The Huntsville Times Saturday August 28, 2004 "Life" Section of newspaper. 

Book signing Friday September 17, 2004 at Barnes and Noble Bookstore from 7 to 9 pm on University Drive in Huntsville, Alabama.

Book Reading # 1:   Why Ride a Motorcycle?

A motorcycle is fast and agile with ample effortless smooth power and precision to carve curves, ride on the edge of ocean cliffs and ride in clouds atop mountains at any speed, but it is more than that. 

Riding a motorcycle raises your consciousness, prickling near gone dead tingling feelings to explore and participate in surrounding nature.  Ride out of a sunrise and into a sunset.  Feel and smell spring full of growing new life, cool breezes on a hot sunny summer day, crisp and fresh fall air full of shouting hardwood autumn hues, and cold and heavy wintry air under twinkling stars or a bright full moon, but it is more than that. 

Riding a motorcycle with boots only inches above pavement flying by in a blur, lean into an upward mountain curve, reach out and pick a wildflower.  Ride a stealthy motorcycle to surprise, see and feel the beauty and quickness of fox and deer and the strength and ugliness of a buck moose and ferocity of a black bear or the rampaging of a rutting buffalo only inches away.  Bore a tunnel through the air and watch a Cardinal fly the upward draft inches away and a goose flying alongside meer feet away, but it is more than that.

Motorcycling is time to thoroughly communicate with a loved one and when alone it is the opportunity for recreating and improving oneself.  It is freedom and solitary time to increase self-confidence and address relevant information and discard inconsequential, thereby clearing one's mind.

Attend the world's biggest and best adult parties, Sturgis Rally, Daytona Bike Week Event and Trail of Tears Ride, where the price of admission is a motorcycle.  This I did.   

Book Reading # 2:  Rutting Buffalo 

South Dakota weather was picture perfect again the next morning and Charlie left at sunrise riding downhill on a lonely two-lane highway in the Black Hills National Forest to Mount Rushmore.  With no traffic and beautiful scenery, Charlie quickly slipped into his comfort zone only to be suddenly astonished,  Another buffalo!

This one is standing in the middle of the road on the white line facing the direction Charlie was going!  “What did I do to deserve this?” he muttered out loud.  The buffalo just stood there, not yet hearing Red Rider and Charlie thought about the buffalo in the Badlands,  Buffalo are big and fast!  Both sides of the road were thickly forested,  To thick to ride a four-foot wide bike into!  Terror gripped Charlie’s heart and he knew he had to regain his logic or he wouldn’t survive!  Struggling with this sudden change of events from a beautiful morning ride alone on a quiet two lane highway in the forest, to a full grown buffalo in his path and to late to turn around, Charlie was right to be terrified. 

He quit talking aloud fearful the buffalo would hear him as he tried desperately to think,  What is this buffalo doing in these thick woods?  They are plains grazers!   The road had been downhill and maybe he wandered down the hill like I did!  A hundred yards away now, he didn’t have time to evaluate this question. Determined to think relevantly,  What are my alternatives?  I know beep, beep isn’t one of them!  I can’t turn around in time to avoid the buffalo hearing me, turning around and charging!  I can’t use reverse because it is a slow “granny” gear.”  I could stop, drop Red Rider and run into the woods.  I know I will be more agile in these thick woods than this big hairy creature!

The thought of this buffalo charging and demolishing Red Rider sickened him.   He thought again about James Fennimore Cooper’s philosophy, but not long.  This bike is so quiet he doesn’t hear me or he’s deaf!  Then like a bolt of lightning out of the blue,  I’ve got it!  I’ll turn off Red Rider’s engine, pull in the clutch and coast past him, then start Red Rider and throttle away!  I have the element of surprise on my side.    

It was a crazy plan, the kind that desperate men select.  He glanced at the buffalo again.  He still doesn’t know I’m behind him.  Less than fifteen yards behind him,  Yep.  He’s a bull!  Now that was a strange thought when I’m in trouble and need to use my wits!   He checked the speedometer,  Thirty should be enough since I am less than ten yards behind him now.  Charlie pulled in the clutch, turned off the engine, swerved to the other side of the two-lane road and was alongside the bulls left flanking less than three feet from him!  Fear overtook Charlie in a cold rush, but he’d cast the dice.  There is no turning back now!  He began to wish he was afoot in the woods.

The bull raised and turned his huge shaggy head to his left toward Charlie.  Oh, oh he heard me!  Charlie coasting in the middle of the wrong side of the two lane road and alongside that huge shaggy bearded head now on the road’s centerline, looked straight across to his right, no more than two feet away, into a giant blood red eye.  The big bull was stunned by what he saw!  So was Charlie!  He had forgotten to lower his face shield and now they stared at each other, eyeball to eyeball!  The startled full grown bull jumped, straight up, when he heard or sensed and then saw Charlie two feet away and beside him.

Charlie and Red Rider were smaller than the buffalo.  The bull charged!Charlie was barely in front of him!  Until now, it never occurred to Charlie that Red Rider might not start or might not do so quickly,  “Oh shit!”  At times like this, Charlie’s vocabulary was very limited and to the point.  He pushed Red's start button, half afraid too, but he knew it was his only chance.