Bubba

Nooooo….Say it ain't so!!! If you still have them on your camera, send 'em to me via email. I need to show some of the LR crew what they missed. icantdrive55atfusedotnet Thx!

Oooo! Tell me more about the F2 stuff….

Glad you guys made the trip south and enjoyed the roads. Total mileage for me was 240 door-to-door, so you guys must be close to 350+ on the day. And of course as usual, there was no extra charge for the dozen or so hot chicks in daisy dukes, bikini tops and cowboy boots twerking with a drunk guy dressed in an Easter Bunny costume on a hay wagon in downtown Rabbit Hash…. No. Seriously, it really happened. Riding roads in NKY is NEVER BORING!!!

I completely understand. You're 2.5 hours from the ride start and less than 45 minutes from the good roads in SE Ohio. I wouldn't do it either. I'd love to do some miles out in your neck of the woods but find it hard to justify 1.5-2 hours each way riding crappy roads to get to the good ones. I can be in NKY in under 30 minutes, so it's a no-brainer for me.

Sorry you can't make it. We'll do it again. Good weather isn't done for the year….I hope. See you there. Dug all my winter gear out of storage this afternoon, checked tires and lubed the chain. Should be a nice day once the sun warms things up. Nice thing is that a small group can move a bit faster than a large group….not that we'll be speeding or anything.

Brrrr! It's gonna be a cold bitch in the morning. Bundle up and ride safely. I'll check in the morning to make sure you guys are still planning on heading south. If the consensus is to bail, please post up here as early as possible, by 9 AM at the latest. Otherwise, I'll see you at MickieD's at 10.

Oooo! I like that. Thinking about the moat option, are ya? Hell, with global warming and rising sea levels, you could own ocean-front property in southern AL in about 20 years….

Hmmm….the force is strong with this one.

Sounds like you've got a great job--congratulations!!! I'm not aware of anybody that has anything against unions per se, as long as the unions don't tip the balance of power so far toward the worker that the stranglehold they have on the corporation kills the goose-that-lays-the-golden-egg. When too much power is held by the corporation, similarly bad things can happen, too. The problem with many of the large auto unions in Detroit is that they became too powerful and complacent, believing they couldn't be replaced by other workers equally talented and eager to do a better job of building quality automobiles. Once the unions adopted the stance that the company paying their workers' salaries had to be negotiated with on an adversarial basis, all cooperation ceased and the union essentially arranged for and caused their workers' termination notices. Same happened years ago in the US steel industry and is still happening in the commercial construction industry. Unions have figured prominently in the advancement of workers' rights since the early 1900s, but the way they wielded their power with oblivious egocentricity in the last few decades has decimated the US manufacturing industry to the point of near-death. At some point, the pendulum will swing back to center and hopefully wiser heads will prevail….

I tried that. They got married and moved out of town….

Welcome. Hopefully, no dogs this time!!! Some of these, you rode on Dice's route earlier this year, but I promise there will be some you haven't ridden. Hell, there might even be a few that aren't on a map!!! Dice likes to refer to them as my goat paths. Nothing that a set of good aggressive knobbies can't handle…. OK, I keed, I keed.

Not sure if this was a response to my post, but I really didn't mean to imply I'm living the life of a lonely pauper sipping crap beer by myself on the back deck. Far from it!!! Deck is a screen porch that overlooks my 9 acres of hardwood forest with some of the purtiest 12pt bucks you've ever laid eyes on (you can find pics on some of my old posts here). I've got a 3-bay garage and workshop full of paid-off toys including 3 bikes and a convertible Vette, a late-model Ford PU in the driveway, and nice middle-class annual income in qualified dividends from stock investments over the last 3 decades--no guaranteed pension here. Unless the the SHTF and zombies invade Hamilton Cty, I don't foresee needing to file for SS until I'm 70. What I was getting at was that, when it came time make the choice to pull the plug on the job or fight to stay, I looked at what I had, evaluated what could be gained financially by working another 5 years vs retiring, and decided that enough was enough. What's sad is that I can honestly say that while I made some very good choices down through the years, I'm not entirely convinced that much of it wasn't pure blind luck. The opportunities to be both lucky AND good with respect to investments going forward from here are significantly reduced when compared to the era of the 60s through the 90s, and I'm not sure that my kids will have a 'better life' than I do when it comes time for their golden years. Sad, but likely. I'm gonna try my damnedest to leave a useful pot of cash for them when I die. As for working after retiring, I agree wholeheartedly. Rather than telling people I'm retired, I usually refer to myself as under-employed. And I still plan on getting that golden years job just for fun….as soon as I figger out what I want to be when I grow up. Gotta remember, though--if I'm working at a great fun job, one of you millenials has to be flipping' burgers at Mickie-D's….

^^^This^^^ Unless you like eating insects and living in a cave, there isn't much joy in a life without pleasure. Big difference between 'simple' and 'subsistence'... I agree with #1 implicitly. I know people who spend hundreds to thousands of dollars a month on useless shit. I'm from a different generation, so maybe I have different values, but at 64 years of age, I've never had cable TV (I watch very little crap TV and what I do watch is free with rabbit ears) and my only acknowledgement to modern communication is my $99/year cell bill (TracFone, baby--GF insists I carry it for when I 'die' on the MC!?!) Bought my first 3 houses as little fixer-uppers and sold 'em to upgrade. Never bought a new car until 3 years post-retirement. #2 is good advice for folks who don't have fairly strong financial resolve. If you have the discipline, you can use a credit card to your advantage and not have it cost you a penny. #3 is a tough nut to crack. I'm not sure I ever had that kind of money in an untouchable account until I was old and the kids were gone and out of college. Can be done by strict budgeting and keeping a close eye on your expenses.

I gotta weigh in on this, being an old guy who worked 37+ years at one company that I both loved and hated at various times thoughout my career. I was forced into retirement in 2006 when the company farmed out my position to a temp agency. I had planned on working at least an additional 5-6 years, but I took stock of my financial situation, gave up the dream of the yacht on the Riviera, settled for cheap beer on the deck, and have never looked back since. I enjoy every day as much as possible, even if it's just a walk in the woods with the dog or a short rip into NKY on the scoot. Disclaimer: Realize that my advice--along with the advice of others on this board--is useless to the OP, as only he can make the changes in his life to find what makes it worth living. A long time ago, I worked for really great boss and we shared many personal stories together. I was in my 30s at the time, married with kids and mortgage, and couldn't seem to find happiness with my current situation. He told that there there were some people who 'got' the whole rat race thing that were able to play the game, put up with the BS, even be better at it than most, and find happiness in the daily grind. And then, there were people like me, who questioned everything, had trouble finding satisfaction in the day-to-day tasks, and that would always be labelled a 'non-conformist' by the folks who run the world. I can't tell you if the world is that black and white in terms of how people operate, but it stuck with me enough to make me put my head down and plow through the crap of life. I literally hated the last 5 years of my job, but I could see the end pretty clearly and was willing to make the personal sacrifice of my time to reach that goal. Please understand--this is NOT an endorsement suggesting you stick with a job you hate until you retire. Doing that will make you a grumpy old man before your time. What I'm trying to convey is that there is joy to be found in the little things every day--it's just very hard to find that joy when your focus is on the big things. I liken it to this old story: A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. This time the students were sure and they responded with a unanimous "YES!" The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar -- effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children?things that, if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. "Take care of the rocks first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers." Take care of the big things. Find enjoyment in the little things. Advice is easily given, but finding the energy and the will to change your perspective is one of the most difficult tasks in life. And for gawd's sake, talk to your wife and share your pain and discomfort. She's your partner….and if you picked a good one, she'll she'll help you with making decisions and will gladly share your pain. Good luck. I'll lift a glass of cold, cheap beer this afternoon on my back deck and toast to your success at finding a solution!!!

So….are hairy Amish strippers hotter than midget strippers?

For those hoping for purty fall colors on the ride, the peak hasn't arrived yet--still lots of green with some mottled yellows on the walnut trees and light oranges on the hard maples. Oaks haven't started to turn. I pre-rode some of the route today and the leaves, acorns and walnuts are falling like rain. If we get the cold front on Friday with heavy rain, the roads will be extra slippery yet on Sunday. There were several places that I hit gravel unexpectedly as well. This is a word to the wise…. The pace will likely be slower than what I normally ride due to weekend traffic, church folk, shoppers and leaf peepers. We WILL get blocked on the busier state routes, so leave your road rage at home and just plan on a relaxing ride. Figure 35-45 in a 35, 55-60 in a 55, and maxing out at 70-75 on the wide-open fast stretches. If the group is more than 3-4 riders, we prolly won't be making any banzai passes around the slow traffic anyway.

Please note that I've changed my contact number!!! Cell # is 5one3-5sixO-one94two [Text only pls] Sorry for the confusion….old-timers disease….

Hmmm….they couldn't possibly screw up coffee, could they? I recommend sticking with the veggie entree….

Route--Edgewood KY 41017 to Williamstown KY 41097 https://goo.gl/maps/Px444 Williamstown to Idlewild/I-275 interchange https://goo.gl/maps/dro7j

Sounds like you guys are on-board for Sunday. Here's a map of where we'll meet--Exit 80/KY Rt 17 off I-275 in NKY: Coming south from Dayton, it's about 50:50 whether you take 75S across the river and head east on 275E or take 75S to 471S and head west on 275W….your choice. We'll meet at the McDonalds just south of the interchange. WIth a route ride time of approx 6 hours, we should try to roll early enough to get you home by dark o'clock. Let's say we meet at the McD's between 10 and 10:15. There's a Thornton gas station next door to fuel up before the ride--kickstands up promptly at 10:30. In case you have to head home early, there are lots of bail-out points in the route along the I-75 corridor in NKY to short-cut and roll north. Fuel, snacks and road food can be had in both Falmouth and Williamstown near the ride's mid-point. NOTE CHANGE!!! If you need to get hold of me for last minute change of plans or emergency, cell # is 5one3-5sixO-one94two [TEXT ONLY PLS!]

Here's the forecast for Sunday. Gonna be a chilly start but a pretty day: I knocked out a route that runs about 175-200 miles from the starting point along the 275 loop in NKY. Google map calculates ride time at 5'45" not including stops. Includes some of the favorites like 10 from Alexandria to Willow and 22 from Willow to Williamstown, along with a few lesser-known surprise favorites. Not enough daylight/too many total miles to include the awesome 227 south to Stamping Ground, but if you like what you see this fall, we can always map something that includes 227 for next summer when the daylight lasts longer. Disclaimer: These roads are rural and there's always the possibility of Sunday church folk, slow field equipment, dogs, cats, farm animals, mud/gravel/manure on the routes, so ride at a speed that accommodates your sight lines. Typical pace is 10-20+ posted limit in the fast sections with max of 70MPH-ish. Lemeno what you decide to do by Saturday noonish so I can make the final arrangements and post a link to the meet-up time/location.

Based on your description of how it'll be constructed, the mesh would be superfluous. What mesh and reinforcement rods do is 1) give some additional strength in high traffic areas; and 2) keep the slab in one piece when it cracks….which it inevitably does if subjected to heavy vehicles. You'll be fine unless you plan to put on a ton of weight as you age. EDIT: Be sure to use a groover and put crack/stress reliefs in every 4' or so. For a 4" pour, your relief should be 3/4" to 1" deep. Or saw-cut it after it cures.

I know logistics including the extra 35-40 miles roll from Dayton in the morning and evening are hard to overcome, but I'd be up for volunteering to put together a route of 150-200 miles of NKY goodness if you wanna head south from Dayton. Could do fewer miles, but you'll miss out on some of the classic roads. Lemeno by Friday if there's enough interest--also presumes the weather is gonna cooperate--and I'll dig thru some of my old LocalRiders routes and post up a map. Technically, I guess Cincinnati is REALLY part of northern KY anyway….

No wonder. That looks like the Carroll Shelby model.

Yup. And my Craftsman (Yeah, yeah….I've heard all the Crapsman jokes) wrenches cost me $29.95 on sale and are still functional after daily home garage use over a 20-30 year period. One of the wrenches in the set was mis-cast, which wouldn't happen with the Mac or Snap-On set, but I returned it for a new one without a hassle. If I did mechanic's work for a living, I might be able to justify the high cost of a stuffed roll-box in the 10s of thousands. You obviously get value out of your high-end tools and that's a good thing.