Winter depression

I guessI shouldn't say depression but it's similar in nature and most likely
suppression. Something is missing that makes me happy and content. The lack of
daylight and warmth coupled with the wet just don't make for a great days. There
are rays of light that shine through the gloom though.
Great family and friends that help keep parts of the winter puzzle from falling off the table as
winter slowly grinds on.
Having a wife that rides is a huge help as there is someone to share a passion that burns like a roaring undampered fire. Motorcycle projects also curb the desire to spin out of control like a tornado in the midwest. Trip planning is always a good way to pass the time and calling friends to see if they have time to get away on some of the dream rides.
Even blogging about the lack of riding gets me excited...............in a suppressed sort of way.

Seattle International Motorcycle Show

It's that time of year again when the top motorcycle manufacturers and after market show off there goods. It's an exciting time as winter for me is like watching fingernails grow. I guess the damp cold and drizzle shouldn't get me down but hey, I work outside and get tire of being cold. Relieving the doldrums of winter comes in the form of get together's with friends about motorcycling and the planning of trips when the weather breaks in the spring.
One of the highlights for me is.......
http://www.motorcycleshows.com/seattle

I will be attending on Friday the 16th hoping to see everything I've been dreaming about.
More after the show.

Bikes in the Hood

If motorcycles were like people and they lived in neighborhood’s somewhere in the City of Motopia, they would be just like us, the same species but different from one another.  On the largest side of the bikes would be the Harley’s Goldwings and any other huge luxo-liner eager to travel thousands of miles in comfort. The Suzuki GSXR 1000’s and Yamaha R1’s would be the athlete’s and borderline bullies. Most of the smaller lighter 600 class of bikes would be the younger athlete’s fast and agile but with manners.

The smaller displacement bikes would be the little workers transporting there humans willing, able and reliable.  That leaves a few more species that do things a little different. Most manufacturers produce a vast array of motorcycles that perform a variety of duties. That brings us to the Dual Sport.

There duties  involve traveling legally on the road to get to the dirt  where they work wonders on both terrains. Some of these bikes would be the KLR’s, BMW’s or KTM’s with a large range of displacements and sizes.  There are so many choices of motorcycles nowadays and you would have a hard time buying a bad one.

Another bike evolved through the years in the form of Adventure tourer’s. These bikes are a blend of Dual Sport and road touring.  They can be ridden on gravel roads and have long travel suspension for soaking up all the rough stuff our ageing roads have to offer. The beast’s will eat miles of road in comfort and most will do those duties fast!

One Bike in particular is the Triumph Tiger 1050.  The Tiger leans more toward the duties of road travel but will handle the occasional gravel road. I chose the Tiger for my bike because of its sporting  prowess with longer legs for comfort.  All of  the Adventure Tourer’s  are very accepting of doo-dad’s such as GPS’s, extra luggage and lights. The sky’s the limit with the aftermarket.

This is just a quick summary of motorcycles in general and totally my opinion.

This was a trip to Utah with a group of friends last year.

Ron, with his BMW R1200GS Adventure.

I must say that at this point in the day, Ron was spent. He had just navigated a road that would have given a dedicated dirt bike a hard time. Impressive to say the least!

Bikes of recent interest

My style of riding has evolved through the years and as of late it's been Dual Sporting and Adventure Touring.
I have been playing the odds, odds that something catastrophic was going to happen to me if I didn't start slowing down and start seeing some scenery. I had spent at least 12 years riding like public roads were my personal race track. Close calls, Oh shit's and watching friends crash, some with serious injury.

The logical next step would be to ride and enjoy seeing all of the great sites afforded from sitting on a vehicle and not caged by steel peering through glass. God only knows there are probably 9 years of ribbon that have been races on with no awarness of my surrondings. You don't have to be good at math to figure out, there's a lot of country I havent seen.
 The two bikes prior to the Tiger was an 07 KLR 650 and the latter a 04 KTM 950 Adventure. The KLR was a total Compromise bike meaning that it didn't excel at anything but would do just about everything well. I really loved the bike.
The KTM was for me just plain fun. It did everything well but was more suited to be ridden by a seven foot tall Scandinavian. A rangy one. The KTM also didn't help in the get humble and slow down department. It was like the little devil sitting on my left shoulder taunting me to be stupid.
The little devil must have done something to the little angel cuz I never heard another voice.

Selling the KTM was in my best interest and buying something more suited for touring would have to happen.

More to come................

Two Wheels

My thoughts on Motorcycling

Throughout my life motorcycles have been a huge factor in one way or another. As a youngster, my first bike was a Honda mini trail 50.  The first time I threw a leg over it I was hooked and even the smell of the new bike was amazing. Those are the memories that never go away, they last a lifetime.

A few years later, my Brother Joe built a twin engine Briggs and Stratton Mini bike chopper. It was amazing and just looking at it mechanically was at that time, mind boggling. Both engines had chrome slash cut straight exhaust pipes and chrome velocity stacks sticking straight up atop the carbs. It had to be push started and once it fired it sounded like a Big Twin. One crankshaft finally broke and I believe it was just put to rest.  It was that Mini bike that fueled the passion for mechanical dreams and aspirations.

As the years went by my life took many turns, most of which I don’t care to share.  I had a few Motorcycles through the years but really got serious after a divorce and meeting my wife Debbie in 1987. We sold a jeep I had and bought a 1969 Sportster. Side note, I’ve owned several Harley’s but could never buy into the so called Biker life style or sport all the leather, chains and garb.

I could go on and on about the bikes through the years and probably will from time to time while blogging. My current bike is a Triumph Tiger 1050. I’ve racked up 10,000 miles in 12 months from great rides in the Northwest and elsewhere.

More later.........................

Home.

Home from Long Beach.  Oh, it just hit me....Work tomorrow!  I guess I'm beginning to be a work hater or maybe I'm just burned out with what I'm doing. Either way, I would rather be on my way somewhere that I haven't been.
Later....

Monday Morning & time to leave.

It's been a great weekend here in Long beach so it's only fitting to give some information anout the place.

Long Beach Historical Facts:

• Founded in 1880 and platted in 1881 by H.H Tinker. First called it “Tinkerville;”
• Incorporated in 1922 and first Mayor was Tinker’s son, Gilbert Tinker, really nice man and great steelhead fisherman;
• Founded LB as a tourist camp for the Portland area as there were no roads to the Washington or Oregon Coast . Visitors came down the Columbia River on a stern wheeler (the T.J. Potter) to Ilwaco and commuted up the beach to Seaview and Long Beach;
• The Long Beach Peninsula is the longest contiguous beach in the U.S. at about 28 miles;
• The entire area is renown for the abundant seafood harvests. This is the area of the largest salmon run in the world, razor clams, numerous other fish (halibut, cod, sardines, tuna, anchovies, etc.) and, of course, OYSTERS, Willapa Bay is now the source half the oysters harvested in the State!

The Top 10 Most Significant Events in Long Beach’s History:

• The founding of Long Beach by Tinker;
• Development of the Ilwaco Railroad and Navigation Company which improved transportation;
• Development of lighthouses at Cape D and North Head to assist in maritime navigation and thus commerce;
• Development of the highway system in the 1930’s which required widening main street and moving all the building several feet back;
• Introduction of European Dune Grass in the 1930’s which ultimately stabilized the dunes and prevented sand from continually blowing over the streets and up against buildings, much like snow drifts;
• Creation of the water and sewer systems in the 1950s provided dependable and safe drinking and sanitary systems;
• Founding of the Washington State International Kite Festival in 1981, which has brings people from all parts of the globe to our little city for one week each August, received numerous awards, recognition and publicity, was twice voted the Best Kite Festival in the World by the Kite Trade Association;
• Development of the Ocean Beach Boardwalk in 1990, landmark structure, first true boardwalk in the Pacific NW;
• Main Street renovation in 1995, provided vintage lighting, underground power, landscaping and general beautification of the City, and provided further impetus for design review standards for building which must now reflect the “early seashore” architectural theme;
• Lewis and Clark Commemoration, this area is just being recognized as the site where L&C completed their mission as set forth by President Thomas Jefferson. Captain Clark carved his name and date on a pine tree in present day Long Beach , when he and others walked the Pacific Ocean shoreline for the very first time on Tuesday November 19, 1805. Great U.S. history was made here, before it was in the U.S. !

Yesterday we walked into town via the beach, Road and discovery trail. It was a total of 7 miles. I am feeling it today.

Until next time, Bob

Cold this morning

It's a frosty morning and I'm not looking forward to the walk into town. I'm going to do it though, those pastries at the Cottage bakery are just to good to miss. I didn't sleep well last night. My body was trying to rest but my mind was grinding out ways to build a Cowboy cookware set in the Spring. "In The Spring"? Why think so much about it now?

On the agenda for the day.   Nothing is really on the agenda but the day is young and things may get interesting.

Places change

We walked the two and a half miles into town this morning to find things quite different in town. You can stand on any corner in town, look in any direction and see several businesses for sale or lease. This is bad news for a town that in the best of times has a hard time.
We stopped in at the local Liquor store for some much needed supplies. The Owner seemed generally depressed about the impending State deregulation of liquor in Washington. I asked if he was going to keep the store after the transition. He said, No because there's no way he could afford to buy all the stock even at a reduced cost. (It's a really small liquor store in a great location). I politely said, Well that's too bad.

I couldn't help but think, He owns the store but nothing in it. You don't need credit or buying power to own a state liquor store? You don't have to be like the private sector and go out on a limb? Your employee's salary's and benefits are not your problem either?
I'm thinking, He'd never make a go of it.   But he should try. 

Things are changing everywhere and huge changes occur in small area's. It's good to get out of our surrounding and see things in a different light.

New at Blogging.

I'm really not sure why I am attempting to share travels and adventure when I barely qualify to turn the computer on. Writing is not my profession and I have no problem confessing.

It has always been a dream of writing for a publication whether it be a motorcycle magazine or any medium concerning travel.

11/18/2011 Long beach

Were in longbeach for the weekend and arrived in the truck. It's colder than a well diggers ass and raining like crazy.
Should be a great weekend of rough weather with long walks on the beach with my wife Debbie.
Town is a couple miles down the beach with a reward of the oldest bakery in washington serving wonderful pastries and great coffee.