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Grandma’s Cadillac

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yeah. she lays in wait. little blue head tucked behind the steering wheel until she hears that parallel twin down around the last bend.
then she eases off the pedal and does her best sundayslowdrivingthroughthemountains.

sounds like you had a great time.
thanks for sharing it with us.

Glyndon and I ballanced our carbs, checked air in the tires, Oil level good! Packed the saddle bags, and posed for an in the drive way pic! Kissed the wife, She said have fun and be careful. It's 9:30am Tuesday, The day is starting to heat up so we better go! The house fades away and I'm excited! I love riding with Glyndon he can read my mind on a bike! Been riding by my side or following close behind on dirt roads and trails since he was 5 yrs. old!Still I'm a Dad and worry that he's going to do alright, after all this is the longest stretch we have done together in one day, I watch the mirror close and he's always in view. Miller Grove to Miniola I give a thumbs up in question and get a thumbs up so I know he's up to a few more miles, I'm getting hot and thirsty but lets make it to Tyler! I'm thinking he's got to be ready to pull over for a breather and cool off! So into a gas station I go for gatorade and top off the tank. What we stopping for Dad? Wow wish I was young again! We have to pace ourselves in this heat 94 degrees and 74% Hum. You can cut the air with a knife! Off we go.... At 70 to 75 miles an hour brents little oil temp gauge climbs a little above 210 degrees, Pretty country here between Tyler and Lufkin.... Looks like they are working on the road a little ways up... a couple of Harleys in front of us so we work our way up and stagger in formation... I get a wave from the lead bike... Yep road work for sure! tar and lose rocks we all slow down to about 50mph and a freakin semi comes by in the opposing lane and hammers every one of us with rocks! I'm hurting all over and way concerned about Glyn I look back and he is holding one side of his shield on by his free hand (a rock knocked his shield loose!) but looks like he made it I feel like I was shot! ( Got skin missing thru my shirt and a couple of quarter size bruises)Glyn, I and the (Harley guys) pull over into a gas station a few miles from the assault and check body parts and tell each other how bad that was! Wish each other well and part ways... I think to myself these Triumphs are awesome... been riding like the wind for almost 5 hours, I know we are getting close to the coast with crabbing fields on both sides of the roadway, ( we are west of Beaumont with Winnie in our rear views) That sure is a funny looking critter ran over up there! while passing it I realized I've never seen an alligator ran over on the roadway! opposums, squirls and skunks I got you covered on those but never an alligator! A big tall bridge ahead must be Bolivar! at the peak you can see the Gulf of Mexico! I'm realing feeling tired and a thumbs up check with Glyn says I'm good let's go!... Finally fm 3005 heading west along the coast! right next to the beach for miles and miles.... I've got to stop! Dad needs water gatorade anything cold and wet! might as well gas up Galveston about 20 miles out.... Off we go again felling a little refreshed we make it to Port Bolivar for the ferry ride to Galveston Island... The ferry was cool for Glyn as he's never been on one and the huge ships in the chanel fasinated him... I'm to tired to get excited now, I check the Odo and we have 330 miles behind us it's about 7:30pm... I call the wife on the ferry and asked her to scope us out a budget inn on the seawall, BTW (seawall & budget inn is an oxymoron) I said I'll call when were on the island to see what she found. Traffic was stop and go at times on the island so we stopped and called home, she found the cheapest place with a gulf view Ramada inn @ $96.00 clams I said thanks baby I heading that way because Pop is tired! We had supper and hit the hay! The next morning we headed out west riding all the way to the end of fm 3005 on to the bluewater hiway on the way to Freeport, Lots of beautiful beach homes west of Galveston especially around Jamaica beach and resort, A $2.00 per vehicle toll bridge takes you over to Brazoria county and on to Surfside Beach, dang I don't remmember bikini's having that much lack of fabric when I was young! I guess I better watch the road! Ok Glyn this is the end it's turn around time let's grab a snack and Gas up and head back. We make it off the Island and stop again in Bolivar for gas and water to cool off but I'm growing a little concerned at the growing thunder clouds, Told Glyn I bet we get wet a way's up, Thats cool dad I'm up for it he says! It's to hot for the frogg toggs right now thats packed away! so off we go... about 20 miles down a few sprinkles here and there actually felt good and then all of a sudden the heavens opened up and dumped a deluge on us... pull over and get the frogg togg jackets out but way to late we were soaked... so we continued on thinking it would stop any time but it did not! Glyn and I rode thru 135 miles of rain!!!! heavy to light rain at times it was hard to see... At one gas stop Glyn said "U know I just thought I have rode in the rain" Man that was some bad to the bone rain! well son we are going to try and make it to Lake Livingston, Are you good for it? Let's go Pop! Thats my son! off we go Rain, Rain, Rain. Gas up and ride thru about 40 more miles of rain and finaly Livingston! A super 8 inn right on the hiway, A warm shower sounds good and call in a pizza and stay in the room! A plan well executed! the next morning 8:00am we head for home and ride the rest of the way in beautiful weather! a really nice ride thru the Davy Crocket Forest area. We pull up in the driveway at home and I feel like it was to short, I was tired but wishing I was still out riding! I told Glyn he done good! He rode like the wind and I was proud! you know what son? that was 749.5 miles round trip! Did you have fun? It was awesome Dad! Now I go and plan our next trip... where to now?

Smile for Mom please!


I hate Stopping for gas Dad!


Almost There!!!!!


Finally There! Hey sir can you take a pic of us?



Maybe we can just stay here! and have Mom bring us food and clothes!

Great trip narration! Gotta love a team willing to brave the east Texas heat this time of year. Bet your father's day present doesn't top this

Have you ever flirted with the sun through dappled glimpses on a forest road , or submitted to the wind's caress ? Have you felt the subtle temperature changes on windborn skin as you traverse fens cool and lofts warm ? Have you smelled the dankness of moss and fern mingled with juniper and honeysuckle ? Alone with thoughts borne on a courser of man's design , she will carry those few who will love , believe , and feel , those whose answers to these are as elemental as love itself .

Aaaaahhh.. poets.. welcome

Adds a whole new dimension to the phrase "poetry in motion"

Stretches of more than 2 days off come few and far between these days, and I've been in dire need of a brain cleaning lately. Luckily I was able to get away just this past weekend.

Friday morning came after just 3 hours sleep with a full day of work in store. Lucky for me it was slow, and I was able to get out around 2 in the afternoon. Caged it up through Baltimore toward home, picked up an EZPass and ugly $8 black plastic bracket at the Tunnel and got home to pack.

Saddlebags loaded and EZ'd on, a new waterproof bag jammed with clothes, extra helmet on the rack. Out the door, heading north up I-95, away from the house where I live, towards my heart's home, Vermont.



I usually run lightweight, just me and the Speedy, and rarely run through full tanks of gas on the 4 lane, so I was surprised when I started to sputter at 135m, having JUST passed a rest area. I got off, got directions, the runaround, turned around, and as I was giving up hope a Sportster went motoring past me. I caught up, waved him down, pointed to the tank and got the high sign. Made it to fuel just as my ride started to finish the last sips of reserve. Happily that was the last excitement of the night. I ran around NYC on 287, then charged up toward Albany with 2 squids leading the way, clearing the evening's thinning traffic from the passing lane. I kept expecting to get the tired nods, but the excitement of finally being on vacation had me. Albany came and went, and I passed through Troy, home of Uncle Sam, gassing up one last time before heading out into the dark that starts just east of town. After crossing the Vermont state line I hit route 7 around midnight as the clouds settled over the Green Mountains. On the cold, foggy hour between Bennington and Rutland I saw one fox, and only 2 cars. At 1:05, some 416 miles from home, I pulled into my destination for the night.


Hooked up with VTScallywag, my old friend with a beautiful green America and little on his plate for a few days. Saturday, Sunday and Monday were a blur of rides through old haunts. Miles of lakeshores, over mountains and through valleys cool and green. Past covered bridges and rivers and freshly mown fields of grass .. Past the Ben and Jerry's plant and the Mill where we used to make cider jelly each tourist season. Crashed a wedding reception. Golfed, poorly as usual, but pulled off one honest par-3, quite a feat for me. Drank Long Trail each evening and ate well. Vacation after all.

Everyone had to work Tuesday. Everyone but me. Record heat on tap for New England. I scooted out for Bolton Valley, up the mountain, and pulled off under the trees. Down to the river, off with everything and into the chilly mountain stream. Cigar. Budweiser from passing local. Hours in the sun and shade and listening to the water roll down the boulders. Relaxation until the neo-hippie with slacklining gear burst my bubble. I left before he could hurt himself. Picked up a female friend back in town and went out along the lake in the early evening. "How fast can this thing go?" Fast. And with hands tight on my sides and legs wrapped round my hips and that question in my ear after being so well behaved? Very Fast. Night. Dinner. Live music. My home bar, where no matter how long away I'm greeted by name.


Wednesday, toward home. Sprayed myself with gas before I'd turned over my first mile of the trip as I gassed up. It bounced from the tank to my chest as I balanced the bike upright, hoping to fit a few extra miles into the tank. To the local drugstore for a $2.50 t shirt to save having to unstrap/unpack everything. Bonus: a covert spray of Coppertone from the rack in the back. 9:30 AM, Toward house, and cats, who must be nuts by now. Thunderstorms expected along the East Coast all day. Not 5 minutes after my second gas stop black clouds start over. I pull over in time to dig out my rain pants and zip the cover on my mesh jacket. Switch to the full helmet. 15 minutes of crazy rain later I burst into the sun and heat again. Stop, undress, stow stuff. Cigar. Clouds catching up? Move fast. Repeat again after next gas stop. This time the rain gets carwash heavy, but I'm still rolling along at 40 and the cars are all doing the same, and I know it'll be over any minute.... Right? As we roll back into sunshine, the guy driving next to me paces me. When I look over his eyes are huge, he points and mouths WOW MAN pointing up and at me and shaking his head. I give him a thumbs up, laughing. I stay geared up in the sun just long enough to dry out the outer layer, then shed it for the last time of the day. Hours of slab later I pass the first spot where I could bail out for some 2 lane for the last 30 miles home. I push on. Almost there. Rolling with traffic well over the posted 65 mph limit. 7 pm. Home. Unstrap everything, pop off the bags, and get a pizza in the oven. Unpack. Relax. Enjoy the air conditioning.

1550 miles spread over 6 days. Friends reconnected with. Head cleared. Tanned. Beside Russ and myself we spotted one Tiger in Rutland and I caught one orange/cream beauty in Burlington. I'm ready to go get back out there for a few more miles.

Nice story! I bet you want to start off again eh?

She was to me at first a therapist , not that I was in any clinical need of her services , I just wanted an outlet for all of the repressed stress of business , insecurities , the usual malignancies that we all sometimes carry . So deft was she at her abilities that in her presence , I drifted back to a pristine time of youth and idealism , days of unbridled passion for the joys of motorcycle riding , racing the wind and eluding the impending years . She withdrew from the chambers of my mind the rushing emotions of my first ride , so much like a first kiss , where I could barely sleep with excitement . As our sessions increased in frequency , I began to develop a deeper attraction for her - cautiously at first - I knew we should not cross the parameters of a professional relationship . The progression of time saw gifts bestowed upon her , functional at first , then escalating to purely aesthetical . Then a magical , symbiotic thing happened - as I began to pour out to her , she began to pour out out me , in a greater measure , reciprocity for the investment of time and funds . She became to me a gateway , a portal to a time of youthful joy , freedom , passion . Her name is Lola , and if you could have experienced the joy as I first brought her to pulsing life , and with eager anticipation let out her clutch , and engaged so much more than elemental power , you would agree well that one thing that defines us as humans on this journey is the way that we choose to soar and dream and bestow life to , and personify the machines of our lives .

THERAPUTIC , not Treraputic , I hate miispelt wurds

late in June
a most full moon
glows
behind her sheer & cloudy curtain

a colder night, leathers tight
the engine sounds my focus

2 tires spin
my dance through space-
rolling spots of contact
with the ground.

OK, here's one to beat all.

With visions of the mountains of North Carolina dancing in our heads, we bedded down early Thursday night (Jun 28) with a 3:30AM departure planned. Everything was packed; lists checked thrice, we were ready to go!!! I woke up around midnight and checked the weather… uh oh, there’s a nasty tropical wave getting closer, faster than expected! Watching the radar, I figured I could get a couple of hours more sleep. Woke up again at 2 and figured we had better get out of Dodge if we were going to beat the really nasty stuff and so we hit the road right at 2:30AM on my birthday! After a mumbled ‘Happy Birthday’ from the wife, she promptly fell back asleep! Hit squally rain all the way past Ft. Pierce (about 120 miles) and then things cleared up nicely. Alright!!! I was really looking forward to a great week in the mountains, seeing old friends, and meeting new ones!

Around noon, as we are deciding on when to stop for lunch, Janet says “my throat feels scratchy”. Uh oh….. We get up to Banner Elk without event and Janet suggests we stop at the grocery store now so we don’t have to go back out. I was thinking we would get everything unpacked and then head back out. You see who has the brains in this family, right!

Saturday morning, we wake up late being fragged from the drive but who cares, we have a whole week!!! Within minutes, I see Janet is sniffling and she is starting to sneeze. Aw crap, I hope this is not……. Yep, within an hour, even ole thick head here realizes Janet has a full blown cold/flu. Ever the trooper though, she is ready to go! I’ve received a couple of voice mails (I knew Steve (reave1) was down from Ontario and probably trying to contact me) so I try calling back with no success. Having no Internet connection, we decide to take the laptop down into Banner Elk and see if we can get a connection so I can get to a PM from Steve. On the way into town, I spot a red BA!! A heart wrenching right turn later, I am parked right next to what I suspected was Steve’s bike. A check on the plate (Ontario!) confirms it! As he is nowhere to be found, I write a hasty note and stuff it in his glove and prepare to drive away. Janet says “look at those guys up there” and sure enough, there’s a couple of scruffy looking bikers heading our way. I wait until they are almost to their bikes and nonchalantly ask “They still make those Triumphs?” and you could see Steve has heard this a million times as he answered ‘yes’ . He then looked over and recognized me and handshakes and hugs began! He’s riding with his buddy John (rides a really nice Ducati) and we decide to go back to the condo and get my bike and the three of us are going for a nice ride. Yes….

We get rolling (Janet decided to stay home understandably) and get down the road about 6 miles and Raven just dies…. no spark but has juice. Hmmmm… I am still rolling so I turn the key off and on again and away we go! I chalk it up to an anomaly but within a quarter mile, she does it again! CRAP!!! Trying to find a safe place to pull over, I have to do the key thing about a half dozen times to keep her running and dang it if she ain’t doing her best (I love this friggin bike!). Get pulled over and start checking things. Battery connecti… Well, look at that, the friggin + connection is loose! Cool. I tighten it up thinking that’s GOT to be the problem. Nope, several more key sequences later, I have to pull over and tell the guys, I need to take her back. Guess what folks? It wasn’t pretty (slow running, backfiring on restarts (Steve got to see flames out my pipes! )) but she got me home as always. The most fun (tongue in cheek) was running back up the mountain to the condo hoping she would not cut out in one of the hairpins (a guaranteed drop) but I lucked out and made it safely. Proceeded to tear her apart and check everything and all was in perfect order. Exhausting all other avenues of failure (sidestand switch, coils, fuses, high/low side connections) and conscious of the symptoms, I am suspecting the ignitor. That is for another thread though….

I’m standing there sorta scratching my head and Janet comes out sneezing and coughing. I feel so bad for her, it hurts. Then she says “Hey, take my bike”. Do you all understand now why I love this woman so much? The guys tell me they have to get a place to stay and I need to do some work around the place so this ride is officially done. We arrange to pick up Steve and John later for dinner. We had found out earlier that Janet’s cousin and boyfriend are up here so we all go to a great dinner and head back to the condo for drinks. Very cool.

Around 11-ish, Greg (EnglishYankee) calls and is at the bottom of the mountain!! I am 2 sheets to the wind so Janet volunteers to go get him. Heart swelling, I hand her the keys and 20 minutes later, here’s Greg! We partied until close to 1 and we all (aka Janet) drove Steve and John back to their hotel and said our goodbyes as they were heading out in the morning. On the way back, I noted to Janet “my throat feels scratchy…” Uh-Oh.

Sunday morning, I wake up to a pounding headache, fever/chills, sore throat, stuffed nose and head. Oh yeah, it’s official now. We are both full blown sick!! Back to bed and finally crawl out around 1PM and wake Greg up. Dang, that boy can sleep! Moping around the place, I try to contain the various bug and germ emanations. Greg goes out to warm his chain up to lube it and doesn’t come back for about 3 hours! Good for you brother! Sunday night, Jim (moe) and Lynn arrive and I think we did burgers. Everything about now is getting fuzzy………..

Monday, a similar day to Sunday. Janet and I are feeling really, really bad. Functionally, getting down to the grocery store and pharmacy are the most we can manage. Drugged up, we are basically confined to the condo in some of the nicest weather in some of the best riding country anywhere. Sigh…..

Tuesday. Much more of the same only more intensity to it. I think Greg headed home either yesterday or today. There’s an ethereal quality to the days and life right now. I asked Jim to please shoot me…..

Wednesday. I woke up feeling a tiny bit better. Janet did not and was actually feeling much worse. We had to make a decision and did so. Tomorrow, no matter what, we need to just go home. I wanted to shoot myself at that point. Now Jim and Lynn had been staying with us since Sunday, offering what help they could. I told them about us leaving and they said they were leaving tomorrow anyway so that would work out. They went out for a ride and came back later Wednesday afternoon and guess what? Yep, now Jim is feeling like crap. Was this a friggin nightmare? So the three of us spent the rest of Wednesday battling various stages of this crap. We packed the truck and the bikes up (dang near passed out a couple of times but got it done) and everyone went to bed early.

Thursday, we actually woke up early and I was feeling better, enough to drive anyway. We were only going about halfway and were going to stay with friends in southern Georgia. Got up and Jim is in bad shape so I offered the condo and ‘take your time’. We left pretty much all the food that was there (wasn’t much) and couldn’t do more that commiserate, we drove out. Jim’s a tough guy so I know they are OK. Jim?

We were supposed to have arrived at our friend’s place on Sunday but we knew they were there all week so figured, no problem. Yeah, right. We called them around 10AM (we were getting close to Atlanta at that point) and true to the week, they had returned home the day before due to a family emergency. Well that cinched it. We were FUBAR...... We continued to Valdosta, GA (18 miles from the FL/GA border) and spent the night. Woke up early this morning and made it home.

There are probably a lot of holes in the above story as there were a few moments less than lucid but this was the absolutely the best vacation ever!

Sigh…… Cough…

Now I'm feeling bad . You were 12 minutes from my house on Atlanta southside on return , registered nurse and lots of nice pills and 4 spare bedrooms , great food and Southern hospitality . Oh , well . Lola may have caught Ravens' cut - out malady . Next time .........

Jeeez Phil,

Sorry to hear the "bug" screwed up your and Janet and Jim and Lynn (?), what about Greg's long anticipated vacation? Maybe your bike caught it also, commisseration

I actually like & prefer 3:30 am starts .

jwh

Sorry to hear your vacation was screwed up but I'm concerned about Raven, you didn't tell us how that came out...

you know how there are some days that you need a sunrise just to put everything back in perspective? today was one of those days. i knew last night that i needed to go in search of sky gold and other early morning treasures.

without setting an alarm, and having been utterly exhausted on friday night, i wound up sleeping an hour later than i wanted to. none the less, i was able to have Blue out of her garage by 0515 or so. there was a lot more light in the sky than i was hoping for by the time i rolled the bike to the road to start her up. still, i was happy to be out in the cool air and greeted morning with beautiful Triumph thunder.

i hopped on the slab right in town and headed east. within the first mile i see strands of back lit pink stretched across the sky. all was not lost. i figured worst case scenario, i'd get home and do my best to conjure the images for you with words--if not photos. i took out my trusty imaginary camera and clicked away.

most of the regular readers here know how i long for the Blue Ridge mountains. so much so, i forget sometimes, that there is beauty to be held, within a few miles from where i live. the Connecticut shore line offers The Long Island Sound, rivers, inlets, marsh land; all within a short distance.

when i got to the water in the Pine Orchard section of Branford, there were no streaks or swirls of color; but a smooth surface and pale pink sky stretched out to my horizon.




i figured by this point the morning color show was out of reach; but kept riding anyway. it wasn't yet 0600 and i was enjoying the solitude and the small hours of day. i headed out to Stony Creek; a little (snobbish)enclave tucked into the shoreline. a great place to head out in a kayak and explore the Thimble Islands of Connecticut.

had it been any later in the day, the dock area would have been a swarm with people and way too many cars. i caught it early enough to be only one of two people in sight. as i pulled up to the dock a woman was heading out on a little motor boat, leaving quietly as i rumbled to a stop.


i sat for a few minutes watching birds. holding the quiet...trying to let my over active mind slow down...i looked over at Blue and knew i had to feel out the rest of this morning.

there is a small series of twisty road that runs from Branford to Guilford, CT that cuts through some marsh land. i got back into my helmet and started up the bike. slowly, i made my way out of the dock area and leaned the bike to the twists. coming out of a sharp, limited visibility turn, i looked at the sky and found my morning treasure.

there it was. the sunrise gold my soul was hungry for. enough width in the shoulder of the road to pull over for photos. the last time i specifically headed out on a weekend morning in search of sunrise; Blue had a dead battery. it was a most frustrating experience that ate up the better part of a day. today more than made up for that lost opportunity.




satisfied that i had captured my daydream, i went on for a few more miles. a chill started to get the best of me; so i turned for home.

i'll end my tale with This Day. a poem by e.e. cummings. more fitting words are lost to me right now.

[ T h i s D a y ]

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginably You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

- e. e. cummings

Thanks!

... for the story ... the pictures ... the poem ... and the impressions.

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes


- e. e. cummings

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Shari- I have this part of the cummings poem laminated, and taped on my bathroom mirror. It's been on every bathroom mirror for many years.

Your story and pictures are wonderful....there's something miraculous about the morning's mist rising.

My Sidecar Poem, from last night:

sailing through space
in the seat of the sidecar
smell the hot engine &
growling exhaust-
I tip back my head
& watch The Big Dipper
pouring night's beauty
all over our ride.

Now that's what I was talking about... most excellent.

Thanks for sharing Mert, nice pictures and writup!

/Johann

Quote:

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There are probably a lot of holes in the above story as there were a few moments less than lucid but this was the absolutely the best vacation ever!

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so today's questions are:

are y'all feeling better?
what is it with Raven and Sugar Mountain?
when are ya going back?

mert- them pitchers sure is purdy.

Phil- it couldnt have been more fun the being hit with "tear" gas in Gatlinburg!

The following is reprinted from my blog:

On Saturday a group of us decided to do the Kaslo-New Denver-Nakusp loop, and for some reason my friends decided that I should lead the group. That worked well, for about 25-30 miles.

On Friday, on the Creston-Salmo loop , I’d experienced a significant amount of “brake fade,” the condition where your brakes overheat and lose 90% of their effectiveness - meaning they basically stop working until they can cool down a bit. I was following Marty on his Rocket III, passing traffic. He was able to slow down and duck back into traffic while I was not - I went sliding right past him and the car he ducked in behind. Luckily there wasn’t a car coming down the hill towards me …this time.

So back to Saturday, there was a large number of bicyclists on the road. Several miles north of the Balfour ferry there was one such group with their chase car, a mid-sized SUV, holding up traffic. There was a group of Triumphs behind the chase car followed by another car and my group. After a few miles I’d had enough of this. The motorcycles weren’t passing. It became apparent that the SUV was “with” the bicyclists. I saw an opportunity to pass so I took it.

Yeah, that was a mistake. I downshifted and ran the bike up to about 90 in a heartbeat. I shot pass the car and the group of Triumphs. As I came up to the chase car, another SUV came over the hill right at me. I went for the brakes and dropped down to about 60mph. Then… nothing. I don’t remember going for the rear brake so I guess the MSF course training “stuck.” But in doing so I locked up my rear wheel and it started sliding out sideways to the right so I got off it (I guess the MSF course didn’t take - they say not to release the rear in a skid).

So let’s review.

I’m doing 100kph (~60mph) in probably a 50kph zone having come down from about 140kph+. I’m now over a double-line. My front brake has basically failed and my rear brake is locked up. I have cars and bikes and bicycles on the right of me and an oncoming SUV on the left.

I managed not to highside the bike and fly over the handlebars when the rear wheel unlocked and got traction. I also managed to ride the centerline between the two vehicles. The lucky part is that both drivers were paying attention to this stupid American’s antics and parted to give me enough room to split the lanes and squeak through.

Needless to say the rest of my ride to Kaslo was a lot more sedate. I needed a bit of time for my heart rate to come back down and my puckered ****** to release from the seat.

Moe's note: This was edited only to correct ascii translation errors ( for example ’ = ') that occurred when servers were changed.

My trip to the National Norton Rally.

When you're on the road solo for a week, you often contemplate the more inane things in life, like...who in their right mind would smoke these things? A grape White Owl?



But on to more scenic views from this trip. After a night in Prescott, it was on to Torrey, Utah where the rally was held. As you go north past Monument Valley, which you've all seen in some John ford movie, I headed up the Moki Dugway out of Mexican Hat, Utah. Looks like it's going to be a steep climb.



But the view is worth the dusty road once you get to the top.



A ways further up the road, you cross a bridge near Lake Powell. It's a lonely road where I didn't see a car for nearly 20 miles, but I guess somebody has to use it and it might as well be me.



After setting up camp and getting settled in, the next day I went for a ride out of a little town called Boulder, which was appropriately named. I get to ride down this road? Yeehaw! You wouldn't believe how gorgeous those rocks are.



Of course I had to take a money shot with the bike parked in the middle of the road once I got down into the meat of it.



After 30 miles of paved road with scenes like this one...



...the road finally turned to dirt and dropped down into Capitol Reef National Park. Yep, another steep dirt road. At the bottom though it turned to deep sand, so I had to turn around. Could have used a dual sport bike for this ride.



...to be continued with actual Norton motorcycles.

Day 2 of the rally, they had an organized ride to Fish Lake. Can you believe this is just 30 miles from camp? That's the same distance I rode the day before to all those rocks. It was a better road to do some agresswive riding on, and it was green everywhere with the scent of sagebrush and pine.



The next day we went down to Escalante, but first had to climb a mountain with a 9,6000 ft summit. Nice view at the top.



Saturday was the big bike show at the rally with plenty to drool over. A nice example of a 1965 Norton Atlas. One of my favorite bikes at the event.



My camera didn't do justice to the purple metal flake or the polishing on this Commando.



My next door neighbor that week entered both of his Nortons, including this Ranger 750 with the rare low pipes. He bought this bike back in 1969 when he was 16, and just recently got it presentable and running again after lugging it around for years. It's not 100% original, but he likes it.



Here's a Norton you don't see everyday, a Hi-Rider. Yep, those bars and that seat are stock. Most owners over the years got rid of this funky looking setup, but the owner of this one likes to make sure people can see the original in the flesh.



Final post next.

It wasn't all Nortons that week, nor was I the only one with a Triumph there. I must have seen 20 or more Triumphs, from Meridens to Hinckleys. Here's a few pics...

Nice pre-unit



This Thruxton must have over 8 grand in mods including the big stroker kit.



A couple of members of the Utah Brit Bike Club were riding these....



Other British marques were represented that week. This Ariel Square Four took top honors in the bike show.



AJS



And Matchless



On the ride home I didn't have much time to take pics with a 500 mile day ahead of me and rain clouds overhead the whole way, but I did stop near Bryce Canyon to get a pic of this small rock tunnel.



If you ever get a chance to ride in this part of the USA, I highly recommend it. It has some of the most amazing and diverse scenery you'll ever see.

Thanks for the excellent photo tour Derek,

As mentioned other times, I had the priviledge of spending 3 years camped atop Cedar mountain east of Cedar City in the middle 80's and travelled some of the same spots you captured so well. An old boy told me told me once you get that sand in your veins.....

Thanks again for the pictures

jh

And to think...I COULD'A GONE ON THIS RIDE TOO!!!

Very, very, VERY cool pics and writeup, Derek!

Thanks John. It sure is a unique area of the country. The Burr Trail out of Boulder east towards Capitol Reef was my favorite ride of the week, but really you can't go wrong no matter which direction you ride out of Torrey, Utah.

I have more pics in a Webshots album you can see by clicking here.

Great, great pictures! Makes me want to get out of this rain and RIDE!

Excellent!

Very nice...

Quote:

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and watch the waves breaking while the pelicans air surfed the curls.

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this dude is talented. sans Hemmingway.

Thanks for the great photo tour Derek. Excellent!

Thank you for reporting your most excellent adventure. Did you get to hear the Square Four? I'm told it has an unmistakeable sound...