Eureka - Porters Place May 9th

Dave and Sharlene Paul lead the ride for us. We met at the Cracker Barrel in Springville and then took and back roads out and along the south end of Utah Lake to Eureka. After a break in Eureka and riding tour we headed south towards Jerico (Little Sahara) area and then cut over to Nephi. In Nephi we enjoyed another break and ice cream. The final leg took us up the west side of Mona Lake and Utah Lake and into Lehi for a late lunch at Porter's Place.

On our way to Eureka, we stopped to meet another rider in Elberta. Missed the other rider but while we waited, this young lady was having pictures taken for her upcoming wedding. Mark Brower loaned her his bike for some of the photos and she was pleased to use of the unexpected prop.
Finally, Porter's Place! We had a great time and enjoyed good food and conversation while we ate. We gave our fearless leaders a good natured ribbing for the scenic drive to the restaurant thanks to road construction and a confused sense of direction.
The weather turned out well and it was a fun, great day for a ride. Jan went a helped with the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory play, that the only thing that could have made the day better.

Ummmm, Scones!

The weather has started to turn to Spring and we are having five days of nice sunshine. Saturday was one of those days. Jan has been working hard on costumes for a play (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and was ready for some stress relief. Like they say, you never see a motorcycle at a psychiatrist's office.

This was going to be our first opportunity to take a ride further than in the city, so, we chose to ride down the west side of Utah Lake to Santaquin and back. While in Santaquin, we stopped at a local restaurant called the Family Tree and had dinner, which all come with their famous scones. The scones are the length of a loaf of french bread and delicious.

As long as the weather cooperates - our next planned ride is out to Wendover to see Ronnie Millsap in concert.

Grandkids!!

The weather shows signs of spring every once in while and with it comes the chance to take some shorter rides at least.

One of the things that I've looked forward to is when our older grandkids would be old enough to start taking on rides. Mom and Dad have decided that the two oldest (both boys) are now big enough for some short rides... so, Sunday I took each of them for a ride around the block. Long enough that they could say they went on a ride but short enough to not tire them out or have them get scared. Both had a good time and we'll see if they liked it enough to want to go again in the future.

Mom was able to get this short video clip of the younger of the two:



Someday they'll be big enough to spend the day with Grandpa on a day ride.

My (Her) Not So Little Pony

After looking at bikes for 8 months and with the warm weather threatening to come, it was time to replace Jan's bike. We looked at Kawasaki Vulcans, Yamaha V-Stars, Suzuki Boulevards, Honda Shadows. We looked for both new and used but Jan never found the bike she liked until....

On January 28th, we took our son to the Missionary Training Center to start his LDS mission. After we had said our good-bye's, Jan wasn't in the mood to just go home so I suggested that we stop in at the Lindon Harley Davidson dealership. The dealership was built using much of it materials from the old Geneva Steel plant that was demolished across the street from their new facility. It is ready pretty neat looking to see all of the old wood, trusses and sheet metal and how it was incorporated in to the new building. While we were there we also looked at a number of the bikes and soon she came to the Sportster. Lance, whom we were chatting with as we looked, suggested that she sit on one (not what you normally want to do in a skirt). That was it! She loved the weight, height and especially and narrow profile of the engine and fuel tank.

So, last Saturday, we went back to Timpanogos Harley and purchased a gently used 2008 Harley Sportster Custom. Can you see the smile in the pics?








The bike is 1200 cc, V-Twin, fuel injected, belt driven. It also has a custom paint color that changes depending on the light, windscreen and sissy bar (on order). We plan on adding a JMCB-2300 CB radio so that we can communicate on trips. She says that she doubts she be on the back of my bike much any more.

When we left the dealership, we got on the freeway to go home, Jan on the bike and me in the car. After we got on the on ramp, I looked up to see tail lights at the top of the ramp and me at the bottom. I don't think she'll have any problems keeping up.

TRA Christmas Party

With the colder weather, opportunities to ride are pretty much gone, so, the bike sits in the garage awaiting warmer, drier times.

Being on the road is only part of the enjoyment that comes from, as Audrey says, being an "old man in a motorcycle gang". It's the company.

Last Saturday night we joined with other members of the Temple Riders Association for our Christmas Party at the Gathering Place in Gardner Village. We had a nice meal and got to visit with friends that we sometimes only see on occasion but one of the most enjoyable parts of the night, was the "entertainment". I don't think entertainment is really the best word but it will have to do.

President Calder from the SL Temple presidency, using a guitar for accompanyment, recounted the life and sacrifice of the Savior by quoting scripture and Christmas songs. It was a special, touching experience he shared with us. This is what Christmas is truely all about.

Secondary Shirts

The skull with color looks like the main shirts that will be offered as well as a patch for the participants. We also are planning to offer a second black & white shirt. The most likely artwork for the second shirt looks like the horse with a bike overlayed.

Next Fall - Venturerider Roundup

Next fall the Venturerider.org group is going to hold a rally (roundup) for the members of the group that live in the western part of the US and Canada. The roundup is going to be held in Cody, Wyoming, home of the Buffalo Bill Cody museum.

Jan and I are working on the commitee and will be in charge of ordering and distributing the t-shirts for the event. Jan has a really good contact to have the shirts silkscreened from her days ordering this type stuff for the school she worked at. The design is most likely:


Cody will provide good access to Yellowstone Nat'l Park, Beartooth Pass, Chief Joseph Senic Highway and other fun places to ride.

The first day of the roundup is our 30th anniversary - how do buffalo burgers sound for dinner?