with nature. And people. And savor small towns. Other people can go on a road and say there is nothing to see. I can go on a road and feel history, decline and decay in spite of having every reason to thrive, or the ability of a community to thrive at all odds. LOL

I am seriously giving more thought to going away this winter for the winter. I am really wanting to get into the warm sun and there are plenty of places that I can go to do that. I'm thinking about a storage area so I can have a place to go to get my stuff when I get home. The kids will always welcome me to a spot on the couch.

Big enough so my desk can stay set up. And I can have a heater in there. And my desk chair. I wanted that the last time and well, it didn't really work well.

I would need to take my trailer. The biggest problem with travelling all winter by motorcycle is that one needs such a huge variety of stuff. Well, that and the fact that I take things because I'm a woman and I can. That sounds terrible, but it's true. LOL As a writer, I like paper and a pen, a computer, my wifi card, sometimes I like a stool so I can sit by a campfire. Then I need laundry soap to wash my clothes because they stink after three or four days of being by a fire.

I like to eat better when I am gone for a while. A Jet-Boil stove is great for short trips, but for long trips, well, I like a different answer.

So I am thinking. The way I travel is that I could have the longest perimeter travel ever. Who knows? Where would I need to be when? And how long is winter is the northwest corner of Texas? I could probably hide out at the trailer for a bit after my parents leave also, but by then it is warm.

What am I looking for? Life, love, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Or a chance at a job? Or a book? I wish I knew.

But then that is why I am me. Marty

To finish catching people up ;). I brought the Silvering home and took it back to the shop. Now they have fixed the brakes better. I haven't screamed at them yet. I may fairly soon.

Anyway, back to thinking about just what I want to do about that gosh darn perimeter tour. First up, do I want to try to take the Silverwing or do I want to take the Vulcan. Neither one is in the shape that I wish they were. It will cost about the same to fix either of them up for a cross-country trek.

I have been out riding off and on for the past three weeks. I took the Wing up to Higgins Lake for the Michigan Peer Support Specialist Training. I took the roads up to Bad Axe and Lexington, but no really long riding. I need to try a longer ride.

The Wing has a backfire that I have to fix. It happened after we got the bike back together from the Hole in the Gas Tank that happened up at Higgins Lake. I was so pissed. I lost a ton of gas all over the parking lot and the ground. For those of you who don't know, I am one of those enviro-geeks, the one's who want to save the resources for our grand kids.

The people at Higgins Lake were great. The loaned me gas cans, assistance getting my bike back together, (thanks Bob and Jeanne) gave me rides to the auto parts store, advice on what kind of goop to use (thanks Ernie) and helped me to not panic.

I am sure that the accident that I had helped the gas leak and I am glad that it didn't start while the bike was in storage when one was around to get to it.

So now I know how to patch a gas tank. Whoohoo. Are my skills improving or what? (You can all stop laughing now.)


I've started a list and started to look at my calendar so I guess that perimeter tour will need to finish before the snow hits the Rockies if I turn left and before the snow hits the Appalachians if I turn right. I am glad that I live in a Border Town. I won't have to travel anywhere to get to the perimeter. LOL.

I am thinking about moving South for the winter. I need to decide before my lease is up. LOL

Marty

A Green Dodge Dakota, Retrieving my Silverwing, Thinking about life

The guy who helped me tie down the bike asked me about my insurance. he said that he looked at my bike when it came in and he didn't think that the accident caused my brakes to lock up when I described what had happened. It starts to sink in that I could have died because some punk didn't actually fix the brakes like I thought.

I try not to think about it on the ride home.

Anyway, a couple of weeks later, (by the way, did I mention that my computer and my video camera are working well?), I am out riding the Kawasaki as I can't stand to frickin stay home so I am cruising and cruising and cruising around the town as I didn't want to go too far, but couldn't stay home. I turn down a road to head over to Yale, and then I find a green Dodge Dakota sitting by the side of the road with a for sale sign on it. Did I mention that I thought about a price, also?

I go, no, not really. A truck that is what I am looking for in the style I want. It's a cab and a half, forest green, bed liner, runs well, shifts well, brakes are good, wtf? You have got to be kidding me. Maybe I should buy the truck and go get the bike. Most people don't like to travel as much as I do. I love it. Absolutely love to travel.

I decide to buy the truck. I am scared to drive a vehicle all that way that I don't really know. That was part of the problem with the Wing. But I grab the keys, climb in and head off to pick up the bike. I was worried about how it was going to be loaded up, but figured that I could always call a wrecker to hoist it up. I did know that I couldn't help load it and still couldn't climb up in the bed to tie it down very many times.

The trip down gave me a lot of time to think it over. The first thing that I did was to go to the storage area and sit on the bike. Wow, did it feel good to be sitting on it. Wasn't rideable, but I was sitting on it. I wheel it out of the storage room, gather up all my luggage onto a cart and take a deep breath. I had it back. That was important to me.

Sitting outside the storage area, I started talking to guys and there were a couple of bikers who worked there. One even had a ramp in storage there. They loaded my bike into my truck and actually listened to the way that I wanted it to be tied down. The tailgate wouldn't go up so I double-checked that I wasn't going to lose it, and took off. I couldn't go back the way that I went when I had the accident, so I headed across on I-10 and headed up I-75. It was still early in the day when I left Jacksonville.

I was tired because of the stress, so I stopped early. There were four bikers who came in to the hotel later after me and I took the time to talk to them. I ate lunch in the local dive. It reminded me of Nebraska, where the only sit-down restaurant was in the gas station. The food was good, but I didn't really want to go back there for breakfast either. I thought about making it over to two-wheels m/c resort to try out my camping equipment, but didn't think I would be able to sleep on the sleeping pad yet.

I'm sitting back tonight, thinking this stuff through, wondering where I am going and what I am going to do about that damn dream to do a perimeter tour this year. I need to do it. I need to do it for me, for who I am, for who I want to be. Cause if I don't, I won't be who I want to be next year.

So, maybe I need to start planning things out once again. I had hoped to go camping with J.Rock this month, but it's not going to happen. so in a way, I feel like I wasted another month. I'm free the 10th or 12th of September for three weeks, I could do the Northern Section, come back for a couple of days, then go back and finish the rest. I need a calendar, a map and a hitch for my trailer.

Marty

The Trip Home, Getting on a bike again, Buying a Truck

Well, I got my bike out of the impound lot. There were a bunch of guys standing around helping. Or not helping depending upon what you thought they were doing. We had the Grand Am, it was riding low, the bike trailer that we wanted to rent wasn't going to work and Grandma was unhappy.

I have a tendency to spit nails when things don't go my way and it seemed like there had been at least a week of those kinds of days. I look like a wimp as I can't pull on my jeans, so I am wearing these old lady fru, fru clothes. They were about all I could find. For the past week my luggage and the jeans that I could wear were on my bike. In impound. I pick up my leather jacket and look at the shredded mess it had become. I have two, it was my favorite.

My clothes were there, my tent was there, my sleeping bag was there, my hard luggage didn't have any major holes in it--pretty scraped up but no holes, my mess kit was pretty dented, but hey. The key locks in the hard luggage still worked. My reading glasses were still there.

So I am standing there trying to figure out what to do. I already knew that plan A--the one where the Grand Am pulls my bike back to Michigan on a trailer--was down the drain. I decide to get a storage room and put my stuff in it. But we have to get the bike on the trailer.

I still don't feel like moving at all. But the guys that were tying down my bike to the trailer so I could put it into storage were doing it all wrong. And they didn't like to listen to this old fru fru lady. So this guy walks up. And he said, no--don't put the tie down straps there, put them here, on the engine guards. And don't put the tie downs there, put them on the luggage racks that attach to the frame. We're going to tie this bike down like it was a Harley, even though it's not a Harley.

If it was a Harley, it wouldn't have gone down with locked up brakes. I think, "Cute, very cute", but decide to take the cut because, frankly, i don't know if I could climb up on the trailer to retie down the bike even though I knew the tie downs weren't on right.

We get the bike back to the storage room; my daughter and Matt manage to muscle it into the storage room after I take most of the food out of the bags. The kids are happy, i have granola bars, chips and munchies for the ride home. I leave the clothes and the rest of the stuff on the bike, not sure just how I want to do what. There's a bike shop just down the road, do I want to try that one?

We pile in the car, a crowded mass of wall to wall people and we all settle in for a long ride home. Grandma buys the food since everyone is crowded because I am hitching a ride.

My daughter doesn't stop for the night. She just keeps driving. And driving. I take more pain medicine and try to block out the remaining pain by sleeping. It was way more than I could handle--riding home that way. Did I mention that I would have been happy to pay for a hotel room as well? Hell, I would have payed for a couple of them.

We get home and I try to figure out how to sleep. It takes a week or so before I want to think about lying down to sleep.

The Saturday after I got home, I got out the Vulcan to ride. It did hurt like hell. At the same time I have found that if I don't get back on, fear rules. I don't mind being afraid, but I absolutely refuse to stop going for my dreams because I am afraid. If at some point in the future I decide to not ride because there is too much of a chance of my dying, that is one thing. If I decide to change my dreams because I have thought things through. What isn't OK, at least for me is for me to stop riding because I am afraid to get back on.

So, I got on and rode up the road for about twenty miles to the roadside park up north of Lexington. At the roadside park I didn't really feel like talking to anyone, just chose a rock to sit on and looked out at the water.

After I got back, I thought about how I was going to get my Honda back to Michigan from Florida. One week down, three to go before the storage room rent was going to be due. I wanted my bike back by then.

I start thinking about buying a truck. I envision a Green Dodge Dakota, falling into my lap at a price I can afford, in a couple of weeks. At least it gives me something to think about besides worrying about what my Honda will look like. LOL

Marty

Ambulance Rides, Wet and Cold in the hospital, greyhound and cab rides. Oh, MY

So, to continue.

I'm sitting on the cement dividers that surround the construction area when the men who work on that construction come up and ask if they can move my motorcycle. I told them again that the brakes were locked up and that we hadn't been able to figure out how to move it earlier. As I look back I now know what shock looks like. I carry a full tool kit when I travel out of state.

I'm so wet that my pants are almost steaming from the Jacksonville heat. There's blood running down my arm, and the pain from trying to breathe is starting to sink into my brain. I decide to go to the hospital to get checked out, but I don't feel well enough to get back to my backpack and video camcorder off the bike. The police person asks me if I want an ambulance after I have been there for about 45 minutes. Maybe I looked like I was decompensating. I ask the guys from the fire and rescue service to bring them to me. They say they can't. I say, well then, I can't take this ride to the hospital. Guess you'll have to come back.

Someone pours peroxide on my arm after asking me if I would like to put it on myself as it might sting. Even with them pouring peroxide down my arm, I can't really feel my elbow cause my ribs hurt so badly. I also didn't like the idea that I might look and/or sound like a wimp. I am pissed when it takes the color out of my Sturgis shirt.

I decide to beg once again for my computer and video camcorder.

Now, I know that the guys think that my stuff is probably broken. I know that my stuff might be broken, but if it isn't I don't want the stuff sitting in the rain in an impound lot until someone can come and get it. It'll be a week before I can get back to it. I decide to try to call and find out if there is anyone from NAMI in the general area that might come and get some of my stuff. I can't get anyone who knows me. Shit.

Finally the guys see that I am damn serious about getting my computer and video camcorder and a guy goes out to my motorcycle and unstraps the computer. He just lays my camera in my fanny pack up on top. (Heck no, I don't even think so. I am so not leaving my camcorder to become electronic road kill on I-95.)

He comes back to the ambulance with the computer and I ask him to please bring me the fanny pack off the bike as well. He looks at his boss and goes back out to grab the camcorder.

They tell me to lie down on the stretcher. I refuse. They tell me that they have to strap me down to transport me. I refuse again. I can't imagine how much pain I will be in if I have to lie down. It already hurts when I breathe. Someone makes a command decision that I don't have to lie down, ambulance doors are slammed and we then proceed to drive over every bump and pothole on the way to the hospital. The guy says, "I know it's bumpy, but it's the shortest way." Now maybe it's me, but I wasn't in cardiac arrest. There must have been a choice.

As we are bouncing along, I am reminded more than once that it is a short trip. I think, so is going crazy a short trip. then I think that the guy is probably thinking, damn I could have taken another street. No, I rule out that he has any sense whatsoever.

When I get to the hospital they decide that I get to bypass intake and go straight to a room. They ambulance personnel help me move from their stretcher to the uncomfortable ER bed. They leave me kind of perched on the side because I can't lay down nor can I manage to scoot back. They really wanted me to scoot back. I think they were afraid that I would fall. After all, didn't I just prove that I wasn't able to ride a motorcycle? Actually I think to myself, that is probably a good thing. If I scooted back, my legs would be dangling and then after a few minutes, my knees wouldn't work. I stay uncomfortably perched.

Someone breezes in to take my vitals, and while quickly breezing back out tells me that someone will be by in a few minutes before I can think to tell them that I am freezing and need to either get out of my wet clothes or get a blanket. The next person comes in. My brain refuses to work. She did hand me the remote to the TV as she tells me that she doesn't think it works. I forget to tell her that I am freezing. I am however grateful for the remote as I hate cartoons.

I repeat to myself the words, "Remember to tell them you need a blanket."

The next person who walks in tells me that she needs me to lie down so she can strap me to the stretcher so she can move me to x-ray. I say, "I need a blanket." ----"Please." She says, that all I will need is a sheet in the x-ray room and my reply is, “well, I am very wet very cold.” She touches me and says, “yes you are, you really do need a blanket and mercifully goes to find one. As she puts the blanket across my shoulders, I try to reach up and move it. It was the first time I realized that My shoulders hurt a lot.

Most of the x-rays were taken as standing x-rays so I wouldn't have to lay down. One of the guys who came in who was a biker helped me lay down and get up from the one x-ray I had to lay down for. A technician tells me I can get dressed. They put my boots in a bag to stop them from dripping on the floor. My socks ooze out water when I walk to the wheelchair.

As I am waiting for the results of the x-rays I decide that I might was well go to the NAMI Conference. The kids are due in for the conference. There are people who generally like me and support me at the conference. There is a bed and probably some furniture at the conference. (My apartment doesn't really have furniture; there is a desk chair, a table and an old futon mattress that lays on the floor. Given a choice I would rather buy and ride a motorcycle than buy furniture.) Not that I feel like laying down anyway.

A doctor comes in to tell me that I have broken ribs.

A nurse comes in and tells me that I am being discharged and there is nothing wrong with me. I add, "Except the broken ribs." She says, "Oh, do you have broken ribs? It doesn't say that here." She goes off to check and when she comes back she says, "Well, you're right, you have broken ribs."

There is no phone book, my cell phone won't work in the hospital, but might outside and it is against their policy to give out any medications. At the moment I can't even get up to get my boots. Did I need a Jacksonville Transit Coupon to get home on the bus with? I really must have looked like a frickin refugee.

I said, “I need some pain medication, I need to get over to Orlando where my friends are, can I have a phone book?” She brings me back a phone book, but since my cell phone won't operate, I can't put the number in anyway. I think about ripping out the page, but regretfully, over all, I am a nice person that doesn't do those things. I memorize the number and ask someone for the area code.

I get a pill for the journey and to help me get through the night. It takes me at least five minutes to put on my boots and the nurse still has to tie them for me.

Outside I was at least no longer freezing. I try to call the cab but the number I memorized won't work. I am guessing that I have the wrong area code so I start to walk around towards people to ask them the number. I must look like hell because people are avoiding me like I have the plague. They tell me they don't know their area code.

I walk up to the man in the guard shack and ask him for the number to a cab. He's nice but tells me that I have to go back inside. When I looked over at the door, I decide it's too far and sit down on the edge of the cart that is outside the door. I ask him if he can at least tell me the area code. It's different than the one I had been given. I call again and get the cab company.

Thirty minutes later I'm staring at the steps of a greyhound bus trying to figure out how I'm going to climb up them let alone get my stuff on board since I really can't pick up any weight. Guys caught behind me help. The bus is really full. I think they help because otherwise, they can't get on. I try to doze off to make it easier to ignore the jostles, bumps and potholes in the road. It's at least better than the ambulance ride. A person could die while trying to get to the hospital in one of those things.

The guys also help get my luggage off the bus. (Probably because they wanted to get home.) It's after midnight. I call a cab, ask how much the fare will be and try to get the guy to not turn corners on two wheels. We reach the hotel. The doorman gets my bags. I tell the cab driver that I usually tip really well, but didn't appreciate his driving enough to tip him and walk away.

My New Scorpion Helmet Slides Across I-95

In my last post, I talked about the new toy that I bought. As I rode it home, I experimented. I checked out this and I tried that. I looked at the oil, the brake fluid, listened to the roar of then engine, etc. I liked the riding position more than I thought that I would. I found out that the bike was/is a growler. That means that he seems to be happiest around 4,600 rpms.

Not knowing Honda Motorcycles at all, I decide to put the bike in my local Honda Shop (Grace Performance out in Wadhams). There are a couple of reasons that I chose to do this. The first is that, even though I am a decent mechanic, I don't have any manuals yet for this motorcycle (a Honda GL 500 Interstate). The second is that, I need to get down to Jacksonville, Florida.

So I walk into the Local Honda shop and they accept my motorcycle into the shop. I say, could you please check it over, change the fluids and check the brakes. It hasn't been ridden for over five years. (It has 5,500 actual miles, so I didn't doubt the truth of that statement.) In this model the calipers have o rings that can crack or rot out.

I call back and ask about the brakes. When I went in to pick it up, it wasn't ready but the man who takes the orders at the service desk said, “He checked out your brakes and they are OK.”

Trusting idiot that I am, I assume that he really checked out my brakes. That meant that I thought he literally took care of them. Hindsight being 20/20 or better, what I now know is that mean that he might have squeezed the handle, and maybe checked out or changed the fluid. Maybe.

Because the bike wasn't ready and I have a meeting on the what I remember to be the 12^th or 13^th of June, I end up leaving late which I really hate to do. I am a casual rider. I like to ride for a bit, go read in a bookstore for a bit, write a bit, ride some more, etc. Stop, look around. That's just the way I like to travel. Can I do 500 or 600 miles in a day? Sure, but why not take the time to enjoy the journey. I am past the point of having to hurry to get to some place else. I have already been in the lower 48 states. Most of them I have been in on a motorcycle. I have nothing to prove to anyone. I'm just out to enjoy my life.

I decide that even though I have left later than I wish I had due to a combination of things (bike broken, weather, etc) I still need/want to take a little time and ride across Ohio on I-80 and then drop down as I love to ride the mountains of West Virgina and North Carolina. It makes more sense to just ride down I-75. It's close and a really straight shot. It is also a totally boring road that I have learned to hate. I love the toll road in West Virginia, the tunnels, the atmosphere in South Carolina.

The Ride down towards the NAMI conference in Orlando was probably the most wonderful time I've had in a long time. As I was cruising along, I thought about why I liked to ride so very much. It wasn't just to escape the cares of the world, although that is one reason that I love to ride. It wasn't just to get away from the chaos (chaos seems to equal, Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) in my apartment, as I had previously thought.

What I realized as I was riding through North Carolina was that when I ride, I am well. It is probably the only time that I am totally well. Not a little well, a lot of well. The looking forwards to life, enjoying the sites, kind of well. In fact, I felt total excitement about what life has to offer me. I even felt happy. And I felt really, really satisfied with my life and where it was headed.

This day, for me was going to be a high mileage day. I don't like this bike and the rain. It is a pain in the assets, but as I thought about it, I don't really like any bike in the rain. But I do have full rain gear and have often ridden the Kawasaki Vulcan (2753 miles worth last year) in the rain. I don't like the windshield I have on this new bike when it rains. I've ordered another, but it didn't make it in.

Just about as soon as I hit Florida, it starts to rain. It was raining badly enough that I am drenched before I can even begin to think about grabbing my rain gear. Since I can 't see, I decide to pull off to the side of I-95 and wait the storm out. It stops quickly.

I wait a bit for the road to dry off (roads dry quickly in the Florida heat) and then hop back on to finish my ride. I am still on schedule to arrive at the meeting on time.

In Jacksonville, it starts to rain again, there is a ton of construction and no where to get off I-95 unless it is onto I-10 when it starts to rain again. I know that those cement dividers probably save the lives of people in cages, but most of the time, I hate them. I do now.

All I remember thinking is "I really don't want to be here." and bam, I was sliding, ripping tearing across the middle of the interstate. I was berating myself for being such a poor rider in rain as I was sliding across the lanes of I-95 and I-10. It was a hard fall. I lay there for a minute then started moving to see if I could. Car horns honking, people trying to drive by on either side of me, I sighed. Some people blocked the road off so people couldn't do that. As I tried to sit up there was a nurse who had stopped when she saw me fall, pushing me back down, telling me to lay back down. I have really bad knees. I don't lie on my back in a hotel bed, much less on a highway. She tells me to lay back and there are guys coming that will get the bike off of my leg. I kick the bike off of my left leg, yell an unprintable word, and get up.

People who don't ride, don't really think about the exhaust pipe factor or the bad knee factor when they are telling you to lay back and someone else will get the bike off of you. I'm not burned, but my boot is steaming. And we all know that I hate to give up the frickin control to anyone else. Thank goodness I don't ride in flip flops. The brakes on my bike are locked up due to the fall, no one has a wrench so we can't pop the calipers open (why I didn't remember mine were on the front of the bike, i can't tell you) and I can't move the bike off the interstate. The police come, but aren't on the interstate, there is no one behind my bike, there is no one to protect me. The police person stays on the nice, safe side of the divider which is a residential neighborhood and we wait for a tow truck; she in her police car because it's still raining ( she was nice enough to share that she had just gotten her hair done) and me on this side of the interstate with cars passing by closely.

Bought a New Toy

Hi,

Well, I just finished purchasing a new toy. It's a 1981 Honda GL500I. Here are the pics of the bike. Hmm, where do I think that my tent, stove, sleeping pad, sleeping bag and mess kit are going to go? (I know, we'll have Berta pack it up, she can do it.)















Well, we all knew that I was going to be looking
for something, right? So this is it. grin

As you can see, it's missing a side cover on the left side and it doesn't have a trunk on the back. Yet.

So I am packing my things and getting ready to cruise down to Orlando. We all knew that I couldn't stay home for too long, right?

This bike is taller than my vulcan was. And the horn button is exactly where my turn signals were on my vulcan which can make things really annoying for other people as I head on down the road. The test drive was like, really hilarious. Honk, honk, everytime I tried to turn my signals on.

And the freaking pedals are in different places. I will have to actually go out and ride the damn thing for a while before I can go on the road. What a freaking rip. Aaauuuggghhh. I tried to wreck the damn thing earlier today on the test drive. Luckily the car behind me on the right gave me some room. It was a tight spot in an area that I didn't know.

The Honda is high mileage compared to my vulcan. It has 6100 miles (yes really) and the vulcan had 2,250 when I started out last year. They have close to the same size engine. The load will be higher riding which makes me a bit nervous as the seat height is so much higher.

One of my cousins died today from cancer. Peg wasn't old. It makes me realize just how much we need to make sure that we enjoy life while we can. She was neat. I really liked her. It's been a rough year this year, one suicide and one death from cancer.

Live long and prosper,

Marty

Megabus Trip Itinerary

People are going there is no way you can do all that for $56 (Price went down megabus posted new fares it's cost is now down to $37) so here ya go. Ya need to understand that I don't like to travel on planes, get stuck in airports for hours on end and really appreciate the oddities in life. This is one of the oddities.

The overall view. Please understand that I will do this just because I can. There is no other reason.

Kansas City--One day of sight seeing
Cleveland--One day of sight seeing
Memphis--Two days of sight seeing, (sorry I really have to see the Peabody Ducks and Graceland.)
Minneapolis--One day of sight seeing
Chicago--multiple days of sight seeing.

There is an option for one day in St. Louis which would add a day in Chicago.

I have us starting in Chicago and time along with days of the week is an importance essence, along with the all important advance purchase. The fares were valid as of today.

August 19--Arrive in Chicago--I didn't count this fare as it will be different for me & the person I want to travel with. For me it will be somewhere around $15-$20. It will be more for the other person. Look around Chicago for the day

August 19 Chicago to Kansas City Leave 11:55 PM arrive 10 AM Look around KC Fare $1
August 20 Kansas City to Chicago Leave 8:45 PM arrive 6:50 AM clean up some, drink some coffee and look around Chicago some more. Fare $1
August 21 Chicago to Cleveland Leave 11:59 PM Arrive 7:30 AM Savor Cleveland Fare $8
Glitch, tried to find a hostel in Cleveland, didn't find one handy enough for me.
August 22 Cleveland to Chicago 11:59 Arrive 5:15 Enjoy Chicago Fare $8
August 23 Chicago to Memphis 10:00PM Arrive 7:45 AM Fare $1
August 24 Memphis hostel $15 for room in dorm
August 25 Memphis to Chicago 11:00 PM Arrive 8:45 AM Chicago Fare$1
August 26 Chicago to Minneapolis Fare $1
August 27 Minneapolis to Chicago 10:30 Arrive 6:30 AM Fare $1

So that is the bare bones itinerary, although I really do like Saint Louis and I am thinking aobut adding a day there but because it is on a weekend, it would be expensive. The trip would be $16 to go there and $15 to return. I tried to look up a hostel, but that won't work as it is $20 a night.

At the moment I am looking at $100 per person for the time period I am gone and would need the rest of the $100 for fees to get into various sites. For $100 total, I now have $63 for fees to get into places and the city bus systems. Should I decide to spend more, say $150 or $200 for the two week trip I will let you know and update the blog, but it seem unnecessarily spendthrift to me. The idea is for a frugal trip.

Food is a tough one for me. I am not one that has to eat in a fancy eatery, but on a trip of this type at times food costs will rise as one needs a place to park one's assets, (their butt) or your assets get worn out. Local gas and sips don't really work well for this type of a trip.

I gotta decide for sure by the first and get my ticket should I decide that I really want to do this; cause the price goes away if the ride starts to fill.

Any sightseeing ideas that are awesome and cheap? grin

Live long and prosper. Ride safe.

Marty

So Anyway

My bike is down for a tire, but that of course should never stop life. Anyway. I get myself in a situation where I decide to try the megabus. It was fun. A really different experience.

After I managed to backtrack to get to Union Station in Chicago, I purchased my ticket via my pda to STL. When I went to look around for the place to catch the bus I saw a sign that said:

Megabus does not have a cooperating agreement with AMTRAK. Unless you are using the services and businesses inside the terminal, please wait outside. Outside there are many people awaiting the megabus service. I laugh and go find a place to sit inside. There are a lot of spaces inside, I have never seen the Chicago Union Great Hall filled and well, it is quite a while before I am to leave. Besides, I need to charge my cell phone and play on the puter.

The megabus came on time, was clean, non-smelly and I was so happy to not be on a greyhound that life seemed really good. Up on the top deck there is a place where one can sit in the window and look out at the traffic. I really enjoy watching the traffic as we rolled down the road even though it took a bit of adjusting to see how close the bottom of the bridges were to the top of our bus. I am quite sure my eyes got big at that one.

I took a couple of tylenol pm as I was a little achy from all the stuff that I had done earlier in the day. Shouldn't have. The bus was thirty minutes early and dumped us out on a street corner in Downtown STL at 5 AM while I was still pretty much asleep.

I didn't feel unsafe, but it felt really strange to be sitting on a piece of concrete at 5AM not really knowing where I was. My first thought was to scream, find out a number for a cab to the Hilton and get the fuck out of there. I tried to berate myself a couple of times for what I had done, but decided to just breathe and assess my surroundings. I relaxed and waited while things got lighter as the sun slowly started to rise. I saw a bus stop and some buses. That was a good sign. The bus stop didn't have gang symbols printed on it. Another good sign. Snicker. Like it mattered as I was already there with no transportation.

They unlocked union station around 5:30 and I went inside to find a restroom and look for some transportation information. I found a place to go to pick up the metralink and bought a ticket. The first thing I did was to get on the damn thing going the wrong direction, then realized in another stop I would be under the arch and decided to ride by it. It is a great sight. In case you didn't know it the dimensions are 630' by 630'. Way cool.

I then got off, walked around a bit, but my luggage bummed me out, so I headed out to the airport so I could catch the shuttle for the Hilton.

We are now in meetings for the trainings.

BTW I did figure out a ten day travel and lodging included five city tour by megabus that will cost a total of $111.50 for two or $56 if i end up doing it by myself. Whoohoo, life can be a RIDE. We are looking at August. I am trying to keep lodging and sightseeing fees under $200 for the ten days. They should pay me to advertise for megabus. LOL

Actually, the best part about megabus is that the drivers don't mistreat you about the tickets. You just need to take reserv number. Way cool.

Happy trails, Marty

Great Riding until it rained hard, sigh

Got home last night. We made it. Whoohoo. We tied the trailer to the top of the Grand Am, shoulda got a pic. I streaked across Michigan and part of Illinois.I got to where I just wanted out of the car. LOL Matt told me that we are really getto because I had the guts to tie the trailer on the top of the car. We thought about telling Berta that we had done it, but decided that we didn't want her to worry. big grin. She figured it out when we got home and she said, "If you had broken the glass out of teh back window I would have been pissed. Hmm, she had a point. I'm more broke than usual. LOL

Here's a pic of me & the best grandbabies in the world.








Here I am with my nephew and niece. Cute little buggers aren't they?









Here is mom & dad with the gk's.










And here are Steve and Mandy with the kids.






We try really hard to be a conventional family and take only nice pics. Usually we can get one good pic if we promise to take a fun one later.

Today was a good day. I went to a luncheon with ladies from the church. While I was gone the people who hand out the Watchtower left a note on my door. See, I told ya it was a good day, I was gone. LOL

Then after the luncheon, I went by to return the car to Berta, got my luggage from the trip yesterday, and then retrieved the motorcycle. Whoohoo. It was a great day. What a ride. I didn't really go anywhere, but I rode around. And Around. And Around. What joy.

Then at 9Pm I went to the kids to pick up my m/c cover and got caught in a torrential downpour. It was one hard ass rain. It was raining so hard it hurt. I wished I had grabbed my full face helmet. It stopped pretty quick but I was drenched. Ya know, I can't move from here. All the little old ladies and little old men wouldn't have anything to do. There would be no amusement for them.

There's a workshop at church that I would like to do tomorrow, but the weather doesn't look good. That darn storm that is coming across the midwest is heading this way and they are predicting snow. I don't like to ride in snow, even if it won't stick around for very long.

Gotta go, have a delightful night.

Happy trails, Marty


I also worked on a workshop and a plenary that I am presenting on Sunday, Hope that Rocks and Things you put in a recovery toolbox. I need to work on them some more, but I got started.

Another perfect riding day

I wasn't able to come home and get my bike, the weather pretty much stayed crappy through Friday. The blessing in that was that I got to ride home with Heather McDonald from Connecticut. She was headed home on the thruway; I know that some of you think that life ends at the edge of the country, but it doesn't. You just drive through and pick things up again at Niagra Falls.

While we were riding home, we found out that Heather got a grant that she really wanted to get. That is so awesome. It will just about if not double the size of For-U which is awesome, isn't it? It's a good Consumer Driven Program. How do I know that it is good? I spent the week with Heather, got to know who she was as a person and really liked what I found. Also, their website, when you read the about me section has the right vision and values. I would give you a direct link to their vision and values, but they don't have their website set up so I can do that.

So I have been home for two days and why haven't I written? Cause I was riding--whooo. Yesterday Boo and I rode up to Lexington and had A&W Rootbeer in frosty mugs while sitting outside. It wasn't very warm, but it was warm enough. Marty does happy dance.

I can handle life now. I have ridden out of town. LOL

I have to bring my website down later this week, it won't be tonight. I have to put it into another program so I can co-host websites. What I have isn't working and I am getting more visitors than I was before so I need to fix it now so I can not get a massive interruption later.

I have adjusted to the ebay download situation. It did take a while, even if I understood why they chose to do it. It just makes it harder and more expensive for people who wanted to get a copy of Views From the Trail or Recovery that Rocks as a download. I hate that it did that. I can't say that sales were booming, but they were picking up slowly.

Earlier today as I was out cruising along, I was thinking about the situation and realized that the intense irritation that I felt isn't here any more.

I also thought about how, when I get an idea, I need to do it right then. If I don't then I don't have time to do it later as I have another idea, and then another idea. What a joy to have so many ideas, what I need is a heck of a lot more discipline than I have. grin

I am still awaiting a turn signal assembly and a front tire so I haven't had the opportunity to do as much riding as I wish I had. I did get enough to take the edge off. Now I can go back and plan a route 66 trip so I can jam it in somewhere.

Happy trails, ride safe.

Marty

The weathers been crappy, f'in hey

This week, I have been in Grand Rapids and then in Lansing. Did I mention that the weather has been absolutely crappy? I mean it has rained and spit snow off and on for over four days now. I didn't take the Vulcan, but damn, I am close enough that I could go home to get it if the weather would just clear up.

It's April, I am so ready to ride, even if I am still buying bike parts to replace the cracked and broken ones from the January slide.

I bought new bags, new sissy bar, and I am working on getting some new turn signals, new relays, and I think the repair will stop there. I could use a new tank, but I think I will bide my time and find one used later on this year.

I am thinking about buying a new bike, but haven't done so yet.

I really hope that it clears as I need to go home next week for my father's 80th birthday celebration. I would love to ride there. I so need to ride. I so, so need to ride.

Am I ever going to be able to cruise again? Am I ever going to be able to tour again? If not, am I just in love with the idea of touring? Personally, I think that would make me a freaking wimp and I hate to be thought of as a wimp.

I so need to get the heck away. All the way away. Miles and miles away. Far, far away.

I don't think I am courageous, just filled with wanderlust. Lots and lots of wanderlust. I don't have an atlas with me so I can't futher plan out either the perimeter tour or the route 66 trip. I always get cabin fever in April and this month because of the weather, my attitude is worse than usual.

My friends who are going to sail on Georgian Bay this summer are closing the house in a couple of weeks and then will set sail before May 31st. Right now, I think that sounds cold, at least to me.

Have a happy day, my battery is dying. Marty

Riding in Michigan

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful here. It was fifty degrees, so I didn't even need to put on a pair of longjohns. I went out and got on my bike and it started right up. I have a tiny battery and since the apartment I live in is on the fourth floor, it is not possible for me to run a trickle charger.

What I end up doing instead is to carry a car charger strapped to my sissy bar. It's not a great answer, but I enjoy riding in cold weather and don't enjoy being stranded since I ride solo so much.

I didn't get very far out of town, but really enjoyed just leaning back and cruising. The sun was warm and I enjoyed just the feeling of the sun on my face.

The day before had ended up sucking royally and I didn't feel well enough to roll out of bed sooner. Boy did I regret that as soon as I walked outside.

Five hours south, that is all I have to get is five hours south and I can ride and ride and ride without it being cold. It's warm enough down in Cinci to ride today. Hmm, maybe I should work my way down right after next Friday when I can enjoy being free for a week or so.

Happy trails, Marty

Riders On Adventure: Women on Motorcycles

Riders On Adventure: Women on Motorcycles

I enjoyed this post. It is a good one. There are many serious riders who ride their own, but sometimes they are not so easy to find, at least when I am looking for someone to ride with.

I'll comment more tonight, but right now, I am going to go to breakfast, then to wally world to buy a seat pad, LOL

I spent some more time reading the Riders On Adventure Blog;

KW shoots some awesome pics, wish I had that kind of talent LOL, but what I like the best is that she really rides. I talk to a lot of people who have bikes but don't ride a whole lot. I would like to meet her. She sounds like fun, so KW, if you make it to Michigan this year or next look me up. If I start to read that we are in the same area, maybe there will be a drink waiting for you.

There are a lot of people who read my blog that like to live vicariously through me, well--if you want a bigger adventure, read KW's blog Riders on Adventure also.

Happy Trails,

Marty

Motorcycle Camping

I went over to this website today Her Motorcycle. I googled motorcycle camping and it came up. I have after all devoured all of the stuff on froggi donnas site, which is Women Who Ride made the backrest and the electric vest and now the neck cooler (thank you so much donna). To find how to do that stuff go here and scroll down past the list of campgrounds.

First, let me say that I really enjoy the her motorcycle book list of books by and for women bikers. I will read all of them in say, the next couple of weeks. Love to read, love to bike. This is the book that I have lined up to read, American Borders right after I read the book by Cindy Soldotna Life is Like a Line. met Cindy last night, it was just awesome.

Back to the her motorcycle camping page. Frankly the camping page scares me. I would have frozen a couple of times with this advice. It can turn cold unexpectedly. Almost everywhere it can turn cold unexpectedly and I travel SOLO which means that the cold is compounded.

There is nothing about how to choose a tent, except by links of descriptions, no warnings that sleeping bags often don't warm you at the minimum degrees that it's supposed to work at, and it seems that women sleep colder than men and there for will freeze more. And more often.

There's nothing about how using a good pad under a sleeping bag isn't always about comfort, but about preserving body warmth, etc.

And the camping cooking gear is mostly car stuff.

Having put those 18,000 miles on my bike camping last year, I would have never made it more than a weekend or two with that equipment. I would have been darn uncomfortable.

Take a pad to sleep on, they are lightweight, but improve the quality of one's trip immensely.

And I may buy a volcano stove, but it would mean carrying along a bag of charcoal or wood so I would probably have to take my trailer.

If you want to cook, and be gone longer than a weekend, consider a backpacking stove and lightweight utensils. They don't have to be expensive, they do need to be compact. When traveling one-up, I often forego the niceties and eat out of my cook kit. I don't want to pack a lot of plates, bowls and mugs, although the new eating stuff that folds flat, well maybe it straightens flat seems to wear well. I have been personally conducting a test since I first saw it in Cheyenne, Wyoming last year. (insert sheepish girly, gotta have gear, grin, here)

I will say that another site by a woman biker, way cool. I choose to spend my design time elsewhere, like on my website for my first passion, but plan on enjoying my life fully this summer and may ask Boo to do a website for women bikers. She's a really great grandaughter and is old enough to run a website.

Enjoy her website, it has some good stuff, especially for beginners.

Marty

So, I went to BN to order the Book EZ66 and the map set

It's Easter Sunday here in Michigan. Easter came early this year so it's still cold as a witch's tit-I did tell you that while I was in Germany i got to go see the mountain that saying came from, right? So it's OK if I use it.

Matt came over and helped me put the bag racks and the new Sissy Bars on my Vulcan. It didn't take too long, but was much easier with four hands. He's just turned 14 and instruction has begun. Why don't you start it up, let it warm up and then back it out for me. I'd like to get a couple of rides in with him. He needs to take a MSF Course first, if Berta doesn't throw a fit. Hopefully she isn't following my blog, LOL.

Then I went to BN to order the damn book and they said, we can't order it for you, you need to get it yourself. Grrr. Here I am trying to hand them money and they say no. What's up with that?

I need to transfer money and order parts either later on today or tomorrow. I have decided to order different turn signals and to replace many of the parts that were damaged in the slide. Trying to decide just what I want to do is tough. It's going to get another 18,000 miles this year and that will bring it up to around 36,000 total, so I need to think about whether I want to keep it for 2009. First I make one decision and then I make another decision.

I plan on doing the ALCAN in 2009 and was thinking of getting a dual sport to do that. My 500 rides a little low. And it may be a little tired by then, since I am not the best at doing all the maintenance that it should get. I keep hoping that a knight or knightess in shining armour will show up and do all that shit.

OTOH, it's hell on people here right now and there will be some good deals on bikes. The unemployment rate doesn't show all of the people who are still looking and people need to sell. Many are priced more than I will pay, but some may come down. If I had a huge chunk of change, I would be more than happy to pay more, but right now, I don't have all that hanging together.

I am looking at an 800 or a 900, but do really like the 500. My oldest grandbaby is now taller than I am though and such a small bike is tough on him leg wise and butt wise. What will I do when he grows another foot this year, offer to cut out a couple of inches?

Today I cut material into six inch squares. It felt good to be able to do that. I hadn't been able to get connected with myself enough to get into crafting, at all. I am going to cut three or four pairs of jeans up to make gym/laundry bags. When I get back on the 5th or 6th of April, I want to make six or seven shopping bags and boot that material out of the door.

I am actually trying to cut down on the craft stuff in my house, but decided that part of the problem was that I just couldn't get started, so today I started. When I get back, I am going to put some stuff up for sale on Ebay and then upgrade some of my camping equipment. I need another decent pad to go under the sleeping bags, a fold flat bowl, some better helmets and a couple of pairs of new bike gloves. The kids seem to eat the goggles and the gloves, LOL.

I need to figure out how many miles are in the perimeter ride so I can start to jockey the time.

Love to ride.

Tomorrow I am staying home during the day and cleaning up the rest of the way. Then tomorrow night I am going to buy a desk that will be a good fit for me work wise. Sometime I should probably consider buying some furniture other than that, like a couch or chair to sit in and a mattress or bed might be nice, but so far, I am happy, just want a better desk to go in the living room. I am going to fire up the Toshiba and buy a big screen for it to hook up to so I can enjoy my work and have dual documents on the screen at the same time.

Then tomorrow I am going to meet a new friend at BN.


Happy Trails; Ride Safe,

Marty

Two Thousand Four Hundred and Forty Eight Miles

I got up this morning and went to breakfast at McDonalds. After reading for an hour or two ( a book about biking across the United States, well the pedal kind of a bike, LOL), I hopped on the bus and cruised on over to Wally World to pick up a new atlas.

Yep, now I really feel a road trip coming on. I tried not to feel it this strongly, but well, I failed. Roadtrips R Me.

It's actually a pretty short road trip from beginning to end. A couple of weeks, plus the time to return. Oh, and to hop up to Santa Barbara and sit on a mountainside for a day or two. So what I need will be three weeks of downtime.

Another interesting option would be to take the perimeter route home from there if I had enough time to hang things together. It's not like a perimeter ride is out of my way. I mean the Upper Peninsula isn't really out of the way, it's just a little bit north of here. I keep thinking about the perimeter ride. It's going to happen, I can feel both rides in my bones. And I'd love to visit both Washington and Oregon again.

I now have acquired the turn by turn directions for Route 66 and am trying to work out what my needs might be. I had thought seriously about not taking any cooking gear, but have decided to look at that twice. When one uses food as medication to treat any kind of an illness, one doesn't want to just decide to stop eating in a way that will help one feel well. Maybe if I gave up all my responsibilities.

Since I have gotten home and had a couple of days to recoup, I have gotten back to my eating and I feel much, much better. Of course that visit to my therapist helped a lot too. I came back home that day feeling well physically and mentally. So much so that I started cleaning my house up. It will be where I can write in a couple of days.

After I buy a desk. LOL I have no table and no place comfortable for me to write at. There is one that I like at Staples. I was shopping the other day.

Two hundred miles a day means that I could be finished with the route and the mountainside in two weeks. Then three or four days home; if I don't do the perimeter thing.

Guess I need to try to nail down the days to see if 200 mile days are going to give me the time to enjoy the trip like I want.

Yaaahoooo. gotta get a move on. Now all I have to do is figure out when to start the ride.

marty

My Schedule and Biking

I am trying to figure out how to do two things:

1. A lot of riding and

2. A lot of training

It's never had to be a choice before. For years I couldn't ride due to my medications setting my center of balance off, but having to choose now is really different.

I am thinking of two major rides, well, major in terms of miles to other people. I read a lot of blogs/miles that sound like, 14,000 miles in two years. That is about six months worth of riding if I am not working.

So, I have to be in St. Louis at the end of April and am thinking about doing a Route 66 ride off of that, either before or after. It would take me far enough South that I could camp. I can decide whether or not to take the trailer, but it should be an easy three week trip and would just need to throw on my tent and camping/ sleeping gear. And my cooking gear so I can wake up to hot tea in the mornings. Or I could do bottled iced and just get up and enjoy breakfast in some of the funky diners along the route.

There are a couple of hotels along the route that I want to use, but not a lot. I am just an outdoors camping type of person. I think it has become a lifestyle choice.

I started reading up on Route 66 last week again, read up on it last year and it looks like there are some better choices guidebook wise. There are some who consider it a Route 66 trip if you ride the interstate where it used to be. That is not me as I like the funky places that are still in use/have been restored.

The other thing I am thinking about is a perimeter tour off of the Orlando trip that I have to make in June. I have a NAMI Convention in Orlando that I need to attend, and would like to try a perimeter trip off of it, even if it would have to be in segments due to trainings. I have done mileage planning between Port Huron and Orlando (gosh, it really is handy being from a perimeter town, LOL).

Either or both would work out well and I have to decide what I want to do and get moving on it.

I have some bike repairs that need to happen since I got rear-ended in Battle Creek in January.

Today I am going to put the new sissy bar, bag rails and bags on my bike today. It's going to be a little over freezing around 2 this afternoon, so the weather is cooperating, yea! I ride anyway, but haven't gone outside yet today.

gotta go eat breakfast,

Enjoy life, it's for living, Marty

Wanderlust

Wanderlust is filling my soul today. I really want to be out on the road traveling on my bike. So today, I started looking at just how long it would take to do a perimeter trip. I also started looking at how much it would cost.

I was doing OK until mom got out an atlas the other day. There could be great books in the room and I would prefer to read an atlas. And plan a trip. And so, what is life if one isn't planning a grand adventure?

So here are the first three days:

Day One: Port Huron to Algonac (36)to Port Clinton (146)to Cleveland (77)and on through to Geneva State Park(53) which is 312 miles.

Day Two: Geneva State Park to Dunkirk(109) to Youngstown(81) to Hamlin Beach State Park(60) which is 250 miles.

Day Three: Hamlin Beach State Park to Sacketts Harbor(151) to Massena (101) which is 252 miles. It will probably be a little bit shorter as the park is just before Massena. I will probably camp in Coles Creek State Park.

I double checked to see if there are any two wheels only campgrounds along this section of the route and it doesn't look like it. Story of my life. LOL

Three years ago here, there was a lady who had a map that had the states they had traveled to in different colors. I asked the lady where she got it and she told me "Camping World". I said, those are cool, I should get one of those. She asked me if I had traveled much and I said yes, I have been in all of the lower 48. The woman got snooty with me and said if I hadn't slept in them, it didn't count. When I told her that I had slept in all of them except maybe Rhode Island because it was so little it didn't count (sorry Jim and Kathryn) she turned around and walked away from me. Guess it's a good thing that I didn't tell her that I had been to most of the lower 48 at least twice.

For a while, it got to where I didn't want to go on vacations. I didn't like cars, wanted my family to get the camper back so I could ride back there, etc. But then, I am one of the people who require alone time. Have to have it or I get depressed. I have to be able to get out and about.

Oh the things we will do---

Happy Trails, marty

Adventures

I have been thinking a lot about life and adventures. I like having my life be an adventure or filled with adventure. Gretchen's right, I am so not a minivan person.

Being here makes me think about having life be an adventure.

I used to be on the outside of life. I would stand around and watch life happen. I would let it happen to me or around me and never enter into life or embrace life.

When I came to Texas this time, I started to try to view my relationship with my parents in a slightly different way. Instead of just having been born to them and all the baggage that seems to bring, decided to look at it from the direction that Louise Hay looks at it, that I chose my parents for what they could teach me.

It has caused a radical shift in our relationship for me. And once I have changed, the relationship has changed. It is better for me now. And it causes me to notice many things.

My parents often have life pass them by. Like they are not always involved or able to be involved. I watch people now, not just to watch life, but to see behaviours that I want to acquire or want to migrate more towards. It's very different for me.

My behaviours, watching life happen in many ways seem to come from my parents. And yet, I remember them being more fully involved than they are now, but then again, much of the involvement that I saw came from watching them in relation to my aunts, uncles and cousins. That is not the same thing.

They have friends from high school, which I don't have. They have friends from college or the army, which I don't have. Most of my friends have been acquired lately. I don't have friends from teh early years of my life.

At the same time, as I truly know, appearances can be deceiving. I have accomplished quite a few things, but I didn't feel a part of things. I still felt like I was watching from the outside, a little kid looking through the window of a candy store, or feeling that I wasn't engaged, that it wasn't really me.

Today, I sat in the sun and worked on my tan.

But it's time. It's time to pick up the mantle of leadership and be strong. Always an adventure. LOL

It's also time for my life to become an adventure again. I am planning a perimeter ride later this year. Hey, I gotta do what I gotta do. I'm going to meet people, find a riding partner and go for my dreams.

Happy trails,

Marty

Four More Sleeps

Four more sleeps and I will be on my way to DC, then back to Michigan to see what I can do to get my bike back on the road.

I'm tired, just totally exhausted. Being without my own transportation does that to me. Just the thought of their being someone around 24/7 or the thought of my wanting to go somewhere just to eat a hot dog and relax. Or shop for two hours to buy a pair of sandals.

Or to go to an outdoor gear store just to drool all over the new equipment.

My shoulders still ache from being rear ended. Or, it could be from the stress. I miss my regimented eating out. A hot dog and sauerkraut from Sam's Club. Tea from Barnes and Noble.

There is a Hastings Bookstore here and I won't be able to go to it and savor it. I might be able to go to it, but not to just sit and enjoy it. It's more like a--what do you want to pick up? I don't shop to spend all kinds of money. I enjoy that hot dog and sauerkraut just as much as others enjoy five star dining.

And I don't have to clean my plate. I think that and what I like to eat is what I miss the most. It's kind of like being with my daughter at her house and she says, well, you can cook, make me chicken stir fry. But there is no wok. there is no sesame oil. So if I try to cook chicken stir fry I end up with greasy, off tasting chicken and vegetables.

Or it it's like, you can do this--just use the microwave. At home I seldom use the microwave anymore. I don't think microwaved food is healthy.

Tonight we went to IHOP. It's a great place to take someone who is addicted to wheat. It is kind of like taking an alcoholic on a tour of the wine country. I did at least make sure that i had some protein to help me not have the intense reaction that I have when I eat sugar and wheat in combination, but I have been here long enough that the addiction has kicked back in.

While I am in DC, I will start to get my life back under control. Stop eating breads for breakfast and eat eggs and meat, hopefully with some veggies. And I'll drink a lot of water to try to wash the stuff out of my system.

The heck of it is that I would love to live down here, but need some different space. OK, LOA that living space. grin.

Yes, that is what I am working on. LOL

Marty

Parents and Eating LOL

I am still in Texas with my parents. We went to Jason's Deli for lunch. I ordered on of the broccoli spuds that I like so much. The potatoes are huge, absolutely massive, but unbelievable delicious. It's kind of hard on me when we go to Jason's Deli.

To give you an idea, at home I try to avoid eating much corn, wheat or dairy. Here, I end up eating things like cereal for breakfast. They like corn flakes, I really try to not do much corn. There are a lot of cereals I could eat, but I don't much enjoy rice or oat cereals so I choose to eat shredded wheat.

This means that I start my day off with two of the foods I try most to avoid. The reason that I avoid them is that I seem to move much slower and have less energy when I eat them. I actually like having protein for breakfast.

I like having a big breakfast, a big lunch and then a little supper. That works well for me. I am able to at the very least maintain the weight loss that I achieved a couple of years ago. I feel best eating a high protein, lots of vegies and some fruits diet.

It is totally opposite here. There are different desserts that are available at both lunch and dinner. I generally don't turn them down. If I did I would feel better. Vegies are seldom accompanied by enough protein for me to feel good enough to want to move much.

They want me to move more. I am eating foods that aren't good for me, it is a generally escalating situation. But this noon ticked me off.

My dad complained that I didn't clean my plate. He didn't care if I didn't need the food that was left on my plate. He didn't care if it would put more weight on me, he told me "if I ordered something, then I needed to eat it."

I am still quite overweight and this man wants me to eat myself into oblivion. It really pisses me off. It's just what I don't need to have happen.

Gotta go, they just came home.

I'm leaving on Thursday,
Happy Trails,

Marty

Windy but hot

Today the wind gusts were up to 44 mph, but it was so warm I didn't really care.

I got up, ate breakfast, picked teh rest of the grapefruit off the tree to eat for the rest of the time that I am here and then spent some time with my dad.

I fixed lunch. Why that is important is that I need more protein at lunch than I usually get when I eat with my parents. And now, hours later I am still feeling good enough to work on my website some more later.

Since I am on vacation, I am not doing much. I am doing some reading, a little writing, a little learning, and a lot of puzzling.

When I was getting ready to come here, I was relaxing by reading a couple of books by Louise Hay. She talked about how she feels that we pick our parents according to what we need to experience in our lives to fulfill the reason we became a physical being. That really seemed to adjust my attitude towards them. It is/was no longer something that happened to me, but something that I chose. For some people that wouldn't work, but for me it works well.

It's been an interesting adjustment for me. I'm more respectful now as I realize that I have gotten a lot from my relationship with them. At times to me it was unwanted things that I got, but this new way of thinking helps me to see that all things do work together when we are working to create the life that we want.

Tomorrow I am going to go over to the swimming pool to lay around. I want to meet more and different people and that is one way I feel would be a good way to do it. Because of the heat here, I don't always go out and about in the sun.

But as Denni kept reminding me for a year or two, if we keep doing what we always have, we'll keep getting what we've already gotten. Interestingly enough, that is really true regarding recovery, but seldom was it helpful to me when those words were being used.

DeColores, Marty

Sub Domains

Today I was working on migrating my financial website into my regular website. What I need to learn about seems to be subdomains.

I am one of those self-taught non-geeks. What I guess that I need to be is one of those self-taught geeks. How does one make the transition from being a non-geek to a geek? Is it even possible? At this time I am one person that has serious doubts.

It's never a really good day when I can't make the websites happen well. I wish my dad was more comfortable with my using a computer. Then I could work on things during the day. My dad is slightly computer-phobic. grin, grin, grin

Overall, today was a good day. I slept as it was around 90* in my parents trailer. My parents don't believe in comfort. There is no place to stretch out and be comfortable, imho. Because of knee pain, I like to actually use something that means that I can keep my knees up. I find that it really helps.

Well, when I visit my parents in Texas, you either sit up or you can lay on a bunk. The bunk area is hot. At night, I sleep on what can best be described as a shelf. It's actually a bench seat and well, this year I am wider than it is. I have to sit up to turn over, so I don't get a lot of great quality sleep. The padding is, well, at home I often sleep on the floor so its about the same. LOL

But somehow the same is less comfortable? I really don't understand how that can be, but it seems to be true.

Anyway, today seems to be a wasted day. The website isn't working out well. The brains are fried. I hate it when I have unproductive days. Today seems like one of those. Maybe that is why I don't do vacations well?

We did eat out at Olive Garden though. I enjoy Tuscan food.

Gotta go, Mom will be up in four hours and I sleep in the living room. LOl