FROM THE RAMBLIN RIDER

Reprinted from IA Chapter “L” Newsletter

Written by Mary Fox

Well here I go again with another article to write and nothing to say.  As most of you know though I always manage to come up with something? 

I am sure many of you have been riding a lot more than we have.  It seems like we just can’t get out there on the bike.  Big Red has a big puddle of tears around his front tire.  He wants out of the garage so bad and Don just won’t even go out and talk to him.  Poor thing sits out there just whining and carrying on something terrible.  I can hear him crying, let me out please let me out.  It has no effect on the hard-nosed Mr. Fox.  

Don did go and get him ready to go for the Dyersville ride, even pulled him out of the garage and got him ready, then put him back in his stall. He is such a tease.  Don said he feared a rainstorm. Now we all know that when you ride with the Rain Man you are bound to hit rain.  He opted for the

four wheels instead of two.  Me, on the other hand knew I wasn’t going to ride in the rain and had planned on taking the van all along.  Am I weenie, yes I am.  I made the excuse that I had invited mom, our daughter and new grandson along for the ride so I just couldn’t sit on the back of the bike and make my daughter drive now could I?  Actually the weather was really looking bad because we had storms all day, so I wasn’t going to take a chance, not with the Rain Man leading. We had 17 people at the dinner ride with two brave souls showing up on bikes.  The food at the Country Junction is always good.  No complaints there.  We did have a little trouble with Mr. Fox and Chuck Mincks.  They just don’t play well together.  You know how little kids like to aggravate the heck out of the person they are sitting next too.  Well Mr. Fox was not about to give up the pepper for anything.  He would shake it a little (the pepper shaker that is), then stop, then do it again, stop and grin and just hold it.  He said the pepper wouldn’t come out of the shaker but his food was black.  You decide.  Chuck is sitting there waiting ready to grab for it when he set it down.  Did that happen, almost but it never quite touched the table, then Don would be shaking it again (the pepper remember).  Chuck just wasn’t getting any (pepper).  Once he did set it down the bickering commenced.  Two little kids fighting over the peppershaker.  Why Chuck didn’t just take him out I will never know.  I have to say it did keep us entertained for quite some time.  We will have to keep them separated from now on. After the meal is over Mrs. B decided to order pie to take home for later.  Ya right, she said she was just too full to eat it right away.   Well by the time we left she had over half of it gone.  I may have had one bite just to make sure it was suitable for her to eat.  What are friends for but to help out a little.

We had 6 bikes be officials at the Pigman Triathlon in June.  It was fun.   All you do is ride behind the cyclists and make sure they don’t violate the rules that are explained to you before they jump on their bikes.  It was real hard to ride behind the bicyclists as they are riding in front of me in spandex.  WOW!  I about fell off a couple times just trying to get a good look.  Hey I may be old but I can still see and breathe.  I gotta tell you too, Don wasn’t much better looking at the girls.  I was just waiting for one of them to have a blowout in their tight little knickers.  I was going to be right there to help just in case a needle and tread was the order of the day.  I am always willing to help.  Jim and Donna Douglas did have to help one biker who went down.  Not sure what happened but they had to get the ambulance out there to help her.  It was a beautiful morning to ride and we all went to breakfast after we were done.  Food was provided after the race, but pizza at 10:30 just wasn’t what I had in mind.

Soon we will be leaving for WV to the Gold Classic.  We have had several meetings on the route and Rick Wierck has done a great job setting everything up.  We make changes every time we meet.  That is all right, it gives him something to do in his spare time between working the fields, raising hogs and being a mean old grandpa.  What do you mean grandchildren can’t do whatever they want at grandpa’s house.  I thought that was the golden rule of being a grandparent.  You will have to get the full story from him or his granddaughter. Anyway I think the ride is finally set.  We have one more meeting this week.  I am not sure if we are meeting to figure out the route or eat.  This time the participants requested a place that had a variety of pies for dessert.  I will have to think on that one a bit.  Anyway when we get back I will

bore your with all the details of the trip.

Well for not having any thing to say I guess I did manage to RAMBLE on a bit, hence the name.