Veterans Picnic Ride

On Friday July 18 my daughter's house in Shirleysburg caught fire and gutted the house. No one was home at the time. The following day, Saturday July 19th, my oldest son Jordan - 12 - and I went for a ride down to my mother's house in Shade Gap. We did cut the grass and put some things in the dumpster. We are cleaning up to sell the house or rent it out. Jordan and I were very hungry so I called on the cell phone to tell Kandi that we were going to eat at Arnie McClure's farm. He was having a Veterans Picnic. So Jordan and I got a 12 pack soda to take since it was a covered dish event.

Jordan and I rode into Shirleysburg and pass Christie's house. About 1/4 of a mile we made a turn to go to Arnie's. I wasn't sure of which way to go when we got to a y in the road. I went to the right which was correct. Unlucky for me I missed the turn off and went back to the Y and made the left. Jordan said these famous words, "Daddy, this doesn't look safe!" The road got washed out and I stopped the bike for him to get off. I told him I would turn the bike around and head back up the hill. I turned in the field and saw that to the left of the road was the best way because to the right had many rutts in it. I yelled for Jordan to move. He didn't and I had to take the right which had the rutts in it. The next words I spoke was "Jordan! HELP!" Too late. Even though I'm a big person I couldn't keep up a 1000 pound Touring Motorcycle.

I was laying on the dirt road and Jordan was crying and asking if I was okay. I said I was. Then Jordan said, "Daddy you're going to hate me forever for making you wreck." I told him that it wasn't his fault and I was the one on the bike not him. We got it up and off we went to the event. I saw scratches on my saddle bag. I thought I could put some touch up paint on it. On the way home Jordan wanted me to stop at a Service Station for him to use the bathroom. I got off the bike and saw that my fairing had the most and worse scratches on it. I was heart broken.

June 2006 I bought my "Beast" a 2006 Harley-Davidson FLHXI Street Glide. I had the dealership take off the orginal seat and put on a more comfortable HD Sundowner seat and a back rest for the boys. For additional safety I had chrome grab rails on it. The other thing I had done was to put a US NAVY Derby Cover, US NAVY Aircleaner cover and a US NAVY Timing cover on. For Christmas 2006 Kandi bought a nice set of LED Lizard Lights from HD of Ft Myers and they put them on. Since the bike is Cobalt Blue the purple lights shows up better than the other colors. I have had many comments on how great the bike looks. Down on Ft Myers Beach I saw people take pictures of their kids by the bike. I walked over a couple of times and sat the kids on the bike, had Mom and Dad behind and took a family picture for them.

With these scratches the cost for repairs is $2,004.35. So with the deductable Dairyland Insurance is sending me a check for $1,800 to cover things. NOT A GOOD SATURDAY!