Camping at Lake Murray

Friday the 13^th, You gotta Love it!!!

Friday, July 13, 2012 – Yep Friday the 13^th and it definitely was.  We at least made good time leaving again – We left at 7:15 and FINALLY arrived at our destination at 11:30; now to tell you the whole story.

 

We never made it to our original destination.  This was such a fiasco.  We were supposed to go to one of these camping membership sites kind of like Thousand Oaks.  First problem, they sent us a confirmation for a site in Glen Rose.  They called Monday to confirm we were coming, John told them we were and I presume he told them they send wrong directions and they would send new directions.  We never got new directions and John had to wing it. BIG mistake!

  

We never could find the turn off after Hwy 69 for the campsite.  We did get quite a light show with the lightning.  Some bolts were hitting the ground.  We even saw a few deer on the side of the road, better there than in the road and hitting them.

 

Since we either couldn’t find turn off or missed it we decided to wing it and keep on going up to Lake Murray and take our chances up there.  We finally arrived at Dukes Forest at 11:30.  We tried a few others but they were either full or closed due to curfew.

 

Once we got to Duke’s we found a pull through and nabbed it.  We couldn’t see any lake but at this time we didn’t care.  We stopped, leveled the trailer and then I fixed dinner of stuffed tortilla with scrambled egg and bacon.  We were too tired to even unload the bike so we left it in the trailer and went on to bed.

Saturday, July 14, 2012 - After we got up and showered John was going to start up his bike but it didn’t start.  John’s battery was deader than a doornail.  John was not a happy camper, not happy at all.  He had no jumper cables in the truck but then I mentioned something about his trickle charger, and he then remembered he had some bike cables in his saddlebag after the incident last year when Liz’s bike battery ran down when she left her lights on.  We got John’s battery charged and left immediately after he got it started Sherman 11:30

 

We tried to meet up with Liz and Mark but it didn’t happen with her needing to change out the shocks on her bike in Allen and John needing a new battery here at the Sherman HD.

 

We had seen a roadrunner at Juniper Point, one of the Lake Texoma state parks on our way back from Sherman.  It is a great park on the Texas side.  I don’t know what it costs to stay there but I would highly recommend it from what we saw there AND there were lake views all around.

 

We returned back to the trailer at 3:45.  It was hot and humid even in the trailer.  The air conditioning wasn’t cooperating.  John finally figured out the air conditioner had frozen up after ice had fallen down out of it.  For whatever reason it had frozen up, just like my air conditioning in my house has done.  Luckily the trailer cooled down fairly quickly, we were beginning to think we would need to have it looked at before Sturgis.

John fixed chicken wings for dinner.  We watched a movie and then headed to bed.

Sunday, July 15, 2012 - We woke at 9a.  We walked over to their shower facility.  It wasn’t near as nice as West Burns Run’s but it wasn’t as bad as some I have been to.  There were only 2 showers per gender.  There was a large one for handicap and then a smaller one (and it is definitely smaller). 

 

CAUTION:  of all things, the light over the showers is on a timer, not the water like Burns Run.  Luckily there is another light over the sink and toilets area so you aren’t left in total darkness.  There were also only 2 toilets; 1 handicap and another regular one. 

Again I have seen better but I have also seen worse.  Surprising, Lake Grapevine’s was worse and you pay primo to camp there.  I had been to Boiling Springs State Park last year and their “free” showers were infested with black crickets.  There I decided to sponge bathe instead of showering with the little critters. 

Luckily they had pay showers but after paying to camp I can’t believe they also want to charge for the water too.  They need a better system like West Burns Run.

 

This campsite here has absolutely no lake view but what you give up in lake you get in Mother Nature.  I imagine in the fall the foliage colors are awesome.  In fact, I know it is.  I had been at one of the other sites at the end of October and the colors were awesome and the fog was lifting off of the lake.

Unfortunately, none of the parks offer the ability to make reservations. They are all first-come-first-serve.  In the summer they are quite busy and that is how we came upon this one; since no lake view, more spots.

 

I fixed breakfast and then we started packing for our trip home.  It always seems to take extra effort to get everything packed for home.  But it has to be done.

 

We left for home around 2p.

What do you think?

Law doesn't give motorcycle 'blockers' right to stop traffic

• Posted by BikersPost on July 16, 2012 at 9:01am in Motorcycle News

 

Q: I am curious about a practice I've seen happen three times in recent weeks. While a large group of motorcycles is passing through, one motorcyclist, wearing a shirt that says "blocker," will block off oncoming traffic at each intersection, regardless of who has the right of way at a light or stop sign.

I understand their desire to stay together as a group, but this doesn't seem safe, nor is it fair to other drivers. We've all been in a situation where we've been following someone, having someone following us, or have been traveling as a group of several cars. Inevitably, someone gets left behind at a light but we simply pull over and wait for them to catch up. It doesn't mean we have a "blocker" car that stops traffic for us. That would be ridiculous.

I'm wondering if this practice is legal?
— Laura Winter, Waterford

A: The blockers have no legal authority to direct traffic, said Sgt. Daniel Larkin, traffic supervisor for Troop G in Loudonville.

"The answer is no. It is not legal to block intersections to allow riders to stay together," he said. "Only emergency personnel, people involved in highway repairs, and crossing guards can legally interfere with traffic as described by your writer. People who conduct themselves in this manner subject themselves to being ticketed and to civil liability if they cause or contribute to a collision. These people have no emergency lighting, are not trained and have no authority in law."

The only exception would be where the group has been granted a permit by the state Department of Transportation, which includes an endorsement from police, local authorities and insurance, he said.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Law-doesn-t-give-motorcycle...

Harley-Davidson’s Seventy-Two Revives the Old

In 1972, Atari launched the first generation of video games with Pong, Bobby Fischer was king, Volkswagen Beetle topped the Ford Model T, President Nixon’s Watergate scandal shook the nation, and the Apollo 17 landed on the moon. Within the mix of things during that historical leap year, the California low-rider culture was shaping form, as candy-colored custom choppers began to cruise down Whittier Boulevard, turning pedestrian heads with each twist of a throttle. It’s this era that has inspired Harley-Davidson to design and release its new Seventy-Two bike. A laid-back Sportster with sparkling metal flake paint, ape handlebars, throwback peanut tank –which holds only 2.1 gallons of gas– and narrow whitewall tires, the Seventy-Two pays homage to a timeless moment in history. Life + Times caught up with Frank Savage, Manager of Industrial Design at Harley-Davidson, to take a trip down memory lane and to chop it up about attitude and style.
Life+Times: Harley-Davidson rolled back the clock with the Seventy-Two. What made Harley pinpoint that year?Frank Savage: We always had inspiration coming from the late ‘60s and ‘70s on this bike, and really stripped down old school choppers, that was narrow and had this smoky, candied sprayed paint from that era. So, in the investigation for the Seventy-Two we were looking for that historic relevancy. In California, they used to cruise down Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, which was Route 72 back in the day. It has a nice ring to it and a historical reference to it. That’s the story. The old school funky psychedelic paint jobs, with big bling flakes, and really nice, stripped down styling. Guys were basically swapping the tank, adding a lot of chrome, and just jamming..........

CLICK ON TITLE TO GET THE WHOLE STORY COURTESY OF LIFE & TIMES PUB.

Era of Another Harley Dealership changes

Woodstock Harley Davidson changes hands

Published: Saturday, July 07, 2012

 

Serving the Hudson Valley since 1871

TOWN OF KINGSTON, N.Y. ­— William Nugent of Garrison has bought Woodstock Harley Davidson from Jan Dordick, who founded the business in 1975, according to Cushman and Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Co. of Newburgh, which brokered the sale.

The sale, completed on May 17, was “close to the asking price of $2.5 million,” according to Cushman’s Steve Perfit, who said the real estate portion of the sale was $1.3 million.

The business has operated at several locations in Ulster County but has been at 349 Route 28 in the town of Kingston since 2000.

Dordick’s daughter, Kim Rose, had managed the business for more than 10 years.
Perfit said Nugent intends to continue operating the dealership in same manner as the founder, including being open seven days a week and sponsoring the Woodstock chapter of HOG (Harley Owners Group).

Sturgis SD Black Hills Bike Rally

Less than 30 days before we leave for Sturgis.  I am going through all my material to see what we can do or revisit this time that we missed last year.  We are definitely going to hit the Badlands and Wall SD before we get to Sturgis.  I hear it is terribly hot in the Badlands.  If there is no breeze flowing through it that could be a major factor.  I hope it isnt too hot, I really want to take lots of pictures of the area.  I hear it is surreal, like being on another planet.  I guess time will tell. 

L8r
J