A Little About Us

A Little About Us
INTRODUCTION: First, allow me to introduce the members of this group...I'm Mike riding my 2003 Heritage Softail Springer...my wife Juju is on her 2015 Freewheeler...and Ed and Nancy are on their 2009 Heritage Softail. For the purposes of this trip we are referring to ourselves as H.A.R.P. HARP is a made-up name and it simply stands for Hogs And Retired People...and all that means is that we are members of HOG (Harley Owners Group) and we are...you guessed it...retired! The name came about when seven of us made a trip out west, but just the four of us this time. I've done blogs before, and this one will be for the same reason...to refresh our memories in our "Golden Years" (they say the memory is the second thing to go...and I can't remember what the first thing was). What is different this time is the blog is being shared by THUNDER ROADS PENNSYLVANIA MAGAZINE...Truly, an honor. This journey will be a round trip from, and to our home town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The plan is to travel to the Atlantic coast at Ocean City, Maryland for the "Official" start on U.S. Route 50. We will follow U.S. 50 west for over 3,000 miles to its terminus in Sacramento, California. From Sacramento, we will head a bit further west to the Pacific Ocean before we begin to travel south. California Highway 1 and U.S. Route 101, better known as the Pacific Coast Highway, will be the route for about 500 miles to Santa Monica. At the world famous Santa Monica Pier, we hop on Route 66...The "Mother Road". Travelling about 2,500 miles to the north east, we'll arrive at the end of 66 in Chicago, Illinois. The "Official" end of our journey. From Chicago, it's just another 450 miles and we're back in Pittsburgh. We've made very few lodging reservations, thus eliminating the pressure of trying to get somewhere by some deadline. The whole purpose of this ride to see this country and whatever piques our interest along the way...and we will be looking for that giant ball of yarn! So we invite you to ride along with us. We hope you will find it both entertaining and informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and share this with anyone you feel would have an interest.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Almost...

After having the bike on the rack for almost a week...suffering through misinformation and a lack of information...24 hours of work stoppage because it was the "tech's day off"...and replacing parts that didn't fix the problem, Ed finally reached the end of his rope and hooked the trailer up to the truck, drove to Morgantown and retrieved his bike.  He then transported it to Z & M Harley-Davidson in Greensburg, PA, and got it there just before closing time Wednesday evening.  As soon as they opened for business Thursday morning, a tech was assigned and work began.  

Before 11 O'clock Friday morning, Ed got a call from Z & M indicating the problem has been diagnosed and the part has been ordered. Barring any unforeseen event, the part should arrive Monday morning and ready to go Monday afternoon.  If all goes well, we'll be back on the road no later than Tuesday morning!

While we've been delayed, we received several calls and messages of support and condolences for the interruption of the trip.  Thank you very much...it does help.
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So, while we sat like an expectant father in the maternity waiting room, I found myself thinking of what's been happening during the downtime, and made a bad vs.good list.
Bad
o  Ed's bike has been down since July 16th 
o  Stuck in a hotel for two nights 
o  Can't ride   
o  Had to go home  
o  Replaced a water heater in a rental unit                     
o  Had to cut grass
o  Living out of the suitcase in anticipation
o  Ed had to drive to Morgantown to get his bike

Good
o  Repairs are covered under warranty
o  The hotel cost was reimbursed by the warranty company
o  The hotel had maid service, pool & free breakfast
o  We slept in our own beds
o  Replaced a water heater in a rental unit
o  The yard looks nice
o  We unpacked stuff well never need
o  We packed things we forgot to pack the first time
o  Ed's Bike is actually being fixed
o  Went to Bloom cigar shop with a friend 
o  Did laundry
o  Changed primary oil
o  Changed transmission fluid
o  Washed bikes
o  Went to Italian Club Picnic with Dad
o  Threw away the milk we forgot the first time
o  Drank some beer with the neighbors
o  Had a Real McCoy Capicola 'n Cheese sub
o  Date night at Southpaw movie premier (Go see it...I'm in it...DO NOT BLINK!)
o  Spent time with the Grandkids.


So, the Good obviously out-numbers the Bad by a wide margin...not the worst way to look at life!


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