The Case of the Missing Glove

After long last we are seeing some warmer weather.  Now that isn't saying it is perfect by any means. If we are to get warm weather in Oklahoma, it has to be blown here, and blow-in it has been doing!  We are having a fairly mild day today.  Winds are only 20 gusting to 35.  :)

The day has folded out to be one that gives us a chance to get on the bike for a little spin.  We need to make a trip to Norman, and drop something by the kids house, so what better way to do it!  Chuck ask me what bike we should ride today.  I opted for Ginger the Harley!  She hadn't been out in a while, so we might as well charge her battery up.






Amazing when you get ready to ride all the things you have to remember.  One thing for sure is even though it is in the 60's, it doesn't feel like it, so layers go on.

As we get the bike out and ready to go, I am having an issue with my movable peg.  It won't release.  So of course Chuck has to get off the bike, and he can't get it to budge either.  He heads back into the shop to get something to persuade it, and I finally get the button to release.  Back on the bike, we are ready to head out.

Since the bike has been sitting, we need to make a stop and get some gas for it.  We pull into our usual station, and I get off.  I am amazed at what I see on the tour pack luggage rack.  There is a black Harley glove sitting on it.  My reaction is "what the heck", and Chuck's reaction is not exactly those words...LOL....Looks like we have taken off on our little trip and there was a set of (not cheap) Harley Davidson gloves on the luggage rack.

I am so surprised that the glove is on there, and as I reach to take it off, it seems the Velcro has wedged itself between the chrome and that is why it has tagged along with us these 5 or 6 miles.  So to say the least, we get our gas, and head back to where we started.  As we ride,  we both have our eyes peeled for a black lonely Harley glove.  The wind is so bad, who knows where it might be, or if we will find it.  I feel sure we will find it very close to the house.  Surely!

Lonely Glove Looking for its Mate

We make our way down Main Street Yukon...nothing.
We head north on Highway 4...checking on both sides of the road...nothing.
We then turn west on Wilshire.....and about 200 feet from the Hwy 4 turn, we see it....The lone glove...Just sitting there in the grass....waiting!

We turn the bike around, and I get off and pick up this rogue glove.  So glad to see you back with us.  Too darn expensive to loose you!  I put it in the tour pack with the other one.  Now we are ready to ride!  Good gosh, is that what getting old is all out  :))







Our ride to Norman was without incident...LOL...and it was very nice as we had that crazy wind pushing us all the way.  We had a great visit with the kids and decided we better start back towards the house, as it was going to get quite cool after the sun sets.





One thing I really enjoy are our wonderfully colored sunsets.  Tonight was no exception.  The color this evening was pink.  It was really spectacular.  I was trying to take pics on the back of the bike, and it proved to be a bit tricky.  Everything I wanted to take a picture of was almost to the back of me.











Our largest building in Oklahoma City was alive with all the colors in the sky.  We didn't drive that close to it, but I was able to get a picture of it anyway.










The sky to the east had a lot more clouds, so they were drenched with the beautiful evening colors.  I took a picture looking into the rear view mirrors on the bike, but again, didn't capture what my eyes saw.













As we get into Yukon, the sky is calming down, but I was still able to get a pretty neat picture.  So we end this ride with a really nice sunset, and we are home before the sun sets.  Great little bike ride even though we had to play hide and seek with a glove.  Guess that's what makes a day an experience.

New Years Day Annual Ride 2014

The invites have been sent out....The responses have come in, and we are going to ride on New Years Day...Oh Yes We Are!!!

And that we do!  We meet downtown Oklahoma City at noon to make our annual ride a reality.  Lynn & Keith are coming from Duncan to join us.  Doreen, Allen, and the boys are the first ones to get to the meeting spot.  Glad to see they were able to get the kids to come with them.  I have had this song "What did the fox say" in my brain.  You know how it is...it's a "Song worm" or "Ear worm"....So of course I have to download it as a ring tone.  Joey & Brandon didn't help the matter as they kept singing it with me...LOL...(love those boys)









The weather really couldn't have been much better.  Cold, but not too cold!  The sun is shining, and the skies are blue and clear.  After we all gather, we get back on the bikes and head towards the Capital building.

Lynn & Keith

Diana & Chris

Tom and "Bob" his bike

Doreen & Joey

Allen & Brandon

Chuck & Myself :) 

Call me crazy, but I think this pictures is probably my favorite of all the pictures we take throughout the year.  What a wonderful way to start the New Year off right.

We pull into the capital parking area, and we make our way up to the center area.  The ugly yellow barriers are an eye sore, but they have been there for years, so you just have to overlook them.  Our Capital is needing quite a bit of work, and those barriers are there to keep the crumbling exterior from falling on someone.  LOL...for real!!!!

The "Darling" Family 

One by one, we take snap shots of each bike.  Got a nice group shop of the Darling Family!!!  I think it is suitable for framing.  But of course I think all of them are..











As we are busily taking pictures, the guys notice that there is a couple of highway patrol cars pull up and park.  We continue taking our pictures.  There sure seems to be more people stirring around here today than usual.  I find out later, why!!!

Our group shot is taken, and we pack the tripod back up, and head back to Bricktown to eat some Mexican Food at Abuelo's.  We get front row parking.  Before you know it we are being seated, and time to get some food in these tummy's.

The service and food was as good as it ever is.  You see, Abuelo's has become the place to eat after we take the annual pictures.  

As we walk back to the bikes, and nice lady ask is we would like her to take a group picture.  This group knows I am all about the picture, so of course we tell her yes.  What a nice thing for her to do!








We give our final hugs and say our goodbyes, and just as we joined in one place, we now leave!  The skies that had been so blue, are now starting to cloud up.  The wind has switched and is blowing hard from the north.  There is a cold front on the way, and I think we are going to get home just in time.

By the time we make it home, the sun is totally gone, and the temperature has dropped from the nice 50 degrees to 46.  The wind made it feel a whole lot cooler than that.  I get messages from all the riders that they made it home safely.  The end to a very good day, with a little riding involved.

By the way, you know the highway patrol that were at the Capital....we would have loved to thought that the big bad bikers were being watched, but in reality, according to a article that Diana sent me later, they were there to keep the peace for the protesters that were there to protest the new law that just passed against e-cigarette's being banned from the Capital grounds.  Well, darn, it wasn't about us at all...LOL

Happy New Year!!!!  Thanks to all who participated.  :)  and you know who you are
And one more thing..... :)  What did the fox say  :)

FNDR 8-3-13 HOT!!!! Ginger is having a really bad Hot Flash!

Our dinner ride tonight was hot!!!  The weather was 100 today, and the humidity is even  higher...Not really, just kidding, but it was high as well. We are riding Ginger the Harley to Norman to eat at Rudy's with our friends.    We had a good group there tonight, and enjoyed the great BBQ that Rudy's offers. 

It is about 9:00pm when we headed back to Oklahoma City.  We hop on to I-35 and was amazed at the sign as we entered the highway saying there were no delays on the highway.  The bridges are being worked on in Norman, and they have really had traffic tie up due to this. 

Well, I spoke too soon.  We no more got past Main street in Norman, and the traffic really started slowing down.  Then we come to the crawl....then we stop.  It is still shows to be 91 degrees, and we are sitting with millions of other people that are attempting to go North on I-35....

One thing about it, the people going South weren't having any luck either.  The road on their side is down to 1 lane and it is packing up fast. 

We are on the far inside lane, and we are baking.  If you have ever sat in a line on a Harley, you know exactly what I am talking about.  The bike would go into what I call "limp mode"....you know what that is...It cuts out one part of the cylinders, and it sounds like it is barely running.  Harley's answer to overheating.  Hmmm, Harley, ever thought maybe your air cooled motors should be a thing of the past.  Oh but I know, they just wouldn't sound right.  Oh well, at least you might be able to ride the damn thing!!!!  The longer we sit, the louder and more clattering is coming from the engine. 



I have to laugh at the picture showing the wind speed of 0....if you look to the right it gives the temperate...Shows 196 degrees....We all know that is not correct...but wait, maybe it is...at least it is to Ginger (the Harley) and myself.  I know I am to my boiling point.  :)


We are literally about to burn the engine up, so we start edging over to the outside lane.  Chuck says we are going to drive down the edge of the road and try to get out of this mess.  Chris & Diana are behind us, but they don't follow us.  (they are on the Goldwing and not having heating issues)

I know we probably got a lot of dirty looks as we rode by the extremely long line of cars.  Sorry to anyone that we might have upset by our move, but we were forced to do it.  It was that, or let the damn thing burn up...(insert frustration sound in my voice)

The traffic opens up at the Indian Hills Road exit, and Chuck attempts to accelerate the bike...It is pinging and sputtering like crazy...Sounds like it is going to blow a head gasket.  Poor Ginger...feel so bad, but at this point, we have to get some air circulating on her. 

We ride to Taco Cabana and pull off to get something cold to drink.  I have been in contact via text messaging with Diana...They finally tried our maneuver with a few cars, and I guess by that time, those people we passed earlier were really not happy.  She says they were honking and then a big truck actually blocked the shoulder where no one could cut ahead. 

I totally understand the frustration with the people waiting, but hey, we were having a crisis here!!!!

Diana said it took 1and 1/2 hours to go 8 miles.  It was a blistering 90 degrees...with millions of cars, and no one going anywhere fast on the main artery in and out of Oklahoma City.  Something is wrong with this picture. 

I guess it makes for an interesting evening, but at the expense of burning up a bike....not a really fun one!  Ginger is home and she is bathing in ice....LOL...not really, but she has cooled down...Looks like no harm was done to her.