DMT - Day minus 21 - Frustration - Part 3

While waiting for Godot, my new helmet, a Bell MX-9, arrived today thanks to Marty at 4into1.com 

Old helmets are great nostalgia pieces but more than a couple of years old and they should be replaced. The crushable liner that cushions the impact gets wonky and the shell gets brittle. This is known as The Bad Plan.

My new one has the latest MIPS technology which means that it will take a glancing hit and keep my head from cork screwing off the top of my neck. You can read about it here.

As you can see it has a larger viewport and plenty of vents. Just what I want in the desert.

And a small reminder to ride with respect.

Now, if only I had a bike to put under it ...

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Tuesday, April 16, 2019 DMT - Day minus 23 - Frustration - Part 2

This is what I'm supposed to look like in 3 weeks

Even if everything fell jelly side up it's hard to imagine that it would all come together in time.

Maybe I need to make a leap of faith and get everything possible ready so that if the parts arrived in the nick of time it could all come together.

OR

Maybe it's time to start thinking of a Plan B.

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DMT - Day minus 24 - Frustration

These are the pictures of frustration.

A high performance exhaust system that adds a couple of (quiet) horsepower and saves 18 pounds over the stock system.

Aluminum radiators that provide extra cooling capacity for the high desert temperatures and save another 10 pounds.

All the engine parts that could be sourced here in the U.S. from the local dealer.

Three weeks to go and maybe the critical gaskets and rings will be here by the end of the month. Then it all has to go back together without any further problems.

It's a nail biter - stay tuned.

  

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DMT - Day minus 32 - I can breathe again - a little

Travel is all about planning. Or not planning. Or forgetting the details you should have planned for.

My new passport arrived today so I can breathe a little easier now that I know I can get back into the US without having to stand in line with thousands of immigrants for days or weeks on end.

The parts for my Africa Twin are coming in. The parts sourced from the US are on hand but the parts from the UK are on hold and I need to find out why. They are small but important parts like the head gaskets and the piston rings.

I'm gathering the items to take with me and laying them out. As always at this stage I'm including too many things knowing that most of them will be cut when the final choices are made.

Although I have a set of titanium camp utensils these caught my eye while shopping this weekend. The bamboo is just as light and sturdy as the titanium and I'm thinking they have more appeal to my sense of style and design. And a bit more posh?

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DMT - Day minus 35 - Two heads are better than none

The heads are back from Hord Power - YEAH !!

The valves and seats have been reworked and the heads have been resurfaced. This is going to be like a new engine in the bike.

Now there is just the waiting for the gaskets and rings which are coming from England. Then reassembly and tuning and hoping that I haven't lost a part or forgotten how something goes together.

Five weeks to go and it seems so long and not long enough.

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DMT - Day minus 38 - Progress is slow as time passes quickly

The parts have been ordered to put the Africa Twin back together again. Some of them I could source from my local Honda dealer but the rest will be coming from CMS in England. Owning an exotic bike takes patience (and money)!

The Mexican 1000 will be run along some of the same routes we were going to use so we will be able to follow in their path. I'm thinking we will get as far south as Bahia de Los Angeles before turning north to return to the US. Maybe we'll find some left over parts for souvenirs. Playing Ricky Racer will be fun!

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DMT - Day minus 40 - Spring time filled with anticipation

These are home made churros which are linear donuts coated with sugar and cinnamon. These are really good and remind me of the ones I got from a street vendor in Baja on the trip with Marty. After the first one I was hooked and immediately had 3 more!

The bikes are all set to come out of winter hibernation. There is energy massing in their engines and wheels that I can feel as I walk amongst them. I whisper, "Be patient, soon we will go out to play. I haven't forgotten you." They grumble as they shake off the winter cold.

Even the Taco and trailer are ready for the trip. We have decided to trailer the bikes from Tooele to Beatty, NV. It is a long, hot, boring ride across desolate territory. We will have more than enough riding on this trip to forgo this tedious slab of blacktop. 

The plan is to drive to Beatty, spend the night in a motel, and leave the Taco. On the way back we will reverse the plan and ride home in air conditioned comfort while preparing our tales of daring do for all to hear. 

Assuming that we make it, that is ...

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DMT - Day minus 45 - Shady Character

Applied for my passport which required a new photo. 

I have to admit that i'm not sure if I'd let this person into my country. 

Especially knowing his past history. This picture only misses having an InterPol tag and a number below it.

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DMT - Day minus 54 - Duhh

It's the little things that kill you. Small details that get overlooked and then bite you in the butt. A good case in point is my passport.

I was applying for a SENTRI pass which would get me into the fast lane at the border. I already have a Trusted Traveler number which gets me into the TSA Pre lane but this is apparently something slightly different.

A few more dollars so that I don't sit in an interminable line in the hot sun like I did when returning from my last trip to Mexico. I'm assuming it will be even worse with all of the immigrants trying to flood across the border.

Name, date of birth, color of eyes, all the standard stuff. Blah, blah, blah, ... Until I get to the method of verification.

No problem. I get out my passport and as I scan down the page for the number I notice one small detail that I had overlooked.

Date of expiration: 02 Jul 2018

Not Good - Not Good At All!

My ToDo list (I use Google Keep which is excellent if you are an Android person) is now topped with "Renew Passport"

It's the little things like this that would put me in line with Juan and Consuela applying for entry into the United States. On the plus side, maybe they could help me improve my Spanish.

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DMT - Day minus 56 - Directions

The heads are on their way to the people at Hord Power. They are the experts on the Hawk GT family of Honda 52° v-twin engines. This includes the 500cc Ascot, the 600cc Transalp, the 650cc Hawk GT, and the 750cc Africa Twin, as well as an assortment of Shadow cruisers.

In the mean time there are plans to be made including where to go when we get there. Wherever that may be.

I'm a big fan of GPS but prefer old school paper maps. For one thing, a map gives you a much broader scope. For another, it gives you much better detail. Even Google Maps is limited by the size of your screen as you scroll up and down and zoom in and out. Plus I can make notes on a map and highlight trails and points of interest. I know people who have clamped a small laptop to their handlebars but you become a robot following a robot. Not my idea of adventure.

Another point, maps don't need batteries and don't break when you drop them. I carry a GPS as a backup when I need to know exactly where I am so that I can figure out where to go next or how far to get gas. Other than that it stays in my tank bag.

Right next to my trusty compass. Another, I don't need no stinking batteries, low tech gadget that has gotten me straightened out many times. This one has been with me for years and has always been ready to point me in the right direction. Good for finding north at dusk when I'm stetting up for a night star picture while I can still see what I'm doing.

A shout out to Mexico Maps. They have always been my go-to place for south of the border maps. Great selection and the service is unbelievable.

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DMT - Day minus 60 - My heads on the bench

Finally got all the tubes and hoses out of the way and just kept taking off things until it all got loose. Admittedly crude, but effective.

You can see two jacks under the bike. The swing arm pivot bolt is also the rear engine mounting point. Makes for a more rigid frame and better handling but is a real pain in the butt for taking the engine out.

The frame member comes off so you can get the engine out.

I don't have one of those clever time-lapse videos of the disassembly. It would only show how confused I was about what to do next.

You can't see it here but the shift shaft on the other side hangs up on the drive chain which has no master link. 

If I did this a couple of more times I think I could get the hang of it.
I'm glad I'm not paying myself by the hour!

All apart on the workbench waiting to be sent out for head work.

A few people have asked why I'm doing all this. Certainly not because I have too much money or spare time. The compression after the last trip to Baja and the Copper Canyon was only 125# instead of the factory specification of 175#. Time for a refresh.

In the morning I'll be making calls to find a shop that will do head work and then ordering parts from abroad.

Oh, the joy of owning an exotic bike!

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DMT - Day minus 69 - Trouble with my head

This is how it goes with the Africa Twin engine

Freaking hoses everywhere!

The biggest pain with all of this is getting all the emissions tubing out and labeled so that it will all fit back together correctly

The hoses are all disconnected and the valve covers are off.

The rear head come off pretty easily, slipping through the frame rails

No such luck with the front head. The head slides up on the studs and runs into the frame down tube. 

The two options are: 

• Unscrew the studs and hope they will seat properly when I put them back in.
• Pull the engine.

I'm thinking that even though pulling the engine is (a lot) more work it is the more prudent of the two choices.

Let's see what happens in the morning.

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DMT - Day minus 79

Where is the time going? It seemed like it was near infinity and now it seems to be nearer the end.

Not that I've been sitting on my butt all of the time. Jason and Erika are plotting trails and points of interest in Death Valley. My job is to lay out routes through Baja. 

Here's part of my plan. It starts at Coco's Corner where we can camp out for the night and then heads south past the Calamajué ruins. An exciting part of this is that it is often part of the Baja 1000 race route. We'll get to play Ricky Racer!

The dashed lines are "easy". Check out the little dotted line that drops down from the #1 at the edge of the map. That's where we earn our Death March badges.

Time to get back to work - time is running low!

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Where it all started

I ran into this clip about the Cotati Raceway. That was the first track I was at in the mid-60s. The American Federation of Motorcycles (AFM) was just starting. When not racing we met at the Rose and Thistle (possibly The Rose and Crown), a pub on California St near Van Ness in San Francisco. Good times!

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DMT - Day minus 97

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

It's the year of the Pig and that's pretty much how I feel. Over weight and under muscled. Not the best way to start a new adventure.

I've planned out an exercise program that works out with a medicine ball and dumb bells. The goal is not just strength but endurance as well. Both will be required in the heat of the desert.

I don't have any links of super training sites and I'm certainly not going to post pictures of my puny body. This is just a public notice of my intentions to bolster my resolve.I will add more in the future on my progress.

Note: Erika recommends Erika Hurst strength training. It's targeted for women but there is a lot of good advice for everyone.

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DMT - Day minus 102

You might be wondering how I'm adding minus days to my deadline from my last post. As Hillary would say, "I misspoke". Or to put it bluntly, my brain had a white-out from the calendar to the computer. It happens ...

While trying to make lists of everything I need, and need to do, I ran across this one from a previous trip. I post it for your consideration:

1. Carry a log book. Write in it every day. Draw pictures.
2. No iPod or any player! Traveling is about listening to others, not yourself. This is the most important advice I can offer.
3. Be willing to expose yourself to solitude. It's amazing what the world has to offer if you open yourself to the experience.
4. Put your mobile phone in a plastic bag and wrap it in 20' of duct tape. If you can't fix the problem with the duct tape THEN you can call for help.
5. Minimalism — lay out everything and then remove half. Wait 3 days and then remove half of what’s left.
6. The slower you go the more you see. If you see the word "Old" in a road name, take it!
7. Imagination will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no imagination.
8. Make a plan, set a date, stick to it.
9. Everything will wait until you return if it's truly important.
10. Do not be route obsessed. If it says "West", and you're heading west, go exploring.
11. When you meet someone along the way offer to send them a postcard.
12. Yesterday's t-shirt can make a pretty good towel in a pinch.
13. Never get a room at a motel next to a stop light. Always try to get a room on the top floor.
    Note: Gretjen says that you should avoid a camp site 50' from the Union Pacific main line.
14. Nothing beats camping under the stars but sometimes a hot shower in a cheap motel is worth every penny!
15. Don't wear black in the summer.
16. Ask the locals for interesting things in their area. If you are traveling alone they will seek you out to talk to you.
17. When you arrive in a new town park the bike and walk to get a sense of what's where. You can't see anything when you're riding in traffic and you certainly can't talk to anyone!

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DMT - Day minus 101

So much has happened in the last 10 days that I'll just put it down and see how it comes out.

We have pretty much decided to go with the Transalp (TA), Africa Twin (AT), and the ATK. 400, 500, and 300 pounds respectively. Not counting rider, bags and contents. I've got Happy Trail bags for the TA and AT, and a Giant Loop bag for the ATK.

So I had to take the TA to the storage locker and bring back the AT and ATK. The AT needs a top end job and the ATK needs the rear sub-frame strengthened. As you can see the TA didn't want to go and laid down to pout.

The AT and ATK were much happier to come back home.

Click here to watch the trailer and rent the movie from Viemo

Went to the SoCal BDR movie and saw the trail up close and personal. Can you say lots of sand? I've been to Death Valley before and it's a challenge. Curiously, the hotter the sand gets, the softer it gets. This makes it easier to dig in or get crossed up. It can be a workout to keep up your speed so that the front tire stays on top.

Got the SoCal BDR map a few days later and started planning. The normal route is south to north but we will be riding north to south so we can spend time in Baja. GPS is nice for position checking but I feel like I'm a servant to a robot when I ride a preset route. I much prefer route sheets and maps. There is no techy fooling around and you never have to worry about batteries (except for your flashlight if you want to read them at night).

I talked to Kevin Young who is one of the BDR Ambassadors for about half an hour. He filled me in on some of the parts of the trail not to miss like Titus Canyon. This is a slot canyon that is so narrow that is one-way only.

There is also a mine shaft along the way that you can ride into for a mile or so. Sounds pretty creepy so I'll have to take some markers so I don't get lost. I don't think my gps will work underground. An extra flashlight too.

Tomorrow morning I'll tear down the AT engine and send out the heads for reconditioning. Since it's a European model the parts will be slow in coming so I need to start now.

There is so much to do and, although it seems like a long way off, experience tells me that all the days will be filled and I don't dare dawdle. I'm making lists as I think of things so that I can keep the forgotten items to a minimum.

Stay tuned.

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Death March Tours - 2019 - Death Valley, SoCal BDR, and Baja !!

Death March Tours is a group of friends who challenge themselves to get past the easy part and take trips outside of their comfort zone. Past adventures have included the Pachaug Loop and White Rim Trail.

DMT - 2019 will be starting and ending in Salt Lake City. After checking the bikes and getting a night's rest, the first day is a pavement pounder to Death Valley.


After a couple of days exploring the desert, the next section is the Southern California Backcountry Discovery Route. This will be from north to south in reverse of the normal flow.



Crossing over into Mexico the route will take us to Mike's Sky Ranch,



Coco's Corner,



and Alfonsina's.



113 days to go - can't wait. I'll post preparations along the way and then a trip report as we travel.

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It's not all bad out there

Some days things just happen. A moment's distraction, trying to look everywhere at once, missing the little thing in the big picture ...

OOPS - There was supposed to be an embedded video of a trucker pulling out in front of a motorcycle causing an OH SHIT moment for the biker. The trucker then pulls over and waves down the biker to say, "I'm Sorry, I didn't see you". The biker responds by shaking his hand and saying that it was an exciting moment but he uuderstands and appreciates the truckers words.

I give a lot of credit to the trucker for stopping and standing up for his mistake. Just as much credit goes to the biker for not bitching him out and understanding that nobody's perfect and mistakes can happen.

A lesson for us all - kindness and understanding can make it better for everyone.

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Holidaze Stress

My friend David and I had a small exchange about the holidays and the accompanying stress. I repeat it here for your thoughts.

What would the Holidaze be without a little stress!? All the best to you and yours. 

J.

peaceful? there is always stress and always people who worry... won't add a second to your life to worry and stress can take a few away from it...or speed along your demise.

David

I have to disagree a bit. Getting presents chosen, purchased, wrapped, and delivered (either in person or by mail) are stressful chores but in a delightful way. I have lists to make, schedules to complete, and people not to forget. And, of course, there are all the last minute details that need to be attended to whether they were planned or not. 

I could shop on-line, have Amazon deliver, and sit back with my hot cocoa completely relaxed. However, I would have missed the wonderful store I found in Trolley Square. The hustle and bustle of the stores adds a dynamic that brings out the best (though sometimes the worst) in people. Here in Utah people still say Thank You and Merry Christmas to one another as they shop. 

You can call it stress or high energy but I wouldn't trade it for the glow of my laptop. I like people and if it is a bit of a hassle to find a parking spot, that is balanced by the joy of seeing a father and daughter selecting a present for her mother. Stress can be a drain but it can also be a great motivator. It may not add a second to my life but it can make them much more enjoyable. 

J.

Please don't think that David is playing the Grinch. A lot of stress is a taxing drain on our lives. The modern world with the rush to the next-big-thing is certainly a stress factory. However, I say that we can limit it by merely stepping aside and letting it pass. It's all up to each one of us to control our lives and set our priorities.

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It wasn't supposed to be like this - Part II

So I'm a Honda guy with a soft spot for Triumphs. A couple of years ago I had a chance to buy an unmolested 1977 Bonneville 750 that was ready to ride after a tune-up and some cleaning. Last year I was able to match it with a 1978 Honda 750 Super Sport. They were both at the ends of their production runs. '78 was the last year for the single cam 750 Honda and the Triumph would soldier on with minor changes for only a couple of more years.

The Honda was all about the future and the Triumph was all about the past. Want smooth power and lots of it? Honda. Want great brakes and an electric starter? Honda. Want to be sure you'll get home? Honda again.

And yet the Triumph speaks to you in ways many people would never understand. Vibration? Sure, but that lets you know you have an engine under you and not some electric motor from a Prius.The brakes are good enough for the power on hand and a kick or two will get the engine turning over if you've kept it tuned. Getting home? Never been a problem with this bike (yet).

What the Triumph has is a lightness that the Honda can't match. The smile inducing handling this yields makes the trade off for power an easy one. The four cylinders, four carbs, and electric starter weigh a lot. Those and all the other amenities add up when dicing through the mountain corners. Will the Honda go as fast or faster? Sure, but you'll have to work hard for the win. The Triumph is fluid, eager, and involved whereas the Honda is all about throttle, brakes, and planning.

Most people, if asked, would use the word "reliable" when thinking about a Honda anything. Car, motorcycle, outboard, or jet plane, you know you'll get home in a Honda.

Triumph is better known for its Lucas electrical bits (the Prince of Darkness) and it's propensity to mark it's territory by leaking oil when parked. Should the timing be a little off it will happily launch you over the handle bars when trying to kick start it.

Sunday, I decided to go for a ride. I had just finished the Triumph and hadn't had a chance to really test it out. It had been sitting on my lift for 2 years after a piece in the transmission had decided to commit suicide.

I'm sure you're aware that modern gas with all the oxygenators starts going bad after 30 days. What I drained from the tank and the carbs was pure varnish. However, I figured nothing lost if tried to kick it over to get everything loosened up.

Third kick and it started right up. A trip around the block was enough for it to idle as good as ever.

The Honda has four synchronized carbs that are wonders of precision engineering. Intricate little passages to make it run as smooth as silk. When it runs. It was just the opposite of the Triumph. Full choke to get it to idle and balky power below 3500 rpm.

There was clever choreography to stopping for a light. Left hand - pull in the clutch. Left foot - find neutral. Right hand - keep the throttle open to keep revs up. Left hand - pull out the choke knob. Right hand - release the throttle. Right foot - down to keep from falling over.

Once on the road it was mostly fine but there was the small matter of getting out of town through traffic.

So it was the Jurassic Triumph that saved the day and took me for a ride. The simple carbs were happy to cooperate and the engine produced a nice purr that accompanied me along the way.

I love my Honda and I love my Triumph. I love my wife but with motorcycles it's OK to have two!

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It wasn't supposed to be like this - Part I

In the late '60s and early '70s it was all about Hondas for me. Honda was winning all the Grand Prix races and had models that were decidedly more technically advanced than any of the competition.

Harley's were iron barges that either ran poorly or not at all. Italian bikes were pretty and pretty likely to leave you stranded. German bikes were solid and sturdy but as exciting as cold porridge. Which left the English bikes which performed well but leaked and left bits and pieces along side the road.

Edward Turner designed the Triumph Speed Twin 5T in 1936 which was, according to Wikipedia, "the first truly successful British parallel twin, setting the standard for many twins to follow." Unfortunately, it seemed to be the end of his bright ideas and was essentially the same bike Triumph was still producing 40 years later.

The mighty Honda CB750 debuted in 1969 and signaled the end for the English motorcycle industry. Not that they hadn't done enough harm to themselves with terrible management decisions combined with the horrible labour unions. They were their own worst enemy!

In '71 I had a CB450 and loved to torment Triumphs. 500s were no problem and 650s were all about who had the better tuned bike. To me they were Jurassic in style and power. No overhead cams, no CV carbs, no electric starter, and they leaked!

Then a funny thing happened in the summer of '74. I was working in a Honda/Yamaha/Triumph shop when the manager quit and I was nominated to take his place. Tom was only a mediocre mechanic so he got the Honda tune-ups that even he couldn't screw up. Joey loved dirt bikes so he got all of the 2-stroke Yamahas. Which left me with the Triumphs. UGH!

That funny thing was that I learned to love them, sort of. Back then, anyone could afford a Honda and you had to work really hard to kill them which meant there were a lot of squids on two wheels.

To own a Triumph you really had to want to own a Triumph. They were expensive, down on power, hard to get parts for, and they leaked all over your driveway.

What Triumph did have was great handling and a great ride. My CB450 might have had the power, but hit a lot of twisties and I was working hard just to keep up. All those years of making the same bike over and over had lead to refinement that Honda had yet to achieve.

With a little ingenuity I was able to make the Bonnevilles even better. Using vacuum gages I was able to balance the carbs properly for power and less vibration. Dynamic timing with a strobe light instead of the old static timing yielded even more power. YamaBond would seal the covers so they wouldn't leak (mostly). Recalibrating my outlook led to thinking of the bike as a whole and not just power and brakes. Motorcycles could be enjoyable, not just thrilling!

Another piece that led me to love Triumph was the people who rode them. I don't want to single them out as real motorcyclists but there was definitely something different about them. The bikes were personal, not just toys. The owners cared about them because they loved riding, not just showing off.

One owner came in with his Tiger and we were talking about it when he mentioned that he had lost 3rd gear. I told him to bring it in and I'd put him to the top of the queue. He said No, he'd wait until winter when it was too cold and icy to ride. Parts would take too long and he could just short shift pass the missing gear to keep riding.

About the same time a guy with a Gold Wing came in and demanded that I drop everything to replace a cover that was scratched when he had dropped it in a parking lot. He was afraid of being embarrassed and laughed at if his friends found out that weekend. I told him I had real work to do and threw him out of the shop.

 -- More of this story tomorrow --

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Ride Report

Too much work and not enough riding makes J. a dull boy. The area we live in is a farm/ranch area with plenty of folksy places to see and visit. Time to get to it.

First up, lunch at Penny's. While this often has groups of bikers out for a ride today we had it all to ourselves. This place is out of the 50's without all that phony retro stuff, just good food and good service. A Toxic Waste Burger and a BLT with Tater Tots had us filled up and ready to ride.

This was our destination for today, an abandoned grain elevator near the Union Pacific tracks that is now a canvas for local artists. 

I was hoping to be able to climb to the top of it but all of the stairs and ladders had been removed and there was only bare walls bottom to top. Had somebody told them I was coming?

We were hot and dry on the way back so the Silver Sage in Vernon was our next stop. Soft drinks in glass bottles, hand made root beer floats, and the owner's kids playing Set Back at the counter. Can't get much more homey than that.

Refreshed, we headed home and rounded out the day at 107 miles. Just a nice day to be totally analog.

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The Golden Age of Me

Here's a laugh for you from a conversation with a friend.

I remember when I owned nothing, had a hot girlfriend and a beat up Triumph sports car, and thought that if I had enough money for a case of beer I was rolling in dough. Not a care or a problem in the world !!

Now I have a great wife, a beat up Miata, and a bottle of Buffalo Trace. In some ways nothing changes.

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The Golden Age Of ...

When was the golden age of motorcycling? 

It was when you were 20.

Kevin Cameron, in the March 2017 issue of Cycle World

Sage as always, Kevin nails it. The best times for most of us was when we were young and everything was new.

It's the new that made it all so special. Most always awkward, many times frightening, and sometimes heart breaking, life was a big shiny ball of discovery. Exploring the world around us and testing the limits of what we could accomplish.

Or at least what we could get away with ...

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