Does it ever end?!

Okay, I get it... Mother nature is the BOSS! Like I ever doubted that. I'm getting extremely tired of cold temps and rain/snow. It's the end of May for Pete's sake. Give us a break already.

Last couple of days, it's barely broken into Plus territory here in Sunny Southern Alberta. Never mind that much of the country has been experiencing massive heat waves, we're not getting even a ripple...

Makes me long for the days when I could count on a decent w/e, course... that's only possible in Baja or AZ!!! No point in even planning a BBQ at this rate, standing outside in a raincoat flipping burgers.

I have some old bikes that one day, will be on the road again. DO you think this weather is trying to tell me something?

So we sit... look at old photographs of travelling thru Euro last year at this time. Come to think of it... I got caught in an Atlantic storm that pelted me with near freezing temps and lashing buckets of pooches and pussies for a week straight...

Like I said, does this ever end?

Just thinking...

See what happens when my deadlines begin to pass...

Year end.

RSP.

TAX.

MY mind starts to wander, otherwise occupying itself.

I have a question for everyone.

If you wish to answer, write me...

victor441@hotmail.com

Here's the question:

If you could have a SuperPower, any single superpower, what would you choose?

Say What?!

Being of the "Male" gender, and having many "male" friends, some of whom ride bikes, and some of whom don't... between and some might easily conclude, 'befuddles' us, there are several ongoing conversations that really have no point.



It's kinda like watching re runs of Seinfeld over and over. There really is no point to a bra for men, or having a girlfriend that resembles Jerry... or importing 5 Guatemalans having mistaken them for 'Cubans'... but it's funny nevertheless.

One of the favorite conversations that takes place amongst us all at regular intervals is in fact ongoing. It just goes from Rusty, to Tom, to me, to Randy, to Don, to Ron to me. Now I should point out lest you think this is some (clever?!) conspiracy, never... and I do mean Never do we all sit down around a picnic bench as a group and say... "hey, do you remember Jill...?" Contrary to what you may see on Family Guy, this doesn't happen, at least not among my circle of guys.

What Does happen is just this fluid, easy banter that flows along from one day to the next, between us 'men' like a lazy stream coming down from the Andes! Sometimes it meanders... and some times it washes away whole villages of adobe huts, taking us all with it downhill in the raging torrent dumping us unceremoniously on the tidal mudflats as crab bait.

As Men, there are few things we understand better than what we don't understand.

And when it comes to women....... we really have no clue.

Case in point... Unca Ronnie and I have been talking of late about, guess what...? That's right, women, girls, the fairer sex, she devils... call it what you want. This morning I open an overnight delivery from said Ronnie, which reads in part.

"Good luck figuring out the women thing."

Pretty simple statement right. Wrong.

Disregarding the fact that there have been several Gemini's in my life over the years, and everyone on the planet Neptune (Pluto or even Uranus!) knows that you're dealing with twins there, never knowing which one you are with from second to second. Sometimes this can be exciting... and sometimes it can be Hellish. Women in general, we all agree, possess some of these Gemini traits. In all fairness (and for the sake of my own health) I will add that not all women I have known are Gemini's or behave as such.

On the other hand, one thing is for certain... after raising two of them myself, and now working on a third... and having been partnered with many over much of my life as a Man, beginning with Janice Christman, (who's books I carried home from elementary school every day for several grades), I've known my share of girls/women.

I'm nearing retirement age and confident in my own intelligence and intellect... I will say that I have yet to "figure it out."

Does any of this matter?

Of course not, cuz all of us "men" love all of you "women" dearly, and we wouldn't change a thing... except maybe a little better understanding...


Reminds me of the joke an old Christian Biker told at one of the first rallies I attended, as we're munching on undercooked hamburger...

'There's this CB walking the beach in Malibu at sunset. He stumbles on a half buried lamp. Digging it out with his hands, he tries to read the tarnished inscription. Unable to, he rubs it with his leather jacket sleeve.

Out pops this incredibly haggard looking genie... "Thank you oh thank you, I've been in there for 10,000 years." says the genie.

Being a man well advanced in age and intelligence, the CB declares, "Hey... you're a genie."

The genie frowns.

"That means I get 3 wishes..." the biker says hopefully.

"Give me a break man, I've been in there for a long time, I'm pretty tired... I'll grant you one wish."

The biker, not wanting to spoil his only chance, thinks for a long time before answering.

"Hawaii." he finally blurts out, "I've always wanted to ride my Hawg to Hawaii, build me a bridge to Hawaii..."

"WHAT! You must be insane man, that's 3000 miles of open unforgiving Pacific ocean, there are huge storms, giant waves, fog so dense you wouldn't be able to see your nose, ships... BIG ships! No, no... a bridge is out of the question, it's impossible. You'll have to come up with something else."

Seeing the genie's point, the CB thinks some more. Thoughtfully he asks finally.

"Women, you know I have never been able to really understand women. Before I die, I would like to know what makes them tick, how they think..."

The genie frowns for a long while, obviously resigned in himself, finally answering softly to the waiting biker...


"Would you like a two lane or four?"

OH Dear!

Well of course, being May, you would think Spring is just around the corner. Ha! In Cairo maybe...

I finally had a chance to take my old XT 600A for a spin today. This is one of my mostest favorite ever bikes. It's the only year for this particular model in Canada, although the Americans had it for several years after, and the Euro's even longer. I could never figure why YMC* didn't feel it worthwhile to continue importing the bike after that. Marketing surveys, I guess...

IN any case, this particular bike is the second A model I've owned. The first stayed with Deb, my former live-in. As far as I know, she still rides it. Mine I bought here in Calgary after searching far and wide for several years.

They were a SOHC single, 595cc displacement and an electric leg. The YDIS on the side panel stood for ? Does anyone remember??? I'll let you know next chapter...

The seat height is bearable for me, and the suspension and torque, although not of current KTM standards, has been quite sufficient most of the time, for the types of riding I have done with the bike in the 15 years I've owned it.

Big Blue has carried my arse from Phoenix to Cabo, Baja ("The Pony Express Rides Again") during the winter of '98-'99 a total of 7000kms, even doing some duty splitting lanes in the Wilds of L.A. She's also traversed the Maritimes with her sister, and been across much of Alberta and B.C. We've also been regulars to Canadian Biker since 1999 right up to the Forestry Trunk Road adventure in the May 2007 iss.**

Today, we went for a chilly little jaunt just West of my NW Calgary home. I haven't ridden my bikes much the last couple of summers, travelling instead in Europe for months at a time. It was good to get back on this reliable old bike, now 20 years young. I keep her maintained, and will no doubt do a valve 'check' (they rarely need adjustment) and of course a service including filter and oil. The one p.i.t.b.*** about this engine is the dry sump lubrication system. Makes checking the oil level a bit more involved. To compare it to voo-doo Black magic is probably not stretching the truth a whole lot!

Thumping my way around a low speed back road corner, I spotted a solitary bambi, on the road side. Of course these girls never run solo, and once off the bike... I spotted 2 more lower down the valley. Doing my best F117 stealth routine, I could still only get within 30 M or so, they are extremely wary creatures.

They blend in amazingly well with the terrain and it can be very difficult to pick them out if they are not moving. For all I know, there could have been several more. On a 300 km Easter Monday, we spotted over thirty individuals during the day. I Love seeing wildlife (not the kind at the RanchMan's Friday night) but the real McCoy. Rabbits, coyotes, deer, elk, moose and even chipmunks.



Yup... my XT has certainly been good to me over the years, and I suspect I shall have her for many more to come... thinking it may be time to do a repeat of my Pony Express, this time flying solo.

*Yamaha Motor Canada

**CB July/Aug 1999 Jan/Feb 2000 Jan/Feb 2002 May 2007

***pain in the butt

Friends

Funny, isn't it?

Of course we meet all kinds of people in our lives. I'm still very good friends with Rusty. He and I were the two class longhairs at N.A.I.T. * while we took our machining apprenticeships together. I was living in Fort Mac and working at the GCOS (now Suncor) Oilsands project, while Rusty worked for Peacock Brothers in Edmonton. We probably spent more time playing badminton (I'll get it...') and gawking at girls, than we did machining. It was only our superior intellect and hands on approach, that got us both Interprovincial tickets after four years. Even after losing touch for the 10 years I lived on the East coast before meeting again a dozen years ago... we're still great buds.

*Northern Alberta Insitute of Technology

Then there's Judi and Dennett (the other Dr.N. PHD) I met those two when Dennet had a rather ornery Gus Kuhn, Druid supercharged Norton Commando in his garage. That rather unique, but tremendously unreliable bike was traded for a BMW R90/6 which, BTW... he still owns, even though it hasn't run in a hundred years. They recently moved to Victoria, bought a float home, and a custom trawler cabin cruiser. I think that they've gone into inshore pirating with that thing. Hope to get out there soon for a cruise up the coast. (Harrrr.... ye landlubbers!!)

I have several great friends still living (umm, I mean as opposed to having moved elsewhere) in PEI, Canada's smallest province. In the 10 years I spent there with my store Freedom Cycle, I made a heck of a lot of good friends. I can't possibly mention them all but here's a few that come right to mind. There's wingman Hance, Radiator doctor Donnie and his perennially cute and bubbly wife, Nora. The Smith's, Mike and Bel operating a newspaper biz out of Kensington... and of course there's Rob. Rob worked with me in all three of my stores. S'Side, C'Town and Moncton. There's even Rob's sister Heather who now lives in OZ... she kept us in line along with Mst Corp, Roger C. during our hectic scraps racing YSR's. If/when I move back to a simpler lifestyle (no laughing you guys, it's gonna happen!) I will easily be able to invite a Saturday complete BBQ's worth of friends.

Here in CowTown, I met Tommy G. as in Geeeee (computer) Whiz, while working at Bow. ('Yeah yeah, gotta get me one of those BMW's....... know anyone wanting to buy my BMW?!') Long time gal pal Kim, used to come into Pro-AM while I worked there, with an immaculate Honda CB 650 in candy red, a bike I eventually persauded her to part with. Holly rode it for several years. There's the Stanwyks, Clayton and Annette. I sold them several motorcycles in the day, and they are still great friends. Annette is an author now, and does speaking tours. Both just got Harley's again after a few years of being off bikes. Without devulging any secrets, they are both upwards of sixty and still living life. There's cat friends like Gracelet, old work friends like Darlene and Don and of course many (many) bike friends.

Kazue I met in the Kootenay's about a dozen years ago, when I spotted her grossly overloaded LS 650 Savage, at the Balfour Bay ferry terminal. She spoke very little English, somewhat better Japanese (she's from Miyazaki City) and now lives in Banff. I know... that sounds funny eh, a Japanese in Banff...

There's my L.A.* neice Liz, who is riding Kazue's old 650, and if she doesn't use it this year... I have threatened to take it back. We're great friends. I long got over her destroying my carefully set up toy armies in her living room. She was after all one year old, at the time.

*Leduc Alberta

Long time Fort Mac friends John M. and Jon D. I won't mention last names because they are both in witness protection programs or at least, should be.

While on the subject of Fort Mac... Unca Ronnie (CBX, FJR, Suzuki GS x 2) I met when he came to run the ad department for the Express. Ronnie and I still keep in touch, he lives straight West of me in Kamloops. (yeah yeah, weather is great, blah blah blah, ad nauseum)

I've even made a couple of new friends in Phoenix even though I only recently bought my condo there. Bob and Val, ex pat Brits who have been oh so kind, and the Ladensacks, Al Jean and Rob... they're the local Allstate guys and Al a Rock and Roller. Let's not forget Mike, a rider himself...

Then there are people that are your friends and you've never even met them... Hi marking, FJ riding,Yamaha diehard... keep them emails :) coming Danno, and there's Amy C. Folk singing, guitar playing Neil Young adoring, motorcycle riding, graphic designing and hard working :) and... beer drinking Amy. She turned me onto Rolling Rock and I brought her back a six pack in return, from Phx.

Course... I've drank it already.

We've never even met except over the wonders of the net... but we're pals anyway.

Of course there's the Hungarian family that are also my good friends. Who said family can't be friends eh... Princess Barbie, ummm... I meant Adri, who got me out from the passenger lounge at the Budapest airport, with some inane story, only to hug me and hand me a Barbie doll ( "anything to declare"? "Uhhh... Not that I'd want to sir..." ) and in the process, make me go thru that whole friggin' security gate thing again. (love you Adri!) Who could forget cousin Albert (Berti) Speaks English like a Londoner, "Yes, we'll be there in 10 minutes, we're just passing thru JaszBereny right now..." and without who's help I would not have had a Little Red Diversion to criss cross Europe with, and Agi... the gorgeous dark haired/eyed fiance...

So... here's a cold Rolling Rock to you all... my Friends.

Enjoy them, cherish them, nurture them, never ignore them and they will be there forever, thru thick and thin, good times and especially the Bad times.

It doesn't matter how much time passes (Rusty and I) or what the distance is (Rob and I) or what the past was, (Arlene and I)... I am proud to call them all...

MY Friends!