(You can click any picture below to
enlarge it.)
I signed up for something fun... I am a volunteer for
the MS150 as a
Motorcycle Marshal. I went to class yesterday, and today was
a training ride for the Marshals. It was the
Tour de Cypress one of
the training rides for the MS150. I guess there were two or
three thousand people riding their bicycles (much smaller than the
13,000 who ride in the MS150).
The routes for the tour were either 52, 61, or 84
mile rides through the beautiful backroads of Harris and Waller
counties. I was assigned the 84 mile route.
It was cold when we got there this morning.. mid 40s.
But the sun finally came up and warmed things up a bit. (Click
any image to enlarge)
You think I have farkles? You are wrong! These guys have
farkels!
And check out the extra tank on this rig...
He said he could go 125 miles on the regular tank, but since he
added this setup, he now can go 250 miles before he needs to stop.
You got to like this guy's approach...
Eventually we all lined up...
And took off to marshal the event...
Those poor cyclists... by the time they got about halfway out and
started heading back, they faced a nasty nasty head wind.
Right in their face. Having a motor was a good thing!
Saw this at one of the rest stops...
There were all sorts of us there... some Harleys, some BMWs, lots of
Wings and other Hondas...
And then me on my little GS that seemed to get all sorts of
attention...
The guy in charge of all of the marshals, rides, logistics, etc.,
even sends out GPS files of all of the routes. Very organized.
Very fun.
These guys also all use HAM radios (which I know nothing about) to
communicate with "NetCom" and each other. I guess I need to
investigate HAM radios...
One the way home, I got stuck
in traffic. When I saw a Road King on its side in the middle
of highway 59 I pulled over to check on the dood. He had a low
side at about 20 mph and landed on his head. Guess what he
wasn't wearing? He had a nasty bump on his head, and his
bloodied ass was hanging out of what was once his jeans. I
hung out until the ambulance arrived. While talking to him, I
found out that the Road King was not his. He had rented it for
the weekend. OOPS! Anyway, I am sure he will be OK, but
he could have avoided an ambulance ride had he had on a helmet and
some proper pants. Sorry no pictures, I was too busy helping
the dood out to think about getting the camera.
Anyway, the tour was indeed a fun event. The
MS150 on a motorcycle is going to be a blast. 13,000
bicyclists... I'm really looking forward to it.
The end.
Thanks for coming along on my trip!
