Engine Rebuild video

Someone shared this Youtube video with me on Facebook. All I can say is this: LOVE IT! Brought back all of the glory of the engine rebuilds I've done with none of the work.

Sometimes city folk just make me sick

So I've lived out in "the sticks" for most of my life. Out where I live, it isn't uncommon to see coyotes, bobcats, tarantulas, and snakes cross over the road. It's just a part of life.

Well, these last couple of years a lot of suburbanites have been moving out. Besides not waving, they have a lot of weird habits.

Today after riding through the refuge, I was behind an old neighbor and one of these new suburbanites. I saw old neighbor drive around something, and the new neighbor slowed down. She then swerved to the right, hit her brakes,put her car in reverse, and then continued on.

As I drove by, cow pastures on both sides, the rattlesnake, which had been cruelly run over, was rattling its rattle with the last breath of life.

My relaxing ride was ruined.

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.

Hello, Hobart! Almost as in Vice President.

So of all the years I've been riding out to Lake Altus and driving by Hobart, I've never actually taken the time to take a look at this small little town in Kiowa County, Oklahoma. Serendipity was my friend today; I never thought one could learn so much in such a small town. Before I get ahead of myself, let me start by mentioning to all the motorcyclists that HWY 115 north of Meers turns into a mess of gravel shortly before Saddle Mtn and Hwy 19.

On one of the curves these ruins can be found. Well, not directly on the curve, but you get the drift. I've never stopped because I didn't want to give up one of the few fun 90 degree turns. Anyhow, I finally pulled over to check it out. This is the Victory School which was built in 1929. Apparently the little building ruins to the right and left of the school were outhouses.

Welcome to Hobart. Which was named after Vice President Garret Hobart (VP 1897-1899). Turning off onto Main Street will bring you into the heart of the charming Oklahoma town.

If you find yourself in Hobart, I highly recommend stopping by this museum. Going in, I really didn't think one could spend a couple of hours in that small old train depot. You'll find a ton of information on the Southwestern Oklahoma area. Admission is free, but they do accept donations. During the summer, it's open Monday through Saturday. Winter, Monday through Friday. I'd like to thank the wonderful lady in the museum who offered her informative services.

This is a retouched picture from 1916 on the set of one of the first motion picture made on location. The film was called "Buffalo Hunter" and filmed in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. I think they ran out of money and weren't able to complete the movie.

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 The old pictures found here are all located at the museum. Plus many, many more. If you go, you'll most certainly learn about the Babbs Switch tragedy of 1924 where Santa accidentally started a fire which claimed the lives of 36 people at the Christmas service at the Babbs Switch School. Bad Santa. The memorial can be found between Roosevelt and Hobart.

Places to eat in Hobart!

Sure, there's a Sonic, but why eat at a chain when you can support a local business??? Since I wasn't able to stay and eat in Hobart (next time, I promise!), here are some places to check out:

Bedlam Sports Bar & Grill-110 W 11th St

Big-A-Burger- 418 S. Jefferson

Jay's Bakery-117 W. 5th St

Kozy Diner-214 Main Street

Main Street Grill- 219 S. Main St

Chinese and Mexican food can also be found.

I'd heard of a place called Friendship so I had to check it out since it was on the way home...well, basically. Welcome to Friendship. It seems to be Altus' version of Porter Hill. Maybe with so few neighbors, you have no choice but to be friendly. Not much to be seen here. 3-4 houses, a fire department, and a church.

More pictures on WGR's Facebook album!
This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!

Belated 3 Year Anniversary Ride

So the idea that women never forget anniversaries is not applicable to me. I'm sorry, Blueberry! I couldn't imagine owning another bike. At least not at this point in time. Still a little curious about cruisers, but not curious enough to where I'd want to trade in Blue. To another year of awesome rides!

Lesson Learned

It's taken 5 years, but I've finally learned my lesson. I will never again try to organize another ride or meet and greet. EVER.

A couple of years ago, I started a group on Facebook called Riders in Oklahoma. The logic behind it was that I know riders who know riders who know riders and it would be nice to have a group where everyone is welcome. A group where we can share events, stories, or just ask if anyone wants to go ride. The group has grown a lot over the years, but it hasn't spread like wildfire. And, that's okay. We started doing small meet and greets every once in a while. The first one was hosted by a rider at his home in Blanchard on a cold January day. I remember that ride. I even believe it has its own post. Anywho, I decided to offer my premium farm location for a summer meet and greet. 

Everyone thought it was a great idea to get together again. Some people said in advance they wouldn't make it. That's cool. I get it. BUT a lot of people said they WERE coming. So I planned a whole BBQ for about 20 people for this day. Burgers, sides, and drinks were bought (on my tiny budget, that was a small fortune). The grill and picnic tables were scrubbed. The lawn was mowed. All set.

Show time rolls around and no motorcycle engines can be heard in a 5-mile radius. Two hours later, I pack everything back up and leave myself. I felt as though I should have been wearing a prom dress. Figures that I'd be stood up by 20-25 people.Of course, Facebook makes it nice and easy to see what people who said they were coming are actually doing. I was especially mad when I found out one of the riders was partying down at the Lake not three miles from my house. 

Promises, promises, broken promises. The point of this rant (finally) is that if you're waiting on greener grass or you don't want to go then don't say you're coming. It's that simple. Why do people not say no? Is it because they want to leave as many doors open or because they don't want to hurt someone's feelings? Saying no won't hurt somebody. Saying yes and not showing up will, however, hurt someone. I hate when people say things and don't keep their word. Isn't there a saying about only being as good as your word?

I still managed to get a nice short (70-80 mile) ride in. Found some purple clover. I had to google it to make sure they were clovers since I didn't believe it. Random fact of the day: the leaves and roots make a great general immune-boosting tea.

In the end it all worked out, I was able to throw an awesome party for people I actually like a week later.

Oklahoma Summer Evenings

Smell wonderful! There's nothing like a cool breeze and the smell of fresh cut and bailed hay. Love being at Stone Turtle Ranch since it's so close to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge; makes a quick, scenic ride more than possible!

Can you find my guardian "bell?" After losing my 6th or 7th bell, I had to find a substitute. Much better!

Aftermath of the rainy ride

Okay, so my phone did not survive the ride in the rain yesterday as well as I had hoped. Lesson learned: insert zip-lock bags in all jacket pockets no matter how water resistant said jackets claim to be. Good thing I had a prepaid phone and plan which expires in the next day or so. Is that luck or what? Maybe that penny really was lucky? I mean why else would a penny made in my birth year be lying under a tree branch in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere? Destiny, no?

A short ride in the rain

So yesterday after it rained in the morning (which, by the way, was not predicted), it looked pretty clear for a ride. I get on Blueberry, and I'm a mile into a hopefully 120 mile and it starts to sprinkle. Okay, no big deal. Major showers were not predicted until later in the afternoon.The roads were still kind of wet from the morning rain so I just took my time.

Nothing but rain on my 25 mile ride into town to the meet-up location. By the time I got there I was soaked through. Thankfully, my camera and cell phone are still functioning even after getting wet in my jacket (water resistant my foot). Also learned that my tires probably aren't in the best condition to be riding in rain. The roads got really slick in Lawton. And, people were still driving and tail-gating as if the streets were dry.

Almost no dry spots on my jeans.

Was happy to see a couple other people crazy enough to ride on my way in the rain. All cruisers, though. No other sportbikes seen. Not surprised. The other rider that was supposed to ride with is a new rider, so I didn't think conditions were good for a newbie to be getting comfortable on his bike. Maybe I'm too cautious, but better safe than sorry. I'm starting to think that a lot of motorcycle accidents could be avoided if riders knew their limits and realized that  riding skills come from a lot of factors, but mainly from experience and logging miles. Just my two cents from 5 years of observing riders of all types.

By the time I got home, the rain was back to a sprinkle, and the sun was starting to peak out. Figures. But, it was still a little chilly and it did look a little rainy off to the west. Oklahoma weather. Gotta love it. After that little whatever it was moved off to the east, there was no more rain to be had. So much for that rain in the afternoon prediction. I think somewhere in the forecasting process, the weather people got confused.