Coop's Corner: Wildcat Mountain Rally #28

Friday, August 29, 2014

Wildcat Mountain Rally #28 - The Start

I look forward to this rally more than any of the others, I suppose for a variety of reasons. Among those reasons, not necessarily in this order but maybe, the people, the location and that includes the riding this region offers, Labor Day being the unofficial end of summer, typically cooler 'summer' temperatures, the fact that our gathering is motel-based, insulating in a fashion poor camping weather and so on. So while it is really just one more rally, it stands out, at least it does to me for all of these reasons.

It's been a rather hectic, challenging and busy month. As a rule, our August's have had a certain level of normal with a bit of surprise thrown in. This year our August seems to have flip flopped these two things with all sorts of new surprises. The bottom line is that I was more ready than ever for this weekend to happen.

The weather forecast wasn't the best (and that may just have something to do with fewer numbers this evening?) and up until the last minute this morning, I was just as prepared to ride down as I was to tow the bike on the trailer. We had an inch of rain overnight and the predicted patterns for the day sounded rather gloomy.

I tossed my loaded luggage into the van, hooked the trailer on the back and got the bike strapped down. I was off in conditions that seemed threatening but the wet never happened. Just before I stopped for breakfast in Alma, I passed a popular diner and noticed that some of my riding friends were just suiting up after stopping for breakfast. I turned around and went back to say hi. This group travels down to the motorcycle activities every Labor Day weekend in Davenport, Iowa. After helping them with a group photo, I headed the 10 miles south for my breakfast.

It was early but they let me check in anyway at the motel. I quickly changed out of my shorts and sandals into riding gear, got the bike off the trailer and headed out for a ride. Attendees drifted in the rest of the day; we all took care of dinner in various ways and later found things to discuss outside in the parking lot. Lawn chairs were out, some gathered around the bikes, that is until the lightning and very dark clouds weren't just on the horizon but getting close.

Hopefully tomorrow we'll have riding weather, each of our thresholds for that being quite varied. I'll do my best to get out and see some miles on the Honda.

I'm writing tonight on the Kindle and though I took photos today, I have no reasonable way to post them. That will happen when the weekend is complete.

10 comments:

Dar August 30, 2014 at 12:53 AM
Looking forward to the pics! Which kindle do you have? I have one of the older versions and it doesn't allow me to blog from it. I am thinking of getting my hub a kindle fire for Christmas.

Hope you enjoy your rally and get sunny dry weather!
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Dar August 30, 2014 at 2:56 PM
Thanks Coop! I have an iPad mini which I love and it does the trick for me most of the time, but the kindle app doesn't allow me to download books to the mini, which kind of grates my cheese. Looking forward to seeing 'shades of grey' pics. We had a hard rain last night and it was thrumming on the roof of the motorhome, pretty noisy night.
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VStar LadyAugust 31, 2014 at 7:45 AM
Looking forward to your photos ... it's nice that you have a trailer when you want it.
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TrobairitzAugust 31, 2014 at 11:57 AM
It takes age and wisdom to know when to trailer the bike. I'd say you made a good call. Hope you are having a great weekend.
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David MasseAugust 31, 2014 at 6:23 PM
My iPad was unhappy on the trip last summer. I think it was the heat. It would reset to factory state. I gave up on it.
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The Man straightened stiffly above the block of salt fixed to the stake and looked at the young cattle ringed about him. The pasture was holding out well and the stock was looking good. This bunch would be ready to sell in another month, maybe sooner if the market was right.

A stir among the cattle down near the river brought him round to face the swinging bridge he'd built years before. Someone was coming toward him from the bridge. Someone in breeches, but it didn't look like a man, somehow. What was a woman doing in his pasture this time of night?

He bent over the salt again; maybe if he paid her no heed she'd go on past and let him mind his own business. He heard her footsteps come nearer and stop. "Good evening," she said.

Her voice was smooth with book learning but friendlier than most, and somehow almost shy. When he made no answer she went on, "I've been sitting on your swinging bridge....I thought I'd like to say thank-you...." Her voice stumbled a little, then she tried once more.

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The unfamiliar voice laughed a little. "That's what Emerson said: the grove belongs to the man who walks in it with an open heart....On that basis I guess I've owned part of your woods for a good many years.....". She made a final effort. "I've always wanted to thank you....."

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She helped him out. "I know about that, a little. This afternoon I saw......." Her account of a thing she had really taken time to look at eased him, and he answered with telling of the badger den at the foot of the swinging bridge.

When she had gone, he turned to watch her. After a moment she stood clear and unmoving against the sky. You could hear the sounds of the river where she stood. She was one that could stand still long enough, he thought, really to hear what a body was saying, or a river.

Then she walked down the farther side of the slope and was gone. ------Margaret Snyder from A Chosen Valley

Fall was the end of harvest, end of the growing season, a burst of color and sun-warmth before killing frost turned the land gray and cold. Fall was a moody time, full of both life and death, a time when we were reminded of the power outside of us, reminded that the seasons happen to us. We do not invite the change to come.-------Ben Logan, from The Land Remembers

When you get those rare moments of clarity, those flashes when the universe makes sense, you try desperately to hold onto them. They are the lifeboats for the darker times, when the vastness of it all, the incomprehensible nature of life is completely elusive. So the question becomes or should have been all along, what would you do if you knew you only had one day, or one week, or one month to live. What lifeboat would you grab onto? What secret would you tell? What band would you see? What person would you declare your love to? What wish would you fulfill? What exotic locale would you fly to for coffee? What book would you write? ------- Ben Tyler

We were also cautioned about journeying far from home. As an example of the dangers, the town had a badly crippled lady named Lucy, who as a girl had traveled to New York City. As she traveled along a sidewalk, sightseeing, she was struck by the outstretched hand of a suicide who had leapt from high above. Her spine had been shattered and for the rest of her life, she was to walk bent forward at the waist, tapping the sidewalk with two black canes. Whenever the subject of travel to a big city was raised, someone would say, "Just remember what happened to Miss Tripp." ---- Ted Kooser, from Local Wonders

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"It's not about having lots of money, it's about having lots of options......." -----Chris Rock

As the very proud father of three former ponytail wearers, hopefully I can get away with this....."For the past few years it's been fashionable for young women to wear ball caps and to snap the strap on the back under their ponytails. I like the looks of that, their shiny ponytails jauntily swinging, but it's hard not to think of the rear ends of horses. There's a piece of harness called the crupper that goes just under a horse's tail to keep its nose down. If the horse lifts its head to look for a way out of whatever predicament it's in, the crupper tightens and hurts the horse. But it's foolish for parents to think that a ball cap might keep a young woman from running away. Anybody can see they're made for running." ------Ted Kooser, Local Wonders

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