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Direction Wide Open - Blog
What Happens When You Encounter Wildlife?
January 4, 2021

It does not matter, if you ride or drive long enough in beautiful, treed areas, you will have an animal cross your path. Naturally, the smartest thing to do in these situations is slow your speed and give yourself enough time to react in case you have a surprise visitor in the road. That means the less visual you have in front of you (like rounding a curve), the more cautious you should be. Also, the bigger the animal you might encounter, the more space you want for stopping distance.

What if you are already going slow and you round a curve to see a herd of buffalo or deer. Remember where you see one, there are others sure to follow. We have heard stories where people actually leave their vehicles or get off their bikes for close-ups. I hope we do not need to tell anyone in this group they are wild animals! We do not think like them, they do not think like us and they have different basic needs and instincts.

We even took roads not popular with a buffalo herd and were lucky enough to see hundreds in this herd. But slow speeds, staying on our bikes, alert and riding near large cars was a smart move – and an incredible one too. We got video! (Check it out on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLeO2xbPFrg)

Wanting a Short Stay Try-Out for Your New RV?
December 29, 2020

Trying out a new RV? Free boondocking nights are available in most states through many options like Bureau of Land Management and free camping websites online. But if you do not want to start out with a little more support, there is another option. If you are a foodie, wine lover or enjoy learning experiences, you should check out Harvest Host. They let you stay for free. Bonuses are other helpful RVers may be available for support, you get a night out on the town (so to speak) and the hosts are deeply knowledgeable about their local area.

Harvest Hosts are wineries, farms, museums, and other remarkably interesting options that let you park your RV overnight (sometimes longer) in order to show off their wares. It is highly suggested you partake of the goods and services offered, whether it be a wine tasting, museum tour, farm fresh goods, etc., to show your support for a free night. So, it may wind up being the cost of an overnight RV park but at least you get something in return – plus the extra support. If you want to check out Harvest Host and get a discount for membership just use this link: https://harvesthosts.refr.cc/willlucinda

What Happens After Hours at a Motorcycle Museum?
September 21, 2020

Like the movie, "Night at the Museum", the bikes do come alive. Outside of Wichita, Kansas at a wonderfully outfitted motorcycle museum uniquely named, Twisted Oz, things do happen after hours. The museum curator, Paul told us every motorcycle in the museum, apart from one, is taken out and ridden. This is particularly amazing because half their collection contains bikes from the early to mid-1900s as well as many custom bikes and sidecars. It is a thrill to look at a bike from history and know it could still carry you to new places with all the unique rustic starters, time owned sounds and bare minimum seats.

Also, after hours the museum curators and owners create their own riding stories and they share them with you as you tour the museum which truly enhances the eye candy experience. There is a guest book there for you to sign. I would not be surprised if when the doors are closed for the evening, they don't occasionally take a peek to see what far away destination people have traveled to see their one-of-a-kind collection. I heard a story about someone riding through from Australia. Ask Paul about that one.

Are You Looking for a Balance Solution for Your Bike?
October 1, 2020

I ride a Harley Sportster with a sidecar. The question I get asked most often is "how easy is it to ride?" There are so many riders out there unwilling to give up riding and are looking for a solution to stay on the road. I can understand because I took that path when I had an accident and broke my kneecap. Right now, the options for continuing to ride are not as varied as the people's reasons they need a solution. You are really looking at a trike, sidecar or Spyder.

I cannot really speak to the trike or Spyder. Even though I had never seen a sidecar in real life, it is what I went for and I am glad I did. I still feel like I am riding my motorcycle on the road. It does ride differently with the bucket on, so you must learn a few tricks and skills in that area. I do not ride with sidecar brakes so if you want a smoother stop simply add brakes. Sidecars ride a little rougher and there is a little more pull with the sidecar when you are out on the open highway. But I like the raw feel of the sidecar. It is also more difficult to find dependable, close by and good service for a sidecar.

I like the old-fashioned ride and the history behind sidecars. There are not great stats out there on sidecar owners, but I am estimating about 20,000 in the United States. If stats match up with motorcycles and, accounting for a slower adoption of sidecars than motorcycles, there could be under 2,000 female sidecarists out there who ride in the U.S. If you see a female sidecarist, honk three times and give her the thumbs up. If you like the "sidecar delay", which is when someone stops you at every stop to talk about your ride, then a sidecar is something to think about.


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