Day 76 - Oxymoron

When I read about an “Adventure Tour” I have to wonder what that means. The two words are totally opposed to one another. A “Tour” is a planned route with defined stops and predictable Kodak Moments. Stand here, point your camera there, go home and tell everyone what an adventure you had!

If this is a motorcycle tour then it means that there will be a leader who will tell you what to do and how to do it. Probably a chase vehicle to carry your gear and have the campsite set up with dinner waiting. All very deluxe.

Except where is the adventure? It might be challenging and will likely take you to places you've never been to before but there is no risk involved. It's all handed to you on a platter with all the worry removed.

With no risk there is no adventure! If you are not making decisions for yourself there is no risk. You are paying someone to make sure you have a good time without worrying about how it will all come out.

I had stopped at a gas station to get gas when a bunch of riders on matching BNWs pulled in. They said they were part of an XYZ Tour of the Southwest. One of the riders had gone down and cracked a valve cover or something and was bleeding oil. Not a problem! A van pulled up with XYZ Tours painted on the side. Two guys jumped out and replaced the cover from spares they carried with them. By the time I was gassed up they were ready to roll again.

Great service I thought as I pulled away. That's what they pay the big bucks for. And it's totally worth it for somebody who has limited time and the money to spare. I have no quarrel with it BUT it's not an adventure!

An adventure involves decision making, risk taking, problem solving, and discovery about yourself and the world around you. Sometimes it will be wonderful and sometimes it will go sideways, but it will always be yours to take credit and responsibility for. Pride of accomplishment and confidence in yourself are the rewards.

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Day 75 - Campfire

What makes you go down one road instead of another? What makes you choose an innocuous looking side road? What makes you go a little further than the others?

We left the ranger and with intentions of going to Panamint Springs. However, there was this scenic point that looked like a good place to park on something level and solid, a place to stretch our legs. All well and good except that there was a dirt road running out to the end of the overlook. Nothing you couldn't do in a Camry if you wanted but nobody did. Not the ones in the huge overlander rigs, not the ones in the tricked out jeeps, just the ones in the little red truck who wanted to see what was on the other side of the ridge.

My sister thinks she can see an alligator in the far canyon wall

Back on our way to Panamint Springs I spotted a side road with no markings that seemed to call out to me. Back up, turn right, follow the yellow dust road. We had found a snow storm in Death Valley. Why not a 30' waterfall?

The trail at the end of the road required some scrambling over rocks and boulders but we were rewarded with Darwin Falls. As we were thinking that this was a bit odd in the middle of a desert a group of young (20-something) women joined us. We chatted for a bit and I asked them where they were from. A couple of them answered “San Diego”. When I asked them where in San Diego they mentioned towns in San Diego county. I replied, “I used to live in O.B. And P.B.” and silently added “before you were ever born.” I took their group picture and we parted friends, never to see one another again.

We finally reached Panamint Springs which is a tiny airstrip, a general store, a gas pump, and the ubiquitous RV park. $15 for a tent site, $55 for a tent cabin with cots, or $200 for a real cabin with a bed. We chose the middle ground and found our place for the night. The canvas tent walls flapped in the wind, the cots were lumpy and uneven, BUT were able to stretch out in our sleeping bags and get a pretty good night's rest. And we finally had our campfire!

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Day 74 - Snow

After a night sleeping in the truck with the wind howling outside we woke to freezing gusts that tore at our clothes. We decided that coffee could wait and we would go a little way to warm the engine (and ourselves) while we checked out the road ahead. Lippincott Mine Road was only a few miles long. It would take us down to the valley and out to one of the main roads back into the center of the park. It looked so easy on the map.

We pulled up to the sign that said “4-wheel drive High clearance vehicles only.” With the bliss of the ignorant I said “That’s what we have. Let’s go take a look.” 100 meters further we had no way of turning around.  We were committed!

Luckily it was all downhill and with judicial use of brakes and steering we were able to navigate the many super-pucker moments along the way. Washouts, narrows, and sheer drop offs were around every turn. To say that it was tense would be a major understatement. But we made it and came to an intersection with a much better road.

The Saline Valley Road ran north and south. North, over Jackass Pass was the shortest and looked to be the better option. It was for most of the 11 miles. We rolled across the desert floor with a relatively smooth ride. On the map, it was a long dash road vs the short dash road we had just descended. Long dash = harsh dirt road, short dash = 4x4 only!

We started gaining altitude and entered the cloud cover. Light misty snow was falling but nothing to worry about (yet). As we continued to gain altitude we encountered deeper and deeper snow. 4-wheel drive and good tires kept us going as we advanced up the pass. Only a couple more miles to go!

Sharp turns and the grade were easily navigated until we got stuck. So close to the road and yet so far. Out came the tire chains that went on easier than expected and we were making forward progress again. For a while. Then we were stuck again. Back down 15' and run at it with full throttle to bull our way through. Once, twice, a third time and we were through. We were to encounter many more deep sections like this but luckily the same technique got us through each one.

Finally to the top, only an hour and a half to cover to cover 2 miles, we began to relax. After traveling another couple of miles to convince ourselves that we were really out of harm's way we stopped and took off the chains. A park ranger passed in the opposite direction and waved to us. We laughed that he was going to put up the Road Closed sign.

We entered an amazing Joshua Tree forest that went on for as far as the eye could see. Losing altitude we also came out of the snow and into sunlight. Out came the map. We were looking for the best way back to civilization when the ranger pulled up next to us. He asked where were coming from and just stared at us blankly when we told him. He had turned back when he saw the snow deepening. My sister's joke was that Jackass Pass referred to the drivers not the animals. The ranger thought that was funny with an all knowing smile.

This showed that others had a sense of humor too. After what we had just been through we laughed out loud.

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Day 73 - Cold

Death Valley - The least deadly place on the planet.

Slow start this morning. Breakfast at Mel’s Diner (muy bien) and back to the motel to swap the scooter into the other trailer and load all the gear into the red truck. The U-Haul trailer didn’t have a ramp so one was created out of a milk crate and a couple of concrete blocks. If we had made a video of it we would have a million YouTube hits by now. But it made it and got tied down so all's well that ends well.

Titus Canyon was closed at the entry which was disappointing. However, the exit was open to hikers so we spent a couple of hours examining the geophysical features up close. Very different perspective from the last time when I rode a motorcycle through the canyon

There was a retired guy with a bicycle that he was quite proud of. He showed us all the custom features he had added to the bike. ALL of them. I finally remarked, as politely as possible, that we had to be in Cerro Gordo for sunset and needed to start hiking. He agreed after showing us only two more of his innovations.

After leaving the canyon I decided to try going past Tea Kettle Junction instead of the Cerro Gordo road. It also goes by the Ubehebe Crater and The Racetrack. The crater was pretty amazing. Big and deep. There was a trail to the bottom but it was cold and getting late. The road to the Racetrack was typical high desert with plenty of what I named “pineapple” cactus but I think they were really young Yucca trees. The road climbed into the hills and turned into some brutal washboard.

The Racetrack was underwhelming. Had it not been so late and so cold we might have looked at it more closely but we needed to find a place to camp unless we wanted to set up in the dark. The wind was howling and we barely got the tent erected before we had to tie it to the truck to keep it from blowing away. Dinner was a hurried affair of warmed up pulled pork and then we decided to take down the tent and sleep in the truck. All I can say is that I found a hundred positions that were all uncomfortable.

Temperatures in the 30s did not help although I had climbed into my sleeping bag with all my clothes on. I should have brought my winter bag to The Hottest Place on Earth!

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Day 72 - Lippincott

Out on the desert for the last few days. Some challenges that I had not expected but survived them all. While I pull my notes together I'll share these thoughts.

A “farkle” is an accessory that is supposed to add function to a vehicle but is often just an add-on to increase the style points of the vehicle. If it is chromed it is bling.

An anodized billet brake reservoir cover is such a farkle. It adds no functionality but looks nice. After market oil filler plugs often decrease functionality because they require a wrench where the OEM plug will require only your fingers to remove.

Normally farkles doe no harm to anything except the wallet. Your buddies think they look good and are jealous. Some are very popular among newbies and are big on the look at me scale. Snorkels on Jeeps are high on this list.

However, I came across an instance where a farkle could be deadly. Wheel spacers and offset wheels move the tire away from the axle, ostensibly to allow wider tires to be installed. When you see Jeeps and pickup trucks with their tires sticking out of the wheel wells this is the reason. Macho looks that generally do no harm. Most of these vehicles never see anything more exciting than a gravel driveway.

On the Lippincott Road in Death Valley they could be fatal. The reason being that the road is extremely narrow with steep drop offs on the side. I got on it by mistake and had a mega-pucker ride to the bottom. My truck has stock wheels with slightly over sized tires and it barely stayed on firm ground. Crossing washouts and climbing over boulders was nerve racking and required 100% concentration. Only with experience and patience did I made it to the bottom safely.

On the way out of the valley I came across some young guys in three vehicles that were looking at maps. The farkles on their trucks screamed newbie so I pulled over to ask them where they were going. They said they were planning on Lippincott Road. Not only that, they were planning on going up where I had just come down. Up being significantly harder than Down.

I asked them about their experience and it became obvious that they were Silicon Valley techies who had lots of money and were out for a good time. I suggested that they get some more practice before attempting the road, and when they did they should go downhill rather than uphill. A park ranger pulled up as I was leaving and must have given them the same advice because I saw them turn around and drive away.

It occurred to me later that they all had heavily offset wheels that might not have fit on the road. That would mean either tumbling down a ravine, probably fatally, or attempting to back down the road which would be beyond extremely difficult. Thus, a farkle that could be life threatening. There is a reason that Jeeps are short and narrow.

I took 1½ hours to go 8 miles and was in no hurry to go any faster.

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Day 71 - Road

Michael Time - Michael Trocosso was my roommate when I lived in San Diego. We both liked the same things; girls, partying, traveling, and photography. The last two were combined into many trips that always started the same way.

First we would find an excuse to go somewhere but it didn't have to be much of an excuse. One time it was to go to Montana so that we would be on the axis of a solar eclipse. Another time it was to go skiing in Colorado because we knew somebody there who would let us sleep on their couch. Ensenada was always an instant agreement to pack up and go.

Second we would pick a date and time. The date was easy, there was only one solar eclipse so we had to leave 3 days earlier. The time was always fixed at 8 am which meant we would never leave at 8 am. Every time we would say "8 am for sure this time!" and every time we would get away 2-3 hours later.

We would say, "Since we always say 8 am and finally leave at 10, let's just say 10 am and avoid the stress." We finally got away at noon.

Another time we agreed to sleep in and leave when we were ready. That time we left the next day!

Once we were going to take Michael's pickup but realized that we would never make it past the city limit. So we decided to take VW van. One problem, it would never make it up into the mountains with the slipping clutch so we scurried around to find the parts, pulled the engine, replaced the clutch, and were on our way by 6 pm. 

It was hopeless and we knew it but we always said, "8 am - This time for sure!"

I'm in Beatty Nevada now, eastern gateway to Death Valley. I said "8 am - this time for sure!" knowing in my heart it would be more like 10 am. Sure enough, 10 am turned into noon as I pulled out of the driveway. Michael was riding with me in spirit.

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Day 70 - Routes

So many roads, so many choices. I'm leaving for Death Valley tomorrow and checking the maps to decide what route to take.

Did you know that Google Maps will help you find the Road Less Traveled? Click the Options link and select Avoid Highways. Google will find alternate routes to your destination and list the times and distances.

Another way to plot an interesting route is to grab the line on the map and tow it to another town or junction. Goggle will reroute the rest of the trip to accommodate your new point. Just put the cursor on the trip line, then click and drag it to a new location.

Lastly, you can add destinations in the original menu. Click Add Destination and type in a new way point. A bonus is that you can type in a name from your address book and Google will fill in the address. It also knows the names of national parks and points of interest. Drag any destination up or down to reorder the trip until it's just the way you want it.

Tonopah, NV. Famous for Little Feat's song Willin'

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Day 69 - Walmart

I hear a lot of grumbling about Walmart. The family has too much money, they treat their employees unfairly, they beat up their suppliers, and on and on.

I dropped one of the lug nuts for my trailer into the snow and couldn't find it. I went to the tire center at the local Walmart and asked if they could sell me one. Nope, but they were happy to give me a brand new one for free.

A friend's son is on the spectrum. He's a great person and is fun to be around. He's never going to work for Google or Goldman Sachs but he's bright and energetic in his own way. He went to Walmart for a job but they said they didn't need anyone at the time.

He went home and thought about it. He's ~21 and able to drive. He went back to Walmart the next day and said plainly that while he would be slow at first he was reliable and a hard worker. He told them he would learn fast and get better over time and all he wanted was a chance too prove it. They hired him on the spot and he's advanced to different positions since starting.

Look at the people working at Walmart. Most of them are good people who are never going to get hired at Nordstrom's or the Apple Store. They want to work and Walmart gives them a position that most think of as a “good job.” Walmart is known for working with employees who need flexibility in picking up their kids after school or taking care of a relative. Many want to earn some extra income but don't want to work a full 40 hours.

There was a community outside Denver that was planned to be ultra-green. No big box stores allowed. It was failing to meet its budget and finally relented to adding retail stores. The improved tax base balanced their budget. More importantly, the surrounding communities now had access to better goods at cheaper prices. The study I read acknowledged that the people nearby could buy healthier groceries with less money. There were more jobs available without long commutes. Their standard of living was greatly improved. Besides, if the greenies didn't like the stores they didn't have to shop there. But of course they did.

It's a long running meme that Walmart customers are low class. Funny pictures on the internet belie the fact that virtually all the shoppers are good, honest, working class people who want the best for their families. Moreover, I'm not impressed with the entitled snobbishness of Whole Foods customers who think running into you with their cart is acceptable behavior because they are oh-so-important and in a hurry.

Walmart is a business, not a social service agency. They provide goods and services at the lowest prices by negotiating the best deals with their suppliers. Employees are one group of those suppliers. This is not China, nobody is forcing anyone to work at Walmart. But they never have a shortage of customers or associates so something must be working well for all.

It's the American way!

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Day 68 - More Stuff

The best way to find something you've misplaced is to buy another one. The moment you have two of them the first one will reappear.

The best way to make sure you can't find something is to put it somewhere you can't possibly forget. You'll never see it again until you buy another one.

Getting ready for my camping trip I find that I have seven different cook sets all alike. A couple are different sizes for backpacking or car camping. One is still in the original unopened box and is exactly the same as another set.

I have a pocket stove, a multi-fuel stove, two canister stoves, and a two burner stove. Plus, fire starter in case I want to cook over an open wood fire.

Three sleeping bags with pads and mattresses. Four tents from a small one that fits on the back of my motorcycle to one that has separate rooms for lounging and sleeping.

Water bottles in every color, shape, material, and size you can imagine. Also collapsible water jugs in case I need to carry water from a stream. Only one water filter though.

Waterproof dry bags in multiple sizes from small 10 liter to just plain HUGE! Straps to hold it all together in every size, color, and material.

Where did all this stuff come from? I admit to being a gear junkie but this is a little silly. Having gotten it all out and sorted I think it's time to reduce the herd. I'm sure the kids in the neighborhood would be happy to get some of this for their next overnighter.

And then I'll have room to go buy more!

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Day 67 - Choices

Poignant and thoughtful but not the complete story. 

We all could have made better choices along the way but it's too late now to dwell on our regrets. 

What is truly sad are the people who wish they could go back in time and change something they did as if it would make their life better. Sad because they are admitting that they don't like the life they have now. 

The only happy people are the humble ones who admit their faults and mistakes and yet accept that they are living the life they chose. 

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Day 66 - Cable

5 kids + 2 hours = 1 Mad House

I finally got the new axle installed on the trailer and backed in to take it for a test drive. I wasn't paying attention and backed over the green cable box. The box was shattered into a dozen pieces and the cables inside were ripped apart. No Internet!!

Then I get the call. “Can you watch the kids for a couple of hours?” Sure. Why not? Things have been going so well today that I actually got through getting my driver's license renewed in under 20 minutes. It's time for the train wreck.

I spent over 30 minutes on the phone with Comcast. Once I broke through the auto-response robot answering part that kept telling me to reset my modem and connected with a real person it went well. (Hint: if you're caught in ACD Hell, try hitting 0 about 8-10 times. That will often signal the system that you are unhappy.)

The technician I talked to had a good sense of humor and I have some experience with network cables so we were able to patch together a temporary fix that should hold together until a repair person can come out with another green box and some new cables. We had a good laugh over stories of old ladies calling because they were missing their soap operas.

In the meantime the kids showed up and were unusually boisterous. We fed them ramen noodles and parked them in front of the TV. Immediately there was mayhem over the fact that I called Star Wars 4 “Star Wars 1” and they wanted to watch number 1 not 4. That was settled when I told them they could either watch #4 or watch my choice of movies. They took a vote and decided that #5 (Empire Strikes Back) was what they really wanted and settled down.

Until Olivia decided to climb up on the couch and knocked Alexander's soda over on Ezra who spilled his soda on Caleb. More mayhem ensued. Cleaning up the mess and restarting the movie took a while but eventually everyone was quiet and there were no further disasters.

Olivia decided to come upstairs and play with her cars and balls. She's just past her first birthday and is pretty bright. She doesn't know many words yet but has a whole vocabulary of squeaks and eeks. We were playing fetch with her balls which was fun. It amazes me the way a small child can do the same thing over and over, 37 times, and get such a big kick out of it every time.

I would roll the ball across the floor and she would go get it and bring it back to me. Just like having my very own puppy. Then the ball rolled next to one of the others and she brought back both of them to me. We played several rounds of twosies until they rolled next to a 3^rd ball. She giggled as she ran over and picked up two balls. Then she put one down and picked up the third ball. Then she looked at it, put down one of the balls and picked up the new one.

This cycle repeated itself about 6-8 times. Each time putting down a ball so that she could pick up the other ball and then realizing she was still missing a ball. I just sat there trying to imagine what was going through her mind. Finally, she gave the extra ball a kick and threw down the two she was holding. She'd had enough of the ball paradox and went back to playing with her cars. They seemed to make more sense to her.

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Day 65 - Preparation

There is a certain irony to the fact that Death Valley is currently one of the least deadly places in the nation.

It is also ironic that rain and snow are predicted for one of the hottest places on earth during my visit next week.

I found that my drivers license expired last week but was lucky enough to get an appointment for renewal tomorrow. In Utah if you miss the renewal date you get to start all over with a written test and eye exam. The test is 25 questions, open book, but people still manage to fail. Last time I was sitting next to a young guy who was struggling with one question. I leaned over and suggested that he read page 63 carefully. Couldn't help myself, we've all been there.

I got out my travel bag, an L.L. Bean boat bag. My technique is to start throwing things into the bag as I think of them. It minimizes the amount of stuff I forget and reduces the last minute stress. I still miss things but they're usually inconsequential.

Tent, sleeping bag and pad, pocket stove and pot, plus instant oatmeal. What more does one need? GPS, SPOT, first aid kit, RotoPax go into the truck. Stop at a grocery store for a couple of gallons of water and some snacks and I'm good to go.

Maps are handy. Look for those faint gray dotted lines across the desert and that's where I'm headed. Not that avoiding the crowds will be much of a problem on this trip. Everyone is frightened of their own shadow since it refuses to stay 6' away.

Full moon Thursday night. I'm planning on being on the Cerro Gordo road so I can get a picture of the moon rising over the mountains. I'll post photos when I return.

Which brings up the point, I'll be out of range for much of this trip. However, I'll have my little Chromebook with me and will keep up my writing even if I can't post it until I return to civilization.

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Day 64 - AKodaPhobia

It's easy to be sentimental about things that never were. Not that they didn't happen, just that perhaps they may not have happened quite the way I'd like to remember them.

I used my student loan to buy a Pentax 35mm camera one year. I was quite shy and hid behind the lens to cover my social ineptitude. Roll after roll, offering the prints to others as a form of introduction and admission. I had my own personal phobia, AKODAPHOBIA, the fear of running out of film. I carried my camera and extra film wherever I went.

People would tell me, “Don't take my picture.” Later, it would be, “Oh look there's Dave and Catherine. Is there any of me?”

Now I look back at those photos and think about the parties and picnics, the hours in the student union. Were we really that young and carefree?

I have the photos, my memory is still good, was it really as great as they portray?

Andy, Laura, Nancy

Maybe they were

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Day 63 - Ocean City

I had ridden all day and into the night. I got lost several times because I was sure I could remember all the road numbers and turns but couldn't. Reading my map by the light of my headlamp I finally found the campground I intended to stay at. It was closed by the time I got there so I was left on my own to pick a site that was unoccupied.

I woke to a feminine “Hello in there.” I crawled out of my tent to find a young woman who claimed that the spot I had chosen was her very own. I explained my troubles and said that if she were to return in an hour I would be packed up and gone. I offered to pay for her breakfast but she declined and accepted the situation with equanimity. We sometimes forget how many nice people there are in the world.

I rode my bike down to the water's edge and dipped the tires in the Atlantic ocean. From there everything was west. Better still everything would be the original US 50 all the way to California. No map required.

Traffic was turtle slow getting off the shoreline. All traffic funneled across a single 2 lane bridge. Looking ahead at miles of traffic I decided to explore side roads to see if I could make better progress. Maybe I did and maybe I didn't but at least I wasn't trapped in the funereal procession on the main road.

Finally across the bridge and free to blow some wind through my helmet I immediately got lost again. US 50 is not as well marked as it should have been. Some hunting and backtracking got me heading west again. This lost and found theme was to be repeated many times on this trip, mostly with interesting events along the way.

(to be continued)

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Day 62 - C110-2

My young (12 yrs) friend Caleb came over this morning. Our goal was to reassemble the 1965 Honda C110 (50cc) engine. It had been previously disassembled, diagnosed, and new parts ordered. What we had to do was go through the boxes, find what we needed, and install them in the proper order.

The good news is that I knew the engine inside out. The not so good news is that I never had kids and so am a bit lost when it comes to dealing with them. The really good news is that Caleb is smart and eager to learn. The not so really good news is that a 12 year old has virtually no patience. As every good mechanic knows, patience is the most important tool in their toolbox.

Trying to keep it light I explained the difference between a mechanic and a parts replacer in 25 words or less. The difference being that a mechanic knows why they are replacing the part.

I asked him how a 4-stroke engine worked. His reply was that the gas came in and was squished when the piston came up. Then Kablooey the gas exploded and smashed the piston down. Not quite the way I would have put it but from the perspective of kid that had watched Transformers on television I figured this was going to be close enough.

The clutch hub was a bit off center so we had to jury rig a way to re-center it. Working together we got it right. However, when we tried to attach it to the crankshaft we found that the special nut that held held it all together was the wrong size. Welcome to the wonderful world of vintage motorcycles. No problem we'll switch to putting the piston and valves together while we wait for the correct nut to be ordered.

Of course that brought a new set of problems. The cylinder has to be honed and the valves have to be lapped. No lapping compound was on hand so we jumped into the truck to go get some. First we stopped at the Honda dealer just to check out the new models and chat with the parts guy. No valve lapping compound there.

On to O'Reilly's but no luck there either. Fortunately Mickey D's had Eggs McMuffins at the drive-thru so we went to the NAPA store restored and refreshed. At NAPA we found what we needed and headed home.

We adopted a plan where I would explain what we were going to do and why we were doing it. Then I would show him how by doing about half the work. After that it was his turn with a little guidance. We honed the cylinder, lapped the valves, and installed the valve springs in this manner. I tried to give him as much hands-on experience as possible. It's the only way I know of to actually learn and retain anything.

Little by little it came together until we ran out of time. Caleb was expected home for lunch and I had errands to run. However, we made a lot of progress. Caleb learned about engines and mechanics, and I learned about young boys.

Compare this with the pictures from Day 59.

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Day 61 - Drabuary

A drab day in Drabuary. Out working on my trailer because the temperature was up to 46F. No sunshine but no wind so the torment was not so bad.

The pious were out walking through the neighborhood with their families because the churches are closed. The virus has turned the pews inside out. Over the holidays the local ward was passing out drive-thru hot chocolate to the faithful and faithless alike. Oh come all ye whatever.

We were invited to brunch in the city at 9am but passed. Our friends seemed a little unclear on the concept of Sunday Brunch being a ritual of leisurely consumption closer to noon. We made our own omelets and sat down at eleven. Travel time was 45 seconds each way rather than 45 minutes. The eggs with salsa were superb.

While cleaning out the pantry I found a box of Girl Scout cookies hidden away in the back. Best By: March 2019. That they should have lurked in the dark for so long is certainly UnAmerican! No worries, they have been properly disposed of and the box recycled. Now that the Boy Scouts are recruiting girls will we be getting Gender Neutral Scout Cookies in the future? Do Thin Mints have a body image problem?

The Union Pacific main line to Las Vegas and Long Beach is a mile from our house. There is a slight grade so they only go about 20 mph heading south. Three locomotives in front and one more in back pushing. Since they average about 2½ miles long it takes 7-8 minutes for them to pass the crossing. When I was a kid we used to count the number of cars; 35, 36, 37, …  Now 150+ cars is short. Containers and auto carriers and grain hoppers. Everything is headed somewhere while everyone everywhere is stuck at home.

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Day 60 - Birthday

It's my birthday and I have to admit that I'm now closer to 60 than I am to 20. To be honest that condition has existed for a couple of years. I don't mind getting older, I just don't want to get old!

The common wisdom is that you don't stop riding motorcycles because you get old, you get old because you stopped riding motorcycles. Remember to cancel your turn signals after getting around the corner.

I took the neighborhood kids to the town swimming pool which is always fun for all. Afterwards, they provided a present plus treats for us to celebrate. As they were packing up and getting read to leave, Dude, who is 5 years old, handed me a package of Ding Dongs. Then, with the utmost solemnity that only a 5 year old can muster, he handed me another one and said, “Here, you should have two. It's your birthday.”

I'm looking at one of the new Honda Trail bikes. I'll sell my Yamaha Vino motor scooter and buy the trail bike. It's faster and more versatile although I don't see myself going around the world on it. 

The only thing holding me back is finding a milk crate for the back. I don't understand why Honda doesn't make them standard with a couple of bungee-cords. Another one of the mysteries of the Universe.

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Day 59 - C110

What is old is new again. I've mentioned that my first bike was a lowly Honda 50, model C110. Because it only had 5 blazing horsepower and I was always riding like it had much more I became an expert at rebuilding the engine.

It was an overhead valve engine which was advanced for a small bike of the time but was overshadowed by the later overhead cam engines soon to follow. The big difference is that that the cam is down in the engine block and the valves are opened by way of push rods and rocker arms.

The Achilles Heel of this setup is the pushrod. It's long and will flex under load at high rpm. Then it breaks stopping all forward progress. Also, because it has mass, at high rpm the momentum can continue to keep the valve open when it should be closing. Flexing leads to breaking and the momentum, known as valve float, causes the valves to hit the top of the piston with catastrophic results.

Breaking pushrods became such a common experience for me that I carried a spare set taped under the seat and could replace them in a matter of minutes. A feat I proved while crossing the Bay Bridge as cars and trucks whizzed by by only the tiniest margin.

Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment!

I was the most experienced C110 engine overhauler on the planet! I took apart the top end and replaced valves. I took apart the bottom end and replaced gears. I rebuilt it more times than I can count and became quite a good motorcycle mechanic who could diagnose problems quickly and wasn't afraid to take things apart. Friends came for advice and with their own machines.

Fast forward to today and, voila, another C110 engine!

You will notice that it is in several small boxes. When I worked in dealerships people would come in with a long tale of woe. All about how they were going to fix it felt confident because they had once changed the spark plug in their lawn mower but now it was just too much for them. Did we think we could reverse their incompetence and make it run again?

We would look it over for signs of gross destruction, there were usually none, pull out the Honda Flat Rate Manual and show them the standard cost.

They would be so happy that we could restore their bike to running condition and didn't make them feel like total toads that they would thank us for our help. We would be thinking that they had already taken the engine out of the frame and torn it down, thereby doing half our work for us. If they had lost a clip or a bolt we had the entire parts department only 10' away. This was easy money!

Now I am looking at an engine I know all too well and all I have to do is put it back together like a jigsaw puzzle. It's cleaned up and ready to reassemble so first thing tomorrow morning I'll be out in the garage, right after I finish my oatmeal.

Stand by for further announcements.

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Day 58 - Photos II

A perfect way to waste a day. My photo album software decided to index all the people on my disk using facial recognition. This is 93,198 photos in 2,659 folders composing 572 gigabytes of data. It's a third of the way through the collection and so far has found 142 people that I've identified. 

Many great memories of friends and adventures from past. I've always considered myself lucky that I've kept in touch with so many of them across time and distance.

This one is from the UConn days. Obviously celebrating a successful exam!

Here's my favorite motorcycle photo. It was taken on a trip through Baja.

A picture of Tres Hombres at SXSW; Scotty, Kevin, y yo.

Beth racing for a land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

If a picture is worth a thousand words this should cover my quota for today. It's been something fun to look back on.

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Day 57 - Stuff

I was going to talk about the political morass today but I don't have the heart to go through it all again. By now it's just theater. Posing and posturing for narrow factional gain. “Look at me. I'm taking a stand for whatever will make me look good in front of my fans” I and everyone I talk to is sick and tired of these political games. All I can say is, “Get back to work dealing with the very real problems facing this nation and show some leadership!”

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You know that things are really bad when you call your best friend to tell them you will be in town and they tell you not to drop by. Supposedly 1 in 5 Californians is or has been infected with the virus. Maybe next year …

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Trying to buy a used car is an exercise in frustration. A nice car but when we sat down to run the numbers I wanted tell him my mother raised ugly children, not stupid ones!

• Document Fee ($495) is nothing more than pure profit tacked on with an official sounding title. It is documenting that you are an idiot to pay it.
• Inspection Fee ($158) Yup! It's a car!
• Property Tax ($150) Why would I pay their taxes?
• Filing Fee ($30) is what? Hitting Enter at the end of the form?
• State Tax ($1275) is factored on the Sale Price + Doc Fee proving that the fee is a sham to increase the selling price.

I suggested that they call me when they had better numbers. The phone isn't ringing.

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