The Day Before

My first ride in 2013 was not on January 1, 2013. Traditionally, I can be found cruising around on the first day of January every year; this year, however, it just did not work out. Many  factors pulled together to work against me. I guess beggars just can't be choosers. 

It was a gorgeous sunny day, and I had the opportunity to meet up with some climbers in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Who could resist to ride on a 39 degree windchill day? Not this rider who was suffering from major withdrawals. I had it timed perfectly. Or, so I thought. But it turns out that my gear/prep checklist took a tad longer than I thought. Mainly due to my brain being on standby. When I remembered I needed keys and went to go get them, I forgot what I wanted by the time I got to where I thought my keys had been. This happened a lot while getting my stuff together.

Checklist:

• backpack
• camera
• cell phone
• wallet
• hot tea
• water
• notebook
• book to read should I get there first
• upper body layer #1
• upper body layer #2
• upper body layer #3
• upper body layer #4
• upper body layer #5
• long underwear
• synthetic wind resistant pants
• jacket
• winter gloves
• 2 pairs of socks
• boots
• keys 
• scarf
• helmet 
• music player
• glasses so I can see stuff

Yes, I make winter riding complicated. But, at least I'm warm and hydrated. I think what I love most about motorcycles is that every ride is an adventure. Cars are my fire breathing dragons.  Undecided squirrels are my strategy changing enemies. Perception really is everything. I love every moment, road, and tree I see while riding. 
So I got off to a later start than I thought. Since it had snowed, the road from Meers into the Refuge was covered in dirt, gravel, and other nasty stuff. Good thing my music was playing. Otherwise the cussing echoing in my helmet may have turned my ears red. I lost a little bit of time making my way down yucky gravely hell since my tires were cold.

I saw a lot of buffalo along the road in the Wichita Mountains. They have a whole 59,000 acre refuge to chill out on, and they pick the area along the road. As I approached the prairie dog town, there was this one buffalo rubbing his neck on an open gate onto the restricted area. He was slightly surprised when Blueberry's exhaust caught up with him. So surprised that he freaked out and stormed off to the other buffalo who then proceeded to freakout. Yes, Blueberry and I actually started a small stampede. I was very tempted to get off my bike and dig out the camera, but I thought stopping in the middle of a buffalo stampede might not be such a good idea. I would like to avoid using the phrase "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

I, therefore, continued on my way. Shortly before the turnoff to the Sunset picnic area, I came across a flock of turkey. I turned around, put Blue in neutral, pulled the gloves off my frozen fingers, shimmied the backpack off my heavily layered upper body and dug for my camera. The Refuge cop probably thought I was having a fit of insanity as I was prancing around trying to get the feeling back in my toes and fingers. 

They were a pretty cool bunch. Didn't have a lot to say, though.

 When I finally made it to the parking lot, the car I was looking for was already there. I hadn't been to this parking lot in years since, next to Mt. Scott, it's a tourist trap. There was still one parking spot left. Now, I had no idea where Echo Dome was (and still do not know) other than it can be found in Charon's Garden. I assumed it was to be reached from the trail going around on the west side of Elk Mountain. I packed my stuff and started on the trail. It wasn't long before I came across a huge longhorn on the trail. Usually, I'm not worried about large animals on trails, but not being properly dressed to run from a longhorn kept me at bay. I decided I'd turn around and get some more miles under my belt. 

When I got back to the parking lot, I pulled out my notebook and wrote a note for the climbers. As I was looking for a place to stash it, I found the note they had left for me. Figures that I'd see it too late.

On my way over to Little Baldy, I saw some buffalo playing or fighting. I was brave enough to pull over and watch them for a bit. They calmed down and then started up again which is when I thought it best to leave. I do believe a buffalo would win in a buffalo vs. bike battle. Especially when the rider still has to put up a camera and pull on gloves.

 As I headed towards Cache, I eventually realized that I was singing off key in my helmet which is also when I realized that my music had disappeared and my mp3 player had turned itself off. By the time I reached Lawton, the resistant part of my pants decided to stop working and it got very cold very fast. So I headed back to Meers. It really was a great day to ride, but the cold kept all but four riders (including myself) from enjoying it. I was surprised that I only saw one cruiser out and about since usually they're always out riding.

Hello front brakes! So nice to have you back.

The stars, moons, and planets must have been aligned because my parts arrived just as I had some extra time in my schedule and was closing the deal on a bribe I offered someone to play free public transportation for me. Yes! I had a bombproof, or so I thought, plan.

My plan was to call a locally owned shop and have them do the work since their website advertised that they install parts and change tires. Since it's just a couple of miles from home, I figured I had a better chance of actually finding someone to drop off my tires AND give me a ride back home should my bribe fall through. I'm all for exercise, but I think I'd be too tempted to give my poor feet a rest and hitch a ride home. Someone once told me hitchhiking was bad. It was probably my mother. See? I do remember things occasionally. 

Of course, I was already happy dancing seeing my grand plan unfold so smoothly in my mind that when I called the shop I was utterly disappointed to have my bubble be bombed. I was told that they don't put on provided parts...Man, I wish I could turn away paying customers. I guess $65/hr just isn't as enticing as it  used to be.

The key to having a bombproof plan is having a back-up plan when Plan A gets annihilated  and sent to the bottom of a dark sea along with all the other bombed ideas. I ended up taking Blueberry to a dealership and the work was done in a couple of hours.

But, seriously, I would much rather have given my business to a locally-owned shop. Oh well.

Since the work was done a lot faster than I expected, I've been able to enjoy the amazing weather we're witnessing here in Oklahoma. I decided the conditions were perfect to start breaking in my tires and front brakes. Woah baby! Stopping power never felt so good. I cruised through the refuge and saw some buffaloes chillaxin' in the prairie. Beautiful day!

Of course some more pictures can be found on my new Facebook page. I'll probably be posting most pictures there so it won't take forever for the blog to load.

Blueberry's odometer reads 40,157.

Wow! Where have all the miles gone?

We've certainly had some great times. Here's to many more miles!

My current unconventional  guardian "bell."

Honey To-Do List

Minus the Honey. Guess that just makes it my to-do list.

Seems like this time of year always finds me with a long to-do list. So Blueberry maintenance:
1. New tires.
2. Cut and adjust chain.
3. New shocks.
4. New front brake disc.
5. New from brakes.

 And, last, but certainly not least:
6. Get a decent job so 1-5 can be afforded.

There's a reason I haven't been riding or blogging much; I've been finishing up my master's degree and have been somewhat busy. Now I find myself searching for a career. It's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. So if you know of any motorcycle- or hotel related jobs, be so kind as to let a rider know!

Just another ride

As I'm riding down my road in the sweltering late-afternoon Oklahoma  sun jamming out to "I fought the law," I pass this older, hefty woman on a Harley. As I continued to the house I noticed that she had turned around and was following me. I'm always up for meeting someone as spontaneous as me so I was planning on stopping. To my surprise, it wasn't a large woman, but rather an older, hefty guy who then proceeded to ask me out for a drink (convenient living on a street with a bar, eh?). I politely declined since I had people to see and things to do.

What I love about Oklahoma

 

Is that Oklahoma offers amazing riding weather almost 365 days a year!

No more sloppy corners!

Not gonna lie, I kind of miss my blue sprockets...

 

Holy Cripes! My rims are dirrrrty.

Happy to have my Blueberry back and running like a champ (well, except for all those other parts I ought to replace...the benefits of owning a bike, eh?)!

WordPress

So, I've been experimenting with a different blogging site.

And, I like it.

Will probably be posting here more often (as well as reviewing previous rides).

Happy Riding!

Therapy

Even though, I probably should have just stayed home in front of my laptop making income statements and reading finance chapters, I went on a ride.
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon (albeit, a little chilly), and I'm glad I spent it out on Blueberry. It turned into a nice little 130 mile ride.

While riding the curves of 115, I slowed it down to pay attention to my technique. While "slowing it down" I realized that I was actually able to see what I could improve, found better lines, and was able to increase my speed in the curves a lot better than ever before. A successful trip out to Meers, around the Wildlife Refuge, a stop in Cooperton, hwy 49 back into the refuge, a detour through Cache, and a nice little detour on the way back home.
You know it's been a good (and much needed) ride when even thought you can't feel your fingers and toes, you can't help but smile.
And, even though it's Monday and I have a zillion things to do (not to mention an exam in my finance class tonight), I'm still all smiles. I think today shall be Awesome Monday (Note: I've also had like 5 cups of coffee this morning...).

Procrastinating

It's the day before my business strategy paper on Dr. Pepper is due, and, of course, I found something better to do than actually sit down and write my paper. I had the opportunity to meet up with another rider who was staying in the area for a week. Paper Schmaper, I thought. I can start, write,and finish that 4-5 page paper in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. As I left the house, I'll be damned if I didn't see what appeared to be rain clouds rolling in over the Wichita Mountains. We met up at the gas station, and rode up Mt. Scott to feel the wind kick up and the rain clouds draw nearer.

It looks so cold in the pictures that you'd never believe it was 108 degrees. Yes, it was a tad bit warm and sweat began rolling down one's face just from the exertion of breathing. We rode back down Mount Scott and parked in the picnic area so we could check out the boulder field near the bottom of Mt. Scott. I finally was able to convince someone to jump through those boulders with me. Sure, a day with a temperature of 108 degrees may not have been the brightest idea, but I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box. My riding buddy even took some pictures of me riding. Impromptu rides sure do rock!

About 5 raindrops fell from the sky. Oklahoma is a weather tease. On a side note, I haven't seen Mt.Scott's Parking lot empty in a long time.

More picture on the Facebook album!

Blueberry's 1st Mod

Yes, Blueberry finally got it's first modification: a driven 520 conversion kit. -1+2. And, it's blue. And, there's no more weird noise (a major perk).

So maybe changing the chain and sprockets the day before a major ride wasn't the greatest idea in the world. There's that hindsight thing again. But, it's not every day where a mechanically inclined friend is around to help you change your chain and sprockets. At least not every day in my world which is surrounded by cats. Just call me Little Edie. And, not the Drew Barrymore version of Little Edie. If you're gonna watch Grey Gardens, watch it right.

So it wasn't the most opportune time, but it was a time, nonetheless. We pulled off my old chain with a little drill-bit blade. Pulled off both sprockets. Put the new sprockets on and everything around it back on only to have to take it all back off. It wasn't until we were ready to put the chain on when I realized that I needed a chain-riveting tool. Yup. There I was with no back tire on my bike. And even if I had the back tire on, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere without a chain. So I did some major texting to try to track down a rider with this tool. I even found one who would loan it to me. Turns out that just because it looks like a great fit, don't cut the chain until absolutely certain. And, even IF you are certain, don't do it! It ended up being a few tiny millimeters too short. No pulling, stretching, dragging, squeezing, or praying could change that. Figures that all this would happen on a Sunday. A day where no local bike shop is open. A day where nothing wanted to go right. That's the kind of day it was.

Time to brainstorm...once again. It dawned on me that Cyclegear may sell master-links. I called the OKC branch and asked them to hold two master-links for me. So we had an unexpected 150 mile total road trip to take. For a couple of master links. Driving to OKC just for 8 oz of metal really is not my style. But, I wasn't about to let the possibility of a Talimena road trip slip through my fingers. While at Cyclegear, I also got oil and an oil filter for my next oil change. At least I didn't drive up for just 8 oz of metal. Back at the house, we put the chain and wheel back on Blueberry. So what if my chain now has two master-links instead of one. It's a frickin' blue chain! Looking back it probably also wasn't the brightest idea to test out a new chain so far away from home. Good thing these things never cross my mind when they ought to.

Lessons I've learned from this modification:
◦You need a chain rivet tool
◦Just because it looks like you can take one more link out, DON'T!
◦Buy an extra master link...or two.
◦When tightening the master link with the rivet tool, loosen the tool periodically and make sure the link's not on too tight.