Some Pics from SBNW

I met this fellow at the Mt St Helens overlook. He was coming from Vancover. Before that Nova Scotia. His next stops: California, Pennsylvania and Texas (in that order). Then where? Argentina followed by a cargo ship to Cape Town then North back home to Ireland! Seriously. He's expecting to take 2 years to do it.

I was tired having just ridden a few hours through Washington.


The bike garage was a nice little show on it's own. This is only about 1/3 of it:


If I were to get into the motorcycle touring life I think my weapon of choice would be a Victory Vision. At first I thought it was hideous. The it started growing on me. Now that I've seen one in person it looks pretty slick.


Northern Oregon is pretty empty, but I can see why people like it anyway.

Gorgeous Gorge

Got a bike? Sportbike, tourer, cruiser, Schwinn, it doesn't matter. If you have a bike you should take it to the Columbia River Gorge. If you live in Seattle I suggest heading down the East side of Mt Rainer. Make a side trip up Route 99 to the Mt St Helens viewpoint.

There are many great rides around the Gorge. Joe and I chose Mosier Loop Saturday morning. Beautiful rolling hills, clean asphalt, no traffic. But be prepared for bicyclists. Pay special attention around Rowena Crest:



Saturday night we went up to Goldendale Observatory. We took the SBNW-suggested route on the way up. The route was great, unfortunately we left late and some of the roads lacked reflective striping, shoulders, or edge markers. ... I think the headlights on the Daytona are just for show. We took a less interesting but quicker route on the way back.

I'll add more about the trip later. (Still recovering from the saddle fatigue.)

Useless, Overpriced, Crap that I Must Have

My wife and I have different views on money. ... Well, I guess it's the same view: money is for spending. But the difference is what to spend it on and when.

I'm a planner. I like to stalk the things I want, make sure they're the right. "Is this the best price? Will it do what I want? Where will I put it? If I lose my sense of smell because of a freak mold attack is this still the one I'd choose?" You know, the vital questions.

My wife? Not so much. "Hey look, that's nice." Two days later UPS is delivering 4 of them and we still don't really know what they do.

I'm sure the best process is somewhere in between.

Here's some stuff I might buy if I were more impulsive.

I need a place to prop my feet up and relax:



It's nice to stretch out and watch TV:


I'll need a clock so I don't miss "Top Gear":


If the guys come over they'll need chairs and a table for their drinks:




(BTW, total cost would be about $6400.)

The Car Is A Star

I was watching Law & Order today. (It's what I do, come home, sit on the floor with the dogs, eat my lunch and watch TV. Everyday. I call it my comfort zone, others call it a rut.) Today's episode was "Amends" from 2000. I've seen it about 83 times and the only thing I remember is... the bad guy drove a TR6.

The villains getaway car in "Three Men and a Baby" was a TR6.
An episode of Columbo includes a TR6 as the murder weapon.

Are all TR6s on TV and in the movies driven by villains? Hmmm. Sounds like a question for the modern Oracle at Delphi. The keeper of all of mans knowledge. The most magnificent: INTERNET!

A quick search found:

• Triumph Cars in Movies and on TV


• Minnesota Triumphs Sports Car Club A short list, but their "Jokes About British Cars" might be worth a read.


• IMCDB.org A valiant effort at a car-centric IMDB.com but they fall a little short.

One Big Circle and Lots of Little Circles

Big Circle:

I signed up for SBNW 2008. A friend, who has a bike much more appropriate to covering distance, suggested it. I'll give it a try. I've done 500 mile days before but this is my first foray into motorcycle camping. I bought a tent and a sleeping bag. For storage I just have a makeshift tail pack. Hopefully it's enough. (Hopefully I'll remember to bring the camera.)

Because of the "edits" to fit luggage I've decided to take the Daytona. It now has a passenger seat and pegs for the first time in 8 years. ... I was surprised I could find them.


Little Circles:

I signed up for track days Sept 6, 7, and 13. Might add the 14th but right now I'm planning to go to the Seahawks / 49ers game.

The Modern Garagthon

I enjoy the Olympics. Here's the Life In The Garage pentathlon

1) Oil change. Contestants judged by how clean their hands are at the end.
2) Tool find. Where's that tool? You had it 15 seconds ago now it's nowhere to be found.
3) Trailer power lift. You loaded the bikes before hooking the trailer to the truck. Now what?
4) Musical vehicles. The bike you want to work on is stuffed in a corner, it's raining outside. Move the cars and bikes around without getting them wet.
5) Couch avoidance. You have $73. You just bought a motorized toy that costs... much more. Explain it to your spouse.

Random Notes

Just a few things from today:

- Brett Favre was traded by the Packers. Bummer, I thought I might get some crazy Cheesehead to overpay for my tickets when the Packers are in town.

- I paid off the Ducati. I borrowed the money from our joint account so I'm not really out of debt. I just have a much nicer loan officer.

- Brett Favre was picked up by the Jets. Cool, maybe some crazy New York fan will overpay for my tickets when the Jets are in town.

Truck Meets Trailer

Dammit.

I dented the trailer this week.
I dented the Nitro this week.
I did it in one shot.
I did it in my own driveway.

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Step right up! Step right up! Don't be shy! Be the first person on your block to see The Amazing Trailer Idiot in person!

Watch him open the tailgate!
Watch him unhook the trailer!
You'll be amazed as he pulls the trailer by hand unwittingly running it into the corner of the tailgate!
All without a clue!
But wait! Any Trailer Idiot could do that. But The Amazing Trailer Idiot can also ... please ma'am maybe the children shouldn't hear this...
That's right! He'll lower the tongue jack while they're still in contact! It's shocking! Horrendous! The most gruesome of shows! But you won't be able to look away as he puts a 6" dent in the trailer and a 6" curl in the tailgate!

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I'm not going to bother fixing the trailer.

The tailgate was functional. It was just cosmetic. I used a couple of boards and some clamps to bend it back closer to it's original shape. It's not perfect but it's acceptable. ... At least to a trailer idiot.