This afternoon I spent the day at “Hot Rods and Harleys” in downtown Springfield. The annual bike and hot rod show is sponsored by Mid-Ohio Harley Davidson and was a great way to spend a late summer day. I enjoyed seeing old friends, listening to the live bands, eating, and basically just hanging out. Click here to see a few photos of the day.
Hot Rods and Harley’s
This Saturday downtown Springfield will be filled with Hot Rods and Motorcycles! This is a great time to check out the custom cars and bikes, meet with friends, and support the downtown. The party goes on from 2 p.m.-10 p.m.
Motorcycles on Meridian, a gathering of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts, will take place from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, Aug. 29 on South Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis. In 2008, a large gathering of motorcycles and riders descended upon downtown Indianapolis during the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP weekend and parked along Meridian, creating a safe, festive environment for motorcycle enthusiasts.
The event is free and open to everyone, riders and non-riders, to experience the motorcycle culture of Indianapolis.
A cold front has forced it’s way into Ohio, interrupting our summer vibe. To accentuate the autumn feel; both boys return to classes on Monday.
Today I think I will stay close to the house, do a little yard clean up, wash and inspect the RT, explore some back roads, then later enjoy a pot of soup I have simmering on the stove. Have a super Sunday!
My boots are fitted.
My gloves are snug.
My helmet secured.
My tank is full.
I hit the starter.
I roll the throttle.
It’s a rush every time!
Whenever I run across a site that I think may be of interest to our readers I like to share the love. So here’s today’s pick
Metro Racing is a place for apparel and gear for the vintage motorcycle lover in all of us! Check it out! Who knows maybe I will get a free T-shirt?
I have become accustomed to riding the RT everywhere I go. In fact, during the spring, summer, and fall, I am rarely in a car. Riding the bike as my main form of transportation isn’t normally a big issue with my wife, but this day was not normal!
SETTING
Michelle and I were preparing to have dinner at the Pub, a quaint British restaurant located at the “The Greene”, some 30 minutes from our home. The Pub has a lovely patio, great fish & chips, and a magnificent collection of stout ales.
PROBLEM
With temperatures in the 90’s, under brilliant sunny skies. I was looking forward to an enjoyable ride to our destination, but my wife had other plans. Seems she was considering this impromptu dinner, a date, and as such, she didn’t want helmet hair. What’s more, she was wearing a “cute” outfit, which was not conducive to motorcycle travel.
After a brief discussion about this matter, we were soon on our way to dinner… in the car! (Surprised? I thought not!)
CONCLUSION
I guess I should be ecstatic that my wife still desires to look “cute” for this middle aged man, and in the end everything worked out. The food was great, the ambiance, perfect, and the conversation, riveting. Only one thing could have made this evening a tad bit sweeter; a little helmet hair!
A spectacular day will soon be breaking and I am grateful. Samuel Longfellow, the younger brother of famed poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, must have felt the same way the morning he penned these words…
The summer days are come again;
Once more the glad earth yields
Her golden wealth of ripening grain,
And breadth of clover fields,
And deepening shade of summer woods,
And glow of summer air,
And winging thoughts, and happy moods
Of love and joy and prayer.
The summer days are come again;
The birds are on the wing;
God’s praises, in their loving strain,
Unconsciously they sing.
We know Who giveth all the good
That doth our cup o’erbrim;
For summer joy in field and wood
We lift our song to Him.
by Gnarly Adventurer
On an muggy twilight in the middle of August, my bride and I, found ourselves rolling along the cornfields of Champaign County, on our way to Indian Lake. Indian Lake, is a summer resort community an hour north of my home; one of those magical places, close in proximity, yet once there, you feel like you’re a million miles away!
After a frantic week Michelle and I, had spent the better portion of this Sunday cutting the lawn, watering flowers, and completing some projects around the house. By mid-afternoon we were ready for a break, and decided to head to the lake for a light dinner at Captain’s Point.
Indian Lake, so named because of the various Indian tribes that once called it’s rocky shores home, is now a community of those desiring to get away from it all. A quick reprieve from the normal pressures of life, complete with great boating, numerous restaurants, and more than a few watering holes.
Although I don’t have a home on the lake, I do enjoy it’s ambiance! It is the quintessential summer hang out, care free, and living easy, I imagine Jimmy Buffett would approve!
After enjoying a dinner of fish and chips, and quiet conversation, we slowly trolled the inlet lanes looking at the tiny fishing shanties and the opulent homes which dot the various islands, but soon, too soon for me, it was time to return home.
As we rode back through the darkness, all was at peace, our appetites satisfied, our minds at rest, and our spirits refreshed, experiencing once again, the magic of the lake.
