Marine - Ivan Wilson 1986-2008 pictures from friends & fun photos on webshots
posted by DAbbott @ 6:05 AM
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Emotions Affect Your Riding & Driving
Emotions Affect Your Riding & Driving
Most riders & drivers are aware of the affect that things like drinking and cell phone use have on their driving, while giving little consideration to other factors that can be even more distracting.
Fatigue, stress, and our emotions have a serious effect on our riding and driving, causing serious impairments that we may not even be aware of. If you are worried, upset, frightened, depressed, or even happily excited, your riding & driving skills can be as negatively impacted as they would be if you were engaged in an intense phone call or after having consumed several alcoholic drinks.
Many times we do have to ride or drive after facing an emergency, for example, after being notified of the sudden illness or death of a loved one; or even after a confrontation with another person, such as a particularly upsetting incident at work.
If you find that you must ride or drive after your emotions have surfaced, here are a few things you can do to manage the emotion―and make your journey safer for yourself and others on the road:
* If you are angry or upset or otherwise annoyed, whether due to something unrelated to riding or driving or because of a riding/driving incident, pull over or off of the road. Take a few moments to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and relax. If the emotion is particularly strong, take a short walk, or go get something to drink (non-alcoholic, of course); just stay off of the road until you have time to settle down.
* If you find yourself drifting into worry, depression, or if you are thinking too closely about something that has happened, make a concerted effort to put it out of your mind until you stop the bike/car.
Some people find that making a hand gesture of dismissal to themselves helps, as does the distraction of music. Use the energy to instead focus on your riding/driving, and give yourself time to sort out the troubling issue when you do not have to be on the road.
* If it is a matter of feeling rushed, hurried or just generally impatient, give yourself a bit of extra time before you start out. That will help you avoid getting even more frustrated with slower riders & drivers or other things that are out of your control, such as heavy traffic or a back up due to an accident. Plus, allowing for extra time means you won't be as likely to start speeding, which can end up saving you a great deal of stress―especially if you end up with a speeding ticket!
A serious distraction. Research has proven that human beings in the grip of negative (and sometimes positive) emotions have exhibited a distraction level even more serious than those experienced by cell phone users. Such emotions can cause otherwise excellent riders & drivers to:
* Experience dimmed or otherwise impaired observation and reaction times.
* Fail to recognize situations, such as an abrupt slowing of traffic or debris in the road.
* Get to the point that they are unable to predict or to determine what the other riders & drivers around us are doing.
* Make risky maneuvers and risky changes, such as cutting across several lanes of traffic to take an off-ramp, suddenly change lanes, or even to drive on the freeway shoulder.
* Lose the ability to perform riding/driving skills that require precise timing or other subtle skills.
* Make a rider or driver feel as though he or she is detached from the other riders & drivers, vehicles, and conditions on the road
Dealing with road rage. It's become all too common these days. Road rage has been responsible for many accidents and even bodily injury, due mainly to an overreaction and the personalization of driving situations. If something happens to make you believe that you could become the focus of another rider's or driver's rage, here are a few things you can do to protect yourself:
* Remain in your car, and if approached on foot, roll up the windows and lock the doors. If on your motorcycle, ride away from the threat.
* Avoid making gestures that another rider & driver could interpret as hostile, rude, or otherwise negative.
* If you accidentally do something that annoys or upsets another rider or driver, make overly-exaggerated expressions of regret, hold hand in a prayer gesture, mouth the word "sorry," make a silly grimace―anything that will send the message that you acknowledge an error. This works very well to diffuse a situation. Some drivers have even begun to carry a printed sign that simply says "sorry" in bold letters, to hold up if they do something that annoys another driver.
According to a survey conducted by doctors on the topic of road rage, over half of all riders & drivers in America will either express "road rage" themselves, or encounter another rider or driver in a fit of "road rage" focused at them while they are on the road.
The U.S. Highway Safety Office reports that each year, tens of thousands of automobile accidents can be linked directly to the expression of road rage or by aggressive driving. An extremely frightening statistic: road rage accidents are now the leading cause of death for our children.
A few things you can do to prevent road rage. Driving and Riding has become increasingly personalized, with many riders & drivers feeling that the actions of other riders & drivers are directed at them personally, rather than taking another's errors in stride. Of course, this type of reaction is not uncommon as a secondary emotion to fear, especially if a error causes the enraged rider & driver to make a sudden reactive maneuver to avoid collision.
It has also been found that about 85% of the riders & drivers who were surveyed said that the flash of anger and personalization the experience brought on could be defused and settled if the offending rider & driver had simply acknowledged the error with a gesture of apology.
Keep your eye, mind, and thoughts on the road. Keeping emotions in control makes a huge difference in riding & driving skills, but there are other things many riders & drivers do that take their attention away from the task at hand and can cause problems for themselves and others.
Even if you work in your car and almost never seem to leave it, refrain from eating, reading, map consulting, Internet surfing, applying makeup, or holding our pets while you are driving.
If you use a cell phone and find that you must talk, use a hands-free device while you are driving and keep the calls short and at an absolute minimum. Better yet; pull off the road to talk on the cell phone, this is the safest option.
As long as you are moving, your attention should be on the road and traffic at all times―not diluted by distractions or strong emotions.
Source:DMV.org
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/Merger-between-a-car-and-a-motorcycle.htm
The Gridley Herald
Wed Aug 13, 2008, 09:17 AM PDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gridley, Calif. -
Gridley's Kevin Manes, 38, died Sunday night after crashing into a 2005 Toyota SUV on E. Gridley Rd. around 8:52 p.m.
Manes was traveling westbound on E. Gridley Rd. at a high rate of speed while Gridley's Richard Havens, 50, was driving up ahead of Manes and had just slowed to a stop, preparing to make a left turn onto Gilstrap Ave.
Traveling too fast, Manes was unable to stop in time, and rear-ended the Toyota. His motorcycle immediately erupted in flames and slid underneath the Toyota. Both vehicles were fully engulfed when emergency responders arrived.
Manes, who was wearing his helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Havens suffered a small laceration on the side of his forehead. He was treated and released from the scene of the collision.
Both vehicles were totalled.
Most riders & drivers are aware of the affect that things like drinking and cell phone use have on their driving, while giving little consideration to other factors that can be even more distracting.
Fatigue, stress, and our emotions have a serious effect on our riding and driving, causing serious impairments that we may not even be aware of. If you are worried, upset, frightened, depressed, or even happily excited, your riding & driving skills can be as negatively impacted as they would be if you were engaged in an intense phone call or after having consumed several alcoholic drinks.
Many times we do have to ride or drive after facing an emergency, for example, after being notified of the sudden illness or death of a loved one; or even after a confrontation with another person, such as a particularly upsetting incident at work.
If you find that you must ride or drive after your emotions have surfaced, here are a few things you can do to manage the emotion―and make your journey safer for yourself and others on the road:
* If you are angry or upset or otherwise annoyed, whether due to something unrelated to riding or driving or because of a riding/driving incident, pull over or off of the road. Take a few moments to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and relax. If the emotion is particularly strong, take a short walk, or go get something to drink (non-alcoholic, of course); just stay off of the road until you have time to settle down.
* If you find yourself drifting into worry, depression, or if you are thinking too closely about something that has happened, make a concerted effort to put it out of your mind until you stop the bike/car.
Some people find that making a hand gesture of dismissal to themselves helps, as does the distraction of music. Use the energy to instead focus on your riding/driving, and give yourself time to sort out the troubling issue when you do not have to be on the road.
* If it is a matter of feeling rushed, hurried or just generally impatient, give yourself a bit of extra time before you start out. That will help you avoid getting even more frustrated with slower riders & drivers or other things that are out of your control, such as heavy traffic or a back up due to an accident. Plus, allowing for extra time means you won't be as likely to start speeding, which can end up saving you a great deal of stress―especially if you end up with a speeding ticket!
A serious distraction. Research has proven that human beings in the grip of negative (and sometimes positive) emotions have exhibited a distraction level even more serious than those experienced by cell phone users. Such emotions can cause otherwise excellent riders & drivers to:
* Experience dimmed or otherwise impaired observation and reaction times.
* Fail to recognize situations, such as an abrupt slowing of traffic or debris in the road.
* Get to the point that they are unable to predict or to determine what the other riders & drivers around us are doing.
* Make risky maneuvers and risky changes, such as cutting across several lanes of traffic to take an off-ramp, suddenly change lanes, or even to drive on the freeway shoulder.
* Lose the ability to perform riding/driving skills that require precise timing or other subtle skills.
* Make a rider or driver feel as though he or she is detached from the other riders & drivers, vehicles, and conditions on the road
Dealing with road rage. It's become all too common these days. Road rage has been responsible for many accidents and even bodily injury, due mainly to an overreaction and the personalization of driving situations. If something happens to make you believe that you could become the focus of another rider's or driver's rage, here are a few things you can do to protect yourself:
* Remain in your car, and if approached on foot, roll up the windows and lock the doors. If on your motorcycle, ride away from the threat.
* Avoid making gestures that another rider & driver could interpret as hostile, rude, or otherwise negative.
* If you accidentally do something that annoys or upsets another rider or driver, make overly-exaggerated expressions of regret, hold hand in a prayer gesture, mouth the word "sorry," make a silly grimace―anything that will send the message that you acknowledge an error. This works very well to diffuse a situation. Some drivers have even begun to carry a printed sign that simply says "sorry" in bold letters, to hold up if they do something that annoys another driver.
According to a survey conducted by doctors on the topic of road rage, over half of all riders & drivers in America will either express "road rage" themselves, or encounter another rider or driver in a fit of "road rage" focused at them while they are on the road.
The U.S. Highway Safety Office reports that each year, tens of thousands of automobile accidents can be linked directly to the expression of road rage or by aggressive driving. An extremely frightening statistic: road rage accidents are now the leading cause of death for our children.
A few things you can do to prevent road rage. Driving and Riding has become increasingly personalized, with many riders & drivers feeling that the actions of other riders & drivers are directed at them personally, rather than taking another's errors in stride. Of course, this type of reaction is not uncommon as a secondary emotion to fear, especially if a error causes the enraged rider & driver to make a sudden reactive maneuver to avoid collision.
It has also been found that about 85% of the riders & drivers who were surveyed said that the flash of anger and personalization the experience brought on could be defused and settled if the offending rider & driver had simply acknowledged the error with a gesture of apology.
Keep your eye, mind, and thoughts on the road. Keeping emotions in control makes a huge difference in riding & driving skills, but there are other things many riders & drivers do that take their attention away from the task at hand and can cause problems for themselves and others.
Even if you work in your car and almost never seem to leave it, refrain from eating, reading, map consulting, Internet surfing, applying makeup, or holding our pets while you are driving.
If you use a cell phone and find that you must talk, use a hands-free device while you are driving and keep the calls short and at an absolute minimum. Better yet; pull off the road to talk on the cell phone, this is the safest option.
As long as you are moving, your attention should be on the road and traffic at all times―not diluted by distractions or strong emotions.
Source:DMV.org
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/Merger-between-a-car-and-a-motorcycle.htm
The Gridley Herald
Wed Aug 13, 2008, 09:17 AM PDT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gridley, Calif. -
Gridley's Kevin Manes, 38, died Sunday night after crashing into a 2005 Toyota SUV on E. Gridley Rd. around 8:52 p.m.
Manes was traveling westbound on E. Gridley Rd. at a high rate of speed while Gridley's Richard Havens, 50, was driving up ahead of Manes and had just slowed to a stop, preparing to make a left turn onto Gilstrap Ave.
Traveling too fast, Manes was unable to stop in time, and rear-ended the Toyota. His motorcycle immediately erupted in flames and slid underneath the Toyota. Both vehicles were fully engulfed when emergency responders arrived.
Manes, who was wearing his helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Havens suffered a small laceration on the side of his forehead. He was treated and released from the scene of the collision.
Both vehicles were totalled.
Labels: Safety tips, Total Control
posted by DAbbott @ 5:35 AM
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
YellowStone Bear Tooth
Wild West Tour, Motorcycle Touring, Bears Tooth Pass, Montana, Wyoming
Check out the twisty Hwy 212 between Tower Junction (Yellowstone National Park) and Red Lodge Mt.
DESTINATIONS Montana Scenic Byway
Beartooth Highway
It had been a long August during the summer of 1882. General Phillip Sheridan, famed Civil War veteran, had led his group of over 120 men out of Fort Washakie in western Wyoming at the beginning of the month. By the last week of August, the inspection tour had crossed the Gros Vente mountains and followed the Snake River into Yellowstone. The area had recently been designated a national park and already tourists had flocked to the area.
The General moved his men up the Lamar River on the east side of Yellowstone to a mining camp near Cooke City. Now he faced a three-day march down the Clarks Fork River before turning back north for Billings, Montana, where he would meet the Northern Pacific Railroad to take him to Chicago.
An old hunter by the name of Geer approached the General. Geer claimed that he had an intimate knowledge of the Beartooth Mountains which blocked the direct route to Billings, necessitating the circuitous detour down the Clarks Fork. Much against the advice of his comrades, and maybe partly to satisfy a hankering for going where no party had gone before, Sheridan listened and resolved to follow the hunter. Two days later, despite forest fire and snow drifts 40 feet deep in craters, the group completed the first crossing of the Beartooth Mountains, landing near present-day Red Lodge, Montana.
Region: Southern Montana and Northern Wyoming east of Yellowstone National Park
Length: 64 miles
Endpoints:Red Lodge, MT & Cooke City, MT
Features: A huge plateau above 10,000 feet with alpine lakes, glaciar-carved cirques and fragile tundra
Side Activities: Hiking, fishing, 4-wheeling
Fifty years later, in 1936, the Beartooth Highway opened along Sheridan's route. Designated a National Scenic Byway in 1989, the Beartooth has been blessed as"America's most beautiful road" by no less an expert than Charles Kuralt.
The Beartooth originates in Red Lodge, Montana, which got its start as a coal-mining town shortly after Sheridan's visit. The town boomed during the late 19th century. But the mines began closing in the Depression. Tragedy struck during World War II when an explosion at the Smith Mine killed 74 people, and the mining era was over. Today the town retains much of its character from those early years, with its main street lined with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. And with skiing on Red Lodge Mountain and summer attractions like the Byway and the nearby Beartooth Wilderness, the town has become a tourist mecca.
South of Red Lodge, the road quickly begins ascending the Beartooth Plateau. Between 50 and 60 million years ago, a massive uplift created the Beartooths. At roughly 3,000 square miles, the Beartooths are one of North America's largest land masses rising above 10,000 feet, reaching its highest point at 12,799' Granite Peak. This is a land of glacier-carved cirques, high alpine lakes and fragile tundra.
A pull out 20 miles from Red Lodge, up a steep series of switchbacks, is a great place to get a broad view of the Plateau. To the north lie the Hell Roaring and Silver Run plateaus, broad expanses rising between the several forks of Rock Creek. Jewels like Glacier Lake glisten in hanging valleys off the walls of Hell Roaring. Line Creek plateau runs to the south, an area where sharp eyes may spot moutain goats or bighorn sheep.
The road continues climbing as it crosses into Wyoming. By now the land is well above timberline. The views are expansive, south across the canyons carved by the Clarks Fork, north into the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. In the wilderness, a narrow pyramidal spire is profiled against blue sky. This is the Bear's Tooth - Na Pet Say in the language of the local Crow Indians - from which the mountains take their name.
Thirty miles from Red Lodge, the Beartooth reaches is highest point at 10,974 feet. Here you feel like you are truly at the"Top of the World." And shortly after the summit, you pass the Top of the World settlement, a combination store, motel and gas station.
Descending, the Beartooths reveal themselves as lake country. Almost a thousand lakes fill the wilderness. Along the road lie Long, Little Bear, Island and Beartooth Lakes. Two of several national forest campgrounds along the highway are beside these last two lakes.
While the Beartooth is one of America's greatest drives, it also offer plenty of opportunities for getting out of the car. Trailheads line the entire route. Just out of Red Lodge, roads lead up the various forks of Rock Creek, where trails head for Timberline Lake, Sundance Pass, Silver Run Plateau and other backcountry destinations. Other good jumping off points for short dayhikes or extended backpacks include Island Lake and Beartooth Lake. Most trails head north of the road toward the official Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. But don't miss the Beartooth Loop National Recreation Trail south of the road. This trail allows a 15 to 20 mile circuit by the original site of Camp Sawtooth, an exclusive retreat built during the 1920s.
Clay Butte rises on the right 42 miles from Red Lodge. A dirt road leads a couple of miles to a now-dormant fire tower on top of the Butte. The views here are most spectacular to the west, where the pyramid of Pilot Peak stands stark and the jagged edge of Index Peak cuts the sky.
Heading for Cooke City, the Beartooth passes a turnoff for the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (Wyoming 296). The Chief Joseph road is part of the Nez Perce trail, named after the chief that led his people on an Oregon to Montana flight from the U.S. Army in 1877. The Chief Joseph leads to Cody, Wyoming. Or it can be combined with the Beartooth Highway for a full day loop out of Red Lodge.
Sixty-four miles from Red Lodge, after crossing back into Montana, the Beartooth enters Cooke City. Originally a gold-mining camp, Cooke City is now the northeastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park. The entrance is four miles east of town.
That's the end of the line for "America's most beautiful road."
Check out the twisty Hwy 212 between Tower Junction (Yellowstone National Park) and Red Lodge Mt.
DESTINATIONS Montana Scenic Byway
Beartooth Highway
It had been a long August during the summer of 1882. General Phillip Sheridan, famed Civil War veteran, had led his group of over 120 men out of Fort Washakie in western Wyoming at the beginning of the month. By the last week of August, the inspection tour had crossed the Gros Vente mountains and followed the Snake River into Yellowstone. The area had recently been designated a national park and already tourists had flocked to the area.
The General moved his men up the Lamar River on the east side of Yellowstone to a mining camp near Cooke City. Now he faced a three-day march down the Clarks Fork River before turning back north for Billings, Montana, where he would meet the Northern Pacific Railroad to take him to Chicago.
An old hunter by the name of Geer approached the General. Geer claimed that he had an intimate knowledge of the Beartooth Mountains which blocked the direct route to Billings, necessitating the circuitous detour down the Clarks Fork. Much against the advice of his comrades, and maybe partly to satisfy a hankering for going where no party had gone before, Sheridan listened and resolved to follow the hunter. Two days later, despite forest fire and snow drifts 40 feet deep in craters, the group completed the first crossing of the Beartooth Mountains, landing near present-day Red Lodge, Montana.
Region: Southern Montana and Northern Wyoming east of Yellowstone National Park
Length: 64 miles
Endpoints:Red Lodge, MT & Cooke City, MT
Features: A huge plateau above 10,000 feet with alpine lakes, glaciar-carved cirques and fragile tundra
Side Activities: Hiking, fishing, 4-wheeling
Fifty years later, in 1936, the Beartooth Highway opened along Sheridan's route. Designated a National Scenic Byway in 1989, the Beartooth has been blessed as"America's most beautiful road" by no less an expert than Charles Kuralt.
The Beartooth originates in Red Lodge, Montana, which got its start as a coal-mining town shortly after Sheridan's visit. The town boomed during the late 19th century. But the mines began closing in the Depression. Tragedy struck during World War II when an explosion at the Smith Mine killed 74 people, and the mining era was over. Today the town retains much of its character from those early years, with its main street lined with buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. And with skiing on Red Lodge Mountain and summer attractions like the Byway and the nearby Beartooth Wilderness, the town has become a tourist mecca.
South of Red Lodge, the road quickly begins ascending the Beartooth Plateau. Between 50 and 60 million years ago, a massive uplift created the Beartooths. At roughly 3,000 square miles, the Beartooths are one of North America's largest land masses rising above 10,000 feet, reaching its highest point at 12,799' Granite Peak. This is a land of glacier-carved cirques, high alpine lakes and fragile tundra.
A pull out 20 miles from Red Lodge, up a steep series of switchbacks, is a great place to get a broad view of the Plateau. To the north lie the Hell Roaring and Silver Run plateaus, broad expanses rising between the several forks of Rock Creek. Jewels like Glacier Lake glisten in hanging valleys off the walls of Hell Roaring. Line Creek plateau runs to the south, an area where sharp eyes may spot moutain goats or bighorn sheep.
The road continues climbing as it crosses into Wyoming. By now the land is well above timberline. The views are expansive, south across the canyons carved by the Clarks Fork, north into the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. In the wilderness, a narrow pyramidal spire is profiled against blue sky. This is the Bear's Tooth - Na Pet Say in the language of the local Crow Indians - from which the mountains take their name.
Thirty miles from Red Lodge, the Beartooth reaches is highest point at 10,974 feet. Here you feel like you are truly at the"Top of the World." And shortly after the summit, you pass the Top of the World settlement, a combination store, motel and gas station.
Descending, the Beartooths reveal themselves as lake country. Almost a thousand lakes fill the wilderness. Along the road lie Long, Little Bear, Island and Beartooth Lakes. Two of several national forest campgrounds along the highway are beside these last two lakes.
While the Beartooth is one of America's greatest drives, it also offer plenty of opportunities for getting out of the car. Trailheads line the entire route. Just out of Red Lodge, roads lead up the various forks of Rock Creek, where trails head for Timberline Lake, Sundance Pass, Silver Run Plateau and other backcountry destinations. Other good jumping off points for short dayhikes or extended backpacks include Island Lake and Beartooth Lake. Most trails head north of the road toward the official Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. But don't miss the Beartooth Loop National Recreation Trail south of the road. This trail allows a 15 to 20 mile circuit by the original site of Camp Sawtooth, an exclusive retreat built during the 1920s.
Clay Butte rises on the right 42 miles from Red Lodge. A dirt road leads a couple of miles to a now-dormant fire tower on top of the Butte. The views here are most spectacular to the west, where the pyramid of Pilot Peak stands stark and the jagged edge of Index Peak cuts the sky.
Heading for Cooke City, the Beartooth passes a turnoff for the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (Wyoming 296). The Chief Joseph road is part of the Nez Perce trail, named after the chief that led his people on an Oregon to Montana flight from the U.S. Army in 1877. The Chief Joseph leads to Cody, Wyoming. Or it can be combined with the Beartooth Highway for a full day loop out of Red Lodge.
Sixty-four miles from Red Lodge, after crossing back into Montana, the Beartooth enters Cooke City. Originally a gold-mining camp, Cooke City is now the northeastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park. The entrance is four miles east of town.
That's the end of the line for "America's most beautiful road."
posted by DAbbott @ 6:55 AM
Thursday, June 12, 2008
“Somewhere south of Banff”
Great blog on a motorcycle trip to Alaska.
http://argesimages.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/jasper.jpg
http://argesimages.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/kingdom-of-twilight/
http://argesimages.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/twilight2.jpg
http://argesimages.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/jasper.jpg
http://argesimages.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/kingdom-of-twilight/
http://argesimages.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/twilight2.jpg
Labels: tours
posted by DAbbott @ 6:04 AM
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Most motorcycle maintenance can be done in the garage with the exception of some special tools.
posted by DAbbott @ 8:42 AM
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Utah - Canyon de Chelly
Links to other motorcycle blogs and places of interest:
Twisting Asphalt
Bikes in the Fast Lane
Motorcycle Bloggers Group
Crusty the Biker
Cecilie's Motorcycle Journal
Uncaged Librarian
Ed Youngblood's MotoHistory
The Kneeslider
Goon Blog
Helmethair
Motorcycle Misadventures
Pitted Chrome
Scooter In The Sticks
The Long Ride
Le Blog Moto (in French)
Biker Swag
The Adventures of Boz
El Cantara del Alluvia(Chile)
Ganjin Bikers(English/Japan)
Ken and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (English/China)
MoppedBlog(in German)
Motor Blogo NL (in Dutch)
Old Guy's Ramblings
Return of the Cafe Racers (in Australian)
Christine's Corner
Keep the Rubber Side Down
Life and Motorcycle
The Harley-Davidson Mystique
theNewspaper.com - A Journal Of The Politcs of Driving (and riding!)
People, Places, Things. My Photographs
Salt and Light Studio - Fine Art Watercolor Forums of Interest:
The Motorcyclist Cafe
MyBike Forums (under construction)
Riding Arizona
Southwest Riders (ATV site)
ATV Utah
Kawasaki Versys Forum
Twisting Asphalt
Bikes in the Fast Lane
Motorcycle Bloggers Group
Crusty the Biker
Cecilie's Motorcycle Journal
Uncaged Librarian
Ed Youngblood's MotoHistory
The Kneeslider
Goon Blog
Helmethair
Motorcycle Misadventures
Pitted Chrome
Scooter In The Sticks
The Long Ride
Le Blog Moto (in French)
Biker Swag
The Adventures of Boz
El Cantara del Alluvia(Chile)
Ganjin Bikers(English/Japan)
Ken and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (English/China)
MoppedBlog(in German)
Motor Blogo NL (in Dutch)
Old Guy's Ramblings
Return of the Cafe Racers (in Australian)
Christine's Corner
Keep the Rubber Side Down
Life and Motorcycle
The Harley-Davidson Mystique
theNewspaper.com - A Journal Of The Politcs of Driving (and riding!)
People, Places, Things. My Photographs
Salt and Light Studio - Fine Art Watercolor Forums of Interest:
The Motorcyclist Cafe
MyBike Forums (under construction)
Riding Arizona
Southwest Riders (ATV site)
ATV Utah
Kawasaki Versys Forum
Labels: tours
posted by DAbbott @ 7:22 AM
Memorial video
The price of going somewhere this Memorial Day weekend is up. Gasoline is closing in on $4 a gallon and a major airline wants to charge you $15 to check a bag. But then the cost of staying home for Memorial Day is up too. The ingredients of a backyard barbecue are up 6 percent over last year.
However, there is one constant in Memorial Day -- its purpose. That remains unchanged and it's free -- remembering and honoring those who have died in our country's service. And there are many who feel the holiday has strayed from that purpose and instead of an official day of remembrance and mourning its the semi-official kickoff to vacation season.
Memorial Day, it is believed, lost something vital in 1971 when Congress moved it to the last Monday in May from May 30, the day it was first observed in 1868 when Ulysses Grant attended a ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony, a presidential custom observed ever since.
The day was traditionally a subdued observance devoted to the cleaning and decorating of the graves of the Civil War dead, hence it's original name, Decoration Day.
People who believe it should return to those origins have organized a petition drive to restore Memorial Day to May 30. One who does is Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a World War II veteran, who since has faithfully introduced a bill to that effect in every new Congress since 1989. However, the three-day weekend is now permanently engraved in the American calendar and that won't change.
But it is not asking a lot -- indeed, it is asking what is rightfully due -- to pause during those three days, and especially on Monday, to honor and reflect on the over 43 million who have served in our military in a long distinguished line going back to the American Revolution and to the more than 1 million who have died in that service.
remember-why-its-called-memorial-day.html
However, there is one constant in Memorial Day -- its purpose. That remains unchanged and it's free -- remembering and honoring those who have died in our country's service. And there are many who feel the holiday has strayed from that purpose and instead of an official day of remembrance and mourning its the semi-official kickoff to vacation season.
Memorial Day, it is believed, lost something vital in 1971 when Congress moved it to the last Monday in May from May 30, the day it was first observed in 1868 when Ulysses Grant attended a ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony, a presidential custom observed ever since.
The day was traditionally a subdued observance devoted to the cleaning and decorating of the graves of the Civil War dead, hence it's original name, Decoration Day.
People who believe it should return to those origins have organized a petition drive to restore Memorial Day to May 30. One who does is Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a World War II veteran, who since has faithfully introduced a bill to that effect in every new Congress since 1989. However, the three-day weekend is now permanently engraved in the American calendar and that won't change.
But it is not asking a lot -- indeed, it is asking what is rightfully due -- to pause during those three days, and especially on Monday, to honor and reflect on the over 43 million who have served in our military in a long distinguished line going back to the American Revolution and to the more than 1 million who have died in that service.
remember-why-its-called-memorial-day.html
Labels: video
posted by DAbbott @ 7:14 AM
