Fast Food? Hah! Hope You're Not In A Hurry

I don't eat fast food often, less than once a month. But when I get a hankerin', I gotta have it. With my wife working late yesterday and it being a nice night for a cruise on "The Beast" I wanted a bacon cheeseburger and fries. I headed for Wendy's out on RT. 6

I have had issues at this Wendy's before that actually prompted a complaint to the local health department for their lacking food safety practices. But it is the only one in the area so I tried again. On the bike going through a drive-thru is impossible. It takes several minutes to park and secure my bike and riding accessories, so going into any place is a time investment.

There have been many other retail establishments I have been to since dotgov fucked up our economy for the past couple of years because of the Chi-Com Xi Flu. After being paid more to stay home, even though that is pretty much over, people still don't want to work. And those that are working don't seem to give a shit but are too valuable to get fired, and they know it. Customer service is in the shitter. That was the case at Wendy's tonight. There were only about six customers in two or three groups ahead of me. I stood there and watched chaos behind the counter as they mixed up orders between the counter and drive-thru. In the 5 minutes I was there, no one was taking orders and they were scrambling to get things unfucked. Yeah... bye! Back outside and several minutes to get ready to ride to my next choice a few miles away, Burger King.

I have had good luck at this Burger King in the past so I was hopeful. Again several minutes to secure everything before going in. Here there was a line but initially I was not concerned, and the yummy smells just made me even more hungry. After just a few minutes of watching the operation I knew I was screwed, but I was starving so I stuck with it. They seemed to be a couple of workers short, and fucking up every single order. A guy came back in after going through the drive-thru because he didn't get what he ordered, and each order going over the counter had to be "adjusted." When it was my turn to order, the cashier said she had to go "help" and would be back in a few minutes. I watched as she bumbled around like it was her first day. There was what appeared to be a manager, but he looked as lost as the rest. A young hispanic male was stomping around and slamming stuff on the counter with a pissed iff look on his face. The only person that seemed to know what to do was the kid on the fry-o-lator. When she finally came back I said, "You know, it isnt't that hard. Take the order, make the order, happy customer." She apologized and successfully took my order, and I went to get my drink and wait for my food.

Another counter person looks at me and asks if I am waiting for something. I tell her my order number and she quizically repeats it. I tell her its a #1 Whopper with cheese and bacon small combo. She looks up at the computer screen rather dumbfounded and is scrolling through the orders. She eventually hands me my order and asks if I want any sauce. Sauce? Its a burger and fries for Christ's sake, right there on the tray! I repeat the "take the order, make the order... " statement. The pissed off hispanic male now hears it, takes off his headset and asks if I have something to say. So I lean in and repeat it just for him. He realizes now I am not to be trifled with (I am in my biker wear) and asks if I have a complaint. I tell him I do, and corporate will hear about it tomorrow. He says gave a good night and walks away. Smart boy after all.

So today, I will call the franchise headquarters for both restaurants to voice my "dissatisfaction." I already know that they will tell me they are unable to do much about it, because they can't get workers. Then they'll try to appease me with a coupon.

Random Shit From The Past Few Days

Here is some stuff I thought you'd like to read about because I am oh so important and interesting. I actually started composing this Thursday evening but didn't get too far because I haven't had the keyboard time. Now this post spans several days.

Wednesday March 16th:  A mid-week day off for me but wifey had to work. I made myself a big breakfast (spam and cheese 3-egg omelette with an English muffin). When the early morning fog cleared and the sun came out temps went from the 30's to the 50's pretty quick. I took my Ridgeback boy for a nice 3 mile walk/hike. When I get up to the stop sign at the top of my road, there is no through traffic to the right. He comes off leash at that point. We then head up a colonial era dirt road that the town doesn't maintain in the winter and barely keeps it passable through the other three seasons. There are old stone foundations from homesteads from the colonial days if you know where to look.

The only remaining live utility is the CATV that feeds my road

 

While my walk was 3 miles, the dog did about 4 running on ahead, then running back to me, as well as all the exploring he did in the woods and fields. When we get back to the intersection at the top of my road he goes back on leash for the last 1/2 mile to home. When we got home he was pooped for the rest of the day. I got busy getting stuff together to go to the range.

As usual I had the range to myself since it was a weekday afternoon. An assortment of rifles , a couple of pistols, ammo, paper targets, and some 1 gallon water jugs. I also had some small bottles of sterile water from the ambulance that were expired and were going to be thrown away, but I grabbed them. A .22LR makes them explode pretty well. Punching holes in paper, popping water jugs, and whacking the fixed steel gongs at ranges from 50 to 200 yards. After that I moved to my handguns.

At my old club, drawing and shooting from a holster was forbidden. Not at my present club. I set up a full sized silhouette target at 7 yards and repeatedly drew and fired a doubletap to the chest, and one to the head. I did that several times, and then reloaded to a full compliment. I then did the "Hearts and Minds" shot again, and then did a mag dump on the steel plates at 25 yards behind the silhouette, dropped the empty, reloaded and banged all the plates again.  I did this evolution first with my Glock 21 then my S & W 45 Shield. When I was finished I packed up and headed for home to put everything away. Since the handguns both see carry duty, they were cleaned and put away. The rifles I will get to in the next several days.

Thursday March 17th: One of the big post Chi-Com Xi Flu Dem-panic and lockdown concerns is mental health, especially among children due to the isolation and face diaper wearing. We took in a juvenile on a law enforcement emergency committal. Related to Chi-Com Xi Flu or not, those calls always break my heart. My partner and I are both Dads, so we usually calm the situation by the time we get to the hospital. The patient was crying uncontrollably at the house, but calm and kind of smiling upon arrival. The very next day our department got another call for another juvenile psych, same age and sex but from a different address. Jeezus!

While waiting for a room assignment in the ER staging area, in came another town's ambulance with another psych case. This patient was in restraints and surrounded by two state troopers and four hospital security guards. I don't know what they did on scene to warrant the restraints, but the patient was calm and talking to someone on a cell phone while sitting on the stretcher. While I was standing near the nurses station, I noticed one of their computers was in screen saver mode. The hospital screen saver are like PSA's and reminders. One caught my eye, and I mad sure of what it said when it came around again

"Be sure to assess vaccine status, and vaccinate as indicated."

Yeah... fuck you! I had to go to that ER a year ago. I don't remember if they asked or not (the double doses of morphine makes my memory a little foggy), but I know for a fact I was not jabbed while there. I went alone and would not have been able to sign anything after the morphine, and no one was there to authorize anything on my behalf. The last couple of medical visits when asked about being jabbed, my answer has been "NO FREAKIN' WAY!" They just check the appropriate box on the paperwork and that's it.

I have noticed gas prices down some, but still over $4 per gallon. At the station I drive by the most in town, it is down to $4.39/gallon, down from the high about 2 weeks ago of $4.65/gallon. Since my commute is less than 4 miles round trip per day, my gas lasts a long time, and I only buy my gas out of town where it is even cheaper.

Friday March 18th: Another day off, but an 08:15 AM appointment for my annual FD physical and my DOT medical card. I passed the interior firefighter physical for the last time, because next year I will be over 60. That department policy may change though, because we have hardly any active interior firefighters and to lose another will be tough. The other problem is that the medical facility is holding up my DOT medical card. Because I have hereditary hypertension that is controlled with medication, I have to get an annual DOT card, not the normal biannual. Apparently, for the last three years, my doctor has not sent in the paperwork that verifies my blood pressure is under control and I am compliant with my meds. They faxed one to the doctor's office while I was still there, and I got a copy to hand deliver on my way home. My current DOT card expired today, so I will be on them every day this week until I receive it.

I had done a couple of errands on the way home, but forgot one. My wife's RAV-4 needed a new headlight. I only use Sylvania Silverstar Ultra in all my vehicles and needed to run back out to get one. Hey... that's a small errand, perfect for taking my bike instead of my big honkin' pickup truck! What a beautiful afternoon for a ride, 75 and sunny. I topped off the tire pressure, hooked up my cell phone for music streaming, and headed out. First, I had to stop at the firehouse to torment my normal shift partner. I pulled into the parking lot, and started doing circles in front of the day room window, music and horn blaring. I saw the vertical blinds part, and saw his hand giving me the proper salute I expected. Now before you call me a dick, this is a constant back and forth between he and I. On nice days when he is off riding and I am at work, I get a constant stream of photo text messages of every stop he makes while out riding. So this was a little payback for him. I took a little longer route to the auto parts store and back, but it was a nice 30 mile loop.

Back from the ride. This was just before I put the cover back on. Not sure when the next one will be

BTW... that spot under my bike is an old stain from the rear end of the classic car I once had. This is a Honda... no fluids come out unless I let them out.

Saturday March 19th: While getting ready to go to the town dump, I heard shooting coming from up over the hill at my other neighbor's range, and behind Mrs. Bitchy McBitchy Bitchface's house. It was pretty loud, so she must have been going apeshit! I finished loading up my trash and decided I would head up his range access road in my truck to see what he was up to.

I have permission to be on his property. Some horse people have asked if they could ride up there but he has turned them down. He has it posted with no trespassing signs that say there is an active shooting range. I have shot with him before on his old range, but not on this new one. I hiked up there a week ago and was amazed. He has modeled his range after youtuber Hickok45, just not as many targets.

 

 

 

The far targets are across a gully, with the hill as a backstop

Homemade shooting benches

To the rear of the shooting area. The bottles are plastic and full of water for targets

I met him on the access road in his side-by-side. He was all done shooting and on his way back. We parked nose to nose, and I got out to chat with him. He was surprised I got up the road because it is a little steep and there was a soupy spot. I told him I have good all-terrain tires, just eased through it steadily, and then climbed the hills gently so I didn't rip up his road. He appreciated that and we bullshitted out there for a good 40 minutes. Afterwards, I got myself turned around and followed him out of the woods. I went to the dump and then came straight home.

When I got home, wifey informs me her brother and wife were coming over for dinner and to play marbles (the board game). She insists she told me, but she did not. I informed her we are out of beer, and that I need to make a beer and wine run to Yankee Spirits up in Sturbridge, MA. I race up there, get the beer and wine, and top off my truck with gas. I get back before they arrive. They show up about a half hour later and the few beers I threw in the freezer were nice and cold. We ordered pizza and had dinner. Then spent the next few hours playing marbles. We always play guys against girls, and it was the girl's night to win every freakin' game. They left around 11.

Today was puttering in the garage (I had to test fit a borrowed car top carrier and roof rack rails on the wife's RAV-4). She is going away on a dog event weekend in Maryland next month, so I didn't want to wait until last minute to find out there was a problem. It all fits fine. I then spent a couple of hours moving heavy wet leaves left over from the fall that I didn't get picked up before the snow fell. The last load on my 9' x 12'  tarp weighed about 300 pounds, and I had to drag it about 70' to the woods to dump it. The pile is considerably smaller, and now that the top layers are gone, it can dry out over the next couple of days. I'll pick away at it after work each night.

A Small Window For A Ride

Between the wet roads and murky skies this morning, and the front coming through now at sunset with dropping temperatures was an opportunity to get some ass time in the saddle of "The Beast."

I had errands to do and left late morning. I took my male poodle with me because he loves road trips with Daddy. First to Kohl's to exchange some jeans my wife got me for Christmas that I did not like. Next to the Toyota dealer practically next door to get oil filters and drain plug gaskets for the wife's RAV-4. I had gotten a $100 gift card to Cabela's from my daughter for Christmas so I figured I'd go see what they had. Poodle boy got to go in the store and he behaved himself as expected. Ammo is coming back, but nothing for me. I bought another 50 round rifle cartidge case for my 7.62x54r ammo. A whopping $4.24 off the gift card. I then took a ride down to Hoffman's Gun Center to see what they had for ammo. I was looking for one 50 round box of Federal .357 Magnum. Nope. The only 30 caliber ammo they had was some 350 Legend and the new 30 Carry. They also had shitloads of the new CCI Velocitor hyper speed hunting ammo. They had a lot of 9mm, 40, 45ACP,  5.56, and shotshells. They used to carry a large and varied selection of paper targets, but had squat. I left to head home with my Christmas VISA gift cards intact, but stopped at Wendy's first for a quick lunch.

By the time I got home and ready to ride, it was closing on 4 PM. It was still warm and sunny. My first stop was the firehouse to taunt my usual shift partner and fellow biker that had to work today. I circled around in front of the Day Room window honking my horn. He saw me. Now before you think I am just a mean prick, a couple of Saturday's ago it was warm and sunny. I had to work while he cruised the shoreline with his friends on bikes. I got a constant stream of picture text messages from him, so today was a little payback. I did a loop of about 46 miles through Windham County and a long straight stretch on US 6 where I wound it up to about 85 MPH. When I got to Hampton, I stopped at the Shell station convenience store for a snack of a Hostess cherry fruit pie (just what a fatty like me needs). I cruised through Mansfield Hollow State Park and was surprised how much ice was gone leaving open water. I stopped back in at the firehouse for a few minutes to chat with the boys. The sun was going down and with it the temperatures when I pulled into my garage. That ride should hold me for a while.

And Just Like That, Cold Weather Riding Is Paused

This morning was my 07:00 appointment at Quest Diagnostics for the Chi-Com Flu antibody test my doctor reluctantly ordered for me at my request. THIS is what we woke up to this morning.

An inch of fresh snow everywhere

The view down my driveway from a toasty warm cab. You wanna take a bike down that? NOPE!

The lab is about 20 minutes away and I got right in and right out. The sign on the door said face diapers were required. I went in wearing an N95 that virtue signals to people that I don't care about them, I care about ME! I did not see a GFDZ (Gun-Free Death Zone) sign. The test starts with a Chi-Com Flu nasal swab test (my very first one). I complete that and she says, "All set, thank you." I remind her this is an antibody test, I thought there was a blood draw? Oops... nothing like not reading the lab request form. She takes my blood and I am out. Oh yeah, the M&P 45 Shield remained on my right hip concealed the entire time. Since a large grocery store was near the lab, I took back my returnable glass bottles since I knew no one would be hogging up the machines. Now I just need to get rid of the plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Stupid fucking bottle bill!*

Headed home up my road. Recent tires on the truck made for fine traction on untreated roads.

 

I was talking to the town DPW maintenance guy last week. He said not one of their trucks were ready to go for plowing or sanding. The monkeys that work there absolutely beat the shit out of the equipment faster than he can repair it, and parts are getting tough to get when they really break something. I hear grumblings from people around town that if they had the authority, they would fire every one of them motherfuckers and make them reapply for their jobs. The only one that would probably get rehired is the equipment maintenance guy.

 

*The Kommiecticut bottle bill has been around forever. State government will say it is to promote recycling... I CALL BULLSHIT! They make returning cans and bottles for your deposit purposely a pain in the ass, in the hopes YOU WILL NOT RECYCLE and the deposit money goes into state coffers. Just like not playing the lottery (a suckers tax), I refuse to give them one more penny than they can otherwise confiscate. The bottle bill is taxation on the lazy.

Bike Season Over?

Maybe. At least the regular season cruises, riding to work, and Patriot Guard missions. I'll still do the missions, but using my truck. While there are a few of us that ride occasionally through the winter, I still need to prep "The Beast" to sit for longer periods of time. Yesterday afternoon I took her out to the local gas station for a fill up. I grabbed my jug of Sta-Bil 360 which stabilizes the gas and treats the ethanol. I pour the appropriate amount in the tank and then add the new gas to mix it well. Instead of going straight home, I went a few extra miles to make sure the treated fuel was in the entire EFI system. Plus it wasn't too cold so I got a little ride in. When I got home, the bike went up on the center stand and onto the Battery Tender. Later today I'll give it a good cleaning, put it on the front wheel stand, and cover it up. She'll be ready to ride at a moments notice, or continue the winter slumber undisturbed.

I'm An Idiot!

I thought there was a Patriot Guard Riders funeral mission today. I got an email from the MA Patriot Guard for the cemetery in Agawam on October 25th. We were to meet in the usual spot on Main Street at 12:45. Problem was, I thought today was the 25th. I didn't realize I was off a day until I pulled into the lot at 12:47 and was the only one there. I pulled my phone out and checked the email and it said the 25th at 12:45. Then I looked at my watch. Shit! Oh well, it was a beautiful day for a ride. I went to the cemetery anyway and placed a brand new shiny penny on all my relative's gravestones. Then on the way home I stopped at a friend's house that had been after me to stop by. He and his wife live in a lake community in his grandmother's old house. Next door to him was a totally dilapidated seasonal house that was falling down for decades. He had pursued buying the property for many years, but the family refused to sell. They finally had to sell and he bought it. He put up a nice garage/workshop/man cave where the house had been. I didn't stick around too long because they were headed out for lunch.

The other thing about today turned out to be a quick dry run of bringing a handgun in and out of The Peoples Republik on Massachusetts. Rather than carry it locked and loaded on my hip as I normally do, it was unloaded and secured with a cable type lock in the hidden compartment in the trunk. The magazine and ammo were locked in a separate compartment in the fairing. Carrying this way is a test of FOPA, since the bike is locked when parked and would only be searched if I wrecked, in which case I would be travelling through MA to a state where my firearm is legal. When I got to the convenience store near home to get a snack, I got some practice strapping on my holster, loading my pistol, and placing it in the holster right out in the open unnoticed. I then went in the store for some junk food and a soda. When I headed out for home, my gun was in the holster under my leathers as usual.

5th Weekend Motorcycle Outing

And yesterday's was a good one... "The Battle For The Airfield" at The Collings Foundation in Hudson MA.

https://www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/wwii-re-enactment-battle-for-the-airfield/ 

 

This is the 5th weekend in a row I have been able to get out on "The Beast" for an event. The four previous were:

• 9-11-21 - "2021 Ride For Gage" to benefit the Jordan Porco Foundation for suicide prevention
  
• 9-18-21 - Patriot Guard Riders; Framingham, MA bridge dedication for USAF Senior Airman Deanna K. Richards.
• 9-25-21 - CT Citizens Defense League Annual Poker Run
• 10-1-21- Patriot Guard Riders; procession escort ride, military honors and funerals for eight CT Veterans with no families whose remains went unclaimed. The PGR now claims them as our own.

 

Yesterday's ride started early. I was meeting the bikers I ride with the most at a convenience store local to me. From there the plan was to meet up with another group I know from southeastern CT. They were coming up I-395 and hooking up with us at the Burger King in Dayville at 09:00 which is right off the exit for RT. 101. Right on time, everyone was together in the BK parking lot and had time to go use the rest room. We then had a quick riders meeting. This ride was going to be a long stretch of interstate since I-395 to I-290 and then I-290 to the end was a straight shot and the best way to go. With a total of 13 bikes it would not be a hard group to manage, and it wasn't. We arrived safely and all together about 1/2 hour before the scheduled start time for the first battle at 11:00.

The battle got started late and I got some great video footage from the 50 yard line with my Nikon D5600 mounted on a mono-pole held up over the crowd. I had on my 70-300mm VR lens which allowed for some excellent framing. I had the monitor turned facing down so I could look up and see it. Unfortunately, something happened to my video files when I took the memory card out of the camera and plugged it into my PC. Nothing bad happened to the still photos. The videos were all there when I watched them on the camera. I used the Windows file recovery to get some back but not the second half of the first battle. That 15 minute long video is gone and THAT FUCKING SUCKS!!!

Anyway, after the 11:00 battle, we toured the museums and got some food. Some of the group wanted to stay for the 3:00 PM show, and then go for pizza later while still up in MA. About half of the group either had enough or had other commitments after. I was in the latter group. I had been in contact with my wife and she informed me we had plans for the evening, so getting home just after 3 PM worked out perfectly.

Honored To Be A Part Of It

I have been an active member of the Patriot Guard Riders since 2018 and try to attend as many missions as I can. Today's mission was one of those that was extra special.

**HONOR MISSION** 8 UNCLAIMED MILITARY VETERANS ROCKY HILL/ MIDDLETOWN, CT FRIDAY 10/01/2021 845AM STAGE

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 05:19 PM PDT

**HONOR MISSION**

8 UNCLAIMED MILITARY VETERANS

 

VICTOR H ANDERSON USMC KOREA

ORVILLE K DAVIS US ARMY WW II

STEPHEN Y FORRESTER US ARMY VIETNAM

JOSEPH P GALIPEAU US ARMY WW II

LAWRENCE W JORDAN US ARMY WW I

BERNARD J LAFLEUR US NAVY WW II

GEORGE D PARKER US NAVY WW II

LAWRENCE E TEFFT US COAST GUARD/MERCHANT MARINE WW II

 

ESCORT STAGE

CT DEPT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

287 WEST ST

ROCKY HILL CT 06067

FRIDAY 10/01/2021

845AM STAGE

 

CEMETERY STAGE

CT STATE VETERANS CEMETERY

317 BOW LA

MIDDLETOWN, CT  06457

FRIDAY 10/01/2021

930AM STAGE

Patriot Guard and Associates;

We have been invited by DVA Commissioner Thomas Saadi to participate in the Escort and Final Military Honors for 8 Unclaimed Military Veterans.

CT PGR along with the CT Funeral Directors Association, CT State Police, Local Law Enforcement, will Escort these Veterans to their final resting place at the CT State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.

CT PGR will now be the family for these Veterans.

A flagged Vehicle Escort has been requested.

ASC Skip Petras (XXX-XXX-XXXX) will be RCIC for the escort.

We will Stand a Flag Line for the Cemetery Ceremony and Military Honors.

RC Gregg Karal (XXX-XXX-XXXX) will be RCIC at the Cemetery with flags on site.

Any RC that will be attending are requested to bring their flags to the cemetery.

Members are reminded that Personal Weapons are not Permitted on State Property.

Masks are encouraged by the DVA though not required. Members may make their own choice.

God Bless America, Our Troops and Our First Responders.

 

Every time one of these has come up in the past, I was unable to serve for whatever reason but today's occurred on my regular day off and the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was a somber but joyous ceremony, for eight men whose remains have been in storage at various funeral homes because they were unclaimed. One of them since 1976. Here is a couple of news stories covering the event. If you knew where/when to look... yes indeed... Glypto's mug and bike is there to see. For PERSEC though, I will not give it away.

Fox 61 CT CT Veterans Military Funeral

 

 

NBC 30 CT Veterans Military Funeral

It was 40 degrees when I left my house so I had on some cold weather gear. We met at the VA Home and Hospital in Rocky Hill. Unlike most PGR missions, there was no waiting around in staging to have coffee or to bullshit with the other members. This was a joint effort between the state VA and the CT Funeral Directors Association. It also involved the CT State Police, Rocky Hill Police, Cromwell Police, Middletown Police, Middletown FD, and military honor guards. All 8 cremated remains arrived in a single hearse, but there were three others provided. Each hearse had the magnetic branch insignia on the drivers door for the respective service branches, so the urns needed to be moved according to the deceased's branch of service. This was done by members of the PGR and the Combat Vet Motorcycle Association, including yours truly. We lined up at the rear of the main hearse, and the president of the CFDA distributed the urns to us. Slowly and deliberately, the CFDA president would pick up an urn, bring it face to face to the waiting personnel. The person receiving the urn would render a salute, do a left face, walk several steps, do another left face, and slowly walk to to appropriate waiting hearse. I walked in a similar way to the Honor Guards at The Tomb of The Unknown at Arlington... that slow and deliberate walk. I did a left face, 3 or 4 steps, then a final left face to hand the urn to the funeral director waiting at the back of the hearse. After the urns were all properly placed, everyone posed for photos in front of the cannons and flagpole in front of the admin building. It was soon time to saddle up for the police escorted procession. There were 2 flagged pickup trucks (one in front, one in the rear) and about 22 bikes in between, followed by the four hearses and the CT State Police motorcycle troopers running as roaming road guards. The town police in Rocky Hill, Cromwell, and Middletown were waiting for us at the larger intersections. We had to do a short hop on the RT. 9 state highway, which was shut down for us to enter and exit unimpeded.

We arrived safely at the cemetery and had a parking area set aside for the escort vehicles and bikes. We parked and headed over to the cemetery Ride Captain's truck to get our flags for the flag line. We lined up about 25 feet from the large tent that was set up behind the speaker's podium. The line was one of the longest I've seen in a while, about 45 participants since there were quite a few PGR members that either don't have bikes or chose not to ride today and were waiting there for us.

In attendance were many veterans groups from around the region. American Legion, VFW, The Marine Corps League, DAV, CT State Honor Guard and others that I couldn't quite tell who they were. The hearses were brought up one at a time to the rear of the tent, and military honor guards brought the urns up one at a time and set them on a special table each with a folded flag. When all were in place, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang the National Anthem, and bowed our heads for the invocation prayer. The Master of Ceremony was state DVA Commissioner Saadi. There were 6 speeches including his that were nice and short. Military honors were rendered for all 8 deceased at once, and the Army Honor Guard ceremoniously folded a US Flag. That flag was presented to Commissioner Saadi. It concluded with a closing and a benediction prayer and it was done. We did the usual PGR exit. We stayed in our line, called to attention, did a right face, and marched off single file holding our flags. Only when we get to the RC vehicle to we break rank and disassemble our flags. I have heard directly from mourners over the years that the march off impresses the hell out of them.

You may have missed in the mission notice the reminder "Members are reminded that Personal Weapons are not Permitted on State Property." Well guess what, as usual I was armed. You see, by attending these missions unarmed, not only am I disarmed at the mission (which isn't a big deal since there is usually a police presence), but traveling to and from and while making any stops. I had errands to run afterwards today, so I was not going all the way home to get an EDC and then back out to do my errand. Nor am I going anywhere disarmed. My compromise was having my gun and holster locked in the trunk of "The Beast" while at the VA, riding in the escort, and while standing a flag line. However, after the conclusion of the ceremony and while no one was looking, I strapped on my holster and placed my 45 Shield in it. Since it had warmed up, I ditched my leather jacket, neck covering, and winter gloves. The gun was immediately covered by my vest and disappeared. I rode out right past police in the cemetery and no one was the wiser. Like I always say, my gun sitting safely in my holster harms no one. I do not discuss this issue with any PGR members, and let them all just think I am being a good boy.

A Review - The 2021 Big 'E'

This year is the 39th time in a row that my wife and I have attended together. Last year, because of C-O-O-O-O-V-I-D! 😱 the normal fair held at the exposition grounds in West Springfield, MA was turned into a drive through food event only. You drove through in your vehicle and bought your fair food to go. The Log Cabin Restaurant in Holyoke did their "Taste of The Big 'E'" at their own facility on the side of Mt. Tom. My wife and I went with one of my biker buds on motorcycles. We had a nice lunch on their outdoor mountainside terrace overlooking the valley. Afterwards, we took the long way home east through MA and then headed south into Kommiecticut by way of Somers. While not the experience we are used to, I contend our record of attendance is intact.

This year the Big 'E' was happening at the exposition fairgrounds as normal. Well... almost. Right before it started, the city of West Springfield decided to institute a "Mask of Oppression" mandate just for the fair anytime you were inside the buildings. How'd that work out for them? Maybe 50% average compliance. Earlier in the day compliance was higher. We delayed going because it was raining pretty hard in the early morning, and it remained cool and cloudy until mid-morning. My wife wore her thin blue medical mask and I wore my 19th century train robber bandana. The way I wear it, it looks like it is covering my air intake/exhaust, but it is pulled up high on my face and there is almost ZERO restriction that way. It takes some extra fiddling for me to get it that way. In between buildings it was pulled down around my neck. As the morning wore on, the sun came out and by the afternoon it got warm, I just stopped putting my mask back up. So did my wife. So did a lot of other people. And NO ONE MADE A STINK! Outside, only the very few idiotic Branch-Covidians wore a face diaper walking around outside. One libtard ass-clown sitting outside with his wife by themselves on a bench nowhere near anyone were covered up, with their official "Biden-Harris" labeled face diapers virtue signalling all those around them how enlightened and extra special they were. I so wanted to take their photo to turn it into a meme, but they would have seen me and I had no intention of engaging with such morons even to lie to them.

In all the state buildings, we noticed lots of empty exhibitor floor space, and some of the permanent setups closed up with a sign saying "See You in 2022!" While outside in the open areas it was the same. Not as crowded with vendors and purveyors. At the main entrance to The Better Living Center, it is usually full of vendor tents, and 2 to 4 fundraisers raffling off cars and/or motorcycles. Nothing. Open pavement in the whole area. Inside The Better Living Center which is almost 3 acres of indoor exhibitor space is usually cram packed with fair-goers and exhibitors. Not this year. Again lots of open floor space and easy to walk around. Even though we always go on a weekday and it started out rainy, I believe attendance was off. I think it is because instead of a full year of planning like normal, the exposition was in doubt up until it was confirmed to occur a few short months ago. I assume many exhibitors and vendors went and made other commitments.

The Big 'E' has a no weapons policy, enforced by bag searches at the gate and metal detectors. Since I was in MA I was not carrying a firearm. But I sure did have a weapon. I possess a Blackie Collins poly resin serrated straight knife (aka The CIA Letter Opener) with an added para cord wrist loop. I carry that whenever I  have to pass through a metal detector. Airports are a different story, as the knife would get picked up on a full body scanner or x-ray. For those times it is packed in my checked luggage. While bringing a knife to a gunfight is never a good idea, the only guns inside the Big 'E' are hopefully on the hips of the numerous cops on the grounds.

This knife holds a pretty good edge and the serrations are nasty. I wish the handle were just a little more robust and the added wrist loop ensures I don't lose it in a fight. It sure would be a good offensive weapon too, say deployed from behind and jammed into an enemy's brain stem. But I digress.

This year's Big 'E' gives me hope that next year, people will be so fed up with all the BKT that the exposition will be like it always has been, and the wife and I will hit the Big Four-Oh anniversary of attendance.

The Safest Place In The State

This past Saturday was the Poker Run held by the CT Citizens Defense League (CCDL). It was more than just a motorcycle event, as cars and trucks participated as well. Most of the participants, myself included, were armed, and openly carried. I had my Smith and Wesson M&P 45 Shield in my DeSantis "Speed Scabbard" at 3 o'clock. While on my bike, I am not concerned if my properly holstered handgun is visible or not since open carry is legal. Since I follow the biker tradition of never removing my leathers, my gun is concealed if I have to stop somewhere. We were welcomed at every stop, and it was the final destination I write about here. There was a huge crowd that only came to the BBQ that was also well armed. It was a classic example of "an armed society is a polite society" as well as the last place there was going to be some act of violence perpetrated by some nut or jihadi. These were definitely my peeps, I mean... GUNS and MOTORCYCLES and good food.

Oh yeah, one other good thing... there was no hint of BKT to be seen any where. Between all the pro-Trump and 2A stuff for sale and lack of face diapers, it was like summer of 2017 all over again.

Huge "Unauthorized" Motorcyle Rally In New Haven

I hope they bring that shithole city TO IT'S FUCKING KNEES!!! And that will happen without causing the destruction like BLM and ANTIFA does, but simply the big crowds on... gasp... MOTORCYCLES!

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/new-haven-issues-warning-ahead-of-unauthorized-motorcycle-rally/2588418/

The organizers have tried for months to get the permits required, but the city just jerked them around. So, the organizers have given a giant middle finger to the city and will hold it anyway. As a gesture of goodwill to the city, the organizers did decide to not hold it on Labor Day weekend like last year.

I will not be attending, but as a 1st Amendment supporter of the freedom to assemble, I will be there in spirit. Saturday, weather depending, I plan on doing a poker run to benefit the CCDL. If the rain doesn't get out of here fast enough, I will be power-washing the back of my house instead.

Planning On Doing A PGR Mission Tomorrow

USAF Senior Airman Deanna K. Richards bridge dedication.

She passed away in January 2017, and the PGR was already committed so they could not render honors at her funeral. The bridge dedication was cancelled last year because of C-O-O-O-O-VID!! 

The very first PGR mission I did was the naming of the Bristol, RI Post Office in honor of the highly decorated Green Beret 1SGT Andrew McKenna who was KIA in Afghanistan. That was 3 years ago yesterday.  It's a nice change to do a mission that is not a funeral.

I wonder how 1SGT McKenna's family feels about the fucked up retreat from "The Rockpile" after their son made so many sacrifices there?

Fantastic Benefit Ride

In this previous post, I detailed the "Ride For Gage" scheduled for today. The forecast called for a cool start, ending up with mostly sunny skies and temps in the mid to high 70's. The meteorologists were spot on, because that is exactly what the weather was. It was a chilly 44 degrees when I left at 7:45, so I dressed like an onion, in layers. I am sitting in the shade on my front porch, enjoying a nice cool breeze in shorts and a t-shirt composing this post.

The staging spot for the ride was Old School Harley-Davidson, with registration starting at 09:30. I left early (yup... wifey bailed) so I could get breakfast and coffee at the nearby Mickey D's in Ellington. Since the rest of the crew was coming from Manchester, they would have to pass right by, so that is where we met up. I had my favorite #5 McGriddle combo and a large black coffee. I had plenty of time to eat and finish my coffee before they finally arrived. By the time they pulled in and circled around, I was ready to roll. The tunes for the day cranked out of my bike sound system from my cell phone via bluetooth was iHeart `70's on iHeart Radio. That channel is a mish-mash of Top 40, disco, and classic rock. A lot of music from my youth.

It is only a couple of miles north up RT. 83 to Old School. We got lined up near the top of the second group of bikes. This was going to put us pretty close to the front of the ride.

The line up not long after we got situated. Can you find "The Beast?" She is pretty easy to spot.

We got registered and picked up our t-shirts, pins, and black rubber bracelets. I don't wear my bracelet, I put it around the brake and clutch master cylinders. Then it was time to just hang out and enjoy the camaraderie until K.S.U. around 11:30. Remember those layers from earlier? I was down to just a t-shirt and my biker vest.

A shot from the other direction of the quickly growing crowd of riders.

If it was like the last two of these rides I went on, it would be a police escorted 45 mile non-stop jaunt, and it was! We ended up 1/4 mile back from the front, and never did see the tail end. The CT State Police not only provided 2 motorcycle cops to ride with us as road guards, but there were CT State Police 4 wheel cruisers stopping traffic for us at some of the bigger intersections. Through Vernon and Coventry, both towns provided local police at major intersections so we got through unimpeded. Members of The Combat Vets Motorcycle Association also provided road guards at smaller easily controlled intersections. There were lots of supporters along the ride watching as we went by and waving, as well as traffic that pulled over to let us by waving and honking. Except one total dickhead. In Vernon, as we turned onto RT. 31 from RT. 30, this dickhead in a black S.U.V. with out of state plates stuck at the intersection gave everyone that went by the hand motion of jerking off. Obviously a V.I.P. that had urgent places to go. That was a long line of bikes, FUCK `IM, I hope he got stuck there good and long.

The ride was uneventful and we ended up at the Rockville Elks Club for a BBQ and entertainment. Being at the front of the ride meant our group got pretty good parking. I did not stick around too long. There were four bar stations set up, but I never imbibe when riding. I got a bottle of water and my plate of food. I chatted for a few minutes after lunch, but headed home soon after. On a warm day like today, I find these events tiring and will certainly sleep good tonight.

This would be classified under Chink-Bug panic porn as another super-spreader event. The only masks I saw were on a couple of servers at The Elks Club, but most were not wearing one. I did not see one single "Mask of Oppression" on any of the ride participants. Except for very few gullible people, most of the population is so over this bullshit.

Finally... A #TwoWheelTuesday

On this first day after the unofficial end of summer, I finally get to ride "The Beast" in to work. All summer long, it has been either rainy in the morning, rained all day long, or thunderstorms in the afternoon. On the one or two days I might have been able to ride, I needed to go somewhere after work and needed my truck. My shift partner has not ridden in since back in the spring.

This Saturday September 11th is the 5th annual "Ride For Gage" to benefit the Jordan Porco Foundation for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Gage Rondeau was a 15 year old motorcycle enthusiast that committed suicide. It will be my third time on this ride, which is police escorted and goes for 45 uninterrupted miles through Tolland and Windham county. It ends at the Rockville Elks Club for a BBQ and band. The weather is supposed to be fantastic and wifey is supposed to come along again this year. She actually had a good time. Because of Chink-Bug, last year the ride group was smaller, and the BBQ at the end was limited in attendance. The gang I rode with broke off in Rockville before the Elks Club and we had a nice lunch together at the famous Rein's Deli.

On the 25th is a poker run for the CT Citizens Defense League. I had such fun at my first ever poker run earlier this summer I'm gonna do it again. 

For a long time, I had little use for the CCDL, because like the NRA (Negotiating our Rights Away) they were a toothless organization under the old leadership. I abandoned them after the former president, Scott Wilson, told me directly he did not believe in the existence of or the participation in the ARMED CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE OF NON-COMPLIANCE against the unconstitutional/intolerable acts passed in 2013. They were all too happy to let gun rights in this state slip away, and IMHO to keep them all employed while at the same time supposedly "fighting real hard." You know, just like the minority poverty pimps need to keep the minority poor... poor. The new president, Holly Sullivan must have Scott Wilson's balls in a locked box so she can use them since he never did. CCDL recently sued all the Demon-crap controlled shithole large cities in the state, for purposely drawing out the permit application process from the statutorily defined 60 days to 7 or 8 months. Poor New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker was on TV crying about have to expend resources to defend the city. Meanwhile, he is on board with the whole de-funding the police movement and his city has an almost nightly body count. In that press conference, he tried to allude to the application for permits as a contributing factor in the violent crime on the streets. Hey Asshole... it's not permit holders shooting up your city, it's the thugs and street vermin you and your ilk coddle.

Longest and Best Ride In Recent Memory

Like I always say, if you aren't getting caught in the rain on your bike, you don't ride enough. And if you're not riding enough, why do you have a motorcycle?

I am not the old Glypto of 25 years ago when I had my previous bike. Back then, I would make these elaborate plans for a ride, and then feel I had to cancel them for the slightest chance of rain. I would then get so angry about it I was unbearable to be around. Not any more. While I won't venture out if it's already raining, I no longer cancel plans for a simple chance of showers. That's what rain-gear is for. And if plans do get washed out... oh well, just hafta ride another day. No sense walking around all pissed off about something I have no control over.

Several other riders were invited for a ride today before plans or a destination was decided on. They all either had other commitments or simply didn't even respond to the text messages. Since it just ended up being me and my fellow Goldwing rider, we decided our final destination would be Brattleboro, VT for lunch at a place we had been to before. But we were going to definitely take the scenic route to get there.

The plan became meeting for breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts on Windsor Avenue in Windsor near his house at 09:00, because right around the corner is I-91. We take 91 north to exit 27 just above Northampton where we can jump on RT. 5 without too many traffic controls to jam up the ride from there. South of that area are several downtown areas of too much stop-n-go for a nice motorcycle ride. We took RT. 5 to Greenfield where we picked up RT. 2 west, also known as The Mohawk Trail. Since We didn't have all the live long day, we did not go to Shelburne Falls and The Bridge of Flowers this time. We did stop and visit Mohawk Park because I knew my bud had never been there. The plan is to do a foliage ride and go back up there in the fall, stopping at the Bridge of Flowers and then on to Mt. Greylock.

The magnificent, life sized bronze statue of a Mohawk Warrior

A close-up of the arrowhead shaped plaque at the base

"Hail To The Sunrise"

 

I am so glad to see that like so many bronze statues and plaques this one has not yet been destroyed by junkies cutting it up to sell for scrap to then buy their junk. There is also a stone monument that has all the tribal names, Chiefs and Sachems from over the centuries. We got rained on a little while we were parked there. Just enough to wet the road. A mile west and the road was dry. We continued west on RT. 2 and crossed the railroad tracks as shown on the GPS in Florida, MA but there were none to be seen. That's because they were several hundred feet below us in the famous Hoosac Tunnel. There is also a sign on the side of the road that lets you know you are passing over it. Next up, the famous hairpin turn before the descent down into North Adams.

The Hairpin Turn circled in yellow

Just before you reach the turn you cross the summit of Mount Whitcomb with the large bronze elk statue and vistas on both sides of the road. The westbound side has a distillery, and the eastbound side has a brewery. It was pretty crowded so we did not stop.  We did stop at the hairpin turn.

Looking down on North Adams

There was a biplane flying up and down the valley. We were watching from the parking lot of The Golden Eagle. When the plane turned and came right at us to fly over the building, I did my best Cary Grant imitation and ran from it looking over my shoulder like in the movie "North By Northwest." The restaurant staff got a good laugh and the chef said, "Yeah, but he's not shooting at you!"

The Golden Eagle on the Hairpin Turn

We mounted up and headed down into North Adams to pick up RT. 8 north to Vermont. The plan was to hookup with RT. 9 over Hogback Mountain to get to Brattleboro. The trip was uneventful except for a few sprinkles and the traffic jam in the little tourist town of Wilmington. All kinds of little shops, cafes, bars, and pedestrian traffic. It is also where RT. 100 continues north. We sat through a couple of traffic light cycles. Those sprinkles were so brief in places, it was like someone sprayed you with water as you drove by. Finally into downtown Brattleboro where we headed north on RT. 5 to our lunch destination... the Top Of The Hill Grill.

Yup, the little piggy sculpture on top is made out of old license plates

When we were here last summer, the place was a zoo and we got in just in time before the huge crowd hit. It was about 2 PM when we got there today, so the big lunch crowd was done. First thing to do after parking was to hit the restroom. My back teeth had been floating since Wilmington. We got right to the window to order food and it came out relatively quick. I got a catfish wrap and a side of delicious coleslaw, washed down with a Pure Leaf raspberry iced tea. My bud got a combo plate with pulled pork, brisket, and burnt ends. The food is really good but a little pricey. Meh... since I didn't go away on vacation who cares. I sprung for lunch for both of us.

After lunch it was going to be a straight ride all the way down I-91 until I got off in Enfield and my bud continued to Windsor. A quick fill up with fuel was in order before getting on the highway. We got spit on a few times traversing MA, but when we hit Springfield it was raining harder. We pulled over under the I-291 overpass to get on the rain-gear. By the time we hit Longmeadow there was no rain and the road was dry. Oh well, better safe than sorry. Good thing, because I got rained on one more time on RT. 190 in Stafford and then nothing the rest of the way home. So how far did I go today? The next photo of the display from my bike tells the story.

TRIP B is my daily ride total. TRIP A is used to see how far I've gone on a tank of fuel.

 

Since I didn't go on vacation, my wife is staying the extra day we would have had to miss out on to get back since the house/animal sitter had to leave a day early. Good for me! I will be out on my bike again tomorrow, but for a much shorter duration.

Update - Post Hurricane Henri'

For me in my specific location, it was a big nothing burger. I like to use "Murphy's Law" to my advantage. 😏 I'll make all kinds of detailed and elaborate storm preparations and end up just putting everything away. If I didn't, then I would be one of those idiots scrambling last minute at the height of a storm. Because of the long duration of the two passes the storm made I did not go on my road trip. I was not going to head down this morning for 3 days at the resort to turn around and come home Saturday. Wifey is pissed at me because I did not head down to meet them all in Virginia. Well, first off, I was not going to leave a house/animal sitter in charge of keeping my house running, my generator properly fueled, and the electrical load properly balanced. Then there is the problem I had in July with T.S. Elsa and the flooding in the lower area of my yard (that has never occurred in 16 years) that blew out the fence in the dog yard. The runoff swept all the forest floor debris against the fence, which acted as a dam creating a wall of water a few feet high that just snapped the wire fence wide open. I didn't notice it at first and thankfully did not just open the door and let the dogs out until I was able to make temporary repairs. Thankfully none of this even came close to happening this time.

The second thing was not having two vehicles in Virginia. I told my wife to suck it up and ride down with her brother. He has the largest Ford F-150 crew cab with plenty of room for 5 adults. If she did and the storm petered out, I would head down and then she and her other brother would ride back with me. Instead she chose to drive all the way down. That would make an already expensive vacation (no paid time off for me, paying the sitter, and all the gas for my truck) stupid expensive for doubling up on gas. Fuck it. Not only am I working my normal workdays, I picked up Friday too since she isn't here. She thinks I am just being a dick I guess, but I am truly disappointed in not being able to go. It is my sense of duty that makes me stay to take care of my own homestead. I'll see if we can get away for a long weekend in the near future to help her get over being pissed off.

Since the weather is supposed to be mostly sunny, cooler, and less humid Saturday and she will be not home until the evening, it will be a motorcycle day. I haven't been out for a couple of weeks. I'll throw out some feelers to other riders to see wazzup.

As a side note; now that the Pfizer jab has full FDA approval (cough-BULLSHIT-cough) and is no longer experimental, does that mean anyone getting their jab now can sue them for adverse effects? What about retroactively to December 2020 when it first came out? Are the "shall not be held liable" forms signed by compliant sheeple still valid? I am not familiar with the exact verbiage and whether it could expire upon approval. Asking all this for a friend.

Some Random Musings

Oh we are so safe now, because the idiot governor, "Jolly" Ned Lamont has banned motorcycles from I-95 due to the approaching  tropical storm. If you are a hardcore enough biker to be riding in this shit, then you are obviously more than capable of handling it, and you are not a pussy like me.

Here in Kommiecticut, the biggest danger we face is not the weather, it is the on-going tyranny exerted by 40+ years of single party rule, under the guise of the Wu-Flu.

Oh, BTW... before you reporters go out to report on the storm on location, you might want to catch up on the original Star Trek series, and what the color of your jacket might mean. Just sayin'.

 

Great Day With Bikes

Today was planned for a week and a half depending on weather and whether my town DPW chip sealed my road. The chip sealing was postponed in July because of flooding rains, and again this week because of the extreme heat. Good for us because it is impossible to ride a motorcycle on 3" of loose gravel until it settles and mixes with the oil.

My fellow Goldwing rider wanted me to do an oil change on his bike. He had already provided me with the oil, filter, and drain plug gasket. The plan was to come over early, have a nice big home cooked breakfast to let the engine cool, then do the oil change, and go riding afterwards. Another couple we ride with asked if they could join us for breakfast and a ride so I said sure. Bacon, sausage, homefries, my farm fresh eggs, toast of all kinds, juice and coffee. I started prepping and cooking an hour earlier. Yep... ole Glypto does know his way around the kitchen, and I cleaned it all up as well as loaded and ran the dishwasher before heading out to the garage.

The air was thick and humid with temps climbing through the 80's and dew points in the low 70's. Gross. Since I have an oversized garage all the bikes were inside. Good thing because the skies opened up. It doesn't take much in the hilly area I live to squeeze moisture out of a juiced up atmosphere. The oil change on a Goldwing must be done on the sidestand for proper drainage, and since I don't have an elevated ramp to drive up on, it meant rolling around low on a creeper. The oil drain plug and filter are located behind the lower front fairing. Two pop pins, six hex head bolts, and some "wrestling" to wriggle it free. There is only a few inches of space between the garage floor and the bottom of the engine, so I use a shallow aluminum steam table pan to catch the oil. Then I dump the pan into a 4 gallon plastic jug I keep for transport to the town transfer station. Oil drained, a new aluminum drain plug gasket, and the plug tightened to the proper torque spec. Next came filter removal and draining, mounting surface cleaned, and a new filter screwed on and properly torqued. Finally the engine was filled with 4 quarts of Honda HP4S full synthetic motorcycle oil. Yeah, I know its stupid expensive at like $11 a quart, but I will not entertain cheaper unapproved alternatives. I have heard it all before about how its a waste of money. On big jap bikes, the engine and transmission share the oil, and I will not fuck up an expensive to repair machine by going cheap on oil. But hey you feel free. With the oil change finished, I pulled out the air hose and pressure gauge chuck so everyone could check tire pressure. Everything was set to go with the bikes so it was giddyup time.

 We did a 75 mile loop around Windham County. Once the earlier rain showers passed, the sun came out with a vengeance. There were some stretches of RT. 12 and RT. 169 that were out in the open with no shade that were really warm. The plan was to end the ride at the car cruise at Loos & Co.  at the corner of RT. 101 and 169, and get some lunch at Pizza 101. The car cruise was a bust because it was cancelled due to a previous request. A local home in the immediate area was hosting a wedding and asked for the cancellation to keep down traffic and noise. Oh well, we still got some grub and then headed for home. Because my house was closest, I peeled off from the group first and waved goodbye to my friends.

Open Carried On "The Beast" Today

No all day excursion today, just a 50 mile solo loop to satisfy the urge to get out. Overcast and cooler than normal with a chance of showers all day, but that doesn't discourage me from heading out. I got sprinkled on briefly, but no need for rain gear. All the rain drops were dried up on the bike when I got home.

Since my biker vest is currently being worked on, and I wasn't stopping anywhere, I decided to just open carry my S&W 45 Shield. The vest has built in concealed carry holsters so normally my firearm is out of sight, and known only by few. Today I carried the 45 Shield in my DeSantis Speed Scabbard on my belt at 3 o'clock. I used a 7 round extended magazine for the full size grip. Since it was warm enough I wore just a t-shirt, so my gun was out there for all to see. 

Today was a test. First, how secure would my firearm stay on my hip? I know someone that lost his gun riding a sportbike on I-95 in the Stamford area. His gun was recovered and returned to him. It turns out the riding position on my Goldwing keeps the holster as vertical as if I am standing. While riding, I periodically checked to see if it was still secure. It was. The second part of the test was to see if anyone freaked out and called the cops. Open carry is perfectly legal here in Kommiecticut, but the hoplophobes in the general population still go mental if they see a gun. Most cops will arrest you on some bullshit charge, but as usual it all gets tossed out. Plus a motorcycle is a motor vehicle, so I am in complete control of my firearm while operating the vehicle. It's too bad if someone happens to see it. Besides, if anyone called I would be long gone anyway. I rode through several intersections with stopped traffic on my right. I'm not sure if anyone saw it or not and I don't much care.

After issuing the challenge to gubmint jab goonsquads in my previous post, I will be sure to be armed more than normal. What does that actually mean?

SHHHHHHHH!

OPSEC

Reflection On Last Night's Post

It occurred to me this morning that yesterday's poker run was another event to benefit the victims of a motorcycle accident, though this one wasn't fatal. This one I wrote about in May was. More recently, off-duty South Windsor police officer Ben Lovett, 25 was killed riding his motorcycle by a drunken piece of shit in Tolland. Kid had his whole life ahead of him, and ironically was about to receive an award from M.A.D.D. for his efforts combatting drunk driving with SWPD. Then there was this one in May not too far from where I live. John Wade of Dayville, CT was killed and his passenger critically injured when a car quickly turned left in front of them to get into Cumberland Farms. Then there was the huge blow to the biker community when 7 riders of a USMC motorcycle club were killed at once in New Hampshire in 2019. The druggie driver of the truck didn't think he was impaired at the time. I am sure he is in some type of protective custody, because there is sure to be a bounty on his head.

For Christ's sake people.... pay some fucking attention while you're driving! Motorcycles have been on the road as long as cars... well over a 120 years. The excuse of "I didn't see him" is all on you. "The Beast" is equipped with brilliant LED lighting all around. My headlights are properly aimed but I drive with my high beams on during the day, so it is like looking at the sun. Even so, I had a six wheel box truck start to pull out in front of me, but he stopped in time and I was ready for him. Off the throttle and ready on the brakes. IMHO, being shit-faced behind the wheel and taking one of us out should result in summary execution at the accident scene. Hit me regardless of reason and they'd better kill or incapacitate me, or I will crawl to where they are and choke the life out of them with my bare hands. I'll be sure to pull my helmet off first so they can see my face and the murderous rage in my eyes.