Coincidence? I think not....

Less than a week after my call to arms to defeat the enemies of global warming, we had 2 record breaking days of warm here in Ottawa .
Coincidence? I think not!

Good show, people!!!
There was obviously a great fossil fuel hole in the ozone created by your efforts.
It is back to being cold now, but at least some of the snow is gone, and the roads are bare.

Combined with the news that Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring, things are looking up.

On a more "from this planet" note, I met up with Dan and his girlfriend Julie, and Brent for breakfast this morning in Almonte.
Was nice.... we just shot the shit for an hour or so and talked about riding and stuff, and got caught up.

This afternoon my wife put on a Harley themed extravaganza for my birthday.
Awesome cake, balloons, decorations...the whole nine...

Family came over, lots of great food some good laughs.
Was lots of fun.


And now..we wait for spring. Last year I got some small rides in the end of February...I am hoping!

what global warming?

?????

I thought we were supposed to have some global warming action happening?

Doesn't seem too f'in  warm to me....

C'mon global warming!!!!

I think we need to start up our gas lawn mowers, weed eaters and other assorted gas powered tools and let them run for hours....yay fossil fuels...
Punch holes in the catalytic converters on our cars and trucks....
Let the coolant from our air conditioners escape...

We need some fricken holes in the ozone now!

Canadians need to organise and start silencing the scientists and pundits who are combating global warming. And how about the Swedes too ?...they seem nice...plus they invented cheap assemble-it-yourself furniture . They seem legit.

I agree that yes.... it will suck to live along a coast , or in a tropical area ( insert crying baby sound)...but a tropical Canada and Sweden would rock.
No debate.
We would rock.

We have had to put up with this cold shit for 100's of years.
Now it is our turn.....

Just think of the possibilities!

We would get cocky and strut around at the UN kickin ass, instead of being like the USA's ( or in the case of  Sweden..Germany's)  retarded ugly sister..
People would want to move here for more than our easy welfare and strong beer..
We would trade in our "faggy" maple leaf flag for something cool. ....maybe something with a club or sword.
The Swedish flag is pretty boring too. They could do with some sort of Viking motif.

Our new motto could be ...

You get where I am going....we could be uppity, for once.

As it stands now...how cool can we be as a country when you have to wear a toque and mitts for 1/2 the year ?
Our national animal is the beaver?...not cool....not very cool at all, precious.

And WTF is up with theSwedes?

This is not a cool way to dress. They look like tools.
In a global warmed Sweden, they could ditch this look in favour of something much better.
Just sayin.

And most importantly...
In a global warmed Canada...I could be riding now.
My Harley would never have been put away.

I think the southern hemisphere has had enough good times.
It is our turn.
Just sayin....

Certainly been a while....

Here we are...mid January already.
Only 2.5 months until the end of March...surely to God there will be bare pavement and some warm temps by then !

There has not been a damned thing motorcycle related for me to talk about....therefore I have not blogged.

This past weekend was the motorcycle show. I didn't go, but some friends did.
Same old, I am told.
I will wait until Feb 20th. and go to the one in Montreal...it is a lot better.
There are tons of bikes and different manufacturers there.
I like to see all of the new Harleys (obviously), but I enjoy seeing the new Triumphs and Victorys as well...and all the brands, actually.

Already thinking about trips for next summer.
We think we will do Pennsylvania towards the end of June.
There is a rally.... "Johnstown Thunder" ...that looks worthwhile checking out.
And Pennsylvania is a "no helmet" state. Sweet!
The 3 amigos will ride again....brother Dan says he is in.

For Christmas, Santa brought me all of the goodies necessary to change out my fluids in the spring.
Nothing says Christmas like 6 quarts of synthetic oil and a filter...that's for sure!

I guess you would have to ride to appreciate such a bounty.


Aside from hiding away waiting for spring, I have been playing a lot of guitar.
I had not played since I quit drinking, but it is all good now.
I bought a new Godin with my "not smoking so I have money" ...money.
It plays and sounds awesome.
It took a couple of weeks to get it ordered in.. but it is definately worth it.
And we switched a couple of rooms around, and the new guitar/computer/puzzle room works great.

And now....please stay tuned for this message from our sponsor...

a Great guitar tune !

Tom Petty still kicks ass.
Guitar solos don't have to be all "shredder-like" to be awesome.

...........and now back to our program....

Talking to Brent yesterday, and he said there were bikes out up at Lanark on the weekend. It was pretty mild, but that is a little crazy.
Dan was up in Port Hope and he said that they had no snow, and there were all kinds of bikes out.

Ottawa is back to cold and winter now.  ( insert frowny )

A photo of happy times...2011...mid summer...Quebec somewhere...the 3 amigos.( insert smiley)

A photo my daughter in law took while following me on our way to a cottage for a week.

I can't see my face...but I have to be happy as hell.
Sunny..holiday..motorcycle?
yup.
happy.

Addendum to sad day

1st cue the music....then look at the image of the bike.

Sadder than the lamp.....

nuff said   :(

Sad day :(

I put the bike to rest for the winter yesterday.
Even I could not kid myself about the weather and winter...there is nothing but freezing rain and snow in the forecast.
Yay....

Bags and windshield off.
Battery out, tsp. of oil in each plug, fresh gas with stabiliser..on the lift....little blanky to keep it comfy.
It looked sad....just like the light from the Ikea commercial:

That commercial always made me laugh.

And now...a Musical interlude

George Harrison - Beware of Darkness....from the Concert for Bangladesh...a pretty great song.

Aside.....I hope this whole inserting video thing works...I was looking at the top bar the other day and wondered "what do these things do? "
I kind of stopped experimenting with formats and the like after spending one long evening trying to figure out what I had done wrong on one post when I could not get the the photos to do what I wanted.
Was a simple setting I had screwed up.


Getting back from laughs and good tunes...

There are probably 100 days to go, until I am riding again.
That sucks. ( insert frowny emoticon here)
On a positive note...I suck at math, and it turns out that I am only a couple of weeks from buying  a new guitar. That gets a real "yay". ( insert smiley emoticon here )
And there is Christmas.
And in February I will be hitting the dreaded 50 years old.

Lots to look forward to....( insert uncertain emoticon here )  :)

And I guess Brent and I will have to start planning our June trip.
Probably Pennsylvania.
That will entail lots of hours with maps...which is great.
Who doesn't love maps?

I think it is almost done...

I am usually a "glass half full" kind of guy, but I am guessing that there will not be too many more days of riding left this year. Probably none.
The glass is looking kind of empty...kind of depressing actually.

I got out for an hour last Monday after work...just a quick ride up to Kemptville and back.
Tuesday was warm, but by the time I was off work and at home , it was getting crappy.

I am hoping to get out for a little spin on the weekend...maybe Sunday ...but the weather did not cooperate.

I used to look forward to winter.
Now every snow flake is like a punch in the balls.

I am not sure if I have ever mentioned this, but I quit drinking August 9, 2008 in order to be in a place where I could own a Harley and not kill myself or someone else by driving drunk.
And for a host of other good reasons too.
Life is good since I stopped drinking.
and I quit smoking last February....  :(
Riding is very tied in with my various abstinence's and sobriety....you could probably say it is a substitute addiction.
So anyways....I am dreading the bike being put away. The longer that it can be postponed, and the earlier I can get it back out...the better/safer I will feel.

I have been playing a lot of guitar and am saving for an awesome new guitar ( my dream guitar...a hollow body Godin semi acoustic....8 weeks to go...seems long ) .
I will do some projects at the house...refinish some more furniture.
but ....WTF else am I supposed to do for 4 months?

I will keep blogging with any rants or motorcycle related topics that occur to me, but it won't be the same without my "National Geographic" quality photos.
Ok... perhaps they are not all that good.....  :)

Maybe I can start working on some kind of motorcycle rights organisation...
The ones out there now are just tools of the nanny state.
Run by a bunch of fluorescent green vest wearing/full face helmeted geeks.
I read an article from one of these sphincters that said it was good thing that Canadians didn't have a choice where helmet laws were concerned..
ARGGHH !

hmmm...that may be worth pursuing.
stay tuned.

Haven't blogged in a while!

I have meant to sit down and update, but I seem to have not had a lot of time to do so.

In any event an update:

I have actually got some riding in the last couple of weeks.
On the 18th it was sort of warm, so I did a ride out to Merrickville.

Pretty quiet at the locks this time of year.
The water has been lowered, and there is not a boat to be seen.
Still cool, though.

This past Thursday was sunny and went up to 12 degrees.
I met Brent in Smiths falls early afternoon and we rode to near Brockville and came home through Smith Falls and Perth.
We stopped at a regular spot.

Even though there was snow this morning, I am hoping for 1 more outing.
Or 2.
Even a couple trips around the neighbourhood with no helmet on...something.

On the harassment front, the "donut munching prick" pulled  Frank that I work with, over twice on Remembrance day.
He is still up to his old tricks, apparently.
Once to check his insurance, and the other time because he arm signalled instead of using his turn signal.
Frank asked him if he had pulled me over a few days prior...he remembered me.
I  certainly hope so...I think he has pulled me over 4 times now.
I should be getting Christmas cards from him, or something.

Aside from that...not much new in my world.
Obviously dreading winter, and the 4 months of no riding.
Guess I will play some guitar, and start planning next summer's adventures.
There is the Montreal bike show in February and a few things like that, to look forward to.

Maybe I will win Lotto Max, and be able to spend a month in Florida and a month in California.
That would sure rock!

Being realistic...I am guessing that I will be winterizing the bike in a week or so.
sigh.......................................................

Warm November Riding

Saturday I got out for a small ride...I went to Brockville and back.
It was freezing. I think the temperature hit maybe 4 degrees.
It was sunny, but still...
I had the death shivers by the time I pulled into my laneway.

Sunday and Monday were un-seasonably warm.
Sunday went up to 12 and Monday broke a record...it reached 21 degrees.

Sunday morning was raining. I talked to Brent 3 or 4 times about meeting up, and we were both just waiting for it to clear a little bit.
There was what appeared to be a lull, so I headed out.
Actually it started raining about 5 minutes after I left, and the roads were soaked.
I was watching the water pour over the tank in front of me and head for my "special guys" .
Yikes !
I pulled over every 10 minutes or so for the first little while to dry the tank off and keep my guys dry.
Being wet is not so bad when it is warm out, but at the time it was still about 4 degrees out.
Wet and cold? Not so good.

It got sunny just after Carleton Place, and I could feel the warm front coming in. Nice.
I met up with Brent in Perth, and we decided to head to Sharbot lake, and then to Kingston.
Not anything special, but a nice relaxing trip.

I stopped in Smiths Falls at the park on the way home.
I am not sure why I like this place so much...but it's peaceful and the old stone buildings are somehow comforting to see.
So I stop there whenever I can.

Looking at the weather forecast for Monday, I decided to take an official vacation day.
Brent was in...so it was a go.

I left the house around 7:45 am and took the long route to Brent's place.
He pulled in from his bus run at 9:30 and we headed out.
Oh ya...his bike was in Macdonald's Corners where he picked up the bus, so he rode on the back of mine to get it.
I know..I know...you are saying to yourself  that it is supposed to be "2 wheels...2 nuts ".. but helping a friend out doesn't count.
And it isn't like we were out all day as a couple    :)

We stopped to gas up and were talking to a lady driving a Victory.
We said she had a nice bike, and then she launched into a bit of a speech about buying a Victory because Harley is overpriced.
This from a person with a fake ponytail attached to her helmet? Wearing a bright green safety vest?

We headed to Westport via Glen Tay and the Christie lake road to the Bolingbroke road.
It was pretty windy, but the route was nice.

Quick stop beside a random lake.

Westport was really quiet. We didn't stop.

The old highway to Kingston, and a stop at Kingston Harley to poke around.
We chatted with a real nice guy who worked there.

From Kingston we 401'd to the Parkway the other side of Gananoque, and rode along the seaway to Brockville.
The wind along the seaway was crazy. ...but still a great ride.
The scenery there is great no matter what time of the year you are there.

Brockville to Smiths Falls and home by 4:45.

We certainly were not the only people riding on Monday...I had motorcycle wave fatigue in my left arm.
Strangely enough, I would say that the vast majority of people we saw were riding Harleys.

On another note...I looked at my tripmeter, and I have done over 26,000 km ( 16,000 miles) this year.
That is a respectable amount of riding.
Not amazing...but respectable.
It is not about the actual number of miles ...they are really just an indication of distance which in and of itself means nothing.
I think to me it is about all of the places I went , and people I met.
....The number of hours of "happy" I experienced.
Laughs
Sunburns
Bugs in the face or down my shirt
Meals at the side of the road

The more you ride, the more of the above you get to have.

It sounds like I am wrapping things up for the season?
Absolutely not!
The 10 day forecast has no snow in it.
I will keep riding until the snow is here to stay.
True, the rides will probably get progressively smaller...but I am an optimist...there will be 1 more full day of riding yet to come.

Almost a rant !

I almost posted a long and rambling rant a few times this week.
I edited it about 10 times, and sometimes it sounded whiny and other times, kind of rage filled.

It all goes back to this past Monday, when I went out for a little spin after dinner.
I was going up the Queensway to St. Laurent, and passed an OPP SUV.

The long and the short of it is that he followed me, pulled up behind me at my turnaround spot, and gave me  a hard time for my helmet, then my insurance, and then my bars.
Nothing he could ticket me for, and he left disappointed.
A real Ass-hole..... with a capital a.

I was mad all week about this because I am feeling harassed.
Yup.
You heard me.
I have been pulled over a few times now, for no other reason than that I have long hair, and ride a Harley.
Seems fair.

I was going to use all kinds of terms like " donut munching prick with a giant ginger head"  to describe the cop.

I was ranting about helmet laws in general, and the do-gooders who think they know what is best for me.

And then I went for a ride today.
Nothing massive...just to Brockville and back through Smith Falls.
It was sunny and cold with no wind, and it felt awesome.
Saw other bikes.
Enjoyed the scenery and the smell of country people burning their leaves.

And that is when I decided that if there is such a thing as karma...and there is.. cops like the one who pulled me over , and do- gooders will get theirs in Hell or in a next life.
Seems just.

I can't let my whole week be defined and spoiled by the actions of one donut munching prick with a giant ginger head.
And I won't.

Cuz if I do?
"They" have won.

Getting cold....

I got out for a few rides this weekend.
Saturday night, I just bombed around town a bit for about an hour.
It was actually mild out, and not too bad except for the wind.

This morning I headed out for a longer ride, and froze my nads off.
I was gone about 3 hours, and never saw the sun.
Cloudy and windy. 2 degrees.
I headed up to Perth, and rode back through Balderson, Lanark, Wolf Grove road and Almont.
It was nice to be out, but every 20 minutes I had to pull over to warm my hands.
I can understand why some people get heated grips...

I got home..did some stuff around the house, and then the sun came out.
hmmm...looked "more better" out than it did before. It was now a whopping 4 degrees...so out I went again.

Ended up at Petrie Island in the east end.
It's a pretty nice place.

I saw 3 herons and a beaver while I was there, and strangely enough, quite a few people fishing from shore.
They probably thought I was a little different being out on a motorcycle.

Even with the sun out , I was cold by the time I got home.
I envy the people with the big touring bikes on a day like this...they are almost totally protected from the wind.

I hate to say it...but I can see the season coming to and end.
3.... maybe 4 weeks left...tops.

Shudder!