Getting to Know You!

[Tuckervill]

Real name: Karen
Where do you live? Northwest Arkansas

Explanation of your handle: I was Tuckervill before Tanya was cool!

Explanation of your avatar: Still deciding.

Age (general or specific): 44 year old gramma of baby Spencer (Donate to my March of Dimes Walk America page to help stop prematurity: http://www.walkamerica.org/personal_...60C99&w=598380 )

Occupation: I occupy myself with lots of things; youth baseball, riding my bike; unschooling; college, playing ukulele, and being Gramma. Too bad none of them pay money.

Favorite bike: Love my new 2006 Trek 4500 WSD

What's in your stable? My Trek, my son's Trek 4300 and a couple of Roadmasters that I bought off some guy for $50 each. I call them the Buicks.

Fastest speed on a road bike? where? when? Last road bike I had was in high school. It was stolen, like every other bike until now. But that bike saved me from a naked guy who followed me home in his car when I was 16.

What is the biggest lie you've ever told: I can't confess it in a public forum. ::blush:::

Most memorable moment on my bike: Yesterday. But maybe the naked guy in the car, too.

Most fun ever had on a bike? Last August, 105 degrees in high Arkansas humidity. My 12 yo son and I took off to do a 5 mile singletrack, missed a turn and ended up doing 12 really rugged miles. That's when I knew I could do it.

[LL_Super_D]

Lise: I hope you do one day make it to Burning Man - it really is quite an experience. The "playa" is the area where the Man and all the art exhibits are, while Black Rock City is where everyone camps... a little hard to imagine but here's a link to a satellite image: http://www.spaceimaging.com/gallery/...oster_1024.jpg
Let me know if you ever plan to go.... I just may be there too.

CorsairMac: Thank you for the welcome! Tee hee hee... I loved the acronym! (How'd you know I always thought it would be funny to actually have the initials of LSD?!? Guess warped minds think alike )

Stella: Thank you too for the welcome!

Tuckervill: A big TE welcome to you. Having grown up in Hawaii, there's nothing like the sound of an ukulele.

[Lise]

Lise: I hope you do one day make it to Burning Man - it really is quite an experience. The "playa" is the area where the Man and all the art exhibits are, while Black Rock City is where everyone camps... a little hard to imagine but here's a link to a satellite image: http://www.spaceimaging.com/gallery/...oster_1024.jpg
Let me know if you ever plan to go.... I just may be there too.

Wow. That's a pretty cool picture. I'm going to do a little more research. I read about Burning Man once, and it's been just an idle dream since then. Perhaps someday a reality! L.

[CorsairMac]

Welcome to the board Tucker! I was just picturing you riding you bike home as fast as your little legs could pedal trying to escape "naked man". So...is there more to this story that we should hear??

[DirtDiva]

Funny, how Corsair's all ears when the words "naked man" show up...


P.S. Welcome, new faces! (And returned ones, stella.)

[Tuckervill]

The naked guy was kind of scary, actually.

I always rode my bike from the house about 3 miles into town to play tennis with my girlfriends in the summer. (Those were the days...) I always had to be home before my mom got home from work. So I was leaving the park and got out of the traffic onto the two-lane highway, when I noticed this car pass me kind of slow. I watched as he drove ahead about a half mile, and turned at the next road. When I got up to the road, he had turned around and was sitting there idling. After I passed, I could hear him pulling out behind me and following me.

I mostly tried to ignore him, but as he was cruising slowly beside me again I could see his chest, stomach and thighs. Being only 16, I was not interested in seeing anything else! He never waved or said anything...just followed me. After the second time he waited up for me I got his license plate number.

We lived on the highway on a steep short hill. It's the kind of hill that full semi's would really have to gun to get up. Our house was just past the crest, behind the neighbor's driveway on the crest, so you couldn't see our house until you got all the way to the top and were descending. It was a tough hill to climb on a bike, and even tough for those '70s 4-cylinder economy cars, too.

After the last time he passed me and waited up, I knew he would have to go over the hill before he could stop and wait again, so just as he was out of sight over the hill, I poured the coal to it. I don't think I even changed gears what with the adrenaline and all, and I was really cooking by the time I got to the top...but I didn't go all the way over. I pulled into the neighbor's uphill driveway instead, because I knew he would have a ways to go before he found another road. This gave me some cover to peek and see him going down the other side.

When I knew he couldn't possibly see me, I threw the bike behind the pump house and hid, because there was no way I could get in the house without him seeing me. From my hidey-hole I could see him go back and forth in front of my house a couple of times.

It was a panicky feeling, knowing he was waiting for me up ahead, and seeing him going back and forth in front of the house. I remember considering my options while I rode, and thinking of all the people I knew along the highway where I could pull in and take refuge, but I always thought he would just keep going after the last time. He didn't. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had not been on that nice 10-speed bike that my dad won in a talent show.

I never saw him again, so I think he never spotted me hiding behind the pump house, either. From then on, I would ride into town, but wait near my friend's house on the highway for my dad to pick me up in his way home.

Karen

[DirtDiva]

Freaky! Here's to your ten-speed.

[CorsairMac]

Funny, how Corsair's all ears when the words "naked man" show up...


P.S. Welcome, new faces! (And returned ones, stella.)

Well like yeah! LOL

Tucker: very scary story my friend. Thank goodness for your trusty 10-speed and your presence of mind! Behaviour like that would unnerve anyone regardless of age.