Along for the Ride

Well all week I waited for today to come. Waited to get on the hog and go on my club's ride through Seven Springs. Well as usual the weather here in western Pennsylvania didn't cooperate. This is no surprise. The weather this summer really hasn't been very nice. But you can't sit and dwell on it. For as bad as you think things are they really aren't that bad. If all you get in life is a little rain on your parade then I'll say that you're doing pretty good. Like I said today I had been looking forward to getting on the bike and going for that ride. Well even though it rained this morning I got out and rode the bike this evening. It was a little cold, but nothing the leather jacket and some gloves didn't cure. There a lot of things that disturb me about motorcycles. Not so much about motorcycles but about different riders and the general public. First off you all know I like drinking beer. But beer and riding aren't things that should be mixed. Beer and driving shouldn't be mixed. But you see so many bikers out there that bar hop on bikes. Most poker runs even go from bar to bar. Hello, what are you guys thinking? Isn't there a red flag or a cricket on your shoulder saying, "Hey bud, maybe this isn't such a good ides?" I don't know. Personally for me I can't do that. Really I can't. I ride a '59 Harley and the only way to start it is the old fashioned kick-start method. It's difficult enough to start the bike when I'm sober. I don't ever want to have to try to start it when I've been drinking. This brings me to my second rant for the evening. I can't tell you how many times I'm out somewhere and I'm getting ready to start the bike and someone asks me what I'm doing. Like tonight I was out to dinner at Rizzo's in Crabtree. One of the local high schools must have been having their Homecoming tonight because the place was filled with annoying high schoolers. Beings I wasn't drinking and couldn't drown them out I had to put up with that. I would've tolerated them being annoying but there ignorance bothered the hell out of me. I'm out starting the bike as usual when a group of high school couples came out going to their cars. As they walk past me they give me that look and one of the girls asks, "what is he doing?" No one from the group answered. This bothers me. How could so many people be so stupid and so ignorant to history to know that electric start wasn't always there? You know life now a days is easy. We have many modern conveniences that we as a society take for granted. Maybe if we all would think about those days the next time it rains on your parade. Then not only would we not be so ignorant but we would also realize that things aren't so bad.

Enjoy the High Life.