Am I crazy?

[Whip]

The other day I met with the Lawman(Billy) and his brother in a little restaurant 150 miles from home. I had never met the Lawman and he didn't know me from the man on the moon. He said his wife thought he was crazy to meet some guy on the internet and agree to have lunch with him. This from a wife of a retired LEO, Houston no less. When I met Steve1150 in Austin and road to San Angelo to join the Foerster clan and "Cousin Darrel" my wife said I was crazy too, all because I made these plans with people I had not met in person but communicated with through the internet.

Tonight I'm staying up to 2am waiting on Britton to arrive from points unknown. Britton is the gentleman we met in Canada this summer. He is on a 25,000 mile 6 month trip around the US. I told him to look me up when he got to Texas. Well here we are.......He will be staying with me for the weekend. At least I didn't meet him on the internet. Sooo....am I crazy??????

 

I don't think so...I'm looking forward to a great weekend.

 

Larry

[Bob Palin]

Not crazy at all, I routinely invite people I meet on the road to come stay with me, so far it's worked out great.

[ericfoerster]

Thats what it is all about.

 

This is one awesome place to get to meet folks. I feel like I know most of these people when I actually meet them in person.

 

[KMG_365]

Well I don't think so . . . though I only know you through the internet, so I can't really say for sure!

 

Living in San Diego, we've had the pleasure of meeting MANY different riders on many different bikes. We live less than 10 miles from: the starting/ending/turnaround point of the shortest way across the US for the 50CC (coast-to-coast in under 50 hours) or the 100CCC (coast-to-coast and back again in under 100 hours! ), one of the corners in the "four corners of the US" ride, as well as a convenient border crossing into Mexico for the "Three Flags" Ride (Mexico to Canada). As both of us are "official" witlesses (sic! ) for the IBA, we've gotten dozens of requests for witnessing riders coming from all over the US and Canada (and even a few Europeans). We've emailed or talked on the phone and I've been able to get a sense of the kind of person they are and have often offered up escorting them to and from the beach or border to their hotel or if they have no concrete plans, offering them a bed. We've met some VERY interesting riders doing this and it is always good for an enjoyable meal's conversation. They have all been at the very least benign with most everyone being very friendly and wonderful guests.

 

Long distance riders especially kind of remind me of pioneers settling the old west and there is a similar "code". If a cowboy is passing through your neck of the woods and shows up at your homestead after a long day's ride and make a polite introduction, after you figure out that he's not a bandito, you put his horse in the barn, rustle him up some grub, offer him a shot of whisky and a pallet by the fire for the night.

 

We're all relying on each other to survive out here on the frontier!

[Whip]

Jamie

 

I feel the same way. Maybe it's the "internet" that makes my wife nervous. She has brought no objections to Britton staying with us.

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Larry

[lithoman]

Not at all!! Our kinda people are a different breed. I think we are all crazy in some sort of way or another

now if it was a biker from hell's angles or something, that would be different

[Francois_Dumas]

Don't think so..... I have met more friends (initially)through the Internet than in 'real life' now.. havng spent the past 15 years working on internet communities and in 'hobby' areas.

 

So far it has worked out well..... there's always the risk of hooking up with weird people. (There was this poor disabled female USAF 'vet' with a heart condition that everybody loved and helped...... 6 years later somebody found out she was a 'he' !!!). But they do not usually want to meet in person ;-)

 

I think the Internet has made the world so much smaller and it is a great way of making new friends.

 

True to say Nina is very doubtful about it... but has come along to meet new people and so far has not been disappointed

 

Francois

[Marty Hill]

Of course not. I'm headed to san antonio right now.

[Lawman]

Larry,

What I can tell you is this.. For some reason I can't really articulate I trust this group. I just sent $300.00 via paypal to someone across country I don't know for his promise to send me some hiway pegs..Not the least bit concerned..My pegs will arrive next week..This is a very diverse and open minded group that for the most part is much different than myself..To my knowledge I've only offended one person on this board and that was with a feeble attempt at humor with a joke that was in poor taste. Even though I'm just a typical conservative southern redneck so to speak I still feel welcome here. This board is a great asset to me and is part of the reason I'm back to having another BMW after swearing I would never own another..Now I'm beginning to think it's the only bike I need. I enjoyed meeting you and look forward to getting together again sometime..Maybe you and I and Eric Foerster can make a little Texas ride sometime..

[lexxol]

I have meet a few people from this board at the Blackwater Inn. I really enjoyed their company. I drove 400 miles to meet people I didn't know, it was worth every mile. No your not crazy.

[Calvin (no socks)]

Larry, we are like a family here... what time is breakfast?If I leave now I could be there in 18 hrs with a tailwind...

I live at the Eastern terminus of the route of choice for a 50 cc or 100 ccc...

I have taken in board members sight unseen....

I have been offered accomodations...

The internet is a scary place... but so is the real world....

Crazy like you.

[Gleno]

 

Bounce Bynum tells a good story about hooking up with this group for the 1st time. Very similar to "are you crazy".

 

Perhaps he'll chime in and repeat it.

[scottie_boy]

I swear this is a true story.

A few months ago Marty Hill invited me over to his house to help me work on my RT. My wife was nervous because "there's no telling what kind of pervert he might be". I told her I'd be careful and besides I'm a pretty large man so I think I can defend myself.

I came back safe & sound. Marty didn't make a pass at me. I guess I'm just not his type.

[Marty Hill]

Gee thanks...I think.

[WestTX RT]

Maybe you and I and Eric Foerster can make a little Texas ride sometime..

Don't forget "cousin Darrell".

[Whip]

Maybe you and I and Eric Foerster can make a little Texas ride sometime..

Don't forget "cousin Darrell".

 

 

Couldn't forget my favorite cous.....

 

Larry

[scottie_boy]

Gee thanks...I think.

 

The wife was half right.

[voyageurs]

Last summer on a solo trip to Jasper, B.C., I met a young lady that was on a 2 year motorcyle tour of North and South America. She was from Austria. I told my wife that I invited her to stay with us if she passed through Vegas. She ended up staying 2 weeks, junking her motorcyle (3rd engine rebuild in 10,000miles), and buying a cage to get her the rest of the way. We email each other at least 2x per month. She is in Acapulco.

You usually get what you give. Kindness and generosity begets the same. Plus, we had the greatest homemade Austrian dinners for 2 weeks.

Bob

[DouglasR]

Yup, stone crazy, or crazy like a loon, gotta be. Dontcha know motorsicles are dangerous, and the people that ride them are wierdo antisocial perverts?

 

I went to Spring Torrey this year and met some of these bad and scary people, like Jamie and Les, Marty, Bob Pallin (check his screen name, KILLER for doG's sake!!) and a whole bunch of the rest of this motley crew. They spent endless hours around the pool memorializing past shenanigans and plotting their next bit of mayhem. It was scary, I'm lucky to have made it back alive.

 

I'd say your crazy, alright; BIKE CRAZY like the rest of us! I can't wait to see all these people again, hopefully at Gunnison!

[Macamoose]

My first big motorcycle trip was to Cody, Wyoming, alone, along thousands of miles of open, wild, road, from Massachusetts to meet face to face some people I previously only knew from the internet. Everyone I know thought I was nuts. Now I know a lot of people that either don't think I'm crazy or are crazy like me. I still haven't decided which. Not relevant

Thad

[DaveC]

She ended up staying 2 weeks, junking her motorcyle (3rd engine rebuild in 10,000miles), and buying a cage to get her the rest of the way.

Wow! what terrible reliability. Tell me she was not riding a BMW.

 

Are we crazy? I think not. Have you not heard of Internet dating sites? These people meet, have dinner, sex,

get married, and spend their lives together all from the humble beginnings of an Internet site or a couple of emails.

[Bud]

LOL at your story.

 

My wife and I met up with 4 other people, two from TN and two from CA for a three week sailing trip from the east cost of FL to the Abacos.

 

When I told my 83 year old mother about the trip she said to watch out for people you meet on the internet and wasn't I worried?

 

It just seems to me that most people are trustworthy, honest and kind.

[KDeline]

Is this a trick question?