Spring Tool Bag Sale, And How Not To Be A Tool

Good February day to all!

     As the sun is shining on me and our cats this morning, I'd like to let the cat out of the bag early by mentioning our first ever BIG TIME tool bag sale - February 13th through the 28th - 20% off the regular prices! We planned ahead for this event and have all styles and sizes and materials of tool bags. Some can go on the handlebars, some on the forks, some are designed for either location.

     Did you see an old post of ours on Facebook about putting large tool bags on the metal rails of your rear fender? We learned about this simple and great idea from a customer in New Jersey in 2017. He had bought one 12" vinyl tool bag from us, and his son suggested putting it on the the fender rail. Jai alai - a mini saddlebag/toolbag. He ended up buying a second one to have a pair on his bike, which is a Yamaha V-Star (like mine). It's a great idea and something to consider when you are looking for bike storage on a non-bagger.

        In other news, some dumbass rumor is out there suggesting that Bryon belongs to a 1% motorcycle club. That is a total non-truth, a lie, and whoever is spreading it is a tool, and should find a tool bag to hide in. Seriously, if you ever hear any rumor about us or our store, just come and ask. We've heard it from the beginning because we are Freedom Thirteen. Thirteen is for the original thirteen colonies that fought for freedom. We spell it out and don't use the number 13 specifically to avoid confusion with motorcycle club usage. But still, we had some total fucktard tell us back in 2014 that he knew all about it: "I get it, 13, one three, one, one percent". Uh, no, you dumb fucking asshole! Even after explaining it, he still had is own idiotic thoughts. Sometimes you just want to tell someone to fuck off. 

     We founded the store on our own, with my retirement money (and boy did those assholes in the state retirement system I had been in, D.C., and the IRS fuck me over good - may they burn in Hell). But whatever - we opened up with our own money to go for a dream, and we are as independent as anyone could ever be. We enjoy our freedom. We operate our store for people who ride any kind of motorcycle and from any club or not in a club. NEUTRAL - as we say, we have a store for bikers, by bikers - everyone is welcome. 

     Find some joy in these last weeks of winter. I like the birds, so I'm always watching for which ones come back, especially the geese (I like how they fly in an organized pack as when we ride with our friends!). This is going to be a GREAT YEAR!

~ Holly, a.k.a. Stitchblade

Ohio's Tail of the Dragon, Rt. 536

If you haven't already traveled Ohio's version of the Tail of the Dragon, you may just like it. We've been on vacation all week getting things done at home, putting inventory data into spreadsheets, paperwork, making patches, moving curios and motorcycle memorabilia into the bar room, and otherwise freezing our asses off in the cold (tonight is the coldest at -7 degrees!).

So, I got Bryon up and about and out the door at 11:45 AM. We headed south on Rt. 7 basically, skipping around Youngstown on I-680 (with a stop at Starbucks for road coffee). Rt. 7 south of Boardman is a great ride, nice road, probably even nicer in summer than this ruthless January day.

Bryon didn't know where we were going - I just said a road trip south. I had to get out of the house after 6 days of basically staying home. So, out we went and we got down to Route 30, the famed Lincoln Highway, and had to follow that east to stay on Rt. 7 until it dropped south again.

It has been a while since we'd been down that way, and I knew we were in for a 300 mile trip. Well, that's what happened. As we drove along the Ohio River and the power plants and the old coal and energy towns, the sun shone bright through the blank trees and enormous steel bridges. Then there it was, a billboard for Neidengard's Harley-Davidson, the oldest one in Ohio. Yes, we went, about 8 miles off route, but worth it. It's a nice store with nice people, lots of great shirts if you are inclined to collect them. They had the new 115th Anniversary blue denim Street Glide on the floor, and Bryon really liked the color, plus the eagle paint job on the fairing.

We bought a few cool shirts and poker chips, then took off to Rt. 7 again. About half way to Hannibal, I revealed to Bryon that we were going to the Dragon. He's not a big traveller like I am, so I like to have surprises so he sees the joy in going places like I do. Well, the Dragon is no joke!! You barely make it past the sign for Hannibal, and there's the Rt. 536 sign. You can only turn right (if headed south), so do it, then take care! LOL, seriously, the turns are immediate and they parallel huge drop offs into lovely ravine's that are best viewed from the top!

Left, and right, and left, and right, and up and down, and up and down - we were like, "are you kidding?" when we saw the sign that drivers beware of a school bus stop. I was a bus driver and there's no way I'd take a full size bus on that road - no way. Yet it was so beautiful!!! The vistas of distant hills and deep valleys were worth it. There were many houses along the road, farms, and cows.

Obviously we made it, and boy, Rt. 78 is beautiful too with longer curves and milder hills. But we headed back to Rt. 7, turned north to finish the trip, and crossed over the huge blue steel bridge into Moundsville, WV. From there, we followed Rt. 2 north; it wasn't as nice at Rt. 7. FYI: if you go this route and see places called cafes, they are gambling cafes, not restaurants, so we ended up at an Arby's on Rt. 30 when we got north off Rt. 2. It was about 7:30 PM, so we just said fuck it and got on Rt. 11 north instead of 7 again. We got home just after 8:30, and well, I went straight for my pajamas.

Now this night will end with prepping patches I embroidered all week (I know, I know, it was supposed to be a vacation, but I got to take care of my people!), and I guess I'll have some decaf and read for a while too, and forget that tomorrow is the last day of this staycation. It's been good, and much appreciated. We'll be back shortly to begin serving the bikers of our two valleys again, and enjoy this interesting life.

~ Holly, a.k.a. Stitchblade

A Little of This, and A Little of That

We haven't been riding much, actually not at all the last month really. Why? Well, the weather has sucked, but the bigger reason is a bike outage - Bryon's stator went out. Oh sure, we can push start the awesome carbureted Evo and get the potato potato sound going, but the battery won't charge, so it won't run for long. Anyway, we're fixing that (at least it went out during poor riding weather).

In other news, I took a few friends to the annual breakfast and fundraiser held by the Tri-County V-Twin Cruisers. That not only was a huge, delicious breakfast, but raised funds to help out one of their members who is dealing with a bad heart and out of work in the meantime. It was held at the American Legion Post in Sebring, Ohio. The event raised $2300, so a big success and a huge help for the Lease family. My friends and I walked away with Chinese auction prizes.

Bryon went to the Yankee Lake Swap Meet with some friends. He found original manuals for is 88 Harley-Davidson Springer Softail, and a cover plate for that thing on the side of the bike somewhere (Okay, I suck at part names, so here is a photo!).

Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming, so in the way of work, we will be working at the store 7 days a week with our expanded hours on Sundays from 11am to 4pm. We open like this every year for the holidays. Our last open Sunday will be December 24th. 

When the snow comes, don't be sad, for it's a time to stay merry and happy with family and friends. Spring will return!

~ Stitchblade 

Do Good For Others, It's The Right Thing

As a business, we don't have the opportunity to do the big events like other groups and dealerships (ha, not yet!), but we do the little things that make a big difference anyway.

So, we were notified of a post on Facebook where a woman was reaching out to the biker community to see if someone could help her: she wanted to inspire her husband's moral as he went through therapy at a nursing home to help with his Parkinson's Disease. He used to ride motorcycles, for a good thirty years at least, we learned. We contacted Pam and let her know we could help with her request for someone with a trike to take her husband for a ride!

Rallying our close group of riding friends, including John who has a Goldwing trike, we planned to surprise Ken on Sunday, October 1st, and boy did we! As he stood outside the nursing home entrance with his wife and boys, we pulled in with six bikes and the trike. He was so moved, and cried, and it was a moment that makes the Live To Ride, Ride To Live statement ever so true. And necessary.

After introductions, Chuck loaned his leather jacket to Ken as it was a sunny but chilly day. Pictures taken, we boarded the bikes and took off up Gypsy Lane to Belmont and headed north. As we left, Sandy told us Ken shot his fist into the air as in saying "yeah man"! He hadn't been in the wind for over five years due to the PD, balance and control too impaired.

But a trike, man, that is a literal life saver. For some, inspiration.

Bryon lead us up 193 to Rt. 88, and we turned west making our turnaround point at Mosquito Lake. A brief rest and some bullshitting on the causeway made for time to get to know each other.

We headed back east. And as usual on motorcycles, you say, oh, just an hour ride will be fine and three hours later you just accept that fact that time doesn't rule you on a motorcycle. Yet, we did make a pit stop at Truck World where Ken decided that he had a great ride but was done. We all went over to Waffle House for some lunch, and then parted ways.

Good days. Good times. Good friends. And good deeds. None of it goes unnoticed nor forgotten.

Hale Farm and Village, A Nice Motorcycle Ride

On Sunday, August 27, 2017, I lead a group ride from Hubbard to the Hale Farm and Village located in Bath, Ohio. It's an old farm with some of the original buildings plus others that replicate pioneer farm and town life. I was there almost 40 years ago with my grandma and sister, and now as an adult who rides, it seemed like a nice place to take my biker friends. 

There is a newer building that houses the welcome center, a gift shop, and a food shop. It begins with a little of the history, then you walk out back into the village. We didn't see everything; it's a self-guided walking tour, so be prepared.

Our first stop was at the house that is an original from another Ohio location, but represents what an original house on the Hale farm would have been like. Low wood beam ceilings, a huge hearth, and even a bed. The bed, we learned, has a rope "box spring" base that the bedding lays on, and has to be tightened. Watchdog is shown here using the big wood key that turned the rope for tightening. The phrase "sleep tight" comes from this history.

 Watchdog tightening the bed

Next we stopped to see the blacksmith working on decorative leaf posts. There is a video of him working on our YouTube channel.

 The Blacksmith

 Bonehead watching the blacksmith

As we kept walking, we happened upon the barn where brooms were made. Nobody was there, but you could see all the steps it takes. 

 Broom barn

 The Broom barn and other buildings across the yard

I missed getting a photo of the potter and the kiln, but they make all kinds of pottery there, which is then sold in the gift shop. I got a nice mug. The same goes for the glass blower, this time it was a young woman who learned her skills at Kent State University. When I was there as a kid, it was a man doing the work. There is a video of the glassblowing on our YouTube channel too, here. 

In one large house were three women demonstrating fiber arts - weaving, spinning, and dying - of wool. Since I've done those things, it was interesting to me. There is also a house where they demonstrate beeswax candlemaking. 

Then we just hung out, by the fences, took breaks on the benches, and all around had a nice time. The weather was perfect! It was 160 miles round trip for us. We had lunch at Fisher's in the town of Peninsula (great chocolate milkshakes).

~ Switchblade

Gettysburg, PA - 3 Days

We had a bigger vacation planned for this summer, but our stupid car and van had to throw tantrums - in other words, they needed serious repairs. That left us with a little less money so we opted for a 3 day trip to Gettysburg (we went there last year too). Here we are at our first break just north of Apollo, PA.

Over the hills, but not quite through the woods, we finally got onto Rt. 30, the Lincoln Highway, and made our way east. It was my first time riding those winding mountain roads on my own bike, and I did just fine. The last mountain on the downside is no joke, fun, but to be respected.

Here is a video on our Youtube channel of Bryon in the lead, then me, and our friend Goldilocks taking a video from behind us.

We stayed in town this time, which was so much better. Our motel was literally amidst shops and restaurants, and right at the edge of the battlefields and a national cemetery. The land was marked with gravestones of old and new, and of those who could not be identified. It was a beautiful place.

Unknown Soldier Markers

Site of the Gettysburg Address

In town we found souvenirs, even Gettysburg patches, so those were installed on our vests the day after we got home. Watchdog and Tiny had an undercover moment on some benches (maybe they're secret agents!). 

We did the standard ride over to Battlefield Harley-Davidson to get unique shirts, including those with rebel flags on them - the store can make them, but they can't have the Harley-Davidson name on them due to being "offensive". 

Got caught in the rain at Starbucks

Tuesday morning we started our day at McDonald's for breakfast and took a ride through the battlefields. 

It was a longer day home, about 15 hours because we stopped a lot, and detoured north to visit DuBoise Harley-Davidson. By then we were whooped, but went across the street to the DuBoise Diner to eat. The long ride home along Rt. 322 was made intense when Bryon's headlight went out and he was almost hit head-on by a big truck. He lead the pack home as usual with the use of his hi-beam light, surviving dashing critters and fog on Scrubgrass road. Safe and sound. We're ready to go again!

~ Holly, a.k.a. Switchblade

Groundhog Day - in July

We went groundhog hunting, kind of. It was our 2nd annual sunrise ride, when we get up at 3 am to be at breakfast by 4:30am, and hit the road at 5am to ride into a sunrise instead of the usual sunset. Yeah, right. We're talking about bikers in the wee hours - some move fast, others not so much!

But we hit the road at 5:30 heading east out of West Middlesex, PA on Route 62. Riding out to Mercer, we snuck behind the courthouse to catch Scrubgrass Road (Bryon's favorite because it feels like you went through a time warp to get closer to Franklin, PA compared to 62 and 956). We stopped at the Sheetz in Franklin as usual, bullshitting under the new sun.

Our destination was Punxsutawney, PA, the old stomping grounds for our friend Tiny's dad. We caught Route 322 east at Franklin, and that is a nice road for riding. Through Clarion and some other small towns, we made it to Route 36 South, turned right on that, and made it to groundhog country.

If you've never been there, but maybe to other towns known for animals (like Cincinnati and it's flying pigs), Punxsutawney is marked by giant painted statues of groundhogs. Biker's can be a smart bunch, so I'm not sure why we all kept calling them beavers! Well, of course, our dirty minds kept making beaver jokes, like when we stopped at Lily's restaurant there and Hammerhead noted the footlong weiners on the menu, to which I replied that they were for the giant beavers! LOL, even the waitress laughed and had to walk away.

Lily's food was good. I think we'd all recommend it as a good stop on a ride east. And she has a bakery next door. We learned that Phil the Groundhog (not beaver) resides at the public library in town when not working in February, so there we went. There's a viewer windows on the outside of the building and you can watch Phil eat, play, or apparently what he does most - sleep.

There was this one cool groundhog statue painted like the Statue of Liberty. Really cool. Didn't get pics of the other ones, so I guess you'll have to ride out there yourself. Round trip mileage on the route we took was 240 miles. Maybe you'll have your own sunrise ride and make it out for some good riding, delicious food, and some big brown beavers.

Eat to ride, ride to eat,
Holly