tuesday

Last weekend I went to my 20th high school reunion.
(Apparently I'm not the only one who got old.)
While I was there, my Mom (hi Mom!) gave me a picture that I think is all too appropriate here.

Me with my first bike.
I swear I thought overalls and socks were proper gear.

(ToteGote of unknown vintage.)

later on saturday

If you will look to your right (that's it, below that handsome piercing eye...) you will see a new category at the top of the sidebar. I've added cohovision to the permanent lineup as motivation to make more films. It's fun, I have a forum in which to share them (what good is making a movie if no one ever sees it?), and starting the blog to promote more rides (and the pictures associated therewith) seemed to work okay, so...

saturday

But wait, there's more!

tuesday

Here are some more stills from the Assault on Jefferson.
Actually, there seems to be about 87% less "Jeffersonian Spirit" than when I rode through here a few years ago. I was hoping to get pictures of the Welcome to Jefferson and Secession Party type signs I saw before, but they were conspicuously absent (...only because I went looking for them, I'm pretty sure that TheFeds didn't crack down on the Jeffersons, that would'a been on the news... ).

This is just an ordinary minimart, but the clerk was interesting. I didn't take his picture because part of what made him "interesting" was the fact that he was wearing a revolver in an open holster with his "I work in a minimart" jeans and baseball shirt. I felt like I was about to meet Zed in the basement. It was only after I split that I remembered that "Zed's dead."

On a (minimart) related note, this gas station looks like it's been abandoned forever, but I got gas here from a man with no teeth (not old, just no teeth) two years ago. I wonder now if he was real or if I bought some Stephen King flavored ghost gas...

The Remote Store featured three posts ago is in Remote, Oregon and you get there by turning north on Remote Lane (off of OR 42). When you see this, turn.

Overall, an excellent ride. Five days would have been nicer as fifty, but we can't have everything now can we? Then there would be nothing to look forward to.

But, OHMYFREAKIN'SWEETLORDA'MIGHTY it was HOT. The Aerostitch once again proved its amazing versatility and as long as I didn't stop moving I was quite comfortable. If I stopped I was instantly wearing a portable sauna. So I tried not to stop much.

TWO EXAMPLES OF WAY TOO FREAKIN' HOT:

1. I arrived in Grant's Pass, OR at 8.30pm. It was still 108F. At 8.30 at night. I would rather not know how hot it was at 4 or 5pm.

and

2. When I got into Weaverville, CA at 1pm it was 111F. The buttons on the gas pump were getting spongy on the sunny side of the pumps. My fingers left little dimples. The credit card reader on the pump had given up the ghost and stopped working at 108F around 10am. Again, the 4 or 5pm (usually the hottest part of the day) temp can't possibly have been conducive to moving around and doing things (like breathing).

The continuous motion, however, limits photo-ops. I went right by a bunch of stuff that would have made great pictures, but it was simply too uncomfortable to stop and shoot it. (I do this for free, remember?) So I don't have much more. Most of the cool ones like the O'Brien, OR cop car and the Happy Camp, CA Bigfoot (his hairs are metal wires, I bet if I'd touched him I'd've been burned) are in the vid. Go watch it again (I assume that if it gets viewed enough times I'll get a gear sponsor, right?).

Ride safe. Have a good time. Don't hurt yourselves.

monday

saturday

PLEASE STAND BY...