Posts Tagged by Two Wheels
Today, I
| April 25, 2009 | Filled under Shorts |
- Fed a baby alpaca
- Ate a really good hamburger
- Drank locally-brewed mint honeywine
- Rode through Sam Houston National Forest
- Got rained on
- Met a French blues musician
A town where one can ride…
| April 24, 2009 | Filled under Internerd |
“… with no stoplights, no police, no danger to hit some cage or some dog.”
This site is old as hell, but on the 23rd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, please read this woman’s account of her motorcycle trip to the ghosts towns nearby.
Another day, another rally
| April 13, 2009 | Filled under Shorts, Video |
Are you a Mod? Or are you a Rocker?
The first Mod vs. Rockers rally to take place in Houston in many years has been scheduled for September. The site is short on details, but it’s gonna be organized by the same guys who put on the Dallas rally and it’s gonna be awesome.
God, I love summer.
Save the date
| April 11, 2009 | Filled under Shorts |
Even if you don’t have a scooter you should still come. If only to drool over ours. More details TBA. In the meantime, check here.
Mudblast
| April 7, 2009 | Filled under Blog |
Right, first things first. The motorbike is not like a car.
Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear writes about newbies on two-wheeled vehicles, and how much he “hated” the new Vespa. (This was written last October. I know it’s old. It’s still funny.)
Last summer when gas was $4 a gallon everyone started buying scooters and Houston was awash with helmetless idiots cruising down Allen in flip flops and bikini tops. When I was interviewed by the news in Chattanooga I tried to slip in some safety propaganda but they weren’t havin’ it and it was cut in the final edit. Oh well. Darwinism will have it’s way.
The first rally of the year was this weekend, in New Ulm. I did not stay all weekend, and because of that, I did not bring my scooter. I felt like the only sober person at the party. I also did not take any pictures, because I am lazy, although I did bring my camera.
For the rest of the summer there are scooter rallies every month. No word yet on whether the River Rally is happening again, but I hope so, because that was my favorite event of last summer. Mostly because I didn’t have to do any organizing for it.
The Balinese Room
| February 24, 2009 | Filled under Blog |
Karen posted a picture of what remains of the Balinese Room on her blog Sunday — pretty much all that remains is the historical marker. We were thankfully gone, out of the country, when Ike hit, just like we were out of the country when Katrina hit, and I haven’t been down to Galveston since. I’ve seen pictures, and heard stories, and the pictures and the stories are too sad.
I have always been fond of The Balinese Room, from it’s tiki bar loungey-ness to it’s underworld beginnings. It represents to me decades of yore which seem far more colorful and interesting than the time in which I reside. More recently, it was the home to our Saturday night party at the first and second annual Sandblast Scooter Rally.
Galveston has often played final fiddle to other famous US cities — it’s smaller than New Orleans, less Victorian than Boston, the water is not so nice as it is in Tampa. But to this girl from Oklahoma, who saw the ocean for the very first time while driving past Crystal Beach, Galveston is home to endless corridors of mystery and fascination.
Karen has been blogging recently about recovery efforts in Galveston. Five months have passed. Pictures abound on Flickr of high water marks and rebuilding efforts. But the stories are the most interesting to me.
The Sandblast Rally has to be moved this year, thanks to Ike and other factors. And because it’s no longer on the beach (it’s in New Ulm, Texas) the name has to change to. Now it’s the Mudblast Rally. The first annual, I guess. The saddest thing about this is that there is no place in New Ulm like the Balinese Room. There is no place anywhere like the Balinese Room.
But today is Fat Tuesday, which means tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the day for starting over. The day for cleansing. I wonder if that makes Galveston’s Mardi Gras celebrations more poignant this year — after all, starting over is what they need the most.
Layers
| February 16, 2009 | Filled under Blog |
Friday was beautiful, and though the rain threatened we did not get wet. By the time we got to Fredericksburg the sun was out and the temp was near 80 degrees.
Saturday was cold and windy. This necessitated clothing myself in every article of clothing in my pannier:
Bottom half:
- Cotton calf-length socks of CLH’s
- My running socks
- Leggings purchased that afternoon at Wal-Mart and adorned in the ladies restroom
- My only pair of jeans
Top half:
- Quick-dry running tank top
- Plain black t-shirt
- Long john top purchased at Wal-Mart and adorned in the ladies restroom
- Turtleneck sweater
- Button-up hooded sweater
On head:
- Neck of turtleneck pulled up to my nose
- Hood of hoodie worn under helmet
- Red bandana tied over nose, mouth and ears to keep the snot at bay
- Helmet
It was a good trip. Pictures coming later this week.
Wooden Vespa
| January 27, 2009 | Filled under Internerd, Photo Album |
My birthday is in May…
I start a new job tomorrow. If possible, I would also like someone to make me a personalized lunch box every day.
Four legs good, two wheels bad
| November 6, 2008 | Filled under Blog |
Traveled on Interstate 10 today on a 30-year-old scooter flanked by a police escort during a funeral procession for a friend I didn’t know well but was still sad to lose. In all, there were 20 +/- scooterists riding right behind the lead car. We must have been a sight to behold, and the whole affair made me very proud of the small community we have.
However, I have a dire question regarding the hierarchy of police officers who do not ride in enclosed vehicles. Specifically, where do scooter cops lie in the ranks of the shield? I can’t decide if they belong above or below cops on bicycles. Best I can figure, it goes like this:
- Motorcycle cops
- Horse cops
- Bicycle cops
- Scooter cops (the scooters, after all, are automatics)
- Segway cops
Your thoughts please. It’s very urgent.
