Millers Smokehouse in Belton, TX- Spring 2019

Spring officially began on March 20, 2019. And with that the weather took a
remarkable turn for a beautiful day of riding. With work at my new employer and
Margaret deep into her spring semester at school we haven’t been very active with
motorcycle activities for quite awhile. Today however we saw the weather was
going to be amazing and quickly planned a day of riding!

For over a year we have been wanting to take a ride to Belton, TX and try
out Millers Smokehouse. It was rated in the top 50 BBQ places in state of
Texas for BBQ by Texas Monthy in 2017. I contacted our closest friends
Steve and Angie to ask if they wanted to go with us. I was glad when they said yes
and also brought another couple we ride with as well. Millers opens at 11 AM to 3 PM
on Sunday or until the meat runs out. Since it was late notice we took the interstate to get
there right at opening time to beat the crowds. It’s just over a 2 hour ride and we arrived
about 11:30 AM.

It was just getting busy and we were able to walk right up to the counter and
place our order. This didn’t last for long though. Within an hour after our arrival
there was a line out the door and probably 20+ deep in line outside the building
along the sidewalk. That line never dwindled down the entire time we were there
and even got longer as the morning rolled on. Millers Smokehouse didn’t disappoint
either, proving without question why they are rated as a top smokehouse in Texas.
I wanted to try all kinds of stuff so we intentionally ordered too much with plans of
taking what we didn’t eat home. We got moist brisket, lean brisket, regular flavored
sausage, a rack of ribs, potato salad, and mac & cheese. Every item was exceptional
and can easily be placed among the top BBQ items we have ever eaten.
They also make their own fountain drinks all of which were good as well.

While we were eating a surprise visitor arrived that we were excited to see!
Chip from Fixer Upper came in!
They have a TV show where they renovate homes in the Waco area for clients that is a
great show to watch. Margaret and I are regular viewers and have also visited their
store Magnolia Market in Waco as well. I couldn’t help myself, not that I’m a fanboy
or anything like that but I do like the show and it’s not often you get to meet a celebrity,
so I asked him if he would let Margaret take a picture of us together.
He was so nice about it and gladly accepted. It’s really kewl when a celebrity is
genuinely kind and will do something like that even when they are out just doing
things like trying to eat. Thank You Chip! I greatly appreciated your time for a picture!

Now it was time to head home. The plan today was to head straight to Millers Smokehouse for lunch, then take a nice long scenic route home. The temperature rose to 86 degrees with clear skies and the wind was at our backs! It seriously couldn’t have been better. We rode 298 miles and had more fantastic experiences while we were out again. It always amazes me how you can ride out into the unexpected and find experiences and treasures you never even planned for.

Ride Strong Wrench Proud

Rahr & Sons Brewery 5K Run/Walk

Sometimes life is simply not about the ride, or bikes, or motorcycle maintenance,
or rallies or anything to do with motorcycling at all. Today was one of those times.
Rahr & Sons brewery in Fort Worth, TX does a 5K run/walk every month so
Margaret and I decided to participate in it. The run supports local business which is
important to us and is a local community event. I also enjoy their beer so it was one
of those win-win situations. Over 100 other people thought the same thing!

The 5K run sign-in begins at 8 am with the actual run starting at 9 am.
They have pacesetters that lead 4 groups which cover those competitive
minded runners to a group of walkers. We participated in the group just above the
walkers which was perfect for us. It made for a great morning to spend some quality
time with each other as we moved along the 5K route. We like to ride, no question there,
but outside of the ride there are other life experiences that we like to participate in as well.

I’m not going to pretend we were some kind of marathon runners, were not.
We basically power walked the entire route. We weren’t last but came in at the finish
just ahead of the group of walkers. The point of it was we got to spend some quality time
together, get a good walk in, support local business, and drink some incredibly good
beer after the run. I have been a fan of Rahr & Sons beer for many years so this was a
perfect way to start our Saturday.

Rahr & Sons gave away a bunch of T-Shirts, a breakfast sandwich, pint glasses
from which you got 3 free refills from the taps at the brewery and keep the glass,
a raffle, and the social aspect of the entire event.  I usually drink the
Texas Red American Amber which is a favorite of mine. This time I tried the
Iron Thistle Scottish Ale and the Adios Pantalones which had a lemon lime
flavor to it. Both were good but the Iron Thistle really blew me away. It was so good
I’ve added it to my top favorite beers.

I know a 5K run with fresh brew at the end seems contradictory. It is, but it is also a
lot of fun and brings local community together to have a good time. I wrote about this
because life is not just about riding, its experiencing life itself whether its on a bike or
outside of the ride.

And yes, Margaret had to drive home because I wasn’t safely able to after
the all of the fantastic beer…

Ride Strong Wrench Proud

Spontaneous Riding

Winter weather can dampen your riding spirit for quite a length of time depending
on where you live. In North Texas, we are fortunate to have nearly year-round riding.
During the months of January and February, it can be quite cold and rainy which can
keep you off the road. There are times where the weather will surprise you and make
for a very nice day to take off and ride.

Yesterday was one of those days. I knew from the forecast it was going to be in the
low 80’s. At first, I was just going to ride to work. As I cruised along the highway and
neared the office my spirits took a turn for the worse. I almost made the decision to
just ride past my turn and keep going. My sense of responsibility kicked in so
I exited the freeway and went to work. Upon arrival, I powered on my laptop and sat there
looking at the screen. A sinking feeling came upon me which could almost be likened
to a state of depression. I just didn’t want to be at work. There wasn’t a positive feeling
or initiative I could muster up that changed that emotion. After 10 minutes of fighting and
struggling against the negativity, sense of responsibility, duty, whatever you want to call it,
I packed up my laptop, got on my bike, and left for the day. It was a renegade decision and
quite frankly I didn’t give a damn. I needed the time away.

Keep in mind my day begins at 5 am so it was dark. My first thought of destination
was the Koffee Kup restaurant in Hico, TX. A nice 2 hour ride for breakfast seemed
like a good start. No freeways was the idea and I pretty much managed to hold fast to that
the entire day. From Cedar Hill, TX I went through Venus, Maypearl, Itasca, Covington,
Blum, Morgan, Walnut Springs, Iredell, and finally Hico, TX where I had a fantastic
breakfast. Up until Iredell all was not shiny fluttering butterflies though. There was a very
thick fog during this part of the day and the ride. That caused a heavy mist and made those
farm and market roads slick and dirty. My shins were soaked and my bike became
unbelievably dirty. The cool morning air felt good though and the air was fresh. It was
very quiet on those back roads that early in the morning and the thickness of the fog
muffled perimeter sounds. The Harley was running great and cast its lonely rumble along
the empty stretches of back road. This was one of those rides where you know something
special is happening, the feel of the road and bike is right, and the joy of life reaches a
momentous height.

While eating a superb breakfast at the Koffee Kup I read some news and sent an email
to work that I would be out for the day. My next stop of the day was going to be Waco.
There is some good country riding you can take to get there from Hico and I wanted to
make the best of the day seeing as I took off to ride. The skies had cleared completely
by now and it was as sunny as any summer day. The next stretch of roads took me from
Hico, TX to Fairy, Cranfills Gap, Clifton, Valley Mills, and finally Waco. I went to Waco
Harley Davidson to hang out for awhile and look at the new line up of bikes they had.
It was surprising how many people had stopped at the dealership and were out riding.
By now it was noon, sunny and 75.

While in Waco I stopped by the Texas DPS driver license office to get my renewal
since it was almost due. The Waco branch isn’t nearly as long a wait as the branches in
DFW so it seemed like a good time to take care of that. While waiting I plotted my journey
home. I could have just taken an interstate from Waco and been back in less than 2 hours
but it was just too beautiful out to do that. So again to keep the ride alive, it was back roads to get home.

From Waco my ride went through Elm Mott, Gholson, Aquilla, and Whitney. In Whitney
I took a route across the Lake Whitney Damn into Laguna Park. From there I headed north
to Kopperl, Brazos Point, past Cleburne State Park, Bono, Godley, and finally back into
Fort Worth. From Waco, TX the day remained sunny with a slight wind at my back,
and touched 82 degrees to make for a phenomenally perfect day of riding.

Today I am back at work writing this post. Today I am depressed again, wanting to be
on the road instead of at work.

Progressive IMS Dallas, TX 2019

The Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Dallas was a huge success again
this year. The organizers made some event changes that brought more interactivity for
attendees into place. This year Yamaha had electric motor assisted bicycles that you
could ride and experience. After riding those, you could step over to the
Zero Electric Motorcycle and take it for a spin to get a feel of the possible future of
motorcycles. After that since you had your wristband, you could ride a Zero and perform
a wheelie where you could get a sense of the full potential of the bike.

Every year also brings the worlds largest motorcycle manufacturers to show their newest
lines for the year. Harley Davidson, Indian, Kawasaki, Honda, BMW, and Suzuki were
the big names that represented motorcycling at the show for 2019. There was a surprise on
the circuit this year that I was excited and surprised to see: Confederate Motorcycles
brought their line to demonstrate. They are a very unique style of motorcycle and one
that you just don’t see often unless you look them up online.

This year also featured a lot of gear and tool vendors. It seemed to me more so than
previous years though I could be wrong without an actual count. The vendors this
year had some of the newest designs and technology on the market. Parts manufacturers
such as Arlen Ness, Vance & Hines, Michelin, K&N, and others had displays with their
latest designs.

There was also a better line up of prizes and give away’s from advertising companies
than usual. State Farm printed custom metal signs with whatever you wanted on it,
Margaret got one made that read “This Lady Rides” and I had one printed
for “Ride It Wrench It“. There were fully printed books filled with articles and
beautiful pictures of motorcycles that make for nice inn table pieces, Progressive had
very nice T-Shirts and Hats as give away’s as did some other booths. There was also the
usual swag you could fill your bags with.

This year we spent 2 days at the show. We are usually able to see everything in 1
but this year we needed more time. We also went on the opening day, Friday, and it was a
very good decision to do so. There were less crowds and for the most part any of the
activities we wanted to try we were able to just walk up and participate without any
wait in line. The manufacturer reps were more available to talk to due to less people
asking questions.

As always there was a custom bike build competition. This year sported quite a few
different bikes than we have seen in the past. It’s nice to see the ideas builders have
which they integrate into their designs. Some of the builds were extreme customization’s
while others were restorations that were chromed and painted outside of the original.

I had a favorite pick this year of what bike I would like to own and ride.
You might be surprised that it was not a Harley! The Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero was my
top pick. That means if I was going to trade my Harley in for a new bike this year,
I would trade it in for the Vulcan. I liked everything about that bike except the side
opening saddlebags. It was 1700 CC’s, 6-speed, heavy, had a great strong well built feel
when you sat on it and moved it around, it was ergonomically perfect without any mods,
and it has beautiful lines. Here is a picture of it below:

The 2019 Progressive IMS was our favorite of all we have attended in the past.
The organizers did a fantastic job in their lineup and we were excited to be part of it in a
press related role. As always I compiled a video of the highlights to give you a feel of the
action that was taking place and to encourage you to try to attend one of the shows as
they move around the country.

The Future of “Ride It” in “Wrench It”

Moving forward with information for riders, Ride It will begin taking on a stronger
role on my site. For years I have provided free maintenance tutorials which fell under the
Wrench It portion of the channel. I will still be making wrench it videos moving forward.
Ride It has always been a bit weak and unfortunately hasn’t offered riders much in the way
of being useful. We put some videos up of our adventures on the road and published riding
routes of some of those rides but they never really did much.

I have always wanted to teach prospective riders how to ride and do so safely. If you go
online there are hundreds of videos on riding safety, proper riding gear, and riding
techniques so I was apprehensive about moving to Ride It in that direction because of all the
other people already making those types of videos.

As I reviewed other instructor's videos I concluded there is a place for more of these types
of videos. My method of instruction might be presented in a manner that a rider could follow
more easily or understand better. Learning and instruction takes on many forms and
people learn from different methods of information delivery.

The future of Ride It is near! This spring we will begin publishing videos that
provide information on riding techniques, skills, safety, strategy, and anything other
content that might help riders be safer. I am very excited about doing this and am
hoping it will be helpful to the riding community.