Jimmmr's Motorcycle Diary

Alot has gone on since the last blog!

2009-09-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

Alot has gone on since the last blog! Got married to Mary Floyd, a wonderful gal and definitely a gift from God! We got married in Las Vegas on 7.7.07. There was about 38,000 others that got married throughout Las Vegas. It was hot! 116 degrees. Got down to almost 100 when the sun went down. We stayed at the Golden Nugget and had a great time swimming relaxing and playing blackjack and slots. The pool was great with the hot weather. There was a shark tank coming out of the center of the pool with up to 8-10' sharks and other species.

As soon as we returned to Lubbock, Mary got a call and was offered a promotion as the Asst. Mgr. of the JCPenneys store in Farmington, NM. After 18 months in Farmington Mary was promoted to the store manager for the McAlester, Oklahoma store where we have been since June of 2009. Fortunately my work is all done over the internet so as long as I have broadband, I am in business regardless of where we live.

Best regards to all and God Bless!
Jimmmr

2007-01-15T10:09:00.001-08:00

Jimmmr's Slide Show

2006-12-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

Fellowship Riders Angel Tree Toy Run

2006-12-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

Had a great time today. Went on the Fellowship Riders Angel Tree Toy Run delivering toys to kids who has a parent in prison. I have posted pics on our fellowship Riders site. (I'm their webmaster also;) It was a great time and a great way to give. All the thanks for doing this was seen in the eyes of the children. Praise God! Great bunch of guys and gals I get to ride with! About 30-50 of us ride to dinner every friday night whether we need to or not.

To get to the pictures just click on the photo and when you get to the website, just click on the "PHOTOS" link on the top menu bar
.

Also here is an email card I sent out to friends and family.
Merry Christmas!

Jim and Mary in Lubbock

Pretty Cool for a southern NM & TX boy!

2006-11-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

This is kind of new for me. Not used to seeing snow especially with the Lubbock wind. Made some neat drifts. Guess there will be no bike riding today! Stayed in the teens most of the day. Had a great Thanksgiving, two of Mary's daughters (Marissa and her husband, Jason, and 3yr old son Kobe from Odessa, and Jessica from Dallas) came and celebrated it with us. Lots of good food. Too much in fact. Guess thats all part of Thanksgiving. Plan to put up Xmas lights as soon as the weather clears for a long enough period. I am not very good with cold weather!

2006-11-30T22:37:00.000-08:00

New pics of the Valkyrie with some new shiny bits!

Cori & Josh visit Lubbock!

2006-10-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

It was great to see and spend time with my son and daughter. We had a good time by Lubbock standards. Not much to do but did alot of visiting. As you can see we did get by the Buddy Holly museum. Hard to believe he was only 22 when he died. Took some time to go to get our pics taken also as you can see on the right.

Put them back on the plane last Sunday. Mary and I are already looking forward to their next visit!

Click on the picture on the right to see some pics Cori and I took.

Big Bend National Park

2006-10-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

After Reading this ride report CLICK on the picture to the left to see more pictures of the trip.

We had a great ride to the Big Bend National Park and back. We left on Friday at 8AM and got down to Terlingua just outside the park at about 7PM. Weather was great.

On Saturday, the following day we rode throughout the entire park. Wow, those are some big mountains, cliffs and rocks!

We saw several views of the Rio Grand River and the border between US and Mexico. Don't need a wall in alot of the sections down there. 1500-2000 ft cliffs should do the trick along some of the border. We should get a tax rebate for some of that. Rough but beautiful country. Lots of twisty roads which was fun on the bike.

We decided to tent camp and carried it all with us. It was a blast. We let the restaurants provide the chow though. Our group has a long suit in eating in restaurants.

The Valkyrie 1500 did a great job on the trip. Makes the road alot easier. When the Harleys and the other VTwins were downshifting going up some 15degree plus grades the Valk just climbed them in 5th gear without the need to even downshift. Wow what a bike.

After all day touring the park, we returned to Terlingua and our camp. Got some rest that night! The next morning we broke camp and headed back to a couple of spots in the park we didn't want to miss. We then followed the Rio Grand to Presidio, Texas on what is called the Texas Mountain Trail. At Presidio we headed north to Alpine where we set up camp. It rained on us that night but the tents stayed dry. On Sunday am we broke camp and headed back to Lubbock. Got home around 3pm, ready for a shower and a nap ;) Odometer showed the entire trip to be just over 1000 miles.

All in all it was a great ride that will be well remembered. Good food, good roads, good fellowship.

Until next time you can check out more of the pictures of the trip by clicking on the picture above.

Adopted an 03 Valkyrie Dragon!

2006-09-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in awhile so wanted to let you know, all is well.. Me and Mary are just doing fabulous together. She may be getting a transfer to another store as a manager around the first of the year. No telling where, but should still be in the Tex-NM area. Fortunately with my work (which BTW is going well) I can do it from anywhere.

New bike in the stable. My VStar 1100 is a great bike but with the big straight drag pipes I couldn't hear myself think. Have a Sirius radio and it was worthless. Getting to the point where I started thinking about an easier, quieter, smoother ride. Well found all that and a bike that is bigger, badder and meaner. A friend of mine in the Fellowship Riders just aquired a Valkyrie Interstate but ended up committing to a deal on a standard also. Well with two Valkyries, a Goldwing trike and a VTX in his garage, what was I to do? Being a good friend, I took the 03 Valkyrie Standard off his hands.

All I can say is what a bike. 1520cc, Flat 6cyl, 6carb, overhead cam, close to 100hp! In 2000 it was awarded the notariety of being the "Cruiser of the Decade". Here is a link to an ad Honda ran when it was released.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a19jg9-pdmM

I sold my VStar 1100 Classic. Thought about keeping it but when riding the Valkyrie I realized there would be no reason, hehe ;) Sold it outright to the local Honda shop.

This bike could posibly be the last bike I will ever buy. (unless I add an Interstate model in the future. yeah right.)

I am already busy making modifications to it. Have already added mustang studded and fringed seats with drivers backrest, 4" kickback risers, Memphis lower air deflectors, front fender chrome rail, rear luggage rack, hwy pegs, fringe grip covers, chrome pivot covers, halogen driving lights, Pulled radiator had it cleaned and repainted with joints soldered and reinforced. in the process of installing, new fringe bags, a tour pack trunk like I had on the VStar, accessory 12v outlet, ram mount for gear like radar detector and Sirius Radio. More to come later. They say that the manufacture makes the bike but we have to make it ours ;)

Getting the bike ready for a ride the Fellowship Riders are making to the Big Bend which we will be camping. Should be awesome. Leaving the 6th and coming home on the 9th. Will post some pics when we get back.

Til next time.

2006-06-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

Jim & Mary Visit New York City....

Had a great time in NYC. Good place to visit but what a wild place to have to live. Different strokes I guess. It was fun. Lots of history. To see the pictures that I took, Click Here. Nothing more boring than vacation pics, eh? ;) Enjoy if you are inclined.

Fellowship riders visit Carlsbad Caverns, NM.

2006-05-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Had a great ride. 450 miles round trip. Weather was great. Did get alittle hot when we left the Caverns. About 100 degrees. We left after breakfast at 9am and got to Carlsbad about 1:30 pm.

I cheated and rode the elevator to the bottom and only walked about 1/2 of the big room. Hey, I'm 54, I qualify. Was glad to find a shortcut that saved about an hour off the tourof just the big room at the bottom. What's a guy to do. There was a couple of older folks that needed company and needed "my help" to get back to the elevator. hehe. When we came out of the Caverns, and got ready to head back it was 100 degrees plus. Thank God for tshirts. We got back to Lubbock at about 10:30 pm. What a great ride. Didn't get up intime for church the next morning though. That should be ok, we spent Saturday spreading the word of the Fellowship Riders ;). We had a neat couple join us in Hobbs that were from Lubbock. They had a wheel chair strapped on the back of a Gold Wing that his wife needed. Wow, what a hobby.

I was amazed a the picture above that one of the fellowship riders took. I did not realize how well I was doing in the groceries department. Guess I need to loose some of it so I can get some better mileage. Oh well, God is blessing me big time. Health, love, and some great fellowship. Thank you God. If things were going better, I guess, I would have to become a special attraction at a side show.

For more pics of the Carlsbad ride go to: www.fellowshipriderslubbock.org and click on the "Photos" link on the top banner to see them all.

Until next time keep your knees in the breeze, chin in the wind and God in front of you.

Jimmmr in Lubbock

2006-05-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

New content posted on the FellowshipRidersLubbock.org site.

Did some photoshop work on one of my bike pics. Decided to make it available to others to get a photo edited. Check it out.

Getting ready to ride to Carlsbad Caverns on Saturday with the Fellowship Riders. It's about 150mi one way. Weather looks good for the ride also. Have not seen the caverns for along time. Used to do alot of photography of the caves. Below is a photo that made it to postcard in the 70's. Will post more pics on my return.

Until next time keep your knees in the breeze, chin in the wind & your eyes on God!

2006-05-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Fellowship Riders go to the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Midland, TX. 4/15/06

Nice windy day for a ride to Midland. Had some gusts in the 40-50 mph range. All the bikes held to the road pretty good. About a 125 mile one way run. Was a good ride. For some pics of the museum, go to the fellowshipriderslubbock.org website. Click on the Photos link, and there you go. Until next time, God Bless. Jimmmr in Lubbock

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup

2006-03-12T00:33:00.000-08:00

Nice day for a ride.
(Click on the picture on left to see more)
Left Lubbock at about 9am after eating breakfast at the Rooftop Cafe. Ride started out in the mid 40's but warmed up nicely later in the morning. Clear skies all the way there and back. About 125 miles to Sweetwater. Evidently Sweetwater takes this event seriously. It was huge. Other than the Rattlesnakes they had a Gun Show, a carnival, as well as a very, very large flea market. More than I could walk. Of course wearing boots didn't help. The ride back was in some incredibly good weather. Stopped in Post to eat and fellowship and got home just before dark. Oh yeah, be careful riding behind Barney, unless you are good at dodging harley parts ;). Tonya & Dan are sending me some more pics that they took. I hope to be posting them soon.
(note: if you don't see a picture that you know I took, I had a problem with a couple of the image files during transfer, and lost them. Oh well.)

Until next time, keep your chin in the wind and your knees in the breeze.

2006-02-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

New Lubbock Fellowship Riders Photo Album Page Posted !

Click on the image to the right to go there.

If you have some pictures you would like posted

to this album email them to me at: jim@focusarts.com

2006-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Fellowship Riders go to church and then out to break bread. 1/29/06

We went to the Calvary Baptist Church service, dressed in leathers and all. During the service they showed a slide show of the Fellowship Riders "Angel Tree" program in action, delivering Christmas gifts to children of men and women that are in prison. The pastor of this church rides with us. After the service we went to the Shilo Steakhouse for lunch. It was a good day of fellowship and worship. Click on the picture to see the rest of the story with lots of leather and chrome.

APA 9 Ball Tournament

2006-01-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

Lubbock APA 9ball league had it's "Top Gun" tournament last Saturday.

After losing the first match, I was glad it was a double elimination tournament. From there on I played my way back to the final which I didn't win. I came in 2nd and that was still in the money. The tournament paid only 1st and 2nd place. The new season starts this Thursday night so, here we go again.

Fellowship Riders ride again!

2006-01-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

Fellowship Riders ride again!
Saturday, Jan. 14th, 2006

Started out at the Rooftop Restaurant for breakfast at 9:AM. Headed to Dickens which is NE of Lubbock. Then headed down to Post which is SE of Lubbock to get something to eat. Good ride, windy, temp in the 50's. Other than a horse stampede and one horse not quite clearing the fence, there was no mishaps. Oh yeah Chris had to be push started after the first stop so he went home. Got back to Lubbock about 5PM. Total ride was about 200 miles. Looking forward to the next one!

For more pictures go to: www.jimmmr.com/FR-ride

Happy 2006!

2006-01-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it's 2006!
A year I feel really blessed to see. You know they counted me out in 2000. But what do they know! 2006 and I'm still here and having the time of my life.

Have an awesome daughter that is 28 that I am very proud of. A son who is an awesome drummer and is a great blessing in my life.

Life is good. I have Mary as a partner that I believe is a gift from God. My ex-wife, who I really wish the best for. And a new year that I am looking forward too.

Love the bike life and working hard to make tomorrow better. I believe that friends and family is really what it is all about.

I miss my old friends and really enjoy keeping in tough with them all. I am embracing a statement my dad sent me a while ago via email. which You will see in this post.

Had some good time with my dad during Christmas season in North Carolina where I find my roots. (Yes, I even enjoyed all the flea-markets!) Seeing relatives that I haven't seen since 1969 was a big blessing. I feel really blessed! Well I've rambled on for enough time. God bless and I believe that the best that God has to offer comes to you in this New Year! Watch out you might be amazed with what will come your way!

Take care all,
and God Bless,

Jimmmr!

Happy New Year!

2005-12-29T22:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Hope you had a great Christmas!

Just got back from spending Christmas in Winston-Salem, NC. Saw alot of relatives of mine that I haven't seen since 1969! Wow, what an experience! It was cold and damp, but the weather continued to improve while I was there. I had an awesome time. Lots of flea markets and great fellowship with family. Caught up on alot of family history also. However I was glad to get back to my sweety and Lubbock.

Let me explain why you didn't get a Christmas card from me this year. I ordered some custom cards from Vistaprint.com and when I got them they were really bad. I tried to get most of you an email greeting, those that I had email for. If you didn't get the image, go to:
http://www.jimmmr.com/xmas

I also got some pics of the trip to NC. If you have an interest in viewing them, go to: http://www.jimmmr.com

Here is wishing you a good and prosperous New Year!
Keep in touch. Friends and Family is what life is all about.

God Bless,
Jimmmr

2005-12-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

Clarence has a riding buddy. Posted by a friend in our group.

2005-11-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

I got the chance to visit Clarence this week on one of my runs thru tucumcari. Clarence has got a new buddy, Sammy. You can see them on a couple of pics that i took. The pics are in the photos section, near the end. Clarence has fastened a basket to the honda that Sammy rides in, and he goes crazy when Clarence gets anywhere NEAR that bike. Sammy LOVES to ride.

Clarence is doing fine, and has an old motorhome he's living in now at the Kiva RV park. He says hes as comfortable there as anywhere hes ever been.

Thanks to yall, he has a nice ride for getting around on, and a buddy now, to enjoy it with.

Brian (Republic of TX bike club

Anyone out there like acoustic guitar playing?

2005-11-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

I ran across this amazing video on the Taylor Guitar site. Check it out.

CLICK HERE

Here's my Yamaha 2003 VStar 1100 Classic

2005-11-11T00:16:00.000-08:00

This is a 2003 Yamaha VStar 1100 Classic.
I got it on Ebay last May. Bought it from a guy that had to raise some money to put into his business. Got a great deal, and you know how I like great deal.

Funny how it works, When I get on the bike I have a smile, when I start it, the smile turns into a grin, Then when I return, I have a sparkle in my eye. And yes the smile continues for the duration of the ride. Somehting about getting out in the elements and moving through them as they all pass by around you. Stress of just about everything evaporates as you focus on your surrounding. Including the freaky things that the cars (cages) do and are fixin to do. Feel like a line backer sometimes making sure I have a safe path to where I want to be without any major defender contact. I't a wonderful experience of beeing free. Sure helped me get through my divorce blues.

Well until next installment,
Love you and see you soon.
Jimmmr

Clarence got his bike

2005-11-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

Clarence got his bike!

Well Clarence has some wheels again as of this weekend. Clarence was a guy that some bikers met at a rally there in Tucumcary NM last spring. A guy in a harley group posted a story about this guy that lived in a RV park there and his only wheels was a 49cc honda moped type bike. He is a Korean war vet and needed transportation to get to his VA docs in Amarrillo. He is a trooper, and road his moped all over NM. Well I read the post and decided to post the letter about clarence on the Yamahastarriders on the Yahoo groups. A couple of members road over to Tucumcari to meet this Clarence and see if he really existed. At that time we found out that during a storm a large tree branch had disabled his moped, and he was without any transportation.

Well one thing led to another and the starriders group wouldn't let this go by. An effort was started to raise enough money through donationions from the forum group to buy him a new set of wheels. After several months over $900 was raised, a rsed honda rebel 250 om great condition, was found and it was delivered to him this last weekend. The donations came in from as far away as the United Kindom, New Zealand, Austraila, and all over the states. The smile on his face even with his humble way showed that he was thrilled and touched by everybody that made it work. Everyone that donated had their name written on the tank. To say the least, he was very pleased, and wanted to do something in return. We told him nothing was needed. But he wanted everybodys address so he could send them Christmas Cards.

Now that he has some wheels, he is thinking of relocating to Amarrillo, which is closer to his VA hospital. It was great just being a part of helping a vet in a time of need, who was down on his luck.

If you want the whole story go to http://smay28.blogspot.com/

It was a good thing. And was glad to be a part of it.

Best regards,
Jimmmr in Lubbock

New URL for pictures

2005-11-10T20:31:00.000-08:00

Entry for October 24, 2005

I've added a new domain to our server. http://www.jimmmr.com . So the link to pictures of my VStar is at: http://www.jimmmr.com/vstar .

I am enjoying riding the bike alot. I ride about once a week with a christian bike group, called Fellowship Riders. We leave the meeting place at about 6:30pm each friday and drive to a nearby town, usually about 50 miles each way. Then we eat dinner. Guess that is why they call it a supper run.

I have only taken one good size trip. Last July I drove from Lubbock to Las Cruces. (about 375 miles each way) What a great ride. Went through Ruiodoso on the way and Cloudcroft on the way back.
For pictures of the ride go to: http://www.jimmmr.com/lc-ride

Getting cooler up here. Mid 30's at night and 70's in the days. At least for now. Have figured out how to layer and stay warm while riding on cool evenings. Gets alot colder up here than I am used to.

That's all for now.
Jimmmr in Lubbock