Powered By Blogger

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

The Long and Winding road.


This... is my kitchen!

Sometimes the toughest roads are not roads at all.

No quoting of Forrest Gump allowed here, but indeed this last few months, my southern home has caused me a great deal of grief.  Having moved across the country lessened my time down there and this year especially, I've not been able to take advantage of riding my XT over mountains and through dry washes.  With the calamity that befell my place and the subsequent dilemma of having it repaired, have seemed like two trips, a year in fact, wasted.

I'm heading down next week and although re-construction has begun with a new project manager, me thinks I will be spending most if not all this trip, sitting idle in a hotel room... again.  This entire episode of my life I will chalk up to experience and not one I'd wish to repeat.

I bought my US home while I still lived out west.  From Calgary it was a short flight.  I would board the plane at 6 am and by noon I was parking my scooter at the grocery store.  Even when I drove I-15 and I did Love driving it, there was much to see once south of Great Falls. I enjoyed the couple of nights I'd spend in a Motel usually around Dillon, MT then again in Nephi, Utah, anticipating my visit and where the next one would take me.

Having moved to the east coast limits my time to a few short weeks each year.  Not that I couldn't stay longer but even at this point in my life, I still have obligations and duties to face up to.

I fly now, driving is too time consuming, and as such... I sneak in a few weeks between seasons hoping that it doesn't snow 'back home' while I am away.  Although the weather has been beautiful and even today I am looking out on blue skies and fine temperatures, this is Canada and we live in a land of four seasons.

How much longer I can do this... that is unknown.  With Lisa and family living within an afternoon's drive, I will no doubt be spending more of my time with her and the family.  Holly and Kev on the other hand, have moved from Calgary to Seattle to work and recently bought a house.  I suspect that my efforts and time will shift north from Phx.

In any case, it's the end of October, I've ridden most of my bikes in recent weeks and now its time to pack them up once again and get the snowblower and blade equipped Big Bear ATV ready for what's coming.  It's a lot of work to keep vehicles in prime shape and if I don't put the effort in, pretty soon rust intrudes, paint fades, mechanical parts cease to work.  Hmmm, sounds a lot like my body!

Today I dealt with the remaining batteries which even with a great deal of care, in Trevor's own words, "they knew how to put men on the moon but can't make a M/C battery last two years"!

On the plus side I was doing some shopping the other day and got talking to a staff member who noticing my gear, asked me what I was riding.  We came outside after paying my bill and he admired my XT 600, Big Blue.  He plumb near fell over when I answered his question as what model year it was, stating it was a 1990.  If your math is bad, that makes this bike 28 years old.  In fact my DT 50 L/C is even older at 29 and my XT 225 isn't far off being a '92 model I've owned since new.



1989 DT 50 L/C



1990 XT 600E

1992 XT 225 Serow



1998 XT 350

1982 FT 500
1996 F 150 4X4 Supercab





Monday, October 16, 2017

Tis the season!


It's fall on the Island


NO... I don't mean Christmas, that thankfully, is a ways off yet.  I mean it's the time of year when I'm switching over into 'winter' mode.  I have 3 weeks to GET the Blazer and Ford re sprayed with rust proofing, some mechanical work done on the Chevy, and swapping summer rims and tires for winter's on the R/T.  This is where an equipped and large garage come in handy.  Whoever designed this house, was thinking ahead.

Really... it's a piece of cake...
:)

I'll be putting the snow plow back on the Big Bear and making sure both snowblowers are ready to go.  One for the house, the other I just bought, for the apartment. Various other items have been checked off my extensive annual pre-winter list, I don't expect to be cutting anymore grass so the various lawn mowers are parked.

The joke that used to circulate among motorcycle enthusiasts was "yeah, did you hear, so and so bought a garage with a house attached!"  Well, it's true!




It's been a glorious year, Weather conducive to riding, new destinations, new adventures, old destinations revisited, yup... all in all a pretty good year.



I had a great time exploring New Brunswick, which might just be my favorite province, and plan to continue exploring Nova Scotia next year.  I have a new story that I call Utopia being printed in the December CDN BIKER I'm told, so watch for that in your mailbox (what? You don't have a subscription, shame on you!) Better put the CDN magazines on your Christmas list...

My health is good other than my nerves being frayed by the lack of progress on my Phx abode.  After seven months, it still stands empty.  I am hoping that prior to departure, they will at least get started and be well advanced.  I don't relish living in a hotel room again this trip.



IN the meanwhile it hasn't been all work and no play, nope... I had Chris with his new '08 KLR 650 and Trevor with his older model out for a local ride.  Chris only began his MC career a few years ago but Trev is a pro.  We did ride that "CLOSED" country road in the Wellington district, having warned them that it may be wet. And there was indeed some muddy spots.  It is however open, flat and straight, nothing real technical.  I had them sign a waiver (j/k) and off we went.  Of course that didn't prevent Chris from skidding the front tire with some front brake application ("whatever you do, don't touch the brakes") and doing a 'swan dive' off the bike, literally clearing the mud-hole and hardly getting dirty at all!  Even the Russian judge would have granted him a 5.9 on that one!

That's nothing.

Not to be outdone... Stretch dumped just a few yards farther along!  Those are the Kodak moments that you wish you had on film!

Chris doing an unconventional 'dismount'  The Russian judge gave it a 5.9


The Boys in Wellington PEI Heart of Acadian Island.


Just so you new, even I fell off the other day riding my Serow when I found out that the spot I had chosen to stop in on a nearby ATV trail was right over a hole that was unfortunately, 3 inches deeper than my leg!  I was able to let the bike down gently on it's right side, still idling away until I hit the 'kill switch', so you see... it can and does happen to anyone.

Calm as can be... Long River


A few ATV's out but no bikes.


My last ride on the bike took me through overgrown country roads, trails used by snowmobiles in winter and quads the rest of the year.  Fall colors varied from sunflower yellows to bright poppy crimson!  I do like the four seasons the east is noted for.

Even though the batteries will soon be on chargers and the bikes covered, I can still sneak a little fun on either the Beg Bear or one of my TTR 125 I use for racing around (for fun) on the .7km grass track I keep cut.



Very typical PEI country lane

FUN... is just as precious as air!

Old friends found on the trail!