My tractor is now back where it belongs. The key is now on my secret key rack and the tractor is no longer going to be driven by anyone but me. I just spent $1000 fixing the tractor of damage that can not be explained by just doing my lot. A fitting, that is no longer available, was damaged by the feed pipe being jammed into it. Thank God that Charlie was able to find a used fitting that was in poor condition out of Alabama. They used JB Weld to make the piece work, but it is a fragile fix. From now on, if my tractor is out and about on other people’s property, I will be working the tractor.

The above makes Nina very nervous.

Weather is now supposed to be nice for a while. We’ll see. Can’t be trusting the weatherliars now, can we? All traces of our snow is gone. The wind shook my pole light so bad, the bulb unscrewed itself and fell to its death. Going to get Henry to replace it.

Heading east tomorrow morning. Mention was made about me taking the scooter, but that’s not going to happen. Still too cold and I’m still too new.

We got some snow! Finally! Not much, but it puts some moisture back in the ground.

Erin’s back home. She came home yesterday and I forgot to announce “Happy Erinday!” Oh well, I’m a bad Pake. She has a big scratch on her face. Will, who has no driver’s license, was driving her around the ranch and he ran over a branch that snapped up and smacked her in the face. That brings up some questions in my mind:

• Why was he driving? I know, it’s on the ranch, but I doubt the car magically appeared on the ranch without using any roads.
• How did the branch reach into the car? Was it so large and multi-limbed that it reached through the window? I doubt it.
• Was Erin leaning out the window? I’m thinking this is the most logical scenario.
• If so, how fast was Will moving?
• Why wasn’t Erin in her carseat? Federal law requires that kids under certain weight and ages are always buckled into a carseat when the car is moving, even on private property. Oh yeah, Will doesn’t believe the government has any sway over him.
• Must be nice to be Will.

That’s it for now. Peace.

Saw this in Las Vegas this morning. Nice ride!

Dennis and I left here around 9 a.m. and headed to SF Harley-Davidson. We got there early so we could meet people as they arrived and Dennis needed some chapter merchandise. We found a nice group of people, all of whom range around our age group. I guess the cost of a Harley keeps the kids at the Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha dealership.

Around 10:30 we headed out in 2 groups. Most were in full leathers and helmets, but a couple were riding without the safety gear. While I have and will wear the gear, it’s a pain in the ass to put on when prepping for a ride, especially the chaps. Safety first though.

There were two 3-wheeled Harley’s in the group and they were split between the groups. I found it strange to be riding with this group over the group rides of my past. This group is all about safety and being highly visible on the road. CB radios are all tuned to the same channel and we were told when all turns, lane changes, and stops were coming up. A lot of preparation went into this ride. My past group rides were with the Blue Knights in Chicago. We’d meet at a bar, leave after a few drinks, and ride like Hell. Most carried a gun and enough wore their badge visible that the guns were not an issue. Speed limit signs, stop signs and lights, and lane markers were merely suggestions. All rides would end at another bar and we’d take over the bar. One such bar take over was a Kane County bar that was the home of the local chapter of the Hell’s Angels. No one died, but it was an interesting end to the ride. One of our members used to be a Kane County Sheriff and suggested that place for a laugh.

Our destination was El Bruno’s Restaurante y Cantina in Cuba, NM. The food was good, but I decided to pass on the piñon crusted pan fried trout to try their taco special. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, I know I did. We met the Four Corner’s HOG chapter there for a joint meeting and I noticed that they too were around our age group. Our ride terminated at the restaurant.

Dennis and I took a different, longer route home. This extended our milage to 323 miles from portal to portal. During this ride, I passed the 1000 mile mark on my bike. In less than 1 month, I rode over 1000 miles. Not too bad. Our route ran us through some very pretty country and past Abiquiu Lake. It’s been many years since I’ve been past that lake. Once past the lake, we were heading toward Santa Fe where we split up. Dennis had a previous engagement in SF while I was ready to head home. It was a great ride and the first of many with the Sangre de Cristo HOG chapter. Sangre de Cristo means Blood of Christ in Spanish.

PEACE!

At the dealership waiting to go.

At the restaurant in Cuba.

Abiquiu Lake

Due to the popularity of the “Survivor” shows, Texas is planning to do one entitled: “Survivor – Texas-Style!” The contestants will all start in Dallas, drive to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, then over to Houston and down to Brownsville.

They will then proceed through Mission, up to Del Rio, El Paso, Odessa, Midland, Lubbock, and Amarillo.

From there they will go on to Abilene and Fort Worth. Finally back to Dallas.

Each contestant will be driving a pink Prius with 14 bumper stickers which will read:

1. “I’m A Democrat”

2. “Amnesty For Illegals”

3. “I Love The Dixie Chicks”

4. “Boycott Beef”

5. “I Voted For Obama”

6. ” George Strait can’t sing”

7. ” Elect Hillary In 2016″

8. ” Vote Eric Holder Texas Governor”

9. “I Love Obama Care and Chuck Schumer”

10. “Al Franken Is My Hero”

11. “I Side With Jane Fonda”

12. “It’s Bush’s Fault”

13. “Islam Is A Peace-Loving Religion” And the last sticker is…

14. “I’m Here To Confiscate Your Guns”

The first contestant to make it back to Dallas alive wins.

Cuba New Mexico that is.

Joining the Harley Owner’s Group, or HOG as they prefer to be called, on a ride to Cuba. Leave at 10:30 and lunch in Cuba around 1:00. The email I got announcing the ride had a cool write up of Cuba that I’ve quoted below. Lots of history in this state.

In Spanish, the word “Cuba” means a tank or basin or keg. It probably refers to the basin-shaped contour of the valley Cuba sits in. Cuba was originally named Laguna. The earliest settlers were attracted to a profusion of small lakes and swamps that once covered what is now downtown Cuba. The Rio Puerco River and other little streams came down out of the Nacimiento Mountains to the east and fed into the lakes and ponds. The land was as close to lush as you can get in this dry part of New Mexico.

The lakes eventually were drained by early Spanish settlers who arrived here in about 1766. The settlers were given a tract of land from the King of Spain known as the San Joaquin del Nacimiento Grant. Many little communities sprang up all along the Rio Puerco. Most of them are no longer in existence. Present day Cuba, in this location, dates from about 1879.

The mountains you see to the east of Cuba are called the Nacimientos and refers, probably, to the mountains as the birth place of all the water in the area.

Cuba has a rich, multi-cultural history! It was the home of Anasazi and Gallina Indian cultures. There is today a large Navajo population living to the west, Apaches to the north, and Zia and Jemez Pueblo Indians to the south. The history of Cuba is closely tied to the land. Sheep, goats and cattle are raised here. Gold, silver, copper, coal and fertilizer have been mined in the area. Wheat, hay, fruits and pinon are harvested.

Cuba was and is today a source of goods, services, school and health care for the surrounding communities.

Over the years, Nina and I have passed through Cuba many times, but have seldom stopped there, other than for gas. The road through Cuba is our preferred route to Ouray, one of our favorite vacation spots in the Rockies. The surrounding area is rich in history and its stark beauty is almost distracting when driving.

This trip will be a solo ride for me as Nina has decided not to join us. I will riding out there with Dennis since his bike is stored here. He has no garage where he lives so he has a storage unit here.

I’ll post pictures and a ride review when I return. Peace.

Another big O joke:

George Bush, Queen Elizabeth, and Vladimir Putin all die and go to hell. While there, they spy a red phone and ask what the phone is for. The devil tells them it is for calling back to Earth.

Putin asks to call Russia and talks for 5 minutes. When he is finished, the devil informs him that the cost is a million dollars, so Putin writes him a check.

Next Queen Elizabeth calls England and talks for 30 minutes. When she is finished, the devil informs her that the cost is 6 million dollars, so she writes him a check.

Finally George Bush gets his turn and talks for 4 hours. When he is finished, the devil informs him that the cost is $5.00. When Putin hears this, he goes ballistic and asks the devil why Bush got to call the USA so cheaply.

The devil smiles and replies, “Since Obama took over, the country’s gone to hell, so it’s a local call.”

The rest of you can watch this too, but those two are stupid about owls.

httpv://youtu.be/XeFxdkaFzRA