HEART BROKEN!

I made a financial move today concerning motorcycles that was and is still very painful. I traded Big Red, my 2001 Harley Davidson Road King, in on a new Harley Davidson Road Glide. What should be a joyous, happy and thrilling experience has turned out to be a depressing and sad state of affairs. Big Red has carried me on endless roads reliably since I purchased her in 2001. She cost me $17,500 then. By the end of 2002 I had over $34,000 total in her chrome and engine as add on equipment. The machine has class and she has a nostalgic appearance of yesteryear. She has been maintained and kept in a flawless condition. I was and am proud of her. When she was parked on the street or along the road; she represented my personality. She represented everything I am. Who I am. She has heart and soul. She has character. She exuded excitement and the promise of adventure. She delivered relaxation, thrills and new experiences each and every time I took her out for a run. She always brought me back dependably. She asked for nothing. Always there for me. Always ready. She has 70,000 miles on her speedometer now and far from being worn out. But things have been needing attention and Harley parts and accessories are costly. If I were ever going to upgrade it would have to be now or I would have to keep her until she turned to dust, as no one would want to buy a motorcycle with 100,000 miles on it. I could have opted for another Road King but I don't have the finances anymore to secure the chrome and additional parts I would need to personalize it. It would be just a Road King. After having Big Red, just another Road King would not do. So my replacement machine would be purchased more for utility reasons and practicality rather than for nostalgic romantic reasons. Looks will be a secondary concern. Function will be primary concern. The 2007 Harley Road Glide is in reality a Road King with a frame mounted fairing. It is a solid machine less affected by side winds and severe turbulence. It does have a radio that I care little about. The cruise control will come in handy as I am developing arthritis in my right wrist. Not bad though. But the biggest reason I traded for this bike is the fact that my price is right. I work for Harley and I get a great break on the bikes. The difference money was absolutely right. I found I could buy a new bike with all the up to date technology for the cost of repairs and preventative maintenance on Big Red. It is a decision based around money only. There is no comparison between the two machines. Big Red is a gorgeous Harley Davidson. The new Road Glide is just a bike; at least at this point. Maybe when it earns my respect through reliable performance I'll grow closer to it. But right now its just a bike. And it will be the last motorcycle I will ever own in my life. I am sure of that. And I am sure I selected the correct model. It is not a particularly pretty bike. It borders on ugly. I have already been told it is ugly by someone close to me. But I know it will get the job done. There is just enough chrome to separate it from average motorcycle. Nothing out of the ordinary. Big Red made me feel great when I sat in the saddle. I could look down and see total chrome and Red. She is beautiful. She can not be replaced. She was and is one of a kind. She was and remains special. She is in my blood. Something else really worries me. If I feel this way about an inanimate object; how will I feel when Douglas begins to decline with age and eventually passes from my life? With all that being said you can compare the two machines yourself. They are below:

CHILLHOWIE LAKE AND A "BOARING" DAY

Today would normally be a Big Red day but she's in the hospital so I decided to cruise Chillhowie Lake in search of a great camp spot. I'm not even sure it is permissible to camp on that lake as it is in such close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I think its alright. I leave no traces from my campsites anyway. I noticed a spot from the lake where a divide might exist between two foothills and headed over to see what I could find out. As the boat drew closer to the two hills a cove entrance appeared. It was narrow and appeared interesting enough to investigate. If only the water depth would hold. The boat entered and the water depth held until I touched bottom with the boat in one foot of water. The nose of the boat was on dry land. Great! Ahead lay a very shaded flat area that was raised above the water level at least two feet. Huge boulders were present with plenty of tent spaces. The overhanging foliage would hide the boat even in the daytime. Perfect. I tied the boat off and Douglas, the world famous adventurous Golden Retriever, and I disembarked to walk up a deserted logging path to the right side of the potential camp area. The path gained altitude very quickly. The views to the left were beautiful because there was a little stream that meandered among large boulders there. It would disappear and reappear among the rocks and trees. We kept climbing. I noticed the dried leaves along the path were turned over as if turkeys had scratched through them as turkeys do. If it were turkeys, it was a lot of them because they scratched leaves clear into the forest on both sides of the path for twenty or thirty feet. Douglas and I rounded a ninety degree turn to the left when we both stopped in amazement. There, not twenty feet ahead, stood two wild Boar's routing along the trail. Black as coal. They did not immediately hear us walking. They twisted around to face us in an instant. Low grunts from the larger Boar made the hair on my neck stand up. I grabbed Douglas's collar in an instant to hold him. Funny thing; he wasn't pulling at all. But I wanted to take no chances. They would kill him surely if they could. Both Boar stared at Douglas for a count of one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. Then they turned in a flash and bolted away through the brush. Their black backs would appear and disappear from time to time as they would come out of the thick shrub and cross a short opening in the forest. They could be heard crashing through the woods for the next five minutes. They ran directly away from us and turned up hill a hundred feet away. We could hear them until they went completely over the top and down the other side. I still held Douglas by the collar and turned back down the path toward the boat. He would turn his head a couple time to look back over his shoulders and then he let it all go and became calm and compliant. At the boat, he swam in the cool mountain water. I untied the boat and called "Douglas; Come!) He instantly swam to the boat and lept in to take his place on the point. I took only Douglas today because I wanted "one on one" time with him. Happy stayed home. Its funny how things work. If I had taken Happy; the whole scenerio would have been very different. I could not have grabbed both dogs by their collars at once and the Boar is not afraid to exert lethal energy in his defense. What a day! Pictures of this were impossible because I had my hands full with Douglas and only a short time to access the situation. Pigs are faster then either Douglas or myself. Camera's were not at the top of my list of things to worry about. Now if Happy were along, we may have never had the encounter. She is a Yippie Yappie little thing when playing. Today is just another memory............ This sign is located on the opposite side of the lake from where Route 129 runs. It is the reason the land here is pristine and without litter. There are no beer cans and soda cans strewing the countryside. There are no McDonald food bags and associated french fry containers laying about everywhere. All that stuff is on the Route 129 side of the lake where road pull offs are located for tourists.

The camping spot I have been looking for lies directly between those two hills ahead. There is a cove there that leads to a beautiful shaded flat area that starts ascending after a two hundred foot walk away from the lake. The area is in a photo directly below. I must do an overnighter here. I hope Wild Boars sleep at night.

This is the camping area I have been looking for. The lake to the immediate left has ideal docking possibilities. And the land is flat with beautiful rock formations in the cliff sides. Great place. I took this snap shot from the old deserted logging path that Douglas and I walked onto the two Boars.

There are many lakes in Tennessee but none more primitive looking than Chillhowie

I love to just creep along beside the lake banks. There are so many things to see. Snakes, turtles, birds, deer among just a few. It is shaded here and many of the daytime creatures are active under the shade of the foliage

This is the view one has when coming down Abrams Creek toward the main lake. Ahead is the overpass for route 129.

This little deserted boat ramp is closed down. I don't know why because it is a perfect little creation and blends well with the scenery. No one seems to ever go here. The ramp has a gate closed at the top of it and can not be used. There is a little floating dock that is of great quality and construction. The only one I have ever seen here is a TWRA Officer and that was last year.

ANOTHER DAY WITH BOAT AND DOGS

I know this is beginning to look like a dog blog, but I don't intend it to be. I enjoy their company and their shenanigans. I wanted to go up the Blue Ridge Parkway and camp at Mt Mitchel overnight on my days off. But an unexpected problem with Big Red has postponed that little excursion. The part is ordered and I will have her back on the road by next Sunday. She has seventy two thousand miles on her chassis and things are expected to wear out and fail. Hence, a new rear brake caliper is on order.

I'm baby sitting a little black dog named Pancake this week, so I thought I would load her up with Happy and the Golden Dog and boat down Tellico Lake in search of a suitable island to camp on next week. Pancake is a sweet being and stays on top of me at all times. I specifically select islands for camping because of the peace of mind I have over the safety of my dog friends. Douglas is a powerful swimmer but will not go through the effort of swimming across a large expense of water just for the sake of expanding his play territory. We have been parked here now for an hour and each dog is totally enjoying the day running, chasing each other and swimming. They are interesting to watch. Again, it makes me happy to see them happy. I feel so sorry for the dogs I see on the end of a chain tied to a tree or pole. It is heart breaking. Their entire lives are spent in that small confine of a fifteen foot circle. How absolutely appalling! I look at the friends I have with me today and I think how fortunate I am that they think enough of me to want to stay near me. I am honored by that.

Happy has now overcome her fear of water and has become a strong swimmer herself. She is a smart little girl, but has a habit of being a yippee, yappy little thing at play. That's ok I guess. She's having fun. I do not see as many woodland creatures as I would like when she is along.

This is a great spot I have found here. It is back in a shallow cove off the main lake. An opening exists directly in front of the boat allowing a view of grass that leads up to a dense wooded area. The foliage is green as green can be. An occasional Gar fish takes a fly from the surface of the lake from time to time. The Gar is an amazing fish. It is ancient. A long, narrow muzzle snout lined with needle sharp teeth top and bottom protrudes from a slender head, eyes located forward and to the front of the skull. It is a predator and lurks in warm water under overhanging trees and shrubs. The Gar are taking flies from the surface today for some reason. I am certainly not an expert but I thought them to be meat eaters. Well, I know they are. But, I wasn't aware they reacted to insects. I guess they are opportunistic like any other fish when it comes to dining.

The sun is high and hot. I have put the top up on the boat and a very slow breeze is gently blowing through. This is delightful. Douglas is slowly swimming in circles and Happy is---------------rolling in the mud! NO! "Happy, get your --- out of there".!!!! Oh well, got to wash the boat anyway in a couple days.

Days like this are important to me. They let me regroup and "get it back together." I have a great job. Over the past year it has become a lot more stressful because the business has grown so fast and operational requirements must advance with the progress of the business. Procedures are instituted and tested. Some are complicated. When one thinks about it; standing on your feet ten hours a day, talking to a hundred different people, discussing all aspects of Harley Davidson Motorcycles and explaining the same features of the same bikes day after day and dealing with all the different personalities on the planet, takes a toll after five days. I didn't and won't get into the paperwork and finance of selling a twenty five thousand dollar motorcycle. But there is a constant grinding that works on a fellow and a break in the action is necessary. We, in sales, have been allowed a "three day off" per week break from all this. It is wonderful. So, days like this are not just fun. They are a requirement. People often criticize me for being so particular with my boat or motorcycle when it comes to maintenance and perfection of workmanship. I am that way because I want them both ready and available when I need to unwind. They are my magic carpets. I escape on them. I have done so today with my friends.

I have adventures planned for every week. Big Red's problem was totally unexpected or I probably would have been with her today. I will document the next Blue Ridge Parkway ride thoroughly. I have need to go to my home in Pennsylvania shortly and I shall drive the Parkway end to end during that ride. Other adventures include my search for river otters and beaver, using the boat as well as a boat camping trip on Cumberland Lake in Kentucky. Also, folks are not aware that Tennessee has an enormous refuge that is home to elephants that have been rescued from the torture and inhumane treatment of circus handlers and zoos. It lies West of Nashville. It is a huge area and elephants can not be readily viewed. But it is worthy of a ride there on Big Red to investigate. Reelsfoot Lake, located in the extreme North West territory of Tennessee is on the list of rides for Big Red also. Hopefully, I can supply you with interesting stories and photographs in the future. For now, it's dog days. Literally!

The sun is big and the lake surface is like a mirror. It is so smooth I can see the little circles under an insect's feet as it touches down onto the surface from flight. Wonder how many under water predator eyes have caught his delicate landing? I guess even the fish are asleep. The little insect is still there. The gentle movement of the boat coupled with water noises is soothing. I think I'll lay down on the floor and catch a few winks. Below are some photos of Happy, Douglas and my guest, Pancake. Look at Happy go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh man! This is rough! Don't know if I can stand the pressure....

I believe I've found the island we will camp on next week.

Happy spends most of her time in this position. I don't know why it is but my dog friends like to have their paws right on the edge.

This is a great boat for doing what I like to do. She's not fancy, but she's got what it takes

I love it!

These lakes have sights to see at every turn. Here are the supports for what appears to be a bridge that went to nowhere. Theres nothing over there but forests. Seriously speaking though-it was a bridge before TVA flooded all this property. The bridge was demolished eons ago.

Happy appears to be confused as to our placement on the lake. She's always confused. This is the dog who can't tell a coyote from a canine friend.

Heading down the lake with my motley crew. Douglas, as usual, is at the point

The magic carpet with the sun shade up

is the area we hung out in for a few hours today. Delightful place.

Here is a terrible picture of the Gar I mentioned earlier. Between my inability to decide weather to catch it or photograph it combined with parallax produced this miserable photo. But it was long. Very long. I'll get a better shot of this species. I promise. I'm talking six feet long

This little black dog's name is Pancake. She is another rescue dog. I'm having her as a guest for this week. She loves boating and the water. Fits right in.

I'll tell ya. There are three happy dogs!

Pancake gets in on the play action. I may have printed this photo below also. I like it allot.

Pancake is a very small dog and she has troubles climbing back onto dry land after swims. The bank is slick

"Hang on Happ; I'll get you back to dry land"

Happy is a pretty fair retriever herself---------well-----sort of.

Hanging out with Douglas has given Happy the desire and motivation to take to the water

The dynamic duo at hard play

These guys are too much

All that swimming and playing got to him. A gentle breeze wafting over the deck and the sound of water lapping against the boat is too much to resist

What a handsome guy!

"Climb aboard and hang on Happy. I'll get you back to dry land"

This is an amazing little dog. She is smart as a tack. Loves the water

Happy is a Terrier of sorts. Terriers are not really noted for turning into great swimmers. Her desire to be with Douglas overpowers her desire to stay on the dry land.

Talk about team work! Give me a break. This is so cute I couldn't pass up the picture

Happy has become quite an accomplished swimmer. Look at her go!

What a pair!!

Douglas has his paws full with Happy

They struggled over this stick for over twenty minutes. Constant running and swimming. Endless energy.

What great fun! Out in the middle of nowhere and having all this wonderful entertainment. I'm very lucky.

A hard day of swimming, chasing friends and swimming, and chasing friends and swimming. Whew! A gentle breeze wafts across the deck and Douglas can't keep his eyes open.

He's so handsome!