Prep for Florida trip ; new cargo trailer and ATV

(posted from home)
(This post covers 17 – 31 January, 2012)

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Tuesday, 31 January-

This morning I prepped to take the ATV out for its first run. I then remembered I couldn't yet leave because the hitch was locked and I didn't have the key. Snap!
I wasn't quite ready to leave anyway. I called up my motorcycle agent for a quote on the ATV and was shocked to be quoted a $355 add-on cost. That just didn't make sense. I don't pay much more than that for my two motorcycles and I'd think the liability risk much lower for the ATV.
I called up my home-insurance agent and asked if they also do ATV insurance. It turns out they are agents for multiple companies and gave me comparison quotes on the ATV. With my discounts, I ended up paying $75 a year for the same coverage as the $355 quote. And you can be sure I'll be checking there when my motorcycle insurance comes up for renewal.
That afternoon Labashi drove me over to Lititz to pick up the F650GS from the shop. We had a wonderful 60-degree day today and we have rain promised the next few days so better now than later.
The shop replaced a valve-cover gasket and cleaned the engine up, all under warranty.
On the way home we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for ribs, then returned home to watch 'Boardwalk Empire.' Ah, Nucky, you scoundrel!

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Monday, 30 January -

This morning Labashi and I had our tax-prep appointment. We hadn't yet received all our statements so it was a short one--- just set up the basics then when the paperwork comes in we'll just pass it along.
A bit later I rode the Concours down to York. After my Starbucks fix I walked over to Lowe's and bought two combination locks. These are also Magnum locks with hardened shanks and very tough lock mechanisms but they are four-digit combination locks. Since I can set my own combinations I can come up with my own way of remembering the set of combos and not have to depend on keys.
I made the decision to return the key locks and go with combination locks after making a mistake. When I last parked the trailer I didn't yet have a ball-lock for it. Rather than leave it unlocked and unattended I used my motorcycle lock on the hitch's safety latch. Unfortunately, the key to that lock was now at the motorcycle shop in Lititz and I didn't have a spare! I wouldn't be able to use the trailer to go pick up the motorcycle unless I'd first make the round-trip to Lititz to retrieve the key. Yikes!
I spent a few hours in the afternoon planning our itinerary in Florida this year and then picked up Mocha Joe from the garage. The rear wheel brake adjuster had fallen out of place and I had a leaky rear cylinder. That cost me almost $200 in repairs (sigh).


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Sunday, 29 January -

This morning I worked on catching up the blog.
That afternoon I set up the combo locks with a set of combos I can remember and I made a license-plate mount for the ATV. I had to run to the hardware store for stainless-steel machine screws and nuts and rubber washers for the mounts but came up with a nice-looking mount for good ol' 00R00 (the ATV's new name).
I also had time to buzz down to Rocky Ridge Park for a walk (1:50).

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Saturday, 28 January -

Today Labashi and I drove into York on errands. We lunched at Fuddrucker's then went to Lowe's. I picked up locks for the trailer and she did some research for her upcoming projects on the house.
I ended up buying a hitch-lock kit that gives me one key for three locks at the hitch. One lock is for the hitch-pin in the receiver, one is for the safety latch, and the last is a ball-and-U-bolt arrangement to lock the ball-mount when it's not hitched to anything. I also bought a 30-foot armored cable and padlock so I can lock the trailer and/or ATV to an immovable object when the need arises.
For the doors I bought Magnum locks but I'm not sure I like them. They're the highest-rated locks but I don't like dealing with keys.


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Friday, 27 January -

Today I hauled the new cargo trailer up to State College and bought an ATV.... my main purpose for the trailer. I bought a Honda Rancher 420, which is one of the smaller ATVs these days. I wasn't fond of either the bright red or olive standard colors so opted for a camouflage paint scheme. The Rancher has selectable two and four-wheel drive and a manual-select transmission. The tranny is similar to the old Honda 50 in that you kick it into gear without using a clutch lever. Honda has electric-shift and 'automatic' (constant-velocity belt-drive) transmission options but that just seems like asking for complexity and therefore trouble.
The trip up was mostly uneventful but Mocha Joe certainly doesn't like pulling a trailer uphill. I had to climb the Seven Mountains hill at 25 miles per hour. I shudder to think what it would be with a loaded trailer.
The purchase process went smoothly. By going to this dealer I got the ATV for an out-the-door price less than the base price quoted by my local dealer back home .. and that was for one without the camouflage upgrade.
On the way home, though, I had a problem with Mocha Joe. As I neared home I noticed the brake pedal felt different when I'd apply the brakes. Since I was nearing my regular garage, I stopped there and had it confirmed that I did indeed have a problem. I ended up continuing on home to drop the trailer (since I didn't yet have locks for it) and then brought the van back for service when they can get to it next week.
That evening we watched disk 1 of 'Justified' Season Two.

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Thursday, 26 January -

Today I put the new trailer to good use. I loaded up the F650GS motorcycle and hauled it over to Trans-Am Cycles in Lititz. I had noticed a small oil leak on top of the engine and wanted to get the work done before the warranty runs out. As expected, I had to leave the bike for parts to come in next week.
That afternoon Labashi and I drove up to see Mom and Dad and had supper with them in the apartment.
That evening we finished 'Modern Family' 2:2.


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Wednesday, 25 January -

Today I spent the day buying an enclosed cargo trailer. I found the trailer I was looking for at AJ Trailers in Harrisburg. It's a 6x12 vee-nose, single-axle trailer with side door and rear ramp-door.
The trailer brand is Carry-On and it weighs 960 pounds, cost just under $3000. I chose this model because it's 35% lighter than similar-sized trailers from other manufacturers. It's certified to haul up to 2000 pounds and is therefore under the 3000-pound gross weight limit before needing trailer brakes.
On the way up to AJ's I stopped at the Ace Hardware store and Tractor Supply to look at surface-mount tie-downs so I'd have an idea of what's available.
The actual purchase was easy. The guys took the trailer into the garage and added a spare (mounted on the tongue) and welded on a pair of stabilizing jacks to the rear. The jacks allow me to load and unload the trailer with it unhitched. I also bought a good set of heavy rubber chocks.
On the way home I lunched at the local Five Guys, then stopped at my local Ace Hardware to pick up three sets of 'bed bolts', i.e., tie downs that bolt through the floor, each with removable eyelets.
That evening we watched 'Modern Family'- Season 2 disk 2.

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Tuesday, 24 January -

Today I hooked up Mocha Joe to the fishing boat and took it to Chambersburg to drop off for Maypo's use next Spring. Also, I need the space in my driveway!
While in Chambersburg I dropped in at House 2, our second rehab project. I found the back door standing open a few inches. If we hadn't had a safety chain on it, it would probably have been open the whole way. I'd guess this happened because a prospective buyer touring the house hadn't closed it fully and the windy day several days ago opened it. I took a look around, checked the dehumidifier for freezing and ran the water a bit.

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Monday, 23 January -

Today was a miserably foggy, cold day. I spent much of it on the web researching enclosed cargo trailers for my upcoming Florida trip.
That evening we watched a 'Boardwalk Empire' episode and then a Nova documentary called 'Lizard Kings'. The documentary examines the very diverse world of monitor lizards and does a great job, both in photography and interesting content.

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Sunday, 22 January -

After watching 'Sunday Morning' (a favorite), Labashi and I drove into York. She dropped me off at Starbucks to work on my blog and did some grocery shopping at the nearby Wal-mart, picking up stuff we can't get at our local Giant.
That evening we watched 'Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa', an IMAX film from Netflix.

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Saturday, 21 January -

We woke to four inches of snow this morning, our second of the season. We took it easy until 1100, then cleared the drive and walk and vehicles in about an hour and a half.
That afternoon I watched a documentary-- 'Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead'. It's about two guys who went on all-juice fasts to get their weight and underlying diseases under control. It's a bit odd and perhaps too enthusiastic in pushing the juice-fast diet but interesting.
I then tried 'Trollhunters' but abandoned that after a half-hour. This one is a Norwegian mockumentary in the style of 'The Blair Witch Project' and seemed to be going somewhere. Then they brought out the 'trolls'. They weren't scary, they were ridiculous... at least to my eye. Perhaps their form means something to people more familiar with Scandinavian troll images but to me they looked more like Muppets.
I then watched 'Vernon, Florida', an Errol Morris documentary. I liked it! I'm sure it's WAY too slow for most people but I'm a fan of rural Florida--- warts and all --- and enjoyed it.
That evening we watched 'Mad Men' 1:9 and 'Kilimanjaro: Roof of Africa'.

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Friday, 20 January -

I spent much of the morning back on searching for an enclosed cargo trailer for the ATV and motorcycle. I had looked at one locally last week that seemed to fit the bill but it weighs more than I like (1325 pounds). This week I looked at a lighter one (960 pounds) but the dealer didn't have any in stock and it's not clear he'd have one in time for my trip.
We have snow headed our way this weekend so I had to get out today if I were to have a motorcycle ride and my walk. I zipped down to Rocky Ridge for my walk (1:46). I've noticed this colder weather (under 30) is hard on the iPod battery. The iPod now dies in about 1:15.
Looks like I'll have to be a little careful about my walking. After today's walk I had some pain in my left foot. I may be over-doing it a bit.
That evening we watched 'Mad Men'- Season One, eps 7 and 8.

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Thursday, 19 January -

I spent the morning patrolling the web then ran down to York on the Concours to Action Motosports to get a price on an ATV. The sales guys have me re-thinking whether I want to go with a sport ATV or a utility ATV. I went into this thinking I want the less-complex and 150-pound lighter sport model but I'm now not sure I want to give up the four-wheel drive option. This whole decision is complicated by trailer options. The sport model will fit in a 12-foot vee-nose trailer along with the F650GS but the additional length of the utility model causes a problem. The sports model only has four inches of clearance, though, (to the utility's 6.5 inches) and little storage capacity.
I then went over to Rudy Park for a walk (1:30 today).

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Wednesday, 18 January -

Labashi is still heavily into her Ebay stuff. For the last month she's been spending hours each day preparing to sell family possessions left over from her parent's downsizing when they moved from their home in Michigan to an apartment nearby. Unfortunately, the items aren't selling... but it's easy to understand why. The day she posted a silver-plated tray, there were 800 other listings for silver-plated trays and similar items.
I've been helping out when Labashi runs into technical problems or needs another opinion as she navigates Ebay and Paypal and researches the histories of the companies who produced the items. It's interesting but so far doesn't seem to be paying off in bids for the items.
I did get out a bit on the motorcycle today. I ran over to the bank on an errand then down to Rudy park for an hour's walk.

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Tuesday, 17 January -

Today Labashi and I took Mocha Joe for a drive to State College. I've been looking at ATVs nd wanted to talk to the guys at Track N Trail, a Honda dealer who claims to have 800 vehicles. I was surprised how small the place was. If they have 800 vehicles, then 700 of them are in the warehouse because they weren't visible anywhere. The sales guy seemed very slow on the uptake but as we talked more he seemed to relax and became more helpful, at one point going out of his way to find an answer to a question that had merely come up in passing. Still, the ATV model I had come to see wasn't there. The computer said they had two somewhere but the location was unspecified-- meaning they were either in the warehouse or due in sometime 'soon' (in the next several days).
The visit took less than an hour and we headed back home, enjoying the winter's day drive while listening to episodes of 'This American Life' on the iPod.
That evening we watched 'Buck', an excellent documentary on Buck Brannaman, a 'horse whisperer', i.e., a horse trainer with an extraordinary affinity for horses. Buck's own life story and his family relationships are compelling. What a great job of story-telling by the film-maker.
We stayed up late to watch a second documentary, 'Ride the Divide'. This one is the story of mountain bikers racing from Banff to the Mexican border on a series of Forest Roads and trails. The ride is incredible at any pace but to do as a race and doing it unsupported is incredible. I'm continually amazed at what the human body can endure but absolutely astounded what mental anguish people put themselves under to test themselves or prove a point.

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Starting to prep for Florida ; Lancaster day-trip

(posted from home)

(This post covers 9 – 16 January, 2011)

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Monday, 16 January -

Martin Luther King Day. I'm afraid the great man would not be pleased with what has become of our country. The Great Conservatard Backlash continues.
Today was a cold, windy and threatening-rain day and I spent much of it on the web researching various topics for the Florida trip. I did get out a bit in the afternoon to run over to the Giant for a few items but otherwise it's one of those days that makes me want to go to Florida just to feel less cooped-up. We received an flyer from Cabela's yesterday touting a Cabin-Fever Sale. My immediate reaction was it's too early for that but now I'm not so sure. We've been very lucky to have fifty and forty-degree days recently but the trend is of course downward now.
That evening we watched 'Big Love' Season Five episodes. I was wondering how the writers would keep us interested in this ever-downward-spiraling tale but they seem to have done it.

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Sunday, 15 January -

This morning the temperature was only 18 so before dressing for my Sunday motorcycle ride I went out and started the Concours to be sure it would run. I've ridden it temperatures as low as 12 degrees but have also had problems getting it started in temperatures below 30. Getting it started depends not only on the condition of the battery (how new it is) but also how much I've been riding that bike lately. The battery is only a few months old, I've been careful to use StarTron additive on gas fill-ups, and I've been out on it a good bit in the last few weeks. The bike started up on two tries, an easy one. I left it idling while I went in to don my safety gear.
I rode down to the Tollgate Startbucks on this gusty morning (wind-chill of 13 degrees), careful to take a route less likely to have ice from frozen run-off. I spent the rest of the morning catching up the blog, this time using the laptop rather than the iPad. I've found I can't rely on the iPad for this. Two weeks ago I spent an hour writing up a blog entry only to have the iPad screen momentarily go black and lose everything I'd just done. I'm not sure if that was an iOS or email fault but the fact that the system isn't keeping backups as I work tells me the iPad isn't yet ready for prime time.
After Starbucks I rode over to a nearby Five Guys for a quick burger, then on to Rocky Ridge for a brisk walk. (1:47 today).
That evening we watched “A Thief of Time”, a Masterpiece Theater film adapting Tony Hillerman's novel featuring Joe Leaphorn, a Navajo Tribal Police officer. I'm a fan of Wes Studi, Adam Beach, and Gary Farmer's films.

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Saturday, 14 January -

Today we drove up to Harrisburg to visit our friend rar and wife. We've not seen them in years and it was great to get together to catch up. We spent the afternoon and evening looking at travel pictures, chatting, and having an excellent meal (and wine!).
We arrived back home around 2100 and watched two episodes of 'Mad Men', Season One. We're into it.

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Friday, 13 January -

Today Labashi and I drove into town to run a few errands. We hit the Wal-mart, lunched at Five Guys, and then did some grocery shopping on the way home.
That afternoon I got back to researching a sport-model ATV and the OHV(Off-Highway-Vehicle) trails in Florida. I'm trying to decide whether it would be worth the hassle of trailering an ATV to Florida to explore the trails there. After seeing a map of the Ocala Adventure Trail in the Ocala National Forest and the trails in the Withlacoochee River and Osceola National Forests, I'm thinking it would be worth it. Perhaps I could hit the Hatfield-McCoy trails in southern West Virginia on the way home ; I've long wanted to try them. But I don't have a good place to store the trailer back here at home .
That evening we diddled around on the web, then watched our weekly 'Gold Rush' and 'Flying Wild Alaska' shows.

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Thursday, 12 January -

Today I took Dad's car in to the Honda dealer for inspection and to have an outside mirror installed. Somehow the mirror completely disappeared. We're not sure if it was knocked off by a vandal or what-- it was just gone one day. During the inspection a load-test of the battery showed it was on its way out so I went over to the local Battery Warehouse and had a replacement installed.
That afternoon I took care of a few errands then watched two more episodes of 'Better Off Ted'. I think we're going to pass on this one.
We watched three more episodes of the latest 'Big Love' season. I'm interested to see how the producers turn this around. At this point it's unrelentingly depressing.

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Wednesday, 11 January -

This morning I took the Ody in to the Honda dealer for an oil change and to repair a tail-light. Labashi had backed into a tree limb overhanging a parking-lot space and it had, fortunately, only broken the tail-light lens. That wasn't cheap (almost $200) but much better than body-work costs.
I didn't get back until mid-afternoon and was running late to take a walk. But once I changed clothes and went out to the bike, I noticed we had incoming rain-clouds. I abandoned the idea and instead watched a Gordon Eastman movie from the early Seventies called 'Savage Wild'. This movie is reminiscent of the wildlife movies we used to have come around to the local junior-high when I was young. Some guy goes off into the wilderness with his camera and self-produces a film which he then travels the country showing it to small audiences at schools, churches, and YMCAs. This one was about Gordon spending two years in the Yukon raising some wolf cubs and then releasing them. I used to love seeing this type of film for its footage of the wild and the gear used by the guy and his buddies.
I also watched two episodes of the TV show 'Better Off Ted' to see if we'd like it. Not sure yet.
That evening Labashi joined me in watching two episodes of 'Big Love'.

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Tuesday, 10 January -

Labashi wanted a break from her Ebay-ing today so we drove over to Lancaster for the day. We took a walk through Central Market, then lunched at Carr's Restaurant nearby. We then walked over to the Lancaster Art Museum for their local-photographers exhibit. Afterwards we toured the shops of Gallery Row and the gallery at Millersville University's Lancaster building.
On the way home we stopped for our favorite ribs at Texas Roadhouse and a look through the new Books-A-Million store nearby.
That evening we watched 'Powwow Highway', a good Native-American-produced movie with Adam Beach and Gary Farmer. The story is a friendship-story of two guys from the Coeur-d'Alene rez who take a road trip to Santa Fe after the death of a father. Well done!
We then watched a Netflix-Instant movie, 'Lebanon, PA', mostly because of the location. We were surprised how good it was though it did have a controversial point of view and treated us locals too simplistically.

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Monday, 9 January -

I spent the morning scheduling appointments for car maintenance and researching a motorcycle hauler for Mocha Joe. I have a discount certificate for a Harbor Freight hauler which looked suitable to the task. But once I read the owner's manual I saw it wouldn't really work for me.
Most of these receiver-hitch-mounted models suggest you have two people in order to get the motorcycle up on the ramp and in place and tied down. I need to be able to load and unload by myself (since I travel alone on my winter trip). That seems possible with some type of design which would allow me to roll the bike into a front-wheel grip and therefore steady it enough to get my front-end straps on, then deal with the back end. But the Harbor Freight design has you run the motorcycle only halfway across the back of the vehicle, then remove a pin so the motorcycle's back wheel can roll into a slot. The pin is then put back in place through the wheel spokes to secure the bike. Well, that just won't work. I also looked at Versa-Hauler models but once I saw how heavy they are I lost interest. I'm also betting I'd need to put air shocks on the van to use a hauler.
I hate to think of towing a trailer all over Florida just to get a few motorcycle rides in so it looks like I'll just forget about taking my bike down. I'll need to do some research on renting motorcycles down there. Come to think of it, if I'd be able to find some interesting bikes to rent, that would even be a better option. If any rental shops were to have the current Triumph Thruxton 900, I'd jump on that opportunity. That seems unlikely but I might find an interesting BMW rental. I know there are Hardley Abelsons available so I can always do that if the rental terms aren't too onerous.
That afternoon I walked at Rocky Ridge (1:48 today).

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Happy New Year!

(posted from home)
(This post covers 1 – 8 January 2012)

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Sunday, 8 January -

Hey, it's Sunday so it must be time for a motorcycle ride, yes? Today's weather isn't quite so nice but, still, it's almost fifty degrees out, though a bit cloudy. I took the Concours and the iPad, intending to catch up the blog. I worked for an hour or so as I sipped my cappuccino only to have the iPad suddenly black out the screen and lose my work. NOT cool.
I packed up and headed toward home, intending to divert to Rocky Ridge until I realized I didn't have suitable walking shoes. What the heck's wrong with me? Ahh, well, no bother. I did 5K yesterday and have been doing a good bit of walking so should probably rest anyway.
I returned home and re-created the blog entries I had lost and posted the blog update.
That evening we began watching 'Mad Men'- Season One.

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Saturday, 7 January-

After a morning of doing a few chores and patrolling the web news sites, I took the GS down to York to look at cargo trailers. I'm thinking of taking an ATV and a motorcycle along to Florida this year and wanted to see if a trailer would be practical. I then hit Starbucks and walked at Rudy Park. I had again gotten a later start than normal so went to Rudy so I wouldn't get caught too far from the bike as darkness came on. As it turned out I had made the mistake of using the time on the GS and hadn't changed it to daylight-savings time. I had plenty of time before dark. (And that explains why the sun seemed higher in the sky than it should for that time of day!)
That evening we watched 'Smoke Signals', a nice little indy movie about two young guys from the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation who have a complicated relationship which plays out in a road trip to Phoenix and back. Good one!

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Friday, 6 January -

We spent the morning on the web and then later in the day we joined Mom and Dad and one of their neighbors for a visit to Cafe Bruges in Carlisle. Dad loves the moules-et-frites there and I like their Monk's Ale, a sour red ale. Today's temperatures were over sixty so it made for a nice day to be out for meal.
I also worked on Dad's answering machine today (it was hung up, perhaps by a power surge) and on his Skype application on his PC. Dad and Labashi use Skype quite a bit for routine contact so I need to keep it running. Unfortunately, the latest Windows version has problems with Windows Vista. I downloaded the beta version and that seemed to tame the problem.
That evening we watched 'Gold Rush' and 'Flying Wild Alaska' for our nightly entertainment.

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Thursday, 5 January -

This morning MissusMaypo made us a hearty (and low-carb!) breakfast, then Maypo and I drove over to the Greene Township park to look at the new ice rink. This is the first year the township has tried the rink (which of course is an extra-warm year). We happened to arrive as one of the township guys responsible for it was just wrapping up today's inspection of it. He had hoped to get started on the final surface prep today but it's not quite ready. The surface prep is done with a squeegee-type contraption with a water connection, in this case to truck-mounted water tank since there's no water connection handy. The water melts the surface a bit and then it refreezes to a flat surface for the skaters to enjoy. It was great to run into this guy and get some inside info on the ice rink and efforts by the township to increase recreational opportunities, even in such tough economic times.
After the rink, we drove to the nearby Gander Mountain store to peek in the used-guns case and look around in general. Nothing special today.
After dropping Maypo off I headed home, arriving around 1400. I changed clothes and jumped on the Concours and rode over to Pinchot for a walk.
Pinchot Lake is ice-covered but it's still unsafe for skating and ice fishing. We had a pretty good breeze today so I headed away from the lake and walked up to the Ridge Trail and circled back to the Nature Center. Again, I started out a bit late so my walk today was only an hour.
That evening Labashi and I watched the last disk of season one of 'Modern Family'.

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Wednesday, 4 January-

This morning I called Maypo and arranged to meet him at his house around lunch time. He's off for a few days. I drove Labashi's car over, stopping at the Carlisle Starbucks for a quick cap-to-go along the way (lunch!).
We jawed a bit catching up on the holidays and then went over to 'Good Ta Go', a local beer emporium that's relatively new to the area. I had not been to this place before but Maypo had been there just yesterday with his son and had enjoyed himself. I'm not much of a beer drinker but was interested to see the place. It's a bit odd in that it has covered drive-through lane yet has bar-style (high) tables, a munchie-menu, and a big-screen TV for those who want to venture inside.
We were greeted by an offer of a free draft and then given a tour of the rows of six-pack-filled coolers with sections devoted to Domestic, Import, Specialty, (and other) beers. You can mix-and-match a six-pack if you like (subject to some restrictions). They also have a PC set up to access BeerAdvocate.com to help in your selection process.
They also have almost a dozen non-traditional beers on tap. After finishing my freebie Yuengling, I tried a Lindeman's Framboise Lambic and Maypo tried a toasted lager (I can't remember the name).
We went home after just the two beers but not long after arriving Maypo received a call inviting us to 'the FBI'-- the Fannettsburg Inn.
I drove us (me, Maypo, and MissusMaypo) the forty-five minutes to the FBI where we met up with a small group of Maypo's friends from work. We had a very pleasant and light-hearted evening as most of the group indulged in Taco Night. I stuck with a Coors Light and a bacon-cheeseburger without the bun to try to stay somewhere in the neigborhood of what I should be having on my diet.
On the way back to Maypo's he invited me to stay over rather than make the long drive home tonight and that sounded like a great idea.

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Tuesday, 3 January -

This morning I had another late start because of being awake a few hours during the night. I began thinking I'd like to go visit Maypo today but waited too long to make up my mind so didn't go. By mid-afternoon I was getting antsy so rode the Concours down to Rocky Ridge for a walk. Unfortunately, I waited too long to start out and had to cut my walk off early, only getting about an hour of walking in.
That evening we watched 'Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dellaire', an intense documentary about the civil war in Rwanda and the isolation of the UN peacekeeping force during the genocide.

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Monday, 2 January-

We're so out of it we didn't even realize today's a holiday. I wondered why there were football games on TV and why the mail didn't go.... until the lightbulb finally went off.
We started back on our low-carb diet today and I'm looking forward to it. The diet quickly gets my blood pressure back down out of the 'borderline high' range and I normally sleep pretty well while on it.
I had called in our phone line problem last week and we were supposed to have a visit today from the phone company tech this afternoon. But he called late morning and said the problem had been fixed. A mouse had built a nest in one of the phone pedestals down by the creek road. In any case, the buzz and crackling noises are gone. Thanks, Verizon!
That afternoon I rode down to Rocky Ridge on the GS to take a walk. When I saw the parking lot crowded I headed for the more remote parts of the park. And when it started to rain lightly, I thought that would be good to clear things out a bit. I was surprised to run into four other people in the steeper and most remote part of the park, all with the same surprised look at seeing someone else back here on a rainy day. This walk was a longer one than normal, taking about two-and-a-half hours- about six miles. Afterwards I took it easy riding the wet roads home.
This evening we caught an episode of Alaska Wing Men, a reality show about pilots accompanying the Iron Dog long-distance snowmobile race. At the end of the show we saw a brief shot of one of the pilots, Jim Arie, with a note saying something like 'he died doing what he loved best'. I stayed up late finding the notices of the flying accident in which he was killed. His plane clipped a tree while searching for wildlife at very low level. After watching him operate in very sketchy weather conditions to support the snowmobile racers, it was a shock to learn he had crashed in good weather and it was apparently due to pilot error. What a shame.

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Sunday, 1 January -

Happy New Year!

I was awakened around 0200 this morning by unexpected noise and lights. I heard a few whoops of a police siren and then noticed our back yard was being flooded by the strobing lights of a police cruiser. The back yard runs along a side street and apparently someone being tailed by the police car had pulled off the main road into the relative safety of our side street.
I couldn't see much due to the trees on that side of the yard but did see there were at least two police cars and the perp's vehicle. I didn't hear much, just muted voices--- and they didn't seem angry. After a half-hour one police car left but the other stayed another half-hour or so until the tow truck showed up and took away the car. I'd guess it was a drunk-driver stop but who knows.
After sleeping in a bit I took the Concours down to Tollgate for my Sunday coffee-and-blog, then went on to Rocky Ridge for my five-miler. Nice day.
That evening we watched 'Darwin's Nightmare', a documentary about the lives of Tanzanian citizens affected by the perch-fishing industry as managed by the First World countries. Not a pretty picture but very worthwhile.


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