Hobbies Of Elio Owners

[Music Man]

I was on the Oklahoma Freewheel ride for 13 years, shooting the official video and acting as an occasional sag vehicle. My two sons and their friends rode several times. The route ran from the Texas border to the Kansas line so most of the time the south wind gave you no problem, unlike riding across Kansas west to east or vice versa. I lived in Dodge City for awhile and might have seen you riding through. Small world.

Yes Sir, aknaten, the 2 very BEST things about cross state and century rides were ALWAYS having a tail wind, and a carrot, (Twinkie) to hook onto her rear wheel and follow ALL day. I realize, that to some of you, that statement might make me sound like a "dirty old man," but before you pass judgement and cast the first stone: tell me, HOW MANY consecutive, 100 mile days have you ever ridden on a bicycle with cross winds and head winds of maybe 5 to 10 mph. To that, throw in some hills. . . . . .

Trust me, tail winds are a blessing and the "carrot?" well.. . . . . . . It is the incentive that blurs the pain, and keeps you going. o_O

 

[Music Man]

Music Man, it was better in '09 and '10. SAG stops were pretty good. Of course I haven't done other events like you have, so my experience is narrow. But I just always made sure I had 2 full water bottles and snacks on board.

That's cool that you did the ride in 2001. Your route sounds interesting. Did you ride a regular upright road bike? I decided to buy a Rans Stratus recumbent bike. There's good and bad with everything: my neck, butt and wrists were never sore, but DANG going up hills just completely cooked my thighs. I definitely missed being able to use your body weight to churn up the hills! I sold the recumbent bicycle, since I need a week of vacation to do the B.A.K., and I was in constant job turnover for 18 months starting July 2012, and I don't have any vacation days, lol. Good memories though. Sleeping in a high school gym with 400 of your closest friends... after riding a bike for 8-10 hours, taking a shower in a high school/small college bathroom when the water is either freezing cold or boiling hot... the list goes on. One good thing though: you could eat 4000 calories a day, and not gain any weight! Food seemed to taste 4 times better.

Jeff, on the 2001 B.A.K. Ride, I was riding a Trek, Carbon Fiber, Postal Edition bike. Liked the weight of it. Since then, I bought a Trek Madone. It is SUPER LITE, and I love it. Kept my old "Postal," so when friends are in from far away and come without their bike, they can ride it, if we get out on the road.

The thing that really bothered me about the B.A.K. Sag stops, was the fact that ALL we ever had available was water. I was shocked on the first days "lunch stop," all we had was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and hard, very dry, sugar cookies. Knew then, that I would never drive back up there to do that ride a second time. Of course, on most days you were on your own, stopping at a Dariy Queen, or whatever you could find.

As far as sleeping arrangements, the B.A.K. folks were carrying our "extra" gear from place to place, so I slept outside, in my tent. ( after a long day in the saddle, I knew I wanted to sleep, and not be kept awake all night with 400 or so folks, snoring and gritting their teeth). Besides, it was ALWAYS cooler outside WITHOUT the heat of all those bodies. o_O

Jeff, have you ever done a "mid-night, moon light" ride? My favorite one is down in Houston; called the "Moon Light Ramble" it's a fun ride through the streets of Houston, starting most years at 2:00 am, but some years it's at midnight. Short ride, 10 or 20 mile option, but it is FANTASTIC! Google it. They schedule it the weekend closest to Halloween.

Did a Moon Light ride up in Lenexa, Kansas 3 or 4 years back too, but that was a deadly, VERY, dangerous ride. o_O

Oh well, I've enjoyed my time on the road, but must admit, don't think I've done even 200 miles this year. Most all of my local riding buddies have dropped by the wayside, for one reason or the other, and I'm not comfortable out on the highways with no back-up in case of a crash. . . . . . And I've had some of those too. If you've never experienced any, then it's NOT because you are a safe rider. . . , you simply have not been riding long enough.

Stay safe my friend. Maybe when we get these Elio's, we can meet up and bring the bikes?

 

[JP]

I'm a big outdoors person, as I did Scouting for 12 years growing up. I do a lot: canoeing, backpacking, camping, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing. I get to have amazing experiences, like having lunch at 12,000 feet above sea level. This was my view after backpacking 11 days

 

[Jambe]

Where is that? Pretty sure it's not Maryland.

 

[JP]

Where is that? Pretty sure it's not Maryland.

Baldy mt. At Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron NM. This was looking North and that is Colorado in the distance.

 

[tazairforce]

I'm a big outdoors person, as I did Scouting for 12 years growing up. I do a lot: canoeing, backpacking, camping, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing. I get to have amazing experiences, like having lunch at 12,000 feet above sea level. This was my view after backpacking 11 days

I. too, have had lunch at 12K feet, in Colorado.
I would love to hear of other adventures, on the road, by our future Elio owners that have assembled here, as we while away the hours/weeks/months to receiving our Elios. Maybe a new thread, 'Past Adventures of the Future Elio Owners'??
Headed out, for a 3 day week-end of camping and Gold Dredging/Panning in Alabama in the AM.

 

[JP]

My other hobby

 

[Folks]

I've begun researching a mystery and I'm not certain to call it an adventure or perhaps what might be called a hobby. I met a man way back in the 70s that has fostered this mystery starting around 1975. But, I'll need a little prodding to tell it. He's dead now but before he died he told me a story of himself that was too preposterous not to be true. I started my insurance career as a debit agent in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Memphis. I met him there. A very private person and of very few words. He was bed ridden and so he was always in bed when I came to collect his little 4.50 fire policy. He always had two stately looking (almost statuesque) Collies always attentively sitting on his right and left in bed. Once in passing he intimated that he was full blooded Cherokee. Honestly, he looked as caucasian as me though. Over time he became more cordial and conversational. As a history buff I brought up the subject of Andrew Jackson and the trail of tears and how Andrew Jackson violated a hard fought Supreme court ruling. Andrew Jackson used Federal and State Militia to march the entire Cherokee Nation to an Oklahoma reservation. I'll never forget the expression on his face upon my mentioning this. The red came up into his face and even his eyes became blood shot.
I'm going to stop the story here but it aught strike curiosity in us all as to what in the world was a full blooded Cherokee Indian doing bed ridden on street named Standridge in a poor section of Memphis Tennessee in 1975.

 

[Jag39]

My wife says I have too many hobbies. Scuba diving, spearfishing, sailing (have a 30' sailboat on the coast of Fl), hotrods, though have slowed down on that one. My Avatar is a pic of one of my current rides, we have 4 horses, 3 border collies, I'm into the guns and archery, too. Motorcycles. Oh yeah, and recently bought a used medium duty sewing machine and have taken up sewing. Became necessary with boat cushions and sail mending, also my wife said I couldn't do it, so had to show her I could. Actually love doing it too. Sewed all the mattress covers and slipcovers on the boat. Also photography. Took 2 years of training at CCD in Denver in photography back in the 70's. Last few years have been learning the new digital way of doing things, instead of the darkroom. Probably left something out, so I guess my wife is right.

 

[Jim H]

Jag39, obviously a man of many useful talents