Made it to Troy ... Illinois, that is!

 
Wednesday morning I watched the news reports of various levels of damage around northern Kentucky following the previous day's storm. Apparently, there were tornado touch downs in the area and a fair amount of damage to people's properties. My original intention was to ride two lane back roads over to the Kid's place in Troy, Illinois. However considering the likelihood of detours due to storm damage, and

against my preferred method of travel, I opted to hop on I64, which would take me just about to the Kid's front door. I usually avoid interstate travel on my bike trips for various reasons: (1) the amount of local travelers who are going to work can be intimidating at rush hour and (2) following signage through major metropolitan areas on a motorcycle can be challenging (especially for those of us who don't use GPS on the motorcycle). Taking I64 would require me to ride through Louisville, Kentucky. A large metro area I had never been to. 

Surprisingly, the metro area wasn't too bad, considering some of the other large cities I have had to navigate through on bike trips. But one of the views that really caught my eye were the bridges. Similar to Pittsburgh, another metro

area with a large river running through it, Louisville had several bridges spanning the Ohio
River. The river spans about 25 miles of the city's waterfront and reaches its widest point (one mile across) just north of downtown. One of the abandoned railroad bridges has been modified into a pedestrian bridge. The view was actually rather breathtaking. Unfortunately, it was not possible to just stop and take photos. I definitely would like to return there some time to get some photos of my own. And as I enjoyed the view, it brought tears to my eyes, thinking how much I wished my Buffalo was along for the ride so we could talk about it later, As you know, he rides with me in spirit these days, and I spoke to him as I choked up at the thought. 

The remainder of the ride to the Kid's place was uneventful, thankfully, with great weather and relatively light traffic. I will warn you that I64 has the wear and tear of constant truck traffic and the pavement is not in the greatest condition. To say that it beat the crap out of me

would be a good description of the road conditions. (And I asked the Kid what it was like to tow their 40ft plus fifth wheel on it, and she said it was a bitch.)

The afternoon was spent catching up with the Kid and visiting with some of the great grandkids. Treyveon was already at the Kid's place visiting and Bella and Elaina showed up with mom, Janae to visit for awhile. We sat out on the patio catching up and going over the plans for the wedding weekend. Yes, my oldest granddaughter, Jewel, is getting married on Saturday. Sadly, I missed one of my granddaughter's weddings during the Covid and I have always felt guilty about that. So I am relieved that I will be there for this one. 

Thursday is nail day for us gals and this grandma is actually going to get her fingernails done! Let's see how long I can manage to keep them on! hahaha.

Peace and Love all!

Bobbi

Kevin & Shani's place with their new 5th wheel

The pond at Kevin & Shani's place

I Survived the Storm!

 Tuesday was a day for me to out run a major storm that hit the Ohio valley.

I knew from the weather reports that it was going to be a sketchy day to get through. It was already terribly humid when I left out of Marietta, heading to Versailles, Kentucky. I threw on my jacket, which already felt like a sauna suite at 7:30am when I departed. I opened the vents on the coat, and once I got moving, it was bearable for a good part of the morning. 

Unfortunately, part of the ride I had mapped out had an unplanned detour that was poorly marked and I had to figure out a new route while I was rolling. Because of the storm I was racing, I had to bypass three Indian mound locations that I would have liked to stop at. But the huge gray clouds following right behind me kept me moving along. 

Meanwhile, in Ohio, a tornado touched down in the Girard / Youngstown area. By the time I got settled into my lodging, photos of the event were circulating on the internet. 

I managed to somehow get confused at the state line and ended up, temporarily, in Portsmouth...the home of the murals. And as I stood in a random parking lot, looking at a map and trying to figure out which was I needed to go to get back on track, I realized where I was and was truly tempted to wander around and shoot photos. Until mother nature started spitting on me, bringing me back to the serious nature of the storm I was out running. So I had to pass on the tourist act and keep moving. 

I eventually worked my way to Maysville, Kentucky but couldn't find the route I wanted to take to head south and, amazingly, stopped right across the street from the visitor's bureau, which was open and staffed by a knowledgeable gentleman who directed me how to get to where I was going. 

Along the way, I saw an unusual amount of dark brown wood fences on huge pieces of property. I am still not sure why everybody along the route had the same type of fences. Some were doubled up along the property line, almost creating a little buffer between the property and the road. Some were just installed in a circle around trees. Really weird. 

I got to my lodging just before the storm caught up. The desk clerk was kind enough to offer to let me leave my bike under the over way out front and by the time I got settled in, the full force of the storm hit. Fortunately, no tornadoes here, but it was the kind of deluge that totally would have sucked had I been riding!!

So no photos from the Tuesday ride, I am afraid. However the weather looks awesome going forward and I am hoping for a dry ride for a few days.

Peace and Love all. Hope all my friends in Ohio are safe this morning.

Bobbi

Follow up to the fence situation mentioned above...

Historically, throughout most of the world, domesticated livestock roamed freely and were fenced out of areas, such as gardens and crop fields, where they were unwanted. Over time, especially where crop agriculture became dominant and population density of both humans and animals was significant, livestock owners began to fence their animals in.

Wood—specifically oak—is the most popular material for equine fencing. It is more expensive than other materials but more durable. The typical construction of equine fencing is three or four rails of 6”-boards with posts spaced every eight feet.

In 2014, the state of Kentucky passed an ordinance called “Paint it Black.” It required that miles of white plank fencing—which had been in place since 1978—be painted black in order to lower maintenance costs. Now, the most common color for horse fencing is black.

Additionally, many Kentucky horse farms practice Double Fencing. The double fences serve multiple purposes. It allows groups of horses to see each other while keeping them separate. This prevents fighting or sparring. It also provides an extra barrier along roads to protect against thrown-out garbage, vehicles, or run-away horses. Double Fencing is extra prevention and protection.

With all the horse fencing in and around Kentucky, we have a dependable source and opportunity to reclaim the old fences, saving them from landfills.

Credit: https://evolutiamade.com/latest-projects/historical-information-our-kentucky-horse-fence-oak/

The Journey Begins

My first day ride was actually a little tame, only shooting to take some two lane black top and work my way south to Marietta, Ohio for the night. I ran south and hit OH route 800 off of route 22 and took 800 to OH route 26. I had never been on 26 before but saw a lot of curves on the trusted AAA folding map and decided that I needed to check it out. Of course, on the way, I managed to find roads that had recently been sealed with Ohio's trusted tar and chip method, always a joy to ride on with a motorcycle...NOT! Route 26 had at least three covered bridges along the way, however I managed to pass each of them before realizing it and with the road conditions a little sketchy from the tar and chip, I didn't stop to check it out. Going forward on this trip, I have to keep reminding myself that I chose shorter day rides to allow for those kind of stops without concerns for time.

Piedmont Lake

All in all, a good ride for the first day. Tuesday I head to Versailles, Kentucky for the night. I planned the route to try to avoid big cities and freeways, however the weather is going to be a little sketchy so we will see how the day progresses!

Peace and Love.

Bobbi

 

One for the road...

Greetings as I prepare to take off on a road trip again. I really wanted to run Route 66, the iconic Mother Road. However this year, besides being America's 250th birthday, it is also the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and there are a whole lot of folks who are making the most of it. Heck, there are people who are literally coming here from other countries and renting cars, RV's or motorcycles to drive Route 66 this year! The frustrating thing is that I intended to run Route 66 in 2024, right after I retired. And I made a pretty good start of it. Until my close encounter with an old Chevy pickup truck in Flippin, Arkansas. 

But we and my Road Queen are back together and we are going to make the best of it. I will be joining the Kid to walk my oldest granddaughter down the aisle on July 25th before pointing my front tire west. And, of course, I will be blogging as I go so if you care to follow along, I would be honored to have you as my virtual guest! 

In the mean time, I thought I would throw up a few photos from this year's motorcycle show at the Packard Museum in Warren, which ran from January through May. Enjoy and I will catch you down the road!!

Peace and Love All,

Bobbi

11th Annual Bikes, Beers and Bands in Mercer, PA

 

Lots of nice Indian and Harley flatheads on display. 

I found this one rather interesting ... never thought about getting spark plugs for an old bike much before.

A couple of extra plugs along for the ride just in case...

The really short distance from the lower end to the heads caught my attention...

Interesting head bolts and connection to the spark plugs...

Itty bitty Indian next to a full size one...

Classic saddle bags

Classic style windshield

Always love the Indian fender lights!

Nice side hack

Unique air cleaner connection ... matches the paint job!

I liked this dimensional logo ... that's not painted on.

A very small collection of the bikes ridden in to enjoy the day.

Fascinating exhaust on this Triumph

The Photo Dump...

 I take a lot more photos than I post throughout my travels. Here are some of the ones I thought you might want to see, if you actually made it this far! LOL

Weird greeting when I checked into my room in Wilmington. Creepy.

This dam was being upgraded. There was a one way traffic light that people either ran or barely stopped at!

This is Ron, a railroad worker between assignments, that I visited with during dinner one night.

My Kid. Probably posted this but I am old and can't remember everything! hahaha!

Life is not tried, it is merely survived, if you're standing outside the fire...

 Country singer, Garth Brooks, recorded a song in 1993 that I somewhat felt was sort of an anthem to the life I have lived. Although it talks about love opportunities lost, it could also be applied to life's opportunities not taken. And so, for me, this trip was my fire. I was so very fortunate that I was not injured worse in my bike

accident last July (19th to be exact, but who is counting...). I am, in all honesty, quite angry that I feel like I lost a year of opportunities to live life to the fullest. As I age, I know these opportunities are fleeting moments in time that I will not be given a chance to make up. But mixed with those frustrated feelings are the realization that I am quite fortunate, if that's what we shall call it, for having lived and not been injured worse. 

So with all this turmoil stirring my soul, I felt compelled, no, more like strongly obsessed, with making another trip. I needed to do this for myself. And whether I did the same trip wasn't so important as swinging my leg over the Road Queen, packed up, and hitting the road. Meeting people I had never met. Going to new places. 

And, most importantly, seeing my Kid marry her soul mate. 

The ride home was, quite frankly, torture. Although I absolutely love seeing America on the two lane back roads and experiencing the small towns and the people who make this country awesome, the weather SUCKED. I did as much two lane as I could until, finally, like a poker player holding a losing hand, I acquiesced and started seeking the easiest way to the interstate. I just wanted to go home. I was so tired of rain. 

I want to tell you what I did see that should make everybody think about our weather and hope this is not a pattern we will be dealing with more. On the road south from the Kid's place, remnants of mobile homes were scattered across the highway. The travel path was cleared, but

the carnage was clearly an indication that people's lives would not be the same moving forward. And then, as I pulled into Selmer, TN on my way home, the path of a tornado was glaring. Some buildings were totally demolished, some missing roofs or whole sides of them. And my heart aches for those individuals who were facing the challenges of picking up the pieces of their lives, Rain and tornadoes can clearly affect us all sometimes. Be kind and generous to those who suffer mother nature's wrath. Life isn't fair. Help people know that somebody cares. 

Life is what we make it. Don't stand outside the fire. 

Peace and Love,

Bobbi

Life at So Live So Ride, my temporary home away from home...

A little sunshine while working on my blog....

 

A dry sunset - the white tube is a wind speed measure

Figuring out riding routes

Tent Camping Area - really cool back there!

Dustin sizing up the Road Queen

My "neighbor" Frank's 800CC Triumph Tiger

Dustin out working on his lesson plan

Frank, from Huntsville, Alabama

Kate, Frank and Dustin

Frank heading home

Working on the blog, listening to the rain

Peace and Love,

Bobbi