First Responders on Two Wheels

This is a fire motorcycle. You know, like a fire truck, only it's a motorcycle. Made in Japan and used in Korea. I'm trying to think of any fire small enough that this thing would make a difference.

In the same vein, herewith a report about today's ride.
Four of us left town about 9:30 and headed north to Wickenburg, from there to Yarnell and then to Prescott for lunch. After lunch they decided to go on to Jerome, the best motorcycle road anywhere around here, but I decided to head back home.
I had work to get done, including prep for tonight's executive committee meeting. Also, after being as sick as I was I didn't want to over do on my first day back feeling normal. But mostly, I was, uhm, bored.
The guy who rode lead is probably 60+ and riding a brand new Harley full dress behemoth. He goes the speed limit...or less. A ride through the hills of central AZ is not about doing the speed limit. I realized 10 minutes into the ride what the situation was and really tried to think of it as a tour, not a ride. But from here to Prescott was as much of a tour as I could take.
So they went on north and I turned east for the 12 mile stretch to I-17. Ten miles into that leg I was on a 2-lane divided highway riding in the left lane behind an old lady doing 5 mph under the limit. Hey, I just did this for 120 miles. So I pulled into the right lane, passed her, and then swung back into the left lane (always the safer lane for a motorcycle rider). Next thing I know I'm looking at flashing lights in my rear view mirror.
I pulled over to the right shoulder and the officer came up with the usual "license and registration please." I asked him why he pulled me over because I knew I hadn't been more than 5 mph over the limit, even when I was passing that lady. He said it was because I made a lane change without using my signal.
Fifteen minutes later I was on my way. He told me early on that he wasn't going to write me a ticket, just a warning form, and "we don't even keep track of these things." Shortly after that I decided he really just wanted to talk to me about my bike.
His department got two bikes just like mine six months ago and he was assigned to one of them. But two weeks ago the chief decided the maintenance costs were too high so he shipped them off to the Phoenix PD. He misses his bike! He had lots of questions about mine - where did I get it, what did it cost, how many miles... - and we had a very pleasant conversation about BMW 1150 RT-P's. At the end he reached out to shake my hand, said he enjoyed our conversation, and I was on my way.
Maybe I should have been upset that he pulled me over to talk about my ride but a) he's right; I didn't use my turn signal, b) he was a nice guy, and c) bikers always like talking bikes, especially when both ride the same motorcycle. So it was actually the best part of the 190 miles I did today.
I was very careful to use my turn signals for all lane changes from that point on home!

We had a good committee meeting tonight and took care of several things, including formally choosing our logo. I won't have a jpeg until Monday but I'll post it when I get it.
The group is great at working through logistical issues quickly and efficiently. I appreciate having their input. It takes a lot of the pressure off of me, and their comments and suggestions are always good stuff.

If you get SPEEDTV you should catch some of the F1 coverage this weekend. It may take you a little time to pick up some of the nuances of the sport, but trust me, it's a whole lot more exciting that "go fast, turn left; repeat"

Twice in the last two days I've heard John McCain use the word "mistake." Yesterday, at a town hall meeting, he said, "I've made more than my share of mistakes over the years." Then today, in a speech at the MLK gathering in Memphis he told the crowd that he made a big mistake when he originally opposed making King's b'day a national holiday.
He can't do that! He's a politician!

By the way, April 4th is the anniversary of something else. Fifty years ago on this date the peace symbol was first used. It was at an anti-nuke march in England.
Now how old do you feel?