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[Jun. 27th, 2008|08:47 pm] |
very tempting
in fact if floyd was half as dependable as fee i would without a doubt be heading for wide open places.
but alas im riding a mule.
this next one i could have gotten a better angle on.
except i almost got run over a few secs before. i was on the main street of a little town. a car approached a stop sign, stoped, then punched it without looking to the right. i didnt even hit the horn but swerved wide and hit the gas. maybe a half foot from some major pain.
that sort of drove home the fact that i really needed to do something about the lack of front brake. although it wouldnt of helped me in that situation(if i had stoped i would have been creamed). i had been looking for new brake pads but i needed to put forth a bit more effort.
several bike shops and miles later i found them. WOOT! i was excited the first campground i came to i declared my brake fixen spotz.
i quickly took apart the brakes. snapped a shot(that is poor. i cant do close ups in bright sunlight. lcds are nice but a old skool viewfinder is really the better technology. old skool cameras had a version of lcds, they needed that big old black hood to see what they where doing!)
then i ran into problems. it turned out i needed to completly remove the brake to get the new pads in. the only reason i was able to remove the old pads was because i had completly worn them down.
i needed 2 things
1. a 12mm socket.
2. water. it was hot and i had been trying for hours to get this thing fixed.
well i couldnt fix #1 without getting the brake patched up enough to not lose parts.
#2 turned out to be a new one. i should have been clued in when the camping was only $12. it turned out none of the water taps where on. instead they had vending machines that for 75 cents spit out one of these...
yeah its the little one you get. about 6oz. of wet stuff.
i ended up replacing one brake pad and keeping a old one to get it all back together.
i also spent stupid money buying water.
the next day i bought the proper size socket i needed. i managed to get both the brake pads on. i had a big problem getting the air bubbles out of the line though(bleeding the line).
i stoped several times at shops. the advice was to get the air out of the line. 2 week wait for them to do it. i figured the vibration of driving would force the bubles up and i would just top off the resvoir.
i came across the first ferry i took on fee
last time through i was worryed about gas and didnt catch the name of the town. cave in the rock. such a name has to have something to justify it. i found it.
after several days of topping off the brake fluid, i got a front break again.
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| don't feel like it |
[Jun. 20th, 2008|12:03 am] |
so i got pulled over once in my 13000 mile western trip.
i have gotten pulled over on the eastern trip in
tenesse
alabama
louisana
georgia
ohio
3x illinoise(and im not out yet)
just over 8000 miles in.
not to mention that i spent a ENTIRE winter driving around without a tag in portland,or where they are required.
just saying.... |
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[Jun. 17th, 2008|08:11 pm] |
my secound day through ohio starts out badly. i got pulled over (AGAIN!) then a major storm came through. i took shelter. others made the best.
a short time later i come across "old time days" with a cushman scooter club
all you c3 riders, this is one of the grandfathers to your "look".
more easy riding. but i again came to a "closed" campground. these REALLY make me mad. why close them and then charge me $26 bucks at a rv site? call them primitive and let some people camp!
the closed campsite was along a river with plenty of people. in fact i drove for 2.5 miles through the park at 10mph to find the campsites closed.
i drive another 2 hours to another campground (thanks screwy campgrounds for another 11 hour day).
i set off the next day and seem to have missed indiana somehow. i ended up in michigan. not much to report except that every other shop is a antique shop. the ones in between sell collectibles and crafts.
i eventualy find a campground ne of chicago(across the water that is). unfourtenly i dont have cell service here. interesting though that i WAS able to get incoming text messages(that i get for free so i guess other cell phone providers get to charge to competion direct).
i did get hold of a long time friend. one that i have not met in person before. its kinda of fun and strange to meet someone that you have known for years but have never talked face to face.
he invited me to come to downtown chicago and he would show me the city and give me a place to crash. i said "cool!".
i made my way into the city. through some rather rough road(gary, indiana im looking at you). but arrived with rather little diffuclty.
i called my friend about 1pm said i arrived. he said "im at work now but i can leave anytime". i told him that i would be fine on my own till he got done with his work. "you sure you wont get in trouble?". "of course" i lied " ill find a coffee house and surf the net for a few.". "well if your sure .. my co-workers are having a bar-bq at 6pm we could meet up there" he gave me the address.
well, i did TRY to stay out of trouble. i drove around for several hours trying to find a coffe shop. i eventually got so lost that i called hq fer directions. it was good timing, my last surviving grandparent was having a reunion at my folks place so i got to say hello. i also learned that the map i had was including some 10 blocks as a single block and i needed to follow directions EXACTLY.
after saying the how u doings and luvs u 2's. i try to follow the directions i got. they involved following the major road along the lake(restricted to bicycles and peds) taking a left then another left then a right.
i had assumed that the exits would be to the right. nope it was a left hand exit in SOLID traffic. i worked my way to the left hand lane and the next exit was on the right. and so on. i was about 5 or 6 exits down the road before i got off. although i didnt really want to get on that road again it was my best bet.
i followed it back riding in the right lane. it was a pretty good guess and all the exits where on the right. the street i wanted was not a exit coming from the north. the next street was and i figured that would do. i followed that street until it came to a no left turn(one way road) then forced onto a expressway. luckily i didnt panick and managed to get in the right lane for local instead of expreess (which might have been a 20 mile run.)
after getting off the expresway(!) i manage to find the address. instead of pushing my luck and finding somewhere to hang out or buy a bottle for my host. i say forgetaboutit. i stay put. ill talk to Noodle to find out adress to send a gift.
i read my book(backup book all about edible wild plants. good stuff here. i knew enough to gather a salad but im learning enough to get a feast). "a androids dream" is the best book ive read recently for fun.
i meet my host before i meet my friend. some how he spots me. proof that there are not enough scooters with overloaded sunburnt riders i guess. he invites me up. but then says "all im doing though is cleaning up so my girlfreind doesnt kill me". i tell him ill stay out of way and wait.
my host does arrive. shows me up and a good time. he tells me about the story about the roof deck we are partying in. the rumor is that the builder payed off someone to make it so high. it is the highest roof around with a excellent view of downtown.
wine samples flow. a huge ribeye(bone in) steak follows. some mashed potatos to make a butter lover feel like a margrine person. greenbeans just so.
very good people. the only point i felt just a bit out of place was when a challenge was made to convirt a name to 12 hex dec (or something like that). my hacking skills stoped at a atari 800. i had over 400 games at that point(i rember hardware hookups to steal games from other consules). although i can strip a laptop down, fix/soldier a broken connection, the programs are way above me. i was hanging out with programers.
i am the kind of person that can fix hardware. software has become different kinds of languages you need to know. i took 8 years of french 1. i can count to 10 almost perfectly in french.
the latest phone came out(all the same), they each tried a different route to get to the answer. some different websites and some differnet math. its very easy to see why they do well as a company.
they all try different angles to find a answer.
the one that works, they use.
i think i would beat them all in sticking a paperclip into a atari 800(with duel cartridge) to break into a cartridge. fuckers thats MY realm. stuff like 10 if 1 then=20 if 2 then=30. stuff you could almost read.
i use to be able to crack and copy games with a paperclip. then i could add 1000 lives to beat the game.
course the games use to be little better then pong. ninja jaden was a awesome thing that i couldnt load.
the noodle took me home. he has a rally great apartment. i parked in front of his girlfriend(scooters rule). we played some trench(with a ocassional "stop tking me(radio edit)".
all in all.. a great night. someone remind me to send a gift. |
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| i didnt say what morning |
[Jun. 17th, 2008|07:24 pm] |
not really a fan of lawn decorations. although if you get something like this...
i approve. if your going to do it... do it full scale. this DEFinitely includes dinosaurs. i want to stumble on a yard with a full size brontasurars.
ohio went well..
very easy navigation. all roads go to one corner(n,w,s,e). no reason for a map really as long as you know the general direction you want to go.
this looks like a cool idea....
i found this one (a sappy romance novel that might as well have fabio on the cover) along with some kids books all sealed up in ziploc bags at a rest area.
i past through amish country. it was very touristy. i saw lots of people dressed up amish running weedeaters, riding lawnmowers and driving cars. i asked a knowledgeable source and was told that most of the amish communitys have relaxed the rules. so if these people where dressing up for effect or for beliefs.. i dont know.
i did see some really awesome horses. this one i really wish i had some sort of quick draw camera.
he was all muscle. obviously used not only to drive a buggy but as plow, etc. the driver was holding him back, he wanted to race the cars. |
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| olde moutains have no cap |
[Jun. 13th, 2008|07:01 pm] |
east coast mountains are tricky. they dont have the snow capped top that the ones on the west got. none the less they have some monster grades. no doubt they get plenty of snow, they just dont have the allitude to keep it when they get 95 degree weather with humidity.
its been slow going. when u summit a back road and see this
u think allright speed time! but you get switchbacks that you need to slow to 10 or 15 mph to manage.
the main roads are even more frustrating. as you are crawling up hills you have trucks crawling up your ass, you let them pass, then they are restricted on the down hill to 35mph when you are expecting to hit 50+.
this means i have been abuseing my breaks in both situations. and it shows, i now have a back break and a emergency front break.
i did find some good roads following the valleys
i wanted to hit maine on this trip . i must report, i failed. high gas prices(even with awesome scooter mpg) and the totally unreasonable camping fees($26 for a 10x20 spot of earth, no power electric or water. although for $28 bucks you can get it all....for your rv.). the white house has decreed that all parks must be able to pay for them self. this combined with the fact that east coast forrest seem to be of two heads. one is renting for hunting or tree harvest that means no tresspassing private lands. or swampland that no one can hike or camp(swampland is important. dont think i want it drained.)
its a piss poor situation. i have found myself hating all rv'ers. but when i talk to them they are my kind of people. they have sold there homes, wanting to see the world, and are in it up to there eyebrows. these people are your grandma and grandpa. they are stuck in a situation where they cant afford to move and cant afford to stay.
the fact is that all our parks that we think about people going to party is in fact a place for aging senors that can still get about go. they buy these 10 mpg houses to try to be able to visit sons/daughters/grandchildren.
all you sons/daughters/grandchildren expect a lawn park soon.
this sucks for me.
the prices to camp a tent are unreasonable. there is no backcountry camping because it has been leased to hunting/logging or is swamp.
i did hit the one place i wanted to see, besides arcadia. a man made fire that will burn for hundreds of years. a town that was a few hundred droped to about a dozen.
i got screwed again. i expected smoke and fire at least a big olde hole that got swallowed. nope.
the fire moved on south and i got perfectly fine lots to build.
i spent the next day trying to find a campsite.i did. then b4 i could pay got a offer to stay in the yard of a guy up the road.
free=better
i stayed with him. later in the night we had his x wife his girlfriend, his girlfriends friend, aaand about 7 kids that i couldnt keep track of.
he worked at a max security prison. as a joke he sprinkled hot powder on the grill. i ate it and was whishing for hotsauce. if you judge your hot sauce by the vinegar tobassco sauce, hot is not a factor.
yep still sporting the errosit shirt when i got theses gem
my shirts and bags are all mostly sunbleached white
i promised to not bleach anything but nature says otherwise.
i rode for about 5 miles through..
then hit the worst bridge ever. i dont know if i have spoke about this b4. but the pattern of my
tires matched the holes in the bridge i
n a matter tha sent me going left/right in such a fast manner i couldnt correct and the wind..it sucked
more in the morning....... |
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| to fill a void |
[Jun. 11th, 2008|10:03 pm] |
so i am at a koa with free wireless. except they will not let me upload any pics. they are on satelite. i quote"any use of downloading picxtures or up loading pictures will result in the entire camp of loseing there internet for 24 hours"
so i will tell you how to crash a upscale italian resturant. first off, go three days without a shower(make sure this is in 95 degree with humidity ) then go to a lake, jump in(with all your apperal on), find the first person that you stumble upon and ask them "where iz foodz?"
this will be about 16 miles away. you will arrive smelling only slightly better and your hair willl be blown up to stick a finger in the socket.
tell them you are on a scooter.
you will arrive at a italyian resturant. home of vespa. birthplace of scooters. u will not be (by some unwritten law) refused.
so there u sit. smelly, dirty, and taken care of.
5 course meal. they will even by you a beer on top.
a harley might get you there fast ... a scooter gets you there well feed.
angie reed got all the points so far with her discovery of solar panels. because of this anybody reading this now has to buy one of her paintings.
hey, i only create the rules not follow them. |
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[Jun. 6th, 2008|05:03 pm] |
so after a long, expensive and frustrating wait my parts arrived. well... half of them. luckily its the half i really needed i can do with out the others
i head out of town past another putt putt place
these things are everywhere along the coast. they all look alike. fake rock and for some reason a waterfall with colored water(mostly blue sometimes red).
a bit of a ride through the marshes
then a 2 hour ferry ride(for $3 they gave me the bicycle rate woot!).
i end up on the outer banks, ocean on both sides. i find what i thought was a awesome campground one sand dune away from the beach.
i wondered why it was half empty until i started unloading my bags and got swarmed by mosquitos. a couple pulled up on zuma. they had seen me pull in and where going to walk over to say hello but had retreated after 15 feet because of the bloodsuckers.
i doused meself in deet and get to work repairing floyd. this is pretty easy since i had gotten rid of all the unnessicary body panels. i remove four bolts the seat comes off and there it is
take of the carberator..
and there it is the reed cage and reeds. under that is a place u dont want broken reeds or jury-rigged plates to fall
bad pics but u can see the temporary repair we did
after removeing our plate u can see how small a thing can totaly stop the engine.
replaced reeds and unbent the stopper good as new!
i kept the plate we made. it worked well enough and will be handy if i break another one.
no trees at this campground (very few on the island at all). so i made a pup tent on the picnic table. the mosquito would just not go awawy. i used a full bottle of deep woods off and about a half a bottle of sportmans off(something like 98% deet). all it did was make them hoover about a half inch away sniffing for a uncovered spot. i got very little sleep. at 4:30 am i gave up and went to the beach. just about at the waters edge the wind was strong enough to blow the blood suckers away. it was a clear nite though. the moon was just a sliver and the milkyway was aglowing. once the sun begun to rise i packed up and was on the road.
a very nice drive along the outer banks. then i head inland towards a campground next to the great dismal swamp. i figured the mosquitos would be no worse!
the campground turned out to be nice. only 2 mosquitos that i swatted with glee.
this is insurance claim in the works...
"yep, just fell on my van totaly unexpected!"
dont know what to say about that one!
i stoped to strech my legs at this old desserted grocery store. there was one strange thing about it though. see if u can spot it.
later in the day i try to stop at a roadside marker but find this...
i was puzzled by this for a moment then the logical conclusion came to my mind. Lee was a alien and during his retreat he opened a rift in space/time. this pocket of space pops up ocasionaly and swallows the roadside marker. there is physics problem having to do with gravity. itshould be much stronger then it is. the theory is that it leaks through time. this is a complicated thing dealing with string theory. i wont go into the math here.
my duty to science was clear. gravity must be tested. lacking a apple(the standard for measureing gravity), i quickly spotted a patch of gravel. this will do.
my keen scientifik mind realized this wasnt just a bit of gravel on pavement. from the rather uniform size of the rocks i quickly deduced that it was a 6 inch deep depression of loose gravel.
putting aside my own safety, for the sake of science, i drive right into. the front wheel whips out from under me. i have enough time to make another hypotheses "this is probaly going to hurt".
the results.
1. gravity seems normal at the alien lee space/time bubble.
2. indeed it did hurt.
your welcome science community.
a couple of skinned knees, elbow and shin. to add insult to injury my radio/fan/caribener got hit on the fall and started to blare bad country music, i wasnt even allowed to lay in the road for a bit.sigh.
the next town i come to...
i camp at a koa in the rain hoping to share my important scietifik results but the connection was worthless. i had thrown up the rain fly to shield the picnic table with the rain coming down real hard now i just crept over to a camping cabin and slept on the porch.
i did go through dc but got hit by the sever weather. it hit like a wall and i was soaked(even my boots filled with water), in secounds. i didnt get any pics. the metro lines closed stop lights out, trees down everywhere. took forever to get out.
im in
now. entering the mountains. |
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| no pics |
[May. 21st, 2008|11:40 pm] |
i got one. ok 2.
one of the water.
the other of fake water.
il save them.
floyd broke today. the engine just quit.
i pushed it to a side street. i tryed to restart. i checked the plug. did everything i could.
i called mission control and there was not a clear signal.
god save the queen, a british girl shows up on a scooter says her husband is "quite good" with machines and goes to fetch him.
in tow of a similar 50cc scoot comes her husband. he retries everything i did and then says "well walk it to our yard" then grabs my saddlebags(i removed to get at stuff) and walks off.
at this point im thinking is this help or a bother. it is very clear shortly after that this is help.
he not only finds the problem but afterwards takes me to his buisness to get parts, manufacures a jury rig, then offers to let me stay in his yard, and get a shower in his outdoor shower. meanwhile his dinner has gotten to ash in the oven.
i was quite sure i didnt want to impose on these good people anymore. both me and the master of improve agreed that i needed a replacement not a temp like i have. i take off, find a motorcycle shop(open!), then a flea bag hotel.
2morrow i have to 1) visit his buisness and drop of something. thinking something for his pup.he asked me to drop him a email to make sure i was allright and i forgot it. 2) find a campground. i have no luck(ok i have bad luck) on holiday weekends. |
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[May. 21st, 2008|10:14 pm] |
i head down towards the shore stop for lunch and see this across the street.
if anybody wants a day off work i can be scheduled to try to visit your job. it was closed of course. it looked really cool to from what i could see through the windows.
i slept at indian springs campground for the evening. the camp host was a real nice guy. it was his first time as camp host.
camp host are preety much voulenteers. they get to stay at the campground for free in exchange for checking in late arrivals(me). often they have huge rigs. not this guy. he had a little trailer that had room for a bed and lots of storage. it also had a trunk like thing that opened up to make a kitchen. he had rigged up some tents to make a kitchen dinning area. a rather neat and comfy set up for him and his pup.
i expressed my admiration of his set up and was given a tour. he admited to something that i get alot. he was getting grief from alot of the rvers that his setup wasnt big enough, that he need a 5th wheeler, or one of these city buss size mobile homes that swallow gas. he told me that he always respondeds "that might be what you need sir. for me, i have exactly what i want."
his rig didnt have a shower or toilet. the campground did. he wasnt lacking. he also sold the firewood and got lots of dinner invites.
i doubted he needed the firewood to get invites, a swell guy.
i awake to a interesting hitchhiker..
more humps then a camel. bonus points to anyone that identifies it for me.
the spring i have stumbled upon has been used for thousand of years. it has drawn natives, presidents, and thiefs.
i was given a chemical breakdown of the minerals in the water. it turns out there is alot of stuff in the water that can help with ailments. across the top of the page "not for potable use".
there was a line for water. 9 people deep.
all of them had multiple jugs to fill.
it was a trickle not a stream. i didnt think i wanted to wait for a sip of water that smelled like rotten eggs, so i remain unhealed.
i made it to the border of georgia and south carolina. to a lake im pretty sure is getting drunk by a big city.
just a guess but i think its a bit low on water.
almost forgot i got pulled over again. a classic speed trap. 55mph speed limit going down hill 45mph uphill. i was going 50+ downhill but because they replaced a govenor after the belt break i cant hold those speeds. i lose all kinds of speed quickly on uphills. i was well within the speed limit but they spoted no tag. i had all kinds of traffic behind me so 2 cops with lights and sirens went into oncoming traffic to get me.
georgia has the same law as kentucky and no tags required. so they run my id, find no warrants and give me a souvnier.
pretty sure this was paper work to explain the lights and sirens. even in states that require plates, im sure im legal. you follow your home state on registration and the rules of the road in states you travel through. i have insurance(not required in ky) and a helmet(also not required). if you drive a car across state lines you dont have to re-register it. or a boat for that matter. although they might have very different rules, travel is expected. think about the noise made about mexican trucks coming into country. alot of crying about but i never heard anything done. |
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| panhandle to sc |
[May. 17th, 2008|09:16 pm] |
i hadnt planned on going through florida at all. not only does this nation owe a good one to florida for the good'ole'boy'network election of the commander of ruin, its the only state that i have been robbed at gun point. one small step backward fer a man, one giant leap backward for a nation.
i ended up going through a bit of the panhandle though. it went well. the wind pushed me along i made good time. i didnt stop for pictures.
that brought me to georgia.
a nice spot that almost made me and floyd go for a swim. the dirt road ended on a downhill of sand caveing away into the stream
i had a spot to camp in mind but saw a sign for a lake(there is always camping by a body of water) so decided to try for it. i followed one sighn and just about when i decided to turn back another would appear. this happened 4 times. i ended up on a dirt road and found...
yep it was thursday.
after another 3 hours of driving i found a campsite. tired i didnt even tie down the rain fly. it was nice weather, no wind warm why bother.
so i get woken up by that tornado storm. my hammock is aswinging, the rain fly is aflapping, im a cussing.
evidently i was quite vocal in my rage against the storm. i challlenged the storm to do better. said i would tie down my tent then lets see what your light and wind show would do!! i tie her down and for the next hour or so get a light and wind show that was top notch. i was rocked like a baby in a crib and got a pink floyd laser show to boot. i loved it.
in the morning, the whole campsite was abuzz. it seems that everybody else was aware of bad storm coming. at this point they even knew of the damage it had done. i was the only one in a tent that rode it out. the other(1) tent took shelter in the bath house. all the others are rec vechicles. east coast camping is much harder.
i had slept in. i figured alot of things are wet. let them dry before i need to poke my head up. i think there was a pool going to see if i was alive.
i finally got out of bed(majik carpet heaven) reassured the betters i was alive and started to pack up. just as the last person turns away a Huge branch breaks off a tree and falls directly on a parking spot that was vacated not more then 10 mins ago. it would have dented a trucks roof ,shattered the windshield , or killed a tent.
at this point i have decided to get away from the coast campground. the prices are killing me. i try to head toward inland...
it turns out that no matter where u go on the east coast its pricey. EVERY campsite is for rv's. hikers/bikers is not only ignored, its often openly dispised. tent vechicles are only tolerated.
i find meself in the mountains..
not only is it still pricey(i got hotel rooms for cheaper out west!) its cold at night! i decide to drop down and hit the water. |
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[May. 7th, 2008|09:11 am] |
my nice and comfy picnic table bed.
i was not eaten by gators or army ants.
for all the talk about buzzing around the campground, i was woken up at 7am by a park truck driving very slow. on its truck bed was a very large and noisy machine spraying a fog of what i guess is mosquito spray. it sounded like a weed eater doing battle with nails against a chalkboard. |
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| new orleans jazzfest to gulf shores alabama |
[May. 6th, 2008|07:16 pm] |
so i made it into new orleans. found a koa and caught the last day of jazz fest. got to hear santana and the neville brothers. it was very crowded, the weather was good the only real complaint is with 11 stages going on all at the same time they really couldnt turn up the volume to much. it would have been nice if they had pumped it up a little more for those of us in they Wayyy back.
the next day i drive through the flooded areas from katrina. i didnt drive through the parts where blocks of house where just swept away. the part i saw the houses where mostly boarded.i could see into a few where getting work done on them , they where a mess. a few stores where back in buisness, all of them local. it surprised me to see the corporate stores still boarded(mcdonalds, autozone and such). they have plenty of cash and the know how to through up a new store in like a month.
i head out 90 east to where the storm surge took every thing out.
the sea and swamp water along this route is just shy of the land. all the houses are built on stilts.
the stilts where not high enough. the new ones getting built (like the one above) have higher stilts. all well and good but something tells me that wind is going to knock'em down next time. the road was filled with the old poles from the houses that where there. no signs of any of the houses.
on a side note i would like to meet my nemesis.....
i learned today the locals call them the lovebugs. Unlike a polite bug who bounce off you with a "buzzezz"(translation "a thousand pardons my good sir, have a good trip"), these suckers just explode on you in a yellowy goo. it doesnt matter where they hit something soft or hard. the swarm is very thick, like driving through rain. as a added bonus they are mating. the male stays attached until its dead(then for a good long time after). so every hit is a two for one special. this has been the only time i really wish i had a face shield. breaks to wash bug guts from face and beard are very common now.
i stoped to streach my legs along this bridge. it had a boat launch with a self-pay station alongside a power line pole. i heard a buzzing sound. figured it was the wind whistling through the lines. i go up to read the stuff posted (i often do this at roadside markers or info stands, something to do as i let my best side stop throbing) and get shocked! i quickly backed off. that would be one sorry way to go.
HEADLINE
some fool on a overloaded scooter found shocked to death today. it seems he was reading what size fish he could keep when a storm damaged pole shocked him to death. no fishing gear was found.
about another 2 miles down the road and i was back in..
the damage still continued. the road was being repaired but what a road! on the left of it houses being rebuilt(some of these looked like a better idea imho. i approve the ones completly made of reinforced concrete) on the right beach and gulf water! construction really didnt slow me down the speed limit was 45mph so i had no problems keeping up with what traffic there was. every house had there on peir going out into the water(use to at least. the best ones not rebuilt had maybe a few poles still sticking out.)
here is a pic of a city park heavy duty one that survived the best.
the poles mainly survived. the iron entrance was torn down. none of the decking made it.
all the bolts that had held the rather large bits of timber where still there. the timber not soo much.
i had a great time riding this road. it was getting close to (really past the point) when i needed to study the map to find camping. when i get on a road like this its hard for me to stop. fate steped in a offical state sign said take a left camping. i do and travel for ever never seeing any camping place or another sign telling me to turn. then the pavement stops....
there are powerlines running along the road so i figure it most go somewhere. as i turn the key on the scoot my oil light comes on(unlike Fee who runs like a car, floyd burns oil that is injected in with the gas) im also at a half tank of gas. the smart thing to do would be to turn around and backtrack the way i came. i keep going. the only thing on each sides of the road is signs saying "no tresspassing such and such hunting club". when the powerlines shoot off into the woods directly away from the road i admit defeat and turn back. then once reaching pavement take a unknown road heading eastish. this finaly hits a main road. what road? no idea. i get this...
evidently i was on wire rd. they are not going to tell me what road im going to be on. i take it south to hit the ocean. EVERY roadsign i hit only says the side street. i finaly make it back to the oceanside main road and call mission control to find me a landing place.
as luck has it im 3 blocks from a state park! i have been on the road for some 10 or eleven hours and im beat! i pull into the park, the office is closed, so is the primitive(tent) campground. there is one rv spot open. i snag it! there is a honor box to drop money into with your info(although not much honor. i get checked out by a park worker within 30 mins and the park reopens earlyer then i could pack up and move on!)
i talk to my friend shock halo who called me from outside a yamaha dealer before i had the "dont think missispians know how to use signs" experience. he was doubtfull he could ride a scoot. i tell him "DO IT!". he did. he told me he might ride to his sisters house in a bit, he had spent enough time doing circles in his neighborhood that the neighbors nicknamed him "evil kenievel".
i wake up to a voicemail "i did 50 miles in my first day! still got over a half tank of gas!". he got a C3 it has a 1.2 gallon tank. add another member to the motorbike nomads.
i talk with the campground host for a bit(he is a harley guy with a fresh car injury back problem). he tells me a few storys and is completely jealous. despite my riding a scooter as opposed to a old shovel, he says im more of a harley guy then 90% of the guys riding harleys today.
i pack up, look at my map, make a plan. then completely disregard it at the first scenic route sign that tells me to take a road closer to the water.
that, my friends, is one big pile of oyster shells!
this one here....
..is an example of pecking order. big birds get front row seats!
i will apologize in advance for the next one. its been hard to find a place to get a picture of this type of bridge. you might have to click on the photo a few times to really see it(you can do this with all my photos even zoom in to see details).
i have crossed a number of this type of bridge. it has to be tall and wide to let the really big boats in. more often then not this is the tallest thing around. its a bit like a rollercoaster. you ride up slowly slowly the wind REALLY gets going you crest then LOOK OUT!!! Floyd loves the downward sides!
after crossing this bridge i wind up on a island. there is a ferry though! i look at the map and it will work out great. i can cross on a ferry(a 40 min boat ride for $6) ride across another island, then a state park with camping! i got an hour to kill.
i help a guy get his boat out of the water. he said he did all right, caught enough for dinner at least.
found a fort that was overrun by union forces during the civil war. it was at this battle that the saying "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" came from. he won. the torpedos are not what we think of them today though, more like mines.
this guy was in front of the fort.
it is the keel haul from some unknown ship dating to pre 1800's. it got tossed into somebodys home during hurricane denis.
watched some guys fish. some prefered poles.....
others beaks.
its time for the ferry. Floyd is nervous about this due to his namesake. he will not put his centerstand down on the slick deck. a harley guy lends me a hand to help make him sit.
i notice scooter tires on the boat next door.
a smug witness to the loading
as we get underway some little kids start feeding the seagulls. they eventually run out of food and the gulls settle down on the back of the boat for a free ride. then the adults realize that there wasnt poo from up high coming down and they start feeding them. when the wind is just right the gulls can float in almost a perfect wall in front of the treat thrower.
everywhere else that you looked you saw oildrilling platforms. 2 or 3 in view in every direction.
i think i would like to try and work on one them. not this close to shore(these are close enough to just have a boat take shift crews to shore and back) but one of the ones way out at sea where you cant see land. those i hear work on 6 week shifts. sort of like a space station.
we disembark. i have a pleasant drive across the island. find the campground exactly where it was supposed to be. walk into the office to register and find a power crazed state park employee. she does not want to let me camp because floyd doesnt have a license plate. i explain the reason and the fact that i have driven all across the country no problem, that i have insurance and a certificate of orgin to prove ownership. i even point out the fact that there cant be TOO many scooters with a horse saddle in the campground. she calls security. this being a state park the guy that shows up can write me a ticket if he chooses. i explain the situation to him after she is done trying to make me look like some evil state campground terroist. he says "well ill just call down to the city pd"
he gets off the phone. she says "well?!?" . "well they said the same thing i thought. u do have to have a tag in this state but they wouldnt bother him." desprate at this point "do i have to give him a camping spot?". he chuckles and said "if he rode up on a bike you would give him one. if he walked up you would give him one. give him a camping spot."
she fills out my slip to post at my camping spot then writes in a big permant marker in huge block letters "NO TAG" across the whole thing.
the security guard walks out with me and says "now dont be buzzing around the campground on that thing!". as if after riding all day im going to campsite to buzz around! he was oldetimer so i guess he was being carefull that some young whipersnapper didnt try to piss off the campground queen.
i pull into my spot and no trees. i told the queen that i needed trees. in a huge, half empty, campground(one that even has wireless) with plenty of spots with plenty of trees. she put me in one of the few without trees next to the bathrooms. there are over 40 spots empty with trees.
oh well. i am NOT going to go begging with her royal highass for another spot. the weather is nice. i will sleep under the stars on a nice and comfy bed made on top of the picnic table. |
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| help |
[May. 1st, 2008|10:45 pm] |
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is there a way to make a journal entry with pic everday and then load them whole when i get internet? |
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| a short and timely post |
[May. 1st, 2008|09:24 pm] |
within 1 mile of starting today i got pulled over. this is the 2nd time this trip. again no biggy just run my license and a waste of time. i got pulled over once on my western tour. so according to my calculations as it stands now you are twice as likely to get pulled over on the east coast compared to the west. this is now a fact! just like the fact that because i snore it keeps away bears. i know this because i snore and have never been attacked by a bear in my sleep.
the bastardly wind has gone on all day. even now its blowing like mad(they said it would stop by now on the news). slowed me down and tryed to knock me over all day. it will rock me to sleep tonight though.
most of todays driving was in complete swamp land. not to good for pictures. the edges are just like a forest edge, bushs,vines and such hideing the rather clear view under the canopy. only with swamp land you cant step through that easily. you are likely to be hip deep in water standing on a gators head.
camping is diffucult too. i spent about an hour with mission control finding a place to camp. where am i camped? along side a interstate. at a koa(kampgrounds of america). at what the checkin lady said was the best tent spot they had(50 feet from interstate, not the dreaded 30).the problem comes from the fact that having folks get eaten by gators,although good for gators, doesnt draw in the tourism dollar. so overpriced concrete islands seem to be what you get.
i should be able to make it to new orleans 2morrow. and hear the closing night of the jazz festival saturday.
before that i need a new milk crate. plastic has snapped and the crate is sagging. its not falling off yet but i am cringing at every bump(there are alot of bumps on the roads im taking).
mission control just called. they are working on logistics for my insertation into new oreleans. so i will sign out.
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[Apr. 30th, 2008|09:00 pm] |
so my tour through tennesse goes pretty smoothly good roads, nice views.
then i see something on my map that draws me to alabama...
hehehe
finding the sucker turned out to be problamtic. although plenty of sighns from expressway, side streets are lacking. i can see the rocket(its 30 storys tall). dead reckoning is hampered by the fact there is a army base alongside. i hit 2 inspection points to the base. a easy mistake for sure a ordinary street you take a turn at a stop lite and bam! military check point. a notice is posted "no firearms or knifes longer then 3 inchs", i have a machete, small axe, 8 inch chefs knife, 6 inch dicer knife and i think the 2 multitools i got have blades just over 3 inchs. i wasnt trying to get on the base but if you turn around from these kind of things they chase you down. both times the gaurds told me i did the right thing not turning around. i got mostly smiles from the folks though, and was releaved not to be wisked away to some undeclosed location for "intensive interrogation".
finaly i make it though!
as i examine my prize and try to figure out how to strap floyd to the rocket(before climbing up to the cockpit). i notice this...
a rocket to the moon with rotting plywood? DECOY! they are on to me. i better move fast.
i bribe the guard to let me access to the area. they must pay her crap because she gave me a map for free!!
ohhh the counter hijacking a rocket to the moon crew is good. they place this lovely scooter on they way to my prize hoping to buy me off cheap no doubt.
i defy the sirens call!! i move on. i find my prize......
but big brother has one last trick. they took it apart and pointed it in the wrong direction.
i decide to poke around the place to see if i can find something else to get me out of the gravity well.
that was what they wanted to use instead of the golf cart they did on the moon.way cooler.
i did find some spacesuits but they where old and i dont think serviceable.
found a prototype moon rover(the floaty platform rocket thing is still way cooler).
the little rocket needed to blast off from the moon and hit terra shows what a bitch gravity can be.
a 7 foot rocket. and the one to go to the moon 30 stories.
this is the v-2 rocket. the first modern rocket. i think a case can be made for fireworks and such used in china before this but this one moved from place to far away place with a degree of aim. there was alot of military displays here. the reason i included this one and didnt the others is that they where all army. if the displays/propaganda was air force, i would have included it. the army is about ground troops. this place should be about escaping ground.
now this one i was jealous about..
this was the first moon rover mobile lab design. some lucky geologist got to drive this around in the south west after they decided no go.
ok just a little bit more of monkey nerd stuff.
first monkey capsule in space(the russians sent up a dog earlyer but it didnt even pick up the alien times)
monkey seat.
happy brotherhood of monkeys.
the only air force display was this beast
this is the blackbird. a very good example of why military stuff is so attractive. there is no way this would be built or flown for civilian use. when sitting on the runway it leaks fuel, they had to collect and pump more fuel into it. once up to speed the metal streches and holds its go juice. fast stuff!
so i continue my land base journey.
my learning curve with my tent continues..
it seems i cant quite reach high enough to make it completely overhang a picnic table. half a table isnt bad though. i did learn how to sleep in it.
this might seem like a no brainer but the design is based on a south american tribes hammock. they have been sleeping in hammocks for 1000's of years. true masters of the art. this hammock will not flip over and to sleep in it comfy you got to lay down at a angle. you see the wrinkles at the top of the photo? those lead to the tree. when you lay down in the direction of the blankets(almost 45 degrees), its a flat sleeping surface. you can toss and turn or sleep on your side. this is the best tent ive ever owned. it is such a leap over the coffin of last trip.
the next day as im going down a hill i lose all power. the engine is overreving and the starter is winding like crazy. i turn the key to off and hit the engine cut off on the handlebars..no effect. motor and starter are still going like mad. i pull over(not like i got a choice!). it eventually stops. breaking out the tools i find this
what that little little bitty pieces are is my drive belt(like your fan belt in your car). it broke wound itself around the starter and did as much damage as possible. not a really big fix with the rite tools(parts of course) maybe a half hours work. the only problem is getting a tow. i spend about an hour on the phone to mission control and tow companys. finaly i get a tow company to come and get me. from 30 miles away..im in a town with 2 tow companys but these refuse to tow something as exotic as a scooter!
so a tow bill as large as the repair bill from a dealer with a cheap hotel(4 nites) bill around the same. grrr! fixed though and with a upgraded belt. i probaly should have upgraded the belt before the trip, but in my defense, although research told me too Fee went 12000 miles with the stock belt. in fact when i replaced it it wasnt in bad shape at all(Fee did go a few mph faster with a new belt). just shy of 3000 miles floyd caught me by surprise. the added speed and rpms did me in i guess.
i forgot to mention the carb problem. i fixed that by adding a bottle of carb cleaner to my gas(the bottle said "up too 14 gallons" 3/4 of a gallon was up to i figured). it worked and gunk was cleaned out.
of course there was awesome weather as floyd was getting his spa treatment(mid eightys and sunny). i get him back and cold front and rain(70 and thunderstorms). a note on gear my expensive rain stuff from last trip(it was inside Fee when she was stolen) doesnt compare to the cheap pvc rainsuit. the cheap stuff kept me very dry and warm.
i pull into missipi in the rain and eventually find the natchez trail
this is a 200 year old road(made from native american trails). its a recreational road, that means no semis or towing anything that isnt for fun allowed on the road.
there are alot of burial mounds along the road
there is one of these in the rather new subdivision across from my folks place probaly made by the same people(i saw somebody set up a playset on that one, they have it marked now). this makes perfect sense to me. if you are nomadic and want to be able to find where uncle gus is buried, this works better then a piece of rock with scribbles on it.
a ton of roadside markers(i like these. they give me a chance to rest my abused bum and realize what im seeing) i think they are reaching a bit sometimes though. this is mostly swampland so the "overlooks" that are on a 20 foot hill is somewhat not much of a overlook.
here is a pic of the old road that the new one follows. it is a sunken road and in places goes much deeper.
alot of this area was drained and cotton was grown. now its been given over too cattle. the lay of the land seems to bee a flat(drained and cows, or a grassy wet field) then a bit of hill,repeat.
while i came into one of these grassy wet fields i saw a coyote(a almost exact copy of the stuffed one i saw at a roadside musem last stop. they also had a stuffed beaver. those things are big and fat down here!). the coyote took off obviously going after lunch. i quickly realized that he was going to chase lunch right across the road in front of me! i let off the gas a bit so as not to miss the action. well when he reached the shoulder of the road i realized he wasnt chasing anything, besides me! he was on the road about 4 feet away before i unfroze and hit the horn. maybe a leather seat stuffed with horse hair soaked in horse sweat wasnt the best idea after all!
i crossed the missi and encounter some horrible wind. the local news was covering it.
so im in louisnana now. im sure i missed alot. internet access has been spotty. i have done some poor mans gps(finding a hotel parking lot and accessing the wireless to google where im at.)
im going to see about downloading some kind of offline journal software so i can keep a more clear journal. that is a possibility now that i have a laptop with a working battery.
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| 3 nites |
[Apr. 19th, 2008|06:21 pm] |
so the first half of the day is spent just getting out of da'ville. then on to the good ole' boys headquarters.
a stroll through horse country.
i stoped for dinner at joe bolongas. this is a pizza place located in a former church. the world would be a better place if more churchs where turned into pizza joints IMHO.
then on to the old family farm.
it was slightly depressing to see our ten acres turned into a lawn. my folks built that house(BUILT not wrote a check to some dude). we had about half of the property for cows and horses, the other half was garden. i have very fond memorys of growing up there, not only did we grow our own veggies and meat but traded for dairy from down the road. any surplus we sold at the farmers market(the proceeds paid for me and the sibs school). the whole family would work the fields, it was fun for a little kid to do, the real bonus was the couple of dollars i would get at the farmers market. there was a five and dime around the corner, it sold candy by the pound!
it could have been worse, i could have found McMansions.
i stoped for the evening rather early, just outside winchester. i have retired the coffin tent. in its place is the majikcal floaty tent.
this is my toes tucked in fer the evening
there is a learning curve to using the majikcal floating tent i would learn(this is to be expected with such ancient and powerful majicks). i froze my butt off!! i fastened the rain fly way to far away from the majical sleepy place therefore letting in frigid demons to nip at my toes and send cold shivers down me spine. dont fret loyal readers, i am not writing this from the grave and did survive!
i slept in till the day star was bright. i always see shows about people fighting to stay awake in the cold, me i fight to sleep! i needed a couple of hours in the warm light to catch up on snooze time.
after packing up i found a road that said ## south. it wasnt on my map but i was headed south soo...
for some reason this road ended north east of where i camped. no big deal. although i did wish i had some moonshine with me just to carry on the tradition.
i soon found a road heading in the right general direction. this brought me into the hills also known as waving country.
in this part of the world one must wave. if someone is in the front yard and you wave at them they MUST wave back. they could have a baby in one hand and a rabid, bloodthirsty cougar in the other. the only acceptable alternative is a nod of the head. not just any old nod though its almost a bow, with a note of you caught me sinning. you wave people, anything else is just wrong.
it was a very nice day so i was very busy. not only did i have to wave i also had to give the peace sign pointed at the ground to every motorized bike(this might be a gang sign for all i know or two wheels down or just peace. i learned when i first started out last year that one must flash this. its universal).
stopping for an ass break(i thought i had killed off all the nerves in my ass but evidently they decided to heal themselfs without asking my opinion.stupid body.) i found a herd(?) pack(?) alot'ove($) butterflys.
i think thats enough butterflys. i wont post no'more, ever'more. there where tons of the suckers though wish i captured it better.
the worst part of traveling through this kind of country is that the folks who live there kinda take it for granted. this is compounded by the fact there is no garbage pick up. still u do find people who know what they have and have a bit of humor in them.
i once again ended my day at a closed campsite. i am cursed but decided to rebel and camped out alongside the road to the campsite. this campsite was closed due to a beetle. this uninvited guest chews up the insides of trees. u never know if it will be a branch that falls or a whole tree will just split and smush a charming scooterist. i took my chances and think i made the right decision as this shot i snapped as soon as i got majical tent hung.
i said the proper elfish and my tent was tight and warm. also the road i thought would bring me to another campground turned out to be a dead end, i found out in the morning.
not much to the next days travels. lots of busy roads, then...
i got to a campsite(open for a change) and the ranger told me a storm is heading in and would break about daybreak and end about noon.
i prepared. the wind was really kicking although sunny. i found the best trees to string the majic. made sure everything was strapped down and pulled floyd into the windbreak of the tent.
the storm hit around one am. i was rocked to sleep. not only did i get a good nites sleep, i was dry! in all my tent history you touch the tent and all the wet streams in. not this one!
the sun came out around 10 am dryed out all the rain and i was good to go!
well sbout an hour on the road and it starts to rain the wind is awfull. in the 50's
then floyd starts to act up. he started this the day before. not reaching peak rpms. i cleaned the air filter and checked the plug all good. he has no problem going down hill but is really dieing on the uphills 15mph tops.
i do find this awesome dam...
i started to head towards big city. i need to find a shop with tools that can probe deeper.
about 10 miles outside of my target city i get a sherifs car behind me. its a going downhill ok ok going uphill pissing off cop pissing off cop. he pulls me over about 9 miles in. although he was quite friendly he did do the full runthrough. it ate up a bunch of daystar. i decided to get a room and update. 2morrow ill find a independent shop and get it sorted.
if you havent noticed i do not know how to do cuts. i also dont care to. so if t his bothers anyones removes from your list. cause they will probaly get longer. |
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| Floyd 2.0 |
[Apr. 16th, 2008|11:20 am] |
Motorbike Nomad
bike is well balenced. ive removed all the govenors on the engine and transmission. along with the upgraded pipe it is now capable of doing 45-50 mph on the flats if need be. not that i plan on cruiseing at those speeds but some roads with traffic i know it will come in handy.
also replaced my laptop. so i now have a keyboard that actually works. this in no way will improve my grammar or spelling. it might mean less typos. |
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[Mar. 1st, 2008|10:15 pm] |
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[Feb. 26th, 2008|10:21 am] |
yep
tune=phish sanity
pissed off monkey here. |
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| i called 911 for the first time in my life. |
[Jan. 24th, 2008|01:11 am] |
there are plenty of times i should of called im sure. a ton of times that it would be like adding fuel to the fire.
so the evening starts off preety tame(disregarding how i managed too piss off someone doing nothing the nite b4). i cook up some (hold on looking at box to get spelling) l.a.s.a.g.n.a(damn brain farts!), one vegan(-fake cheese.i am not a whore), one cheesy meaty yummy.
friends stop by grab some grub share a beer and do dishs(karma cookin rocks). when i knows no1 else is stoping by i send the rest down to work(there is a entire untouched vegan.although i doubt the yummy factor, its still better then tofo.).
working the graveyard shift has drawbacks. the primary thing is everything productive is closed.
so i is bored. then think "i work in bars but havent been able to drink in a bar in a good long time(btw u can usally buy a drink for your bartender)". with me i get offers almost every run but i am a stone cold sober driver, thats what u are paying for. thats what u get!
so i decided to walk 2 blocks in the cold to the closest bar. there are train tracks in the way and of course i get a train. i arrive at bar and maybe 20 people, the place is preety much empty. i think "cool, ill chill out, have a few beers, pretend that i know how to socialize then head home".
well four girls walk into the place and about hell breaks lose. someone offers to buy them a drink(omfg! how could you!) they take this as fighting words. this is the seeding point for the evening. at one point there was people standing on both barstools and bar with a irate female crowd surfing on top(imagine carrying a cat to a bathtub) trying to claw the eyes out of another girl who said "what happened?". this is before the trouble started.
so this other dude decides he is the "decider" and can tell other people to "leave" his "bar". this doesnt sit well with the poor lone bartender. who has noted that the "decider" is causing a shitload of problems himself. of course the other person he is talking too is the guy who tryed to buy the girls a drink and managed to cause a cat fight of epic nature.
bartender, after hearing him try to kick out someone else says u need to go. the "decider" starts grabbing drinks off the bar and smashing them in the bartenders area. this brings in"drink offer dude" and all the sudden there is a fight! it gets dragged outside which is fine except the bartender is in the middle of it and they both have bottles. (a bottle to the head doesnt go down holywood style. the breaking of the bottle does not knock someone out and all the damage comes after the bottleis broken and sharp pieces of glass goes into heads).
meanwhile the ladys start up inside . with random dudes that didnt go out to watch the fight trying to "take charge". there stategy is to just throw knucks at whatever is closest.
i did not call 911 at this point.
why?
1)to busy trying not to lol
2)its really hard not to lol
3)i REALLY wanted to lol
4) i had been drinking so you can turn me on but turning me off cause great pain to me.
5) still trying to not lol
6) watching dumbass's fight is like watching toddlers argue about the "line" in the back seat. it makes me lol.
7) i was too busy laughing inside.
8) the fights kept coming in and out of the door. with wtf! faces of the people involved. the 2 fights had no clue what the other fight was about but was concerned that tthere was another fight.LOL!!!
9)yep still trying not to lol.
10) this is the only bar in walking distance to me. its known for hippy folk. a gratefull dead band play there almost everynight.
i called the cops when someone said "broken bottle bartender in trouble"
the bartender walked in a min later and called cops. told him i already did he says "thanks".
the cops show up and it just gets funnyer.
i told them 6-8 people which it was but inside we managed to get them to freaking leave. so all the cops had to deal with was 2 people trying to cut up the bartender. the crue the cops sent in was priceless, imagine the most ghetto, hip hop, white boys in uniform. they where built but kinda like bulldogs.
they where disappointed.
i left the bartender a $10 spot(no worrys i tiped after every drink i had) and said sorry about your troubles.
i of course caught a train back home. |
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