I believe in mercy killings.

…but they sure look goooooooood.

Day 1, St. Louis to Sioux Falls 

So our original plan was to be on the road by 5:00 or 6:00 am. We came close, we were on the road by 7:00am. I must say, I liked being on the road that early–there was no traffic, it took 40 minutes to get past Wentzville. And the temp was 71 to 75 almost the whole way to K.C.. Once we got there ,it warmed up to the low to mid 80′s. stll very comfy. It didn’t get hot until we got outside of Omaha. so the last few hours it was in the low 90′s.

Traffic was pretty easy the whole way. Hit construction on I-29. but bot too much. Except for the friggin’ Harley crowd; I forgot it’s Sturgis time. Tons of fat old men on fat old bikes. occassionally with their fat old ladies. We got lots of derisive looks. even from the fat old guys on Goldwings. There were a lot of ‘mixed packs’, combinations of Harley’s and Goldwings–I think the guys on the ‘wings USED to be Harley riders. who got TOO old or fat to ride the hogs in any semblence of comfort.

And lots of people trailering their bike, which I just don’t get. Except for the people in the RV’s from Florida; I can see why they might trailer their bikes. Though I don’t get why they live in Florida.

The funniest was the Explorer with four mulleted tools in it, with the phrase ‘Sturgis here we come’ soaped on the window… and *no* bikes in sight, on trailers or otherwise. Tools.

So we made it to Sioux Falls in under 10 hours–yay! We took quick showers, headed out for dinner, then Leslie had to get Coldstone. They put one right on the walk between our hotel and the restaurant, damn them!! It’s like they WANT me to be on a Harley. Or maybe even a Goldwing.

Anyway, our new seat is the shit. 620 miles, and neither Leslie or I were tired. My butt didn’t hurt once! I could have easily done another 300-400 miles. Yay!

Okay, I’m gonna drink my beer and laugh ata all the Harley guys out cleaning their bikes in the parking lot. It’s like watching synchonized swimming, but funnier. Later.

Ready for fun!

Originally uploaded by mindtrip

All dressed up, and somewhere to go!

Okay, we’re heading out now at 7:00am.  We only missed our 6:00am departure time by an hour; that’s pretty good for me!

I’ve been out doing this:

Leslie and I hit the Tail of the Dragon for the 4th of July weekend; she’s a real trooper, eh?

I’m lovin’ the new bike. Apparantly, the LEO who pulled me over for 82 in a 65 didn’t appreciate the speediness. Or maybe he did, seeing as how I’m now paying his fucking salary. Ahh well.

Anyway, this makes 3 trips to the Dragon for me in the last 14 months, and my second bike on it, and Leslie’s been there once. And Alden, from whom I first heard about the Dragon, has yet to go there at all. Can anyone help me cajole the motherfarker into going????? Boy’s gonna get himself a new house and a kid–might as well sell that damn Beemer, or at least drain the fluids and park it in the house as a ‘conversation piece’!

For those who haven’t heard, Leslie’s cousin was killed in Iraq on Monday, September 26th. He and two other soldiers were travelling in a vehicle in Baghdad when a bomb exploded, killing all three occupants.

Michael Wendling, 20, was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard. He was sent to Iraq at the end of August, 2005. Why the Army has to send troops to deal with a domestic issue in New Orleans, while the National Guard is fighting a foreign war in Iraq, is just one of many, many hard questions that have not been adequately asked by our supposed liberal media, nor answered by our supposed Commander-in-Chief. How many lives will be wasted before we pull out of a country that will simply dissolve into civil war upon our departure anyway? How much more international animosity can we garner? How hated must we become?

Equally as horrifying is the fact that very little mention of this incident can be found anywhere in the national or international media. A brief mention of it was placed inside a story discussing the murders of severl Iraqi schoolteachers; nowhere else have I been able to locate mention of their deaths.

It seems that support of our troops is a feeling to be kept on bumpers and tailgates, not in our social consciousness, or in the minds of our leaders.

/moment of silence