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Wildflower Ride 2014

connie_rider said:
Looks like no go for me.
Headed for hospital with )I think) kidney stones.

Ride safe, Ted
OH NO!
This is unhappy news Ted.  BTDT five (5) times and I do not envy you one moment of it.  You have our prayers and we'll just have to get a rain check on teasing you for towing.  I promise we'll talk bad about you as best we can without you there for inspiration.  But you just get better.  Again, sorry for the pain bro.  Worst physical experiences of my life... you'll live, but it'll take awhile to convince yourself you want to. 
 
Well, changed the "ole" and chipped a few junebugs offa the shield, throwed the margarita Machine, a gallon pitcher, a half gallon of tequila, bottle of triple sec, some jeans n shirts n unmentionables in one bag (thank goodness for the shrink ray) and in the other, a pair of tennies (still quite large after shrinking. Hmmm!), some Margarita mix, rain suit, computer, my anti-shavin' kit, and now I'm trying to figure what else I need to bring.  Travelin' light this go round so I ain't carryin' tools. We'll see what that does to me.  No trunk, nuttin tied on, no backpack.  Still gotta stop off in Kerrville for 100  lbs. of ice. Oops!  I ain't got room left to pack the shrink ray.  THis could pose an issue getting all this stuff home.  Oh well.  Meeting Jed... er... Fred-Houston and his buddy Dan in Columbus at 8:00 am.  I reckon I'd better get outta this saddlebag (where the computer desk is) and git in the house and clean up n git some sleep.  See yall there!  Lord willin'.
 
Odessa checkin in here. Arrived safe and sound. All the mist and rain cleared up as soon as I got on I-10 heading west.

I had a wonderful time this weekend. This event was great. I road some twisted roads and hung out with some great people.  Meet some new faces and hung out with some I havent seen in years.  :campfire:
Thanks to Fred Harmon for hosting. And to the River Inn for letting us stay at their lovely place. :clap: :clap:

It was great seeing ALL of you cats again!  :great: And hooray for Rev's margaritas!!  :beerchug: Oh and thank you Leslie for the poppers. They were delicious!

I hope to see all of you again soon.
Live long and prosper.  ;)
 
El Campo is wet n wild.  I just got back. I got on I-10 going the other direction Curtis and I had 4 solid hours of rain and chill.  2 miles from home the sun popped out and the temp jumped 25 degrees.  Ten minutes later the rain and cold got here. LOL
 
We are home as well after a great weekend of riding and shooting the breeze with everyone!  1140 miles which most were all pretty good with the exception of the big road getting back today!  It was a pleasure meeting everyone and thanks to everyone who got it going.
 
Same here. Made it to katy ok. Ony had a minor oh s#!t moment with tar snakes in the rain on San Antonio loop at a flippedover truck, but Bunny (energizer bunny) kept me upright. She's a keeper.
 
Made it to killeen for my meeting tomorrow. The rain was not an issue inside the pickup:) great time with the group this weekend. Thanks to the planners!
 
Great meet everyone. I did manage to find a real jewel of un-ridden roads on the way hone. FM 470 between Utopia and Tarpley, and then FM 462 south to Hondo. Way cool. Too bad the rain followed me home. Thanks again for everyone's efforts, it was a great weekend.
 
Here is my track from the trip in case anyone wants to see my routes I used to and from the rally. This also shows the location of the Doss-Cherry Hill Springs road shortcut I frequently use from hwy 2323 to 648 northeast of Harper.

If you click on the FILL select box and select ALL and then click GO, it will show you every single data point. I had it set for 1 minute intervals.

https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=920f5334cc6d756f8
 
arjay2, Greg, and Pamela and I made it back to DFW and arrived home at about 4:20 PM. We stayed west through Harper, Doss, and then tracked up 16 to Goldwaithe. Took FM 2005 to Hamilton and stopped for lunch for an hour. The rain shield was NE of us and was moving NE so we went through Hico to US 67 and then back into the Metromess.

We never hit any heavy rain, mostly it was nusaince drizzle and thanks to our timing stayed out of the heavy stuff!

It was cold but the gear and heated seats did their job with aplomb. Yes......the bike is obscenely DIRTY!!!!  :character0029:

What a great time with all of the COG folks and way too many to mention but the two Freds, Rev, Troy, Ted, and others who came made it all worthwhile! Sisters and other roads were the best although the invisible gravel on FM336 is something to be aware of. Shot about 50 GB of video that I will start producing up in the next few weeks.

There was a couple of bikes down on FM337 early Saturday morning in the tight switchbacks, and there was a rider down as we passed by. We heard later that they were transported by Care Flight and our prayers go out to them and their families.

Craig and Pamela



 
My riding was a bit shorter then most trips out there due to some carb issues but I did meet at least two sisters.  The trip home was wet but not wild.  The bike actually ran the best of all three days with no popping at the three short stops I made.  It may be time for a spa day in Fl.  Good to see everyone.
 
BTW I want to congratulate Rev_Ryder for making it to and back home from a Wildflower event in one piece.  At least I think in one piece.  I see he has some activity on the forum today anyway.  I am glad that cloud has lifted for you.
 
We made it home safe and also sound!
I know I'm a sinner,,, but,,,, gotta admit, It was nice, warm, and dry in the truck. (But now the truck and both bikes are obscenely DIRTY!!!!  :deadhorse:)

Enjoyed meeting everyone.
New Guys,,, hope you enjoyed it.  DO come back next year!!! 
Rev, thanks for not letting me work on your bike.
Curtis,, get a haircut!
Bob, Steve will fix ya up.
Jim, ya shoulda been there.

Ride safe, Ted
 
Interesting ride home in the rain with Craig, Pamela & Greg.

Same filthy bike - this weekend with be spent cleaning off some of the grime.

Enjoyed everyones company - Adios unti next time.



kv5e said:
arjay2, Greg, and Pamela and I made it back to DFW and arrived home at about 4:20 PM. We stayed west through Harper, Doss, and then tracked up 16 to Goldwaithe. Took FM 2005 to Hamilton and stopped for lunch for an hour. The rain shield was NE of us and was moving NE so we went through Hico to US 67 and then back into the Metromess.

We never hit any heavy rain, mostly it was nusaince drizzle and thanks to our timing stayed out of the heavy stuff!

It was cold but the gear and heated seats did their job with aplomb. Yes......the bike is obscenely DIRTY!!!!  :character0029:


Craig and Pamela
 
Better late than ever, me and the misses made it back safe and sound. We hit rain all the way to San Antonio then cool and dry back to Corpus Christi. I enjoyed meeting everyone and def looking forward to next time. Take care and God Bless.

Mo
 
Hey Mo, It was good to get to meet you.  I hope the girlfriend wasn't too put out by the weather and lack of gear.  At least you got some miles in even if they weren't the best comfort-wise.  Glad you weren't in a downpour all the way home.  Be safe. 
 
A couple of quick photos of my bike from this past weekend. First is on Friday at the Frio bike stop surrounded by HDs, and second is downtown Leakey on Saturday morning. Great riding for such a gloomy day.

Washed my motorcycle last night - wow - was it dirty. I'm a stickler for clean machines, and it may take several washings to get all of the grime out of the nooks and crannies.

Also, finally got the end of my front Angel ST. 11,000 miles (the rear lasted about 8,500), so pretty pleased with the increased mileage over the OEMs. Next I try the Angel GTs.

Again, great seeing everyone and I look forward to the next time.
 

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hmmm, didn't get both photos on the other post, so here is the other photo.
 

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I got a message from my neighbor, Richard, who rode down with me. He stayed an extra day (I should have too). He said he got a flat tire on hwy 187, and had no cell service. He said 23 vehicles went past him, including 6 bikes, one of which was a red C10. No one stopped. He had no compressor with him. He said he was considering sleeping on the side of the road by the bike for the night. He decided to start walking and ended up at the ranger station at Lost Maples several miles away. He spent the night in some cabins nearby and with the help from the ranger station, he eventually got some fix-a-flat type stuff in the tire and was able to limp back to Ingram, where he now sits (2 days later) waiting for a new tire to be mounted. I'm just a bit surprised no one stopped to help him. I guess it's a sign of the times.
 
Fred,
It's the area.  It's a long explanation as to why the folks are like that, but many of the locals who've been there for generations do not like all the bikes and the tourists that the area attracts with the hills and river.  Then there are the large influx of folks from other areas that have moved in (also not liked by the long time residents) who are not typical Texas type folk.  For example:

I was fishing a low water crossing on hwy 16 between Medina and Kerrville one evening some years back.  I was near enough the Kerr Music Festival to listen to the music.  THe traffic on the road was exceptionally busy.  I wasn;t catching fish so about 8:00 decided to go home.  My truck wouldn't start. Ratz!  But I had jumper cables (no cell phone).  I opened my hood (parked right next to road) and put my cables on and stood there holding them up for every car going by to see my plight.  At 10:30 I decided to walk to the store a few miles away.  Only 200 yards from my truck I heard a vehicle stop behind me, I turned to see a guy getting in my truck.  I went running back yelling and they took off.  I had nothing to steal except my fishing gear and stinkbait so nothing lost.  Anyway I decided to stay put.  About 12:30 (after midnight) a Honda Civic stopped, cracked their window 1/2" and asked if I needed help.

After a lengthy discussion in the car, the driver popped the hood and allowed me to hook up my cables.  In a couple of minutes I was running.  But before I started the truck I relayed how I have been hours with hundreds of passers-by without help.  They laughed and made me promise to tell this story whenever I heard something similar... The only folks in Texas who stopped to help a stranded Texan were from New York City.  God's truth!

My heart goes out to your neighbor.  I wish there'd have been some New Yorkers on the road to help him out.  This is why I stop to help folks whenever I can.  I've been on the other end.  Glad he's making out OK, but what a disaster.
 
Wow Fred, sorry to hear of Richard's plight.  Too late now, but I was only a couple of hours away yesterday with a trailer, and would have happily driven back over to Ingram, loaded his bike on the trailer, and ridden my bike back home.

It occurred to me over the weekend that in the future, it may make sense to share phone numbers (or at least carry my COG directory) with the attendees in case there is a similar need, or worse.

I've always made it a point to acknowledge motorcyclists parked on the side of the road with a wave, or to a least slow down, and give them a chance to signal if they are in need of assistance. It has happened a couple of times over the years, but mostly I just get a wave back as to indicate all is okay.

We're supposed to take care of each other and I hate to hear stories of distressed riders getting stuck. For many years, as a Shriner and motorcycle rider, we carried business type cards that we would give to anyone who we assisted on the road to let them know they had been helped by a Shriner. Worth considering for COG.
 
Hey everyone,
It was great to meet you all.  The ride back to San Marcos was nice on Sunday and only a bit of rain.  Sorry to hear about Richard's trouble, I sure would have stopped if I had been in that area.

It felt great to be back on the road and I look forward to more riding, now for the clean up.

Thanks again.
 
Fred_Harmon_TX said:
.... He stayed an extra day (I should have too). He said he got a flat tire on hwy 187, and had no cell service.
Dalroo said:
It occurred to me over the weekend that in the future, it may make sense to share phone numbers (or at least carry my COG directory) with the attendees in case there is a similar need, or worse.

For many years, as a Shriner and motorcycle rider, we carried business type cards that we would give to anyone who we assisted on the road to let them know they had been helped by a Shriner. Worth considering for COG.

Two excellent ideas Chip. I too stayed an extra day and had Verizon cell service in my room  If Richard would have called me from the Ranger station at the park I could have gone to meet him with an air pump and some tire plugs. There were also two other COG potential helpers at the hotel that stayed on after most had left, and were still there when I left on Monday. Was Richard's bike the '10 C14 with the knapsack on the the vertical bars with the LED light bar on top? I know that bike stayed a long time after most had left but then it just disappeared, so I assumed he had requested a late check out and then went home.

Fred, convey our sorrow at his plight, but it might be best not to let him know how close potential help was located.
At least you now know what to get him for Christmas, a slime air compressor.
 
fartymarty said:
I think my tank bag makes me look fat.  ??? ....or is it my fat making me look fat.    Hmmm... I'm sure it must be the tank bag.  :)

Yeah, just the tank bag. Nuttin' to worry about.  :beerchug:
 
Lesson to learn.  Buy a Concours and keep tire repair crap in your big old bags.  I have 3 ways to plug and two ways to inflate.
 
First off, I need to apologize for all the freeloading that I very much enjoyed at others' expense. Frozen beverages, Asiago cheese, bacon wrapped cheese stuffed peppers, sausage and crackers...etc...etc.. I promise that I'll bring treats to the next Wildflower ride. Perhaps I'll bring French Onion soup??...Just Joking ..relax...I'll be good, and hopefully what I bring will be as good as what I enjoyed at this event. I also didn't get any road pictures as I was having too much fun to stop and get out the camera. Next year I'll bring the GoPro and have it on time lapse snapshot mode.

click on pictures to enlarge:



























Special Thanks go out to: Fred Harmon for hosting this event; our SCAD Fred Boothe for providing COG support and prizes; Troy Minton for dinner funding support; and to all those that brought the wonderful treats that I enjoyed. Thanks to all that attended, as it just wouldn't work at all if you had not shown up!
I had a great time..and I hope you all did too!

 
First off, I need to apologize for all the freeloading that I very much enjoyed at others' expense. Frozen beverages, Asiago cheese, bacon wrapped cheese stuffed peppers, sausage and crackers...etc...etc..

THat's ok Marty. We're getting used to your freeloading.... <sly grin>

We really enjoyed the event.
As always,, the riding and the River Inn were great,    but "the COGgers" were what made the event memorable!!  :)

See ya'll at the national!
Ride safe, Ted
 
It ain't freeloading when it's a gift.  But it was a wonderful gift all around.  Leslie, you did a great job on poppers and Ted has seriously fallen from grace.  Troy, spending the weekend with you is always a treat even without the goodies and exquisite beverages.  Pam and Greg Craig, you two are a joy and always bring an aire of class to the event.  Fred, you're the host with the most.  Other Fred ... you and Dan rock and thanks for all the goodies you handed out.  You make a great MC.  Marty, you helped with the Margaritas and the forty miles of totin' I did getting them delivered.  Oh, and the Ritas were just a bit of penance I need to pay for all the help I received at this event LAST year.  Not enough, I know, but I will try again next year.  Butch, Bob, David, Greg, Mo, Chip, Curtis (lovin' the Kit Carson look myself), and all the rest of you... I love you guys (and gals) and had a great time riding, meeting, and hanging out with yall.  Thanks for putting up with me.  And Ted... I'm really glad you and yours made it and you didn't have to stay home suffering with the stones.  Next year maybe I can shrink more stuff to bring.
 
I just returned home from the Wildflower.  I know, I know, I am a few days late.  Dan and I decided to take the long way home, but it wasn't too bad, just an extra couple thousand miles.  :motonoises:

I had a great time at the Wildflower.  It was nice to meet all the new folks, and catch up with some old friends.  Thanks to Fred Harmon for hosting the event, and to Leslie, Troy and many others who provided treats and/or support for the event.  I also want to thank Marty for taking some great photos and a big thanks to Mia for helping in giving out the door prizes.  Fred did mention to me that he believes that this was the largest attended Wildflower that he could remember.   

Fred Boothe
SCAD
 
As always this was a great ride. When put together with people of a like mind that like to enjoy their selves it is fantastic,  :) I wish I would have gotten their earlier Friday to join the festivities. :beerchug:

By the way does anyone know if the fellow from Louisiana with the worn front tire made it back ok?
 
rbentdude said:
As always this was a great ride. When put together with people of a like mind that like to enjoy their selves it is fantastic,  :) I wish I would have gotten their earlier Friday to join the festivities. :beerchug:

By the way does anyone know if the fellow from Louisiana with the worn front tire made it back ok?

Butch, I was concerned about him, so I did call him last Tuesday.  He made it home safe and sound.
 
fred-houston said:
rbentdude said:
As always this was a great ride. When put together with people of a like mind that like to enjoy their selves it is fantastic,  :) I wish I would have gotten their earlier Friday to join the festivities. :beerchug:

By the way does anyone know if the fellow from Louisiana with the worn front tire made it back ok?

Butch, I was concerned about him, so I did call him last Tuesday.  He made it home safe and sound.

Did he mention how much cord was showing? Thanks for checking on him Fred.  :great:
 
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