The Gamble Family (.Net)

The following is an excerpt from an article entitled “Staying Safe - Speed Kings” that appeared in the June 2004 issue of Rider Magazine. It was written by Lawrence Grodsky.

According to the NHTSA, a fatally injured motorcyclist is 37 percent more likely to have been speeding than an automobile driver meeting the same demise. Speeding, according to the agency, can mean “too fast for conditions”. For most of us, this means a little too fast on a well-known bend or a neighborhood intersection.

Here is a list of clues that might signal that you could be traveling too fast for conditions.

Hitting a pothole
Or perhaps a big rock, or even a muffler. You didn’t see it because you were tailgating the vehicle in front of you. Always allow for a two second cushion.

The car that could have nailed you
You know the feeling: when you clear a busy intersection or a hidden driveway and suddenly see a car that you’d have been powerless to avoid had the driver floored it a second earlier.

Locking the rear brake
One of the classic panic reactions. I’ve seen some of the smoothest riders lock up the rear wheel when the scenery coughed up a surprise.

Upsetting the bike while shifting or your passenger gongs your helmet
The passenger is the ultimate “smoothometer”. Take a fraction of a second to ensure a smooth shift or braking transition. Someday, your calmness could be a life-saver.

Missing a turnoff
Anytime you make two wrong turns, you should seriously consider the possibility that you’re riding over your head.

Dabbing brakes at the turn entry
Brakes take time to modulate smoothly, and every new corner calls for a strategy - whether it requires brakes or not. Reaching for the brakes as you enter the corner is a sure sign that you’re carrying more speed than you can comfortably control.

Flirting with the centerline on left turns
When riders can’t keep a safe space cushion in left-handers, it’s usually because they have too much entry speed and must choose a bigger arc.

Unwillingness to use the right wheel track to set up for left turns
“Edge fear” is a common weakness among timid riders. Riders who won’t use the right half of their lane should reduce their speed until they’re comfortable operating near the shoulder. This is the safest part of the lane on left handers.

Failing to use turn signals when passing
If nothing else, turn signals give a cadence to the ride and keep one grounded to the reality that making progress through traffic is not the same as racing through it. Two seconds between each lane change is about right.

Total disregard for the double yellow
The double yellow usually signals the potential for unforseen situations. Treat it with respect.

Riding more agressively with friends
This one is the classic, probably responsible for more accidents than all others combined. Sure, you may be able to keep a faster pace by following that helmet over the hill, but you’re not riding better when you leave your most critical judgement tool - speed selection - in someone else’s hands.

We currently have an employee serving in the Marine Reserves in Iraq. The following letter was sent to us by a member of his company. Before I get to the letter, however, I’d like to share with you some comments recently posted on Charlie Daniels’ website so that I might put you in the correct frame of mind to read the letter.

The admittedly regrettable action of a few U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has gotten more major media attention in the past few weeks than any subject since the beginning of the war.

More ink and more air time that the cutting of Daniel Pearl’s throat.

More ink and more airtime than the murder of some U.S. citizens who were hung from a bridge and set on fire.

More ink and more airtime than the decapitation of United States citizen Nick Berg.

Will somebody please tell me why Jennings, Rather and crew are more concerned about the welfare of Iraqi religious zealots who are bent on the destruction of everything we stand for than they are about the welfare of innocent American citizens?

Having set the tone for the letter, which is the reason for this post, I now give you the text of the letter from a US Marine currently serving in Iraq.

Hello Everyone, I am taking time to ask you all for your help.

First off, I’d like to say that this is not a political message. I’m not concerned about domestic politics right now. We have much bigger things to deal with, and we need your help.

It seems that despite the tremendous and heroic efforts of the men and women serving here in Iraq to bring much needed peace and stability to this region, we are losing the war of perception with the media and American people.

Our enemy has learned that the key to defeating the mighty American military is by swaying public opinion at home and abroad. We are a people that cherish the democratic system of government and therefore hold the will of the people in the highest regard. We love to criticize ourselves almost to an endless degree, because we care what others think. Our enemies see this as a weakness and are trying to exploit it.

When we ask ourselves questions like, “Why do they hate us?” or “What did we do wrong?”, we are playing into our enemies’ hands. Our natural tendency to question ourselves is being used against us to undermine our effort to do good in the world. How far would we have gotten if after the surprise attacks on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, we would have asked, “Why do the Japanese hate us so much?” or “How can we change ourselves so that they won’t do that again?”

Here in Iraq, the enemy is trying very hard to portray our efforts as failing and fruitless. They kill innocents and desecrate their bodies in hopes that the people back home will lose the will to fight for liberty.

They are betting on our perceived weakness as a thoughtful, considerate people. Unfortunately our media only serves to further their cause.

In an industry that feeds on ratings and bad news, a failure in Iraq would be a goldmine. When our so-called “trusted” American media takes a quote from an Iraqi doctor as the gospel truth over that of the men and women that are daily fighting to protect the right to freedom of press, you know something is wrong. That doctor claimed that out of 600 Iraqis that were casualties of the fighting, the vast majority of them were women, children and the elderly. This is totally absurd. In the history of man, no one has spent more time and effort, often to the detriment of our own mission, to be more discriminant in our targeting of the enemy than the American military. The Marines and Soldiers serving in Iraq have gone through extensive training in order to limit the amount of innocent casualties and collateral damage.

Yet, despite all of this, our media consistently sides with those who openly lie and directly challenge the honor of our brave heroes fighting for liberty and peace.

What we have to remember is that peace is not defined as an absence of war. It is the presence of liberty, stability, and prosperity. In the face of the horrendous tyranny of the former Iraqi regime, the only way true peace was able to come to this region was through force. That is what the American Revolution was all about. Have we forgotten?

Freedom is not free and “peace” without principle is not peace. The peace that so-called “peace advocates” support can only be brought to Iraq through the military. And we are doing it, if only the world will let us!

If the American people believe we are failing, even if we are not, then we will ultimately fail. That is why I am asking for your support.

Become a voice of truth in your community. Where ever you are, fight the lies of the enemy. Don’t buy into the pessimism and apathy that says, “It’s hopeless,” “They hate us too much,” “That part of the world is just too messed up,” “It’s our fault anyway,” “We’re to blame,” and so forth.

Whether you’re in middle school, working at a 9-5 job, retired, or a stay-at-home Mom, you can make a huge difference! There is nothing more powerful than the truth. So, when you watch the news and see doomsday predictions and spiteful opinions on our efforts over here, you can refute them by knowing that we are doing a tremendous amount of good. Spread the word. No one is poised to make such an amazing contribution to the everyday lives of Iraqis and the rest of the Arab world than the American Armed Forces. By making this a place where liberty can finally grow, we are making the whole world safer. Your efforts at home are directly tied to our success. You are the soldiers at home fighting the war of perception.

So I’m asking you as a fellow fighting man: Do your duty. Stop the attempts of the enemy wherever you are. You are a mighty force for good, because truth is on your side.

Together we will win this fight and ensure a better world for the future.

God Bless and Semper Fidelis,

Pray for the members of our armed forces as they risk their lives daily so that you can sleep peacefully and without fear at night.

This past weekend, my wife, Cheryl, and I took a trip to Rugby, TN. We both took off work Friday so that we could ride the motorcycle, spend Friday and Saturday at a Bed & Breakfast, and ride back Sunday. This was our first long distance overnight trip together on the bike since we got it almost three year years ago. Neither one of us knew anything about Rugby prior to the trip, other than a friend of ours had told us that the area had some great roads for motorcycling.

Our trip up on Friday was relaxing and very scenic. Riding across highways 96 and 70 to Crossville provided beautiful scenery of the Tennessee countryside. The skies were overcast most of the day with heavy clouds, but fortunately we did not run into any rain along the way. Highway 70 has many areas of rolling hills and sweeping curves, so the ride was truly enjoyable.

We stopped in Crossville for lunch at Cracker Barrel. After lunch, a brief rest, and a full tank of gas, we continued up highway 127, and across highway 52 to our destination, the Grey Gables Bed & Breakfast.

The Grey Gables is a beautiful two story inn located in the farmland that surrounds Rugby. The inn sits in the middle of a large pasture and is surrounded by woods. There is not another house around for about half a mile. It is run by Bill and Linda Jones. Bill and Linda made us feel immediately welcome the moment we arrived. After brief introductions and a short tour of the inn, we unpacked and freshened up in preparation to ride around what we expected to be the town of Rugby.

Grey Gables Inn

Our Room

As I stated earlier, I did not know anything about Rugby, so I was expecting a quaint restored village with shops, cafes, sidewalks - all of the traditional “touristy things”. Although the B&B was only about half a mile from “downtown”, we decided to ride instead of walk. We were surprised when we arrived in the actual community of Rugby, because we saw none of the shops and builds that I expected. Instead, the community is comprised of 10 to 15 restored structures, scattered across an area of roughly a square mile. The schoolhouse, cafe, church, and other cottages have been preserved and beautifully restored. There are no sidewalks, only gravel driveways and parking areas. There is one small cafe, one general mercantile store, one church, and a few other cottages. The fact that Rugby is 15 miles from the nearest town gives visitors the sense that they have arrived at “someplace that doesn’t exist” (if that makes any sense).

Schoolhouse - Rugby

Church - Rugby

After a brief walk around downtown Rugby, we rode 15 miles to Jamestown, to visit the Highland Manor Winery. Highland Manor is the oldest winery in Tennessee. At the winery, we were given a behind the scenes tour of how wine is made. We saw everything that is involved in the wine making process. We saw where the grapes arrive and are cleaned, the storage tanks, and where the wine is bottled. We also got a special look at their beautiful wine cellar, which is a beautifully furnished rustic room. After the tour, we were able to sample several of the varieties of Highland Manor’s wines, along with two delicious cheeses and some summer sausage. We were allowed to taste several of their varieties of wine: Seyval Blanc, Royal White, Cayuga White, Chardonnay, Highland Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, White Riesling, and Highland Sunset. After our tour of the winery, we returned to Grey Gables for the evening.

Highland Manor Winery

Our evening meal consisted of tomato basil soup, salad, baked chicken, and raspberry custard for desert. The meal was delicious. The conversation with our table guests made for a most enjoyable evening. After dinner, we went outside to relax in one of two front porch swings.

We started Saturday with another great meal. Breakfast consisted of homemade biscuits, gravy, grits with cheese, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, and some heavenly cinnamon rolls. After breakfast, we planned our route, and loaded up the bike for a day of riding and sightseeing.

We rode to the end of highway 52 to highway 27, so that we could travel north towards the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The roads were just as beautiful as the others that we had been on. There were lots of hills, sweeping curves, and overlooks. We continued on highway 27 across the Kentucky state line to Stearns. Stearns is an old mining and railroad community that was built back in the early 1900s. We walked around in the “mining company store” for a while and saw antiques and memorabilia from the early coal mining days. We left Stearns and then rode into the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. The park is heavily forested with numerous walking trails and scenic overlooks to enjoy. We visited the Devil’s Jump Overlook and the Blue Heron Mining camp while were were in the park. While walking down the Devil’s Jump, we say a sign that said “Warning - Snakes Present - Stay on Pathways”. Since I am a “snake respecting” (translated - terrified of snakes) person, I was fairly apprehensive about walking around, so I kept one eye on the scenery and the other one on the ground at all times.

Devil’s Jump Overlook

Blue Heron Mining Camp

After visiting the mining camp, we back-tracked a little ways to Oneida, where we stopped for gas, a snack, and a short break. After our brief stop, we rode through the middle of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on highway 297. This 25 mile section of road is one of the most difficult roads that I have ever navigated on the bike. The fact that the roads were wet from a recent rain shower made it even more difficult. After about five miles, the road through the park begins a steep (13 percent) descent into the valley. Once the descent starts, the road begins to twist and turn as it winds it way to the bottom of the valley. There are three extremely difficult 180-degree right hand turns. What makes each turn so difficult is that they are very sharp, turning back with hardy any radius at all, and then they immediately transition into a steep upward climb midway into the corner. The rain-soaked roads and the treacherous turns made this a very difficult and nail biting trip for about 10 miles. The difficulty was more that offset, however, by the spectacular scenery along the way.

After exiting the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, we returned to Grey Gables. All along the way back, the clouds looked like rain. We were fortunate not to encounter any until we were within about half a mile of our destination. We hurriedly covered the bike and went inside for a rest. Cheryl and I went out on the back porch and curled up in the large swing. We relaxed while listening to the waterfall in the goldfish pond, and the breeze rustling through the leaves in the woods behind the inn. Bear, one of the “attack watch cats” also took time out of his busy day for a nap in the swing with us.
Dinner Saturday evening was another delicious feast. Shrimp bisque soup, salad, beef brisket, and hot fudge cake left us quite full and content. We spent the remainder of the evening chatting with the other guests on the front porch again. Linda was also able to spend some time with us, talking about the inn and her past in Rugby.

Sunday morning was our time to leave. The temperature started to drop in the early morning due to a cool front blowing through. The front brought a steady rain with it. The worsening weather had me worried because I knew that Cheryl did not like riding in the rain or cold. I don’t blame her a bit. Rain and cold make for a very unenjoyable bike ride. There is cold, and then there is cold on a motorcycle. If you are not properly prepared, the experience can be quite trying.

In preparation for our cold trip home, we had another fabulous breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, ham, biscuits, gravy, fresh fruit, and more of those wonderful cinnamon rolls. After breakfast, we said goodbye to some of the other guests who left before us. We stayed around a while to give the rain some time to move through, and to allow the temperature to warm up. We had another enjoyable time talking to Linda about our families and reminiscing about days gone by.

At 11:30, with the rain beginning to ease up, we put on our rain suits, said goodbye to Linda and Bill, and headed towards home. We encountered light rain for about 45 miles until we reached Crossville. Along the way, we saw a bank thermometer that said 46 degrees. Needless to say, we were quite chilly from the cool temperature and the rain. Fortunately, we finally escaped the rain at Crossville. We stopped for coffee, hot cocoa, gas, and some warmth before getting onto the interstate for the remainder of our trip home.

Our trip to Rugby was most enjoyable. Cheryl and I always enjoy getting out together and spending time with each other. It gives us time to talk and dream about where we would like to eventually retire when we finish work. We both enjoy riding through the countryside and seeing new things. This was Cheryl’s first experience of riding in the rain, the cold, and extended interstate travel. I was very concerned about her before we left Sunday morning. I don’t want her to be scared or cold when we ride. I have to admit that I was quite surprised at her willingness to undergo these conditions without showing any fear or uneasiness. She really has come a long way since we began riding two years ago.

Our stay at the Grey Gables was wonderful. This was my first opportunity to stay at a traditional Bed & Breakfast. It took me a little while to get accustomed to not feeling like I was staying at someone’s home. Bill and Linda made both of us feel like one of their family from the moment we walked in the front door. Their beautiful inn, furnished with lots of antiques, made us feel as though we had left the daily routine of work so far behind. Linda is a superb cook. She kept us well fed the entire time that we were there. The friendly conversation left me feeling as though I had known her and Bill all of my life.

Weekends like this are good for the soul. With no television, no newspapers, and no demands from work, they provide an opportunity to take time to look inside of ourselves and re-evaluate what matters most to us. They give us time to get to know our spouses more - to enjoy each other more - to simply sit and look into each others eyes and hearts. They make us question why we have allowed the demands of work and technology to steal some of the joy out of our lives. We all need weekends like this several times each year. They restore our joy of life and of each other. They remind us of a simpler time - a time when people knew their neighbors, when people cared about and help each other in times of need, a time when physical labor left us tired, but much more fulfilled, at the end of each day.