Bandit in PDX

Solo Hood Loop...

2012-01-21T23:51:00.000-08:00

View 2011.08.20:Day Trip in a larger map

It seems to be a common conclusion that the past year (2011) was a bit, shall I say, lacking. For whatever reason most everyone appears to have experienced some sort of disappointment or hardship or just overall annoyance with the year.

For me, 2011 was not my most accomplished motor-biking year. In fact, I really only had one day ride and that didn't come until August. No overnighters. No group adventures. Just an outright uneventful motorcycling year. This is not to say I wasn't on the bike. However, I mostly spent my time in the saddle doing my commute, running errands and putzing about.

The one ride I did do is illustrated above. Going counter-clockwise, the trip was approximately 240 miles from Portland; through Estacada; out to Ripplebrook and passing north of Timothy Lake; crossing Rt. 26; over to Wamic (having lawnmower races); down into Tygh Valley; north to Dufur and The Dalles; west to Rowena and up to the Rowena Crest overlooking the Columbia Gorge and back down to I-84 to Hood River; westward along Historic 30 past the waterfalls and back into Portland.

I've ridden out to Estacada and Ripplebrook many times. So there's nothing unusual there. From there I took a route new to me. Instead of going south towards Detroit Lake, I turned east and went out towards Timothy Lake. The initial part of this route is a common pathway to the lake. But further up the road the tourists tend to turn right to go to the lake. I kept going to circle around north of the lake. Up onto a ridge that overlooks the forest and lake off in the distance. This ridge road is mostly a single lane avenue. These sorts of roads are really quite fun. Out in the forest, they are mostly empty of other traffic. It's not that you go fast, it's more about being out there away from traffic exploring.

Mt. Hood, of course.

Eventually the one-laner bent back towards "civilization" and grew another lane as it approached the main access road for Timothy Lake. At the intersection with Oregon Skyline Road, I stopped for a quick visit to a tree and to stretch my legs. While off the ride, a cruiser from the east side of the mountain stopped and we chatted a bit before he continued southward. I went northward towards Rt. 26.

Rt. 26 is often a landmark road on which many people head out of town or turn on to go home. Not this time for me. I went eastward a little ways then turned off to go northeast on Cedar Burn Rd (NF43). Then I turned eastward, heading down off Mt. Hood. The roads on this segment are open, smooth, and mostly deserted. Eventually the scattered homes start to get closer and closer and small settlements appear. Tollgate, then Wamic. It was intermission time at the lawn mower races¹ as I passed through Wamic on my way to Tygh Valley.

In the village I turned north towards The Dalles, up on the Columbia River. Route 197 traverses rolling hills and grasslands. You are not in the tree-lined allies of the roads up on the mountain slopes. The highway is quite smooth as it makes its way up to The Dalles. Eventually, though you do reach The Dalles and you're back in civilization winding your way through town in search of the route to the next bit of interesting asphalt.

Not knowing the roads, I was on the lookout for access to Rt. 30 westbound and the way up to the ridge overlooking I-84 and the Columbia Gorge. I think I missed my first opportunity to find my way up to Chenoweth and the back way towards the gorge crest. So I ended up on the I-84 slab westbound and then took exit for Rowena and Mosier (76) and found my way to Rt. 30 on my way up to the Rowena Crest overlook.

Rowena Crest overlooking Columbia Gorge, looking east.

After a bit of rest and hydration it was westward ho! Along Rt. 30 towards Mosier. There is a section that is very twisted. I've driven and ridden this little bit. I don't go fast here. Once in Mosier, hopped back onto I-84 to Hood River. There I took a fuel and snack break and again headed westward to the next section of Rt. 30 that winds pasts the gorge waterfalls and up the side to the Vista House on top of Crown Point. This is another splendid overlook and one that is crowded with Portlanders and tourists alike. From there I kept on Rt 30 all the way back to the Sand River.

Wanting to avoid I-84 whenever possible I came back into Portland through Troutdale and Gresham. This was just in town riding. Nothing exiting at all.

Although it was great ride and I'm glad I did it, it was really the only true ride I did this year. And as much as I enjoy riding, there is a certain amount of fun sharing the experience with another rider. Not this to be had in 2011.

¹You can search YouTube for footage of the Wamic lawn mower races, if you wish.

A splendid rendition of Oregon...

2011-12-04T12:38:00.001-08:00

Touching the XGear

2011-09-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

Back during the holiday/birthday season, Jim decided my used 1^st generation iPod Touch had run its course and gifted me a new 4^th generation Touch. The 1^st gen Touch basically replaced the Nano I had at the time.

Granted I barely tapped into the 2GB storage on the Nano. I used it primarily for podcasts and some music. With the Touch, I added some applications that eventually led to the retirement of the Handspring Visor Platinum I had forever. Yes it still worked, just fine. So the single Touch led to the demise of two devices. And the new Touch replaced the gen-1 Touch... that eventually precipitated the replacement of the iBook with a MacBook Pro.

See? It is all a scheme to be a shameless and helpless consumer...

The iPod is admittedly a nifty little device. But there is one thing that has and probably always will bother me about its design implementation. Simply put... cable management. The earphones although not absolutely necessary with Touch are still quite an essential part of the iPod and to some extent the iPhone, iPad packages. Yet, Apple has not provided an elegant method of storing and accessing the cables and earphones (buds) that allows a person to carry them around with their device and be able to use them without spending an annoying amount of time to untangle them from each other, from whatever is in your bag, from the frayed threads of your pocket.

With the Nano (1^st generation) I found a great solution in the MacAlly IceSuit silicone sleeve (above). Not only was I able to wrap the cables up around a slim "spindle" on the back, it also provided little cut-outs to snap the plug and earbuds into to keep them from flopping around and catching on things. I still consider this design one of my favorite cases for the i-thingies. Jim still uses the iPod classic version with his pod. I have since given the Nano and case to a co-worker for his kids to eventually kill off.

However, I have yet to see a case of similar design or function for the iPod Touch (4G). The closest I've come to so far is the XGearLive Viewer Kickstand case (below).

The case does neatly wrap up the cable into a clean 'pocketable' package. The plug even slips in under the lip of the spindle and stays in place. However, it doesn't quite score the try¹ for me. It still leaves the earbuds dangling out there to be twisted, yanked and otherwise catch on something or another. The little kickstand has been handy at times too.

Can I live with the case??? Yes. Is it absolutely what I want in a case??? Not quite.

¹A try is the rugby analog to a touchdown in American and Canadian football, with the major difference being that a try requires the ball be simultaneously touching the ground in the in-goal area and an attacking player who is in the field of play or in-goal.

Hacking August...

2011-09-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

In August, after picking up Jim from the airport, we made what was supposed to be quick trip into Ikea to grab some picture frames for the photos I received from contributing to a KickStarter project. Of course, hardly any trip to Ikea, just like trips to Costco, Home Depot, or Fry's Electronics, can be quick. Getting in and out with just what you targeted to get doesn't usually happen. Such was the case this time.

We found the frames. The frames being metric and the prints being on US sized paper, the cut-outs of the provided mattes are just a hair too wide, showing some of the white border of the print. But the next size smaller would just constrict the fantastic images from antartica.

Walking out through the warehouse section towards the registers we spied a sale! And we have been looking for a bench to put under one of the double windows in the house. Yeah, it's for Dru to hop up on and look out to the world. The item is the August Bench pictured above. An "Ikea firm", white, leather cushion on top of a natural pine trestle platform. The sale? 20% of list price. We assume it was a clearance of an end of life product or it just wasn't moving out the door.

After loading it into the car, we went back in for a breakfast bite at their cafe. For a whopping total of about $10 we each had some eggs, juice, bacon/sausage and split a cinnamon roll.

There is a place for Ikea furniture in the world. But some of it is just so plain. We couldn't deny the functionality of the piece. And the firm, but comfortable cushion, even in white was well done. I just thought the platform could have been so much better, particularly for the list price. But for the sale price I could easily make the purchase. I had a plan. Let's change the platform more to our liking.

Taking Ikea creations and enhancing or modifying can be a talent and can result in some amazing things. Ikea Hackers can show you some amazing ideas. We just needed a paint job.

Below to the left is a piece with the original finish in the middle; my first attempt at staining the pine with a dark walnut stain is to the left and along the bottom and the final selection.... a can of chocolate brown, satin finish spray paint.

Below and to the right is the finished and assembled August Bench. All ready for Dru!

Since we elected for the painted finish we had a small can of walnut color stain left on the shelf. The bonus? I applied this to the faded and aging coffee table we keep on our covered patio. I liberally applied the stain to the faded finish and the wood jump to life soaking up the stain. It is really amazing how the stain livened up the table. You have to love how the stain can react with the wood to reveal some amazing texture and depth.

Snapshots: from the long trip

2011-07-02T18:55:00.001-07:00

Poisonous Oregon coast...

Snow hits the Sierra Nevada Mountains...

Up the pines...

Snowy entrance to the valley...

Up from the floor...

Palm Springs hills...

Snapshots: from Estes Park, CO, USA

2011-06-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

^ Visitors right outside the lodge...^

Snapshots: from the sky...

2011-06-05T21:19:00.001-07:00

Mount Saint Helens and Mount Rainier

Mount Hood

Mount Hood, even closer...

Penguin Music!

2011-06-01T22:55:00.001-07:00

You have until June 16th to support an amazingly creative effort to unlock the music of the Antarctic. Click the penguin music.

Grand Loop: Segment 6

2011-05-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Heading home...

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The final day was our homeward leg. Starting in Wenatchee, WA we took a little side trip to Leavenworth, WA for breakfast. After walking about and munching we started our trip. From Wenatchee we headed toward Yakima, then turned west between Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens to I-5 and south to hometown, Portland.

Leavenworth is a short distance from Wenatchee, where we stayed the previous night. It is also a well known tourist destination. The town turned itself into a little Bavarian village to attract tourists and sustain itself. We were close enough to have to go see it. Why not start our day with a bit of breakfast in the "Washington Alps". We rode out, found some parking eventually and started walking about the downtown area in search of a eatery that was not too crowded. We eventually settled on the Café Verona & Bakery for some French toast, eggs, juice. I think we had a waffle in the mix as well. The morning was dry and sunny but a little brisk. We sat outside in their little patio area.

After breakfast it was back to the road to enjoy our final romp on the way home. We back-tracked out of Leavenworth and turned south on Rt. 97 again. The road was not the same intra-state highway it was approaching Wenatchee. It's a bit smaller and twistier. We went on to Ellensburg and proceeded to Yakima.

At Ellensburg we had the option of the highway again or Canyon Road (WA 821). What do you think? Of course we took Canyon Road along the Yakima River. This was a very scenic choice. This stretch of road and the river canyon was gorgeous in the noonish sun. The tarmac was smooth and flowing. As scenic as it was the 35 MPH - 45MPH speed limit throughout the length was however annoying. And being a scenic and recreational area there were the gawkers and RV's. Not that I wasn't gawking at times, but most motorcyclists desire to immerse themselves in such a canyon stretch and run a smooth, undulating ribbon without the worry of other motorists.

Ahh, Canyon Road came to an end north of Yakima. We were supposed to turn right to head west. Unfortunately, we got a little side-tracked with Yakima's commercial strip, before turning around and finding the ramp to WA 12 westbound along the Naches Rivers. The approach to the Cascades is orchard country. Lots of apples, cherries and other tree fruit.

As we approached the hills the weather grew cloudy and there was a chill coming in. That chill would only get chillier as we rose in altitude. We weren't disappointed. Also at this time Jim and I lost track of Brett and James. They dropped off behind us someplace for a break and pictures.

Jim and I stopped at the Palisades rest stop. This was one of those stops that's not immediately visible from the main road. For that reason I left my bike up on the shoulder as the signal for James and Brett to find us.

While we waited, we snacked some. Snapped some photos. Let the queen out to exercise. Allowed a chipmunk to try to raid our cookie bag. Drusilla was all about the small fuzzy critter running about in close proximity. We didn't allow the hunter loose. But it was fun to watch her pay such close attention.

Eventually James and Brett came rolling into the rest stop to join us. We were all back together again. After giving everyone a chance to rest, we were back out on the road heading towards the western slopes. The rain was looming. As we came out of the hills we stopped for a fuel-up. And within minutes of remounting it was raining steadily. And it continued to rain all the way to I-5 and most of the way south to Portland as well.

We made it to I-5, stopped to top-off the tanks and shake off the wet a bit. Then went a couple exits south to snack, while it continued to rain. Then finally the home stretch. The rain let up as we approached Vancouver. The skies were solid gray however.

Everyone was back in The Rose City safe and sound. We unloaded our cohorts luggage and headed to our home.

Grand Loop: Segment 5

2011-04-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

The next day of our travels took us 255 miles from the lake town of Kelowna to the river town of Wenatchee. Along the way we stopped in Osoyoos for lunch. Then onto one of the friendliest crossings back into the US. And the "long" ride down Rt97 to Wenatchee.

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Coming out of Kelowna we decided not take the obvious route, but to go a little east and head south on Rt. 33. Little side route was straight forward, but far less crowded than what we thought Rt. 97 would be. It also covered two more Destination Highways, DH7 and DH24. Rt.33 is up in the hills to the east of the Okanagan Valley. It wonders through farmland and forests. We didn't take a little detour to visit the Big White Ski Resort.

At the south end of Rt. 33, in Rock Creek, you turn right onto Rt. 3 and head westward to Osoyoos, BC. This fairly uneventful, until you crest the hills and overlook the valley again. You see the lake and the town and the multiple hairpins needed to get to the valley floor.

Osoyoos is definitely a summer resort destination with lots of lake activities and people walking the downtown area. Parking wasn't impossible but not easy either. We all found a spot and starting looking for a lunch place. We finally settled on a place overlooking the lake, but with Drucilla in tow we were relegated to the front corner of the patio. Unfortunately, I can't say the meal itself was anything special. The dishes didn't seem to live up to descriptions on the menu.

After muching and packing up again, we headed for the border. Prior to crossing over, we stopped to "raid" the duty-free store. I personally, didn't find anything in shop. The others picked up some trinkets to bring home.

The border crossing is a smaller one. And I'm sure there are times it gets backed up. But our experience was quick and actually pleasant. I say this because our experiences at the crossings between Seattle and Vancouver haven't always been so pleasant. I realize the border guards are doing their jobs but many times the ones on that major crossing have been downright gruff and rude. The guard in this crossing was friendly and courteous!

After crossing, I stopped for fuel. Then on we went southward on WA Rt. 97. The highway itself wasn't that interesting in terms of riding. But it parallels the upper Columbia River. The landscape was interesting at times. What was the standout feature of this stretch? The heat! It didn't take long for the temperature to rise to the toasty stage! I was actually looking for the shade from the cliffs/hills along the highway just to get out of the sun for bit.

We rode/drove on southward towards Wenatchnee. This would be our stop for the night. For dinner we opted to get some take-out from the hotel's bar/resturant and eat in the room. The mandatory walks with Drucilla sent us down to the very enjoyable Riverfront Park.

Grand Loop: Segment 4

2011-03-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Whistler to Kelowna, British Columbia

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Segment 4 was packing up and leaving Whistler, BC and making the run to Kelowna, via Kamloops. The day didn't start out all glassy smooth though. We had a little trouble getting the Subaru going in the morning and needed to call in a jump start. But once we got it up and running, off we went.

The first part of the trip was retracing our ride from a couple of days earlier. You can see the video from the previous post. The segment took us over a number of the Destination Highways routes. The first of which was the segment from Whistler to Pemberton (DH13). Next segment up? Mt. Currie to Lillooet (DH3)

After Lillooet, the route was new to us. First up, Lillooet to Hat Creek (DH21), just north of Cache Creek. The next was the turn south and continuing eastward to Kamloops along Canada 1/97 (DH69). Frankly, I don't remember much from these segments. The landscape was dry and brown/tan. But not much beyond that.

Kamloops was our lunch break. We stayed along the highway and settled on a Wendy's for our mid-day break and munchies. I remember it being a little chilly and just gray overhead. We ate on Wendy's patio to keep the doggy in happy company. After lunch we saddled up again and went on down the highway a couple of more exits.

The target was Barnhartvale Rd. (DH68). At the very least to get off the highway. After getting through the development along the highway, Barnhartvale turned into a very nice country road flanked by farms and individual homes. On the far end it meets up with the highway again.

Jim and I lost James and Brett at the exit for Barnhartvale. They had sped ahead and I suspect missed the exit. But we proceeded. Even if they missed the exit they would be going the right direction. When the intersection with the highway (two lanes again at this point) came up we waited to see if they would re-appear for little bit. They didn't show at that time. We went on to Westwold via Monte Lake (DH77).

From there we searched for the Westside Rd. (DH11) at the north end of Okanagan Lake. We thought this would be a more interesting entrance to Kelowna than the delevoped highway. And interesting it was! This road started out pleasant enough. But it soon turned into a narrow two-lane twisty, paralleling the ridges leading down to the lake. It is not a route to speed on. Many of the curves lacked guard rails. It appears a lot of the region's people have lake houses and summer vacation spots on the this side of the lake. And it's quiet scenic. So it's a destination for RVs, gawkers and vacationers.

Besides the variable payment quality, narrow lanes and lack of shoulders, what made this road memorable was the wildlife! Big horn sheep crossings! And they were. We two wheelers came around a bend to meet a small flock that decided to go uphill from the other side of the road. Luckily, we weren't speeding by any means. But we didn't quite see them in time. Their taupe color blended into the tan hillside VERY well. What ended up being the first part flock crossed and were mostly up the hill. There was a small gap and we proceded. But because they blended so well, I didn't see the one on the shoulder. I passed within a couple of feet of her!

After that encounter, we wound up a ridge and back down the other sided to meet up with Rt.97 again, west of Kelowna. We crossed over to a business park to regroup and decide our next step.

Next step? Head into town find a hotel. Find dinner. Relax a bit and sleep. We didn't have any reservations set up. So we looked on the portable electronic gadgetry to see what was around. Our first stop was way to0 pricey for a night. We moved on. The next one was good enough and close to the downtown hub of summer evening activity.

After settling in and getting Drucilla walked and fed, we set out for dinner. We picked Katie/Carlos O'Bryan's for some pub food. It came with an entertainingly sassy waitress, too! The menu was fairly extensive. But I recall whatever I had being tasty and satisfying. And the beers were tasty.

After dinner we walked about town. Maybe it was more to stretch our legs and exercise our behinds, but Kelowna was actually a pretty interesting town. It was hopping fairly late into the night. The public artworks were impressive. The town prides itself on its water heritage, being on the lake. It definitely could be a place to spend a summer holiday.

However, being in inland Canada for winter??? Not for me!

Video... ugh....

2011-03-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

Everyone thinks video is so simple and easy, but it takes a lot of work to make anything of quality. Witness my sad little snippets. Getting these done was one item that has kept me from posting. I've been trying get these done so I could post about our August adventure somewhat chronologically. Phew! It's a bit of work to pare down a couple of hours of footage to get anything presentable. And to learn the very basics of video editing software to cut out all the absolutely boring segments and still tell a bit of a story.

Now that these are out of the way. The mountain has been traversed. Hopefully the incentive to post will return and you all will be reading a bit more regularly.

Grand Loop: Segment 3

2011-03-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Another installment finally...

Segment 3 is really days 3, 4 and 5 spent in and around Whistler. With our 'base-camp' established in a two-bedroom, 2-bath with a living/dining/kitchen, a fireplace and little balcony vacation unit, we set about relaxing and doing summer activities at a winter resort.

First day after arriving was all about the ZIP... as in zip-lining. Dangling from a suspended cable traveling propelled by gravity from one end to another. In our case, we traversed down hillsides and across a little valley.

We decided to sign-up for the WildPlay Zoom zip tour. We booked our adventure at one of the kiosks in the Whistler village. There are two tour companies offering zip-lining tours in Whistler. WildPlay goes off-site to Cougar Mountain. EcoTrek, I believe has their cables set up across the valley between Blackcomb and Whistler mountains.

The video above is a compilation of our zooming above and through the forest. I've included a bit of the preparations prior to the zip to let folks see that part. The tour consisted of instructional sessions and a short test zip. Then onto longer runs. "Godzilla" is the first of these lines. The WildPlay equipment was interesting and comfortable. They have adapted the harnesses used for hang-gliders, making for a comfortable seated position well supported by the back of the harness. Much more coverage and support than the open harnesses used by others. The "trolley" or the wheels seems fairly unique as well.

Zip-lining is quite fun, but the lines don't last long enough. But isn't that case with any 'speed' activities? The stop at the end of each line was also more violent than I expected. In this case you come zooming into a series of springs that compress to slow you down and then collide into crash pads. I understand, other's use different methods to slow the rider down at the end of the line. Is it worth it? Yes, particularly if you haven't been zipping before. If you have, you may be seeking longer, higher and faster lines. Again isn't that always the case... more adrenaline please!

The second day... the bikers went for a ride north up BC99 and Jim went kayaking. The video from the ride is a little summary of day. We left Whistler in the morning under gray skies, which turned to misty rain when we got up into the mountains, then things dried out when we reached the eastern slopes approaching Lillooet. And the afternoon was comfortably dry!

I started recording about 70km north of Whistler traveling towards Lillooet. Then on the way back, I started recording from about the same spot travelling southward back to Whistler. We would get to do the ride again in a couple of days when we would leave Whistler to loop to Kamloops and Kelowna on our way back to the States.

The following day in Whistler, Jim and I signed up for an ATV tour and James and Brett went up the mountains to hike about. These first two days were clear, but on the third day smoke from the forest fires further out in the province was starting to creep in to the Whistler valley. This of course impacted the vistas to significant extent.

The ATV tour, like the zip-line, started with some instruction about how to handle the Honda ATVs and how to maneuver over obstacles. The guide thought I would best be as the group's sweep, with my experience motorcycling so I brought up the tail end of the train. This of course I received the dust of most everyone in front of me. The tour covered a bunch of terrain, mostly forest roads, but there was a little run on dirt through the trees. Because of the smoke the views across the valley weren't what they could have been.

Evening hours were spent over dinner, both out and at 'base-camp'. Brett and James prepped a nice plate of chili! Some trip planning for our loop out of Whistler. Walks about the village. And black bear watching, right in the village.

Apparently the bears have been coming right into the village all summer long. The one to the right was seen while I was walking Drusilla one evening along one paths. It appeared to be an adult out foraging. I first spotted him/her when we were about 40m away. Dru wasn't interested and didn't understand why we were stopping.

Two nights later, while out our stroll through the upper (Blackcomb) village we encountered a cub solely interested in the trash cans. This time was along a crowded path with kids and parents and pets all meandering by.

There wasn't much in terms of shopping bargains. We picked up a some things here and there. A couple of souvenir items. Some bicycling shorts and gloves for Jim.

Whistler is a off-road biking mecca in the summer. Bikers of all shapes and sizes go to have fun. We saw our fair share of braces, casts and crutches while wandering about the village.

Grand Loop: Segment 2

2010-12-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

The second day on the road was to get from Victoria to Whistler, British Columbia. The trip wasn't going to be long. So we made some time for a breakfast and a little ambling around the Empress. Besides, Jim was tasked with purchasing some of their special tea blends for some folks back in Portland. I picked up a mix for cranberry scones, to be prepared and munched later on the trip.

Breakfast wasn't anything special, but it wasn't McD's or BK's! The Empress hotel, however, is impressive with its Victorian decor. At least in the original sections. The convention center was modern and decorated with a number of totems.

Before heading out again, James (not Jim) determined Brett's KLR would need some oil so we made plans to stop at whatever motorcycle shops we could find along the way. The first one, in Victoria proper, was closed for Sunday. The Harley dealer was open, but didn't have the proper oil. So onward we went up to Departure Bay (Nanaimo) to catch the next ferry to cross back over to the mainland.

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Although the southern portion of Hwy 1 along the Saanich Inlet is listed as a "destination highway", I really don't remember it. I had purchased Destination Highways British Columbia for the trip. The authors list this segment as DH84.

The trip up to the Departure Bay ferry terminal was only about 75 miles, it took us hardly any time to reach the staging lot. In fact, we had enough time to dismount, wander around the concessions, admire some Canadian landscapes of photographer Ron Smid, walk the dog and just relax a bit until the ferry arrived and was ready for boarding. (Oh, by the way... the inter-webs do not do justice to the imagery, colors and vibrance in the actual photographs!!!)

The little flicker above is boarding the ferry to cross over to the mainland. This was a much larger ship than the one from Port Angeles to Victoria. There were at least three car decks, carrying vehicles the size of the motorbikes up to tractors with trailers. The bikes loaded up first, then the four- or more- wheelers.

The crossing was calm, the sun was warm and the wind was brisk. We had no luck spotting whales along the way. On this trip, four-leggers were restricted to the car decks. We found a warm leeward spot for Dru to fall asleep in our laps. Out on the water with no points of reference, it was hard to tell how quickly the vessel was moving along. But as we approached the destination at Horseshoe Bay... boy were we booking.

Disembarking at Horseshoe Bay was straight-forward. But figuring out where the exit ramp to get on the Sea-to-Sky Highway was a bit taxing. It's a little (comparatively) sign way off to the right, but I was in the the middle left lanes. I had to cut across at least 5, maybe 8 lanes, to get to the ramp to head north towards Whistler.

This leg is split into two "Destination Highways". The south portion from Horseshoe Bay to Squamish (DH34) and the north end from Squamish to Whistler (DH28)

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The southern portion is really a gorgeous and scenic road. The water on one side, cliffs and mountains on the other and the sky above.

British Columbia and Canada put a big effort into improving the highway for the Winter Olympics, held in 2010. The work makes the road a very enjoyable ride. But boy! Do some people really like to ZOOM on the route.

Remember the oil for Brett's KLR? We finally got some in Squamish. James found the Canadian Tire store, just before closing and waited for us to catch up with him in the parking lot. After us three slowpokes stopped to regroup we went on to Whistler proper to get into our two bedroom, two bath condo unit Jim located using his favorite, VRBO.com.

Vacation Rentals by Owner has been very useful over the years. One can find a home or condo which ends up being more comfortable and often with more amenities than a hotel room. It often gives you a chance to 'feel at home' and relax more.

After getting in and unloading, we walked around the Whistler Village a bit, had dinner at the Whistler Brewhouse. Then we stopped by the grocery store to stock up for our stay.

Grand Loop: Segment 1, evening

2010-12-01T21:16:00.000-08:00

We booked the hotel via Orbitz. We booked rooms for each pair of us. Somehow one room got upgraded to a suite and the other was in some back hallway near the hotel's A/C unit. The town was busy and the hotel was nearly full. We were okayed to use the owner's reserved parking spot for the car and the hotel made room for the bikes near the bicycle rakes. We managed to get all vehicle in the garage, safely covered from the cold Canadian night (joke).

Dru made herself right at home in the suite almost immediately!

Of course we needed to get some dinner. We asked the hotel for a reasonable place we could walk to. We were directed to Nautical Nellies. The food was really tasty, but the pricing... well not quite so reasonable. What the hell! It was our first night out on our adventure. Enjoy!

After dinner we walked around the harbor and government center. To see the sights. There was a little art festival set up in the harbor, but folks were closing there booths down as it was getting late. We got to meander amongst those that hadn't drawn there tarps closed just yet.

The landmark in Victoria is the Empress Hotel. Of course that was a lit up as well. We strolled through the grounds on the way back to our hotel and caught this totem on the back side of the Empress in its convention facilities.

Once back at the hotel, I had thought I had left the case for my contact lenses behind, I later found it, so Jim and I got up and strolled the streets of Victoria again. This time is search of a pharmacy. We apparently stumbled on the party strip, where all the youngsters and the night clubs were. It was a busy night. Must have been due to the provincial holiday weekend!

Grand Loop: Segment 1

2010-10-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

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Well, it has been a while since I last wrote. A long while. I have no grandiose excuse to wow you. After the week on the road and in the mountains I went back to work, playing soccer and kept putting off writing.

Now it's time to get back on the horse and start writing again. So I'll start with what I remember from our trip around southwest British Columbia.

The first segment of the trip was pretty straight forward. Get to Port Angeles, WA, on the ferry and over to Victoria. We tried to avoid I-5 by taking OR 30 north and crossing the Columbia River to Longview, got on I-5 and then turning westward off I-5 outside Olympia, WA.

It was a mostly gray day to start with and somewhat chilly, especially when reached the Olympic Peninsula. When we stopped for lunch the three of us on bikes were in need of a warm-up. Besides that, my taillights were have some electrical gremlins. The connections weren't snug causing the brake light to flicker and my turn signals not to flash. A little adjustment and things seemed to stabilize. We were back on the road to Port Angeles to catch the ferry. Along the way we had a few glimpses of Olympic Mountains. But mostly things were shrouded in clouds. Up above Skokomish though the sun was coming through and we were overlooking the western shore of the Hood Canal. REALLY gorgeous coast and small towns.

We reached Port Angeles a bit over an hour ahead of the boarding time for the ferry. We proceeded to park the bikes; purchase our tickets and look around the port area. To kill time we walked around; chatted with other bikers; and generally just waited.

When the ferry arrived we mounted up and boarded the vessel. The bikes were towards the stern of the boat, off on the edges of deck along the outer walls. I was uncertain about the anchoring ropes the boat provided. They just seemed to be mounted wrong to prevent the bikes from tipping. But it didn't really matter as the seas were calm.

Once on the boat we gathered together. The ship had rules about doggies inside so Jim and I wandered around on deck with Dru. She of course got most of the attention. As we crossed the sun started breaking through and we could see Olympics as we made our way across to Canada.

Arriving in Victoria was interesting. On this leg the customs check was after disembarking in Canada. As with all customs procedures this slows things down. We had to wait as people made their way through. The bikes were through relatively early. But Jim, the car and Dru were just about the last off ship and through customs. The two wheelers went onto the hotel because there wasn't really a place to wait for Jim to come through. And we waited there.

We landed in Victoria on B.C. Day weekend. And August is the height of tourist season on the island. Between the two, navigating the through the port/government center/downtown area was not the easiest thing to do.

Grand summer loop...

2010-08-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

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Did I ever say I love my little 2001 SV650s? It is just willing to go and go and go. This summer it went nearly 1500 miles. The summer trip is over and it was a big one. If you don't recognize the dots they are Portland,OR> Port Angeles,WA> Victoria, BC> Nanaimo, BC> Whistler, BC> Lillooet, BC> Kamloops, BC> Kelowna, BC> Osoyoos, BC> Wenatchee, WA> Leavenworth, WA> Yakima, WA> Chehalis, WA and back to Portland, OR.

Golden...

2010-08-13T20:32:00.001-07:00

They say silence is golden. Although not completely silent, riding without the roar of the wind for hours is pretty damn nice.

Think of it. A wall of white noise with just a bit of variance due to speed pounding in your head and assaulting your synapses without end. Some people like this din ringing in their heads. But after hours and hours, quiet is good.

I had been using some over-the-counter ear plugs to muffle the cacophony and they worked well. A weekend in July, the BMW demo truck came by one of our local dealers. It's very common at these events to have someone that makes custom molded earplugs for the patrons. It wasn't any different at this little event.

My riding buddy, Peter, has also found a do-it-yourself kit at his local pharmacy. The plugs made at events often start at $40 and can easily get to $60 or more very quickly. Peter's DIY kit ... $12. The draw back to the kit, may be it will take you a couple a tries to get it right. But you may still end up spending less money doing it, even if you have to do it twice.

Whichever way you go about getting ear plugs, I can't say enough about going the extra step to get a pair molded to your own ears. The reduction in wind noise alone is well worth the effort.

Recently my partner, a couple of friends and I went on vacation to southern British Columbia together. We clocked about 1500 miles. I'm sure my ears would still be ringing, were it not for my plugs.

One interesting note. The plugs blocked the wind noise tremendously well. One would think it blocks all the other noise as well. On the trip I was using a Chatterbox FMRS radio to try to keep in touch with Jim in the car. And to listen to my iPod at times. The sound from the radio and iPod came through the plugs amazingly well.

... more about the trip is coming.

Lolo and Klickatat...

2010-08-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

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A couple of weeks ago Peter and I got our bikes out to complete an exploration we started a few weeks early. This little trip was up and over Lolo Pass Road, over the north shoulder of Mt Hood and up towards Hood River. Most people don't go over Lolo Pass Road because it turns to hard packed gravel. Most sport-bikers don't like this. Peter and I have made it a bit of a habit to get some gravel in every year. It's always an adventure. It makes me wonder about getting a dually.

In any case, it's nice to know the SV isn't so fragile that it rattles apart into pieces when it encounters some less friendly surfaces.

I had hoped to have some video of Lolo Pass and WA142 for you, but the data file on my tiny cheapy camera was corrupted. So no movies for you in this posting.

After lunch in Hood River, we ran up the Klickatat River valley using WA 142. This is truly a fun road. The only deterrent are the campers and rafters that want to get upstream to float down river. But the road itself is smooth with sweeping curves along the river. Then you turn left onto Glenwood-Goldendale Highway after Wahkiacus. GG Hwy is a typical rural highway. With some great views.

One view we missed was about 5-10 miles east of Glenwood. Take a look at the terrain map on Google. The road goes along the south rim of a gorge. You can't really see this, except for some glimpses through the trees from the road. I should have stopped at one of view points to take a look. A later look at the maps show a road that looks like it goes down to the river. I can't say the road actually exists or if it's passible by the SV, but I'm curious.

One somewhat surprising thing about the road into Glenwood and the road out are the big wetlands. Around here most people think of the area east of the mountains as dry, high-desert plains. So the abundance of water and cattails was not expected.

As much as we were interested in going on to Trout Lake, it was getting late. We decided to head home through B Z Corner and White Salmon and WA14, crossing back over the Columbia at the Bridge of the Gods.

ıʌnɯ

2010-07-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

So I picked up a miniature video camera recently. The thought is to be able to capture some action while on the motorcycle and other real world activities. Possibly try some occasional vlog (video blog) entries.

The camera is tiny. Yes the size imposes limitations, but it is surprising just how good the images are. I can't yet say that about the sound when the camera is mounted inside my helmet and I'm traveling along. I have yet to figure that out. But I think I figured out a mounting solution for inside the helmet. I still need to work out some kinks to get the best shot I can.

So far the best mounting solution I have is something similar to the second method used by "stevosid" in his YouTube clip. You'll see the little plastic insert he attaches the camera to, then slides between the lining and shell of his helmet. I did this and also have the spot front and center.

The center mount works, but my nose presses up against the back of the camera. I eventually get used to having my nose squished a bit. So for short periods, this isn't so bad. What really works is if I can slide the camera to the right or left of center on the chin bar to give room for the schnozz. What's preventing this? I need to find a way to compensate for the curve of the chin bar in order to keep the camera pointing forward. The other geometric matter to overcome is to keep the camera pointing slightly upward so the video captures the street out in front of me as I lean forward to grab the handlebars, rather than the instrument cluster and the street immediately over the nose of the bike.

If I can keep the camera pointing outward and not across in front of me, again because of the curve of the helmet, the side mount will work and be a bit more flexible.

The camera itself is a Veho Muvi Pro Micro. The camera is made in Asia somewhere and is sold under a variety of names. For instance the AEE MD-80, may be the "non-pro" version of the camera. You can check the specifications out by searching the interwebs. Don't expect a lot. After all the device is less than $100.

Now for the sound. This is something I still need to work on. Out in the open air the sound isn't all that bad. But when placed in the confinement of the helmet and with the "roar" of the motorcycle and wind all sound gets muddled. I really would some sort of adjustment to filter out the engine and wind roar and isolate my voice. After I come up with that solution, I'll have to try to come up with some interesting conversations to have with myself. Other than that, I can do some post processing on the Mac to remove the soundtrack and substitute something more entertaining, like music. If I can't come up with a DYI solution for the sound, I may have to switch to a device that provides an external microphone connection and more controls.

If I can get things worked out, I may pick up a couple more cameras to provide different perspectives in order to piece different bits of footage together and get creative. I can also strap a camera to other things, such as the front of the car, somewhere on Jim's snowboarding equipment, the dog's collar or leash.

So far I've posted only one video. While bopping around the 'net I also found Jelly-Lens. These are little surface mount special effects lenses for cell phones. The two I'm interested in are the wide angle and the polarizer

Stay tuned, I hope to have some more for you.

What's up with the posting title? I just wanted to avoid the post from coming up near the top of Internet searches for camera. And it was different.

Snakes on the road...

2010-06-29T22:43:00.001-07:00

How about some respect?

2010-06-29T21:14:00.001-07:00

As a motorcyclist you learn to compensate as best you can for being "invisible" to people in their cars. Trying to anticipate their incoherent actions, inattentiveness, distracted driving, etc., etc. It becomes a way of thinking and a way of surviving on the road.

But what about other motorcyclists? I know some haven't gone through any sort of training, that shouldn't be an excuse though. How about some extra consideration and respect for other motorcyclists?

On my itty bitty commute this morning another cyclist came up behind me at the first traffic light. He came up fairly fast and tucked in just a little behind and to the right of my tail end. His Aprillia was definitely louder than my bike, so I knew he was there. At least at the light.

We progressed through the next light onto third. We were stuck behind 3 or 4 cars, one of which was going a bit on the slow side, but nothing unusual for an in town commute, just before 9AM. The Aprillia rider remained behind me on through the 3rd light.

The timing on the 4th light is such that light 3 turns green then usually light 4, one block further, is green by the time you approach it.

The first two cars in line go through the 4th light. The 3rd car and I want to turn right. However, as the car and I approach the corner the Aprillia rider pulls up nearly beside me on the right! What the f*? At the corner, as I prepare to make the right turn he pulls up and passes me on the right then crosses in front of me to go around the car on the left as it makes the turn! In the diagram above the Aprillia is the red bike.

All I can say is I'm thankful about being nervous about his presence. If I had happen to have dived into that right turn a little bit quicker without checking where he was, I would have cut him off probably with both of us ending on the ground!

I would think another motorcyclist, dealing with all the crap we get from car drivers would be very aware of his relative location and the possible actions of the vehicles around him. In this case me!

It's all a gamble...

2010-05-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

It's all a gamble, including following this journal of my unremarkable-ness. Yeah, it has been a month since I've posted something. I attribute this to everything being, well, unremarkable.

Things are all about the same from one day to the next. And that just makes for boring writing and even more boring reading. Basically, I have not been inspired to post anything.

Just like these poker chips showing up at the base of the driveway one day, this message appears before you.

The routine is fairly predictable... wake; eat; shower; walk the dog; mount up to go to the office; fix other people's problems all day long; work too long; mount up to go home; eat; watch something meaningless; and back to bed.

Weekends with errands; some little house projects; laundry and soccer.

I'm sure if I were someone important, the paparazzi would figure out my schedule very quickly. Even with the occasional minor change, a dinner out here and there.

Amongst the mediocrity, a couple non-routine happenings:

I have almost reached my goal for losing weight. I used to hover around 205 and 210 pounds. Now, I'm almost to the 185 goal.
I know it is a bit counter-intuitive, but a sample of Berger's Cookies is on the way west. These are yummy! Everything in moderation. I haven't had any in a long, long time. Thanks to Duff ("Ace of Cakes") for reminding me of these delectable treats from Baltimore, MD. (Now, if I could get some hush-puppies from Calabash, NC.)

Some time soon, I, yeah me, will have a family visitor. My aunt, (the fun one) is passing through town on her travels. Why is this exceptional? This the first visit of anyone in my family since moving west. And even before that. You see, family is not my strong suit. And apparently, over the course of time, I have not been a pull for them either.
On the new car front. It's spring time and I'm getting around on the motorbike just fine. I'm not in any rush to adopt a new payment. For those that are wondering; although the Mini is cute and probably fun. It's expensive. The VW GTI or TDI are looking like the more pragmatic solution.

That's it for now. Stay tuned and stay patient. I will post again.

Points for the vest?

2010-03-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I was supposed to take a day off from work. But on Thursday I wasn't able to complete the updates on a company computer for a home office staffer located in Salem. Thursday night I was able to get things straightened out and completed. So I decided to deliver the computer to the staffer on Friday morning, in spite of my day off.

A company car wasn't available. And it was too much hassle to get a rental just for 50 mile run (one way). I thought, what the hell? I'll strap the computer onto the back of my cycle and make the run to Salem on two wheels and get some cash for the mileage (currently $0.50/mile). And better yet, some saddle time.

It was threatening rain and was on the chillier side, hovering just around 50F. I suited up appropriately in my more water resistent/proof gear, my warm gloves, long-johns, etc. The ride was a simple run down and up I-5. Nothing special there.

The interesting part was on my way out of Salem. Apparently this a common event for local riders and is a known issue with the Salem PD and possibly one officer in particular. At least according to a local rider's forum.
++++++++++++
I had my first pull-over regarding my motorcycle as I was just about out of Salem proper to return to Portland via I-5 (yawn).

The issue: tail-end lighting. One of my turn signals was out, so it appeared to him I made some 'illegal' lane changes.

But then he goes on about not being able see the signals and the spacing, etc. He walks around the bike and sees the smoked (stock) Buell signals I installed on the front and questions them. The front have all the DOT/SAE markings one can fit on 'em.

He checked my license, if I had my contacts in and sent me on my way with a warning. Did I get any points for wearing my hi-vis vest and retaining the side reflectors.

When I got home I repaired the non-flashing turn signal. Then I went looking for the relevant Oregon regulations and statutes. I didn't find much beyond that bikes (post-1973) require turn signals and brake lights, that must be visible from 500 feet at night in the Oregon statutes.

I posted up a note on the SVRiders.com NW regional forum. Then later found the references below.
+++++++++++++
(Oregon) DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, DRIVER AND MOTOR VEHICLE SERVICES DIVISION: 735-108-0090

Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment for Motorcycles and Mopeds

(1) Transportation Safety adopts FMVSS Number 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment, in regard to such equipment and devices required for usage on motorcycles and mopeds, as found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571, October 1994 Edition.

US NHTSA "REQUIREMENTS FOR MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURERS" on page 35, 36...
Turn signal lamps:

At or near the front - 1 amber on each side of the vertical centerline at the same height, and having a minimum horizontal separation distance (centerline of lamps) of 16 inches. Minimum edge to edge separation distance between lamp and headlamp is 4 inches. At or near the rear - 1 red or amber on each side of the vertical centerline, at the same height and having a minimum horizontal separation distance (centerline to centerline of lamps) of 9 inches. Minimum edge to edge separation distance between lamp and tail or stop lamp is 4 inches, when a single stop and tail lamp is installed on the vertical centerline and the turn signal lamps are red.

Height above road surface: Not less than 15 inches, nor more than 83 inches.

And the Code of Federal Regulation, Title 49, Section 571.108

BTW, my rear turn signals measure just over 9" from centerline to centerline apart, from the rear perspective. And as the turn signals are not red in color, the 4" separation from the tail/brake light should not apply. So positionally they should be fine.

10 gone...

2010-03-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've decided to give it a try. A concerted effort to drop just a bit of weight. For the past several years I've been running around 200-210. Not excessively pudgy but more than I should be carrying. For the most part my long-torso, 6' frame carried it fairly well.

So, following Jim's example from a year or two ago I loaded up "Lose-it" onto my iPod Touch. Lose-it is just a calorie counter. You record your caloric intake and output. You lose weight by keeping your intake at or below your total allotment for the day. No need to pay Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. You can do it yourself. There's nothing drastic about it. Eat whatever you like, just keep the total calories below the set target.

I set my ultimate goal for this go 'round to be twenty pounds. And I'm down 10 pretty much right away (3 weeks). The next 10 will be the harder half to meet. My daily calorie target is just over 1600. It hasn't been to hard to meet that number, except when I get bored and get the munchies. That's when I start eating the "bad" foods and push up against my target numbers. And pizza does me in too!

Wish me luck.

Season group opener...

2010-03-29T21:39:00.001-07:00

Procrastination as a wonderful way of allowing things to slip away into the past where they become less and less important. Or is it "today's" issues just jump to the front of the line? And of course days just keep coming and coming.

This seems to be what is happening at the office. I have what amounts to be a really important documentation project to do for the onsite overseers of my satellite offices' networks. But have I gotten to it?

I rather be out riding. What is just what I did on Saturday the 21st. I know, that was two weeks ago already. Did I mention procrastination, yet?

Our little GSR group gathered up for our first day trip around the area. In total 6 of us came out for our season warm-up. I travelled around the region south and west of Portland, lead by Scott. He obviously has lived in the area for way to long! There's no way I can reproduce the route on GMaps. The best I can do is show the region covered.

My trip-meter registered about 130 miles for the day. And it was a beautiful spring day. More will be coming! We stopped for some fuel for folks, and a snack here and there, but no big lunch. Mostly just riding through the 'estates' and farmland and a couple of towns. It was good to see the folks out. And we had a newbie riding along on his KLR and he did just fine. We weren't pushing it by any means. Brett you did well!

As far as I could tell the bike performed well. I'm by no means an expert, so I can't provide any enlightenment about the new tires or chain and sprocket set up.

I look forward to riding more this spring and to do that I'll be passing on some of my outdoor soccer games. I can live with that.

Since I've sold the car back in August, the motorcycle has become my transportation machine as well as a recreation outlet. As with anything that you do day in and day out, the activity loses some of its luster and becomes routine. The same is with the motorcycle. When commuting on it all the time, I've had the inkling about the routine nature riding is becoming. But on the weekend I can shed the extra luggage and the burden of having to get to or from the office and just ride and see the countryside.

First 2010 Ride...

2010-03-10T21:21:00.001-08:00

Last weekend was a lovely one! So nice that I went out for an excursion on the bike. The temperature hovered around 55-60. I took the opportunity to go whizzing around the Willamette Valley.

I went south and west towards an old route towards Nestucca River Road. I didn't go all the way out to the river. I stopped at the lake/reservoir after about 2 hours of riding and turned around to head home.

Although I like riding with a few buddies, I did this little romp on my own. It's nice to be out by yourself every so often. I didn't run into anything extraordinary other than the spring time bliss. I stopped every now and then to peek at the map and to sit in the sun to warm up a bit. (After all, even 55 degrees at 30-60 MPH can get chilly.)

The bike runs well after its fixit. Along with its maintenance I added another another accessory. One that I hope to never use!

There's one each side of the bike. These are frame sliders, made by LSL. The idea is that these little doorknobs are meant to help protect the bike should it ever go down on its side. Of course the intent is to keep the sliders in pristine condition forever.

Unimpressive...

2010-02-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to the Portland auto show. As an overall statement all I can say is that I wasn't overly impressed. Maybe it's a part of being in Portland, not a major stop on the car show circuit. And the Portland show is put on by the Portland area new car dealers, not the car companies themselves. This might be a limiting factor.

The show is held at the Portland Convention Center. It's a big space but seemed very empty. The space between vehicles was gapping at times. And the variety of vehicles was diminished. In fact, BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes and Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki did not even come to the show.

Above is the new Ford Fiesta, the Kia Forte Koupe and the Mini Cooper S. From my previous posts you may remember I've been pondering the Mini, the VW Golf and the Subaru Impreza. The Fiesta shows some promise. And damn!, Kia packs a lot into the Forte and for only around $20k.

One of the more interesting experiences at the show didn't have anything to do with cars. The Dyson Airblade hand dryer in the restroom was pretty impressive.

The old style air dryer takes what seems forever to do it's job. The Airblade actually only took, maybe, 10 seconds at most! And your hands are dry!

Winter fixit...

2010-02-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

This year the Suzuki went to CycleTune for its winter pick me up. The ride is approaching 20,000 on the odometer. That also means nearly 10,000 miles on the treads I purchased when I first acquired blue back in 2006. By most accounts 10k on motorcycle tires is damn good. Although I probably could have gotten through the coming season, it would have been a bit sketchy on the tail end.

I also noticed some wear on the sprockets. On the SVRider.com forum there seemed to be a consensus that the 20k mark was a good time to start looking at replacing them. So that went on the list as well.

On top of those particulars, a good annual safety check and regular maintenance activities.

Above and below are the old Metzler Roadtec Z6 (right two photos) and the new Dunlop RoadSmart dual compound treads. For those not in the know, dual compound tires have a harder rubber composite in the center of the tread face and a softer compound on the shoulders. This allows the center to wear longer, but still give significant grip while cornering. It's a way to get longer mileage and still provide a respectable level of performance.

The final major pieces in this go 'round are new sprockets and chain. The rear Vortex sprocket has two more teeth than the stock one. On my initial rides after the work this change has been the most noticeable.

Much like moving into a lower gear on a bicycle. The engine spins a little bit faster to get up to speed. This really means that engine revs up into its "power band" more quickly, so the bike pulls stronger at a wee-bit lower speeds. It's actually a very common modification. It may just take me a little bit to get used to.

Right now all I'm really doing is riding my short little commute (usually in the rain). I don't have the distance to get up to speed. Also having new tires, one must be initially cautious, especially on the wet surfaces. So just out of the garage it's easy going.

Next up are some frame sliders and a replacement air filter. Some suggested upcoming things including a radiator guard, maybe a new "jet kit", eventually new muffler maybe. Right now I have a belly pan coming in. When I get that in, and temporarily mounted, you'll get to vote on some mock-ups to help determine what color it should be painted.

Get the funk out...

2010-01-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

Most people will probably tell you that I haven't been in a "happy place" much since October. By far the most significant influence on my moods has been Lance's illness, care and the subsequent decision to put him to rest.

Another major factor has been a general dissatisfaction with my work environment and the load. The daily tasks have just become unenjoyable. The job to keep about 100 people and their computers running just wears down my mental energy. And of course that drain, just sucks it from other parts of life. In spite of the all the work I put in, it just doesn't stop. I'm coming to the conclusion that the Windows operating system doesn't help the situation. But also the whole consumer technology industry is fundamentally flawed. Especially, regarding its marketing messages.

Contrary to popular consumer belief, technology will not solve your problems. It will not make up for your short comings in logic, deduction, insight, and skill. Technology certainly can enhance your abilities....if you are willing to learn how to use it and apply it to your particular task. But don't expect it to do it without some effort on your part. There is a reason that "RTFM" is in the techies' lexicon. If you are not willing to learn or give me the opportunity to teach you the basics, please ditch the expectation that whatever gadget or technology process you are trying to take advantage of will work for you.

I fear I may have boxed myself in regarding my career. Between being in the same company for way too long and being a total generalist techie, not specialized in any particular discipline; I'll probably have to put in some very significant work towards getting beyond my current funk and move onto making things better this year.

2009 / 2010

Be well.

2010-01-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

From Bandit in PDX

Whoooooooshhhhh......

2010-01-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

That's was the sound of the musical genius genome passing me by to land on another family member. If you enjoy music from unusual sources, you should investigate. If you're in the San Francisco area you may want to attend a performance. (click on photo)

Also see:

Music from the Ice
MySpace (excerpts available)

Leave it behind, and have some fun...

2009-12-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

Are you considering enjoying an extended holiday vacation? Do you use a company notebook computer? Here are some suggestions to help you enhance your time off and your holiday cheer with your family, friends and loved ones!

Are you traveling by air? Make T.S.A. screening a pleasant holiday happening! - Leave your computer at the office!

Are you visiting friends or family or having them come visit you? Don’t be rude and skulk off to some lonely corner to check your e-mail or add a paragraph to a grant proposal. Stay out there, enjoy the company and cheer. - Leave your computer behind!
Are you hauling gifts, food, children with you as you spread your cheer and share your spirit (or spirits)? Enable yourself to carry an extra 10 pounds of delight and lose the need to keep track of another bag and all the gadgets inside. – Keep that computer safe and snug in an out of the way drawer back at the office.
Does your celebration involve healthy amounts of coffee, latte, eggnog, cider, wine, champagne, juice, gravy, au jus? Prevent that accidental spill that may cost an unnecessary $1500 and the aggravation and the worry of endangering your data file(s). – Tuck that baby away at the office, so you can really enjoy the yumminess!
So you think you can get caught up by doing work while on holiday? Then what’s the point of being on holiday? Besides, even if you were able to get caught up, you would have to wait for all your colleagues to catch up with you when you get back. If you’re gonna be behind, might as well be behind with everyone else. – The computer will wait for you at the office no matter how long you are out being jolly!
Dreading the day you come back and open a message from (me) asking about when (I) can have access to your computer to do another round of updates? Avoid that whole thing, by making arrangements with (me) to visit your computer while you’re frolicking in the season! - Make an appointment for your computer that you don’t have to attend!
Do you feel anxiety and pressure if you know you have a message but don’t get a chance to answer it? Avoid the mental health incidents altogether! - Turn off your computer, let it take the pressure and filter out those distractions. Turn off your iPhone, Blackberry or whatever you have for periods of time to allow yourself to enjoy the quiet!
Going skiing, snowboarding, to the beach and sunshine? The computer hates the cold and wet. And it doesn’t like the heat and sand either. - Let it stay behind at the office and be the curmudgeon. Go out have fun in spite of its foul mood!
New son, daughter, grandchild, niece, nephew or puppy? Avoid the sticky keyboard, the massive smears across the screen, slimy palm rests! - Make the computer childproof and baby-safe here in your office.
Do your holiday gatherings often end in a food fight? Does grandma’s Jello salad somehow end up on the walls every year? – Spare the computer from seeing your sister with her hair matted with mashed potatoes; sequester it from the realities of your family and friends, in solitary confinement of an empty office!
Ooops! That wasn’t wrapping paper! - Don’t make that mistake. There’s no way to confuse wrapping paper with company equipment, if the equipment it far, far away at the office.
Need to extend the New Year’s holiday some more? Have a party when you come back to the office, invite your long lost computer. After all, you haven’t seen each other since last year! (Just make the computer the designated driver! Keep the bubbly at a safe distance!)

++++++++++++

Now seriously folks… Have a good time this holiday season and make sure those around you also enjoy themselves. Don’t worry about work and the computers; they’ll be waiting for your return to the office. If you are planning an extended time out of the office, please:

Seriously consider if you need to take your computer with you. And be honest with yourself!
Store your notebook computer away, out of sight, at the office or wherever you are.
Make arrangements with me to get the next round of updates done.
Protect it from the elements (cold, wet, heat, dust, etc., etc.).
Protect it from unfriendly liquids and colloids.
Be vigilant, if you absolutely must travel with it.
Make sure the data on the hard drive is backed-up, just in case the unfortunate happens.
Periodically take inventory of all the parts and pieces, to be sure they’re all there.

In my role as 'the computer guy' in the office I continually get to work with people when they are stressed, frustrated, baffled, etc. about why the computer is doing something it's not supposed and not doing things it is supposed to. Being the perpetual 'fixit' man.

What I have found amazing is how much many people feel naked or helpless when they can't have a computer or when the computer stops working for them.

I work for a non-profit and people always say it must be great working in a place where everyone is so driven by the mission. Well, yes and no. As non-profit staffers, we are constantly asked to do more with less. To make sure as much as possible that the money we raise goes towards the mission. To me this cultural message seems to create a certain sort of neurosis in people encouraging people to overwork and pushing people to 'the edge'. And it's amazing how much of that energy has an epicenter around a box of electronics. And how the simple presence of such a box seems to make people lose it.

In an attempt to remind people to let go and have fun during their time off these holidays, I composed the e-mail message above. It was generally well received, too. I surprised some people with a sense of humor. I'm often seen as the office grump. But how can you blame me when most of what I do is listen to everyone complain and solve their problems. I do know at least one other 'branch' office used it to encourage their folks to leave the boxes behind.

And since just the previous morning I received a call from a staffer who spilled coffee on his assigned notebook and it's now dead (there's a ~$1500 coffee); I also wanted to remind folks to be careful. Be careful of accidents, theft, forgetfulness whatever may happen to damage or cause the loss of a useful computer. And of course to try to prevent more unnecessary work from landing in my lap, especially when it not my fault.

Above is the message I sent (modified of course). I hope you enjoyed. I hope you also consider exactly how attached you may have become to your electronic tools.

Because it does matter...

2009-12-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

Because it does matter what happens to each and everyone of you. And because messages like this don't get aired in our nation (USA). Take a look at what our neighbors down-under have done to remind us.

Please be safe yourself. Please watch out for your loved ones and friends. And please keep an eye out for those that have not been so careful this holiday season (and always).

iBeen iTouched, iJust ia iLittle

2009-11-09T20:04:00.000-08:00

Back in September before I started my travels, I purchased a Touch from motobuddies John and Peter. They had moved onto the iPhone and hadn't been using the Touch. It was just lying about not doing anyone any good. It's a first generation.

Why a Touch and not a Phone? Mostly because I would never get my money's worth out of the AT&T voice plans connected to the Phone. It's just exorbitant for my purposes. But the networking function was appealing. I was also looking for an alternative to my trusty, but aging Handspring Platinum.

I've had the Handspring for a long time and it's still working strong. Granted it's not slim and stylish in today's standards. It doesn't have a color display. It uses AAA batteries. No such thing as an onscreen keyboard. What is "Graffiti" anyway? Hell, it worked!

I kept my personal calendar (to some extent). Had a database recording fuel consumption of my vehicles. Also a very functional checkbook/bank account register. And finally a password manager. Those were my major functional applications.

I had to reproduce these functions on the Touch. I searched the App store high and low and tried many different apps, but finally settled on ones that would fit the bill. However, in my search for the functionality I was looking for I found that I really wasn't overly impressed with either the Touch or the Apps I was exploring. I can understand the cool factor and the hoopla when the devices came out, but I never had one to use on a daily basis.

Now that I do... well my opinion is more along the lines of "it's another nifty device but it's not all it's cracked up to be". I come to this opinion by way of the little things in the Apps that make them much more usable that were/are just missing. For instance a [Caps Lock]. There isn't one. Many of the Apps are simply nonsense fluff. Others try hard but are squarely pre-version 1.0 worthy. The touch screen keyboard? I may get better at it, but I can certainly Graffiti it faster than single-digit touch "typing". Did they really go without Cut'n'Paste for that long??? The iPod functions... I like the Nano's interface a bit more.

But I guess I'll get used to the Touch, like most other gadgets. What I settled on for Apps?

Gas Cubby ($$) for vehicle fuel and maintenance records
PocketMoney ($) for checkbook/banking register
PMG PassCode ($) for password records and management
The Weather Channel app for more detailed weather
Lose it! - a calorie counter/planner (no I haven't used it, yet)
a flashlight app
Tip and Split, tip calculator
AppMiner, an iTunes Store search tool.
Ping! An iPhone/Touch to iPhone/Touch messaging via Internet

These will suit my daily needs. I'm sure I'll find some other things that will fill short-term gaps. But for now I'm giving it a go.

Bad news...

2009-10-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

From Bandit in PDX

Back at the end of September we received bad news. Our "little surfer dude", Lance, was diagnosed with cancer. A kind that is terminal in dogs. We had to make some decisions. And not the happy kind. He is still with us, but we don't know for how long.

So he went on some medications right away. Apparently these were harsh on our little buddy's innards. Although the bad days/weeks didn't start right away... boy did they come on strong.

This is where I feel very guilty for being on the road while Jim was at home doing the hard stuff, both emotionally for himself and taking care of a dear friend in pain and discomfort.

Before leaving on my trips we decided on the moderate course of radiation treatment. The more aggressive treatment would not change the final outcome. But there is some hope the treatment will slow things and help provide some comfort until inevitable time comes.

From Bandit in PDX

At this time he is in the midst of his zapping. And is stable. Although is weight is down, he is eating well, taking his meds and acting much more like the little buddy that has wormed his way into our hearts.

As hard as it is to see friends and family in pain and discomfort as they face severe medical situations, it is the same with our four-legged friends too. We want to provide comfort and take away the pain for them. And it pains us that we can't do anything but stand on the sidelines.

After I returned from my week long trips, I had my turn to become an emotional wreck. Even with my farm upbringing which did include the loss of pets and butchering of cattle, it is still difficult to endure.

We have some time left and I hope we can do good by Lance as we prepare ourselves and care for him.

Md, KF, Sy, En, I, B, Eu

2009-10-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

By the title you might think this is about a bunch of natural elements. Nope. These are the places I've been traveling to and working way too hard at for the past month. The translation is: Medford, Klamath Falls, Sycan Marsh Research Station, Enterprise, Ione, Bend and Eugene. I did these in three trips. Two trips three locations and one trip to the final office.

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What marks these trips more than anything else is long hours. Some days stretched to 12, 14, 16 hours. Essentially, I was replacing servers in each of the seven locations and upgrading the MS Office Suite and Symantec protection software on each computer. Plus other odds and ends.

The office rents vehicles for these sorts of trips. Three trips, three different cars. I had the opportunity to drive a Hyundai Sante Fe, Chevy HHR and Toyota Matrix. They all did the job asked of them, but I'd have to say the most enjoyable one to drive was the Sante Fe.

Except for the usual sorts of hiccups, the new servers are up and running seem to be doing the task. Now I just have to write up the documentation to help the non-techie on-site folks.

Except for my Sunday afternoon outbound trips from Portland and Saturday morning return trips, most of my travel was done during twilight and night time. Therefore, I don't get to see much of the scenery on these expeditions. And likewise, I'm in the office most all day and late into the night. Again not taking much time to enjoy the local offerings. It's all work, work, work. I'm there for a limited time and need to get things done and move onto the next office.

It's unfortunate that I work/travel in this manner. There were a couple of very interesting roads that I drove on, but it was to dark to fully register/review them for future motorcycle journeys. Dead Indian Road between Medford and Klamath Falls has some real potential. It could be very similar to OR Rt. 66 which I reviewed earlier in this blog. Another route are the roads between Ione, through Condon, Fossil and onto Madras. But I didn't see these as I started my trips to next location at the end of the day and drove into the night.

There were some interesting happenings while I was out on the road. While in Medford there were a couple of wildfires in the area. Just before I pulled into our facility on the Sycan Marsh the folks there are pretty confident a cougar ran past the building in the dusk, leaving some tracks behind. Snow on the ground up in the Blue/Wallow mountains as I made my way to Enterprise. Lots of deer, possibly some burrowing owls, many other small critters. And some big critters (cows) in the road. I didn't see any of the more interesting wildlife that Oregon has to offer.

I don't know how I feel about such trips. On one hand I'm out of the office can get a chance to see other parts of this wonderful state. On the other, I'm busy working too hard, staying up too late, eating poorly, and stressing over keeping the staff up and running with minimal interruptions.

290 Miles!!!

2009-09-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

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It has been a long while since posting. I've be busy and stressed so I haven't had a chance to motivate myself to post up. So lets start here with a little effort to get caught up.

Let's see... maybe it was 3+ weeks ago now. Peter and I went on our little tandem adventure in southwest Washington. We headed off towards the neighborhood east of Mt. Saint Helens. We usually go up I-5 to the west, but I wanted to go in the other direction. Counter-clockwise if you will.

The approach wasn't too special. Peter took me on the "Washougal Loop", which is a nice diversion from Washington 14. Along the way we came across a fellow who slid his Hayabusa into a guard rail and literally tore the nose of it. The rider was up and standing and seemingly okay with some scratches and scraps. He was with his buddies and a paramedic was on the scene. After Peter imparted a little advice regarding traffic regulations we were on our way again.

A little ways up north of Carson, we stopped for a snack and to top off our tanks. While at the station watching the Harleys and cruisers come and go, our friends Randy and Nathan come rolling in on their nearly matching black Ducati Super Sports. They were off to see it they could get to the Windy Ridge observation station. We were going farther east to explore another route up to Randall, WA.

It was actually a good route heading towards Mt. Adams. However when we turned off NF90 on to NF23. The first 10-15 miles going north from NF90 were all packed gravel. Although it was a dusty hassle, it wasn't a deterent for Peter and myself. We have a bit of history of finding these less that ideally paved routes. The last 15-20 miles of NF23 were actually very nicely paved, somewhat narrow at times. I found it fun to see the road's centerline wander from side to side. Clearly the road was once a wider path.

We stopped at the crossroads that is Randall, WA for some more fuel. And after chatting with some cruiser dudes (their bikes were not nearly as dusty as ours), we started our journey home via NF25.

NF25 runs by the east side of Mt. St. Helens. And winds up the slopes and through the valleys. Our trip on 25 was a bit of another adventure. The day was warm and sunny, until we started going up. It got overcast and a definite chill had rolled in. While up rolling through the high points along 25, the clouds skipped along the tops of the ridges and tree tops. Of course coming down into the valley things warmed up again.

It was getting late and we were wearing out. Pull out the map and find the quickest route home. From Cougar out to I-5 and back south to Portland. The goal for Peter... get to the liquor store to get cocktail supplies so he and John could enjoy a pleasant evening together.

I don't remember what I did when I got home to Jim and the puppies. After all that was weeks ago.

Repost: OR66 - Ashland to Klamath Falls

2009-09-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Back in the spring of 2008, I went on a little scouting trip for a motorcycle trip I took a little later, during the summer of 2008. I posted the scouting trip on a blog I made for that little group of tripsters. Since then I took down that blog but I want to keep this route summary alive because I received a number of comments about how useful it is. So here it is again, edited to make more sense than the original context.

May 2008:
Oregon Route 66 runs about 65 miles between Ashland and Klamath Falls.

On the east edge of Ashland, OR66 opens with 10 to 15 miles of constant turns. At this stage the road is mostly going up along the face of the hills. In spite of the photos included here most of this section does not have guard rails. In the car I was mostly able to stay between 30 and 40 MPH.

The road surface varies some but it is in good condition. There is a spot right about the 10 mile post where you come around a U curve and it looks like the roadbed slipped a bit, leaving two offset gashes in the right hand lane. The road is lined with red 'lava stone' gravel. Even this early in May it was quite clear. Except for some rare spots, if there's any gravel on the road, it's on the outer edges. The photos above and below are taken at about the 13.5 mile post, looking back and forward.

This is by far the twistiest part of the route. It goes on like this until about the 20 mile post. Then it mellows out as you descend the back side of the first range of hills.

The landscape is open oak/pine savanna-like as you go up the hills. Then turns to pine forest. At least at this time of year, everything was very green and lush. About 30 miles in, OR66 passes through the hamlet of Lincoln, OR. This marks the spot where the road straightens out noticeably. In fact, mile post 30 marks a two mile stretch of straight rolling road. Then there's a couple of curves as you approach and pass Jenny Creek. Then things go straight again with more sweeping curves through timbered forest.

More sharp turns come as you descend towards the Klamath River crossing. Right at the crossing, the road is smooth and silky. But prior to the that pavement is more variable due to wear and tear. There's an occasional pothole, some cracks. After crossing the Klamath County line going up to the the Parker Mtn. Pass (elev. 4356 ft.) it seemed there was more gravel encroaching on the lane. Not just along the edge, and the occasional spattering along the center lines, but also a bit more in the center of the lane.

It's also important to remember that you may run into critters both big and small along the road. A deer stepped out into the left lane at 9:44AM. And of course there were the scurrying fuzzy-tailed rodents darting across the road.

The Klamath River crossing is quite picturesque and there is an easy pull-off for a little breather. The rest of OR66 turns into a typical rural byway with a increasing density of residences as you approach Klamath Falls. Soon you enter Keno. This is really the first village with some amenities, such as a gas station maybe a convenient store. But not a lot. So if you are cursed with a small gas tank be sure to check your fuel, and maybe refuel on the west end of the segment in Ashland before starting this segment.

As you travel onward you follow along the Klamath River and its wetlands. This region is rich in bird life. That includes a lot of waterfowl. On my trip I saw some cranes, geese, ducks. I didn't see any pelicans on this trip, but I have in the past.

To get into the city center of Klamath Falls, you do a little cloverleaf ramp where OR66 meets up with OR140 and 97. Then go a couple of miles and exit right into the west end of town. There's a Quality Inn is right at the base of the ramp.

With the stops for pictures, estimate the OR66 took about 1.5 hours to traverse.

Withdraw symptoms...

2009-09-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

The evening I sold the Saab, I crawled into bed to sleep. Bang! My first round of shivers came on strong and lasted probably a hour. It probably wasn't a good sign. It certainly seemed like it could have been Saab withdraw. But I'm sure it was just the first night of battle with my share of the 'summer flu'.

The next day was ok. Jim had decided to get out of town, so we went to up to West Seattle. The drive up wasn't bad. Traffic was not the usual SeaTac nightmare. Saturday started out ok. It seemed to be the pattern that the mornings were passable, but as the day wore on I became more and more zombie-like.

On Saturday, my zombie stage started after we had gone for a walk around town for a hour or two. During our walk I spied these two SVs. The red one is in really nice condition! We took a moment to oogle it before we moved on.

As we got back to the house, my head was giving out. But I came back to the world in order to enjoy the wonderful piece of king salmon and the halibut cakes we purchased at the fish market in the morning.

The next couple of days were cycles of almost normal, hot spells, cold spells, sleep, a bit to munch on. So on and so on until Thursday. Then it was all gone and I felt fine. Fine enough to play both an indoor and an outdoor soccer game.

During this little period of sanity, we had two sets of friends come flying through town. And we got to see "District 9", which helped restore our faith in good science fiction story telling with references to current day social/societal ills.

Then Monday came around and it started again. Same pattern... ok mornings, zombie-like afternoons and sleep. Until this past Thursday... I just gave up and stayed home and slept most of the day. My temperature spiked around 103^oF and 3 hours later I was below 100^o. On Friday I hovered around 99^o and then on Saturday I was below the target 98.6^o and have been since.

As you can imagine the center of my life for the past two weeks has been about trying to get through the illness. So far so good.

You've been good to me...

2009-08-12T21:37:00.001-07:00

After 11 years and only 45,000 miles I'm saying goodbye to my Saab. It has been a good car for me and now I'm sending it on to be good to someone else.

At this time I'm not rushing out to get another 4-wheeler. I'll work with the two I have and maybe occasionally get to use the Subie for groceries and errands.

What has caught my fancy? The Mini Cooper. However, the thought of taking on a car payment doesn't really appeal to me. So we'll just have to see how much I can raise before I'm ready to plunk down $$$$$ for another hunk of metal. Maybe by then Koenigsegg will have control of Saab and they'll be producing something not so... GMish.

The papers have been signed. The check has been written. The bumper stickers have been removed. And the bits and pieces have been gathered up for the next operator.

Under bridges... 08

2009-08-02T23:32:00.001-07:00

Quartzville Rd, east of Sweet Home, OR, maybe 20 miles.

Peter and me...

2009-08-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

I finally got to go on a long, long day ride. It was about 280 miles long. That's definitely on the extended side for our little day trips. Today it was just Peter and myself. The weather was a tad bit on the warm side, but not at all unbearable. It is pretty amazing how you get small blasts of cool air when you pass through the shaded areas.

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The start of the ride was the familiar and favorite Clackamas River Road (OR Route 224). Starting in Estacada, I headed out first. Peter was getting fuel and snacks. I thought we would ride this little section at our own pace. And we met up at the Ripplebrook Ranger Station.

While I was at the station waiting for Peter, I picked up a map of the Mt. Hood National Forest, with all the forest roads! All the commercially available maps just don't have the detail that the Forest Service maps have. If I'm going to be motoring around the Cascades, I'd like to have a clue. The map will help.

From Ripplebrook, we watched a Suzuki B-King zoom by, way too fast. Then we mounted up and took NF46 all the way to Detroit, OR. The road was clear and very enjoyable. And traffic was low.

In Detroit we stopped for a break and a snack. We chatted briefly with a threesome heading north. We were headed south. They suggested a road starting 20 miles to the east along Rt. 22. The road is the Quartzville Back Country Byway (more info) or Forest Service Road 11. This is about 53 miles of twisties and switchbacks following along steep valleys and rock walls. The road starts out as two lanes, but quickly turns to a single lane for the majority of the trip. On the east end, the road had gravel, small rocks and debris at the base of the nearly every stretch that passed along a rock face. Some caution has to be exercised. The west end finally reaches the valley floor where the road loosens up a bit. The turns aren't quite so tight and the conditions are much smoother.
Along with the adventures on the road surface itself we had a couple of other distractions along the way. After crossing one of the single-lane bridges we were waved down by a woman with an RV. The camping in this area is appears to be mostly along the road, since that was where the level ground is. Anyways, it appears she had tried to turn the RV around and backed it off the shoulder of the road and got stuck. She asked us to get the sheriff she had seen a mile or three ahead of us. Peter sped a head, because he can, to find the sheriff to tell him of the situation.

After telling the sheriff of the RV. Peter's bike all of a sudden did not restart! No electricity. Nada. Nothing. Puzzled, we pulled out the tools and started to check fuses and connections. The only thing we found was that one terminal on the battery was loose. We tightened it up and tried it out. And the copper SV was back in business. We put the pieces back together and off we went.

Down the road a bit we stopped along the river to give our feet a little breather. (top photo). It was a nice respite from the saddle. Then off again, towards Sweet Home, OR for fuel and to start the trip home via Lebanon and onto I-5 up to Portland.

The bike hit 61.2 MPG! It's hard to beat that fuel performance. Peter's is a liter-bike (1000cc) and at the refuel his quick calculation was about 45 MPG.

A long day, but a good ride!

Good luck with the...

2009-07-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

"Good luck with the curtains. I hope they work out." - parting words at a recent BBQ. Oh the gays!

And what is it with the Foundation for a Better Life? ^1,2

Have people in America (the world?) become so bitter and jaded we now need inspirational TV reminders to be a good person? Weren't posters good enough?

¹[Home]
²[Wikipedia]

Pluses/Minuses, Ups/Downs...

2009-06-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

Finally, my outdoor soccer season ended and I got a Saturday to go riding! (PLUS). A group of 5 of us headed out to southwest Washington, into the gap between Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams (in photo, courtesy of Maynard).

The roads were clear, except for the start of the stretch heading south towards Trout Lake off from NFD 90 Rd.. There we got to dodge some debris, logs, branches, wood chips. But no snow or gravel.

Back, earlier in the day we stopped in Cougar, WA to top off the fuel tanks and our tummies. Cougar is a popular stopping place for motorcyclists. As we ate we watched groups of Harleys, Ducatis and various other makes and models drive on past.

It was still a great ride to make use of the annual insurance payment I just made. Which of course was higher than last year (MINUS). I did do some insurance shopping before making my payment, but in the end decided to stick with my current provider. The options were less expensive, but there were some trade-offs I didn't want.

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****
300:700 = parts:labor cost for a visit to the Saab dealer to give a little, long needed TLC for the ol' cager (MINUS). I had pretty much neglected the car for almost a year. What the hell, it's barely driven. But it was needed. Besides some little annoying wear and tear, it also needed some new seals on the cylinder head, the transmission. Oil and fluid changes and an overall maintenance check. I still need to get an alignment check. But I had barely driven the car for 3 weeks before servicing. And haven't moved it except to clear the driveway for a day since.

Although I'm not pushing it, should the opportunity to sell the Saab come along, I may just take advantage of it.
****
Indoor soccer's summer season has been a rocky start (MINUS). All of sudden everyone want's to go on vacation, have family time. I get the feeling most people don't look at the game schedule first and think... "Mmmmm, there's no game that weekend. Maybe I can do something then." But rather, oh... there's a game scheduled... oh well, I guess I'll miss it. Usually, this isn't significant, until half the team does it, leaving just a few folks left to stave off the forfeit. Not to mention the delinquent registration payments.
****
While I was off enjoying my first real day trip on the Suzuki, Jim was getting a hot tub for the back yard (MINUS/PLUS). He finally gets a hot tub. Maybe not the specific one he wants, but it works and it's free. Now the fun of fenagling getting things hooked up and getting the necessary replacement accessories. In the long run it maybe great to have the hot tub, but we have to reach that point first.
****
It's gone!!! Craig's List finally worked for the gray leather recliner we've had in the basement for a decade or so. Posted it for free and before the day was done it was gone (PLUS).

Craig's List also worked for one of the motorcycle jackets I picked up earlier this year (PLUS). Although I liked the jacket, primarily because it was different than the usual black, white, blue, red colors that seemed to be reserved for men's motorcycle wear. But in the end it was just a bit too snug to wear comfortably. Rocco, wear it well.
****
If you couldn't guess, summer is here in the Pacific Northwest!!! (PLUS)
****
A couple of more weeks until the last of our old windows get replaced (PLUS/MINUS). We get the final 11 windows updated, but it costs $$$$$ and disrupts things for at least 3 days.
****
Enjoy your holiday weekend! We have no clue about how we're gonna take advantage of it yet.

Indigo...

2009-06-28T22:18:00.001-07:00

Last week this was the sky at nearly 10pm. It was unusually bright and blue. The photo was taken at the top end of the sensitivity for the camera and through a screen. But the sky was really this blue and so late in the evening.

Driplets...

2009-06-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Ride to work...

2009-06-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

At least it's not NASCAR...

2009-06-09T22:03:00.001-07:00

I've been watching the racing from around the world. But it's with two wheels. Not quite the "American passtime". I know my brother at least used to watch NASCAR. For me it's MotoGP, World Super Bike, World Super Sport, AMA Daytona Sport Bike, AMA Super Bike, and AMA Super Sport competitions.

Besides the action (they turn both left and right!), there's the competition among the riders and the manufacturers as well.

And you learn about new twists such as the TTXGP zero emissions race on the Isle of Man. A local Portland entrepreneur is racing the electric motorcycle below.

The top photo, with the rider sporting my favorite number is of Ben Spies. An Texan making a noticeable presence on the World Superbike circuit in his 'rookie' year. He has been a champion many times on AMA circuit.

If you like motor sport racing and you have Speed TV... try it out. You may like it.

I do enjoy the entertainment. Don't worry, I'm not an aspiring racer.

Snapshots: Saturday Farmers

2009-06-02T21:03:00.001-07:00

The strawberries are here. And yeah, you can get them home on a motorcycle.

The Rose City is blooming all over the place.

Respite...

2009-05-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

Creative Commons licenced music by

DoKashiteru / CC BY 2.5

Under bridges... 07

2009-05-25T20:23:00.001-07:00

Patience of a saint...

2009-05-25T18:43:00.001-07:00

We should have known. Holiday weekend, gorgeous sunny weather. And the local landscape tourist attractions.

On Saturday Jim and I took his motorcycle out for its inaugural ride. An easy ride through town towards the Columbia River Gorge to visit some of the waterfalls along the historic Rt. 30. We stopped at the Vista House view point. Then took the twisty turning ribbon down the hillside down to the waterfalls.

There are a number of waterfalls along the route, but we only made it to LaTourelle and Bridal Veil falls. Because of the crowds we turned around on the approach to Multnomah Falls. It was getting later in the day anyway.

Below are some snapshots of the lush greenery and refreshing water.

Oregon 150

2009-05-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

This year Oregon is celebrating it's 150th.

This commercial is relevant because Oregon does have some amazing roads to motorcycle or even just drive.

A liter? Am I ready?

2009-04-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Nope. Not yet... also don't need the higher costs at this time.

Zero, my hero???

2009-04-10T11:00:00.001-07:00

The innovators at Zero Motorcycles have debuted the Zero S. An electric super motard. I'm not running out to purchase one but I like the direction they seem to be heading.

Hopefully, we'll see a sport bike next from Zero. The current 60 mile range is just not far enough to get beyond commuting for a week or in my case 3 weeks.

What will the future hold in the way of electric motorcycles and vehicles in general? Zero, Brammo, ????

Lucky, so far...

2009-03-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

This note is not bragging... I'm counting my blessings thus far. The country/world economic troubles are getting closer to home. This month has been rough.

The company I work for is a non-profit. As you can imagine with the stock and financial markets in the tank, investment incomes are significantly in the tank as well. Along with that, donations and grants are also hit by the economy. This month, the office announced all the hiring freezes and unfortunately the lay-offs. I'm pretty sure those affected do not wish their situation upon those still with positions, but the office is small enough that we're all mostly friends and it hurts to see your friends suffer.

For me specifically, I lost my assistant. The effect on me is my work load now changes. It's a step backwards about 18 months. Other functions are taking a significantly larger step back in time. All I can do is wait and see how things shake out.

On the personal front, a friend is in dire straights in Phoenix. He and his son came to Portland to try to get some roots started. But it is taking a toll on him, his family and his well being. I'm worried. It's really hard to watch people struggle so hard and not make much headway and not have the appropriate resources to help.

And finally, there are indications that an old acquaintance of the BF committed suicide at least partly because of the troubles he experienced rooted in the economic woes.

These are not happy times. Am I surviving? So far, yes. But do I feel good about it? Not at all. It just hurts to see people you know struggling so hard.

Resistance...

2009-03-08T15:12:00.003-07:00

Craig's Listed for $6500... oh, the temptation...

Tidy up...

2009-03-01T20:44:00.001-08:00

This weekend I spent time tidying up the tail end of the motorcycle. Moto Factory did a great job getting the undertail in place and maintaining as much of the under-seat compartment as possible. The first photo shows the starting point for this weekend's work. You see the under-seat compartment. The box in the upper left is the ignitor control module. Moto Factory had to mount it in the main compartment because they moved the license plate light from the original fender to under the rear brake light (second photo, clockwise). This positioned the light (third photo) to illuminate the license plate through the small slot in the undertail.

My goal was to replace the old license plate light with a new LED light to free up space to put the ignitor module back under the brake light where it was originally positioned. And thus provide a bit more space in the under-seat compartment.

After taking the rear cowling off, disconnecting the cable to the rear seat latch and unmounting the original plate light. I disconnected the cabling. The connections are made via clip plugs on the leads to the light (white connector). In order to power the LED lights, I clipped the connector off the original light, then used bullet connectors to make the connection from the LED light to the original clip connector. Should I ever need to or want to change the plate light in the future, all I need to do is put some bullet connectors on the new light and plug it into the 'pig-tail' to the original connector.

These connectors are also used with the original equipment turn signals. Along with the project to install a new tag light, I decided to undo my instructions to Moto Factory and return the turn signals built into the undertail to their original function...turn signals. I had originally instructed Moto Factory to connect these lights to the brake light and maintain the OEM turn signals. The built-in lights would become auxiliary brake lights. I created similar 'pig-tails' for the turn signals and disconnected the built-in lights from the brake light circuit.

The LED light strip used to illuminate the license plate is a Radiantz Roachez flexible LED strip purchased from ChromeGlow.com. It took me a bit of time to examine the potential products and decide on this one. The $12 (including shipping) was reasonable. But it wasn't the cheapest possible purchase. It comes with adhesive on the back of it. That gave the option of sticking it to the under side of the brake light. But the light coming through the slot in the undertail was too restrictive with the LEDs that far way, so I opted to stick directly to the back of the lens installed by Moto Factory.

I mounted the LED using a bit of bathroom silicone sealant on each end of the strip and a backing of metal foil tape. The tape is often used on duct work. I did not use duct tape because over the course of time, duct tape deteriorates. Hopefully the metal tape will beat the elements better. In the third photo of this series, the blob of white on the left end of the LEDs is the yet-to-dry silicone sealant.

The result of this work... there's room for the ignitor control module to fit back under the rear support cross member. And the tool kit can fit back in the compartment. And finally, the front half of the compartment is open for use again.

After getting the lighting set, the next step was to tidy up the license plate mounting and getting the original turn signal mounts squared away. For this I went a little Harley-Davidson. I purchased a Kuryakyn license plate mount that included "wings" to mount turn signals.

As you can guess, I purchased this item from XChoppers.com. The item is chromed. In the future I my scuff it up a bit and rattle can it black to hide the shine. I also flipped the wing brackets so the hole is on the lower side. If you need a nice solid plate to mount on to something, I recommend looking at this product. The back plate is solid!

The final touch was to take the side reflectors from the original fender and mount them in holes on the 'wing' brackets.

Popping up...

2009-02-21T12:36:00.001-08:00

Spring is starting to pop its head out of the ground in all sorts of colorful ways.

Motorcycle service...

2009-02-04T21:18:00.001-08:00

It seems people are Googling "Moto Factory" and coming up with my little blog. Although it's interesting to see my posts about Moto Factory's work on my SV come to the top, I don't want to steal their thunder. They deserve the traffic. To that end, this is unabashed advertisement for the Moto Factory in Portland, OR. Give them a call, ask your questions and get your bike serviced! Someday they will have their own WWW site. But in the meantime use the information above to track them down!

I have no reservations about sending you to them for your two-wheeled servicing needs.

Another face???

2009-02-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

Every so often I receive an e-mail message asking me to checkout so and so's Facebook profile. Very rarely have these messages come from a person who's name I recognize. I almost always just summarily dismiss these invitations.

No...I'm not on Facebook. And at this time I'm not rushing to join the flock.

But it makes me wonder... should I put on yet another face for the Internet and join? I see the BF posting and reconnecting with old friends and family members nearly every evening and then often from the iPhone.

I have many past friends and acquaintances, but do I want to reconnect? Some part of me says yeah sure it could be fun. But other parts say... if they were truly friends we would not have gone our different directions in the first place.

I have posted profiles elsewhere and some folks from the past have tracked me down. This leads to a week or two of e-mail messages back and forth. But inevitably things trickle off to silence again. Just the way it was before.

Over the years, I have found that I make my life around where I am at the moment. I don't live so much in the past. I don't maintain strong ties to places I used to live and likewise, with a few exceptions, to the people from those areas.

durban bud makes another good reason to be leary of Facebook... [click here]

So should I put on yet another face and see what floats to the surface?

Piece of tail...

2009-01-19T22:10:00.000-08:00

As mentioned previously, when I took the Suzuki in for some maintenance, I asked the guys at Moto Factory to do some special work. The work on the front end was posted earlier. The other work was on the tail end.

The before photo (above) shows the original rear fender. The OEM equipment is a big piece of plastic shaped into the fender and extending under the seat section of the bike supporting the under-seat compartment and battery tray. You'll notice the rear fender is also the mounting surface for the license plate, rear turn signals, license plate light (the cowl above the tag) and a bunch of reflectors.

The after photos (below) show the absence of all this extra plastic. This is because I had Moto Factory install the Roca undertail piece I had purchased from another member of the SVRider.com forum about 15 months ago. Besides removing the big shovel of a rear fender, the Roca undertail is color matched blue; integrates the turn signals into flush mount triangular lights; a slot for the license plate light and fits into place without cutting the body panels.

But to get it installed, Casey had to cut up the original plastic undertail and fender. I asked if he could keep or reconstruct a storage box under the rear seat. I do use that space to carry bits and pieces on my little trips. He kept the battery tray and the storage compartment and fit the new undertail into place. To do this he had to rearrange some of the junction boxes, wiring, connectors under the seat to make things fit. One of the adjustments he made was to take the license plate light housing and mount it behind the tail light in order to provide the required lighting through the slot in the new undertail.

I also asked Casey to wire the turn signals in the new piece to the brake circuit and to change the amber bulbs to red. The thinking here was to provide a couple of auxiliary brake lights. I wanted to try to keep the original rear turn signals. I was hoping I could mount them low enough to enable the extra lights to be seen when braking.

Although, Moto Factory did exactly as I asked, I'm thinking I need to do some tweaking in order to get things to work the way I had hoped. The original tail lights are too large and mounted too close to the undertail's lights. They currently obscure the auxiliary braking lights. So I need to get a set that match the new front turn signals and probably modify the license plate/turn signal bracket.

I'm also looking at finding some white LED lights to replace the license plate light and housing that Casey moved to inside the rear compartment. I'm hoping to provide a bit better lighting to the tag and open up more space in the compartment by remounting one of the larger relays back behind the tail light.

Certainly the bike is rideable as it currently is. I just need to get my act together again. Get well rested and to stop bringing work home from the office. In the meantime I'm looking for the LEDs I can use to illuminate the license plate and possibly a new bracket to mount the tag and turn signals and maybe some side reflectors.

One possibility for the tag lights is moving to LEDs placed inside the mounting screws. Similar to these...click here. This should certainly free up the space in the seat compartment by moving the lighting elements to the exterior.

If none of this works out. I could elect to just drop the external turn signals and change the undertail lights back to flashers.

Stay tuned for further updates as I make adjustments. Something tells me I'm gonna get really good at dismantling the tail section as I try different things.

"Moving in"

2009-01-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

Silly bunny...

2009-01-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just breakdown and purchase the most unnecessary things. Although not quite what I had as a child it does bring on the nostalgia. Although, I don't think the bunny came until later.

In the youngin' years, dad worked five and a half days a week, if he was lucky. On the weekends the three of us were often left under the care of "Nanny", dad's mom Arcola. Mostly this meant Saturday mornings. At Nanny's I learned to bake, crochet and the love of grilled cheese sandwiches and pancakes.

On occasion we were treated to the powdered version of Nesquik chocolate milk. It was even better when made in a blender! The utensil whipped up the milk into a frothy, refreshing, easy milkshake. Mmmm.

This blender milkshake also worked with the Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks. My favorite flavor? Vanilla.

Changed, but still the same...

2009-01-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

Way back a week or two before Christmas I decided to send the Suzuki into the clinic to get some T.L.C. More specifically the ride had reached 17,000 miles and it was time for some maintenance. This wasn't anything special... new fluids and lubricants, carburetor adjustments, synchronization, safety checks, etc., etc.

Just my luck a new motorcycle service garage opened around the corner from my home this summer. MotoFactory is in a little shell of a garage up the street. The company as far as I can tell is two folks Oliver and Casey working their butts off to make a living repairing and restoring motorbikes. I've seen some sixties and seventies vintage rides as well as some more modern ones like mine.

In addition to the mechanical work, I gave them a couple of "fun" tinkering tasks. The mechanical work obviously took priority as making the bike run properly is much more important than the cosmetic tweaks.

The first item I asked of them was to install a pair of Buell turn signals in the front fairings. Actually, these lights are produced for many applications. Oliver, at MotoFactory, determined these are the exact same lights used on his Tomos scooter.

I picked these turn signals because they are still highly visible, but are rounded in shape. The original equipment lights (above) are a little bigger, but square. I have always thought the bulky, rectangular shape to be incongruous with the curvy shape of the '99-'02 fairing.

The round/oval shape of the new signals, I feel, fit better with the styling of the bike. Why did I ask MotoFactory to do the work... simple, I do not have the facility and tools to do the work and make the little bits and pieces necessary when doing these little custom building projects. In the case of the lights, the original lights had a rubber mount. It wasn't just a simple hole to insert the stem of the light and tighten a nut.

Casey, took a leftover piece from the tail section of the bike (second project), cut a new mounting piece, bolted on the lights and made the electrical connections. Good job! I'm very happy with the results. They did exactly what I asked of them.

One item out of their control, was our recent spat of snowy weather. The work was delayed because of the snow storm and cold weather. They and many others in Portland simply could not make it to their workplaces. You just can't argue with meteorological phenomenon.

16,072 days....

2009-01-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

That's my age and it just keeps adding up.

The b'day was quiet this year. We skipped the party hosting and carrot cake.
The gift was given on T'day weekend.
We did have some champagne in the my favorite flutes, with some sweets.
Tried to be social with J's work friends and associates.
Watched some college football, looking for the yummies, cuteables, eye-candy.
Wrote a long message to my indoor soccer team about attendance and consistency.
Watched a queer flick "The Trip".
Exchanged multiple SMS messages.

Overall a sedate day. Hope your's was happy, fun-filled...

And a special B'day cake for Frank!!! It is his day, today.

Ice and fire...

2008-12-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

Woodford still wins over our little taste buds...

Stumptown solstice...

2008-12-21T21:21:00.001-08:00

Winter solstice day 2008. Just some snapshots of our frosted, snowy, chilly day and our walk in the snow in the evening.

Shuuuushhhh!!!!

2008-12-13T09:13:00.001-08:00

BF's gift is in the vicinity but he won't get it until Xmas. It's only fair.

Long live the blip!!!!

2008-12-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

I listen to Weekend America during the week via podcast, mostly when I'm walking the dogs. I really got a bit of a smile out of this story and listening to the blips and bleeps. It took me back to those early eighties years listening to European technopop.

Give the artists mentioned a listen:

Shhhhh....revealed

2008-12-07T21:53:00.001-08:00

The "shhhhhh...." was revealed. I missed it the first time through the garage because I was concentrating on getting prepped for a little errand on the motorbike. But it was there, right smack in my face when I took the recycling out.

Not much else has been happening.

Made the pies and cranberry for T'day dinner. Pigged out.

Put up the lights on the outside of the house. Helped check the other lights.

Work has been busy with a lot of balls up in the air up at one time. I'm trying to get that stuff sorted out.

Played an indoor game or two. Ended the outdoor season.

Made an appointment to get the Suzuki some T.L.C.

Humming along..

2008-11-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

This past Friday I decided to play at mechanical doctor. The previous weekend I had killed the battery on the Suzuki, once again. So I decided to go for a new battery.... OUCH!!!

That was a bit pricey @ $85. Also I found out that unlike car batteries that usually come assembled and prepared for installation, motorcycle batteries require assembly. Specifically, one must load the battery with the acid. It's an easy process. After loading the acid, let the battery stand for a half-hour. This chemical reaction supposedly charges the battery to about 70%. So after loading the acid I put the battery on the charger (another new purchase) overnight.

While at the store purchasing the battery, I also picked up a pair of new spark plugs and some plastic push rivets for some connection points on the body work. That was Sunday evening. Of course that didn't leave time to get the rest of the work done before the workweek. The bike sat for the week awaiting some tender attention.

It is very likely the battery and the spark plugs could have been original equipment. So it's probably a good thing I spent the money on the new equipment.

I'm taking most of the Fridays off from work during November. Last week this gave me a chance to finish the work I started. After my maintenance visit to the chiropractor, I started on my work with the bike.

First, the spark plugs. The rear plug was easy. The front one though... not so easy. It required the loosening of the side fairings, the horn and the radiator. And even then it was difficult to get the sparkplug wrench into position. I worked through it though.

In addition to the plugs and installing the battery, I also added the "pigtail" for the Battery Tender (charger) and the Powerlet power outlet (like a cigarette lighter). The biggest trouble with these two latter tasks was deciding where to run the cables and mount the outlet. And of course blew a fuse on the Powerlet when I was testing it.

Today, I got the chance to test out my work. And it all worked!!! It started up and ran well. (Of course I started it up Friday.)

The bike still needs more work, specifically valve inspections and adjustments. But it's a start.

Oregon makes me...

2008-10-26T14:51:00.001-07:00

Found on the tailgate of a neighbor's truck...

Saved...

2008-10-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

My Shift brand jacket, which served me well on my 1200 mile trip this past June was having some problems. I do really like this jacket. It fits well, looks sharp and is comfy in moderate weather. However, as you can see from the photo above, the back of the collar was starting to break down. The material in this section is a light, thin almost neoprene type material. It sort of gave it a rubberized look. But it started to crack and crease and beyond that it stood a little too tall. This made my helmet catch as I rode and turned my head to look around.

I didn't want to trash the jacket yet so I thought I would try finding someone who could replace this section of the collar. And I did!

I tracked down Acme Moto Wear from a Northwest regional racing forum. And found out they were local to Portland. And even better... local to my neighborhood. I sent off a message to see if they would work on the jacket. And they said yes!

Acme Motor Wear is really just a couple. Elaine is the tailor extraordinaire. Her husband, Mark, races SV's of all things. They go to the local and Washington race events and offer their services for on-the-spot leather repair. They also custom design leathers for racers and motorcycle enthusiasts.

Elaine's skills resulted in a great replacement section. It's a nice soft suede. The collar is also lowered a bit to remove the rubbing I experienced previously. Preliminary results look and feel very positive. And for a great price ... $50.

And yes, this is a shameless plug for Acme Moto Wear, with their permission.

In other motorcycle jacket news... Last month I Craig's Listed the Joe Rocket Twist jacket I purchased last year. I loved the style, but just could not get it to fit for me. The lucky buyer, Dustin, is happily wearing it in and around Baltimore. He had a Twist previously, but it was stolen. So he knew exactly what he was getting. It worked out great for both of us.

Gay at All?

2008-10-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend actually turned into a great one, weather-wise. Couldn't really ask for more in that regards for a 4-day weekend¹. It did start out really chilly on Saturday morning; a bit below 50^oF. But it was sunny and dry.

Jim got called up to play for a team at the Portland gay volleyball tournament, so he was busy all weekend. Saturday, I went to our GSR-PDX meeting place to see if anyone would show for a little motorcycle ride. I sat outside at the picnic tables of the adjacent restaurant for 20 minutes. But the new waitress never came outside. The previous one would always come out to check if we were eating. One demerit for her. I eventually went inside to have breakfast (veggie omelet and large pancake). I sat by the front window to keep an eye on my bike and to watch for compatriots. Nobody came by. What to do with the rest of my day?

I decided to take a little diversion out Skyline Blvd. to get to the Tualatin sports complex to stop by to see the queer volleyballers. When I got to the north end of Skyline I headed towards Rt. 26. At 11:30AM it was still just 53^oF!. I know the complex is just off 26 but I could not remember specifically which exit. I was sure I was too far west, so I headed eastward and checked almost all the eastbound exits. Eventually I hit the Sylvan exit. That was definitely too far. I got back on 26 westbound and worked my way back out to my original entrance and repeated my eastbound trip. But this time I checked the one exit I neglected on my first trip. That was the one.

I went in to say hello to the folks I knew and track down Jim. He was on the court at the moment. His team's name... "Gay at All?", based out of Seattle. He was subbing for their injured setter.

I waited for his game to end. I used to play the NAGVA circuit, back on the east coast. I actually was the leader of the Baltimore club and tournament for one year. And I have a championship trophy from 1994. Maybe I'm too old and tainted now... the Portland event just did not seem to have the fun energy I remember from my playing days. People seemed overly stressed for some reason or another.

I hung with Jim for a bit, collected hugs from 'boys' I knew. Got looks from ones I didn't. Whenever an obvious non-volleyballer comes onto the tournament floor they get noticed. I guess my black/blue/white leather jacket and matching helmet were a bit conspicuous.

After my visit with Jim, I went shopping! Specifically for waterproof/warm riding gloves for the colder, wetter mornings to come. I picked up a pair of Joe Rocket Nitrogen gloves. They weren't the pair I tried 3 weeks previous, but they should do the job. I haven't tried them out yet. The weather has been fairly reasonable this week. But I'll try to write up a bit of a review after a get a couple of wet trips with them. I also picked up a copy of the "Get Lost: Oregon" DVD, mentioned earlier in this journal.

After the cycle shop I worked my way through Lake Oswego, OR back to the Sellwood neighborhood in Portland to check the offerings at the Columbia Sportswear outlet. They are obviously in the midst of their winter jacket sales. I was looking for a new pair of slacks. They didn't have much. I did eventually pick up a pair of 'dressy' carpenter pants in a deep brown color. I'm in between sizes right now. Just too big (fat) for 34" waist, but noticeably smaller than the 36" size I purchased. I'm hoping maybe the waist will shrink a bit after the first washing (today). But not bad for $20.

Then onto the local Cycle Gear shop. There I was looking to see what they had for a fog shield for my helmet. My visor fogs up at stops on these chilly mornings. Everybody says the best solution is a FogCity insert. But I'm cheaping out for the moment. I didn't find anything. I went home and installed the shield provided with the helmet. It helps, but things could be better.

So it wasn't my typical motorcycle day trip. But I did get 80 miles in. And it was definitely better than sitting in traffic in the car. Actually, traffic wasn't bad at all.

Sunday was mostly focused on soccer, while Jim continued with the tournament. Then Monday was a 'do nuthin' day for me. I picked up the "Long Way Round" DVD from the library and watched the whole series. I mentioned before that I had been watching the "Long Way Down" series this past month or so.

¹I took Friday off and Monday was a holiday.

WUF PPL, R.I.P.

2008-10-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's official... "WUF PPL" is once again available for an Oregonian to place on their tags. I've retired my first vanity plate in favor of a generic plate commemorating the the centennial of Crater Lake National Park.

I guess that means I'm not yet selling the Saab. A recent investigation on the Kelly Blue Book WWW site shows my 11 year old 4 wheeler still has about $5000 left in it. It definitely has many more more miles in it. After all there's only about 43k posted on the odometer.

Other miscellaneous news...

On the motorcycle... 3102 miles this season, about 64 gallons ($280), averaging about 50 MPG per tankful. A new shop opened around the corner. I'll be taking the bike there for a little TLC when riding becomes rarer. In the meantime I'm trying to be a 3 season commuter.

On soccer... 2 games a week. One men's outdoor, the other co-ed indoor.

On the campaign... Tina Fey is doing a bang-up job!!!

On television... Watched almost all the "Long Way Down" series and the motorcycle racing on the Speed channel.

60 days 23 hours 49 mins...

2008-09-27T17:51:00.000-07:00

The title, "60 days 23 hours 49 mins", refers to a new record set in June 2008 to circumnavigate the world, by Earthrace, a biodiesel fueled powerboat.

I caught up with the effort today, because I woke up not feeling 100%. So I spent a lot of the day doing a whole lot of nothing. Catching up with some blogs, Earthrace, recorded television, etc., etc.

++++

Last week was mostly spent in my northeast Oregon office re-addressing the network, adding storage and adjusting 'puters. And the 6 hours to drive out there. Then another 6 hours to drive back. On the way back we¹ took the north shore of the Columbia River on WA Rt. 14. I've said it before... to really appreciate the Columbia River and Gorge you must travel on both sides in order to get the different perspectives.

++++

Work has really been the main theme of the past two weeks. Although, I haven't been tremendously motivated. Lately, it has been chaotic, tedious and generally not rewarding. Additional tasks from being bossless and more 'mandates' coming down from headquarters have just piled up to zap my energy and morale. The increased stress, perceived urgency just haven't done me well these weeks. Maybe things will be different after 60 days, 23 hours 49 minutes...

++++

Fall soccer has started up... 2 wins for the men's over-30 team. The indoor team hasn't been going quite as well, particularly due to attendance reasons.

¹ Jim really wanted to see that corner of the state so he tagged along on my work trip. You'll have to watch his journal for photos.

Haircut...

2008-09-07T22:39:00.001-07:00

<<--BEFORE / AFTER-->>

Just kidding... I don't look all happy and smiles, but that doesn't have anything to do with the haircut... Just my normal scariness that keeps people away.

<<--BEFORE / AFTER-->>

Saturday excursion...

2008-09-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday started out overcast and actually a bit chilly. I went to meet up with the boys at Three Friends Coffee shop to go for a ride on the Suzy. Although six of us crowded the table at the neighboring Hungry Tiger Too restaurant for breakfast. James, James, Kevin, David, Frank and myself. But only 50% of us were going to ride, me Frank and David. The breakfast club probably lasted too long on this occasion. We'll have to work on that.

We didn't really have route planned out. A suggested a route similar to one the BF, Peter and I did last year (click here). I was looking at the maps and wished for a quicker way out of town. Frank led us out of town to Clackamas River Road. But nothing appealing jumped from the pages.

Frank was in for only a short 'refresher', since he hasn't been able to ride for about 3 week due to other commitments. He lead us out of town and started down the twisties for a little bit then turned homeward. The sun broke through finally as we reached the river.

David and I continued on to NF-42 and up into the hills. We followed the route I took previously. David is a bit speedier on the curves, so he led most of the way. We deviated off the route after passing Timothy Lake. Instead of making a run to a warm cozy restaurant in Government Camp, the weather was so nice that we ran up to Timberline Lodge for a little view. You really forget how barren the top of the mountain is without snow on it.

Then back to Government Camp for so fuel. But instead of heading back to town via Rt. 26, we headed north on Rt. 35 towards Hood River.

We took a little diversion onto Cooper Spur Road. This was a first for me and turned out to be a nice little bit of twisties. This road runs by the Cooper Spur Mountain Resort. Cooper Spur is more of a nordic ski center. It's a little 'village' of log cabins.

After our side trip, we were back on Rt.35 heading to Hood River. David in the lead. He recognized a place from his previous life in the Northwest. (He's returning after about 10 years.) Panorama Point County Park. This is a little promontory overlooking the Hood River Valley. A little break then on into Hood River for a snack then on home.

We stopped at the Big Horse Brew Pub for a bite. Then I headed home on Interstate 84 and David, living in Washington, crossed the Columbia and headed home on Rt. 14.

Bossless...

2008-09-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

As of Friday... I am officially bossless again. My immediate supervisor has resigned.

This of course does not mean I can do whatever I want, or better yet, not do anything. I still have to keep the office and staff running. And in the absence of a boss, I'm assigned a couple additional tasks. These are added to my already full plate of tasks. Hopefully I won't become totally intolerable during this period and the training of a new boss once one is identified.

Wish me luck.

Over August...

2008-08-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

August is over... The weddings, the BBQ's, the b'day parties, busy weekends in general... all done. A good thing about August is the quiet office life as folks go on vacations and long weekends.

I didn't get much mileage in this month. Mostly commuting and errands. The cage has remained parked except for the trip to the Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for its annual emissions measurement. I've been on two wheels nearly all month. Even during our week of rain storms and sun-showers. I used the rain coat I purchased for my trip at the end of June, but didn't use. And I picked up a half-cover to keep the saddle drive while I'm in the office.

Took a work road trip back to the Bend office for some computer swapping and network tune-ups. Been trying to get the new computers configured and distributed. Setting this coming year's work/professional development objectives. My boss resigned. And making plans to visit a couple of other offices.

Soccer has started up again after a couple of weeks off. I'm not quite as motivated to play as I have been in the past. I've been playing for about 6 or 7 years straight without a break except for my back injury. Even then I showed up at the games. (Unlike many injured players on my teams.) I'm kind of interested in taking up swimming for the winter, to help alleviate the country's swimming deficit. I swam freestyle and backstroke in 8th & 9th grades. I'm thinking I need a lower impact activity than soccer to up the calorie burn. I've never enjoyed jogging and running.

Had my friend Tyrone and his new boyfriend stop by for a night while they were in town visiting family. Then Tom stopped by this weekend on his way back to his work-site in south California. (He lives in Seattle, works in California for now.)

Sony and Waste Management had a e-recycling event last weekend. We dumped 3 televisions, a CRT monitor (our G4 is headless!!!), old VCR and various other electronics. We made a second trip with e-waste from the office. It was simple and easy.

On to the autumn...

Routine August, so far...

2008-08-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

Eat, sleep, work, soccer... I've been quiet just because things have been so quiet and nothing unusual. I got a little ride in with Randy and James up over the "Spine" at the end of July. And for August there's two weddings (one down, one to go); three weekend parties; three or four soccer games; a visitor from S.F.; electronics recycling day; office picnic; board of directors picnic; maybe a work trip to Bend and/or Enterprise.

I've had various random thoughts/observations over the past couple of weeks...

the crows were fledging
inattentive/inept drivers have been increasingly annoying
could use some rain (finally had a bit after more than 16 days of dry)
pondering selling the car and doing without
pondering purchasing another car (do I really need to???)
need to have the bike serviced
house cleaning generally sucks

Under bridges...06

2008-08-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

Snapshots: from the road

2008-07-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

Chiloquin, OR

Heceta Head, OR

NF93 Adventure...

2008-07-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

We don't really ride dual-sport/enduro/adventure motorcycles, but today we stretched the SV650S's just a bit. The route was about 220 miles and took us to the forests overlooking Mt. Saint Helens on a warm and beautiful day.

The stretch? That was National Forest 93 to the east of Mt. Saint Helens and NF-25. We pulled onto NF-93 from NF-90 and headed north and westward towards, then southward to its intersection with NF-25.

NF-93 quickly turned to a one-lane road and it threw a bit of everything at us. This included but was not limited to frost heaves; broken pavement; gravel patches; fallen shoulders; encroaching shrubbery and trees; low hanging branches; log cuts to zig-zag through; fallen rock; snow patches; run-off stream across and along the road; small trees on the road; somewhere between 5-10 miles of packed gravel.

One of the rock slides covered nearly the entire width of the road. We had to pick our way through boulders slowly and carefully.

The reward were some great views of Mt. Saint Helens, and for me an exposure to many different road obstacles in a single day. Peter loves these sorts of excursions. He would be so happy on an enduro bike, just the same as these street bikes.

How about the rest of the route? Well I-5 is a highway. But going east out of La Center to Amboy and onto Cougar was a matter of following country highways. Many parts of the route remind me of region I grew up in upstate New York, with small farms having some cattle and horses; small hay bails, not the giant stacks or rolls common elsewhere. We followed along a number of lakes and crossed over stream, rivers. The water was often deep blue and very inviting, but we did not stop.

We did pull off to do some early gravel driving to see the Curly Creek Falls (see photos above). The forest is not the Redwood towers of northern California, but they are impressive. Lush with ferns below and moss hanging from the limbs and trunks.

Another big day trip under the belt; more landscapes viewed; and many obstacles to test our riding. I actually did a 'WOO-HOO' at the first snow crossing!

Caliber pants...

2008-07-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

The other major piece of equipment to mention from the my adventure are the TourMaster Caliber pants. This is a mixed review, but not because of the pants themselves but more about the conditions in which I wore them.

The first part of the trip for me was out to the Oregon Coast and turned south. When we reached the coast the temperature dropped from the 80's and 90's to the 50's and it became over cast and damp. The pants worked great for this portion of the trip and the next day's mileage down the coast to Eureka.

However on my third day when we turned inland and the temperature shot upwards again. The pants were too hot, not vented enough. And just downright sweaty by the end of the day.

I didn't really have the space to pack them away and move to my 'armored' jeans, because they are a bit bulky. I just kept them on for the duration and opened the side zippers as best I could.

In the right weather, chilly and damp, the Caliber pants are great. But they are not the choice for hot weather.

Other things I probably didn't need to bring were some of the gadgets (aka electronic toys). I did bring my iBook, but that did prove helpful for mapping and research. I barely used the Garmin iQue GPS unit. And the ChatterBox wasn't that useful because the other folks with radios were ahead of me and out of sight.

CrampBuster...

2008-07-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

One tool that helped on my recent motorcycle adventure was the CrampBuster.

This $10 piece of plastic wraps around the throttle grip and allowed me to rest my hand on the wide paddle instead of keeping a tight grip with my fingers. It's not a true 'cruise control' or throttle-lock that holds the throttle in a set position. It's just an aid to keep the throttle turned and loosen your 'grip of death' on the throttle.

It took a couple of tries to get the paddle in the proper position to keep the speed up, but eventually it was there. The way it fits on my bike, the CrampBuster can be spun out of the way if I don't want to use it. Although the way I hold my grips, out towards the end, I can still feel the ridge created by the ring portion. I'll probably take it off for around-town riding. But for long distance, at a constant speed, it certainly helped out.

Off the road, behind the desk...

2008-07-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

I made it!

1167 miles. 5 days. About 24 gallons of fuel. Loads and loads of curves. Some chill. Some smoke. Some sweat. Good company. 51-61 MPG!

For a summary of the ride visit the ride reports at:

The great two-wheeled adventure...

2008-06-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I head off on my little adventure traversing the western coast and Cascade mountains!

From Portland I and Ken, a member of our Portland Gay Sportbike Riders (GSR-PDX) group, head out towards Coos Bay, OR. On Monday, on to Eureka, where we'll meet up with 3 other GSR-PDX members and a couple of folks from the Californian GSR community. On Tuesday we all head towards Klamath Falls, OR. Followed by Wednesday's travels to Bend, OR. And ending back home (for us Portlanders) in the Rose City.

If you are interested in the following the ride I hope to post reports on the GSR OR/CA Ride blog. If I'm really lucky maybe some of the riders will consent to a couple of brief video testimonials and contribute their own content as well.

Under bridges...05

2008-06-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Snapshots: Seattle/Port Townsend

2008-06-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a little excursion to Seattle and Port Townsend, Washington.

These are a couple of clicks from that weekend. The Seattle skyline from the ferry to Bainbridge Island. The eelgrass shoals in Port Townsend. And a beached log.

The most intriguing in this group is the field of eelgrass. The image lends itself to a number of interesting manipulations, not shown here though.

The eelgrass looks almost as it's blowing in the wind. It's waving in the water. The cloudy effect is actually the sun on the water's surface.

Rhythm & Blue...

2008-05-18T19:20:00.001-07:00

As mentioned in my previous posting, I took a little spill this past week on the bike and left a couple of scuffs on it.

Some people like to wear their battle scars as a badge of honor. Others want to fix things back to pristine condition as soon as possible. In this case I'm a bit in between on the matter. Nothing is broken enough to need replacing. But I'd like to make things a bit less conspicuous. Otherwise known as a touch-up.

Generally, there's one authority for touch-up paint in the motorcycle world - Colorite. Last year I picked up some touch-up paint pens for the BF's Kawasaki 650R. His was a 'two-stage' paint. The color and a clear coat. That ran $30+. I recall checking out the paint for my SV650s, and recall it being a 3-layer paint job and a tricky one to get right at that.

Since my goal was a modest effort to conceal the scuff rather than fix or remove it altogether, I thought why not give nail polish a try. Who knows there might be a really close match to my motorcycle's color. And nail polish is CHEAP!!!

I stopped by the local Walgreen's paint shop and tried to eyeball the proper blue. They had 3 shades available. I asked to take the bottles out to the parking lot to compare them to the bike. I picked the closest one. But I didn't actually apply the color to test it until I got home.

I prepped the scrape a bit with the wire brush bit for our Dremel tool, just to smooth out the deep ridges some. Then tried the polish in a hidden spot under my pillion (passenger) seat. Aaaaaa... not close enough.

So I walked to my local Rite-Aid paint shop to try again. I took a little swatch with me of the first color. Rite-Aid had some different shades. This time I purchased two candidates. "Rhythm & Blue" and "Skin Tight Denim Cream". "Rhythm & Blue" from JANE Cosmetics (#26) was the winner and nearly a perfect match in fact. It's so close in fact I used it to lessen two scratches on my gas tank (under the U in Suzuki) that I believe came from the zipper on the sleeve of one of my jackets. And put a little dab on a chip that was there when I bought the bike.

I used a little rubbing compound and some car wax just to top things off.

I know it's not the best job. But from a distance I doubt anyone will notice upon first inspection. And with a little buffing and careful 'grinding' I bet I could make it much smoother. In the meantime these chips and scrapes are covered and sealed. $6 for the three bottles of polish and a little effort.. not bad. Now, all you blue 2001 SV650s riders can search for your own bottles.

This week... pick up some clear coat to seal the scrapes on the engine cover. Now what to do with those extra bottles? Anyone need some blue toenails?

Get your head out of your...

2008-05-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

This past Friday I had the occasion to get on two wheels for a couple of hours with P & J. We went out to Nestucca River Road. A route we've done before. We tried to go up the the Bald Mtn. access road but eventually were blocked by uncleared snow.

The more significant part of this ride is probably best put in the form of a lesson... Here I quote P, who has 25+ years more experience riding than me.

"When following another rider, do not keep your eyes on the rider in front. Keep your eyes on the road. When you're by yourself, or leading, your head is wrapped up in the next corner/curve. You're ready for it, thinking about it. If there's someone in front, it's very easy to move your focus to them and then all of a sudden you find yourself approaching a corner and your own head isn't ready for it. WHOA! Little bit of panic, doubt etc; brakes go on; you find youself drifting outside. And maybe going down.

Keep your eyes on the road ahead, think about your line. Pay no attention to that well-accessorized hot thang on the bike ahead - keep yer haid where it belongs!"

That's right, I turned my mind off for a moment on a curve. A moment too long. Of course any moment is a moment too long. If I'm gonna to have a 'wake-up call' this day was really one of the best kind you can have. I wasn't going too fast to begin with, but still drifted wide by not watching the road and going through my drill of looking through the end of the curve. Then I snapped awake, straightened up, applied the brakes and slipped off onto the soft, loose, graveled shoulder. At that point I was maybe going 5MPH, but my rear wheel slid out from underneath me and I did a slow gentle low-side crash.

The damage? Some scuffs on the bike, one on the lower fairing, bar ends, clutch lever and the engine case. Me? A little scuff on the left knee of my riding pants.

Everything is safe and sound, including me. Like I said, if one is to crash, he/she can't ask for a better one. It certainly is a reminder to keep your mind on what your doing out there.

Under bridges...04

2008-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Near Butte Falls, crossing South Fork Willow Creek; South Fork Rogue River south of Prospect, OR.

Under bridges...03

2008-05-11T10:58:00.001-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure to travel through southern Oregon again. Along the way I crossed a number of bridges over various sizes of streams and rivers. This one is on OR66 at Keene Creek, east of Ashland.

Above is the new span flanked by the old span's trestle construction and cracking pavement. Below, the smooth modern underside of the new curving roadway.

Snapshots: Rain Forest

2008-04-24T21:18:00.001-07:00

This week all the admin folks in my office 'retreated' with our counterparts from our northern neighbor state. The first day of our retreat took us to an old growth rain forest near Willapa Bay, WA.

It was a rainy and a bit chilly but we forged on into the forest. The old trees easily ranged from 600 to 1200 years in age. They were mostly Sitka spruce. The understory was primarily hemlock and alder. Being such a moist place there of course moss everywhere. This is not the dry spanish-moss of the southern US. This is rich, wet moss of many different varieties and colors. And trees grow over the top of each other.

15 years ago...

2008-04-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's probably not a great idea... but I thought this little bit of data I found in my archive of data files was interesting. It's my average monthly financials from 1993. I know it's hard to put this in context. At the time I was renting a room in a house, so expenses were split with my housemate/landlord; driving a Dodge Colt; mostly on weekends only - mass transit during the week; paying off student loans; traveling for soccer and volleyball and partying a bit here and there.

I guess my point is... just think where you were 15 years ago?

Items for 1993
	Average
Gross Pay	$2,371.88
Pre-tax Medical	$36.00
Pre-tax Dental	$6.82
Pre-tax 401k	$71.16
Pre-tax Deductions	$113.98

Taxable Earnings	$2,257.90
Taxes	$615.91
Net Income	$1,641.99
Other Income	$30.40
Total Net Income	$1,672.39

Car Loan	$166.54
Car Insurance	$73.19
Student Loan	$132.09
Rent	$395.42
Gas	$22.82
Electric	$7.22
Local Phone	$34.37
Long Distance	$9.86
Cable	$9.99
Dentist	$6.52
VISA	$311.25
VISA	$13.33
MC	$0.00
Misc. Bills	$21.23
Sports Expenses	$47.50
Miscellaneous	$35.36
TOTAL EXPENSES	$1,286.68

	$385.71

Adventures in a tube, part 2...

2008-04-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

My second adventure wasn't nearly as spectacular as my northbound trip. The clouds were low and solid almost all the way into Seattle-Tacoma. Not much to report on that leg.

From Seattle to Portland though, a mere 30 minute flight, I got to sit in the back of the bus. The bus being a Bombardier Q200 turbo-prop. It literally had what amounted to being a bench seat across the back of the passenger cabin. Myself, 3 other men and a women all scrunched into the narrow individual seats for the flight.

Obvious memories of grade school and middle school bus rides came back.

For some reason I didn't deal well with the landings on my way home. Before each one I got chilled, but a bit sweaty and a little nauseous. Just generally uncomfortable. I was at the back of the planes on both legs of the trip. I wonder if seat location affects my reaction to flight? I would probably say yes because of the different perspectives looking down the tube as the plane maneuvers.

Since there was nothing to see, I used some of my time to start culling out my old data files on my computer (personal). Beside letters for job applications from 1997, I found a record of my monthly budgets from 1993. I'll post that next time. An interesting look back... which I don't often do.

Where to keep a Hawg?

2008-04-08T07:21:00.001-07:00

Well, in Juneau a Harley enthusiast decided to keep his/her's in a store front of a seasonal shop.

I caught this lovely "garage" on one of my frequent walks around town. The busy season has yet to begin in Juneau, so why not take advantage of the empty floor space?