Westward-Ho!

Iowa here we come! Left Delaware, Ohio a couple of hours ago and we're headed west on I-70 toward Indianapolis and then on to Daveport, Iowa area. May hit a KOA for showers and shore power. The final thoughts on the Ohio storm are this: It was a crusher. Even this afternoon when I went to the grocery store to get gatorade and sandwiches for us, nearly all business on the west-end were still without power. The Kroegers store was open but I had to shop in the dark and there was no cold or frozen stuff available. Thank goodness we bought gas last night. We plan to land in Algona by tomorrow night or early Monday - giving us three days to set up. If we get all the chores done, we've vowed to take in the local Fourth of July celebrations and find some good barbecue. Ding driving now, listening to the radio news on Sirrus satellite and I'm blogging from front seat while Bob and Thumper are sacked in the back. More later. p.s. Wrote a nice, funny note to Pastor Al at the church where we bunked in the lot - threw in a few bucks for the basket and requested prayers and supplications for our safe journey and prosperity. He invited us back next year. We may take him up on that because there is a Marine biker rally nearby we want to try.

Apres storm - Well, this little storm in Delaware, Ohio, kicked this city of 30K to its knees. Ding and I weathered the hell inside the BFT and then decided to hunt for diesel fuel and a burger. Well, that was a bad idea. Power knocked out to most of city and only restaurants that stayed open had lines for hours. After two hours or so, we found a gin joint with decent burgers and such. Watched the Olympic trials, ate and found our way home. Snapped trees, downed power lines and detours everywhere. Locals said it was a freak storm. They were correct.

snapped tree

We're not in Kansas anymore Toto

HOLY SHEEP SH$%!

Ask quick as it reached a 100 degrees and high humidity today, Mother Nature got biblical with 50 MPH winds, sideways rain and lightning that scared me so bad I cried like a baby. Ding and I went out to run errands at 4 p.m.-ish and it was overcast and sticky gross hot. Thirty minutes later we got a cell call from Rob who said "get home fast, it's coming." By the time we raced home minutes later, the new white canopy - even with major water weights hanging on all four corners - was destroyed. The lightning was so fierce it was rattling the truck as we sat there watching $300 worth of canvas and metal mash into a ball. Three tables we had out are OK, the Harley appears OK, but Ding's tool bag has two inches of water in it. Luckily, I hadn't yet put our 600+T-shirt inventory out on those tables yet (see, procrastination does has some value). I am camped inside BFT with a brave Thumper and a quivering Bob. I broke out a can of vienna sausages to quell the fear for the four-leggers. Hail supposed to be coming. If wind and elements persist, we will head to Rob and Cindy's.

Shot from front seat of truck. Reflection is my notes and clipboard. White canopy going down.

Ohio surprising

Dateline Delaware, OHIO - Ohio has been a surprise for the last few days. I'd sort of written the state off over the years for a number of unfounded reasons. I judged spinach before trying it, if you will. Despite crushing heat and humidity, there has been much good in this community on so-called Days Off (yeah, we don't have to carnie but we do have to work on a lot of maintenance and repair.) Ding's Marine buddy Rob and his wife Cindy have been been incredibly gracious, fun and helpful. Their church, Delaware Christian Church (good sign its initials are DCC like DIng's Custom Cycle) has what all god-fearing carnies and their dogs worship - a HUGE parking lot surrounded by grass. Pastor Al warmly welcomed Ding one morning and assured the women and small children at the daycare center on site that we were not the boogie-men. In return for beautiful asphalt, the congregation can expect a nice offering on the plate, along with a request for prayers and supplications for a safe remainder of our tour. Today, Ding and Rob sweated it out in 100+degrees at Rob's garage, installing everything needed for safe braking in the one-ton Dodge that hauls the BFT. Seven hours and five hundred dollars later, we can now safely travel again (reference Thumper 'Quality Control Officer's' post wrench inspection shot above). Pennsylvania mountain grades kicked our butts. Got all the laundry done, ordered some roof signage from a local guy (TIRES! OIL! REPAIRS!), took physical inventory (QuickBooks inventory and actual tire count was off by 6) and the bedroom window is repaired. Working on nailing down future rally contracts (Igancio and Reno have been tough), and tomorrow holds repairing BFT shoe, building rooftop frame for new signage and reorganizing 500+T-shirts (inventory in, PayPal still down but orders always shippable - email me any requests - black and white shirts - WITH POCKETS - long and short-sleeved, most sizes between small and 3x), We followed Wednesday night's great grilled ribs and salad from Cindy's garden with Mexican food tonight. Giant vat of killer guac made table-side at Mi Cerrito. Two of Rob and Cindy's three girls took Bob the Dog for a swim in the backyard of their place, while their dogs Maggie May and Indiana Jones watched. Hard to see newspapers as far away as Ohio with front page photos by my Denver Post buddies of fires raging in Colorado. Fort Collins one is under control (my old ranchito still stands) but Colorado Springs blaze sounds bad. Much more important is the welfare of our family and friends. My Pop doing well after a minor heart attack but sadly Ding lost a long-time running buddy, Michael G., who passed yesterday. Rest in Peace. We leave for Algona, Iowa Saturday. More soon. Ride safe. Hol, Ding and the Dogs.

Laconia video

Out of Thunder

 Howdy All!

From top: Ding working on a cool ride; dog tired Thumper and Bob; a minstrel crew at Thunder that we knew who also worked in Laconia; a local Johnstownian walking his parrot; a nice kid who we did a tire for - he was at hospital earlier that Saturday, where they sucked 2 quarts of fluid out of his lungs; new puppy for Saint John - bought him in thoroughfare and named him Thunder; my silly marketing effort with a giant beach ball screaming TIRES!; and the mounted po-po.

Well, Johnstown's Thunder in the Valley rally is over and we are now holed up in a motel in Delaware, Ohio near Ding's buddy Rob. We need a couple of days to handle business matters, laundry and repairs to truck and BFT. The short of the current opinion on the grand tour is that Laconia was excellent in terms of earnings, meeting people and making contacts. Thunder, well, not so good. They changed up the location of our rig and five other vendors and failed to include this 11th hour so-called "Thunder Service Plaza" in any brochures. Event organizers admitted they had mis-handled vendor space and the plaza was a last-minute decision. By Saturday morning, I had had it and took a meeting with the head chick and spoke as a quasi-rep for the group of us - saints Mark and John at AmsOil, LED light dudes, leather works operation and others. I demanded and received free radio ads for the Plaza and its vendors, as well as regular announcements on grand stage. The PR effort gave the situ a little boost but not enough to have us ever return. In fact, while at motel office these couple of days, I plan to file a complaint and request refund. Alas, Thunder had its highs. Sailor came down and got a tire and had some fun with his wife and friends. Dennie blazed over from Maryland on her witch's broom called Pancho (literally has one affixed to side of her Harley - her means of transport home if bike dies :) and Mark and John from oil competition (we teamed up and worked together) provided many a laugh in regular gatherings at Ding's site during late-night happy hours. The riders and families at Thunder were very kind and took a huge liking to Bob and Thumper. By the third day, the dogs were garnering more attention than us, so I penned up a silly sign like you'd see in the Gem Saloon that told folks it would cost them a nickel to pet a dog, a dime to pet two and a buck for a kiss. Someone actually dropped a dollar in their tip jar! Up next is Algona, Iowa - the ABATE Freedom Rally. This will be a small rally with more oil changes and detailing than tires, possibly. More soon. Hol, Ding and the dogs.

Thunder in the Valley Indeed

Well, the local newspaper photographer just came round and shot a photo of Ding working on a front tire. I will get tomorrow's paper and keep y'all posted. Yesterday's business was slow (normal for Day 1 at these things). It was wildly hot and humid but rain didn't show, which is good. I bbq-ed chickie legs and corn and we supped late before walking around and checking out the rally. Unlike Laconia, Thunder in the Valley is very concentrated - a few square blocks of old downtown. The streets in all directions are lined with thousands of riders. We are in the Thunder Service Plaza, very near the death wheel (those crazy dudes who basically ride a motorcycle inside a large soup can) and the burnout pit (for the unknowing, it's a giant rev and squeal and turn event that creates a lot of smoke.) Our neighbors include the dyno guys from Laconia, as well as an oil dealer who was also in New Hampshire. The fad these days seems to be LED lights - picture a Harley with blinking neon Christmas lights in the middle. Not my bag (let's keep it simple and old school) but pulsing neon purple, pink, green and blue light up the night as the riders streak by. Sailor from Laconia and also the OFOPOS gathering came down today to have us put on a front tire. This makes three events he's been with us. Really nice guy. No sign of Dennie but I'm guessing maybe tonight or tomorrow she will land. Not as much grass here for dogs to play on so their little paw pads are getting worked hard on asphalt. When the rally isn't here, you see and hear that Johnstown is still working to crawl out from a depressed state following a flood many years ago. That said, it's quaint with a variety of shops and what's called the world's longest car lift that ferries people and autos straight up a mountain. Gotta go post fliers and probably get Ding another cheesesteak sandwich - inhales them.