No Turn Signal
By Darnell
July 29, 2009
Diane and I were the Road Captains for this week’s breakfast ride. We met with other chapter members at the dealership, Superstition Harley-Davidson and rode to a great local breakfast place. As
usual, we had great food and interesting conversation. After breakfast, Diane and I headed back home. It was a beautiful morning in Arizona. We had a terrific monsoon the night before. The air was
cool and damp. The spicy smell of the desert was intoxicating. I had to gas up as the tank was approaching empty. As we pulled out of the gas station and onto the highway entrance ramp I got a
gorgeous view of the Superstition Mountains. They just seemed to go on forever. Riding homeward, I thought about the paper I had to write, the yard work, and other odds and ends that required my
attention. As I approached our exit a funny thing happened, I didn’t engage my turn signal and I didn’t change lanes to exit. The mountains were calling me and heck; I had a full tank of gas! I
blew past our exit and checked the rear view mirror to see if Diane was still with me. Of course, she was and had a grin from ear to ear. We rode for about another hour, and enjoyed every minute.
Marine One
By Darnell
July 23, 2009
As many of you know Marine One is the helicopter equivalent to Air Force One, the president’s airplane. As the name implies, Marine One is staffed by the U.S. Marine’s. On July 16, 2009
Marine One was flown for the first time by an all female crew. The pilot of Marine One, Jennifer Grieves is not new to the awesome responsibility of flying around the leader of the free world, she
has been doing it for over a year. This was the first time the entire flight crew was female. This was not a one time public relations ploy; although they were marking the end of Maj. Grieves
rotation on Marine One. This is what these women do for a living, day in and day out. They are U.S. Marines and they fly helicopters. Reading this story made me reflect on the women who don’t
think they can ride a motorcycle. To paraphrase Henry Ford “If you think you can, you’re right.” I think you can!
Better to See in the Backyard
By Natalie
July 23, 2009
It’s that time of year in Minnesota when the various wild babies are out and about! The mother’s are finally brave enough to let their new babies roam around out of
hiding. Some of the newest members of the “wild party” hanging out in my Minnesota backyard include baby raccoons, wild turkeys, rabbits and the cutest of them all – the
fawns! There’s a doe in our backyard with twins this year and the word “adorable” doesn’t fully describe how beautiful and innocent they are. They will cautiously
come up to the feeder my husband has built in the evenings to nibble on the corn and vegetable scraps we place out there.
This is also the time of year to be very cautious while out on your bikes! Not only are the deer in our backyard, but they are also along the roadsides. I had a very scary experience late
last summer involving three deer that ran in front of me while out on my bike. I was in a group riding from Minnesota to Arizona and while going through the mountains in Idaho we got caught
riding the dark. It gets dark fast once the sun sets beyond the mountains. Our group was approaching a curve when suddenly three deer bolted across the road. I only remembered seeing
their tails; they were across the road that fast. I locked up my brakes too hard but as I started to skid I remembered the words of my safety instructor “focus, look straight, hold it
steady”. Plus a few other words I probably can’t write went through my mind as well. Those words from my instructor saved me from laying down my bike. Lesson
here? Enjoy the baby deer in our backyard and remember to take your training seriously, you will need every piece of advice and skill you learn. Ride safe!
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