Towards a totally 2 wheel life...

I had my tongue firmly planted in my cheek during my last post, although I did go out and buy a blender for the house on the bike.  Yes, it did occur to me to take the blender out of the box to carry it home although I didn't do that for fear of damaging the blender.

The post did prompt me to ask a question to the various forums I belong to about using the bike as your main means of transport.  I was surprised at how many people do.  Many, like me, either have one car (which may or may not be used that often) or no car at all.  Many made that choice on their own for whatever reason whereas I felt I was forced into using the bike as my main means of transportation but I have never regretted it.  My question became...how do I use my bike more?  What should I carry to make my life on two wheels simple and better?  Bungee cords could have helped moving the blender but I didn't have any on me at the time.  Now I have them packed away.

Someone mentioned a cargo net.  Trobairitz mentioned Rok straps and these are both things I need to look into.    I also discovered that my under seat storage is bigger than I originally thought.  I now have a variety of bungee cords, my rain suit, my phone charger, a sweater, my "pack" (which contains a $20 bill, my bike's insurance info, two flashlights, a 1st aid kit and other things).  In other words a lot of crap. More crap than I probably need or use (for example I've yet to use the phone charger but have it just in case I'm stuck somewhere someday).

I am already using Kimmie for small errands.  I commute nearly every day, traveling 70 miles round trip.  Still I want to ride more, go further.  How do you give up a car?  How do you make a motorcycle your main means of transportation?  

Susan and I are slowly but surely getting used to riding 2-up but over the last month or two it's been raining, work has had me working overtime and even the second delivery job has been busier than normal as I find myself taking on new projects all the time.  This lifestyle does not lend itself to riding very well.  I hope to have mastered this 2-up thing by our trip to the Bahama's in September.  After all, her mother and daughter will be along and I'm sure they will want to climb on back too.  Convincing Susan to do more on the bike with me may be an uphill battle.  It is a different type of lifestyle that I am trying to obtain.

One, not free of the car but where I put more miles on my odometer than normal.  According to the National Highway Administration, my average miles for a guy my age should be about 18,800.  I would like to put that on the bike.  Right now nearly all of the mileage on the car is related to my side job.  Traveling my 70 miles round trip I get very close to that.  How do I put on that extra 600 to 700 miles?

I am not sure why I want to do this.  This just seems like the right thing to do.  It just "feels" right.

Sloppy Seconds or "Rob doesn't really have a topic this week."

It's been one of those weeks where nothing got accomplished.  I got buried at work, the weather did not cooperate and the lovely Susan and I didn't manage to get our stuff together to start trying to ride 2-up.    We did make sure she was able to climb onto the back of the bike without difficultly but we haven't taken it out yet.

In fact, I've not ridden much at all in the last few days.  When I have however I've noticed something about myself and my riding technique.  I've become sloppy.  Not really coming to a full stop when making a right turn at a stop sign.   Looking down a bit when making a turn and not keeping my eye on what's ahead.  Racing through yellow lights.   

In other words, stupid.

I am not sure where or how I've picked up these bad habits.  What I do know is that I need to break them.  If something goes wrong when I'm riding solo that's one thing.  I am responsible for my own actions, my own life.  I've accepted that responsibility.  Riding with a passenger means that I am now responsible for their life as well.   With the additional weight of a passenger the bike will react differently.  Act differently.  It's simple basic physics.  I need to break those bad habits now.

The second thing we need to do it get the lovely Susan some gear of her own.  I have a secondary "back up" helmet which she can wear on our low speed trial runs around the neighborhood, but once we start heading out on the roads I feel a full face helmet for her is in order.  It's probably the safest option as well.  We have not talked about jackets yet but I would hope she go for some Hi-Vis.  

I would like to get this all accomplished before our second cruise on Celebration Cruise lines (and third cruise overall) to the Bahama's (which we have never visited).  Last year a local scooter group traveled to the islands and  zipped around the whole island on rented scooters.  Susan and I have done similar things on our other cruises, enjoying Cozumel for example in a rented jeep, but this is the first time I will be renting a scooter.  You can see a video of last year's ride here.

When the same group offered a great rate to go this year we jumped at the chance.  We are looking forward to exploring the islands.  My only concern however is other people.  The group we are riding with are all experienced riders, I'm sure the natives are familiar with their machines.  These are not the people that concern me.  I have watched enough You Tube video's of idiots on scooters to be concerned about people that don't know better being out on the streets of Nassau.

Finally I just want to remind everyone that the National Ride to Work Day will be here soon.

Now back to the real world grind...

Now where did I park my bike?

It's been over a month since the proverbial excrement entered the rotary air moving device.  The timing could not have been worse, being so close to Christmas and the New Year's Holidays.  My insurance agent went on vacation  then I went on vacation   It doesn't give you much time to work on the things that have to be done regarding titles, repairs and all the other crap that you have to slog through to replace/repair your bike.
So when my vacation, a 7 day cruise to several places in the Caribbean came around, I quickly let go of the stress of being self employed.  The  headaches of investing in a rental property (which is new territory for me).  I let go of my concerns about my future with 3M.  I threw overboard the stresses of everyday life and just simply...enjoyed it.    I loved relaxing, I loved seeing places I may never see again.  I loved eating goat meat on a pure white beach in Costa Maya, Mexico.  Swimming at a private beach in Belize.  I even picked up a bottle of Cashew wine, which peaked my interest the second I heard about it.

Roatan by sea.

Roatan, Honduras was our first port of call and  sadly I did not get any pictures of the roads.  As the picture shows however it's a rather "mountainous" island.  As we took a little tour about the island with a great driver all I could think was.   I want to ride here.  The roads were not the best, being only two lanes and there not seeming to be any "rules of the road."

Still though, nice and twisty and at times steep and crazy.  Scooters and motorcycles of various sorts zipped about us quickly in town, spilling lanes and making me yearn even more to join them.
The island itself is not very large.  Only about 37 miles (60 KM) long by 5 miles (8 KM) wide.  This gives some wonderful panoramic views as you climb to the top of the island, only to plummet down some twisting wonderfully scary roads towards the white sandy beaches.

Roatan is located near one of the largest barrier reefs in the world which creates some wonderful diving and snorkeling opportunities as well as some shipwrecks.   This blog entry however is not about my vacation   It's more to let my few readers know that I am alive and well and will be returning to my planned once a week entries soon.  I enjoy blogging.

Another view one can see from the back of a scooter.

My cruise also visited Belize, a poor and frankly not very nice place to visit. My family and I went to a private beach that was recommended to us by the crew of the ship (and not on the official embarkation list), which was nice...but for a "resort" seemed to be lacking.   The resort seemed broken down and dirty to me, much like the county itself.

The next two ports were in Mexico.  Costa Maya is a strip of restaurants and cafes on a long strip of long unbroken white sandy beaches.  It's a day full of exploring funky little shops and haggling with savy small business men and woman.  The one thing I didn't like was being approached ever 15 meters or so to stop and eat or drink at "the best restaurant in Mexico."

I want to retire here.

The last port of call was Cozumel.  I've been there twice now and each trip I fall more in love with this place.  I know that by the time I'm ready to retire, it will be beach resort after beach resort built up on each other.  The weather was overcast and cool which made lounging on the beach uncomfortable, but with camera in hand Sue and I rented a jeep and explored the island.  Scooters and motorcycles where the preferred way to get around and it was not uncommon to find mothers and fathers carrying young kids with them as they zipped about.

Well it is a blog about life on 2 wheels.

I don't know what it is about this island, it just feels like home to me.  It's main port and most of the population is on one side of the island, it's crowded and crazy and exciting like any big city.  Then you jump on your bike, or jeep in our case, and drive a few kilometers in any direction and your in the back country.  Flat and unbroken jungle fills the interior.  The main road, hell the only road, runs along the beaches...many of which are unbroken white strands.  Others are rocky beaches that reminded my of New England and in one spot the tide rolled in so strong that it carved channels in the rock, creating little geysers that reached six feet into the air. 

Sadly you don't see the geysers but it reminds me of Maine

What this trip put into my mind was a desire to retire to the islands (only 20 - 25 years to go!) and to scoot around the islands if I get the chance.  I know in September a scooter club is planning a possible ride in the Bahama's.  I've never been there, and the seed is planted.  

In the end my bike mileage was 24,811 miles.  It had 6,600 on it to begin with so I placed 18,211 miles on my bike.  Not to shabby.  I hope to finally replace my bike this weekend.  Finally, some additional pictures are available on my Facebook Page if your interested.

For Rent - a home in Florida

 Avoid the snow my Canadian friends and enjoy a longer riding season!  Available 3/01/13 I have a 1040 square foot 2 Bedroom/2 Bath modular home available in a 55+ park in Zephryhills, FL.  It's fully furnished in a very active gated community with clubhouse and all amenities.  Contact Rob at 724-992-2567 or Sue at 724-992-1409 for details.  Rent is $1000/mn + deposit.   Background and credit check required.

Pics to follow once I get back from my trip.  I'm on vacation starting today till next week.  I should return on the 21st and own a new bike at that time.

Hey, it's my blog and I'll post what I want.  LOL   :)

A quick one

UPDATES - I just got back from vacation    I'm tired, my ass feels like it's still in motion but overall it was a wonderful time.  It's good to be home.

Bob - my neighbor and friend is still recovering and although its unlikely he will live by himself again, considering how I was saying goodbye to a friend in the last post (and how the family was going to remove life support on Friday) I see his recovery as nothing short of a small miracle.  He was actually smiling and laughing when I saw him late tonight.  Sadly he is still not able to walk or talk but at least he's making progress.  Thank you all however for your kind thoughts and well wishes.  Let's keep that positive energy flowing.

I have some images and thoughts in the back of my head that need to settle first, bags to unpack and laundry to do before this blog can be seriously updated.  Soon I promise.

For Bob - a memorial.

Oct 22, 2012 - A sad day.

My good friend Bob died after a long battle.  He was surrounded by friends and family and passed quietly.  I  will miss my neighbor and friend. His daughter Bonnie is now part of our family.  I think he would have wanted that.  Enjoy tuning that old 52 Chevy my friend.

Bob on the Left, me on the right

Sept 19, 2012 - UPDATE!!!

Bob's condition, while still dire, is getting better.  He's moving about and showing some signs of recovery.  It's still not know if he will make a full recovery.  But it's better than no recovery at all.  Keep the prayers and good vibes coming Y'all!

_________________________________

I am saying goodbye to a good friend because I don't think I am going to get the chance. Well that is not true, on Thursday I will be saying my goodbyes.  On Friday morning I am leaving on vacation and will be out of town to October 1st.  My plans can not be changed.

Bob Bushart is my neighbor and friend and I've known him for about three years now.  He's a few years older than me and suffered from a variety of ailments and issues.  Still though, he was full of life and willing to do anything, try anything and help out where ever he could.  He and I told stories of misspent youth in bars and questionable nightclubs; playing a little game of who was telling the bigger lie.     He was a car guy and very well known in his home town of Rochester, NY and often told stories about how he rebuilt this or that.  I often tried to get him to help with the Burgman.  "Your blind and I'm an mechanical moron" I tell him.  "What possibly could go wrong?"  

A little over a week ago he went into the Hospital to clear a blockage.  Something happened, the doctors are not sure what, and my friend entered a coma.  He is not expected to recover and this Friday, they will be removing him from life support.  Due to circumstances we will not be here when they do that.  I would love to provide a shoulder for his loving daughter during that time.

If any good comes from this it's the knowledge that life really is for the living.  It really is a crazy, beautiful thing and I'm glad that I got to share a all to brief piece of my life with him.

Good bye Bob.   We will miss you buddy.

September has always been a sad month

As far back as I can remember the month of September has always been a month of transition.  It meant shorter days and longer nights, cooler weather, the leaves losing their green wholesomeness and falling, falling down. 

It meant going back to school, sweaters and football games, kissing my girlfriend to "keep warm" and running through piles of leaves the colors of stained glass and hearing that satisifying crunch.

In the back of my mind however it also meant winter was waiting just around the corner.   Snow, endless nights, cold and ice.  I hated the winter.  I hated all that it stood for.  All during college and even going back to high school I made it perfectly clear that I was moving south.  Towards the warm weather, following the sun.  Winter was death.

After college I lived outside Charleston, SC briefly and then in Charlotte, NC for ten wonderful years. A decision to take a management position took me back to Pittsburgh, PA for another ten.  I would still be there, if the economy would have held up and things had gone as planned...but life has a tendency to go all wonky when you least expect it.  So I moved to Tampa, Florida and life has been wonderful since.  I loved living in Pennsylvania, expect for the last few years where, I am not joking here, we had 36 inches of snow.  After the third year of sub zero temperatures and miserable days behind a shovel...it was time to go.

I've not been home to Pittsburgh for any length of time since.  At the end of the month I'm spending ten days there.  I will not have my bike but I'm still hoping that a few friends of mine will be willing to let me ride theirs.  Three years ago the idea of riding the back roads on a bike meant using a bicycle.  It's funny how things change.   I am unsure if I'll be able to ride, but I think my gear just might find it's way into the back of my car for the drive up.
It's funny that now I am looking forward to the cool, dry air of winter.

Winter here in the south allows me to sleep with open windows, eat dinner on my lanai and ride much more comfortably.  I normally throw a light sweat shirt on under my jacket and that is all I need.  I've an old pair of orange hunting gloves that I might wear at night, it's been as low as 32 degrees (0 C for my European friends).  For once September doesn't seem to be a last gasp of warmer days.   It seems like a new beginning.

Well at home I'll be visiting old friends, visiting the Riverhounds new stadium site, drinking some Iron City well sitting at the famed Primanti Bros. Restaurant in the strip.  It will be good to be home.

Maybe September isn't such a sad month after all.

5 places challenge

Princess Scooterpie threw down the gauntlet about a week ago.  Her challenge was simple; yet for a guy like me...it would be something I would totally over think.   I am still a new rider so I'm defining local as something that I might actually be capable of doing today with my skill level.

Her challenge was:

1.  "to list at least 5 places in YOUR own country that you want to visit."
2.  "if you could go anywhere in the world on your motorcycle or scooter where would it be?"

America is a big place.  I would love to see the Grand Canyon, have lunch at the Little A'Le'Inn cafe, or try to unravel the mysteries of the Worlds largest ball of yarn.  Well...maybe not the last thing.  

It be very easy to list some things...problem is, am I capable of doing them today?  

So I changed her rules slightly and defined local as "places that I would likely ride to with my current level of experience and ability."  My top five then narrowed quite a bit, and are in somewhat of an order.

St. Augustine - Not only is this one of the oldest cities in America, but getting there is a combination of different riding experiences, from the modern four lane super highway to the two lane blacktop through one of central Florida's many swamps and the Historic US-1. Roughly 158 miles in a little bit over 3 hours its completely doable in a one day trip.  
St. Augustine is over 500 years old and for a history buff like me to be so close it seems like a shame not to visit.  Plus I love to body surf, and the Atlantic side of Florida gets much better body surfing waves than the Gulf of Mexico side where I live currently.

Key West - I was in Key West nearly two years ago and would love to get back.  I was on a cruise and didn't feel there was enough time to explore this remarkable city.  I toured the Hemingway house, had a overpriced drink in Margaritaville and went into their lighthouse, then back to the boat.  I have wanted to get back since to explore some more.
There is ferry service to the Keys from Tampa which would leave more time for exploring the island but at this time, I don't believe you can take the bike on the ferry.  Either way it's a trip worth making.  I would take a week's vacation if I were to do this and enjoy the ride.  
Unlike the above however, this is not an easy trip to make.  There really is no direct route to the Keys from where I live.  It's about eight hours and 395 miles away.  It's through some of the most beautiful countryside in central and southern Florida as you cruise past Lake Okeechobee and through the Everglades National Park.  US-1 stretches out over the open water and invites you to rest your tired bones in the warm waters of the Gulf.  The island itself is famed for its scooter friendly streets, sunsets, beaches and laid back attitude.  It's been a destination for bikers for years.  

Weeki Wachee, Florida - The city of mermaids.   Okay, I admit watching women do a synchronized dance number under water in a natural spring is a bit silly.  But it's that "old time Florida" experience I seek by going there.  They also have a State park, a amusement and water park with water ski shows and other "old time family entertainment."  In the world of HDTV, Smart phones and in a state ruled by a giant rodent, there is something to be said for the simplicity of a girl in a fish outfit.    

Part of the charm of going there for me is the quickness of the trip.  From my home it would take about an hour and would be under 100 miles round trip.  Plus there are a variety of routes, each of them on back country roads.  

The last two trips are a bit harder for me to define.  They don't really meet my definition of local.  Nor do I believe I'm capable of such a trip right now.    

New Orleans is of course, the Big Easy.  Famed city of vice and virtue, of jazz and food, of history and mystery.  As a "foodie", a self described music geek and history nerd this seems like a no brainier.  A little over 600 miles or 10 hours away it would be a weeks vacation by bike.   Much like Key West I feel it's possible for me to do, just not very likely.

Rainbow Row

Finally, the last "local" trip is again not at all local.  Unlike every other trip mentioned so far this one is all highway but the destination means a lot to me.  Roughly eight hours and 415 miles away lies Charleston, SC.  I am not sure if there is such a thing as destiny or reincarnation, but Charleston has always felt like home to me.  There is a spirit in the air there that just makes me want to relax on the veranda with a mint julep and call everyone "Honey."


The final part of the challenge is not really that hard for me either.   I love Asia.  I was in Central Asia several years ago and my first wife (who by the way I still have nothing nice to say about even after all these years) was originally from that part of the world.  To ride my bike on the Great Wall?  On the Silk road?  Oh yea, I am so there.