Wednesday, November 10, 2010
National Motorcycle Museum — MidWeek Blues — Jim's motorscooter
This Easy Rider Chopper is in the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, the home of the artist, Grant Wood. While in Iowa in October, I went there with my sister Lois and BIL, Jim W, and his Brother Jack and his wife Mary Lou.
We didn't pay to go in. Rather we looked around through the 'teaser' windows, one of which is shown here, and then to the gift shop.
We ended up not spending any money at all there. The rest rooms were free which is a good thing for travelers. At the other end of the paved lot was a McDonald's where we did spend some money.
My driving license has a motorcycle endorsement. I renewed it for another six years in October too. The endorsement was an extra $2.00 but it will save me money and headaches if and when I get another bike. My license is good for another six years. I can renew once more with just an eye exam. After that it will be harder for me due to my age. I will be 93 on that birthday.
The pictures below (click on any for a larger size) are also from the museum except for the one on the lower right. It shows three of my toy cars and my toy Vespa motorscooter. If I had not have had that one I would have bought one of the cute little ones, shown in the upper right, from the gift shop. Next time I may buy one anyway.
We didn't pay to go in. Rather we looked around through the 'teaser' windows, one of which is shown here, and then to the gift shop.
We ended up not spending any money at all there. The rest rooms were free which is a good thing for travelers. At the other end of the paved lot was a McDonald's where we did spend some money.
My driving license has a motorcycle endorsement. I renewed it for another six years in October too. The endorsement was an extra $2.00 but it will save me money and headaches if and when I get another bike. My license is good for another six years. I can renew once more with just an eye exam. After that it will be harder for me due to my age. I will be 93 on that birthday.
The pictures below (click on any for a larger size) are also from the museum except for the one on the lower right. It shows three of my toy cars and my toy Vespa motorscooter. If I had not have had that one I would have bought one of the cute little ones, shown in the upper right, from the gift shop. Next time I may buy one anyway.
Back when I was in the Army our second car was a 1956 Vespa Scooter. I bought it new from Sears, branded as an Allstate. All of the 1956 Sears models were a light army green color. I literally wore that scooter out. We lived in El Paso (Texas) where the weather is perfect for cycles and scooters year round just as it is here in the Houston area.
It did get it moved to New Hampshire by my civilian employer. The movers said I should take it and that they would call it a lawn mower so there would not be any problems. Up there it had to sit under a canvas most of the winter time. Snow and ice are pretty treacherous for two wheelers.
This accident story is from a previous post, January 31, 2009:
One of the worst woman drivers I have ever known lived in El Paso. She ran a stop sign right in front of my Vespa motor scooter. I was riding it down a main thorough-fare, she was on a side street.
It did get it moved to New Hampshire by my civilian employer. The movers said I should take it and that they would call it a lawn mower so there would not be any problems. Up there it had to sit under a canvas most of the winter time. Snow and ice are pretty treacherous for two wheelers.
This accident story is from a previous post, January 31, 2009:
One of the worst woman drivers I have ever known lived in El Paso. She ran a stop sign right in front of my Vespa motor scooter. I was riding it down a main thorough-fare, she was on a side street.
We were not traveling too awfully fast, each well within the speed limit. She just didn't stop.
I ended up on the hood of her car. Both of my knees were sore for a long time but nothing was broken. The scooter needed quite a bit of repair. It turned out she did not have insurance for anything except collision (covered her own car). She had just purchased this Pontiac new and that is all the dealer sold her.
She did fuss at me for being on the street. Then she said not only did I not have a right to be there but that I was traveling without any lights on. The policeman told her that yes, I did have my lights on. When I pushed it out of the middle of the intersection the lights tried to come on until I took it out of gear.
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If you want to post a MidWeek Blues picture, go get directions from Rebecca by clicking on the logo picture on the right. She has a Mr. Linky and good directions . Just do what I did. Or do less. All she requires is a BLUE PICTURE or BLUE THOUGHT, you don't have to write.
Labels: Iowa, Jim Does, Jim's Life, Midweek Blues, Vespa
Comments:
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My first car was a motorcycle. That was back before anybody ever heard of motorcycle endorsements on driver's licenses. In fact, the reason I learned to ride a motorcycle first was because I didn't need a license to ride a motorcycle as long as I stayed off the main (paved) roads.
That terrible driver that cause your accident and then blamed it on you was a piece of work wasn't she? Good grief.
Have a terrific day. Big hug. :)
Have a terrific day. Big hug. :)
Hey Jim,
I clicked the Jim's Little Blog link on quilly's Quintessentially Quilly blog.
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So if I want to post a MidWeek Blues picture, I go get directions from Rebecca by clicking on the logo picture on the right. She has a Mr. Linky and good directions.
-----
Just do what you did. Or do less?
-----
I clicked the Jim's Little Blog link on quilly's Quintessentially Quilly blog.
-----
So if I want to post a MidWeek Blues picture, I go get directions from Rebecca by clicking on the logo picture on the right. She has a Mr. Linky and good directions.
-----
Just do what you did. Or do less?
-----
Oh wait. I didn't finish reading your post. All she requires is a BLUE PICTURE or BLUE THOUGHT, you don't have to write.
Maybe I might try that.
Maybe I might try that.
Thanks for the heads up on the linky problem. I can't figure out what happened. Supposedly the code is still good, but it just disappeared! So I went back to old Mr. Linky and got his code and re-pasted all the entries I could find.
Interesting museum. I love that first motorcycle photo - so patriotic. How ever did you end up in TX from NH? Talk about opposite ends of the earth...or country rather.
Interesting museum. I love that first motorcycle photo - so patriotic. How ever did you end up in TX from NH? Talk about opposite ends of the earth...or country rather.
Easy Rider is one of my favorite movies so this was a treat
Hope says you better be careful out there :)
Hope says you better be careful out there :)
Hi Jim, I guess the good thing is that you only hurt your knees as it could have been much worse. You don't get much protection on two wheels.
I had a motor scooter a bazillion years ago. I did learn to ride a motorcycle but never got my license.
Others drivers are so careless over motorcyclists.
I am going to make sure I do all of the things on my list now so I can beat you, Jim.
And you never bore me.
Others drivers are so careless over motorcyclists.
I am going to make sure I do all of the things on my list now so I can beat you, Jim.
And you never bore me.
Veterans Day is a time to remember and honor the sacrifice of our returning heroes, more than 40,000 of whom has been wounded in recent conflicts.
The needs of these wounded warriors and the estimated 300,000 (RAND 2007) veterans battling post-traumatic stress disorder and depression will require specialized attention for years to come.
We provide services and programs that ease the burden of the wounded and their families, aid in the recovery process, and smooth their transition back to civilian life.
The needs of these wounded warriors and the estimated 300,000 (RAND 2007) veterans battling post-traumatic stress disorder and depression will require specialized attention for years to come.
We provide services and programs that ease the burden of the wounded and their families, aid in the recovery process, and smooth their transition back to civilian life.
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