First Ride in 50+ years: 2023 Update

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Re: First Ride in 50+ years, Great Grandpa/Grandson ride

8July12 continued from prior page...

Rat Rod said:
Great stories...that Eliminator is very cool. :shock:
Click to expand...
Thanks Steve! I still am working on the fatter tire for the back
My nephew says "it looks cooler with the fat tire" I said "I know" :cry:
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=51106&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=45

kingfish254 said:
Now your FIL is gonna want apes and a nanner sissy bar.
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You're probably right :lol:
aka_locojoe said:
That's great. I bet the Eliminator is way more fun to ride than the bmx.
So has the kid spent much time with his Great Grandpa before?
Click to expand...
I think he likes the lightweight (~28lbs Elim vs BMX ~39lbs) and simple coaster brake
He picked up my Spaceliner and said it was light than his BMX too, he was surprised
He last came into town ~4 years ago so it was a lot different, he's a young man now
Randy, it's fantastic that you got the Great Grandparents riding with the Great Grandkids too! :D

yoothgeye said:
One of my favorite threads to read on this site, thanks for this!
Click to expand...
Thanks Youthgeye! :D

My nephew is a good digital photgrapher too (especially when I'm in the picture :lol: )
9Jul12001II.jpg


Funny thing is that I was his age when I got my Eliminator. So it's kinda like watching myself learn to ride
Haircuts haven't changed much for 10 year olds in the last 40 years :lol:

Here is another action shot of them "mixing it up" :lol:
9Jul12004II.jpg


Thans for looking
Steve
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, Great Grandpa/Grandson ride

This is a great thread! One of my favorites on the forum

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, Raring to Go

Thanks MOCrawler! Gald you enjoy it :D

We didn't get last week because my Wife and me were in Chicago
Visited Skipton and Old Greaser, it was fun
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=59859

So today he was raring to go, took off like a shot straight out to the garage :shock: :D
IMG_6960II.jpg


It was decent to ride, ~87F (and muggy) but He was kinda quiet on the way to DQ.
He did say that he rode a lot of bikes when he was a kid then he got a HD and Square 4
I can tell he thinks about them a lot by the frequency of that line (good memories)

I told my FIL that he was riding strong today especially with a ~35 lbs bike,
He said "Not to bad for an 80 year old?"
I said, "Really great for 80 year old! Hope I can ride at all when i'm 80" :D
IMG_6961II.jpg


He got a cone (no dip, too messy :lol: ) and me a Reese PB cup mini Blizzard, mmm
I asked him if I could take a pic and he made a really funny face :lol:
We both started laughing and I missed it
IMG_6962II.jpg


Met a coordinating-spandex biking couple (whatever it takes to ride :wink: )
and talked with them a bit. They thought it was pretty cool he was riding again

We stopped by the park on the way home and just hung out
He talked about about the Girl's Broomball team again (with his 2 Daughters)
He says he would yell at them and they would say "Shut up Coach", he starts laughing
But they got the big trophy, it's still in his living room :D

He told a story about when he was a kid and he didn't exactly have an easy childhood
I saw a cool Cooper's hawk and was able to find it and show him (sorry pic was bad)

Headed back, parked the bikes and talked a bit more
My wife's dog, now her Parents's dog (kinda) guarded the bikes for us :lol:
I tell you, that dog is really great for him, I'm glad he's there for him
IMG_6965II.jpg


BTW: I was talking to Rick, Ol greaser) in Chicago about my FIL
He said, "Is that his name?, I always call him Phil in my head" :lol:

So one more weekend DQ run done and still counting...
We both had a great day (He told me so :D )
Thanks for Looking
Steve
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, Raring to Go

It would be cool to have a bunch of RRBers come to your town and go on a cruiser ride to DQ with you and "Phil".
Love these stories!
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, A "Terrific" day

Hey Kingfish, Thanks for the thought but it seems a bit ambitious :shock:
Not sure if he would understand all the hubbub. It would be cool though :D

Hey Randy, Rick's comment still cracks me up too and thanks

Another perfect summer day in MN, 82F, Sunny, light wind and few puffy clouds
My FIL was in a "terrific" mood. He helped me pump up the tires on his bike and we took off
He was booking today, I took the easy bike and had to pedal faster to keep up with him :shock:
He said, "This reminds me of when I rode as a boy" :D :D
He said, "I used to have to ride dirt roads though, from the farm, to get to paved roads"

He had a strawberry sundae today so it's good to see he's switching it up and enjoying it
IMG_7060III.jpg

He thanked me for the ice cream and I thanked him for the ride :D
When we were taking off from DQ, I had my easy bike so I did a rolling mount
And then thought, uh-oh he might try it too and wipe out
I looked behind me and he did a perfect rolling mount, How Awesome is that!

He was more talkative today and more repetitive than normal, mmmm...
Found out my wife gave him some vitamins with caffeine in them so we think that might be it
It's okay if he repeats his standard lines as long as he was in a good mood
I always hope the riding kinda breaks up the loops in his head
But it is interesting to see a change and reaction, (he doesn't take any meds 8) )

We hung out in the park and he says "so we're going to stop at DQ on the way home?"
My first thought, he can't have forgot already, then I remembered his dry sense of humor
I just looked at him for a bit then he couldn't stand it any more and started laughing :lol:
He did end up repeating it a few more times
but mixed in getting an Ice cream sandwich at home :lol:

So we hung out a bit in the back yard with the dog
and talked about how we have to get him a new pair of sun glasses (can't find them anywhere?!)
He took a look at my build off bike pic and he agreed that the seat was setup like a MC
Think I'll let him try it out after the competition :D
Done for today:
IMG_7061II.jpg


My wife says he really looks forward to our ride and he's in a better mood afterward
which helps her too with tending to her Mom. Riding is great therapy all round!! :D

We both had a Terrific day!
Thanks for looking
Steve
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, A "Terrific" day

You have such and awesome opportunity and it's so great that you take full advantage of it.
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, A "Terrific" day

Thanks for this. It makes me sad, wishing I had been able to ride with my Dad before he died, it's great to see how it's going for you and your FIL. (I said OHHH father-in-law!! :lol:
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, A "Terrific" day

This is awesome! I love the photos and his smile! I hope at his age I can even stand, let alone ride a bike like I do now! Well done my friend!
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, A "Terrific" day

I am new to RRB but I came across this thread today and read the entire thing. It is by far my favorite. i lost my dad in 2009 and from the time I was real little he installed a passion in me for classics and rat rods... now my son is following me in vintage and rat rod bikes... I love it and look forward to reading more DQ adventures... Thank you very much :D
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, A "Terrific" day

I really like the photo of FIL pushing the bike.

Speaking of DQs, we noticed they're everywhere there. We used to have one in our town but it closed. I don't know if there's any left in the big city next to us or not.
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, swimming stories

Thanks Youthgeye. I know you do a lot of good in your community
Skipton, I'm don't think we are going to get quite that wild but thanks :lol:

JackDaw, I'm sorry to hear that you lost your Dad and that you didn't get to ride with him
I also didn't get to ride with my Dad before he died, it feels kinda heavy
Or go to a car show so it's kinda make up for me too. Glad it helps :D
Feel free to call him Phil or FIL but not late to Dairy Queen :lol:

CkDesigns69, Glad you like it. Hopeful it may give some insight or help wiht others in a partent situation, Biking rocks! I feel the same way and hope I can stand too. My Dad and Mom didn't make it that old so I just crossing my fingers and riding!

Welcome 1speed Jam 1982! Thank you and you're Welcome :D Glad to hear your your Dad passed on his passion and your passing it along too. All we can do when they're gone is to tells the stories so they live on. My Dad bought a brand new 1956 Chev and how can you not forget the sound of a V8 and the airplane hood ornament! He let me drive our family's 1971 Olds Vista Cruiser on a dirt track once when I was ~15, Sweet!

Thanks Randy, I just snapped it quick and cropped it.
It makes me a bit sad though until I see his happy face again for the next ride.
Mpls rocks DQ!! There are 2 others within 3 miles.
Good to hear Ndaway gave you a backup :D

Okay so this is kinda a copy from my Build off thread,
This story starts where the ~20 miler on JUP ends
viewtopic.php?f=68&t=60927&start=15

I didn’t want to miss my ~ weekly Dairy Queen ride with my 70 year old Father In Law (FIL)
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=54249&start=0
So 30 minutes after my 20 miler and a quick knee icing, I was off

Got him some new shades so he looks cool and sees better 8)
Had to get this one shot, Asked if he liked it and would want to ride it
He knocks on the seat pan and says “That could hurt your back side” :lol:
I said, ‘well it is sprung like your Harley was” Knocks again, “Still pretty hard” :lol:
IMG_7190II.jpg


So we took off for DQ and he was flying, I had to upshift to keep up with him :shock: :D
Told him he was riding pretty fast, he said how fast, I said about 15 mph, he said “Oh” :(
IMG_7193II.jpg


He had Strawberry Sundae and I had a PB cup mini blizzard, it hit the spot!
IMG_7194II.jpg


We took off and stopped at the park on the way home.
We sat and talk for a while, absorbing the nice day :D
You guys have seen some of the Mississippi River pictures...
Well my FIL said he swam across it when he was young, :shock: :shock:
I said we all do crazy things when young and stupid :lol:
Tried to confirm with my wife but she was a bit doubtful, I'm not sure, he was a wild man...

He told me about scuba diving in Hawaii (confirmed )
I guess he went during his 25 year wedding anniversary trip, that make him about my age :mrgreen:
I think he talked more about them because the park has a kiddie pool
and the kids were pure mayhem :lol:

Headed home and talked about the grass and how nice the day was
His dog was checking out my new bike
IMG_7196II.jpg


My FIL seemed to be talkative today and said his lines but didn't repeat them
Its starting to remind me of my Dad in his later days when he would have good, coherent days
and then not so good days when he could barely string a sentence together

Obviously my FIL is not there yet and I think the biking and his previous physical abilities help
IMG_7195II.jpg


We both had a good day
Thanks for looking
Steve
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, swimming stories

hats awesome... I love the variety of bikes we see yall ride as well. :)
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, swimming stories

Best thread on RRB. You should post that photo of FIL on JUP on your BO7 threads!!
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, swimming stories

I had to look up some facts on the river:

At Lake Itasca, the river is between 20 and 30 feet wide, the narrowest stretch for its entire length. The widest part of the Mississippi can be found at Lake Winnibigoshish near Bena, MN, where it is wider than 11 miles. The widest navigable part of the Mississippi is Lake Pepin, where it is approximately 2 miles wide.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a possibility for a driven young man. If I lived near it I'd probably try. :mrgreen:
 
Re: First Ride in 50+ years, swimming stories

Steve, Pop looks good on your hotrod. It's great to see ya'll out enjoying the bikes. I wish my dad could ride.
Kenny
 

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