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TR RM MII JJANUARY ANU AN UA ARY RY 2020 200220 - 3 TRMI
So now that it is 2020, 0, ar aare re w re wee sstarting tart ta art rtin ing in ng a new decade? Is theree som ssomething ome meth thin ingg sp sspecial pec ecia ec iaal ial that we need to do to be bbegin egin gin a ne gi new ew decade? Are we just F FOS O aand OS nd nd the new decade will no nnot ot st sstart arrt art until January 1, 2021?? Th T There eree er has been much ado about bou outt things such as this, but utt aass far as I am concerned, d, d, 2020 is the start of thee 20’s. Whether it is actually a new decade or not, I am very hopeful that this new era is reflective of thee llast astt as batch of 20’s the country ntr ty experienced. From accounts ccccou o nntts I have researched, thee Roaring Twenties wass a ttime ime of great economic growth, healing and recovering in multiple ways after the war, and the boom of consumerism in America and abroad. Now, not all was good during this time, but it was a noteworthy period. It is not unlike the times we are in now. We are not returning from a great World War, but we are in definite need of healing and coming together as a nation. It is sad really to see where we have gone so far downward since the tragedy of 911 until today in reference to people being divided. We are also in need to keep the progress of the past few years going. I dig the low unemployment rates, the increase in the economy, and the general state of America living up to its great reputation. Let’s all keep this going, and try to have another decade of roaring. On the roaring topic, I have another request. As I am growing longer in the tooth, and longer with the gray beard, it is becoming painfully evident that I am now officially one of the old graybeard bikers that I once aspired to become. With that being said, I ask that each one of you reading this makes sure to keep your engines roaring in 2020. Let’s
On the Cover
To start off the new year, we decided to put Amanda from Loess Hills Harley-Davidson on the cover. We were down in that neck of the woods for one of their events, and this shot turned out so awesome we had to share it with all of you. She is here posing with a new 2020 Road Glide Limited. The Scorched Orange/ Silver Flux paint on this thing really pops, and can only be better in the sunlight of summer. Stop in to check out this awesome paint scheme and say hey to Amanda while you are there! Thanks for helping to make this bike look as good as can be!
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ride more, live free more, enjoy our biker lifestyle more, and also, bring along some newcomers to the ranks. Of the Iowa biker world, there is one thing that is by far in excess, and that is advancing years. We are all getting older, and the younger crowd is not following us any longer to any great extent. As you ride more this year, try to get some of the younger generations to come along and have some fun at rallies, bike nights, poker runs, supper runs, and just going riding to have fun doing it. Show our world to some that have not been bitten by the riding bug as of yet. This may be our chance to maintain our lifestyle that we have come to love. Ride, and get others to ride with us. If we don’t get the younger generations to join us, our life as we know it will wither. Don’t let that happen to our beloved Iowa riding history and tradition. Be a mentor, be a teacher, be that old graybeard biker or classy biker chic that the younger generation looks up to and wants to emulate. We are excited to get rolling into another year, another decade, and another day in the life of being a biker. We are starting on our 11th volume of magazines, which means if you add up all of the issues we have produced, it is one hell of a lot! We could not do this every month without the support of our sponsors in the magazine. This thing is kept going month after month by the advertising dollars spent for ads on our pages and on our social media. Please if you are reading this, try to darken the door of our advertisers and tell them that Thunder Roads sent ya! We offer up a heartfelt thank you and well wishes for the New Year to all of our advertisers. Thank you for being here month after month. Also, a giant thanks to the readers of the publication that we love just like a growing child! We love what we do and love who we do it with. Thanks to all of you for being a part of our world. Keep on riding, keep on smiling, and keep on living the life many can only dream of. Ride Safe! Vernon Schwarte Editor, Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa Vernon@thunderroadsiowa.com Quote of the Month: “What the New Year’s brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.” Vern McLellan
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TR RMI MI JJANUARY ANUA AN ARY RY 2020 202 020 - 5 TRMI
It’s hard to believe that it has been a year since Karla and I had our freak wreck on the way home from a Confederation of Clubs meeting in the north central part of the state. While blissfully zinging down the four-lane at 70 mph, a six and a half pound chunk of highway came through the windshield and collided with my face, drastically changing our lives. As bikers you live with the thought that things could happen anytime you ride but I never gave much thought to it while in the car. It’s a true miracle that I have most of my vision restored, can ride again and I am thankful for all the prayers, the different surgeons’ skills and the wonders of titanium plates. Unfortunately, with all of man’s skills they can’t restore everything to the way it was before the trauma. There is only so much that can be done with the scars, nerve damage, and pains, some of which are visible and others not. Through it all, this last year has been a time of much questioning and reflection on many things besides the normal, everyday seemingly-trivial pursuits and desires. It has led me to the realization that when it all shakes down, we all have scars and disabilities and like the consequences of our wreck, some are and some are not noticeable. Just being alive causes very real issues that we all have to live with on a day-to-day basis. Some of our scars may not be from physical trauma but may be emotional; all can have an impact on our spiritual wellbeing. An accident, a betrayal by a friend or family member, physical or emotional abuse can all leave huge scars. Abuse comes in so many different forms that it may be hard to even identify. It got me thinking that Jesus had scars also, huge scars. He experienced betrayal, beatings and unimaginable abuse but voluntarily received the scars for us on the cross. They weren’t his to shoulder but he did so willingly and in love. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 53 that “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities: the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Our scars can remind us of God’s grace that brings us through whatever trauma it was that we experienced. Past, present or future, it doesn’t matter as His sacrifice is timeless. It’s hard to wrap our mind around the idea that even our future sins, trauma, illnesses and issues are not catching him by surprise and are covered already in Jesus. 6 - TRMI JANUARY 2020
I think sometimes it’s good for others to see our scars. That visual example may bring hope or encouragement to those in situations of their own. When we don’t hide the scars but point people to Jesus for help for theirs, it can be an inspiring and faith building part of life. All things are possible with Jesus and as we saw in the retelling of the account of doubting Thomas, sometimes the scars have to be seen and touched for others to believe. We never really know how the things we do and experience can affect others but be assured, someone is always watching. Many times it is a comfort to know that someone else has been through something similar and survived, adapted to the change, and thrived with the Lord’s help. Psalm 46 tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.” What an assurance and relief to know. And besides all that, Karla also reminds me of the country song that tells how much chicks dig scars. Blessings, Mark Mark and Karla Cornick are with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. Find out more about CMA and God’s plan for you at www.cmausa.org
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The Biker Friendly Business Directory is a list of establishments throughout Iowa that sponsor the magazine. You can pick up your copy here every month. Let them know that you saw them in TRMI. If your business would like to advertise in Thunder Roads Iowa Biker Friendly Business Listing and become a part of the network, please email vernon@thunderroadsiowa.com
Biker Accessories Coolbikerstuff @ The Old Bait Shop 2103 Okoboji Ave MILFORD, Iowa 51351 712.338.8888 & 214.914.4555 Crispy’s Biker Apparel 1701 C Street SW Cedar Rapids, Iowa Find Us On Facebook
Dealers Baxter Cycle 311 4th Street Marne, Iowa 51552 712-781-2351 www.baxtercycle.com Big Barn Harley-Davidson 81 NW 49th Place Des Moines, Iowa 50313 515-265-4444 www.bigbarnhd.net Carroll Cycle Center 1327 Plaza Dr Carroll, Iowa 712-792-1610 www.carrollcycle.com Edwards Motorsports and RV’s 1010 34th Avenue Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501 712-366-8400 fullthrottleia.com or edwardsrvs.com
Indian Motorcycle of Des Moines 1500 E Army Post Road Des Moines, Iowa 50315 515-256-9062 Indianmotorcycleofdesmoines.com
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Indian Motorcycle of Mason City Mason City Powersports 12499 265th Street Mason City 641-423-3181 Masoncitypowersportsinc.com
Okoboji Classic Cars Museum and Restoration Shop 810 Jeppeson Road West Okoboji, Iowa 51351 712-332-8029
Loess Hills Harley-Davidson 57408 190th Street Pacific Junction IA 51561 712-800-3500 loesshillshd.com
(Popular Poker & Fun Run Locations)
Metro Harley-Davidson 2415 Westdale Drive SW Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404 319-362-9496 www.metro-motorsports.com
American Legion Post 46 1301 S 6th Street Marshalltown, Iowa50158 641-752-3612 Open to the Public 7 Days a Week
Nishna Valley Cycle HONDA – YAMAHA – KTM Atlantic, Iowa 50022 1-888-577-6406 www.nishnavalleycycle.com
American Legion Post 111 1101 W 4th Street S Newton 641-792-3353 Open to the Public 7 Days a Week Newtonamericanlegion111.org
Route 65 Harley-Davidson 1300 S Jefferson Way Indianola, Iowa 50125 515.962.2160 www.route65hd.net
Big Daddy’s 506 W Main Street Lewis, Iowa 51544 M,W,TH,F 4PM-*, Sat-Sun Noon-* Zipp’s Pizza & Big Patio!
Storm Lake Honda 3040 Expansion Blvd Storm Lake, Iowa 50588 StormLakeHonda.com 712-732-2460
Bloodline Irish Pub 214 Public Square Greenfield, Iowa 50849 Bloodline Irish Pub on Facebook
Food and Drink
Bullys’ Angle Inn 505 US 151 Walford, Iowa 52351 10am-12am Check Us Out on FB
Zylstra Harley-Davidson 1930 E 13th Street Ames, Iowa 50010 515-232-6223 zylstrahd.com
Entertainment Book Em Dano’s 33 S Main Street Denison, Iowa 51442 712-263-9818 Mon-Sat 4-2 Dancers Nightly 5-1:30 Celebrations DJ & Karaoke Services Newton, IA 641-521-8036 Any Occasion /Rally or Event EmCee Facebook/Ray Johansen(Celebrations) Specializing in Weddings & Receptions
Catfish Charlie’s On the Mississippi River 1630 E. 16th Street Dubuque, IA 52001 (563)582-8600 www.CatfishCharliesDubuque.com Desperados 105 E 5th Street Atlantic 712-243-7087 Home of Cold Beer, Good Times, Pizza & Wings Firehouse Bar 1211 5th Street Downtown Sioux City, IA 712-224-1020 Open Daily at 12:00
National Motorcycle Museum 102 Chamber Drive Anamosa, Iowa 52205 319-462-3925 Nationalmcmuseum.org
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Flaming Office 201 W High Street Toledo 641-484-2255 Outdoor Patio, Happy Hour 5-7 Flaming Office on Facebook & Google Flat Tire Lounge 304 S Madison Madrid 515-795-4174 Outdoor Patios – Happy Hour 3-9 Flat Tire Lounge on Facebook Grinnell Pub 909 State Street Grinnell, Iowa 50112 641-260-8003 Grinpub@aol.com Goozman’s Westside Bar & Grill 1019 7th St Harlan, Iowa 712-755-2259 Goozman’s Westside on Facebook Haverhill Social Club 202 1st Street Haverhill, Iowa 50120 641-475-3321 Tues-Sat 10-2, Sun 12-12 Iowa Legendary Rye 707 N Main Street Carroll, Iowa 51401 Iowalegendaryrye.com J.R. Willie’s Gateway to the Beautiful Hill Country Colesburg, IA 563-856-5095 Open Daily Mon-Sun 11AM Home of the Willie Whopper Johnie’s Tap 112 NE 2nd Street Stuart, Iowa 50250 515-523-1146 Mon-Sat 9:00 AM-Close Just 1 More 515-570-4206 641-757-0159 309 Railway Jamaica, Iowa 50128 KC’s Tavern 120 N Main Street Bridgewater, Iowa 50837 Mon-Fri 4:30-Close, Sat-Sun 1-Close Find Us on FB 641-369-2017
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Knickers Saloon 2186 Central Avenue Dubuque, Iowa 52001 563-557-0887 365 Days a Year Knickers Saloon on Facebook McCanns Tap NE 14th & 54th Des Moines, Iowa 50313 Bike Parking M-F 2:00 Sat & Sun 11:00 Mi Casa Family Restaurant 512 Market Street Harlan, Iowa 51537 712-755-2258 Enjoy Drinks at the Full Bar! Midway Tavern 206 1st Street Soldier, Iowa 712-884-2230 www.midwaytavernsoldier.com
Red Oak Tap 419 E. Reed Red Oak, Iowa 51566 712-623-4788 Riverside Tavern 450 E Main St Lehigh, Iowa 50557 515-359-9998 Email:riversidetap@gmail.com Roadhouse 105 Washington Marne, Iowa 51552 712-781-2272 Home of the Marne Burger Rumors Bar & Grill 400 F Ave Cedar Rapids, IA Live Music & Food 319-286-0806
Montgomery Street Pub 207 East Montgomery Street Creston, Iowa 50801 641-782-2165
Sandbar 103 North Noyes Street Mondamin, Iowa 51557 712-646-2300 Facebook Sandbar Mondamin
Old Timer Tavern 401 S Center Street Marshalltown Mon-Sat 6am-2am, Sun 12pm-2am Outdoor Patio-Live Entertainment 641-753-9854 and Facebook
Scooters on Broadway 475 NE Broadway Des Moines, Iowa 515-288-1053 scootersonbroadway@hotmail.com
Papa Joe’s 117 South 6th Street Missouri Valley, Iowa 51555 712-642-9015
Sidetracked 206 West Union Street Creston, Iowa 50801 641-782-8534
Pearl Street Social Club 110 Pearl Street SW Shellsburg, Iowa 52332 319-436-7100 Find Us On Facebook!
Sportsman Bar & Grill 103 1st Street Pisgah, Iowa 51564 712-456-2222 FOOD, FUEL, FUN
Pines Steakhouse Oinkers Lounge & Grill
1500 E 7th Street Atlantic, Iowa 50022 712-243-3606 M-F 11AM-, S-S 4PM-
Stumpy’s Bar & Grill 423 Main Street Duncombe, Iowa 50532 515-543-4222 Stumpy’s Bar & Grill on Facebook
Polk City Pub 217 W Broadway Polk City, Iowa 50226 515-984-9388 Open @ 11:00AM / Closed Mon.
Sugar’s Diner & Lounge 2725 E Kanesville Blvd Council Bluffs, Iowa 712-322-3600 Check us out on Facebook
Ralph’s Moorland Tap 508 Front Street Moorland, Iowa 515-549-9702 Here For the Beer!
T.J.’s Pourhouse 100 E. Washington Street Exira, Iowa 50076 712-268-2353 Open M-SAT.@11, SUN.@ NOON
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The Buck Snort Restaurant & Sports Bar 25 Scott Street Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503 712-328-2825 TheBuckSnortrestaurantandsportsbaronFB
The Place2B! 116 N. Federal Ave Mason City, IA 50401 M-F 3p-2a S-S 2p-2a Find Us On Facebook
The Buck Snort Glenwood 419 Sharp Street Glenwood, Iowa 51534 712-520-6454 Buck Snort Glenwood on Facebook
The Yankee Clipper 312 SW Maple St Ankeny, Ia 50023 515-964-9484 yankeeclipperbar.com
The Buck Snort 113 4th Street Neola, Iowa 51559 712-485-9090 The Buck Snort on Facebook
The Station Grub & Suds 205 W Kimball Street Hancock, Iowa 51536 712-741-2337 Come Party on the Patio!
The Buck Snort Harlan 3002 23rd Street Harlan, Iowa 51537 712-235-2825 The Buck Snort Harlan on Facebook
Tobey Jacks Mineola Steak House Mineola, Iowa 712-526-2078 Open 7 Days a Week Check Us Out on Facebook
The Buck Snort Neb City 715 1st Corso Nebraska City, NE 68410 402-713-5169 Buck Snort Neb City on Facebook
Twisted Corn Tavern 1405 Walnut Street Dallas Center, Iowa 50063 515-992-3868 Twisted Corn Tavern on Facebook
The Buck Snort Oakland 310 Dr Van Zee Road Oakland, Iowa 51560 712-355-5315 The Buck Snort Oakland on FB
Vic’s Main Tap 304 Broadway Audubon, Iowa 50025 712-563-2122 Opens Sun-Fri 2:30, Sat 9:30
The Buck Snort Red Oak 322 E Coolbaugh Street Red Oak, Iowa 51566 712-357-1701 The Buck Snort Red Oak on Facebook
Whatcha Smokin? BBQ+Brew 403 Iowa Avenue Luther, Iowa 50152 515-257-7490 Tuesday-Sunday
The Exchange 171 S Elm Street Avoca, Iowa 51521 712-343-2609 Lang’s Pizza, Cold Beer, Sports
Wild Hogs Saloon & Eatery 350 Commercial Drive Walford, Iowa 52351 Open 11:00 Every Day Check Us Out on Facebook
The Full Nelson 205 West 2nd Street Halbur, Iowa 51444 712-658-2425 The Full Nelson on Facebook
Wilson’s Tap and Recreation 1008 Story Street Boone, Iowa 50036/ 515-433-1395
The Pastime Lounge 114 S 4th Street Cherokee, Iowa 51012 712-225-0219 Facebook/Patio/Food
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Guns and Ammo 2A Firearms Training Training to Protect Your 2nd Amendment Rights 641-439-6660 Craig.2aft@gmail.com
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Guns and Ammo JLM Shooters Supply 6931 Douglas Avenue Urbandale, Iowa 50322 jlmgunshop@gmail.com 515-331-1577
Insurance & Financial O’Malley Wealth Mgmt. 5623 NW 86th Street Suite 400 Johnston, Iowa 50131 515-490-0930 State Farm Clark Ahrenholtz, Agent NMLS# 1679997 2114 12th Street Harlan, Iowa 712-755-5724 Clark.ahrenholtz.jb69@statefarm.com
Jewelry Bill’s Jewelry Shop 903 Main Street Grinnell, Iowa 50112 641-236-1008 Rings Checked FREE!
Legal Hupy and Abraham sc, pc Lawyers for Bikers 800.800.5678 Hupy.com
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TheBikerLawyers.com The Biker Lawyers, P.C. Riding & Defending Your Rights for Over 30 Years 877-209-9452
F & J Racing 701 N 3rd Ave Marshalltown, Iowa 50158 641-752-8651 www.fandjracing.com
The Vic Shop DeSoto, Iowa 515-339-4313 Facebook.com/TheVicShop VICTORY & INDIAN ONLY
Photo and Art
Mean Machine Cycle Parts Elkhart, Iowa 50073 Stereos, Bars, LED Lights, Air Ride Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9-12 515-367-7336
Thunder Road Cycles 4106 Rockingham Rd Davenport, Iowa 52802 563-323-3172 Thunder Road Cycles on Facebook
Motorcycle Medic 3176 Highway 30 Woodbine, Iowa 51579 712-647-2818 Open Tues-Sat Noon-6PM
Tires
Ullrich Photography PO Box 1842 Clinton, Iowa 52733 563-243-8715 www.natanic.com
Services Jason Roberts, LLC Haul It, Dig It, Doze It Code931993@yahoo.com 641-740-1411
Shops & Fabricators Butterfield’s M.C. Parts 8025 Blondo Street Omaha, NE 68134 402-391-3768 Chuck’s Cycle Service and Repair S&S and Drag Specialties Dealer 714 East 7th Street Washington, Iowa52353 319-461-5278
Nelson Machine & Forge General Machining, Ornamental Iron, Weld/Fab 70 Washington Street Marne, Iowa 51552 712-781-2220
Sandbothe Firestone 1106 Main Street Griswold, Iowa 51535 712-778-2223 Sandbothe Firestone on Facebook
Trailers
Road Rage BikeWorks 401 High Street Avoca, Iowa 51521 712-307-6111 Road Rage BikeWorks on Facebook
Lacaeyse Trailer Sales 4192 HWY 146 Grinnell Trailers & Truck Accessories 641-990-2674 www.lacaeysetrailers.com
SS Collision, Cycle Works & Graphics 2902 11th Ave SW Spencer, Iowa 51301 712-262-3959 www.sscollision.com
To buy ad space for your business or service in our directory, give us call at 712-249-5630 or email vernon@thunderroadsiowa.com
Cycle Clinic 2209 ML King Pkwy Des Moines, Iowa 50314 cycleclinicdm.com 515-288-6954
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Jude Peterson 2004 Victory Kingpin Preston Kellie Enderson 2017 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Huxley We want you on our pages! If you are an Iowa Girl of Thunder, send us a quality image, your name, year and model of bike, and where you are from to: vernon@thunderroadsiowa.com
Becca Woods 2010 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Mingo 16 - TRMI JANUARY 2020
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For this month’s Military Rider page, we are excited to share with you something cool that Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Chapter 39-5 is doing. Their chapter is also known as 39-5 Iron Hawk. They are hosting their inaugural Iron Hawk Bike Build Off this year. The premise behind the build is giving two SE Iowa shops identical budgets, and starting with identical motorcycles. Raffle tickets will be sold for the bikes with proceeds going to Iron Hawk Chapter 39-5. The builds are in process currently and the bikes will be completed, and then judging will occur June 12th at the Chapters Annual Patriots Ride in Keosauqua. After the judging, two raffle winners will be drawn with the Grand Prize winner getting first choice of the two motorcycles, and the 2nd place winner will receive the other build. All this will shake out at the Van Buren County Fairground in Keosauqua on June 13th. The Chapter encourages everyone to attend the festivities and ride, but you can win without being present. The shops that are doing the builds are Pike Run Services in Nichols and BVM Custom Cycle in Mt. Pleasant. Cody Lothridge is the lead builder for Pike Run Services where he is the shop manager and lead mechanic. Pike Run Services provides maintenance and sales needs for almost anything 18 - TRMI JANUARY 2020
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with a motor, and has been doing so since 2009. They work on cars, motorcycles, ATVs, lawn mowers, and anything in between. He has previous experience as a welder and fabricator, and has utilized his skills in the past on multiple builds and custom accessories for customers and friends. He has a strong passion for fabrication of custom motorcycle engines, accessories, designs, and also fabricating custom hot rod power plants. The second motorcycle is being built by B.V.M. Custom Cycle in Mt Pleasant. They are a small independent shop that offers services to all makes of motorcycles from oil changes to custom builds. With over 50 years of experience and knowledge, they take great pride in their work and their guarantee on what they put wrenches on. They work hard at trying to bring back the old school small shop experience where people are treated the way they like to be treated. They enjoy their affiliation with CVMA, and are excited to be a part of this raffle bike build, as they are all for helping with causes to help Veterans. To follow the progress or for more information look for IronHawk Bike Build Off CVMA 39-5 on Facebook or email the CVMA Chapter 39-5 Chapter Commander Robert ‘Bandit’ Mason at rmasonjr81@gmail.com Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook
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This is the 5th Chapter of an Iowa boy’s attempt to ride all the lower 48 states. If you haven’t read the previous chapters, I advise you to find the back issues of TRMI to take in the full story. Enjoy… Saturday, June 22nd, 2019 Up and at ‘em first thing in the morning, and we crossed sed into the southern tip of Maine (State #28) at 8am. This was Harlan’s main goal of the ride, considering he’d seen the Pacific Northwest on previous rides, and he even road to Alaska in 2017, so Maine was uncharted territory for him. We hit the tourist trap known as Kennebunkport, but didn’t stay long, then rode south on Hwy 1, where we made a stop at Fort McClary State Park and watched a Coast Guard ship heading out to sea. The ride was beautiful, but traffic was a bit more than we cared for, so now that we’d seen Maine’s Atlantic Coast, we jumped on I-95 south back through New Hampshire briefly, then I-495 to avoid Boston traffic, and took it south to Hwy 126 leading down into Woonsocket, Rhode Island (State #29) where we got caught in rain, again. We then rode Hwy 44 back west into Connecticut, then a brief ride on I-395 south, before taking Hwy 6 west, still trying to keep from getting too close to New York City traffic, and found a cheap motel in New Hartford, CT for the night, where we drank a few beers and discussed a plan of action to get around NYC the next morning.
There’s so much to see in such a small geographical location then Midwesterners are used to, so it seemed kind of like we s were w just skimming through things, which th I guess was the intent anyway… We really a just ju wanted to ride through as many states th as possible, so the next day we found Hwy 202 again and rode it back into New York State, for a ride through Peekskill, across th the Hudson River, and near H Bear Mountain State Park. The scenery was stunning, and truly caught us off guard, but thick traffic and nothing for scenic look-outs made it impossible to get any photos while on the bike. We then jumped on I-87 south briefly, then to I-287 which took us around NYC, into New Jersey (State #30) with hopes to see some skyscrapers off in the distance, but other than a brief glimpse of the top of the Empire State Building (or so I think) the trees and landscape didn’t allow for any city views.
Getting back on the subject of my Tucker fascination, I had high hopes to meet with custom car builder Rob Ida once in New Jersey. Rob is widely known by Tucker fans for building a few ground up custom Tuckers, and more recently for a complete restoration of Tucker #44. Needless to say, he knows Tuckers, and I’d hoped to shake his hand, but it didn’t dawn on me that it was Sunday, so he had other plans away from his shop. But we did get off I-287 and hit some rural Jersey roads to get to his shop and leave him a couple of 22 - TRMI JANUARY 2020
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Natanic’s calendars anyway. We were also lucky enough to see his Gyronaut Tucker build, which was used in one of the Sin City movies, and they also used it to tow a Triumph streamliner on the Bonneville Salt Flats land speed attempts, so even though it’s not an original Tucker, the car still holds plenty of history.
Once back on dry land in Delaware (State #31) we rode the ocean front on Highway 1 down to Ocean City, Maryland (State #32) where the ridiculous amount of stop lights were welcomed, considering the pleasant bikini views strolling down the sidewalks! Like Delaware, our Maryland visit was short lived with a jaunt out Hwy 50, to Hwy 13, then south on 13 into Virginia (State #33). This was surprisingly a very nice ride without a ton of traffic, although we’d heard that’s not always the case, but we continued south directly to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnels. At 14 miles long, these structures are truly engineering marvels, so much so that Harlan and I were talking about it each night over beers for the remainder of the trip. Riding across with the large bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east gives a feeling that you’re out riding over the middle of the ocean. Truly an experience to behold!
We learned a couple things about New England on this trip… First off, the upper states are horrible about marking highways, making it easy to get lost. Second, many of them have horribly maintained roads, but Jersey takes the first place trophy on that attempt. We took Hwy 9 south after leaving Ida’s shop and it was a truly unpleasant road. We ended up with a room south of Thoms River, for some much needed air conditioning and some cold beers. A massage would’ve been a nice touch too, but that was wishful thinking. Next morning we continued south on Hwy 9, and with much surprise, that stretch of road was considerably friendlier to a motorcycle rider. We’d done pretty good at avoiding big city traffic, but I was kinda curious to see Atlantic City, even though I’m not much of a gambler. Harlan didn’t seem too concerned about riding through quickly, but once we got closer, we decided to turn around and go right back out. Just wasn’t really anything we cared to deal with, but we could say we stopped anyway. Therefore we continued south to Cape May at the very southern tip of Jersey, where I had tickets for a ferry ride. Ferry rides across the Mississippi River don’t compare to a ship that holds 100 cars and has a bar and restaurant on board, so this was quite the experience. The trip lasts about an hour and a half and offers some picturesque views of lighthouses, sail boats, ocean liners, and even spotted dolphins a few times. Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook
After finding a room for the night, we were ready for a B-line back home, so next morning we were heading west on I-64 into West Virginia (State #34) and then a 100 mile jaunt on Hwy 9 through Kentucky (State #35) which then put us in Lawrenceburg, IN for our last night’s stop, before hitting I-74 back into Iowa. Harlan and I made our last gas stop in Galesburg, IL where we chatted for a bit about the trip and agreed to meet up again in the coming days to exchange photos and details over a few beers. We parted ways on the I-80 Bridge at the Mississippi, where he continued home to Tipton, and I stopped at BS Tap in Follets, IA for a celebratory beer on the trip. In summary, 9 days on the road, 18 states violated by our presence, 1 breakdown, and 3,564 miles on my trip meter. In contrast, I did 18 states and just under 8,000 miles on my 2018 trip, but those were considerably larger states to traverse! Nate Ullrich www.Natanic.com Be sure to grab TRMI next month for the 6th installment of 48 States.
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What exactly is the true origin of Biker Bells? Some tell a tale of ties to the legendary Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Those who claim this biker tradition started back in the 1930’s when the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club was formed in the Black Hills of South Dakota, when the rally actually started as a half-mile dirt-track race, with a few racers and small group of about 200 onlookers. History says that a bell was given to entrants to pin on their shirt as a token of entry…just ass a wrist band is often given today. Some S people claim that it wasn’t a motorcycle tradition at all, but rather started by WW2 veteran pilots who had bells for good luck on their aircrafts and then carried the tradition ion over to their bikes after the war. One of the he most logical explanations, ons, however, is that the bell was ell wa ass used in the early days of bik bikers k kers in the 1950s and 1960ss as a kind of “low-budget alarm larm system,” to alert the rider ider if their bike was being moved in the middle of the night ight – a cheap solution thatt morphed into a tradition on over time.
helped the old gray-beard brush himself off and gather up his scattered belongings. They set up camp and talked l long int iinto tto the night about the old man’s brush with the road gremlins. grem mli In the morning the men helped the gray-beard patch pat tc his tire and limp to a little service station in the next town. As the men prepared to go their separate nnex ways, the men refused payment from the gray-beard. w The old man had suspected this would be the case, T sso in the early morning hours just before dawn, he had awakened and attached two bells, one to each hha ooff his angel rider’s bikes. As the old man watched hhiss new friends roll out of the dusty service station he thought he could hear the ringing of bells ddriveway, dri i e ive iv the overr th h low rumble of the bikes.
If yo youu are looking to score a little Gremlin Protection, theree are some “rules” to the Gremlin Bell and how it works. work k First, it should not be bought by the user. In order orde e to work, it must be given to a rider from a loved one. o According to the legend, a bell is “activated” by the gesture of good will when someone, especially another rider, gives it to a rider they care caa about as a gift. Once received, it should be attached h d tto the lowest part of the frame. Because gremlins l k on the h roadways and “grab” onto bikes as they pass by, Yet another version of the legend of the gremlin bell negates lurk the following. An old gray-beard was riding home with saddlebags laden with toys and trinkets for some kids in an orphanage near where he lived. It was a cold night in the high deserts just north of the Mexican border. As he rode his thoughts wandered to rides past, epic journeys with long lost friends, and the many nights just like this spent pulling an all-nighter in the saddle. The beam of his old headlamp caught a glimpse of something up ahead. As he continued to ride it appeared again, only this time there seemed to be a few more of them. Tiny little creatures that darted in and out of the range of his headlight, moving as fast as the wind. They were dark little beasts. Fast as could be, and all but translucent in the moonlight. The only way he could think to describe them was “road gremlins”. Before he could take any action they were on the bike. He hit the brakes just as the front tire blew, and the old rear drum brake locked up… then it was lights out. When he finally came to he was lying ten yards from his bike. One saddle bag had been torn loose and was lying next to him in the dirt. In the light of the moon he could see his bike, the little spirit like road gremlins dancing on top. About that time, they caught a glimpse of him too and they began to approach him. As they advanced he picked up the saddle bag and began to wave it at them trying to keep them at bay. From inside the bag came a ringing noise. The old gray-beard noticed that if he shook the bag the little gremlins would retreat. He quickly unstrapped the bag and dug out two sleigh bells from a set of toy reindeer buried in the bag. As he knelt there shaking the bells the gremlins retreated off into the darkness. Just then two staggered lights approached from the distance, and came upon the lone rider in the darkness. To the lone rider they seemed like angels coming upon him with wings, guided by the sound of the bells. The two riders 26 - TRMI JANUARY 2020
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the low-hanging bell should be the first thing they contact, so that they are immediately repelled by it. When a bike with a bell on it is sold, it should be removed. The Gremlin Bell is a gesture of kindness to a rider from someone who cares about them, so it should be kept by the intended recipient, and can be transferred to another bike. If someone sells a bike with a bell and they want the new rider to have it, they should still remove it, and give it to them face to face. A bell that is not given with intentional good will loses its spirit-fighting mojo. Finally, if someone steals a Gremlin Bell, the gremlins go with it and the bell will no longer ward them off. The key to the bell’s power is good will. If it is stolen, it loses its effect…and karma will take care of the rest! This is only a small sample of the many variations of the ride bell legend, and there are at least as many ways to tell the story as there are bikers to tell the tale. Like many other time-honored stories of past, this story was passed on through word of mouth, from one biker to the next…finally becoming legendary in the biker community. In a way, this story is a bit like any bona fide biker… it doesn’t matter how you dress it, the foundation of the story remains the same. For bikers, protection is offered in the generosity of friends and in the random acts of brotherhood shared along the road. No matter what source you choose to site when recanting the story of gremlin bells, the spirit of fellowship and brotherhood between bikers is what the ride bell truly represents. Melanie Schwarte
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. With the New Year will come new challenges. The first challenge will be our State legislative season which starts on January 13, 2020. Our ever diligent ABATE legislative team will be watching bills that are still live from last year and the new ones that are put out for consideration. One bill we will be keeping and eye one and working on is considering adding motorcycles to the Iowa Lemon law. If you or you know someone that bought a motorcycle and had problems with it where the Lemon law would have help them, then we want to know about. This way we can make the case to the state legislators. Next, we will be fast approaching ABATE of Iowa Lobby day at our State Capital on February 12, 2020 at 7 am. This is a great day to talk to your legislators about motorcycle issues, you can register on the ABATE website. Finally, we are working hard on the 36th Annual Freedom Rally and it will be a great year with great entertainment, and you won’t want to miss it. You can get your advance tickets of the Freedom website. We hope you have a great 2020 and we will see you down the road. David Duffy “Duff” State Coordinator ABATE of Iowa
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From: The Book of Motorcycles, Trail Bikes, and Scooters. 1965
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the sides. Trust me, it’s a big steak. Vernon and I prepared our potatoes, his with woo-woo juice and pepper and mine with butter and sour cream, before cutting into our steaks. Periodically munching on the crispy garlic toast, we worked on devouring these works of meat art. The steaks had been masterfully prepared, seasoned to perfection and cooked exactly to our liking. I tried my damndest to polish mine off, but there was just no way I could do it…bonus, lunch for tomorrow was born.
Midway Tavern
I still cannot get over the amount of food that you get for under $14, but if steak is not your thing there are still many other times you can visit The Midway and try 206 1st Street out all of the mouth-watering options coming from the Soldier, Iowa 51572 kitchen. Any day of the week you can get Pizza, wings, Open 7 Days a Week, quesadillas, and pig wings. If you are looking for more www.midwaytavernsoldier.com “dinner” options, then a visit on the weekend is in order. On Fridays you can indulge in a Prime Rib, Cat712-884-2230 fish, Shrimp, or even Broasted Chicken is available in We all know that The Midway Tavern in Soldier is home dinner form with lettuce salad, garlic toast, and choice of potato. A Saturday night visit will give you all of the to ice cold drinks and a couple of the best parties in above options, as well as the addition of those famous the area each year, but did you know they also have Wednesday Sirloins, New York Strips, and Chicken Strip the ability to turn your average hump day into a day you won’t soon forget? That’s right, Wednesdays at The options. Newest to the Midway menus is the Saturday Midway are steak day, and if you haven’t been yet I sug- Night option of Lobster Tails. I know…I know. How can you possibly get a steakgest you rectify that ASAP. house quality meal in a small town bar? Well, I am here to tell you that We headed to Soldier it does happen, and on a Wednesday after it happens in Soldier punching the time every week! So if you clock in search of our haven’t been to The own piece of meaty Midway Tavern for heaven. When we more than parties, you pulled up the street are missing out! Stop was lined with cars, in and see Clint, Beastbut as we searched for er, and all the hard a place to park, a spot working ladies the right in front opened first chance you get… up as if inviting us and tell them Thunder inside. We went in and Roads sent you! chose an open spot at the bar. Now, steak Melanie J Schwarte night at The Midway Thunder Roads Magais just that….STEAK zine of Iowa NIGHT. You get a sirMelanie@thunderloin steak (cooked to roadsiowa.com your liking), a baked potato, and a slice of garlic bread. And of course, you can choose anything from the plethora of cold drinks available to accompany your meal. We enjoyed a beverage while waiting for our steaks to arrive. As busy as they were, it wasn’t long before our bubbly waitress, Tiffany, brought out our plates. I have to admit, when I looked at the amount of food on my plate I was a little surprised…I knew my steak dinner was going to cost me $13.75. I had no idea that at The Midway $13.75 translates to 14-16 ounces of prime sirloin plus Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook www.thunderroadsiowa.com 30 - TRMI JANUARY 2020
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Q: Is Google male or female? gator responded, “I shot a duck and nd it ffell elll in el A: Female, because it doesn’t let you finish a sentence before this field, and now I’m going to remaking a suggestion. trieve it.” The old farmer Peter replied, “This is my property, Four men are in the hospital waiting room because their and you are not coming over wives are having babies. A nurse approaches the first guy and here.” The indignant lawyer said, says, “Congratulations! You’re the father of twins.” “That’s “I am one of the best trial lawyers odd,” answers the man. “I work for the Minnesota Twins!” A in Iowa and, if you don’t let me get et nurse then yells the second man, “Congratulations! You’re the that duck, I’ll sue you and take evv vfather of triplets!” “That’s weird,” answers the second man. “I erything you own.” The old farmer err work for the 3M company!” A nurse goes up to the third man smiled and said, “Apparently, you don’t on’ n’tt saying, “Congratulations! You’re the father of quadruplets.” know how we settle disputes in eastern aste as t rn te “That’s strange,” he answers. “I work for the Four Seasons Iowa. We settle small disagreements ntss li nt like k ke hotel!” The last man begins groaning and banging his head this with the ‘Three Kick Rule.’ The llawyer awye aw y r ye against the wall. “What’s wrong?” the others ask. “I work for asked, “What is the ‘Three Kick Rule’?” e’? ’?”” Th Thee 7 Up!” Farmer replied, “Well, because thee dispute occurs on my land, I get to Two older women were outside their nursing home, having go first. I kick you three times and a smoke, when it started to rain. One of the ladies pulled then you kick me three times and d out a condom, cut off the end, put it over her cigarette, and so on back and forth until someonee gives giv ives es continued smoking. First Lady: What’s that? Second Lady: up.” The lawyer quickly thought aabout bout bo ut A condom. This way my cigarette doesn’t get wet. First Lady: the proposed contest and decided that tha hatt he Where did you get it? Second Lady: You can get them at any could easily take the old codger. He agreed drugstore. The next day, Lady 1 hobbles herself into the local to abide by the local custom. The old farmer slowly climbed drugstore and announces to the pharmacist that she wants down from the tractor and walked up to the attorney. His a box of condoms. The guy, obviously embarrassed, looks first kick planted the toe of his heavy steel-toed work boot at her strangely (she is, after all, over 80 years old), but very into the lawyer’s groin and dropped him to his knees! His delicately asks what brand she prefers. Doesn’t matter son, as second kick to the midriff sent the lawyer’s last meal gushlong as it fits a Camel. ing from his mouth. The lawyer was on all fours when the farmer’s third kick to his rear end, sent him face-first into a Fred and Mary got married, but can’t afford a honeymoon, fresh cow pie. Summoning every bit of his will and remaining so they go back to Fred’s parent’s home for their first night strength the lawyer very slowly managed to get to his feet. together. In the morning, Johnny, Fred’s little brother, gets Wiping his face with the arm of his jacket, he said, “Okay, you up and has his breakfast. As he is going out of the door to go old fart. Now it’s my turn.” The old farmer smiled and said, to school, he asks his Mom if Fred and Mary are up yet. She “Nah, I give up. You can have the duck.” replies, “No”. Johnny asks, “Do you know what I think?” His mom replies, “I don’t want to hear what you think! Just go to An Irishman, Englishman and Scotsman go into a pub and school.” Johnny comes home for lunch and asks his mom, each order a pint of Guinness. Just as the bartender hands “Are Fred and Mary up yet?” She replies, “No.” Johnny says, them over, three flies buzz down and one lands in each of the “Do you know what I think?” His mom replies, “Never mind pints. The Englishman looks disgusted, pushes his pint away what you think! Eat your lunch and go back to school.” After and demands another pint. The Scotsman picks out the fly, school, Johnny comes home and asks again, “Are Fred and shrugs, and takes a long swallow. The Irishman reaches in to Mary up yet?” His mom says “No.” He asks, “Do you know the glass, pinches the fly between his fingers and shakes him what I think?” His Mom replies, “Ok, do tell me what you while yelling, “Spit it out, ya bastard! Spit it out!” think?” He says: “Last night Fred came to my room for the An Italian guy is out picking up chicks in Roma. While at Vaseline and I think I gave him my airplane glue.” his favorite bar, he manages to attract one rather attractive One day while a blonde was out driving her car, she ran into looking blonde. So they’re back at his place, and sure enough, a truck. The truck driver made her pull over into a park- they go at it. After a long while… He climaxes loudly. Then ing lot and get out of the car. He took a piece of chalk and he rolls over, lights up a cigarette and asks her, “So…. you drew a circle on the pavement. He told her to stand in the finish?” After a slight pause. She replies, “No.” Surprised, but middle and not leave the circle. Furious, he went over to her pleasantly, he puts out his cigarette, rolls back on top of her, car and slashed the tires. The blonde started laughing. This and has his way with her again, this time lasting even longer made the man angrier so he smashed her windshield. This than the first… and this time completing the deed with even time the blonde laughed even harder. Livid, the man broke louder shouts. Again he rolls over, lights a cigarette, and asks, all her windows and keyed her car. The blonde is now laugh- “So…. you finish?” And again, after a short pause, she simply ing hysterically, so the truck driver asks her what’s so funny. says “No.” Stunned, but still acting reflexively on his macho The blonde giggled and replied, “When you weren’t looking, I pride, he once again puts out the cigarette, and mounts his companion du jour. This time, with all the strength he could stepped out of the circle three times! muster up, he barely manages to end the task, but he does, A big city lawyer went duck hunting in rural eastern Iowa after quite some time and energy is spent. Barely able to roll along the mighty Miss’. He shot and dropped a bird, but it over, he reaches for his cigarette … lights it again, and then fell into a farmer’s field on the other side of a fence. As the asks tiredly, “So… you finish?” “No. I’m Swedish.” lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing. 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their parents the expense of separate weddings. As a further step to reduce the price tag, the three sisters resolved to spend their honeymoon night at home. Later that night, their mother couldn’t sleep, so she went to the kitchen for a cup of tea. On her way, she tiptoed by her oldest daughter’s bedroom and heard her screaming. The mother thought to herself, “That’s normal, especially on her wedding night.” She snuck by her second oldest daughter’s room and heard her laughing. “That’s normal too,” she said, smiling to herself. Finally, she slipped by her youngest daughter’s room where she didn’t hear a peep, but she thought nothing of it. The next morning in the kitchen, after the husbands had gone out, the woman asked her eldest daughter about last night’s noises. “Well Mom,” she replied, “you always said if it hurt I should scream.” “You’re absolutely right sweetheart, ”the mother assured her, turning to her middle daughter. “Now why were you laughing?” she asked. “You always said if it tickled, I could laugh,” she answered. “True enough, honey.” The mother smiled, remembering her newlywed days. “Now it’s your turn, baby,” she said turning to her youngest daughter. “Why was it so quiet in your room last night?” “Mom, don’t you remember? You always told me never to talk with my mouth full.” A young man was showing off his new sports car to his girlfriend. She was thrilled at the speed. “If I do 200mph, will you take off your clothes?” he asked. “Yes!” said his adventurous girlfriend. And as he gets up to 200, she peeled off all her clothes. Unable to keep his eyes on the road, the car skidded onto some gravel and flipped over. The naked girl was thrown clear, but he was jammed beneath the steering wheel. “Go and get help!” he cried. “But I can’t. I’m naked and my clothes are gone!” “Take my shoe”, he said, “and cover yourself.” Holding the shoe over her pubes, the girl ran down the road and found a service station. Still holding the shoe between her legs, she pleaded to the service station proprietor, “Please help me! My boyfriend’s stuck!” The proprietor looked at the shoe and said, “There’s nothing I can do...he’s in too far.” A stranger was seated next to Little Johnny on the plane when the stranger turned to the Little Johnny and said, “Let’s talk. I’ve heard that flights will go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.” Little Johnny, who had just opened his book, closed it slowly, and said to the stranger, “What would you like to discuss?” “Oh, I don’t know,” said the stranger. “How about nuclear power?” “OK,” said Little Johnny. “That could be an interesting topic.But let me ask you a question first.” “A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat grass. The same stuff. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?” “Jeez,” said the stranger. “I have no idea.” “Well, then,” said Little Johnny, “How is it that you feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don’t know shit?” This woman walks into a tattoo parlor and asks for a tattoo of a Christmas tree on her right inner thigh and a cocktail drink on her left inner thigh. The tatoo artist say thats an unusual request. “Why do you want two tattoos there?” So she says “Because my husband needs to eat between Christmas and New Years.” Thunder Roads Magazine of Iowa on Facebook
Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee with a caller: “Ridge Hall computer assistant; may I help you?” “Yes, well, I’m having trouble with WordPerfect.” “What sort of trouble?” “Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.” “Went away?” “They disappeared.” “Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?” “Nothing.” “Nothing?” “It’s blank; it won’t accept anything when I type.” “Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?” “How do I tell?” “Can you see the C: prompt on the screen?” “What’s a sea-prompt?” “Nevermind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?” “There isn’t any cursor, I told you, it won’t accept anything I type.” “Does your monitor have a power indicator?” “What’s a monitor?” “It’s the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it’s on?” “I don’t know.” “Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?” “Yes, I think so.” “Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it’s plugged into the wall.” “...Yes, it is.” “When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?” “No.” “Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.” “... Okay, here it is.” “Follow it for me, and tell me if it’s plugged securely into the back of your computer.” “I can’t reach.” “Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?” “No.” “Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?” “Oh, it’s not because I don’t have the right angle – it’s because it’s dark.” “Dark?” “Yes – the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.” “Well, turn on the office light then.” “I can’t.” “No? Why not?” “Because there’s a power outage.” “A power... A power outage? Ah, Okay, we’ve got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?” “Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.” “Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.” “Really? Is it that bad?” “Yes, I’m afraid it is.” “Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?” “Tell them you’re too stupid to own a computer.”
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So I didn’t EXACTLY follow my own advice…
about my lack of seat time. Or sure, I did get “On a long and lonesome out and Highway, East Of Omaha” burn up a I am not sure I could ever dial down a favorite Bob Seger few miles from time to time. I took some folks that I have tune to blast through my speakers when I crack that throttle never ridden with before to follow my path, to show them while chasing the horizon, really, as a big Seger fan, I would the roads I know, places that I parked in front of, joints with be hard pressed to nail or narrow it down to any Top Five. great grub and cold beer. But it’s not about what I did that Music, to me and to many, is very fluid in nature, what tunes is the glaring lapse, it’s about all the shit I didn’t do. I sat may stir your soul and be must haves one month, might be down last December, full of hope, full of dreams, full of different the next. That is the beauty of it, it’s an ever exlofty intentions, full of desires and it turns out, I was just panding journey, music is, that we can always explore. Even full of shit. if your favorite artist where you “have all their cassettes” you can find unreleased gems, deep cuts, live audio or stuff It was the last year of the decade, I was going to do, well, they did with other musicians. Music is personal and the maybe not epic stuff, but I was going to make sure I had a same song, with a powerful message, likely means different great plan, a good goal list in place for riding and I was gothings to like minded people. Prince once said, “Naming a ing to finish the year solid to put a neat bow on the decade. I favorite song would me like naming a favorite child, you rarely look back with regret, this time I am. have some much love for each one, but each one brings you something different”. The 2010’s, for me riding, was the best decade of my life, hands down. I mean it wasn’t even close. Several rides I think it was Prince, I am pretty sure it was Prince, I don’t across the state, several jaunts to other states, I bought five think it was my music buddy Ritch, he’s not usually that or six bikes and busted ass and road to Sturgis in a day, deep, smart, passionate and worldly to be true, but he’s a bit when it was Devils balls hot across South Dakota, my spoumore hillbilly. But whatever, in point of fact, it’s hard to just sal along for the entire decade, even alongside me when the name your favorite, because it likely changes from time to decade started and I should have died. Legit, coded in the time. back of an ambulance, but I didn’t and we move on. You can listen to the engine moanin’ out his one note song I sometimes can travel down a rabbit hole with music, blame YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, my own record collection. I will hear a song, or read something that makes me want to listen to a certain song, then that will get my mind wondering about another song and so on and so forth. Many times over the past few years that I have been cranking out these articles for the Boss of Bosses and the single greatest magazine for bikers ever made that doesn’t have nakedness, for this time of the year. I write about what I do in my personal like, crank out a list of goals for the upcoming year, you know the drill, the New Year New You bullshit you read about so often. I never make that leap, what I try to do is help people focus on doing what they LOVE more and if you are spending time with this magnificent magazine in your palms, chances are pretty damn good that riding is something you love. I do believe in goal setting and preach to my family all the time about how important it is. EVERY business, group, team, you name it, has a blue print, a road map, a set of goals they are striving to achieve and its stupid as hell to not have one in our personal lives, let alone a goal list for the stuff that we live for. But your thoughts will soon be wandering The way they always do I failed myself in 2019. Failed myself in a horrible, lame fashion and it pains me to reflect on it. I don’t know if I got lazy, found several excuses, whatever the case was, but I look back on this past year and I am kicking my own ass 38 - TRMI JANUARY 2020
No, 2019 was going to be more of the same, maybe try some new things, new rides, new runs, whatever and I didn’t achieve diddly squat. And I know why, and some people claim there is a woman to blame, but I know, it’s my own damn fault. Yes I know I went from Seger to Buffett, but I can’t help it, my brain works weird most of the time. I let “stuff” get in the way of my riding time, to many nice damn days when I COULD have taken my ride, took the truck, quick runs to the store, I got lazy, chances for work stuff that I could have ridden, I only did a few times. Weak ass and I have not a single person to blame but myself and it’s eating me up. I think I am making the right choices, or sometime when I make choices, I don’t think, which is likely the culprit. I made plans on hitting up a couple of new poker runs this year, and while I did help promote several great causes, shit came up and at the time I had to be somewhere else. If there was ever a year that life pulled me in directions that seemed out of my own control, it was 2019 for sure. Time planning was an epic fail over the past year. Past year? Who in the hell am I kidding, it’s something I am never good at! Looking back on my entire year, I think of all the times I should have been on my bike and wasn’t’. Look, the year wasn’t a total loss. I spent a great deal of time with my kids fishing, got to do some cool stuff with my bride, we had a lot of laughs, a lot of tears, a lot of friends around. But having her on my bike and we go out and LIVE was a rare commodity over the last year of the decade.
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Later in the evening As you lie awake in bed With the echoes from the amplifiers Ringin’ in your head I will still goal plan for 2020. Speaking of which, who doesn’t want Barbra Walters as the ball drops to say “THIS is 2020”! Right? Once in a lifetime moment, somebody make that happen! I am working on my goal list for 2020, remember, a goal not written down is just a dream and I have some lofty goals again coming up, after all, goals (and dreams) are what motivates us to get out of bed in the morning. We have goals, bigger house, make the rent, buy a different bike, get more guns, ride to Sturgis, whatever, we all have time, but taking the time to write them down, and figure out how to achieve them, is another thing entirely and I will be focusing on that again. Really, make a list of five things you want to achieve, make them simple, and see what happens when you take the time to write them down, you will find it works. I am not sure where my list will take me yet, but I do know this, I am going to hold myself more accountable to getting my butt in that saddle more again in 2020. Also, I am going to crank out an article about Bob Seger, February is the anniversary of “Running Against the Wind” and 40 years after it was released, it’s still in my top Five. Well, if I was forced to rank them of course. Todd “Crash” Davis
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Jan 11 Jan 18 Jan 18 Jan 18 Jan 25
Winter Sucks Party Metro HD Cedar Rapids 2nd Annual Frigg Winter Motorcycle Swap Meet Cedar Rapids Welldiggers Winter Ride Baxter Cycle Marne Bikers Luau Open House LHHD Pacific Junction Mean Machine Winter Smokeout & Calendar Release PARTY!!! Elkhart Jan 24-26 Rod and Custom Show Rock Island, IL Feb 1-2 2020 Colorado Motorcycle Expo Denver Feb 8-9 Capitol City Custom Cycle Show & Swap Horizon Center (formerly 7 flags) Clive Feb 12 ABATE of Iowa Lobby Day Des Moines Feb 14-16 34th Annual Lincoln Bike Show Lincoln, NE Feb 21-23 World of Wheels Kansas City Feb 22-23 51st Rod & Custom Bike/Car Show Monticello Feb 28-29 Omaha Chapter AMCA National Swap Meet Fremont NE Mar 1 Parts Girl Promotions Swap Meet Cedar Rapids Mar 6-8 Cyclerama at World of Wheels Chicago Mar 6-15 Bike Week Daytona Beach, FL Mar 7 Bikes at the Brewery La Crosse’, WI Mar 13-15 World of Wheels Omaha Mar 15 Wade’s High Performance Swap Meet & Trade Show Des Moines Mar 21 25th Annual Pancake Breakfast Metro HD Cedar Rapids Mar 28 Raccoon Valley Powersports Garage/Mancave Tour Jefferson Mar 28-29 33rd Annual Donnie Smith Bike Show St Paul, MN Apr 4-5 34th Annual North Iowa Expo Mason City Apr 5 Parts Girl Promotions Swap Meet Rock Island, IL
Apr 18 May 1-2 May 2 May 9 May 30 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun 12-14 Jun 12 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 20 Jun 27 Jun 27 Jul 2-4 Jul 11 Jul 11 Jul 18 Jul 18 Jul 25 Aug 1 Aug 1 Aug 7-16 Aug 8 Aug 16 Aug 22 Aug 22 Aug 29 Sep 3-5 Sep 5 Sep 10 Sep 12 Sep 12 Oct 8 Nov 11 Dec 12
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7th Annual Easter Egg Hunt Metro HD Cedar Rapids Vintage Torque Fest Dubuque 9th Annual Sleeping Angels Fun Run Boone PGI Riders Blessing of the Bikes Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Joyce’s Joyride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Ride for Darcy ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids 4th Annual Thank You Is Not Enough Ride IronHawkCVMA Chapter 39-5 Mt Pleasant Midwest Victory Rally The Vic Shop De Soto IronHawk CVMA 39-5 APR Keosauqua IronHawk CVMA 39-5 Bike Build Off for APR Keosauqua 12th Annual Bell Tower Festival Poker Run & Cycle Show Jefferson Steve Martin Ride for a Cure ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids 6th Annual Children’s Hospital Fun Run Council Bluffs Sugar Run (Diabetes) ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Legion Riders Post 111 Annual Veterans Assistance Ride Newton Chains Interrupted Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids ABATE of Iowa Freedom Rally Algona PGI Support Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids 13th Annual Freeman Ride Avoca Chloe Ann Memorial Ride Elk Horn St Jude Children’s Hospital ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Union Trades Solidarity Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Largest Female Ride Ever (World Record Attempt) Harley-Davidson of Carroll CVMA 39-2 Patriot Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally South Dakota LT Ride for Babies Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Rumble to Recovery (620 Fund Ride) Metro HD Cedar Rapids Kyle’s Mile 7 Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids 5th Annual Hell On Wheels Chopper Show Franklin Cruising for a Cure Metro HD Cedar Rapids Motorcycle Swap Meet Davenport MS Moments Heid Ride Metro HD Cedar Rapids Metro Motor Madness 620 Foundation Motorcycle Drawing Metro HD Cedar Rapids WTF Fun Run Harlan 9th Annual Warrior Ride Preston 620 Foundation Check Presentation to Children’s Hospital Metro HD Cedar Rapids Veteran’s Day Breakfast Metro HD Cedar Rapids Santa at Metro Metro HD Cedar Rapids
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