When Hopes Get Dashed

Tastes can vary between long term friends. In our Gray Hogs group, Mick and I kept eagle eyes out for Dairy Queens to enjoy Blizzards. But whenever Jerry spotted a Long John Silvers, that would be our lunch or dinner spot. He loves their fish, and even asks for the deep-fried crumbs.That’s why Jerry’s hopes got so high on our 2022 East Coast ride. Not many…

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And So It Ended

…a passenger van appear out of nowhere, and I struck him….My yellow Wing bled green coolant and black oil; the forks got twisted terribly. I merely had a scrape on my elbow.

And so the audacious ride ended, one bike crapped out, one totaled. Jerry, unable to trust his, sold it the next day to a bike shop, took the train to his daughter in Maryland and flew home. I rented a car and drove home, stopping to see my sis in Kentucky.

But was God behind it? Did we ignore his earlier hints in our ambition to achieve the states? Only he knows, but…

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A Time to Slow Down: It Can Save Your Life

For our audacious 2022 East Coast trip of 8,500 miles to add states to our tally, Jerry and I planned to meet on a Sunday in Green River, Utah. From Temecula, Green River lay 690 miles distant, I left Saturday AM for a stop in Salida, Utah. He left his home in the Salem area, spent one night in Idaho, arriving in Green River Saturday afternoon.

I had an hour and half ride to meet him and was eager, so I geared up for a cold morning and hit the road on my Goldwing, maybe exceeding what I recall as an 80 mph speed limit. The Wing just loafed along through the countryside route featuring all green dots, with majestic scenery overlooking Capitol and San Rafael Reefs, where Butch Cassidy and his gang spent some time. I just had to stop and take a few pics. That slowed me down a bit, so…

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Changed Plans: Stress or Relax

Back in 2022, Jerry and I audaciously attempted an 8,500 mile East Coast ride, to finish all 48 states on a bike for him, and my last 3 for 50. It fell apart in Connecticut, but we decided to try again in May 2023. That blew up on the first day, but Jerry suggested day rides from his place in Oregon, which included a longer multi-day trip: backroads to Estacada and catch 224 that paralleled the Clackamas River, then take 46 to Detroit, then we’d figure it out…

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Coconut Shrimp or Oatmeal?

 I’ve led a Life Group for about three years for our church, North Coast Church in Temecula, and last spring we had a fine addition, George and Polly White. George is an astrophysicist/mathematician/author/thinker/professor, mentored by one of my favorite writers, Robert Jastrow, and Polly, born and raised in Singapore, is an energetic natural hostess and baker and cook. You need to know that to fully get the rest of the story. Just after the Christmas celebrations, another member, Linda Vaubel, posted on our group text that she had two leftover and untouched cakes for anyone who would like them.

That gave Polly an inspiration, so…

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