The View From Over The Handlebars

First Day of Summer, North Bend

2010-06-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned that we had an unseasonably warm and sunny winter, but spring has been the opposite, with cold and rain the norm. This trend continues into summer - here are some pictures from my walk today in town:

As you can see, no summer weather today, with the fog and clouds hanging low on the flanks of Mt. Si:

Just up the street, the local movie theater is showing free movies during the summer and is in the World Cup spirit:

These local residents immediately got out of their plastic igloo as I walked by:

One of the local landmarks, North Bend Community Church, was built in 1897 and still has services for the faithful:

While originally residential, parts of North Bend have now converted to a commercial/residential mix, such as this building (being occupied by a professional services company, possibly a design firm):

And right across the street, you might be able to tell that this is the main office of a high-end home builder:

The main street of downtown North Bend has been undergoing a revitalization - Boxley's is a fantastic restaurant that offers nightly jazz, and is a great supporter of the community. My daughter's Jazz Choir has sung here a couple of times:

I think the goats are OK with this first day of summer:

Look What Followed Me Home

2010-06-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

I am now the proud owner of a bike that's been on my wish list for some time - a 1987 Honda Super Magna.

She has just under 7500 miles, and is in real nice condition for a 23 year old bike. I worked with a local restorer to get this bike - he has done the mechanical work necessary to get her up and running so it's now in great mechanical condition. She needs a bit of prettying up, but looks great as is. Everything is there, and stock.

I love the 80's power cruisers, such as the Magnas, VMax and Eliminator, and the Super Magna is special since this particular design was only made for two years - 1987 and 1988.

Here are some specifications on this bike:

In 1987, the US model's 700 cc engine produced 80 bhp (60 kW) @ 9500 rpm, with torque being 46 ft lbs (62 N·m) @ 7500 rpm

Wet weight: 529lbs
Engine: dohc 4-valve 90-degree V-four

Displacement: 700cc

Transmission: 6-speed

Seat height: 27.8 in.

Final Drive: Shaft

Cooling: Liquid

Brakes: Single Disc-Front, Drum-Back

1982 Honda C70 Passport Restoration

2010-06-04T18:38:00.000-07:00

My son and I have started restoring my Honda Passport. Maybe "restoration" is giving us too much credit - we'll see when this long process is complete whether the bike qualifies as a restoration.

Our plan is to take the bike down to its frame, and either have it powdercoated or painted professionally, or we will do the painting. The wheels are pretty rusted, so we will have to determine whether they can be salvaged or replaced. We will replace other parts as necessary, and try to clean/refurbish those parts that we can. Luckily for us, while the Passport is no longer sold in the US, it is still sold in the rest of the world so parts are available from Honda, on Ebay or via other online sources.

Since my son and I have no experience in restoring a motorcycle, this will be an interesting project for both of us. We will certainly learn alot along the way.

We will also learn more about each other - will I turn into Paul Sr. of America Chopper, and throw tools around when deadlines aren't met? I will keep you posted on our progress.

Let it Shine

2010-04-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I have begun the process of increasing the chances that I will be seen on the road, or "conpiscuity" as some call it. I will admit, I should probably consider wearing something other than my black leather jacket or black helmet, since that tends to blend in - for that matter I probably shouldn't even have a black bike. But that being what it is, my goal is to make me and my bike as noticeable as possible, and I have decided to do that with some extra lighting.

On the rear, I have replaced the stock brake light with Kisan's Tailblazer. Here is the link to their site - https://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=3&catname=tailBlazer. This turns your brake light into a modulating light; when you apply the brake, your brake light blinks for about 4 seconds until it becomes a steady on. I've looked in my mirror to see if this works, and it does seem to me that drivers respond to the modulating light. I've heard tragic stories of riders being rear ended, so anything I can do to help myself in this area is worth the $70 cost of the Tailblazer. The best thing about the model I got is that it is "plug and play" - I simply replaced my existing bulb with the Tailblazer.

In front, I have been vacillating as to the best solution. One possibility that I considered was to add the Triumph light bar, which adds two 35watt spotlights, but I wasn't sure if I liked the look, plus it's a $300 item (not including shipping and installation). Aftermarket lightbars were available, but some had fitment issues, and again, looks were of a concern to me.

I ended up with this solution:

These are Silver Bullet Lights from Kuryakyn. Further information on these lights can be found here - http://www.kuryakyn.com/index.cfm/go/Home.ProductDetail/IMID/72. I have the small Silver Bullets, which are 20watts a piece. I got these off eBay from Custom Dynamics for about $80 with shipping. Kuryakyn also sells a wiring kit which I bought as well and which I thought would make the install easy. But an electrician I am not, so after cutting a few wires, blowing the headlamp bulb, and still not getting the lights to work, I took everything down to my dealer, paid $150 and had them installed very professionally in two hours. To me, this gives me added light, and looks like it came with the bike.

I really like both of these modifications to my Triumph, and I think they will help me to be more noticeable out on the road. So, if you see my, wave!

2009 Triumph Bonneville America - 3500 Mile Report

2010-03-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Actually, a little over 3500 miles. With the mild weather I have been able to get more riding time than I could have imagined. I thought it would be a good time to post my observations on my Triumph Bonneville America.

Maintenance Required - None really. The only services I have brought the bike in for was its 600 mile oil change and check up, and another oil change at 3000 miles. The bike has not left me stranded, and has performed flawlessly. More on performance below.

Performance - I continue to be amazed at how this bike performs. I know this is very subjective, but it does seem that the bike's acceleration has improved as the engine has broken in. Throttle response is excellent, and the torque is always satisfying to me. At about 70 mph, the bike is running at around 3800 rpm. While the big cruisers will drop into the high 2k or low 3k with a 6th gear, the America never feels buzzy for me at highway speeds. Triumph's 865cc parallel twin is a proven engine and can stand up to all sorts of driving requirements.

Handling - Triumph's are known for their handling, and the America does not disappoint. It is truly enjoyable to ride the twisties on this cruiser. It's not a sport bike, but for a cruiser this bike takes curves with a lot of grace. Also, since it's not as heavy as the big cruisers, the America is easy to take around town and to park.

Gas Mileage - I get from the low to mid 40's on the America, with a mix of street and freeway riding.

Looks - OK, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but I still think this bike is stunning. I get a lot of compliments on the bike, and a lot of "when I was young I had a Triumph" comments. The America is a great conversation starter.

Overall - If you want a bike that can do a lot of things very well - an in-town bike, a long-distance cruiser, something to take on the country backroads, or mountain curves, I recommend the Bonneville America. I have found the bike great for all of these, and it does it at a relatively inexpensive price (around $8700).

I have lightly modded the bike, mostly cosmetic in nature. When I bought the America, I had it "stage one'd" which included the long Triumph Off-Road Silencers (Triumph-speak for pipes), and a better breathing airfilter. That's the only thing I have done performance-wise (and it improved the bike's rumble as well). I have the Triumph Roadster Windshield, Triumph Engine Dresser Bars (Triumph-speak for engine guards). I have a set of bags for which I purchased EZ Brackets (I haven't installed these since I really like the "naked" look of this bike). I removed the pillion and replaced that with a chrome fender bib, and have added a tool bag up front.

I have been considering a light bar for additional light and conspicuousness on the road, but have instead ordered a set of Kuryakin Silver Bullet Halogen Lights to install on my forks for this purpose. I installed a Kisan Tailblazer modulating tail light - I have noticed almost immediately the improvement in drivers seeing my back end with this product - more on this in a future post.

The America is a keeper as far as I am concerned - I may include other bikes in the garage, but they will be in addition to, not as a replacement for, this bike.

3000 Mile Service and Issaquah, Washington

2010-02-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

I am approaching 3000 miles on the Triumph, and it was suggested by my dealer when I purchased the bike that I bring it in for an oil change at that interval, even though the manual technically doesn't call for any service until 6000 miles. I also wanted to have them check a bit of an intermittent squeak from the front brake area when I pushed the bike forward in the garage when parking it. So, last Saturday morning I brought my bike to I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah.

In this age of $19.95 oil changes for cars, it came as a surprise to me the cost of an oil service for my bike. All the Triumph dealers in the area charge about $130 for the service. I even called a local auto mechanic in North Bend who works on bikes in his spare time, and it looked like it would be near $100. A part of the cost is the synthetic oil and filter, but I still haven't really accepted the premium charge for this service. I think next time I will do this myself.

I was told the service would take about an hour, so I took the opportunity to walk around Issaquah with my camera. Right next to I-90 Motorsports is a drive-in restaurant that serves up burgers 1950's style, with a lot of music and motorsports paraphernalia. They also host a number of vintage car shows in their parking lot throughout the summer. I am not sure if this Buddy Holly Tour bus is a replica or the real thing, but it looks pretty cool, and is from the year of my birth:

Along Front Street stands a vintage Shell station - for many years this structure was very run down, but someone has renovated it quite nicely:

The Issaquah Creek meanders throughout town, and has been the source of some pretty significant flooding over the years, but today the creek looks quite tame:

I call this "getting your ducks in a row":

Other buildings have been renovated, and some public art has been added along Front Street:

I stop at a drive through espresso stand to have some coffee, right across from the Darigold milk processing plant, where a beautiful mural has been painted paying tribute to the early dairy industry:

By the time I get back, my Triumph is ready, with new oil but they couldn't replicate the squeak issue. However, they cleaned the brake pads for good measure. I always feel good after an oil change for any of our vehicles - it's probably just psychological, but it seems that the bike is running smoother. I guess it should for $130.

Duvall, Washington

2010-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, with continuing sunny weather, I took the Triumph out for a ride to Duvall. Duvall is about 30 miles NW of North Bend, in the Snoqualmie Valley. For those of you who read my post on Carnation, Duvall is the next town north along SR203.

As far as history of this town, Duvall was formally established in 1913, but was historically the home of the Snoqualmie and other ancestral Tulalip tribes. The area was homesteaded in the 1870's by James and Francis Duvall. The area was also known by the names Cherry Valley and Cosgrove (this name from the 6th Governor of our state who was able to serve but one day due to health reasons). Logging and the railroad provided early prosperity to the town, and now beautiful scenery, small-town charm and antique/gift shops continue to provide a reason to stop.

Controversy remains, in my mind only, on the proper pronunciation of the town's name - is it "DuVALL" as in Robert, or DUvall??? I stand in the former camp, although the town's website insists it's the latter.

I stopped at the local espresso shop on the main road, enjoying a cup of coffee and watching the other riders pass through or stop. A couple of HD riders (one with a trike) went to the local BBQ place, and I had a conversation with a couple of sportbike riders. one of them a Ducati rider from Europe, who had some nice things to say about my bike. We all had nice things to say about the riding weather for the day.

I like a BBQ place with attitude:

In between the two Harley's:

The Grass Usually Isn't Greener

2010-01-29T19:38:00.000-08:00

Today I rode into work. A bit cold in the morning, and very windy along the I-90 corridor, but it was nice to commute into Seattle on the Triumph. Rain was forecast for the afternoon, but for the most part I was dry on the return trip.

On the way home, I decided to stop in at I-90 Motorsports. This is the place where I bought my Bonneville America. I like this shop - it's pretty low key there, the sales guys are helpful even if you are not buying a bike that day, and they have a nice stock of Triumphs, Hondas, and V-Stars/Yamahas in addition to selling ATV's and personal watercraft.

Why did I stop there? I think it's always cool to look at bikes, sit on them, see how they feel. Maybe there's a bike here that I will say to myself "I should have gotten this one" instead of my Bonneville America.

In one of the recesses of my mind, I think about having a full-fledged bagger; I like the idea of a long distance cruiser, with a lot of comfort, torque, low rpms, and storage to spare. How about rolling into Sturgis on one of these, the Triumph Rocket III?

This bike is the king of displacement - 2300 cc, and fully set up for long distance cruising. The Rocket III is a beautiful bike. Could it replace my Bonneville America? Well, I got on it, and found it to be massive! I am short of leg, and while the seat height is rather low, due to the width of the 3 cylinder engine on this bike I end up on the balls of my feet when I straddle it. Because of the sheer weight of this bike I think it needs a longer-legged rider than me to keep this one stable at stops and low-speed maneuvers.

Next up was the V-Star 1300 - another very nice bike, in a trim that is ready for some long excursions on the interstate:

Unlike the Rocket III, I had less of a problem straddling the V-Star. The bike certainly has ample power, and I have heard much about the quality of the Stars. Maybe I should trade in my Triumph for this bike? Actually, though, if anything I felt a little big on this bike. I seemed to be seated right over the tank, and positioned almost over the handlebars. Also, I had a problem catching my leg on the pillion back rest - I guess I should stretch more often. In any event, this was not as comfortable as I would have hoped.

How about I get some tattoos, some well-placed piercings, change my name to Spike and join the chopper set? It could happen on this Honda Fury:

Of the three, the Fury was the most comfortable. The bike is not as wide as the others, so it was very easy for me to throw a leg over this one. Once seated, the ergonomics of this bike proved to me that Honda really thought this one through, and I have experienced first hand the legendary quality of Honda. I could be the bad boy I have always dreamed of with the Fury, so should this bad boy in waiting trade his America in? Unfortunately, while the Honda looks like the real deal, it does have a lot of plastic on it. Also, even though it's powered by a 1300cc engine, some reports show it generates just 56hp stock. That's less than my America (due to the upgraded pipes and Stage 1 treatment).

I left the shop, got on my America, and basked in the comfort of this bike as I waited for the engine to warm up a bit. My feet reach the ground comfortably, the seat has formed nicely to me, I really like the forward controls, and the handlebars offer a natural reach. For me, this bike just fits right. As I merged back onto I-90, I was reminded once again of the incredible torque band of this bike; not break neck, but enough to make me smile. It's got more than enough power for me, and plenty to spare. While that Fury or a full-dress bagger may make its way into my garage someday, I really can't see them as replacing this bike.

Accessorize, Accessorize, then off to Hobart and Mrs. Freshley's

2010-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Martin Luther King Day brought some surprisingly beautiful weather to North Bend. Despite the forecast of rain, the sun was peaking through the clouds, so I got on the Triumph. But first, it was time to accessorize my bike. I bought from another member of the Bonneville America forum (http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/) a fender bib in a chromed flame design, since I recently converted the Triumph to a solo ride. From E-bay I got this nice leather tool bag that is Triumph-embossed.

I really like these - the bib gives a nice look to the rear fender, and the tool bag can hold my wallet, cell-phone, camera, and yes, some tools.

With the installation of these items complete, I decided to ride to Hobart this morning. Hobart is a rural community about 20 miles from North Bend. It's quite a small town, with a population of around 6,700. The residents are spread out on 18 square miles.

To get there, I travel south on Highway 18, over Tiger Mountain (elevation 1,375 feet at the pass), and then east on the Issaquah-Hobart Road. The Issaquah-Hobart Road is perfect for cruising, with speed limits varying between 40-50 mph, and some nice, lazy curves.

I stop by the local ballfield to take a couple of pictures:

The main store in the area is the Hobart Market, which is a small place with a gas station, video rentals, and basic food provisions. The Market also houses the town Post Office, which was established in 1903. Being the only market around, it served as a meeting place for many of the residents. Everyone seemed to know each other, as they were called by name by the lady clerk of the store; me, I was just called "honey." One of the shoppers stopped to talk with me about my Triumph, recalling the times when he and his Dad owned Triumph and Jaguar automobiles.

I didn't have to use the restroom while there, but if I needed to I know where to find it!

I got some coffee and snacks, saving these sprinkled cupcakes for my wife - I had never seen this brand before - we will have to see if Mrs. Freshley is the baker her name promises!

Jobs I am Not Qualified For

2010-01-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

There are probably a few, but one job I know that I am definitely not qualified for is a barber. This morning, I decided to give myself a haircut. I don't have a lot of hair, and thus styling options, so it doesn't make sense to pay a barber $15 for what I can do in 2 minutes.

As you can see, I should have had my wife inspect my coiffure before I left the house. Luckily, I was wearing a hat when I was on the bus. When I got into the office, our Administrative Assistant informed me of the ill-placed stripe down one side of my head. One kind colleague said it looked like I had planned it. Another thought it looked like the time they didn't overlap their wheels when mowing the lawn.

New Year, New Look

2010-01-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

Today was my first ride of 2010. I don't think I will winterize the Triumph; instead, I will make an effort to get out as much as is practical (and safe) during the winter months, or at least start the bike up regularly. The weather service here forecasts a 1 1/2 day window of clear weather before the rains kick in again - Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday are expected to be dry and partly sunny. So, I made arrangements at the office to take this afternoon and tomorrow off.

I've lately been considering changing the look of the Triumph. I don't really use the pillion (rear) seat, since my wife is neither a rider nor a passenger. Plus, I like the solo look - it gives off the "bad boy" image that I exude, and tells the world "no passengers allowed" on this ride! Seriously, I do like the look of bikes with solo seats, such as the Harley 1200cc Nightster (a bike I almost purchased) and bikes from the "bobber" genre.

Above, a very cool looking Harley Nightster. Below, Triumphs lend themselves nicely to the bobber look (both photos from the internet):

Going solo on the Bonneville America is quite easy - all I did was remove one bolt in the back, pushed the pillion forward and up and it was off. I can buy finisher bolts that are a bit more classy than the existing bolt for the seat, or even add a small rack or fender bib:

Above photos from Newbonneville.com.

The great thing is that I can convert back to 2 up riding quickly by just bolting the pillion back on. As you have probably noticed, I can't change the style of my hair, but at least I can change the style of my motorcycle.

I will be finally installing some saddlebags (I will report on this soon in a future post), so I will have to see how the bags work with the new look.

I decided to ride into town and see if the new seating arrangement is comfortable, and it is, although I can tell I used the pillion as a mini backrest to plant my backside. But I do like the new look!

Christmas Day Ride

2009-12-26T22:13:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas morning. Since the kids are older, we don't have to get up so early to witness St. Nick's arrival - I woke up around 7:30am, had a cup of coffee, and even went to town to pick up a few items for breakfast before the kids got up. Also, it's much easier shopping now - cash and gift cards, CD's and DVD's make up their wish lists.

There was no white Christmas in North Bend this year; the weather has been in the 30's for the highs and sunny. I waited until about noon and geared up for a ride. There was frost/black ice in patches in our driveway, so I took it real easy getting out onto the main road. The road itself was dry, but there were some shaded areas that looked like it could be a bit slippery so I took it slow going down our hill until the road leveled off, and it was dry from there and into downtown North Bend. In addition to being cold, it was very windy, so it felt even colder.

One Starbucks was open, and it was packed both in their lot and in the drive-through. My favorite espresso stand, Huxdotter's, was closed today. I took a photo of the Triumph next to their Christmas decorations, and a car came up through the drive-through only to find that no one was there. The ladies who work here are very nice, and deserve the day off.

Like Huxdotter's, most of the shops in town were closed today. The exceptions were one of the two Starbucks in town, two grocery stores, a Blockbuster move rental store, the gas stations and McDonalds. Most of the parking lots were empty.

A nice view of Rattlesnake Ledge from the empty parking lot:

I was thankful that I could ride today - it's been either too cold/icy or rainy, so this was a nice Christmas gift.

Merry Christmas, Chopper Style!

2009-12-24T16:16:00.000-08:00

Santa's got a new ride, and some new elves (maybe the one is Mrs. Claus), but as always he will be visiting all the good little boys and girls tonight. I know you are all on his "good" list, and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Could this be the future commuter vehicle?

2009-12-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

During the Seattle Motorcycle Show, a company by the name of Compagna ( http://www.compagnamotors.com/) was showing off it's latest vehicle, the T-Rex. Powered by a 1400cc engine, the T-Rex puts out 197 horsepower, and can reach 144mph. Price starts at $52,000, which would probably be the biggest hurdle to my owning one - the other one being trying to fit into the vehicle. In any event, a very cool vehicle, and at least Aaron and I got to get a picture with the T-Rex!

2009 Seattle Motorcycle Show

2009-12-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning my son and I attended the 2009 Seattle Motorcycle Show. It was a great father-son outing - we hit the show for an hour or so, he took pictures of me trying out bikes and generally acting silly, and then we went to have a nice lunch at an Indian restaurant in Bellevue before returning home.

The weather in Seattle has been pretty cold, in the 20's for the highs, not much riding weather, so looking at bikes is a good surrogate for riding. Last year was my first year attending the show, and I enjoyed it, but I enjoyed the 2009 show even more since I am a bit more of an experienced rider.

The major manufacturers - HD, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki - were all represented. My son got a picture of me on a 2010 Honda Sabre 1100:

And me on a "show priced" HD Road King:

Of personal interest to me, Triumph and Ural, were missing from this show, which was unfortunate. But some new displays, such as these from the California Scooter Company and Confederate Motorcycles, were very interesting:

Above are two examples from the California Scooter Company. They pay homage to Mustang Motorcycles, a company that in the 50's-60's made a small-framed 300cc motorcycle. The California Scooter is a 150cc 5 speed, with a bobber/chopper look to it. For just under $5000 you get a cool little bike to ride around town on.

Confederate Motorcycles, out of Baton Rouge, create the essence of a motorcycle. This is their P120 Combat Fighter - an awesome collection of steel and motor:

The local vintage MC group always brings some fine bikes to admire - this one a Norton:

Here's a picture of me with Flo, who seemed to be glad I purchase my motorcycle insurance from Progressive:

She did seem to be a bit stiff, however.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say Happy Thanksgiving!

As always, I have much to be thankful for. I am especially thankful for yesterday - we had a break in the weather, no rain, and even a bit of sun (albeit very brief). Our office was closed at 1pm, which gave me time to get home and get on the Triumph. It's been about 3 weeks since my last ride, so I was really itchin' to get on the bike. It was one of those rides where you really feel thankful for the opportunity to have a motorcycle. By the time I returned, it was raining.

A dry forecast for this weekend, so hopefully I will be able to get out some more.

Hope your day is nice, no matter what you are doing!

Post-Halloween, Post-Daylight Savings Time Ride

2009-11-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

With the change back to standard time, most people in North Bend are happy to have an extra hour of sleep. Except perhaps for the fellow above, whose downcast look shows his sadness that Halloween is over.

Daylight saving time in most of the United States ended this morning at 2 a.m. Most U.S. residents set their clocks one hour forward in spring and one hour back in fall. But, contrary to popular belief, no federal rule mandates that all of the U.S. states or territories observe daylight saving time. In fact, people in Hawaii and most of Arizona, along with the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands—will do nothing to their clocks. It's all standard time for them.

Today was dry and sunny, with the temperature just below 60 degrees F. I had no particular itinerary for this ride, so the pictures below are a bit of a ramble of places that I stopped at.

This bridge crosses the Snoqualmie River just near the Twin Falls hiking area. For those of you who read my earlier post on Olallie State Park, access to Twin Falls can also be made not too far from this bridge.

On the opposite side of this road is a Christmas Creek Tree Farm - North Bend is known as one of the best places to pick up a Christmas tree in Washington state, with no fewer than 6 tree farms in this small town.

Also on the same road as the bridge is what is called "Seattle East Travel Center" or "Ken's Truck Town" for it's previous owner before the TravelCenters America corporation took over the management of this truck stop. Truck Town is right off I-90 at Exit 34, and is just that - a town for the trucking industry, with repair facilities, gas pumps, a motel, restaurant, a driver's lounge, and a chapel. The restaurant is a great place for a homestyle, filling meal. Dining tip - TravelCenters America has just started offering their entire menu in many of their restaurants across America as all you can eat, which suits this non-trucker very well.

Back in the center of North Bend, the oldest church in town at around 110 years of age, North Bend Community Church, continues to provide worship services for the valley:

I continued my ride, stopping at the local espresso drive-through in Fall City. Here I met a gentleman riding a beautiful Honda CBR600:

We chatted for awhile - the owner is new to this area, and was looking for good places to ride, so I offered some possibilities to him. He left before me, and I thanked the ladies who made my coffee and proceeded home - with the change in time it gets dark early!

Breaking News - Winter Weather Advisory

2009-10-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

This evening in the foothills of North Bend...hail. Small hailstones, but lots of them, with thunder and lightning. And it's not even November.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Olallie State Park

2009-10-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

As you head east from North Bend, I-90 starts to climb eventually up to the summit of Snoqualmie Pass (el. 3,022 feet), located about 20 miles from North Bend. Today, there's a respite from the rain, and other than trying to avoid the wet leaves on the local roads, it's a nice day for a ride. After a late-morning cup of coffee at Huxdotter's, I merge onto I-90 for about 8 miles to the exit for Olallie State Park. It's a great opportunity for me to exercise the Triumph, enjoy the outside, and take a few pictures. I park my bike in the main (and only) lot of the park - there's one other vehicle there, a young family whose little boy is fascinated with the Triumph, and an 18-wheeler parked off the main road, probably getting some rest as he or she makes their way across the Pass.

A little information about the park - Olallie State Park is a day-use park in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. You can hike to Twin Falls from the park, see cliff formations that are used by the local climbers (see picture below), access the Snoqualmie River, and see living old-growth trees up to 14 feet in diameter. "Olallie" means "berry" in the native Chinook language, and there are a lot of berries here of various types here.

It's a great park for having a picnic, with a number of tables and cook stands. There are a number of tributaries that come down from the mountain and feed in to the Snoqualmie river. There's also a lucky park ranger who gets to live amongst this beauty.

The nice thing is that this park is a short trip for me, close to town but a world away; as the clouds start to roll in and the batteries in my camera start to fade, I let my Triumph exert itself on the I-90 trip back home.

Weekend Naps and Halloween

2009-10-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

As is my custom during the weekend, I have a regular appointment with the couch. The constant rain last weekend kept me inside for the most part, and after a few chores and lunch, I am ready for my nap. The cat joins me, and we both fall asleep...to sleep, perchance to dream?

I am awakened by sunshine filtering in through the front door. I get up and notice the rains have stopped and the roads have dried up quite a bit, so I seize on an opportunity to get out on the Triumph; opportunities such as these are becoming fewer and farther between as we get into Fall. I head into town.

I take the long road into Snoqualmie, and stop by the local espresso stand. I am greeted by this somewhat scary, yet smartly dressed, character.

The owners of this stand have decorated the place in a rather macabre style.

After an Italian soda here, I decide that the goal of the day is to research the Halloween decorations as used by espresso stands in the valley.

Heading back to North Bend, I stop by Huxdotter's for another Italian soda (important research such as this costs money), and take a few pictures. The owner here really decorates well for the holidays, with various lights, sounds and sights. The motif here is harvest/Halloween - I don't know where she got these pumpkins, but they are huge:

A more friendly-looking ghost greets patrons here.

And out in the landscaping, an Edward Munch-inspired ghost:

Extended Commuting Season and Floating Bridges

2009-10-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Fall has been very nice in the Seattle area; for the most part we've had sunny weather, with cooler temperatures (high 50's - low 60's F). Because of this, I am extending my commuting by motorcycle. Commuting by motorcycle = daughter gets the car, so it works out quite well.

The mornings are chilly, so I have switched back to my leather jacket - it's amazing the insulating properties of leather. Unfortunately, I don't have any leather pants, chaps or any other type of insulated pants, so my commute last Monday morning was a bit uncomfortable for my legs. A temporary fix has been to wear a pair of my baggiest jeans over my work slacks, which keeps me pretty warm. I have a pair of Olympia gauntlet gloves which are insulated and are made with a wind-resistant fabric. I've also ordered one of these from Calmoto.com:

It's called a Buff, and apparently you can figure out at least 12 ways to use this on your body; I have found just one - you can wear this around your neck like a scarf, and even place it over your mouth to keep your face warm, and that's what I got this for.

I've been alternating between the fast commute, which means mostly freeway driving, and the more leisurely commute, with less interstate and more backroads. I prefer the latter, as it is much more interesting and scenic. Because of the length of my commute I have been able to put some serious mileage on my Triumph (I just went over 2000 miles and I have had the bike for about a month and a half). The Bonneville America just gets better and better as I add on the miles, and I am very happy with my choice of motorcycles.

If you live east of Seattle, aka the "Eastside" by the locals, you will eventually cross one of the three floating bridges that cross Lake Washington. And, if you take I-90 to get to Seattle as I do, you have your choice of two of those three; the I-90 Floating Bridge (officially known as the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge) or the "Third" Lake Washington Floating Bridge (the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge).

I don't know who took this picture, but it's a nice one, showing the Homer Hadley on the left, Lacey Murrow on the right, looking towards the east.

Some interesting tidbits about our floating bridges. As I noted, there are three that cross Lake Washington. The one that spans the north part of Lake Washington is called the Evergreen Point or the Governor Albert D. Rosselini Floating Bridge. As you go south, there is the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Floating Bridge, and then the Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge. We have another floating bridge in Washington State as well - the Hood Canal Floating Bridge which crosses into the Olympic Peninsula. Depending on the source, these bridges are ranked in the top 5 of the longest floating bridges in the world. The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge has had an interesting history - during the Thanksgiving weekend of 1990 a large storm filled some of the concrete pontoons that float the bridge with massive amounts rain and lake water - yes, concrete can float - the physicists tell me it's all about displacement. On November 24, workers noticed that the bridge was about to sink, and started pumping out some of the pontoons. But too little, too late, and on November 25, 2,790 ft of the bridge sank. The bridge sank when one pontoon filled and dragged the rest down because they were cabled together and there was no way to separate the sections. Fortunately, no one was hurt or killed, since the bridge was closed for renovation and the sinking took some time. This was captured on film - here is some footage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm0YQ3vuyyY

Once I cross the bridge, I am nearly in Downtown Seattle. I've had to alter my commute on the streets of downtown - more on that later.

Catching Up With Bobskoot In La Conner

2009-09-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

I had received an e-mail from Bob of Wet Coast Scootin fame - http://wetcoastscootin.blogspot.com/, with an invite to meet on Saturday the 26th, somewhere between Vancouver and North Bend. We had gotten very close to meeting on a prior occasion - Bob had stopped by to take some pictures in my town, but we just couldn't connect. So, with the anticipated weather on Saturday being quite nice in northern Washington State, we planned to meet in La Conner.

This would be my longest ride so far on any motorcycle, let alone my Triumph, so I wanted to plan my trip out to maximize the sightseeing and minimize the highway traveling. Another reason for this route was my wife's concern over me being on the freeway so much; while I told her that freeway riding is actually pretty safe since we are all going the same direction, I promised her I would take it easy.

I left Saturday morning about 8:45am, and proceeded along I-90. My plan was to take I-90 for about 15 miles, and then head north via surface streets, then return to the freeway (I-405) for a couple of miles. While the easiest route north to La Conner would be to travel from I-405 to I-5, there is a state highway, Highway 9, that almost parallels I-5 and takes one through some very picturesque scenery and small towns. I had never really traveled Hwy 9 before, even by car, so I took this route.

Hwy 9 passes by the town of Snohomish, known for its numerous antique shops and galleries. I stopped at the local Starbucks for some coffee, oatmeal, and wifi to let Bob know where I was. I then continued north on 9, and then made my way west, crossing I-5 and eventually reaching La Conner at about 11:20am.

Saturday was the day before the Oyster Run in Anacortes, which is a large rally for Northwest riders. I was hoping to find Bob easily - he said he would be waiting for me just outside the public restrooms on the main drag of town, but with all of the motorcycles, I couldn't quite make out his bike. Luckily, he recognized me, gave me a wave and I parked my bike.

Bob's scoot:

It was great to meet Bob - he is one of those guys that is very friendly online, and is the same in person. Since it was my first visit to La Conner, we walked a bit, and then decided on a lunch spot.

After lunch, we took more pictures and enjoyed the town. Bob then lead me on a ride to Edison, where there was a large gathering of riders, presumably on their way to the Oyster Run.

I had a meeting with a potential buyer of my GV250, so I had to leave around 2pm. Bob guided me to the entrance to I-5, we said goodbye and planned to meet again.

My return route took me past Lake McMurray. An old gas station remains, and was a great backdrop for a picture of the Triumph.

Bob, it was great to meet you, and thanks for giving me a tour of La Conner!

Loaner Bike

2009-09-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

I had to bring in my America to the dealer (I-90 Motorsports in Issaquah) to replace a faulty tach (apparently a known item - there was a bad batch of them made, and a few of us got them), and to install my "dresser bars" (English for "crash guards" or "engine guards"). I love how Triumph describes parts like this - also, my exhaust pipes are called "silencers" (although I bought them because they were louder than my stock pipes). But I digress...

The work was going to take a little over 2 hours, so I stopped by the sales and parts area to see Don, the guy I bought my bike from. Don is a great guy, real passionate about Triumphs, and loves to have customers stop by and chat. When I came in, there were a couple of others there just talking about their rides for the week, and looking at the showroom bikes. Don asks me what I was doing, and after I told him what I was there for, he says "why don't you take one of the bikes and head out to lunch" - since it was lunch time, I accepted his kind offer, and he got one of their demo bikes out, a Bonneville SE.

The Bonneville SE pays homage to the Bonnevilles of the past, and is part of Triumph's "Modern Classics" line of bikes. This line includes the Bonneville, Bonneville SE, Bonneville T100, Thruxton, and the Scrambler. Like my America, these bikes have the same 865cc engine, but the Modern Classics have a more retro look.

Don reminded me that Bonneville SE is lighter so it is quick handling, and has the traditional middle controls - my feet went to look for the forward controls, but there are none!

I take the Bonnie out of their parking lot, and immediately someone gives me the thumbs up on the bike - they are pretty cool looking! I head out onto I-90 and I am impressed with the quickness of the Bonnie; again, this is a lighter bike than my America and she really takes off. Since she is lighter, I notice getting knocked around in the wind a bit, but this is only in comparison to my America, plus this Bonneville did not have a windscreen. There was an aftermarket pipe installed on this bike, made by Arrow, which sounded fantastic!

After an exhilarating ride up and down I-90, I returned to Issaquah for lunch at Starbucks, where I took these pictures. Returning to I-90 Motorsports (if you're ever in Issaquah, stop by I-90 Motorsports - it's a great motorcycle shop) my bike is just about finished. I really appreciated the opportunity to test ride another bike, but am glad to be back on my America.

Three Forks Natural Area

2009-09-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned in other posts that the Snoqualmie River has three forks - the North, South and Middle. They converge just north of town center at a place aptly named the Three Forks Natural Area. The 418-acre Area includes over five miles of riverfront and is located between and near large blocks of undeveloped land including Mount Si Natural Resource Conservation Area (8,041 acres), Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie Tree Farm (180,000 acres), the Cedar River Watershed (90,000+-acres), and the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (1.7 million acres). It's about a 15 minute ride from my house, and is a very scenic area.

Mt. Si, standing at nearly 4200 feet, marks the Cascade foothills, and can be easily viewed from the Area.

Across the road are large rural homesteads, farms mostly devoted to raising livestock, such as horses and llamas:

A very nice place to stop the Triumph and take a few pictures:

The Cat Did It!

2009-09-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

2 Cat incidents to report:

1) Blog Cat - That cat, while fun, had to go. She had fleas of the cyber sort - malware, so she has been put outside. She's been replaced by the google-approved fish tank. Click your mouse in the tank to feed them.

2) Real Cat - One of our cats, April, seen above, has been ridding our property of rodents recently. One late afternoon, my wife and I were out on the front porch, and April makes a beeline into the house. My wife notices something in her mouth and screams. April drops off an almost dead mouse in our dining room (reminded me of the Monty Python scene "I'm not dead yet"). More screams for me to get the mouse out, and I have to grab the poor fellow and toss him outside. We now have to watch her before she comes in. As an alternative, she leaves them right at the front door, as if to proudly proclaim her contribution to the family.

Mid-Life Crisis

2009-09-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

Last year I turned 50. Many guys reaching this age will purchase something to remind them of (or reinvigorate) their youth. Something fast - sports cars, power boats, fast bikes, etc.

Me, I purchased a couple of mopeds.

Well, today I sold them - a 1978 Honda Express and 1981 Yamaha Yamahopper. They went to a guy not too far from me, who likes to tinker with these things. They were gathering dust here, since we live in the foothills of the Cascades, and there was no way they could make it up the hill with me on it! They were great mailbox rides though.

They were both pretty fun bikes, and I still may have a moped or two in me at some point in time. Maybe one of these:

A red Puch; or

A blue Garelli.

PAX 2009

2009-09-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

For the last few years, my son, who is an avid gamer, and I have attended the Penny Arcade Expo (aka PAX), which has been held in the Seattle area the last few years. It's grown so much that it is one of the largest events held in the Seattle Convention Center. It's an annual 3 day event from Friday through Sunday, and is a showcase for all of the video and computer gaming companies, plus numerous board games which either were precursor to, or successor to, a particular computer game. There are seminars on various aspects of gaming, tackling such topics on the legal aspects of gaming, and how soccer moms actually make up one of the largest gaming demographics. This is the gathering place for geeks of all ages.

I'm not much of a gamer - we have a Wii, which is pretty fun, and I have had a Nintendo DS, but they don't really hold my interest. However, I am in the minority in this group, as many pay tribute to the games they play by coming to PAX dressed up as their favorite gaming characters; this is called Cosplay - here's a few examples:

Lots of interesting displays for the various games:

One of the most anticipated games coming out is the Rock Band version of the Beatles - for those who don't know about Rock Band, it's a game that can be played anywhere, from your living room to online. The game comes with various instruments, such as a guitar, drum, bass, or you can take the mike and sing vocals, and the game rates you on how well you play/sing. You don't need to play the "real" instruments to do well in Rock Band - there are various keys and buttons you press or hit and the game senses how accurate you are. In the Beatles version, the instruments even look like the Beatles instruments, down to Paul's violin style bass. The company that sells this had a stage set up where you could become one of the Fab Four.

You might think there is no similarity between a computer gaming show and a motorcycle show, but there is one similarity - models representing the various companies:

And, whether it's a motorcycle or a video game, a pretty model seems to help:

I didn't see any scooters at the convention, so this will have to do.

Preston, Washington

2009-08-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

With the added power of my Bonneville America, and the favorable summer weather, I continue to commute regularly into my office in Seattle. My daughter is fine with this, as this means she gets the Honda Element for her extremely busy social schedule ever since she received her drivers licence.

It's a 35 mile trip each way, and can take me anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour, depending on my route, and whether I stop for coffee, as in the picture below.

My usual morning route is to go through the Snoqualmie Valley, through North Bend, Snoqualmie, Fall City, Preston, and then onto I-90 for the rest of the trip into downtown Seattle. Preston is an interesting town - it was an old logging town, named after railway official William T. Preston. The Raging River runs through Preston and feeds into the Snoqualmie River at Fall City. As you can see below, there is truth in the name of this river - this was taken during the flood of 2007:

But in summer the river is calm, and meanders through Preston as it makes its way to Fall City. Once I reach Preston, my ride takes me past the community center (at the top of my post) and along a road running parallel to I-90, passing an industrial park, a strip mall with a gas station and some eateries, and some modest rural homes. One of the home sites has a barn that has definitely seen better days:

Bonneville America - Initial Riding Impressions

2009-08-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

I've had my BA for about a week, and I am approaching the end of the break-in period (500 miles). Tomorrow I will bring her in for her 500 mile service. I've been able to put some good miles on the bike - the weather in the Seattle area has been mostly sunny (except for a mist today), and I have been commuting into the office all week, which is around 70 miles round trip.

(parked in my office building, with her stable mate)

Some initial impressions:

1) Power - It's great having the extra power vs. my GV250. The torque of the BA is impressive for a bike of this size. And the power to maintain highway speeds + more in the back pocket is good to help me stay out of harm's way on the freeway.

2) Sound - The aural experience is impressive. The stock pipes on the BA were nice but a little quiet, so I upgraded to the louder Triumph pipes, and the sound has a nice rumble to it, without being obnoxious.

3) Handling - This quality of Triumph bikes is well-known, and the handling on the BA belies the fact that it is a cruiser. It's no sport bike, but for a mid-size cruiser, it is very good.

4) Comfort - The seat is pretty comfortable for a stock seat. I had to have my GV250 seat worked on to add a gel insert to alleviate the pressure on my tailbone area. I don't think I will have to do this with the BA seat, although it wouldn't hurt (no pun intended), especially for longer rides.

5) Beauty - I think she has ton's of it! Up till now, I've been a "classic" cruiser fan, represented by bikes with heavily valanced, retro looking fenders, but recently started to like the more "custom" look, which the America falls into.

Now, some little oddities:

1) The forward controls took a bit to get used to for me - I am short in the legs, so at first I thought they would be too forward, but actually they are quite comfortable now.

2) The kickstand, like the controls, is placed more forward than on other bikes. I have to stretch a little to get at it, and luckily there's a tab on the kickstand which helps my boot to catch it when putting it up (putting it down is no problem). I think for someone shorter in the leg than me (I'm 5'8" with a 29" inseam), it could be a problem, although I have heard of shorter people being able to get at the kickstand. I had issues with the HD kickstands as well, so it could be my bodily configuration.

3) Fueling - this has been a challenge for me. The GV250 has a fairly large opening for the tank, and I could usually tell when I was getting close to the top of the tank. The BA's opening is smaller, so it's hard to tell how full the bike is, plus depending on the pump nozzle I tend to get more spray on this tank. The pumps with the vapor sleeve nozzles present the most difficulty for me. The older style of pump is no problem, especially if I fill slowly.

4) Tachometer - I think I have a faulty one. The BA doesn't come with a tach standard, but there is a space on the tank console to place either a clock or tach. I like having a tach, which I have on my GV250, so I had the dealer install this. One day, however, I seemed to be showing much higher rpm's than the sound of the engine would dictate. When I turned off the engine, it stayed at 2000 rpm instead of zero. Luckily for me, this issue in known in the Triumph forum, with an easy fix until I replace it tomorrow.

My overall impression is that this is a fantastic bike, and I am glad I made the decision to get some British iron!

Triumph Bonneville America

2009-08-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

My Hyosung GV250 has introduced me to a wonderful world of freedom, and great friends (in cyberspace and on the road), and I made the next step in that journey. I picked up my 2009 Triumph Bonneville America today. For some time, I have been browsing for that "next" bike, and got real close to getting a Harley (either a 1200 Sportster or a Dyna (the latter being a bit too expensive for me at this time) ). There's a place close by to my house where I have bought parts/accessories, and they sell Triumph, Honda and Yamaha. I decided to give this dealership a shot at my business, and really felt comfortable there.

I test rode the Bonneville America, and that's all she wrote. Triumph was offering great deals (priced under list, and $1000 of accessories thrown in) plus financing was very attractive. So I decided to get her.

Some specs about the Bonneville America:

Engine Type - Air-cooled, DOHC, parallel-twin, 270 degree firing interval
Capacity - 865cc
Fuel System - Multipoint sequential electronic fuel injection with SAI
Final Drive - X ring chain
Clutch - Wet, multi-plate
Gearbox - 5-speed
Front Brakes - Single 310mm disc, 2 piston calipers
Rear Brakes - Single 285mm disc, 2 piston caliper
Dimensions - Length 95.2 in Width (Handlebars) 37.8 in Height 46.1 in
Seat Height - 28.3 in
Wheelbase - 65.2 in
Weight (Dry) - 497 lbs
Fuel Tank Capacity - 5.1 Gallons
Performance (Measured at crankshaft to DIN 70020)
Maximum Power - 54bhp at 6,750 rpm
Maximum Torque - 51ft.lbf at 4,800 rpm

She's a beauty, feels very stable at speed, and I can actually keep up with traffic, with power to get out of the way if needed. I like the fact that she is alternative, being the only cruiser out there with a parallel twin engine, instead of the usual V-twin.

Now, a decision has to be made - can I keep my GV250? I may need the funds to help pay down the loan for the Bonneville. If I could keep her, I will, and may end up bobbing her. Decisions, decisions.

Milkshakes

2009-08-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

I went into the dentist on Friday to get a tooth pulled. So for Friday and today I was told to keep to soft foods, which luckily included milkshakes. With today being another warm day, I took the Elite out for a ride into town, and pulled into the local shake shack, Scott's Dairy Freeze.

The Dairy Freeze is well-known among the locals and out of towners. They have great burgers and do a wide variety of ice cream desserts. What's also very cool about this place is that it's owned by the Mayor of North Bend (his name is not Scott - that was the original owner), so you will often see him flipping burgers. He's a great guy and does a fine job of running the town.

After my chocolate-banana shake, I set off for a ride around the valley, and came upon this small herd of elk grazing. Sorry, I just have a point and shoot so I couldn't zoom in, but if you click on the picture you'll get a larger image.

A nice picture of Mt. Si, in the early evening:

Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam!

2009-07-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

I really like Spam. Growing up, I ate Spam and rice, Spam and eggs and Spam sandwiches. I like it cooked (fried) or plain right out of the can. I'm a Spam lover from the old school - I remember when the tin came with a key that you used to open the can with.

While this meat product is often ridiculed, Spam is very popular in Hawaii. Hawaiians consume nearly 6 million cans a year, or almost six cans per person. Spam became popular in Hawaii during World War II. Fresh meat was scarce at the time, so civilians loaded up on the brand-name C ration well known to the armed forces. Needing no refrigeration, this very distant relative to pork soon became one of the items islanders stocked up on during threats of hurricanes. It truly is Hawaiian soul food. McDonald's is well known for adopting cultural influences in their menus, serving wine in France and beer in Germany - Hawaiian McDonald's restaurants offer as a breakfast meal Spam, rice and eggs (which I have had). In Hawaii you can also find Spam sushi (I haven't tried this...yet). This must be where my love of Spam was born, as my family and I lived in Honolulu when I was in grade school.

On the last day of my visit I went to the Wailana Coffee House, right across from the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki, for breakfast - the top picture is what I ordered - eggs, hash browns and, of course, Spam. Lovely!

Easy Riding...Aloha Style

2009-07-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

As noted in my previous post, I was asked to come out to Honolulu for business reasons. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to travel to some nice places and meet some very nice people in the course of my business. Hawaii is a beautiful place - the natural beauty of the Islands and the friendliness and hospitality of the people of this state is simply amazing.

After completing my business responsibilities, I decided to do something I had been thinking about doing for some time, ever since I got involved in motorcycling, which was to ride in Hawaii. There are many places to rent scooters and motorcycles in Honolulu, and a few rent Harley Davidsons. I chose Cruzin Hawaii (http://www.cruzinhawaii.com/) as they had an excellent selection of Harleys, plus some Triumphs to choose from. If you are ever in Honolulu and want to rent a bike, I recommend Cruzin Hawaii - the motorcycles are in excellent condition, and the staff there will give you some great suggestions for riding on the Island.

I ended up renting a 2007 Sportster 1200. After we went over the bike, I was ready to ride. The first thing I noticed was that this was a HUGE step up in power from my 250cc bike! The Sportster is like a wild horse - she wants to run! I ended up staying in first gear most of the time as I was driving along busy Waikiki, as I could get up to 30 mph in that gear alone. I was surprised at how easy it was to handle this bike - I think the Sportster is nearly 200lbs heavier than my GV250, yet it didn't feel that much heavier. The pegs are more centered on the bike, unlike mine, which are more forward, and I actually felt more comfortable on the Sportster. One weird feature of the bike (apparently this applies only to the 2007 and beyond Sportsters, and does not apply to the other models in the HD lineup) is that you must actually be in neutral to start the bike. You can't just pull in the clutch to start it. I don't really like this feature, as one time I stalled the bike and had to walk it to the side of the road, find neutral and then restart it.

Once I got out of town, the road opened up more, and the views of the ocean were fantastic.

The picture below is taken from the famous Halona Blowhole - the blowhole is a natural occurrence formed by molten lava tubes from volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. The lava tubes run to the ocean and, when the surf is right, the blowhole shoots water up to 30 feet in the air. It was hard to time my pictures with the water shooting out of the blowhole, but it was an amazing site.

Further north and inland there are some beautiful scenic lookouts showing the island valley floor - I took this picture of the Sportster from one of those stops.

Probably the most popular lookout is called the Nuuanu Pali lookout. To get here, you travel about a mile of two off of the Pali Highway, and you are rewarded with fantastic views:

I ended up riding about 4 hours. I'm really glad I did this - I got to test drive a bike I had been considering for my next bike, I got to actually ride a motorcycle in paradise, and got some amazing views of the Island.

Where's Lance???

2009-07-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm traveling again, a short trip, unfortunately by the looks of it. You probably know where I am. Here are some pics, and more to come...

London one week, New York the next

2009-07-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

After my daughter and I returned from London, I had a few days in the office, and then I was off to New York for a week. I haven't been traveling all that much this year, so I feel the differences in time zones. As I have mentioned previously, I really like New York. Like London, many nations are represented; it was amazing to see the mix of peoples, languages and cultures.

Our office is near Madison Square Park, and I walk through the park every day. It's a beautiful park - that's what I like about Manhattan; in the midst of all of the concrete and steel sit a number of restful oases.

Some pictures from the park:

Why a squirrel? Danny is his blog "A Blog About..." documents the antics of the squirrels living in his yard. I found this New York squirrel very entertaining, so this one's for you Danny!

Gastronomical London

2009-07-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Typical English food sometimes gets a bad rap for not being very inventive, with meat and potatoes considered the mainstay - in this sense it's really not too different from what is considered American food. However, there are some very great restaurants in London, and with the many cultural influences that merge in this city, food should be on the itinerary of anyone traveling to London.

Our hotel booking included an English breakfast, which consisted of a fried egg, some potatoes, bacon (not strips like American bacon, but a thin slice of ham), a large sausage, cooked tomato, mushrooms and toast. It was very good, as was the coffee.

My daughter and I had dinner at a local pub one night - I had traditional fish and chips, complete with "mushy peas," while she had a cheese sandwich.

The Paddington area is quite diverse, and being a fan of Indian food I found a couple of nice Indian restaurants - they say that the best Indian food is in fact in London. My daughter, being more conservative gastronomically, found a great panini place. Both places were located down this street:

We were treated to some fine restaurants by friends, such as Rocket (http://www.rocketrestaurants.co.uk/) and the OXO Tower Restaurant (http://www.harveynichols.com/output/Page128.asp). Excellent food, service and views.

Of course, fast food is quite popular, and there was a McDonald's right next to the hotel, a Burger King across the street, and a Subway and KFC down the street. I will admit to going to both McDonald's and BK while we were there. And there are many Starbucks coffee shops throughout London - being from Seattle, motherland of the coffee behemoth, we just had to try it:

Pictures from London

2009-07-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

While we were in London, for some reason I couldn't post pictures, so I am catching up. London (and the surrounding area) is beautiful - the views are amazing, and I was in awe of the architecture (both old and new) and the scenery of this great city.

A view of the London Eye, which was built for the Millennium celebration:

A picture taken from the London Eye - it's an approximately 30 minute round trip on the Eye, enabling one to get some fantastic looks of the city. This is the House of Parliament:

There are beautiful gardens in the area, this one from Hampton Court:

After visiting Hampton Court, my daughter and I went back to London via a river cruise. It's a little over 3 hours, compared to a train ride of about 40 minutes, but well worth the extra time. With the temperatures in the mid to high 80's during our London visit, the cruise was very refreshing. The boat we were on was very nice, with seats inside and outside, and a bar for snacks and drinks. I took this picture of one of the many beautiful homes on the Thames:

I was very impressed with the public facilities in London - the main train stations are quite nice, with lots of shops, restaurants and other necessary facilities. Maybe they are nice because
you have to pay to use them, as shown by this sign from the men's restroom at the Waterloo Train Station:

Flight Delays

2009-06-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I left North Bend at 10:00am on Monday, June 22 for the airport. The first leg of our flight (Seattle to Washington Dulles) didn't leave until 1:14pm, but we had to check her in for the flight, and because we were flying overseas we needed to get there a couple of hours early, so we decided to get there with plenty of time just in case there were delays at ticketing or security. As it turned out, check in was very fast, the security line was short, so we boarded the plane with expectations of an on-time departure.

Once we had settled in, the pilot got on the intercom to tell us that there was a "mechanical problem" with the aircraft. We found out that the "mechanical problem" was with the first class lavatory. Since this is also the toilet the pilots use, it was also a security issue to not have this toilet working.

We were first told that there would be a half hour delay. That turned into just under 2 hours. Our connection (as well as the connections for many others) was short - ours was about 45 minutes, so it looked like we would miss the connecting flight to London. We were also told that if we missed that connection, we couldn't even take the next day's flight, as this was all booked. This was pretty frustrating, but what could we do? We would have to figure that out when we arrived in Washington DC. The attendants said they would keep everyone updated on the status of the connecting flights.

As it turned out, everyone who had a connecting flight would not be able to make their connections, which was very frustrating - I was sitting next to a dentist from Brazil, and she not only had a connection in D.C., but also a connection in Sao Paolo, so her plans were altered significantly. Ours was a very, very slight maybe. Apparently the incoming flight that would take us to London was delayed in South America, and was anticipated to be an hour late. Since they have to clean the plane and change crews, we had a remote chance of making our flight. We were told our connecting gate information - more bad news, as we would have to run from one concourse to the next to make our connection.

As we were descending into D.C., one of the flight attendants gave us the good news that they decided to move our arrival gate to the gate right across from our connecting gate, and that the plane would wait for us (plus 8 others who needed to make that connecting flight). So, what was originally looking like a pretty hopeless situation turned out fine, and we made our connecting flight to London.

The flight to London was nice (I had enough miles to purchase business class tickets for the London flight), so we enjoyed a nice dinner, and even slept a little bit. My daughter loved being in business class.

We arrived in London just before noon on Tuesday, checked in to our hotel, and decided to get on a tour bus immediately, so we wouldn't be tempted to take a nap and lose a chance at getting in sync with London time. The bus tour is pretty expensive (about $45 per person), but it's for 24 hours, you can hop off/hop back on at any stop during that period, plus it includes a Thames River tour, so overall it's a pretty good way to see a lot of London.

Since I am posting from London, adding pictures long-distance seems to be a problem, so I will try to post them separately.

London Calling

2009-06-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

My daughter and I are traveling to London this week and the next. Since I travel for business I accumulate miles, so the airfare is basically free (with the small exception of the $150 per ticket award fare "service charge"). We've selected a hotel in Paddington, very close to the train/tube station. She's got her passport - she is very proud to have this symbol of an international traveler. Travelers checks? - check! We're ready to go!

I've been to London a few times, but mostly on business with the exception of my very first trip which was for my wife's and my honeymoon. During the next 10 days I will spend one day in the city for business, but the rest of the trip my daughter and I will be tourists, enjoying one of the great cities of this world!

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T19:21:00.001-07:00

Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington is most frequently credited with originating the idea for a Father's Day observance. She became inspired to commemorate fathers after hearing a Mother's Day sermon at her church. Her own mother had died when she was very young, and her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran, took on the role of both parents to his daughter and five sons. Realizing the difficulties he had, and appreciation for his constant devotion to his family sparked Mrs. Dodd's desire to honor all fathers. At her urging the Spokane Ministerial Association sponsored the first Father's Day Celebration. This first celebration was held in Spokane on the third Sunday of June - the month of her father's birth - in 1910.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson and his family personally observed the day. And in 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended that states, if they wished, should hold their own Father’s Day observances. Eventually, in 1972-sixty-two years after it was proposed-Father’s Day was permanently established by President Richard Nixon.

So, to all of the Dad's out there - a very happy Father's Day! Enjoy the flowers from our garden, and the motorcycles from the web!

Product Review - ShamWow!

2009-06-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for infomercials. I remember the original Popeil Pocket Fisherman. I thought I couldn't live without the Snackmaster. I bought ForeverSharp knives one day during a demonstration at Safeway after the pitchman cut a aluminum can with one, and then sliced a tomato. I have the Bullet Magic Blender. As you can see, I have some experience with infomercial products.

Well, one day while shopping at the grocery store, I saw hanging from one of the shelves a two pack of ShamWow! towels. You know the commercial, with a guy by the name of Vince exhorting the cameraman to keep up with him as he extols the virtues of the towel. You find out that this is not just any towel, but a product of German engineering - "you know, the Germans always make good stuff" says Vince. The towel can be used wet or dry, it can prevent mold and mildew in your carpets, and it's for the home, the car, the boat, the RV.

At the grocery store, the price was $7.99 for two small ShamWow! towels. Not as good as the $19.99 special on the infomercial, but I thought, what can I lose?

I tried out one of the towels when I washed my motorcycle today. Apparently, these towels can hold 20 times their weight in liquid, so I used the towel to dry off the bike. It did seem to pick up a lot of water. I wrung it out just like Vince does in the commercial, and amazingly there was a lot of water that came off the towel. The problem, however, was that while the towel picked up a lot of water, it could never really dry the bike - the water just got pushed around the surface. I would need another towel to really dry the bike off.

Did I say Wow! after I tried a ShamWow! towel? Not really - it did OK, but I wouldn't say it was much better than a good cloth towel. In any event, I finished up washing her, and she looks very nice!

Bike To Work Day

2009-06-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

The traditional Bike To Work Day this year is on Monday, June 15, but the weather here may be iffy on that day, so I decided to commute by bike today.

I got up early with the idea of leaving home around 6:30am, hoping that traffic on the freeway would be light. I work in downtown Seattle, which is about 40 miles west of North Bend, and since Seattle has Lake Washington separating the city from the eastern suburbs, I have to travel on I-90 for about 30 of those 40 miles. I have taken the GV250 on the freeway before, and she has performed quite well considering her 250cc engine. She can get up fairly easily to 110-120kph (since she's Korean, her speedometer and odometer are metric), which is about 68-75mph. From North Bend to Issaquah (traveling about 18 miles west) the speed limit is 70mph, so I am able to keep up somewhat with traffic (most go about 80mph when the State Patrol aren't watching).

In the picture above, I'm loading up my saddlebags with my business wear and my laptop. There's a problem - my laptop doesn't fit in my bags - I wish I had a backpack, but there's none to be found, so I have to bring my briefcase and carry that over my shoulder. Everything else fits in the bags just fine.

Since I am going on the freeway, I want to be super visible, so I don my lime-green vest over my leather jacket:

The ride on the freeway starts out OK. I've been staying in the right lane, but since the carpool/motorcycle lane that starts in Issaquah is the left-most lane I make my move across three lanes. I'm successful at that and now I am in the HOV lane - even at this time, traffic is getting pretty congested in the other lanes, so it's good to take advantage of my HOV status.

However, as I start to pick up speed, my motorcycle starts to act peculiar. The engine start to sputter, and the rpms fluctuate - it's as if the engine is starving for fuel. The bike is bucking, so I pull off the freeway to try to figure out what is going on. Things seem OK, so I accelerate back onto the freeway only to have the same issue happen again. I'm a bit low on gas, so I think that maybe that's the issue. I get off the freeway and fill up. I get back on the freeway and things seem fine, but then the bucking starts again. Now I'm on the floating bridge going across Lake Washington, and I'm not quite sure what to do. I keep the speed/rpms down, the problem goes away, and I end up in downtown Seattle.

Stop and go traffic in downtown Seattle is not really fun on a motorcycle, in my opinion. I go about a block only to have to shift down and wait at the light. This procedure is repeated for a number of blocks. Also, even the smaller hills in Seattle that I hardly notice in a car become a challenge to take off from on a motorcycle. I have to feather the clutch so I don't fall back, and apply just enough throttle to move forward without jerking. It's now that I long for the "twist and go" operation of my scooter! However, it's a necessary learning experience for me, and I improve with each block.

I arrive in the parking garage at my office. When I park here with my car, it's $16 for all day parking. With my motorcycle, it's $6 - a good savings. The garage has several dedicated spots for two-wheeled transportation. I park her and use one of the shower facilities that we have to change into my business clothes.

I look up the forum for my motorcycle to find some solution to the "engine starvation" issue I had during the commute into town. It appears that others have had the same issue, and the solution seems to be "Seafoam." If you don't know about this product, it's an engine additive that many swear by. It does a great job of cleaning the varnish and junk that sometimes forms on carburetors, and is a really good fuel stabilizer, helping to remove moisture from your fuel lines. I plan on getting a can after work before I make the ride across the Lake Washington floating bridge and I-90.

After work, I ride to a NAPA Auto Parts store south of Safeco Field. There's so much road construction in Seattle. There is a lot of dug up asphalt, and steel plates over the roads. I heed the road signs that say "Motorcycles Use Extreme Caution."

I arrive at the auto parts store, pick up a can of Seafoam and an energy drink - the cashier reminds me that one is for my bike, one is for me, and to not switch them. The bike downs the Seafoam, I down the energy drink, and I head back into downtown to get in the carpool lane across the bridge.

The bike is working great, with none of the problems experienced this morning. I'm about to get into the tunnel just before the bridge, when the overhead road signs say there's an accident in the tunnel. There are two tunnels; one for the mainline traffic and one for the carpool lane. Usually the accidents are in the former, due to the higher level of traffic - but not this time, the accident is in the carpool lane. I am in the middle of the tunnel at a standstill - the traffic moves a few feet, then stops. I am essentially walking my bike through the tunnel. Pretty soon the traffic clears, and we're off. Once past the bridge, the traffic starts to bunch up again, so I get off the carpool lane, and take some surface streets as I proceed east.

I get back on the freeway in Issaquah, and really push the bike to see if there's a repeat of this morning's problems, and happily, there is none. I make it home with no further incident.

Upon returning home, I assess the ride. Did I enjoy it? Parts of the ride were nice, and I am glad I did this for the experience, but overall, I have to be honest and say I didn't enjoy it. Riding on the freeway is simply not an enjoyable experience - there's too much wind buffeting, and while the GV250 can operate at freeway speeds, she is revving at 8000-9000 rpms at that speed so the ride is pretty buzzy. With me on the bike, she is more comfortable at 60mph then at 70. Maybe if I had a larger cc bike (or lost weight) I would feel differently. Downtown traffic was not very fun either - I would much rather be on a scooter, without having to shift up and down from stoplight to stoplight. Actually, I would much rather be cruising on some nice country road in my area, rather than dealing with downtown traffic.

Having said all of the above, it was great to actually experience commuting to work. And, who knows, I might try it again.

Exotic Car Drive By

2009-06-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

I'm at a regular stop on my ride in the valley, enjoying a cup of coffee, when we're startled by several police cars speeding up the road, sirens blaring and motioning for the traffic on the opposite side of the street to make way. Are they going to an accident investigation? Is there a foreign delegation coming through Fall City?

No to either - what they are doing is clearing the way for a line of exotic cars. They're rolling through town at about the same clip as the police officers. At the coffee shop, we suspect they are going to a car show, exactly where we do not know.

There is a collection of Lotuses, Ferrari's, Porsche's, Corvettes, Audi's, and the odd Hummer thrown into the mix. I am not a photographer, and had difficulty getting the cars into my lens. But it was a great sight!

They should have let me know about this - I would have brought my car - a Bugatti Veyron (I wish).

Avoiding CATastrophe

2009-06-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Time to clean the cat box, and it can't wait till tomorrow, since the cats WILL find a place to do their thing if the cat box is not to their liking. So, a trip to town is necessary. That's what makes a scooter so great - you just hop on and go. My Elite's 75+mpg makes a lot more sense than my Element's 25mpg. Plus, the pass-through makes a great grocery holder. Bad situation averted!

It's only rock 'n roll but I like it

2009-06-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

The art of chainsaw carving is alive and well in the Snoqualmie Valley, and I encounter some of these creations as I ride. You will see a lot of carved bears, used as welcome signs to residences, or carvings of eagles or salmon, but this one is a bit unusual - a chicken rocker. This carving stands about 6' on it's base.

Next to chicken rocker, a bear holds the mailbox:

Chainsaw carving is quite popular here, with one local insurance company, PEMCO, featuring the "Roadside Chainsaw Woodcarver" in their great ad campaign "We're A Lot Like You. A Little Different." These ads feature a number of stereotypical Northwest people in a caricature sort of way. Check it out here:

http://www.werealotlikeyou.com/

An award received...and shared

2009-05-31T19:24:00.001-07:00

I was the recipient of a fun award from Baron (Baron's Life) and Danny (A Blog About...)! Well, how do I begin...I'd like to thank my agent... wait...I don't have one...seriously, thanks for the nod guys, and thank you to everyone that stops by to read my blog - I've met a lot of great people in the blogosphere.

Now to share this award, as there are many great blogs out there that I have had the opportunity to read - some serious, some funny, all very good. Here's my list of 8 blogs that get this award, in no particular order:

1) Premeditated Scootin' - a great new scooter blog. http://cpa3485.blogspot.com/

2) Bobskoot: Wet Coast Scootin' - Bob covers BC and Washington State on his motoring adventures, and is an amazing photographer and writer. He's got some cool camera gear, and an even cooler sense of what makes a great picture and blogpost. He was one of the first to befriend me in blogspace. http://wetcoastscootin.blogspot.com/

3) Two Wheels and an Engine - Earl blogs about motorcycling in the Palouse area of Eastern Washington State. Another blogger that encouraged me when I first started. I get, to quote the Eagles, "a peaceful, easy feeling" when I read his posts - a great writer and photographer. http://thevampireduck.blogspot.com/

4) A Scooter In Turkey - John posts some amazing stuff from his scootering in Turkey, from home life to beautiful antiquities. John was one of the first blogs I started reading when I got my scooter, and it is worth checking out his blog. http://suzukiscooter.blogspot.com/

5) Heinz n' Frenchie in SoFla - Ahhh...South Florida by Vespa...it doesn't get any better than this, unless it's South Florida by two Vespas, with lots of great pictures and history of the area. http://heinznfrenchie.blogspot.com/

6) Scootin' da Valley - Joe introduced me to the free wifi and great coffee at Panera's. A great storyteller with an even greater beard! http://scootindavalley.blogspot.com/

7) Cruising Ohio - Doug has had some amazing trips in his part of the country. I've enjoyed great scenery and was tempted with great food (like fried bologna sandwiches) via his blog. http://www.cruisingohio.com/

8) Scootin' Old Skool - Orin is well known in scooter land for his great insights into scooters and scooter life. He was also nice enough to write about my Honda Elite on his blog. http://scootinoldskool.wordpress.com/

Well, there's eight of many great blogs out there. For the award winners above, you get to share your award via your nominations - if you can find eight, great, even if it's less that's great too. Just spread the recognition and encouragement around!

Cats that are not pleased...

2009-05-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Baron (of Baron's Life) has a post with a very funny picture of a cat with a helmet made from what looks like a lime. Check his blog out here:

http://www.baronsview.blogspot.com/

I'm a big cat fan, and I mentioned to Baron that I had some other pictures of cats that are not pleased with what we humans subject them to. There's taco cat (above), and others for your (and Baron's) enjoyment:

This poor guy is definitely not pleased with what was recently done at the salon.

Some cats don't mind having their picture taken, but some are not pleased with being on camera, like this one:

This cat's owner needs to clean the kitty box more often - the cat is obviously not pleased:

In addition to cats that are not pleased, sometimes bunnies are not pleased, as evidenced here:

You know you've had a bad day when...

2009-05-24T06:29:00.001-07:00

...your house has that sinking feeling. This was caused by the last flood in the area. I go by this house on many of my rides. This house and the one next to it suffered significant damage. They are both across the highway from the river on what has historically been the high bank side.

Carnation, Washington - A Tale of One City, Two Names

2009-05-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

About 15 miles northwest of North Bend is the town of Carnation. The town was officially incorporated on December 31, 1912, and given the name Tolt. The name was changed to Carnation in 1917, back to Tolt in 1928, and finally back to Carnation again on October 29, 1951. For those of you familiar with dairies, the name Carnation was chosen to honor the Carnation Milk Products Company. But is the town Carnation or Tolt? The dispute over which name is the "real" name for the town continues, with some signs reading "Tolt" and others, "Carnation." The elementary school is named Carnation Elementary School, while the middle school takes the name Tolt Middle School.

But it was the Carnation Dairy that put the town on the map. The valley became world-famous as the "Home for Contented Cows." One cow, nicknamed "Possum Sweetheart," produced more than 37,000 pounds of milk in one year - a world record.

My ride takes me to this quiet town, and I stop to take a few pictures of the local businesses, some doing better than others:

A beautiful stone church stands at the end of town, as if to end the naming controversy - it's called Tolt Congregational Church.

April in New York

2009-05-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

I've been away for about 10 days on a business trip to our corporate headquarters in New York. I really enjoy Manhattan - the city is so diverse, so vibrant. Crowded yes, but people have found a way to make this a very enjoyable (albeit expensive) place to live.

Like the Seattle area, New York has had a pretty long winter, and the long wait for Spring ended the first weekend I was there. Temperatures in the high 80's to low 90's brought people out to the many parks that dot the city. In Madison Square Park, which is near my office, an ethnic festival was taking place.

The hotel I was staying at was in a new (for me) area, so I spent a lot of time walking around, getting my bearings. I came upon this place for a bagel and coffee:

After coffee, more time spent wandering the neighborhood. Good thing I am walking, and not driving - parking is astronomical here.

Craigslist Rants, Part II

2009-04-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

I posted a few weeks ago the trials I suffered in attempting to sell my Ipod on craigslist, and this has led me to further reflection on those that use this marketplace. I really like craigslist - it's proof that a very grassroots form of getting buyers and sellers together, without charging fees, can work quite well. But I can't believe some of the things that are said by people in trying to market their stuff, particularly motorcycles - a few examples that I have gathered, for your reading enjoyment:

1) The "previous owner" did it - When someone posts in their ad that their bike has scratches on it, or it was laid down, it was invariably done by "the previous owner." Who are these "previous owners"? They are obviously a very careless and clumsy bunch, as they seem to be responsible for all the damage that has ever been done to motorcycles!

2) "No title, no problem" - I've seen a lot of bikes for sale with "no title" with the seller stating that it should be easy to get it titled. If it was so easy, why don't you do it and save the potential buyer from the obvious hassle and potential issue of not being able to title it at all!

3) "It's in mint condition, except for..." - The ad starts out by stating that the bike is in like new condition, but as you read further on, there is a whole list of "except for's" like the bike went down in a low speed fall, the plastic fairing is cracked, etc., (all done by the
"previous owner" of course!).

4) "It started 10 years ago" - I see this on the ads for a lot of vintage bikes - the ad will usually state "the bike doesn't start now, but it did the last time I tried." I love history as much as the other guy, but I am more concerned with the present when it comes to motorcycles!

5) "It just requires a simple adjustment" - The ad goes something like this - "I tried to start it but it won't turn over - probably just needs a carb cleaning..." OK, if it does, why don't you do that before you put it up for sale???

So, if you see an ad from me on CL for a "like new bike that started 10 years ago without a title that was slightly damaged by the previous owner" please feel free to e-mail me as follows:

"Hello ,Thanks for your mail back concerning the inquiry mail i sent to you.
The price,condition also the pics i viewed is okay by me .And my client
confirm there is no problem about the price($975 ) ,my client do pays with a
{USA}cashier check,he has agreed to mail out as bank cashiers check of
$3500. to you on my behalf to cover the shippment fees.About the shippment,
that we be taken care by my me & my personal assistant,my personal
assistant will be using his shipper to do the quick processing of the
shipping of the motorcycle to my client."

Fall City, Washington

2009-04-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

We're starting to get some periods of nicer weather - a couple of weekends ago as well as this weekend I took the new motorcycle out. Even at 250cc, I am able to take some of the higher speed roads, so that extends my range quite a bit.

Within the Snoqualmie Valley, and west of North Bend and Snoqualmie is a town called Fall City. Here's a little history of the town - in 1869, homesteaders staked claims along the Snoqualmie River near the present location of the town. Supplies came up the river in large dugout canoes and the area was often referred to as "The Landing" because of shallow water farther upstream. In 1872, the Fall City Post Office was authorized by the territorial governor. How the name "Fall City " was selected is somewhat a mystery, although my guess is that it is because of the Snoqualmie Falls which causes significant flooding in the area. The river passes right through town

The town is quite popular with motorcyclists; there's a "saloon" which attracts a number of bikes during the weekend. There were a lot of big Harley's there, giving it a tough image, but then I saw someone proudly roll up in their vintage Honda Trail 90 and park the bike along side the big cruisers.

For me, however, coffee is my poison, so I stopped by a little drive through espresso stand in town.

Across the street from the espresso stand is the elementary school. Little League ball was the order of the day in the school ballfield.

Take care.

My Honda Elite is Back!

2009-04-04T18:21:00.001-07:00

She's been at the mechanic's shop for almost a month with a choke problem. It had gotten to the point where she would simply not start. So, after a long period of troubleshooting, cleaning the carbs, working on the choke, installing a trickle charger receptacle, I got the call that she was ready. Because my mechanic needed shop space for an emergency repair of another customer's bike, I picked her up late Thursday night. In order to get to his place in Renton, I either have to take the long route through Issaquah, or come over Tiger Mountain pass. So, I hooked up my little Harbor Freight trailer (by the way, these are great little trailers and will carry most of my stuff, like the bikes, riding mower, stuff for the dump, etc.) and decided to go over Tiger Mountain. Guess what...snowing there, about 2 inches.

I picked her up, and decided to go over Tiger Mountain for the return. Guess what...more snow, and I had to stop at the summit to make sure everything was tied down. It was a mess. Eventually, we made it safe home.

I took her for a ride this afternoon - even though I have a motorcycle now, it is so much fun to ride the Elite. She accelerates nicely, has a lot of power for her 23 years, and she just impresses me with her ability to take me around!

How To Shower Properly, Part II

2009-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

First off, thanks to Baron of Baron's Life fame for posting a very funny video on the differences in showering habits between men and women - check it out here:

http://baronsview.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-shower-properlymen-versus-women.html

Just after I read his post, a radio station had a similar discussion on showering - this one was, "do you or do you not wash your feet when showering?" There were some interesting responses, that seemed to be divided into the female vs. male schools of thought on this issue. Most of the women said yes, while most men said no. The reason that the men gave was because there already was soapy water on the shower floor, so their feet were getting cleaned just by being there. One guy even said he doesn't wash anything below the kneecaps! Most of the women polled thought that was pure laziness and exhibited a lack of hygiene on the part of men.

So, there's a poll on my blog - feel free to provide your response, and make any comments - is not washing your feet efficient or disgusting?

Ipod for sale on Craigslist - Excellent Condition!

2009-03-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

I decided to put a few items for sale on Craigslist, which included my ipod. It's an 80gb video ipod, immediately placed in a case when I got it, so it's like new. I wasn't using it anyway (I prefer my 1gb Muvo player, which isn't as fancy, but gets the job done) so I thought it would be good to get this to someone else who could really use this.

I got MANY interested buyers - it was like I threw some chum into shark-infested waters the e-mails came in so quickly. But despite the overwhelming response, it hasn't sold - here's a sampling of some of the interesting responses I received, but had to regretfully decline:

1. The "or best offer" response - I am interested in offers, but no, I won't sell you my $200 ipod for $20.

2. The "trade" response - No, I am not willing to trade you my ipod for your ipod - I'm trying to get rid of mine, so why would I need another one???

3. The "$100 to ship it" response - This is also known as the "son of a West African Minister who was forced out of the country by political opponents but before fleeing the country had stowed away $10 million in a foreign bank" response. I got two of these, and they both wanted to buy my ipod for a relative/friend who was out of the country (like you can't get an ipod outside the US????), and were willing to add $100 to the purchase price if I would accept a "Fedex wire transfer" (I didn't know these existed, and as a matter of fact, neither does Fedex) to ship the item.

4. The "sure, I'll buy this" response - I had one person commit to buy, and we were to meet at an agreed location at an agreed time. I was there, at the right time, but no buyer.

So, if anyone wants to buy an ipod for a good price, particularly if you want to trade me your 2009 Honda DN-01 for it (see below - I'm willing to trade straight across), let me know!

A Ride...Finally!

2009-03-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

At long last the bad weather we've been having here let up for just one day. Yesterday was pouring, tomorrow we might have snow, but today it is dry. So, after running a couple of errands, I took the bike out for a ride. As you will see below, I've got a new bike - I mentioned in an earlier post that I really liked some of the "alternative" cruiser bikes out there, and I found this bike, a United Motors/Hyosung 250cc cruiser, in the colors I was looking for. I bought the bike from a retired couple in Southwest WA - it's a 2007 model, with only 150 miles on the odometer. It didn't take me too long to get the hang of clutching and shifting - the balance acquired from riding my Elite really helped. In case you are wondering, I'm keeping the Elite - I'm attached to her, as she was my first, and will continue to ride her.

It was so nice to be able to ride - I've been waiting for this day for weeks, checking the weather daily.I went out for a couple of hours, mainly around the two towns closest to where I live. A pic of the new bike as I was enjoying a cup of joe:

Another one, as the rain clouds start rolling in:

Here in the Northwest, when a riding opportunity is at hand, it must be seized!

Take care.

I'm Dreaming of a White St. Patrick's Day...

2009-03-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Not really...we got more snow on Thursday, and more is planned for this weekend. Oh bother...

I hope your weather is nice, whether you ride or not!

Honda NC50 Express

2009-02-28T21:36:00.001-08:00

The Elite is still in the shop - in addition to a tune up, her automatic choke is not working, so it's taking some extra time to get parts, etc. for that, so I've been riding one of my mopeds, the orange one shown above (a 1978 Honda NC50 Express). 50cc, so it's more of my "get the mail at the end of the drive" ride, but she is fun to ride. Starts after the third or fourth "kick" - actually, this isn't a kick start, but a "winder" start. You crank what looks like a kick start lever 3-4 times, and it winds up a spring inside the starter. Then, you press the rear brake lever, which releases the spring and it starts the engine. Kind of a poor man's kick start, but it works pretty well.

When I got her last year, it needed new brake pads, tires and a new seat cover. The first two items were left to my mechanic, and I bought a new replacement seat cover that is exactly like the original off ebay. The gentleman who sells these is from BC Canada, and does a great job of recreating seat covers for vintage bikes/scooters. I've bought several from him.

I call this a moped, but some will say that she is actually a "noped" since the pedals are merely footpegs and are not pedalled like a traditional moped. Whatever you want to call her, she is a real fun ride, and a good looker to boot!

Honda CT90

2009-02-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

Before there were quads and ATV's, there were the "trail" bikes, and one of the best was Honda's CT90, or Trail 90. These were offered from 1967 - 1979. Honda targeted hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen with the Trail 90. Early ads often featured these bikes in wilderness settings, and they were very well suited for narrow trails, being small, lightweight (around 188 pounds) and with a forgiving suspension. Some models had a set of low gears that required you to change the chain from one sprocket to another; later models had a hi/low switch. It was ideal for climbing and carrying packs, and I have heard stories of hunters carrying elk and deer off the mountain with these bikes.

While targeted for off-road uses, this was not a "dirt bike" in the conventional sense. They could easily be made street legal and had a top speed in road gear of around 55mph. Fuel economy was excellent, often around 100mpg. In local commuter traffic, they were extremely maneuverable. Later models were equipped with 110cc engines - in Australia, these bikes were used in the postal service, gaining the name "posties."

Many new riders were introduced to motorcycling by the Honda CT90 - they were light, easy to maneuver, and had clutchless shifting.

Last year I purchased the above bike (a 1978 model) from a gentleman who used these bikes to get back and forth around his cabin property. I loved the way this bike worked - in lo gear this bike could literally climb a tree, yet it could be used to run errands in town. I am glad I had a chance to enjoy this bike, but alas, the garage is getting full, so I have put this one up for sale. However, this bike runs great, and is a testament to Honda quality, and will be enjoyed by others after me.

To Sleep: Perchance To Dream...About Motorcycles

2009-01-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

While my Elite and the C70 and CT90 go, one by one, into the shop for a little pre-Spring service, here are some dream bikes for me...subject to change as my thoughts toss between scooters and motorcycles, cruisers and sportbikes and dual purpose, and new vs. vintage.

Scooters - I think Kymco and Piaggio build some fantastic scooters:

Cruisers - I fell in love with these small 250cc cruisers at the Seattle Motorcycle Show from Kymco (Venox) and Hyosung (GV250):

Vintage vs. New - I love vintage, but clogged carbs seem to follow me wherever I go, so I also long for a newer bike with fuel injection (but I hear they are expensive to service):

So, maybe the solution is a hybrid of vintage and new - Sym (from Taiwan) will be selling the Symba, a modernized version of the Honda Supercub, in the US in 2009:

I agree with William Shakespeare, "ay, there's the rub."

A New Commute and A New Hat

2009-01-21T20:44:00.000-08:00

I've been away for a bit, with a business trip to New York, and with the weather and lack of proper scooting I felt I didn't have much to write about. But it's good to be back in the blog saddle!

With the new year, I made a couple of changes in my commute. I used to carpool, but with my schedule (and laziness) I often wouldn't make the carpool and ended up driving into town. At $16 per day to park that was adding up pretty quick, not to mention the gas and wear and tear on the car. So, starting in January I started to take the bus. With a company-subsidized bus pass costing only $45 per month, plus the chance to walk from the bus stop to the office and back, it not only made financial sense, but also health sense and environment sense as well.

Today, I tried biking into the office. If you know where I live, it would be a pretty large task to commute all the way into Seattle (about 35 miles), but the buses here have bike racks so I can bus into town, and ride a short distance to the office.

My vehicle for this commute is a Giant LaFree hybrid electric bike, which I got for a great price off Craigslist as a personal Christmas present. It has 7 speeds, with an electric motor that gives you a little boost when needed. Some of you might think, "that's a ladies bike" - I prefer to call it a "European step-through" - as you can tell, I am struggling with my own masculine pre-conceived notions on bike design here.

It's a fun ride, and I took the opportunity to run some errands during lunch. I had to get one of my hats reshaped (I found it under some stuff in my car, so it was pretty crushed). In Seattle, the last remaining hat shop is Byrnie Utz. I remember going there with my Dad, and I am continuing the family tradition. If you need a hat, Byrnie Utz is the place. I ended up not only getting my hat reshaped, I got a new one as well!

Unfortunately, the bike commute home wasn't very successful. The bus drivers on the return trip didn't want me to load my bike since it is longer than a standard bike due to the electric motor and therefore didn't fit well in the bike rack, plus they thought it was too heavy for the bike rack (it is pretty heavy at 79 lbs). Apparently, the driver coming into town didn't have these concerns, and my bike made it into town fine. Fortunately, my office building has bike lockers, so I was able to store my bike and ride the bus home without it.

Score: Snow 18, Scooter 0

2008-12-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

We've just finished one of the worst snowstorms in recent history. Seattle had up to 6 inches, and in North Bend we had just over 18 inches! It was actually easier to get around North Bend, which gets snow fairly regularly, so the city is well-prepared with snowplows and sanding trucks. In Seattle, however, it was a mess. For some reason the city opted to wait out the snowstorm rather than plow the streets immediately, and what plowing was done was too little, way too late. Also, we don't use salt here for the roads - apparently this is a concern for the salmon habitat, although I just heard that all the sand and dirt that was spread on the roads is bad for the streams as well. In any event, the roads were very difficult to negotiate in downtown Seattle. It will normally take me about 10 minutes to get to the freeway by car from the office; last week, it took me an hour!

Seattle is pretty much rid of their snow, but as you can see, there is still a lot at my house. Also, some interesting icicles have formed.

I can't wait until I can ride again!

My best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Although It's Been Said Many Times, Many Ways...

2008-12-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

To all my two-wheeled friends, and those who happen upon this blog, Merry Christmas to you!

Snow Day

2008-12-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

The weather forecasters were all saying that we would get snow Wednesday morning, which didn't pan out. But by Wednesday afternoon it started to snow quite a bit in North Bend, and really started coming down in earnest throughout the Puget Sound area, so that by Thursday we had this:

About 5 inches when I took this picture, and outside this morning it is very cold and about 8 inches.

The hill I live on gets plowed and sanded pretty frequently, which is great with the exception that the snow gets piled up on the entrance to our driveway, so I usually have to dig ourselves out so we can get on the main road. Pretty much all of the school districts in the Seattle area are closed, as well as my office in Seattle.

No scooting today!

2008 Seattle Motorcycle Show

2008-12-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

The International Motorcycle Show made its way into Seattle this weekend, and today I took my son to join me as official blog photographer of the event. The event is being held at Qwest Events Center, which is adjacent to where the Seahawks play (although some will question whether the Seahawks are actually "playing" this year).

It seems that many did not take advantage of on-line ticket sales, as there was a large line waiting to get in, which my son and I were in until I spotted the e-ticket holder line which was deserted. Having purchased our tickets for $1 off on-line just before we left for Seattle, we moved to that line, and we were in. We were greeted by the "Progressive Girls" who gave us swag bags, and off we were to view the 2-wheeled offerings for 2008/2009.

Our first stop was to see the VME (Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts). The VME had three displays of older bikes, most organized by area (Japanese, British, Italian). I am a fan of the older Hondas, and there were some very fine examples here:

Being of the short-legged variety, I've been somewhat afraid to kick my leg over a motorcycle, for fear of tipping over, but I can straddle the cruiser-style bikes quite easily.

The Ural display was very nice:

The Scooter Pavilion made its appearance in Seattle - I guess this was so easy, even a caveman could do it, as the Pavilion was sponsored by GEICO. I admit to really enjoying the commercials, and the Ad with the hipster/passive aggressive cavemen dismounting their bikes and approaching some beautiful girls, only to turn back to their bikes when they see the condescending GEICO billboard Ad is very funny. There wasn't much in the Scooter Pavilion that wasn't already being displayed by Honda, Yamaha, Vespa/Piaggio or Kymco in their corporate displays on the main floor, but it was a great opportunity to focus solely on scooters. Here are a couple of pictures - a CF Moto CVT 250cc scooter/motorcycle and a favorite scooter of mine, the Kymco Xciting.

Speaking of Kymco, if I were to get a cruiser-style motorcycle, this would probably be the one - the Kymco Venox, which is a 250cc motorcycle that looks much bigger than that:

There was even a "car" on display - actually, not technically a car, as they tell me it is classified as a motorcycle, so you could ride this one-up in the carpool lanes around here. It's called an EMC3 Commuter (http://www.ecomotorcompany.com/) and is powered by a 1000cc Geely engine. Two wheels in the front, and one in the rear, it gets a reported 60+ mpg, and is freeway legal. Just under $15k for an automatic.

Rattlesnake Lake and The Town That Never Quite Was

2008-12-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

About a mile from my place is Rattlesnake Lake, so named because a pioneer surveyor heard the rattle of seed pods and thought he was being attacked by a rattler, not realizing that there are no poisonous snakes in Western Washington. The lake is a popular picnicking, fishing and hiking destination. Rattlesnake Lake is fed by underground springs, which cause an interesting ebb and flow to the size of the lake - in winter the lake looks quite normal, but in the summer the lake recedes a lot, uncovering its earlier life, the town of Moncton, a town that never quite was.

Moncton was in existence from 1906-1915, and was a railroad town, offering access to the Cedar River Watershed that brought water to Seattle and the surrounding area. A new community was built on the rail line along the shores of Rattlesnake Lake. The new village was named for one of its settlers, a Mr. Moncton. The town grew - by 1915, more than 200 people lived in Moncton, and the fledgling community had a hotel, a barbershop, a saloon, a restaurant, a few stores, and even an indoor swimming pool (little did they know that by summer an indoor pool in town would not be needed). A school on the north end of town provided education for children up through 8th grade. Older students had to walk or ride a horse seven miles to the nearest high school in North Bend.

In 1915, due to a new dam being built nearby, water started seeping through the hillsides near the town, which led to mini-geysers being formed, which had nowhere to go but into town. A slow-motion flood began, first outside of town, then in the streets of town, and by May of that year, the water was rising nearly a foot a day, causing the eventual condemning of Moncton.

Here are some photos of the town as it was flooding:

(Thanks to HistoryLink.org and the Seattle Public Utilities for the history and pictures of old Moncton.)

On Saturday, after I got the Christmas lights up, I rode up there in the Elite to take a few pictures before it got dark.

The lake is in the Cedar Falls Watershed area, and Seattle Public Utilities has a nice Education Center that provides some of the history of this area. The Education Center promotes green- and water-saving building techniques, such as this thatched roof:

They also have a "water drum" area where the rain water is used to create a symphony of drumming - it's pretty amazing to hear these when it rains:

This picture is from the Education Center looking towards Rattlesnake Ridge:

Two-Wheelin' In the Philippines

2008-12-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

After reading Orin's (Scootin' Old Skool) post about the Vespa rally in Manila, I recalled taking some two-wheeled pictures during my visit to the Philippines. In 2005 my son and I went traveled there as part of a father-son trip. I am half Filipino, and it had been about 35 years since I was last there. For my son it was his first trip. Most of these pictures are taken from the island where my Mom was born, a tiny island in the middle of the 7,000+ islands that make up the Philippines. It was an overnight steamship voyage from Manila, where we stayed in what are considered the "deluxe" accommodations, which was a large hall with bunk beds. What made it deluxe was the fact that we had bunks (the economy accommodations were on cots on the deck) and it was air conditioned, which was very nice. We were on the ship with my Mom, my Aunt, a number of cousins and we had a great trip down to my Mom's birthplace. At the harbor, there was a crowd of people, motorcycles with sidecars (called Tricycles) and Jeepneys, waiting to take people to various points on the island. This was in my pre-scooter life, but I was fascinated with the ability of these small motorcycles to carry passengers and cargo over some pretty rough roads.

The Philippines is a wonderful place - there's alot of natural beauty, but I would say the most beautiful part of the Philippines is its people. It doesn't matter if you are related or not, you are considered family when you travel to the islands. My son was the first of my Mom's grandkids to visit her island, so he was treated like a prince, which he had no problem suffering through!

Here's a non-motorized tricycle, taken one morning after we arrived in Manila:

'Tis The Season...Already???

2008-11-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

I've been getting into the habit of taking an afternoon nap on Saturday and Sunday, which is highly recommended! I got up at 4pm and decided to go into town, return some library items, pick up some groceries, before it got dark.

It's been very windy - with our proximity to Snoqualmie Pass, the Pass creates a funnel and forces the winds from east to west. Oftentimes, it's a warm wind, but with the approaching snow in the mountains, it's pretty cold. Plus it's very blustery, so I was getting beaten up a bit on the Elite, but we held our own.

The stores in town already have their Christmas items stocked, the tree lots in grocery stores already have trees, and some people are already buying them! There are at least two houses in town that already have lights up. While I love the holiday season, it seems like we are in more and more of a rush to start the materialistic part of the holidays; I heard Costco started selling holiday items in August!

North Bend is Christmas Tree Town Washington State, so the tree farms have begun their advertising.

The King, Keith and Scott are all ready for what is hopefully a busy season of selling Christmas trees.

But the cat is like me...not quite into the holiday spirit yet.

Wth next week being Thanksgiving, my best wishes to you all!

After The Rain

2008-11-15T18:39:00.001-08:00

The forecast is for dry weather for the next 3-4 days, so this Saturday morning I took the Elite for a ride into town to see how everything is getting back to normal. On my way into town, I came upon this small family of deer.

Downtown North Bend didn't get much in the way of flooding - Huxdotter's was serving espresso during the rains and wind. It's sunny and fairly warm (~50 degrees F), so I am taking my coffee "alfresco" this morning.

A view of Rattlesnake Ridge from Huxdotter's (fortunately there's no rattlesnakes in this part of the state).

5 minutes away by scooter is Snoqualmie - they are down river from North Bend, so there was significant flooding there - some roads are still closed.

These next pictures are of the school district building in Snoqualmie. A couple of days ago this place was sandbagged, and the buses were moved to higher ground. Today, the sandbags are gone, and it looks like the building fared pretty well.

A couple of blocks away, the neighborhood looks like it's pretty much back to normal, with the exception of someones alternative means of transportation during the flood.

Rain, Rain Go Away...

2008-11-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

Lots of rain here. Schools were closed yesterday. The Snoqualmie River crested at around 10:30pm last night, so it will be interesting to see what North Bend looks like this morning.

If you saw my post on Snoqualmie Falls, check out this video taken yesterday by the local news - pretty awesome sight, with the water crashing over the falls, taking logs down as if they were twigs!

http://www.komonews.com/home/video/34349414.html?video=YHI&t=a

I Need To Go On A Low-Carb Diet

2008-11-12T19:12:00.000-08:00

With the heavy rain we have been having as of late (today, the Snoqualmie River has flooded several towns near me), I haven't been able to ride much. I've been starting the Elite and the other mopeds every couple of days, just to keep them warmed up. I was thinking about sending one of the mopeds (a 1982 Yamahopper QT50) to the shop to clean and repair the carburetor - in the forums this appears to be the major reason why these older mopeds won't start/won't run. I even saw one post declare that these carbs are the easiest to take apart and clean. I didn't really want to spend $50-$100 for someone else to do this, so I said to myself, "I can do this!" I shouldn't have listened.

It was fairly easy to take the carb apart - a few screws needed to be loosened, a couple of clamps removed, and the carburetor came off. I should have had a small bucket ready, as gas started dripping from the carb and the petcock (so, that's why there's an "off" position) onto the floor. Well, at least it smelled like a real man's garage now!

The hard part was putting it back together again. I should have taken more pictures, as in my excitement over successfully removing the carb, I went immediately to removing the jet, the float bowl, the float itself, and a few odd screws that seemed to have no known purpose to me. I bought some carb cleaner, gave everything a thorough cleaning, and I was ready to reassemble. While some parts obviously went back in certain places, I had forgotten where others went. So, back to the forums, where I got a diagram of the carburetor and was able to locate all but one odd piece that doesn't seem to be mentioned in the diagram.

I have an order in with the local Honda/Yamaha dealer for some replacement parts, which will take a week or so. Hopefully I can get the new parts installed and get the Yamahopper running real soon - if so, it was a great learning experience; if not, I'm thinking my next bike will be fuel injected!

A New Addition - 1982 Honda C70 Passport

2008-10-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Hawaii, I remember seeing these small step-through motorcycles from Honda, that came with the ad "the nifty, thrifty, Honda 50." It was called the Honda Cub, with other variations as the Supercub and the Passport, a 70cc model.

The impression that those bikes left on me had an up swell this year. I started to research these bikes online, and found out that they are still sold (but not in the US). Honda celebrated 60 million in sales of the Cub in 2008, a remarkable feat. It was also named by the Discovery Channel as the "greatest bike of all time."

James May with the Telegraph recently wrote a nice testimonial to the Cub, and the genius behind this "people's motorcycle."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/columnists/jamesmay/3267424/Honda-Cub-The-greatest-machine-ever.html

While you might not be able to purchase a new one in the US, there are a few used ones up for sale on ebay or craigslist, which can range from very, very used to near pristine condition, with the price adjusting accordingly. I happened to be talking with a colleague at the office about my interest in a Passport, and she told me that her Dad was the original owner of a local Honda dealer in Seattle, and that she remembered him having a 1982 Honda Passport on his boat, with the bike now owned by her sister. I contacted her sister, and asked about the Passport, and she mentioned that she had been thinking about selling it. I asked her to please consider me, as I was a Honda fan (see my earlier post that proves this).

A few weeks passed and I hadn't heard from her - in the meantime I purchased a 1978 Honda CT90 (I was inspired by a blog entry from Kano where he reminisced about that bike in his life - more on this one in a future post). Then, I got an e-mail from her saying that she had talked to her Dad, and that they agreed I would make a great owner of the Passport!

When I came to pick her up, she was in great working condition, starting right up for me. It's what I would call a "semi-automatic" in that you have to shift gears, but there is no clutch lever. It was very quiet - the engine has such a soft tone to it. Cosmetically, there was rust from being on a boat, the leg fairing was cracked in several places, and the seat cover and basket needed to be replaced. But, she looked beautiful to me, and I brought her home.

Over the summer I repaired the cracked fairing with superglue and white caulk, replaced the seat cover, started removing rust from the chrome tailpipe, replaced the shopping basket, and changed the oil.

Since I live in a pretty hilly area, 70cc's won't allow me to keep up with traffic (both the motorized and walking varieties!), so I trailer it to town and ride it around on the flatlands. She gets a lot of looks, and I end up meeting many people, young and old, who had great memories of their times with this bike.

Fall

2008-10-25T18:00:00.001-07:00

Being a new rider, this is my first fall on the scooter. I really enjoyed the warmth of summer, and while my riding time has been cut somewhat due to the weather, there are still ample opportunities to ride here. Riding in the fall is great - the coolness of the air makes me thankful that I have a leather jacket, and reminds me that I need to get a better pair of riding pants.

The colors are very nice around here - I was born on the east coast, and have some remembrance of the vibrancy of fall there, and while the evergreens here in Washington state do not offer the intense contrast of fall, there is still much that turns to show that autumn has arrived.

We lose daylight by the day, so my coffee stop gains added importance with the chill of the afternoon.

Mount Si

2008-10-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

I took Friday off, and after running some errands, and after the day warmed up a bit (we've been having frost in the mornings as of late), I took the Elite out for a ride into town. Probably the most significant natural landmark of North Bend is Mount Si (as in sigh):

Mount Si stands at 4,167 ft (1,270 m). The mountain was named after Josiah Merritt, an early settler. It figures prominently in the show Twin Peaks, and is a popular hiking destination, getting between 80,000-100,000 climbers annually. Due to its terrain, especially towards the top, Mount Si is used as a training hike for those planning to ascend Mount Rainier (the highest peak in the Cascade Range, at just over 14,400 feet).

When you're this popular, people want to name things after you:

The local high school, several doctors, dentists, and businesses all take on the name of Mount Si. I've even heard of a couple of weddings done at the top of the mountain.

This is about as close as I can get on a scooter, however, which is fine by me:

Are Online Friends Really Friends?

2008-10-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am a fairly new blogger, and it's been great getting to know other people with interests that are similar to mine. I've gotten the chance to get a glimpse into the lives of people from different parts of the country, and even the world. On the right hand side of my blog is a list that I call "My Friends' Blogs" and I really do feel that these folks are my friends - they're a great bunch of scooterists and motorcyclists!

I asked my kids (one is on Facebook and the other is on MySpace) how many online "friends" they have - one said 160, the other said 300 - I was assured that all of them are known personally, or at the very least they were a known friend of a friend. I'll have to get them to define what "known personally" means, as I would think that managing 160, let alone 300 friendships would be pretty tough.

The internet has certainly changed how one makes friends - the fancy name is "social networking" but the concepts are the same. As with friends in the flesh, some are pretty selective in who they allow into their lives online; indeed, there is a dark side to online relationships, and caution is prudent. Others are "collectors" trying to amass as many friends as possible on their MySpace or Facebook page to show how popular they are. It's even got to the point where some of the well-heeled have hired assistants to manage their online friends, as in this article from the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6260210.stm

Rest assured that I am the actual me typing this, and I am glad to meet you - thanks for being a friend on this ride!

The Times They Are a-Changin'

2008-10-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

While we have had a great summer in western Washington with plenty of sunny weather to ride, I can really sense the change in seasons here. Fall has come pretty decisively to North Bend, bringing leaves, cooler and wetter weather. It looks like I won't be able to assume that I can ride on any given day, like I could for much of the summer. I guess that means I will just need to grab those opportunities when they come, which will make me all the more thankful for the times I can ride.

A Scooter Break

2008-09-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about my job is that I get to do some traveling. I have the good fortune to travel to New York City four or five times a year, usually spending one to two weeks there. So here I am in Manhattan this week, which means no scootering, but New York is such a great place that I don't mind being off the saddle for a little bit.

I got in Saturday night, so I am playing tourist this morning. First off, a cup of coffee - not some venti-orange-frappa-macchiato-shot of caramel-no room-165 degree concoction here - just a good cup' a joe.

Then it was off to wander the city. The architecture here is so varied and pretty beautiful in my opinion.

This building, on 40th and Lexington, had an amazing frieze just above the doorways of the various establishments. Work is being done to restore this building:

When lunchtime came around, I went to one of my favorite Filipino restaurants - I'm half Filipino, and I am always looking for something close to my Mom's cooking - this restaurant does a pretty good job:

One of the really cool things about New York is its diversity - so many nations and ethnic groups call New York home, and if you live here, you can have a parade to celebrate it - this one is a Mexican celebration:

While New York is such a busy, hard-working place, they take the time to celebrate, which I think is really great. This parade went right in front of my hotel, offering me an excellent view.

As I said, New York is a pretty diverse place!

Let The River Flow, Part 2

2008-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

The three forks all converge in the town of Snoqualmie, at the Snoqualmie Falls. Snoqualmie Falls plunges 268 ft, making it about 100 ft taller than Niagara Falls (but a lot less wide). It is one of Washington's most popular attractions, but is perhaps best known internationally for its appearance in the cult television series Twin Peaks. There's a great observation deck where I took the second picture from, and there is a trail that you can take to get down to the bottom of the falls. For the less adventurous, there's a lodge that houses an excellent (and pricey) hotel and spa.

Soon it was time for me to return home, where I found one of our cats taking advantage of my absence and drinking from my water cup. Good thing I saw him do this!

Let The River Flow

2008-09-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

On a recent ride, I decided to take some pictures of the Snoqualmie river, which is near my house. The Snoqualmie River is 45 miles long, and it has three main tributaries - the North, Middle, and South Forks, which drain the west side of the Cascade Mountains near North Bend, and then join in Snoqualmie. I live just uphill from the South Fork.

It's calm right now, but this river floods pretty regularly.

There's something special about rivers - they start small, high in the mountains, and gather steam as they come to the lowlands, joining with other streams and creeks until they make it to the ocean. Kind of a metaphor for life - I like how Roger McGuinn put it in "The Ballad of Easy Rider":

The river flows

It flows to the sea

Wherever that river goes

That's where I want to be

Flow river flow

Let your waters wash down

Take me from this road

To some other town

Wherever you are in this river of life, enjoy the ride!

Mechanically Challenged

2008-08-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have learned in my journey on this soil is that I am not very handy. I admire those people who can build and fix things; my Dad was one of those guys - he built things with wood that have stood the test of time. Both of my brothers have this ability too; unfortunately, I have none of their patience nor the ability.

This makes having an older scooter a bit of a problem, as they do require some attention. The Honda is super reliable, but it does require some maintenance. Regardless of my lack of skills, she has let me work on her. I started out just cleaning her plastic and engine. It did require removing her body parts, and with a little patience I was able to find out all of her contact points and removed (and replaced) the pieces. She needed a new battery, so I got to learn about battery types, and charging and maintaining a battery. Then, I needed to give her a new seat cover. OK, I can handle a staple gun, so I did a pretty good job of replacing the seat cover.

I purchased a shop manual, and learned how to change oil, adjust brakes, and do other simple procedures. I haven't tackled any of the engine adjustments, such as idle and carb cleaning, leaving that for the present to the professionals.

Some of the things I have learned so far (these are obvious for many, but for me they are sage tips):

1. Good quality tools are a must

2. A pen-size magnetized probe is a must (I don't know how many times I have dropped a screw into one of the many crevices of the Honda)

3. A bunched up piece of aluminum foil with some WD40 can clean rust off chrome

4. Patience is not only a virtue, it is a requirement

Dirty Laundry

2008-08-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

This post is not about political mud-slinging...it's about the real kind of dirty laundry - mine. Our washing machine decided to give it up this week, and the cost to repair was so much that it made sense to get a new one. The new one won't be delivered until Tuesday, so Sunday morning I decided to go into town and do some laundry.

I could have used one of our cars to bring down the laundry, but one of the great things about scooters and motorcycles is that, in addition to being real fun to ride, they are pretty handy. So, I packed up a large trash bag with laundry, and with a few bungee cords, secured it to the Elite.

It's not as much of a load as this, but it proves that the Elite has definite capabilities as a pack mule.

Here we are at the local laundromat:

Between loads I was able to ride over to Huxdotter's to grab my Americano, and rode around town. When the clothes were all dry, I folded them, which made the bag even larger, so with a little more effort tieing everything down, I rode home. It was great not only to get a ride in, but also get some needed work done as well!

Honda, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways

2008-08-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's raining and windy in North Bend today, and I have to clean out the garage, so no riding this morning. In between taking out the garbage and cleaning the cat box, I thought I would write a bit.

My scootering adventures began with my 1986 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe (also known as the "Spacey" in Europe for its space age design). It has a pop up front headlight (which I have heard will fail at some point, but for now, so far so good) and digital dash, which earns this model its "Deluxe" moniker. It's excellent, even considering it is a 22 year old bike.

Honda had a great series of MTV-styled ads during the 1980's, one featuring Lou Reed with the great line "hey, don't settle for walking" as he starts his Honda scooter...

One of the reasons I chose the Elite was that I have always been impressed with the quality of Honda products. What follows is a testament to my love of all things Honda:

Our two cars are Honda's - a 2004 Element (my driver) and a 2003 Honda Odyssey Mini-van:

We have a Honda riding lawn mower - Honda doesn't make these anymore, which is too bad - this is a great one:

Generators? Yup, Honda - these are those whisper quiet models. My son has a Sound/DJ business, and sometimes he is at a location with no electricity - these quietly do a fantastic job:

Lastly, here is a 1978 Honda Express moped/noped. My wife wanted something to ride around for fun but she didn't want to get her MC endorsement, so this 50cc bike does the trick. We call her Miss Stinky, as she had a gas leak, which has since been repaired, but she keeps the name. She doesn't have a kick start - it's called a wind-up start - you press your foot down on what looks like a kick start lever several times until the spring winds up, then squeeze the left brake lever and it starts the engine - pretty interesting technology. Like everything else, it runs great!

I think I know how Elizabeth Barrett Browning felt!

Is 50 The New 40, and Does It Matter?

2008-08-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 50. Since I tend to get up pretty early, even on the weekend, I took the Elite out for a birthday ride; went to my usual coffee place, and enjoyed the coolness of the morning. I thought about what I had accomplished this year, one being my (finally) getting my motorcycle endorsement and getting to enjoy life on two wheels. I waited a long time to get to this point - I really wasn't interested in scooters or motorcycles when I was younger, even though my Dad was an avid rider. But last year I was bitten by the two-wheeled bug, and I am glad I got my endorsement by the time I turned 50.

When I turned 40, it really didn't impact me emotionally, and I can say that turning 50 is not that much different, although I do sense more significance to this date in my life. On Friday, my office mates treated me with excellent baked goodies, and great cards and gifts, including a blow up walker with "old fart" warnings throughout. Today it was spent with me riding the Elite, and enjoying a great lunch at a Filipino restaurant in Seattle with my wife, our kids, my Mom, one of my brothers and my Aunt who is visiting from the Philippines. A good day!

I often joked to myself that upon turning 50 I would get a Corvette, wear a thick gold chain around my neck with my shirt opened up for all to see it, and pretend to be 30. Instead, I ride a scooter and am enjoying my 50th!

Nature Calls

2008-08-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

As I got more comfortable riding, I started to do some local touring. The Snoqualmie Valley area of western Washington, while undergoing a lot of development, still has a lot of open spaces, with some fantastic views of the foothills of the Cascades. Also, there is quite an abundance of wildlife. We live on 2.5 acres, and regularly have a number of visitors, including elk, deer, bobcat, and (I have heard from others) a bear. These pictures were taken last summer from my front step - these two elk had our property on their daily agenda for about 2 weeks, stopping by around noon to graze on our front lawn.

While on one of my recent rides, I took the pictures below - I have gone by this area many times by car, and have enjoyed the beauty, but on the scooter this area really stands out. This area is within 5 minutes from my place. The images in the last picture are small, but this small family of deer were grazing on the hillside near the road - as I got closer they started to move farther away from me so I couldn't get a good picture of them.

One ride, 45 minutes, and a wealth of adventures!

Scooterin' in Real Time

2008-07-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Once I got the Elite back from the mechanic, it was time to venture out in the world. Where I live in North Bend, WA (about 35 miles east of Seattle) we are in the foothills of the Cascades, so while there are some steep hills to get to my place, the Elite handles them (and its rather large rider) with nary a complaint. The town of North Bend provides some nice areas to ride, with traffic speeds anywhere from 25 to 40 mph. There is a very nice espresso stand in town, Huxdotter's Coffee, and my morning rides usually end up there. The baristas are nice, and the coffee is excellent.

Just east of North Bend is the town of Snoqualmie - another pretty, quaint town, that has a pretty active tourist railroad.

I have lived in the area for many years, but the perspective from a scooter is so different it makes these places new again.

Still Not A Scooterist Part 2

2008-06-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

On May 4 I passed my Motorcycle Safety Training Course, and on May 6 I go to the DOL to get my new licence to show my motorcycle endorsement. Now I can ride legally! I pull the Elite from the garage, and with my new-found knowledge of the starting sequence for a scooter (key on, engine switch to run, brake and ignition) I attempt to start her. Engine cranks, but does not turn over. I try it again - same result. A third time - same result. I pause for a minute. I try it a few more times - now the battery is down to nothing. Maybe the battery is the cause, so I recharge the battery overnight. The next day, more of the same - the Elite doesn't turnover, and the battery is dead again! I get a new battery - it doesn't help. I change the spark plug - it doesn't help. I empty the gas tank (I left the gas in since winter, which should have been a clue) and put in new gas - it doesn't help. So, I rent a trailer, and take the Elite down to my local mechanic. He fixes mainly cars, but I have seen motorcycles, even riding mowers in his shop, so he is an all around mechanic. In a couple of days I get a call from him telling me everything is fixed (it was a dirty carb from my leaving the gas in over the winter), and he even drives it home for me - a great guy! I start her up, and begin my riding experience.

May, 2008 - Still Not A Scooterist!

2008-05-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Having bought my scooter in late summer of 2007, I had intentions of taking my written test for my motorcycle endorsement in WA state, then practicing on the scooter, then taking my road test sometime thereafter, hopefully in early 2008. Well, it is now May 2008, and I haven't done any of the above. So, after talking with a colleague of mine who completed the Motorcycle Training Safety Course (MTSC) , I went ahead and signed up for the class. The Evergreen Safety Council (the organization that puts on the MTSC) recently started offering "scooter only" classes - you get the same Motorcycle Endorsement, but you get to ride on scooters to take the class, which made a lot of sense to me. The class involved about 7 hours of class instruction, and about 15 hours of "range" exercises at one of the Boeing parking lots. It was a great class, with excellent teachers who really wanted you to succeed at riding. You start out just straddling the scooter, then walking with the scooter without power, then walking under power, and pretty soon you are riding around cones, going over obstacles, practicing emergency stops and slow speed tight maneuvers. You take a written test on the rules of the road, and on the last day you take the skills test, and you need to get at least an 80% on both tests to pass. While I did extremely well on the written test, I had a few problems with the skills test, but I passed both. What a relief! Now, I was an official scooterist. However, it would be a couple of more weeks before I could ride my scooter.

My 1986 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe/CH150

2008-05-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I got bit by the scooter bug...bad. I gotta a fever, and the only prescription is more scooter! So, I had been on the hunt for a scooter for some time. I looked at some new Vespas and Lambrettas but they were quite expensive. I saw the ebay ads for scooters for $799, but I had heard a lot of stories about these lesser quality scooters that basically fell apart after 300 miles. I wanted something not too expensive but also was a quality make. Around the end of the summer of 2007, I was browsing through the motorcycle/scooter section of Craigslist and saw an ad from a gentleman not too far from me who had a 1986 Honda Elite 150 Deluxe scooter for sale. This scooter had 22,000 miles on the odometer. He was the second owner, who used the scooter for recreational use, such as at the campsite, and he told me the first owner used it as a true commuter bike, explaining the high miles. The scooter was in really good shape cosmetically, a few scratches here and there, but nothing that bad. He started it up and rode a couple of times down his block (he had to test drive it on my behalf, as I had never set foot on a scooter). I bought it, and for a little extra he and his son brought it home for me. So this was the start of my relationship with this scooter. However, the scooter would have to wait another 8 months before I would begin riding.