The Teamster Five-O

Sad days for this Teamster

2012-01-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

November 9, 1928
January 16, 2012

Rest in Peace Dad

You will always be Loved.....Never be forgotten.....

HELPING MOM ON MOM’S DAY

2010-05-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone. I know I haven’t blogged since the Five-0 tour, but it seemed senseless to post the Five-1 tour.

I’m at my Mom’s on Mother’s day and she wanted me to help her load Live Writer onto her computer and I’m showing her how my writer works.

I hope all is well with all you bloggers in the world and happy mothers day to all.

waterfalls

El Capitan

These are a few pictures that Katherine took while we were in Yosemite..

WHAT A GREAT FATHER'S DAY

2009-06-23T11:38:00.001-07:00

To grow up and be best friends with you're father is a blessing; to grow up and be best friends with your grown sons is the only thing that comes close to that feeling.

After a long day at the office on Friday, I drove up to Rancho Cordova to visit with my dad for an early father's day. Michael was there along with Dawn and Dave, Michelle and Mom.

After a good night's sleep on Friday night, Michael and I left Sacramento early Saturday morning for a 9 hour drive to Boise Idaho to visit with son Steven and spend father's day with the boys. It's 566 miles from Michael's to Boise and another 45 or so to Mt. Home. We chose to stay in Boise since there is so much more to do there. We arrived around 3, found a place to stay, then went to dinner. Sunday we had Father's day breakfast and Steven drove us out to his special camping spot (through rain and hail), then back to Boise for a little NASCAR, golf and visiting at the local Buffalo Wings sports bar. Then we headed back to the hotel, Steven had to leave back to Mt. Home for a haircut and Michael and I just rested up for the drive home on Monday morning...

It was fun, insightful, and heartwarming to spend the weekend with the boys.

I'm very proud of my sons and love them very much. Michael....thanks for sharing the ride out there....Steven....thanks for showing us around and I'll see you guys soon....Love..Dad..

2009-06-20T13:05:00.001-07:00

The reunion tour?...no...michael and i are visiting steven in boise idaho for fathers day...more to follow

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OH HOW I MISS THE TOUR

2009-06-10T08:03:00.001-07:00

Reality has set in. After my first week back at work (a 60 hour work week by choice) the reality of not being on the tour has set in. I feel very fortunate to have my job at YRC. Like I've posted before click here , I enjoy my job plus I have decent pay with excellent benefits. With layoffs, pay cuts (me included), furloughs, and unemployment at the highest it's been in 25 years, I am fortunate. However, not everything is rosy in Teamsterville. The company has suspended pension payments and the union has agreed to open negotiations on our contract. This usually means more concessions. I won't know until the weekend what the proposal will be, but in this economic environment, does it really matter?

Although it's only been 10 days since I was golfing, riding, and in the mist of "the tour", it feels like forever and I need a vacation...

BALDING????

2009-06-04T16:38:00.001-07:00

OR BALD?...

I'LL COUNT THE VOTES IN A WEEK.....

Its over...

2009-06-01T03:56:00.001-07:00

Its over...

TIME

2009-05-31T09:52:00.001-07:00

Time travels at an exact pace every second of every day. Why then does time travel at different speeds in different era's of our lives?

The concept of time speed entered my life at a young age. Time traveled so slowly the days before Christmas or just before a birthday party. I remember painfully watching the second hand on the clock tick away while in elementary school for the recess or "end of the day" bell to ring. Remember being 12? I"d tell everyone when I was 12 and a half on the way to that magic age of teenager? The month before I got my driver's license seems like eternity. I remember "older" people telling me of just the opposite. Time went by too fast. I didn't get it. Time will never go by too fast.....

My 20's were somewhat of a blur. There are parts of that decade that I don't even remember. So I will discount time speed through that era of my life. However, the years from 30 to 49 have been the fastest 19 years of my life. It appears that those "older" folks were correct.

As everyone who's read this blog over the last couple of months know that I turned 50 on April 30th and as "The Tour" is coming to a close.....I am astonished on how much faster time speed is post-50 relative to pre-50.

These last 30 days only seem like about 22 or 23 days....

Will retirement come that fast or does the perception of time speed revert back to a crawl?

BROTHERS

2009-05-28T23:52:00.001-07:00

The face of a brother changes as one grows up. I have two brothers and two sisters. This post is about my brothers Mike and Paul. I had the honor of spending the last 4 days with them golfing, eating, laughing, talking, celebrating birthdays, "the tour" and bonding.

It wasn't always like this though. Not because we weren't close, but you can only be so close when ages differ. The oldest of us is Mike. He is 53. He graduated from high school 4 years prior to me and then served in the Air Force for 19 years. I was 13 when he left. I'm the next one and everyone knows (or should know) that I am 50. Then there is Paul. He is 4 years younger than me and 8 years younger than Mike; so he was about 9 years old when Mike entered the Air Force and was about 15 when I moved out of the house. I think that much of Paul's childhood was somewhat like an only child. Paul graduated from high school 4 years after me and 8 years after Mike. I put an emphasis on graduation dates to manifest the fact that none of us shared common friends or era's in school that some brothers closer to age might share.

However the difference in age or distance apart, I always felt we were "close from afar" There were parts of our lives in which we physically lived close over the last 30 years, so it's not like we haven't seen each other. Mike lived near Sacramento at the same time I did for a while and Mike and Paul lived in North Dakota together for a while. I now live in Tracy, California. Paul lives just north of Gulfport Mississippi. Mike lives just outside of Pensacola Florida. The Milton Open was very competitive but so much fun. I love my brothers very much and I am thankful we had these 4 days to share and to remember.

Thanks Paul for making the journey and thanks Mike for having us...(and thanks Wendy for tolerating us)

We are hoping to make this an annual visit....the three brothers (or stooges as some may call)

I'M REALLY "NOT"

2009-05-27T20:04:00.001-07:00

One of those people who blog about food...But this was too good to pass up. Brother Mike made ribs for dinner and Brother Paul is enjoying is pre-birthday feast with us..

Note the sponsorship in the tip picture...

IT WAS ALL BUSINESS TODAY

2009-05-27T16:48:00.001-07:00

Today was the final round of the "Milton Open" and it was all business. Although there was a little bit of laughter and bonding, the mood was much more serious. There were no camera's, no phone calls, no helpful tips to improve each other's game.....Today "it was on".......

Let me set the stage for today. After yesterday's round of "round robin" scramble, brother Mike and brother Paul asked me if I wanted to play a second round of the day back at Tanglewood. I'm a little competitive and I couldn't be the one to say no....We drop sister-in-law Wendy off at home and the three stooges (brothers) head off to holes 19 thru 36. Come to find out, these two "clowns" (brothers) were purposely trying to sabotage my game. You see....their goal was to tire me out and attempt to get me to "change" my game and "make adjustments" that would hamper my game for the final round to be played today. I didn't post this yesterday, but my score for the second round of yesterday was 110....I haven't shot a 110 in years and my confidence was shattered and was worried that it (or my golf game) wouldn't return in time for the final round...

We played an individual stroke play round today. The total scores for the day and the round were.

player	round 1	round 2	round 3	total
Mike	80	91	116	287
Wendy	82	91	112	285
Paul	79	89	107	275
Teamster	90	87	90	257

So as you can see...I had a pretty good day on the course..There evil plan to ruin my game to their benefit didn't work for "the brothers".....and although my competitive juices were flowing the day was thoroughly enjoyable (maybe because I won) and I hope that Mike, Wendy and Paul had fun as well..

As a side game, we also played Bingo, Bango, Bongo. A Bingo is first on the green, the Bango is the closest to the pin before putting and the Bongo is the first in the cup while playing in order. The score for the BBB was Wendy-18...Mike-15, Teamster-11 and Paul-10.....

Paul was going to go home tonight, but we've decided to go back to Stonebrook tomorrow morning and play a 4 person scramble and see how we score. It should be a relaxing day and one last opportunity to to golf before I fly home tomorrow night.....

And it's brother Paul's birthday. tomorrow....so Happy Birthday Paul....

ROUND 2 IN THE BOOKS

2009-05-26T21:22:00.001-07:00

After torrential downpours yesterday, today was a near perfect day. The sun was shining and only a slight threat of rain and/or thunderstorms. We had played yesterday at Tanglewood Golf and at Stonebrook today.

Today's format was a round robin 2 person scramble. It was a lot of fun and very competitive. The pairings for the first 6 holes was Paul/Dave vs. Mike/Wendy. Dave/Paul shot a 28 and Mike/Wendy shot a 31. The next 6 was Dave/Wendy (29) vs. Paul/Mike (30) and we finished with Mike/Dave (30) vs. Paul/Wendy (31). The final score for the day was Dave (87), Paul (89),, Mike (91) and Wendy (91). The two day total now stands at Dave (167), Paul (168), Mike (171) and Wendy (173). Tomorrow we will play as singles. The money play will be called Bing, Bang, Bong. You get one point for the first on the green, one point for the closest to the pin, and one point for first in. Your score will be calculated as a stroke play as individuals. It's kind of indicative how close our skills are and how much more the scores stay with the team concept. It's been a lot of fun so far; some good stories and quite a bit of laughter....some with each other and some at each other...I look forward to tomorrow.

There are some extremely beautiful homes on this course but many of them have these screened in pools because of the amount of mosquito's and other bugs in the area...

And for a side note....It's interesting to be in part of the southern Bible belt. In the local paper, instead of a Dear Abby column, there is an advise column by Billy Graham.

A FIRST ON THE GOLF COURSE

2009-05-25T21:13:00.001-07:00

As a golfer we always look forward to many firsts....A first Par....A first Birdie.....A first Eagle......A first chip in from the sand or from the fairway.....and hopefully someday a first Hole-in-one....

However....today was a different type of first.......

A 7. 5 HOUR ROUND......

A normal round usually takes around 4.5 to 5 hours. But we had a few delays.....

However.....Brother Paul didn't get up at 3 am and drive from Mississippi to "NOT" golf....Brother Mike didn't take 3 days vacation to "NOT" golf...and I didn't fly 2650 miles to "NOT" golf....We had all day to play and had nothing else we neither needed nor wanted to do...So we played golf..Sister-in-law Wendy and her friend Darlene joined us as well.

Brother Mike had set up a complex scoring system...For the first 9 holes it was a scramble boys against girls. The boys scored 39 and the girls scored 42 on the front. On the back nine, one of the boys had to switch to the girls team and play 3 against 2 on the back. Paul either won or lost the draw whichever way you want to look at it. So it was Paul and the girls vs. Mike and I.. On the back nine, the "girls" scored a 40 and the boys scored a 41.

Although the play was a team concept, the score was finalize as individuals.

Paul.....79...Dave and Mike.... 80....and the girls.....82...

Tomorrow will be the 3 boys and Wendy. We'll play a round robin scramble...Each of us will be on each other's team for 6 holes and then total our scored individually. Should be an interesting day....Praying for no rain....

2009-05-25T09:03:00.001-07:00

A slight delay...but not a cancellation...a slight down poor but we have all day

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FLORIDA

2009-05-24T16:58:00.001-07:00

What happens in Pensacola stays in Pensacola?....Not really. Today was travel day. I traveled 2460 miles today...although it was by plane....It was still a long day. There was a hint of thunderstorms around Houston and it made for a couple of nice "cloud" pictures.

I'm here at Mike and Wendy's hoping the rain will stop in Charlotte so NASCAR can start the race (I am in the south and it is Sunday so I need my southern spirituality)...Mike picked me up at the airport and then we had to stop by the office and he let me stand by his rig.....

Brother Paul is due to arrive early in the morning from Saucier Mississippi for what phase 3 is really about.....

GOLF!!!!!!!!!

Tonight we're just sitting in the back yard relaxing and getting a good night's rest before "THE MILTON OPEN"

PHASE 3 BEGINS....

2009-05-22T21:46:00.001-07:00

The riding portion of "the tour" is over and now Phase 3 begins...total miles ridden 4017. Even stopped to see mom and dad on the way home..and to cool off...

The Teamster flies out to Pensacola Florida to play 3 rounds of golf with brother Mike and brother Paul....maybe they will let me win for my birthday.....

Thanks everyone for following this portion of the tour...the final portion will hopefully be full of a lot of "golf trash talk" among brothers...

the map

2009-05-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

View The Teamster Five-O Tour in a larger map

BEGINNERS LUCK

2009-05-21T23:57:00.001-07:00

For those who know me....most know I'm not much of a gambler. I give myself a budget to play with and if or when that amount is gone, I just leave. If I win a little bit, it's easy for me to walk away with my meager winnings.

Now this story will sound a little familiar to my family. My mom and dad spend the winters in Yuma Arizona and one day a week they would go to the local Indian Casino for lunch and the free tokens given away to gamble with. My mom would post on her blog their weekly winnings if any were made....

Well....we check in at the Carson Valley Inn. We check in and then check out "the inn".....When we checked in they gave us complimentary $10.00 worth of gambling money....We decided to play a couple of $.25 poker machines...........and after about 10 minutes and winning and losing a few hands here and there....I hit 4 aces....bells and whistles go off.....the machine says I won 1200 coins....I sit back and sigh...no idea what I've won.... Katherine quickly does the math in her head and asks...."do you know you won 300 dollars? Not a bad day...

This is the picture of the guardian bell that my sister got me for my birthday...The bell has a story behind it and you can click here to read the story about it...Thanks Michelle for everything....

SAFE AGAIN

2009-05-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

We are safely in Mindon Nevada staying at the Carson Valley Inn. We are cleaned up and are on our way the the "Thirsty Third Thursday-Wine Walk" and follow it up with a nice dinner, a good nights sleep and the final ride home tomorrow...Many thanks to sister Michelle for setting up the room at "the inn"...Plus she gave me a guardian bell for my birthday...

BEING WATCHED OVER

2009-05-20T21:46:00.001-07:00

I'm a believer.....I believe in God....I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that the Holy Spirit is on "the tour"

It rained the day I left on May 2nd. Was he testing my faith? I don't know...All I know is after 50 miles of rain it stopped....I've just missed some pretty intense weather. For example...my day in Death Valley...100 degrees and the following day 112 degrees. My day in Flagstaff..editors note..desert songbird's comment reminded me it was Laughlin, not Flagstaff.....95 degrees and the following day 102 degrees. The day we rode from Ketchum Idaho to Boise....severe thunderstorms 2 hours before we got to Boise. On the Thursday before we arrived in Portland....they had a record "low" high for that day....The day we arrived, it was a balmy 84 degrees followed by rain the day after we left. This last weekend it was 105 degrees and 5 days later when we arrive back in the valley, the temps are suppose to be in the mid 80's.

Now today while we are riding from Yreka to Burney Falls I check not only my gas gauge but also my trip odometer and figure we have enough gas to get to Burney Falls. My gas tank holds 5.0 gallons and about 38 miles from Burney, my low fuel light comes on. I calculate it comes on about 1 gallon from empty so I should have between 40 and 50 miles. I nurse it home like a NASCAR driver with a 10 second lead with 5 laps to go....

not much to spare.

Today was a really nice day. We had breakfast with Gene and his wife(brother of Jeff from Oregon City who we had dinner with Sunday)...then rode to Burney Falls for a picnic and are now in Susanville for the night.

MT. Shasta

again

Here is the daily safety

2009-05-20T18:36:00.001-07:00

Here is the daily safety report from my phone. we are in susanville having dinner and looking for a place to stay and will post later

A LITTLE BIT OF NEEDED CULTURE

2009-05-19T22:06:00.001-07:00

After hanging out with the likes of "Brutus'", "Mumbles", "Snake", and the rest of the biker community.....and with the rif raf like Katherine, Jeff, Lisa, Star, Kidlet, Anthony, Matthew, "psycho mom" being a big part of "the tour", This Teamster was in for a much needed dose of culture.

We didn't ride far (a little more then 100 miles) and I felt the "pull" of Ashland, Oregon...I spent some time reading my bible, a little shopping and just being around the finer things in Oregon.

great book..on oprah's list.

match my eye's? those pieces are lovely....

we are in Shakespeare territory...

Tomorrow is a short ride to have breakfast with a friend, then to Burney Falls and on to hopefully Susanville or so...Thursday the tour makes a stop with Sierra Soap in G-ville for a wine walk then the final step home on Friday..

We are in ashland oregon

2009-05-19T17:26:00.001-07:00

We are in ashland oregon for the night and am having computer problems...going to see star trek...will post when computer is fixed

tonight's post from a guest host.....

2009-05-18T23:17:00.001-07:00

Hey there...katherine here. At Dave's request, I am guest posting tonight....kinda cool. Never been a guest host before.

When last we left our intrepid hero...we were on the outskirts of Portland in the lovely little town of Oregon City.

Once we determine a final destination, our modus operandi has been to find a little bar or pie shop and fire up the laptop. Most times we make friends with a couple locals. (okay...DAVE makes friends with a dozen locals.) It only takes a few minutes to learn a bit about the town and find an appropriate place to stay.

We found a great place right across the street from the river. It had a small balcony with a couple of chairs, where we could enjoy the view.

After unloading the bike and showering off the road grime. we enjoyed a bite to eat in the bar while listening to a group of locals karaoke-ing. Between the two of us we had taken about 400 photos in the past two days, and enjoyed reviewing our travels. The Columbia Gorge is simply beautiful.

The next morning we attended domestic chores...washing the clothes and washing the motorcycle. I'll leave it to you to figure out who did what.

We met up with Unc Chunk (my dear uncle, Chuck) and hung out for a few hours. After living in the Portland area for about 20 years, he and his family are preparing to move back east. He is the patriarch of my family and I am blessed to see him several times each year.

Sunday afternoon we had been invited to a BBQ at our friends' Jeff and Lisa's. Jeff's Mom was there as well as our other friends Starr and her kidlet.

They were incredibly gracious and cooked a magnificent meal. We didn't know until the middle of dinner....but it was Lisa's birthday.

Their boys, Anthony and Matthew have already signed up to go on The Teamster's next Tour.

Back at the hotel we walked along the river onto the little marina.

This morning, after breakfast we headed toward McMinnville Oregon to the Evergreen Aviation Museum, and home of the Spruce Goose.

We only toured the Aviation portion...and would love to go back to tour the Air and Space side...and see their IMAX showings.

The roads through Oregon are really beautiful. There are a variety of fields and farms and ranches. The landscape changes every fifty or so miles.

Those cows are not happy cows.

Happy Cows are from California.

Tonight we are in Roseburg, Oregon.
The Five-O tour has rolled just about 3,300 miles.

We are in mcminville oregon

2009-05-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

We are in mcminville oregon at the spruce goose museum and will probobly end up myrtle creek oregon..will post later...

GO WEST YOUNG MAN

2009-05-16T23:58:00.001-07:00

Ok....maybe not young any more, but heading west....Pendleton, Oregon is a nice little town known for it's annual Rodeo in which they expect in the excess of 100,000 people for their 100th year in September. The area use to be the largest supplier of wool products in the United States and the name for the "Pendleton" shirt.

We just hung out, ate, went to the farmer's market and relaxed.

And now we are heading west..

The ride up "the" 84, although it's freeway was a pretty nice ride and some pretty cool waterfalls....

We have way too many pictures to go through and once they are categorized, I'll post a few more. We are in Oregon City, Oregon for two days. We're meeting Katherine's uncle in the morning and then having dinner with some friends. Start heading south on Monday....Miles to date is 3070......a pretty good 50th birthday so far...

BACK TO TODAY

2009-05-15T20:11:00.001-07:00

As you can see....I had a post ready in the writer and forgot to post it. It was from day 2. It has some great pictures so I thought I'd go ahead and post-post it...

Now for yesterday and today.....we left Twin Falls Idaho for Ketchum on Thursday morning with the hope of making it to Boise, Idaho. Son Steven is stationed just outside Boise in Mt. Home but wasn't available for visit. I'll see him with son Michael for fathers day for road trip..(car)

Weather or the threat of weather hampered part of the day. The threat of thunderstorm was an issue....but with the help of the mobile internet, we managed to make it to Boise with a stop over in Fairfield Idaho to wait on some thunderboomers to pass

While in Ketchum, we stopped for a great breakfast at the Kneadery and at the grave of Hemingway...

In Ketchum

Once we made Boise, we had a nice dinner at "cool hand Luke's"

While in Fairfield, we had our first mechanical problem....It was very windy and I had placed Katherine's helmet on the seat of the bike while at a cafe and the wind blew it off and broke the plastic screw holding the face shield on.... she bravely rode all the way from Fairfield to Boise without the shield. It was a little cold and braved herself all the way there. We finally found a screw at a 'Cycle Gear" store and it's now fixed..

So we are in Pendleton, Oregon for the night...getting ready for dinner.

I want to make a side note....

While in Boise this morning, there was a pre-Memorial Day ceremony that I want to post on but am in a hurry and I want to give the post the time it deserves....Thanks to all the men and women who have given up the ultimate sacrifice and I don't want to rush through that post...

Forgot to post day 2....sorry.....

2009-05-15T19:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday what sort of an exhausting day. I had battled the rain for the first 50 miles and had put in a fairly long day, plus stayed up late visiting with Mickey and Dave.

So, I decided to make today a short day. I only logged in 200 miles. I slept until almost 9 o'clock, which is very late for me. I knew I was tired and being on the bike I am fully aware of the need to be rested. I left Teach at around 10 and ventured east and north.

The wind was pretty severe...the kind that wants to blow your helmet off. I rode east on 58 to the town of Mohave, and like the Altamount pass,has many wind mills.

From Mojave, I picked up 14 east to connect with 395 towards Lone Pine to see Mt. Whitney. Along the way, I rode through a small canyon called the Red Rock Canyon.

Now those who know me may not know that I really, really like the desert and mountainous landscape of the "east" side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The openness and the rawness of the landscape is what I enjoy.

Not far from these pictures is the city of Lone Pine and you can see Mt. Whitney from here..

can anyone tell me which is Lone Pine Peak and which is Whitney?

hope I'm not boring you.......

So....from here I head east to Death Valley with a destination of Panamint Springs, which is on the western edge of Death Valley. This will give me the opportunity to get up early and check out the sites of the Valley before it gets too hot. I was going to golf at Furnace Creek, but have decided not to because of cost and it's suppose to be 109 degrees by Tuesday. I'd rather spend that 5 hours looking at the other sites and get out to beat the heat.

These bottom two pictures were my view from dinner as the sun set on these west facing mountains east of us....

so day 2 is a success and if anyone remembers the star date numbers, please forward them to me...I'd like to date all my posts with the star date.

We are safely in pendleton

2009-05-15T17:28:00.001-07:00

We are safely in pendleton oregon....i will post tonight for sure..

Made it to boise idaho...will

2009-05-14T18:55:00.001-07:00

Made it to boise idaho...will post normal post a little later

PHASE 2

2009-05-13T18:37:00.001-07:00

Starts today. So far "the tour" has taken on 13 days of riding alone....and tonight "the tour" starts phase 2 joining me.Katherine is in flight as I type and I am safely in the hotel in Twin Falls Idaho.....

I forgot to post a post on a couple of recommendations on some pie. You see....Maggie told me to not miss the Bumble Berry pie in Zion park. When I stayed with Mickey and Dave they also mentioned it's a "do not miss" event......

So....Maggie, Mickey, and Dave....here you are

To cap this off....while I was eating the pie....NASCAR was on too..

However...Mollie's in Snowville Utah has a pretty good apple pie as well.

NOT MUCH TODAY

2009-05-12T09:02:00.001-07:00

I am staying at a friend's house in Southwest Salt Lake City Utah.

The first load of laundry (out of 2) is almost out of the washer and I'm making a list of items that I've brought with me but haven't used to UPS (ups is a verb now, like Google is a verb) back home. (Notice I use UPS.....why?.....because they are TEAMSTER) and it wouldn't be the Teamster-five O if I used fed ex ground or the post office.

I had a list of other things to do today including washing 2,000 miles of bugs and road grime off the bike. But I stopped in at Timpanogos Harley dealership in Lindon , Utah for a minor service and......they cleaned the bike complimentary.

So I think my list has shrunk to.......laundry, sleep, read, go to ups store, go see Star Trek the movie, read, sleep, and just relax.

I'll leave Salt Lake in the morning to pick up Katherine in Twin Falls Idaho and I will post an arrival post when I get there....

Made to salt lake ....321

2009-05-11T17:08:00.001-07:00

Made to salt lake ....321 miles today...2090 so far

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH

2009-05-10T17:40:00.001-07:00

Today I switched from the road to the trails....I spent all day in Zion National Park.

The first hike was the Riverside Hike. A easy 2 miler along the Virgin River that is the route to "The Narrows" which is what Zion is most famous for. Unfortunately I'm a little early in the season and the river flow was much too high.

Although the views weren't too bad.....

The Park has a great shuttle bus system. I just jumped on the shuttle from the Riverside trail head to the Hidden Canyon Trail head for the next hike.

Weeping rock...a short .5 mile hike just because....

oops..wrong pic

Now from the same trail head...a 3 miler up Hidden Canyon...And it was hard...straight up then straight down. There's a point where you hike along the edge and they have chains to hold on to in case you lose your footing.

Now it's lunch time....Well about 2 o'clock. So I have a nice lunch at the Lodge but not ready to call it quits on the hiking....I finish off with a 3 miler to the Upper Emerald Pool....Part of it was flat, but most was fairly steep....After this one I went back to the lawn area outside the lodge (where many people were loitering) and took a little nap.....

Tomorrow is back on the bike...On to Salt Lake and regroup. I need to do laundry and wash the bike

Hope all the mom's had a great mother's day and I'll check in again tomorrow...

Thanks for coming out......

A Short Day....

2009-05-09T21:35:00.001-07:00

On the bike that is...I only rode about 90 miles from Bryce Canyon to Zion. I hiked a 4 mile loop at Bryce to get a different perspective on the view. Here's a few pictures....I'm at Zion and tomorrow is the first day in 8 that I'm staying off the bike. I'm using the park shuttles all day...I have 3 hikes planned....

At Zion

2009-05-09T18:40:00.001-07:00

I'm at the hotel in Zion...editing pictures and watching the race...Tomorrow is the first day off the bike...I'll take the shuttle into the park and do some hiking...I'll post some pics of Bryce from my hike a little later...but I'm home safely for the night.

I Could Just Quit Typing

2009-05-08T21:05:00.001-07:00

But I won't.....With pictures like these (and I give the landscape and camera credit), I really don't need to post anything....but I will...I left Cameron, Arizona mid morning and rode up through Page and then to Bryce. I arrived just when I wanted (3:30) until I realized it was 4:30...Oops....I checked in (later story on that) and rode up to Bryce. They recommend that people drive all the way to the end, and then stop at view points on the way back. That way you only stop on the right side of the road and not cross traffic. I did just that and it was awesome. I'm going to go back in the morning and do a about a 3 mile hike (the Navajo-queens loop) and then off to Zion, which is about 2 hours away.

Now about the story on check in...Well, it's more about pre check in. One thing I've found about myself is that on the bike I like to know where I'm going to stay each night. It's not that I have to book rooms a week in advance, but when I'm on my way to a destination I like to know I have a place to stay. If I had my car, I could always sleep in the car. It's hard to keep the balance of not losing flexibility but not having that unsettled feeling of knowing that all the rooms in the town I'm going to are booked...

So special thanks to Katherine for being my researcher today and helping me out...It not only save me time, but gave me the comfort of knowing I have a home for the night....

I am at bryce canyon..going

2009-05-08T15:46:00.001-07:00

I am at bryce canyon..going sunset dinner and hopefully a moonlight hike..i may not post till morning but im at my destination

It's a Small World After All

2009-05-07T21:30:00.001-07:00

So I'm cruising from "Flag" to the "Canyon" on the 180. I come up upon some roadwork and our direction is stopped. There are 2 couples on different colored "Street-Glides" right in front of me. We ride together in a pack and we all stop for gas in Valle as we catch the 64. We start talking.........one guy's name is "ski" and the other is "rob"....I didn't catch the wives names........Low and behold....(Mike, Paul, and Steven) they are from Destin Florida. Destin is about an hour from where brother Mike lives and son Steven did some training at Eglin AFB at Fort Walton Beach. They invite me to ride with them to the "Canyon". Once we get there, we hang out for a few. The see me change from my riding gear into my hiking gear and we go our separate ways.....

It's a small world after all...

GRAND CANYON

2009-05-07T20:34:00.001-07:00

words can't describe it....

Just Tooling Around

2009-05-06T19:32:00.001-07:00

Today was suppose to be a short ride to Sedona with some hiking and it turned out to be a day on the bike and zero hiking.....I think I like my bike...It started out leaving Flag (as us locals call it) through Oak Creek Canyon toward Sedona. Sedona is suppose to be an area where we all feel the spiritual side of ourselves. There is an abundance of Yoga Classes as well as multiple massage parlors (the legit kind).

I find myself riding through the canyon and I've taken my jacket off for just a few miles (I almost always ride fully geared up) and the spirit moves me to make a drastic change in my life. I've learned recently that we must adapt to change...if not, life will drive us crazy. I made a change.......

You see...I've had these riding gloves since 2007 and the only time I think about this annoying tab/label is when it's flapping in the wind while I'm riding....wellllllllll....life is about change....

You can see the twisting of the road in this pic.........

The ride to Sedona was pretty awesome. However there is very little roadside shoulder to pull over on a bike to take pictures and every paid stop is about 8 dollars each...not one total...I could have bought a pass, but didn't...I just found places to stop and take snapshots. My take on Sedona is that it's incredible landscape, but I'm not into the touristy shopping and didn't even stop in town.

Now I'm getting hungry and the guy at the gas station recommends the "Barking Frog Grille". I get the Buffalo Burger...never had one...had to try it

Now I'm feeling like a massage.(remember I'm in Sedona)..I'm not very good at yoga. So I ask the bartender where's there a good place for a massage...Come to find out there is Namti. I ride on over and they can get me an hour massage for 45 dollars in 15 minutes. The girl at the counter says HE"LL be done with his current massage by then....For those who know me (and those who don't)....no guy is going to massage me....I even have a female doctor.....no way...no how...never....(and I rarely say never)...But wait....they have a school in Prescott (pronounced by us as Prescuit...no "O" in Prescott)....but not until 4:45 and I'd be 100 miles to Flag (Flagstaff Paul)....I've got nothing else better to do, so I ride through Jerome (which is this little town on top of the mountain). I just ride through and make it into Prescott hoping the school may have a cancellation and I can get my massage....Not to be...no biggie....I tool around downtown Prescott for an hour and head on back....

On the way back to Flag, I stop on a freeway interchange for a soda and a snack and saw this on top of a post...Have I mentioned how many Germans are here renting Harley's and littering? Damn Germans...

Another day on the "Tour"....Paul...I'm heading to "the canyon" tomorrow

Back at the monty 'v'...a

2009-05-06T18:06:00.001-07:00

Back at the monty 'v'...a day of tooling around sedona turned into about 200 miles through jerome and prescuit...locals dont pronounce the O in Prescott...It's like biscuit....

A Leisure Day

2009-05-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

Today was a short easy 235 mile or so ride. My goal when I left Tracy was to attempt to avoid the interstate as much as possible. Today I traveled as much as I could on the old Route 66.

I have more pictures then words today. They are an important part of today's post. As recommended by Mickey and Dave, I went from Laughlin to Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is famous for many things click here. It was definitely worth the ride.

I had lunch at the Oatman hotel and the entire wall of the restaurant and bar are full of stapled dollar bills. The bartender told me there were 60,000 of them and they have them insured.

Now there are 60,001. From Oatman I rode to Kingman on the old 66 and ran into some more landscape pictures (but not too many)

The rest of the day was uneventful. I finished up as far as I could on 66 and ended up in Flagstaff late afternoon..I'm staying at the Hotel Monte Vista in downtown on recommendation from a German guy I met in Death Valley. Then I stopped at the Harley shop in Williams AZ and the parts guy is a bartender here on weekends. I'm staying put for 2 nights. Tomorrow is going to be short ride and hopefully some hiking. I'm going to take the scenic route from Flagstaff to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon.

And as a side note...my odometer shows about 1050 miles so far....about what I thought I'd average...

In flagstaff and getting a

2009-05-05T17:56:00.001-07:00

In flagstaff and getting a room..1056 miles so far

Beat the Heat....Beat the Heat.

2009-05-04T22:25:00.001-07:00

Sorry big brother Mike, but I couldn't stop and smell all the roses. I had the need to beat the heat. I knew it was going to be over 100 degrees in "the valley" (us locals call Death Valley "the valley") and it was suppose to be warm all the way to Laughlin, Nevada. Not only did I want to prevent myself from over heating, but my bike as well (it's air cooled)....So I pulled out of Panamint Springs around 7:30.

But the high lights were many. I made it about .9 of a mile before I had to stop and take a picture. This is the road I was on and the surrounding landscape.

I had to bypass the Mosaic Canyon. It was a 3 mile ride down a dirt hill and I was unsure of the quality of the road. My first stop was the Death Valley Visitors Center ("the valley"). I walked around for a few minutes.

From there I rode down to an 8 mile one way road called "Artists Drive" Every corner was a photo op and I stopped many times. It was an amazing 8 mile ride.

Now for some golf...

And finally

Stop for gas and a soda

and for a new putter and lunch in Baker

and finished up in Laughlin Nevada at the River Palms hotel. Laughlin on the Colorado River and sits on the Nevada/Arizona border. The River Palms is a casino and has weekday rooms for $19.99 and I put $5.00 into a video poker machine and cashed out $20.00.

Tomorrow is on to Flagstaff. I'm hoping to ride most of the way on the old Route 66.....

Quick post for those who

2009-05-04T17:51:00.001-07:00

Quick post for those who worry...im in laughlin checking in. I will post later tonight hopefully

Captains log, star date.........

2009-05-03T19:43:00.001-07:00

So the "tour begins......with rain...It rained about 50 miles into Gustine, then stopped. Isn't technology great? Katherine took these pics and emailed them to me for posting....

My 100 mile marker was in Mendota, which is a small farm town in highway 33.

From Mendota, I zig-zagged across the valley and ended up in Bakersfield. Took 99 to a turnoff for the city of Edison and rode the back way into Tehachapi. This gave me the opportunity to see the world famous Tehachapi Loop, which is a train passage that runs under itself into a loop then out the back way. It' pretty cool to watch.

I don't know if you can enlarge this, but in not, sorry

Finished the day in Tehachapi and visited with Mickey Parks, who is the sister of a friend that I grew up with. Mickey just retired from the Dept. or Corrections and her husband Dave still has about 4 more years to work (also in Corrections). I hadn't seen Mickey in about 25 years and it was fun to catch up with her and meet Dave. He works a swing shift and they were leaving at midnight for vacation up in Washington state and were generous enough to let me stay there by myself. In fact.....I even made the kids list of things to do...

Normally I'm hoping to post at night, but last night I was too busy visiting to post. Thanks for showing me how to do a quick post from my phone so everyone know I'm safe for the night.

I'm safe for the night on Sunday in Panamint Springs which is in Death Valley. It's a one horse 16 unit hotel with camp ground and I'm going to go eat dinner and will post today's post in a little while...

oh.....and I'll try to play with the map of my trip as well later on...

For those who worry about

2009-05-02T18:35:00.001-07:00

For those who worry about me being all alone....i made it to tehachapi and am visiting with mickey...will post later...300 miles on da

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,3, 2, 1, there's been a delay

2009-05-02T09:32:00.001-07:00

It looks like this Teamster is going to miss his countdown....Is that due to what those "union bashers" call union "work ethic"?....No...this Teamster is a very good worker and has much respect from not only his peers from from those in Management.

I'm going to be late on countdown because I CAN. You see, I'm on vacation and can come and go as I please. Although I don't like being late, I'm finishing up on some packing (decided to not take the camp gear) and trying to dodge the little rain/drizzle. If I wait all day though, I'll never leave. Mickey and Dave from Tehachapi told me it's not raining down their way, so I just need to head south.

I've heard many a comments/suggestions from family and friends to be careful, ride safe, etc. I understand that many people worry about me while on this trip. I'll be on the bike, I'll be alone for the first part of the trip, and I'll be in the desert southwest. And I know that I want to be 'free" from worry, live in the moment, I promise I will do a good job of not only posting the fun stuff, but also post a "I made it safe" daily. If I think I will be in an area for a day or two without internet, I'll let Katherine know and she will put up a post for me..

and Michael J...I'm not cooking, but I won a picnic set/ice chest that fits in the side bag and I'm keeping water and soda and snack in it since some of my ride is in the desert....

What to Bring and What to Leave

2009-05-01T20:42:00.001-07:00

As the countdown nears zero and the rain keeps dripping, I have a few decisions to make before tomorrow morning. In my previous post about the "bikers" of the past and "bikers" of today, it's easy to bring too much gear.

My side bags will be full of camera and ice chest.

My luggage rack has my tri-pod and my camping gear in a duffel bag.

My tour pack has a soft bag full of clothes.

I have state of the art Kevlar riding pants. The material was designed by NASA and in many ways is stronger than leather. It has hip and leg pads and is vented. But I need to decide whether to wear my riding pants or my chaps. I'll take a vote and you all can help me decide.

You see, I don't have room for underwear and have to ride commando. With my riding pants on, I'm relatively safe. With chaps on, I'm as risk of leather burn on the back and wind burn on the front....

Living in the Moment

2009-04-30T12:37:00.001-07:00

Although it's a cliche", I truly believe people need to Live in the Moment. Although I'm definitely one to plan, in recent times I've really tried to enjoy the now instead of worrying too much about the future. I have a 3 year and 7 year plan of what I want for the next part of my life and I cannot panic by the fact that those plans are in constant change and adjustment. The 50th tour will be a lesson in "living in the moment"

I have a 3 week motorcycle ride in which the only place I need to be is in or around Salt Lake City around Mother's day to pick up Katherine and back in Sacramento by May 23rd.

You see.....I've extended the 50th birthday tour. My younger brother Paul (from Saucier, Ms) and my older brother Mike (from Milton Fl) have invited me to the Pensacola area for 3 days of golf. So I've submitted another 2 days of vacation and in addition to Memorial day and 2 sick days, the tour goes into a 4th week.

pensacola 2008

I may have the edge since I don't drink

Born to be Wild

2009-04-27T17:50:00.001-07:00

Move over Peter Fonda, I'm climbing aboard. And I'm not riding Bitch.

People can separate us real bikers from those wannabe's by terminology used. Us Real Bikers use words like "shovel head", "knuckle head" "pan head" . We put all of our stuff in a checker board pattern hobo bag. We ride with the wind with nothing in our way but the open road.

Wannabe's use terms like "Road Glide", "Electra Glide Classic", "Touring Bike", "Geezer Bike". They use "pizza boxes and tour pack racks. They use Garmin GPS units..

I ride a "Street-glide-HEAD"

My question is how is this "real biker" going to get all this shit in my little hobo bag?

plus the rest of my stuff....tent, sleeping bag, underwear, socks, shirts, tooth paste, razor. The pile is going to get bigger as the week moves on.

The Teamster Turns 50

2009-04-26T10:31:00.001-07:00

Well....sort of... Although my actual birthday is April 30th, my family held a 50th birthday celebration for me last night. In addition, we celebrated Mom's birthday as well (her's was on the 8th of April). Those in attendance were Mom, Dad, Michael, Oliver, Dawn, Dave, Nikki, Katherine (niece), Katherine (girlfriend) , Gwen, Hayden and Dylan.

I'd like to thank everyone for the cards plus Mom, Dad, Michael, Steven, Dawn, Dave, Nikki, and Katherine chipped in and got me a gift certificate from Elk Grove Harley for $400.00. I was pleasantly shocked and thankful.

Over the next couple of

2009-04-24T19:30:00.001-07:00

Over the next couple of days im going to be practicing posts directly from my phone. Some in text and some In picture form

Bald or Balding

2009-04-22T09:15:00.001-07:00

We all have defining moments in our life. ...

One of many defining moments in my life was on a warm summer day in early June of 1993....Michael was 12 and Steven was 10. I was a little league coach and on the school site council for the local elementary school. I always had a baseball hat on.....You see......since I was about 23, I have been "balding". One day at the barber shop getting a haircut, something felt funny while the barber was clipping away. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something didn't seem or feel right. As he turned my chair around, low and behold...he had cut me a comb over. I was ephen 25 years old and this old man cuts my hair and my part is 1/4 inch above my ear....he says "hey mac, it's about time you face the facts"...my reply was "hey mac, you need to face the facts that you look like a moron with your comb over"...I just told him to "butch" it...I spent the next decade with the constant baseball cap on, hiding my balding head, and no one really knew I was "balding" except family and a few close friends.

Fast forward to 1993. I'm 34 years old and have been wanting to shave my head for the past few months....The boys and I were living in Rio Linda California. The same one that Rush Limbaugh has always made fun of. It is somewhat of a "rural", "crank cooking" "hell's angels" type of area. My son's did NOT want me to shave....They thought the kids at school would associate me with "skinheads". I respected their wishes until one day......they gave me the OK...I guess they had been talking with each other and I was well known enough in the community that nobody would think I was any type of "skin head".

So I shaved. It was an instant transformation from "Balding" to "Bald" I INSTANTLY liked the way I looked. My confidence zoomed. I have rarely had a baseball hat on since. I do wear a hiking/fishing type hat to protect from sun burn, but never wear a hat to cover up my 'balding" look.

As everyone knows, I'm starting my 50th birthday tour in about a week and will be away from family and friends for almost a month. What a perfect opportunity to grow my hair back. (take notice that I use the term "hair", as in singular, because there's not much of it)

Depending on how the itch feels under my helmet, I may come home from my trip with a "full" head of hair..

DEE-SELL-HER-HATE-STUPID

2009-04-13T19:19:00.001-07:00

That's going to be my custom made license plate.

I am a professional driver. I ride a motorcycle. I watch Nascar. This makes me qualified to post on the subject of stupid ephen drivers.

I don't suffer from Road Rage; however I sometimes suffer from Road Frustration.

I'm a very safe driver while at work. I represent the company while driving and understand the importance of "big rigs" driving in a safe and courteous manner.

I'm an extremely safe motorcycle rider. I use many of my "big rig" habits while on my bike. I make eye contact with those around me, I watch the on ramps for cars entering the freeway, plus I only ride my bike for recreation, not for commute.

I have learned quite a bit from Nascar. I watch the likes of Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin race with the classiest of them all. I've learned the art of gracefully wrecking friends and foes alike from Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. I use the term "bump draft the mother epher into the wall" and "you're not going to pass me on my right asshole"....but I consider myself a safe driver.

Here is my problem. The Highway Patrol spends too much time making sure people have their seat belts on (if someone wants to be thrown from their vehicle, it's the Darwin system of elimination). They pull people over for talking on their cell phones and write them a 20 dollar ticket.

In my humble opinion, this is what they should be focusing on.

1. Tail gating. Everyone thinks that "speed" kills. It does not...Tail gating kills. If someone is driving 100 miles an hour and leave themselves room to react to changing conditions, they'd be fine. If that same someone is driving 50 miles an hour while riding the 3 feet from the car in front of them, and the car in front of them drives over debris, that person doesn't have time to react. Highway Patrol should be targeting and ticketing tail gaters.

2. Taking away someone's safety zone. This happens to me at least once a day. While driving my "big rig" and leaving plenty of space between me and the car in front of me (the tail gate issue), a car will cut in front of me and take away that safety zone. Often cars will do that just before and exit and almost hit the front of my vehicle as they cut across 2 lanes of traffic to make the exit instead of waiting the 12 seconds to stay in back of me and exit.

3. Lane selection; if you want to drive 3 or more miles per hour below the speed limit, stay in the right hand lane.....you should be targeted and ticketed.

4. Although my number 4 is probably the least dangerous, it's the one that pisses me off the most. Drivers have lost the art of decelleration. Cars will be travelling 10 to 20 miles and hour faster then the car in front of them and instead of letting their foot off the gas to adjust their speed, they keep up the faster pace until they have to slam on their brakes to avoid ramming the slower car in front of them.....Putting on your brakes on the interstate is dangerous....and should be targeted and ticketed.

Thanks to all those who read this for the "vent" and stay the eph out of my way...........

I'm a buyer, not a shopper

2009-04-08T19:35:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer....this is still practice. I'm wanting to be proficient at blogging before my trip.

On of my favorite sayings is "success isn't measured by what we have, but by what we can live without"

For those who don't know me, I would describe myself as a frugal person. I don't spend a lot of time shopping and usually make a purchase as a buyer, not a shopper. I research what I need, find the best value and when I go to the store, I make a purchase (quick strike and get out with little or no damage) I very, very rarely buy things on impulse. I buy things for need instead of want; mainly because there isn't a lot I want and very little I need. I try to make purchases for quality instead of quantity. I don't buy the cheapest nor the most expensive and I don't shop at Wal Mart.

Recently I made two purchases which is a lot for me. Here is an example of what I do for me...

this is an aftermarket windshield for my motorcycle. It's only 2 inches taller than the stock one, but has a unique design to push more of the wind over my head instead right at my torso.

12 8 packs for only 20 dollars. on sale at save mart for 2 dollars each, plus I grabbed 4 packs that had a dollar coupon for every 3 8 packs.

A New Skill

2009-04-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

As per suggestion and encouragement, I need to have my camera with me more often. My regular camera is a Nikon D 70. It's a little big to carry around in some places, and illegal for me to carry onto some military bases, Lawrence Livermore Lab, and Sandia Lab (a couple of Dept. of Energy work sites) that I deliver to. When I go to these places, the guards do a thorough search of my truck and would confiscate my camera or not allow me to enter their facility.

Periodically I'll sent a work situation picture from my phone. So I decided to take a couple pictures of my usual "Tuesday" night gig. I enjoy the game of racquetball and I've recently had the opportunity to play with a friend (captain Dave). He lives and works about 25 minutes from me and we alternate locations to play. One week we play in my town and the next week in his town. Both of us are pretty competitive and we play extremely hard for 5 games. Last week I won 3 of 5, this week "Captain" Dave won 3 of 5. Here is a picture that I took and a couple that Dave took of me...

Another blog skill learned and practiced. Plus this post only took about 10 minutes to create...

Technorati Tags: cell phone pics,racquetball,captain dave

I got distracted

2009-04-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Not by being busy, but by my reason for this blog. Someone from another blog had written on the subject of unions. I replied, but felt the responsibility to post my own philosophy on whether unions are needed in this economy.

After 4 days of careful research and deep soul-searching, I realized that my reason for blogging was for my trip, not to become a writer. I was spending too much time writing the perfect post when my goal is to be able to write from the road and write quickly.

I'm writing this post from the "Byron Inn Cafe" during my lunch and break from work (negotiated by the Teamsters). In fact, I wrote it in about 12 minutes...had to eat my sausage and home fries...

A Typical Weekend

2009-03-31T12:04:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in my "virgin" post, the main purpose of this blog is to keep a record and to share my "50th birthday tour" with everyone/anyone who is interested. In addition, it's a way to let everyone know that I've made my daily destination without the need for me to "call anyone when I get there" This last weekend of activities gives me a perfect opportunity to practice my future blogging.

This past weekend followed a somewhat short work week. Although I worked 5 days, I only worked 49 hours. My normal work week is around 53-60 hours a week. Work is a little slow because of the economy.

Friday started out by picking up Katherine at the Ace Station in Tracy. From the station, we drove up to Stockton (about 25 minutes for those who don't know the area) for an emergency "stewards" meeting at "The Hall"

Saturday started out with the usual crutches ( A gallon of "Peet's" coffee for Katherine and an 8 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper for me)

in the saddle bag of the bike.

Now we're off to meet some friends for a motorcycle ride. The destinations are multiple and not too far apart.

First stop is Perko's for a light breakfast and meet up with the group (notice I don't use the term "gang").

Second stop is meeting up with "Manual" and "Duke" in Farmington which is a small farming community.

After a beautiful ride through the rolling foothills of farmland in central California, we arrive Knights Ferry for a re-enactment of a Civil War battle along with one of the oldest covered bridges west of the Mississippi River.

Next stop......The Chili Cook off. All proceeds went to charity and my Bro (biker talk) Tod and his wife entered the contest. There was chili from around 25 chefs along with a live band and an assortment of other entertainment.

As the rest of the group (we are not a gang) head back to Stockton, Katherine andI headed up the famous highway 49 thru Jackson, stopped for dinner in Sutter Creek, then road to Rancho Cordova to stay the night at mom and dad's.

Sunday was a.m. coffee at Peet's and a visit with Michael Henry on our way to a Teamster informational leaflet. For those in Nor Cal, please don't shop at FoodsCo. This company has violated a labor agreement that allows drivers to follow work when that work is awarded to a new sub contractor. A un named company (no..not wal mart) has won that work and has fired all of the union drivers and has hired non union drivers. We did some friendly informational leafleting asking people to shop elsewhere.

After lunch and Nascar in Elk Grove, we rode back to Tracy for rest and relaxation before another work week starts. Total seat miles for the weekend was a hair under 300 miles.

This is an example of what some of my posts will be. I'd appreciate any input/advise from anyone on whether the format is easy to read.....whether it's easier to read all the text then look at pics....etc...

Busy on Wednesdays

2009-03-26T16:39:00.001-07:00

As I posted earlier, I have this desire/need to stay busy. In that spirit of business and with my need to practice the many aspects of blogging before my trip (inserting pictures, video, and hyperlinks) I will hopefully be somewhat efficient by the time I'm blogging the ride.

I have a few hobbies that I enjoy. I also feel the need to help others. I also believe that God works in mysterious ways. A few months ago, God dropped an opportunity right on my doorstep. There is a bi-weekly newspaper (Wednesday and Saturday) in Tracy, California which is free for delivery if you call and ask for it. Now the house where I live had never received a copy from the time I moved in May of 2006 until early November of 2008. On that particular Wednesday, a copy of the paper was on my driveway when I was leaving for work at 4 in the morning. Since we don't usually receive it (and haven't gotten another one since), I took it to work and read it during my day. This article was in that particular issue click here. Since that fateful morning, this has become my Wednesday gig. Starting directly after work around 3, we don't finish until everyone is served and the hall is cleaned up around 7. It's really a makeshift crew of workers. The church isn't one of the wealthiest on town; none of the pots and pans match; the knobs on the stove are mostly broke off and we use pliers to turn it on and off; and all of food is donated except for the salad ingredients. Paul has a real talent of mixing spices in an incredible way. Every week we marvel in his talents of making even the simplest ingredients into one of the best flavors we ever had. He's an old "Hell's Angel" who loves the Lord with all his heart and loves his ministry. His stories are interesting and his testimony is inspiring. Plus he still rides.

God has aided me in my quest/need/desire to stay busy and I'm counting on him to drop more opportunities in my lap/life.

To Be or Not to Be (busy that is)

2009-03-25T19:51:00.001-07:00

For as long as I can remember, I've usually kept myself busy (I try not to use the terms "always" and "never"). Now grant it my memory isn't as good as it once was. One thing readers should know is I'm somewhat of an extremist. I oscillate from one side to the other pretty violently.

So here's my story and I'm sticking to it..........

In 1990, I won custody of my two young sons (ages 6 and 8) as their mother and I divorced. I worked a night shift to enable myself time for field trips, to represent parents on the school site council and coach little league. In addition to this, I worked 50-55 hours a week and commuted 75 miles each way. Raising two young sons by myself was challenging.... Life was busy.....and life was good.

In 1996 I remarried. Now my commute is 78 miles each way, still work 50-60 hours a week. I work early morning (4 am) to allow myself to attend high school baseball games, recreation league soccer matches, take a few junior college classes, and help maintain a household with a wife and 3 teenage sons. Life was busy.....and life was good.

In 2000, we moved to the country. A house on 3 acres. Still work 50-60 hours a week, commute is 53 miles (a lot shorter), kids are pretty much grown up, now have farm chores to "keep me busy". Rabbits, goats, chickens, cats, and dogs. Mowing, mending, weed-eating, roundup spraying, planting garden, pruning trees, pruning grapes, etc....you get the picture. In addition, add the normal hobbies of golf, camping, traveling, family obligations, etc.....you guessed it......life was busy....and life was good....

Things changed in 2006. Another divorce and many decisions. Fortunately the "farm" was sold near the top of the market. I needed to decide where to live and whether to buy or rent. I had lived in or around Sacramento California most of my life and worked in Tracy California for 20 year . I decided to not buy and to live in Tracy. I live in a house with a roommate (the homeowner) and have absolutely zero household responsibilities besides cleaning up after myself. This created a problem for someone (me) who had been "busy" for the better part of 25 years. Although I still work 50-55 hours a week, my commute is now 5 miles. I work a 4:30 am shift and even when I work 11 hours a day, I'm off work before 4 p.m. During the spring, fall and summer, that leaves between 3 and 5 hours of daylight. What to do with that much available time was a definite problem with someone of my personality.

So I took some time and tried to reflect on interests that I've had in my past that I haven't had time to enjoy. Racquetball, Cycling, Motorcycle Riding, College classes, Volunteerism, Hiking, Taking Pictures, Dance Classes (which was a new one), Travel and of course......Golf.

I've sometimes been criticized for being so busy. Some of my co-workers and customers ask me on Thursdays of each week what was on my schedule for the upcoming weekend. It would either be a motorcycle ride, a 50 mile bicycle ride along with a 10 mile hike followed by golf on Sunday afternoon; or possibly work an extra day on Saturday followed by racquetball in the afternoon and movie and a bike ride on Sunday.

I don't know why I have the desire/need to stay busy/active. All I know is if I'm not busy/active, I tend to get depressed. So being active/busy is good for my health (both physical and mental)

Is it really Yellow?

2009-03-22T13:26:00.001-07:00

me in my truck

In this day and age of constant movement of workforce, I am somewhat of a dinosaur. I've been working for Yellow Freight (now known as YRC) for a little over 20 years. It's a job I truly enjoy. The pay is decent, the benefits are excellent and I service businesses in which the workers are more like friends then customers.

I've found a video by Maria Aldemann of "what I do". The video is a little long. If you have a little time and a lot of patience, it's a perfect example of my normal work day.

Now realize a part of my early posts is learning and practicing posting with pictures and videos.

The Virgin Teamster

2009-03-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

The idea of this blog was originated as a way to keep family and friends updated on my daily safety. By safety we need to back up one step. As the title shows, The Teamster is turning fifty in April (don't worry, the entire blog won't be in "bob dole" tense) and I am going on a journey.

As part of my 50th birthday tour, I am planning my first long distance motorcycle ride. The first week of the ride will be a "loner" journey to "find myself". I don't want to have to check in with anyone nor do I want to be limited to an itinerary or schedule. However being on the motorcycle roaming the southwest, I felt it's only fair to let those who care about me know that I've made a destination each day so there is little-to-no worry for my safety.

The more I've thought about blogging, the more I became interested in sharing reflections of my past and posting of my journey forward. I have many interests and goals and blogging seems to be a useful tool of sharing with family and friends of progress. I have a great family, good friends, and wonderful girlfriend.

I'm planning on spending this next 6 weeks periodically posting, getting to know the blog world. Today I took the day off from work and rode the motorcycle up to daffodil hill near Sutter Creek Ca. Some of these pictures are form today (I need the practice)

I name this post "The Virgin Teamster" only because I'm a virgin blogster.