Friday, July 30th - Day 27 - Gone Muddin'!

So I pulled into Phoenix and did my customary drive by of my host's residence to see what I was getting myself into. I mean seriously, when my host's profile has no references, and very little info, and one pic, and they live in the ghetto, I can't help but think "set up" hahah! But after a text, it was clarified, and they lived in a VERY nice gated community... across the street from said ghetto, lol!


My time in Phoenix was great. My host took me to Bison Witches, where they serve awesome sandwiches! This totally made up for the smell coming from Tempe Lake, a man made lake dammed up by black rubber balloons.. which over the years in the heat, eroded to nothing and finally blew up. so the lake drained and all that was left was garbage and dead fish, and that was the lovely odor we inhaled while crossing Tempe Bridge, hehe.. No apology needed, shit happens.


the next morning I made my way North West through the mountains. Apparently I was supposed to go past the Salt River Canyon.. I'm pretty sure I ended up doing one better. I musta been in the goddamn thing because for 22 miles I was on dirt road! Some of which had been washed out by rainstorms, hahah! Props to BMW for making a street roadster capable of handling this crap... a few points, the sand was probably 8 inches thick! And oh yeah, she got squirrely on me, but it held its own and I made it though, back to pavement, and past the Roosevelt Dam. Awesome! KingRobb of Total Motorcycle Forum and Traverser of Sport-Touring, there is no way you meant for me to take Apache road through the Tonto National Forest, or 288 N... both were 90% dirt.. and in the rain that started, boy oh boy, was that not a good time. A few times doing about 40 mph, the bike teetered back and forth as I tried to keep it level and not ditch. No way did I wanna dump my bike out there, with half a liter in my camelback.. I can even remember one point cruising on tarred road and going over a crest to discover.. DIRT!!! And I slammed on the brakes while in my head I said "oh fuck no..." lol... Later on some guy in an Jimmy who thought he was running qualifying laps for the Baja came flying around a corner and nearly killed me. I'll be honest, I barely reacted, just tried to keep it on my side of the road hahah!


Once back on pavement I opened her right up. Had to take a savage piss so I said to myself "after you catch up to that next vehicle, stop and relieve yourself and you'll have enough time from the last pack you passed to go and then get back on the bike and not have to pass them again", because I'm doing about 110 mph. So I cruise up to the top of a hill, then stop. As soon as I got off my bike, a cop SUV crested the hill and drove by me! LOL, thank me lucky stars, me buddy...


Got into Show Low... settled in, rested my weary bones, and then went out to One Eyed Jack's Sports Bar.. then after one pint fled to Absolute Additions, a dance club. For all would-be travelers, I'll tell you right now, just lie back, get some good shut-eye, don't bother going out, neither place is worth it :D


And if you ever make it down this way, rent a  car or an SUV and travel the roads I mentioned above... it is just amazing... seriously. On a streetbike, I'd reserve that for the less faint of heart.


Take care, ride safe


edit: oops, I think I meant Traverser of Powerslide!

Thursday, July 29th - Day 26 - Blessed

So firstly, I'll just quickly mention that every time I come across a cop, he either doesn't care that I'm speeding or is busy with some one else's ticket, lol... Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself.


Rode from Flagstaff down hiway 89Alternate through a place called Sedona... this is where all the Red Rock mountains are. Incredibly beautiful!


The route begins with a whole whack of twisties that take you right down! It looked like a pile of intestines dropped on my GPS! BUT... the weather was awful and I'm not daring enough to go crazy taking hairpins in the rain.. at least not when my bike is my mode of transport. So it was slow-going...


Anyway, had to go through some harsh torrential rain. My weather thus far has been more than ideal. And the rain today while going to Phoenix which is often as high as 46 degrees Celsius was fine by me. Just interstate riding anyway.


SO... Here's the short and thick of it... for the most part i've alway been a pretty positive dude with a good sense of humor. But of course, after long enough living and seeing things in the world, I became kinda jaded, pretty cynical...


Anyway, I just got my life back on track when I broke my shoulder snowboarding in January. Not fair, right? I'm sitting in a pub meeting a fellow Couchsurfer in the Fort McMurray area, named Viktor. Viktor needed me as a reference so he could travel back to the nordic countries, and I needed him as a reference for THIS adventure I'm on. While we're there having laughs, a buddy from work runs into me. This guy is ALWAYS positive, always looking at the bright side of things... honestly, he's an inspiration.. ESPECIALLY in a dreary mining town where the ratio of single guys to single women is 6:1... *sigh*... He sees me and asks if I'm out living life and chasing down ladies, and I'm like "Look at me man, I've got a 2 week beard growing, the shoulder hair is back in full bloom, I just don't give a shit, I'm on hiatus from my life until this shoulder heals..." and he says not to worry about it all and to live anyway.


Well, I didn't immediately decide to jump back in the saddle.. in fact, I didn't... I kept flying under the radar.. But then, a few weeks later, with a couple more ski trips to go, he shatters his tibia!! Just like Rossi! Well, minus the highside in a shicane at 60 mph and then the flying 20 feet through the air part... but it WAS while hopping up to slide a rail on his downhill skis, caught a ski, landed on the shin, compound fracture (don't quote me).. So I hear about this from a coworker and think "well shit, he tried to cheer me up, so I'll do the same" and I log in to facebook to send him a message, and to my amazement, his status says something like "Just Shattered my shin bone! Gnarly xrays! This is Awesome!!" followed by numerous pics of him smiling... 


And that's pretty much it.. If this guy can hold his head up and see the good in even that, well then I should get on board. And that's pretty much where I am now. I'm fortunate to have had this turning point in my life. I was on my way to ending up a lonely, crotchety, old, asshole.... lol, Yeah that's pretty funny actually.


And thanks to my couchsurfing hosts last night for recommending Sedona, as well as to Clark, the CA I met in Ragged Point who also suggested it.... Beauty.


Ah.. on a sadder note, the couchsurfer I mention above, Viktor.. . He recently died in a fatal car crash. Just not right.. May he rest in peace.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/07/12/edmonton-highway-881-crash.html


Take care, Ride safe

Wednesday, July 28th - Day 25 - "Vivaaaaaa Las Vegas!"

Okay, speed typing here, just got invited out on the town here in Flagstaff AZ!! Yup, Get your kicks on Route 66! Although I didnt take that route.


Ended up leaving Merced late in the afternoon due to the answering of facebook messages, blogging, sorting pics, sending couchsurf requests, etcetera etcetera, which was fine because I like keeping people in the know about what's going on. HOWEVER, leaving at 5pm on a leg that was about 3 hours long meant pushing it if you include getting fuel and taking pics along the way.


So I went out into Yosemite National Park... Banff is hands down, one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen... The pristine quality of it all is...  magnificent. But Yosemite.. Oh my gawd, it is unapologetically incredible! So massive! So vast!!! Unrelenting beauty!! It's as if at some point, the US tourism department looked across the conference table at eachother and said "well gentlemen, let's just build a bunch of roads all over this massive mountain scape so everyone can see how great it is!" Because it was, unending.. The rock faces that went on and ON and ON, and the sunset landing on them, amazing... The gorgeous waterworks following the roads, the roads that climbed up into forever and then descended back down to the floor... I stopped so many times to get pics that soon the sun was setting and I still had to get out!! 


So here I am racing at 100 mph through a national park while others are trying to enjoy the serenity of it all! lol... and i get out of the park and I'm railing down the interstate trying to get to my reserved camping spot by 9pm!


Of course, being as I LOVE camping, and meeting all the cool peeps that generally habitat such places, that I picked up a six pack as well my food, and cargo-netted it to my passenger seat. Of course, much to my dismay, rpm's of 8000 in 6th gear are not conducive to the healthy condition of a beer can.. and at one point I heard a wierd 'pop' sound, but not feeling anything in my bike,  I kept zipping along... only to arrive at the campground to find my ass soaked in beer from the overpressurized can exploding!


As well, it turned out my picturesque campground was really just some guys couple acres near his trailer where he could fit 5 motorhomes and 3 tents... so there weren't a lot of PARTY PEOPLE milling about. But, the rain and thunderstorms that had plagued them the night before were absent and the sky was clear and the air was warm, so I hunkered down in my sleeping bag and gortex shell to make the best of it.


Unfortunately the 20 degree Celsius whether at 9:30pm (68 F) was a bit colder at 2 am when I woke up shivering... 7.5 degrees Celsius!! (45 F)! I had no choice but to just pack up and get on the road! I just couldn't get comfortable again. The RV Park owner who I was sposed to pay in the morning probably thought I was skipping out, lol!


And sure enough 5 minutes down the road my ambient temperature gage on my bike is reading 20 again and I can feel warm air rushing down my collar into my jacket... Ah well.. It all worked out perfectly... I ended up reaching Death Valley (which is aptly named) as the sun began to rise. It was beautiful... AND it was nice and cool, Yes, 33 degrees (91 F), rather than the usual 46 (114 F) - and no, I'm not getting really good at converting in my head, I'm using an iPhone app haha


Pulled into one of my all-time fave cities, Vegas at 9:30 and lo' n behold, they had ONE single solitary room that I had reserved ready for occupying! So I didn't have to wait til 3pm check in! That meant several hours of nap time so I'd be ready for the night! 


Had pasta at Nove Italiano at the top of the Palms where I've been before, and saw Zumanity (Cirque de Soleil). It was a fairly decent show. I'd honestly thought it was about zoo animals because of the ad I'd seen where the people were in what I thought was a fishbowl... it turned out to be two naked girls swimming and gyrating all over eachother. Normally I wouldn't complain but being as it WAS a performance, it felt fake. None of these actresses REALLY wanted to entertain ME, they just wanted to perform and get paid. Left me feeling cheap and cheated, like a night full of lapdances in a strip club.


unfortunately I didn't get out of Vegas until 2:30 this afternoon. I had to mail the old clothes that by day 25 are starting to fall apart to make room for the great stuff I bought for cheap at the Outlet shops! As well I also needed to mail home the 'camping gear' as I've decided.. no more camping, or weak attempts at it! THEN I had to find an "In-N-Out" burger joint. I had told people in California I would check it out before leaving the state, but I missed the chances so had to make up for it! DELICIOUS BURGERS!!! "Quality you can taste" is right!! Fries sucked, but who cares, the burger.. wow..


Anyway, the GPS kept screwing up and sending me everywhich way! I think the satellite reception was wonky because it would screw up distances to turns. Even told me to go by the exit to the SECOND in-n-out I attempted to get to which meant a 3 mile detour... Garmin... Fuck you.


So because although I checked out of my hotel well rested (well.. moderately lol) at 12:30, I didn't leave vegas til 3pm. So my roundabout way to the Grand canyon and then to Flagstaff would have meant a ridiculous arrival time here so I just did not want to do that.


On the way I ran out of gas. Fortunately though when a bike is parked on the side of the road and a guy in leathers carrying a helmet is hitchhiking, it's pretty evident that he's not some drifter looking to stab you and take your wallet. So I had a trucker pick me up within 10 minutes. I was grateful. I offered to get him his favorite beverage from the gas station as he's actually taken his truck and whole load up the exit ramp and into the small gas station so I wouldn't have to walk. He said he'd been there before; "nowhere".. in the middle of New Mexico with a broken radiator hose, when some one stopped, and then drove 60 miles to get him 5 gallons of water for his radiator.. So because I could not reciprocate my gratitude to him, I had to 'pay it forward'. A young cook who wasn't even intending to go back the way I came agreed to take me the 7 miles back (yeah I know.. 7 miles to the next gas station and I ran out.. sheez). I noticed the baby foot prints tattooed to his arms and after conversation learned he had two young baby girls. So on leaving the car, I turned and said my thanks and he expected nothing but I told him I wanted to show my gratitude because I couldn't with the first good Samaritan. So I told him all I had was money but that I wanted him to get something nice for his daughters, and slipped him a bill rolled up so that he wouldn't know the amount until later.


It's okay though, the great people I'm with now have suggested 89A through Sedona which is apparently gorgeous. They graciously offered to drive me there in the morning, but I had to refuse. I will see it eventually in my lifetime. Hoover Dam which I passed over was pretty remarkable. Although, having a major highway share a major tourist attraction (covered in crosswalks) might not be the best idea. Hence the bridge construction I guess.


My hosts have also treated me Oak Creek Brewing Co, Nut Brown Ale... this goes down smoother than any beer ever. You out there who thought Rickard's Red was smooth.. it ain't nothing.. Delish.


Okay, it's 11:06 and I still haven't uploaded pics, answered emails, and I'm tired... I'm gonna have to skip 80's night tonight in Flagstaff.. it woulda been so much fun though!


Take care, ride safe

Monday, July 26th - Day 23 - New Friends

Well, sorry to everyone who thought I was dead, or worse, kidnapped and being tortured in a basement somewhere in Mexico city by the henchmen of druglords with the only chance of escape coming as a drug-mule.. Okay, mostly this apology goes out to my mother who txt'd me three times in one day AND left a voicemail AND had my father text and email me repeatedly for me to contact her. I dunno, maybe I was just busy?


So, back to the adventure... 


I left my host in Bakersfield and rode straight to the nearest McDonalds (free wifi, remember? ;D) so I could set up an emergency couchsurft host for the Los Angeles area while I got my bike serviced. I sent out about 10 requests thinking a couple would reply via text. I arrived in San Fernando and pulled into a Starbucks (more free wifi, with a touch of class! hahah!) and had already received a reply saying I had a place to stay in beautiful Pasadena. I must be getting pretty good at my requests, or my references on Couchsurfing.com must be helping because by the end of the night 6 hosts had replied to say I had a place! But I'm no jerk, I always go with the first person. For what reason would I choose someone over someone else if I've only sent requests to people I wanted to be hosted by anyway, right?


My host in Pasadena was excellent and made my time there very enjoyable. Starting with a documentary on obesity called Killer at Large at their work place, then out to dinner at Houston's with some friends (who also happen to be coworkers), then back to the condo where I had a very comfy place to sleep.


The next day I departed and made my way to Hollywood where a bike dealership was to service my bike for it's 10,000 km. So the service manager hears what I'm doing, the continental trek, and he gets me a device to link into the light's electronic power to feed my GPS (no more dead GPS battery fucking up my navigation and screwing up my travel plans! YEAH!). The cost is $33, but he says they'll install it for free as part of the service. THEN he notices I'm still using seperate keys for the two BMW sidecases. "You didn't ask your service department at your dealer to rekey the locks to work with your bike's ignition key?" I replied dumbly "I didn't know I could..." "Well, we'll do that for you too". Argyll Motorsports, take note: THAT is service... Service to a guy they will probably never ever see again. YOU SUCK! They also offered to do the recall item if they had the part in stock, the same item that Argyll assured me one month in advance that they would have the part for me, and then said when I arrived for the service that they had forgotten to order it for me, and wondered if I could wait a few days and come back to get it done... Which would have thrown off the very beginning of my trip. They seemed so sincere and genuine in their anguish at their failure at letting down a beloved customer. Someone call the Academy, because we have some oscars that need handing out.... Jeez..


So rather than sit on my thumbs at the dealership during the 3 hour service, I had a host who had offered a spot take me out to a cool new coffee shop for breakfast (Mocha Latte and a Banana Nutella Panini.. YUM), and then show me a bit of hollywood, including the Hollywood sign, which was originally a suburban area named "Hollywoodland" that after an earthquake where the 'Land' toppled down, and the remaining letters shifting out of alignment, was left as 'Hollywood'. Interesting!


I returned to the dealership to find a couple LA Motorcycle cops there getting some gear. I walked right up, "You know what I'm gonna ask, right?" "uh no.." "Can you get a picture of me on your bike?!" lol... and naturally they did. Pretty chill guys.


there was also a rider on a suzuki who had pulled in... more on that later...


I departed for the a highway that skips some of the Pacific Coast Hiway in favor for a scenic route west as per the instructions of my Pasadena host who also rides and has seen a lot of the area. Great suggestion! I still got onto the coastal highway where I could enjoy not just the beauty of the ocean, and the terrain, but also the ride. And what a ride!!


-uh oh, it's passed check out time... gotta hurry!-


Made my way into San Luis Obispo, and stayed at the Hostel Obispo... great place. Nice and clean, and a good price! Went out on the town as per instructions via a couchsurfer who could not host but was glad to share some suggestions. I had dinner at Novo, a fairly nice spot (although for whatever reason the hostess was disgustingly rude, and even turned off my space heater before seating me - Yes, space heaters in California! I was shocked too! But it was so chilly there! - And it was only near the end of my meal where it dawned on me how chilly I was but how comfortable everyone else looked. I looked at their red, glowing, space heaters, and then at my dull, black, dank and dark, space heater... "Excuse me, can you turn my heater on please?" I requested from the same hostess. "You want it on?!" she questioned... Yeah, no shit sherlock, I want heat. Hahaha... 


After that had pints at Mother's Tavern, nice atmosphere, and then had Frozen yogurt at Balis where they have dozens of custom flavors and bins of candy and chunks of goodness you can add, all at a reasonable price. 


Feeling the road and age settling into my bones, I called it a night.


The gorgeous riding continued the next day up highway 1, and as per the suggestion of a bartender in fresno at the casino, I stopped in at the restaurant in Ragged Point and had a Turkey and Avacado sandwich. This place was as swanky as one would find for miles and miles so my sandwich was 13$... but quite good!


After that I continued on towards Salinas and went to the Will-Call at the Embassy Suite Hotel in Seaside, near Monterey. I grabbed my tickets and continued on to the Good Nite Inn in Salinas. Not too bad a place. Especially for the price. $20 more than most hostels and you get your own room, privacy, full queen size bed... yeah Motels are pretty damn respectable!


I settled in and had started getting to work on the blogging when I get a text from a good fellow on powerslide.net named Jumkie who had messaged me months back when I had first posted my itinerary, and had said "I'll put you up when you come get to Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway". The text read something like "Hey, we're on our way through Salinas soon, We can pick you up".


Now originally Thursday night was gonna be a night of respite so I'd be closer to my bustling self of energy for the weekend. But when good people make an offer, you don't sit around like a bump on a log! My reply was "Tired, done 6000 km's so far, I'm on day 18... LETS GET IT ON!!!"


Shortly thereafter a text saying they're in the parking lot. I put on my stuff and walk down and emerge from some hedges to see a bunch of dudes and one dudette milling around outside a motorhome with a camper hitched to it, all having drinks of Woods Rum, a 57% liquor straight from the UK. We said our hellos, I smashed back a massive pull on the woods, and the party carried on! two other great guys from the forum where there too, Arrabbiata1 and The California Kid! Both of whom had posted on my thread in which I had my whole itinerary laid out, and had not only suggested route and great things to see, as well as offered to put me up for the Moto GP, but also stood up for me when others poo-poo'd my arduous journey... Going back to that thread and putting faces to the names.. My god, it's touching, these people were so great! I was so blessed to have met them all!!


Not to mention, jumkie was an absolute perfectionist... He set up a projection screen, and a projector hooked up to a dvd player so we could watch old races.. But it had to be PERFECT!! Alignment of the projector and screen had to be dead on so no 'skewing' of the image occurred. AND everything about the setup had to be dead on, as for what was brought out. Exactly how I plan and execute my big group parties. He also passed the "Platoon" test of integrity and character. In this test, you simply ask an indivdual (serving or formerly served in the military) who their favorite character in Oliver Stone's academy award winning film 'Platoon' was, and the answer is very telling. To any of the individuals on Powerslide.net that have a problem with this guy, you apparently have never given yourself the chance to know him.


It's getting late so I should wind this down, but I'll just say that Jumkie and his people (I also met GatorDuc, and his girlfriend, and their Airline pilot buddy, and his wife - All from florida) made my time in Laguna Seca so special and so memorable... Including Jumkie's buddy from highschool who let 7 of us crash on the floor of his hotel in Monterey near Cannery Row after partying Saturday night, lol! Just awesome!


Watching the qualifying was incredible, the sheer speed that you just CAN NOT appreciate from TV, the explosive rippling of their engines being pushed to the absolute brink! The brightness even, of their bikes, and their suits in the blazing sun, everything, was such a good experience... Sitting in on an interview with Dani Pedrosa (who was in the lead for the first portion of the race until crashing out, unfortunately), getting a poster signed by Casey Stoner, the young Aussie who ended up with second, who I greatly admire, seeing Rossi Valentino from Italy, who with a month old broken tibia, still raced, and still got third, and seeing Nicky Hayden come in 5th, the Ducati team mate of Stoner, who I hope even more for success, it all added to what makes seeing a race live so incredible! True, you can't see every move, every battle, even with Jumbotron TV's places around the track, but TV just does not compare.


I should also mention that no good deed goes unpunished. Briefly, GatorDuc and his company had hoped to do a bit of riding in Cali for the first time ever. They were going to borrow the two R1's that had showed up with another two good people who Jumkie knew, but one of the bikes did not have a passenger seat over the rear tire for pillion. So, they tossed it out there and requested to ride my bike. Well, the reality being that if ANYTHING happens to my bike, my itinerary gets thrown for a loop and I may never catch up, spending days upon days riding to get back on track, but these were such good people, and I just felt like I HAD to do more to repay their generosity in taking in a complete stranger, a stranger who was not even overly involved in their forum community. And although I'd bought some strapping and brought in a case of water, a case of Red Bull, a case of Starbucks coffee drinks, AND a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and a gallon of milk, I just didn't think it was enough. So I loaned them my helmets, my jacket, my gloves... and.. my bike. It came back tip top, and I was glad to hear they'd enjoyed it, and enjoyed the ride. It's an awesome bike, and an awesome place to look at. 


It was also nice to hear that so many people were profoundly moved by this trip I've taken and were following along with my blog and living vicariously through me as I'd intended. I will continue to post my updates.


I did it not expecting anything in return, but apparently when in Florida, my new pals are going to take their plane and fly me to the Keys because it's too south for me to go to without taking a bunch of days. Wow...


And of course, the punishment being that as I pulled out of motorcycle parking to return to the camping spot, a trucker decided to reverse a bit from the intersection and back his truck up to let one of his fellow truckers by. I honked, I rolled my bike back, but knowing people were behind me I had no choice but to stop. Mr. Genius, the Long Haul Trucker, just kept coming, and only stopped when for some reason he just couldn't go back any further. That reason was my front tire. The rim had actually stopped his truck from going back any farther. I thought he'd deflated the tire! It was squashed to shit!! But after the police had him pull forward -difficult to do as his tires were not making full contact with the pavement anymore - and my tires air pressure reshaped it, and I was able to basically ride away and continue my journey! Thank God for that one! Truthfully, if I had reversed at an angle I could have gotten out of the way, but at least I didn't jump from my bike and flee, or he would have simply driven over it. Wow.


Oh right, and the guy on the Suzuki that was at BMW hollywood, was also in Jumkie's company of people.. small world.


Thanks to Arrabiata1 of Powerslide.net and Orson of Sport-Touring.net for advice to take the PCH, 


K, it's an hour past check out time, I got a bit of riding ahead of me, and some couch requests to send out..


Take care, ride safe

Monday, July 19th - Day 16 - Hot. As. Fuck.

Yep. Can't be put any plainer than that. For those of you who have a softer hide, there are occasions for the use of expletive s and this is one of them.


44'c and 104'f for you not using centigrade. Riding in it was like... Well it's been years since I last had my hair dried in a salon, but it's like that. You'd think travelling fast the 'wind chill' factor would come into play. But nope, it's just hot air passing over you. Insanity.


I was going to save the use of the camelback for the Death Valley passing to Vegas and for crossing the desert. How dumb would that be of me to not put it to good use now?! Especially considering after an hour of riding I was feeling like it'd be nice to just slump over my tank and have a nap... at 150 kmh lol!


It's odd how things work out. Like how I accidentally left my piece of shit Garmin Nuvi gps on in my pocket while in mcdonalds using free wifi (Yeah, they have free wifi! So i stop in all the time! I've gained 75 lbs though eating double big-macs...) and so it ran out of juice after only 20 minutes of use so I had to turn off early in San Fernando rather than IN Los Angeles. So now I get to use free wifi in a Starbucks rather than a McDinks! love it!


As well, In Sequoia National Park I was stuck in traffic for about a half hour during road construction. Although frustrating, following 20 slow moving cars and vans and tourist shuttles for half the way down (passing them illegally when as safe as possible to do so - marginally so lol) saved my knees so I could enjoy the bottom and not be exhausted and careen off a verticle cliff. I DID miss the craziest portion though. Nuts.


It's funny that because I'm rolling along so fast, in the split second that I am visually struck by the beauty of my new surroundings after rounding a bend, I'm going to quick to slow down, pull over, and capture what I am seeing... and then i hesitate.. and then it passes, and then it no longer feels worth the time to pull over. If I kept pulling over, it'd be like it was from Jasper to Banff... too long.. especially in the heat. But I still have SOME great pics.


Had a MAGNIFICENT time in San Francisco. Retarded traffic coming across the Golden Gate cause they have tolls set up.. like how stupid... right on the main thoroughfare. Anyway, the way into town brings you across marshland in a suburban area, and the fog was rolling in across it... gorgeous... surreal. I wanted to photograph it but after  a long day riding, just wanted to get on. Then I saw the hills around the Golden Gate entrance, and the fog was rolling down that... then the white and pastel buildings lining the bay... loved it. 


My hosts took me out with their friends and then out for dancing. It became evident that they had planned their whole night around me being there. I was sincerely moved; touched. Lovely people.


Spent the next day riding to Fresno so I could sleep for the Sequoia venture. Fresno... Sunday night.. where are the people? Like a ghost town! But some really nice photos of the architecture as the sun set.


Rode through Sequoia, so awesome, the transition through the various terrains/vegetations. Unfortunately I missed a turn to continue through the scenic route south of the park, but it worked out for the best because I was able to make best time to Bakersfield to meet my host there and they took me out to see Chris Nolan's new movie "Inception". For those of you who don't know, Mr. Nolan did the new Batman movies. Genius writer/director. Don't watch the trailer, don't read about it, just know the cast is incredible, so is the score, the story, everything, the cinematography, just do yourself a favor and see it. WOW.


A note: In my experience when I'm with a girl and I'm attracted, I'll leave opportunities for her to reciprocate signals that SHE'S attracted. If she doesn't, and she's blasse at my openings, she's not interested. To all the bisexual men out there hosting on Couchsurfing.com.. the same rule applies. Awkwaaaaaaarrrddd.... lol


Take care, Ride safe

Friday, July 16th - Day 13 - Time Stands Still

Sorry for the lapse. yesterday the dude I rode with around Portland escorted me to Newport on the west coast across some secondary highways. they were great. Again, so many photo ops, but so little time. The distance was short, but the route had so many awesome turns in it that there was no choice but to maintain a cautious speed. incredible, the farmland we passed, the vineyards, the rolling hills... everything.

We ended up going by the Air and Space Museum and he signaled to me the question of whether to turn in or not. Naturally, being ex-military AND having a love for jetfighters that go FAST, I signaled 'yes'. It was icnredible. The 'spruce goose' was there too, ridiculously over-sized, it was unable to do more than drift along in the air, and was deemed unflyable. no shit. lol

We had a quick burger at Golden Valley in McMinnville. Incredible burger!!! for 4$!!! Canada, get on board!!

We parted company in Newport because he had to get back for something to take care of in the morning, Best of luck dude, hahaha...

He didn't miss much, the town was... not terribly exciting. Although in the morning I rode by an Irish Pub that may have had some potential on a thursday night, but truthfully, going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 10am was probably good for me!

Today I rode some 5 and a half hours, plus a breakfast break to Fred Meyers ($5.77 for a plum, bananda, peach, egg and sausage croissant, cinnamon roll, and bottled water... incredible how cheap the fruit is here!!!) before hitting Crescent City. The dude at McDonalds said "yeah, don't stay here there is NOTHING here.. go to Eureka".. Great advice, lol, I rode the extra hour to there and yes, it IS a fairly decent place!

The ride was great too. Seeing the Sea Lion Caves along the way; the rocks jutting out of the ocean; the change in vegetation, the sand dunes of Oregon, the Redwood forests.. everything.. I am so glad I was put on to hiway 101, rather than just taking I5 to Roseburg then Redding. So what if I lost the money on the reso in Roseburg and maybe in Redding, this is stunning!

Anyway, got cleaned up and went out on the town. Saw a place called "The Lobby". Amy, well done on the lounge, a revamped hotel lobby turned lounge/diner... so chic, so awesome, stop in if you're in the area. Unfortunately now that the students are mostly gone for the summer, it's pretty slow (especially with the slowed down economy) but the staff kept me company.

Then 2 doors down was Pearl Lounge. awesome dj'ing by Anya (a lesbian may I add), and great signature martinis. i hit it off with Anya when I went to ask her to take care of my jacket. Got her a beer for her troubles, talked dj's and house music, and requested Steve Aoki's PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS remix. She didn't have it but later she played DAY AND NIGHT Crooker's Remix for me. How kind! Oh right, she was playing THE MESSAGE by GRAND MASTER FLASH when I first talked to her and she knew of BOOTY CALL, the flash animation game, so that was cool. I was gonna find out if there was an afterparty she would invite me to, but instead I decided I should get some sleep, and do the blog - here i am.  Fate has a funny way of doing things. I walked around a corner to take an illegal piss behind a dumpster and a girl was just hanging out in the street... with a bible... i talked briefly and it took no time to figure out she needed help. I'm really in no position to help - She was talking about suicide. So I called the police, and they sent an officer, and I waited with her until he showed up, and bid her good blessing before I left. I hope she gets better. Life can be so tough some times. It's always worth it to fight on though. Take care, Stranger.

So that's been my last few days. i noticed though that magically I'm only on day 13... Time moves so slow when your days are filled with new experiences, new roads, new friends, new people, new food... It's amazing! I love it! in our day to day life, everything is so similar that it blurs by and we lose so much of our life this way. If only we could live a life where we got to do what I'm doing right now. It will end soon, but I will always be thankful. Unfortunately I won't have all the pictures I should have, but hopefully I will always have the memories.

Take care, Ride safe.

Wednesday, July 14th - Day 11 - "Wicked Ride"

Went down the interstate from Seattle to Portland so that I could get into town to meet up with a buddy's buddy who was gonna take me on some wicked riding. Went down Scappoose/Vernonia Hiway to Apiary Rd, and then we went to Rainier and Logie Trail Rd. Incredible, awesome sweepers.. Had one close call, where I naerly ditched, dumb mistake, brought the bike up near the end of a turn and went onto the gravel shoulder, put one foot down like I was doing motorcross and kept it up, thank god.


I stayed at a buddy's place, who was working abroad and her and a couple friends took me to a place called Henry's in Portland for a couple pints and appetizers. i had an AMAZING burger. His buddy from the ride earlier met us and we dropped off one of her friends and called it a night. 


Such a great experience though, rolling with other riders, and hanging out. 


Not a lot of pictures, kinda hard to photograph when you're leaning into a 15mph corner hahah!


Oh yeah, got my first speeding ticket. hopefully the last. 10 over in a 70. i was really doing 15, I dont have miles on my speedometer lol! Not bad considering how fast I'm usually going. But it's nice to not take forever getting to the next town.

Tuesday, July 13th - Day 10 - "Do You Smell What the Clutch is Cooking?"

So I decided to give myself 2 days in Vancouver, and I'm glad I did. I had worn my tires down pretty low after 7400 km's and needed a new set. Thanks to the good people of John Valk's BMW/Ducati Shop, I got a new set. And the mechanic was kind enough to let us borrow either his truck or his bike so we could grab a bite to eat. We opted for the truck because no one wants to dump another rider's bike. Well, the truck turned out to be an aging 'classic'.. with standard transmission. My experience with standard is pretty limited and it didn't take long before the cab and surrounding area were filled with the smell of burning clutch. Mmm-mm Good!


I relaxed with a dip in the hot tub at my friend's condo community. It was quite therapeutic for the blistered feet - Yes, I only have my riding boots and a pair of leather sandals, which fit poorly but are my only option for walking any distances at all.


In the hot tub convened 3 players in the Canadian Badminton Open. One was a frenchman in 33rd place, a chinese girl in 5th place, and a Canadian girl in 50th. Considering this was an international badminton tournament, their positions were quite impressive!


I also watched some children swimming. They were asian children, asian-Canadian children. And just like any 'typical' Canadian child, they splashed and had fun, and enjoyed a break from the heat. Another who was afraid of the water, was being taught how to swim by his father. I realize this may seem like an odd topic to touch on but I was moved by something that was an epiphany to me quite some time ago, but seems to fade away from the prevalent consciousness living in a primarily Caucasian, Northern Alberta town; we are all the same. We all have desires, fears, joys, pleasures... And it is such a shame that somehow we allow our differences to cloud our minds. There is all this hate and fear in the world when there is no need for it. I felt a great sense of peace come over me with that realization again. Children are blessed with an innocence and although they can at times be mean spirited, many of the things that we are aware of never cross their minds.


And then seeing an archway on the border to the USA which read "Brethren dwelling together in unity", I hoped for a time when all nations can coexist in peace. Unrealistic I know, but the conflict in the world seems so unnecessary.


Also went to Burnaby Hill in Vancouver I believe. It was nice there.


Ate gelato at Vancouver Gelateria Italia, La Casa Gelato at 1033 Venebles Street where they have created 218 different flavours of gelato... Sure some of them were bizarre and uncalled for like Wasabi  Apple or Garlic, but I chose Chocolate Macadamia and Pistachio and man, I tell ya.. that shit was fo'real!!


Not a terribly exciting ride to Seattle, didnt venture out to cascades, I just wanted a short ride so I could relax a bit. Looking forward to tomorrow with a friend of a friend who's going to show me a couple roads around the Portland area.


Today was nice though, being shown around Seattle, having appies and a beer at the marina, then going to see Bruce and Brandon Lee's gravesite, before beign toured around the cliff parks and then going up on the Space Needle.


Every day, every experience, every person I meet, teaches me more about myself, more about my future, and more about what really matters. Again, I am thankful.


Take care, ride safe.

Monday, July 12th - Day 9 - West Coast Love

So Saturday night in Kelowna my host and her friends took me out to a BBQ where we played Flippy-Cup! For those of you who don't know, it's a relay race that requires not only a skill of fast drinking but of great dexterity too as once you've drank you must flip the cop from its base onto it's lid... craziness... Then we went and saw a Sublime tribute band at Doc's.. Willoughby's...


Also noticed a massive decline in other riders' willingness to wave back... as well as a dramatic increase in guys riding harley's... should I assume the two factors are related? Sad considering I love the feel of the road and the ride as well... I guess I'm just not tough enough. hrmm...


Got into Vancouver and my host took me to a BBQ full of riders from BCsportbikes Forum. Really nice people... really nice venue, The Spanish Bank, a beach/park area... The hippies were out in full swing playing crazy percussion instruments... and dancing around as if under the influence of illegal narcotics, but probably only under the influence of hippy power.


But it was a really nice atmosphere...


And then the sun began to set behind the mountains on the bay.... Incredible...as if straight from the canvas of Michelangelo. I was in awe. Everything in conjunction made me think that Vancouver could very well be the next city on my wishlist of places to live.


Today I'm just chilling while the tires get changed out... Oh last night after the park BBQ my host took me to Sweet Sensations for dessert... ladies... gentlemen.... do it... treat yourself... go there... Heavenly.

Take care, Ride Safe.

Saturday, July 10th - Day 7 - Forest for the Trees

Sorry for the absence yesterday, twas my 29th Birthday so I got into Vernon and went out on the town with a friend to celebrate! Great time, Kelly O'Brien's restaurant and pub, a smörgåsbord of seafood, tonnes of delicious drinks, and pleasant company = great times!


Anyway, not a lot of time tonight, I'm couchsurfing with some really awesome people tonight in Vernon and we're going to a BBQ.. spent some time at the beach with an old army buddy and a long time chat-friend from the area so it was really nice.


Anyway, basis of today's post is really that I'm not seeing the forest for the trees... Birdrunner, the recommendation to go north from Vernon AROUND the okanogan, oh man, so AWESOME! that road was incredible!! hitting high speeds on 30-40 km turns, leaning into corners til the knees ached lol, god it was awesome. Had a bit of a wake up call when I came around one corner and saw a bit of the road had crumbled away and seeing I had a free oncoming lane, I went wide.. however, I had to snap some sense into myself cause what would I have done if that lane would have been occupied... Dun-dun-duuuuunnn.. *suspenseful music*


Just incredible riding and turns, but I realized I was zipping along loving the road so fast and at one point looked left to see I had climbed 150 meters above the lake and now was missing amazing views... so what is it, appreciate the road.. or appreciate the views.. which is the forest, which is the trees? I am swayed by the road.. And taking less pictures means better times.. Oh well, still loving it.

Thursday, July 8th - Day 5 - "Iron Butts"

Right away I just want to thank Birdrunner of Sport-Touring.net for suggesting I skip Calgary, and go directly from Edmonton to Jasper.. As stated in the previous blog, it was a great idea. As well, Birdrunner and Gary of RideOnTwo.com said I HAD to see highway 93 "Icefield Parkway" to Banff, and that was gorgeous.


And today's jaunt to Revelstoke, was ALSO by Birdrunner. Tomorrow's legs are also his suggestion and I can't wait to see what's in store!


It's incredible how an invisible line on a map marking a provincial border can have so much influence in the climate, geography, and terrain. Practically as soon as I passed the sign saying "Welcome to Beautiful British Columbia", the temperature jumped from 21 to 33.. Oh man, those guys that warned me about crossing the desert this summer down in the southern states were right to offer the warning. Even travelling fast, the wind going through my vents and in my collar was like that in an unconditioned '89 Ford Taurus, lol! Ah well, still a lovely ride. Hitting the few tunnels along the way was nice as well. A few spots along the way allowed for a bit of leaning, which was lovely (and since I thinned out the gear and dropped the backpack in Edmonton, the handling feels so much better. Who cares if I wear the same clothes every day for 3 months and smell like an A&W Grandpa Burger with extra onions? 


The best part though was where the road splits through this massive rock, that was blasted and drilled through into two vertical spires that sit on either side of the road. It looks ridiculous but awesome at the same time. I wanted to take a picture but the road was sloped down and curving so it was just too nice a ride to pull over and stop.


Had an AMAZING medium-rare steak at a placed called 112 in the Regent Hotel in downtown Revelstoke tonight. Topped with minced shrimp and Alaskan King Crab with a -something starting with a 'B'- sauce.. outstanding.


Last night stayed at the Samesun in Banff which was an awesome idea. Backpackers are great people. Actually a lot of the people there were travelling by cars lol. But anyway, met some Royal Marines from UK who were on leave from CFB Suffield in Alberta. They're doing a predeployment ex before going to Hellman in Afghanistan. Great dudes, great stories, great times. I wish them the best and a safe tour and rewarding.


I also hit up the Fairmont Springs Hotel... the massive castle chateau. Some one in Jasper had said "The Chocolate Cheesecake is to die for!!"... so I HAD to go. The dude at the hostel front desk was in awe that I would go there just for dessert commenting on how expensive it would be and how he'd never afford it. I really dislike this attitude in hostels, the one where the staff assume everyone is on a severe budget and should only drink in the hostel pub and eat in the hostel kitchen, etcetera etcetera. Case in point, I get to the fairmont and it turns out it's $10 all you can eat dessert buffet for 3 hours. He was shocked the next morning when I told him that. He'd never even attempted to find out what was up their for his backpacking guests because he just assumed it was too much or that they couldn't afford it. Now he knows where he can take a date for a nice late evening chat.


I loved watching old people with 'old money' gorging themselves on all these desserts though, lol! Reminded me of the Incredibad song "BOOMBOX"





As well, I went to the Rimrock Hot Springs... $7.48 with tax to lounge around in a natural sulfur spring hot spring pool. Incredible evening for under $20. Can't beat that. I also told him that he was young and in a few more years with some hard work and maybe a touch of luck, he'd feel less limited. I hope I've helped broaden his perspective.

Now to explain today's title, lol! For those non-riders following along, touring can wear on the body, and those that can ride forever are said to have iron-butts.. and there are even tours and competitions and friendly rides called the same. Myself, I don't have an iron-butt.. or steel spine.. or even something that cleverly works well with the word 'knees'... all of these parts are hurting, and it seems after 200 km, the pain begins to become a distracting factor. I'm pretty sure the body will get used to it, but with some of the injuries I've sustained in life due to pretty intensive workouts and a short military career, it's possible i'll just have to suck it up for the remainder of time. So I won't mention it again, hehe.

Wednesday, July 7th - Day 4 - Banff - "As good as it Gets"

We all remember that quirky love comedy starring Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson (yeah, likely couple.. lol) but the title was FINALLY explained to me by my cousin a few months back. You see from time to time, my cynicism in combination with my sense of humor had me sounding quite contrary... As if I was on the path to whatever Jack Nicholson became in that movie.


"As good as it gets" does not refer to life being utter shit and that we should accept that it's not getting any better. What was really meant that no matter what's going on, we should look at that moment as the greatest thing we can possibly be living...


...definitely easier said than done. But I've definitely put that one into effect. And these days, it truly IS "as good as it gets".


A good buddy from Fort McMurray was on his way back home with his new fiance (Congratulations you guys!) from a great trip around interior BC - where I'm headed next - and stopped in for a quick breakfast together. Ate at Coco's Cafe (still in jasper) and it was recommended by a bartender in Downstream that I have a 'Breakfast Wrap'... apparently it had curry in it. Uh no thanks I thought. But deciding to live on the WILD SIDE, I tried it, hardly any curry, mostly an omelet made with bacon, eggs, peppers, and a SMIDGE of curry, really quite good.


The ride here was awesome. Ended up chatting with a great guy named Paul. Paul's around 55, and still kicking it on an adventure bike by KTM. Awesome dude... so awesome in fact that later when I thought I was going to run out of few on the Ice Fields Highway (93, not really sure of the name), he gave me a few liters from his jerry. Bang on! Turned out my GPS simply didn't have the next nearest petrol stations listed, and 10 minutes later I was filling up, lol!


the 2 and a half hour trip took nearly 5 because I stopped to take so many pics!! got some real gooders.. I'm gonna have to curtail that or I'll never get anywhere though.


Now I'm in Banff, did some calisthenics and plyometrics in the downtown field, cleaned up the bike, and am headed out.


Ride safe everyone

Tuesday, July 6th - Day 3 - Jasper - Such Beauty

No update for day 2 because I ended up sticking around Edmonton for another day. But the ride to Jasper on highway 16.... wow... not an exciting highway by any means, but the view... slowly (or rather speedily at times) making my way into the foothills, and then the mountains... So beautiful... I took so many pictures, lol.. shamefully most are of mountains or something.. but with my bike in the foreground, lol


Got into town and did some calisthenics in the park, then washed the bike up a bit, or at least to get the bugs off, and then went to dinner at Fiddle River.. not recommending it. Downstream though is awesome and serves an AMAZING elk burger!! I should have went back!!


Anyway, although it's only been one day, it's hightime I include a pic of the bike... with the inclusion of mother nature's splendor.

I was also going to stay in a hostel but it was full so I got a room at the Athabasca Hotel.. it's shared bathrooms.. but pretty nice. whatever, beats being homeless!


Yeah I am so thankful I can do this trip. I spent a lot of time back in the day complaining about where I work and where I live and that work wasn't rewarding enough... but it's provided me the funding, and the vacation, to do what I am now doing. Not many could get this chance so I am so grateful.


And tomorrow morning a buddy and his brand new fiance arrive in town on their way back home from their own awesome vacation so we're gonna meet for breakfast!

Sunday, July 4th - Day 1 - Edmonton - "I'm Going Vegan"

Finally, after many months of preparation and planning, I've hit the road. And WHAT a road! lol, No, highway 63 is not that exciting... despite being coined "Death Highway", but it was nice to be out there doing more than a half hour tooting around. Some corners had some fresh pavement on them and I was taking them at about 180 kph occasionally cause, well honestly, it's just funner that way!


Forecast had said 'thunderstorms in the afternoon'... so my original intention was wake up early, watch the Moto GP race, and then pack and hit the road. Of course, the night before I went out with friends to Earl's as a sort of send-off/birthday dinner on account that I'd be gone a while. I got home that night and although I wasn't intoxicated, I felt really tired. Could it have been the nightshift I had finished that morning and not slept after? Yeah, I'd say being up for 31 hours will do that to a person. So rather than start the trip off on the wrong foot, I turned off the alarm clock and let myself sleep as long as possible.


10:30, I was up and at 'em!! lol Got everything packed and organized, realized regretfully that I'd have to bring a backpack for this trip, which puts a MAJOR damper on the riding. You have even MORE weight up high, and it wears on the shoulders, restricts air flow through your jacket, etc. So I'm definitely gonna thin out the kit here in Edmonton.


Even so, the clouds, and the palette of greys and blues were absolutely beautiful on the way down. The farther south I went, the more farm land opened up, and the expanse of rolling hills and changes from green flax to bright yellow canola were a lovely contrast or complimentary to the dark skies. Pictures never capture what the eye sees, but I'll do my best on this trip.

Anyway, being as I still took the estimated 4 hours to get ready that I figured it would, take I was on the road by 2:30. And the weatherman was pretty damn close. Thundershowers in the afternoon were just torrential downpour lol, intermittent though. Nothing like a monsoon to keep you  on your bike, and dirty up your freshly cleaned/waxed/shined bike. Oh well, them's the breaks.


I let my couchsurfing host know that I'd be waaaay off schedule and sadly most likely miss Fort Edmonton. I wanted to see the train that was used for a scene in The Assassination of Jessie James which starred Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.


My host was great, really nice, talkative, and after much deliberation, we decided to skip the whale blubber in her freezer from Inuvik, and find something near Jasper Ave as she lived downtown. End up going to a place called "The Blue Plate Diner", a vegetarian's delight!


Being as I've NEVER had a veggie burger and figured this should be a trip for firsts, and maybe lasts, I ordered one. I knew not to expect a taste replacement for beef, but was pleasantly surprised by the texture of the beats and other things that when mashed and ground together, form a pretty hefty, and delicious paddie! So, after all these long, hurtful, selfish, years of killing cute, innocent, cows.. I now know I can still live a meaningful and enjoyable existence never eating animal products again.. PSYCHE! Yeah right, I've said it before and I'll say it again; anyone who's ever been to a cattle ranch and witness cows doing nothing but eating and shitting on eachother will agree, some animals have no purpose but to be eaten. Even when cows or oxen or whatever were first roaming the wilderness waiting to be used as a food source, they still probably did little more for their ecosystem than provide food. That being said, I'm gonna enjoy some great burgers this trip along the way. Some may however, be 'veggie'


And after that we came back and watched a show called Camille starring James Franco and Sienne Miller. Ya know when a movie isn't that great buy might still have some redeeming qualities and you call it "a renter"? Like "oh that movie in the theaters is a renter"? Well this was like.. not even a PVR'er... horrible movie. Hardly coherent. Might have been based on some ridiculous novel which inspired the writer and director to try and recapture all the imagery from the book on film. Not always possible. Just watch the last twenty minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Weird..


Okay, time to get the bike serviced before this thing begins.. Can't wait for another  horrible example of customer service by Argyll Motorsports.