The Fireplug Has Landed...

Hey, greetings again!!!

(cue dramatic theme music...) The Fireplug Has Landed!!!

I find myself in sunny southwest Florida, a few miles north of Fort Myers...



A little slow with the camera, but this is our crossing over the Florida border...

A nice trip overall. Uneventful.



Sure feels good to stop, when you're finally there!! By the way, special thanks to The Doc, not just for all the bacon cheeseburgers and Egg McMuffins, but for a new Sony 12 megapixel camera that she gave me for my birthday... awfully nice. That shot above was using a special "low light portrait" setting... that's just the dome light shining on a small doggy... looks like a million bucks.

Alright, let's have the trip report:



Getting a little gas in Beloit.

Actual trip time was just about exactly 24 hours... which includes naps, breaks, stops at Harley Dealerships... the usual nonsense.

First, let us lambaste the State of Wisconsin, as usual, for having some of the most expensive gasoline in the country. Absurd. And clearly, our streets are not paved with gold... But I must say, this year, I did actually observe 2 stations higher than ours!!

1st prize has to go to a station in Metropolis Illinois, who was at $3.24. And 3 miles down the road, across the river, in Kentucky, many stations were spotted at $2.87. Ouch!! Wish I'd have waited a couple miles.... say what you want about Kentucky, they have cheap gas and cheap cigs, and god bless them for that....

2nd prize goes to a station outside Gainesville Florida, who was at $3.25. I know, that's higher, and you're wondering why they aren't in first place. I felt first place had to go to Metropolis IL, just for the sheer audacity and outrageousness of being a full 37 cents higher than a nearby place... and in defense of the
Gainesville place, this looked like a classy area, the Harley dealer and a luxury hotel are right there, so they know they gotcha....

3rd place is a Mobil station in Watertown Wisconsin, where I paid $3.21 Wednesday afternoon.... crazy.

Aside from that, the typical prices seen where $3.02-ish to $3.09-ish...

So be proud, Wisconsinites, you're being taxed until it hurts.... you can travel the country, and you pretty much have to turn over every rock to find a more expensive gallon of gas.... and at this moment, the illustrious governor is in his mansion, dreaming up ways to take more off of you....

Anyway, the actual trip statistics from the Driver Information Center, brought to you by GMC, And the GMC Envoy SLT, for those who want it more (or is it professional grade?? Hard to keep up...):

Miles: 1430.8
Drive time (time the truck was running): 19:54 and 20 seconds

Average MPG: 19.4 (a little disappointing for a smaller suv with a 6 cylinder)

Fuel Used: 73.7 gallons.

Average speed: Almost 72 miles per hour, which is huge. I'll tell you what, in Georgia and Florida, you can drive 80, and get passed like you're standing still... often.

That's enough for now... time for a dip in the pool....

Legends of the Fall...

Hey, greetings...



An Eldorado Touring Coupe in fall glory, ready to be stored for the winter... enjoy.

Actually, I tried to put Fireplug in this picture, but it was so F-ing windy, he blew off the car, and I caught him like a touchdown pass.... sorry pal. I thought he might sit still.... naah!

On the Envoy, I just changed all the fluids. Motor oil & filter, transmission, transfer case, front diff, rear diff... done! Still runs too, which amazes some of you... Now I'm basking in a job well done. And if there's a plus to the night shift, it's that I'm done for the week RIGHT NOW!! Heh heh... don't hate, appreciate.

I seem to have a deal on the bike... I signed all the paperwork and sent it back. Lucky for me, the brand new Office Max across the street from my house is a DHL dropoff!! Hah! I love it when a plan comes together... where's my cigar??

Actually, I have to give some props to Devin Nier of Northern Lights Harley Davidson, 1700 N Hwy 51, Arbor Vitae Wisconsin, 54568, Phone 715-358-5054. Email him at nlharley@nnex.net, or go to www.northerlightshd.com. He really made this easy. He sent me all the documents, walked me thru it on the phone, and included a return shipping package prepaid. He's really working for me, which is rare in today's world. If you have any Harley needs, give him a call.

On another note, I just worked my way thru season one of Heroes...



Very nice. A little uneven in spots, but overall a great story, great characters, and some really nice acting performances from a real bunch of unknowns. Bennett is great, he's wonderful. As is the daughter, Claire Bennett, the cheerleader. For a long time, one wonders if Bennett is a good guy or a bad guy, and clearly there's nothing he wouldn't do for Claire... or nothing he wouldn't do if it suits him. There's a blonde girl with a split personality... we need MORE of her driving the 57 Eldorado Convertible and firing the sniper rifle, and LESS of her ongoing emotional angst over her abilities....

There's a lot of material here, a synopsis is out of the question. I did feel that it really felt like two seasons, a la the Sopranos... the first 13 or so episodes complete a story arc, and reach a great crescendo... and then it seems to restart for the next 12 or so episodes, which takes awhile to rebuild some momentum... and the waters get awfully muddy on some of these plot lines, but stay with it... try and ignore the gaps in the story, and the crazy inconsistencies... because there's a lot of goodness here too. When the characters converge, it's always nice.

Also, if you're already a Heroes junkie, this DVD is really worthwhile, because it has commentary on every episode, which on the 2 I listened to, were very good and quite enjoyable. It varied who did the commentary, on one, Dr Suresh and Noah Bennett were doing it, on another Tim Kring, creater, and a couple of other producer director types did it, and that was interesting too.

Special thanks to PM, who loaned me her box set of this... thanks.

That's enough for now... I hear a bacon cheeseburger calling me....

Big Bikes & Small Dogs....

Hey greetings again!!!



I'm Fireplug. And you're not!!! Apologies to Chevy Chase....

Well, we went on an exciting road trip yesterday... to a little place called Northern Lights Harley Davidson. In a teeny little town called Arbor Vitae. It's near Eagle River. As the kids say, Google it.



Drove through a bit of a snowstorm on the way up there.... winter is no joke, not up near the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.... winter is a very serious thing up there.



But why oh why would someone drive so far, through the snow???

To get a good deal on a Harley, that's why!!!



This is a 2007 Harley Davidson Road King Classic... It's also my new bike. Okay, it's used, but it's new to me, and only has around 6000 miles on it... under warranty until 2009... that's pretty fresh.

It was too good of a deal, I couldn't pass it up. Like the time that half a steak was sitting on that plate... I couldn't pass that up, either...

Speaking of which, I should go finish my dinner....