When Stanley came out with his version of the thermos, his next words were "Dr. Livingston, I presume?" A lot has happened since then.
I had to say that on topic, because I have the Stanley Cup. That's right. It lives in the cupholder on my trike. Some of you have seen it. It's the Stanley cup because I won it fair and square -- as a door prize at a Canada bike rally I wandered into -- where along with the travel mug I also won a hockey stick in a random drawing. Right handed. I'm a lefty and there were no substitutions, but otherwise it was a lucky night. What all that had to do with motorcycles I don't know, but there it was.
Ft. Nelson BC. I stopped for gas on my way to San Antonio, and they assumed that since I came into town on a bike that I was there for the 'rally', which would have done the average Guzzi rally proud, except I was the oldest one there, and of which I knew nothing. So at the gas station they volunteered directions about where I wanted to be going. It took a few seconds for me to catch on that I was 'expected', but I tried to act all
"Yeah thanks, but I know the way" instead of
"There's a WHAT? can I still travel or did it close the highway?"
on account of none of it made sense at first because my helmet was on, and because usually what they say at the gas station in Canada has to do with forest fires melting the highway or marauding legions of bears stampeding migration herds of moose across the right-of-way -- stuff you're better off understanding down to the milepost.
They were enthusiastic about making the rally a huge event -- one random bike at a time. Everyone was there, and they all let me know it. Even the two women friends on their Victory cruisers who lived there, but were in the morning headed down the Alcan and on to Quebec somewhere. We left together and parted outside of Kamloops.
And I got the Stanley Cup, which made more sense since I was in Canada and also got the hockey stick just for being there. I donated the stick back to the door prize pool. Nothing would look sillier than a lefty riding through Texas with a right-handed hockey stick strapped to a Moto Guzzi.
Oh -- And the cup says "STANLEY" right on it. So you know it's real.
