Sunny, and warm.

Taxying on the run way at YYG

I HAVE ARRIVED.

No, I'm not on the moon, but I am in Arizona, once again.

After an incredibly hectic year, that began with record snowfalls back home, a long tour out west on Liz's Suzuki Savage, cutting grass and building sheds, I am back in the sunny south.

Toronto just before dawn.

I'm baaaack!

I relax when I arrive, the warmth getting off the plane and out of the terminal building, having a nice drive back to the complex with Nathan and Athena, putting the key into the door once again and having little Boo meet me with purrs and mega affection.

Reliable partner.

In the past 24 hours, I have the scooter and the 350 running and the place is vacuumed, the yard has 5 bags worth of leaves disposed of, and groceries in the fridge.

The Yamaha XT was my first priority while I waited for the scooter battery to charge.  After installing the tiny 12 volt device into the frame, I pushed the kicker through a couple of times to get some oil distributed into the cylinder and top end, with enrichner on, one kick. True it did stall after 15 seconds or so but restarted immediately and idled away with the choke pulled out for several minutes to get some fuel circulating.  That bike is now so reliable I'd have no problem riding it to Baja and back!

The Adventure scooter took a bit more finagling as it's carb drain screw is buried under a mass of frame tubes, the drive enclosure and various electrical parts, but once drained and battery hooked back up, several tries of the starter had it running as well.

Scooting around.

I rode the scooter to my local Lowe's to pick up some gaskets to cure a very leaky tub faucet, done.

Boo at my door!  She hasn't left my sight since arrival!

Making herself right at home...

Showered and in shorts, I am again... home.

Fall is for Football and bike storage.

Mid October is the time of year that CFL (Canadian Football League) games are winding down for the season.  Unlike our counterparts south of the border, where a longer playing season exists, we can expect the last quarter of the year may be cruel and cold.  Could be heat, cold, rain and wind and snow,all in the same afternoon.  Some think CFL is not as exciting as the NFL and that's okay.  Even dummies can have an opinion :)  After all, look at the vast numbers of politicians around the globe. 

Speaking of that, Canada has it's National Elections Monday, wonder who the faces will be at Sussex drive next week...?

Getting back to football and the fall, there are some great rivalries of course like any other sport.  The Edmonton Eskimos and the Calgary Stampeders, Ottawa and Hamilton, The Riders and the Blue Bombers.  Toronto and everybody else.  Watching from the comfort of my living room is just fine with me.  It's also a good time to maybe get in the last season ending walk in the woods or prepping the sled for the white fluffy stuff just ahead.






 
As the leaves change color this is also the time that most of us reluctantly begin the thoughts of putting the bikes away for another long winter's hibernation.  Sure, we may get a few hours or days in yet and some insist on riding year round, but the vast majority of us add stabilizer to the tank, remove the battery for periodic charging (don't tell me you leave yours in the bike for the next 4-5 months in freezing temperatures!) and doing any required maintenance time permitting.

I always try and winterize mine properly thereby assisting a working machine next spring, which as I say, can be a long ways off in most of the country, with the possible exception of the "banana belt" in British Columbia as my buddy Ron likes to call it.

I'll have my shed up soon, thanks to Stretch's expertise, and can start the ritual once again.

Depending on what  you have, a secure indoor storage place is perfect, preferably with little/no moisture, which can be a problem here on the east coast.  As I say, stabilizer or a carb drain is best, removal of the battery (unless you have a heated garage to keep it from freezing, and trickle charging are a must if you don't want it's internals to look like a KKK revival in the spring. Might be a good time to do that tire or oil change you've neglected all year, lube the chain, check the tire pressure or tracking down that mysterious electrical gremlin.

Personally I also like to give my machines a general cleaning and wash with hot soapy water and put them under a dust breathable protective cover for their hibernation. 



Winter is also a time to catch up on reading and bench racing, the latter may not be familiar to all but suffice to say, it's a must during the dark months ahead while thinking back on the summer past and trips to come. 



It's also a good time to pull out  back issues of your fave magazines and find out what was new in 1982!  I'm not kidding, I used to have a magazine collection in the thousands and still have at least a few hundred.  The others were given away prior to the BIG move.



So for now, it's back to football CFL style and prepping bikes and when done... curling up with the cat(s). 

Such is our world in Canada.

Scooter

TOMOS Velo 150

I SOLD my little VELO... with a tear rolling down my cheek. I really and truly loved that little scooter.  I can't tell you how many people made the comment on it's retro looks over the years.  The reason I sold her was nothing to do with the operation but simply because I want something larger and more powerful, something capable of highway speeds and off Island travel.

I've ridden 200, 250's, 300... 400's and 650's.  The Suzuki Burger, ummm... I meant Burgman, is the logical choice as they have both a 400 and 650 available and are rather more common than some others.  Although the 650 has more power and speed/acceleration, the 400 would be just fine for anything the east coast could throw at me in the way of climbs and descents and highway travel.  There are several used ones around in the Maritimes so finding a suitable unit shouldn't pose a problem.

On her way to a new home!  Wah, wah...

You know, I'm retired... right?  Funny that I really don't seem to have much in the way of spare time!

For example, I am in the process of building a storage shed to the same design and using the same materials as our house.  With Trevor's building expertise we have the floor down, and the studded walls up during TG weekend.  Back in the spring while we were all sitting over at Mike's "cave" talking bikes (we're almost too old to talk "girls") Stretch as I call him, brought up the subject of yet another dualie he'd found online, this nearby at a Moncton dealership.  I mentioned to him quite casually, in front of witness' that I would lend him the money to buy the bike and he could pay me back with his construction labor and expertise, which as I am finding out, it very capable. 

Hence the building of the shed.

The timing was necessitated by the sale of my life boat (the 20' Cargo trailer I used for moving us out here) to another MC enthusiast while taking a couple of Honda's in trade.  The CargoMate headed east and a Honda VTR 1000 and old TL 125 trials bikes landed here in return.  So, now I have NO storage trailer and two more bikes to deal with prior to winter.

VTR Firestorm

The shed should be completed in a week and then I can safely store the summertime lawn equipment and furniture prior to heading south.  More on the later...

Getting back to the Velo, the little girl headed up west to its new home.  It was bought by a very nice gal intent on riding on two wheels.  She is thrilled and I am glad the faithful scoot went to a caring and good home.

 

The Devil's Punch Bowl

Check out the trees across the river!!!

IT was a wild and stormy night... 

Black Horse corner

To be honest it was daylight, but the fiercest wind I have yet to encounter while riding PEI.

I was on my trusty Yamaha Serow 225, sticking as much to treed country as possible.  The wind was out of the south and as such pretty warm and humid, we'd had sporadic rain during the previous night. 

I'd estimate gusts near 80-100 kph and steady winds well over 50k.  The little trail bike (weight 238lbs) and it's pilot, moi (weight 150lb) were nearly blown clear off the road at times when I was transiting forested roads to open highway.  I rode sideways whenever I was caught in the open heading east or west.  The odd time I was pointing north, the 223cc motor breathed a lot easier, just the opposite of riding into the teeth of the storm, when I couldn't pull fifth gear much less sixth!

Oyster fishermen on Long River.

What I was doing was riding some more familiar terrain and ambling down various forest trails.  Many places are off limits posted private or of course a farm lane will carry you into a corn/potato/hay field, or as it happened to me on one occasion, after traveling a dense wooded trail, I came out into a brand new subdivision with huge homes on acreages.


THERE is virtually no traffic when I ride like this, but today I was surprised by first coming across a road grader on a trail that is as rough as anything I have encountered yet on the Island, really nothing more than a winter snowmobile trail, with the occasional seasonal woodcutter in with his 4X4. 



I had a chat with the operator, who looked like he should have retired some years ago... turns out every so often, someone will put in a request and highways will send out a grader to smooth the lumps, which is what he was doing.  Last time I was here in the spring, there were ruts 2 feet deep made by some timber clearing equipment.  Oh... the first 18 inches of the rut was actually water filled and slick as proverbial goose poop!

Later I came across an old Oldsmobile on a rutted clay road, taking up the entire lane.  I had to pull right off the road onto the graded bank to escape that beast!

Steeper than it looks!

I rode around in the woods for nearly three hours.  Dead ends mostly but I did find a trail that again, was signed for S/M usage.  It was gnarly, steep and rough with lots of moss covering tree roots and boulders.  If I didn't know better I could have sworn I took a wrong turn and was somewhere in the Rockies.  Of course here on the Island, you're never far from a paved road and shortly there is was.

Now what's this?

It was so much fun riding up that trail in second gear, I turned right back round and went the other way!
While on this trail a thought occured to me... there can't be too many sixty year old's, standing straight up on the cleated metal footpegs of a street legal dirt bike bouncing along on a wooded trail or for that matter, an Arizona desert track!



I came across a sign telling of the mysterious "Devil's Punchbowl" and how that story came to be.


Seems like a Mr. John Hawkins, while carrying a load of supplies lashed to his ox cart, from Charlottetown destined for Black Horse corner and ultimately to the Black Horse Tavern, was assailed by none other than the Devil hisself  !!!  Such was his fear that when the Prince of Darkness * commanded him to 'cut down that barrel of rum' Hawkins did so, without question.  The rum barrel proceeded to careen down into the abyss, the devil in hot pursuit, laughing a hideous laugh!

The abyss, Devil's Punch Bowl

WHEN eventually Hawkins arrived after walking many miles, to the tavern... empty handed of course, no doubt fortified by some ale to calm his jangled


nerves, he convinced a rather skeptic group to return  to the scene only to find the remains of the Ox cart smashed into unrecognizable pieces.  Among the debris they also found tiny hoof-prints and shortly thereafter smelled the odor of rum and sulpher!

This is where I like to be on a weekend

While peering into the void, they heard the clinking of glasses and the voice of the devil...

"Drink up me hearties for the drinks are on John Hawkins... who be standin' outside the pit now, with a bunch of his cronies!"

Needless to say, Hawkins and his former disbelievers made haste in the opposite direction.

Now I stood there and even leaned well over the cliff, the sounds of silence loud in my ear.  I listened and listened but I could hear nothing.  But then I heard a single 'tink, then another 'tink! I listened even closer... only to realize that was my motor cooling after it's long climb.

It was not a glass tinkling nor a Devil laughing.

Of course... that doesn't mean that is isn't true, me hearties!

* No... not Joe Lucas

Meanwhile........

Serow on a quiet country lane

Velo under the shade tree.

Back at the Ranch...


AFTER getting hammered, big time on our New Brunswick ride, Brenda and I spent a little time locally puttering around on the Velo, the T Bird and the V Strom.  I did several rides on the backroads, mostly early morning on my Serow and XT 600.  Weather has been (Ummmm, not to jinx anything) Great.  Many days during September we've had plus 30 sunny days, very pleasant for riding. 

Seen on the Confederaton Trail near Fredricton PE

Sky family performing center

Typical Island red clay back road day!

Yup, two cats and a Racoon, what could be more normal?

Friendly farm dog

Just cruising about.

"Stop taking pictures and get over here..."

Loaded up at Indian River bird sanctuary.

Definitely low tide across the harbor from C'Town

Lots of people on the water enjoying a September summer day.  French River.

Very pretty.

Memorial ride

Some of the gang waiting patiently for things to begin.

Lunch break at Borden.

THERE was a canoe trip on the Dunk, one at Indian River pond.  A Sunday memorial ride put on locally in Summerside that featured a nice country trip through some of the most scenic PEI back paved roads that saw several hundred bikes taking part.

We visited several local beaches, beautiful.  You don't have to travel to the Bahama's to see gorgeous sand beaches although not heavily visited, they can be a very relaxing way to spend a few hours.

French River, what could be more PEI than a washed up lobster trap?

Out for a sail.

Cabot park beach.

On the Dunk river.

Red Sandstone cliffs

EVERY now and again... I remind myself why I liked this place the very first time I saw it.  When I was a young man of 20, having ridden across Canada to the red Island in the Gulf.

We forget sometimes in our haste, to look around us and appreciate what we have right in our own backyard so to speak.  Many thousands come here on vacation... we live here!

To answer your questions...

"Yes... I am still breathing."

"NO, I haven't been abducted by aliens... and I don't know where your cows are!"

"I didn't trip on the carpet, hit my head and am now suffering from amnesia."

"YES, My fingers are all intact and NO even if they weren't my nose is not pointy enough to type."


Having come back from my early summer western MC ride on the Savage, cutting what amounted to a hayfield for a lawn, getting rained out in New Brunswick on our annual off Island ride, and dealing with what appears to me are hundreds of minor issues... I simply have not had much time.

Just the other day, while riding my long time friend, Big Blue, the XT 600... I got to thinking.  I'd bought that bike to take then sweetie Deb and our other XT 600 for a winter ride to Baja California.  We spent nearly 2 months on the road and rolled on over 6000kms.

Near Mike's Sky Rancho Baja Norte

Things seemed so simple then.  We lived out of our saddlebags, stayed in cheap Mexican hotels and had several 'box' camera's for pics.

I'm answering emails (I'm behind on those too) one of which is to my old buddy Ron, and I say's to Ronnie... I have a video camera to my right, a bike mounted video camera to my left, three other cameras within reach, a TV, several remotes, two phones (including one that is still smarterthanIam) , a pile of unread mail, a Tom Tom, several battery chargers, and in the garage on the other side of my study wall, there are cars and motorbikes, some of which need tires changed, the odd battery, a washing etc etc.

What's the point?

I'm Retired!

Meaning I haven't had a paycheck in several years, but not meaning I have time on my hands.  

After moving here and getting re-acquainted with old friends, one of the most frequent questions was, "do I want to work on other people's bikes?"  Nothing real technical, just something to keep me busy.

Idle hands, idle minds right...

Ha!  There are plenty of times I wish my brains and hands were doing nothing what-so-ever.

To make this short (I have about 20 emails in my inbox, bills to pay, and appointments to show a soon to be vacated unit)...

"Yes... I am still breathing."

"NO, I haven't been abducted by aliens."

"I didn't trip on the carpet, hit my head and am now suffering from amnesia."

"YES, My fingers are all intact and NO even if they weren't my nose is not pointy enough to type."

...and "NO, I have not seen your missing cows."