Don't kill your Daily Rider RSS feed just yet.
Daily updates per the tradition for this site have become difficult due to some new responsibilities at home (baby!) and work (lots of it). Where I used to take pleasure in letting the mind wander while on the commute and express that though pictures I find these days I'm always planning the action for my next destination during every ride. Not the way I'd want it all the time but this might be a trend for a while. Fear not as there's still lots of riding, it's just become a challenge to get the photos processed.
I do have some bigger rides planned for 2011 that will definitely be reported here. I'll also try get a few old school posts made as I do really enjoy creating them. I might even post the odd review or how-to as I think i'm refining a pretty awesome gear setup for simple commuting and touring.
One final project for the year is to finally get some of the Daily Rider pics into book form. I do this for most of the trips but this one might make it to Blurb or something so they can be shared.
With eyes open to the next adventure.
Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
January 14, 2011
September 3, 2010
Utah Loop: Pre-Flight
- Pre-flight
- Day 1: The hills burn
- Day 2: River runs through it
- Day 3: Top of the world
- Day 4: '50s postcard
- Day 5: Into the inferno
- Day 6: Navajo sands
- Day 7: The breakthrough
- Day 8: Iron ass
- Day 9: Rediscovering home
The beginning for this trip was like most others: There was a spark of an idea–likely over a few beer late one night–and with a napkin doodle in hand the plans are set in motion. My favourite part of excursions like this is how innocently they start. Come to think of it, most big undertakings come to life the moment the idea is exhaled, "how about we…" and with that the switch is on.
Strapping on new gear outside MEC - the tent's first ride on the bike!
My usual partner in crime for these types of trips, SM, was on call to other life duties at this time. Never looking to have the 'no one to go with' to stop me I proceeded anyway, silently hoping that a willing accomplice might come along. After several impassioned sales pitches extolling the virtues of Yellowstone and primal beauty of the desert I still had no takers. I think I lost them with the parts about nightly camping, aggressive mileage, and desperate gas stops. Details.
Testing the tent in the back yard, or more correctly testing myself to put up the tent in the back yard.
Planning is one of the most fun parts of a trip like this. With a clean slate you can pull out a map and dream of lands unconquered. As you shift your body over the lines on the page your mind can wonder into dreams of what adventure waits inside those lines on a page. Like all great tales of fantasy and horror it's the details that are omitted that are the most powerful. With the anticipation of known attractions comes the reservations of unknown lands (to me) such as eastern Colorado or northern Nevada. Lines stretching out one the map with ominous descriptors such as 'desert' or 'basin'. Managing expectations becomes important to your sanity and focus turns to logistics and material preparation. Is the bike in condition? Can I carry enough water? Then passports, money, insurance and the dreams that put this all in motion temporarily slip away to the more mundane tasks at hand. They'll return once the helmet comes on and the solitude of the highway envelopes you.
With everything packed a final test ride is made. Nothing shifts or falls off. We're ready to go!
There were three certainties to work with. First, I had eight days to convert into this moto-bonanza. Work and life would be keeping a watchful eye. Second, I wanted to camp for the majority of nights. This was a curious requirement and I'm still not sure where the motivation came from but like my ice cream addiction I submitted willingly. I think it was a desire to take on the extra challenge, to 'do this thing right if to do it at all', and recapture an activity I had such fond memories of with my father from decades past. Motorcycles and camping are often romantically linked in the holy scriptures (Jupiter's Travels, One Man Caravan, Zen and the Art of MC Maintenance to name a few) as they share the same principle of submitting to the environment and embracing all that comes with it. Few people jump on a bike to cross a continent and are disgusted when a white linen dinner isn't waiting at the end of each day. Finally, I knew that this trip would include big mileage. Partly because I enjoy geographic slide shows while I ride and also because there was still much country I had not seen. I had never been to any of the western states that didn't have a coastline and in my mind an image played of a bike, a road, and a landscape flashing by in grandeur. This was the image I was chasing.
April 15, 2010
Thirty-two days
Yikes - over a month between updates. There's been lots of working and lots of riding. Sadly, the Daily Rider is a third priority. Did i mention there was still lots of riding? Life remains good.
January 13, 2010
How it looked or how it felt?
Too many crazy-long days at work had my vision decidedly biased to the 24" range. I had laptop eyes. And a headache. A ride sounded like a suitable antidote and off i dashed into the chaos of 4pm of a Wednesday. I'm fortunate to live/work close to a fairly massive university campus with many scenic and quiet roads to get away on. It was 26km well-spent.
I'm going to share what are essentially two version of the same picture. I couldn't decide which to post. The first is a true reflection how i felt today on my ride: Rich, warm, busy, damp. The second is closer to how it actually looked: Sharp, cold, hectic, wet. Let there be no mistake – i tweak most of the photos before they appear on this site. It's always done when i think the camera's images doesn't quite match the mind's interpretation of the eye's view of the heart's motivation. You know how sometimes '10°' can feel both hot or cold, depending on what's going on? Well that's what i try to capture. Today it was a warm ten.
How it felt
Canon IXY 910 @ ƒ/2.8
How it looked
Canon IXY 910 @ ƒ/2.8
I'm going to share what are essentially two version of the same picture. I couldn't decide which to post. The first is a true reflection how i felt today on my ride: Rich, warm, busy, damp. The second is closer to how it actually looked: Sharp, cold, hectic, wet. Let there be no mistake – i tweak most of the photos before they appear on this site. It's always done when i think the camera's images doesn't quite match the mind's interpretation of the eye's view of the heart's motivation. You know how sometimes '10°' can feel both hot or cold, depending on what's going on? Well that's what i try to capture. Today it was a warm ten.
How it felt
Canon IXY 910 @ ƒ/2.8
How it looked
Canon IXY 910 @ ƒ/2.8
October 22, 2009
A Day in Bologna (Hint: Ducati)
Daily Rider goes to Bologna
Taking a break from the daily commute I recently had the fortune to spend a few days in Bologna, Italy. Why this may be of interest to Daily Rider readers is Bologna is the home of Ducati, one of the most iconic motorcycle brands in the world.
My own experience with Ducati is limited to imaginary test rides at bike shows and window shopping. I've never ridden one (anyone want to trade for an afternoon?). But I do remember walking into a bike shop back in 1994 and seeing a Monster M900 for the first time - wow. It really messed with my expectations of what a bike could be, and far more attractive to my young eyes that any of the plastic fantastics buzzing around the streets.
I'm not the best source for a rolling history of the brand or racing pedigree so check out Wikipedia or the museum has a brief website based on the museum with more background information. So… on to some pictures!
To visit the museum you have to book ahead (thanks, A.S.!) When we arrived a big group was waiting and two English and two Italian groups set out. It was pouring rain and everyone was soaked, especially the several who had ridden to the museum on what looked like part of an extensive European motorbike tour. But everyone was happy, perhaps even a little giddy at what they were about to see.
The displays are organized chronologically starting with the early radios and electric razors that got the company started and moving quickly to the piccolo bicycle engine that fuelled a post-WWII transportation boom in Italy.
Most of the museum is devoted to Ducati's racing heritage. Surprisingly, there wasn't a single Monster in the museum, considering its been one of the top sellers for over a decade. Bikes were all nicely cleaned without being over-restored. There was a special section for the Moto GP models. It was the obvious pride of the stable.
The black stallion was originally used by both Ducati and Ferrari.
The guide mentioned that Ducati has patented the exhaust note of their 90° twin, but there was no mention of this nor samples of the sounds of the bikes. I don't know about anyone else but it is the sounds that elicits the most excitement with the Ducati brand. A nice touch were the magazine clippings for some of the models from trade magazines of the day. "The Italian rocket for '75" and so on.
The gift shop was reserved for such a flagship location. Nothing like the gaudy Ferrari wonderlands that ferment on Euro-trash real estate. A.S. tried a leather jacket, but they only carried two (wrong) sizes.
I went into the experience thinking of Ducati as a stylish if flamboyant manufacturer. They obviously see themselves as a technology company solely focused on winning races. I think they know what they're doing.
Definitely a great visit if you're in Northern Italy.
Postscript - While in Modena next door i was passed by a Ferrari prototype test drive on public B roads complete with obscured bodywork. Fun!
Taking a break from the daily commute I recently had the fortune to spend a few days in Bologna, Italy. Why this may be of interest to Daily Rider readers is Bologna is the home of Ducati, one of the most iconic motorcycle brands in the world.
My own experience with Ducati is limited to imaginary test rides at bike shows and window shopping. I've never ridden one (anyone want to trade for an afternoon?). But I do remember walking into a bike shop back in 1994 and seeing a Monster M900 for the first time - wow. It really messed with my expectations of what a bike could be, and far more attractive to my young eyes that any of the plastic fantastics buzzing around the streets.
I'm not the best source for a rolling history of the brand or racing pedigree so check out Wikipedia or the museum has a brief website based on the museum with more background information. So… on to some pictures!
To visit the museum you have to book ahead (thanks, A.S.!) When we arrived a big group was waiting and two English and two Italian groups set out. It was pouring rain and everyone was soaked, especially the several who had ridden to the museum on what looked like part of an extensive European motorbike tour. But everyone was happy, perhaps even a little giddy at what they were about to see.
The displays are organized chronologically starting with the early radios and electric razors that got the company started and moving quickly to the piccolo bicycle engine that fuelled a post-WWII transportation boom in Italy.
Most of the museum is devoted to Ducati's racing heritage. Surprisingly, there wasn't a single Monster in the museum, considering its been one of the top sellers for over a decade. Bikes were all nicely cleaned without being over-restored. There was a special section for the Moto GP models. It was the obvious pride of the stable.
The black stallion was originally used by both Ducati and Ferrari.
The guide mentioned that Ducati has patented the exhaust note of their 90° twin, but there was no mention of this nor samples of the sounds of the bikes. I don't know about anyone else but it is the sounds that elicits the most excitement with the Ducati brand. A nice touch were the magazine clippings for some of the models from trade magazines of the day. "The Italian rocket for '75" and so on.
The gift shop was reserved for such a flagship location. Nothing like the gaudy Ferrari wonderlands that ferment on Euro-trash real estate. A.S. tried a leather jacket, but they only carried two (wrong) sizes.
I went into the experience thinking of Ducati as a stylish if flamboyant manufacturer. They obviously see themselves as a technology company solely focused on winning races. I think they know what they're doing.
Definitely a great visit if you're in Northern Italy.
Postscript - While in Modena next door i was passed by a Ferrari prototype test drive on public B roads complete with obscured bodywork. Fun!
July 2, 2009
A not-so-daily update
Moving houses is a chore. Part of the fallout has been loosing access to my gargantuan MacPro that just refuses to fit into my travel bag. Yes, times like these a laptop would be great but the four terabytes of internal storage is hard to give up. For now the photos rest on my camera and upload capacity is hiding in a box.
But not for lack of riding. Last weekend was a fantastic 2,500km jaunt around Washington State, USA. Destination was Mt. St. Helens, but SM and I ended up on all sorts of back roads and even a three hour expedition into some mud and forest to try get around a washed out bridge.
Credit to the Destination Highways series for leading us on some interesting routes through Washington State.
But not for lack of riding. Last weekend was a fantastic 2,500km jaunt around Washington State, USA. Destination was Mt. St. Helens, but SM and I ended up on all sorts of back roads and even a three hour expedition into some mud and forest to try get around a washed out bridge.
Credit to the Destination Highways series for leading us on some interesting routes through Washington State.
March 9, 2009
Birth of the cool
What is cool?
Besides being a state of mind relative to the cultures and individuals that express it, there is something in the north american context that we can say is 'cool.' Miles Davis is cool. Blue jeans are cool. Kissing is cool. In 1953 Marlon Brando leaning on his Triumph was cool (today it's quaint).
My new helmet is uncool.
What makes it uncool? Well, the colour to start. It is bright and not something you would think a cool person would wear (and you'd be accurate with me as the model). It's not cool because it is not black, and it seems that in North America only black motorcycle clothing or gear is cool. They might let you slide with grey. To be even more uncool the helmet has neon on it!! Oh man, we can't get anymore uncool. Lock up your sons or they'll be corrupted into a life of D&D and pantomime.
On my helmet search i didn't even consider the cool factor at first. I was thinking that statistically a bright helmet is one of the best things you can do to be safe riding. If cars see you they are less likely to run into unless you've really pissed them off. I was hoping it wouldn't have to be too ugly, but it is really hard to find a non-ugly helmet these days! When i saw the Corsair that i finally ended up with i thought it was perfect: it fit, it was bright, and it was on sale. Only later when my wife started laughing at me and I poured my heart out to SM did i start to think the coolness implications of my helmet choice. Had i gone too far? Will anyone ever ride with me again? Will i drive impressionable children into a life of pantomime?
For me, it's cool to ride, and if I have to wear some bright colours to be safe doing it that's the price of cool (like emphysema is the price for looking cool smoking). I'm sure all you cool people will agree.
Tomorrow i'll try post some pictures and look at what the safety implications for being uncool really are.
February 22, 2009
Parking a motorcycle at UBC
Universities are a bit of a Twilight Zone for parking as all the usual rules don't apply. Primarily, this is due to the hyper-vigilant parking attendents and uber-efficient towing services. Where a bike will normally tuck into little corner behind a building and happily sit all day, i'm hesitant to do this on campus.
Heading to the Northern Voice conference this weekend at UBC it took me 30 min to find a place for the bike. It felt like the storyline of Monty Python did a film noir. To make a long story short i visited 4 lots, talked to a security person, a maintenance person, and a parking person before finally finding a spot for the bike. >sigh<
At least it wasn't $11 for 2 hours bike parking like SFU.
Heading to the Northern Voice conference this weekend at UBC it took me 30 min to find a place for the bike. It felt like the storyline of Monty Python did a film noir. To make a long story short i visited 4 lots, talked to a security person, a maintenance person, and a parking person before finally finding a spot for the bike. >sigh<
At least it wasn't $11 for 2 hours bike parking like SFU.
February 21, 2009
Oil change gunk
Doing the 5,000km oil change on the R1200R. While pouring out the drain pan i noticed some strange lumps bubbling out. I ran it through a filter to see if there was anything to worry about and besides some small bits of crud there was, what seemed to be, a leaf! Okay, i'll assume it is just a gasket getting worn in, but it's still not what you really want to find in your vital lubricants.
Last change before i can switch to synthetics. BMW recommends 10,000km before the engine is actually broken in (?!).
Last change before i can switch to synthetics. BMW recommends 10,000km before the engine is actually broken in (?!).
December 9, 2008
Evening Commute
"I've followed your blog" says KDMurray as we walk for beers (me/rider a coke).
"Oh? I haven't updated it in a while. Nothing much blog worthy going on. Just the daily daily. "
"Sometimes it doesn't take much" I'm told in reply.
We digressed into a talk about blogging, Twitter, and all the other demands on our attention these days, and how there's a marked decline in content standards.
In my head i started thinking of how much i enjoy the daily grind. At least, i look forward to all the opportunities we are presented with on a daily basis to make the most of the time we have. I'm not sure how to phrase it in a way that isn't hokey... Iggy's lust for life anthems with earthy eloquence.
This dovetails into another talk i had today with my RMT (dude who wrestles my back into a relaxed state). "That jacket looks like you ride." "yeah." "Cold in the winter?" "Yeah. And I love it."
Make every day blog worthy, whether you actually get to the blogging of it or not. Don't do evil. Hold a door for a stranger. Share some wealth. And use the daily ride to let life wash over you with all the beauty and violence it has on offer. Leave it to your co-workers to bitch about the bus, cry about uneven air conditioning, and moan about the misery of their commute.
You've just lived life, twice.
"Oh? I haven't updated it in a while. Nothing much blog worthy going on. Just the daily daily. "
"Sometimes it doesn't take much" I'm told in reply.
We digressed into a talk about blogging, Twitter, and all the other demands on our attention these days, and how there's a marked decline in content standards.
In my head i started thinking of how much i enjoy the daily grind. At least, i look forward to all the opportunities we are presented with on a daily basis to make the most of the time we have. I'm not sure how to phrase it in a way that isn't hokey... Iggy's lust for life anthems with earthy eloquence.
This dovetails into another talk i had today with my RMT (dude who wrestles my back into a relaxed state). "That jacket looks like you ride." "yeah." "Cold in the winter?" "Yeah. And I love it."
Make every day blog worthy, whether you actually get to the blogging of it or not. Don't do evil. Hold a door for a stranger. Share some wealth. And use the daily ride to let life wash over you with all the beauty and violence it has on offer. Leave it to your co-workers to bitch about the bus, cry about uneven air conditioning, and moan about the misery of their commute.
You've just lived life, twice.
October 5, 2008
Things I Learned in Mechanic School P. I: It is really really difficult to change a tire with only two tire irons
Things I learned in mechanic school Pt. I: It is really really difficult to change a tire with only two tire irons
Originally uploaded by Zutter Bug
The first thing you need to do with a tire, once it's removed is to 'break the bead.' this involves working your way around the tire and separatiing the natural bond that has formed between tire and rim.
The second thing you need to do... doesn't really matter because i was totally stuck at step one and worked for 30min trying to prepare a 5cm section. This would have to be reapeated around the whole tire, both sides!
Sweaty and dazed from sitting and standing too rapidly i finally gave up. The words began to play in my head with a zennish authority "no... no... no..." I finally understood.
So, don't plan on changing a tire with two dainty irons unless you know you can break that bead, and that the tire has at least a bit of youthful pliability.
EPILOGUE
i have begun to associate on familiar terms with my BMW tire repair kit, no tire removal necessary.
September 19, 2008
Daily Rider now on del.icio.us
Yummy times as the Daily Rider blog goes social bookmarking with del.icio.us (or Delicious as Yahoo! wants us to use now).
Some of the links might be individually posted here too, but del.icio.us is a great way to group and share pointers to all manner of Internet miscellany. I find the "what other people linked" feature pretty useful. It's a great way to find sites other than the usual suspects that Google throws at you.
Already have a del.icio.us account, add us to your network!
Some of the links might be individually posted here too, but del.icio.us is a great way to group and share pointers to all manner of Internet miscellany. I find the "what other people linked" feature pretty useful. It's a great way to find sites other than the usual suspects that Google throws at you.
Already have a del.icio.us account, add us to your network!
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