Curve & Railroad Tracks Where 11 Hubcaps & a Soccer Ball Went Flying Off My Motorcycle ~ True Story
For Dave C., I think the soul of this photo is my true story about what happened here nearly 40 years ago. I still get embarrassed, but also laugh at myself and the situation. This curved section of street is still full of chuckholes, railroad tracks and traffic. My tiny true story is below the row of asterisks.
***********************************************************************
I rode a motorcycle sometimes back in the early 1980s. I wasn't in a gang, nor tough, no stereotypes, just loved to go out and find pretty scenery and the like. I either had a Honda 500cc or a Honda 550K at the time of this story. It doesn't matter too much for what I'm going to tell. I had begun a Hubcap company and frequently rode my motorcycle out to the countryside to various wrecking yards looking for hubcaps (wheel covers) to buy for re-sale. I had gone to one such place, absolutely gorgeous with a creek running through the woods, and had it not been for all the rusty junk even in the creek, it would have been so splendid. It wasn't easy to find very many hubcaps that were worth trying to clean up and have at my shop, but I found 11 of them. I know that technically hubcaps are just the center part of the wheel, and the ones that cover nearly the whole wheel are called wheel covers. I also know that most of the general public didn't really know or make use of the difference. Kind of like people asking if you have a Kleenex, don't necessarily care if it is that exact brand. And just when you think they don't care, they do. Anyway the hubcaps I bought from the man with the gorgeous property were 14" to 15" stainless steel full wheel covers.
I had noticed in the back seat of one of the wrecked cars, that there was a soccer ball that seemed to be in really nice condition. I asked the owner of this paradise of junk if I could buy it too. We had already negotiated for the 11 wheel covers to be $1.00 each and he gave me the same price for the soccer ball. I thought my daughter or my Golden Retriever would enjoy it. So the man got his $12.00 and I strapped (with my minimal amount of bungee cord) the 11 full wheel covers and the soccer ball to the back part of my motorcycle seat. I didn't always plan ahead particularly well, but I did have one bungee cord with me, for sure, and maybe two, short little cheap quality things.
There they rode and stayed for about 20 miles from out in the countryside until I got into 42nd St. in Springfield. I wasn't speeding, but I wasn't anticipating this large, busy intersection with its train tracks and chuck holes and a jillion guys coming and going to this huge plant. Bungee cords aren't necessarily designed to hold spheres, and especially not spheres that are strapped on top of 11 large metal disc type things.
I hit the train tracks and all 12 objects went flying! The metal hitting the pavement and each other, and some of them rolling away made a near deafening clatter. The lone soccer ball bounced away from me a few bounces and then almost as if in defeat or embarrassment, just rolled a bit and came to a halt. I believe that every working person in Springfield that day was at that intersection, shaking their head at what dizzy dame would lose 11 stainless steel wheel covers and a soccer ball off the back of her motorcycle. Oh, and they no doubt wondered why the heck they were all strapped on back of my motorcycle anyway. I wasn't hurt, but I was certainly embarrassed as I tried to pull my motorcycle over to the edge of the street and then gather up my stuff. Traffic in both directions was either stopped for me or going very slowly around me and my noisy, bouncy stuff.
It was very embarrassing when it happened, early 1980s. I'm a lady, and the majority of employees entering or exiting the huge company whose driveway is right off this curve, were men. This is 42nd Street in Springfield, Lane County, Oregon USA, still a big curve, still a big company right off it, and still lots of chuckholes, still railroad tracks, and still a very busy street. BTW, I voted for road improvement all these years later, but haven't seen much of it. The large company back then was called Weyerhaeuser. These days it is called International Paper.
Sorry I no longer have a motorcycle, but even if I did I doubt I would go try to re-enact this for my readers. So this picture is of the curve, and the railroad track and one driveway for a huge company, same as 40 years ago, and you'll have to just read my story and imagine what a raucous and embarrassing event this was.
THE END
"DSCN0753maybe"
Curve & Railroad Tracks Where 11 Hubcaps & a Soccer Ball Went Flying Off My Motorcycle ~ True Story
For Dave C., I think the soul of this photo is my true story about what happened here nearly 40 years ago. I still get embarrassed, but also laugh at myself and the situation. This curved section of street is still full of chuckholes, railroad tracks and traffic. My tiny true story is below the row of asterisks.
***********************************************************************
I rode a motorcycle sometimes back in the early 1980s. I wasn't in a gang, nor tough, no stereotypes, just loved to go out and find pretty scenery and the like. I either had a Honda 500cc or a Honda 550K at the time of this story. It doesn't matter too much for what I'm going to tell. I had begun a Hubcap company and frequently rode my motorcycle out to the countryside to various wrecking yards looking for hubcaps (wheel covers) to buy for re-sale. I had gone to one such place, absolutely gorgeous with a creek running through the woods, and had it not been for all the rusty junk even in the creek, it would have been so splendid. It wasn't easy to find very many hubcaps that were worth trying to clean up and have at my shop, but I found 11 of them. I know that technically hubcaps are just the center part of the wheel, and the ones that cover nearly the whole wheel are called wheel covers. I also know that most of the general public didn't really know or make use of the difference. Kind of like people asking if you have a Kleenex, don't necessarily care if it is that exact brand. And just when you think they don't care, they do. Anyway the hubcaps I bought from the man with the gorgeous property were 14" to 15" stainless steel full wheel covers.
I had noticed in the back seat of one of the wrecked cars, that there was a soccer ball that seemed to be in really nice condition. I asked the owner of this paradise of junk if I could buy it too. We had already negotiated for the 11 wheel covers to be $1.00 each and he gave me the same price for the soccer ball. I thought my daughter or my Golden Retriever would enjoy it. So the man got his $12.00 and I strapped (with my minimal amount of bungee cord) the 11 full wheel covers and the soccer ball to the back part of my motorcycle seat. I didn't always plan ahead particularly well, but I did have one bungee cord with me, for sure, and maybe two, short little cheap quality things.
There they rode and stayed for about 20 miles from out in the countryside until I got into 42nd St. in Springfield. I wasn't speeding, but I wasn't anticipating this large, busy intersection with its train tracks and chuck holes and a jillion guys coming and going to this huge plant. Bungee cords aren't necessarily designed to hold spheres, and especially not spheres that are strapped on top of 11 large metal disc type things.
I hit the train tracks and all 12 objects went flying! The metal hitting the pavement and each other, and some of them rolling away made a near deafening clatter. The lone soccer ball bounced away from me a few bounces and then almost as if in defeat or embarrassment, just rolled a bit and came to a halt. I believe that every working person in Springfield that day was at that intersection, shaking their head at what dizzy dame would lose 11 stainless steel wheel covers and a soccer ball off the back of her motorcycle. Oh, and they no doubt wondered why the heck they were all strapped on back of my motorcycle anyway. I wasn't hurt, but I was certainly embarrassed as I tried to pull my motorcycle over to the edge of the street and then gather up my stuff. Traffic in both directions was either stopped for me or going very slowly around me and my noisy, bouncy stuff.
It was very embarrassing when it happened, early 1980s. I'm a lady, and the majority of employees entering or exiting the huge company whose driveway is right off this curve, were men. This is 42nd Street in Springfield, Lane County, Oregon USA, still a big curve, still a big company right off it, and still lots of chuckholes, still railroad tracks, and still a very busy street. BTW, I voted for road improvement all these years later, but haven't seen much of it. The large company back then was called Weyerhaeuser. These days it is called International Paper.
Sorry I no longer have a motorcycle, but even if I did I doubt I would go try to re-enact this for my readers. So this picture is of the curve, and the railroad track and one driveway for a huge company, same as 40 years ago, and you'll have to just read my story and imagine what a raucous and embarrassing event this was.
THE END
"DSCN0753maybe"