the weather is killing me. last night we had heavy rain and lightning and today is just wet and gloomy. the most thing that i can do is look out the window at my very wet bike and shake my head at the fact that i STILL don't have a cover for her. should be here by mid next week though and it better damn well be water proof.
in other news, dad's "dogs" are gone and he seems to be doing fine. he has been taking longer trips out of the house and is now learning to control his "water". if you don't know what i mean, look up some of the drawbacks of having your prostate removed. it's interesting how much that little organ does.
Ride 01.
yesterday i hit the road. i needed to see what the bike would be like to drive for an extended distance with very little time off the saddle. in total, i covered 338.8 kilometers (210.5 miles).
i learned:
that my seat sucks
that i need something to support my back
that i'm not lost, i'm just looking for a familiar place
that no matter how clean you want your bike to be, it's still going to be covered in bugs when you are done
that i will match my bike in bug colours at the end of the ride
that back roads are more fun and friendly then the highways
that the feeling of freedom is unmatched
that my bike gets damn good mileage 19 km/L (50mpg)
it was a pretty simple ride. left from Rothesay at around 11 am, hit the backroads through Hampton. followed backroads again to Sussex. from Sussex to Moncton (actually the Irving Big Stop), half back roads, half highway. i stopped at the Toys for Big Boys store (i hate that bloody name) and then it was back roads all the way down to Sussex to visit my dad. after some jabbering and mom feeding us (she came home on her lunch half hour) i was back on the road and in Rothesay (via backroads) sometime after 8 pm.
i don't think i've smiled that much in years. cruising those roads by myself is a feeling that i have been craving and missing for some time now. i can't wait to do it again and i really can't wait for my big trip in august.
i learned:
that my seat sucks
that i need something to support my back
that i'm not lost, i'm just looking for a familiar place
that no matter how clean you want your bike to be, it's still going to be covered in bugs when you are done
that i will match my bike in bug colours at the end of the ride
that back roads are more fun and friendly then the highways
that the feeling of freedom is unmatched
that my bike gets damn good mileage 19 km/L (50mpg)
it was a pretty simple ride. left from Rothesay at around 11 am, hit the backroads through Hampton. followed backroads again to Sussex. from Sussex to Moncton (actually the Irving Big Stop), half back roads, half highway. i stopped at the Toys for Big Boys store (i hate that bloody name) and then it was back roads all the way down to Sussex to visit my dad. after some jabbering and mom feeding us (she came home on her lunch half hour) i was back on the road and in Rothesay (via backroads) sometime after 8 pm.
i don't think i've smiled that much in years. cruising those roads by myself is a feeling that i have been craving and missing for some time now. i can't wait to do it again and i really can't wait for my big trip in august.
new taillight.
New tail light
Originally uploaded by giest.
my new Highway Hawk taillight cover came in today. it's too cloudy and rainy to ride, but at least i can put accessories on...hehe.
i'm good.
Selene has her maintenence done and i can finally ride again. for the last three or four days i've been extremely dizzy and for one day, very nauseous. i couldn't walk straight, couldn't drive and sure as hell didn't feel like eating. a trip to the hospital gave me a diagnosis of benign vertigo. in the middle of all that, i got to enjoy an Alice Cooper concert! my nausea subsided (with the help of gravol) long enough for me to have a blast there. i was seated maybe nine rows back from the stage and it was awesome! that man sure knows how to put on a show. for the whole night i was stumbling around and losing my balance...funny thing is...i was the only one NOT drinking...LOL. everyone had a good laugh and a good time.
after that, it was out to a local club to catch another band called Crash Kelly. they were either crappy or we were spoiled by Alice...in short...they sucked. i didn't even get through their whole set before my stomach went tits up again. barely made it home for another shot of gravol. with that in me, i was face down in the bed.
all in all, quite an eventful three days off. today i'm at work and feeling much better. i'm only slightly off balance and i'm able to drive the bike with no issues at all. weather is great for it too. too bad i have to work...blah.
after that, it was out to a local club to catch another band called Crash Kelly. they were either crappy or we were spoiled by Alice...in short...they sucked. i didn't even get through their whole set before my stomach went tits up again. barely made it home for another shot of gravol. with that in me, i was face down in the bed.
all in all, quite an eventful three days off. today i'm at work and feeling much better. i'm only slightly off balance and i'm able to drive the bike with no issues at all. weather is great for it too. too bad i have to work...blah.
the weekend.
Myself and Selene
Originally uploaded by giest.
most of this week has been crap. just ugly weather and no, i still don't have a cover for her. not being able to ride doesn't really make a difference though. she is due for her regular maintenance check up and i can't ride her until tomorrow. she was supposed to go in at the 1000 Km mark, but a trip to Sussex to visit my parents added a few more kilometers then i expected. i'm currently at 1500 Km or so. ooops. so now she is parked until tomorrow morning...which happens to be forecasted for scattered showers.
the weekend was great. my dad seems to be doing really well. he has a nurse that checks on him every day and he is up and moving about. they replaced his bags (or dogs as mom calls them) with smaller ones that are out of the way. his biggest problem is with his back. he has had back problems for quite some time now, being a trucker and all. so now it's hitting him in spades.
speaking of the weekend. it was great on bike. sunday was an impecable day. very warm and very calm. once i cleaned her up a bit, it was riding time. we drove all around sussex and the back roads throwing out many waves and greetings to all the other riders out enjoying the sun. i think i waved to the same guy at least four times. we passed by the local Tim Horton's and the congregation gathered there blew me away. there were so many bikes there, i lost count. i bellowed back to my wife and asked if we had any cash. the reply was no. oh well, another ride then. off to the local bank we went to get some cash.
i pulled up and she hopped off to get the money. in the meantime, at least five bikes went by and there were three parked in the bank parking lot. two H-Ds and a Yamaha...i believe.
once we got the money, it was off to Tim's. i got my usual, an ice cap and she got an orange juice and a doughnut. we just sat in the sun and admired all the bikes. checking out what everyone else had done to theirs and discussing what we would like to have done to Selene (my bike).
when we finished up looking, it was a short ride to a friend's house to show off Selene and back to my parents place. we didn't stay long as it was already getting dark and i didn't want it too cool off too much. it's an hour long drive back down to Rothesay and that can get quite cold when it's dark.
on the way through Hampton, she suggested stopping in at Holly's Restaurant to get a bite to eat. i was hesitant because it was getting late, but my grumbling stomach made the decision for me.
we finished up and hit the road again. surprisingly, even though it was dark, it stayed quite warm. it made for a nice casual drive home that only left me slightly chilled.
like i said, it was a beautiful weekend for a drive and i can't wait until the weather gets warmer so that me and Selene can have a few longer adventures.
