Looking back to look forward!

First ride after buying the T Bird.

 It's Sunday, warm and humid near the north shore of PEI Canada.

There's only enough breeze to fool you into thinking it'll take the edge off what could be the warmest day of a rather cool summer.

Mile 0 Trans Canada highway, from one coast, to the other!

I've had a rather hectic few months, between the constant service of my own vehicles, bikes that belong to friends, cutting grass, my long trip out west to visit, returning to cut what is now hay, difficulties with launching Moto-East, a Maritimes local color ragazine as I like to call her, driving around to visit dealers near and far drumming up advertising support... I've decided to "take the day off".

to Charlottetown PEI

Diversion 600 at the Brandenburg Gate Berlin

Road food in Europe

Now in my vocabulary during my lifetime, 'taking the day off' has been a way of stating that I am going to change the rear tire and counter-shaft sprocket on my 1992 XT 225 or maybe dusting off the canoe for a paddle on the Dunk river, or maybe even sharpening the blade on the lawn mower.  Hardly what passes for an actual "day off."

That's Lake Geneva in the background on the French Swiss border.

Yup.

Me and Saskia in the south of France

22 Countries in total

Pasta/ the Island of Elba

Lots of these running around over there...

And these too!

I don't have to tell you what this is do I?

French Alps

Sun setting on Elba

Andorra and the Pyrenees.

South of France

The Atlantic coast, Portugal

Catching up on world news!

Southern Spain

Swiss Alps

BC Ferries.


Today... I have tried to actually veg for a whole day or as near to it as I can.  True I do indulge in a summer only delight of watching CFL games between Friday and Sunday (sometimes Long weekend Monday) today I have been reading old Geographics, snoozing in the R.V. or simply lazing about petting an available cat or three.

After two hours of reading about twins, walking the footpath of ancients, and being bored nearly to tears by the intricacies of the human brain, I hopped off the couch and here I am thinking about the past.



Not formation of the earth type past, nor even my family tree past, just recent past, more specifically the period in my life from about 2006 to 2011.







Maybe it's because I am getting more forgetful as I age or simply something that triggered that time period, I lay with the NG magazine by my side as my mind drifts off to acquiring the Triumph Thunderbird, planning the European adventure of a lifetime, and on to the steps leading up to this huge life-changing move across country to PEI and another past, but thinking about the future with Brenda and her daughter.





Not exactly nomadic to be sure, but definitely life altering stuff.

Back around 2005 shortly after a triple by-pass, I thought about buying another bike.  Yes... go ahead and laugh all of you that know me as the Dr.



Yeah, I've bought many bikes, but this was going to be something different and special.  I narrowed the purchase options at the time to two very different motorcycles.  Walt Healy was offering a new Bandit 650 for right around $7000 plus those ridiculous after sale charges like Pre delivery Inspection GST etc. 



The Yamaha Seca II then sitting in my garage was both a bonus and detriment to this choice.



The Bandit was very similar, not cutting edge but certainly 'sport tour-able' and I liked that style of riding a great deal.  

The other option was to find and purchase one of two bikes, a Triumph Thunderbird or the sportier T Bird Sport.  Not sports touring but modern, unusual and retro. 


I passed on the Bandit and went searching for a T Bird.  I eventually found one in Victoria and after making arrangements to fly over and ride her back, I was very happy.  Taking the 'low' road returning to Calgary via the Crow's Nest pass, a new era of slower and gentler was forming in my mind.  I still ride this very same motorcycle after transporting my favorite bikes east with me during the BIG move.

Charlottetown on the east coast.

Late in 2007 I began planning my oft delayed and much regretted lamented European ride.  Some of you may know that I was born in a land far far away during a very perilous time, Hungary just prior to a revolution against what was then akin to a flea swatting at a Bull elephant, Russia.

My trip wasn't about chasing those days down, but about connecting with the family tree, and doing what I wanted to do in my 18th year.  Ride a 600 cc BMW across the 'continent' of Europe.


I went looking for a suitable bike during 2007 and although that didn't turn out to be a Beemer it was indeed air cooled and 600 cubic centimeters.

I arranged to "buy" as foreigners can't actually own anything there, a Yamaha Diversion 600, in fact a bike very similar to the one in my Silver Springs garage.

I departed in summer 2008 for a 5 month trip riding as much of the European continent as I could stand.

Between that initial trip and a subsequent follow- up the next spring, I covered 22 countries many more than once and over 20,000 km riding the fiery red and reliable Yamaha.

Heading east to Calgary

As this is the 500th installment of the Blog, this which I initially began on the urging of Holly my traveling daughter as a way to keep in touch with friends and family as opposed to finding unreliable internet cafes with keyboards in languages I didn't know trying to upload photos to send to 20 different people, the Blog was and still is the primary way for people to pop in and see what's happening in the life of Dr. N.

In those 500 blogs, I've covered a heck of a lot of ground as you are aware.

This is a look back over those years...