THE BASIC LEFT-TURNER
Approaching a busy four-way intersection there are a lot of elements to monitor: cross traffic may or may not stop for the light; pedestrians could step out at any time; an oncoming car waiting to turn left could fail to detect your presence and turn left in front of you. Sure enough, just as you approach the intersection, the car in the opposing left-turn lane swings into your path. You brake hard and swerve at the last second, barely avoiding a broadside collision.
Strategy: Without a doubt, this scenario is a frequent hazard for motorcyclists riding in urban areas. A common type of motorcycle crash (for sober riders) occurs during daylight hours, at low speeds (around 30 mph), when an oncoming vehicle turns left into your path. Again, when approaching an intersection with a vehicle waiting in the left-turn lane, your best bet is to assume the worst: that a car will pull out in front of you. Reduce your speed as you approach the intersection, either downshifting or lightly applying the front brake. Adjust your position in the lane to be seen better. Slowing will increase your safety cushion: slowing just 10 mph reduces your stopping distance significantly, and covering your brake greatly reduces reaction time. After you’ve slowed, continue to visually monitor the car in case it moves and forces you to change position or stop quickly.
For more information go to www.msf-usa.org
We salute Our Veterans on Veterans Day
“Thank
You, This Nation will Remain The Land of the Free. Only as Long as it is Home of the Brave.”
In loving memory
William Roscoe Tomlin
A True Biker legend 1940 - 2025
THE REAL DEAL BIKER DESTINATION!
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT BIKER BASH COMING SOON!
their bike to personalize it. We always make special one-off pieces for each bike that no other bike will have. We make them very personal.”
While he’s busy building bikes, Yoshi takes time out each year to put together the Corsa Motoclassica, an enthusiast oriented bikefest and race venue held at the famous Willow Springs Racetrack in the high desert north of Los Angeles. Scheduled for April, it attracts all manner and make of motorcycles from all over the US and overseas for the 3-day weekend of high speeds and high spirits. The vintage bike show brings out some rare machines; several debuted for the first time
at the event. You’ll see everything from 50cc to XXXccc competition machines, and the men and women who race them.
Back home at the Garage Company, besides their hi-end customs, offers classic econo-bobbers for around the $10-12,000. That’s a complete bike with a whole lot of personality and rideability. Their highend line-up of bikes is represented by the following three Shovelhead powered customs...the Red Racer, the Blue Bike, and the Drag Bike… each as different as fingerprint.
Inspired by the classic Old School “bobber” look of the 1950s, the Garage Company’s “Red Racer” mixes and matches a blend of parts, but keeps the original frame, engine numbers and title. Most of the bike is handmade from scratch including the jockey shift which is not a jockey shift or a tank shift, but something Yoshi calls a midshift. But you’d be in for a surprise if you try to downshift or upshift for that matter. It’s a 4-speed, but don’t try to find a gear with the drilled shift lever … all you’ll get is a good “beeping.” No, Ozzie Osbourne’s not here, but the shifter arm is connected to an electric horn. Seems the owner wanted the vintage look but preferred a standard foot shifter, the Garage Company gave him both and a unique horn “button” to boot.
While there’s a vintage H-D K Model drum brake on the front wheel, the bike gets some updated stopping power via a rear PM disc set-up while the original Shovelhead 80-incher itself was treated to all new internals. And those pipes sing a song you’ll not hear elsewhere. The “Red Racer” belongs to Christian Audigier, the owner of the Ed Hardy clothing on L.A.’s hip Melrose Ave. In fact Christian owns two Garage Company customs, the Red Racer and the “Blue Bike,” both on display at his store.
As for the Shovelhead powered “Blue Bike” seen here with its Von Dutch inspired pinstriping, Yoshi went for a totally Old School look, telling paintmeister Jim Murillo to hose it down with an unpaint scheme. He wanted a flat blue matte approach as opposed to the standard shiny, blind-you-with pigment custom colors. “We also sandblasted the motor, no polish, very dull, some flat aluminum paint, even the pin-striping is matte. Then we wanted to make it low as possible. And
to keep the vintage feel we gave it a kicker and for days when you needed a button, we gave it electric start.”
Greatness, or coolness, is in the details, like the big Firestone muncher tires, the speedo in the headlamp bucket, and the colored coordinated Bobby Socks white grips/pegs/foot controls/sprung set combo to the Bonneville-style wrapped pipes.
THE DRAG BIKE
Based around a 1980 H-D 74 cu. in. stock motor that was rebuilt with new S&S internals, the “Drag Bike” as it’s simply called, gets its slingshot profile thanks to a handbuilt mix and match combination of gooseneck front end and rigid tail. The guys at the Garage Co. in L.A. got their inspiration from vintage Bonneville racers…big fat tires, skinny profile, kicked out springer and high pipe. We don’t-need-nostinkin’ fenders, kick start only … all or which produces the sweptback look of a 1950s F-86 Sabre Jet on a strafing run. Asked what jump-started the Drag Bike project, Yoshi laughs and says, “It all came out of my imagination. No drawings, no computer CADCAM. I wanted a skinny, racy look. We like the look of small gas tanks, rather than a larger tank that would be too bulky so we took a 1960s peanut gas tank, then chopped it to fit the bike.” Asked how it felt to ride, Yoshi says, “With that big front tire, it’s a bit heavy feeling at low speeds,
but once you pass 40, it’s very smooth and stable. Its owner, Mike Musial, is on it every weekend.” As for the Drag Bike, the Blue Bike, the Red Racer … if you see what you like, the Garage Company can make more. Pick a motor … knuckle, panhead, shovel, even flathead or Evo, they can get it for you. If you’re thinking of a bike … well, that’s all it takes to set loose Yoshi’s fertile imagination. “Just tell me Old School, very low, drag race or that you have a 1957 T-bird, some bit of information, and I can build you something unique.” The Garage Company is located at 13211 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA; Call 1-800-39DESMO (1 800- 393-3766) or 310-821-1793. Check out their web site www.garagecompany.com for a wide assortment of services, products and bikes for sale.
— Story and Photos by: Paul Garson
RIDE APPALACHIA
TAKING YOU ON OUR AMAZING RIDE THROUGH 2025! ONE WORD TO SUM IT UP: COMMUNITY
If we had to describe our 2025 season in just one word, that word would be COMMUNITY.
Now, we know you’ve heard us say that a lot — but for an allvolunteer motorcycle group dedicated to promoting motorcycle tourism in the Central Appalachian Region, that one word truly says it all.
As part of our ongoing mission with Backroads of Appalachia, we work to bring new life to our small, forgotten coal towns through motorsports-based economic development. And none of it would be possible without you — our growing community.
We operate on a small budget and with a small team, but our extended family of riders, sponsors, and supporters continues to prove that when you believe in a Mission, BIG THINGS Happen!
Our 2025 season brought its share of ups and downs, just like every great ride, but it also delivered some of our BIGGEST BUCK LIST MOMENT EVER! As we wrap up this incredible year, we want to take a moment to look back — and say thank you.
BOTH BARRELS — DAYTONA X 2, THUNDER BEACH, MUSIC CITY & STURGIS
After a long Appalachian winter, spring finally rolled in — and so did we.
This was the year we knew we would officially complete our entire GPS-Enabled BOA Trail Route System inside our BOA Mobile App and REVER. From day one, we had a plan: to take it all to the next level and give it BOTH BARRELS!
After five years, 32 rally appearances, hundreds of events at home, and thousands of miles behind handlebars and computer screens, we were ready to focus all efforts on one goal — BRINGING MORE BIKES TO APPALACHIA!
And that’s exactly what we did. Our mission and message spread farther than ever thanks to the incredible help of our Rally Partners, who continue to stand beside us every season.
We’re humbled by your support — at Daytona Bike Week, Biketoberfest, Thunder Beach, Music City Bikefest, The Sturgis Rally, and Beyond.
PARTNERS WE’RE PROUD TO RIDE WITH
These folks are the best in the business and the reason we’re able to keep moving forward:
Born to Ride TV & Magazine
• Ron, Deb, and the BTR team: thank you for everything you do every season. Respect given!
Bikers Info USA
• Larry Jobe & the immortal Johnny Lange: five years of support and friendship. Respect given!
TopCoat Products
• Our TopCoat family: thank you for sponsoring our charity bike shows and spreading our mission and message. 5 Years here also! Respect given!
Skully Customs
• Always repping us loud and proud at every Rally. Best air ride suspension out there! Respect given!
Debria’s Designs
• My go-to for jewelry and biker bling. Paulie, Debria, and crew thanks you for keeping us bikers look good! TCB! Respect given!
Optic Armor
• Thanks, Bob, for keeping my shades in one piece and for
promoting us! Small-business pride, made in America. Respect given!
Audio Hoggz
• Where else are you gonna get our Traveling Hogs and the best bike audio around? Respect given!
Shortfuse Customs
• AMG members and builders of the “Backroads Brawler” rat bike. David, Donna, and Tony: King of the Rats in 2025! Major Respect given!
Halifax Urban Ministries
• Serving homeless veterans in Daytona for over 44 years and counting and the only palace to get your Rally Shirts and a Chance at a Brand New Harley Davidson! Major Respect given!
AMSOIL
• Phil and Harry: thanks for sponsoring our bike shows, for promoting us, and for putting up with me trying to get on top of your Trailer every year! Respect given!
Indian Motorcycles of PCB
• Our Panama City Family: Owner Derek Kelley and crew: our home away from home at the Thunder Beach Rally. Respect given!
The Legendary Boothill Outpost
• Our Daytona Family: Brian Holt and staff: Best people out there and the cleanest Porta Potties you will ever see! Respect given!
THE THUNDERDOME STURGIS
• Our Sturgis Family: thanks for letting us bring our charity bike show to the Big Stage and for supporting us each year! ONLY AT THE THUNDERDOME! Respect given!
BAD ASS CIGARS
• North Carolina-based, rally-ready, and always supporting us. The only place to get your Stogies at the Rally! Thanks, Kat Daddy! Respect given!
We have so many people to thank there is just no way we can do it all here or in one article! Thank you to all our Dealer Partners, Small Businesses, and the Venues we work with each season for giving us and our Mission a Voice!
OUR 2025 SEASON — UPS, DOWNS & EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
Back home in Central Appalachia, our season was filled with challenges and triumphs.
We’re more than a motorsports tourism group — we’re a community network that steps up for charity and those in need year-round.
From Toys for Tots here in Kentucky to raising funds to shop for the Children of St. Jude so all these kids have a great Christmas, our mission continues long after the riding ends.
But the last 12 months tested us and our community in a whole different way. Hurricane Helene hit parts of Tennessee and North Carolina hard last September, Then in February heavy rains caused severe Flash Flooding across Kentucky. After that an E-4 Tornado just North of our hometown tore through London, Kentucky back in May, followed by the Floods in West Virginia in June. We lost many of our own during these horrific events and never had we seen such devastation in our small mountain communities as things like this typically do not happen here. When disaster struck our region, you answered our call for help… Every Single Time!
To everyone who came to our aid over the past year — we’ll never forget it or what you have done for us and our people here. Thank you for standing by us in our hardest times.
MORE MILES, MORE CURVES — 2025 RECAP
We kicked off the season with our 4th Annual Brushy Mountain Prison Break Run, and what a ride it was! Find this map and route in our Communities on REVER see for yourself!!
After a cold winter, riders were ready to hit Copperhead Trail (KY) and the legendary Devil’s Triangle 116 (TN) — This event kicks off our riding season schedule every year in late April after our AMG Road Crew is done with our training. Our Annual Tennessee Fall Leaves Ride (KY/TN/NC) for St Jude with our friends down at the Wheels Through Motorcycle Museum in Maggie Valley NC and partners at
the Dragon City Motorcycle Resort in Maryville TN always ends our season at the end of October!
Even when Mother Nature threw in a few rainy weekends, our schedule stayed on course. No town skipped, no route missed, no charity left behind.
BY THE NUMBERS:
9,800 miles ridden
38 rides & events hosted in Central Appalachia
6 national rallies attended
12 charities supported, including:
Shriners Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
The National Breast Cancer Foundation
Autism Research Organization
The Childhood Cancer Family Fund
Individuals Fighting Cancer in our Community Multiple Veterans Charities and Causes
Because here in the mountains, charity is part of our DNA.
When you ride with us here, you’re helping charity and our region all at the same time.
2025 HIGHLIGHTS — MOMENTS WE’LL NEVER FORGET
This year was full of milestones, but a few stand out as pure bucketlist dreams come true.
THE BACKROADS BRAWLER – Our Hillbilly Honda-Matic rat bike, built by Shortfuse Customs, won 4 Rat’s Hole Bike Show-Rat Class trophies across the country including Arizona Bike Week, Nature Coast Bikefest, the 85th Annual Sturgis Rally, and Biketoberfest in Daytona!
For a volunteer crew like ours, that’s more than a win — it’s a dream come true for all of us!
FRYDADDY’S OLD SCHOOL CHARITY BIKE SHOW – Sponsored by TopCoat Products and Bikers Info USA, this year’s Sturgis show at the THUNDERDOME for Childhood Cancer was truly a show to remember and we had Bikes of all types including some of the Most Custom Bikes in the World! We are still humbled by the show of support from the Motorcycle World! Bikers are the best people I know!
We also got to watch Colby Raha break the world record — 205 feet on a stock Harley-Davidson — and he did it over and over again!
Next year, FryDaddy’s Old School Charity Bike Show will return to the THUNDERDOME — and we’re bringing some friends with us and it is one show you do not want to miss! There is only one place you can find us in Sturgis and that is….. ONLY AT THE THUNDERDOME!
WHAT’S NEXT
As the riding season winds down here on the Backroads of Appalachia, we’re packing up and heading south to Florida for a few winter rallies with our partners.
Planning for our 2026 season is already underway, and we’re fired up to make it our biggest year yet by a long shot!
We saw more riders explore our Region and our BOA Trail Routes this year than ever before — and that’s thanks to all of you.
So, if you haven’t already, download our FREE BOA Mobile App, find our Routes in our Communities on the REVER app, follow us on social media or visit us online at backroadsofappalachia.org, or come see us at the Rallies in Florida over the Winter!
THE BEST RIDING IN THE U.S.! PERIOD!
See you on the next curve,
—Jay Fryman (FryDaddy)
Founder, Appalachian Motorcycle Group Board of Directors, Backroads of Appalachia
WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIKERS GONE?
Somewhere between a selfie and a Bluetooth helmet, the old-school biker disappeared. You remember ’em — the kind who could strip down a shovelhead in a motel parking lot with a half-rusted socket set and a six-pack of Bud. The kind who smelled like oil, leather, and road dust, not “Mountain Glacier Body Spray.” Yeah, those guys. The real deal. These days, you see plenty of bikes, plenty of patches, and more chrome than sense, but fewer of the men and women who lived it. So what happened to the real bikers — the solid, loyal, roadhardened riders who didn’t need a filter to prove their freedom? From Iron and Asphalt to Apps and Attitude Back in the day, the road was the only social network you needed. You didn’t “like” a photo — you liked the way the sun hit the road at 70 mph. And if someone posted something dumb, you didn’t comment; you just didn’t ride with them again. Problem solved. Now, half the crowd rides for the ‘gram instead of the grind. Custom bikes built for photoshoots, not for mileage. Matching jackets bought online, not earned through sweat and busted knuckles. Old-timers didn’t need a tutorial on “biker lifestyle” — they were the lifestyle. They knew what it meant to be broke, cold, and still smiling because the engine was running and the next horizon was calling. The Brotherhood That Didn’t Need a Hashtag Back then, your handshake meant something. Loyalty wasn’t a word — it was a reflex. You didn’t just “follow” your brothers; you stood beside them, whether it was a bar fight or a breakdown. No need for contracts, bylaws, or social media
“families.” You showed up, you helped out, you were counted. Simple as that. The old-school crowd had their own rules: don’t touch another man’s bike, don’t mouth off unless you can back it up, and never — ever — leave a rider stranded. Now, we’ve got Bluetooth helmets that play playlists, but half the guys riding don’t even know what a feeler gauge is. Progress? Maybe. But it sure feels like something’s been left behind. Still Out There, Just Harder to Spot Don’t get me wrong — the old-school spirit ain’t dead. It’s just hiding. You’ll find it out there at sunrise, on two-lane backroads the GPS forgot. You’ll see it in the guy who waves
“Somewhere between a selfie and a Bluetooth helmet, the old-school biker disappeared. You remember ’em — the kind who could strip down a shovelhead in a motel parking lot with a half- rusted socket set and a six-pack of Bud.”
of a phone camera. Some of the real ones just got older. Knees went bad, backs gave out, but the heart? Still wide open throttle. They might not be in the spotlight anymore, but they’re still rolling — slow and steady — carrying that same code of loyalty, respect, and brotherhood that built this culture in the first place. The New Breed (and the Hope for the Future) There’s a new generation out there that gets it, too. Maybe they ride fuel-injected tech and wear Kevlar hoodies, but a few of them have the right heart. They wrench, they ride, they listen to the old stories, and most importantly — they respect the road. Those are the ones who’ll carry the torch forward. Maybe the oldschool biker didn’t vanish — maybe he just evolved. The chrome’s cleaner, the tools are digital, but the hunger for freedom is still alive. It’s just buried under layers of noise and convenience, waiting for someone to shut off the phone and listen to the wind again. In the End… So where did the real bikers go? Nowhere. They’re still out there — riding alone, fixing what breaks, nodding at the next generation from behind weathered sunglasses. They’re in every story told around a smoky bar table, in every scar from a road that bit back, and in every rumble that echoes through a quiet morning. The real ones never left. They just stopped needing to prove it. So in a nutshell, be real, be honest and be respectful. Oh and yea don’t forget, be safe to ride another day. See you out there.
at every bike that passes, no matter the make or model. You’ll hear it in the clink of a wrench hitting concrete, not the click
— Nefarious James American Patriot
“The Tank Whisperer“
MEET KRISTINA
My name is Kristina Shevtsova, I live in Tampa, Florida, and I’m a professional fitness coach and bikini athlete. I started my journey with the goal of transforming my body and turned it into my life’s mission—to help others achieve the same. I enjoy training, creating educational fitness content, and inspiring people to build confidence through discipline. My dream is to expand my online coaching worldwide and motivate women to believe in their strength. I love motorcycles for the feeling of freedom, power, and adrenaline—they remind me of how unstoppable a person can become when they follow their passion.
Bike: 2006
Bike Owner: Evan Moyer
Harley DavidsonFatboy CVO Screamin Eagle
Model: Kristina Shevtsova
PHOTOS BY DANIEL GALLANT
Over one hundred years ago, the devil Mephistopheles sent his bounty hunter of the damned, the Ghost Rider, to retrieve a document known as the contract of San Venganza, a list of a thousand corrupt souls. Seeing that the contract would give Mephistopheles the power to unleash hell on Earth, the rider refuses to give him the contract.
In 1986, Mephistopheles reaches out to 17-year-old stunt motorcycle rider Johnny Blaze, offering to cure his father’s cancer in exchange for Blaze’s soul, an offer he hastily accepts. The next morning, Blaze awakes to discover that his father’s cancer is cured, but he is killed that same day in a motorcycle stunt in which he falls into the ring of fire through which he jumps. Blaze accuses Mephistopheles of causing his father’s death, but Mephistopheles considers their contract to be fulfilled and promises to one day see him again.
21 years later, Blaze has become a famous stunt motorcycle rider known for surviving numerous deadly crashes. Blaze meets his lifelong sweetheart Roxanne Simpson, now a news reporter, whom he abandoned after his father’s death. He convinces her to attend a dinner date. Meanwhile, Blackheart, the demonic son of
Movie Review
Mephistopheles, comes to Earth, along with three fallen angels who bonded with the elements air, earth, and water. They are tasked to find the lost contract of San Venganza. In response, Mephistopheles makes Blaze the new Ghost Rider and offers to return his soul if he defeats Blackheart, though he is also told he has no choice in the matter. Blaze is driven straight to the station on his first ride, where he transforms into the Ghost Rider and kills the earth angel, Gressil. He also saves a young girl from a mugger and incapacitates him with the penance stare (a power that allows the Ghost Rider to make any evil person experience all the pains they caused on their victims as long as the victims were good and not evil). The next day, he meets a man called the caretaker, who seems to know all about the history of the Ghost Rider. He tells him everything that happened was not a dream and that it will happen again, especially at night when he is near an evil soul.
When he arrives home, Blaze finds Simpson and reveals himself as the devil’s bounty hunter. Unconvinced, she walks away in disbelief. After a brief imprisonment for the murders that Blackheart committed, Blaze kills the air angel, Abigor, and escapes from the police before returning to the caretaker, who tells him of his predecessor, Carter Slade, a Texas Ranger who hid the contract of San Venganza. Blaze returns home to find that Blackheart has killed his friend Mack and has taken Roxanne captive, threatening to kill her if Blaze does not deliver the contract. Blaze tries to use the penance stare on Blackheart, but it does not work as Blackheart has no soul to burn.
Blaze returns to the caretaker, who reveals himself as Carter Slade, and obtains the contract. Slade tells Blaze that he is more powerful than his predecessors since he sold his soul for love as opposed to greed. Slade leads Blaze to San Venganza, then gives Blaze a lever-action shotgun before fading away.
After killing the water angel Wallow, Blaze gives the contract to Blackheart. He quickly transforms into Ghost Rider in an effort to subdue Blackheart, but dawn arrives and he is rendered powerless. Blackheart uses the contract to absorb the thousand souls into his body. He attempts to kill Blaze, but is distracted when Simpson uses Blaze’s discarded shotgun to separate them. After Blaze tries to kill Blackheart with the shotgun, he moves in and uses his penance stare to render him catatonic, burning all the corrupt souls within Blackheart, which is what he had hoped for.
Mephistopheles appears and returns Blaze his soul, offering to take back the curse of the Ghost Rider. Determined not to make another deal, Blaze declines, saying that he will use his power against him, and against all harm that comes to the innocent. Infuriated for being robbed of the power, Mephistopheles vows to make Blaze pay, but Blaze tells Mephistopheles that he is not afraid. Mephistopheles then disappears, taking Blackheart’s body with him. Later, Simpson tells Blaze that he got his second chance before sharing a final kiss with him. Blaze then rides away on his motorcycle, turning into the Ghost Rider.
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Rolling Canvas: The Legendary “GulliVWer” VW Bus
She’s more than metal, paint, and pistons—she’s history on four wheels.
Parked in the barn at my Florida home, my 1976 Volkswagen Bus, GulliVWer, sits quietly now, a retired road warrior that once roamed 32 states. For three decades, this bus wasn’t just transportation—it was my workshop, studio, and partner in keeping old-school craftsmanship alive.
Every inch of her paint is hand-done: airbrush murals, sign lettering, pinstriping, and even gold leaf—all protected under urethane. Back when signs were made by hand and not printed by machines, GulliVWer rolled from fairgrounds to motorhome rallies, to small-town shops where a steady hand and a good brush meant everything.
She carried ladders, paint trays, and brushes salvaged from the carnival midway, and later the gear I used to become one of the most recognized muralists in the RV world. When airbrushed murals gave way to digital graphics, she was still right there, towing behind my rig as I painted across America
and pinstriped at Harley-Davidson stores.
Now, as I think about legacy, I’m looking for a permanent home for GulliVWer—a museum that’ll preserve her story and the tradition of the hand painter’s trade. This bus represents an era when craftsmanship mattered, when the road was the best classroom, and when art didn’t need a plug or a printer.
If you ever see her again—gleaming with color, smelling faintly of paint and gas—you’ll know you’re looking at more than a vehicle. You’re looking at a rolling canvas of American grit, freedom, and creativity. Be Good, Be Well, and Ride Safe — Dave “Letterfly” Knoderer
BORN TO RIDE Magazine
Ron
813.785.3895
rg@borntoride.com
Deb
dgalletti@borntoride.com
Ron
813.785.3895
WELCOME TO TURKEYVEMBER!
Welcome to Turkeyvember my Born to Ride friends. It’s not my most favorite month for sure. I just don’t get the point of you humans killing my cousin, stuffing him up his butt and sending him off to the oven for a severe sunburn. Just think about it, that would be like us avian creatures ganging up on Santa and doing the same thing to him next month on Christmas Day. I don’t dare come close to strangers with knives in their hands this month. The last thing I wanna do is end up with a bad sunburn...
Mike cuts me off saying, “well then my funky colored turkey, you’ll just have to do like you do every year and that is gobble, gobble, run and don’t wobble. Turkey trot like it’s hot and go hide out the week before in the closet so no one can find you.
Every year you know it’s coming so you should prep for it, chirpy wings. Actually, this month we’re all just turkeys trying to make it to December.”
I cackle, “I’m just a smart turkey with a dream, of NOT being dinner and I’m definitely NOT all about that baste! There will be no boat ride for me in November, especially the gravy boat!”
Mike replies, “eye eye captain feathers. Maybe you should put together a boat
that steers everyone away from turkey like maybe a Chick-fil-A boat that drives everyone to eat more cow. Hey, I know how about a tofu boat? You can cut up pieces of tofu in the shapes of mini turkeys or maybe a Cornish game hen like the one that you imitated and looked up its butt for stuffing at the Asian food market that happens at Occ Roadhouse once a month.
How about being the captain of a Friendsgiving dinner boat? You can send out invites ordering your shipmates to bring anything but poultry that day.”
I squawk, “for a guy with a bird brain, sometimes you can be a wise old owl! We can do it poolside at the Sanctuary and have my favorite band, A Flock of Seagulls play.
We met them last month during Ferg’s concert series in St Pete. Everyone should check out Ferg’s ad in this magazine or on Ferg’s website for more information about upcoming shows.
It’s the newest place to see headliners up close and in person. Mike Score, the lead singer saw me waddle up and climb on his monitor. He broke from a song, turned to his brother and said: there’s a seagull in a tuxedo in the house! Then the crowd went wild!” Mike comments, “That place is huge and that night it was off the chain! It was
named USA Today’s number one sports bar in the country and thus they re-named it Ferg’s entertainment complex. With bands in front, bands out back, axe throwing in the middle and every sporting event imaginable on their 90+ TVs and two jumbotrons, there’s no way you can be bored.”
I squabble, “they even have a dog park where I get to tease all the four legged creatures! They can get pretty crazy when they see their dinner go by on your shoulder and I think it’s hilarious!”
Mike comments, “Yes Spyke it’s all fun and games until one of them breaks a leash and I’m jumping up on a table to get away from that four legged monster, saving your feathered ass!
It’s here we found the secret to a dog’s life: If you can’t play with it, eat it or bury it, just pee on it and walk away.
I will never take you there when it’s raining cats and dogs ever again. The last time we went and it was pouring, I stepped on a poodle with one foot and a pile of poop with the other!”
I chirp, “I thought that was hilarious, you doing the poodle poo poo dance and everyone was laughing at you. It was here I heard your friends tell you to stop offending me with your Thanksgiving and dog jokes, but I knew in the back of my head you could not quit cold turkey and you like being the yappy dog in a crowd!
It’s getting late and I’m getting bird brain blockage. I’ve gotta wrap this up before deadline. I think you need to go clean out the closet for me and get the scoot out of the garage for us. I’ll be ready for you to get my wings in the wind, your knees under the keys and the Fat Birds’ wheels rolling down the road. We need a little wind therapy and alone time before turkey day!
CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOCIATION
I find something very interesting about the purchase of new bikes. We go shopping for a new or a “new to me” bike. We will take it for a test ride. As soon as we come back from the ride, some of the first things we talk about is what we would need to change. “I would have to put higher handle bars on it”. It would need louder pipes. The wind screen is too low. We all have had these very same conversations. We want to customize the bike to exactly how it would fit us and our varied likes and needs. I totally agree. If we spend that kind of money we should have it exactly the way we want it.
The interesting part of this though is about being thankful. Soon, we will take action and purchase the bike and ride it home. We make the first modification and begin to ride. We then spend time thinking about how we are going to afford the next modification. We ride and wish our bike was different. What is the next stage of changing it a little more so it suits us just right? But, are we thankful for this new ride? Do we spend time thanking the Lord for blessing us with a new bike?
We are in the season of Thanksgiving. It is a time for being thankful on so many different levels. We are thankful for our relationships, our jobs, our resources and the things we have (like our new bike). Being thankful to God is so important. He is our provider in all things. Let’s look at Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for
all he has done”. Sometimes we don’t recognize the “all He has done”. If we took some time this season and focused on what God has done in our lives, I am sure we would be amazed!
TEACH’S TAKEAWAY,
- Take time this Thanksgiving Season and look at what the Lord has done in our lives.
- We can pray about what we need but should also thank Him for what He has done.
- Being thankful will allow us to see our world in a whole different way.
Can I tell you that God loves us more than we love ourselves? He hears our prayers of what we need. Let’s be thankful for all He has done. It is very easy. Dear Heavenly Father, today, I just want to thank you for all you have done for me and my family. Most of all, thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so I may have eternal life with you. I receive your gift of salvation through Jesus in my life with thanksgiving right now. In Jesus Name, Amen. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Ride together, ride safe, and ride on.
— Fellow Soldier in Christ, Wayne (Teach) Masiker Christian Motorcyclists Association wayne.masiker@att.net
