Three Titles - A Harley Story

Welcome to reality blog! We'll be choosing from story titles to begin this exercise. So lets get to it, we have a Harley story to tell!

1. A weekend...to KILL (I like this one. Reads sort of ominous. Like a new James Bond story)
2. Rubbernecking - Milwaukee and Anamosa (Res ipsa loquitur - it "speaks for itself") - the Latin is only here because I have a pal who likes to see it and it is certain to make Ms. McKillip (my Latin teacher) turn over in her grave.
3. Get Thee to Anamosa! (Yea I'm still hung up on the "nunnery" thing in the other blog)

Those who vote for one of these titles, and those who do not, get a free abbreviated version of this story.

Here's the abbreviated version:

Had a weekend layover in Des Moines...(good story eh?!)

And here is the full, unexpurgated, unedited, unredacted (Is that a word?) version:

Had a weekend layover while working in Des Moines...(But you already knew that didn't you?) ... while working on a project and decided to head for Harley Davidson mecca. Yes, I being a true believer, turn toward the birthplace of Harley Davidson, Milwaukee every day and bow in respect.

Drove a car (cage) there. Don't tell anyone but I didn't have access to a Harley... a decent Harley that is. You see, the rentals at the Des Moines dealer have stock factory pipes. Unacceptable from a fanatic standpoint. They have to have pipes that are loud and emphasize that famous V-twin sound. All in all the trip there was real fine. I had a full tank, a moonroof and the sun at my back.

I struggled a few times on the way though. I had been spoiled on a recent trip to Italy where drivers respect the hammer lane and don't loiter there unless... you got it... they have the hammer down. It's different in Eye Owe Eh(?) though as elder residents and cell phone operators like to plant themselves in the hammer lane and ignore all others.

Got past those struggles and had a brief, enjoyable day in Milwaukee cruising downtown in the city (Great job locals!) and visiting three Milwaukee Harley Davidson dealerships; House of Harley, Hals and Milwaukee Harley Davidson. I hit'em all to get my figurative fanatic card punched. Actually, I was there to acquire dealer pins as I collect them puppies. It is sort of like counting coup only legal (a genetic thing driven by my Chippewa blood). The first two dealerships were fine but the third, Milwaukee Harley Davidson, had a serious problem. You see they had a fairly plain dealer pin that was distinguished by having their phone number on the front in fairly large print. What?! They expect people to pay for these things and display them on vests or in corkboard collections?! I don't think so.

Fact is, the dealership was also a little dingy and not well stocked with clothing or other products. Amazing to me. A name like theirs in the HD Mother city should be used to leverage the most successful dealership in the area not the smallest. I wonder if Willie G. Davidson his own self knows about this and if so, why he doesn't do anything about it?

Headed for Anamosa Iowa and the National Motorcycle Museum on the return trip. It is the home port of one of the largest biker parts places anywhere, JP Cycles. They have a worldwide rep and a worldwide Internet/catalogue business.

Anamosa is a little bitty town but John Parham, founder and owner of JP Cycles is doing what he can to get it on the map. A few years ago, he bought the bike museum in Sturgis, South Dakota and moved it and all its inventory to Anamosa, much to the consternation of local Sturgis folks who considered the attraction part of the community. The museum has a great collection of Harleys, Indians and many other artifacts from the biker world. You gotta' love the Captain America bike from Easy Rider, authenticated by Peter Fonda! Overall, the museum is well worth the $6 entry fee and can easily keep your attention for at least a couple of hours.

After that a quick blast over the Mississippi River and I was back in Des Moines. Once, while crossing a bridge just before the MissusSipee I glanced over my right shoulder and noticed the three r's, a river, a railroad and a regular road all closely following the same path. The river led the way with it's natural curves and the others were tucked in tight formation beside it.

The weekend was well 'kilt, with lots of serious rubbernecking and a good museum layover in almost famous Anamosa.

Titles? Pick one. They all work right?!