With an afternoon void of pressing issues and a short supply of pipe tobacco, I decided to visit “Kings Rook 4″,  a mom and pop tobacco shop located in Tipp City, a small community 35 minutes northwest of Springfield.

Kings Rook 4, has been around for years and has garnered quite a loyal following.  Leah, the white haired proprietor, is up in years and opens the store if she has nothing more immediate on her agenda, I recommend you call ahead!  I first heard of the quaint tobacco shop some 8 or 9 years ago from a good client of mine, but simply had never taken the time to visit.  Today was the day!

Tipp City, was established in 1840 along the Miami and Erie Canal, and boast a population of just under 10,000 residents.  Commerce has blossomed on a section of Main St. now deemed the “Historic District,” and the business owners are working hard to recapture the glory days of this canal towns past.

Tipp, as it is called by the locals, is a short motorcycle ride from Springfield and is easily accessible by a variety of routes.  From Springfield I chose to ride Interstate 70 west to I-75 north, then eastward on 571 which takes you straight into the heart of the Historic District.  This is not the most direct way, but I wanted to open the RT up a bit and my doctor says a little highway speed is good for the  soul.

After an exhilarating ride, I arrived downtown and upon securing my gear, leisurely strolled past the shops.   On my right was the Grounds for Pleasure Coffeehouse, across the street, Sam and Ethel’s restaurant, next door, Browse Awhile Books, and nearby, Kings Rook 4.

Apparently my friend Scott, had called Leah earlier that morning to warn her of my impending arrival, because the moment I entered the shop she exclaimed, “You must be that Springfield fellow.  “Indeed I am” I replied, and with that simple introduction we became friends.

Leah, gave me a quick tour of the store then left me to browse uninterrupted.  With an adequate supply of cigars safely tucked away in my humidor this day’s focus was on securing a few new blends of pipe tobacco.  One by one I removed the old tobacco canisters from the shelf and slowly sampled tobacco blends like, “Peaches and Cream,” “Nougat,” “Blue Note,” and my favorite; “Harvest Moon.”  Nothing calms ones nerves better than a perfectly blended mixture of pipe tobacco.  After a long while, I made my final selections and bid Leah “good day.”  It was time to head home.

My brief visit to Tipp City was pleasurable and one I will definitely do again, it’s the kind of place my wife would enjoy.  I can see us browsing the boutiques, sipping coffee at the outdoor cafe, and thumbing through some old books now out of print.  If you should find yourself sashaying down Main St. in this little community, be certain to drop in on Leah and pick up a few ounces of “Harvest Moon” tobacco. On second thought, you probably should call ahead.

Sunday presented me with a rare opportunity.  Both of my sons were home from college and as such, we were able to share the day riding together.

We geared up and departed the house around noon, spending the better part of the day racing up and down the winding roads of northeast Clark County.  The skies were overcast, with gusty winds, so gusty in fact, maintaining lane positon was often difficult to achieve. 

We enjoyed the landscape now at rest, and rode through many small villages and sleepy bergs.  Upon leaving one small town, we encountered seven or eight chickens happily pecking on the left side of the road, at least that’s what they were doing until we approached them.  The sounds of the motorcycles frightened the fowl. Deciding it was time to return to the safety of the barnyard they ran across the road, directly in front of us.  I was leading, and managed to escape them, Ethan, riding second, and was not so fortunate.  Yes, Ethan hit a chicken!  Fortunately, the bird wasn’t injured, and after a brief period of confusion  headed on to safety.  “Damn there goes dinner,” I thought.

As darkness approached, we headed home to a pot of homemade vegtable soup, crusty bread, and a roaring fire.  We spent the evening enjoying one another’s company, swapping stories about the ride, content in now knowing ”Why the chicken crossed the road.” 

As my sons continue to grow older, and establish their own lives, these rare opportunities of riding together become more and more valuable to me.  It was a great day.

In this episode of Jay’s Garage, Jay talks with Chief Technical Designer of Zero Motorcycles, Neal Saiki. Enjoy!

As many of you know, our fellow blogger, and very good friend Stephanie Boom Maiers, AKA Iowa Harley Girl, is battling with Hairy cell Leukemia.   She has been hospitalized since October 19th.   Stephanie recently finished her chemotherapy treatments and is currently awaiting an increase in her white blood count. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  Today is Stephanie’s birthday and we wish her all the best!  Miss you!

A buddy visited the office today and in the midst of our conversation told me he had put his motorcycle up for the year.  When will you put away your motorcycle?

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Thanks!

With summer now in full swing, here’s 7 things you can do to squeeze enjoyment out of every moment.

1.  Eat outside as much as possible.

2.  Make Corona, the beer of choice.

3.  Enjoy a late night cigar accompanied by your favorite music.

4.  Ride the motorcycle everywhere, no matter the weather.

5.  Limit yard work and house work, the big stuff will wait till winter.

6.  Make the grill earn it’s keep.  Grill out as often as possible.

7.  Go camping.

What would you add to the list?

 Stopped by Competition Accessories today and snapped a couple photos.

 According to The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), Japanese Motorcycle manufacturers cut production significantly beginning  2009.

Number of Motorcycles Produced
Motorcycle production in January 2009 was recorded as 87,667 units. Compared with the 114,214 units total recorded for the same month of the previous year, this is a decrease of 26,547 units or 23.2%, and production decrease on the same month of the previous year for seventeen consecutive months.

Number of Motorcycle Domestic Sales
Domestic sales (factory shipment) in January 2009 stood at 28,980 units, a decrease of 8.6% as compared with the same month of the previous year.

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This is a car advertisement from Germany. When they finished filming the ad, the film editor noticed something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist. They found out that a person had been killed a year earlier in that exact same spot.

I don’t believe this ad aired do to the unexplained event. If you watch closely as the auto passes the trees in the middle of the screen you will see it. Let me know what you think!