Things to Do This Weekend

The Washington State H.O.G. Rally goes through Monday, September 3 at
Western Washington University. Demo and other events are also
available at Bellingham H-D. A parade and bike show will be held on
Sunday. Visit http://www.wastatehogrally.com for complete details.

Ducati SportClassic Demo Week starts Saturday, September 1 and
continues through September 8. Stop by Skagit Powersports and test
ride a SportClassic.

Don’t forget to visit http://www.MotoSkagit.com for a complete local
event calendar and forums to plan your meet-up.

The death of Shane Chapman is a tragedy. Like many motorcyclists, Shane left behind a wife and young children. One of those children, 10-year-old Emily, has decided to do something about it.

Shane Chapman was killed when a car pulled out in front of him. He was not wearing a helmet. Shane’s home state of Idaho does not require him to do so. Emily wants to change that. She has started a petition to change Idaho’s helmet law to require all riders to wear helmets.

It is easy to see how a 10 year old could draw the connection between her father’s death and the lack of a law requiring him to wear a helmet. She is still learning the concept of personal choice and responsibility.

Shane Chapman had a choice. He could choose to wear a helmet or he could choose not to. Instead, he let the state decide for him. There’s no law that said he had to wear a helmet, so he didn’t. 

As long as their are people like Shane, who place their faith in the state to tell them how to protect themselves, there will be broken-hearted 10-year-old girls, and adults who still think like 10-year-olds, trying to legislate their way further and further into our lives.

If Shane Chapman were alive today, I wonder if he would sign Emily’s petition.

After my son’s football game Saturday morning, I went home to get started on some long-delayed lawn care. Got out the trimmer, check for fuel; near empty. Grab the gas can; also near empty. OK, how about the mower; tank near empty. Grab the other gas can; also empty. Two for two. The mower is easy enough, it runs regular gas. The trimmer is two-stroke and so needs premix. A check of the garage shelves reveals, you guessed it, no 2 stroke oil. Great, a run to the home store for premix.

But wait, there might be a silver lining here. The motorcycle shop has premix… and it’s the 4th Saturday of the month so that means the guys from Star Chapter 154 are cooking burgers and dogs at Skagit Powersports. I can get my premix, some lunch and a little bike time. The Trifecta!

Sure enough, Jon and Frank were working the grill and served up an awesome burger and a tasty dog. I hung out for a bit and browsed the store for a while. I picked up my premix and, after about an hour of hanging out, headed for home.

I managed to get the front yard done before the skies opened up. I guess the backyard will have to wait a little longer.