It's about time...

[HawkGTRider]

With the weather becoming a bit more tolerable, I'm finding it easier to get out and get some miles under my belt. I barely cracked 500 miles in February and didn't make it in January. But after a good day riding on some VERY pleasant gravel roads south of Knoxville today, I find myself with a respectable start on March after only 4 days in the month. With a trip to Florida for bike week coming up, I'll equal the first two months of the year and still have half the month to add more. Yee ha!

Here's looking forward to better times for ALL of us. And to the guys north of the Mason Dixon line, it's coming. Get those fresh tires mounted and the oil changed. It's just around the corner.

Time to make those reservations for TriSTAR in Sparta, NC on Memorial Day weekend.

[STLTHMSTA]

Thank you Geoffrey, and we wish you well too. Safe travels to you until we get to cross paths. So glad to see AMA Superbikes returning to the Daytona 200. I haven't been in 22 years. I have to do that again to it's all over (bucket list).  TM

[NinjaBob]

Glad to hear you guys in the frozen wilderness are getting back on the road!
In the deep south ( formerly known as the West Florida Republic) we never stopped riding, I've already logged close to 5000 for the year.
Don't forget the mileage logger:
http://www.wfr-ridersclub.com/miles/miles.asp

Happy Trails!

[HawkGTRider]

Holy Mackrel!! 5,000 miles racked up in January and February? That's great! That definitely beats my 1,100 miles for the first 2 months of the year.

[stevegrab]

Knoxville is the frozen wilderness? I guess it is all relative, and I do know they've had more cold and snow this year than in others. And of course Minnesota is a far harsher winter than here...

It was in the low 70s here in Northeast Ohio last weekend, and while the roads still had some salt and debris, as well as large pot holes I got out for 75 miles in the local park system. Relaxed pace, a stop for a snack and hike, it felt so good to be out and about on 2 wheels. Cold weather returned the next day, and that bike went back into storage mode, hopefully a couple more weeks and winter is over.

[HawkGTRider]

It's going to be in the 60s most of this week before a low in the 20s Friday night with a high near freezing Saturday...and snow. We had a Basic Rider class in January...postponed for a week and it was still cold. Another one was the end of January...postponed for 2 weeks and weather was a bit better. That was the week before the scheduled class in February that was postponed due to cold and held in conditions that were marginally better. Out classes last weekend were fantastic. This weekend's classes are likely to be canceled/postponed.

The weather is very neurotic.

I rode to Jacksonville, FL today and will attend the MSTA lunch tomorrow. Temps were around 40 when I left this morning. I stopped in SC and took the liner out of my jacket because I was starting to sweat. With Saturday's forecast, I know I'll be glad to have the heavy liner and winter gloves I started with this morning.

[NinjaBob]

Had thought about heading east for Bike week doing the MSTA lunch and watching the Daytona 200 but 300+ buck rooms  changed my mind. A few years ago I shared a room with Brick half a mile from the speedway for a very reasonable price.  Guess the Motoamerica big dogs are to blame. Maybe I need to take Geoffrey's lead and start camping.

[Ride4MS]

I looked at the photos on yahoo.com and the article tonight.  26 photos, and all were H-D, except a 3 wheeler, that maybe was also H-D, could not see the engine.  Is that all the attends the Daytona Bike Week??  Where were the other bikes?
There was also a photo of a helmet with a sticker that says it all to everyone.  See attachment.

[HawkGTRider]

Had thought about heading east for Bike week doing the MSTA lunch and watching the Daytona 200 but 300+ buck rooms  changed my mind. A few years ago I shared a room with Brick half a mile from the speedway for a very reasonable price.  Guess the Motoamerica big dogs are to blame. Maybe I need to take Geoffrey's lead and start camping.

i could have camped this year, and I considered it. But the Iron Butt Association takes over a Ramada in Jacksonville for a few days. I chose to get a room there. 3 nights with a breakfast buffet was $292...not an incredible deal, but certainly manageable.

It's still a 2 hour ride down to Daytona, but I'll pick out a variety of state and county roads to get down to the MSTA lunch today...I anticipate a pleasant ride. The first night of flat track racing is tonight, so I'll probably do that before coming back via a big road tonight.

Tomorrow I've got some locations identified that have stamps for my National Parks Passport. Visiting some historic sites puts a smile on my face. I hope to visit more places this year before our friendly despot in Russia starts another world war...or maybe it's already started and we don't know it. Sorry for the political reference...anything on our side of the pond pales in comparison to what's happening in Ukraine.

So here's hoping for a couple of days of tolerable riding, visiting with friends, learning more about history, and getting some wind therapy.

[NinjaBob]

My first bike was epic in 1983, when I met Dana and I don't think I missed any of the next 18 or so biked weeks. Harleys were always about 90% of the crowd.

 Safe journey to my MSTA friends in Florida!

[HawkGTRider]

We had an overwhelming crowd for the MSTA Daytona lunch gathering today. At least it would have been if we had to sit at a 4-person table. After the initial 6 sat down at a 6-person table, we had one later arrival giving us a total of 7 (easy to slide an extra table and chair to the end). We had good conversation and much mirth was in order. It was kind of like the MSTA in general...not a huge quantity of riders but an excellent quality of riders.
After lunch, I headed north back to Jacksonville to my room. As anticipated after looking at the weather radar, I had some dry miles before running through about an hour of rain with a few lightning strikes around to get my attention. It dried up a few miles south of J-ville, so my gear had a chance to dry out a bit. Other than one lightning strike that seemed a bit close for comfort, it was not a terrible experience at all. I'm sure one of the photographers will post a picture of our august group.

[HawkGTRider]

Just gathering my thoughts about the remainder of the weekend. I'm in Florida "for" bike week, but it's less about bike week than just seeing friends. The Iron Butt Association gathers in at a Ramada Inn in Jacksonville, and that's where I crossed paths with a fellow that I just couldn't quit thinking I'd seen and/or heard his name. We happened to be standing in line waiting for dinner tonight and had a chance to chat. It turned out he was previously a member of the HSTA/MSTA although his membership has lapsed. He lives in Indianapolis and is a long-time friend of Don and Cathy Payne. Say hello to Thomas Southwood.

Now...I've got to figure out how to get home. The bike is fine. I'm fine. But the weather, as many of you know, has turned into a real droning dog-eared lewdster. After being normal 40ish low temps with highs in the 50s and maybe even 60s, things have changed. Tonight is predicted to get down into the 20s with a high Saturday only around freezing. And just to complicate things a bit more, there's a snow bomb blowing through. Then, to make sure to maximize the nasty impact of that, the temps are predicted to be the coldest of the entire year tomorrow night...into the low teens or less.
That's not a big deal for many of you, and I wouldn't normally complain. But I don't really want to get within a 100 miles of home and then find myself stuck or worse. My better half has actually given me permission, nay, an order, to take an extra day or two coming home.

First the pandemic and now this. Weirdness for sure.

[NinjaBob]

Stay in Florida and go watch the Daytona 200! Seriously, be safe!

[STLTHMSTA]

Ah yes, the age old dilemma of Mid-westerners and Northerners about going to Bike Week. You might be able to get out of town to more southern regions but what about the return trip. Things could turn in a hurry.
I have been 4 times and rode the distance from Ohio only once. 2 times I trailered to Atlanta with a friend letting us leave the trailer and truck at his house, thank you very much. Riding in the rest of the way at least felt like I was a real rider. The first time way back in, well never mind when that was, I used a jet and a rent-a-car. Not nearly as cool but I was home by 11:00p Sunday night having to go to work on Monday.
The whole point of Bike Week   IS  the Daytona 200, some people I talked to didn't even know what it was or that there was racing at the speedway. Hmmm.   Ride safe Geoffery.   TM

[NinjaBob]

On my first ride to Bike Week in 83 I started out from Baton Rouge at dawn and the temp was low 30s. I had no heated gear back then. I stopped at the big rest area welcome center at the LA/MS line. It has a huge men's room.  It was full of bikers warming their hands with the heated hand driers and I was one of them. I stopped early that afternoon, making it as far as Lake City, FL, thoroughly chilled. I checked into a cheap motel and soaked in a hot bath for an hour!