MOST OF YOU... know that this isn't just a Blog about my motorcycle trips.
After all even that can become boring.
In my lifetime, I have met an enormous amount of people. As the old saying goes;
some for a season
some for a reason
some for a lifetime
IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE to even begin
naming everyone. I may just try a few.
There was Greg Bahrey back in Edmonton High School days. We both were nuts about bikes. While I knew Greg, he owned one of the first Twin Jet Yamaha's, so far in advance it seemed of my Honda S90. He also had one of the very first Lazerblue Kawasaki 500 triples.
Greg was a big guy, about 6' tall and near 250 in those days. A middle linebacker type although he was not a sports enthusiast.
The reason I mention this is because he would bet someone that his bike could beat their bike/car in a drag race and after agreeing to some wager, we would show up at the traffic lights at 137th Ave and 97th street in north Edmonton and I would ride his bike!
In those days I wrestled in 114 lb class and after the jeering and leering often we would go ahead. I don't think I ever lost.
We most often raced Brit twins and triples, HD Sportsters and even cars.
Then one of my other oddball buddies was Gerald Belke. GB didn't ride but we had that hard rock taste in music that most of our contemporaries hadn't caught onto yet. Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and others. I was then known as "Friz" for my permed afro that barely fit into my helmet!
Later on during my first Fort Mac stint, I met my neighbour, 'Swervin Mervin' Shreiber. You see I had a bike, I was free to travel and Merv soon enough got one of his own. Mine was a T 350 Rebel and his a GT 250 ram air. During our week off study period before I wrote my departmentals in grade 12, we took off to the Rockies and Miette hot springs. I told SMS to get permission, which of course he neglected to do.
From a payphone at the HS, I could here his Mom screaming into the phone...
"YOOOOU WHAT! YOU'RE WHERE...@#!!@?!!!!"
After the phone call, looking straight into Merv's eyes, I asked him what he told his folks. They had the RCMP looking for us!
... "I told Mom you and I were going for a ride on our bikes."
Course he left out the part about travelling 1200 miles and taking a week to do it!!! SMS rode his Gold Wing out many years later to visit with me on PEI.
In later years, there were people like John Metcalfe and Mike Smith, who oddly enough probably had no idea what great friends they turned out to be. Others you've read about in various stages of this blog.
Nora became a good bud in those PEI days, Bel Smith another.
In later years there is my Frenda Brenda, and my new Phx friends, Lisa and Judy.
And let's not forget the cats... Smokey, Sugar, Maggie, Snoopy, Einstein (my best mate ever) and many others including most currently... little Phoenix!
I've ridden my bikes in the wilds of Baja, the Angeles Crest hiway, Cape Breton... 22 countries of Europe, and every province in Canada.
SOME OF THE MOST OFTEN ASKED QUESTIONS
I hear go like this... "How do you do it? How can you afford it? Where do you find the time? Why Baja/back roads/forest trails/the desert? Aren't you scared travelling by yourself? What if you have a problem? I could never do that, too busy, not enough time, not enough money, not enough etc etc blah blah..."
After all, I am no different really than anyone else, yet I have taken on all these amazing things in my life.
I wanted to run a motorcycle training course, my own bike shop, ride and explore places I'd read about or seen on T.V.
I wanted to be a Dad, maybe more than anything in my life.
TODAY I sent out a little news story to my mailing list. It spoke about the regrets that the dying have in their final days. I have no idea of the validity of the article, but I do know this.
If you don't have an imagination, if you don't have dreams and wishes, and you don't have some nerve/guts... you are wasting your precious life.
You CAN create your own reality. Just think it, dream it and plan it. Then do it. After all,
"Once the decision is made, the doing comes easy."
 |
| ready for the road |
After all even that can become boring.
In my lifetime, I have met an enormous amount of people. As the old saying goes;
some for a season
some for a reason
some for a lifetime
 |
| Uncle Gyula in Hungary, I was 15. |
naming everyone. I may just try a few.
There was Greg Bahrey back in Edmonton High School days. We both were nuts about bikes. While I knew Greg, he owned one of the first Twin Jet Yamaha's, so far in advance it seemed of my Honda S90. He also had one of the very first Lazerblue Kawasaki 500 triples.
 |
| Rebel 350, HW 63 A few days later I was hit by a car. |
Greg was a big guy, about 6' tall and near 250 in those days. A middle linebacker type although he was not a sports enthusiast.
The reason I mention this is because he would bet someone that his bike could beat their bike/car in a drag race and after agreeing to some wager, we would show up at the traffic lights at 137th Ave and 97th street in north Edmonton and I would ride his bike!
In those days I wrestled in 114 lb class and after the jeering and leering often we would go ahead. I don't think I ever lost.
 |
| On the road in the Rockies. |
Then one of my other oddball buddies was Gerald Belke. GB didn't ride but we had that hard rock taste in music that most of our contemporaries hadn't caught onto yet. Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and others. I was then known as "Friz" for my permed afro that barely fit into my helmet!
 |
| The 2 Paco's/amigos |
From a payphone at the HS, I could here his Mom screaming into the phone...
"YOOOOU WHAT! YOU'RE WHERE...@#!!@?!!!!"
After the phone call, looking straight into Merv's eyes, I asked him what he told his folks. They had the RCMP looking for us!
 |
| Frank at the Frank slide. |
Course he left out the part about travelling 1200 miles and taking a week to do it!!! SMS rode his Gold Wing out many years later to visit with me on PEI.
In later years, there were people like John Metcalfe and Mike Smith, who oddly enough probably had no idea what great friends they turned out to be. Others you've read about in various stages of this blog.
IN addition I have had some pretty amazing women friends in my life.
First of all was Susan Everill. She was (and in many ways) still is my first love. Timing eh... everything in life is timing...
First of all was Susan Everill. She was (and in many ways) still is my first love. Timing eh... everything in life is timing...
Heather Green, a gal I met in PEI the first time, is still a great friend and one day I will show up at her doorstep to take her for a ride on my bike. Course she lives in OZ these days.
Nora became a good bud in those PEI days, Bel Smith another.
In later years there is my Frenda Brenda, and my new Phx friends, Lisa and Judy.
 |
| Hol and Dad |
On top of that, I have two great kids in my life.
 |
| North of Phx. |
 |
| My best mate ever!!! :( |
SOME OF THE MOST OFTEN ASKED QUESTIONS
 |
| On the way to San Jose de Commondu, Baja |
 |
| Lisa on the right and family. |
WHY IS THIS?
 |
| Italy! |
I wanted to be a Dad, maybe more than anything in my life.
TODAY I sent out a little news story to my mailing list. It spoke about the regrets that the dying have in their final days. I have no idea of the validity of the article, but I do know this.
If you don't have an imagination, if you don't have dreams and wishes, and you don't have some nerve/guts... you are wasting your precious life.
You CAN create your own reality. Just think it, dream it and plan it. Then do it. After all,
"Once the decision is made, the doing comes easy."
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