HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas evening.

Sorry I didn't get my annual Christmas greeting out, if you'll remember from my last blog, I felt like I was getting that flu/cold swirling around me like Niagara Falls, and I did.  On the 22nd or 23rd... can't remember which, I went down like a stone.  Spent much of the last week trying to recover enough to do the Christmas thing and not let stuff get out of hand here.

On the plus side, I shouldn't do this again for quite some time, I usually have two doozies per year.

Good news... there is no snow on the ground.  Had I had to summon the strength to deal with 10 feet of snow over Christmas I'd likely be in the hospital now!

Umm... that's a joke.

December 26th, 2014

In any case with the lack of snow I've been able to gradually inch my way back to health.

Been thinking of the year passing going over my 2014 goals list, each year for decades I have a "wish" list for the coming year.  Nothing death defying, well... all of my life is death defying, who wants to die early after all?  Mostly stuff like keeping my weight in check, setting some riding goals, for example; I wanted to ride a thousand miles or more while in Phx.  Did that.  I wanted to get the Ascot running on this trip, did that.  Closer to home some of the things in there; set up the tire changer Hance brought me from the US last year or put up a garden/tool shed at the apartment building, keep my den tidy... check, check, check. 

Hmmm, what didn't I do...well I had a camping trip while in Phx planned, and twice I even carried along my tent, but unfortunately on those nights I felt it was either too cold or would be by the time I got up to higher elevations and I was right.  Closer to home, I wanted to add a deck to the front of our yard but finances didn't allow that this year. 

Phoenix, the cat.  Loves being outside.

Overall more checks than "X"s though! Tomorrow I start my new list for 2015 doesn't that sound like science fiction? 



IN THE YEAR 2015...

...meanwhile... back at the ranch...

OKAY... I've been back at my home base in Atlantic Canada now for a week.  Was a nice enough arrival after having spent the night in Toronto with the mix ups in my flights.  I had a very refreshing 1 hour and 12 minutes of sleep at a posh hotel just minutes from the airport, and having left T.O. in very cool, sub zero weather, arrived to sunshine and plus 6 at Charlottetown central.

homeward bound.

Brenda collected me up and we had lunch locally before the drive home.

No snow on the ground and really only a dusting since, but cooler (around zero) temperatures greet me every morning.

The week has gone by in a blur what with jet lag, lack of sleep and everyone I meet having a cold, I'm a little run down.

A couple of minor plumbing fixes got me back in the swing of things here on PEI, and I've more or less, left Phoenix behind for the time being.

H/B mounted Vivitar DVR camera.

Before I met Brenda I had these ideas in my head about selling my Calgary home, buying something in small town Alberta and spending much of the winter in AZ riding my bikes.  My place certainly isn't fancy but at just over a thousand feet, is certainly liveable and large enough for me and a guest.  There is a saying down there... "a bad day in Phoenix is a good day anywhere else."  It's true.

Love those Bradshaw's...

For a guy like me that has been riding since knee high to a grasshopper, it's a near perfect environment.  A quick scooter ride to get groceries and after an afternoon of washing, lubing and generally inspecting the 350 XT, it's off to the mountains and trail riding.

It's a matter of fact north of the border that we Canadians hibernate our bikes for several long months.  During the dark winter hours I'd bet that every single one of us reminisce about last summers various rides be they cross country tours or D2D adventures.  The other half of our waking hours is spent thinking and planning the next summer.

Riding with niece Cindy

I've been sorting through some 33,000 digital photos in my library, in addition to chopping "Christmas" trees and trying to fend off a cold that seems to be everywhere around me.  In only a few days it will be 'that time of the year again' something that I have for years looked forward to less and less.  The whole thing is waaaaaay over commercialized don't you think, I'd rather be riding.

Yesterday's visitor!

Yesterday we had a visitor in the yard.  One of the two resident coyotes, a generally shy and reclusive creature spent about a half hour searching for rodents under the shallow snow cover.  Phoenix was outside at the time but we were able to coax him in before the coyote spotted him.  This sub species is generally known as a Coy-wolf, a thriving mix of the coyote and the eastern wolf, the only two that can interbreed.  Larger and more powerful than the traditional coyote, they are extremely adaptable and can survive and even thrive in both remote environments and increasingly more predominant in urban surroundings.  We would see coyotes regularly in downtown Calgary.

I've seen one of the pair earlier in the year from a distance of some hundreds of feet but this one was rather close by.  The included photos were taken on max zoom at a distance of about 2-300 feet with my SX 20 Canon.  Makes me nervous with my cats, two of which spend time outdoors.  At an estimated 30-50 pounds and about 2 feet at the shoulder, a domestic dog or cat could make a meal.

Beautiful creature, the top predator on PEI.  Taken at 80X from about 250', hand held Canon SX20.

Anyway... near time to eat, I lost some weight down south, more exercise and less fast food when I am there, here's hoping I don't gain it back over the next two weeks...

Airlines soaring!

WITH fuel prices falling to levels that may have your Hummer dusted off and back joyriding the countryside filled with a full tank of premium, free airplane food a thing of the distant past and outrageous charges for checked bags... airlines are enjoying record profits.

Seats that are so close together that even my five foot four frame is getting squeezed, there's even a rumor that pretty soon, if the industry has its way, seats will become nothing but padded back boards or removed altogether and overhead rails with cushioned leather straps to hold onto will be added, it will be standing room only in the old Boeing's and Airbus' just like those newsreel trollies in the picture theaters.

Overheard at a secret meeting in Geneva, 'We can squeeze 350, maybe 400 into a 737/A320...' the airlines, who have suffered at the hands of the Arab oil sheiks and protected by paid off politicians, will finally be able to cash in!

Flying will once again be dominated by the rich and famous.

 

On another note, this blog is about my misadventures as DrN.Thusiast.  I wanted to comment that if for whatever reason I happen to run out of said misadventures, I need only contact Air Canada* by lifting the phone, err that won't work cuz the only thing I will hear for 45 to 75 minutes is a recorded message playing over and over (ad nausea) and over reminding me that this is the 'only 4 star airline four years running in North America', while waiting for a customer service(?) rep to take my call.

You see the last three times I have booked early in the past 12 months with our national airline, it mattered not that I followed the rules. Somehow AC has managed to screw things beyond recognition and I am told after being placed on hold while my five o'clock shadow grew into a reasonable facsimile of Grizzly Adams time after time, or waiting as much as a month for representatives to return an email, sad but true (don't even hold your breath for a return phone call) that its not their responsibility.

In fact during one recent such episode, I had the supervisory person send me a cut and pasted small print in the return email, clearly pointing out that they were NOT responsible for a flight our family was booked on, when it was changed.  And by changed I don't mean a change of say, 20 minutes in departure, I mean the flight via a major (read Montreal) CDN city was cancelled, gone, disappeared into the ozone (no wait we can't keep blaming cfc's anymore)  It did not matter nor did I feel she actually acknowledged that we had to change hotel bookings and car rental to say nothing of planned visits with friends or family... no... only thing I got was wee small print in explanation.

If you fly in Canada... oops sorry... via either WestJet or Air Canada, you will find a vast difference in the quality of service and attitude between the two carriers. West Jetters seem actually happy to be working for them,

while A/C employees seem, check as many as you like:

Overworked
Disgusted
Disinterested
Disappeared when trouble arises 
or just plain ignorant.
In some cases English may not even be their third language.

Now I am not one to complain, I have a liberal live and let live attitude if you know me at all, and generally I tend to the brighter side than the gloomy, but even my patience wears thin when excuses or lack of interest predominate my encounters with personnel working for the airline.  

Some people are not near as tolerant as I and this weekend again, while returning from Phoenix, I saw that in plain view as frustrated travelers that couldn't get a straight answer if paid for, vented their anger on whichever Air Canada employee was in shouting distance.  

Upon my arrival at Sky Harbor, I checked in at the A/C counter.  Uh oh... guess what, my 11.55 departure for Toronto has been delayed until 2.30!  This means I miss my connecting flight and thus, an overnight in T.O.  Much as I like visiting the "Center of the Universe" as many Torontonians think it is, I'd rather be home.  Give them credit one of those Phoenix A/C employees, got on the "helpline" (!!!) and tried to get someone to help me find a way to get home as planned.  After 25 minutes, my standing this side of the counter and he the other, no one had yet picked up at the other end.  I asked somewhat naively why they didn't have a dedicated line as staff only to be told there was no such thing.  Seems even Air Canada employees on the front lines didn't deserve any better access to information than us peon paying travelers. 

We know that humans like their wild counterparts have a basic fight or flight instinct and to see staff actually running or at least walking quickly in a direction whence their ears are pointed away from criticism and frustration and outright anger, who can blame them... after all, its not their responsibility.

Okay, why don't I just fly WJ you may be thinking.  The answer is that as a 2nd rate airline in the eyes of some, they simply don't have the range of destinations and flights that the hoodlums at A/C do.


Yup... if things are going great in your life and you're feeling like you are taking things for granted... just pick up the phone... sorry almost did it again, go online where you don't get to speak to a real person and book a flight with Air Canada.  Somehow, somewhere, you will be disappointed. 

*Disclaimer

Just so they don't sue me... I'm making this all up, it never really happened over and over again, uh uh.

Winding 'er down...

Let's see, looking back, what's it been like...

Umm, needs TLC plus stuff.

Last year, when leaving here, I had bought, on the spur of the moment, an old Honda Ascot.  It was pretty rough, lots of pieces in cardboard boxes, quite a challenge as it turned out, with the limited workshop at my disposal.

In the final couple of days I did get it running a few seconds at a time, by squirting fuel directly into the spark plug hole.

Much better, bunches of new parts.

I've thought about that bike over the  course of the year and the reason I bought it.  I wanted a bike more comfortable and capable on the freeway system, something I could ride for longer trips than the XT 350 and something light and skinny enough that storage wouldn't pose too great a problem.  Speed wasn't an issue and to be truthful, an EX 500 or even a GS 500 would have been more available and suitable.



My goal this trip was to have the Honda running and ride-able prior to leaving.  My first days were spent in getting the scooter and Yamaha running, a fairly easy task, the XT was running in a single kick and the scooter didn't take much longer.  Groceries followed, man does not live by motorbike alone after all... and there was the usual gearing up for my visit.



Once started on the Honda, I found I needed parts.  A trip to Bobs secured new cables, a few missing goodies and replacements like a rear master cylinder to replace the cracked original.  The big expense was an entire headlight assembly complete with bezel and bulb, something almost impossible to find at Bobs amid the tiers of stuff. Fortunately Bike Bandit had the part (Yayy BB) and I had it installed shortly after unwrapping it.

Here's 3000 words worth of pictures.

The legal stuff like insurance, title transfer and plate were done in a day and as it turns out, I have been able to ride the bike for a total of maybe 200 miles this trip.  By comparison I have put over a thousand miles on the 350 again this year, which may not sound like much for you hard butt types but when you consider that much of my riding is on unimproved dirt 'roads' and desert trails, it adds up.  After all... given that I can now travel at highway speeds to get to and from, my average over the ground speed on most days is under 20 mph.  Yesterday on my test run for the new little Vivitar DVR camera I was on the road for nearly 5 hours and covered only 120 miles.  Camera btw worked very well. more to follow on that.




Also in the mechanical to do file, was installation of a 44 T rear drive sprocket that I had purchased just prior to departure last year, for the 350. With this change I found the gearing almost perfect for what I use the bike for and the Honda, sadly is really redundant.  I will have to decide if she stays or goes next year. 

The Yamaha is now a much better compromise with a cruising speed of 60 mph at a more relaxed 4500 revs and a first gear low enough for all but the most gnarly sections I have ridden.  I find I have to slip the clutch some of the time in deep sand and steep uphills pose a wee bit more of a problem compared to the lower gearing I have been using for a couple of years, but overall a much better bike.  I have yet to install my new set of Kenda 270's, but that will have to wait until next year.

Having dual purpose bikes in my stable both here and at home, allows me to ride on paved roads with reasonable expectations for comfort and still take the interesting cut-off or trail when it shows up.


Gone are the days even in Arizona, where you can just ride wherever you wish, that holdover from the free spirited 60's finally disappeared in 2009 when new off road regulations came into effect.  To get from here to there, requires street legal equipment which albeit loose enough to see lightly modified XR 400's and the like at stop lights, still limits pure dirt bikes to tracts of land designated for such. 

 
There are several signs up now in places I frequent that state flatly "No OHV use allowed" in other words you must comply with street regulations.





I am especially pleased (are you kidding Frank, you're overjoyed) with having completed the Phx/Wagoner rd/Prescott/Senator highway/Crown King route that I have been salivating over for several years.  That hellish 5 miles across country on what amounts to a line following sand-washes and goat trails sure didn't look imposing but proved to be a challenge out of proportion to its appearance.  Skinny tired bikes do not like sand washes and loose boulders... and the heavy aluminum skid plate took some hits again this time around.



There are many more areas I'd like to chart but I am getting on in years, which certainly brings to mind the question of 'having to work to earn a living' when you could be knocking about doing the really important stuff like living! I've spouted this for decades to whomever would listen...
"do it now!"  You may not be able to do stuff when your 65!

Very interesting...

Painted Rocks

There was a visit from Holly and Kevin, Pima Air Museum, Hopi ruins outside Flagstaff, pizza in Tuscon. Painted Rocks near Gila Bend.  Quite a full trip, I don't sit around much down here...

B 29 Superfortress

Each year I have to re evaluate more dreams and goals.  I'd certainly like to ride across Canada next year, if for no other reason than I can.  It is after all the fortieth anniversary of my first such trip, and like I had said... I ain't getting younger.  I have a long distance bike that if not exactly like the one I rode 40 years ago, is similar in size and spirit.

I'm not looking for recreating the huge gap between third and fourth/top gear my BMW had, a gap that severely crippled its passing ability... especially since the flat twin only produced about 40 hp.  I'm quite sure the V Strom will be entirely suitable.

I'd like to ride to Baja once more, and having a base in Phx and a bike I finally feel confident in riding, I may attempt that next fall as well.  It would truly be an epic long distance year, 2015!

For now, this week, its time to 'wind things down.'  I have one more vacuuming, one more dusting, one more laundry to do before turning the key once again in the door for the final time this year.  If I miss anything about living in Alberta, it was the convenience of hopping in the vehicle and driving south. 

So as I sit here writing this, thinking back to last year and ahead to the next, with little Boo curled up laying next to me on a floor that is about as comfortable as the 350's blue seat, looking out the patio door at a dull gray and overcast but warm sky; I can say that once again, I made the most of my short stay in the Valley.  Boo had lots of company, ditto Mr. Tickles, the Honda is on the road, the Yamaha is working the best it has since I purchased it 3 years ago, the Adventure 150 waits silently for a trip to the Golden Corral, and its time to wind things down...

The Meaning of Life...

THE Doc says tongue in cheek.

It hit me this morning like a sack of PEI potatoes falling on my head, followed by a sack Of Idaho potatoes followed by a sack of Mongolian potatoes...

My whole life has been about two things, learning and leaving things better than I have found them.

Even on my most pessimistic days, I'll give myself a passing grade about the former, let's say 80 %.

For the latter, I'll reserve judgement for a bit.

Mr. Tickles was in the house this morning.  Of course since early in my arrival he's pretty much lived on my patio, sleeping on a padded chair.  Sometimes on his own and sometimes with' Fuzz'.  I don't really know the story on Mr. T. but I have a pretty good visual.  He's a street cat that kind people feed from time to time. Certainly not unusual here, there are many feral kitties roaming around.  Fortunately the weather is mild, in this complex at least, water is never really a problem with the regular watering, and like I say, there are kind people.

As I was looking at him, giving him a little rub behind the ears and under the chin, that's when it hit me... for a little while, a couple of months in human time, that maybe translates to 5 or 10 times that in cat days, he got some food, some warmth and shelter, often spending an hour or two laying beside me while Boo has been out, and he certainly seems in better shape than when I first laid eyes on him.  If nothing else he certainly got my human company, which he seems to crave.  In a few days, it will be back to normal around here and he will be standing at my patio door meowing away until he finally realizes I am no longer here.  This breaks my heart, I'd take in all dogs and cats (chipmunks, racoons, red fox and sparrows with wings to mend) if I could, but having learned, I too am human, life moves on and things change.  Its inevitable.  The only thing constant is change, its been said.



I'm like this with everything I do and touch.  I get a house, I want it to be in better shape than I found it, when I move on.  Ditto for motorbikes, cars,  cats dogs and people too.  As another old saying goes, the only two things guaranteed in life are taxes and death. Nothing lasts forever right...

While I'm on the subject, all my relationships follow this pattern.  I worked hard and still do to instill certain characteristics in my two, now grown daughters.  Independence and a spirit of sponging.  That is, soaking up what is right around them, living life in a positive fashion, making things better by their having passed.

Some wouldn't agree but I would challenge the girlfriends in my life that came and went, and if they are truly honest, they would find that maybe, it was better than not...

Humans I think, are born with a desire to have purpose.  Finding it and chooses to follow it is an individual choice.

I think... that I've been pretty successful

at mine.

Cooler weather...

I'll have to look into this next year.

It's certainly cooled off since my arrival in Phx.  Daytime highs were well into the upper 90's and the evenings were only 10-15 degrees cooler.  These last few days have been cloudy and overcast with highs only in the low 70's.  Certainly not bad weather for December. 

My little ice cream shop downtown Glendale.

Like I found during last fall, I have about a 5-6 hour window for decent riding temperatures. 

Little mini farm just down the street from me.

Call me a sissy (I'll kick your ass if you do) but I like to ride in comfortable temperatures.  Nothing wrong with the daytime temps unless of course I'm starting out at higher elevations where much of my riding takes place.

Yup that's right... and gas is down to 2.29/gal.

Tomorrow and Monday we're showing more seasonable 23/24 (mid 70's) and sunny.

My time of departure is nearing so I will do a ride or two before its time to be shutting things down. 

My little Vivitar DVR camera gear arrived but since then the weather has been iffy.  I hope to get some footage over the next two days.  In my tests it seems to perform very well.

All weather DVR with 32 G memory chip installed.

Stay tuned and if you haven't picked up the December Cdn Biker, get them before they're gone.

Oops...

Well I guess I was wrong.

Sun is out, it's time for the shades and shorts...

Guess what?

Boo and I out for a stroll...

I think winter is here, no really.  It's 16C and been raining all night... in fact its still raining.  Okay not a monsoon type torrential downpour nor'easter rain, but water... falling, well more like floating from the sky, there are even clouds overhead.

It's the first rain since I landed. 






 

Little in the way of 'storm' drains here, just soaks into the ground

By definition a desert receives less than 10" of rain a year. 

It would be interesting to be out in some of the places I've been to already this year, just to see some water flowing, if there is any.

Mr T out back, fishing me thinks...

Re-Cycled

'82 FT 500 Ascot Dirt track replica

It's extremely heartening to see that among motor-heads/gear-heads, there is a tremendous recycling program going on underneath the radar.

To see so many people out there that specialize to some degree in keeping old cars and motorcycles etc functioning makes me smile.  When I smile I feel good!

All of us in biking have our favorites.  Having spent nearly half of my life in the motorcycle industry, I've been very fortunate to see across a wide spectrum the models, manufacturers, and customization that has proliferated in the sport.  In my own career, I saw the tail end of the 'Made in England' era to its resurfacing decades later.  I saw the junk that was AMF Harley Davidson, re emerge into a massive international business powerhouse. I clearly remember the 'old timers' saying "those Japs can't make anything except transistor radios..." or labeling them as "Jap junk"...just the other day I read that Honda has built it's 300 millionth motorcycle!

My '71 CL 350 Scrambler

Seeing old marks resurrected excites me.  Until recently I had two modern John Bloor Triumphs sitting my my own garage and out of my old collection, I still keep a sixties BSA and several older Japanese bikes.

Thunderbolt

I like riding all kinds of motorcycles I have no one favorite although I am asked the questions repeatedly, even today.  I have dirt bikes, a trials bike, dual purpose bikes, standard bikes, several scooters, an ADV bike and even a sled and quad.

We joke sometimes that when Brenda first met me and came to my house, her words were something like "you have more motorcycles than a shop!"

1970 DS6-B (Sold)

Personally I like bikes with character, and if I narrowed that down I prefer standard style motorcycles, air cooled and naked, purposeful and without errr... frills. I especially have a warm place for the Brit singles and twins, old and modern, anything Italian, anything triple.  Japanese two strokes of the 60's and 70's... (I loved the first L/C RD/RZ Yamaha's) and current India Enfields.

Seeing a company like Polaris manufacturing motorcycles under the Indian logo next to Victory's and HD stepping into the mid sized market with something modern, even venerable Guzzi with their re-incarnated V7 Sports pushes my facial buttons.

Friend Chris' slightly customized '89 XV 535 Virago.

This whole "tracker/cafe/bobber" genre that is growing intrigues me, makes me want to build something myself, after all, I began my working life as a Machinist in Ft Mac.

These old four stroke single/ twins and multi's that would otherwise serve as no more than tons of scrap metal, showing up on the net and street as reborn customs in the hands of pros and amateurs both, serves the sport well.

Modern retro style Classic Thunderbird 900

There have been literally millions of bikes manufactured in my riding lifetime that went from back yard/barn/wreckers and now have new life as someone's custom.

I say 'Bravo'

There is absolutely nothing wrong with "recycled... cycles."

Cafe CB 550 taken from web.

Gila Bend and Painted Rocks...

It's a Gas gas gas... stop.

LAST year I tried to get to this site, home to the largest deposit of ancient Petroglyphs in the state.  I scouted a route SW from the city, down old US 80 and across country through Arlington.  Unfortunately, when only 27 miles from the site, I had to detour 20 miles in the other direction to get fuel.  My planned stop was closed.  This didn't allow me the chance to get to see the glyphs and I rode home, cold, in the dark and droning along at barely 50mph.

Very cool bridge off Old US 80

Having learned my lesson, (I don't need a boulder to fall on my head)

I headed out again but this time went directly to Gila Bend where I fueled up.  The glyph site is just out of GB, off I 8 and about 12 miles on an excellent sporty paved highway.

Pretty warm today.  Baja only 115 miles!

It was quite the contrast to last weeks ride to Prescott via Cow Creek/Wagoner rd and the Senator highway coming back.  It was a chilly 26.2F when I began loading the gear leaving my motel in Prescott and over 7000'

As you can see from the photo, Painted Rock was both lower and warmer.

My revised gearing came in very handy, I had no problem cruising at 60 mph which if nothing else, lessened my chances of ending up in the grill of an 18 wheeler!

I picked up old US 80 shortly after leaving Interstate 10.  I remember this road from 1998 when Deb and I departed Phx for our Baja adventure.  Then I was riding an XT 600 (which I still have) and today I was on the little brother 350.

Looked like a subdivision that barely got off the ground.

US 80 winds its way past run down farms, rusting equipment, a broken dam and a housing tract complete with gated entry, boat slips and palm trees, literally in the middle of nowhere that seems to not have gotten off the ground.  Didn't they get the memo that this is a 'desert'!

Complete with individual boat slips.

I fueled up in Gila Bend, a dilapidated town on the confluence between state highway 85 heading to Mexico and Interstate 8 to San Diego CA.

My tank range is normally about 180 miles to reserve and perhaps 30 more beyond that.  No problem making the trip topped up in GB.  I planned on returning via the loop I had been on last fall before having to detour for gas.

On the way back to Arlington, beautiful desert.

Made it!

It was hot at PR, a very pretty little place with a huge campground where I met Dale retired from the military (meet lots of Americans that served actually) and comes down from Oregon with his wife in the big RV to host at this out of the way campground.

Self guided short walk.

I thought I may have headed in that direction myself back about 10 years ago before I met Brenda and Anna... things certainly changed in many ways...

Yeah, no kidding.

Very interesting this...

Only shade offered.  Very good campsite and picnic area.

Parking the bike in the only shade offered, the covered picnic area, I removed my Icon boots, geared up my Canon SX20 and went for a walk, turkey sandwich in hand.  I met some nice folks from New Mexico who reminded me it was US Thanksgiving and after a short visit went on to snap a few photos of the 12,000 year old petroglyphs.

There they are!

I'd seen many such etchings before in Baja, of course they depict different creatures mostly marine vs desert.

 



Leaving, I took a chance and rode to the dam which has been closed to the public for many years now.  It was a short detour on a nicely paved road but unfortunately the access road was closed so I never got closer than 1/2 mile.  Once backtracked to PR, XT and I headed due west on rough, unmaintained primitive gravel roads that brought us back to US 80 after some 70 miles through beautiful desert scenery.  I passed a few miles south of Palo Verde looking at it from an angle most would never see, across a barren desert landscape.  This is the largest nuclear power plant in the USA generating some 3.3 GW of power, enough to feed power hungry Phoenix and area plus southern California including L.A.


Riding along standing on the pegs for much of the 70 miles, to gain stability I couldn't help but think what a great life I lead.  Honestly, I've never been too concerned about money or work, I always managed and I have packed much into my near 60 years, many memories especially sitting astride a MC. 

I did my freeway stint with a blazing setting sun to my back, this time much more relaxed than last year, when I had a dead battery, I was cold and it was dark.  traffic sped by me with at least a 30 mph differential.  This time round I didn't feel quite so vulnerable.

Appropriately it was Thanksgiving and let me tell you how truly grateful I am.

Did I mention what a great life this is...