We’re doing a bit of mental inventory, deciding what we will need for the upcoming motorcycle season. We have a few items we think would be handy that we want to pick up but the biggest conundrum for us has been whether to pick up a hand grinder or not….

Coffee. Our great dilemma.

Yep! Our biggest brain twister so far this year has been coffee!

I have found some really well reviewed and recommended hand coffee grinders, like the Porlex Coffee Grinder, but we are really undecided. We do have a budget, and something like a hand grinder for coffee seems really ridiculous, but it is really nice to have something luxurious (like fresh ground coffee in the morning) to make the sacrifices of a harsh budget a little more tolerable.

But there is more to it than just budget, there is space, and weight. Not just of the grinder, but the pots / percolators as well. When you factor in all the extra bits, buying ground coffee (or just forgoing coffee in the mornings) seems a little more reasonable.

Truth is, we probably won’t get a grinder, but we probably will get a percolator / coffee pot and use pre-ground. For christmas my in-laws got me a gift certificate for a local outdoor store, and I haven’t used it yet. It seems like a good idea, I haven’t been a coffee drinker for long, (thats a whole separate blog post, and probably not in my bike blog) but I find that it is a really nice thing to get things started in the morning.

I also have this vision in my head of waking up, climbing out of the tent, and standing with a fresh cup of coffee, looking at some lake or other, with my bike in the background…

Its gonna make a great photo…..

Ok, I was going insane and I needed to go for a bike ride.

It was my Dad’s 60th birthday on the weekend and we were planning a surprise party for him. In order to throw him off a bit I went to visit him, and I took my bike. Getting on the bike was a blast after about 6 weeks of no riding, but a strange thing happened after about 10 min on the road: a huge wave of depression rolled over me.

It was only there for a few minutes, but the fact that it hit me at all surprised me. I was super jazzed about going for a ride! I got on the bike and happily (and quickly) zipped off. I had a huge, shit-eating, grin as I lazily passed a few cars, then the depression hit. Fortunately I had about another 30 min to think about it before I got to my Dad’s place, and I think I figured it out.

This year was supposed to be “The Big Year”. Notice the capitals? That means it was gonna be big! Notice the “was”? That means its not actually going to be that big.

Several years ago we had decided that I was going to get my Journeyman ticket in Cabinetry, and my wife was going to start her Personal training business. We had planned that in 3 – 4 years we would be done our training and business building and bringing in some decent cash. We cut back our expenses a lot and sold a whole bunch of crap.  Unfortunately my wife’s training hasn’t taken off quite the way we had hoped; and my training, while advancing on schedule, hasn’t had the incremental financial rewards I had expected and hoped for along the way. Now, these set backs aren’t the end of our dreams, by any stretch of the imagination. The trips we had hoped to take ARE going to happen, just not quite when we had planned.

And that was the cause of “the wave”. Realizing that our plans were, once again, going to have to be put off in order to deal with reality.

Now that doesn’t mean no trips this year! We are planning a trip in August. (Would I sound more optimistic if I said we are going on a trip this year?) Down to Oregon, across to Montana, up into Alberta, than back into BC for the Horizons Unlimited meeting in Nakusp. It will be a pretty good trip, off beaten paths, and through places we have never been. It will be a good “starter” trip for us, but its still not the trip we had hoped to take.

So its a little depressing, but not that depressing. Which is why I was only “down” for a few min on my ride…..

….then I passed three cars at once, and I started to smile again!

(I love that stretch of road!)

Lisa and Simon Thomas = 2RidetheWorld

Lisa and Simon Thomas are “2RidetheWorld“.

They have been riding the world for 8 years and have covered 214,000 miles. 72 countries on 5 continents! (Almost enough miles to equal the distance from Earth to the Moon!!)

They’re just getting back on the road after a rather nasty accident Simon had, needed to (almost) completely rebuild his bike!

Stop in and check them out!! They have a Facebook Page too!

Not getting paid though; which is why days off suck!

One of the things I’ve managed to get done today is sew a few patches on to my riding jacket; with a minimal amount of bleeding! Which is good.

Did I mention *I* am a Norton?

One of the patches I put on was a “Norton” patch. My Dad got the whole family jean jackets with patches on the back (last name Norton. Sadly not related to those Nortons), but I didn’t wear it much. One day when we were doing some tidying up, I decided to get rid of the jacket, but the patch was just too cool to give up. So I took it off and promised to get it onto the back of my riding jacket one day.

Today was the day! Only took about 90 min, about 18 feet of thread, and ZERO band aids. The lining in the jacket made life difficult, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get my back padding back into it, but it turned out ok! My wife also got me a Riders for Health patch; that went on a bit easier. Decided to give my finger tips a bit of a break (which is why I’m typing?!?!) before putting on the Horizons Unlimited patch and the small Canadian Flag.

The weather isn’t too bad today, so if I get my sewing done in time I may dig out my bike from the carport and go for a ride!

Which is why days off rule!

I haven’t really been in a motorcycle mood lately.

Thats not to say that I suddenly hate my bike and I want to give it all up and explore the world in an RV; it just a method of self defense……. because I am on the verge of going insane.

I. Want. To. Ride!!!

"4-Wheel Fever". Like Cabin Fever except for cars.

I have got a bad case of “Four-Wheel Fever”. It’s kinda like Cabin Fever, only you get it from being trapped, driving in something with 4 wheels for an extended period of time. Symptoms include standing and looking at sunny skies, while sighing heavily; far away looks; and strange rotational twitches of the right hand, usually accompanied by a tapping of the left foot. Symptoms may also include hysterical crying.

It seems like every time we pack our bikes away for the season, it gets nice out…… Well, as nice as 5 ℃ and sunny can get. Which, as it turns out, is pretty damn nice when you’ve been stuck driving a “cage” for 3 months!!

To make things worse, my wife and I have finally started seriously planning our trip for this summer. Usually while watching Long Way Down. (More on our trip in a blog soon.)

Its not too bad. My insanity isn’t such that I need to worry about medication or anything. Its more like having an itch you can’t scratch…… for 3 solid months. Add the knowledge that you won’t likely be able to scratch it for at least another month, and are planning an extended session of itch scratching in 7 months, and ……..I’m sure you get get the point.

So if you’re driving down the road during the winter months, and see a person looking looking out of their car at the dry roads and sunshine rotating their right hand on the steering wheel…… and crying; its ok.

Its just me.

And I only have a fever.

Turns out its even on the route we are planning for our first big trip. It’s in Rawlins, Wyoming and the prices seem reasonable. May have to stop in and stay a night (or 2).

The Ferris Mansion B&B. Looks pretty cool.

If you do *ANY* kind of travel, you owe it to yourself to check this page out!

Scottevest has travel clothing with pockets everywhere. Designed in such a way that the clothing doesn’t LOOK like it has that many pockets! It’s been on our list for a long time, but unfortunately there has always been something that has come up, preventing us from buying.

Want a vest with 24 pockets? How about shorts with 11? Maybe a shirt with 19? They have them all. A gentleman traveled around the world with no luggage, only what he could carry in his pockets. It’s amazing. (And soon I will own some.)

The reason I bring it up now, is that my wife and I have just made a video for a contest they are having. The Scottevest Trip of your Life contest. We would really like it if you could….

….Click on our video….

….like it, and share it with as many people as you want! (Preferably everyone you know!)

And don’t forget to check out the Scottevest website. Even if you don’t watch the video, they are worth checking out!

All tucked away for the season. (Notice the bright spots of sunshine? Mother Nature decided the sun should come out 5 min after parking the bikes!)

Writing about something you aren’t currently doing regularly is kinda difficult, and definitely makes coming up with ideas a little more challenging. Now that I am settling in to my new routine at work, hopefully I’ll be able to think more (about motorcycling) and maybe come up with a few ideas.

As repetitious as it sounds, I discovered the Buff while watching Long Way Down. I noticed the guys wearing them, but didn’t think much of it until I noticed them on their website. Fortunately I found some for sale at a local shop, and picked one up. I am glad I did!

Possibly my first Buff sighting.

There are literally dozens, and possibly hundreds of different ways to wear them, they are very versatile. I usually wear mine around my neck when riding. I’ll put it on before doing up my jacket. Tuck it into my jacket as I do the jacket up. Then I’ll pull it up over my ears and put my helmet on  over top. I’ll tuck it under my chin when doing up my chin strap, and that holds it in place. On occasion (when riding in the very cold) I’ll pull it up over my nose, but that doesn’t happen often. I usually avoid riding in conditions that cold, but sometimes its unavoidable.

But its not just for the cold. I ride with my Buff all year. In the winter its for the cold, obviously, but in the summer its good for keeping the bugs off the neck.  I have a mild allergy to bee stings, and though not fatal, or even dangerous, I do tend to swell up when stung. On the hand, or some other appendage, its not serious, but if I got one on the neck, I’d be concerned.

The Summer Buff is UV resistant, and protects my shaved head from sunburn!

Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle for any length of time has taken a bug to the visor, and I have taken my fair share. There has definitely been a bee or 2 (or 18) that I’ve taken on the visor, and I’d rather not know how I would do if stung in the neck. The Buff adds that extra piece of mind when riding.

I actually have 2 Buffs. A regular one, and a summer Buff. The summer Buff is a little smaller, and made from a fabric that is UV resistant. Very handy for someone like me, that wears their hair very short, and could easily get a sunburn on the top of their head. (Very unpleasant for those that have not experienced it!) On one of my last trips my wife and I actually forgot our sunscreen and the Buff was the only thing that saved my poor head from looking like a beet. It did give me an interesting tan line on the back of my neck though.

My wife, wearing my summer Buff. (And both of us looking a little knarly after a 5 days on the road.)

Having a spare is also very handy for those times when your wife has misplaced hers and wants to borrow one of yours.

For those of you who have never seen a Buff, I heartily recommend you check them out! There are many different styles, and many different uses. You can even have custom made Buffs with your logo on them! Something I am considering myself, when I’m not quite so “penniless”.

Well a few months ago, we had a bit of a windfall (we sold some stuff) and decided to get a set of hard panniers for one of us. And………

….I’ve changed my mind.

Now, I could tell you all sorts of things about the hard luggage I hadn’t thought off when writing my previous post. Like they’re much easier (aka faster) to put on and take off the bike. They’re more secure (if you get ones that lock). That the hard ones feel larger than the soft panniers, though they’re labeled as being the same size. (I think its due to their shape.) You can mount things on them (things like these) and tie things down to them. But I’m going to go all superficial on you and tell you the real reasons we went with the aluminum panniers:

They look cooler (and more “hardcore”). Plus you can put stickers on them! (Which makes you look even more hardcore.)

Look at my wingspan!!! How awesome is that!?!

The big deal for us though, was the peace of mind that came with being able to lock our gear up. It was odd just how much my wife and I worried about someone stealing something from us. I don’t know if we’re bitter and jaded, and have a pessimistic view of society, but the amount of stress we felt decreased dramatically when we were able to lock the panniers and trunk and walk away. (It probably comes from how “penniless” we are, and how hard we have worked and saved to get our gear in the first place.)

The only drawback we’ve come across so far is our trunks are just a little too wide and block the lids on the panniers from opening all the way. Which is rather annoying, but not a big deal when everything can be removed in about 4 seconds.

So, if your penniless like us, I would definitely suggest looking hard at the security vs expense of hard panniers.