How was your day

[davedel44]

Tropical Store Cindy We Will Rebuild



Yesterday I  spent some time volunteering for the Galveston Beach Patrol, all the while being bombarded by the local media's sensationalist reports and "live storm coverage".  At times there were more reporters on the beach than lifeguards.  All searching for terrifying shot of storm damage, bagering the guards about rescues (none) and wildly exaggerating every aspect of the situation.

Massive, irrational coverage of this non-event causes more harm than good.  The tendency of the media to "cry wolf", desensitized their audience who will eventually ignore much more dangerous storms. Such exaggerated coverage has caused wide spread panic as in Hurricane Rita where no lives were lost except those highway deaths during the evacuation.

Galveston experienced some minor street flooding, 40 mph winds and several inches of rain.  Conditions further East were worse including a young man killed when he was struck by debris carried ashore by a wave.



Dave
Galveston

[Charles in Lake Charles]

Pretty much a nonevent. I only got 4 inches of rain and a couple of tree branches down even though the eye passed 30 miles from us.

If it had been a real hurricane, I would have gone elsewhere. Hurricane Rita taught me that.

[davedel44]

Won a free surfing lesson in a radio contest.  62 - year-old fat guy on a surfboard for the first time.  What could go wrong?



 

Not me (yet)

Dave
Galveston

[JJ]

YUP!!  This sums up midnight last night through this morning!!  Always an adventure!!




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[oldbike54]

Won a free surfing lesson in a radio contest.  62 - year-old fat guy on a surfboard for the first time.  What could go wrong?



 

Not me (yet)

Dave
Galveston

 I think we are gonna need video 

 Dusty

[guzzisteve]

I went and measured the belt tension tool over at the shop I worked at last.  2 piece, both 78mm center to center. Got a few sockets to weld, some steel and a good print. At $260.00 for the tool, I'll make mine.
The boss still working on me to come back. Was a nice visit, Rod (my old coworker) is doing a great job.

[Lannis]

The boss still working on me to come back.

He knows what he'd have to do!   He just doesn't think he can afford it .... !

Lannis

[Darren Williams]

Good day turned iffy but helped by a good (lucky) decision.

On a bike trip through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and back. Visited Mt Rushmore yesterday and spent the night in Rapid City. Rode over to Devils Tower this morning, spent a few hours there, and then headed to our destination of Laramie.  Didn't make it.  After a tiring ride from Gillette to Douglas, with a 20 to 30 mph cross wind and me checking radar regularly, we stopped for gas and as we were about to mount up and head on, a strong gust front moved through.  Held up waiting for it to pass. Checking radar looked good for dodging rain storms, but the wind gusts looked too much. There was a nice hotel next to the gas station, so we checked in and called it a day.  This was about 3:00 pm. 

It would have taken us a good two hours to make it down to Laramie.  About an hour after the first gust front another came through and this one was reportedly even stronger down south, where we would have been headed.  The road we came in on and the one we were to leave on both were closed, two trucks were blown over on our chosen route, and more rounds were predicted. Note, there is very little in the way of finding shelter when crossing the Wyoming prairie (lots of signs telling us no services for 80 miles or so). Very desolate place.

Planning on making it to Manitou Springs, Co. tomorrow, taking the long way through Leadville (stopping to have a beer and toast the Duke, as any good Parrot Head would), and more importantly celebrating our 31 anniversary riding our bikes through the Rockies!

Edit to add: Went out to check on the bikes and the maintenance guy at the hotel, a pretty new Hampton Inn, was picking up shingles from the parking lot that blew off the roof of the canopy over the entrance. We parked our bikes on the down wind side of the 4 story building so they were protected from the storm gust front. Now that the sun is setting, we can see another front heading our way as the sun has dipped behind it. This will make #3.  Supposed to be gone by morning when we head out.

[balvenie]

"......two trucks were blown over......"

[Hymes Inc.]

"Most perfect riding day ever" according to my dad. Loaded up the wife and was going to meet dad in town. Rode to the gas station and I get a message from dad, flat tire  Back home we go to trade the bike for the truck and trailer. Luckily we had a brand new tire I had bought for my new to me 78 xs1100. Mount new tire and haul it out to R&K cycle to get it balanced, and get me another new tire. Didn't get to ride but the day wasn't a complete loss.

[davedel44]

Tranquillity

Dave's not in Galveston today

[nick949]

A day late, but who's counting.

Nick

[Testarossa]

Beautiful July 4. Went dancing in the park last night -- great program of blues, jazz and rock bands and every ancient hippy couple in town came out to cavort. More music tonight.


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I'm off the bike for a few days.  I'm drilling post holes for the 10-foot steel poles that will support the new solar array, and the auger kicked back and sprained my left thumb. Can't pull the clutch lever until it heals.  Bummer because the weather has been better than perfect. It's been a big month for rehab -- the beagle from ACL surgery, the cat bitten by a raccoon, and my oral surgery.

So I'm working around the house and barn and Gail's garden. As an anniversary gift I kitted her old clunker Miyata bicycle with an electric hub motor, and she loves it -- zipping around town on her shopping trips. Did the same with my old Burning Man bike, a first-generation Bianchi mountain bike with no suspension. The controller is intermittent -- will boot only sporadically. So I'm dealing via email with the seller in HK. Frustrating. They have a warehouse in California but apparently no customer support there. In future I'll find a way to load-test new equipment before bolting it all together.

[Muzz]

I arrived home to find a Moto Guzzi coffee mug at the front door. No note. Made an assumption that it could one of two people. First one was wrong, second one correct.

He has a son in Singapore with a Nevada, and he was ordering bits for it as he got knocked off it some time back My mate saw the mug in the parts catalogue and thought, "I know someone who would want one of those".

[Shorty]

Just spent my spare bike money. I bought another trailer, doublewide Aluma https://www.alumaklm.com/recreational/motorcycle/mc210-motorcycle-trailer. That rascal is 8.5 feet wide, fender to fender. My old fence gate was only about  6 feet wide, and showing it's age. I also had some trees on my property line threatening the neighbor's roof, and some rotted fencing on the other neighbor's fence. I looked on CL, and found a couple people who advertised tree removal AND fence repair. I got 2 estimates, and hired the lower $ of the 2. So, they topped the trees in question, used my used fence sections to repair my other neighbors fence. Then they built me a new fence facing the street with a nice 10 foot gate. Now I can hide the trailer in the back yard. So, aluminum trailer and the above stated repairs, I coulda bought a semi nice 98 EV or something. Getting old kinda ruins my fun. Being practical is a new experience for me.

[oldbike54]

 Shorty old buddy , what have they done to ya ?

 Dusty

[guzzisteve]

Much better now, fixed an electrical gremlin on the EV. Put a new AMP connector on the loom lead to the ignition switch. Been dodgy for years, no more wiggling wires for power.

[davedel44]

Rain, Rain, go away I want to fish today.




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[tris]

Good because the LCD on my B11s dash "recovered" for a bit.

So if I'm lucky Carmo will be able to sort it without resorting to the various solutions (Thanks for your thoughts Beetle) I've been thinking about.

Excellent

PLUS tomorrow we take ownership of our first static caravan which by happy convenience is 100 yards from a bike shop/cafe and 5 miles from the Oliver's Mount race track in Scarborough 

[guzzisteve]

Another V Star 650 back from a nap.   Flogged the peee out of it, had to, it's a turd!! It does run better w/o the evap crap. V7 is got a bit more.

Still got back before AFT starts.

[Muzz]

Went out yesterday with my mate who has been hankering for a Guzzi for a long time now. When i would go out to visit I would drink coffee with his wife and he would take the Breva for a squirt. Although he is taller than me he loved the riding position. A 2006 came up in Christchurch It has the small screen on it, which I didn't think the 2006 came with. Also has been fitted with heated grips, which is a must for him as he suffers from Reynauds worse than I do. 27000kms on it, full medical history, in the fast RED colour and he got it for a pretty fair price. All good.

When he was not able to extract his son's Nevada out of Singapore he bought a K1200, and although it was a beautiful bike it was large and manouvreing in to his garage on his pea metal drive was a real major so he ended up selling it. Been looking for a Breva ever since.

[Testarossa]

Gail and I finally rode Colo 92 all the way to Blue Mesa Reservoir, then hustled back ahead of the thunderstorms. Amazing road, very thin traffic. For a Sunday in August -- only half a dozen motorcycles in 120 winding miles. Whassup with that?

[johnr]

When he was not able to extract his son's Nevada out of Singapore he bought a K1200, and although it was a beautiful bike it was large and manouvreing in to his garage on his pea metal drive was a real major so he ended up selling it. Been looking for a Breva ever since.

So what put him off the one for sale down here Muzz?

[Lannis]

Gail and I finally rode Colo 92 all the way to Blue Mesa Reservoir, then hustled back ahead of the thunderstorms. Amazing road, very thin traffic. For a Sunday in August -- only half a dozen motorcycles in 120 winding miles. Whassup with that?

Sometimes it happens.

I rode my old BSA A10 back from Toronto Ohio to Appomattox VA via Romney, WV.    I saw ONE motorcycle on US40 about Frostburg .... then from there, US40 to Cumberland, WV 28 to Romney, WV 29 to Baker, WV/VA 259 to Cootes Store, back roads to Churchville, VA, and US250 and 29 to home ...

... I saw not one single motorcycle on the road.   400 miles, lovely back roads, and not one other bike of any brand on the road except my 1961 BSA.

It was raining, though.   But you'd think there'd be some long distance riders out?   I almost met Bill Gould, who was riding his 1969 BSA Rocket III from Cape Cod to Atlanta, but missed him on I-81 ....

Lannis

[Muzz]

So what put him off the one for sale down here Muzz?

I think he thought it was just a little bit more expensive than he was prepared to go to at the time.

Funnily enough, I wonder if the one he bought is actually the one from down there. This one has had heated grips fitted and does have the complete maintenance history for it. He is picking it up today so when he gets it (and the paperwork) I will scrutinize the history with an intense scrute.

[oldbike54]

 Muzz said "intense scrute" 

 Dusty

[Muzz]

Actually, a very good day. It wasn't raining for a change, which was a good start. The pushbike had a flat tire, so after fixing that I did a bit of maintenance on it, then rode down to the nephews to see how progress is going on jacking up his entire two storied house and leveling it. It is o na concrete floor and found which had bee also piled down to hard. However, in the earthquakes it had still managed to drop. As a former carpenter I am really interested to see how they are doing it. They have to get under the floor, cut the tops off the piles, jack the whole thing up to level and then reattach the whole lot back in to the structure.

The afternoon was spent in the garage, fixing various things so that I could fix other things.  Everything went according to plan and I always find it very therapeutic resurrecting stuff rather than tossing it. Also made containers to fit on the shelves so that things remain together. Does mean that some things have got themselves lost in the meantime.

[normzone]

Interesting, [Muzz].

As a kid hitching around the US I worked construction one summer in Poland, NY. One of the things we did was fix an old barn that had been tilted by a storm.

We cut loose a bunch of supports inside, and drove some stakes in the ground twenty feet away.

We built a couple of beams, then put them between the stakes and the building side, then walked up the beams until our weight forced them down against the building and stood it up a little bit. Move the stake a little closer and repeat.

When we were done we re-nailed the supports inside and added some more.

So basic, very effective and entertaining.

[johnr]

Muzz said "intense scrute" 

 Dusty

  He's a delightful chap really.

[oldbike54]

He's a delightful chap really.

 I'm sure he is John  In fact , the only Kiwi I've ever come across who wasn't a delightful chap wasn't really a Kiwi , rather an unsavory character who only pretended to be one . His 'Murican accent gave him away 

 Dusty