One More Time.

Gary France over at Flies in your Teeth  posed the question, "How and Why did you get into motorbikes?" And, he asked for responses. I have written about this before, but I suspect it won't hurt to revisit the story one more time.

 

Once upon a time I drove to work everyday. It was the way of things. I drove everywhere. I've always loved driving. I will drive just to drive -- drive and look. Of course, I am an apple that didn't fall from the tree in this regard. When I was growing up my Dad would take the whole family on "rides". We would be gone for hours just riding around and looking.

Downtown I saw bicyclists commuting to work in all sorts of weather. I admired them for their dedication, but also for doing their small part to decrease our dependency on oil. My knees and bicycles don't mix very well or I might have tried to follow their example.

 

After one of my knee surgeries the surgeon suggested I start inline skating. At first I thought he was joking. Next, I thought he was just insuring his offspring had money for college. Eventually, it became clear that he was serious. I have come to love inline skating and skate often. I mention this because it has a bearing on how I came to start riding. The route I take to get to the trail I most often skate takes me past a lawn and outdoor equipment store that also sells go-karts and occasionally scooters. For the longest while,  they had a beautiful little blue scooter setting right out in front of the store. It occurred to me that if I bought that scooter I could ride it to and from work like the cyclists rode their bikes.

 

This was Lil' Blue my first scooter. It was a  2t 49cc Adly.

I suspect I would never had taken action on this idea if my very mature and increasingly tired Ford Windstar van hadn't started showing signs of an impending major and very costly repair. Since I didn't want to buy a car before Spring it occurred to me the little blue scooter I saw five or six times a week might be just the thing. It would allow me to divert miles away from the van while saving money on gasoline at the same time.

Safe at home after playing in the snow.

When I bought the scooter I'd expected to endure the commute. At the very best, I'd hoped to find satisfaction in doing my part to decrease my country's dependence on oil. In no way, shape or manner did I imagine I might actually enjoy the ride. But, oh me, oh my, I most certainly have.

I must admit buying the scooter was more impulsive than I make it sound. Yes, all the things I've said about the van are true, but  you know what? I really wanted that scooter. If I'd truly thought about it, I'd not bought it. Here I was, a nearly sixty year old man who experiences brain storms that while not seizures have seizure like qualities, preparing to ride on two wheels. What was I thinking? I don't know, but it turned out to be the absolute right thing for me to do.

 

Happily, the brain storms happen quite infrequently now, I still have them from time to time. I actually had a major one just yesterday, but the frequency has radically decreased since I began riding. A coincidence? I don't think so.

I've learned on those days when I'm having a bad brain day, a day when I struggle to get my thoughts moving in a good orderly direction, going for a ride brings a clarity and order to my cognitive chaos. It still seems rather counter-intuitive that it could be a good idea to ride when my mind is so muddled, yet it is.

 

 

 

 

No Prizes, But . . .

I came across this article today. There is an advertisement that has been deemed offensive to Christians. The thought that angels would give up there heavenly place for the (artificial) scent of a man seemed sacrilegious to at least one person in South Africa and the South African authorities banned the ad believing if it upset one it probably would upset many. I'm not sharing this link to make any comment about the banning. No, rather it is because the makers of the commercial have mistaken the object of the angels desire. So, click here and watch the video. See if you notice what I noticed. It ain't the guy these fallen beauties want, it is the ....?.....

The answer I'm looking for will be in the comments. Sorry, no prizes but I do hope you get a chuckle.

Iowa Again Or Heather Learns A New Word

Iowa again:

Look familiar?

It was the last day of our trip. We were expecting to just take US-61 straight home, but there was a detour. The detour took us into Fort Madison, Iowa. We were surprised.

A locamotive!

A reconstructed fort.

A very busy bridge carrying . . .

. . . trains and . . .

. . . more trains.

There were wonderful old buildings.

And, there was a museum.

I grew up using Shaeffer fountain pens. I admit I didn't know they started in Fort Madison. Click here to learn about the Museum.

We asked one of the volunteers about a good place to eat and she suggested Ivy's. It was next door. When we went into Ivy's they were getting ready to close, but they stayed open to make us a sandwich. It was just a very nice experience. The whole experience of Fort Madison was pure serendipity, which was a new word to Heather.

I suspect we will find our way back to Fort Madison.

Wisconsin

We left the Twin Cities committed to meandering, to stopping to take photos whenever we wanted, and to taking our time. Chris had suggested we take Rte.35 along the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi river. 

It was a great suggestion.

We began stopping at each of the roadside historical markers located along Rte.35. It seemed like a good idea at first, but there were so many. We eventually stopped stopping.

Here's the bow and arrow.

Both Heather and I tend to get in the car and head for a destination. That's not how it is when I ride the Symba. Heather has heard me speak of this different quality of experience. I think we were trying on doing the drive home differently, trying to bring to it some of the wandering childlike wonder I experience when riding my Symba.

We really did turn around and try for that photo that would have just gone by too fast to catch (even if the photo didn't quite work). 

We enjoyed spending some more time on the shores of Lake Pepin. This time on the Wisconsin side.

But the treasure of the day was Fountain City.

The place that drew us was just a boat launch.  But this day there seemed to be a magic about it. This day it was Brigadoon. I suspect we will never be able to go back again. The little islands will still be there. The dock will still be there. Still it will never be the same as it was for us on this singular overcast Autumn day.

After we left Fountain City we didn't stop until we stopped for the night. It was well after dark.

And, we were back in Iowa.

Veteran's Day 2011

Scenes from Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Twin Cities, Part 2

We looked at stuff.

We rode three up on Chris'Ural around St. Paul and Minneapolis for much of a Saturday afternoon. Even though it was the end of October we were plenty warm enough with our gear on . . . and thanks to even warmer temperatures than the forecasters had predicted.

We looked at courthouses:

The Supreme Court of the the State of Minnesota.

Here is the Ramsey County Courthouse. 

We looked at the Capitol Building of the State of Minnesota:

The grounds were sporting a hi-vis look, no doubt,  just for us.

The famous horses on the Capitol.

We traveled down tree lined streets and looked at some magnificent old houses:

But mostly we looked at the River and at Bridges:

I was impressed with all the parks and streets along the riverfront.

There were lots of bridges. It is much easier to cross the Mississippi here than in St. Louis.

I loved Chris' photos of this stone arch bridge in his post about the National Ural Rally Day. Now, I've seen it!

We looked at this:

We even looked at a construction site:

And, we ate very well.

All you need do is check out another of Chris' blogs, Everyday Tastiness to know Chris loves food. Yes, we ate very well indeed.

The Twin Cities, Part 1

Here's the Heather version of Day 3 of our trip:

We Rode.
We leaned.
We looked at Stuff.
And, we ate very well.

We Rode. We leaned.

Heather wasn't at all certain what she was getting into when I suggested we make this trip. I knew why I wanted to make this trip. I wanted to meet Chris of Everyday Riding in person. He and I share a passion for riding year around and have developed a blog friendship. When people would ask me why I was going to Minnesota my response was, "To visit a friend I've never met." I, also, wanted to experience a sidecar rig and I wanted Heather to experience a sidecar rig. I ride most days, but snow still stops me. Chris' solution to riding in the snow has been his Ural sidecar rig. Heather had some reservations about sidecar rigs. Another possibility was a Can-Am Spyder, but when she and I test rode one back in May, neither of us were terribly impressed. I wanted Heather to experience a sidecar rig first hand. I'm not sure what her reservations were. I know when I mentioned to my sister about maybe getting a sidecar rig someday, she immediately said she wouldn't ride in it. Why? From all the cartoons she'd seen where the sidecar would separate from the bike and then come back. She just didn't think she could trust them to stay together.

I already ride all but about 15% of the year. If Heather wasn't interested in being part of owning a sidecar rig I wanted to know. It would make a major difference in my plans for my future riding. If there was interest after our time with Chris, I would explore taking a sidecar class. If there wassn't interest I could begin to look for another bike/scooter to compliment Billie, my Symba. Yes, I had an agenda.

We lucked out on the weather. It was a wonderful day to be out and about. Brave Heather went first.

Heather had her own helmet, gloves, and jacket. Chris lent her a pair of pants and she was set. I think she looks great.

Ready . . . Set . . .

Go!

It wasn't long before they were back.

When I asked Heather what she thought of the ride, she responded, "I want to drive."

I had hoped Heather would ride pillion with Chris on his BMW R1150GS. And, she did.

Mrs. Everyday helping Heather with her visor.

Off they go! Heather made Chris promise no freeways.

It seemed like they were gone only a few moments. Is Heather doing her happy dance?

Heather said it was fun, but the leaning was weird. She felt like she was falling.

Then it was my turn. Of course, I don't have any pictures of myself, but if you click here you can get Chris' version of events and see more pictures of Heather and some of me, too.

What was my experience of riding in the sidecar? It was more comfortable than I expected. What about piloting the tug? Well, I'm definitely curious to get some real training in it. The Ural fit me better than I expected. I felt quite comfortable on the bike. I was pleased I didn't stall the bike out. I've not used a hand clutch since my Basic Riders Course. I certainly liked it better than the Spyder . . . and so did Heather.

Later Heather, Chris, and I rode around St. Paul and Minneapolis looking at stuff and just enjoying the ride. We were out for at least a couple of hours. It was great fun. Click here for Chris' post on riding three up.

And, what did Heather think of all this? I'm not sure how enthused she is about the sidecar, but something happened that pleased me very much. A couple days after our "Motorcycle Day" she commented she now got what people saw in motorcycles. I have no idea if there will be a sidecar rig in our future. I have no idea if she will be a rider one day. What I am sure about is she now understands the possibilities and has a sense of why this obsession, oops, I mean hobby, has come to mean so much to me.

(to be con't.)