Sunday, October 28, 2012

Haunted Tale # 4 Johnny's Jump

This week in Myth's Legends & Tales, we head out on a spooky adventure to find motorcycle related haunted tales.  We'll share one story a day until Halloween  and if you feel the urge or have a story that needs to be heard please send us a tale and we will feature your haunting experience in Myths, Legends & Tales.


Today's story is about a boy and his loving mother.  A tradgedy which no parent should have to endure and the ghostly outcome.  Enjoy, today's scary tale:

For years young Johnny would take his bike out to the Tar Pits near Waco, Texas.  He leaped over the pits while his family, fans and friends looked on with wonder.  He enjoyed nothing more than his weekend trips to the pits and every weekend his mother would grudgingly ask him to stay home this weekend.  He never did stay home and his mother always followed to pray he would make the terrifying and dangerous leap over the black tar that eternally bubbled up from the earth.  

No matter how many times Johnny's Mother watched him leap over the pits and land impressively along the far edge, she could never be comforted in the danger he put himself in.  


It was to be his 100th jump over the pits and hundreds of people came to watch Johnny attempt the only jump which he had yet to try.  The longest gap over the tar, the Black Leap.  One other rider was known to have tried that jump and when he landed the bike broke away beneath him.  Leaving him broken and hobbled for his efforts.  Johnny's mother knew this and spent the morning of Johnny's jump begging him not to try.  She begged, pleaded and prayed that he would not go to the pits that day.  Her prayers went unanswered, he pleas unbidden and her begging ineffective.  

Johnny lined up to make his jump and raced down a short hill to a small ledge which would give him the air he needed to land.  His bike roared beneath him and the ground fell away exactly as planned.  It was flawless and everyone cheered, clapped and whistled.  Johnny had done the impossible.  He brought his bike around the pits and lined up to make the jump again.  He wouldn't have anyone chalking this up to luck.  He sped away down the hill and up onto the ledge, when the dirt gave way, and instead of raising into the air he fell into the pits.  He was forty feet from any solid ground and his impact with the tar broke his legs.  He screamed as his horrified fans looked on.  


No one knew what to do to help him and he quickly sank below the tar never to be recovered. His mother, could not bring herself to watch him that fateful day and she cried night after night for losing him.  She would walk from her home to the pits every night as the sun set to pray from him and cry.  She had never missed anything so dearly as her only son.  Her heart was stricken with a pain that no being should endure and she quickly grew unhealthy and faded from the world herself. 


Though she passed on, she never stopped visiting the pits to cry for her lost son.  Even today people claim to have seen her wondering around the edges of the pits, with flowers in her arms waiting for Johnny to come home.  Her cries can be heard all along the road to the pits by those who care to listen for them.  She can be seen just at sunset and shortly after on her knees, tears dripping into the grave of her boy.  

Read other tales and the inspiration for this story HERE!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Haunted Tale #3 Desert Air


This week in Myth's Legends & Tales, we head out on a spooky adventure to find motorcycle related haunted tales.  We'll share one story a day until Halloween  and if you feel the urge or have a story that needs to be heard please send us a tale and we will feature your haunting experience in Myths, Legends & Tales.

     Today's Tale is one of an old indian haunting...  Today's tale follows a couple of bikers on a relaxing road trip which ended up becoming a spooky tale.  Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you at MythsLegendsTales@gmail.com, with your own spooky tales from the road!
My friend Scott and I decided to take a motorcycle trip into the Anza Borrego desert in California. It was spring and just the right weather for the trip. We left Los Angeles about 8 a.m. We made to the Salton Sea around 4 p.m., had dinner and decided to push on. We rode till about 9 p.m. and I was just too tired to go on. So we pulled off the road and I told Scott to take out the sleeping bags while I made some hot tea because were spending the night there.
After we had set up camp, we kicked back and enjoyed the hot drink and the beautiful star show. It was idyllic. We had stashed the motorcycles in some creosote bushes, and when I was finished with my drink walked back to the bikes to retrieve my .45 pistol. When I returned, Scott asked me who I had been talking to. I said, "No one. Why?" He looked at me and said, "I heard voices and they were clear as a bell. So quit messing with me." I informed my friend that I wasn't messing with him and let it go.
We were on our backs looking up into the heavens when both of us heard this laughing, but not normal laughter, but something you would expect in an insane asylum. Scott said to me, "See! I told you I heard something." Along with the laughter, we could hear what sounded like whispering and more than one voice. Dang! What the heck is that? I looked at Scott and remarked that sound carries strangely in the dry desert air and it was probably a pack of coyotes. I could tell Scott wasn't buying it.
We laid back down, and after a while the sounds died down and we were on our way to the land of nod when I felt this current pass over my body, and that's about the best I can describe it. The hair on my neck and arms literally stood up. Sometimes this is felt before a lightning strike and campers are told if they feel this to get ready to jump out of the way, which is what I was about to do. My body snapped into a sitting position. I was about to tell my friend to get up. When I turned to him, he was staring at a point just past my head.
When I turned to look, there was a disembodied head floating in the air a few feet from my face! It was red, but translucent -- sorta like a balloon. It had huge, thick features and only looked somewhat human. As it floated there, minutely moving from side to side, it was staring right at me, but as though I were a bug under a microscope. My hand went for my gun I had hidden under the blanket, but my brain was telling me this would be of no use. I was literally frozen with fear. Finally, I reacted by shouting, "YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE! BE GONE!" With this, the head started spinning and becoming smaller in size until it was the size of a marble, then took off like a shot across the desert.
Scott looked as if he were going to have a cow. He looked to me and said, "That's it. Let's pack and get the heck out of here." And that's what we did. We rode down the road for another half hour, then dismounted and spent the next three hours before daybreak talking, then laughing about what had just occurred. At daybreak we headed out and came by a gas station that served food, so we had breakfast. The waitress serving us remarked, "You boys look like hell." I told her we spent the night in the desert, but didn't get much sleep. She asked us where we had camped. When I told her Ocotillo Spring, she leaned in close to me and Scott and said, "Well, see any spooks? That place has been haunted since Indian times."
Find the whole story HERE!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Haunted Tales #2


  This week in Myth's Legends & Tales, we head out on a spooky adventure to find motorcycle related haunted tales.  We'll share one story a day until Halloween  and if you feel the urge or have a story that needs to be heard please send us a tale and we will feature your haunting experience in Myths, Legends & Tales.

     Today's Tale is one of a haunted Ohio road... We have shared the tale in the past, but we didn't have a first hand account.  Today, is a first hand account of the Headless Rider!  Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you at MythsLegendsTales@gmail.com

There is a long narrow stretch of deserted road near Oxford, Oh. 
Oxford is about 30 minutes North of Cincinnati.  Supposedly  several years
ago, a guy broke up with his girlfriend, got piss drunk and started riding his
motorcycle down this road.  At the end of the road is a very sharp hairpin
turn. The guy didn't make the turn, and ended up wrecking into the barbed-wire fence
straight ahead and was decapitated.
Now the story is if you go to this road at night, flash your lights three
times, you will see the bike coming down the road.

MY STORY
A couple of friends and myself went to this road one night about 1:30 A.M.
My two friends had been there two other times and saw the same thing every time.

There was another car full of people from the nearby college, Miami Oxford
University.  They left about fifteen minutes after we got there.  Well It was
just the three of us out there.  We flashed our lights several times and
nothing seemed to happen.

Well we decided to give it one more try before we left.  We did and five minutes later about 1/2 mile down the road a very very bright single light came down this road.  It seemed to be coming very fast, but it was not lighting up the road in front of it like a car headlight does.  It was coming closer and closer.  It was so bright.  Well the light was about 100 yards away when my
friend in the back-seat said "Uh Jeff?". The exact instant I started the car, I mean no lapse in time whatsoever, the light went right out.  You should know that I didn't turn on my lights until I was well under way.  I took off like a bat out of hell towards where the light went out.  I got to the spot in seconds.  I really wanted to see if there was anything there.  A car a motorcycle or kid with a flashlight, anything.  I slowed down to where the
light went out.  

There was absolutely nothing around.
You have to know the terrain to understand this better. The road is a long
deserted stretch of road with only a couple of houses on it.  It is only wide
enough for one car.  The road is straight but it is hilly in parts.  The spot
where the curve is and the spot where we saw the light is very hilly and you
can see pretty far down the road.  The light we saw was steady and not moving
up and down like a vehicle would on such up and down hills.  It was really
bizarre.

Has anybody out there seen the same thing or heard the story?  I know by
talking to several different people that has gone to see it say the exact
same thing.  What does everyone think?  I know that there are a lot of skeptics
out there.  Some will say that we saw it in our minds, others will say there is
someone out there amusing sight-seers.  But I honestly think I saw
something.

Later
Jeff

Source & Other Haunted Tales: HERE!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Haunted Tales #1

     This week in Myth's Legends & Tales, we head out on a spooky adventure to find motorcycle related haunted tales.  We'll share one story a day until Halloween  and if you feel the urge or have a story that needs to be heard please send us a tale and we will feature your haunting experience in Myths, Legends & Tales.

     Today's Tale is one of a haunted motorcycle shop... Enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you at MythsLegendsTales@gmail.com


     As some of you know from reading my previous stories, I have just recently moved to Los Angeles with my fiance and little brother. And you would also know about the new houses I have lived in, I am currently living in, and the things that have taken place in those houses. Well, I guess that isn't enough for me, because I have to deal with them at work now.

     I am a mechanic at a very popular and very busy motorcycle shop (That cannot be named). Everyday, myself and 6 other guys pull through maybe 25 plus bikes in a 10-11 hour day. That doesn't seem like much, but we don't just do repairs, we also do custom paint jobs, and other custom jobs, so it's quite time consuming. So in other words... It's ridiculously busy and we don't have time to mess around. However, someone seems to have the time to pull pranks on us.

     This past Monday (May 5) was busy as hell. The showroom was having a huge sale and for some reason the owner thought we should have a sale on a few things in the shop. Which was retarded because, as I said, it was busy as hell.

     It was around noon, and I decide to take an hour and go to Jack in the box. When I got back to my work area, all of the drawers on my toolbox were open and every single one of my sockets were scattered across the floor. I yelled over at Rod and told him if he needs to borrow something, not to make such a mess. (I used a little more colorful words though, because I was not too impressed.) He told me he wasn't even near my bench, he was doing airbrush the whole morning.

     Well the pranks went on for the rest of the day... Nothing as bad as before, just missing tools, and I would turn around to find that drawers were open when I knew they were closed.

     Finally it was time to close up for the night. Since I am the manager of the maintenance department, I have to stay an hour after everyone has left to do invoices and what not. I was at my bench pricing out a few things a customer wanted when I heard someone coughing. It was coming from the long hallway at the rear of the shop that leads to the dumpsters. A special code is needed to open that door, and can only be opened from the inside. Plus it makes a very annoying creak followed by a loud slam when it is opened. So I was a little shaken to find no one there when I went to check it out.
I walked down the corridor to go see if the door was propped open at all. Nope, closed tight. I just turned around to head back to my bench when I heard the coughing sound again. Only this time it was coming from the shop. I jogged down the hall and into the shop to see who was there... No one.

     This is when I just stood there and went... "Great, now I have to deal with them at work too..." I went over to my bench where I had left my invoices (Which were very important and needed to be put into the computer right away) and they were missing. I gave up. I had had enough, so I grabbed my coat and left. Didn't finish sweeping, didn't power wash the floors... nothing.

      I got home and told my fiancé and brother about what happened. Chris thought this was hilarious because he usually gets all of the annoying ghosts pulling pranks on him. So he got his little cheap shots in and that was it.

     The next day I got to work, and when I turned on the shop lights I could NOT believe my eyes. Everyone's tools were spilled all over the floor and a hose, that I had rolled up nice and neat before I left was pulled out, with water pouring out of it. Finally I had enough so I started yelling at the spirit. After yelling at it I began cleaning up the tools and putting them back where they belonged. As I was cleaning I swear I heard a very mischievous chuckle coming from the corridor.

     "Yeah," I said "Hilarious! I'm having the time of my life over here... So funny..." Basically sounding like a retard. If someone came down and saw me arguing with... nobody... I'm sure that would have looked a little weird.

     The rest of the day wasn't that bad, until closing time came and I was alone again. I started to smell the faint smell of a cigarette. I followed the smell to, you guessed it, the corridor leading to the dumpsters. And... yup, you guessed it again... NOTHING! I turned back to my area to finish sweeping and I noticed at the corner of my eye, the missing invoices from the previous day were neatly stacked on my workbench. I leaned on my broom and smiled. I guess I finally got through to the spirit, and he felt bad or something. Since last week, nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Other then a power outage that happened when two other mechanics got into a yelling match... Was the spirit angry that they were arguing? I dunno, I'm just going to say it was a coincidence.
Until next time... God bless!


Story by Metalhed16, HERE!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

FrankenBike


FrankenBike, It’s Alive!

Today on Myths, Legends and Tales from the road, we look take a look at a few very custom creations that were brought to life from the dreams of men.  Some of these bikes are amazing, some are scary and some sexy.  Join us as we scour the web to find the most amazing, beautiful, scary, incredible, awesome, ingenious, and creative custom bikes from around the world, today in Myths, Legends and Tales from the road.

# 6 - The Boxx Electric Motorcycle.
It’s more of a scooter than a motorcycle as it’s top speed is 35 mph, but it is creative.  The incredible square design offers storage options that can’t be matched.  It comes equipped with a built in kickstand and can take you 40 miles on a single charge. While we haven’t traded in our bikes in for one, we might opt for the Boxx over a Segway at some point.
ORDER HERE: BoxxCorp


# 5 - AeroBike,
the enclosed Motorcycle.  While some of us love the wind on our face and the sky all around us, some might prefer a completely enclosed and super aerodynamic motorcycle.  Perhaps it’s the possibility for increased speeds, unfortunately this sleek bike is still only in the early testing phase and doesn’t offer them quite yet.  In any case, this is another bike that lacks nothing for creativity and ingenuity.  
READ MORE: TheKneeSlider.com, & AeroBike Enclosed Motorcycle



# 4 - SdKfz 2,
better known as the Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101 or Kettenkrad for short (Ketten = tracks, krad = military abbreviation of the German word Kraftrad, the administrative German term for motorcycle), started its life as a light tractor for airborne troops. The vehicle was designed to be delivered by Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, though not by parachute. The vehicle had the advantage of being the only gun tractor small enough to fit inside the hold of the Ju 52.
Only two significant sub-variations of the Kettenkrad were constructed, and production of the vehicle was stopped in 1944, at which time 8,345 had been constructed. After the war the production at NSU went on until 1949 for agricultural use. Around 550 Kettenkrads were built postwar until 1948 (Some sources say 1949).



# 3 - The Human Motorbike,
better known as a pile of bodies painted and photographed to look like popular bikes.  A team of yoga enthusiasts, acrobats, contortionists, and gymnasts got together, stacked themselves in such a way that they appeared to be a motorcycle and then were painted to bring the motorcycle to life.  
According to one website the photo shoot, body painting and acts of flexibility took place for up to 18 hours a day for a week to get the shots just right.  What ever your thoughts on these people or these pictures, you have to admit that it is nothing short of a FrankenBike.
READ MORE: ILoveBodyArt.com, CyrilHuzeBlog.com, & FStoppers.com


# 2 - The Spherical Drive System. 
 This Motorcycle might have traveled here from the future.  It replaced the wheels with large rubber coated balls which it uses to drive.  While it’s only in the design phase it is still an ingenious idea which may shape the future of an industry.  
It’s hard not to be impressed by their ingenuity and creative design.  We kicked it around the office and found that all of us would love to test this bike around town and maybe on long trips if it turned out to be comfortable to ride.  
Hear that, Spherical Drive Systems team? LRS would love to offer our services as testers, feel free to hit us up anytime.
READ MORE: Spherical Drive Systems, TheKneeSlider.com, & Core77.com




# 1 - AreoFex Hovercraft.  
This motorcycle like the speeder bikes from Star Wars and is capable of speeds equal to those of helicopters.  Human pilots have not yet tested at these speeds but the advantages of these bikes are clear.  They can maneuver in tight terrain and travel through environments that no other craft can follow.  The military is currently testing unmanned models in Afghanistan, however the craft may still be made available to the public at a later date.
AreoFex has redesigned controls which sense a riders motion and automatically adjust to a pilots natural motion and they do all of this without very complex software.  The intuitive design may even allow civilians to ride without having to take pilot training courses.  These are definitely on our list of FrankenBikes we’re excited to try.


READ MORE: DesignBoom.com, BusinessInsider.com & TheKneeSlider.com



Tuesday, October 16, 2012

10 Roads to get your creep on in Illinois....


In honor of Halloween approaching, we thought we’d bring you a story that might inspire some of you in the Illinois area to take some “creepy” rides. On this section of Myths, Legends, and Tales from the road, we bring you a true witches brew of 10 great rides to get your “Spook” on in if you happen to be in the Illinois area.

10. Kennedy Hill Road- Between mid-December and early January 1980/81, dozens of people reported seeing a young woman in various stages of dress walking down Kennedy Hill Road outside of Byron. By January 20, 1981, the sightings had reached a fevered pitch. Motorists parked their cars in the frigid temperatures along the narrow rural road to catch a glimpse of what became known as “The Phantom Lady of Kennedy Hill Road.” Newspaper reports reached as far away as Chicago, and the Rockford Register Star ran five consecutive articles on the sightings.Explanations for the phantom varied from the ghost of a woman who had been buried in a nearby cemetery, to a mentally disabled girl who ran away from home, to even a transvestite who wore his girlfriend’s clothes after she died in an accident. The phantom disappeared after the snow thawed that spring and was never seen again.

  9. Shoe Factory Road-  An old, derelict Spanish Colonial revival style house and an abandoned farm formerly stood along Shoe Factory Road in Hoffman Estates. Both were rumored to be haunted. The unique, stone house was at one time the Charles A. Lindbergh School, named after the famed aviator. According to local historian John Russell Ghrist, it was built in 1929. The school closed in 1948 and spent the next 30 years as a residence, until it became abandoned sometime during the late 1980s.Local teens believed that the stone house became abandoned after a child living in the home killed his parents. They claim the ghost of this child, who plays with a knife, could be seen sitting on the steps. The haunted farm, and its nefarious barn, had several stories associated with it. One story involved the farmer going insane and murdering his family, then burying them in the middle of a circle of trees. The other had the family being murdered and hung in the barn by a mental patient. Both of these buildings were torn down in 2007.

 8. Cherry Road- Similar to Spring Valley’s “Help Me” Road, Cherry Road outside of Oswego is said to have been the scene of a tragic accident. While predominantly straight, there is a sharp, 90 degree angle toward the end of the road. A young couple allegedly wrecked their car after prom while taking that curve too fast. The boy crawled from the wreckage and wrote “help” in his own blood on the pavement. His girlfriend’s ghost can be seen at the bend. Over the years, local teens have painted “Help” on the road with red spray paint.

7. Dug Hill Road- The first story concerning Dug Hill is a classic haunting rooted in the past. In 1863, Union army deserters ambushed and killed a provost marshal named Welch along Dug Hill Road. There are two versions of the story, one involving three deserters, the other involving a dozen or so. In the second version, Welch’s own friend betrayed him and led him into the ambush. Since then, his ghost has been seen along the road. Another legend concerns a man named Bill Smith, who reportedly witnessed a spectral wagon pass over his head. A third story pertaining to the Dug Hill area concerns a creature known as “the boger.” The boger, or the boger-man, was something cooked up by parents who want to scare their children. Two men have reportedly seen this boger along Dug Hill Road in the past. The creature appears as a nine-to-eleven foot tall man who wears black pants, a white shirt, and a long scarf. No one has yet come forward to explain where this creature found someone to tailor his gigantic clothes.

  6. Seventh Avenue Dead End-  Just east of downtown Sterling, 7th Avenue ends in front of a railroad track that runs parallel to the Rock River, which divides Sterling and Rock Falls. Several people have drowned or have been hit by a train in the area. Although 7th Avenue is nearly identical to the other nearby side streets, eyewitnesses have reported seeing or hearing the ghost of a woman there. She is said to be searching for her missing child along the riverbank just over the railroad tracks. While no one really knows who this young woman was in life, many locals have heard the story.

  5. “Help Me” Road-  A local legend maintains that in the 1980s a couple was returning home along this road from a night of drinking at a nearby biker bar when their motorcycle crashed. Both riders were terribly injured, but the man managed to write “help me” on the road in his own blood before he died. Attempts to remove the words from the pavement failed. Even when the county repaved the road, the words mysteriously returned. Some have suggested that “help me” was written onto the road in tar by a mischievous construction worker. The road has recently been repaved and the words are no longer visible—for now.


4. Cole Hollow Road- Stories of bigfoot and other mythic creatures are not often associated with Illinois, however, in the 1970s the Illinois River Valley was abuzz with sightings of the Cole Hollow Road Monster, or Cohomo, for short. It was first sighted along Cole Hollow Road, just outside of Creve Coeur, south of Peoria. It was described as a three-toed beast, eight to ten feet tall, with a coat of thick white fur. There were so many sightings in the summer of 1972 that the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department organized a search party to hunt for the creature. Encounters with Cohomo tapered off after that, but one man believed he caught a glimpse of it in the headlights of his car one night in July 2000, further north up the Illinois River near Essex, Illinois.

 3. Blood’s Point Road- A cornucopia of urban legends have attached themselves to this aptly-named rural avenue and its neighboring cemetery. Visitors have reported seeing phantom vehicles and a dog with glowing red eyes. According to legend, the railroad bridge was the scene of a deadly school bus accident, as well as more than one hanging. These hangings have also been attributed to a bridge along nearby Sweeny Road. The cemetery itself is said to be visited by a wide variety of phenomenon—from orbs, to a phantom dog, to a vanishing barn, to the disembodied laughter of children and electrical malfunctions. Blood’s Point was named after Arthur Blood, the first white settler of Flora Township. Some locals maintain that he brought a curse with him that remains to this day.

 2. Lebanon Road- On or around Lebanon Road are seven railroad bridges, some no longer in use. All of them are heavily coated in graffiti—a testament to their popularity for nighttime excursions. Local visitors have crafted a hellish tale around these seven bridges, which they dubbed the “Seven Gates to Hell.” The legend is that if someone were to drive through all seven bridges and enter the last one exactly at midnight, he or she would be transported to Hell. In some versions, the person entering the final tunnel must be a skeptic. In other versions, no tunnel can be driven through twice in order for the magic to work. Like Cuba Road in Barrington, an abandoned property near Lebanon Road has given rise to rumors of a “death house.”

1  . Cuba Road- Cuba Road sits nestled between the towns of Lake Zurich and Barrington, both upper and upper-middle class retreats. It is the setting of a plethora of paranormal phenomenon, including a phantom car (or cars), a pair of spectral lovers, and a vanishing house. A side street called Rainbow Road formerly had the distinction of being home to an abandoned mansion that some believed was an old asylum. Along Cuba Road sits White Cemetery, which author Scott Markus has referred to as the Bachelor’s Grove of the north-Chicago suburbs. This small, rectangular graveyard dates from the 1820s and its ghostlore concerns mysterious, hovering balls of light.




From :

http://trueillinoishaunts.com/top-10/top-10-creepiest-roads-in-illinois/

Friday, October 12, 2012


GAS RAGE!

With gas prices soaring to new heights it seems more than ever that now is a great time to own a motorcycle.  However, that isn't to say that it doesn't hinder riders from the joys of the road either.  It might even dent your weekend plans.  Leisure rides are being cancelled and people are electing to stay indoors for excuses of weather or gas prices.  While weather may be an honest consideration, and gas no less a concern it is a shame to know that we are electing to stay indoors when the whole world is at our fingertips.  Today we’ll whine and moan about gas prices and end up being really thankful for US gas prices.  Join us in this weeks Myths, Legends and Tales from the road.

Why is gas so expensive?  Is there anything we can do to keep costs down?  Will it only continue to skyrocket year after this year?  These are the questions on all our minds as prices jump to nearly five dollars a gallon over most of the nation.  While many countries have very little pity for us because they are lucky to have $10.00 a gallon gasoline, we have always had much better pricing and would prefer to keep it that way.  Join us in this very informative article from http://gaspricesexplained.org

A Global Commodity
A host of factors, many of them uncertain, affect the price of crude oil and the products made from it. The roller coaster rise and fall in gasoline and diesel prices over the last few years tracks changes in the cost of crude oil. Those changes are determined in the global crude oil market by the worldwide demand for and supply of crude oil. Weak economic conditions in the U.S. and around the world in 2008 and into 2009 led to less demand, which helped push prices down. With the worldwide economic recovery underway, demand is on the rise again but unrest in the Mideast and North Africa has put supplies at risk. This combination of rising demand and reduced supply helped to push prices higher. Crude oil prices are set globally through the daily interactions of thousands of buyers and sellers in both physical and futures markets, and reflect participants’ knowledge and expectations of demand and supply. In addition to economic growth and geopolitical risks, other factors, including weather events, inventories, exchange rates, investments, spare capacity, OPEC production decisions and non-OPEC supply growth all figure into the price of crude oil.

Rising Global Demand World oil consumption is expected to grow as the global economy rebounds.
The world’s demand for oil increased sharply for several years, peaking at 86 million barrels per day in 2007. However, the global economic slowdown in recent years reversed this trend and demand fell for two consecutive years to just 85 million barrels per day in 2009, or 1 million barrels per day less than at its peak before rebounding in 2010. The Energy Information Administration expects growth to accelerate over the next two years reaching 88.8 million barrels per day in 2012 and nearly 89.7 million barrels per day in 2013. The EIA projects consumption in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries to be nearly flat in 2012 and 2013. Growth is concentrated in the non-OECD countries, including China, Brazil, and the Middle East with world gains of about 0.8 million barrels per day expected in 2012 and another 0.9 million barrels per day in 2013.

Supply Surplus crude oil capacity is expected to increase.
The amount of surplus crude oil capacity, which is the amount of oil available to meet surges in demand or disruptions in supply, increased in 2009 as demand for crude oil declined along with the global economic slowdown. EIA projects that OPEC surplus production capacity will increase from about 2.3 million barrels per day in 2012 to 2.6 million barrels per day at the end of 2013. We produce 55 percent of all the oil and petroleum products we consume. The rest is imported, with most of it coming from our neighbors in North America. In fact, Canada is the largest supplier to the U.S., accounting for 29 percent of our imports compared to 14 percent for Saudi Arabia. One way to enhance our nation’s energy security is to continue to diversify our sources of supply.


Risk
There are accumulating risks to the development of oil and natural gas.
The National Petroleum Council (2008) examined a broad range of global energy supply, demand and technology projections through 2030 and concluded that “the world is not running out of energy resources, but there are accumulating risks to continuing expansion of oil and natural gas production from the conventional sources relied upon historically.” These risks include political instability in the Middle East and North Africa, the resurgence of resource nationalism in Latin America, civil unrest in Nigeria, piracy off the African coast, transit vulnerability in the Caspian, energy subsidies in Asia, extreme weather around the world, and restricted access to resources in the U.S. These risks create significant challenges to meeting projected energy demand.

Exports?

Increased exports are good for America and the world.
American exports are not causing gasoline prices to rise. Less than 10 percent of U.S.-produced gasoline and diesel is exported. U.S. refiners produce fuels primarily for American markets and always have. More importantly, the U.S. has a long history of exporting some fuels and importing others to balance global demand, which benefits the consumer.  The U.S. comes out ahead trade-wise because finished petroleum products that are exported are higher value than the imported crude used to make them. So this helps lower the trade deficit.
Exports also mean jobs for Americans, including well-paying U.S. refinery jobs that are maintained when demand for certain refined products is low in this country. The challenge is for Washington to adopt energy policies that will benefit U.S. consumers and preserve a strong domestic refining industry.

Gasoline Taxes One reason the price of gasoline can vary by state is state taxes.
The average nationwide tax collected on each gallon of gasoline sold at the retail station is 49.5 cents. Of that, 18.4 cents per gallon goes to the federal government; the rest ends up in state and local government coffers. The amount of gasoline taxes collected by states can vary widely, from just 26.4 cents per gallon in Alaska, to as much as 69.6 cents per gallon in New York. In addition to excise taxes, other taxes can also apply, such as sales taxes, gross receipts taxes, oil inspection fees, county and local taxes, underground storage tank fees, and other miscellaneous environmental fees. These additional taxes contribute to the difference collected among states.


Profits Oil industry profits are comparable to those in most other industries.  
The oil and natural gas industry is one of the world's largest and most capital -intensive industries. It has to be to effectively compete for global energy resources. The industry's earnings make possible the huge investments necessary to help ensure America's energy security. The latest data for the first quarter of 2012 shows the oil and natural gas industry earned 7.5 cents for every dollar of sales, compared to 8.9 cents for every dollar of sales for all manufacturing. Other sectors, such as the pharmaceutical, computer and the beverage and tobacco industries, earned three times that and more.
After reading this, I'm left just being thankful that our prices are not as high as most of the rest of the world. Over the next few years it's a guess what can happen to the cost of fuels, but many think that it will continue to rise. All I know for sure is that I will keep filling my tank and riding as long as I can. Hope to see you on the road! Thank you to http://gaspricesexplained.org, for this in depth analysis and interesting read.  




Tuesday, October 9, 2012

10 top motorcycle rides in the U.S.


We at LRS are always up for an amazing ride, and will go to any length to find one. We stumbled across Lonely Planet’s Karla King’s list, and after reading it, we couldn’t help but agree. Check out these rides, and we think you’ll agree that these are definitely among some of the best the U.S. has to offer. We’ve ridden some of these roads and have to agree that they are amazing. If you have a ride you want to submit, please email us at Mythslegendstales@gmail.com with the subject “Perfect Rides”. We may end up featuring your ride on a video review in the future!

10 best motorcycle roads in the U.S.

By Carla King, Lonely Planet
updated 1:09 PM EDT, Tue June 12, 2012



Smooth pavement with plenty of twists makes for great riding.


STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Coastal Highway 1 in Maine is dotted with over 60 lighthouses
Watch out for mountain goats and bighorn sheep on Going to the Sun Road in Montana
Salt air and slow speed get you onto island time on the Florida Keys' Overseas Highway

(Lonely Planet) -- A great road is a great road, but if you're riding a motorcycle, you're looking for something special: twisties, vistas, turnouts, that perfect stretch of smooth tarmac, and biker-friendly stops that make getting there most of the fun. Here are 10 of the best roads across America for an unforgettable motorcycle journey:


1. Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1): 1700 miles from Astoria, Oregon to San Juan Capistrano, California This undisputed champion of road trips presents beaches, cliffs, redwood forests, sleepy seaside towns, hot tub B&Bs, and world-class dining along a ribbon of winding, undulating road that (between RVs) can provide thrilling sport riding and contented cruising. Stop at the frequent turnouts, and don't miss wild Olympic Peninsula, rustic Big Sur, Hearst Castle, bikini-clad Malibu, or biker-friendly Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego.

2. Appalachian Mountains: 770 miles from Front Royal, Virginia to Deal's Gap, North Carolina This four-in-one magic mountain ride begins with Skyline Drive in Virginia, a 105-mile run along the ridge of the Shenandoah National Park, conveniently connected with the Blue Ridge Parkway for 469 miles of smooth roads and sweeping blacktop. Ride east to Tellico Plains along the Cherohala Skyway (Hwy 28) descending into Tennessee backcountry. Loop back via Hwys 360 and 72 to Deal's Gap, and take on the internationally famous 11 mile Tail of the Dragon and whip through those 318 curves for some bragging rights.

3. River Road, (FM 170): 120 miles from Terlingua to Candelaria, Big Bend, Texas Farm to Market 170 is all smooth heavenly pavement along the Rio Grande through the Big Bend'sChihuahuan Desert ecosystem with its mountains, canyons, badlands, and stunted forests, and even grandma's Buick can handle the 17 mile off-road loop through the Valley of the Gods. But if you've got a dual-sport, you're going to be in heaven. Once it reopens (progressing well at the time of writing), you'll be able to ride on a boat over the Rio Grande at the Boquillas Crossing for a short jaunt for lunch on the Mexican side of the border.

4. Going to the Sun Road: 50 miles in Glacier National Park, Montana Before this two-hour, 50-mile ride over Logan Pass was completed, it took visitors several days to get through the park, which speaks of its height and contortions. Watch out for mountain goats and bighorn sheep, and pull over at the Jackson Glacier Overlook to take in the most spectacular scenery in the park.

5. Beartooth Highway, (US 212): 68 Miles in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming Squiggle a

long for a couple of hours over the highest highway in the Northern Rockies as it twists and turns its way up to 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass in Wyoming. Stop to take in views of glacier-laden peaks, alpine plateaus dotted with lakes, waterfalls, and lush forests in one of the most rugged areas in the lower 48 states.

6. Highway 12: 124 miles between Bryce Canyon National Parkand Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Take a psychedelic sunset ride into fantastical sandstone rock formations, canyons, deep blue lakes, and pine forests and all the curves you might expect. Swish along to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Boulder Mountain, and Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest.

7. Coastal Highway 1: 170 miles from Kittery to Bucksport, Maine Detours, not twisties, along Maine's 3478 miles of coastline is the point here. The oldest highway on the east coast is dotted with over 60 lighthouses, countless cute towns, antique shops, lobster shacks, and almost 50 peninsulas to explore. The highway connects with many other scenic routes, including a ferry ride to Nova Scotia.


8. Overseas Highway (Hwy 1), Florida, 100 miles from Key Largo to Key West Put your sun screen on and cruise out onto a narrow stretch of road made of bridges atop a living reef in the turquoise Straits of Florida sandwiched between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Join the margarita-saturated tourists in tropical paradise and enjoy the biker-friendly atmosphere. Salt air, sea food, and slow speed get you onto island time in no time flat.

9. Route 66: 2200 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica On just about everybody's bucket list is Route 66. Ride all 2200 miles of this history lesson smothered in kitsch, or just grab a slice or two, like the pies you'll find in endless supply at the many biker-friendly stops between Chicago and Santa Monica.

10. The Great River Road (Hwy 61): 2,552 miles from Itasca State Park, Minnesota to Jackson, Louisiana GRR 61 is a single route created in 1938 to highlight the 10 states bordering the great Mississippi River from its headwaters in Minnesota to its termination in Louisiana's Cajun Country. Local riders from all 10 states flock to 'their" section of the road, whether it's lined with meadows, cypress swamps, thick forests, limestone cliffs, or wildlife refuges. Industrial areas are easily avoided.

Carla King is an adventure travel writer who specializes in riding cranky indigenous motorcycles around the world. She is author of the Motorcycle Misadventures series of books and live internet dispatches from the road. Wherever she is, you can always find her at CarlaKing.com.


Originally published as "The USA's 10 best motorcycle roads" © 2012 Lonely Planet. All rights reserved.